I was looking over my blog and realized: I need some lighter material. Naturally, I'm pessimistic. I dwell on all my issues and think constantly about the issues my friends are going through. I love solving problems, so it's problems that occupy my mind. I thank God for my roommate who brought to my attention the need I have to be more positive. Being so pessimistic has more or less stripped from me of the joy I have in Christ. So here's a little bit about life.
School is keeping me really busy, and the homework is pretty overwhelming, but I'm enjoying the material. I'm taking four classes right now. Electromagnetics and Optics-&-Lasers are my two hardest classes, but i think once I understand the material, I'm going to really enjoy them. Christian Theology is a great class that is already making me think. First of all, don't confuse theology with philosophy (as I usually do), even though they do overlap in places. My theology class is still a little bit in the history portion, where we're learning how our general Christian theology has come to be what it is. How the New Testament canon of Scripture was formed, and how general doctrine was formed. most of our doctrines have come to be as a result of church-dividing disputes that were settled by the formation of a creed by top church leaders and theologians. All in all, this class is proving to be very informative and interesting. I'm also soldering parts onto PCBs for my senior design project and will start testing this week.
Work is also going well. i work at a bar, in magnolia, as a short-order cook. I like to branch out though and help the bartenders whenever food business is slow (which is a lot of the time) or bar business is heavy. i enjoy the people I work with and a lot of the customers make good conversation.
Things at church are really chaotic, but we're all growing closer through the crises we're facing together. I'm really blessed to be in a church with such healthy leadership and solid doctrine.
And yes, I still make some time to spend hanging out with friends.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Submission, Justification, and Homosexuality
The past month has been one of the most challenging friendship-maintenance months on record. Over the past 6-12 months, I've been watching friends, and church family members close to me, deny the moral truths of Scripture to support their own need for completeness. I understand the struggle to deny one's self as a sacrifice to our Lord, Jesus Christ, and I know how tempting it is to want to justify sinful actions so that we won't have to battle them anymore. But because of the Christian family I'm a part of, and the conviction of the Spirit I try to be sensitive to as I read the Bible, I stand strong in the truth of Scripture and the morality is prescribes.
A great deal of understanding is required to discern what biblical moral principles apply to all people at all times, and what others apply only to the culture in which it was written (or was written for). The most prevalent struggle in Seattle is that of same-sex attraction (SSA). I've read books written by people on each side of the issue. Some Christian authors reinterpret Scripture with a strong bias toward justifying homosexuality, and have managed to twist Scripture to say what suits them. Satan has this old trick down pat. I've also read (ex-gay) authors who did not let themselves be deceived by the lies and, as a result, they have found freedom from their sin. By freedom, I mean that although they probably still struggle with SSA to a point; but they don't indulge in its lustful desires, they don't let it destroy their marriages/families, and they don't justify their perverted passions - they submit to Christ. All people struggle with lust or some other habitual sin, but neither can we indulge, fantasize, act on, or especially justify those desires if we are to gain victory over them.
Whatever your take on homosexuality though, the more frightening part is that many of them use their SSA as an excuse to commit other sins more blatantly forbidden in the Bible. If one made the mistake of marrying a person of the opposite sex while still hiding their same-sex attraction, that doesn't give them the right to violate their marriage covenant through divorce or adultery - yet that's exactly what's happening! Unless I'm mistaken, there's no small print in the vows that states "if I'm attracted to my own gender, then divorce or adultery is permissible."
Take the case of a married man with SSA. If he chooses to act on his same sex passions and fantasies, and cheats on his wife, he's guilty of adultery! Some have justified this and even called their adulterous lovers "a gift from God." How sad. Now, if the couple divorces as a direct result of the infidelity, I think that keeps the woman out of sin, but the husband is still guilty of breaking the marriage covenant. Even if the man doesn't commit adultery, if the couple agrees to a divorce, then the man (and maybe the woman too) are both guilty of sin. Unfortunately, Seattle, and many other places around the world, disregard Scripture in this case because "homosexuals can't help it." Isn't that the same excuse heterosexual adultery is using to justify its infidelity? - I couldn't help it.
So what are we, the church, called to do to and for our struggling friends? What should our response be to those who embrace their SSA as a gift from God? What about for those who divorce for this reason? Adulterers? Should they be cast out of the church for embracing their sin? Certainly we should remember that they are still God's children and we are to love them as brothers and sisters, but what does that look like?
A great deal of understanding is required to discern what biblical moral principles apply to all people at all times, and what others apply only to the culture in which it was written (or was written for). The most prevalent struggle in Seattle is that of same-sex attraction (SSA). I've read books written by people on each side of the issue. Some Christian authors reinterpret Scripture with a strong bias toward justifying homosexuality, and have managed to twist Scripture to say what suits them. Satan has this old trick down pat. I've also read (ex-gay) authors who did not let themselves be deceived by the lies and, as a result, they have found freedom from their sin. By freedom, I mean that although they probably still struggle with SSA to a point; but they don't indulge in its lustful desires, they don't let it destroy their marriages/families, and they don't justify their perverted passions - they submit to Christ. All people struggle with lust or some other habitual sin, but neither can we indulge, fantasize, act on, or especially justify those desires if we are to gain victory over them.
Whatever your take on homosexuality though, the more frightening part is that many of them use their SSA as an excuse to commit other sins more blatantly forbidden in the Bible. If one made the mistake of marrying a person of the opposite sex while still hiding their same-sex attraction, that doesn't give them the right to violate their marriage covenant through divorce or adultery - yet that's exactly what's happening! Unless I'm mistaken, there's no small print in the vows that states "if I'm attracted to my own gender, then divorce or adultery is permissible."
