A Christian Response to Sexual Assault and Reproductive Assault (Sanctity of Life)

    In the discussion around abortion, I have heard this argument made a number of times, which says that as a man, I have no way of understanding what a pregnant woman goes through and thus should have no say on the legality or morality of a woman's choice regarding abortion.
   I totally agree that I can never fully understand what a pregnant woman undergoes (and, no matter what modern science might engineer, I never want to). However, to say that I am unable to have an opinion on the morality and legality of an action due to the nature of my genitalia is ridiculous, sexist and totally untrue. As it happens, I don't have an opinion but I have moral precepts that The Holy Spirit has embedded in me through reading His Word in The Bible. And God makes clear that He knows us even before He forms us in our mother's wombs. (Jeremiah 1:5) He also hates the shedding of innocent blood. (See Proverbs 6:16-19)
     What's funny to me is the inconsistency I hear with this idea. Some people who don't claim to be Christians will sometimes bring Bible verses to my attention where God authorizes the killing of people, including babies and thus they make the claim that it must be okay Biblically. I then explain that those verses are being read out of context and that those verses are generally either part of God's judgement of sin and/or part of imprecatory prayers. Of course, as 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, people without Christ will not understand The Bible because it's spiritually discerned. So I explain that you need to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord to really understand His Scriptures. (And you can do that by putting faith in His death and Resurrection that pays for all sins and following Him.)
    So the irony here is that while I'm being told that I can't judge to say what a woman should or shouldn't do regarding abortion because of being a man- and this position supported by Bible verses taken out-of-context- non-Christian people who tell me this can't understand and judge to tell me what the Scriptures say because of not being a Christian.
    As it turns out, you do need the Holy Spirit to understand The Bible, but you don't have to have the Holy Spirit in you to know that murder is wrong. (See Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Romans 1-2)
..........................................................................

   Having here addressed one of the common objections to men even speaking on the topic of abortion, I want to further address some other radical claims that have been made in recent years regarding abortion and sexual responsibility in a post from a Mormon mother that famously went viral online. It offers many interesting ideas, some of which I agree with and others I disagree with as well.
     Even the terminology used can be off-putting at times. People in favour of abortions as a legal right often speak of the reproductive rights of mothers. I find it interesting to use the term "reproductive rights" because pro-life people are not trying to take those away by any means. Rather, they want mothers to utilize those rights and reproduce rather than kill the baby forming inside them. That said, here is my analysis and response to the aforementioned viral post.
     There are a lot of points made on this thread but I'll try to briefly address the main ones that stick out to me. First of all, I totally agree with her that sex outside of marriage is one of the main reasons for unwanted pregnancies! I totally agree that sex should be reserved for marriage and that would eliminate the vast majority of abortions.
   Sadly, many choose not to do this and wind up having a baby form due to their sexual activity. The male and female are not married and have no intention of getting married or being parents- and thus, the baby is killed via abortion. The parents might choose to get married and still have an abortion. The parents might just live together and never get married and still choose an abortion. It could be a baby formed through an adulterous relationship and thus abortion might again be employed.
The scenarios could continue but that covers a lot of them.
And there are times when a married couple has a baby form and abortion is chosen because the child is inconvenient for them.
    All of those are horrible options that basically amount to abortion as post-conception birth control and it does equate to murder.
     The other scenario mentioned, which statistically happens far fewer times as the reason for abortion, is rape.
   I agree that the rapist must bear responsibility for this crime and while it may sound harsh, I think either jail and/or castration could be the response to help stop that.
(Though for the latter option, the courts obviously better be as near undeniably sure as possible.)
   Rape is a horrible, evil crime- but even then, it still takes 2 people to make a baby. And unwanted pregnancies are not always because of rape.
Scientifically speaking at least along with morally speaking, it's untrue to say unwanted pregnancies are 100% the fault of men. (Though yes, I would concede that the blame should fall squarely on the rapist and the rapist is 100% at fault for rape. I don't care if the woman was stark naked with a "Rape Me" sign on her back, the rapist is 100% responsible for his crime. (And to be clear, women are rapists at times too- I have known men who have been sexually abused by their ex-wives- and in such cases, the rapist there is 100% at fault for her crime.))
    To get back to cases of consensual sex, there are numerous pregnancies that occur that are unwanted by either the man or the woman though both wanted the coitus.
With sex comes responsibility. It is like a car in some ways. You can get a licence to drive but you must accept the responsibilities that come with it. A car is not a toy. Sex is not a toy either. Sex is a beautiful expression of love between a husband and his wife- that is who it's reserved for and when it's kept in that context, it's a beautiful thing. Outside of that context, it's an ugly mess. And both the man and woman are responsible for their own actions and thus both men and women are 100% responsible for unwanted pregnancies.
     The very rare cases where abortion is performed to save the life of a mother are usually performed in a manner where emergency work is being done to save the mother's life and not purposefully kill the baby. That is sometimes an unfortunate byproduct, but not the desired result. Ideally, doctors should do all they can to preserve all life, both mothers and babies.
   I can agree with comprehensive sex education in schools because I know not everyone will choose to employ abstinence until marriage. (Abstinence until marriage is the morally correct route that I would prefer but I know not everyone is a Christian and even Christians sometimes fail too.) Thus, it's good to have this education- that's not a bad thing.
   Rape is a horrible, evil act- no one should rape anyone. Rapists should be caught and imprisoned. (As I mentioned earlier, castration is another possible solution.)
And to be clear, I don't think abortion should be done in the case of rape because two wrongs don't make a right. It's still wrong to kill a baby. Don't punish the baby for the father's crime. It's worth noting that, as Matthew 1 relates, Jesus' own genealogy on Earth included people born of rape and incest and adulterous relationships. This doesn't make any of those things right but it does mean God redeems even those horrible deeds when we let Him. And God also forgives us of those horrible deeds when we truly repent.
    Sex should be reserved for marriage. That will eliminate the vast majority of abortions that happen.
     The focus should be put on both men and women because both are responsible. The baby formed has his or her own body and is not part of the mother's body. It's not the mother's choice- it's always The Father's. (Yes, note the capital letter- God the Father is the One who decides who lives and dies alone.)
Men and women don't have the right to murder and we don't have the right to decide to end a baby's life- that's still murder. And when we do that, we make ourselves our own god- and that's what it all comes down to in the end. It mainly comes down to us doing what's convenient for us and trying to escape consequences. But we can't escape consequences. We must take responsibility for our actions. (And this includes making sure, as best as we can, that we're prepared to handle a baby's birth. But guess what? No one is really totally prepared to handle a baby's birth- yet a man and his wife have babies anyway and they sacrifice to provide for them because that's their responsibility as well as their pride and joy.)
   And in all this, remember that God is always willing still to forgive us of premarital sex and adultery and incest and rape- when we come to Him in true repentance. Jesus died and rose to pay for all those sins.
   And we must trust Him to help us through in dealing with this unexpected pregnancy and parenthood. And the option of adoption is a wonderful one to employ as well as there are so many infertile married couples- as well as those who are fertile- who would love to adopt these children instead. These babies have a right to live and we have no right to stop them.

Season for the Reason: Transpirings and True Transforming

Note: This was written in response to a claim sometimes made in regards to choices about sexuality. If people see orthodontists to straighten crooked teeth and eye doctors to correct impaired vision, why should someone not also seek to have surgery to alter one's sexual identity on a physical level to match one's internal sense of sexual identity for those struggling with gender dysphoria?
      To be clear, as 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 says, "what have I to do with judging outsiders?" Everyone is free to do as they wish. Those outside of Christ will not consider themselves bound to The Bible and thus wouldn't be following it anyway. While of course I think they should, first I think they should get saved by Jesus as they won't be able to fully understand or adhere to His Word otherwise anyway. There is of course much more that could be said on this but this is my concise summary of some of what The Bible says on this. This is an attempt at a Biblical view of the subject and why I believe it's best to accept the sexual identity God has given us rather than fight it.
..............................................................................

