Updated - Please see the two links and the article from the FRC at the end of the blog
Romans 1:26-27 (ESV) For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
It’s interesting what has taken place recently in regards to the gay marriage issue. Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, recently revealed that he is now a supporter of gay marriage. Senator Portman’s son has just come forth and revealed he is a practicing homosexual. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also just stated as of yesterday that her views on gay marriage have “evolved.” This is the same wording that President Obama used last summer in describing his change of heart and why he now supports gay marriage.
The idea that our beliefs “evolve” based upon a changing society is not so hard to fathom. For the lack of a better term I suppose we do “evolve” positionally based upon our obtaining of new knowledge about various subjects. If we were talking about football and defensive schemes run by NFL teams I would tell you that my thinking has “evolved.” I now believe a 3 – 4 defensive alignment is better than the 4 – 3 configuration because of its aggressive nature and flexibility to create problems for NFL offenses. If we’re talking about politics I can tell you my thinking has “evolved” and that is why I am now a conservative independent.
First let me say I am not a proponent of evolution. I personally believe the whole idea of scientific evolution to be false and primarily promoted by those in academia out of fear and hatred toward God. Second, the idea of evolving means that we are somehow progressing from a lesser state to a higher state of thinking, being, or position. Just because I state that my political beliefs or ideas about defenses in the NFL have evolved doesn’t necessarily mean that I have actually “evolved,” the most likely answer is I’ve simply changed my mind based upon personal preferences.
Some have the idea that everything evolves including our understanding of hallowed writings. I believe it was Dr. D. James Kennedy who once spoke of the dangers of evolution and the affects it has upon certain texts such as the Bible. If one believes in the theory of evolution then it is not so far-fetched to also believe that our interpretation of sacred writings will evolve as man evolves. This is an argument that has been used by secular progressives in regards to the Constitution of the United States. These individuals argue that the Constitution is an open document and therefore is open to change as society changes. If we are to follow this argument to its completion it is no longer important then to question what the framers of the Constitution actually meant; their thoughts and ideas are no longer applicable to our present society.
When this philosophical belief is applied to the Scriptures, it in essence, changes everything we know about God and His Word. Instead of interpreting a passage in its literal sense based upon a historical and grammatical method one could simply say, “This particular passage has taken on a new meaning because of cultural and societal changes.” Those with neo-orthodox leanings would argue that the “Bible contains truth” not that the “Bible is true.” Herein is where we arrive at two problems for those who follow this type of logic.
One, homosexuality and gay marriage is not a political issue nor is it a new cultural phenomenon. Homosexuality and the issue of gay marriage is a moral issue rooted in the sinful nature of man, and played out in the depravity of man’s behavioral choices. Those who would rail against the writings of Moses in the book of Exodus and the Apostle Paul in Romans with their modern interpretations simply prove my point. Their arguments concerning the “lack of hospitality” and what would be "natural" versus "unnatural" just to name two are not only weak but ludicrous.
Two, if one believes the Bible to be true then the Bible is an extension of God being that it is His testimony to mankind. The Scriptures teach us that God is immutable, meaning He does not change; therefore if God is unchangeable then His Word is also unchangeable. Note the passages below.
The idea that our beliefs “evolve” based upon a changing society is not so hard to fathom. For the lack of a better term I suppose we do “evolve” positionally based upon our obtaining of new knowledge about various subjects. If we were talking about football and defensive schemes run by NFL teams I would tell you that my thinking has “evolved.” I now believe a 3 – 4 defensive alignment is better than the 4 – 3 configuration because of its aggressive nature and flexibility to create problems for NFL offenses. If we’re talking about politics I can tell you my thinking has “evolved” and that is why I am now a conservative independent.
First let me say I am not a proponent of evolution. I personally believe the whole idea of scientific evolution to be false and primarily promoted by those in academia out of fear and hatred toward God. Second, the idea of evolving means that we are somehow progressing from a lesser state to a higher state of thinking, being, or position. Just because I state that my political beliefs or ideas about defenses in the NFL have evolved doesn’t necessarily mean that I have actually “evolved,” the most likely answer is I’ve simply changed my mind based upon personal preferences.
Some have the idea that everything evolves including our understanding of hallowed writings. I believe it was Dr. D. James Kennedy who once spoke of the dangers of evolution and the affects it has upon certain texts such as the Bible. If one believes in the theory of evolution then it is not so far-fetched to also believe that our interpretation of sacred writings will evolve as man evolves. This is an argument that has been used by secular progressives in regards to the Constitution of the United States. These individuals argue that the Constitution is an open document and therefore is open to change as society changes. If we are to follow this argument to its completion it is no longer important then to question what the framers of the Constitution actually meant; their thoughts and ideas are no longer applicable to our present society.
When this philosophical belief is applied to the Scriptures, it in essence, changes everything we know about God and His Word. Instead of interpreting a passage in its literal sense based upon a historical and grammatical method one could simply say, “This particular passage has taken on a new meaning because of cultural and societal changes.” Those with neo-orthodox leanings would argue that the “Bible contains truth” not that the “Bible is true.” Herein is where we arrive at two problems for those who follow this type of logic.
