Why Christians Are Sometimes Annoying

For the same reason that atheists are, we talk about God too much.  

For some cockamamie reason, I don’t have a “Housewife Theologian” Facebook page. I know it’s not the smartest (non)move, but it fits in the same category for why I never joined a sorority—I don’t feel the need to ask people to like me. But I do share a link to my recent articles on my personal page. I have plenty of friends who aren’t Christians, as well as those who just don’t care to see yet another post talking about God every other day. Since I care too much about what other people think, I worry that I am annoying my Facebook “friendies” by dropping yet another post about God in their news feed.

Some Christians really are annoying about it. Every other word out of their mouth is “the good Lord” this and “God bless” that. After a couple of minutes you realize that they may have a colorful God veneer, but all that’s underneath is particle board. That’s a real shame.

And yet, we really should be obsessed with God. The preacher to the Hebrews says so. The first chapter division introduces the sermon with the supremacy of Christ. In just the first three verses we learn that he is the ultimate prophet, heir of all things, and the radiance of God’s glory. To take it up a notch, the sermon continues to explain that Christ isn’t only better than the prophets, but he is also better than the angels. If angels delivered a message to us, we would think it to be pretty important. What does our final messenger indicate about the value of the message?   Continue at Aimee Byrd

Response to "Ten Things I wish the Church Knew About Homosexuality"

There's a list of "Ten Things" that the author states he wishes "the Church" knew about what he characterizes as "homosexuality." I'll address each item in turn.

1. If Jesus did not mention a subject, it cannot be essential to his teachings.

a) Jesus did mention the subject of sexual sin, and he did so repeatedly. For example:

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

b) Jesus even specifically mentioned the example of Sodom as a group particularly worthy of judgment.

Luke 10:12
But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

c) Jesus affirmed the whole moral law of the old testament, both by not destroying it, and by instructing his disciples to obey his commandments.

Matthew 5:17
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

John 15:10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Recall:

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

d) Whether it is "essential" or not is not the point. The central message of Jesus was to repent (of sin) and believe the Gospel. The emphasis was clearly on the gospel, yet it would be foolishness to ignore repentance from sin. Understanding repentance from sin requires that we recognize what sin is. That applies to a broad range of sins, many of which Jesus did not discuss in depth.

2. You are not being persecuted when prevented from persecuting others.

This point is somewhat vague, but the obvious counter-points are:

a) It's not in itself persecution to tell people to repent of their sins; and
2) It's not in itself persecution to prosecute criminal behavior, including criminal sexual behavior.

3. Truth isn’t like wine that gets better with age. It’s more like manna you must recognize wherever you are and whoever you are with.

a) Truth is absolute and timeless. It doesn't get "better with age," but it does stay true.
b) Manna was sent from heaven. So was the moral law delivered to Moses. If you recognized that, we wouldn't need to have this discussion.
c) Manna is not just whatever you want it to be, and neither is truth.   Continue at TurretinFan

The Blasphemy of Barack Obama

It’s one thing to support gay marriage. It’s quite another for a professed Christian to bear false witness about Christ to make the point. That is why Joe Carter doesn’t mince words in an open letter to President Obama. Carter writes:

Implying that Jesus supports same-sex marriage—and there really is no other way to interpret your statement—is nothing short of blasphemous.

No, Mr. President, Jesus does not support same-sex marriage. Even a liberal Christian like you should not be able to make such an historically and theologically absurd claim with a straight face. The history of Christian thought on sexual ethics from the time of the stoning of Stephen to the Stonewall riots has been consistent that engaging in homosexual behavior is strictly and clearly prohibited by God’s Word…

To imply that Jesus would support same-sex marriage is contemptible. I realize it probably won’t hurt you come election time—too many Christians are more concerned about saving your seat in the Oval Office than they are with slander against our Savior—but I encourage you to repent of your blasphemy.   Continue at Denny Burk

The Sin That Won’t Go Away

Gospel Reading and Text: Mark 3:22-30

Epistle Reading: Hebrews 6:1-9

If you blaspheme my name, you may irritate me or may make me depressed. But you probably won’t provoke a full-fledged counterattack to defend myself. 

If you slander my friend, or my relatives, or my children, you will probably get a somewhat stronger reaction from me. When I was an almost teenager of 12, a school bus driver accused my little brother of lying. When the bus stopped at our stop I stood on the ground, looking into the still open door, and said, “Lady that’s my brother, and my brother doesn’t lie.” That got me called into the principal’s office of my fundamentalist Christian school, but with my legs shaking I stood my ground in defense of my brother.

But there is one kind of blasphemy that will make me go nuclear – that is blasphemy against my wife. Merle Haggard sang during the Viet Nam War, “If you’re runnin’ down my county, hoss, you’re walkin’ in the fightin’ side of me.” If you start slandering my wife, you are walking on the raging side of me. I may never forgive you for that.

Jesus spoke in such terms about a sin He calls blaspheming the Holy Spirit. You can get forgiveness for any kind of sin, even other forms of blasphemy, but blaspheming the Holy Spirit is a sin that won’t go away – ever.  Continue at  Christian Curmudgeon

A Plea to Mark Driscoll

There are things I truly appreciate about Mark Driscoll. I love that he knows and preaches the Gospel (the "matter of first importance" - 1 Cor 15). I love his zeal for evangelism and evident compassion for the lost. I love his desire to teach doctrine so that his church is not shallow and untrained. I love his desire to return to the church an understanding of and respect for biblical manhood.

But like all of us, Mark Driscoll is a bit of a mixed bag. He is a very public figure who has stirred up no small amount of controversy. Some of that controversy has been the result of his faithfulness to the Gospel, biblically prescribed gender roles, and biblical sexual ethics. However, much of the controversy has been due to some rather unfortunate behavior and statements on his part. All of us have said and done things that we would like to take back. But for an internationally known "rock star" pastor, author, and church network leader the margin for error is precariously thin.

With the release of Mark and Grace Driscoll's new book, Real Marriage, there is fresh conversation about the pastor's tendency to preach, teach, and write about sex in frank, and, some would argue, inappropriate ways. Others are weighing in on this matter helpfully (Carl Trueman [here and here], Denny Burk, Tim Challies). I hope that Driscoll will listen to and learn from these brothers. I won't, at least for now, seek to add to their comments.  Keep Reading >>>

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Is Joseph Smith the Gateway to Heaven?

 

Absolutely amazing blasphemies from the Mormon church:

“[There is] “no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth…no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God” -Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190

“If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by Joseph Smith; if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him.” -1988 Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide, p. 142, Apostle George Q. Cannon

“He that confesseth not that Jesus has come in the flesh and sent Joseph Smith with the fullness of the Gospel to this generation, is not of God, but is anti-christ.” -Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 9, p.312

“No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith…every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are… [Joseph Smith] reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven. Many will exclaim—”Oh, that is very disagreeable! It is preposterous! We cannot bear the thought!” But it is true.” -Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p.289-91

HT: Bob Hanks