Film Comment: Sunday Bloody Sunday

The key to this excellent film is the music, the repeated melodies of Cosi fan tutti (1790), an operatic comedy by Wolfgang Mozart. The phrase translates into English as “They are all like that,” or “Thus do they all.” A literal translation of the phrase into English would be “so does all.” The opera is about an older man showing two young men that their girlfriends are unfaithful to them and then telling them that all women are like that.  In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the opera was considered to be highly vulgar and immoral. Some modern viewers would consider it to be misogynistic.

The lovers in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) are a divorced woman in her thirties (Glenda Jackson), an older Jewish homosexual physician (Peter Finch), and Bob (Murray Head), the handsome, shallow, and totally vapid bisexual young man with whom they both have sex. All three are aware of the others but the physician and the divorcee have never met. They each pretend not to care about the other lover.  Everything is kept on the surface, there is no depth to the relationships. The film critic, Roger Ebert, called the situation “psychic amputation.”

The Bloody Sunday reference comes from the fact that on Sunday Bob is leaving for New York City in America to promote his meaningless invention, which will almost certainly be a commercial failure. He is not involved enough with either lover to stay. He would rather pursue a wild and useless whim.

She “loves” Bob and would rather share him than lose him. He “loves” Bob and would rather share him than lose him. Bob does not love, he is too shallow for a real emotion. He simply does not even care. To quote Roger Ebert again, “This is not a movie about the loss of love, but about its absence.”

There are billions of lost people in the world, chasing after sex, love, money, power, pleasure, recognition, relationships, fame, fulfillment, and hundreds of other false gods. It is our responsibility to present them with the good news of the gospel.

Rick and Bubba Cut Ties With World Vision

Rick and Bubba are comedians, authors, and nationally syndicated radio personalities who are openly and outspokenly Christian.  They have been ardent supporters of World Vision, an international Christian charity which fights child poverty by sponsoring needy children.  They have abruptly cut ties with World Vision after their personal friend, the organization’s president Richard Stearns, told Christianity Today that World Vision is changing their employment policies.  They previously required employees to remain faithful within marriage, abstinent outside of marriage, and only recognized heterosexual marriages.  The new personnel policy does not overtly endorse same sex marriage but includes legal same sex marriages.

Readers of this blog understand that the blog is written from an orthodox Trinitarian Christian understanding based on a very high view of scripture.  The biblical standard for marriage is one man married to one woman.  It is clear that the Bible does not in any way condone the practice of homosexuality. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

What Rick and Bubba have done is not “hate speech” or “homophobia.”  Christians should not hate (1 John 3:15) and we do not have a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).  The historical orthodox position is admittedly absolutist.  The biblical claim is that God is the Absolute Truth and that He is the only arbiter of that truth.

Moral relativism, of which I have spoken before, is a very recent development which challenges the idea of Absolute Truth.  Advocates of moral relativism see traditional understandings of numerous issues to be repressive and oppressive.  They see Truth, if it exists at all, as being determined by the individual or by a community of agreeing individuals.

Several Christian denominations have been influenced by the philosophy of moral relativism and have adopted reinterpretations of historic doctrines in an effort to become more “relevant” to the modern world.  Some include openly homosexual members and a few have no problem with sexual relationships (heterosexual and homosexual) outside of marriage if the sexuality is in the concept of a “committed relationship.”

I personally know several homosexual Christians who are aware of my stand on this matter.  We do not hate or fear one another (“homophobia” is an insult word); we look at one another and are puzzled.  I am sure that this divide exists among readers of this blog as well.

Opponents of the traditional orthodox view on this matter must understand that our opposition to their view is not motivated by hate or fear.  They must also understand that we will not compromise.

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* Luke 14:26 refers to loving no one more than Jesus.  The verse reflects an Aramaic understanding of love and hate.

Another Update on the Karen Shahan Murder Case

The Karen Shahan Murder investigation just continues to become more and more bizarre.  The case has not yet gone to trial so more information will probably follow.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2541359/Pastor-53-arrested-airport-stabbing-wife-death-heading-Europe-marry-boyfriend.html

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2014/01/richard_shahan_allegations_abo.html

Recent Comments by Pope Francis

For full disclosure: this blog is written from a Protestant, Trinitarian, Evangelical, and biblically orthodox position.

