Basic yet Vital Truths about Love

I really appreciate Christopher Ash's summary of key truths about love, including how love factors into marriage according to God's design.  Ash provides a "big picture" view of how human love makes sense in light of the love of God.

The De-Conversion Playbook

Michael Kruger provides a very helpful overview and analysis of the "de-conversion playbook" followed by numerous post-evangelical leaders as they seek to justify revisionist readings of Scripture and draw still-evangelical Christians to follow their lead into progressive enlightenment.  Kruger's penetrating analysis centers on Jen Hatmaker's recent interview with Peter Enns and Jared Byas.

Kruger's conclusion:

In the end, there’s no doubt Hatmaker’s de-conversion story will be persuasive to our postmodern world.  And I am sure some will adopt her newfound theology as a result.

But, upon closer examination, it is rife with problems.  While claiming to be non-judgmental, she declares the fruit of those who believe in traditional marriage as “rotten.”  Despite her insistence that the Bible should be read without certainty, she offers all sorts of dogmatic claims about what the Bible teaches. While claiming her views are due to a deep study of Scripture, she offers only simplistic explanations for the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality, while disregarding 2000 years of church history.

Yes, we should not settle for pat answers.  But, sometimes the Bible does give clear answers. And when it does, we should be willing to listen and receive them.

Sorrow on an Enormous Scale

The life of Hugh Hefner led to sorrow on an enormous scale.  To be sure, there are those who consider his pioneering Playboy endeavors to have been liberating and wonderfully progressive, and a source of great happiness.  But, at root, what he did was encourage millions and millions of men to objectify women and diminish them into "roles not souls"--see Jon Bloom's thoughtful analysis along these lines.  So sad.

"Dignitary Harm" and the Debate over Religious Freedom

Albert Mohler reviews a new two-views book on religious liberty and LGBTQ concerns.  Especially important is the discussion of "dignitary harm."

Transgender Controversy

Russell Moore strikes a wise and helpful balance of compassion and truth in his recent post at TGC.

The Sad Situation of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

The release of "Fifty Shades of Grey" in theaters the day before Valentine's Day sends a disturbing message about love.

Of course, I don't expect non-believing, Christ-defying writers and movie makers and advertisers to avoid promoting sexual exploitation--if there's a profit to be made, the sad mixture of free enterprise and sexual chaos in our day is going to result in grim effects like "Fifty Shades."  Not surprised.

But sad, and grieved.

And yet always looking to Christ with hope.  Followers of Jesus, let's PRAY that our ingenious Lord would accomplish all kinds of good and God-honoring things in his round-about ways through this sorrowful situation (Genesis 50:20).

Here are a few thoughtful comments about "Fifty Shades":

• Owen Strachan:  "50 Shades of Grey speaks to where things are headed in our culture. We should not expect that postmodernism will protect women. It will do no such thing. We should not expect that it will ennoble men and call them to self-sacrificial responsibility. It will do no such thing. We should not expect that postmodernism will bless children and strengthen the family. It will do no such thing."
• Tim Challies and Helen Thorne:  "As 50 Shades of Grey hits the screens, let’s love God well by honoring him wholeheartedly with our eyes, ears, hearts and minds. Let’s love our brothers and sisters well by encouraging them with truth rather than lies. Let’s love our unbelieving neighbors by showing them how beautiful and alluring purity looks. And let’s love ourselves by committing ourselves wholeheartedly to living in light of the immense love that has been lavished on us. “See what a great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)."
• Marshall Segal:  "The message that sex is selfish, manipulative, and even playfully violent will abuse and violate you. It might feel like a fun and harmless fantasy, but it’s not so subtly redefining the power and beauty of sex, creating spiritual blockages in your heart that will eventually kill you, and impairing your ability to enjoy real and lasting pleasure."
• Kevin DeYoung:  "There is nothing gray about whether a follower of Christ should see 50 Shades of Grey. This is a black and white issue. Don’t go. Don’t watch it. Don’t read it. Don’t rent it."

On Singleness

A good word that gets to the heart of the matter when it comes to following Jesus as a single person.

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About Miley

Trevin Wax has helpful and sobering thoughts in response to the lewd performance by Miley Cyrus on MTV's Video Music Awards--including deep sadness, yet not erasing the hope of gospel grace.

