One of the Best Apologetics on the Right to Life
James Lankford: "The Right to Life is Self-Evident"
How I wish I could vote for this guy… but what I can do is pray for him and ask for God’s blessing on him.
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Pastor Joel Osteen on Homosexuality and Sin
Here is a teaser for an upcoming interview for Wednesday 26 January 2011 that appeared on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight blog today.
Piers Morgan sits down with author and pastor Joel Osteen, and his wife Victoria Osteen.
What is interesting, is Osteen has apparently ben coaxed by Piers to call homosexuality a sin. Something Osteen has been reluctant to outright declare.
Joel Osteen, once again provided a national stage, seems to have missed a golden opportunity! I say seem, only because in TV anything can be edited… but consider the following exchange between Morgan and Osteen on the topic of homosexuality:
MORGAN: Say a friend of mine like Elton John watching this at home, who with his partner – a civil partner, David Furnish – have just had a surrogate child which was born on Christmas day. They’re going to be pretty angry what they hear. They’re going to think who are you to call them a sinner.
J. OSTEEN: Yes.
MORGAN: But why are they sinners in your eyes?
J. OSTEEN: Well, it’s strictly back to what the scripture says. I mean, I can’t grab one part and say God wants you to be blessed and live an abundant life, and not grab the other part that says, you know what? You know, live that kind of life. So it comes back to the scripture. I’m not the judge. You know, God didn’t tell me to go around judging everybody.
Osteen chose to be backed into a corner by a question from Morgan. A simple grasp of doctrine and theology would have prompted me to immediately say this back to Morgan.
ME: Piers, I believe that Elton John is a sinner. And yes, I believe his partner is a sinner, too. In fact, I KNOW it! It is not judgment or condemnation but fact.
I also know something else… I know that you, Piers, are a sinner! I know that I, too, am a sinner! The bible declares so in Romans 3:23. In Romans 3:10 it says, there is none righteous.
Homosexuality is a sin, yes. So is lying, stealing, lusting… heck even going shopping is really coveting. Yep, you got it, coveting is a sin.
But… given this predicament, What do we, as sinners, do?
That is where the good news enters. Romans 5:8-9 declares that Christ died for us and that through Him we are saved from God’s wrath. We must repent.
John 3:16-18 makes it very clear. I don’t judge you, nor do I condemn you or any other person. Your own sin does that. WE must believe on Who He is, and what He did and move from condemnation to salvation.
And John 3:36 tells us He that has the Son has life, and he who does not, the wrath of God abides on him.
Come on Pastor Joel… study to show yourself approved. (2 Timothy 2:15)
And Piers… Is not calling Joel a judge then putting you in the same supposed predicament you would like to hang on Joel?
I mean really… How can you JUDGE HIM?
One word to describe the Piers’ dudgeon! Hypocrisy! Yeah, I judged!
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SPIN THE BOTTLE BONUS | Potential Church
Checking out the message…
Spin The Bottle 1 – EXTENDED from Potential Church on Vimeo.
The first use of the title “Spin the Bottle” is suggested as away to pick someone. O_o Hmmm… perhaps a stretch to this, but let’s keep an open mind.
A See-’n-Say is brought out and demonstrated as a n analogy to spin the bottle, even so far as calling it “the G-rated” version?
With the carnality involved in the introduction, I may not want to stick around for the rest. After all, there is promised to be a lot of questions about sex, love and dating…
Pastor Troy then sets some ground rules and what he expects to accomplish.
1. Scripture teaches a worldview.
2. Teach you how to find the answers in scripture.
3. Force you to wrestle with the truth.
He states, the enemy will try to keep you away from the teaching… but promises the series is going to radically change your life!
Great! Pastor Troy then explains how he will then endeavor to answer the questions…
First, does the bible speak directly to the issue?
If it doesn’t, then is there a biblical principle that applies?
If not, we go with Pastor Troy’s opinion. (At least he promises to let us KNOW when he does that!)
Marriage
And now we come to our foundational illustration and scripture, well the scripture part is up for debate.
He gets out the paints, blue and then yellow. He describes how each are different, but if blue and yellow mix, they become something different… green. He is using this as an analogy to marriage.