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 Pope Francis has roiled the waters within the Catholic Church with statements which some consider to be at odds with the emphases of his two immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Francis has said that the church has become too focused on homosexuality, abortion, and issues of religious faith and doubt.  What I hope that Francis is trying to say is that the church cannot and should not be defined by what it is against.  That is a sure way for the church to wither and die.

Marisol Bello and Eric J. Lyman in a USA Today article on the issue say that Francis is reminding the world of the “Catholic Church as a place of healing and mercy, not judgment and finger-pointing.”  Others are concerned that Francis is de-emphasizing adherence to traditional doctrine in favor of being “relevant.”

In the interview, Francis adds: “we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time."  Francis is not changing Catholic Church doctrine but appears to be trying to say that the church cannot be only “against,” it must also be “for.”

Read more about the controversy here:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/19/pope-francis-abortion-gays-interview/2837495/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/09/19/pope-francis-gays-abortion-contraception-column/2839493/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57603897/pope-francis-denounces-abortion-after-decrying-churchs-focus-on-rules/

(Pope Francis, in talking about these issues, is not speaking ex cathedra (“from the chair”). but as a spiritual leader.  Ex cathedra statements are considered by the Roman Catholic Church to be directly from God and are doctrinally binding on all Catholics. 

Boy Scouts to Allow Homosexual Members

The Boy Scouts of America on 23 May 2013 voted (by a 60% to 40% margin) to change the organization’s regulations to allow homosexual boys to participate and be full members. Homosexual adult leaders will still be banned.  Since the Boy Scouts are a private organization they were not required to make this change but they have been under increasingly intense public pressure for years to take this step.  A problem is that many of the sponsors of scout groups are churches.  Not all of them are delighted with this development.  The only official church responses so far are from the Mormons, who say the change will not affect their involvement, and the Catholics, who say that they need time to consider their response.

My thinking on the issue: the Boy Scouts are a private group and can do as they wish.  Individual parents and individual denominations, congregations, synagogues, and mosques should decide for themselves if they wish to continue their involvement.  Hopefully, the Boy Scouts will allow individual local groups to decide whether or not they will implement the new policy.  That would spare them the decision of whether or not now to withdraw from the Scouts altogether.  

The pressure on the Scouts and on religious groups has been subtle and not so subtle.  An example can be found in this article from the USA Today newspaper for Friday 24 May 2013 on page 12A (the editorial page).  The editorial calls the prior Boy Scout stance a “wrong-headed ban on gays,” Two paragraphs later, it says this:

“Much of the angst that has riven the Scouts for the past year can be attributed to Scouting's close affiliation with churches, some with strong tenets against homosexuality. Fully 70% of troops are religiously sponsored.”

The logical implication is that the newspaper’s editorial staff is insulting the churches by calling them “wrong-headed.”

Super Bowl Controversy

Today is Super Bowl Sunday during which about 117,000,000 people are expected to watch the annual professional American football game on television.  There are numerous storylines around the story of the current game: the two head coaches are brothers; one of the prominent players (who once was charged with murder) is playing in his last game and is openly talking about his relationship with God; the two teams were both unlikely participants in the championship game; one of the quarterbacks is playing in his second season of professional football and did not get his first starting assignment until the middle of this season; the sport itself is embroiled in controversies over player injuries and the use of performance enhancing drugs; etc., etc., etc.  But another controversy has grabbed the headlines.

In one of the innumerable pre-game player interview, ahe San Francisco 49ers player, Chris Culliver, answered a question about homosexuals in the game of football.  "No, we don't got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do.... Can't be with that sweet stuff. Nah…can't be…in the locker room man. Nah."  A firestorm erupted, as would be expected.

Brendon Ayanbadejo, a player for the Baltimore Ravens team, said he thinks about half of the league’s players agree with Culliver.  Of the 50%, he says, 25% think like him and 25% “are religious – they don’t necessarily agree with all of the things I agree with, but they’re accepting.”