    A trans person 18 and over is free to do as he or she wishes with his or her body, in regards to body modification via reassignment surgery.
   I don't think a child should be allowed to make such a life-altering decision as a child is still mentally developing and may have a change of feelings down the road.
   In regards to the common rejoinder mentioned earlier here, I would say this. God did not make anyone with bad vision or crooked teeth. When God saw His creation on the 6th. day, He said it was very good. (Genesis 1:26-31)
Ecclesiastes 7:29 says that God made man to be perfect but man has gone off in search of many schemes.
   When man sinned and rebelled against God, the whole was cursed with sin and subjected to futility, as Romans 8 explains. (See also Genesis 3.) This is when bad vision and crooked teeth and other ailments started cropping up. I believe this is also where proclivities toward forbidden sexual relations came up as well. (It's important to note here that being born with a particularity proclivity for a particular sin is of course beyond any person's control. Temptation itself is not sin; acting upon it is though.)
   For the other example, if God made someone a brunette, then that person is a brunette. Dying hair to make it blonde does not make that person a blonde. Eventually the dye wears off and the natural roots will grow back out.
   The same is true with transgenderism. A person can change outer and inner genitalia and hormone levels but this doesn't change who that person is ultimately. The chromosomes are still the same. Their identity doesn't change in God's eyes.
   That said, I don't think it's wrong to dye hair (though I have no desire to do so, particularly because I believe I should be happy with what God has given me in hair color. That is something God gives me. The moral weight of changing sex is quite different from changing hair color, as I don't think there is any for that.) Fixing bad vision and bad teeth is an attempt to temporarily address products of the fall that will one day permanently be fixed with a new body in Heaven for all those in Christ.
   The distinction with transgenderism is that God has forbidden sexual relations with the same sex. (Romans 1 is a particularly good passage for this but note also Jesus' words in Matthew 19.) A transgender person engaging in sexual relations with his or her birth sex after transition would thus be violating the command against homosexual relations.
   And in Deuteronomy 22:5, The Bible also forbids cross-dressing. Thus, it would follow that a transgender person wearing clothing of the opposite sex, even after having had transitional surgery, would still be violating this command.
   This is simply not God's design and trying to rebel against it simply continues to subject transgender people to futility. Note what God says in Romans 9:20-24. Does He not have the right as Creator to make His creation as He sees fit? The clay can't tell the potter that it doesn't like the design- the clay has no say in the matter.
   2 Corinthians 4:7 says we have this treasure- that each person made in God's image is- in jars of clay. The surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Jesus says we can find rest for our souls in Him. (Matthew 11:28) Ultimately, He is the One we can and should take our dsyphorias in life to so we can have that rest in trusting our lives to the hands of our loving Creator.
     In the end, when we are saved through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection, we'll find the restoration and satisfaction we desire through Him in Heaven. Until we get to Heaven, He helps us along the way here in the far country in dealing with these groanings. There is a day coming when all shall be well eternally and that's what I look forward to in the midst of this present suffering, knowing that the weight of glory coming far outweighs anything I go through here.

(For further reading, I found this article from "Christianity Today" extremely helpful and gracious in talking about and understanding a Christian response to this topic.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/july-august/understanding-transgender-gender-dysphoria.html )

Satisfaction

        "Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief." (Proverbs 14:13) Sometimes we mask our need for God with so many things- and we can even seem happy and joyous, but the ache for more in our hearts is always there. I see this sometimes especially as a fan of books and comics...it's fine to enjoy a hobby, but I never want to be so sucked into fantasy for escape that I forget the true life which is only in Christ. Lord Jesus, forgive me for ever trying to find satisfaction in anything but You. It's all such a futile effort. "I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind." (Ecclesiastes 1:14)
         I feel so saddened and sorry for those who look to fill a void that can only be filled with The Divine and try to fit anything else in there. God has placed "eternity in our hearts" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were made for eternity. The perishable must put on the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:49-58) We're like Marty McFly trapped in 1955 and needing God to send a bolt of lightning to help get us back to our real life in 1985. "For as lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:27) That day will come in God's time. Until then and until the day we die (whichever comes first), we have the offer of real life from Jesus. He's come to give us life abundant. (John 10:10) He paid for all our sins in the supreme act of love. 
        Just as we cheer brave soldiers who die for their countries so that others might live, how much more should we cheer and praise God, Who has died for His creation so that we might live? I owed a debt I couldn't pay and He paid a debt He didn't owe. I owe Him a life debt infinitely more than Chewbacca owes Han Solo. Christ died not for the righteous, but wretched sinners like me and everyone else. And He rose again. (Romans 5:8) And because of my faith in Him, I know I will rise with Him too. 
         "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4) Holy Spirit, guide me to do just that. Better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalms 84:10) May my tongue stick like peanut butter to the roof of my mouth if I don't make New Jerusalem and its Lord my highest joy! (Psalms 137:6) Father God, please make this true in my life and use me to show others the Way to the Highest Joy- You alone. Let us not chase after the wind, but after the One who moves like the wind. May we always remember our Creator and fear Him and keep His commandments- which can only be done through relationship with Jesus. (Ecclesiastes 12:1 and 11-14) As Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, neither are the eyes of man. (Proverbs 27:20) We never rest satisfied until we rest in You. (Proverbs 19:23)

Making Love Based on Nothing at All (song)

Everybody loves love. The entire world's population all has that desire to love and be loved- to have someone to hold and talk to and care for and to know that this person does the same for them. It's been said that we need love like the air we breathe. Yet some find that air supply in the wrong way. Some don't really want love and the lifelong commitment that comes with it in the context of marriage- the union of one man and one woman to each other that God designed. Some people just want sex for their pleasure and want to enjoy it with anyone and everyone and don't want to deal with the consequences that come with sin. This is the ideal generations have grown up with, learning to give out "love" for free, but The Bible makes clear that love always has a price. It costs something of us to truly love one another with the romantic love of eros. It demands a lifetime commitment which we recognize with the ceremony and vows taken in holy matrimony before God and man. And then when our culture is betrayed by the values society has taught us, finding that "free love" also brings abuse and rape and abandonment of parental duties, we seem so perplexed to understand why. When we follow the pattern that Jesus has shown us, we are delivered from so much pain. Let's model our love on the love He showed for us by dying for us to pay for our sins and rising again. (Romans 5:8) Instead of making love based on nothing at all, let's keep love based on the standard God has set. (Philippians 2) It's really He who causes any of us to know true love or to truly love one another at all.


"Making Love Based on Nothing at All"
(parody of "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" by Air Supply; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/31/2017)
(1 Corinthians 13, Song of Solomon [or Song of Songs] 8:6-7, Philippians 2, Hebrews 13:1-8, 1 Corinthians 6-7, Ephesians 5, Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5, John 3, Matthew 5:27-32, 1 John 4 [particularly verse 8 and verses 18-19])

You know just how God whispers
Even though you disavow the Christ
You know just where to find The Answer
But I know you love the lie
You know just how to fake it
And you know just how to scheme
I know just why you hate The Truth
'Cause it exposes your sins- come clean!
And I know that when he touches you
Even though his lines are smooth
I know when he pulls you closer
You don't know when he'll let you loose
And I know it's right hard waiting
In YOLO zeitgeist- live your life!
The world's never gonna give you everything that God will give you
Don't you know nothing really satisfies?
And I know the word "virgin" is
The world's open mark of shame
They ignore all the rules and when sin shows out and breaks 'em
Then they always go and lay out the blame
But it won't go to libido
That's been messed up by The Fall
And I mourn for how they do it

Making love based on nothing at all
Making love when there's no ring that's on
Breaking God's Ten Commandments- The Law!
Taking love out- a sex free-for-all!
Hey, "free love" 's always lying- it costs!
Babe, real love takes commitment- your all!
But your "love" 's based on nothing at all!

And the line 19 in chapter 4 of 1 John says
We love due to God's for us first
And you see love is defined by God, verse 8 says
When Christ died for unright(eous)
Redeeming Love- 1 Corinthians 13 Love
If we're goodniks without love then we're through
You can make like prophets, know all mysteries sought
And burn out like a beacon but if loveless- for naught
'Cause love's not arrogant, rude, envying with boasts
Not wrongdoing- rejoices with The Truth

Its own way denies- stays humble
Irritated it is not
Undertakes every weight, it's hope is found through all things and
Believes all- an all-enduring rock!
Love- verse 8- it lasts forever!
Prophecies (and) knowledge disappear just like tongues
And now faith, hope and love just abide- they all remain
You know the greatest of these three now is Love
But whenever you make love without Truth
What you really want is sex for free- no cost
We're delivered so much pain when first- "I do"

We're in love- matrimony- it calls
Hey, true love waits 'til rings are put on
Babe, real love waits to first tie the knot
Hey, "free love" 's always lying- it costs
Herpes, AIDS, Gonorrhea, et. al.
Maybe not- but STDs aren't all
Taints your love for everyone you hold
You can't love them as your one above all
Chaste, pure love's not a gift you can give
Faking love just like Blanche Devereaux
Making love a slut and open case for all
Shape your love like Dorothy's wise calls
Like her mom, spout truth but lovingly now
Make your love St. Olaf's innocent Rose
Golden Girls- Rose of Sharon beats all!
Proved His love- made Him nothing for all
He is God! Became servant of all
Died for love! Rose up third day, you all
Make your love Philippians 2 style
Make your love based on God's love for all!
............................................................................

