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Chick-Fil-A and Sexuality

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Identity, Sexy or holy?, tagged , , , , on July 27, 2012| 3 Comments »

I’d like to encourage you to help break the “spiral of silence.”  In the face of conflict or potential persecution, Christians too often say nothing.  Do nothing.  We don’t want to be labeled “judgmental” or “intolerant.”  But, our silence compromises the living Word Jesus Christ.  It would appear that we fear displeasing man more than we do God.

I propose that we are silent about homosexuality and same-sex “marriage” because we Christians have been influenced by the world.  We see ourselves the way the world sees us.  We let the world define us.  Then, we fall into silence.  The world tells us that we are “sexual beings.”  “Sexual from birth.”  If that is true, then those who are intimidating and bullying Chick-fil-A right now for taking a stand on the Biblical definition of marriage have sound reason to be angry.  If we are — first and foremost — sexual beings, then any kind of sexual needs, behaviors, or relationships should be not only justified, but legal.  If our identity is “sexual,” then it should come as no surprise that Chick-fil-A — or a church body or an individual — will be labeled “intolerant,” “bigoted” and “homophobic.”  Who, after all, would dare discriminate against the very core of a human being?

But, you see, sexuality is not our core.  It is not our identity.  It is not “who we are.”  And, until we Christians identify ourselves as God does, we will be hard-pressed to deal with issues such as sex education, homosexual rights, same-sex “marriage,” and adoption of children by gay couples.

Let what I’ve written here be the preface to Eric Metxas’ article published in Breakpoint (July 27, 2012).  The article is titled “A Price to Pay.”  There is a “price to pay” for taking a stand on our identity as God’s holy possessions — vessels for honorable use — called out of darkness into light .  Please read it as re-printed below.

Then, join with Eric, the late Chuck Colson, Biblical thinkers across the country, and me in helping to break the spiral of silence.

“A Price to Pay” by Eric Metaxas

If you’re even a semi-regular BreakPoint listener, you’ve no doubt heard Chuck Colson — and me — talk about “breaking the spiral of silence.”

We’ve warned about the dangers of remaining silent on critical issues even when our opinions are unpopular or counter-cultural — probably especially when they’re unpopular and counter-cultural.  Even when it appears that the argument is “settled,” that the public has “moved on,” and we’d better “get with the program.”

And we’ve pointed out that, sometimes, breaking the spiral of silence can come with a price.

Well, as you know by now, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press recently that his family-owned company “operates on biblical principles” and therefore “supports the traditional family.”

He spoke out, and now he and Chick-fil-A are paying the price. Certain voices in the media and government are lashing out — and seeking, basically, to intimidate and bully Chick-fil-A, and anyone who shares their views, back into silence.

For example, an Alderman in Chicago is seeking to block Chick-fil-A from opening an already planned restaurant in the city. He has declared that Chick-fil-A’s position is “bigoted” and “homophobic” and that the company discriminates against homosexuals, which is just a crazy, baseless charge.

The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Immanuel, however, is backing the Alderman, and he told CBS Chicago, “Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values . . . And if you’re going to be a part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values.”

Really? So, all you Chicago churches and mosques and synagogues that do not share the mayor’s interpretation of “Chicago values” had better pack up and leave town.

The bottom line is that if you dare say you believe that marriage is between a man and a woman only, you run the real risk of being called a “homophobe,” a “bigot,” and a “hatemonger.” If you own a business and take such a stand, you may be targeted.

But my question to you now — and to myself — is: So what?

Do we or do we not have the courage of our convictions to defend marriage, to defend free speech, to defend freedom of religion? Do our freedoms, does our faith, matter to us more than the opinion of some others? Will we allow our reputations and our profits to suffer before we will allow our freedoms to erode?

Chuck warned us long ago that a free society can remain free only so long as dissent is tolerated, only so long as opinions and ideas can be debated freely in the public square.

Which is why, as Chuck would have said, the proponents of so-called gay “marriage” and sexual “freedom” are sawing off the branch they’re sitting on. By doing all they can to deny those who disagree with them access to the public square, by their intimidation tactics, and by their — sad to say, intolerance — they are helping to make this country, this society less free. And that hurts everybody.

Folks, we have no choice but to speak out. Not to lash out, but to speak out, winsomely but firmly. We must break the spiral of silence.

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No Honky-Tonk Angels

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Commentaries of others, Identity, Sexy or holy?, tagged , , , , , on July 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Let me detour from my “series” on sex education and its effect on the sexualization of our culture to share an excellent post from Russell Moore.

