A Response to Newsweek: On Biblical Gay Marriage

A person whom I hold in high regard wrote a letter to the editor of Newsweek concerning the editorial of the December 15th, 2008 issue.  The current issue is, of course, attempting to prove a Bible-based rationale behind homosexual marriage.  In Mr. Crowson’s words, “Since I doubt they will publish it, here it is for your enjoyment.”  So, quoted verbatim from his facebook page, here is the letter.  Feel free to discuss below.

“The Gospel According to Newsweek…Or Something Like That“

“Here is a note I just sent to Newsweek about their December 15, 2008 issue in which they attempt to show that the Bible is for homosexual marriage. Since I doubt they will publish it, here it is for your enjoyment:

For years, people who took the Bible’s teaching seriously, and opposed things such as gay marriage were told, “Keep your Bible out of our policies!” To mention anything from holy scripture in an otherwise civilized conversation brought hysterical cries of “Separation of Church and State!” or “You can’t legislate morality!”

And now Newsweek tells us it is OK to bring the Bible into public debate, as long as it is brought in on the “progressive” side. Imagine that — Newsweek a trustworthy source of sound theology. Who knew? Jon Meacham’s editorial comment about perverting Scripture (“The Devil, as Shakespeare once noted, can cite Scripture for his purpose….”) is especially ironic, in light of the twisting and turning that was to follow, in an article straight from the Stretch Armstrong translation, no doubt.

“The Bible endorses slavery….” Oh, really? I question that. Slavery has been a human institution for a very long time. The Bible sheds light on how believers can live and try to honor God in societies that tolerate things that are truly evil, such as slavery. Nowhere does it endorse it. The article pointedly leaves out the fact that it was believers who were “over represented” in the fight against slavery.

The marriages we see in the Old and New Testaments often fall short of what the Bible otherwise teaches about marriage. Believers have known that for years, and have taken inspiration from the way in which God works His perfect ways with such imperfect people, even more evidence that the record of Scripture was not invented to brag about its “heroes.” Fortunately, The Gospel According to Newsweek is here to save us. In an effort truly worthy of any freshman or sophomore essay, it jumps to the only conclusion to be tolerated in an enlightened age: “What God’s people through the ages have understood has been all wrong. Lucky for you we are here to clear the air and to set things straight.”

Whatever one may make of homosexual practices and relationships, they are not marriage. Marriage patterns in actual cultures and history have always been heterosexual, even among cultures who knew nothing of the Bible (and please, spare us the anecdotal aberrations, as though somehow finding a mushroom on a golf course negates the fact that the course is supposed to be grass). The Trinitarian view of God displays both unity and diversity in relationships. We are told that God created man, male and female, in His image. Much of this mystery challenges our understanding, but it is easy to see that heterosexual unions reflect that image and diversity in a manner totally impossible for homosexual unions.

People deal with all manner of “natural” inclinations that Scripture warns us to flee. Some people seem born to infidelity, while others battle greed, anger, theft, gossip, and any number of other evil things, including homosexuality. The message of the Bible, properly understood, frees us from the power of these natural, though deadly, desires.

But we love each other! How truly ignorant we have become when we can no longer distinguish between love and libido. True love desires what is best for the other. How can it be best for the one I love to bind him or her in a relationship that is truly unnatural, and under divine condemnation? The object of my affection in this case can be the cute guy down the hall, or my neighbor’s wife. They’re both off limits. To pursue either one is to bind them to me in an illicit relationship. Not content to simmer in my own sin, I insist on dragging them down with me, and slapping on the l-o-v-e label as justification. Such is the New Gospel of Newsweek.

No thanks. The original still works just fine.”

-Allan Crowson

What’s In A Name?

My birth name is Daniel.  When I was younger, I remember going into Christian bookstores and looking at all of the different name tag trinkets.  Many of them had a name listed, along with the Hebrew meaning of the name.  Not suprisingly, I looked mine up and found out that Daniel means “God is my Judge.”  When I was a child, I did not understand this entirely.  I mean, sure, I understood the basics behind judgement and grace, but nothing of the deeper implications of what they meant.

I am realizing more and more the necessity for me, and for many other Christians, to say as a matter of fact that “God is my Judge” or even “God is our Judge” and finally ”God is the Judge.”

