Pastor Jesse's Blog

Today in my newspaper browsing I came across Charmaine Yoest’s column regarding abortion and the health care bill in the Wall Street Journal. She argues that the Senate’s healthcare reform bill would be the greatest expansion of abortion since the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973. It would mandate tax-payers to fund abortions and would establish abortion as a fundamental health-care service for the following reasons:

• It would change existing law by allowing federally subsidized health-care plans to pay for abortions and could require private health-insurance plans to cover abortion.

• It would impose a first-ever abortion tax—a separate premium payment that will be used to pay for elective abortions—on enrollees in insurance plans that covers abortions through newly created government health-care exchanges.

• And it would fail to protect the rights of health-care providers to refuse to participate in abortions.

For these reasons, Bart Stupak and 11 other pro-life Democrats are threatening to kill healthcare reform if this abortion problem isn’t fixed. Keep up with what’s happening with the health care bill. I encourage you to read Yoest’s column.

A national media campaign to promote the authority of the Bible began running commercials on Fox News, FoxNews.com and MSNBC.com on Monday. You can read the story here.

Last summer, the messengers of the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention appointed a task force to study how Southern Baptists can work more faithfully and effectively together in serving Christ through the Great Commission. The final report will be given at the SBC in Orlando this summer, but Ronnie Floyd presented an interim report to the SBC Executive Committee in Nashville last night.

You can download the text version of Dr. Floyd’s address here. Keep in mind this is only an interim report. The final report is not due until May. Nevertheless, it is clear that the work of the GCR Task Force promises to be epoch-making for Southern Baptists.

The report warns Southern Baptists that we have two options:

“Die a painful death, or live a painful change. . . What our convention chooses to do will determine what God does with this denomination. . . Wilderness wanderings or Canaan conquests.”

We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will lead Southern Baptists make the right decision this summer at the SBC meeting in Orlando.

Brian McLaren, a key leader in the Emerging Church Movement, has written a new book entitled A New Kind of Christianity.

Tim Challies recently reviewed McLaren’s new book, and he delivers an absolutely stinging review of the book. Among other things, Challies observes that McLaren loves Jesus but hates God. In fact, Challies is convinced that this book is a de-conversion narrative that shows that McLaren has unambiguously apostatized from the Christian faith. He writes:

‘He denies the Fall, he denies original sin, he denies human depravity, he denies hell…

‘Here, in A New Kind of Christianity it’s as if McLaren is screaming “I hate God!” at the top of his lungs. And swarms of Christians are looking at him with admiration and saying, “See how that guy loves God?” I don’t know what McLaren could do to make the situation more clear. In fact, his book is nearly indistinguishable from many of the de-conversion narratives that are all the rage today. Compare it with Bart Ehrman’s God’s Problem and you’ll see many of the same arguments and the same misgivings; you’ll find, though, that Ehrman is at least more honest. He at least has the integrity to walk away from faith altogether rather than reinventing God in his own image.

‘McLaren says he would prefer atheism over belief in the God so many of us see in Scripture. Well, he is not far off. This new kind of Extreme Makeover: God Edition Christianity is no Christianity at all. It is not a faith made in the image of Jesus Christ, but a faith made in the image of a man who despises God and who is hell-bent on dragging others along with him as he becomes his own god.’

As I’ve been browsing around in Barnes and Nobles I’ve read part of McLaren’s book. From what I’ve read, Mr. Challies has not overstated his case. I know I won’t buy the book and I probably won’t spend any of my precious time reading the rest of the book.

If you are interested you can read the rest of Challies’ review here.

If you don’t think that gay “marriage” is a threat to marriage, then you need to read this. The New York Times reports on a study to be released next month that shows that many “married” homosexuals do not consider monogamy to be a central component of their “marriages.” These couples are open to multiple partners while only being “married” to one. Why is this? According to the report,

“Some gay men and lesbians argue that, as a result, they have stronger, longer-lasting and more honest relationships. And while that may sound counterintuitive, some experts say boundary-challenging gay relationships represent an evolution in marriage — one that might point the way for the survival of the institution.”

What is shocking here is that the report suggests that monogamy is not just a problem for gay “marriages,” but for the institution of marriage itself. In other words, they are saying that heterosexuals should also consider abandoning monogamous marriage. As one “expert” put it, “The traditional American marriage is in crisis, and we need insight. If innovation in marriage is going to occur, it will be spearheaded by homosexual marriages.”

The report goes on to interview heterosexuals in open marriages, and they claim as well that having sexual liasons outside of the marital bond has strengthened their marriages. One woman put it this way: “Our relationship got better. I slept better at night. My blood pressure went down.”

As Christians, what are we to make of a report like this? First, it should be no surprise that people are trying to introduce innovations into traditional marriage. Such perversions are not due merely to the rise of gay “marriage.” No-fault divorce, rampant heterosexual immorality, and the deconstruction of gender roles have played their part as well. But we should be careful not to miss the spiritual component in all of this. God intends the union of one man and one woman to be a picture of the Gospel—an enacted parable of Christ’s love for His bride (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31-32). The world and the Devil hate this message and want to obliterate its picture in marriage. To obliterate the message, one must obliterate marriage. The powers have marriage in their crosshairs, and they aim to do whatever they can to undermine the covenanted union of one man and one woman. One way to destroy something is to redefine it. In this case, the redefinition comes in the form of calling evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).

Second, Christians must bear witness to the fact that we appeal to a higher authority on marriage. No doubt there are many “married” people who claim open marriages bring them great happiness. Sinners enjoy sin. So it should come as no surprise that this scientific study would indicate as much. But scientific studies reporting the relative happiness of persons in perverted relationships constitute no ground for understanding the nature and purpose of marriage. God created and thus defines marriage. For Christians, therefore, no scientific study can trump God’s word.

