Ethics & Moral Issues

Ethics & Moral Issues gathers Christian Standard articles that apply biblical truth to today’s hardest moral questions and cultural debates. Here you’ll find thoughtful, Scripture-shaped guidance on topics like sanctity of life, sexuality and gender, marriage and family ethics, religious liberty, justice and human dignity, bioethics, and the moral dimensions of public life. These articles aim to help Christians form convictions, speak with clarity and compassion, and live faithfully in a complex world.

March 28, 2010

Christian Standard

Brave a New Ethical World

By Mark S. Krause A few months ago, a new type of “pharmacy” opened down the street from my church. It is a “medical marijuana dispensary.” Ironically, it is next door to the Los Angeles headquarters of Jews for Jesus, an aggressive Christian evangelistic organization. According to published accounts, it is now possible to get a “cannabis card” from a nearby physician, which allows purchase of marijuana for personal use. A student from UCLA was interviewed and said he sought the marijuana for his attention deficit disorder, but knew other students who obtained the card “for the weed.”1 It is

March 7, 2010

Christian Standard

How to Help

By Darrel Rowland Read the main article, “Balancing Grace and Truth with Homosexuals,” by Darrel Rowland There’s sin. There”s sexual SIN. And then there”s HOMOSEXUAL SIN. At least that”s how we Christians often act. And that”s a big reason why Christian leaders” struggles with homosexuality (1) are more prevalent than many believe and (2) go unaddressed for so long. Many times the inner battle remains secret until the all-but-inevitable blowup or crisis. That”s usually when Dr. John Walker gets a call. For more than 15 years, Walker, a licensed clinical psychologist, has run Blessing Ranch, a sprawling facility on 166

March 7, 2010

Christian Standard

Searching for Causes of Homosexuality

By Kent Paris One would think those working within the social sciences would share in common the answer to the question, “What is homosexuality?” but this is not the case. You would think the staggering volume of a century”s worth of published psychiatric literature detailing the common pathologies observed in tens of thousands of people suffering from homosexuality would convince everyone, even the skeptic, that it is a treatable disorder”“”“but that it is, indeed, a disorder. This was the case until the 1970s. In a stunning, bloodless coup, gay activists pulled off an amazing overthrow within the American Psychiatric Association

March 7, 2010

Christian Standard

Our Ministry to Gays and Lesbians

By James C. Donovan “I am so glad you are doing this Bible study. The churches who teach the Bible as God”s Word don”t want me there and the churches who welcome me don”t teach the Bible as God”s Word.” Those words will be a lasting memory from my effort in ministering to gays and lesbians. The man who uttered those words at a Bible study in a home was a delightful person who called himself a believer and openly admitted his homosexuality. He had only recently come out of the closet and was genuinely struggling with his lifestyle and

March 7, 2010

Christian Standard

Balancing Grace and Truth with Homosexuals

By Darrel Rowland Read the sidebar, “How to Help,” by Darrel Rowland Heated battles over gay marriage issues rage from California to Maine. Loud people from a tiny church in Kansas tote signs saying “God Hates Fags” and protest at funerals of troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Gay activists contend that many Christians” philosophy on homosexuality, “hate the sin but love the sinner,” is akin to “keep slavery but love the slaves.” Debates multiply over hate crimes legislation, proposals to add sexual orientation to antidiscrimination laws, the implications of such concepts as “don”t ask, don”t tell” or “equal rights,

March 3, 2010

Christian Standard

Some Who Read This Are Homosexuals

By Mark A. Taylor Several years ago a friend asked me to read an opinion piece about homosexuality he had written for a Christian audience. Frankly, I don”t recall what he wrote, but I do remember his reaction after one comment I made to him. “We need to keep in mind that some who see this will be homosexuals,” I said. The look on his face told me he”d never thought of that. He”d probably react differently today. So would I, because as one writer this week indicates, homosexual may not even be the best word to use when we

December 17, 2006

Dan C. Gilliam

How the 12 steps connect spiritual awakening and recovery

The 12-Stepping Church

Alcoholics Anonymous grew from faith-shaped practices that helped its founders stay sober. Learn how the 12 steps frame recovery as spiritual awakening and how churches can wisely support 12-step participation while offering deeper prayer, fellowship, and outreach.

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