Religion
Thursday 11 November 2010
Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan 'for blasphemy'
A Christian woman has been sentenced to hang in Pakistan after being convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammed.
By Rob Crilly in Islamabad and Aoun Sahi in Lahore 5:36PM GMT 09 Nov 2010
Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old mother-of-five, denies blasphemy and told investigators that she was being persecuted for her faith in a country where Christians face routine harassment and discrimination.
Christian groups and human rights campaigners condemned the verdict and called for the blasphemy laws to be repealed.
Her supporters say she will now appeal against the sentence handed down in a local court in the town of Sheikhupura, near Lahore, Pakistan.
Ashiq Masih, her husband, said he had not had the heart to break the news to two of their children.
"I haven't told two of my younger daughters about the court's decision," he said. "They asked me many times about their mother but I can't get the courage to tell them that the judge has sentenced their mother to capital punishment for a crime she never committed." Mrs Bibi has been held in prison since June last year.
The court heard she had been working as a farmhand in fields with other women, when she was asked to fetch drinking water.
Some of the other women – all Muslims – refused to drink the water as it had been brought by a Christian and was therefore "unclean", according to Mrs Bibi's evidence, sparking a row.
The incident was forgotten until a few days later when Mrs Bibi said she was set upon by a mob.
The police were called and took her to a police station for her own safety.
Shahzad Kamran, of the Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan, said: "The police were under pressure from this Muslim mob, including clerics, asking for Asia to be killed because she had spoken ill of the Prophet Mohammed.
"So after the police saved her life they then registered a blasphemy case against her." He added that she had been held in isolation for more than a year before being sentenced to death on Monday.
"The trial was clear," he said. "She was innocent and did not say those words." Earlier this year, Pakistan's internet service providers were ordered to block Facebook to prevent access to supposedly blasphemous images.
Human rights groups believe the law is often used to discriminate against religious minorities, such as the country's estimated three million Christians.
Although no one has ever been executed under Pakistan's blasphemy laws – most are freed on appeal – as many as 10 people are thought to have been murdered while on trial.
Ali Hasan Dayan, of Human Rights Watch, said the blasphemy laws were out of step with rights guaranteed under Pakistan's constitution and should be repealed.
"It's an obscene law," he said. "Essentially the blasphemy law is used as a tool of persecution and to settle other scores that are nothing to do with religion.
"It makes religious minorities particularly vulnerable because it's often used against them."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/8120142/Christian-woman-sentenced-to-death-in-Pakistan-for-blasphemy.html
Visualizzazione post con etichetta christian. Mostra tutti i post
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domenica 19 dicembre 2010
mercoledì 5 agosto 2009
Apostasy in the Christian church
Apostasy in the Christian church
"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [Jesus' return] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction," (2 Thess. 2:3, NASB).
Apostasy means to fall away from the truth. Therefore, an apostate is someone who has once believed and then rejected the truth of God. Apostasy is a rebellion against God because it is a rebellion against truth. In the Old Testament God warned the Jewish people about their idolatry and their lack of trust in Him. In the New Testament the epistles warn us about not falling away from the truth. Apostasy is a very real and dangerous threat.
The verse at the top of the page tells us that there will be an apostasy that is associated with the appearance of the Antichrist. Most Christians are looking for the arrival of the Antichrist, but very few are looking for "the apostasy" that must come first. the arrival of the Antichrist cannot occur until sufficient apostasy has happened in the world. The Antichrist, who is the ultimate of liars, cannot abide in a world where the truth of God's word is taught. This is why the Bible says that the apostasy will come first and then the Antichrist will be revealed.
Therefore, we must, as Christians, ask this question, "Is there an apostasy occurring in the Christian church today?" Some would say no and others yes. But, as we look for the arrival of the Antichrist, should we not also be looking for the arrival of apostasy? And where else should we first look but in our own house for the Bible tells us that judgment will begin in the house of the Lord (1 Peter 4:17).
If there is indeed an apostasy occurring in the Christian Church, we would not know it unless we first examined the Bible closely and then compared the Church to the Word of God. It is only after truth is established that we would then have a measuring rod by which apostasy can be detected. Therefore, I propose the following list of biblical truths as a sample of essential Christian and non-essential doctrines by which we might compare other teachings and phenomena. Note this is not absolute and the nuances of several can be debated as not all will agree with the categorization of all points.
Primary Essentials (Nature and work of Christ) - Cannot deny and be Christian since they are explicitly stated as required in scripture.
Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1,14;8:24; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4).
Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21).
Salvation is by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 5:1-5).
The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Gal. 1:8-9).
There is only one God (Exodus 20:1-3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8)
Secondary Essentials - (Nature of God) Cannot deny and be Christian.
God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (See Trinity)
Virgin Birth of Jesus - relates to incarnation of Christ as God and man.
Primary Non-Essentials (Bible, Church ordinances, and practice) - Denial does not void salvation, yet principles are clearly taught in scripture. Denial suggests apostasy.
Male eldership and pastorate
Fidelity in marriage in heterosexual relationships
The condemnation of homosexuality
Inerrancy of Scripture
Secondary Non-Essentials - does not affect one's salvation relationship with God. Debated within Christianity. Denial or acceptance does not suggest apostasy.
Baptism for adults or infants
Predestination, election, and free will
Communion every week, monthly, or quarterly, etc.
Saturday or Sunday Worship
Worship with or without instruments, traditional or contemporary.
Pretribulation rapture, midtribulation rapture, posttribulation rapture.
Premillennialism, amillennialism, and post millennialism.
Continuation or cessation of the charismatic gifts
Etc.
Of course, the non-essentials are debatable (which unfortunately leads to denominational fragmentation). But by way of explanation, the Primary Essentials, are those doctrines that the Bible states if they are denied, damnation follows. I have written on this in Essential Doctrines. For brevity, the Bible states that if you deny Jesus is God, you are dead in your sins (John 8:24,58 cf. Exodus 3:14); that if you deny Jesus' physical resurrection, your faith is in vain (1 Cor. 15:14, cf. John 2:19-21); that if you add works to salvation, you are not in Christ (Gal. 3:1-3; 5:1-4); and that if you preach a gospel contrary to what the apostles preached, you are accursed (Gal. 1:8-9, cf., 1 Cor. 15:1-4). Therefore, to deny any of these doctrines, according to scripture, is to be outside the camp of Christ, and invited eternal damnation. This would obviously be apostasy.
The Secondary Essentials are essentials that further clarify orthodoxy, but there is no explicitly scriptural statement regarding each (that I am aware of) which states that denying them results in damnation the way the Primary Essentials do. The Secondary Essentials deal with the nature of God, primarily. The fact that there is one God who is a Trinity, is clearly essential to Christian orthodoxy, but there is no scriptural statement stating that to believe in the Trinity is necessary for salvation. However, that does not mean that denial of the Trinity is acceptable. A person can be saved without knowing about the Trinity. But, since the Trinity is a biblical truth, and the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit who bears witness of truth, a true Christian will not openly denounce the Trinity once he has been taught it from scripture. So, it could be said that the Secondary Essentials are essentials to the faith as well as the Primary Essentials are.
The Primary Non-Essentials are biblical teachings that if denied do not affect one's salvation. But, because the Bible teaches then, denying them is a sign of apostasy. The Secondary Non-Essentials do not affect ones position with God nor do they affirm or deny biblical teaching since they are debatable. Having differing beliefs in these is not a sign of apostasy, just differences of opinion. Again, I am aware that the categorization of the non-essentials is debatable, but I must draw the line somewhere. Sadly, it is in Secondary non-essential doctrines that most denominational fragmentation occurs. This is a sad display that most division occurs over that which is least important. Furthermore, I believe that it is in the area of the Non-Essentials that apostasy can first be detected.
2 Thessalonians 2
As quoted above, there is a prophecy in 2 Thessalonians about a coming apostasy that is associated with the disclosure of the anti-Christ.
"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [Jesus' return] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction," (2 Thess. 2:3, NASB).
Have you been looking for the coming of the anti-Christ? Are you waiting for him to pop up on the world scene? If you are, are you also looking for the related apostasy? Most Christians are looking for the anti-Christ but are not looking for signs of apostasy.
The Bible is God's word and it tells us what is right and wrong. To the degree that anyone disagrees with the truths of God's word, to that same degree they are falling away from it. What, then, might be some of the signs of apostasy? I've compiled a representative list of issues. You may or may not agree with all of these, but I provide them as food for thought.
Denial of basic Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the deity of the Holy Spirit, salvation by grace, and moral absolutes as found in the Bible.
God's word is true. Deviation from the basics of its truth is surely apostasy.
Countless denominational divisions that contradict John 13:35 and 1 Cor. 1:10.
Of course, there are bound to be divisions in the body of Christ and differences of opinions are permitted (Rom. 14:1-12). But, the amount of divisions in the Church is ridiculous and contrary to Col. 3:14.
Ordination of homosexuals
Homosexuality is clearly condemned in God's word (Lev. 18:22; 1 Cor. 6:9). To ordain homosexuals into ministry is clearly contrary to biblical truth and clearly apostasy.
Women elders and pastors
Whether people like it or not in this politically correct environment, the Bible does not support women as elders or as pastors (1 Tim. 2:12-14; 3:2; Titus 1:5-7). Men are called to be leaders in the church. The fact that women elders and pastors exist is a sign that men are not doing their God-given job.
Also, if you believe in women pastors and elders, do not dismiss this article. you must always examine yourself to see if what you believe is biblical.
Not preaching the gospel per 1 Cor. 15:1-4.
The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. It is not a message of convenience or embarrassment. Do not be ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16).
Using the Lord's name in vain, something a surprising number of Christians do.
God's name and title are to be used only by Christians in a reverent and respectful manner, never in casual exclamation. Just because the sinners do it, does not mean it is okay for the Christians.
Not sending out or failing to support missionaries (or cutting back unnecessarily) in violation of Matt. 28:18-20.
Carrying out the Great Commission is the command of Jesus. Any church that is able to support missionary work and does not, is in direct violation of Christ's command in the Great Commission.
Marketing and merchandising
Those in ministry should make a living from their labor. Churches should seek to spread the gospel best they can and selling things to do it is acceptable. But, how many trinkets and bobbles are offered in the name of Christ that do not honor God but are merely for the purpose of financial gain? Is the duty of the church business or the gospel? Remember how Jesus cleansed the temple?
Pastors who are more concerned with growing a church than preaching the truth.
Whoever and wherever they are, they need to repent. Pastors must stand on the truth of God's word, even if it costs them financially and materially.
Pastors who don't pray and seek God's face
Of course, this should be rare. But, any pastor who does not seek God's face in humility is seeking to do a job, not a ministry, under his own power.
Pastors who cave in to pressures from the church in contradiction to the word of God.
Any pastor who does this should repent now or step down from the pulpit. Pastors are to stand upon and for God's word, no matter what the obstacles or the cost.
Pastors who fail to equip their congregations according to God's word.
Pastors are called to equip the Christian for the work of the ministry in all aspects of life (Eph. 4:11): apologetics, evangelism, missionary work, prayer, service, love, etc. Far too many congregations are not being equipped with even the basics of Christianity and are instead being taught political correctness.
Pastors who don't teach damnation.