Moore explains that the “queen of country  music,” legend Kitty Wells, departed this life last week at the age of 92.   Commentators hailed her as a feminist icon.  The Atlantic magazine eulogized her as a forerunner of Britney Spears.  “Well,” writes blogger Moore, “I suppose it depends on what you mean by ‘feminist.'”

A friend, knowing of my respect for Biblical manhood and womanhood, sent me the July 18 post of Moore to the Point.  In “The Complementarian Vision of Kitty Wells,” Moore observes that “Wells was no Betty Friedan or Gloria Steinem . .  . Kitty Wells is hardly the musical godmother of Britney Spears or the hyper-sexualized singers of the past generation.  She was just the opposite.  She . . . wanted human dignity, and a man who was worthy of the name . . .”

I encourage you to read Moore to the Point.

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Avoid Strange Bedfellows

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Sexy or holy?, tagged , , , , , , on July 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“It’s hard to imagine two stranger organizational bedfellows,” writes Marvin Olasky, Editor in Chief of WORLD magazine (WORLD exclusive, July 14, 2012).  Olasky is referring to the partnership between the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.  The partnership is not only “strange” but unnatural because it attempts to blend two opposing worldviews.

Founded in 1942, the NAE is a pro-life, Christian organization of more than 40 denominations whose motto is: “Cooperation Without Compromise.”  The Campaign, founded in 1996, is a secular organization devoted to promoting contraceptive use by the unmarried.  “The National Campaign is zealous,” writes Olasky.  “When conservatives this year tried to reduce funding for Planned Parenthood and similar groups, the lead story on the Campaign’s newsletter began, ‘The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to increase teen and unplanned pregnancy.’”

Before Olasky’s article entitled “Strange Bedfellows” was published, I was aware that he was investigating a multi-year $1 million grant given by the Campaign to the NAE in 2008.  The Campaign itself, notes Olasky, has received grants from abortion advocates and contraception pushers.  For more details, I encourage you to read Olasky’s articles in WORLD (7-14-12, pp. 9-11, 88).

So, what’s going on here?  Why would pro-life Christians accept help from people who seek to promote contraceptive use by unmarried people?  Who advocate abortion?  I think it is because Christians have been deceived.  We have been deceived by one question: “Did God really say . . . ?”  (Do you hear that hissing sound?)  Did God really say that male and female are set apart for holy purpose?  That sex is not just something two people are going to participate in – married or not – because they can’t help it?

Once deceived, we believe the lie.  What is the lie?  That we are “sexual from birth.”

Olasky’s article exposes a problem.  Something goes awry whenever Christians accept help from those with an opposing worldview.  We become “strange bedfellows” with non-believing neighbors in the land whenever we “evolve” away from God’s Word.  In this case, the NAE is doing the very thing it says it will not do.  It is compromising Biblical faith in the area of sexuality, I think, for two reasons.

It appears that the NAE has determined for itself what is right and wrong.  It has aligned itself with false teachers.  When approached in the Garden by the serpent, a flattered Eve not only spoke for God, she added words of her own to His.  Putting ourselves in God’s place is dangerous.

Secondly, it appears that the NAE, having been deceived, now thinks itself wise.  Wisdom, however, does not come from the world, but through fear of God.  False wisdom believes the lie that we are “sexual from birth.”   Clinging to such “wisdom,” sexual promiscuity – with all of its consequences – increases.  Since we can’t help being the “sexual” beings we are, we’ll just have to rely on the corner drug store.  Deception leads us to rationalize.  Tempted to think that unmarried people will naturally exercise their sexuality, Christians are deceived into justifying provision for the “lesser of two evils.”  NAE President Leith Anderson responded to Olasky, saying, “The Church is understandably reluctant to recommend contraception for unmarried sexual partners, given that it cannot condone extramarital sex.  However, it is even more tragic when unmarried individuals compound one sin by conceiving and then destroying the precious gift of life.”  Many of us may agree with Anderson.

Are we trapped between a rock and a hard place?  What can we do?  I propose that we stop listening to false teachers.  We are not, first and foremost, sexual beings.  We are human beings called to live out our lives as male or female.  Although fallen from God’s perfect image, we are still created with His attributes, not the attributes of animals.  This is what our children need to hear.

