Do Christ Followers Really Hate Gays?

Do Christ Followers Really Hate Gays?

Earlier this morning a friend noted a New York Times article from yesterday addressing the political aftermath of the shooting at a gay night club in Orlando.  In the write up the author stated that prior to a recent congressional vote, a “Republican congressman read his colleagues a Bible verse from Romans that calls for the execution of gays.” The truth of the matter is that the book of Romans in the Bible says no such thing.  This type of paid journalism, beyond being unprofessional and dishonest, is part of what is propagating the myth in our present culture that Bible believing Christians hate gays.

Yes, a section of Romans chapter 1 does speak of giving into homosexual temptations as being outside of God’s design but it nowhere calls for hatred and violence toward those people by Christ followers.  Indeed there are cultish groups like the Westborow Baptist Church that spew hatred toward others.  However this does not speak of authentic Christianity.  While people who hold to an authoritative view of scripture may not agree with gay-marriage, they do not hate those who practice such. On the contrary, they love them despite their differences.

This can be easily illustrated by the response of Chick fil-A Sunday following the shooting in Orlando. (more…)

Is Christianity Intellectually Relevant?

Is Christianity Intellectually Relevant?

SNDWhere does the burden of proof rest in discussions about Christianity?  Can the claims of Christianity be rationally defended or must we check our brains at the doors of faith?  Join us Sunday night at 8p Central as we welcome apologist Larry Lewis live from Berlin, Germany.  Larry is director of the Connections Resource Center in Berlin.  Connections is part of a larger effort known as the Open Door Libraries which bring the knowledge of God to countries where Christian teaching and resources have been limited or restricted.

Do you have questions about the legitimacy Christianity and the Bible?  Then grab a friend and stop by our live webcast. You can catch the program here or on our Sunday Night Discussions Google + page.  Questions can be sent in prior to the show or while the program is live through one of these mediums.

 

10 Critiques of Christmas Criticisms.

10 Critiques of Christmas Criticisms.

Recently I noticed an article chiding followers of Christ for their misunderstandings of Christmas floating around cyberspace.  It was gathering a good bit of attention from some of my friends who don’t normally go in for Biblical Christianity.  Usually when that scenario plays out you can bet the post is cynical at best and derogatory at worst and most often simply filled with half-truths. This particular post was found in Time.com and written by Mark Sandlin.  (link here)  In the post, Sandlin shared what he felt were 10 things Christians should NOT DO on Christmas to which my skeptical friends thought were great. A few of Mark’s comments were right on while on the other hand a few of them made me question if the guy really knows Jesus or not.  So today I have written a quick response to Mr. Sandlin and then 10 quick things that Christians SHOULD do on Christmas. So anyway, here we go . . . (more…)

Above the Change.

Today the United States will change. After Americans go to the polls and ultimately the Electoral College vote is cast, one direction or the other will be set in motion. Either the governmental philosophy of President Obama will be fully confirmed or the direction of Governor Romney will set another course.  Either way, we are looking at monumental change.  I have friends who are cheering for each side of this debate. I have friends from all across the political spectrum who will either be throwing a party tonight or settling in for a somber night’s sleep. Indeed this is a serious election.  But after you go to the polls, here are two main principles followers of Jesus Christ need to keep in mind at the end of the day.  (more…)

On Tackling the Temple (The day I reached 196)

Well I wasn’t super happy this past week with my cholesterol check.  Apparently the number 196 is not very good.  At least my Dr. friend didn’t like it. He said that 200 is the beginning of the danger zone and obviously I’m not too far removed from that number.  So I took my beating and was told that my exercise routine needs to get longer and my diet needs to get smaller.  No, I was not thrilled at the results.  Beyond just not liking the idea of having a growing gut I recognized that if my cholesterol grows there can be health risks which will hold ramifications for my family.  In short, I need to get healthier not just for me, but for them.  After ruminating a bit it became clear that there are also spiritual implications to this bodily discussion.  (more…)