Celibate Recovery

Note: This piece is in response to an article in Relevant Magazine entitled "The Secret Sexual Revolution". The article talked about why it was common to see even Christian singles engaging in sex and how best the church could address this. Thus, my response starts off by repeating a question asked by the article- Why are Christian singles engaging in sex? Why? Because we're sinners- and we need to come back to the Saviour. We need to trust Jesus to be better than anything else in the world- including having sex. He fulfills all our needs, including our sex drive needs- in the right way and in the right context and in the right time. 


        Why? Because we're sinners. It's very sad to see, but yes- we've all fallen so short. Not all Christians are having sex outside of marriage, but I know that notion is mocked as hopelessly outdated now. I kind of wonder how much we really value The Lord Jesus and His Word versus the voice of the world. Certainly both call to us, but we must let Jesus' voice be louder than the world's. Sex outside of marriage is sin. (Our culture has very much blurred the definitions of sex and marriage, but God still defines it as a special act of love to be performed between 1 man united to 1 woman for life. That man and that woman who have been married to each other- they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 19)
       Of course, Jesus told us in Matthew 5:28 that if we even look at a woman lustfully, we've committed adultery with her in our hearts. (So His definition of adultery goes way past our human definition.)
These are depressing statistics for sure and I think they are reflective of a few things. One- a lot of Christians are heavily influenced by the world via media- movies, TV, Internet, books, music, etc. and the voice of the world is stronger and louder to them than the voice of Jesus. (In saying this, I don't mean to say it's wrong to partake of some of these media outlets- but I do mean to say that we must be discerning as to what we take in. Philippians 4:8, 1 Corinthians 10:31)
        Two- I think there may be respondents to the surveys that identify as Christian in name only and may not truly be following Christ. (Or perhaps they think they are, but their lives indicate otherwise.)
Three- I think that regardless of what pictures of sex and marriage we see in the culture, we are frail, fallible human beings who want to do what we want to do when we want to do it and don't want anyone telling us it's wrong- and we don't want to face any consequences for it. And thus, we give in to temptation and give in to sin.
         I know I have given in to lust at times and it doesn't help that the Internet is pervaded with sexual images that can be happened upon without even trying to find them. Totally innocent searches online can lead to some nasty images. Other times, I may search them out, knowing exactly where it will lead. Television and movies and Internet videos already display what at times amounts to soft-core porn just about and with sites created to help people find hard-core porn without the pesky viruses that tend to come with those sites- it's very easy to sin, unfortunately.
         And then there are the images we see in advertising and just when we see people walking down the street. Of course, as I've said before, I don't really care if women are parading down the street literally naked- men are always 100% at fault for staring and lusting after them. (I do think both men and women should be conservative in what they wear and not try to be provocative- particularly Christian women- and no, this isn't a cop-out excuse for men who lust and rape women because the women "were inviting them" with their clothing or lack thereof. Men are still 100% wrong there- take responsibility for your actions.) We can't control what others wear or don't wear, but we can control where we let our eyes roam and linger. Rather than get defeated by a momentary accidental glimpse of the forbidden, turn your eyes away and think on the pure things God would have you think upon. And pray for God's help not to give in. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
         I also wonder about why sex is such a temptation for us as Christians, so much so that we want to encourage marriage simply so that we won't be in prolonged temptation. Therefore, we get married so that we can have sex! Well, if you're getting married just so you can have sex, I think you're getting married for the wrong reason. Why do we worship sex like our god? Sin is crouching at our door, desiring to have us, but we must master it! Sex and marriage are good in the right context- the way that God created them. But neither one will ever give us the deep longing of the soul that all of us feel throughout life. A relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to meet that fulfillment.
        So I don't say any of this as someone who's perfect at it, but as a man who claims Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour and seeks to follow Him, despite falling down off the path so many times, but always getting back up with His help and starting out again. I'm SO thankful that He always remains faithful even when I'm faithless. (2 Timothy 2:13) If we belong to Christ, our bodies are not our own because we were bought with a price. Therefore, we must honor God with our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6) Don't join Christ to a prostitute- don't invite Him to view pornography with you and ogle after naked girls or guys- don't tell sexual jokes to Jesus and think He'll be laughing- don't make your one night stand a threesome with Jesus there on the marriage bed. That is exactly the picture 1 Corinthians 6 paints whenever we indulge in sexual sin- we sin against our own body but we also, since our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, enjoin Jesus to sexual immorality when we enjoin our own bodies to it. As verse 9-11 talk about, some of us were sexual sinners before coming to Christ- but we were washed, cleansed and sanctified from it in Christ's blood. And even if we fall back into old habits, we have an advocate with The Father Who is praying for us and Whose grace still covers all our deepest, darkest sins and Whose forgiveness still extends to us when we come to Him in repentance and Whose love still rides like a banner over us eternally.

Transcending Transgendering

Note: I have previously addressed this topic and I wanted to talk on some other points with this issue here. As before, I always want to be very careful in discussing topics in general and particularly controversial ones. Thus, I'll reiterate what I said previously as a precursor. This piece is largely based in response to reading an excellent article from Christianity Today addressing this topic.

Yarhouse, Mark. “Understanding the Transgender Phenomenon.” ChristianityToday.com, Christianity Today, 8 June 2015, www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/july-august/understanding-transgender-gender-dysphoria.html. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017
......................................................................................................................................

     I wanted to offer my thoughts here on a topic that has become of great public scrutiny and debate in America in recent years. It is one that (pun intended) engenders strong emotions on either side of things. As always, I hope to be gracious in talking about sensitive matters and always remember that there are always sinners behind the sin and I am just as sinful and in need of grace as anyone else. I also want to be very clear about what I am discussing here and what I am not saying here. I want to talk about the subject of transgenderism and a Christian response to it. One of the clearest verses in The Bible about this issue is found in Deuteronomy 22:5, wherein The Lord forbids men from wearing women's clothing and women from wearing men's clothing. I think any Christian struggling with these sexual identity questions must consider this verse, along with Jesus' words in Matthew 19, wherein He reiterates Genesis 1:26-27, wherein God made people male and female. God has put His design in place and I don't think it is our place to tamper with it.
...........................................................................................................................................
       I think society assigns certain qualities and tasks suited to particular sexes and that may be part of the problem. If a boy is interested in learning how to sew or pursue dance as a career (for example), he may get told those are somehow "feminine" pursuits. If a girl is interested in playing football for her school or working as a barber or car mechanic, she might get told those are somehow "masculine" pursuits. (And girls generally get the label "tomboy". Interesting how there doesn't seem to be a "tomgirl" equivalent- boys just usually get the label of "gay" instead.)

