This is just a brief note about the Supreme’s latest on the same sex mirage issue. I don’t want to say very much before all the legal ramifications are clear (they appear to be mixed), but at the very least, the force of Scalia’s dissent should indicate that we are still in the hand basket, we continue to bounce along merrily, and that eerie glow on the horizon grows ever brighter. Must be the dawn of a new day.
Have 'Em Delivered
Write to the Editor
How does the Homosexual victories coincide with Postmillennial eschatology? Seems like things are moving away from Christianity. Is this just a bad period in the war?
Brian,
If you are only focusing on Western nations, then yes, it may seem a dramatic setback. But you only have to look in other places to see the gospel spreading like wildfire. South America, Africa, and China being some prime examples.
America != the Eschatological Christian Hope
You never know. In the next 50 years, we might be getting missionaries from Uganda coming over to help convert the heathens.
This kind of stuff isn’t really so bad for us. The aggressive same sex marriage proponents don’t realize what a favour they are doing for traditional orthodox Christians. Right now there’s a gray area where people like Rachel Held Evans, Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis can play around in. They currently get the benefit of being the “cool” Christians in secular circles and they get some respect in traditional evangelical circles as well, which is still the only place with any life left in it in the church. Now they’re going to be forced to choose. When orthodox Christian organizations… Read more »
Thanks for the recommendation of Black and Tan. I see many parallels between the overarching point of the book and the state of American culture and society today. I see (and am somewhat pleased and welcoming of) a future separation of “wheat” and “tares” in the Church. Who will abide under the authority of God’s Word and who will waffle to appeal to the masses?
Somehow this whole homosexual “marriage” thing has offered several oppurtunities for me to stand up for the integrity of the gospel with coworkers and friends on several occasions. Yet, I must admit that I’ve entered these conversations with profound hesitations. I also know that I have friends who are terrified to have these conversations in our day. I enjoy what Pr Wilson regularly offers here in terms of cultural analysis; however, I am curious if he would like to offer a lay-level way of dealing with this issue in terms of our personal conversations with close friends and relations. I’m… Read more »
I second Matt’s suggestion and immediately call the question :)
Matt Robison,
I do believe there already are missionaries from Africa coming to North America. Just ask any Episcopalian.
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2007/10/mohler-on-african-missionaries.html/
Maybe there needs to be two dialogues. A persuasive meeting between reason and a homosexual neighbor, and another dialogue between wisdom and a homosexual lobbyist. The difference between an enemy civilian and an enemy combatant would regulate where and how the rhetorical bombs are dropped, or not dropped. Jesus certainly distinguished between civilian sinners and combatants in the manner of His speech. He showed both tenderness, affection and patience, as well as rebukes, a whip, and curses, depending on the target.
The dawn of a new day. Just so. Or, that light must be the end of the tunnel.
I am glad this has happened. Another victory for equality of people. Means we no longer have to discriminate and hate gays.
Kudos for avoiding the “sky is falling” hysteria of most conservatives on this issue. Gay marriage is a done deal at at least some level (there is some hope that federalism will prevail). In my generation, it is just assumed that you are pro-gay marriage, and if you outed yourself as not being so people would look at you like you were some kind of neanderthal transported from the past. I think the official statistic is something like 85% of <30s in favor. But the interesting question is whether gay marriage is a symptom or a cause. Marriage seems to… Read more »
Matt,
Dream no longer. Here it is: http://www.canonwired.com/wilson-sullivan-debate/
I agree with Matt. Pastor Wilson, I’d love to read something from you regarding how church laity can prophetically speak the Word of God in a effective way.
Katecho says: “Jesus certainly distinguished between civilian sinners and combatants in the manner of His speech. He showed both tenderness, affection and patience, as well as rebukes, a whip, and curses, depending on the target.” I think the distinction was quite clear – he saved the harsh words for the leaders of his own people. The in-house power brokers – Pharisees, scribes, lawyers, temple officiants, and Herod – were the ones who got the rebukes. Those without power – women, children, the disabled, the demon-possessed, prostitutes, lepers and other unclean, sinners, etc – got the tenderness, affection, and patience, as… Read more »
Christian Kemp said:
“I am glad this has happened. Another victory for equality of people. Means we no longer have to discriminate and hate gays.”
Sure, because condemning them to death via the diseases that their sexual behavior infects them with is so much more compassionate.
@matt: there’s a good dialogues over on the Pyromaniacs site.
It’s in two parts:
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2013/04/not-that-theres-anything-wrong-with-that.html
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2013/04/universal-benefits.html
And also, a nice little parable:
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2013/06/compassion-parable-re-post.html
I love it when you catch me off guard and make me laugh out loud.
Arewn B you said
“Sure, because condemning them to death via the diseases that their sexual behavior infects them with is so much more compassionate.”
I hope you realize that all STD’s can be transmitted both heterosexually and homosexually. And sometimes without even having sex. So that comment does not make any sense.
And, in fact, most STD’s are less likely to be transmitted in lesbian relationships than in heterosexual ones. So that line of attack makes even less sense. But most people who try to reflexively repeat the hateful side of anti-gay arguments are only imagining male-on-male sex in their heads when they make such claims. This kind of unhelpful and silly attacking makes it REALLY hard for the rest of who want to, like Jesus, lead those who are lost to repentance via love. Remember, you can prophetic powers, all knowledge, all faith, and understand all mysteries, but without love it… Read more »
According to the CDC, there have been about 620,000 AIDS deaths in the US alone (since about 1981), and somewhere between 50 to 60% were among men who had sex with men. Jonathan would rather talk about lower rates of STDs among lesbians, but will he or anyone explain the over 300,000 homosexuals that have died, just in the U.S.? Doug’s point was that in recent times, far, far more homosexuals have been handed a death sentence by their own partners than at the hands of vigilante heterosexuals, let alone by faithful Christians in government office. Hypothetically, if there had… Read more »
Katecho, I wouldn’t “rather talk about” men or women in homosexual relationships. I’m just pointing out that the reasoning is completely bunk. The AIDS infection rate among women in lesbian acts is virtually nil. So if you’re hanging yourself on that reasoning, then you’re only opposing man-on-man sex – your argument becomes useless for women. So how could you use that reasoning against homosexual men, but not admit that the same reasoning would work in favor of homosexual women? This is called “selection bias” – you consider an argument to be a good one if it produces the bias you… Read more »
Jonathan wrote: “This is called “selection bias” – you consider an argument to be a good one if it produces the bias you want, and you simply ignore the argument whenever it goes the other way.” This is precisely what Jonathan has done. He has employed selection bias to consider only subgroups, like Lesbians and Denmark gays. Evasion 101. Meanwhile, there are still 300,000 dead homosexuals that died at the hands of their homosexual “partners”. Jonathan hasn’t addressed that carnage at all. He is blind to their deaths, as are, apparently, the remaining general populace of homosexuals. He would rather… Read more »
christian said: “I hope you realize that all STD’s can be transmitted both heterosexually and homosexually” Very true! Which means that we as a culture need to stop treating our bodies as experimental petri dishes (this will involve everyone refraining from sexual intercourse of any type with anyone to whom we are not married). One, (maybe two generations, at the outside) of exercising self-restraint and actively seeking lifelong monogamy will see the near total eradication of all sexually transmitted diseases, without the use of any drugs or “health-care” expenditures whatsoever. christian said: “And sometimes without even having sex.” Also true,… Read more »