As a conservative Christian, I believe that the Bible does condemn homosexual acts and I also believe as do most conservative Christians that homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle. I know about some scientific studies which suggest subtle differences in brain anatomy between homosexuals and heterosexuals but I am also aware of fmri (functional magnetic resonance imaging) research which seems to suggest that brain anatomy may be functional rather than rigidly fixed and that behavior may influence which portions of the brain perform which tasks.  Behavior may determine anatomy.  I am not a neurobiologist and that controversy will not be resolved here.

I work with several homosexuals who know what I believe and who have no problem with me because they understand that I treat them with respect as individuals.  The workplace is not a sexual situation and one’s sexuality should be left at home.  There are laws in the United States against sexual harassment of any sort and most companies will immediately dismiss employees who engage in sexual activity (heterosexual or homosexual) with another employee, even if it is totally consensual.

Various perspectives on homosexuality and the Bible.  Never be afraid to examine views other than your own.

http://bible.org/article/homosexuality-christian-perspective

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/gay/long.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_homosexuality

http://christianteens.about.com/od/whatthebiblesaysabout/a/wbsaHomosexual.htm

http://www.bible.ca/s-homo=sin.htm

http://www.gaychurch.org/gay_and_christian_yes/gay_and_christian_yes.htm

National Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day

Chick-fil-A (pronounced “chik fill-ay” as in the word “filet”) is a fast-food restaurant chain which sells fried chicken sandwiches and waffle style French-fried potatoes.  On 16 June 2012, the devout Christian president of the company, Dan Cathy, in a radio interview ignited a firestorm of criticism for saying this when asked a question about same-sex marriage.

"I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage'. I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.”

Supporters of same-sex marriage were outraged, leading Thomas Menino, the mayor of Boston, to declare that he would not allow the company to open franchises in his city.  Chicago Alderman Proco Moreno announced that he would work to block Chick-fil-A’s attempt to add any more stores in the city of Chicago.  The Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, declared that “Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values.”  The Mayor of San Francisco, Edwin M. Lee, also joined into the condemnation.

Many have called this an assault on Christians who uphold a traditional worldview and understanding of what is stated in Scripture. Ordained Southern Baptist minister and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee called for a national Chick-fil-A appreciation Day for today.  The result: massive lines of people at Chick-fil-A stores nationwide!  As the Chick-fil-A mascot spotted cows say, “EAT MOR CHIKIN!”

(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.)

Arguments Within the Church Over Homosexuality

Yesterday, I posted about newspaper columnist Leonard Post having insulted conservative, traditional Christians by, at least indirectly, saying that they are bigots for opposing same-sex marriage.  Homosexuality is one of the many subjects which cause intense arguments within the Church.  My understanding is that the subject of homosexuality falls under the category of a Persuasion.  Very few doctrines should fall under the category of Conviction, doctrines over which we should utterly break all fellowship and, in effect, to use an old theological term, declare anathema (ἀνάθεμα, Greek for "cursed" or "accursed.").  Anathema applies to the doctrine or attitude, not to the person, who, of couse, can change their mind.

Convictions: Examples include the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the Virgin Birth of Christ, and salvation by grace through faith; matters crucial to salvation. Acts 10:1-35 is an example of a conviction level argument, over the doctrine of salvation by grace and not by works.  These are matters over which Christians must be willing to fight and permanently separate if necessary.


Persuasions: Examples include millenial views, the age of the Earth, the exact nature of Heaven and Hell.  In Romans 14:5, Paul talks about Persuasion level beliefs, in which each man may "be fully persuaded in his own mind" but remain in unity with other believers who disagree. "Persuaded" or "convinced" is a translation of plerophoreistho (πληροφορείσθω), from the verb plerophoreisthein, "to be fufilled," "to be fully convinced." The believers may choose to worship separately while recognizing that the others are also Christian, because we "all stand before the judgement seat of God." 


