Culture

SBC resolution on same-sex marriage

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This week at the annual convention in Indianapolis, Southern Baptists passed a resolution in response to last month’s Supreme Court decision in Sacramento. I think it is a well-crafted document. It’s an urgent call to action for all Christians to stand up for the biblical definition of marriage. Here’s the resolution:

WHEREAS, On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage thus frustrating the will of the people who, on March 7, 2000, voted in favor (61.4%) of Proposition 22 which affirmed, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California”; and

WHEREAS, This decision has dire national implications because California law will allow same-sex couples from any state to marry in California, return to their home state, and challenge that state’s traditional marriage laws based on the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution of the United States; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress has repeatedly refused to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, thus providing no federal protection from attacks against traditional marriage; and

WHEREAS, Marriage is ordained by God as a permanent union of one man and one woman (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:24); and

WHEREAS, Jesus reaffirmed marriage as a sacred, monogamous, and life-long institution joining one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4-6); and

WHEREAS, Any action giving homosexual unions the legal status of marriage denies the fundamental immorality of homosexual behavior (Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11); and

WHEREAS, The people of California have collected over 1.1 million signatures on a petition requiring the state to place a referendum on the ballot in November defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 10-11, 2008, wholeheartedly support the people in California who have worked tirelessly to place this referendum on the ballot; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we strongly urge all Southern Baptists in the state of California to be informed about this issue and to exercise their civic and moral duty by working diligently to support and voting to pass this referendum; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all Christian pastors in California and in every other state to speak strongly, prophetically, and redemptively concerning the sinful nature of homosexuality and the urgent need to protect biblical marriage in accordance with God’s Word; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call on all Southern Baptists and believers from all denominations everywhere to pray for the people of California as they seek to right this terrible wrong that has been forced upon them by the California Supreme Court’s overturning of the vote of the people and to pray for the people of every state where biblical marriage is under attack; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we reaffirm our historic and consistent support of the biblical definition of marriage as an exclusive union between a man and a woman; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we once again call on the United States Congress to pass, the President to sign, and the states to ratify a constitutional amendment defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman.

Any suggestions on how we should live this out practically? I plan to share this in our business meeting on Sunday night and begin a dialogue. Certainly, pastors should be willing to preach on the issue, while not growing preoccupied with politics in our sermons. Christians across the land are also encouraged to join the ProtectMarriage.com coalition to receive their email updates or donate by clicking here. I have added my name today as an endorser.

Let’s remember that while we should be passionate about the truth, we must also conduct ourselves in a spirit of love and compassion. Homosexuals are watching us now more than ever. Will they perceive Christians as angry gay-bashers, or as people who cherish God’s law and are concerned about those souls who have been drawn into the homosexual lifestyle? We must love the sinner, but hate the sin. Homosexuality is no worse than any other sin. All sin is a breach of God’s law and equally heinous in His eyes (James 2:10), needing freedom and forgiveness through Christ (Romans 6:23; Acts 13:38-39). What sets this sin apart is the devastating consequences it will have upon every man, woman, boy, and girl in our society if it is normalized and legalized.

SBC

Donate to China or Burma

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Some of you may be wondering how you can help the millions of victims from the recent earthquake in China and cyclone in Burma (Myanmar). Baptist Global Response is a global Southern Baptist relief and development organization started for these very kinds of situations. Through Baptist Global Response, Southern Baptists have already released more than $600,000 to help disaster victims in these two regions. This money will go toward food, water filters and purification systems, building materials, and healthcare needs.

You can make a donation by clicking here.

Books, Shepherding

God

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The movie Apollo 13 tells the inspiring story of a lunar landing mission that turns into a dangerous survival mission. Toward the end of the movie, as the three astronauts head back to earth, they find themselves straying off course. They have to perform a tricky burn to realign their trajectory. With their navigation system already destroyed, they must rely entirely on their quick reflexes and the naked eye. Their only reference is a portion of the surface of the earth. If the astronauts lose sight of that reference point, they will shoot off into space and face certain death. In a similar way, David Wells says in the fourth chapter of The Courage to Be Protestant that most Americans have lost their point of reference and are suffering the tragic results.

To many people today, life is nothing more than a series of random, chaotic, and often cruel events. Why? Because we have lost sight of our center. Wells explains that rather than acknowledging God and ordering our lives around Him, “we start our life’s journey on the alternative premise that he is not there, or that he has not spoken, or that he does not care. We do not reckon on his providential and moral presence. We begin as if life were empty and without a center and as if we were empowered by our choices to make of life what we will. And so we create our own center, we create our own rules, and we make our own meaning. All of this springs from an alternative center in the universe. It is ourselves” (pp. 99-100).