We are not saying that you must preach fire and brimstone all the time. But the fact is, the gospel that offends no one is not the gospel of the Bible. the truth of the gospel is that people will face damnation. This is part of the Christian message and it should be part of Christian preaching.
Christians gathering teachers to themselves to make them feel good
Is comfort or truth the primary objective for the Christians? Are we divine in nature or sinners saved by grace? Do we deserve to be saved or are we saved by God's free choice? Christians who want merely to be entertained and comforted from the pulpit are still children. They should be challenged to grow and take risks.
Evolution
Denominations that either adopt evolutionary principles or refuse to take a stand on evolution.
Apostasy is all around us in varying degrees. As Christians, we need to be very sure that we are clinging to the truth of God's word and resisting the inclusion of liberalism, moral relativism, and the oncoming secularism that is all around us. We need to stand on the word of God and never be ashamed of the truth of the Gospel:
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek," (Rom. 1:16).
http://www.carm.org/christianity/-christian-church/apostasy-christian-church
Home | Contact | Publications | Online Schools | Support CARM | Copying and Linking | Report an error | Statement of Faith
Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry © Matthew J. Slick, 1995 - 2008http://www.carm.org/christianity/-christian-church/apostasy-christian-churchhttp://www.carm.org/christianity/-christian-church/apostasy-christian-church
"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [Jesus' return] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction," (2 Thess. 2:3, NASB).
Apostasy means to fall away from the truth. Therefore, an apostate is someone who has once believed and then rejected the truth of God. Apostasy is a rebellion against God because it is a rebellion against truth. In the Old Testament God warned the Jewish people about their idolatry and their lack of trust in Him. In the New Testament the epistles warn us about not falling away from the truth. Apostasy is a very real and dangerous threat.
The verse at the top of the page tells us that there will be an apostasy that is associated with the appearance of the Antichrist. Most Christians are looking for the arrival of the Antichrist, but very few are looking for "the apostasy" that must come first. the arrival of the Antichrist cannot occur until sufficient apostasy has happened in the world. The Antichrist, who is the ultimate of liars, cannot abide in a world where the truth of God's word is taught. This is why the Bible says that the apostasy will come first and then the Antichrist will be revealed.
Therefore, we must, as Christians, ask this question, "Is there an apostasy occurring in the Christian church today?" Some would say no and others yes. But, as we look for the arrival of the Antichrist, should we not also be looking for the arrival of apostasy? And where else should we first look but in our own house for the Bible tells us that judgment will begin in the house of the Lord (1 Peter 4:17).
If there is indeed an apostasy occurring in the Christian Church, we would not know it unless we first examined the Bible closely and then compared the Church to the Word of God. It is only after truth is established that we would then have a measuring rod by which apostasy can be detected. Therefore, I propose the following list of biblical truths as a sample of essential Christian and non-essential doctrines by which we might compare other teachings and phenomena. Note this is not absolute and the nuances of several can be debated as not all will agree with the categorization of all points.
Primary Essentials (Nature and work of Christ) - Cannot deny and be Christian since they are explicitly stated as required in scripture.
Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1,14;8:24; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4).
Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21).
Salvation is by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 5:1-5).
The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Gal. 1:8-9).
There is only one God (Exodus 20:1-3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8)
Secondary Essentials - (Nature of God) Cannot deny and be Christian.
God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (See Trinity)
Virgin Birth of Jesus - relates to incarnation of Christ as God and man.
Primary Non-Essentials (Bible, Church ordinances, and practice) - Denial does not void salvation, yet principles are clearly taught in scripture. Denial suggests apostasy.
Male eldership and pastorate
Fidelity in marriage in heterosexual relationships
The condemnation of homosexuality
Inerrancy of Scripture
Secondary Non-Essentials - does not affect one's salvation relationship with God. Debated within Christianity. Denial or acceptance does not suggest apostasy.
Baptism for adults or infants
Predestination, election, and free will
Communion every week, monthly, or quarterly, etc.
Saturday or Sunday Worship
Worship with or without instruments, traditional or contemporary.
Pretribulation rapture, midtribulation rapture, posttribulation rapture.
Premillennialism, amillennialism, and post millennialism.
Continuation or cessation of the charismatic gifts
Etc.
Of course, the non-essentials are debatable (which unfortunately leads to denominational fragmentation). But by way of explanation, the Primary Essentials, are those doctrines that the Bible states if they are denied, damnation follows. I have written on this in Essential Doctrines. For brevity, the Bible states that if you deny Jesus is God, you are dead in your sins (John 8:24,58 cf. Exodus 3:14); that if you deny Jesus' physical resurrection, your faith is in vain (1 Cor. 15:14, cf. John 2:19-21); that if you add works to salvation, you are not in Christ (Gal. 3:1-3; 5:1-4); and that if you preach a gospel contrary to what the apostles preached, you are accursed (Gal. 1:8-9, cf., 1 Cor. 15:1-4). Therefore, to deny any of these doctrines, according to scripture, is to be outside the camp of Christ, and invited eternal damnation. This would obviously be apostasy.
The Secondary Essentials are essentials that further clarify orthodoxy, but there is no explicitly scriptural statement regarding each (that I am aware of) which states that denying them results in damnation the way the Primary Essentials do. The Secondary Essentials deal with the nature of God, primarily. The fact that there is one God who is a Trinity, is clearly essential to Christian orthodoxy, but there is no scriptural statement stating that to believe in the Trinity is necessary for salvation. However, that does not mean that denial of the Trinity is acceptable. A person can be saved without knowing about the Trinity. But, since the Trinity is a biblical truth, and the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit who bears witness of truth, a true Christian will not openly denounce the Trinity once he has been taught it from scripture. So, it could be said that the Secondary Essentials are essentials to the faith as well as the Primary Essentials are.
The Primary Non-Essentials are biblical teachings that if denied do not affect one's salvation. But, because the Bible teaches then, denying them is a sign of apostasy. The Secondary Non-Essentials do not affect ones position with God nor do they affirm or deny biblical teaching since they are debatable. Having differing beliefs in these is not a sign of apostasy, just differences of opinion. Again, I am aware that the categorization of the non-essentials is debatable, but I must draw the line somewhere. Sadly, it is in Secondary non-essential doctrines that most denominational fragmentation occurs. This is a sad display that most division occurs over that which is least important. Furthermore, I believe that it is in the area of the Non-Essentials that apostasy can first be detected.
2 Thessalonians 2
As quoted above, there is a prophecy in 2 Thessalonians about a coming apostasy that is associated with the disclosure of the anti-Christ.
"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [Jesus' return] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction," (2 Thess. 2:3, NASB).
Have you been looking for the coming of the anti-Christ? Are you waiting for him to pop up on the world scene? If you are, are you also looking for the related apostasy? Most Christians are looking for the anti-Christ but are not looking for signs of apostasy.
The Bible is God's word and it tells us what is right and wrong. To the degree that anyone disagrees with the truths of God's word, to that same degree they are falling away from it. What, then, might be some of the signs of apostasy? I've compiled a representative list of issues. You may or may not agree with all of these, but I provide them as food for thought.
Denial of basic Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the deity of the Holy Spirit, salvation by grace, and moral absolutes as found in the Bible.
God's word is true. Deviation from the basics of its truth is surely apostasy.
Countless denominational divisions that contradict John 13:35 and 1 Cor. 1:10.
Of course, there are bound to be divisions in the body of Christ and differences of opinions are permitted (Rom. 14:1-12). But, the amount of divisions in the Church is ridiculous and contrary to Col. 3:14.
Ordination of homosexuals
Homosexuality is clearly condemned in God's word (Lev. 18:22; 1 Cor. 6:9). To ordain homosexuals into ministry is clearly contrary to biblical truth and clearly apostasy.
Women elders and pastors
Whether people like it or not in this politically correct environment, the Bible does not support women as elders or as pastors (1 Tim. 2:12-14; 3:2; Titus 1:5-7). Men are called to be leaders in the church. The fact that women elders and pastors exist is a sign that men are not doing their God-given job.
Also, if you believe in women pastors and elders, do not dismiss this article. you must always examine yourself to see if what you believe is biblical.
Not preaching the gospel per 1 Cor. 15:1-4.
The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. It is not a message of convenience or embarrassment. Do not be ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16).
Using the Lord's name in vain, something a surprising number of Christians do.
God's name and title are to be used only by Christians in a reverent and respectful manner, never in casual exclamation. Just because the sinners do it, does not mean it is okay for the Christians.
Not sending out or failing to support missionaries (or cutting back unnecessarily) in violation of Matt. 28:18-20.
Carrying out the Great Commission is the command of Jesus. Any church that is able to support missionary work and does not, is in direct violation of Christ's command in the Great Commission.
Marketing and merchandising
Those in ministry should make a living from their labor. Churches should seek to spread the gospel best they can and selling things to do it is acceptable. But, how many trinkets and bobbles are offered in the name of Christ that do not honor God but are merely for the purpose of financial gain? Is the duty of the church business or the gospel? Remember how Jesus cleansed the temple?
Pastors who are more concerned with growing a church than preaching the truth.
Whoever and wherever they are, they need to repent. Pastors must stand on the truth of God's word, even if it costs them financially and materially.
Pastors who don't pray and seek God's face
Of course, this should be rare. But, any pastor who does not seek God's face in humility is seeking to do a job, not a ministry, under his own power.
Pastors who cave in to pressures from the church in contradiction to the word of God.
Any pastor who does this should repent now or step down from the pulpit. Pastors are to stand upon and for God's word, no matter what the obstacles or the cost.
Pastors who fail to equip their congregations according to God's word.
Pastors are called to equip the Christian for the work of the ministry in all aspects of life (Eph. 4:11): apologetics, evangelism, missionary work, prayer, service, love, etc. Far too many congregations are not being equipped with even the basics of Christianity and are instead being taught political correctness.
Pastors who don't teach damnation.
We are not saying that you must preach fire and brimstone all the time. But the fact is, the gospel that offends no one is not the gospel of the Bible. the truth of the gospel is that people will face damnation. This is part of the Christian message and it should be part of Christian preaching.
Christians gathering teachers to themselves to make them feel good
Is comfort or truth the primary objective for the Christians? Are we divine in nature or sinners saved by grace? Do we deserve to be saved or are we saved by God's free choice? Christians who want merely to be entertained and comforted from the pulpit are still children. They should be challenged to grow and take risks.
Evolution
Denominations that either adopt evolutionary principles or refuse to take a stand on evolution.
Apostasy is all around us in varying degrees. As Christians, we need to be very sure that we are clinging to the truth of God's word and resisting the inclusion of liberalism, moral relativism, and the oncoming secularism that is all around us. We need to stand on the word of God and never be ashamed of the truth of the Gospel:
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek," (Rom. 1:16).
http://www.carm.org/christianity/-christian-church/apostasy-christian-church
Home | Contact | Publications | Online Schools | Support CARM | Copying and Linking | Report an error | Statement of Faith
Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry © Matthew J. Slick, 1995 - 2008http://www.carm.org/christianity/-christian-church/apostasy-christian-churchhttp://www.carm.org/christianity/-christian-church/apostasy-christian-church
mercoledì 20 maggio 2009
Homosexuality: The Christian Perspective
Homosexuality: The Christian Perspective
By: Lehman Strauss , Litt.D., F.R.G.S. Homosexuality: The
Q. What is homosexuality?
Homosexuality is the manifestation of sexual desire toward a member of one's own sex or the erotic activity with a member of the same sex. (The Greek word homos means the same). A lesbian is a female homosexual. More recently the term "gay" has come into popular use to refer to both sexes who are homosexuals.