      I personally think boys and girls and men and women should be free to engage in whatever pursuits they are interested in doing. As for the cross-dressing angle, that may come from a natural curiosity about the opposite sex. I have heard some transgender people refer to their feelings as being like in clothes that don't fit- some sort of discomfort with who they are. Of course, I am not sure how those feelings manifest themselves for individual transgender people- I suppose everyone has different experiences though, as the article indicates.
       How does this mesh with Colossians 3:1-4 and Galatians 2:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 for a Christian though? If my identity is in Christ and no one else and nothing else- then does anything else matter? If there's no Jew or Greek or slave or free or male or female in Christ- but rather we are all one in Him (Galatians 3:28)- then maybe that is the answer. We focus on our identity in Christ and not in anything else, despite what our feelings may tell us. I know there are numerous times my feelings would have me identifying more with a hellbound sinner than a Heavenbound redeemed child of God, but I don't trust my feelings because I know they're fickle and often lie. I put my faith and trust in the facts of God's Word and His love for me instead and I trust that when I obeyed Romans 10:9 and confessed Christ as Lord and Saviour and decided to follow Him, He is faithful to do what He said He would do.
           And I believe we are all called to endure as followers of Christ. (Philippians 3:14 speaks to this- Yes, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That word "do" there is better translated as "endure"- especially when read in the context of the rest of the chapter- and the context of the letter itself, written from a Philippian prison.)
Hebrews 12:1-3- Let's fix our eyes on Jesus and set aside every sin that so easily entangles us and run the race with endurance. (See also 2 Timothy 2:10-12, 2 Corinthians 1:6, Hebrews 13:12-14, Revelation 14:12)
            We do this even if it means it feels that we have to deny our feelings and yes, even our selves in order to do it. That's exactly what Jesus called us to do- deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) And don't forget that in addressing transgender people, we must always greet them with both lenses of integrity and compassion, as the article talked about. Because, as 1 Corinthians 13 tells us, Love endures all things. And Jesus said we must love one another. (John 13:34-35) 

       To clarify my stance on sexual ethics regarding homosexuality, which I mention because it often gets brought up alongside transgenderism even though the two are not necessarily related- yes, I do believe The Bible condemns all homosexual relationships, loving and committed or otherwise. (Genesis 1-3, [particularly Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:24], Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 5:17-20 and Matthew 5:27-32, Matthew 19, among others.)
One interesting thing to point out with this- "loving and committed" is a phrase often used to describe marriage and well it should be. People argue that same sex unions can be of the same descriptors. However, I don't know that whether a relationship is of a monogamous nature is the only determinant of whether it's right. People can also be loving and committed to worshiping and serving money, but that is the sin of idolatry and Jesus says you can't serve both money and God. (Matthew 6:24) The reason for this relationship being a sin is not about the level of love and commitment; rather, it's about the object of desire. We should have that kind of love for God alone. Indeed, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, as 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us.
Another point to consider is the meaning of the word "love" itself. The Bible defines God as love in 1 John 4:8. He is the One who sets the standard for what love really is- in fact, we only love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) God's nature is complementarian within the Triune Godhead. God The Father, God The Son Jesus Christ and God The Holy Spirit- Three in One. (John 17 and Genesis 1 and others still speak to this.) God made human beings in His image- male and female He created them. Males and females model that image of complementarianism and are made to follow in the pattern He set in place. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24, which Jesus quoted in Matthew 19)
        Of course, 1 Corinthians 13, a passage often quoted at weddings, gives us insight into the nature of love as well. One key verse here tells us that love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with The Truth. (see 1 Corinthians 13:6) Jesus said He is The Way, The Truth and The Life- No man comes to The Father but by Him. (John 14:6) God is Love. (1 John 4:8) There is complete harmony within the Godhead, thus Love rejoices with The Truth. Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey Him. (John 14:15) Jesus upheld the model of human sexuality as one man and one woman united in holy matrimony for life. Any other sexual union outside of that model is sin. Any form of homosexual relationship is sin, as The Bible plainly declares in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. (Note too that this whole chapter and the previous one deals with sexual immorality, so it's keeping in that context.)
           And if nature itself teaches us that it's a shame for men to have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14), then I think nature can also teach us the order God has designed for sexuality, as procreation only works one way- between a man and a woman united in marriage.
(Which is in keeping with Romans 1, which also tells us that nature reveals the existence of God to us; the heavens declare His glory, as Psalms 19 says.)
         What do we say to those struggling with such things? If they are in Christ, they are a new creature- the old has gone and the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Our identity is found solely in Christ- He lives in us now. (Colossians 3:1-4, Galatians 2:20) Though God made us to be perfect and we sinned and went in search of many schemes (Ecclesiastes 7:29), Jesus came to pay for all sins through His death on the cross and Resurrection. When we put faith in Him, we have salvation from sin and hell and instead an eternity with Christ in Heaven! And Jesus came to give us life- and life abundant. (John 10:10) I believe He helps us live that life abundant in the here and now, though this life is surely beset with trials and troubles. That suffering comes with being human because of the curse of sin in the world, but it also comes with being a Christ follower, as it's something Jesus promised we would have when we follow Him. (Just see Matthew 5 for one such reference and John 15:18 and Matthew 10:22)
          Jesus speaks to the plight of eunuchs in Matthew 19 as well, and I think intersex people and all who struggle with gender dysphoria and homosexuality could fall in that category. There is a word there for them too and God loves them as He loves all people and has a good plan in mind for their lives as well. (Psalms 138:8, John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:8-9, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 and 12:1-10, Philippians 4:1-14)
           But we also know that we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33) We have the victory in Him! And one day, we will have complete deliverance from these bodies that still stray into sin at times- one day we will be completely healed forever in our new bodies in Heaven! (see 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 21-22)
Until that time comes, we must continue to love as Jesus loves- love God first with all we've got and love our neighbours as ourselves and speak The Truth in Love as we preach The Gospel to all people! (Matthew 22:34-40, Ephesians 4:15, Matthew 28:18-20)

Season for the Reason: Grace and Law- Of Sex, Marriage and Jesus' Word

Note: This blog post entry deals with some issues I've written on before, but takes on some things from different angles. They stem from real conversations I've had regarding the seeming inconsistency Christians have in following all of The Bible, including Old Testament laws that have since been rendered obsolete by the New Testament covenant of grace. (The entire book of Hebrews is a great read for this particular topic.) Thus, there are numerous issues being addressed here and again, it is in the context of a discussion on homosexual sin, regarding the upholding of the moral prohibition on that versus upholding dietary restrictions for the Israelites. To be clear, I don't regard simply having same-sex attractedness as a sin in itself; rather, I regard that as a byproduct of the fall of man, as I don't believe God made any of us to be that way originally. However, acting on lustful temptations (whether heterosexual or homosexual) is indeed a sin. Sex is relegated to a special act to happen between one man and the one woman he's married to for life. Any other occurence of this is sin. (1 Corinthians 7 deals with this, along with a number of other Scriptures.) Lust is sin- period. We must desire to serve Jesus above anything else and that means denying ourselves in the temptations that pull at us. (Luke 9:23)
     