Update, Aug. 29:  Laura Leonard has an insightful post at CT's Her-meneutics site reminding the world that Jesus loves Miley.  Good point--great point, in fact.  And a vital word to be spoken in the midst of all the outpouring of dismay and revulsion.  Yes, the loving arms of Christ are open wide to Miley, as they are to any and all.  And yet, not sure what Leonard means by saying, "Nothing she [i.e., Miley] could do could separate her from his love."  It's one thing to state that the love of Christ is extended to all the world--i.e., that the offer of life, eternal life, is held out to any and every kind of sinner on earth (so John 3:16).  That's at the heart of the gospel message.  It's another to suggest Miley has actually received the love of Christ, or will definitely receive it, so that, ultimately, she will not be separated from him.  It is those who are "in Christ" who will never be separated from his love (Romans 8:1, 38-39).  But we do not know that Miley is "in Christ," nor do we know if she will turn to him in faith during this life.  So in keeping with the tone of Leonard's article, let's pray that Miley would indeed lay her life in the hands of the loving and all-satisfying Savior, Jesus Christ!
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Internet Porn

Make time to read Russell Moore's recent post on internet pornography and what's really at stake.
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The Bachelor Pastor

For a great message on God's good pathway of sexual purity, check out Steve DeWitt's last sermon as a bachelor pastor.  His story includes how that pathway can be a long road--Steve got married at the age of 44.
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On Purity

Jen Pollock Michel, in her article, "Virginity Isn't Our Holy Grail," rightly identifies “the real question:  How do we talk about sexual sin in ways that don’t shame and yet stay faithful to the biblical truth that sex outside of marriage is, after all, sin (Heb. 13:4)?”  True—we want to communicate God’s grace to sinners (i.e., all of us—whether we’re talking about sexual sin or some other variety), but we also want to be clear that God calls his people to resist temptation and lead holy lives.  It is a fine but crucial biblical balance.  

But this wise standard is then cast aside as hopelessly impractical with this faithless claim:  “Because let’s be honest:  Can we hope for purity with horny high school kids?”  

To summarize the resulting dissonant message:  Let’s extend God’s grace and also pursue godliness—and yet, forget the part about pursuing godliness because young people don’t stand a chance against the force of raging hormones.  

The drift of the article, in the end, is to inspire doubt and discouragement as to the possibility of honoring God in our sexual lives.  

Not helpful.
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What Will the President Do?

President Obama could prove Russell Moore wrong, but if he doesn’t speak up to defend religious diversity and freedom in America then he’s proving Moore right.

Moore contends that the recent fracas over the White House’s invitation of Pastor Louie Giglio to give the benediction at the upcoming presidential inauguration, followed by Giglio’s withdrawal of his acceptance of that invitation due to a firestorm of criticism from strident left-wing voices, signals that we’ve come to the place today where we basically have a state church. 

Giglio, an evangelical Christian and founder of the Passion Conferences, preached a sermon in the 1990s in which he articulated a Bible-based message on sexuality, including the idea that homosexual activity is contrary to God’s will.  Moore points out that such a stance on sexual ethics is not only in line with historic Christian teaching but with the moral vision of Islam and Judaism as well.  Thus the day has come in which a faithful Christian or Jew or Muslim cannot pray at a presidential inauguration:  the new state religion forbids it.

So far President Obama has been silent on this controversy, but Presidential Inaugural Committee spokeswoman Addie Whisenant indicates that the committee hadn’t known of Mr. Giglio’s remarks when he was selected to participate in the inauguration, and “they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country at this inaugural.”  She added that as the committee works to “select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.”

In other words, they are determined to find someone whose religious stance not only affirms homosexual conduct now but who has never articulated a Bible-based or faithful Muslim or Jewish stance on sexuality.  That is the new standard that people who pray in public must meet, and that's also a key premise in the doctrinal statement of the state religion our current administration is establishing.

UNLESS President Obama steps up and speaks out in favor of allowing the millions of Americans who accept Christian teaching to remain present in the public square.  Unless he replies to Giglio and says, “I know you’re getting raked over the coals, and I know we don’t agree on everything, but I appreciate your excellent work fighting against human trafficking and I want you to participate in the inauguration.”

