Is Homosexuality Like Eating Shellfish?
The topic of homosexuality has been in the news quite a lot lately. First, a national anti-bullying expert was accused of being a bit of bully himself when he deliberately offended a group of Christian students and called them names. In the context of his talk, he ridiculed the Bible's statements about homosexuality, pointing out that the Bible also prohibits things like eating shellfish and commands the death penalty for premarital sex.
Second, of course, we've seen a very public debate on the issue of gay marriage, since President Obama publicly expressed his support for it.
One of the questions that frequently comes up when talking about homosexuality, with both Christians and non-Christians, is, "What about all of the commands in the Bible that we simply ignore?" Dan Savage, the anti-bullying expert mentioned above, brought up the issue of eating shrimp, which is clearly prohibited in Leviticus 11:9-12. Others have mentioned the command to keep the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8; 35:2) -- many people, Christians included, ignore that law without consequence.
If we ignore all of these other laws, then why insist upon the prohibition against homosexuality? Good question. There are seemingly innumerable questions about how homosexuality relates to a Christian worldview.
I've spent some time thinking about a blog post on this topic, but ultimately decided that the topic itself is too large to fit into such a small format. For that reason, I'm going to direct you to a sermon I gave on the topic about two years ago. The sermon answers some of these questions:
- Does the Bible really prohibit homosexuality? If so, why?
- Are the commands against homosexuality equivalent to those about eating shellfish or wearing clothes of different types of thread?
- Is homosexuality somehow worse than other sins? Are groups like Westboro Baptist Church justified in focusing almost exclusively on this issue?
- Is homosexuality a choice? (And is there a distinction between homosexual attraction, identity, and behavior)?
- If you are a Christian who struggles personally with homosexuality, what should you do?
- If you are a Christian who doesn't struggle with homosexuality, but who wants to love and care for your friends and relatives who do, what are the best ways to help and encourage them?
Obviously this sermon doesn't address all of these questions comprehensively, but it's a start. It's about 40 minutes long, but I hope you'll take the time to listen and consider it. You might disagree with some of my conclusions, and if so feel free to let me know in the comments. I'd love to dialogue with my readers on this topic, and figured this would be a good way to start the conversation.
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Religious Decline During the College Years
I'm reading a fascinating book called Souls in Transition by Christian Smith. The book is filled with research about the religious lives of young adults, particularly as they transition from high school to college and the young adult years.
Smith divides the religious affiliations of young adults into several categories: Jewish, Catholic, Mainline Protestant (e.g. Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian), Conservative Protestant (e.g. Bible church, fundamentalist or Southern Baptist, independent Evangelical), LDS (i.e. Mormon), and others. Most of my readers would probably identify themselves as Conservative Protestants.
Here are a few statistics about conservative Protestant young adults (and a few others) as they make the transition out of high school:
- 28% of conservative Protestants aged 18-23 attend church services once a week, compared with 59% of conservative Protestant teenagers (ages 13-17). That's a drop of 31% between high school and young adulthood.
- Only 10% of conservative Protestant young adults read the Bible daily. 31% never read the Bible alone.
- 57% of conservative Protestant young adults view their faith as "very or extremely important" in their daily lives. That's down from 70% of those aged 13-17.
- The most religiously devoted group of young adults are those in the LDS church (based on frequency of church attendance, daily prayer, evangelism, frequency of reading Scripture, and other religious practices).
Thoughts? Do these numbers seem to stack up to reality? Why do you think there is a decline in religious participation among young evangelical adults?
Bible-Free Theology?
When I began college, I honestly didn't know the difference between a Calvinist and an Arminian. Or an Armenian, for that matter. I did have a fairly good grasp of basic biblical content, since I grew up in a Bible church and had read the Bible a couple of times. What I had not done up to that point was make any attempt to understand theological categories or positions.
Strangely, though, I'm finding that today's college student seems to have the opposite problem. Many students have settled on their theological positions, but they have not read or studied the biblical text. They simply know that they are Calvinists or dispensationalists or Arminians, but can't defend their positions from the Scripture itself.
I suspect that a couple of factors contribute to this phenomenon. First, reading the Bible takes time and concentration. Studying it requires even more of both. Few of us really take the time to read a Grisham novel these days, much less a book as difficult and lengthy as the Bible. Second, there are so many sermon podcasts, short theological books, and blogs available that we have the illusion that deep understanding can be gained quickly and easily. It can't. You can create the appearance of wisdom by mimicking the words of others, but true wisdom requires humility and years of prayer and hard work to acquire. I'm not suggesting that we tune out every theologian or teacher and simply read the Bible in isolation. Instead, I'm suggesting that we listen closely to our teachers and leaders while constantly holding up their words to the light of The Word.