      I see some have some interesting opinions of Paul, but that aside- but seeing as how Paul directly met with Jesus and was called The Lord's "chosen instrument to carry His Name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel." (see Acts 9)- I'd say Paul is trustworthy. (Especially considering that he suffered incredibly for Jesus' Name- including being hunted by the government, shipwrecked, bitten by a viper (and miraculously survived), even stoned- and all still kept alive by God, until he finally died a martyr's death by beheading. And all this is in keeping with God saying that Paul would find out how much he must suffer for God's Name. (Acts 9:16) It's also important to note Jesus' calling for Paul, as related in Acts 26:12-23- Jesus says he is appointed as a servant and witness to the things in which he has seen Christ and to those in which Jesus will appear to him- all for the purpose of opening the eyes of the Gentiles from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus.
      Another point to be remembered is that Christians regard the entire Bible (Genesis to Revelation) as the Word of God- as 2 Timothy 3:16 indicates that all of it is God-breathed. The whole Bible was written by people inspired by the Holy Spirit to record "the word of The Lord" (as the prophets often put it in their writings.) Jesus identifies Himself as having oneship with The Father in John 10:30. Another important aspect of Christian belief is belief in The Holy Trinity, a concept seen throughout the entire Bible. (all the way back to Genesis 1:26 this can be seen.) In John 1 and Colossians 1, for example, Jesus is identified as being God- and being there in Creation. All three Persons of the Trinity are in place at The Lord's baptism when we see God the Father speaking about His Son Jesus and the Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove. (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit- Three in One- the Triune Godhead.)
       Thus, all of The Bible is Jesus' Word. And all the verses in Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1 all count as Jesus' Word. Of course, Jesus also said, while praying to God the Father, "Father, Thy Word is Truth." (John 17:17) Thus, Jesus validated all of God's Word. Of course, Jesus also prophesied that The Holy Spirit would come after He ascended back into Heaven and He would guide the disciples into all Truth. (see John 16) Jesus even said He had more to tell the disciples then, but they couldn't bear it right then. But He did say the Holy Spirit would come and tell them these things and He's only going to declare what He hears and He will declare the things that are to come. He will glorify Jesus, for He will take what is Jesus' and declare it to the disciples. (Thus, He will take Jesus' Word and speak it to the disciples after Jesus' ascension. How was that accomplished? The Spirit moved upon the hearts of people to write down God's Word via the New Testament letters of Luke, Paul, Peter, John, James, Jude and the dude who wrote down Hebrews (most scholars think it was Paul as well). Thus, the New Testament is also Jesus' Word, as much as the rest of The Bible is as well. (Jesus also speaks to the validity of the Old Testament as God's Word in Luke 24.)
      However, to go back to Jesus' Word in Matthew 19, it is true that He speaks about marriage in the context of answering a question about divorce. Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause? "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 mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What God has joined together, let not man separate.' " In quoting Genesis 2:24 here, Jesus upheld God's created order and model for marriage. (It's important to note that this verse is before chapter 3- which is where the fall of man happens. This is before the sin of Adam and Eve that corrupts the entire world. In God's original perfect Eden, this is the model of marriage that God lays out. This is the model that Jesus upholds for marriage. Jesus even goes on to point out that it was only because of the hardness of our hearts that Moses allowed for men to divorce their wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
       There may be people today who have same sex attractions, but from the beginning it was not so. God made people upright, but we've gone off in search of many schemes. (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
Jesus states that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. The disciples then say that if such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry. Then Jesus tells them that not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. "For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it." (Matthew 19:12)
(Here, in answering the disciples' shock and conclusion that it was better just to stay single and live a celibate life, Jesus refers to men who have been born with a birth defect [and thus wouldn't be able to marry, in keeping with Jewish law], some who have been castrated by others [and thus wouldn't be able to marry in keeping with Jewish law] and some who choose to castrate themselves and/or live a celibate life for God's kingdom (i.e. much like Catholic priests today.) (Paul also speaks of himself being in the last category in 1 Corinthians 7, where he speaks of his chosen celibacy in order to focus fully on preaching Christ. This is also an excellent passage to consider in thinking about marriage as The Bible defines it.)
       Since sex is only allowed within the bonds of holy matrimony (one man and one woman for life, as Jesus defines it in Matthew 19:4-6) [see Hebrews 13:4 as well], and sexual relations outside of marriage are condemned throughout the Old Testament and New Testament- including specifically by Jesus in His human form in this very passage- Jesus also thereby condemns any other sexual relationship as sin. (In John 8:11, Jesus identified adultery as sin again, when He told the woman caught in adultery to "go and sin no more." Jesus also called out the woman at the well in John 4 about her sexual relationships, asking her to call her husband to come there. She responds that she has no husband and Jesus agrees with her, saying that she's right to say that because the fact is that she's had 5 husbands and the man's she with now isn't her husband. Jesus had a habit of doing such things to call people out on their sin, as He did a similar deal with the rich young ruler when He told him, since he claimed he'd kept all the commandments since he was a kid, to go and sell all he had and give to the poor and follow Him. [This got to the heart of the matter, as the rich young ruler was unwilling to part with his wealth in order to get to eternal life in Christ.])
      It is true that Galatians 3:28 states, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Of course, verse 29 states, "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." What promise is that? The promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ- through faith in His substitutionary death and Resurrection for salvation and forgiveness of sins. Chapter 4 even goes on to berate the Galatians for observing "days and months and seasons and years". The chapter goes on to make the comparison between Abraham's sons (Isaac and Ishmael- Isaac being the one of promise and Ishmael the illegitimate one Abraham had from Hagar) allegorically as a comparison between being under the law and being under grace. All this leads up to a famous verse in Galatians 5:1, which says, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." When we keep reading, we find that Christ makes us righteous and that we should not use our freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love we must serve one another. We are commanded to walk by the Spirit so that we won't gratify the desires of the flesh. First among the desires of the flesh listed is sexual immorality. We are not to indulge the flesh, but rather we regard it as crucified with its passions and desires. 
Galatians 3:28 is indicating our status of oneship in Christ Jesus in metaphorical terms. Of course, race and gender and slave status still exist (the latter to this day in some places, unfortunately), but we don't let them separate us from being one in Christ. We are all Father Abraham's sons [and daughters], as the classic Sunday School song says. :-):-) This verse in the right context would not be indicating God's dismissal of gender and gender roles, but rather a symbolic picture of oneness in Christ.
        And Christ addressed the law as well in Matthew 5:17. But what exactly did He say? "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until Heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from The Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:17-20)
         Now Jesus was addressing His disciples and the crowds who had gathered to hear Him speak. Jesus went on in the Sermon on the Mount to address a number of laws given in the Old Testament and reaffirm and redefine them for us- expanding beyond the limited idea held of them previously. Jesus said that just getting angry with your brother makes you liable to judgment, insulting him makes you liable to the council and calling him a fool puts you in danger of the fires of hell. Jesus said that not committing adultery goes beyond just the physical act; even looking at a woman lustfully is committing adultery with her in your heart. Jesus addresses divorce and states that, rather than divorcing for any and every reason, if it's not done on the grounds of sexual immorality, the one who divorces his wife then makes her commit adultery and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Jesus goes on to address oath-taking, retaliation and treatment of enemies and more. It's clear that Jesus did not rescind any of the moral laws of the Old Testament, but rather reaffirmed them and expanded them beyond the original understanding.
         However, what did He say about dietary laws and civil laws for the Israelites? Well, the Pharisees called Him out about breaking some of these laws on various occasions. In Mark 7, the Pharisees bust Jesus' chops about His disciples not washing their hands before eating, thus being ceremonially defiled. Jesus points out that they ignore God's commandments in order to hold to the tradition of men. (Jesus gives the example of the command to honor your mother and father, yet the Pharisees would tell their folks that they couldn't give any money to help their parents because it's Corban (i.e. given to God). Thus, they were making the Word of God void by their traditions.)
Then Jesus goes on to state that whatever goes into a person is not what defiles him, but rather what comes out of his heart. "And He said to them, 'Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?' (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He said, 'What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.' " (Mark 7:18-23)
        Note that verse 19 explicitly states that Jesus declared all foods clean. Thus, He just rescinded all dietary laws for the Israelites, and He also in the same passage addressed ceremonial traditions as well. Also, in John 4, Jesus spoke of a time when true worshippers of God would worship the Father in spirit and truth, rather than on the mountain in Samaria or in Jerusalem. (Thus, more rollback of laws regarding worship in the temple.) The entire book of Hebrews is also an excellent companion to reading the Old Testament in light of the new covenant in The New Testament. It explains that the old covenant is rendered obsolete by the new covenant. (see Hebrews 8:13, as well as all of chapters 8-10 particularly.) And the New Covenant of grace calls us to be led by the Spirit (as Galatians 5 tells us), which leads to bearing the fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Goodness and self-control would certainly speak to maintaining sexual purity, among other things. Under the New Covenant of Grace, we are still called to uphold sexual purity (see 1 Corinthians 6 for a good discussion on this) along with other other morality commands (prohibitions against theft, murder, slander, etc.). 
        As Jesus summarizes for us in Matthew 22:34-40, the two greatest commandments are as follows, "You shall love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Loving God means obeying Him in all His commandments, as laid out for us in the New Covenant of grace in the New Testament. (Jesus Himself says that if we love Him, we will obey Him in John 14:15. [See also Luke 6:46 and Matthew 7 for even starker pictures.]) Of course, none of us can really keep all of God's commands on our own. (Jesus tells us to be perfect as our Heavenly father is perfect. [Matthew 5:48] This is the standard we must meet for entry into Heaven.) We all fall short on that. (Romans 3:23) Thankfully, God knows this and He sent Jesus to fulfill the Law for us. Jesus met the standard of perfection and kept the Law perfectly, as He stated He came to do in Matthew 5:17. In His meeting of the standard, we are set free from that burden through putting our faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection to pay for all our sins that we could never atone for on our own.
       And when we become part of God's family (John 1:12), we get Christ's righteousness imputed to us and God declares us righteous because of Christ's completed work. (basically the entire book of Romans.) And we are then set free to do the good works that God created in advance for us to do- not in an effort to earn the salvation He's already freely given us, but in a way of showing gratitude to God by seeking to grow to be more like Him in all we say and do. (see Ephesians 2:8-10 and 1 Corinthians 10:31)

Season for the Reason: Parenthood- Planned or Unplanned, It's all in His hands

Note: This is another entry that is based on real life conversations and questions raised regarding morality and our responsibility. My post here is based on the following post at Ravishly.com

I am only seeking here to present a Biblical response to the idea of abortion, always remembering that we must speak the Truth in Love and extend grace to everyone in our dealings on these difficult matters.

o    Nice piece of satire indeed. I don't agree with it all, but that's okay. I always get confused about the second point though. Surely there's a bit more to abstinence-based sex education than that, right? I would want students to be aware of safe sex procedures regarding condoms and birth control and so forth-but I also would want to encourage students to reserve sexual activity for the marriage bed alone. (Of course, I'm not naive enough to think everyone will choose to do so, but we can rest assured that it really won't happen if no effort is made to instill this as the best choice for sexual health and the best moral choice. [I know people will have differences on opinion on that second point though- but because of my Biblical view from my faith in Christ, I believe that God designed sexual intercourse to only happen between a man and a woman in the bonds of holy matrimony. Anything else is a perversion of His creation and a violation of His laws.])