Opinions: Individual preference. Examples include the best Bible translation, the proper model for church government, whether or not to use music in church services, whether or not women should "cover" their heads in church, whether or not to use real wine in the Lord's Supper, where Cain got his wife, should Christians smoke. Paul speaks of this level of belief in 1 Corinthians 7.

What They Think of Us: Someone Finally Said It Out Loud

Someone finally said it out loud.  So, they think we are bigots.

As I have said repeatedly, this is not, never has been, and never will be a political blog but sometimes my comments may be about subjects which touch on politics.  Recently Leonard Pitts , a columnist for the Miami Herald newspaper, insulted every Christian who opposes same-sex marriage on scriptural grounds.  In criticizing presidential candidate Rick Santorum, Pitts calls Santorum a bigot because of his opposition to same-sex marriage based on "lame arguments built of straw and fear."  In effect, Pitts has said that to hold the position makes one a bigot.  I don't believe that Pitts actually intended to insult such a large group of people although his statements could be viewed as part of the obviously growing secular hostility toward historical Christianity.

"The New York Same-Sex Marriage Vote" Revisited #3

On 28 June 2011, I posted "The New York Same-Sex Marriage Vote" and promised, "More on tax-exempt status, homosexuality, persecution, and marriage later."  Today, persecution.

The first persecution specifically of "Christians" came under the Roman Emperor Nero in 64 AD/CE.  Claudius in 49 persecuted Christians because he thought they were Jews.  Over the years it has never really stopped, whether it has been overt or more subtle.

Persecution takes many forms; it is not always whips and chains and burnings.  Social disapproval, economic interference, litigation, and other forms of harassment can be very effective.  The world at large does not share our values.

"Martyr," from the Greek word, μάρτυρας, means "witness." Christians don't have a tradition of seeking to be martyrs.  We do have a tradition of at least some of us not flinching when called upon to witness.

The New York Same-Sex Marriage Vote

The State of New York, on Friday, 24 June 2011, became the sixth of the United States to legalize same-sex marriage.  This prompted a strong response from the Roman Catholic bishop of New York, Timothy Dolan.

“We strongly uphold the Catholic Church's clear teaching that we always treat our homosexual brothers and sisters with respect, dignity and love. But we just as strongly affirm that marriage is the joining of one man and one woman in a lifelong, loving union that is open to children, ordered for the good of those children and the spouses themselves.

“This definition cannot change, though we realize that our beliefs about the nature of marriage will continue to be ridiculed, and that some will even now attempt to enact government sanctions against churches and religious organizations that preach these timeless truths.

“We worry that both marriage and the family will be undermined by this tragic presumption of government in passing this legislation that attempts to redefine these cornerstones of civilization.

“Our society must regain what it appears to have lost - a true understanding of the meaning and the place of marriage, as revealed by God, grounded in nature, and respected by America's foundational principles.”  Timothy Dolan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York

I applaud Archbishop Dolan for his strong statement.  He is correct that there may be consequences for the stand.  The most obvious would be attempts to remove tax exempt status from churches which refuse to accept the legislation.  We must be willing to accept persecution for the truth without wilting.  We do not have a spirit of fear.

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More on tax-exempt status, homosexuality, persecution, and marriage later.

Chick Publications

Jack Thomas Chick (b. 1924, California, USA) is the most published comic book artist/author in history, with over 750,000,000 of his Christian evangelistic tracts, comic books, videos, and posters having been produced and distributed worldwide.  The works have been translated into over one hundred languages and are included in exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution.

Jack Chick's works are quite controversial.  He is hailed by some as a soul-winner, a genius at evangelistic outreach, and denounced by others as a homophobe, Islamophobe,  and a religious bigot because of his fundamentalist Christian beliefs.  Check out the website of Chick Publications and make up your own mind.