The ball is in the President’s court.  What will he do?  Will he tolerate the new intolerance, or will he affirm and endorse the classic American concept of tolerance that allows and even protects religious diversity in the land?  Will he stand up to his inaugural committee and others in the administration, or will he sit quietly by as this moment passes (his moment to affirm religious freedom) and look forward to an inauguration with prayers only from people who march in lock-step conformity to the new state-approved religion?

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Premarital Sex

Kevin DeYoung has drawn attention to Tim and Kathy Keller’s book, The Meaning of Marriage, posting an excerpt about why sex before marriage is both morally wrong and personally harmful (from pp. 225-27):

“The modern sexual revolution finds the idea of abstinence till marriage to be so unrealistic as to be ludicrous. In fact, many people believe it is psychologically unhealthy and harmful. Yet despite the contemporary incredulity, this has been the unquestioned uniform teaching of not only one but all of the Christian churches—Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant.

The Bible does not counsel sexual abstinence before marriage because it has such a low view of sex but because it has such a lofty one. The Biblical view implies that sex outside of marriage is not just morally wrong but also personally harmful. If sex is designed to be part of making a covenant and experiencing that covenant’s renewal, then we should think of sex as an emotional “commitment apparatus.”

If sex is a method that God invented to do “whole life entrustment” and self-giving, it should not surprise us that sex makes us feel deeply connected to the other person, even when used wrongly. Unless you deliberately disable it, or through practice you numb the original impulse, sex makes you feel personally interwoven and joined to another human being, as you are literally physically joined. In the midst of sexual passion, you naturally want to say extravagant things such as, ‘I’ll always love you.’

Even if you are not legally married, you may find yourself quickly feeling marriage-like ties, feeling that the other person has obligations to you. But that other person has no legal, social, or moral responsibility to even call you back in the morning. This incongruity leads to jealousy and hurt feelings and obsessiveness if two people are having sex but are not married. It makes breaking up vastly harder than it should be. It leads many people to stay trapped in relationships that are not good because of a feeling of having (somehow) connected themselves.

Therefore, if you have sex outside marriage, you will have to steel yourself against sex’s power to soften your heart toward another person and make you more trusting. The problem is that, eventually, sex will lose its covenant-making power for you, even if you one day do get married. Ironically, then, sex outside of marriage eventually works backwards, making you less able to commit and trust another person.”

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Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Thirty-nine years ago this week the Supreme Court, in its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, swept away virtually all state laws restricting abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.  Since that time, there have been some fifty million little ones who've lost their lives here in the USA.


The scale of abortion woes is even greater in some other parts of the world, due in no small part to the particularly heinous practice of sex-selection abortion.  Consider the 200 million missing girls.


Note the free download offered by Desiring God, Exposing the Dark Work of Abortion.
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Penn State Scandal

The Pennsylvania State University Board of Directors took bold action yesterday, firing it's legendary football coach, Joe Paterno. Reactions are all over the place today, and there may be more firings and fallout from the whole sad saga.

I appreciate Al Mohler's challenge to Christian leaders: bottom line, any knowledge of or suspicion of abuse must be reported to law enforcement without delay.

It was not enough that Paterno, after hearing of a former assistant coach's abusive contact with a child, followed university protocol and notified the athletic director about the matter. He is gone from Penn State today because he did not also notify police.

Here's a link to Mohler's article.

See also my letter on this story to the church where I serve: click here.

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Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"

Lady Gaga has taken a bold stride into the “nature-nurture” debate with her new hit single, “Born This Way.” The song debuted at the Grammys last month where she was carried on stage in a giant egg and then hatched herself to make a statement: born this way.

The song’s agenda isn't subtle: “No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgendered … don't be a drag, just be a queen.” After all, “God makes no mistakes, I’m on the right track baby, I was born this way.” Elton John has declared that the song may be “the new gay anthem” (ew.com).

And yet, a few questions come to mind. First, what are the boundaries of the “born this way” rationale? If you go down the road that says, “This is just the way I am,” where else might it take you? What kinds of views or actions might Lady Gaga herself consider unacceptable even if her best friend insisted, “I was born this way”? “But Gaga, my dear, I was born with a natural, ‘God-given’ desire to swindle you out of millions! Surely you can support me in this—that’s what friends are for!”