The Christian community will better serve a modern culture by remembering how revolutionary we really are.  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” by His will, not through sexual behavior.  This was a radical worldview for all the neighbors of the Israelites.  This is still a radical worldview in today’s society.  Historically, the Judeo-Christian view of human life, marriage, and procreative sex was a revolutionary idea that de-sexualized God and religion.  “I Am” stood in contrast to “gods” who engaged in sex with other gods and humans.  Judeo-Christianity introduced the concept of holiness.  It contrasted a life of purity with a life captive to sensuality.   It sanctified the procreative act of sex and connected men to wives, home and generational faithfulness.  “The sexual genie,” writes Dennis Prager, “was forced into the marital bottle.”

God’s own people have always been given opportunity to affect the culture.  But, considering ourselves wiser than God, we become foolish.  Foolish into captivity.  The Israelites were captive in Babylon for so long that generations forgot the Truth and became comfortable with their environment.  When the Israelites were told they could return to their homeland where they could rebuild Jerusalem, very few wanted to go back to “old ways.”  I fear we, too, have grown comfortable with our environment.  Deceived, we believe the lie… and cling to wrong identity

How many times have we told that we are “sexual” beings?  When does God define us that way?   He doesn’t.  Instead, God sets us apart as a people all His own.  We struggle with the “old man” in us, but our Baptism in Christ makes us new every morning. We are not bound by passions of ignorance, but called to reflect our Creator.  God is holy (not sexy) (1 Peter 1:14-16).  We are “His own possession” equipped to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you” (1 Peter 2:9).  We are strengthened to “abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against our souls” here on earth (2:11).  God warns us away from sensuality, but never does God tell His people to stop living their lives as male and female.

We want to make abortion unthinkable.  But, abortion – and new definitions of marriage and family — will always be thinkable for people who see themselves as “sexual from birth.”  Such deception brings us dangerously close to idolatry.  Exchanging the Truth for a lie, we worship the creature rather than the Creator.  At that moment, we are vulnerable to Satan, the world, and our own sensual flesh.

Sex does not have to dominate society.  God-ordained institutions of marriage and family can build a vibrant civilization.  The innocence of children can be guarded.  Men and women can complement one another.  It begins with fear of God rather than trust in fickle hearts and weak flesh.  Even in marriage, husbands and wives are called to more than a sexual relationship, but a partnership as good stewards over all that God has entrusted to them and a life that anticipates Jesus’ return.  Anticipating Jesus, men and women – married or not — do best to see themselves as God sees them.  To be distinctively different from the world.  To be vessels for honorable use.

Our purpose in this world flows from our identity as God’s holy people.  So, let us avoid “strange bedfellows” and affect the culture with true wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:5).

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President Dares to Redefine Marriage

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Faith & Practice, Identity, Life issues, Parenting & Education, Relationships, tagged , , , , on May 12, 2012| 2 Comments »

Sometimes, I am teased about the intensity of my life.  Or the issues upon which I focus.  Well, my eyes cannot help but see a battle between good and evil.  In my vocation of helper — as a wife, mom, grandma, friend and neighbor, I should be alert to what is happening in the culture around me so that I can speak up.  Warn.  Shine light in darkness.

On May 9, President Obama thumbed his nose at God and publicly endorsed same-sex “marriage.”  Will those who have been slumbering now wake up?  Here’s what Doug Phillips, President of Vision Forum Ministries, has to say:

“For two decades, the frog has been in the pot while the temperature has been slowly turned up.  On May 9, it was finally cooked and served to the American people in a sauce so thick as to cover the rancid flavor of the dish.

“The process began with the Bush presidencies and their toleration for homosexuality.  It was advanced in full by the Clinton Administration.  It has now reached its logical zenith under Obama.  So we should not be surprised by the official announcement that the President of the United States of America has finally declared to the world his opposition to the historical, common law and biblical meaning of marriage.  President Obama may be remembered for many things, but few are as fundamental in its treason to his countrymen, to his oath of office and to the living God, then his decision to use the presidency to redefine a definition of marriage that was established on Day Six of Creation and has been the benchmark of civilization for 6,000 years.”

Phillips rightly notes that on May 9, 2012, the President of the United States of America crossed a line.   He rightly claims there is “no return without repudiation and repentance.  Terrorists are dangerous.  The economy is a real and present danger.”  But, “just as the holocaust of the unborn imperils the safety of this nation, so does the leader of the Western world” who dares to raise his fist at the Heavens.  In opposing the Creator of marriage, this president places generations in jeopardy.  “Marriage,” Phillips writes, “is the bedrock institution of society ordained of God and meant to be protected by the state.”  But, this president has endorsed the perverted and dangerous practice of Sodom and Gommorah.  It is a perversion which cannot grow civilization.  It is a perversion that cannot exist on its own.  Two men or two women may desire to “marry” and be parents, but they must depend upon the procreative act of others.

