On Homosexual Marriage

Okay, I’m going to tackle this rapidly increasing issue of 21st century America.  Unfortunately, this issue has risen to high promenance, and most non-Christians believe in it.  I’m going to give a few Bible-based reasons on why no Bible-believing Christian man or woman can support this idea.

My first reason is that it explicitly contradicts the Bible.  Leviticus 18:22 says “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman, it is an abomination.”  In Leviticus 20:13, God decrees “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”  We can thus conclude that it is against the Bible to even engage in homosexual behavior, whether male or female, not even to mention homosexual marriage.  In Romans 1:24-31, Paul uses homosexual behavior to show that “God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity….”  Thus, we conclude, homosexuality is sexual immorality.

In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul tells us that “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”  Thus we can say, since homosexuality is sexual immorality, that homosexuality is not meant for the body.  In verse 19, Paul says “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own.”  Since homosexuality is not meant for the body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit within us, we can say that homosexuality is not permitted by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit being one part of the Trinity, along with the Father and the Son, we can thus conclude that homosexuality is not permitted by God.

Since sin is also not permitted by God, we can then conclude that homosexuality is a sin.  In Romans 6:23, Paul tells us that “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Thus, homosexuality will lead to death.  Now we can say that, based on Revelation 20:14-15, that those names not found in the book of life will be thrown in the lake of fire, along with Death and Hades.  Thus we have that, since homosexuality leads to death, and death will be cast into the lake of fire, that those who practice homosexuality will be thrown into the lake of fire.

In summary:  homosexuality is sexual immorality that is explicitly condemned in the Bible.  Sexual immorality is a sin, and sin leads to death, therefore, homosexuality leads to death.  Death will be cast into the lake of fire, and thus we can conclude that, since homosexuality leads to death, that those who practice homosexuality will be cast into the lake of fire.

World Peace

The idea that most people join together for is world peace.  Why is world peace so hard to achieve?

First of all, I would like to say that world peace will never be reached until the day Christ returns.  As long as humans are “in charge” of the world, peace can never be reached.  Let me explain:

I think that we will all agree that humans are fickle.  We change, we adapt.  I think we can all agree.  Now, humans are mortal; we all die.  Also, humans are power hungry, agreed?  Think of Hitler, think of Caeser, think of any number of people and you’ll come to that conclusion.  Okay, so now that we have that out of the way, I’ll say that, since humans are fickle and can die, there will never be world peace.  Why?  Because, since we change our opinions almost constantly, there will always be war.  Think about it.  The United States is now at war, in two countries, Afghanistan and Iraq.  Why?  Because Saddam Hussein was a threat to freedom, the Taliban is a threat to freedom.  Another reason is that people are power hungry.  Each person wants more and more power for his or her self.  But the most important reason why world peace cannot be reached is the fact that every single human is sinful.  As long as there is sin, there cannot be peace.  Think about it:  when you murder someone else, does that accomplish world peace?  When we go to war, does that accomplish world peace?  No, war does not accomplish world peace.  There will always be rebels.  The only being who can accomplish and sustain world peace is Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace.  Period.

A Fallacy in Atheism

On a web site (www.goodreads.com) I was chatting in a group called Faith and Spirituality.  One comment was made by an atheist that made me think of the complete illogical implications of atheism.  He (I am assuming) said “No god but I still have a conscience, a strong sense of what is right and wrong….”  So, here we go.

The definition of atheism is the belief that there is no God.  So, how can you still have a conscience if you don’t have a God?  How can you define right and wrong without a perfect being to define right and a nonperfect being to define wrong?  It is completely illogical.  I know this was brief, but what more is there to say?

On God and Allah

I’m writing this post to counter the rapidly increasing philosophy that Islam and Christianity are “pretty much the same.”  There are several flaws with this idea, however, most of the people who believe really have no clue about the true beliefs of either religion.  I’m going to look at two broad points on how these two religions differ, their actual religious beliefs and then some cultural issues.

One thing I hear people say often is that Jesus and Mohammed are the same.  This is not true whatsoever.  Muslims believe that Jesus Christ was just a man, a prophet of less importance than Mohammed.  Christians (true Christians, at least) believe that Jesus Christ is the perfect, sinless Son of God and Son of Man who dwells with at the Father’s right hand.

Another thing I hear is that Allah and God are the same.  This, also, is completely false.  Muslims believe that Allah is one, period; which means that Muslims do not believe in the Trinty.  Christians (true Christians) believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, that God is one and has three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, this idea cannot be supported, because Allah and God are absolutely contradictory.

