Reflections of an Undeconstructed Pentecostal
On June 26, 2015 the United States Supreme court issued the Obergefell decision which legalized same-sex marriage throughout the United States and its jurisdictions. Although this is a recent legal decision, the issue of same-sex behavior is ancient.
Continue reading “A Conversation about Sex – Part 6: Homosexuality and Transgenderism”
This is a tough statement. I don’t pretend to be the judge of brothers and sisters who confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I simply see myself as one member, among many, dedicated to the teaching of Jesus Christ. We are all called to exercise careful discernment and be accountable to the truth of Holy Scripture.
In the Garden of Eden, God provided two trees – the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life is the knowledge of God. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is life without the knowledge of God. To eat of the Tree of Life is to acknowledge that humans need God to flourish. To eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is to suggest that we can find our own way. This ancient narrative offers an appropriate way of understanding the affinity for liberal theology.
Continue reading “Is Pentecostalism Becoming an Exercise in Liberalism?”
Some of my colleagues have suggested that those of us who favor the egalitarian the view of men and women are practicing a dangerous hermeneutic that will ultimately justify the acceptance of homosexual marriage. I admit that bad hermeneutics have indeed been employed to justify all sorts of evils. That is why we must approach the preaching and teaching of God’s word with fear, prayer, knowledge, and love for truth.
Continue reading “Will Women Bishops lead to Homosexual Marriage?”
As the Church of God International Assembly convenes in Orlando on July 29, the agenda before the General Council demonstrates a disjointed biblical hermeneutic. It also demonstrates how the culture provokes the church to action, and inaction. I refer to agenda items 30 and 44. Item 30 concerns divorced and remarried applicants for ministry. Item 44 concerns homosexual marriage.
Continue reading “Why Stand Firm against Homosexuality, but Surrender to Divorce?”
I recently read Lynne Cheney’s new biography – James Madison: A Life Reconsidered. I thought I would be taking a Sabbath from theological considerations and indulge in my second love – American history. But I was wrong. Early on Cheney tells us of Madison’s lifelong struggle with “sudden attacks,” most likely a form of epilepsy, that often left him debilitated for days. As a student at Princeton, Madison sought to understand the source of his malady. He consulted medical texts and biblical commentaries. The scientific explanation for his disease was an excess of black bile secreted by the kidneys. Remedies included a mixture of mercury, arsenic, and antimony. The biblical explanation for his disease, which was supported by the Princeton faculty, was demon possession (Matthew 17:14-18; Mark 9:17-26; Luke 9:42). The King James Version of the Bible, which he consulted, referred to sufferers as “lunatics.”
Continue reading “James Madison’s “sudden attacks” & Biblical Hermeneutics”
In an effort to faithfully serve as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the current socio-political climate that promotes “marriage equality,” I have adopted three principles of ministry.
Continue reading “As You Defend the Faith, Do Not Neglect Compassion”