President Obama came into office saying he wanted to transform America.  Should we be so surprised that that is indeed what he is trying to do?  Should we be surprised that he is carrying out the wishes of those who fill his re-election coffers?  God is not surprised.  He has allowed kings and rulers throughout history who were enamored with themselves and careless with human life.  At such times, God called His people to contrast good with evil, light with dark, despair with hope.

President Obama will be remembered by historians.  I would think, however, that he would rather be remembered for uniting rather than dividing; for building rather than tearing down, for bringing order rather than creating chaos.  Tampering with marriage — created and defined by God — will weaken our nation.  Make us vulnerable to enemies.  Place children at risk.

In the midst of chaos, there is always Jesus Christ.  Jesus is God; therefore, He is the creator of marriage.  Changing His definition of marriage to tickle someone’s fancy goes against His very being.  His very Word.   We can assure friends and family that Jesus is serious about marriage.

So serious that He calls Himself the Bridegroom for His Bride, the Church.

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In the Eye of the Storm

Posted in Faith & Practice, Life issues, Relationships, tagged , , , , on March 8, 2012| 3 Comments »

On March 2, my husband and I flew from Phoenix to Chicago.  There, we awaited the only flight being allowed into Cincinnati that afternoon.  A wicked storm system was building and air traffic was in turmoil.  Two of the three flights to Cincinnati were canceled.  There were rumors that a half hour window of good weather would allow our plane to make its way to our destination. 

Of course, we were anxious.  We didn’t want to be stranded at O’Hare.  We wanted to safely travel to northern Kentucky to be with our younger son and daughter-in-law for the baptism of their second child, our first granddaughter.  Joining us would be our oldest son, daughter-in-law, and three grandsons.  Our granddaughter’s other grandparents and great-grandfather would be gathering with us.  Oh, to greet newborn Kate and witness her becoming a new person in Christ.  Little did we know that we would all be gathering in the eye of the storm

Our sure and steady pilot did, indeed, find a “hole” in the gathering storm clouds.  We landed, disembarked, and within fifteen minutes heard sirens.  Someone said the airport was being evacuated.  Security guards told us to move away from the windows and take cover.  A tornado had been sighted.  No one knew what to do.  Where was a vulnerable person supposed to find shelter in a massive, glass-encased building?  I remember feeling no fear.  Perhaps it was foolish, but my husband and I decided to do the best we could and proceed with our original plan.  We went outside and hailed the shuttle bus to the car rental site.  The driver was calm.  Yes, he was listening to radio reports and storm warnings; nevertheless, he, too, proceeded forward.  There were no other travelers standing in line to rent a car but us.  The woman behind the counter kept glancing out the window, yet continued filling out papers, saying, “Let me get you on your way.  Here.  For no additional charge, take the bigger car parked out front.  It will be safer in the wind.” 

Once in the car, my husband and I navigated away from the airport and to our hotel.  There was only one moment when the uncertainty seemed to elevate emotions.  The moment passed and we found ourselves approaching the hotel just as the sun appeared from behind dissapating clouds.  Our uncertainty and concern had not been only for ourselves.  Kate, her parents, and her big brother, Max, were also in the eye of the storm.  Our son stood watch at the window, ready to lead his family to the basement if necessary.  Our oldest son and daughter-in-law with their three sons were due in Louisville within an hour or so of us.  Later, we learned that some of the greatest destruction was a few miles north of Louisville.  But, our family was spared.

Which of us knows when or where we will be in the eye of the storm?  Each day of life can bring with it uncertainties.  Difficulties.  Disappointments.  The need to adjust plans.  Make quick decisions.  Face fearful situations head on.  There can be a calm in the eye of the storm.  Life experiences have proven to me that while I may move away from God, He never moves away from me.  He often shows Himself most clearly when everything around me is swirling and supposedly out of control.

I thank my Heavenly Father for safely bringing baby Kate’s family to gather at her baptismal font.  In the challenges of her life, may Jesus Christ be her Rock.  Confidence.  Peace that passes all understanding.  May the Holy Spirit who has begun a good work in her give her wisdom and courage in the face of fear. 