Muslims also believe that all men must earn their salvation, an idea that is explicitly contradicted in the Bible (see Ephesians 2:8-10).  Yet another difference between God and Allah is the fact that Muslims believe that Allah is unloving toward those who do wrong, while God is just the opposite.  Why would any divine being send down His only Son to save sinners if he does not love sinners?  Islam and Christianity just aren’t the same.  Muslims and Christians don’t worship the same God.

Now for some cultural issues.  Consider these facts:

1)  America was founded by Christian men based on the Bible.

2) Most Western European nations are considered “Christian nations.”

3) The vast, vast majority of terrorist groups are radical Muslims (note:  I did not say that the vast majority of Muslims are terrorists).

4) The vast majority of terrorist attacks occur in either the U.S. or Western Europe.

Now consider these facts:

1) In Sudan, the Muslim government in the north is waging a civil war against the predominately Christian south.

2) Thousands of Christians living in the Middle East, Africa, and most Muslim Asian nations suffer persecution on a daily bases, being tortured, imprisoned, and killed for believing in the name of Christ.  I’m not making this up either, it’s a fact.

Now tell me this:  if Muslims and Christians believe in the same God, then why are Muslims persecuting Christians?  Not just radical terrorist groups, either. In countries such as Laos, Indonesia, and Sudan, the Muslim governments are waging an undeclared jihad against all Christians.  Now, answer the question above and tell me, why is it, if Muslims and Christians believe in the same God, that Muslims persecute Christians across the world?

On The Holiday of Easter

The American culture has changed the meaning of Easter extraordinarily.  In this post, I’ll tell you what Easter is about, what America has made it, and just a little of the “symbolism” that involves the Easter bunny and all of that junk.

First of all, Easter is about three things:  the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, perfect Son of God and Son of Man.  Easter is about the fact that, through the resurrection after the perfect sacrifice of Christ, Christ won victory over death, Satan’s most devastating weapon against humanity.  Through this victory, followers of Christ have now no fear of death, for there is more than death, there is Christ, eternal life, heaven, which is the gift of dwelling in the presence of the Lord God Almighty, who sits on a mighty throne which none save the perfect Lion and Lamb may approach.

The American culture has turned Easter away from this celebration of our Lord’s victory to a celebration of commercialism and laziness.  Think about it.  What do many American children think when they hear the word “Easter?”  They think of candy, eggs, the Easter bunny, and many other materialistic objects.  Many American adults think of all of the Spring sales at the department stores, the Spring fashion, the wonderfully cooked ham, and lounging around all day.  I’m not saying that these things are evil things, but when they take the place of celebrating Jesus Christ, then it becomes evil.

I was looking online for some of the symbolism that goes into the Easter bunny, Easter eggs, and other things associated with the holiday.  I surprised to see that the Easter eggs actually do have a Christian symbol.  They symbolise the rock tomb that Christ was laid in after His death.  Chicks “rise” from the eggs like Christ rose from the tomb.  I was also surprised to find that the idea of an “Easter bunny” has no religious purposes at all.  Actually, it doesn’t really surprise me; I don’t know why I said that….

On Scripture and Tradition

This topic has been debated ever since the days of Martin Luther and the Reformation.  I believe that some traditions are important, however Scripture is the sole authority on theological questions.  Let me explain.

There are certain traditions that were initiated by Christ, Himself, such as baptism (Matthew 28:19), and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-29).  Baptism is important because it is a person’s public profession of faith in Christ, telling the world that you are a follower of Christ.  The Lord’s Supper is important because it symbolizes the fact that Christ gave His life for sinners.  It is also practiced in the expectation of Christ’s return, this is shown in Matthew 26:29:  “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”  The Lord’s Supper, however, is not the literal eating of Christ’s flesh and the drinking of His blood.

Performing these acts, however, do not play a significant role in salvation.  One does not have to follow through these traditions in order to earn salvation, for salvation cannot be earned.  The Christian wants to follow the Word of God, and Christ commands us to baptize all nations and to partake of the Lord’s Supper.  The sole source of authority is the Word of God.  Paul states this in Ephesians 2:8-9:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

In conclusion:  traditions are not essential to salvation, rather, they are products of salvation.  The sole source of authority on any issue is the Word of God.

A Review on the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis is my tied-for-first-place-amongst-English-authors author.  It’s a three way tie between J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and H.G. Wells, if you were curious.  My favorite book by C.S. Lewis is The Screwtape Letters.  The mixture of humor, satire, and the Gospel is just unbeatable.

The book is actually a collection of letters from a Senior Devil, skilled in the art of tempting humans, to his nephew, who is learning the art of tempting humans.  The book catalogs most of the trials faced by men and women such as lust, drinking, and other various temptations.  It also deals (a bit) with political issues, war, and how those things affect the spiritual life of man.