The good news is that the secret of wisdom and theological understanding is not really a secret at all. Pray for it (James 1:5). Read God's Word repeatedly and carefully (Psalm 19:7). Listen to wise people and hear what they have to say (Proverbs 4). God promises wisdom (which includes theological understanding) to the person who seeks it diligently.
Of course the bad news is that, although the path to wisdom is simple, it's far from easy. You can't be a skilled theologian by patching together soundbites from your favorite authors or preachers. You can't do it through simply adopting the theological positions of your peer group. It requires two things: The grace of God and the dedication to learn what He wants to teach us.
So here's a challenge for you: For every 30 minutes that you spend listening to a podcast or reading a blog, spend another hour reading and studying the Bible. Write down your observations and the questions you can't answer. Seek out godly people to help you understand the Scripture better -- people you actually know in real life. Long before you construct a theological system (or adopt somebody else's), make sure you know the content of the Bible. Resign yourself to the fact that wisdom and understanding take time and effort. According to God's Word, though, the reward is more than worth the effort it costs to attain it (Proverbs 16:16).
If you are interested in any resources to help you understand God's Word better, look at the free Bible studies on Grace's website: http://www.grace-bible.org/downloads/BibleStudies.aspx.
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Is It a Sin to Be Wealthy?
Most Christians rightly condemn the gospel of prosperity, taught by many prominent preachers these days. Nobody who reads the New Testament carefully can seriously believe that Christians will avoid poverty and suffering simply through positive thinking or persistent prayer or faithful giving.
In response to the prosperity gospel (and perhaps in response to the generally materialistic culture in which we live), some have suggested that all Christians should live in poverty. Most who argue for this position lean heavily on passages like Mark 10:17-27, in which Jesus commands a rich young man to sell all of his possessions and give them to the poor. In the same context, He talks about how difficult it is for the rich to enter God's kingdom. The natural conclusion, then, is that it's better from a spiritual standpoint to be rich than poor -- so we should all give everything away, right?
Not so fast. I don't think Jesus is insisting that entrance into his kingdom requires a person to give up his possessions, at least not in every case. Here are a few reasons why we need to think a bit more carefully about what the New Testament tells us about money:
1. The early church didn't apply Mark 10 literally in every case. There are definitely instances in which believers sold their possessions and gave them to the poor (Acts 2:45; 4:34-35). However, there were other instances in which people held onto their possessions and used them for the ministry of the church. For example, there were wealthy women who financially supported Jesus from their own private means (Luke 8:1-3). Philemon appears to have maintained possession of his own house, one that was large enough to host the local church (Philemon 2). The same was true of Priscilla and Aquila, as well (Romans 16:5).
2. Jesus and the apostles focused on one's attitude toward wealth much more than one's actual net worth. Many have pointed out that 1 Timothy 6:10 doesn't condemn money; it condemns the love of money. This appears to be the issue surrounding Jesus's conversation with the rich young rule in Mark 10. The man asks Jesus how he can have eternal life, and Jesus reminds him of the Ten Commandments. The man insists that he's kept them all from a young age. Jesus then adds one requirement: sell everything and give it to the poor.
But if giving away everything is a universal requirement for salvation, why doesn't Jesus answer everybody who seeks eternal life in the same way? For example, the lawyer in Luke 10 (who also asks how he can have eternal life) isn't told to sell everything -- he's told to take care of his neighbor. Throughout the book of John, Jesus repeatedly states that belief in Him is all that is necessary for eternal life -- not giving away all of your money and stuff.
Jesus isn't telling the rich young ruler that giving away his wealth is a means of meriting salvation. That's not only an incorrect interpretation, it's heresy. Instead, Jesus is pinpointing the problem with the man's heart -- he values the kingdom of earth (and the money required to buy it) more than he values the kingdom of heaven. When given a choice between entering Jesus's kingdom or staying at home and enjoying His money, the man chooses the money. Jesus exposes the man's greed for what it really was: unbelief. The rich young ruler didn't believe that what Jesus was offering (i.e. eternal life) was better than what he already had. And that's what makes it hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven -- it's not that wealth is inherently evil. It's that wealth can blind us to our own need for something much better than what we possess. But Jesus says it is possible for a wealthy person to overcome that unbelief and to enter the kingdom through faith in Him. It just takes a miracle. And by the way, God happens to be in the miracle business.