But then, curiously, he states sin entered the world and the enemy tried to hijack our green (our marriage?)
That is a stretch. That was a result of sin entering the world.
O_o Wait!
Sin entered the world only to destroy the relationship between man and woman?
Hmmm… no. Sin came as we (man) put ourselves in the rightful place of God.
But Troy pushes on… stating the enemy wants to replace intimacy with sex. Huh… not the way I read it.
Matthew 19:4-6 is read… it is from the Message. The Message is a paraphrase of the bible, it is not a direct translation… read the two versions for yourself and see if there is a radical difference in the idea being conveyed.
The Message: He answered, “Haven’t you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”
ESV: He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Do you understand the subtle difference in meaning? First, there is a command that is omitted in the Message paraphrase… even looking to other translations where the accepted phrase is “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast (or cleave) to his wife.” Cleaving is an action word… cherish has its roots in feelings, which are subject to whimsy. The idea is not to simply emotionally cherish, but to NEVER let go, as Jesus does for His bride!
The Message’s paraphrase has corrupted the picture of marriage presented in Genesis 2:24… This is the FOUNDATION for Pastor Tony’s “teaching” here!
Please consider these related passages and how they are paraphrased in the Message and translated in the ESV…
The Message: (Genesis 2:24) “Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.”
A man does not leave his mother and father to embrace his wife. If the picture here is how Christ treats His bride, the church, something is drastically wrong. If all that Jesus does is “embrace” us we are in very grave danger, I think.
Let us look now to the ESV translation of the same phrase…
ESV: (Genesis 2:24) “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
I would guess subtly, that hold fast and embrace could connote the same idea, but not all the time. If you were sliding down an embankment to you assuredly perilous doom, would you prefer I hold fast… or embrace you?
Do you see the idea here?
Perhaps he used the reference for its inference to art. I do not know. But what I do know, is that if this is the foundation, it is indeed suspect. Using a paraphrase is much like preaching from someone else’s sermon. It surely is not expository preaching!
Nor should it be treated as ever be treated as any other translation. It is simply a paraphrase. One man’s idea of what is being said.
Back to this captivating illustration…
He, God, made blue and yellow to come together to make green. Here are the points Pastor Troy makes about yellow and blue (women and men.)
1. Yellow and blue are different.
2. Yellow and blue must become one to get green.
I think I am loving this analogy, though. Women and men come together under the covenant of marriage, only.
This is a great picture of marriage, and not just a sexual union. Having the colors yellow and blue represent women and men, shows the stark differences between us, while highlighting the similarities.
But watch… how men and women, being different, come together in a marriage relationship and become something even more different… yet similar!
Perhaps there will be another point made later in the series, but I cannot resist. I ask… if two men marry, say blue and blue, when they come together, what do you have?
You see the picture, there is nothing different!
3. The tones are arrived at by yielding.
And I like this to, because this is true.
The Questions
Question 1a. Is it okay to have sex before marriage?
Does the bible speak directly about this?
1 Corinthians 6:16-20 in the Message is his go to verse, calling it “scripture.” While the Message presents the idea correctly… it is not a translation.
Pastor Tony answers the question correctly, sex is only permitted in a marriage relationship. Though I would have added to a partner of the opposite sex.
But he then asks why would God give me a desire I
can’t fulfill?He backs up a few verses to 1 Corinthians 6:13, this time in the ESV. Because the idea is conveyed correctly and accurately there.
Now… he brings out the cheesecake! Marriage is like cheesecake, and sex, just the whipped cream. I guess it works… but not completely. There is no prohibition of whipped cream, nor any requirement to consume whipped cream on cheesecake. What if you have something other than cheesecake?
Whoops, Pastor Troy said it. He wants to shepherd hearts and wants you to reach your “God potential!”
Then we segue into an analogy of submitting to God’s will as being underneath an open umbrella in the rainstorm. If you are under the umbrella, you won;t get wet. But there is an implied protection under that umbrella.
Question 1b: Is petting or oral sex okay?
Does the bible speak directly about this?
No, but there is a principle that applies in Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 6:18 and Matthew 5:28.