Third, our number one task as Christians is not so much to reform marriage, but to share the Gospel and call sinners to repentance. Where the Gospel takes hold, we can be sure that the transformation of marriages is soon to follow. For this reason, our Gospel-preaching must be accompanied by Gospel-living. When unbelievers see Christian marriages in shambles, they encounter a stumbling block to the Gospel. What that means is that individual Christians and churches must commit themselves to healthy marriages (as the Bible defines health). That means one man and one woman in covenanted union for life. Within that union, the world needs to see husbands who love their wives as Christ loved the church and women who follow the leadership of their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-33). And they need to see this kind of union as the happiest kind of union there is.

I don’t think Christians should worry about studies like the one quoted above. God’s kingdom will march on even if our culture goes in another direction. What should concern all of us, however, is when Christians and churches begin to look more like the culture than God’s kingdom. Let’s pray that God will make us a faithful counterculture in the midst of the culture for the sake of the culture.

“If the pro-choice stance is so precarious that a story about someone who chose to carry a risky pregnancy to term undermines it, then CBS is not the problem.”

That is what Sally Jenkins writes in her column in the Washington Post. Jenkins is a feminist and is pro-choice. Nevertheless, she believes that the National Organization for Women (NOW) needs to stop hyperventilating about Tim Tebow’s forthcoming pro-life Superbowl Ad. She writes,

“Apparently NOW feels this commercial is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikinis selling beer is the right one. I would like to meet the genius at NOW who made that decision. On second thought, no, I wouldn’t.”

Jenkins is right on target with that assessment. Having said that, her straightforward assessment of what’s at stake in abortion is nothing short of astonishing coming from a pro-choicer. She writes,

“Tebow himself is an inescapable fact: Abortion doesn’t just involve serious issues of life, but of potential lives, Heisman trophy winners, scientists, doctors, artists, inventors, Little Leaguers — who would never come to be if their birth mothers had not wrestled with the stakes and chosen to carry those lives to term. And their stories are every bit as real and valid as the stories preferred by NOW.”

I can hardly grasp that an individual can remain pro-choice and believe that abortion takes the lives of future doctors, artists, inventors, etc. She seems to recognize the humanity of the unborn, but she won’t grant their inalienable right to life. That seems to me to be a fundamental contradiction at the heart of an otherwise helpful article.

Let me encourage you to read the entire article. I think you’ll be glad you did.

Last night I came across this picture from a Washington Post video report on the 2010 “March for Life” in Washington, D. C. When I saw it last night, it reminded me of another outrage from a 2006 “March for Life” (see below). I don’t think the pro-choicers realize how much these types of protests work against their cause. I think most people recoil at such displays.

Today is the national Sanctity of Human Life Day.

Focus on the Family has enlisted Tim Tebow to tell the pro-life story of his own birth. Doctors advised Tim’s parents to abort him due to some complications with the pregnancy. His parents ignored the doctors’ recommendations and brought the pregnancy to term. And of course the rest is history. Tim Tebow grew up to become one of the greatest players in the history of college football.

The Associated Press reports:

Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family, said the commercial comes at a time when “families need to be inspired.”

“Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive,” Daily said. “Focus on the Family is about … strengthening families by empowering them with the tools they need to live lives rooted in morals and values.”

Thirty-second commercials during the Super Bowl are selling for between $2.5 million and $2.8 million. Daly said all the funds for the ad came from a handful of “very generous and committed friends,” and that no money from the group’s general fund was used.

“Now that the ad has been shot, we’re excited to tell people it’s coming because the Tebows’ story is such an important one for our culture to hear,” he said. “You won’t want to miss it.”

Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti. As followers of Christ, we must do more than pray. We must do everything we can to comfort those who are grieving over the death of family and friends, help those who are wounded and alleviate the suffering in that devastated nation.

In giving financial assistance to the people, I highly recommend giving through the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. They have a great Haiti response in place through Baptist Global Response.

Here is a collection of photographs showing the horrific devastation of the earthquake in Haiti.

Some reports are suggesting up to half a million may be dead.

I’m sure there are many places to give today in light of the tragedy in Haiti. The Southern Baptist Convention has the greatest disaster relief ministry in the world according one American Red Cross spokesman. You may give a special offering in addition to your tithe this week. Please designate your gift “Haiti Relief Offering.”

Children’s Hunger Fund is another place I trust and respect.

Here is part of their post on how you can respond:

In a time like this, we are all called to action for the sake of those who are suffering. A team from Children’s Hunger Fund just returned on Sunday from training pastors and ministry volunteers in the Dominican Republic (DR), the country that borders Haiti. These leaders are now trained and trusted partners in the effort to bring food, aid, and hope to the poor in Haiti and the DR. By God’s grace, the sea container full of Food Paks® and other aid we shipped to them arrived in the DR last Wednesday. We have released those boxes of food for use in the relief effort so churches will begin to provide food to the suffering as early as today. In addition, we are preparing to ship a load of bottled water and an emergency food out of our San Antonio, TX distribution center. As resources come in, we will continue to direct more and more loads. It is our hope to send a minimum of 10 sea containers full of aid.
Our ministry partner in the DR, Esperanza International, is moving forward to serve those affected. Kempiz Hernandez, our Mercy Network Director over Latin America, said, “I am thankful that we have a trustworthy partner, who has wonderful relationships with many pastors and churches in Haiti to help in this disaster.”

Help The Haiti Earthquake Victims – Click HERE to donate now.