It Never Occurred to Paul that People Were Born Gay – Really?

Those who defend the practice of homosexuality have used many tactics to try and justify it — it’s just an “alternative lifestyle,” it’s of no concern to anyone else, people are born that way. The biggest obstacle in our country for those who are pushing this homosexual message comes from those who cite the Bible as their reason for opposing it.

As a result, there has been a great effort to either discredit or reinterpret the passages that condemn homosexuality. Earlier this week in an interview, the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal church, “Reverend” V. Gene Robinson, tried to explain away Paul’s comments about homosexuality in Romans 1:26-27 by claiming that Paul was condemning heterosexuals from engaging in homosexuality, but that he was not condemning homosexual acts by those who were oriented that way from birth.
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Is Jesus the Only Way to Salvation?

One Way

A recent report has found that a minority of Presbyterians believe that “only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.” Only 39% of members agree or strongly agree with that statement along with just 35% of pastors and 45% of elders.

Before you might jump to conclusions, understand that this was not a report done by a group that is biased against the Presbyterian church, making their findings unreliable. The article linked above cites the latest “Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians” report and was released by the Presbyterian church itself.
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The Catholic Church’s Search for Aliens

Last week the Associated Press reported that the Vatican is looking for signs of alien life. They have called in thirty scientists from several countries to study “whether sentient life forms exist on other worlds.” If extraterrestrial life is possible, there is also the question about “its implications for the Catholic Church.”

The subject of aliens is an interesting topic to many people. But what, if any, bearing does it have on our faith or service to God. Regardless of whether extraterrestrial life is possible, or even if intelligent life forms do exist on other planets, there are some truths that we must remember. These will not change, no matter what is discovered by science (or the Catholic Church).
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The Rapid Spread of Islam: Should Christians be Concerned?

Muslim prayer

A new report from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has found that approximately 1.57 billion people are now Muslim. This means that nearly 1 in 4 people in the world practice Islam.

To have this kind of growth, the religion is obviously spreading beyond the countries already dominated by Islam. The report noted that “more than 300 million Muslims, or one-fifth of the world’s Muslim population, live in countries where Islam is not the majority religion. These minority Muslim populations are often quite large.”

Should this rapid growth of Islam be of any concern to Christians? The answer to that is a resounding yes!
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Number of Women Pastors has Doubled in a Decade

According to a recent study by the Barna Group, the percentage of U.S. Protestant women serving as senior pastors has doubled over the past decade. In the 1990’s, about 5% of Protestant senior pastors were women. In 2009, that number has risen to 10%. A large number of women pastors were associated with “mainline” churches as opposed to more “traditional” churches.

When we consider the topic of women serving in leadership roles in the church, there are a few basic points that need to be understood. This has nothing to do with whether or not women are capable of teaching or directing a group of people. The Barna Group study notes that women pastors are, on average, more educated than men in the same position. The fundamental question is this: What role has God given women in the church?
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“The Preacher’s Pledge” – Bible Based Sermons

I came across an interesting article this weekend from the Christian Post.

Over 5,000 Pastors Pledge to Keep Sermons Purely Biblical

When I read the headline, my immediate reaction was skepticism. Sure, the thought of one simply speaking “as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11) is great. But could one really expect these denominational preachers to give up their creeds and preach “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27)? After all, to do so would require that they condemn the very denomination that employs them.

As it turns out, that was not what the article was about. It is about plagiarism in preaching. “The Preacher’s Pledge” is a commitment by various pastors and ministers to “start with the Bible as their primary source for sermon preparation.” Some thought this was necessary with the great amount of sermons available on the internet. Preachers could simply take sermons of different men and preach them as their own.
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Ted Haggard’s Complaint Against “The Church”

Fallen Evangelical “pastor,” Ted Haggard, has been speaking out recently about the scandal involving homosexuality that brought him down and the reaction of the religious community to his sin, particularly the “Christian Right.” Notice the following article from the Christian Post about how he believes the “Christian Right” needs to change.

Haggard: Christian Right Off Course, Needs to Change

It’s a short article, and an interesting read. I just wanted to comment on three things Haggard says.
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