All too often, Christians are criticized for being judgemental toward others.  The conservative church is characterized by self-righteousness and intolerance instead of love and compassion.  Here’s a great example, which I’m sure many of you have heard.  In the book unChristian, research shows that these percentages of people outside of the church believe that Christians are:

* antihomosexual 91%
* judgmental 87%
* hypocritical 85%
* old-fashioned 78%
* too political 75%
* out of touch with reality 72%
* insensitive to others 70%
* boring 68%

Notice that the top three things on the list directly relate to the judgement of others.  So I think: What right do I have to criticize someone of wrongdoing when I myself am guilty of wrongdoing every single day (if not in deed, in thought)?  It’s quite simply the pot calling the kettle black.  Also, my definition of wrongdoing might differ from someone else’s definition of wrongdoing, because not everyone believes in the Bible as the Word of God.  And even of those who claim to believe in the Bible, not everyone believes that it is inspired in plenary verbal form, which in effect allows for personal interpretation to cloud the intent of the Bible’s message, if you even believe that the authors of the Bible had an intent to begin with.

I do know this, though.  When it comes to matters of accountability for sin, I am accountable to no man, but to God.  God is my judge.  I believe, based on the Bible, that we will all give an account for our lives, even for every idle word that is spoken.  I have no right to condemn my fellow man, but I do have an obligation to bring my fellow man into the knowledge of the good news of Christianity:  That there is forgiveness found at the foot of the cross of Christ!  I am not ashamed of this message, for it is the power of God unto salvation.

I cannot judge a person’s righteousness or lack thereof, but God can.  He is the one Just Judge, and He alone defines morality.  No man is accountable to anyone else other than Him.  My only goal is to bring people face to face with the Scripture, as I myself was brought into contact with it.  Sure, it’s offensive.  It hurts our human pride, because we want to think we’re basically good.  The prophet Isaiah even considers our good deeds to be polluted garments in the sight of God’s pure Holiness.  The scripture reveals to us who we really are: sinful humans in need of a Savior.  But…ultimately, what a person does with the gospel is up to them.  I am just thankful for the opportunity to preach it and to try and live it out as God works on me.

Hebrews 9:27,28 – “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Sometimes…

Sometimes I think about who I have been.  Sometimes I think about the part of me that still is, the part of me that I want to fight against.  Some of the bad choices that I have made, some of the terrible things that I have done or wanted to do, some of the horrible thoughts that have gone through my head, some of the awful words that have escaped my lips.  And I have to wonder…why?  Why should God care about someone so selfish, so undeserving, so flawed?  How can a sinner such as I merit the grace of a perfectly just God?  It’s a mystery to me, one for which I will be eternally grateful.

“Sin and despair like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.”

A Few Truly Wonderful Things

I love hearing the testimonies of others.  Often, it’s wonderful to know the details of how God changes the cold hearts of men, calling them to Himself.  Perhaps that’s why one of my favorite radio programs to listen to as a kid was “Unshackled” by the Pacific Garden Mission.  Hearing the testimonies of others who were saved from much worse circumstances and hardships than I was truly changed my perspective of life.  I found a testimony that moved me today:  Click here for that.  As I thought about the finite limits of human knowledge and the futility and frustration that is found upon reaching the limits of it, I couldn’t help but remember the amazing sense of relief that I experienced when I accepted Christ as the Lord and Savior of my life.  I was moved to tears as I read, following the experience of this woman and her quest for knowledge, with her finally coming to the realization that ”The more I emptied myself of myself, the clearer the truth became. It had been my own selfish sin that had kept me from seeing it before.”  I’m so thankful that God emptied me of myself, and I’m so much more thankful that he continues to do so regularly.

Another wonderful thing for today is in the form of music.  It’s a myspace page, so you’ll have to click the song title there to hear it:  Brave Saint Saturn – Daylight  This describes the changeover from darkness to light, from restless pursuit to complete rest in Christ, in ways that I could never have thought to express it.  Keep in mind as you listen that Brave Saint Saturn is a concept band that tells the story of a space crew (a bit hokey, but still interesting).

*EDIT: 4:00 PM* – It seems that the author of the testimony is, in fact, a woman.  Thus, the post has been changed appropriately.