3. I don't think voluntary poverty is a genuine possibility. Voluntary simplicity, yes. I can give away my possessions and live very simply, but I can never completely identify with the desperately poor. Why not? Because my "poverty" will always be a lifestyle choice rather than a necessity. True poverty isn't choosing to wear sandals from Target instead of Guccis. It's not deciding to eat spaghetti rather than caviar. True poverty is an economic condition in which a person struggles desperately to simply have enough. It's not something you can just choose to jump in and out of at will. The truly poor don't wear inexpensive clothes to alleviate their guilt or because it's fashionable. They do so because they have no other options.
That's not to say that voluntary simplicity is a bad thing -- in fact, we should live simple lives in order to allocate our resources to the work of God's kingdom. But we shouldn't ever mistake our simplicity for true poverty and decide that we're morally superior to somebody who chooses to drive a nicer car. At best, that sort of attitude is naive. At worst, it's disingenuous and insulting to the truly poor among us. Often we serve the poor better by admitting that we are wealthy, and using our wealth to alleviate the hardship of others. There are times when giving everything away would be counterproductive to that purpose.
So how should Christians think about money in general? Books have been written on the subject, but here's the answer in a nutshell: We should think of money as a resource that God provides so that we can do His work on earth. We use it to buy the things we need in order to stay alive and energetic enough to serve Him. We use it to give to the spread of the Gospel around the world. We use it to increase the economic possibilities of those around us, so that we can show others that God's kingdom won't include poverty. Money is a tool, just like our time or our bodies or our talents, that God intends us to use for His glory.
How do you maintain a healthy, biblical attitude toward your money? Do you consistently view it as a resource provided by God to further His purposes in the world?
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Summer Blogging
Here in College Station we're finishing up the school year and beginning the Summer schedule. That means fewer students, fewer activities, planning for next year, and a bit of time for rest and refreshment for the staff.
I'm going to be away from the office a bit, and I'll also be engaged in preparation for the upcoming year.
So...I'm going to be scaling back on my blogging to about once a week, maybe twice a week, until the Fall semester. I look forward to continuing to dialogue with you through this blog, just not quite as many times each week. My hope is to pick up a more frequent schedule again when the new semester hits.
You Have More Influence Than You Think
I've been a college pastor for eight years now, so I've seen several generations of students come and go. One of the most intriguing aspects of college ministry is watching the process of discipleship happen in a compressed time frame. While an adult might leave a legacy at his church over the course of several decades, a student only has four or five years, at most, to make a mark.
I've learned, though, that most of us have more influence on others than we think we do. Even though they're only around for a few years, many students impact the feeling and direction of our ministry for years to come. Students who lead with integrity and faithfulness often leave behind an army of like-minded student leaders. On the other hand, students who are immature, lazy, or unkind can create a toxic environment that takes a long time to overcome.
Most of us don't think we have very much influence. We've been conditioned to believe that the real influencers in our culture are celebrities, business moguls, and politicians. Those people certainly have an influence, but to be honest it's more of a wide-spectrum influence than a deep one. Think about the people who have really changed your life, and chances are they aren't famous. They're ordinary people: your parents, close friends, teachers, pastors, boyfriends/girlfriends, and roommates.
When Paul told Timothy to teach the truth of Christ to faithful men, who would teach it to faithful men (2 Timothy 2:2), he understood that real cultural change happens one life at a time, as one person influences another, who influences another, and so on. That's the process of discipleship.
Although we tend to think of discipleship in strictly Christian terms, it actually works the opposite direction as well. If I use my influence to hurt others or to insult them or to feed my own ego, I'm going to produce others who act in the same ways. On the other hand, if I use my influence to draw others toward Christ and to share with them His kindness and love, I'm going to leave an entirely different sort of legacy.
So here's a challenge for you this morning: Think about the people you influence. Make a list of your friends, family, classmates, roommates, professors, and anybody else who could be impacted by your words and actions. Then ask yourself, "What sort of legacy am I leaving?" It might be that you need to make some adjustments. Whether you think about it often or not, you are making a difference. The question is simply, "What sort of difference are you making?"
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Most Embarrassing College Moment?
A college student at CU-Boulder accidentally spilled his cup of yogurt all over the President of the United States this week. You've probably never had anything quite that embarrassing happen to you during college. But I'm curious to hear your embarrassing moments if you have them -- just keep it clean, folks!
Is there an embarrassing college memory (an appropriate one!) that you're willing share here?
Listening to Your Loneliness
When I feel lonely, oh that's only a sign,
Some room is empty,
That room is there by design,
When I feel hollow,
That's just my proof that there's more for me to follow,
That's what the lonely is for.
(David Wilcox)
We tend to think of loneliness as something we need to escape. Many of us have ideas about what would truly cure us of loneliness once and for all. College students and single adults often think that marriage will cure loneliness. Married people often think that a better spouse will cure loneliness. From time to time we all believe that popularity or fame would cure our loneliness. In the words of Adam Duritz, "When everybody loves you, you can never be lonely."