Leaving the religious and moral arguments aside though, I think it is simply a matter of logic that should be impressed to students that it is simply not a good idea for teenagers to get pregnant as they are generally wholly unprepared for the responsibility that comes with children and they often are unable to complete schooling and of course, will possibly face ridicule with a reputation as a slut, as the article pointed out. [And I don't think that ridicule is right of course- I don't think we need to have Hester Prynne walking around with that red scarlet letter 'A' emblazoned on her blouse. I would also hold Roger Chillingsworth to that 'A' as well- but it helps neither one to ridicule them and that's not right anyway.]

Teenagers and people in general should certainly have information; as a librarian, I would highly encourage them to come to their local library for such information. The library strongly believes in freedom of information (so this means information from all points of view) and many do offer programs for this particular topic of sexual activity and healthcare.

I would also like to think that there are some men of moral character that, given the possibility of being pregnant, would not be getting abortions like going through a drive-through. (Again, this gets into the issue of the morality of abortion, which of course, is where the contention lies in this matter.)

If Planned Parenthood were simply providing information regarding sex and birth control and sex control while they're at it, along with cancer screenings and health checkups- I would have no problem funding such a program. I don't believe in funding abortion, which is a process that kills babies. I believe murder to be both morally wrong and legally wrong.

The two issues that seem to come up the most are in regards to the definition of life itself and when and where it begins, as well as the rights that men and women have in controlling their bodies. Of course, men and women are already limited in the rights they have to control their bodies. Laws from the government force all people to clothe their bodies on the upper torso and legs and particularly over private parts. Other laws restrict the use of drugs for recreational use in people's bodies. Other laws restrict the sale of alcohol and tobacco products (and thereby intending to limit the use of alcohol and tobacco products as well) in the bodies of minors. There are even some laws in some places that restrict the consumption of particular beverages and food products that are otherwise legal in the bodies of men and women.

Thus, it would not seem inconsistent for the government to issue a law regarding the control of a woman's body, insofar as requiring the woman to refrain from destroying the life placed in her through coitus. It would be great to see the law also require a man as well as a woman to refrain from the act of coitus itself outside the bonds of holy matrimony. However, this would be legislating morality, which I don't particularly believe works anyway, as it doesn't really produce a genuine heart change on the parts of people. (The only One who can do that is Jesus Christ. And I believe He desires people to come put their faith in His death and Resurrection for forgiveness of their sins willingly- and then, as an act of obedience to Him in gratitude for His saving work, in conjunction with the convicting and molding work of The Holy Spirit, willingly choose to follow Him in all His laws, and in this case, particularly the ones regarding sexuality.) And certainly I don't believe that can or should be forced upon non-Christians. I would want people to willingly choose to abstain from sexual contact until marriage and reserve it only for that special expression of love between a man and a woman on the marriage bed, not the cheap and casual thing that so many make it to be, sadly.

However, since many will not choose that, it is necessary to provide sound sexual education.

In that education, it would be good to define where life starts. In a worldview that for many evolution is accepted as that origin point, it is easy to see how the developmental stage of babies still in the womb is disregarded as nothing more than "a clump of cells", as I noticed one commenter referred to the result of procreation. After all, in an evolutionary worldview, human beings themselves were, at some point, nothing more than "a clump of cells" that slowly turned into increasingly progressing lifeforms, both in form and complexity.

This gets to the other question that is so often raised in this matter. It seems very weird, to say the least, that most every expectant mother I have ever known or heard of, most always seems to refer to the growth within her uterus as her baby, rather than her foetus or embryo or clump of cells or "parasite that's killing her", as I noticed another commenter say. [That last one was in the case of a pregancy that was causing medical problems for the mother, I believe.]

Also, seeing that Webster's Dictionary defines a child as "an unborn or recently born person", it would seem that "child" is another fitting term for the union of sperm and egg. [The root word apparently is akin to Goth kilthei [i.e. womb] and perhaps to Skt. jathara [i.e. belly] Both terms would seem to be referring, in ancient terminology, to the uterus.]

That is the moral dilemma that surrounds the matter, as I see it. The government has made its ruling, of course, and as a Christian, I am bound to respect the laws of my country, of course (since God is the one who put the government in power and He's the One who can take it down as well- see Romans 13). However, there is also a call in The Bible to stand and fight for justice to "the least of these" [see Matthew 25 and Isaiah 1:16-20, among others.]. God also states repeatedly that He hates the "shedding of innocent blood". [see Proverbs 6:16-19, Deuteronomy 19:1-13, Deuteronomy 21:1-9, 2 Kings 21:16, 2 Kings 24:4, Psalms 106:36-42, Jeremiah 7:1-15, Isaiah 59, numerous others.] And, of course, there are times when "we must obey God rather than men." [Acts 5:29]

(The account of the midwives refusing to obey Pharaoh's order to slaughter the Hebrew baby boys in Egypt, as related in Exodus 1, is a great example. God dealt well with them and blessed them with families because they feared Him.)

In conclusion, to clarify one other point often raised, let me say that all life is infinitely valuable and eternally loved by God. (see Jeremiah 1:5, Jeremiah 31:3 and others.) This is because all human beings are made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-31) And I value and love the lives of not only innocent babies, but also the mothers and fathers who are driven to such extremes that they feel they must make the choice to have an abortion. I always want to consider their plight and consider how best I can help them and love them.

I think the government should seek to support and help all parties involved and provide the resources needed as much as possible, as I have discussed earlier. However, I think the government should also make a stand against allowing the slaughter of human life at any stage of development.

I know this is a very touchy and tough subject for many people and I also want to clarify that I mean no disrespect or disregard for the concerns, feelings and rights of others. This certainly includes those who may vastly disagree with me. I am also called by Jesus to love them as much as I love myself. (Matthew 22:34-40) So let's seek to love one another and come together to see how we can work together to minimize abortions at the least and increase healthcare and support for pregnant women and sexual education for people (something I think most people agree on) and be willing to listen to each other in the conversation regarding the morality of the matter- and how we want to be defined as a people in regards to what is acceptable or not. 

 

Season for the Reason: Loving Sinners, Hating Sin and Obeying God Rather Than Men

Note:   This blog deals with some ongoing questions that continue to be part of a national conversation in America, particularly in light of its distinctly Judeo-Christian heritage and a Constitution that maintains the ideals of a separation of church and state. There has long been a struggle in defining rights and ensuring equal rights for all groups of people, particularly in regard to sexual minorities. In light of the Supreme Court of the United States of America's recent ruling regarding the expansion of marriage to include same sex couples, there have arisen questions from people of religious faith who have objections on religious grounds over how to implement this ruling, particularly for those who because of their jobs directly offer services for weddings.
           This blog is an attempt to discuss a Christian viewpoint on these topics and how best to respond in love to all people, while maintaining the Truth of The Bible always and ultimately obeying God over men. And again, this has arisen out of real discussions and questions that have been raised to me from various people. I know Christians and the church have often failed in addressing these issues well and in a Godly, loving manner. I hope that this blog will be both of those things, while also firmly stating the Truth of The Bible.
 


