CNN had a fantastic article by Albert Mohler addressing the question as to why there is a focus on homosexuality.  I appreciated CNN’s presentation of Mohler’s article.  Make sure you read the whole thing as Mohler addresses some of the questions you may have, or have been asked, about when the topic of the Bible and homosexuality comes up (things like slavery, polygamy, eating shellfish, etc.).

Here’s Mohler’s concise and clear answer as to why Christians speak about homosexuality:

Why are Christians so concerned with homosexuality? In the first place, that question is answered by the simple fact that it is the most pressing moral question of our times. Christians must be concerned about adultery, pornography, injustice, dishonesty and everything the Bible names as sin. But when my phone rings with a call from a reporter these days, the question I am asked is never adultery or pornography. It is about homosexuality.

Read the rest.

From the Catholic News Agency:

Washington D.C., May 21, 2012 / 10:39 am. - Forty-three Catholic dioceses and organizations across the country have announced religious liberty lawsuits against the federal government to challenge the Obama administration’s contraception mandate.

The announcement was applauded by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, who called it “a compelling display of the unity of the Church in defense of religious liberty.”

“We have tried negotiation with the Administration and legislation with the Congress – and we’ll keep at it – but there’s still no fix,” said Cardinal Dolan, who is the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“Time is running out, and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now,” he explained in a May 21 statement . . .

Several Catholic universities around the country also joined in the lawsuits, including The Catholic University of America, the University of Notre Dame and Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., said the lawsuit was filed “neither lightly nor gladly, but with sober determination.”

“We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on others,” he explained in an email to Notre Dame employees.

Rather, he explained, “we simply ask that the Government not impose its values on the University when those values conflict with our religious teachings.”

Read it all – interesting implications during an election year.

Carl Trueman hosts this nice, short, interview:

We were delighted to welcome The Rev’d Dr. Peter Moore at St. Andrew’s this morning as our guest preacher and continued with our sermon series on the 39 Articles.

You can see all of our sermons on the 39 articles either on WeAreStAndrews.com or at Vimeo.com.

As a part of of our ongoing series on the 39 Articles, we welcome this week The Rev’d Dr. Peter Moore. Peter will be addressing Articles 6 & 7 in a sermon entitled, “Scripture: God Speaks.”

The sermon audio and video will be available on our site by Sunday afternoon.

You can also keep up with our sermons via our mobile app or as a podcast available from the iTunes store.

How to Share the Gospel with Muslims
“How do you pray?”Ahmed and I had been sitting at a little teashop talking about various things when he asked this question. Like many other Muslims, he was curious about how Christians pray. I began to explain how our hearts need to be purified in order for us to approach God in prayer. He agreed and wanted to know more. “What do you say when you pray?” he asked. I told him that we can speak to God as a loving father. I then went on to show him the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6.

Are You for Your Husband?
Husbands are fragile people.  We have sensitive egos.  We may come across as strong and indifferent, but that’s just presentation.  We’re actually quite needy.  I wonder if wives know this.  Do you know this?  I wonder if wives are aware how much their husbands need them.

Do You Believe Homosexuality is a Sin?
Interesting survey results from LifeWay:  ”Americans remain evenly split on the moral and religious questions of whether homosexual behavior is a sin,” McConnell said. “It likely reflects different beliefs about Scripture and different beliefs about who defines sin.”

Learning to Suffer Well: Trusting God’s Absolute Sovereignty
One of the things that is striking throughout the book of Lamentations is that Jeremiah finds no solace in attributing the destruction of Yahweh’s covenant people to secondary causes. Rather, he attributes the agonizing desolation of Israel to Yahweh Himself.

Why God is Selfish: a.k.a. Theology Slays Barbie Religion
Our culture provides our values, goals and wants. It tells us to be Barbie, to have our Ken, the car, the house, the health, everything. God only enters in to get us what we want. This is the most basic form of idolatry–making God a means to a higher end, the American Dream. If God is supreme in his own heart, the American Dream cannot keep its hold on us forever. Francis Schaeffer warned thirty years ago that personal peace and affluence had become the God of American evangelicalism. We cannot apprehend a self-centered God without utterly renouncing our captivity to the American Dream. No one can serve both God and Barbie.