Take the case of a married man with SSA. If he chooses to act on his same sex passions and fantasies, and cheats on his wife, he's guilty of adultery! Some have justified this and even called their adulterous lovers "a gift from God." How sad. Now, if the couple divorces as a direct result of the infidelity, I think that keeps the woman out of sin, but the husband is still guilty of breaking the marriage covenant. Even if the man doesn't commit adultery, if the couple agrees to a divorce, then the man (and maybe the woman too) are both guilty of sin. Unfortunately, Seattle, and many other places around the world, disregard Scripture in this case because "homosexuals can't help it." Isn't that the same excuse heterosexual adultery is using to justify its infidelity? - I couldn't help it.
So what are we, the church, called to do to and for our struggling friends? What should our response be to those who embrace their SSA as a gift from God? What about for those who divorce for this reason? Adulterers? Should they be cast out of the church for embracing their sin? Certainly we should remember that they are still God's children and we are to love them as brothers and sisters, but what does that look like?
The Christian Church
Inevitably, this was going to arise as an issue, which, for the purposes of this blog, predates issues I will later write. Societal norms and pop culture are, as they have done countless times, shaping the way in which Christians live and form moral standpoints. I can speak of my experience only as a Seattle resident, but I gather it is prevalent all over the states and maybe worldwide too.
The Christian church in Seattle is being greatly impacted by the societal norms of liberal, humanistic morality. No longer is it okay to condemn "borderline" or disputable immoral practice. Former members of my church, in particular, are sidestepping basic Christian morals and supporting their feelings and experience as true and right. Rather than challenging their experiences in light of Scripture or talking it over with church leaders, these members are embracing sinful ways of living and justifying it by personal experience. The little training I have in theology showed me that many people practice bad theology by interpreting the Bible by their experiences (conforming the Bible to justify their experiential truth) rather than interpreting their actions by Scriptural truth.
This leads me into some rather frustrating situations. Anytime I try to challenge a person I see in sin with Scripture, they try to avoid it. Because they can't back up their interpretation of their experiences, they avoid Biblical conversations. They decline wisdom from me, Scripture, and spiritual leaders (their own pastors).
The greatest sin that has arisen is that of self-gratification. A number of people are justifying sinful practice by claiming it will bring happier lives. whether or not that's true, doesn't scripture have the final say on what's right? take divorce for example. The Bible allowed divorce for only the most necessary reasons (death and infidelity). Christians are now justifying that divorce is okay because it will "improve their quality of life." But that doesn't line up with Scripture. Scripture doesn't say, "if you think it will make you happier, it's okay." Rather it lays down some specific guidelines that are not to be broken.
The deeper issue, though, is that of personal surrender. If one is in a situation they don't think is the best fit for them, it is more important (in their view) to accept committing a "necessary" sin for "the greater good." (the "greater good" theology can be used to justify just about any sin, and so should be considered bad theology). Christians (some) would rather seek their own happiness and "need" to be true to themselves rather than follow the written word of God. Is that really the a healthy Christian? or even a Christian, period? Doesn't being a Christian mean that you are willing to sacrifice ALL for Him? Even Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son out of faithfulness to God, and if he's like most loving fathers, he loved his son more than his own life. When God demands something, shouldn't we strive to give it to him? I pray that the Christian church will stand by its principles and right morality, not giving in to the sin that so easily entangles. May God have mercy on their souls, and the Spirit of power convict their hearts.
The Christian church in Seattle is being greatly impacted by the societal norms of liberal, humanistic morality. No longer is it okay to condemn "borderline" or disputable immoral practice. Former members of my church, in particular, are sidestepping basic Christian morals and supporting their feelings and experience as true and right. Rather than challenging their experiences in light of Scripture or talking it over with church leaders, these members are embracing sinful ways of living and justifying it by personal experience. The little training I have in theology showed me that many people practice bad theology by interpreting the Bible by their experiences (conforming the Bible to justify their experiential truth) rather than interpreting their actions by Scriptural truth.
This leads me into some rather frustrating situations. Anytime I try to challenge a person I see in sin with Scripture, they try to avoid it. Because they can't back up their interpretation of their experiences, they avoid Biblical conversations. They decline wisdom from me, Scripture, and spiritual leaders (their own pastors).
The greatest sin that has arisen is that of self-gratification. A number of people are justifying sinful practice by claiming it will bring happier lives. whether or not that's true, doesn't scripture have the final say on what's right? take divorce for example. The Bible allowed divorce for only the most necessary reasons (death and infidelity). Christians are now justifying that divorce is okay because it will "improve their quality of life." But that doesn't line up with Scripture. Scripture doesn't say, "if you think it will make you happier, it's okay." Rather it lays down some specific guidelines that are not to be broken.
The deeper issue, though, is that of personal surrender. If one is in a situation they don't think is the best fit for them, it is more important (in their view) to accept committing a "necessary" sin for "the greater good." (the "greater good" theology can be used to justify just about any sin, and so should be considered bad theology). Christians (some) would rather seek their own happiness and "need" to be true to themselves rather than follow the written word of God. Is that really the a healthy Christian? or even a Christian, period? Doesn't being a Christian mean that you are willing to sacrifice ALL for Him? Even Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son out of faithfulness to God, and if he's like most loving fathers, he loved his son more than his own life. When God demands something, shouldn't we strive to give it to him? I pray that the Christian church will stand by its principles and right morality, not giving in to the sin that so easily entangles. May God have mercy on their souls, and the Spirit of power convict their hearts.
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