Flee before it creates lust!
He hits a home run on this one!
Question 2: My girlfriend and I have always tried to have a Godly relationship… but we had sex. Does that mean we do not belong together?
Pastor Troy applies 2 Corinthians 6:14 about unequally yoking.
There is a principle that is missed. Instead of dating, why not court? Setting boundaries is great, but perhaps being chaperoned is better. This forces us to become accountable to someone else!
Marry! 1 Corinthians 7:9 is then applied… correctly, too.
There are other similar questions alluded to, one that will be answered later. I suspect to use for the presentation of the gospel and invitation.
Question 3: My boyfriend and I are living together for over two years, we want to do right. If we get married at the courthouse, do we have to be married at church?
It is about the commitment, not the ceremony! But he stresses the need to get married now, or move out!
There are other questions in a similar vein that are alluded to you, and Pastor Troy says to get married. If it is just a piece of paper, i.e. the marriage certificate, you would already have it!
You don’t say it with your mouth, you say it with your actions. Good on you, Pastor Troy!
His marriage is the best thing in his life? I think he has missed something.
Question 4: Me and my friend have been hooking up. I want to stop, she doesn’t. Is it okay to stop being her friend?
Yes! (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Question 5: Should you forgive your boyfriend for physically putting his hands on you?
Assuming abuse…yes, we forgive. But outside of marriage, get out of the relationship. If there is apology, make sure repentance (change) follows! Stopping the relationship until that happens!
Question 6: What should you do if your fiancée is on a dating website listed as single and what he is looking for?
Troy answers correctly. Give him what he wants, single!
Question 7: I am married to a man who is not a Christian.
(Many questions in this vein.) How will this affect my salvation?
It doesn’t. But, my husband’s non-belief is a problem. What do I do?
Sage advice is given. If your proposed partner are traveling in two different directions… no matter what they say, if you are not yet married… step away!
But if you are married, you cannot step away from your marriage. 1 Peter 3:1 is applied. You stay in the relationship and follow after Christ.
Further, 1 Corinthians 7:10, a wife must not leave her husband, and a husband must not leave his wife.
He goes on to say after the permitted reasons for divorce you can remarry. (Comments reserved.)
Question 8: What does the bible say about sexual positions?
The bible does not speak to those, but there is a principle applies. 1 Corinthians 7:1-5, things haven’t changed.
But, what about pornography if we watch it together?
1 Corinthians 6:18, Matthew 5… flee from lust.
Question 9: I lost my virginity at 15, will it make any difference that I have abstained? I still feel dirty, what do I do?
Colossians 2:14-15… the bible speaks directly to this.
The segue is made into a great presentation of the gospel.
Yes! Good on you, Pastor Troy!
Conclusions
The message is a help for some, though, using a paraphrase in the same way a bible translation is used leaves a lot to be desired. One is a faithful and scholarly rendering of the original languages… the paraphrase is not.
All in all, the principles applied are correct, and the bible is applied correctly. However, the introductory reasoning of the role of sin is misunderstood.
The consequences of sin are all too evident in our relationships. And this is what I think Pastor Troy meant to convey, he did somewhat. It is almost as if he said we sin because we wanted to have sex outside the covenant of marriage, and that is simply incorrect.
Sadly, there was no correlation applied to how Earthly marriage is a picture of the ultimate marriage. Proper understanding of this relationship is crucial to understanding our relationship to God. It includes the intimacy of the sexual union within marriage!
I think this is a series devoted to marriage. And as such, will wait to see how it continues. I sure hope Pastor Troy shows us how what we do on Earth is a picture of the future marriage supper of the Lamb. We (Christians) are the bride of Christ!
Think about that as you listen to this message series! Right thinking helps to bring everything said into proper perspective.
But the danger of the lure (Spin the Bottle) used to hook us into the series is suspect. It is way too suggestive, outright carnal!
We must be wary about using carnality to attract people to church. We then need to serve more carnality to keep the goats fed, and the neglected sheep begin to starve.
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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee blasts republicans on healthcare repeal
The Democrats have sent in the light infantry. (Hey speech police, are we still allowed to type that?)