I Urge You to Think Carefully About This

Few issues are more contentious in the modern church than homosexualty.  The readers of this blog probably fall on both sides of the issue with many falling somewhere in the middle.  My intention here is to get you thinking.  I don't want to argue with anyone; this is one of the issues where everyone's attitudes may be already set in stone. I don't intend to tell you what to think, but I will tell you what I think.  I just hope that everyone will think about why they think what they do think and seek to conform themselves to the will of God as expressed in Scripture.  Too many people, on both sides of issues, take stances which they can not intellectually explain or defend.  The link below contains a lively discussion on the issue.

http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com/ancient_hebrew_poetry/2011/05/to-hell-with-gays-the-bible-and-homosexuality.html#tp

It is clear that the Bible condemns homosexual behavior and that Jesus, himself, never mentioned it.  Your attitude toward the Bible will determine what you make of this.  My belief is that Jesus never mentioned the subject because He was an observant religious Jew and considered the issue to be settled by the Scriptures.

In my understanding, homosexuality is merely a sin like any other sin. Any sin, no matter how small, is a missing of the mark.  If you do not believe that homosexual behavior is a sin, at the very least, know the reasons why you have this belief.  God will not look on sin.  How wonderful it is that when God sees his saints, he sees Jesus!

Many homosexuals insist that they have not chosen homosexuality, that is is inborn.  Are beastiality, or necrophilia,  or sexual coprophila, or sexual urophilia, or pedophilia, or sexual masochism, or sexual sadism, or, for that matter, asexuality, inborn?  My understanding of "nature vs. nurture" is that it is the sexual impulse which is inborn and that the object of sexuality can be determined by many factors from a very early age.  The object of sexual desire need not even be alive, it may be shoes, or money, or power.  Many believe that the feeling of power over another person is the sexual release which serial killers experience.   The current state of knowledge provides no definitive answer to the question of the origins of sexual orientation and it is not likely to in the future.

Some will bring up recent anatomical studies which suggest differences in the brain structure of homosexuals and heterosexuals.  Though these differences are real, they have not been shown to be present in all examined brain specimens.  It is an unwarranted intellectual leap to declare that they are causative. They also do not take into account functional magnetic resonance studies which suggest that functional brain anatomy changes in response to behavior and learning.  The current state of brain science provides no definitive answer to the question of the origins of sexual orientation and is not likely to in the future.

Yes, of course, there are homosexuals in the organized church.  I know some of them.  Some are closeted and others attend churches which accept their sexual orientation.  A few practice celibacy, which may be the best course of action.  It is not the sexual orientation which is condemned by Scripture, but the behavior.  No one sins by being tempted. We are all tempted by something. Jesus was tempted.

Can a homosexual be saved?  Can a thief be saved?  Can a murderer be saved?  Can a tax cheater be saved?  Can a church pastor be saved?  Of course, and we all do still sin after our conversion but we must not consciously chose to continue to sin.  We are to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into holiness.

After Jesus shamed a group of sanctimonious men who were about to stone an adulterous woman to death, he asked her who was there condemning her.

"She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." John 8:11

Film Comment: Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la bête, 1946) is a classic French film directed by Jean Cocteau.   Most of us know the rudiments of the story.   To save her father (Marcel Andre) from a death sentence declared by a werewolf-like beast (Jean Marais), a beautiful young virgin (Josette Day) must agree to substitute herself as the beast’s victim.  She reluctantly but willingly goes to meet her fate only to realize that her host is actually a sensitive and caring person.

Unlike the 1991 Disney version, this fairy tale film was never intended for viewing by children.  The Beast’s castle is a mixture of elegant beauty and creepy visual effects which may be frightening for children.  The beast is truly a beast and looks very much like a traditional werewolf.  The visual and poetic beauty of the film can’t obscure the fact that it deals with many adult themes such as familial duty,  love, violence, frustration, and sexual tension.  An underlying tension is present when one realizes that the intensely heterosexual Beast is portrayed by Jean Marais, the longtime homosexual lover of the director, Jean Cocteau.

We may not like to acknowledge it, but, biologically, we are animals.  Animals are innocent in their selfishness, but, as sentient beings, we are not.   We are a mixture of the law of the Jungle, survival of the fittest, and of our higher impulses.  By our own power, we cannot overcome our selfishness (the true essence of sin) and our separation from God.