Q. How does one determine if the practice of homosexuality is right or wrong?
That depends upon who is answering the question. The Christian point of view is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. A truly Christian standard of ethics is the conduct of divine revelation, not of statistical research nor of public opinion. For the Christian, the Bible is the final authority for both belief and behaviour.
Q. What explicitly does the Bible teach about homosexuality?
This question I consider to be basic because, if we accept God's Word on the subject of homosexuality, we benefit from His adequate answer to this problem. I am concerned only with the Christian or biblical view of homosexuality. The Bible has much to say about sex sins in general.
First, there is adultery. Adultery in the natural sense is sexual intercourse of a married person with someone other than his or her own spouse. It is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 20:14; I Cor. 6:9, 10). Christ forbids dwelling upon the thoughts, the free play of one's imagination that leads to adultery (Matthew 5:28).
Second, there is fornication, the illicit sex acts of unmarried persons which is likewise forbidden (I Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; Ephesians 5:3).
Then there is homosexuality which likewise is condemned in Scripture. The Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declares that homosexuality "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (I Corinthians 6:9; 10). Now Paul does not single out the homosexual as a special offender. He includes fornicators, idolators, adulterers, thieves, covetous persons, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. And then he adds the comment that some of the Christians at Corinth had been delivered from these very practices: "And such were some of you: But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:11). All of the sins mentioned in this passage are condemned by God, but just as there was hope in Christ for the Corinthians, so is there hope for all of us.
Homosexuality is an illicit lust forbidden by God. He said to His people Israel, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" (Leviticus 18:22). "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). In these passages homosexuality is condemned as a prime example of sin, a sexual perversion. The Christian can neither alter God's viewpoint nor depart from it.
In the Bible sodomy is a synonym for homosexuality. God spoke plainly on the matter when He said, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel" (Deuteronomy 23:17). The whore and the sodomite are in the same category. A sodomite was not an inhabitant of Sodom nor a descendant of an inhabitant of Sodom, but a man who had given himself to homosexuality, the perverted and unnatural vice for which Sodom was known. Let us look at the passages in question:
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house around, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. (Genesis 19:4-8)
The Hebrew word for "know" in verse 5 is yada`, a sexual term. It is used frequently to denote sexual intercourse (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25; Matthew 1:24, 25). The message in the context of Genesis 19 is clear. Lot pled with the men to "do not so wickedly." Homosexuality is wickedness and must be recognized as such else there is no hope for the homosexual who is asking for help to be extricated from his perverted way of life.
Q. You said that sexua1 intercourse outside of marriage is condemned in the Bible. How do you explain marriage ceremonies in which two persons of the same sex are united by an officiating clergyman or justice of the peace?
There are cases on record where a marriage license was issued to persons of the same sex. I recall one such incident in Phoenix, Arizona. A marriage license was issued in the Maricopa County clerk's office to two men 39 and 21 years old respectively. The two men are reported to have "married" in a private ceremony.
However, to call a union of two persons of the same sex a "marriage" is a misnomer. In the Bible, marriage is a divinely ordered institution designed to form a permanent union between one man and one woman for one purpose (among others) of procreating or propagating the human race. That was God's order in the first of such unions (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:24; Matthew 19:5). If, in His original creation of humans, God had created two persons of the same sex, there would not be a human race in existence today. The whole idea of two persons of the same sex marrying is absurd, unsound, ridiculously unreasonable, stupid. A clergyman might bless a homosexual marriage but God won't.
Q. A Jesuit Priest, John J. McNeill, reportedly said in a conference (Christianity Today, June 3, 1977), "There is no clear condemnation of homosexual activity to be found anywhere in the Bible." How does a church leader arrive at such a conclusion?
This particular Jesuit priest, like some other supposedly Christian theologians, have totally ignored the Scriptures as the guidelines for Christian behaviour in regard to homosexuality. McNeill does not speak for the Roman Catholic Church, but for a small segment of priests who, having vowed themselves to celibacy, that is, to abstain from marriage and sexual intercourse, have found sexual gratification in homosexual acts.
However, religious sex perverts are plentiful among protestants. Protestant leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have gradually eased away from the Scriptures. In England men like Bishop John Robinson, in his book Honest to God made a play on the term "The New Morality," which in reality was a plea to open the door to immorality making it respectable and thus acceptable. The Bishop went so far as to describe the unscriptural adulterous relationship as "a kind of holy communion." This modern concept of Christian ethics rejects totally the precepts laid down by God in His Word. It is blasphemous and atheistic.
Recently in America ten homosexually oriented religious organizations, comprised of men and women from more than a dozen denominations, and from seventeen states and Canada, met at Kirkbridge, a retreat and study center near Bangor, Pennsylvania. The retreat was entitled, "Gay and Christian." But the two terms, "gay" and "Christian" are mutually exclusive, incompatible, incongruous.
Representing the women at that retreat, Nancy Krody a lesbian, spoke on "The Lesbian Christian Experience." Here again is a misnomer. A practicing Christian, from the biblical viewpoint, will not be a practicing homosexual. Of course, I make the distinction between a professing Christian and a practicing Christian. Calling one's self a Christian does not make one a Christian.
Malcolm Boyd speaks about "The Gay Male Christian Experience." Boyd, a protestant clergyman, says he has been a homosexual secretly for years. Only recently he made a public announcement of his homosexuality. He claims that his public announcement of his homosexuality has brought him back to the church. Boyd does not tell us what he means by the "church"!
Following is one point on which the speakers at Kirkbridge agreed: "A monogamous homosexual relationship characterized by fidelity, honesty and love is possible, desirable, and honoring to God."
Any evil condemned in Scripture cannot be honoring to God. Homosexual religious leaders attempt to smooth over the breaks and rough places with Christian terminology so that a euphoria predominates, but God is not in it. A truly born again person, who loves and understands the Bible as God's revelation to him, will not condone an evil that God condemns. "If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" (I John 2:29). "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (II Timothy 2:19). Practicing homosexuals are engaged in a divinely forbidden evil.
Q. Why do homosexuals refer to themselves as "gay"?
The word "gay" means merry, exuberant, bright, lively. More recently it has been adopted by homosexuals. In its original use it did not have this double meaning. The clever adaptation of the word "gay" by homosexuals has robbed it of its pure meaning, thereby corrupting a once perfectly good word. I never use the word "gay" when referring to homosexuals. There are many bright, exuberant, merry people in this world who are not sexual perverts.
Q. You made reference to First Corinthians 6:9-11. What is the meaning of the word "effeminate" in verse 9?
There are certain words in every language that can be used in a good or bad sense. In the context of this verse the use of "effeminate" is obviously in a bad sense. It is listed among other evils which are condemned. It describes feminine qualities inappropriate to a man. It is normal and natural for a woman to be sexually attracted to a man; it is abnormal and unnatural for a man to be sexually attracted to another man. Many male homosexuals are effeminate, but not all. Nor are all lesbians unduly masculine.
Q. Are there other Scriptures in the New Testament which deal with homosexuality?
Yes. Romans 1:24-27; I Timothy 1:10 and Jude 7. If one takes these Scriptures seriously, homosexuality will be recognized as an evil. The Romans passage is unmistakably clear. Paul attributes the moral depravity of men and women to their rejection of "the truth of God" (1:25). They refused "to retain God in their knowledge" (1:28), thereby dethroning God and deifying themselves. The Old Testament had clearly condemned homosexuality but in Paul's day there were those persons who rejected its teaching. Because of their rejection of God's commands He punished their sin by delivering them over to it.
The philosophy of substituting God's Word with one's own reasoning commenced with Satan. He introduced it at the outset of the human race by suggesting to Eve that she ignore God's orders, assuring her that in so doing she would become like God with the power to discern good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5). That was Satan's big lie. Paul said that when any person rejects God's truth, his mind becomes "reprobate," meaning perverted, void of sound judgment. The perverted mind, having rejected God's truth, is not capable of discerning good and evil.
In Romans 1:26-31 twenty-three punishable sins are listed with homosexuality leading the list. Paul wrote, "For this cause God gave them up into vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:26, 27). These verses are telling us that homosexuals suffer in their body and personality the inevitable consequences of their wrong doing. Notice that the behaviour of the homosexual is described as a "vile affection" (1:26). The Greek word translated "vile" (atimia) means filthy, dirty, evil, dishonourable. The word "affection" in Greek is pathos, used by the Greeks of either a good or bad desire. Here in the context of Romans it is used in a bad sense. The "vile affection" is a degrading passion, a shameful lust. Both the desire (lusting after) and the act of homosexuality are condemned in the Bible as sin.
Q. There are those persons who say that homosexuality, even though a perverted form of the normal, God-ordained practice of sex, is a genetic problem, constitutionally inherited. Is there evidence to support this view?
I read in a periodical that in June, 1963 a panel of specialists in medicine, psychiatry, law, sociology and theology participated in a conference on homosexuality called by the Swiss Evangelical Church Union. That group reached the conclusion that homosexuality is not constitutionally inherited, it is not a part of one's genetic makeup. The ill-founded and unverifiable myth that homosexuality results from genetic causes is gradually fading away.
There are possibly a number of different ways in which homosexual practices could begin. When boys and girls reach puberty and the genital organs develop, it is not uncommon for boys to experiment with boys, and girls with girls. In prisons where men and women are denied access to persons of the opposite sex for long periods of time, some are introduced to homosexuality for the first time.
A young Christian woman came to our office in Detroit for counseling. She became involved in lesbianism when her marriage began to fail. She was introduced to her first homosexual experience by a divorcee who was her neighbor. After six months of practicing lesbianism she was convicted of her sin and sought help. We were able to show her from the Bible that she was sinning and that God stood ready and willing to forgive and cleanse her. She confessed and forsook her sin, and continues to this day to live a happy, normal Christian life.
Homosexuality must be accepted for what God says it is-- sin. Some homosexuals will attempt to circumvent the plain teaching of the Bible with the insipid reply that they are the way God made them. There is not the slightest bit of evidence in Scripture to support this false concept. God never created man with a so-called "homosexual need." No baby is born a homosexual. Every baby is born male or female. In every place the Bible refers to homosexuality, the emphasis is upon the perversion of sexuality. The practicing homosexual is guilty of "leaving the natural use of the woman" (Romans 1:27), meaning that his behaviour is "against nature" as in the case of the lesbian (Romans 1:26). Inasmuch as homosexuality is opposed to the regular law and order of nature, the genetic concept must be ruled out completely. If homosexuality were a genetic problem, there would be little hope for the homosexual simply because there is no way that the genes in a person can be changed.
Q. Are there contributing factors to homosexuality for which a homosexual might not be responsible?
Yes, I believe there are. I have not done much research in this area, however, studies made by others showed varied deviations from the average or normal parent-child relationship. For example, clinical cases show that some homosexuals have not had a normal or natural relationship with the parent of the same sex. In some instances there has been a wide gap between father and son. There are those boys who have been neglected by their unaffectionate fathers. The boy who has not had a good and wholesome relationship with his father could have an unfulfilled need for a father relationship with a man. Now that need will not start out as a sexual one, but there are cases on record in which the sexual relationship has developed. I know one case of a homosexual adult who seduced a 13 year old boy whose father had forsaken him. Before the boy's contact with the older man he had no knowledge whatever of homosexuality. The older man seduced the boy.