           First of all, let me re-emphasize, as I've said before, that in dealing with all people, Christians are commanded to love one another and I always want to make sure that I am loving to all people. (Romans 12:15-18, John 13:34-35) I would never want to shun any homosexual couples. However, I would contend that it is their behavior that is shunned. As a follower of Christ, I am instructed in Jude 1:21-23 to reach out with mercy to those who doubt and help save them by snatching them out of the fire and also show mercy with fear. Why fear? The verse goes on to say that I am commanded to hate even the garment stained by the flesh. In other words, while I am always commanded to love all people, I must also be wary of sin and hate sin because it drives me away from my real life in Christ and instead pushes me back toward the old life enslaved by the devil. God hates sin too for this reason- it drives people away from Him. Because of God’s great love for us, He must hate sin because He doesn’t want anything to separate us from His indescribably awesome love. (see 1 Peter 1:13-16, Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 6 and a number of other Bible passages for more on this point.)
          The question has been brought to the forefront particularly in the case of Kim Davis, a Kentucky clerk has refused to issue licenses for same sex marriage unions and was subsequently jailed for not carrying out the duties of her job. (I will briefly say on this point that I think she should look to the words of Christ in Matthew 5:38-42 and choose to issue the licenses, even if it does go against her beliefs and certainly it goes against God's plan for marriage. [see Jesus' words on that in Matthew 19- He clearly defines it as the union of one man and one woman for life- solely bound to each other in the eyes of God and man until death do them part.] I think Christians are sometimes called to let themselves be taken advantage of and to give up our rights. Certainly, Jesus directly calls us to do that in Luke 9:23 in order to follow Him- deny ourselves, die to ourselves daily and take up our cross and follow Him. I think it's also important to note that rendering such services doesn't make her complicit in approving or partaking in the sin of homosexuality. I think of it as a Christian sales associate working at a grocery store and selling customers beer and wine. If the customer chooses to go get drunk on these products, I don't think the Christian sales associate is held accountable by God for inducing the drunkenness of the customer [something that God does condemn as sin- see Ephesians 5:18, among others. However, note that drinking itself is not condemned as sin in The Bible.]- that is a sin that will weigh on their conscience, not the Christian's.)
            To look at an example that is often offered for comparison, what if it were a photographer (of any race other than African-American) refusing to give service to a black person and/or refusing to photograph an interracial marriage (i.e. refusing to do the work on the basis of race)? I think this would be a false equivalency. I fully agree that religion and The Bible (wrongfully, I must add) has been used to justify this racist hatred. (Something 1 John 4:20-21 clearly says is wrong.) I agree that a black person cannot change the color of his skin and a homosexual person cannot change their homosexual tendencies. (Although, just to point out, as Jesus says in Matthew 19:26- “With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.” God is certainly capable of changing a person’s homosexual tendencies- however, I will also say that it seems that it is rare that He does that, though there are some that would attest to this. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 speaks to Corinthians who used to be homosexual offenders but were washed by the blood of Christ and changed. However, I don’t know if this means that God supernaturally removed their sinful tendencies altogether. I think what for sure happened is that He changed their heart and desires so that they desired God’s will- and then they rejected the allure of homosexual relations and sought the fulfillment of all their needs in Christ’s sufficiency. [Philippians 3:8 and many other verses speak to this.]) And yes- I realize this can sound rather cruel if not carefully worded, but keep in mind that we are all tainted with Adam’s sin- and we all struggle with sinful tendencies, though they may not all be sexual in nature. [So I am not trying to say anything negative about homosexual people and hold their sin up as worse than any others. James 2:10 says all sins are equally bad- when we commit one, it’s the same as doing all of them.] And certainly homosexual people struggle with other sins as well- their sexuality is not the totality of their personhood. This would also be true for people born with kleptomaniac tendencies or those born with an inclination toward drunkenness through Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other such things- the choice is always theirs as to how they will respond. The secular world may certainly disagree, but I believe Jesus Christ is powerful enough to change the desires of people to give in to these sinful desires and instead to help them choose to deny them and follow His commands instead. [2 Corinthians 5:14-21 speaks to this point very well.] Psalms 37:4 says that if we delight ourselves in The Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. And as we delight ourselves more and more in Jesus alone, we will find that our desires are conformed to His and that we desire Him and His will- His standards of righteous living- above all else. Psalms 84:10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”)
           Here is another example to consider. What would a Jewish or Muslim caterer say to the question of serving pork at a wedding? The objection the Jewish or Muslim caterer would have against serving pork (as well as their objections to giving their services to a gay marriage, for that matter) is the same that a Christian caterer would have against giving his or her services to a gay marriage. The issue is not with the people; the issue is with what the people are doing. In one case, it’s serving pork- in another case, it’s uniting a man and a man or a woman and a woman as a couple, bound as one in an institute established and ordained by God- and one that He clearly sets down to us as being strictly reserved for a man and a woman. (Matthew 19, Genesis 2:24)
However, despite this, as I said earlier, I still think it might be good for a Christian if they decided to partake and offer their services in an attempt to be a witness to the gay couple and demonstrate the love of Christ. This is of course a call that each Christian would have to make on their own conscience though. (see Romans 14- it should also be considered as to whether this would be seen as a stumbling block to a brother or sister weaker in their faith in Christ.) The concern for many Christian business owners is that they would not want to be seen as giving tacit approval to a union diametrically opposed to God’s design for marriage. It is sad and unfortunate that this gets translated by some as to mean an outright hatred for gay people. [Let me be quick to concede that I am sure that is very much the case on the part of some. And to those who call themselves followers of Christ yet hate people with homosexual tendencies, I would offer rebuke as a brother in The Lord and direct them to reread 1 John 4 and John 13:35 and Ephesians 4:15 and ask them to seek The Holy Spirit’s leading in that- as hating people is as much of a sin as homosexuality is- and that must be addressed too.] As a Christ follower, I love all people but I cannot and do not condone all that they do. That is the dilemma Christian caterers, photographers, etc. are facing in this issue.
         Of course, a non-Christian would not find this a compelling argument that applies to them- the reason being that, (and indeed, the reason non-Christian gay people would find the Christian’s position offensive and discriminatory) because in their mindset, there is nothing wrong with following on their natural desires. However, a Christian would of course disagree- and therein lies the point of contention. Of course, one does not have to be a Christian in order to respect the beliefs of Christians and people of other faiths, certainly. However, most non-Christian gay people would most likely be prone to discard any Biblical reasons since they do not believe in Christ and do not follow Him- thus, His rules in The Bible would not be a valid reason for them. I would hope that people on both sides (both Christians and non-Christian gays) would be able to reason calmly with each other and make a real effort to understand each other’s viewpoint and feelings in the matter.
I think the question for America that will eventually come is deciding whether or not marriage is a God ordained institution or simply a manmade construct. In the case of the latter, the government would dictate the matter. However, at this point, there is still a partnership of sorts between the government and the church in the matter of marriage. (Though certainly one does not have to go through the church for a marriage license.) But thankfully, that is not for me to decide. I have already stated my view that marriage is an institution established by God and ordained by Him and that is where I will stand on it. Others are welcome to draw their own conclusions of course- and that may eventually become the solution (which is already in place to some degree, with certain churches that affirm gay marriage performing ceremonies and some state governments acknowledging it, and of course the recent ruling from the Supreme Court.) As far as the legal rights that go with it, while I don’t agree with its validity as marriage as defined by God, I honestly don’t have a problem with the government providing for legal benefits to gay couples.)
           For everyone reading this, I hope you know that anything I say about Jesus and about my belief in Him and The Bible is all meant to come only out of a heart of love, concern, respect and kindness. I will fully admit that I have certainly failed on that at times, but I hope that those desires come across above all. I do not expect to convert anyone to anything, but I certainly do want to let people know about Jesus and His love for all and His standards for living that I have found to be better than anything else in the world- and His offer of forgiveness and salvation open to all through faith. This is something everyone must choose for themselves; I don’t believe in forcing anything upon anyone and I don’t believe God does either. I do believe that He rewards the sincere seeker of Him though. (Jeremiah 29:13) If anyone reading this ever wants to talk further about having a relationship with Christ, I am always glad to correspond further on that.
           Thank you for bearing with this lengthy document. I apologize for what may seem to be belaboring the point, but it’s a rather complex issue that deserves to be considered carefully, though I know I can always stand to study and learn more on it myself. I want to reiterate that we must be loving and respecting to our gay/lesbian and any other kind of queer friends (along with all people of any sexual persuasion or identity.) I have some gay friends myself as well and I certainly respect their rights too. All of us as human beings must come together as God’s creation and learn to learn from each other- and find a way to respect both the rights of people of faith and people of different faiths and/or no faith- and the rights of gay/lesbian/queer/transgender and all other variations people. I certainly pray that we will do just that and as Romans 12:18 commands, if possible, as much as it depends on us, live peaceably with all. May God bless you richly. Grace, love and peace to all.