Texas Congresswoman and Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee really took it to the Republicans and their attempts to repeal healthcare reform recently.
Among Ms. Lee’s comments was a gem calling the repeal unconstitutional! “The Fifth Amendment speaks specifically to denying someone their life and liberty without due process,” she declared.
She continued, “Can you tell me what’s more unconstitutional than taking away from the people of America their Fifth Amendment rights, their Fourteenth Amendment rights, and the right to equal protection under the law?”
So stealing people’s sweat and treasure to pay for someone else to have healthcare is a-okay?
Hmmm… really, now!
This just makes for more late-night laughs, as the information superhighway is strewn with the wreckage of reckless, ill-informed commentary from Congresswoman Lee. You may occasionally stumble upon one of her myriad attempts at “clarifying” her comments. Hey, thanks Al Gore!
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Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene
Really… as if!
It is satire. Relax!
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The Crazy "Holy Ghost Hokey Pokey"
Really?
Clearly… you can do nothing to be saved, so why think that you can do this “trick” and be healed?
Is God that easy to manipulate?
And we then are given the obligatory SUBJECTIVE proof.
Seriously… for those who object, please provide a scripture reference IN CONTEXT, where something like this is not to be considered foolishness!
YouTube – The Crazy “Holy Ghost Hokey Pokey”
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Spin the Bottle at Potential
With the mission statement of partnering with people to reach their God potential, Potential Church steps “puts a new twist” on an old game.
They are soliciting “the most daring questions” we have, which they will place on “the big screen.” Questions they will give “bold answers!”
In the video clip posted on http://SpinTheBottleNow.com, Pastor Troy poses a sample submission and asks, very titillatingly… “Is every sexual position okay?”
Which he answers with the same goofy smirk he asked it with, “Well, some are more pleasurable than others.”
In light of what Paul say in 1 Corinthians 10:23
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
I ask, while this sort of thing may be permissible I want to know… is it helpful?
Perhaps, but does it build up?
Maybe, let us press on.
The answers to my questions are not definitive, but let us explore the context of what Paul was saying by reading further…
24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—
But it this does not bother my conscience. Hmmm… I do not think there is anything in the Christian life that is about me, so why start here?
Paul, seemingly speaking to our me center Christianity of this generation, has to say…
29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
What is Paul saying… that I am to protect my brothers and sisters from offense?
You betcha!
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
Using titillation to attract people to church is not useful to all, and not helpful to all. It certainly may offend some brothers and sisters. To knowingly bring offense is clearly against the teachings of the bible.
So why do it?
Is it to attract people, through carnality, in hopes they will hear the gospel?
I certainly hope not. But I think Paul Washer can help to explain the reasons why. You see, if you use carnality to attract visitors… you end up with a carnal church. This is plainly evident! Watch Paul Washer explain why…
To my brothers and sisters who call this church their home, I ask… Are there any sheep in your church starving to death?
If you can answer no, I would ask frankly, how do you know?
You see, this carnality is being used to further Hegelian dialectic in the church. This dialectic is what is being used to divide the real church from the apostate church. It is happening today!
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The New Congress That was Then
Remember this?
Did you understand what she said?
Neither did I! But this is the BEST that western Broward county can do. Sad that.
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Obama Spiritual Advisor Wallis: Confused Americans Think British Accent Makes You Smart
Here is a pastor… and I use the term loosely, stereotypically calling Americans dumb.
Perhaps, in his world, where the masses are enslaved to an (seeming) all-benevolent, supporting government, it may be true. But there are some of us who know better!
Perhaps Mr. Wallis might want to familiarize himself with 1 Corinthians 13… especially those parts about love not being puffed-up!
Beware Tony Blair’s Faith Foundation, and those who sidle up to it. Test everything through scripture… be a Berean (Acts 17:10-11.)
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Actors, Models, and Talent for Christ?
Just because they hang the identifier of Christian before something, doesn’t necessarily make it a-okay.
But as I see it, is this not using the name of the Lord in vain, and therefor a breach of the third commandment?
Read the post here at Slaughter of the Sheep: Actors, Models, and Talent for Christ?
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