Lesbianism has been known to follow this same pattern. Some mother-daughter relationships are not conducive to a normal social and sexual development. One young woman came to her pastor seeking help. She had gotten involved with a lesbian in the community where she lived, a woman twenty-one years her senior. The girl's parents had a defective marriage which ended in divorce when the daughter was ten years old. Her mother became bitter and resentful against all men. She convinced her daughter that men were not to be trusted, and that man's one goal was to exploit women sexually. The daughter grew up with a fear of men, a fear totally unwarranted. She was an easy victim of the seductive older lesbian. The good and wise pastor showed the counselee from the Bible that homosexuality was sinful and that God condemned it. She confessed her sin to God and received Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. Today she is happily married to a fine Christian man.
Q. Do you believe that the homosexual controversy is causing problems for the churches of America?
Evil in any form is a problem in the church. It always has been. The greater problem, however, is the church's failure to discipline evil when it arises. Karl Menninger's book, Whatever Became of Sin?, deals directly with that point. There are ministers, priests, and rabbis who never talk about sin. There was a time when the minister of God's Word preached the whole counsel of God. Today many pulpits are silent on the sin question. Sin has become fashionable and therefore acceptable. When sin gets its victim into serious difficulty, the psychiatrist and psychologist tell him he is sick. The church must face the fact of sin squarely.
Q. Does the Bible tell us how the church should deal with sexual sins?
In Old Testament times in Israel God dealt severely with homosexuals. He warned His people through Moses, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). Every Jew knew that homosexuality was an abomination, a disgusting practice to be loathed, hated. This was God's attitude toward that evil practice. He hated it to the extent that He considered it worthy of punishment by death. Now God loved His people Israel dearly, and it was from His great heart of love that He chastened them. The Epistle to the Hebrews says, "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Hebrews 12:7). When God issued His law forbidding homosexuality, and the punishment for those persons who violated that law, He did so in order to prevent them from sinning. However, when anyone broke the law, the offender paid the penalty due him. God is a holy God who hates and judges sin. Parents who love their children will not refrain from warning them of prevailing evils, nor will they fail to chasten them when they disobey. The church today not only tolerates sin but in some instances condones it. God does neither.
In the New Testament the principle of discipline was applied with apostolic authority. In the church at Corinth the young man who was committing fornication with his step-mother was excommunicated. Paul instructed the church to take that action "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and with the power (i.e. the authority) of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 5:1-8). In Romans 1:21-32 where Paul shows the Gentile world in its downward plunge into sin, including the sin of homosexuality, verse 32 concludes with the words, "who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death . . . " Worthy of death, yes. But today we are not under law but under grace. People used to hear and heed the Gospel-truth, the message that God is holy, man is a sinner, and that through faith in the substitutionary death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, sinful people can be born again and thereby delivered from the guilt and penalty and practice of their sins.
Q. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the church?
Nothing is more foundationally essential for the church and the world than a return to the truth. Recently I read where someone said we are suffering from a famine of the worst kind, "a truth-famine." Our modern culture is in a degenerating, deteriorating stage caused by a departure from the truth. And I must say unequivocally that truth does not exist independently of God, and His written Word the Bible, and His Son Jesus Christ. Truth is in no sense of man's imagination or contrivance. Man in his fallen state does not know truth, and that is why he continues to go on sinning. A civilization without the truth is doomed to oblivion. Every ancient civilization that ignored God and His laws has crumbled. Our present civilization is well on the road to doom. We cannot survive independently of God and His Word.
The Church must return to the truth, the whole truth, the sum total of truth founded and grounded upon Him Who said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6). In our Lord's high priestly prayer for His own He prayed, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17). There must be in our churches the clear exposition of the Scriptures and a continuing exaltation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ if our civilization is to be saved from the disasters that overcame past civilizations. Any civilization with a philosophy or a doctrine which denies the real truth cannot survive.
Q. Do you see any prophetic significance in the recent homosexual upsurge?
Yes, I do. However, I would suggest caution on this point. It is not uncommon for preachers to attach a prophetic meaning to every earthquake, riot, war, moral scandal or political disaster, labeling all such events as "signs of the times."
The modern homosexual upsweep is one phase of a declining trend in morals. When the disciples asked our Lord, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age?" He told them that "iniquity shall abound" (Matthew 24:3, 12). There is today a permissiveness and a promiscuity in sexual behaviour unprecedented in the history of America. There is little restraint upon the widespread of material containing pictures and writing depicting erotic behaviour intended to cause sexual excitement. This would be included in our Lord's prophecy about abounding iniquity.
There is also a prophetic statement in Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy which has some bearing upon the subject we are discussing. Paul said, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection . . . " (II Timothy 3:1-3). Homosexuality is an unnatural affection, practiced by persons "that defile themselves with mankind" (I Timothy 1:10), translated in the New American Standard Version "homosexuals," and in the New International Version, "perverts." I conclude, in the light of these Scriptures, that the rise of homosexuality is very definitely a trend which indicates the approaching end of the age.
Q. Have you personally counseled with homosexuals?
Yes, in two pastorates over a period of twenty-five years. In each instance the homosexual was a man in his thirties who had seduced teen-aged boys. The seduction of younger persons is a pattern most homosexuals follow. They seem to prefer gratifying their lust with youth. This is a pattern typical of men who marry several wives. Men who do not respect their marriage vows pursue women younger than themselves. One man of wealth was reportedly married and divorced six times. Most of his wives were young enough to be his daughters. The two homosexual men who applied for a marriage license in the Maricopa County Clerk's Office in Arizona were 39 and 21 years old, quite a variation in ages.
Q. Do you attach any significance to the age factor you mentioned?
Yes, I do. I see a potential threat to young people who are exposed to homosexuals. Older practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth.
Q. Do you care to make any comments on the Anita Bryant crusade in Dade County, Florida?
In my judgment Anita Bryant was justified in the action she pursued. She did not want her children exposed to the influence of a practicing homosexual in the public school classroom. Inasmuch as homosexuality is classified in the Bible as an evil, to insist that children be exposed to homosexual teachers in the public schools would be an infringement upon the rights of parents and their children. Under no condition would I permit my children to be subjected to the influence of a sex pervert. As an American citizen I consider that choice to be my right. Anita Bryant laid her career on the line in the bold and courageous stand she took. She should not have to fight the battle alone. Christians should support her.
Q. What should be the Christian's attitude toward the homosexual?
We must always keep before us the fact that homosexuals, like all of us sinners, are the objects of God's love. The Bible says, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ "is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). The Christian who shares God's love for lost sinners will seek to reach the homosexual with the gospel of Christ, which "is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). As a Christian I should hate all sin but I can find no justification for hating the sinner. The homosexual is a precious soul for whom Christ died. We Christians can show him the best way of life by pointing him to Christ. Our Lord said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). We are obligated to take the gospel to all.
Q. How can we help Christians who get involved in the practice of homosexuality?
We can help them by seeking to draw their attention to what God says in His Word. In a kind and loving spirit we can show them that they are wrong. However, the homosexual must admit to the fact that he is living in sin and that he has the desire to be made free from it. Without a genuine conviction of God's displeasure and a strong desire to do God's will, there is no hope. A truly born again person cannot continue to practice sin without reaping the results of miserable unhappiness brought on by loss of fellowship with God, the fear of retribution and the anxiety produced by guilt. The homosexual must ask himself, "Is the temporary gratification of the flesh worth all the penalty and losses I must suffer?"
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1302
By: Lehman Strauss , Litt.D., F.R.G.S. Homosexuality: The
Q. What is homosexuality?
Homosexuality is the manifestation of sexual desire toward a member of one's own sex or the erotic activity with a member of the same sex. (The Greek word homos means the same). A lesbian is a female homosexual. More recently the term "gay" has come into popular use to refer to both sexes who are homosexuals.
Q. How does one determine if the practice of homosexuality is right or wrong?
That depends upon who is answering the question. The Christian point of view is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. A truly Christian standard of ethics is the conduct of divine revelation, not of statistical research nor of public opinion. For the Christian, the Bible is the final authority for both belief and behaviour.
Q. What explicitly does the Bible teach about homosexuality?
This question I consider to be basic because, if we accept God's Word on the subject of homosexuality, we benefit from His adequate answer to this problem. I am concerned only with the Christian or biblical view of homosexuality. The Bible has much to say about sex sins in general.
First, there is adultery. Adultery in the natural sense is sexual intercourse of a married person with someone other than his or her own spouse. It is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 20:14; I Cor. 6:9, 10). Christ forbids dwelling upon the thoughts, the free play of one's imagination that leads to adultery (Matthew 5:28).
Second, there is fornication, the illicit sex acts of unmarried persons which is likewise forbidden (I Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; Ephesians 5:3).
Then there is homosexuality which likewise is condemned in Scripture. The Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declares that homosexuality "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (I Corinthians 6:9; 10). Now Paul does not single out the homosexual as a special offender. He includes fornicators, idolators, adulterers, thieves, covetous persons, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. And then he adds the comment that some of the Christians at Corinth had been delivered from these very practices: "And such were some of you: But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:11). All of the sins mentioned in this passage are condemned by God, but just as there was hope in Christ for the Corinthians, so is there hope for all of us.
Homosexuality is an illicit lust forbidden by God. He said to His people Israel, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" (Leviticus 18:22). "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). In these passages homosexuality is condemned as a prime example of sin, a sexual perversion. The Christian can neither alter God's viewpoint nor depart from it.
In the Bible sodomy is a synonym for homosexuality. God spoke plainly on the matter when He said, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel" (Deuteronomy 23:17). The whore and the sodomite are in the same category. A sodomite was not an inhabitant of Sodom nor a descendant of an inhabitant of Sodom, but a man who had given himself to homosexuality, the perverted and unnatural vice for which Sodom was known. Let us look at the passages in question:
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house around, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. (Genesis 19:4-8)
The Hebrew word for "know" in verse 5 is yada`, a sexual term. It is used frequently to denote sexual intercourse (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25; Matthew 1:24, 25). The message in the context of Genesis 19 is clear. Lot pled with the men to "do not so wickedly." Homosexuality is wickedness and must be recognized as such else there is no hope for the homosexual who is asking for help to be extricated from his perverted way of life.
Q. You said that sexua1 intercourse outside of marriage is condemned in the Bible. How do you explain marriage ceremonies in which two persons of the same sex are united by an officiating clergyman or justice of the peace?
There are cases on record where a marriage license was issued to persons of the same sex. I recall one such incident in Phoenix, Arizona. A marriage license was issued in the Maricopa County clerk's office to two men 39 and 21 years old respectively. The two men are reported to have "married" in a private ceremony.
However, to call a union of two persons of the same sex a "marriage" is a misnomer. In the Bible, marriage is a divinely ordered institution designed to form a permanent union between one man and one woman for one purpose (among others) of procreating or propagating the human race. That was God's order in the first of such unions (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:24; Matthew 19:5). If, in His original creation of humans, God had created two persons of the same sex, there would not be a human race in existence today. The whole idea of two persons of the same sex marrying is absurd, unsound, ridiculously unreasonable, stupid. A clergyman might bless a homosexual marriage but God won't.