Or in the eye of the storm.

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Dear Planned Parenthood

Posted in Culture Shifts, Life issues, Parenting & Education, tagged , , , , , on February 15, 2012| 2 Comments »

Dear Planned Parenthood,

You say you care about women’s health.  That being the case, do you educate girls and young women about their sensitive ecosystem?  Do you tell them that their bodies, quite different from men’s, are more at risk for infections?  Do you explain that the cervix, for example, is an area of the female body that more easily allows bacteria and viruses to grow?  That being on the birth control pill may actually increase the risk of infection?  (Dr. Miriam Grossmen, Unprotected, p. 27)

You say you have the best interests of young women at heart.  So, how do you protect them from themselves?  “An adolescent is like a fully mature car that’s turbo-charged, but its driver is unskilled, and his navigational abilities are not yet fully in place.” (Dr. Ronald Dahl, quoted in You’re Teaching My Child What? by Miriam Grossman, M.D., p. 75)  You insist on providing teens with all information so that they can make informed decisions, but how can you produce a sexually responsible girl if her wiring isn’t finished?  Circuits aren’t complete?  If the “feeling” part of her brain is functioning, but the “thinking” part of her brain is not yet fully developed?

You say you want to help women make informed decisions.  Then why do you resist showing expectant moms a sonogram of their baby?  Why, if there is any possible link at all between abortion and breast cancer, don’t you mention this?  What do you say about the risk of cervical cancer that can be caused by the human papilloma virus possibly passed on during the act of sex?

You say you want to prevent abortions.  Once again: Why do you resist showing expectant moms a sonogram of their baby?  Why do you insist on telemed abortions which are not only unsafe for the women and kill more babies, but increase your annual revenue?  According to your own 2009-10 annual report, PP performed more than 329,000 abortions.  Conservatively estimating that each abortion is $450, abortion services brought in $148 million of PP’s overall $320 million in clinic revenue, representing 46% of your budget.  Why do you insist that each of your affiliates must have at least one clinic offering abortion services by 2013?  Why do you have “abortion quotas” that your clinics are to reach every month?   

You say you want to provide services for poor women of every ethnicity.  What kind of services?  78% of PP clinics are set up in minority communities.  African-Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population, but 35% of U.S. abortions.  PP founder Margaret Sanger created the Negro Project designed to sterilize unknowing black women and others she deemed “undesirable.”  Sanger said, “Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated.”  (Source: Black Genocide) 

You say you want to help this country help its families.  Does single parenthood ever bother you?  Why do you force your way into schools with your “services” and clinics but resist parental consent for minors?  How do you build generational relationships between sons or daughters and their moms and dads?

You call yourself “Planned Parenthood.”  Why don’t you just admit that you’re not very fond of parenthood at all.  In fact, looking at your TeenWire web site (X-rated), I see that you encourage the practice of homosexuality as a way to avoid parenthood altogether. 

You insist that the U.S. government force religious  institutions to pay for insurance plans offering “free” contraception, abortion-causing drugs, and sterilization.  You say that churches have no right to deprive women of access to free “birth control.”  But, have you ever stopped to consider the ethics of The Pill, abortion pills (RU-486 or mifepristone, the “morning after pill,” or telemed/pill-in-a-drawer), and sterilizations on ethical or medical grounds?  Fact is, you and people from all walks of life — pastors, physicians, psychologists, and social workers — have agreed  that The Pill has been responsible for massive social changes which have crippled the economy; increased promiscuity, STDs, and teen pregnancies; decreased marriage rates; and lowered birth rates to barely replaceable levels.

You say you exist simply to offer a choice.  Then why do you resort to “gangster tactics” when that choice is questioned and funds are stopped? (Sheila Liaugminas in Mercatornet)

In what way, Planned Parenthood, are you helping to build a vibrant and hopeful civilization?

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What a Young Woman Ought to Know

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Life issues, Parenting & Education, Sexy or holy?, tagged , , , , , , , on October 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Tonight, as I prepare for a Titus 2 Retreat, I read from my grandmother’s book, What A Young Woman Ought to Know.  The book, by Mary Wood-Allen, M.D., is but one in her Purity and Truth series authored in 1898.  If anyone wants to say to me: Hmm.  That’s quite dated, isn’t it?  I will respond: Truth is never dated.