One, homosexuality and gay marriage is not a political issue nor is it a new cultural phenomenon. Homosexuality and the issue of gay marriage is a moral issue rooted in the sinful nature of man, and played out in the depravity of man’s behavioral choices. Those who would rail against the writings of Moses in the book of Exodus and the Apostle Paul in Romans with their modern interpretations simply prove my point. Their arguments concerning the “lack of hospitality” and what would be "natural" versus "unnatural" just to name two are not only weak but ludicrous.
Two, if one believes the Bible to be true then the Bible is an extension of God being that it is His testimony to mankind. The Scriptures teach us that God is immutable, meaning He does not change; therefore if God is unchangeable then His Word is also unchangeable. Note the passages below.
Malachi 3:6 (ESV) “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
Hebrews 13:7-9 (ESV) Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.
The Word of God not only speaks against the practice of homosexuality and all forms of sexual perversion, but clearly reveals that God does not evolve nor do His teachings. So our political leaders, Hollywood stars, leaders in academia, and society as a whole may believe their positions on homosexuality are evolving yet the Scriptures would suggest something else. At best the majority of Americans may simply be changing their minds, but most likely we are de-evolving as a society morally and scripturally. If we in America continue to follow this road of moral degradation it can only end in one way which is with the destruction of our country. I pray you do not believe the myth that we are “too big to fail.”
Note this statement from Dr. D. James Kennedy in his book, “What’s Wrong with Same-Sex Marriage?”
Note this statement from Dr. D. James Kennedy in his book, “What’s Wrong with Same-Sex Marriage?”
Society cannot remain stable when there is no permanency. The greatest sense of belonging has been provided by the traditional family. We know who we are because we belong to a family unit with all persons sharing the same last name. Who are responsible for the children? And who will care for the elderly? … The instability that will overtake us if same-sex marriage is not stopped will affect all areas of society, from schools to jobs to retirement. … Same-sex marriage leads us down a slippery slope. To say that marriage is no longer between one man and one woman opens the door for marriage to mean anything. Some of the proponents for same-sex marriage have already stated outright that their goal is to destroy marriage altogether. Liberal commentator and former co-host of Crossfire Michael Kinsley wrote a guest editorial in the Washington Post in the summer of 2003. Listen to these chilling words from an article entitled “Abolish Marriage: Let’s Really Get the Government Out of Our Bedrooms”: “[The] solution is to end the institution of marriage, or rather, the solution is to end the monopoly on marriage. And yes, if three people want to get married, or one person wants to marry herself and someone else wants to conduct a ceremony and declare them married, let ’em. If you and your government aren't implicated, what do you care? If marriage were an entirely private affair, all the disputes over gay marriages would become irrelevant.”18 Thus says Kinsley and others. They want marriage itself redefined out of existence. And if same-sex marriage is all right, then with what moral authority can we condemn polygamy.[1]
Let us pray again for our country and her leaders. Pray for Christian teachers in public and private schools and that they will have a profound influence upon young minds. Pray for Christian businessmen and women in hopes that they will invest in pro-family businesses and organizations. Pray for our Christian political leaders that they will stand for traditional families in spite of mounting opposition. And pray for our clergy an evangelist that they will have the backbone to boldly proclaim the truth of God’s Word no matter the cost.
May God strengthen you in your daily walk,
Rod
[1] D. James Kennedy, What's Wrong with Same-Sex Marriage, (Wheaton, Illinois Crossway, 2005), 48 – 49
May God strengthen you in your daily walk,
Rod
[1] D. James Kennedy, What's Wrong with Same-Sex Marriage, (Wheaton, Illinois Crossway, 2005), 48 – 49
http://www.frc.org/pressrelease/frc-statement-on-senator-portmans-reversal-on-marriage
http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2013/03/9622/
ARE VOTERS GETTING COLD FEET ON SAME-SEX 'MARRIAGE'?The Washington Post thought it knew where the American people stood on marriage. Just two days ago, news outlets were plastering its poll results of "record" backing for same-sex "marriage" on their websites--only to see the support vanish as quickly as it appeared. Today, the Reuters Corporation released the results of an even bigger poll than the Post's and found that only 41% of Americasupports the case being made by Ted Olson and David Boies at the Supreme Court. In an astonishingly large survey sample, 24,455 people (23,000 more than theWashington Post's survey!), barely four out of 10 Americans thought homosexuals should be allowed to "marry." Those numbers are far and away more consistent with the findings of trustworthy survey houses in the last few months on marriage. It also shows the unreliability of the media's polling. In 48 hours, we've seen a 17-point swing in public opinion on marriage. Of course, as we mentioned yesterday, the Post's questions were specifically structured to generate a more favorable response. When you frame the debate as the Post did--in criminal terms--Americans are far more wary of opposing same-sex "marriage." In the meantime, Reuters' numbers are even more significant when you consider that they come from a news agency with a public interest in redefining marriage. Last month, the Reuters Corp. threw objectivity out the window by signing on to an amicus brief urging the court to embrace same-sex "marriage." If 41% was all the support Reuters could scrounge up for same-sex "marriage," then you know they exhausted every avenue trying to push that number higher--and couldn't. Let me be very clear: we don't arrive at our policy positions because of polls. The point of sharing this is to once again draw attention to the media's efforts to make you feel that same-sex "marriage" is inevitable--and that everyone but YOU thinks it's okay. Trust me, as this latest poll shows, you're far from alone in your support for natural marriage. Encourage your family and friends by sharing this truth with them!
