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Cultural Confusion
Earlier this month, the Pope told his fellow Catholics that the "future of society" was "clearly at stake" from attacks against the family based on traditional marriage.
This past New Year's Eve, he warned that many people, "Especially the young, are attracted by the false exaltation, or, more accurately, the profanation of the body and the trivialisation of sexuality."
Twice in this new year he has spoken to his concern that people are not passing on true Christian values regarding traditional marriage and the family. He said, "Unfortunately, we daily see how unrelenting and threatening are the attacks..."
One such attack is focused toward several of America's largest churches in the coming weeks.
SoulForce, a homosexual activist organization, is sponsoring what they call an "American Family Outing."
You will recall that we reported last year that this same group traveled across the country visiting Christian College campuses.
This year, they are targeting mega-churches and their members, because they want to have "dialogue."
According to their recent press release, they say, "Unfortunately, while this generation's tone may seem less harsh, many of their mega-churches still enforce policies of exclusion and teach theologies that label lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people sick, sinful and in need of change."
They have contacted Rev. Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church in Houston, Bishop T.D. Jakes at The Potter's House in Dallas, Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr. at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland, Bishop Eddie Long at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, Rev. Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, and Dr. Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in California.
The letter to the pastors informs them that over the weekends beginning on Mother's Day and continuing through Father's Day, dozens of families with two mommys and two daddys will travel to their church to engage in dialogue about faith, family and the harm done by religious discrimination.
They say, Jay Bakker, son of Jim and the late Tammy Faye Bakker will be traveling with them on the "outing."
They also report that a recent Barna study, which they quote, says that 80% of evangelical youth feel that Christians show excessive contempt and unloving attitudes toward homosexuals.
The present cultural confusion is based in part on how words such as "contempt" and "love" are defined. And how they have redefined them
Biblical believers cannot and do not condone homosexual acts because the Bible condemns it. However, many, including myself, do not hate people who practice homosexuality. Yet those pastors and Christians who hold to biblical teaching on the subject are most always said to be unloving or bigoted, unless they affirm the lifestyle and chosen behavior and consent to having these practices enshrined into law, thus creating a complete new class of entitlements.
Caleb Price, with Focus on The Family, said when he heard of this, "Soul Force claims to want one thing-- dialogue-- but in reality, what they're trying to do is to disseminate a false doctrine into the Body of Christ".
This objective is not so different from that being used in Washington State. Gay activists have repeatedly said that since they could not get gay marriage through the courts, they have turned their attention, since the State Supreme Court upheld traditional marriage, toward the legislative process. This includes, in their words, "educating" and "familiarizing" both Legislators in the political process and students through public education. Dialogue. When the time is right, they say, gay marriage will be legalized by the legislature, with only a few dissident voices. Those voices will then be characterized as extreme right wing, radical right wing fundamentalist Christians, or simply voices of hatred and bigotry and perhaps ignorance.
This, according to the gay activists, will happen through civil "dialogue."
While they try to identify with Martin Luther King, Jr. (note that his profile is pictured on the SoulForce logo) and the civil rights movement, they are not the same. One is about justice for an ethnic group of people. The other is about affirming a lifestyle and behavior.
Price says, "As with any temptation to disregard God's clear Word on any given matter, this attempt by SoulForce and their allies is a classic example of what we see in Genesis chapter 3, when the serpent tempts Eve by [asking] 'Did God really say---?' ."
An "American Family Outing" is not so much about dialogue as it is about deceit.
It is about re-engineering a culture to affirm a lifestyle and behavior.
Gay activists and a number of your legislators are predicting they will have gay marriage in 2009. After they get Governor Gregoire re-elected in 2008.
It's time to show up. If not now, when?
___________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom
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7 Comments:
"80% of evangelical youth feel that Christians show excessive contempt and unloving attitudes toward homosexuals"
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Gary spends most of the post denying this is true, however, if it walks like duck.....
No gary does not spend most of his time denying anything. He didn't even have to mention the 80% study or Bakkers son. I think he is being honest with the facts. The fact is that gays are not equivelent to blacks and the whole gay thing is based on deceit and misleading the public because they want to do what they do with our approval. gary gets it. Gary, don't grow weary in well doing.
"I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice," she said. "But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'" "I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people," Coretta Scott King (MLK's widow) - Reuters, March 31, 1998.
"Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood," - Coretta Scott King Chicago Defender, April 1, 1998, front page
What of Bayard Rustin, an openly gay man, who was one of Dr. King's closest advisors, organized the March On Washington, stood at Dr King's right shoulder as he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, and who spoke from that very same podium himself?
So the question is, who are we to believe in regards to King's legacy and movement? His widow, and those who were close to him in life? Or the cultural descendants of the very same conservative fundamentalist and evangelical forces, who fought tooth and nail against Dr. King and his goals? The same people, who try and narrow Dr. King's vision of freedom and justice to merely "justice for an ethnic group of people".
Jeff in Bellevue
My brothers, don't think of the church visits as an invasion, think of it as an opportunity for these poor misguided souls to be touched by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. If Christ truly is in charge of a church, there are only two possible results from this. One result is that the false families of homosexuals and lesbians will be driven back in terror by the very presence of God in the churches. The other is that they will be driven to repentance by the very weight of the conviction from God's presence, and be saved. In either case that will not be a win for them, but a win for God.
My concern is whether the mega-churches are really operating under Christ's leadership, rather than a commercialized program that has grown through gimmicks instead of through God. I can tell you with certainty that if the homosexuals and lesbians attempt such a thing at my church, it is they who will be changed, not us.
I urge you brothers to pray for the mega-churches, that God's presence will move among them, because the homosexual agenda cannot stand up to the presence of God.
James :)
I morn for Christians who have fallen to the belief that what the Bible has called sin is not sin. We are to love others as Christ has loved us, this is the truth spoken in the Bilbe. The other part of that truth is when a professing believer lives in sin we are to come together and bring it to his or her attention. When that brother or sister refuses to correct the situation we are to ask that person to leave our community. There is no hate involved, they will be welcomed with open arms if they would turn from their sin. The lifestyle those in the homosexual community is not equivalent to the racism REV. King opposed. We can refuse to accept behavior we do not agree with without hate or bigotry which we do in not accepting the lifestyle of the homosexual community.
Amen to the last two comments! It is time for those called by the name of Christ, to be Christ in the flesh. Love the sinner, but stand firm as He did when He said, "Go and sin no more." He loves us all and gives us all a chance. We can choose to live in sin, or give our struggles to Him and let Him shoulder the burden of making us new creatures. If you have tendencies to be a drunk or drug addict, run from those things. If your sexuality gets you into trouble (including adultery, porn, homosexuality, etc.) run from those things or people that tempt you. God will not allow us to be tempted in any way that He will not provide a way out. He gives us a choice. We choose. We get what we deserve. He is a loving, righteous, holy God, and though we don't like to think of the judgemental side, He will judge ALL of us. It's not up to us to do the judging... just the loving and guiding as His Holy Spirit and Word leads.
However, I don't find this to be our call - the overt, almost rabid attack on homosexuals. Jesus did not do so - rather He attacked those religious hypocrites who were the leaders of the Jewish religion.
Greg
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