This means that the language of “evil” has largely vanished, and that “sin” and “guilt” have been eliminated altogether (pp. 100-101). Meaning and morality are no longer fixed and universal, but have now become private and subjective, based almost entirely upon “feelings” (p. 107). And people are now crumbling under a pressure they were never intended to bear. “The self that has been made to bear the weight of being the center of all reality, the source of all meaning, mystery, and morality, finds that it has become empty and fragile. When God dies to us, we die in ourselves” (p. 112).

Wells sets this modern, self-centered perspective in sharp contrast with a biblical, God-centered perspective. “Biblical writers, by contrast, declare that the only reason there is life and hope is that there is a center. It is in the triune God, the maker and sustainer of all things and the one in whom we find reconciliation through the Son. When we know him, life fits back into a meaningful pattern and we are filled with hope about its end” (p. 98).

Our world only makes sense if we have a right understanding of both the “Inside God” and the “Outside God.” The “Inside God” refers to His nearness, His daily involvement in creation, or what theologians call His “immanence.” This God is not found inside ourselves, but rather is a Person we can know deeply through His Word. The “Outside God” refers to His loftiness, His otherness, or what theologians call His “transcendence.” These attributes of God are also essential to His nature and cannot be removed without creating a different god altogether.

Wells concludes by showing why it is so important to center our worldview around God: First, it is only through God’s moral purity that we have any standard of moral law (p. 127). Second, is it only through God’s holiness that “sin” has any meaning or culpability, and that we can properly diagnose our problem. Third, the cross only has meaning in light of God’s holiness. Fourth and finally, it is only because of God’s holiness that He is able to deal with evil in the world.

I finished this chapter having a greater appreciation for the holiness and justice of God. These doctrines are largely ignored in the church, but Wells has shown how our understanding of sin, salvation, eternity, and the universe itself hinge upon our understanding of a just and holy God. May more churches be faithful in preaching and living out these fundamental doctrines.

This review has gone long already, but I can’t resist sharing one more quote which I found so good:

We have enough Bibles for every household in America a couple of times over. We have churches galore; religious organizations; educational institutions; religious presses that never stop pouring forth books, Sunday school materials, and religious curricula; and unparalleled financial resources. What don’t we have? All too often we don’t have what the Old Testament people didn’t have. A due and weighty sense of the greatness and holiness of God, a sense that will reach into our lives, wrench them around, lift our vision, fill our hearts, make us courageous for what is right, and over time leave behind its beautiful residue of Christlike character” (pp. 132-33).

Amen! That’s what we need in the modern evangelical church. For those of you reading along, please take a moment to click on the “Comments” link below and share a favorite quote or insight from chapter four. For next week, we will be reading chapter five on “Self.”

Uncategorized

Are sermons irrelevant?

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There’s a lot of debate nowadays about whether preaching has become passe in our high-tech, low-attention span culture. Are expository sermons irrelevant? The Pulpit Magazine blog answers this question with some thoughts by John MacArthur on “Preaching and Postmodernism.” You can check out part one here. MacArthur’s conclusion:

The bottom line is that expository preaching confronts the amorality of postmodernism with an authoritative message of absolute truth. It’s not a question of debating. It’s not a question of trying to find some way to sneak that in. It’s an issue of confronting this kind of thinking with the absolute authority of Scripture and then letting the Spirit of God make the application to the heart.

I’m looking forward to part two tomorrow. I also hope to post on Wells’ chapter four on Thursday or Friday.

Culture

Marriage amendment heads to the ballot

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From the ProtectMarriage.com coalition:

Secretary of State Debra Bowen yesterday certified the eighth initiative for the November 4, 2008, General Election ballot. The measure would amend California’s Constitution to define marriage as a union “between a man and a woman.”

“The response from the people of this state has been unprecedented in support of marriage’s legacy, by responding with an all-out volunteer signature campaign,” said Ron Prentice, CEO of the California Family Council and Chairman of the ProtectMarriage.com coalition sponsoring the amendment. “We’re so grateful to the over 1.1 million voters who signed the marriage petition in time for the November election. Passing this amendment is the only way for the people to override the four supreme court judges who want to re-define marriage for our entire society.”

Please continue to give your prayer and financial support to this effort. For more information, please visit www.ProtectMarriage.com.

Thoughts on Life and Leadership