Just as the Beast is redeemed by the pure self-sacrificing love of the Belle, we are saved by accepting the gift of Jesus’s sacrifice.

"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24. 

Dispute Resolution Within the Church

Eddie Lee Long (b. 1953, North Carolina) is the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia (USA).  Under his leadership since 1987, the church has grown from  a membership of 300 to 25,000.

Pastor Long has had civil (not criminal) lawsuits filed against him by several young men alleging that he used his influence as their pastor to seduce them into sexual relationships.  Whether or not the allegations are true, (and Pastor Long has not said "I didn't do it." but instead said "I am not that man,"); whether or not the men are colluding together to tap into Pastor Long's million$; none of this is proper.  Listen to what Paul had to say about taking a Christian brother to court before unbelievers.

“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?  If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.  I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?  But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.   Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather [suffer yourselves to] be defrauded?  Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that [your] brethren.  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  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. “ 1 Corinthians 6: 1-11

Jesus himself told us how to go about the dispute resolution:

"If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven. Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them."  Matthew 18:15-20

Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian

Gully, Philip, If the Church Were Christian. A chapter-by-chapter response.

The propositions put forth by Pastor Gulley are:

1. Jesus would be a model for living rather than an object of worship.

2. Affirming our potential would be more important than condemning our brokenness.

3. Reconciliation would be valued over judgement.

4. Gracious behavior would be more important than right belief.

5. Inviting questions would be valued more than supplying answers.

6. Encouraging personal exploration would be more important than communal uniformity.

7. Meeting needs would be more important than maintaining institutions.

8. Peace would be more important than power.

9. It would be more about love and less about sex.

10. This life would be more important than the afterlife.

This will take a while.  More to follow.

Quitting Christianity

On 28 July 2010, novelist Anne Rice posted this on her Facebook page, "In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen." She made her decision because she says she refuses to be opposed to homosexuality, feminism, and artificial birth control.

Rice was raised as a Roman Catholic but left the church as an adult. She is best known as a writer of gothic and vampire-themed novels, especially Interview with the Vampire and Queen of the Damned. In 2008, she released her memoir, Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession, about her return to Roman Catholicism. She apparently is not renouncing Jesus but organized religion.

Presbyterian Church (USA) Delegates Approve Non-Celibate Gays for Clergy

53% of the delegates at The Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly in Minneapolis voted on 8 July 2010 to allow non-celibate gays to serve their churches as ordained ministers as long as they are in committed long-term relationships.  The vote must be ratified by a majority of the 173 U.S. presbyteries to become official.

If the vote is ratified, the church would join the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The US Episcopal Church, and the United Church of Christ,the other American churches with the same policy.

I Am Not Ashamed!

Franklin Graham, the evangelist son of Billy Graham, declared on the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that "I am not ashamed of the Gospel," quoting from Romans 1:16. He predicted in his statement that a time may come in America where public statements about the Christian view on abortion or homosexuality and clear preaching of the Gospel will be outlawed as hate crimes. You don't think it could happen here? It has already happened in some European countries. There will even be people who identify themselves as Christians who become angry about what I just wrote in the second sentence. They do not agree that abortion and the practice of homosexuality are proscribed by scripture and their understanding of the the gospel, το ευανγγελιον, the "good" or "true message." is murky at best. If someone can not explain clearly and plainly what the gospel is, then they are, to quote our friend Christopher Hitchens, "... really not in any meaningful sense a Christian."

Are you able to say along with Pastor Graham, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel."?

Two Responses to the Manhattan Declaration

Two websites have been created in response to the success of the Manhattan Declaration (see my post on 23 December 2009). Both are in response to the declaration's opposition to homosexuality.

The Manhattan Refutation (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/manhattan-refutation) by the Progressive Christian Alliance, was drafted to "oppose bigotry and intolerance." As of today, it has received 47 signatures.

The Affirmation Declaration (http://www.affirmationdeclaration,org/) is an alliance of Orthodox, Catholics, and Evangelicals who aim "to correct egregious errors" and "bad theology." Since its promulgation on 28 September 2009 it has received 1282 signatures.