Q. A Jesuit Priest, John J. McNeill, reportedly said in a conference (Christianity Today, June 3, 1977), "There is no clear condemnation of homosexual activity to be found anywhere in the Bible." How does a church leader arrive at such a conclusion?
This particular Jesuit priest, like some other supposedly Christian theologians, have totally ignored the Scriptures as the guidelines for Christian behaviour in regard to homosexuality. McNeill does not speak for the Roman Catholic Church, but for a small segment of priests who, having vowed themselves to celibacy, that is, to abstain from marriage and sexual intercourse, have found sexual gratification in homosexual acts.
However, religious sex perverts are plentiful among protestants. Protestant leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have gradually eased away from the Scriptures. In England men like Bishop John Robinson, in his book Honest to God made a play on the term "The New Morality," which in reality was a plea to open the door to immorality making it respectable and thus acceptable. The Bishop went so far as to describe the unscriptural adulterous relationship as "a kind of holy communion." This modern concept of Christian ethics rejects totally the precepts laid down by God in His Word. It is blasphemous and atheistic.
Recently in America ten homosexually oriented religious organizations, comprised of men and women from more than a dozen denominations, and from seventeen states and Canada, met at Kirkbridge, a retreat and study center near Bangor, Pennsylvania. The retreat was entitled, "Gay and Christian." But the two terms, "gay" and "Christian" are mutually exclusive, incompatible, incongruous.
Representing the women at that retreat, Nancy Krody a lesbian, spoke on "The Lesbian Christian Experience." Here again is a misnomer. A practicing Christian, from the biblical viewpoint, will not be a practicing homosexual. Of course, I make the distinction between a professing Christian and a practicing Christian. Calling one's self a Christian does not make one a Christian.
Malcolm Boyd speaks about "The Gay Male Christian Experience." Boyd, a protestant clergyman, says he has been a homosexual secretly for years. Only recently he made a public announcement of his homosexuality. He claims that his public announcement of his homosexuality has brought him back to the church. Boyd does not tell us what he means by the "church"!
Following is one point on which the speakers at Kirkbridge agreed: "A monogamous homosexual relationship characterized by fidelity, honesty and love is possible, desirable, and honoring to God."
Any evil condemned in Scripture cannot be honoring to God. Homosexual religious leaders attempt to smooth over the breaks and rough places with Christian terminology so that a euphoria predominates, but God is not in it. A truly born again person, who loves and understands the Bible as God's revelation to him, will not condone an evil that God condemns. "If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" (I John 2:29). "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (II Timothy 2:19). Practicing homosexuals are engaged in a divinely forbidden evil.
Q. Why do homosexuals refer to themselves as "gay"?
The word "gay" means merry, exuberant, bright, lively. More recently it has been adopted by homosexuals. In its original use it did not have this double meaning. The clever adaptation of the word "gay" by homosexuals has robbed it of its pure meaning, thereby corrupting a once perfectly good word. I never use the word "gay" when referring to homosexuals. There are many bright, exuberant, merry people in this world who are not sexual perverts.
Q. You made reference to First Corinthians 6:9-11. What is the meaning of the word "effeminate" in verse 9?
There are certain words in every language that can be used in a good or bad sense. In the context of this verse the use of "effeminate" is obviously in a bad sense. It is listed among other evils which are condemned. It describes feminine qualities inappropriate to a man. It is normal and natural for a woman to be sexually attracted to a man; it is abnormal and unnatural for a man to be sexually attracted to another man. Many male homosexuals are effeminate, but not all. Nor are all lesbians unduly masculine.
Q. Are there other Scriptures in the New Testament which deal with homosexuality?
Yes. Romans 1:24-27; I Timothy 1:10 and Jude 7. If one takes these Scriptures seriously, homosexuality will be recognized as an evil. The Romans passage is unmistakably clear. Paul attributes the moral depravity of men and women to their rejection of "the truth of God" (1:25). They refused "to retain God in their knowledge" (1:28), thereby dethroning God and deifying themselves. The Old Testament had clearly condemned homosexuality but in Paul's day there were those persons who rejected its teaching. Because of their rejection of God's commands He punished their sin by delivering them over to it.
The philosophy of substituting God's Word with one's own reasoning commenced with Satan. He introduced it at the outset of the human race by suggesting to Eve that she ignore God's orders, assuring her that in so doing she would become like God with the power to discern good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5). That was Satan's big lie. Paul said that when any person rejects God's truth, his mind becomes "reprobate," meaning perverted, void of sound judgment. The perverted mind, having rejected God's truth, is not capable of discerning good and evil.
In Romans 1:26-31 twenty-three punishable sins are listed with homosexuality leading the list. Paul wrote, "For this cause God gave them up into vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:26, 27). These verses are telling us that homosexuals suffer in their body and personality the inevitable consequences of their wrong doing. Notice that the behaviour of the homosexual is described as a "vile affection" (1:26). The Greek word translated "vile" (atimia) means filthy, dirty, evil, dishonourable. The word "affection" in Greek is pathos, used by the Greeks of either a good or bad desire. Here in the context of Romans it is used in a bad sense. The "vile affection" is a degrading passion, a shameful lust. Both the desire (lusting after) and the act of homosexuality are condemned in the Bible as sin.
Q. There are those persons who say that homosexuality, even though a perverted form of the normal, God-ordained practice of sex, is a genetic problem, constitutionally inherited. Is there evidence to support this view?
I read in a periodical that in June, 1963 a panel of specialists in medicine, psychiatry, law, sociology and theology participated in a conference on homosexuality called by the Swiss Evangelical Church Union. That group reached the conclusion that homosexuality is not constitutionally inherited, it is not a part of one's genetic makeup. The ill-founded and unverifiable myth that homosexuality results from genetic causes is gradually fading away.
There are possibly a number of different ways in which homosexual practices could begin. When boys and girls reach puberty and the genital organs develop, it is not uncommon for boys to experiment with boys, and girls with girls. In prisons where men and women are denied access to persons of the opposite sex for long periods of time, some are introduced to homosexuality for the first time.
A young Christian woman came to our office in Detroit for counseling. She became involved in lesbianism when her marriage began to fail. She was introduced to her first homosexual experience by a divorcee who was her neighbor. After six months of practicing lesbianism she was convicted of her sin and sought help. We were able to show her from the Bible that she was sinning and that God stood ready and willing to forgive and cleanse her. She confessed and forsook her sin, and continues to this day to live a happy, normal Christian life.
Homosexuality must be accepted for what God says it is-- sin. Some homosexuals will attempt to circumvent the plain teaching of the Bible with the insipid reply that they are the way God made them. There is not the slightest bit of evidence in Scripture to support this false concept. God never created man with a so-called "homosexual need." No baby is born a homosexual. Every baby is born male or female. In every place the Bible refers to homosexuality, the emphasis is upon the perversion of sexuality. The practicing homosexual is guilty of "leaving the natural use of the woman" (Romans 1:27), meaning that his behaviour is "against nature" as in the case of the lesbian (Romans 1:26). Inasmuch as homosexuality is opposed to the regular law and order of nature, the genetic concept must be ruled out completely. If homosexuality were a genetic problem, there would be little hope for the homosexual simply because there is no way that the genes in a person can be changed.
Q. Are there contributing factors to homosexuality for which a homosexual might not be responsible?
Yes, I believe there are. I have not done much research in this area, however, studies made by others showed varied deviations from the average or normal parent-child relationship. For example, clinical cases show that some homosexuals have not had a normal or natural relationship with the parent of the same sex. In some instances there has been a wide gap between father and son. There are those boys who have been neglected by their unaffectionate fathers. The boy who has not had a good and wholesome relationship with his father could have an unfulfilled need for a father relationship with a man. Now that need will not start out as a sexual one, but there are cases on record in which the sexual relationship has developed. I know one case of a homosexual adult who seduced a 13 year old boy whose father had forsaken him. Before the boy's contact with the older man he had no knowledge whatever of homosexuality. The older man seduced the boy.
Lesbianism has been known to follow this same pattern. Some mother-daughter relationships are not conducive to a normal social and sexual development. One young woman came to her pastor seeking help. She had gotten involved with a lesbian in the community where she lived, a woman twenty-one years her senior. The girl's parents had a defective marriage which ended in divorce when the daughter was ten years old. Her mother became bitter and resentful against all men. She convinced her daughter that men were not to be trusted, and that man's one goal was to exploit women sexually. The daughter grew up with a fear of men, a fear totally unwarranted. She was an easy victim of the seductive older lesbian. The good and wise pastor showed the counselee from the Bible that homosexuality was sinful and that God condemned it. She confessed her sin to God and received Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. Today she is happily married to a fine Christian man.
Q. Do you believe that the homosexual controversy is causing problems for the churches of America?
Evil in any form is a problem in the church. It always has been. The greater problem, however, is the church's failure to discipline evil when it arises. Karl Menninger's book, Whatever Became of Sin?, deals directly with that point. There are ministers, priests, and rabbis who never talk about sin. There was a time when the minister of God's Word preached the whole counsel of God. Today many pulpits are silent on the sin question. Sin has become fashionable and therefore acceptable. When sin gets its victim into serious difficulty, the psychiatrist and psychologist tell him he is sick. The church must face the fact of sin squarely.
Q. Does the Bible tell us how the church should deal with sexual sins?
In Old Testament times in Israel God dealt severely with homosexuals. He warned His people through Moses, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). Every Jew knew that homosexuality was an abomination, a disgusting practice to be loathed, hated. This was God's attitude toward that evil practice. He hated it to the extent that He considered it worthy of punishment by death. Now God loved His people Israel dearly, and it was from His great heart of love that He chastened them. The Epistle to the Hebrews says, "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Hebrews 12:7). When God issued His law forbidding homosexuality, and the punishment for those persons who violated that law, He did so in order to prevent them from sinning. However, when anyone broke the law, the offender paid the penalty due him. God is a holy God who hates and judges sin. Parents who love their children will not refrain from warning them of prevailing evils, nor will they fail to chasten them when they disobey. The church today not only tolerates sin but in some instances condones it. God does neither.
In the New Testament the principle of discipline was applied with apostolic authority. In the church at Corinth the young man who was committing fornication with his step-mother was excommunicated. Paul instructed the church to take that action "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and with the power (i.e. the authority) of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 5:1-8). In Romans 1:21-32 where Paul shows the Gentile world in its downward plunge into sin, including the sin of homosexuality, verse 32 concludes with the words, "who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death . . . " Worthy of death, yes. But today we are not under law but under grace. People used to hear and heed the Gospel-truth, the message that God is holy, man is a sinner, and that through faith in the substitutionary death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, sinful people can be born again and thereby delivered from the guilt and penalty and practice of their sins.
Q. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the church?
Nothing is more foundationally essential for the church and the world than a return to the truth. Recently I read where someone said we are suffering from a famine of the worst kind, "a truth-famine." Our modern culture is in a degenerating, deteriorating stage caused by a departure from the truth. And I must say unequivocally that truth does not exist independently of God, and His written Word the Bible, and His Son Jesus Christ. Truth is in no sense of man's imagination or contrivance. Man in his fallen state does not know truth, and that is why he continues to go on sinning. A civilization without the truth is doomed to oblivion. Every ancient civilization that ignored God and His laws has crumbled. Our present civilization is well on the road to doom. We cannot survive independently of God and His Word.
