Articles for tag: Gay Marriage

Apologetics & Worldview

Letter from a Skeptic

Editor’s note: We present the following essay as an example to Christians, showing us how many skeptics think about the faith we hold dear. The thoughts and arguments here are not unique, and Christians do well to listen to them. In a separate post, Dick Alexander answers this anonymous writer. You’ll want to read his piece after you’ve read this one. By Anonymous When asked why he did not embrace Christianity, Mahatma Gandhi replied with this widely known remark: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” The sentiment resonates with

August 1, 2016

Book Reviews Reviews

Car Talk, Gay Marriage, and the Death Journey

By LeRoy Lawson The Reckoning David Halberstam Available via Kindle;Â first published in 1986 God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical CaseÂ in Support of Same-Sex Relationships Matthew Vines New York: Convergent Books (reprint edition), 2015 A Long Letting Go: MeditationsÂ on Losing Someone You Love Marilyn Chandler McEntyre Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015 For decades America”s automotive industry dazzled the whole world as it drove itself to the pinnacle of creative, organizational, and mechanical success. No other nation could compete. Detroit ruled supreme. That was then. This is now. David Halberstam”s The Reckoning was published 30 years ago. It still captivates a reader

July 28, 2015

Christian Living

Calm in the Chaos

By Mark A. Taylor How shall we react in times that seem to become more unsettled every week? In a society besieged by gun violence, in a culture increasingly fragmented by political division, in a world where peace seems impossible and conflict far away breeds pain and destruction close to home, what should be the Christian”s outlook? When the media celebrates and the government certifies rights we believe God forbids, and when Christian leaders struggle to find middle ground between the extremes of permissiveness and legalism, where will we take our stand? In blog posts and coffee shop conversations all

July 14, 2015

Christian Living

Claiming the Right Identity

By Mark A. Taylor It is easy, too easy for me to make my identity all about me. Can you relate? For example, many of us take identity from our family relationships. (Whose son are you? Which child is yours?) Or we boost identity with what we can afford to buy or experience. (Is this your new car? You live in that neighborhood? Your cruise lasted how long?) We claim identity from the title behind our names. (Instructor or professor or dean? Manager or director or vice president?) But when life changes””and life always changes””when the job ends or the

July 4, 2015

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

Five Ways Churches Can Maintain a Faithful Gospel Witness in a Changing Legal Culture

By Christiana Holcomb The Constitution”s freedom of religion guarantee may not be enough to protect your ministry from litigation. But these steps will help. Editor’s note:Â This article, written before the Supreme Court gay marriage decision, offers strategies even more urgent for churches to adopt today. America is in the midst of a seismic cultural shift in matters of faith, family, and freedom. More than 35 states now issue same-sex marriage licenses. An increasing number of scholars and judges insist that the First Amendment protects only the freedom to believe””not the freedom to live out those beliefs. At least one state

June 30, 2015

Miscellaneous

The Time to Refine Our Focus

By Mark A. Taylor The Internet is buzzing with reactions to last week”s Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. Advocates are adding the #LoveWins hashtag to every tweet, and Christian leaders are urging the church not to be discouraged in the face of what many view as a terrible loss. Amid all the chatter, Caleb Kaltenbach”s perspective offers a voice as refreshing as it is calm. “Some say this is the defining issue of the day,” he said when I interviewed him last week at the North American Christian Convention. “But I believe the church is getting it wrong.” We

April 7, 2015

A Middle Ground in the Religious Freedom Debate

By Mark A. Taylor Does any Christian, in the name of religious freedom, really want the right to refuse service to a gay or lesbian? I doubt it. Christian restaurant owners, gas station operators, and Wal-Mart managers have been doing business with gays and lesbians for years, without a problem. The issue isn”t service“”whether I”ll fix a grilled cheese sandwich for a hungry gay guy or sell a dress to a lesbian she”ll wear at her wedding. The issue is endorsement. No one does a morality check before someone enters his business. Every day Christians do business with adulterers, fornicators,

February 6, 2015

Pondering the Future of Marriage

By Jon Weatherly “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage” was the title of the conference convened by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, October 27″“29, 2014, in Nashville, Tennessee. Around 1,300 people attended, hearing speakers and panels from the SBC and beyond discuss the church”s response to contentious issues raised by the widespread legalization and popular approval of same-sex marriage. I attended all sessions of the conference. My aim was to listen as someone outside the Southern Baptist Convention, learn what I could from an event organized by a leading Christian organization

September 24, 2013

Ethics & Moral Issues

A Difficult Standard, a Tricky Balance

By Mark A. Taylor The September 20 issue of The Wall Street Journal quoted from a 12,000-word interview Pope Francis had given to the Italian Jesuit journal CiviltÃ¡ Cattolica. “We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage, and the use of contraceptive methods,” he said. While affirming that the teachings of the church are clear about these matters, he added, “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time. We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards.” While

May 21, 2013

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

Now You Can Go “Beyond the Standard”

By Mark A. TaylorÂ Beginning this week, CHRISTIAN STANDARD is offering a new, free monthly radio program available to you via the web at BlogTalkRadio.com. Log on and listen in to “Beyond the Standard” this Thursday, May 23, at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to see what I mean. Listeners that day will hear and interact with three contributors to our website. (Each of them also wrote for the May issue of our monthly print magazine.) George Ross, North Vernon, Indiana, talks about developing disciples, regardless of their past or the challenges of their current situation. He”s demonstrating a refreshing

May 20, 2013

Church Leadership

Dan Cathy = WWJD?

By Tim Harlow Dan Cathy is the president of Chick-fil-A and has borne the brunt of a great deal of criticism in the gay marriage debate because of a statement he made affirming biblical marriage values. That is NOT why I think he represents “What Would Jesus Do?” I know Jesus would affirm his Father”s plan for human sexuality, but he would never stop there. This Chick-fil-A debate was very unfortunate, in my opinion, because of the polarization it caused between the two sides. Cathy became the whipping boy for the gay lobby, representing all things evil about Christianity. I

September 5, 2011

Culture & Public Square

Cease-Fire: Rethinking the Culture Wars

By Kelly Boyd The alignment of Christians with political conservatism is a recent phenomenon rarely questioned these days. Conservatism, it seems, simply is understood as the biblical position, but the results have been mixed at best, from a cultural standpoint. In fact, it can be predicted with confidence that gay marriage will be legal in all 50 states in our lifetime. How can this be, when Paul says, “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31)? I propose that it”s time for a cease-fire in the culture war and a closer examination of the church”s calling

June 1, 2011

Same-Sex Marriage””What Should We Do?

By Ben Cachiaras Editor”s note: As the Maryland state legislature considered a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, earlier this year, Ben Cachiaras encouraged his congregation, Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland, to respond in a way that honors Christ. (The bill ultimately died without being passed.) Below is an excerpt from what Ben wrote in March. Christians need to think carefully about this issue. Here are a few incomplete thoughts and observations, offered humbly into the discussion: “¢ The landscape in America has changed. Recent polls confirm what we already know””that a growing number of Americans are prepared to recognize gay

March 7, 2010

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

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,

October 8, 2006

Darrel Rowland

Is the Church Getting Too Involved in Politics?

As Christians gain influence in elections and public debates, what happens to the church’s witness? Darrel Rowland warns against partisan entanglement and urges believers to separate political preferences from matters of faith.

January 1, 2001