Secondly, it seems she’s dodging a couple key issues. One is the interplay of nature and nurture in the complex story of our development. For Lady Gaga, it’s nature—end of discussion. But human civilization hasn’t been debating this delicate distinction since time immemorial for no reason. Is it likely that all the intricate theological, sociological and psychological reflections of centuries were suddenly resolved at the 2011 Grammys?

Another evaded point is this: even if from birth we’re prone to act or think or feel in certain ways, that doesn’t necessarily mean those ways are good for us or others. Frankly, mature adulthood (for the Christian or anyone else) involves restraining various natural impulses: cruel words held back for the sake of friendship; sloth denied in order to keep earning a living; saying no to impulse buying; and so on.

As for God’s guidance on the subject of sexual activity, here are a few key points (of course, I realize that these claims only carry weight for those who respect the authority of Scripture, so I don’t expect Lady Gaga or Elton John to be won over—apart from the heart-changing intervention of the Lord, toward which we should pray!):

• Romans 1:26-27 indicates that homo­sexual activity is contrary to God’s will. Other biblical texts could be noted as well, both Old and New Testament (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9). It’s not a topic on which the Bible is silent.
• “One flesh” intimacy is reserved for husband and wife in marriage (Mark 10:6-9). Outside of marriage, God’s good will for people is sexual abstinence. Embracing singleness in Christ is a beautiful expression of trust in his wisdom and love (1 Corinthians 7:7, 32-35).
• Gay neighbors are like all our other neighbors in this sense: they need Christ, and they need to see the love of Christ in our kind and truthful way of relating to them.
• Check out ChristopherYuan.com for the story of a changed heart and deliverance from the gay lifestyle.
• Dr. Robert Gagnon (Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Seminary) provides extensive, serious engagement with these issues from a biblical foundation (robgagnon.net).

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The Tiger Woods Drama

Of all the adjectives used to describe the Tiger Woods mess, maybe the most apt is simply “sad.” Sad all around—for Tiger and Elin and their children, for their families and friends and his fans. For everyone.

But notice what the media isn’t saying. They’re not claiming it really doesn’t matter if married men fool around. They’re not saying Tiger’s reputation has to do entirely with his golf skills while his “personal life” is no one else’s business. They’re not suggesting we’ll all still cheer at his fist-pumping victories and buy Nike and Buick (etc.) just the same.

In fact, today’s media is oozing with morality: we as a people know—deep down we know this—that those who cheat on their spouses commit a grave offense. It’s not a question open for debate; no one’s out there arguing Tiger should really just feel free to set up a harem. The subtext of this whole frenzy is our world’s blaring cry that marriage matters, fidelity to your wife matters; wedding vows are profound and breaking them is dead wrong. Period.

How do people know this? Because God built us to respect his design for marriage: “What God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matt 19:6). He’s wired people to know that the marriage covenant is sacred. If you’re married, you and your beloved both said “I do.” But it wasn’t the two of you who formed the union, nor was it the minister who officiated. “What GOD has joined together…” At a deep level, people know this.

So on this gray day of dismay and disillusionment in which a “hero” has fallen (more accurately: when we’ve found out a hero had fallen), don’t miss the cloud’s silver lining: God’s image within us shines through!

Allow me to caution followers of Christ about how to respond to this debacle. 1) Don’t hate Tiger for his perverse hypocrisy—hate isn’t Jesus’ way (Matt 5:43-44). 2) Don’t congratulate yourself because you’ve done better (read Matt 5:27-30 and Luke 18:9-14). 3) Don’t say “Boys will be boys” and shrug it all off (but then again, above we’ve noted that we just can’t bring ourselves to do this). 4) Don’t say you can’t believe he was so stupid (Satan is very devious and he deftly lures otherwise intelligent people into sin and its misery; resisting sin isn’t just about brains).

Instead: 1) PRAY for Tiger and his family—to meet Christ, find mercy, and get a life! 2) Realize your vulnerability (“There but for the grace of God go I”; and see 1 John 1:8; James 4:7-8). 3) Make sure you’ve got Christian support and consistent accountability to help you say no to Satan’s seductive lies. 4) "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes" (Eph 6:11).

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Brazen Lies

The Bible is crystal clear that Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). In fact, one of the Enemy’s nicknames is “the deceiver” (Rev 12:9), and he’s ready and eager to launch all kinds of disinformation in your direc­tion. Through deceptive propaganda, Satan promotes all kinds of insidious falsehoods. Imagine what some of his grand lies might be:

· “There is no God” [but see Gen 1:1; Ps 14:1; 53:1].