Dr. Wood-Allen writes:

We seldom think of the fact that upon sex depend all the sweet ties of home and family.  It is because of sex that we are fathers, mothers, and children; that we have the dear family life, with its anniversaries of weddings and birthdays.  It is through sex that the ‘desolate of the earth are set in families,’ and love and generosity have sway instead of selfishness.  For this reason we ought to regard sex with reverent thought, to hold it sacred to the highest purposes, to speak of it ever with purest delicacy, and never with jesting  . . .  .”

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What Is the Price of One Life?

Posted in Faith & Practice, Life issues, Relationships, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 19, 2011| 2 Comments »

My friend, Rita, is sitting at the bedside of her mother.  It has been Rita’s great joy and blessing to have Gladys as her mom.  Now, as mother battles life-threatening infection, daughter wants to serve as she’s been served.  She is doing that by faithfully remaining at her mom’s side… reading to her, praying with her, and re-counting treasured memories.

It is at such times, however, that even the most faithful believers ask, “God, where are You?  Why do you allow our loved one to endure this?”  Gladys has lived a full and good life.  “She has been faithful, Lord.  Isn’t her work done?  Dear Jesus, why don’t You just take her home with you?”

Our family asked similar questions not long ago when my father-in-law battled bacterial brain infection.  We were given opportunity to hang on to and put into practice every pro-life conviction on which we stand.  For years, I had been speaking to others about the value of one life — the life in the womb and the life in a hospital bed.  So, I had to ask myself, what value was I going to put on the life of my husband’s father?  After all, he was 80 years old.  (Gladys is 91.)  His life was blessed.  Full.  Active.  He knew Jesus as His Savior and I knew my father-in-law, Max, would be taken to heaven when he died.  I knew I would forever appreciate the wisdom he had shared and the lessons he had taught.

I remember days and nights when Max, almost catatonic, could only thrash fitfully in bed.  I remember spoon-feeding him and begging him to swallow before a feeding tube was inserted.  Without really meaning to, Max pulled it out three times.  Three antibiotics were flowing into his bloodstream by IV.  No one knew for sure what the side-effects of those toxic chemicals might be.  So, when the brain surgeon said there was no more she could do, and the infectious disease team told us the odds of beating this infection were not good, and the social worker encouraged us to “take your dad home to hospice,” we could have said, “It has been a good fight.  We did all we could.”

But, God wasn’t through with Max — and He wasn’t through with me or my family either.  There were so many more lessons yet to be taught and learned.  From a bed not of his choosing, Max challenged his family to make words real in deed.  Not by accident he became my teacher, model, and witness.  My journal is filled with lessons taught by a man who was ready to meet Jesus; yet so desperately clung to the life he loved.  Here are a few of those lessons:

SERVICE: How can we make a difference when we are helpless?  Max had always been a hard worker.  His hands tilled the soil and planted the seed.  But God does not need our hands or anything else we have to offer.  His work is accomplished in spite of us.  God said to Max Bartlett, “My power is made perfect in your weakness.”  This power was witnessed by family, friends, and the medical community.

DETERMINATION: Although we were willing to let Max be with Jesus, we weren’t ready to give up.  Nor was a man named Ravi Vemuri, a physician who seemed to have developed a personal interest in Max and his ever-present family.  Dr. Vemuri, a practicing Hindu, loved life too, and he had one more antibiotic to try.  In addition, perhaps moved by our involvement, he granted our request to compliment his chemical approach with nutritional supplements.  The determination of doctor, family, and the patient Max was not lost on those who watched.

CONTROL: Desiring some kind of control, I wanted to work with a plan.  On the days when we nearly lost Max, I planned for death.  On the days when he rallied, I planned for life.  But, through Max Bartlett, God showed me that He has a plan not like my own.  He asked me only to trust.

INCONVENIENCE: If asked how I would handle sometimes 15-hour days in a hospital room and shared sleeping quarters with assorted family members, I’m not sure how I would have responded.  But God did not ask me how I felt about such things.  Through Max, He simply asked me to be faithful.

SELF: During my first long stay at the hospital, my thoughts turned to self.  Does anyone appreciate what I am doing or realize what I’m giving up?  In a private moment I will never forget, God used the patient, Max, to help the caregiver, Linda, adjust her attitude.

WORSHIP: One evening, alone with my father-in-law, I asked, “Sometimes, when you appear to be sleeping, you are really talking to God, aren’t you Max?”  Squeezing my hand even tighter, he simply said, “Yes, you know, don’t you?”  What soul work was being done.  A frightening brush with death brought a humble man of God named Max Bartlett into an even closer relationship with His Heavenly Father.