On Christian Testimony Part One: A Preface

This next short series of posts will deal with the topic of Christian outreach and with the outspoken testimony of the Christian faith.  I fear that there are opportunities for some rather offensive issues to arise here and there, so before I get a bunch of nasty comments, I feel that I must first post a short preface. (*Note: This preface will eventually end up being a portion of a bonifide doctrinal statement page in the future*)

I believe, as I have mentioned before, based on Scripture (Romans 3:23) that all men are basically sinners, including myself.  Without the grace of God and the perfect offering of His Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins, we would be hopelessly lost and would receive the just reward of our sin:  Eternal damnation in Hell.  I believe this based on the idea that scripure is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16) in plenary verbal form.  I do NOT believe in Bibliolatry, though, as some would state that this viewpoint leads to.  Does it not make sense that in order to have accurate translations of the ancient texts we need to study them in their original language and context?  I submit that it does.  This does not mean that the original texts are intrinsically better than the new translated texts, but it does place a vital importance on quality, translation, and accuracy.

Before I get too lost on non-topical topics, I will pull the reins in and get back to the original point.  Bear with me.

I am afraid that there has been a widespread misconception about Christians in the past.  Hopefully this preface will work to clarify a bit about that.  For those who might be unfamiliar with Scripture, you might be persuaded to think that once a person becomes “saved” and becomes a Christian that they are mystically transformed into a flawless, perfect being.  Okay, so not many would believe that.  There are no perfect people, obviously.  Then perhaps a much more widespread view of Christianity is that they view Christians as being just like themselves, but with a self-righteous, hypocritical bent.  Many people end up leaving the church for this reason.  In fact, it’s the very reason why my grandmother would not go to church any more.  Personal disputes with so-called “holy rollers” and “holier-than-thou” Christians have driven people away from the church body time and time again over the course of history.

For clarification’s sake, certain things DO happen when a person repents of his sin and accepts Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of his life:  1) That person is made to be righteous in the sight of God the Father.  The only way this can happen is through Christ, as GOD the Father cannot tolerate sin.  God’s wrath is taken away and is placed on His only begotten Son (in that fateful instance in time when Christ suffered and was forsaken by God) for all eternity.  (Romans 6:10)  2) The free gift of salvation is given. (eternal life with God after death)  3) The Holy Spirit indwells the believer and acts as a constant comforter and director. 4) The Spirit begins the process of sanctifying the believer.  The believer becomes regenerate, conforming his image to the Image of Christ as he is changed by God.

In summation, the key differences between the believer and the non-believer are that the believer is now under the grace of God instead of the wrath of God, the believer has hope after death, the believer has the Holy Spirit as a constant comforter and guide, and the believer has begun the process of sanctification, or becoming Christ-like in every area of his or her life. 

DON’T MISS THIS – HERE’S AN IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!  This is where many get frustrated with Christianity.  Just because a person becomes regenerately saved does not mean that the person will completely stop sinning immediately!  Certainly there is no longer a desire to offend God and other people after the act of true repentance of sin has taken place.  It does not mean that the person will live a miraculously flawless life after salvation, however.  We are constantly surrounded with Christians who are in different stages of sanctification and maturity.  Unfortunately, we are also surrounded by many who are only Christian in name, yet they do not show forth any fruit of the Spirit.  If a person is truly repentant, that person will eschew the old sin nature and will cling to the regenerate nature that God has given.  Also, that person will want to serve and worship God in Spirit and in Truth.  Occasionally that person might even make a mistake, possibly even a big mistake, and get involved in sin, but “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)  Also, the Bible is clear that a Christian will not continue in sin.

So, I said all that to say this:  If you have ever had a bad experience in church or with Christians outside of church, it’s understandable, but not acceptable.  Christians should be the ones reaching out, loving, caring for, and sacrificing for the community.  Christians should also be the ones who are working to abstain from sinful acts.  Sadly, quite sadly, too often it is not so. 

To the Christian:  We can and must do better in all points of the Christian life.

To the skeptic: Please do not confuse the actions of a few individuals who may or may not be truly repentant and regenerate for the actions of the entire Christian religion.  To do so is quite stereotypical and illogical.  If you want to find good examples of Christian living, there are many out there.  Look to those who are staying the course as good examples of Christianity.  Also, I implore you to seek out the input rather than the output.  Look to the Word of God, the Bible, instead of the average Christian.  The only one who was ever perfect was Jesus Christ.  He is truly worth looking at, and ultimately worth getting to know.