The Church must return to the truth, the whole truth, the sum total of truth founded and grounded upon Him Who said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6). In our Lord's high priestly prayer for His own He prayed, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17). There must be in our churches the clear exposition of the Scriptures and a continuing exaltation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ if our civilization is to be saved from the disasters that overcame past civilizations. Any civilization with a philosophy or a doctrine which denies the real truth cannot survive.
Q. Do you see any prophetic significance in the recent homosexual upsurge?
Yes, I do. However, I would suggest caution on this point. It is not uncommon for preachers to attach a prophetic meaning to every earthquake, riot, war, moral scandal or political disaster, labeling all such events as "signs of the times."
The modern homosexual upsweep is one phase of a declining trend in morals. When the disciples asked our Lord, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age?" He told them that "iniquity shall abound" (Matthew 24:3, 12). There is today a permissiveness and a promiscuity in sexual behaviour unprecedented in the history of America. There is little restraint upon the widespread of material containing pictures and writing depicting erotic behaviour intended to cause sexual excitement. This would be included in our Lord's prophecy about abounding iniquity.
There is also a prophetic statement in Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy which has some bearing upon the subject we are discussing. Paul said, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection . . . " (II Timothy 3:1-3). Homosexuality is an unnatural affection, practiced by persons "that defile themselves with mankind" (I Timothy 1:10), translated in the New American Standard Version "homosexuals," and in the New International Version, "perverts." I conclude, in the light of these Scriptures, that the rise of homosexuality is very definitely a trend which indicates the approaching end of the age.
Q. Have you personally counseled with homosexuals?
Yes, in two pastorates over a period of twenty-five years. In each instance the homosexual was a man in his thirties who had seduced teen-aged boys. The seduction of younger persons is a pattern most homosexuals follow. They seem to prefer gratifying their lust with youth. This is a pattern typical of men who marry several wives. Men who do not respect their marriage vows pursue women younger than themselves. One man of wealth was reportedly married and divorced six times. Most of his wives were young enough to be his daughters. The two homosexual men who applied for a marriage license in the Maricopa County Clerk's Office in Arizona were 39 and 21 years old, quite a variation in ages.
Q. Do you attach any significance to the age factor you mentioned?
Yes, I do. I see a potential threat to young people who are exposed to homosexuals. Older practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth.
Q. Do you care to make any comments on the Anita Bryant crusade in Dade County, Florida?
In my judgment Anita Bryant was justified in the action she pursued. She did not want her children exposed to the influence of a practicing homosexual in the public school classroom. Inasmuch as homosexuality is classified in the Bible as an evil, to insist that children be exposed to homosexual teachers in the public schools would be an infringement upon the rights of parents and their children. Under no condition would I permit my children to be subjected to the influence of a sex pervert. As an American citizen I consider that choice to be my right. Anita Bryant laid her career on the line in the bold and courageous stand she took. She should not have to fight the battle alone. Christians should support her.
Q. What should be the Christian's attitude toward the homosexual?
We must always keep before us the fact that homosexuals, like all of us sinners, are the objects of God's love. The Bible says, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ "is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). The Christian who shares God's love for lost sinners will seek to reach the homosexual with the gospel of Christ, which "is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). As a Christian I should hate all sin but I can find no justification for hating the sinner. The homosexual is a precious soul for whom Christ died. We Christians can show him the best way of life by pointing him to Christ. Our Lord said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). We are obligated to take the gospel to all.
Q. How can we help Christians who get involved in the practice of homosexuality?
We can help them by seeking to draw their attention to what God says in His Word. In a kind and loving spirit we can show them that they are wrong. However, the homosexual must admit to the fact that he is living in sin and that he has the desire to be made free from it. Without a genuine conviction of God's displeasure and a strong desire to do God's will, there is no hope. A truly born again person cannot continue to practice sin without reaping the results of miserable unhappiness brought on by loss of fellowship with God, the fear of retribution and the anxiety produced by guilt. The homosexual must ask himself, "Is the temporary gratification of the flesh worth all the penalty and losses I must suffer?"
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1302
lunedì 2 febbraio 2009
Christian Zionism, Evangelicals and Israel
Christian Zionism, Evangelicals and Israel
Gary M. Burge, Ph.D.
Gary Burge earned his Ph.D. at King's College in Aberdeen, Scotland and
is professor of New Testament at Wheaton College & Graduate School in
Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author is The Anointed Community: The Holy
spirit in the Johannine Tradition (1987), Who Are God's People in the
Middle East? (1993), Interpreting the Gospel of John: Guide to New
Testament Exegesis, No. 5 (1998), and Whose Land? Whose Promise (2003).
If there ever were doubts about the ongoing presence and influence of
Christian Zionism in Israel, you only had to visit Jerusalem earlier
this month to witness the Christian Embassy's one week Tabernacles
Festival. On Tuesday the 14th 15,000 people paraded outside Jerusalem's
Old Walled City. The predominant colors for clothes were red, white and
blue, and many Americans wore necklaces sporting a Star of David, a
Menorah and a Christian fish symbol. American flags were distributed
liberally to cheering parade-watchers. A delegation from the South wore
gallon-sized cowboy hats and steer-horned belt buckles while they
carried a large banner, "Oklahoma loves Israel." The city predicts that
the assembly pumped about $10 million into the struggling Israeli
tourist economy.
Who are these people and what do they stand for? And how do they link
their religious faith, politics and commitment to Israel?
The Bible and the Romance of Palestine
It would be wrong to think of Christian Zionism as a recent phenomenon
invented by Gary Bauer and Tim LeHaye. Some scholars think that its
roots go as far back as the pilgrims who saw their journey as a
re-creation of the Israelite pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They did not
apply this to Judaism, however, but took the Biblical story as an
allegory for their own pilgrimage. Nevertheless this created a
sympathetic understanding of the religious refugee that is seated deeply
in the American psyche and likely shapes many of us even today.
The more important story begins in the 19th century. Religious interest
in Ottoman Palestine grew dramatically during the Victorian era as
travelers - romantic travelers - sought adventure by ship, train and
horseback. And they came to Palestine in great numbers. The 1880s
found a number of influential preachers there too. Rev. DeWitt Talmage
pastured the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York and returned home from such
a pilgrimage to publish his Twenty Five Sermons from the Holy Land. In
it he offered a romantic picture of a Jewish renaissance in the country.
He praised philanthropists such as Montifiore and Rothchild for
financing the return of Jewish life there. Here is a sample from one of
his sermons:
"[Many who are] large-hearted have paid the passage to Palestine for
many of the Israelites, and set apart lands for their culture; and it is
only a beginning of the fulfillment of Divine prophecy, when these
people shall take possession of the Holy Land. The road from Joppa to
Jerusalem, and all the roads leading to Nazareth and Galilee, we saw
lined with processions of Jews, going to the sacred places, either on
holy pilgrimage, or as settlers. All the fingers of Providence nowadays
are pointing toward that resumption of Palestine by the Israelites."
In 1891 George Adam Smith wrote his popular The Historical Geography of
the Holy Land and there portrayed an empty, biblical land awaiting the
return of Judaism. Such publications resonated with a growing public
interest in Palestine and the Bible, especially in Britain,. And during
WWI when the prospect of the fall of the Ottomans, Jewish Zionist
leaders influenced by men such as Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) could
capitalize on these British interests. The little letter of Nov. 2,
1917 from the British foreign office - now called the Balfour
Declaration - is likely the final synthesis of this religious vision and
politics in Britain.
Dispensationalism
Among conservative Christians in Britain, this unity of political
destiny and religious fulfillment was given its theological form in the
hands of an Irish pastor J.N. Darby. As Herzl was the father of Jewish
Zionism, one could argue that Darby was the father of Christian Zionism.
Darby's system - soon called Dispensationalism - taught a literal
fulfillment of prophesies in the near-present age. He used the biblical
books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah and Revelation to weave a consistent
picture of the Last Days. The church is raptured, the anti-Christ
arises, Armageddon erupts, and Christ returns to establish his kingdom
on earth. But above all, the revival of Israel is the catalyst of the
End Times.
Despite eight missionary trips to America, Darby was greeted here with
indifference. But when leading evangelists such as Dwight Moody, Billy
Sunday and Harry Ironsides saw how the drama and fear and hope in this
scenario influenced audiences, Darby's views caught on like wildfire.
In 1881, for instance, Horatio and Anna Spafford and 16 friends opened
the American Colony in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City to watch - as
they put it - "prophesy being fulfilled."
William Blackstone (1841-1935) was a Chicago evangelist and student of
Moody. In 1878 he published Jesus is Coming which was America's first
Dispensational best-seller. The book went through three editions and
was translated into 42 languages. In 1890 Blackstone was visiting
Jewish settlements in the Holy Land and organizing conferences in
Chicago to restore Jews to Palestine. Blackstone worked closely with
Jewish Zionists and in 1918 was hailed by the Zionist Conference of
Philadelphia as a "Father of Zionism." In 1956 Israel memorialized him
by naming a forest in his name.
In 1909 Cyrus Scofield published a popular study bible, the Scofield
Reference Bible, and in its footnotes readers throughout America
inherited Darby's theological program. (To date over 2 million of them
have been sold.) In 1917 five weeks after the Balfour Declaration, the
Turks handed Jerusalem over to Britain to the amazement of prophesy
watchers. In 1918 dispensationalists organized their first prophesy
conferences and they continued for decades. Before long - throughout
the 1920s and for the next 40 years - Dispensationalism tied to Israel
and prophesy became the litmus test of evangelical orthodoxy.
Dispensationalism had a variety of detractors over time and today we
cannot think of all evangelicals as dispensationalists. Nevertheless,
while formal Dispensationalism with its complex view of the covenants
has lost a large following, what remains is the skeleton of its
eschatology. Technically called pre-tribulation, pre-millennialism it
defends Darby's basic outline: Israel returns to the Holy Land, the
church is raptured, a tribulation brings Armageddon, and Christ returns.
This framework remained prominent for evangelicals but throughout the
1940s dispensationalists began to believe that the birth of Israel was
imminent. When it occurred in 1948, Dispensationalists were euphoric.
The key piece was now in place. Israel's swift victory in 1967 - hailed
by many as a divine miracle - sparked even more zeal for prophesy.
Writers such as Walvoord and Ryrie viewed modern history through this
Biblical lens for a new generation. In 1970 Hal Lindsey then published
The Late Great Planet Earth which popularized and dramatized the
unfolding of political events in Israel and how the Bible predicted
them. To date, Lindsey's original book has sold 25 million copies.
More recently Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' popular Left Behind series
fictionalizes this eschatology and has sold over 50 million copies in 11
volumes.
These remarkable numbers of publishing sales are important because they
show that among countless Christians in America, there is a residual
eschatology at work - and most of them have no idea where it came from.
Just ask someone who goes to church how they think the world will end.
Many will recite Lindsey to you claiming that this is what the Bible
teaches.