So, what is the price of one life?  Is it the price of helplessness or suffering?  Is it the price of sleepless nights and frightening days?  Is it the price of inconvenience?

The price of one life is what God puts on it.  He planned that life.  He knit that life together in the secret place of a mother’s womb.  He promised to be with that life whether dependent on bottle-feeding or tube feeding.  He loves that life.  The greatness of that love is evidenced by the Cross on which His own dear Son, Jesus Christ, was sacrificed for one life — yours, mine, a preborn child, Max, and Gladys.

God wants us to love one life, too.  He wants us to protect one life and speak up for one life.  Early in my pro-life ministry days, I predicted that the generation that ushered in abortion would be ushered out by euthanasia.  This culture has been shaped to value human life only if it is wanted.  Convenient.  Not a threat to our own.  But, the value God places on the life He creates and redeems is priceless.  God wants us to be an advocate for each life.  To leave ourselves open and willing to learn every lesson taught by the “least of these.”  To trust.

If God gives us one life to love, He will also give us what we need — for as long as we need it — to care for that life.

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Worldview in the White House

Posted in Citizenship, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, tagged , , , , , , , on August 12, 2011| 2 Comments »

What you are about to read is not this ezerwoman’s attempt to campaign.  It is, however, an opportunity to point out personal convictions.  Ideologies.  Worldviews… and why they matter.

Rick Santorum is the former senator from Pennsylvania.  He is the father of seven and, together with his wife, homeschools his children.  I have the Santorum book, It Takes a Family, in my library.  Santorum understands the roles of family and government in light of a particular worldview.  That worldview puts him at odds with the media and many other politicians.  But, it also compels him to run for high office in spite of the odds.

Many will not consider Santorum electable; nevertheless, he needs to be heard.  Here’s what I heard him say at a recent townhall meeting:

We have an out-of-control entitlement program.  Santorum believes “Obamacare” will rob the U.S. of its soul.   Freedoms are removed when citizens become dependent on government.  Citizens are not to be “hooked” and then made captive.  Santorum believes that The Constitution without the Bill of Rights is a hollow document.  We are not granted happiness — or the right to instant gratification; we are gifted with the pursuit of happiness.  (See my previous blog.)

We are Americans not ethnically, says Santorum, but because we believe in the ideology of America.  Students of history remember John Adams who said democracy can stand only if the people are moral.  Parents, not government, are responsible for children and our education system needs to see parents as the customer.  Leadership needs to urge parental involvement and accountability.  Character development, perhaps even more than academic, is necessary.  A person of character, notes Santorum, can be mentored into leadership.

Santorum does not waiver on the sanctity of life and marriage.  God is the creator of life.  He is the creator and, thus, definer of marriage.  Marriage existed before government.  Santorum believes that God reveals Himself in nature and in us.  He is not distant.  Marriage is what it is, what God created it to be and what natural law confirms it to be.  To treat marriage other than what it is, says Santorum, will have a huge impact beyond marriage; it will have an impact on freedom of religion.  We have now created a right, he says, a “super right” to sexual freedom that isn’t in the Constitution — but the courts have created it and it will, let me assure you, with future court decisions, trump religious rights.  So, if you are a marriage counselor in Iowa you have to get a license and you won’t counsel for same sex couples; well, maybe right now there are laws in place that say you won’t lose your license, but that’s just for now.  Once this becomes more accepted then we will say: You know what?  We really shouldn’t give bigots licenses.   Look at what’s already happened in Boston . . . the Catholic Church, the biggest adoption agency in the state of Massachusetts, was told gay adoptions are legal and, therefore, if you don’t do gay adoptions, you can’t be legal.  The Church got out voluntarily, but they didn’t want to . . . And, what if your church says “no” to doing a same-sex “marriage”?

The above is offered simply for your personal pondering because I believe worldviews matter.  There is a hopeless and generationally-damaging worldview in the White House right now.  Therefore, in my role of citizen, I am obligated to carefully study the people who seek leadership.  I am doing that — right now.

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Baby Jesus Has Two Mommies?

Posted in Biblical manhood & womanhood, Culture Shifts, Faith & Practice, Parenting & Education, Relationships, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A group of judges took it upon themselves to re-define marriage in Iowa.  Within the year, a new definition was given to the Holy Family in my neighboring town of Cedar Falls, IA.,  when two women posed with Baby Jesus in their congregation’s “living” Nativity.