· “‘The devil’ isn’t real” [Matt 4:1-11; 1 Pet 5:8-9].

· “You’re worthless” [Gen 1:27; Ps 8:5; 1 Cor 6:19-20].

· “You have to work harder to get God to love you” [Rom 5:8].

· “This life is all there is” [Matt 25:46; John 3:16; 1 Cor 15:19].

· “Busy-ness is good—go, go, go” [Ps 46:10; Matt 11:28-30].

· “Prayer is a waste of time—not productive” [Luke 11:8; Jas 5:16].

· “If you suffer, God’s failing to do his job” [Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28].

What about some of Satan’s lies related to finances:

· “You need more money to be happy” [Heb 13:5; Phil 4:6, 11].

· “The more you make, the more you should elevate your lifestyle” [Eph 4:28; 2 Cor 8:2; 9:7].

· “Wealthy people are more important than others” [Luke 16:19-31].

· “You’re the true owner of all your possessions” [Ps 24:1; 50:10-12].

How about in connection with sexuality:

· “No harm just looking” [Mt 5:27-30; 6:22-23; Job 31:1; Prov 6:25].

· “If everyone else is doing it, it must be okay” [Matt 7:13-14].

· “Sex before marriage is no big deal” [1 Cor 6:9; 1 Thess 4:3-5].

And in the area of outreach and evangelism:

· “No need to talk about Jesus, just be kind” [1 Pet 3:15; Mt 28:18-20].

· “Sharing your faith is rude” [Acts 8:30-38; 16:31; 17:16-33].

Let’s pray for discernment so we’re not taken in by Satan’s deadly lies!

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Sports Illustrated Sorrow

February is a sad season in the sporting world as it is the time for the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Of course, many would find this description jarring: sad? Who's sad? I'm sure millions of Americans greet the arrival of this publication with glee. A couple Februarys ago I remember a sketch on Letterman in which he chased the magazine delivery truck down the road, giddy to get his hands on the swimsuit issue ASAP.

But I say "sad" because this is the time when it's most vividly clear and "in your face" before the world that profit-driven people exploit sexual longings to increase their revenue. More than that, this is the moment when it's most obvious that sexually charged photos are finding a home in (what has been considered) mainstream media and not just in the shadowy world of adult book stores.

A news feature the other day showed a jet airliner with a huge image of a swimsuit model's body painted on the plane. It's pretty obvious there are a lot of people deeply invested in SI and CNN and various sports franchises and ad campaigns (etc.) who're working feverishly to get us all to accept the idea that gazing at near-nude swimsuit girls should be considered just one more form of innocent visual entertainment--just a little eye candy, nothing more...

Of course, among those profit-driven souls are the models who take their clothes off for SI. This is the saddest part of all: young women taught to separate themselves from their bodies, and to sell the sight of their flesh for visual consumption. I'm sure the pressure on these young women is tremendous--to be chosen for the SI swimsuit cover must be a mark of spectacular success in one's modeling career, a doorway to lucrative opportunities to be stared at yet more in the future. And I suspect many beautiful young women would find a certain comfort and ego boost in being the focus of hungry eyes--to be wanted, to be special (would they add, "to be loved"?).

TV morning show hosts this week were snickering about the infamous magazine in their "news" reports. The release of the swimsuit issue was given top story status alongside the latest on Australia's wild fires and President Obama's economic bailout plans. What's wrong with this picture?

Well, that's the world we live in. It makes me sad.

Some may think I'm "prudish" or that I don't want red-blooded men to have a little fun. The truth is, I want them to have the fullest, enduring satisfaction God has to give, a joy far deeper than the thrill of gawking at swimsuit beauties. I speak not only of the God-intended delights of sexual fulfillment within marriage, but ultimately of eternal joy in the company of the all-glorious, all-satisfying Christ.

The sad side of February reminds me that, as C. S. Lewis put it in "The Weight of Glory," we are far too easily pleased: "Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea."

May the Lord, in his powerful grace, grant that many--millions--would look past the eye candy this February and instead find true joy in the worship of Christ!

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple."

(Psalm 27:4, ESV)

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