Christian Zionism
Today a movement called Christian Zionism has harnessed these disparate
parts. Its advocates have shed much of Dispensationalism's theological
program but have kept its eschatology. Christian Zionism weds religion
with politics and interprets biblical faithfulness in terms of fidelity
to Israel's future. Its spokespersons are today well-known among those
on the Christian Right: Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, Ed
McAteer, Gary Bauer, and Kay Arthur. Those committed to Christian
Zionism share the same five core beliefs:
(1) The Covenant. God's covenant with Israel is eternal and
unconditional. Therefore the promises of land given to Abraham will
never be overturned. This means that the church has not replaced Israel
and that Israel's privileges have never been revoked despite unfaithfulness.
(2) The Church. God's plan has always been for the redemption of
Israel. Yet when Israel failed to follow Jesus, the church was born as
an afterthought or "parenthesis." Thus at the rapture the church will
be removed and Israel will once again become God's primary agent in the
world. We now live in 'the times of the Gentiles' which will conclude
soon. This means that there are two covenants now at work, that given
through Moses and the covenant of Christ. But the new covenant in no
way makes the older covenant obsolete.
(3) Blessing Modern Israel. We must take Gen. 12:3 literally and apply
it to modern Israel: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those
who curse you." Therefore Christians have a spiritual obligation to
bless Israel and "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." To fail to bless
Israel, to fail to support Israel's political survival today, will incur
divine judgment.
(4) Prophesy. The prophetic books of the Bible are describing events of
today and do not principally refer to events in Biblical times.
Therefore when we look at, say, Daniel 7, if we possess the right
interpretative skills, we can see how modern history is unfolding. This
quest for prophesy has spawned countless books interpreting Middle East
history through the Bible.
(5) Modern Israel and Eschatology. The modern state of Israel is a
catalyst for the prophetic countdown. If these are the last days, then
we should expect an unraveling of civilization, the rise of evil, the
loss of international peace and equilibrium, a coming antichrist, and
tests of faithfulness to Israel. Above all, political alignments today
will determine our position on the fateful day of Armageddon. Since the
crisis of 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it has been easy to
persuade the public that history is unraveling precisely as
dispensationalism predicted.
It would not be difficult to offer fatal criticisms of this theological
framework. Many biblical scholars have already done so. For instance,
the covenant's promises are conditional and their blessings are revoked
when there is faithlessness. The Babylonian exile is the best example
of this. But in addition the New Testament is making a stunning claim
about genuine continuity between the covenants, that Christians are the
children of Abraham and heirs of his promises.
But the most important critique - and here I think we discover the
Achilles' heel - is that Christian Zionism is committed to what I term a
"territorial religion." It assumes that God's interests are focused on
a land, a locale, a place. From a NT perspective, the land is holy by
reference to what transpired there in history. But it no longer has an
intrinsic part to play in God's program for the world. This is what
Stephen pointed to in his speech in Acts 7. The land and the temple are
now secondary. God's wishes to reveal himself to the entire world. And
this insight cost Stephen his life. Such an understanding is a far cry
from the views of Christian Zionists like Ed McAteer who recently
commented, "Every grain of sand, every grain of sand between the Dead
Sea, the Jordan River, and the Mediterranean Sea belongs to the Jews."
Stephen would be alarmed.
Blessing Israel
The theological commitments of Christian Zionism are therefore not new.
But today they are boldly proclaimed and closely linked to a political
agenda in America. And today evangelicals are told that we hold a
spiritual obligation to "bless Israel." When pastors such as John Hagee
of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, can deliver $1 million to
Israel, a new definition of evangelical missions is at work. But
blessing Israel is not simply a matter of giving money. It is also
found in political advocacy. For instance, when Israel invaded the West
Bank in April, 2002 following the Passover bombings, President Bush
urged Ariel Sharon to withdraw from Jenin. Christian Zionists mobilized
an email campaign that produced 100,000 letters for Washington. And it
worked. Bush never said another word.
Leaders like Jerry Falwell thus see their mission as protecting Israel
politically. On CBS's 60 Minutes (June 8, 2003) he remarked, "It is my
belief that the Bible Belt in America is Israel's only safety belt right
now." Falwell continued, "There is nothing that would bring the wrath
of the Christian public in this country down on this government like
abandoning or opposing Israel in a critical matter. And when the chips
are down Ariel Sharon can trust George Bush to do the right thing every
time." These words were as much warning to Bush as anything since
Bush's political analysts believe that Falwell's "Christian public" is a
core constituency.
Today the same strategy is at work. On May 19, 2003, 23 Christian
Zionists sent President Bush a letter outlining what was wrong with his
Roadmap to Peace and urging him to end it. Its signatories included
Jerry Falwell, Gary Bauer, John Hagee, James Kennedy and others. In a
similar manner Gary Bauer spoke at this year's AIPAC convention. Even
Pat Robertson can rebuke Israel's foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, on
his nationally syndicated "700 Club."
In recent days no one has matched House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R,
Texas) for his zeal to bless Israel. Delay is often sought in
Washington as a spokesperson for Christian Zionism. And he is
forthright in his commitment even when it contradicts the president. On
July 30 of this year he addressed the Israeli Knesset and his views were
so extreme that the Labor Party leader Danny Yatom commented afterwards,
"Geez, Likud is nothing compared to him!" Another legislator commented,
"Until I heard him speak, I thought I was the farthest to the right in
the Knesset!"
Delay announced that he was an "Israeli at heart" and then upon his
return home challenged the Bush's Roadmap openly. He has appeared at
meetings of the influential Christian Coalition with Benny Elon, the
leader of the pro-ethnic cleansing Moledet Party arguing that a
"transfer" of Palestinians out of Israel could be justified on Biblical
authority. Recently the Los Angeles Times condemned DeLay for using
"the considerable power of his office" to "promote his personal
apocalyptic views."
But in addition to blessing Israel, Christian Zionists are clear that
those who fail to bless will be punished. Kay Arthur appeared with
Falwell on CBS's 60 Minutes and there surprised her audience when she
suggested that the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin was linked to
his involvement in the Oslo Peace Accord.
In June CBN (The Christian Broadcasting Network which produces Pat
Robertson's 700 Club) published a news item warning America about
natural disasters that will be God's punishment on America. The day
after Mahmoud Abbas was sworn in and the Roadmap was set in motion, CBN
told us that the next day began the worst month of tornadoes in
America's history. Their best example happened on Oct. 30, 1991, when
former President Bush (Sr.) met with Israelis and Palestinians to
discuss compromises. CBN commented, "That same day, thousands of miles
away, a powerful storm was brewing off the coast of Nova Scotia. On
October 31, what would be called 'the perfect storm' smashed into New
England pummeling the president's Kennebunkport, Main, home with waves
30 feet high. It was a storm so rare that the weather patterns required
to create it only happen once every 100 years." The deduction was
clear: Bush had angered God in his negotiations and God had sent
America punishing weather in response.
As odd as all of this may sound, it is consistent with the theological
worldview embraced by Christian Zionists who believe that Christian
faith and politics must be wed in Israel. To deny this synthesis is not
only to contradict the Bible, but it is to stand in the way of what God
is doing in history, a history foretold millennia ago by the Biblical
prophets.
http://www.christianzionism.org
Gary M. Burge, Ph.D.
Gary Burge earned his Ph.D. at King's College in Aberdeen, Scotland and
is professor of New Testament at Wheaton College & Graduate School in
Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author is The Anointed Community: The Holy
spirit in the Johannine Tradition (1987), Who Are God's People in the
Middle East? (1993), Interpreting the Gospel of John: Guide to New
Testament Exegesis, No. 5 (1998), and Whose Land? Whose Promise (2003).
If there ever were doubts about the ongoing presence and influence of
Christian Zionism in Israel, you only had to visit Jerusalem earlier
this month to witness the Christian Embassy's one week Tabernacles
Festival. On Tuesday the 14th 15,000 people paraded outside Jerusalem's
Old Walled City. The predominant colors for clothes were red, white and
blue, and many Americans wore necklaces sporting a Star of David, a
Menorah and a Christian fish symbol. American flags were distributed
liberally to cheering parade-watchers. A delegation from the South wore
gallon-sized cowboy hats and steer-horned belt buckles while they
carried a large banner, "Oklahoma loves Israel." The city predicts that
the assembly pumped about $10 million into the struggling Israeli
tourist economy.
Who are these people and what do they stand for? And how do they link
their religious faith, politics and commitment to Israel?
The Bible and the Romance of Palestine
It would be wrong to think of Christian Zionism as a recent phenomenon
invented by Gary Bauer and Tim LeHaye. Some scholars think that its
roots go as far back as the pilgrims who saw their journey as a
re-creation of the Israelite pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They did not
apply this to Judaism, however, but took the Biblical story as an
allegory for their own pilgrimage. Nevertheless this created a
sympathetic understanding of the religious refugee that is seated deeply
in the American psyche and likely shapes many of us even today.
The more important story begins in the 19th century. Religious interest
in Ottoman Palestine grew dramatically during the Victorian era as
travelers - romantic travelers - sought adventure by ship, train and
horseback. And they came to Palestine in great numbers. The 1880s
found a number of influential preachers there too. Rev. DeWitt Talmage
pastured the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York and returned home from such
a pilgrimage to publish his Twenty Five Sermons from the Holy Land. In
it he offered a romantic picture of a Jewish renaissance in the country.
He praised philanthropists such as Montifiore and Rothchild for
financing the return of Jewish life there. Here is a sample from one of
his sermons:
"[Many who are] large-hearted have paid the passage to Palestine for
many of the Israelites, and set apart lands for their culture; and it is
only a beginning of the fulfillment of Divine prophecy, when these
people shall take possession of the Holy Land. The road from Joppa to
Jerusalem, and all the roads leading to Nazareth and Galilee, we saw
lined with processions of Jews, going to the sacred places, either on
holy pilgrimage, or as settlers. All the fingers of Providence nowadays
are pointing toward that resumption of Palestine by the Israelites."
In 1891 George Adam Smith wrote his popular The Historical Geography of
the Holy Land and there portrayed an empty, biblical land awaiting the
return of Judaism. Such publications resonated with a growing public
interest in Palestine and the Bible, especially in Britain,. And during
WWI when the prospect of the fall of the Ottomans, Jewish Zionist
leaders influenced by men such as Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) could
capitalize on these British interests. The little letter of Nov. 2,
1917 from the British foreign office - now called the Balfour
Declaration - is likely the final synthesis of this religious vision and
politics in Britain.
Dispensationalism
Among conservative Christians in Britain, this unity of political
destiny and religious fulfillment was given its theological form in the
hands of an Irish pastor J.N. Darby. As Herzl was the father of Jewish
Zionism, one could argue that Darby was the father of Christian Zionism.
Darby's system - soon called Dispensationalism - taught a literal
fulfillment of prophesies in the near-present age. He used the biblical
books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah and Revelation to weave a consistent
picture of the Last Days. The church is raptured, the anti-Christ
arises, Armageddon erupts, and Christ returns to establish his kingdom
on earth. But above all, the revival of Israel is the catalyst of the
End Times.
Despite eight missionary trips to America, Darby was greeted here with
indifference. But when leading evangelists such as Dwight Moody, Billy
Sunday and Harry Ironsides saw how the drama and fear and hope in this
scenario influenced audiences, Darby's views caught on like wildfire.