We used “the youngest baby in the congregation to play the role of Jesus,” said Rev. Linda Butler, pastor of St. Timothy’s United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls.  “The parents just happened to be two women.”

“What we emphasized was that this was two parents,” she said, “and this is our baby and this is our story.”  Butler continued, “It does fit so well biblically,” noting that Jesus had a human mother, but Joseph was not the Savior’s actual father.  “If He was born of a virgin, then Joseph is not the father.  He’s not part of the conception.”

In an interview with WND (WorldNetDaily), Butler explained that her church welcomes all sexual orientations and gender identities.  In his article for WND, Joe Kovacs quoted from Butler’s sermon of December 26:

“In the midst of this Christmas joy,” she said from the pulpit, “when God appears to us in human form, the gospel reading reminds us . . . we have to shout at church actions . . . that do not affirm God’s holy work among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  We have to shout [that] the government shifts money away from the prevention of AIDS and HIV to abstinence-only policies . . . We have to increase our efforts to strengthen LGBT youth who come out, and are thrown out of their families so depression and suicide do not become their modus operandi.  We have to advocate against local schools . . . that have attempted to eliminate books on multi-dimensional families from curricula and libraries.”

Kittredge Cherry, who calls herself a lesbian Christian author and minister from Los Angeles, promotes her own style of “gay” Nativities on YouTube.  “What if the child of God was born to a lesbian couple or a gay couple?  Because, after all, love makes a family.”  Cherry admitted, “Obviously this is not about historical accuracy, but I believe that [it is] true to the spirit of the Christmas story in the Bible: God’s child conceived in an extraordinary way and born into disreputable circumstances.  Love makes a family . . . including the Holy Family.”

God’s Word, the Bible, never once describes or mentions same-sex “marriage.”  The opposite is true.  The Old Testament, rich with the history of civilization, records warnings against homosexuality, calling it an “abomination” and a “sin.”  God’s Word in the New Testament is consistent.  Romans 1:26-27 explains that the “unnatural relations” and “shameless acts” of sodomy bring dire consequences.

Ms. Butler doesn’t want depression and suicide to become the modus operandi of young people.  Nor do I.  But, for that not to happen, two things must take place.

First, we have to expose the modus operandi of those who deceive young people.  GLSEN and other LGBT advocates work feverishly to mentor girls and boys because, as Dan Savage (founder of the “It Gets Better” anti-bullying campaign) writes, “. . . Gay activists want educators to teach future generations of children to accept queer sexuality” because “our future depends on it.” (Salon magazine)  Daniel Villarreal is just as candid as Savage in his article that appeared in the homosexual blog Queerty in May.  He wrote,  “I and a lot of other people want to indoctrinate, recruit, teach and expose children to queer sexuality.”  So who, Ms. Butler, is putting young people at risk for depression and suicide?  And, for what reasons?

Second, God loves all of His creation.  Each one is precious in His sight.  In a fallen and sinful world, however, we struggle against our own passions.  We desire to do the things we shouldn’t and fail to do the things we should.  But, once again, God’s love appears for our benefit.  In Jesus Christ, we have an advocate before the Father.  In Jesus, we find strength to leave dangerous ways behind and, with the help of caring parents and community, move patiently forward on a safer and more hopeful journey.  God is not cruel.  He does not create people to be homosexual or lesbian and then laugh because they don’t “fit.”  Can’t procreate.  Are at higher risk for anal cancer and HIV/AIDS.  No!  God wants all of us — those tempted by homosexual or heterosexual sins — to practice self-control.  Turn away from the cliff of despair and toward new beginnings.  Leave old ways behind and shed burdens at the foot of the Cross.

Ms. Butler, we prevent HIV/AIDS by helping people abstain from sex apart from real marriage.  We show compassion not by tolerating harmful behavior and calling it “good,” but by involving ourselves in the lives of young people and leading them away from deception, predators and profiteers.  Young people rarely ask to be restrained.  But, responsible adults do it anyway – for the sake of the boy or girl.  As a Methodist in your position, Ms. Butler, you serve your people best with God’s Word rather than improvised words of your own.

And, Ms. Cherry, contrary to what you may think, love doesn’t make a family.  God makes a family.  He uses the love of a man for his wife in the procreational act of sex to bring new life into the world.  That is a family.  In His Book, it always has been.  Always will be.

My appreciation to Joe Kovacs and WND, 8-5-11

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