Except, of course, you can. To be honest, some of my loneliest moments have been in the presence of crowds, people who know my name but don't really know me. Maybe you can relate to that. I think loneliness is often most acute when we finally achieve what we believe would be the cure for our loneliness -- a spouse, a date, popularity -- yet we realize we're not cured after all.
What if we're thinking about loneliness incorrectly? Maybe we shouldn't try so hard to avoid loneliness, but should instead carefully consider what it means. Perhaps loneliness isn't located "out there" somewhere but is really located "in here," inside our hearts and minds and spirits. Loneliness just might be God's way of reminding us that the ultimate source of acceptance and comfort isn't found in anything this world can offer.
Don't get me wrong -- we're designed to be in community with others, and to some degree we even need it. We aren't made to walk through life totally alone. On the other hand, we aren't made to be completely satisfied with the sort of imperfect relationships that this present world provides. Even in the most intimate relationships, people still hide from one another and hurt one another and fear one another. Until Jesus returns and makes us new and perfect and complete, we just won't be able to avoid the pain of loneliness.
But when Jesus returns, loneliness will disappear. We'll have perfect relationships, free of sin and doubt and fear of abandonment. Free of the need to hide from Him and from one another.
So right now, our loneliness serves as a sign to remind us that all is not well, but one day it will be. Instead of trying to escape it, let's allow it to draw us closer to the One who can remove it permanently. Let's also use the loneliness to remember that others are lonely too. Just like us, they need to hear the life-giving message that it won't last forever.
How do you handle loneliness in your own life?
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Contentment and Freedom
I used to enjoy watching those TV commercials for Mac computers, the ones in which a smooth and articulate actor ("Mac") talked with a dowdy and constantly confused "PC." The message was clear enough: If you buy an Apple computer, you'll be one of the "Mac people." I always envisioned the Mac people sitting in their stainless steel kitchens, drinking expensive Lattes, and talking to their stock brokers on their iPhones. PC people, on the other hand, can barely find their socks, wear shirts with underarm stains, and drink Folgers.
That's exactly the perception the Mac marketers wanted us to have, by the way. Advertising works best when it taps into our inherent discontent with who we are and what we possess. Apple wasn't just selling us a tool, they were selling us an identity. If we're not careful, we can truly begin to believe that our "life consists of the abundance of our possessions." If only we had a different house, better clothes, a nicer car, or a bigger retirement account, then we could be free.
Of course, the perception that more money and stuff will bring us freedom is an outright lie. Most of us would consider a millionaire to be rich, right? But when millionaires are surveyed, they don't think they're rich -- they think rich people have at least $7.5 million! I've talked with people living in $500,000 homes who think their house is too small or too old or too cheap. If only they had another half a million, they could buy their dream home. Right.
Contentment has nothing to do with the amount of money we make, and everything to do with our value system. Paul wrote us that he managed to find contentment in "whatever circumstances" (Phil 4:11). He could be content when he was in need or when he had an abundance. How? By trusting in Christ, who strengthened him and provided for all of his needs. By doing as Jesus said, and seeking first the kingdom of heaven and then trusting that God would provide the rest (Matthew 6:31-34).
True freedom is not found by having just a little bit more. It's found by trusting the Lord with what I already possess. If you're a college student with $20 in your pocket, you can be content. If you're a millionaire with enough saved to live for 20 years, you can be content. Contentment is an attitude of dependence upon the Lord. Contentment says, "God has provided for me sufficiently, and He will provide all that I need to do His will." Paul tells us in another letter that we can be content if we simply have food and clothing (1 Timothy 6:8). That's a far cry from the discontentment of our culture.
Contentment frees us to serve the Lord without worrying about money, and it frees us to give generously to the cause of His kingdom. If I live within my means, I can give to my church and to missionaries without fearing it will bankrupt me. I can orient my life around God's purposes rather than around trying to make an extra buck or two.
It's okay if you're not one of the Mac people. (It's also okay if you are, by the way). What really matters, though, is where your values lie. And your bank statement is a fairly good indicator of that.
Is contentment difficult for you? Why or why not?
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Do You Watch Christian Films?
In the past few months, several explicitly Christian films have been released. October Baby was released in March, Kirk Cameron's new documentary Monumental came out at the end of that month, and Blue Like Jazz came out last weekend.
It's no secret that many Christian films are criticized for being cheesy or poorly made. On the other hand, I've seen a few that were thoughtful and well-done. Given the proliferation of these films in the past few years, I'm curious to hear what you think of them, especially if you're a college student or young adult.
Do you go to the theater to watch Christian movies? Why or why not?