Restoring a Great Man’s Reputation

Title: Restoring a Great Man’s Reputation

Text: Matthew 11:7-19

Date: August 16th, 2009

 

If you remember last week I talked about John the Baptist and his doubts or questions whether Jesus really was the long-awaited Messiah. I shared how when I first encountered the account of John the Baptist doubting Jesus or questioning his identity as Messiah, I was a little disappointed. Why couldn’t this great prophet of God clearly see this spiritual truth, like the Apostle Peter did, for example in his statement to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of Living God,” Matthew 16:16. After all, wasn’t it John the Baptist who first introduced Jesus as the Messiah to the people of Israel and baptized him? Hadn’t he seen the sign from God of the dove descending upon Jesus indicating that he was indeed the Christ? And didn’t he point out Jesus as the Messiah to his disciples? So why now was he doubting all of this and needing further assurances and confirmation? But then I shared how John the Baptist had been thrown into prison by Herod and was facing execution for confronting the king of his sin of adultery. John must have felt alone and abandoned and discouraged. But the big problem John had was that Jesus wasn’t acting fully like the Messiah he and all of the Jews were expecting. In all the miracles of Jesus, he hadn’t performed the most important miracle as far as the Jews were concerned – liberating God’s Chosen People from the pagan Roman oppressors. Isn’t that what the Messiah is supposed to do? Wasn’t that the hope of Israel? Wasn’t that part of the prayer for the coming of the Messiah in the first place? But Jesus wasn’t fulfilling that part — at least not yet. John and the Jews were counting on the Messiah coming and doing his full work in their lifetime, but what they didn’t count on was the Messiah accomplishing his work in two stages. The first coming was for the purpose of dealing with the real problem of all men and women, both Jews and Gentiles, and that was the problem of sin. Jesus came to make atonement for sin, according to the prophecy found in Isaiah 53, the suffering servant. The second coming of Jesus would accomplish the liberation of God’s people and judgment upon earth of their enemies. But the Jews weren’t looking for the Messiah to work in two stages, and neither was John. That’s why the Baptist was having his second thoughts and doubts about Jesus. Jesus reassured John that yes indeed he was in fact the Messiah by pointing out the many supernatural signs and wonders he performed which had been prophesied in the Old Testament the true Messiah would do. But now in the passage for today, Matthew 11:7-19, Jesus attempts to restore the reputation of John the Baptist as a great man even though he questioned and doubted. We are not to think any less of John the Baptist because of his questions concerning the identity of Jesus as Messiah. What Jesus says next about John increases our respect for him, not diminishes it. Matthew 11:7-19 (read). Jesus’ attitude towards doubt is also revealing. It shows that from God’s standpoint, doubting isn’t the worst thing one can do, stubborn unbelief is. That should give us comfort today, especially in our skeptical and doubting age. Better to deal with doubters than outright unbelievers. Better to work through our own doubts than to fake belief yet really be unbelievers. Doubting can actually be the prelude to greater faith – if we process out doubts in a godly way. Let’s look at what Jesus says about John and see what we can learn.

Dealing With Doubts in the Christian Faith

Title: Dealing With Doubts in the Christian Faith

Text: Matthew 11:1-6

Date: August 2nd, 2009

 

For the past few weeks I’ve been teaching about the reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible. Today, I’ll get back into the Gospel of Matthew where I was moving through verse-by-verse for the year. Actually I’m picking up in Matthew at a good place, on an appropriate topic, especially after dealing with objections to the Bible over the last few weeks. I’m dealing with the topic of doubt in the Christian life. Why am I dealing with that topic today? Not that I have any particular doubts about the Christian faith in my life, but we see here in the passage for today, Matthew 11:1-6, that John the Baptist seemed to have his doubts or at least questions about whether Jesus really was in fact the Messiah. We pick up the scene with John the Baptist in jail. If you remember the biblical account, John got himself arrested for speaking out against the adultery of King Herod. He confronted the king and told him that according to the law of God he was living in sin for taking the wife of his brother Philippe. As you can imagine this message didn’t go over very well with Herod and his wife Herodias. So John was arrested and kept in prison. While he was rotting away in prison it seems that he was having his doubts about Jesus – or at least was questioning whether Jesus really was the long-awaited Messiah. He knew that he might be facing death through execution soon and so he probably wanted to know whether he was correct in identifying Jesus as the Messiah publicly or whether he had been wrong. Now when I first read this account in the New Testament of John’s doubts and questions I was a little disappointed. I couldn’t believe that a great New Testament prophet like John would doubt for one minute what God had so clearly showed him. For example, in John 1:29-33 says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I meant when I said, “A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’ Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me. “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.’” So I was shocked when I read that he began to doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. But then I realized that John was made of flesh and blood. He also was a Jew with the typical Jewish Messiah expectations of a conquering hero in the style of King David to overpower the Romans and re-establish the Jewish state in the Holy Land. When that didn’t happen right away I think John was a little discouraged. So he sends some of his followers to Jesus with one simple question, “Are you really the Messiah or should we look for someone else?” We all face doubts about our faith sometimes. It might be about the Bible or it could be about God’s active presence in our lives or maybe about God’s love as we go through a tough time. For some people, there are doubts about God’s plan for the world or about the practicality of the Christian faith in our modern world. Some have intellectual doubts, while others have existential or emotional doubts. While still others just have questions, not so much doubts, but questions about the ways of God. But whatever form or doubts or questions take, we can learn how to deal with them by seeing how Jesus responds to John. Let’s take a look and see how it might help us too when we have our doubts. Matthew 11:1-6 (read).