All in all, this book is a great piece of literature from C.S. Lewis.  I recommend it to everyone, not solely based on that fact that it is very entertaining and hard to put down, but because it will strengthen your spiritual life.

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

The first thing that I’m going to say is this:  I can’t believe I’m actually writing on my blog about this tournament.  But there are a few things that I want to cover.  First, I’m a Louisville fan.  Second is the term “March Madness;” let’s take them one at a time.

This is the actual sports talk, how I think the tourny will end up.  In the first round, the biggest upset that I’ve picked (according to seeds) is Georgia over Xavier (that’s a 14 seed over a 3 seed); that’s pretty big.  But Georgia has won four games in three days, winning the SEC conference championship; if they can keep playing the way they have been, making a few improvements here and their, they have a real chance at beating Xavier.  As always, some 12 seed is going to beat a 5 seed.  My picks for that are:  Villanova over Clemson and WKU over Drake.  I’m not so sure about WKU, but hey, why not?  Okay, back to UofL.  I think that Louisville will beat Boise State in the first round, have a good game against St. Josephs, making it into the Sweet Sixteen.  From their it gets a little tense.  I think that, if they come out to play and give it everything they’ve got, the Cards have a good chance at not only cutting it close with Tennesse, but actually beating them.  However, even if they win, they’ll have to play (more than likely) North Carolina.  I don’t think they can pull that off.  You might want to know my champion pick.  UCLA.  It’s close though, I have North Carolina beating Georgetown (that just sounds like an amazing game, don’t it?) to make it into the final game and UCLA beating Texas (another great game) to make it into the finals.  This NCAA tournament promises to be the best that I’ve ever watched, especially with teams like Memphis, UCLA, North Carolina, Georgetown, Duke, Louisville (that’s not biased or anything) Kansas, Texas, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Gonzaga, Wisconsin, and so many other great teams.  I can’t wait for it to start!

Now for “March Madness.”  Something in that phrase echoes to the state of our culture, unfortunately.  Don’t get me wrong, I like sports, I like playing sports, and I like watching sports.  However, sports shouldn’t become our lives.  My former Sunday School teacher used to say it like this:  “When you play sports, play sports for the glory of God.”  That’s such a marvelous lesson.  That’s why I decided that the best thing for me, spiritually, was to not play high school soccer after my freshman year.  When I walked out on the field, I wasn’t doing it for the glory of God.  So I just want us to remember, that even in this season of “March Madness,” whether the sport is basketball, baseball, soccer, whatever, to do all for the glory of God.

Blessed Assurance, My Favorite Hymn by My Favorite Band

The Downfall of a Culture

There is a hard truth in the title.  It captures the downfall of America.  How did this occur?  Simple:  Man.  The evil nature of man has corrupted the ideas of America as it was founded; I’ll explain:

Perhaps the most obvious example of the evil of man in our culture is abortion.  The fact that this horrorific idea of killing an unborn child, for the mere sake of convenience, is even being debated is a mark against our culture.  Death is Satan’s most powerful weapon, and we give Satan even more victims, despite diseases, still-births, and various other causes of infant death, he has now an easy means to kill our unborn childern as well.  Think of it like this:  not only are you ending a human life, you are taking away from that child the chance to have a relationship with the Almighty God.

Yet another example of man’s evil nature is the debate over same-sex marriage.  Homosexual practices are explicitly condemned in the Bible.  But even stepping away from the Biblical perspective for just a moment, how can we maintain the population?  The population rate of the United States has been declining for years, think about how sharply it shall drop if all the men start marrying men and the women start marrying women.

Our nation was founded on the Bible, the Declaration of Independence states:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator….”  America may be the most powerful nation on earth, but certainly not the greatest.  In a land where religion is taken lightly enough to the point that even atheism has become a religion, we can see that we live in a backwards country.

The best thing about living in America, perhaps, is that freedom that allows me to say these things.  In China and various other communistic nations, men and women are being tortured and killed for speaking words such as these about the nation in which they dwell.

Wake up, America!  Something has to change!  Christians, wake up!  Too long have we tolerated this antiChrist society!  Come out of your churchs and onto the streets, where dwell the sick and dying which Christ came to save!  The burden lies on us to be the light and salt of the world.  Christ promised that the world will persecute His followers, but what may they do?  Kill us?  The better for us, for we are not of this world, but of the Kingdom of Heaven!  Rise, Christian, and speak of Christ, of Him crucified, buried, and raised again on the third day.