FORCING YOUR MORALITY

Have you ever given your Christian opinion on questions of morality to a friend, relative or even a stranger, only to be challenged in return by an intimidating counter-question? As Christians, when our biblical viewpoint goes against the grain (which much of Christian morality does – sexual morality, the morality that relates to the rights of unborn children, same-sex marriage, those kinds of things), frequently we are going to be challenged with the question, “Who are you to force your morality on someone else?”

The first thing you should know is that this challenge is offered in a self-refuting way. It is self-defeating and refutes itself because it is a challenge to you that you ought not force others or ask others to live according to your moral point of view. Yet, that challenge itself is a moral point of view that someone else believes in and is asking you to live by. To put it simply, they’re forcing their morality on you when they say that you shouldn’t force your morality on someone else.

When someone brings up this objection to our Christian moral value we must be ready to help them see the self-refuting nature of their question. I think first of all, we must help them face, honestly, the truth that all of us have a moral point of view that we are seeking to have believed and acted upon in society, and we are seeking to do that by some measure. It may be through very forceful means – the force of law – or it may be through less forceful measures. But one way or another, we all have our moral point of view. Once we can honestly agree with that, there is no escaping the conclusion: we all have a moral viewpoint that we seek to have enforced in some fashion in society, and we are seeking to compel other people to adopt.

Given the fact that we all have a moral point of view that we are seeking to impact society with, the real question then becomes, “Is our moral point of view legitimate? Is it appropriate to have it forced? And beyond that, even if it is legitimate, we have to ask, “How weighty is the moral concept?”, before we can know how much force we need to apply in enforcing this moral concept.

’til next time

Danny

(next time: What do we mean “forcing our beliefs”?)

A Time of Reformation

Now Is The Time

We want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship [what you] have set up.”  Daniel 3:18 (NLT)

This time in Daniel’s life and in the life of the people of God was a time a great turmoil.  But unbeknownst to them, it was also the time of great opportunity for God’s people because God was moving forth His plan of the ages.

We are at a crossroads in America. 

Great ideological, political, social and spiritual changes are here.  The God of our Fathers, the God of the Bible, for the most part has been replaced in the hearts and minds of the American people.  We have, as a people, rejected the principle and godly values that made this country great.  However, there is still a remnant here who have not bow the knee to the false gods of modernism: spiritual and principled men and women of God who have not, and will not, bow before the rotting gods of the popular culture and the secular progressives.

The Church of Jesus Christ – all born again believers – have an appointment with divine destiny.  The scriptures declare that

those who stay courageously loyal to their God will take a strong stand.  (Daniel 11:32b  MSG Bible). 

All others will surely get swept away in the apostasy of the end time as recorded by Paul, the apostle in 1 Timothy 4:1 (NLT)

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

Today some so-called “leaders” in the emergent church are so enamored with having recognition by the world that they are compromising biblical truth for a more “socially-correct” position of “understanding” concerning moral issues.  I call on discerning leaders in the emergent church movement to withdraw from and denounce these leaders as Paul did and heed his command (apostolic authority) to

… rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.

The Episcopal church for years has allowed “debate” concerning homosexuals in the ministry and has recently been torn apart as a denomination because of this “debate” to gain “understanding”.  No good can come from compromising God’s word and opening a debate to further understand.  The truth is, if God approves it, it’s approved; if God’s condemns it, it’s condemned.  Period.  End of discussion.  That stand is “bigoted” in the popular culture, but it’s acceptable in God’s sight.

The church must begin again to speak out and be the conscience of the nation and the critics of all that is evil.  We must call evil what it is and resist the flattery that will come to

those who betray the holy covenant [of God].  (Daniel 11:32a  MSG Bible)

We are will either crave to be accepted by those around us, or with a passionate love, turn them to righteousness.

The choice is ours.  The opportunity is now before us. 

What will you do?

’til next time

Danny

Same-Sex “Marriage”?

The recent ruling of the California Supreme Court has made legal same-sex marriages in the state.  However, a state constitutional amendment negating the ruling is heading for the ballot in November and seems likely to pass.

What one opines about these developments depends, primarily on one’s views of the nature and function of a marriage. I don’t necessarily believe that people on either side of the issue are insincere, or even unjustifiably biased.

Some Christians today are baffled as to how such things could be happening in this “Christian nation”?  I for one am not.  This is happening because immorality (homosexuality, lesbianism, heterosexual adultery, fornication) is just one evidence of unbelief.  It is man’s attempting to define his sexuality apart from the Creator who designed it.  God made man: male and female (Gen. 1:27).  He gave them a dominion mandate to “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth” (Gen. 1:28).  This is something a same-sex “marriage” could never do.  So it is very obvious, except for those looking for an excuse to support same-sex “marriage”, that God’s created purpose is for man and woman to “multiply and replenish the earth”.

How have we come to this in America?  Yesterday, I happened to hear in passing on “The Ellen Degeneres” program where she (Ellen) was announcing that now that California had legalized same-sex “marriages” she would finally be getting married legally.  There was a burst of thunderous applause and an apparent joy on the faces of her audience on her TV show set.   They were so “happy” for her.

I knew that the majority of these people had never understood that the Bible condemns gay “love” and “marriage” as an abandonment by God to “vile passions”; that the sexual interaction between man and man (homosexuality), woman and woman (Lesbianism) are, in God’s eyes, shameful acts “against nature” (Rom. 1:26-27); that these acts are an actual revolt and rebellion against God’s created order, an attempt to put God out of their thinking and thus “God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting” (Rom 1:28).

These promoters of same-sex “marriage” are blind leaders of the blind.  Their unbelief has led them to these vile passions which are “against nature” (Rom. 1:26).  They have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and therefore He has given them over not to a life of a blessed “marriage,” but to “uncleanness” (Rom. 1:24).  Therefore, these events and occurrences in our culture are not events to celebrate, but speak out against as immoral and unclean.

Is there a price to pay for that stand.  You’d better believe it!  Get ready to be labeled a narrow-minded bigot. And while darkness will always battle the light, it can never extinguish it (John 1;5).  God’s truth remains and same-sex “marriages” are no marriages at all.  They are immoral unions and manifestations of a sinful and rebellious people.

Only a national repentance and revival will turn our nation around.  Don’t give up your intercession for America.

’til next time . . .

Joy in the journey!