Is the Word of Paul the Word of God?

Title: Is the Word of Paul the Word of God?

Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 3:15-16, Acts 14:8-18

Date: July 23rd, 2009

 

For the past few weeks I’ve been teaching about the reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible. I’ll continue on that same subject today. One of the many problems with the Bible that people seem to have today is over the teachings of the Apostle Paul. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked with people who are fine with almost everything the Bible teaches — except for the teachings of the Apostle Paul. And I’m not talking about unbelievers or non-Christians; I’m talking about professed Christians, church members and Bible readers. It seems today the Apostle Paul isn’t a very popular person – even within the Christian church. Now why is that? Why would people in and outside the Christian church have a problem with Paul? There may be many reasons, but probably the main reason why so many people object to the Apostle Paul today is that he speaks forthrightly about controversial topics in his biblical writings. Paul takes the gospel message and explains it in detail and also applies it directly. He speaks bluntly about sin, judgment, God’s wrath, damnation, confession, repentance and faith. He is willing to contend earnestly and argue strongly for the Christian faith. This style of outspokenness and frank truth telling gets Paul into trouble today, as it did in his own day as well. And so we can see how easy it is for some people to question whether the Apostle Paul deserves to have his words categorized as God’s Word in the holy Bible. Now what I’d like to do this morning is answer the question, “Should the words of Paul be considered the Word of God?” I’d like to show that yes indeed the Word of God includes the writings of the Apostle Paul as we have contained in the Bible. And I’d like to clear up some of the misconceptions that people have over the writings of Paul found in the New Testament. I’d like to ask and then answer three questions. First question, “Are we free to disagree with Paul?” I’ll argue that we are not free to disagree with Paul because to do so would be to disagree with a prophet of God speaking the Word of God. Second question, “Are all the writings of Paul the inspired Word of God?” I’ll show that all of the writings of Paul contained in the New Testament are indeed the inspired Word of God. Third question, “Wasn’t Paul just a man?” I’ll prove that Paul was just a man who God chose to inspire for the purpose of bringing forth God’s Word. It seems that most of the problems people have with equating Paul’s writings with the Word of God come from a misunderstanding concerning inspiration and how God inspires the prophets of old to bring forth the Word of God. Another reason why people have a problem with the Apostle Paul today is that they simply don’t like all of what he teaches even though it is perfectly consistent with the other inspired writers of the New Testament. I hope that I can help people understand and appreciate the Apostle Paul better so that they might be able to read, understand and follow his teachings as the Word of God, which it is. It’s simply not acceptable for anyone to pick and choose from within the Bible those parts to believe and follow, yet reject other parts. The fact is the writings of Apostle Paul are part and partial of the Bible; we must believe and follow them. Let’s go further.

Three More Questions About the Bible

Title: Three More Questions About the Bible

Text: Matthew 5:17, 2 Peter 3:15-16, John 5:45-47

Date: July 21st, 2009

 

I’ve been talking about the Bible for the last few weeks by asking and then answering a few common questions that people raise about the Bible. Today I’d like to answer a few more common questions that are raised concerning the Bible. The first question I’ll try to answer is this, “Are we supposed to interpret the Bible literally?” I remember when I was a young Christian going to a church conference in Flint, Michigan and attending a workshop of a Christian author who had written a number of well-known books. At the end of his presentation he had a question and answer session, so I raised my hand and asked him the same question, “How are we to interpret the Bible, literally?” I think he gave me a very helpful answer – but more on that in a minute. The second question I’ll answer is, “Are the teachings of Jesus more authoritative than other teachings in the Bible, for example, the Apostle Paul’s?” I often run into people who say something like, “Well, Jesus never taught that,” or “Well, that’s just Paul who said that.” The implication is that the teachings of Jesus – or the red letters, as some Bibles print the words of Jesus – are more important than, say, the words of Moses in the first 5 books of the Old Testament or the writings of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. I’ll explain why we can’t pick and choose from one part to another in the Bible nor can we judge one part more important than the other. Finally, three, I’ll try to answer the question, “I’ve heard the Bible was put together by unknown editors, not the authors whose names appear on the individual books – is that true?” From television documentary specials presented on ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN to scholarly books found in, for example, Barns & Nobles and Borders bookstores, a general message is given to the public that the Bible wasn’t written by the traditional authors whose names appear on the individual biblical books, but rather the Bible was written by unknown editors who compiled materials from many different sources. I’ll explain this “multiple source” theory is unproven and goes against the very claims of the Bible itself. There are many more questions people ask about the Bible today, but many of these same questions have been asked for hundreds if not thousands of years. Remarkably, not many people take the time to get answers to these questions, but the fact is, there are solid answers to these and other frequently asked questions about the Bible. We have every reason to believe the complete and total reliability of the Bible as God’s Word. We find in the historical record that Jesus and the apostles all assumed the absolute trustworthiness of the complete Old Testament. We also find that Jesus promised his apostles that the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance all his teachings and lead them into all truth. This promise is the foundation for our confidence in the New Testament writings. We can have total confidence in the truthfulness of the whole Bible. We can base our lives upon the Bible’s teachings and not be disappointed. But let me go into more detail concerning the three questions I mentioned before.