Generational Blackmail?
It seems like every other day I’m told another reason why young people are leaving the church: because Christians fight too much, or because Christians are too political or anti-gay or don’t care about social justice.  Millennials, we’re told, are leaving the church because the church won’t bless their cohabitation or provide them with contraception for pre-marital sex. They’re leaving because they don’t care about fights over creation/evolution or abortion or worship style or what have you.  In sum, it seems we’re regularly informed that if the church doesn’t change, young people are going to leave.  And what exactly are we supposed to do with these claims?

Catholic University Drops Student Health Coverage – Cites ObamaCare
In its decision to drop coverage, the school cited the contraception mandate, but also a requirement that the maximum coverage amount be increased to $100,000 for policyholders — claiming that would have made premiums skyrocket. A university official told Fox News Radio the students’ basic $600 policy was going to double in cost in the fall and triple next year and that the school’s insurance provider said the increases were the result of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

An insightful article on a hot-button issue.  Well worth your read.

President Obama’s recent statement concerning his views of same sex marriage has generated no small amount of discussion and controversy. In what was doubtlessly a political calculation the President made that statement couched in political and attitudinal terms. That is, this new take is his personal view. He has personally has come to a place where he can now accept and stand behind same sex marriage

This change is not restricted solely to the President. Advocates for Gay rights have tirelessly worked to change the public perception of same sex couples. Over the last 15-25 years America has done a near 180 on the issue. The attempt has been to sanitize and normalize homosexuality.

There have been countless actors, musicians, athletes, and politicians who have publicly spoken out in favor of Gay rights. Many from these same spheres have themselves disclosed that they themselves are gay. It has become commonplace to have television shows and movies with gay characters. Characters like Oscar on The Office have helped to gradually move the meter on public opinion.

Read the rest.

John Yates writes about the loss of The Falls Church’s property in this past weekend’s Washington Post:

Our Anglican church in Virginia, The Falls Church, faces a hard hour this month. A Virginia court has ruled that buildings and funds we believe to be ours actually belong to the Episcopal Church. Our congregation of 4,000 must begin again, finding a new home and place of worship.

As the rector of the church since 1979, I believe I speak for all in saying that we leave without resentment or acrimony; we pray only the best for those who will follow us in our old and historic church, and that the transforming good news of Christ will always be proclaimed on this spot . . .

We will move on. It has taken a long lawsuit and several rulings for me to accept that this is for the best. It is possible still that our leadership will attempt another appeal. But we vacate this property in a few days.

The overwhelming scope of the ruling has caused me to conclude this is part of a larger plan.

The cost to us is huge. Locating available worship space and office space for a church our size is challenging. But we remain convicted about our decision to leave the Episcopal Church.

Do I have regrets? Yes, a few. I regret that so much ink has been spilled over a few social issues (important as they are), instead of on the deeper theological issue of how we understand and obey the will of God. And I wish we could have communicated more successfully that none of us is without sin. We all need the Savior.

Some good things have also happened. Since 2006, we have helped fund, staff and populate independent “daughter” churches in Alexandria, Arlington, Vienna and beyond. In our parent church, we continue to have 2,500 people in worship and fellowship each Sunday.

God also has given us opportunities to serve our local community. We recently entered into a partnership to expand a ministry in the Baileys Crossroads area, with Columbia Baptist Church and St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. Together we minister to the poor and the immigrants among us in the Culmore Clinic. People now have a safe place to ask for and receive prayer, even as they are being treated medically.

We’ve been humbled by an outpouring of encouragement and offers of assistance, including furnishings and building space from Presbyterians, Baptists, Catholics and other friends.

Many details for our path forward remain unclear, and we know the adventure ahead is going to be challenging. But, we move forward with an invigorated feeling of purpose.

In a sense, this will be like starting all over again. There is a teaching in the New Testament: When you are at your weakest you actually are at your strongest. In weakness we are forced to trust in God. We know that where God leads us is a good place.

The greatest of all outcomes for us at The Falls Church would be if all of us were transformed through this experience, changed into Christ’s likeness. For to be like Him is the greatest of all possible outcomes.

Read the rest.