Reborn This Way (song)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have yet another parody to share with you that hopefully you'll go ga-ga for in this post. :-) This is another one I completed fairly recently but have held off on sharing for a while. And as I noted on the last post, this parody song flows well with the nature of my last two devotional posts regarding the difference between shoving beliefs and a holier-than-thou attitude down someone's throat and just plain showing them real love as Jesus showed us. My aim is always the latter.
       The point of this parody song to address a subject that has become a controversial issue today of which many have strong opinions and beliefs regarding it. The goal of this song (along with anything else I write) is to show love for God above all else- with all my heart, soul, mind and strength- and to show love for my neighbors as I love myself- and to speak the Truth in Love. I ask that people keep in mind again that one can only say so much in a song (especially in the confines of a parody song that is attempting to maintain the same rhyme structure) and it's easy for things to be misconstrued. In an effort to avoid that, I want to clarify here- I am not trying to call anyone names and try to condemn anyone, but rather to state what The Bible says regarding sexual matters.
         (On this note, I want to clarify the meaning of a phrase used within the song. As you may notice, the tone of the song shifts from the world's point of view regarding sexuality and life in general after the first verse and chorus to my point of view as a Christian. The term "let your freak flag fly" is referenced in the first chorus. This phrase is not intended to be derogatory in any way. It is a phrase that may well have its origins in the 1960s as a rallying call for hippies, but it's become adopted into the common vernacular as an exhortation to allow all one's true colors to show- to embrace the person you are, no matter how "freaky" the rest of the world may view it, and flaunt it, revel in it and enjoy it. Here are some references for further reading. This is the Urban Dictionary's listing for the term. [Please note that this site contains some vulgar references.)
Also worth noting, within the song I referenced a wonderful book that offers a Christian perspective on the topic this song addresses and I highly recommend giving it a read.
        And most of all, I want to remind people that no matter what sin you've done (and we're all in the same boat in that area)- Jesus can forgive you of all of them. He loves us all like crazy and wants to have a relationship with us all. He forgives all of us when we ask Him and He gives us a spiritual rebirth. As He said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, we all must be born again. And when we're in Christ, we're no longer slaves to sin, but instead we're slaves of Christ! (as Romans 6 talks about.) 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation! The old has gone and the new has come. And as 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, today is the day of salvation! Jesus has died to pay for all our sins and He rose again to give us all salvation if we will trust Him in faith and follow Him. And when we do that, we truly are reborn His way. :-)

*[Yes, I realize I went even more than usual on the heavy side on the Bible verse references. ;-) The main reason for this is that, though this list is of course far from comprehensive, there are a number of Bible verses, commands, principles, teachings and examples that I think should be considered in how we navigate this and other controversial issues that are complex and simple at the same time. Many times, I may have directly referenced some verses or drew some inspiration from them in writing some lines- and others I simply researched and read in the course of putting the song together as The Lord guided. And others are just for further reading reference. :-) That is generally true for most all of my songs and poems and writings in general. As Rich Mullins was known for saying, I'd rather you get to know the Scriptures more so than these song lyrics- and ultimately, the Lord God Christ who provided them all. :-)]



Reborn This Way
(parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/7/2014)
(1 Corinthians 13 [especially verse 6], Proverbs 8:12-13, Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 8:1-11 and 32-36, Proverbs 9:13-18, James 4 [particularly verses 11-12], Galatians 3:26-29, Psalms 19:7-11, Ephesians 4:20-24, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 3:1-4 and 5-17, Romans 6:1-14, Galatians 6:14, Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 8, John 12:25, John 3:1-21, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Galatians 5:16, Isaiah 64:6, Hebrews 9:14, Ephesians 1:1-14, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 1 Peter 2:24, John 15, Romans 12:1-2, Philippians 2:1-18, 1 John 2:1-17, Romans 1-3, Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2 [especially verse 24], Genesis 3, Exodus 22:19, Leviticus 19:20-22, Exodus 20:1-17, Leviticus 18, Leviticus 20-21, Leviticus 11:45, Deuteronomy 5, Deuteronomy 6:4-19 and 8:19-20, Deuteronomy 21-22, Deuteronomy 23:1-14 and 17-18, Deuteronomy 24:1-5, Deuteronomy 25, Deuteronomy 28-31, Judges 19, 1 Corinthians 7, Mark 7:20-23, Matthew 15:18-20, Galatians 5:19-21, Philippians 4:13, Romans 3:23-24, 1 John 1:8-9, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Genesis 1:31, Psalms 145:8-9, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Timothy 5:17-25, Matthew 25:31-46, James 2:10-13, John 8, 1 Timothy 1:8-10, 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, John 1:16-17, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 16:24-28, Luke 9:23-27, Mark 10, Matthew 19, Romans 14, Matthew 22:23-40, Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 9:9-13, Luke 7:36-48, Luke 18:9-14 and 18-30, Hebrews 10:30-31, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Romans 7, 1 Peter 1, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18, 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 6:5-8, Colossians 3:18-25,1 Peter 2:13-25, John 10:10, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, John 6:68)

 (Intro: [spoken]) It doesn't matter how you love, kid- for capital I, you live ["live" echoed x3]
Forget the laws- yup
'Cause you were born to be free, baby- yeah

Verse 1
The Bible told us when we were formed
We were all born sinners, ya'll
We rolled our eyes- it's just religion
We're long past all those myths- so there!
"There's nothing wrong with loving who you want,"
They said, " 'Cause He made you perfect, babe"
"So go your heart's route, girl and you'll go far"
"Listen- your dreams lead the way"

Chorus 1
You're beautiful just that way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
You've got the right to, baby
Do what your truth says
Don't hide yourself- just flaunt it
Just love yourself and you're set
So fly your freak flag, baby
You were born this way [echo: "born this way"]

Verse 2
Ooh, how quaint- The only Way
Hear me- you were born sin's slave
Baby, Jesus bore our shame [echo: "bore our shame"]
Ooh, there ain't another Way
Save me, Jesus Lord
Come on, invite Him to save ya
Be reborn today!

Bridge
Dump filthy rags- that's our "good deeds"
Isaiah writes- 64:6 - see?
No room to brag- just Jesus cleans
Trust Him!

Verse 3
If you have prudence, see Proverbs 9:10
Seek wisdom- rejoice with Truth
In the keeping of God's Word is great reward
I have died to self- instead Christ rules!

Verse 4
A same sex lover- that is a sin
Believe capital H-I-M (Hey, hey, hey)
Husband and wife is God's marriage plan
Jesus told us- Matthew 19 (Trust and obey)

Chorus 2
It's beautiful what He's made
'Cause God makes no mistakes
But Adam jumped tracks, baby
Now we're born sin's slaves
But Christ just died in our stead
He loves us all and beat death
Get brand new life, stat- baby
Be reborn His Way

(Repeat Verse 2 with first line changed as follows:)
Ooh- hear what I've got to say
Hear me- you were born sin's slave
Baby, Jesus bore our shame [echo: "bore our shame"]
Ooh, there ain't another Way
Save me, Jesus Lord
Come on, invite Him to save ya
Be reborn today!

Verse 5
Kind of a drag just bein' me
Whatever your lot, not easy bein' green
These black/white/grey labels- let's end
We're sexual beings- we orient
If your same sex tendencies
Left you outcast, bullied or teased
Rejoice- God loves you! Me too, babe
In Jesus, we are washed and waiting!

Verse 6
No matter gay, straight or bi
Lesbian, transgendered life
All bow to Christ on Last Day, so
Make Him Lord while there's time
All that come after Christ are changed
2nd. Cor. 5:17
Strap on my cross and deny me
I'm reborn and Christ's slave

(Repeat Chorus 2)

(Repeat Verse 2 with first line changed as follows:)
Ooh- hear what I've got to say
Hear me- you were born sin's slave
Baby, Jesus bore our shame [echo: "bore our shame"]
Ooh, there ain't another Way
Save me, Jesus Lord
Come on, invite Him to save ya
Be reborn today!

We were born in sin, babe!
But Jesus bore our shame
I asked Lord Christ to save me
I'm reborn His Way!
Now's the time to get saved
Jesus Lord- He is waiting
Go ask Lord Christ to save ya
And be reborn today!

[whispered echo: "I'm reborn His Way! Be reborn His Way! Be reborn today!"]
........................................................................................................................................