Controversy Over Same-Sex “Marriage”

Wedding Cake Toppers

With the recent court rulings in California over same-sex marriage, this debate has once again come to the forefront of our society. Whenever a political or social hot topic overlaps into matters of spiritual consequence, Christians can find great opportunities to talk with others about the Scriptures. With this issue in mind, let us be reminded of a few things and be ready to teach them to others.
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Christians Are To Be Radical, Liberal, and Institutional

Young man thinking

Should we be able to describe faithful Christians as radical, liberal, or institutional? If you have followed the writing and teaching that I have done, you will probably expect me to answer this question in the negative. After all, we are to be conservative and non-institutional, right?

When we use labels such as these, we generally use them in regard to certain erroneous positions, issues, and movements. Yet when we change the context, we can make the case from the Bible that, in certain ways, Christians are to be radical, liberal, and institutional. So let us consider some other ways we can use these terms.
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It’s the 21st Century, Do Wives Still Need to Submit to Their Husbands?

Couple at sunset

A couple of British church leaders have come under fire recently for preaching that wives are to submit to their husbands. They claimed that women who refuse to obey this command are at least partly to blame for the country’s high divorce rate.

Not surprisingly, there were many people – especially women – who took offense at their message. One woman was quoted as saying she was “disgusted” by this and said, “How can they talk that way in the 21st century?”
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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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Living Together Before Marriage Does Not Make a Stronger Marriage

As morality in our country has declined, naturally we have seen a rise in immorality. One visible example of this is the number of couples who live together before marriage. As time goes on, more and more people are either indifferent to the practice or are a promoter of it.

One of the arguments that is commonly used to justify the practice is that it can make the couple’s eventual marriage even stronger. During the time of cohabitation, the couple can get to know one another better, learn how they handle a marriage-type relationship together, and can get a better idea of whether or not they are compatible. If they live together first and it goes well, they can be confident of their relationship going into marriage. If it does not go well, they get to find that out before marriage.
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The Growing Acceptance of Homosexuality

White House - rainbow colors

It was not that long ago in our society that homosexuality was a shameful practice that was mostly kept secret so that others would not know about it. Times have certainly changed! We have seen the transition from secrecy and shame to those who practice it parading and protesting in the streets, demanding that society recognize and accept same-sex “marriages.”

As we consider this practice and the growing acceptance of it, it is important to be reminded of what the Bible teaches. In this article we will look at what has happened in the past when homosexuality was widely practiced and/or accepted, as well as what the Bible has to say about the practice itself.
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Doctrines of Demons

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).

This verse is the beginning of a passage in which Paul wrote to Timothy regarding apostasy. When we think of apostasy, we typically think of ones who take liberties that God has not allowed or do not obey all of His commands and instructions. This is rightly classified as apostasy. However, this apostasy (falling away) that the Spirit warned about did not have to do with one taking too many liberties, but with one taking away another’s liberties by making rules in addition to God’s word.
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