In 1881, for instance, Horatio and Anna Spafford and 16 friends opened
the American Colony in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City to watch - as
they put it - "prophesy being fulfilled."
William Blackstone (1841-1935) was a Chicago evangelist and student of
Moody. In 1878 he published Jesus is Coming which was America's first
Dispensational best-seller. The book went through three editions and
was translated into 42 languages. In 1890 Blackstone was visiting
Jewish settlements in the Holy Land and organizing conferences in
Chicago to restore Jews to Palestine. Blackstone worked closely with
Jewish Zionists and in 1918 was hailed by the Zionist Conference of
Philadelphia as a "Father of Zionism." In 1956 Israel memorialized him
by naming a forest in his name.
In 1909 Cyrus Scofield published a popular study bible, the Scofield
Reference Bible, and in its footnotes readers throughout America
inherited Darby's theological program. (To date over 2 million of them
have been sold.) In 1917 five weeks after the Balfour Declaration, the
Turks handed Jerusalem over to Britain to the amazement of prophesy
watchers. In 1918 dispensationalists organized their first prophesy
conferences and they continued for decades. Before long - throughout
the 1920s and for the next 40 years - Dispensationalism tied to Israel
and prophesy became the litmus test of evangelical orthodoxy.
Dispensationalism had a variety of detractors over time and today we
cannot think of all evangelicals as dispensationalists. Nevertheless,
while formal Dispensationalism with its complex view of the covenants
has lost a large following, what remains is the skeleton of its
eschatology. Technically called pre-tribulation, pre-millennialism it
defends Darby's basic outline: Israel returns to the Holy Land, the
church is raptured, a tribulation brings Armageddon, and Christ returns.
This framework remained prominent for evangelicals but throughout the
1940s dispensationalists began to believe that the birth of Israel was
imminent. When it occurred in 1948, Dispensationalists were euphoric.
The key piece was now in place. Israel's swift victory in 1967 - hailed
by many as a divine miracle - sparked even more zeal for prophesy.
Writers such as Walvoord and Ryrie viewed modern history through this
Biblical lens for a new generation. In 1970 Hal Lindsey then published
The Late Great Planet Earth which popularized and dramatized the
unfolding of political events in Israel and how the Bible predicted
them. To date, Lindsey's original book has sold 25 million copies.
More recently Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' popular Left Behind series
fictionalizes this eschatology and has sold over 50 million copies in 11
volumes.
These remarkable numbers of publishing sales are important because they
show that among countless Christians in America, there is a residual
eschatology at work - and most of them have no idea where it came from.
Just ask someone who goes to church how they think the world will end.
Many will recite Lindsey to you claiming that this is what the Bible
teaches.
Christian Zionism
Today a movement called Christian Zionism has harnessed these disparate
parts. Its advocates have shed much of Dispensationalism's theological
program but have kept its eschatology. Christian Zionism weds religion
with politics and interprets biblical faithfulness in terms of fidelity
to Israel's future. Its spokespersons are today well-known among those
on the Christian Right: Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, Ed
McAteer, Gary Bauer, and Kay Arthur. Those committed to Christian
Zionism share the same five core beliefs:
(1) The Covenant. God's covenant with Israel is eternal and
unconditional. Therefore the promises of land given to Abraham will
never be overturned. This means that the church has not replaced Israel
and that Israel's privileges have never been revoked despite unfaithfulness.
(2) The Church. God's plan has always been for the redemption of
Israel. Yet when Israel failed to follow Jesus, the church was born as
an afterthought or "parenthesis." Thus at the rapture the church will
be removed and Israel will once again become God's primary agent in the
world. We now live in 'the times of the Gentiles' which will conclude
soon. This means that there are two covenants now at work, that given
through Moses and the covenant of Christ. But the new covenant in no
way makes the older covenant obsolete.
(3) Blessing Modern Israel. We must take Gen. 12:3 literally and apply
it to modern Israel: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those
who curse you." Therefore Christians have a spiritual obligation to
bless Israel and "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." To fail to bless
Israel, to fail to support Israel's political survival today, will incur
divine judgment.
(4) Prophesy. The prophetic books of the Bible are describing events of
today and do not principally refer to events in Biblical times.
Therefore when we look at, say, Daniel 7, if we possess the right
interpretative skills, we can see how modern history is unfolding. This
quest for prophesy has spawned countless books interpreting Middle East
history through the Bible.
(5) Modern Israel and Eschatology. The modern state of Israel is a
catalyst for the prophetic countdown. If these are the last days, then
we should expect an unraveling of civilization, the rise of evil, the
loss of international peace and equilibrium, a coming antichrist, and
tests of faithfulness to Israel. Above all, political alignments today
will determine our position on the fateful day of Armageddon. Since the
crisis of 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it has been easy to
persuade the public that history is unraveling precisely as
dispensationalism predicted.
It would not be difficult to offer fatal criticisms of this theological
framework. Many biblical scholars have already done so. For instance,
the covenant's promises are conditional and their blessings are revoked
when there is faithlessness. The Babylonian exile is the best example
of this. But in addition the New Testament is making a stunning claim
about genuine continuity between the covenants, that Christians are the
children of Abraham and heirs of his promises.
But the most important critique - and here I think we discover the
Achilles' heel - is that Christian Zionism is committed to what I term a
"territorial religion." It assumes that God's interests are focused on
a land, a locale, a place. From a NT perspective, the land is holy by
reference to what transpired there in history. But it no longer has an
intrinsic part to play in God's program for the world. This is what
Stephen pointed to in his speech in Acts 7. The land and the temple are
now secondary. God's wishes to reveal himself to the entire world. And
this insight cost Stephen his life. Such an understanding is a far cry
from the views of Christian Zionists like Ed McAteer who recently
commented, "Every grain of sand, every grain of sand between the Dead
Sea, the Jordan River, and the Mediterranean Sea belongs to the Jews."
Stephen would be alarmed.
Blessing Israel
The theological commitments of Christian Zionism are therefore not new.
But today they are boldly proclaimed and closely linked to a political
agenda in America. And today evangelicals are told that we hold a
spiritual obligation to "bless Israel." When pastors such as John Hagee
of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, can deliver $1 million to
Israel, a new definition of evangelical missions is at work. But
blessing Israel is not simply a matter of giving money. It is also
found in political advocacy. For instance, when Israel invaded the West
Bank in April, 2002 following the Passover bombings, President Bush
urged Ariel Sharon to withdraw from Jenin. Christian Zionists mobilized
an email campaign that produced 100,000 letters for Washington. And it
worked. Bush never said another word.
Leaders like Jerry Falwell thus see their mission as protecting Israel
politically. On CBS's 60 Minutes (June 8, 2003) he remarked, "It is my
belief that the Bible Belt in America is Israel's only safety belt right
now." Falwell continued, "There is nothing that would bring the wrath
of the Christian public in this country down on this government like
abandoning or opposing Israel in a critical matter. And when the chips
are down Ariel Sharon can trust George Bush to do the right thing every
time." These words were as much warning to Bush as anything since
Bush's political analysts believe that Falwell's "Christian public" is a
core constituency.
Today the same strategy is at work. On May 19, 2003, 23 Christian
Zionists sent President Bush a letter outlining what was wrong with his
Roadmap to Peace and urging him to end it. Its signatories included
Jerry Falwell, Gary Bauer, John Hagee, James Kennedy and others. In a
similar manner Gary Bauer spoke at this year's AIPAC convention. Even
Pat Robertson can rebuke Israel's foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, on
his nationally syndicated "700 Club."
In recent days no one has matched House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R,
Texas) for his zeal to bless Israel. Delay is often sought in
Washington as a spokesperson for Christian Zionism. And he is
forthright in his commitment even when it contradicts the president. On
July 30 of this year he addressed the Israeli Knesset and his views were
so extreme that the Labor Party leader Danny Yatom commented afterwards,
"Geez, Likud is nothing compared to him!" Another legislator commented,
"Until I heard him speak, I thought I was the farthest to the right in
the Knesset!"
Delay announced that he was an "Israeli at heart" and then upon his
return home challenged the Bush's Roadmap openly. He has appeared at
meetings of the influential Christian Coalition with Benny Elon, the
leader of the pro-ethnic cleansing Moledet Party arguing that a
"transfer" of Palestinians out of Israel could be justified on Biblical
authority. Recently the Los Angeles Times condemned DeLay for using
"the considerable power of his office" to "promote his personal
apocalyptic views."
But in addition to blessing Israel, Christian Zionists are clear that
those who fail to bless will be punished. Kay Arthur appeared with
Falwell on CBS's 60 Minutes and there surprised her audience when she
suggested that the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin was linked to
his involvement in the Oslo Peace Accord.
In June CBN (The Christian Broadcasting Network which produces Pat
Robertson's 700 Club) published a news item warning America about
natural disasters that will be God's punishment on America. The day
after Mahmoud Abbas was sworn in and the Roadmap was set in motion, CBN
told us that the next day began the worst month of tornadoes in
America's history. Their best example happened on Oct. 30, 1991, when
former President Bush (Sr.) met with Israelis and Palestinians to
discuss compromises. CBN commented, "That same day, thousands of miles
away, a powerful storm was brewing off the coast of Nova Scotia. On
October 31, what would be called 'the perfect storm' smashed into New
England pummeling the president's Kennebunkport, Main, home with waves
30 feet high. It was a storm so rare that the weather patterns required
to create it only happen once every 100 years." The deduction was
clear: Bush had angered God in his negotiations and God had sent
America punishing weather in response.
As odd as all of this may sound, it is consistent with the theological
worldview embraced by Christian Zionists who believe that Christian
faith and politics must be wed in Israel. To deny this synthesis is not
only to contradict the Bible, but it is to stand in the way of what God
is doing in history, a history foretold millennia ago by the Biblical
prophets.
http://www.christianzionism.org
sabato 24 gennaio 2009
7 Reasons Barack Obama is not a Christian
7 Reasons Barack Obama is not a Christian
Seven Reasons Barack Obama is not a Christian
There is a spiritual emergency in America.
Barack Obama is in the process of trying to recreate the Christian faith in his own, very liberal and unorthodox image.
Built on a foundation of radical Black Liberation Theology, theological liberalism and post-modernism, Obama is undermining historic, biblical Christianity while claiming his is a Christian. In the process, he is defaming the Christian faith.
By declaring he is a Christian, yet denying Christianities most essential truths and traditional morality, Obama is associating Christ with some of the most wicked practices imaginable, all of which are condemned in the Bible.
By any historic or biblical standard, Barack Obama is not a Christian.
With his incredible celebrity status, Obama's ideas about spiritual matters have become very significant, and they are very dangerous.
Now, more than ever, Christianity is under attack from without and within. We need your help to stand for Christ.
Over the next few weeks the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission will be releasing 7 short videos entitled, "7 reasons why Barack Obama is not a Christian."
If you want to receive all these timely videos, sign up for e-mail alerts on our home page.
It is critical that we spread the truth about Obama's fake Christianity so that Christians can defend the truth.
Our concern is only spiritual and we pray for Barack Obama to repent and turn to Christ and His Word.
Make sure you are signed up to receive all 7 videos and forward this vital information to your Christian friends and family.
For a more in-depth look at the campaign, click here.
http://www.christianadc.org/resources/seven-reasons-campaign
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