Does the Bible Contain Errors and Contradictions?

Title: Does the Bible Contain Errors and Contradictions?

Text: 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 4:4

Date: July 19th, 2009

 

I’ll be talking about the Bible for the next few weeks by asking and then answering a few common questions that people raise about the Bible. For nearly two thousands years of Christian church history it was assumed that the Bible is completely reliable and true. Even during the time of the biggest schism in the church – the Reformation – both sides agreed that the Bible was totally true and free from all errors. But starting roughly a couple hundred years ago during the time of the Enlightenment, people began to question more and more the accuracy of the Bible. Today, as a result of the Enlightenment and modern secular skepticism, most people, sadly, doubt the reliability and truthfulness of the Bible. We even find this unbelief in parts of the Christian church, within denominational structures and local churches, as well as church institutions such as colleges, seminaries, and publishing houses. It is commonly accepted and widely assumed that the Bible contains many errors and contradictions, so much so that it can’t be totally relied upon to give us the whole truth. Many people read the Bible for inspirational value, but also refuse to interpret it literally because they feel that it can be wrong in places. Still others do read the Bible for more than just inspiration – they really do read it for instruction in spiritual and moral matters – but outside of these two strictly religious areas they have their doubts as to its reliability to present an accurate picture of reality. For example, in areas of science, history, and psychology, some people may feel the Bible contains errors and contradictions because it was written by ancient people limited as they were to the knowledge of their times. So we see a lot of skepticism today concerning the Bible’s main claim to being the Word of God. This skepticism as to the Bible’s truthfulness in all matters leads to a hesitancy by most people to trust in it completely with their lives. And we see this tragic result reflected in the life of the average Christian whose life is very often no different than the people of the surrounding culture. This lack of conviction concerning the truthfulness of the Bible effectively negates any form of discipleship in the church – which explains why Christianity is a mile wide but only an inch deep in our culture today. There will be no revival or renewal of Christianity here or anywhere unless the Bible is given its rightful place of authority in Christians’ lives; and that won’t happen until its truthfulness and trustworthiness is restored. I hope to make a small contribution in that direction this morning by showing how alleged errors and supposed contradictions all fail to demonstrate any real errors or contradictions in the Bible. I hope to show that we can rely totally on the Bible to teach us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Let me say a couple things on this topic.

Can We Trust The Bible?

Title: Can We Trust the Bible?

Text: Matthew 4:4, John 14:26, 2 Timothy 3:16

Date: July 12th, 2009

 

I’ll be talking about the Bible for the next few weeks by asking and then answering a few common questions that people raise about the Bible. In our modern 21^st century age there seems to be a great misunderstanding about what the Bible is and what it’s role should be in our lives. Not only are most people vastly ignorant about what the Bible teaches, they are also vastly confused as to its purpose. Consequently, most people do not read the Bible on a regular basis, and among those that do read it regularly, it is read in a smorgasbord way – picking and choosing, selecting passages for one reason and rejecting other passages for other reasons. For many people the Bible is simply an ancient source of religious writings upon which they may or may not draw inspiration. Yet they may also consider other writings just as inspirational, such as ancient Greek poetry or even modern day poetry. Others use the Bible along with the Koran, the Book of Mormon, or Hindu or Buddhist writings to inspire them spiritually. However, most people simply ignore or neglect the Bible altogether because they think it either doesn’t speak to them very profoundly or maybe they feel they understand it enough to respect it spiritually but not enough to read it regularly. For whatever reasons, most people do not seriously read the Bible today on a regular basis. Consequently, most people do not apply its teachings to their lives in any consistent way. Even most church people and those who would call themselves Christians don’t seriously dedicate themselves to learning and living out the teachings of God in the Bible. Some do, but this is only a small percentage. Now if we were to step back and ask the question, “Why isn’t the Bible having a more profound effect on people today in the 21^st century?” — I think it would all come down to one basic issue – people don’t trust the Bible. Most people today think that the Bible contains errors and contradictions and therefore it can’t be totally trusted. Other people point to the supernatural miracles and conclude that the Bible is filled with ancient myths and fairy tales. Still others claim that modern science and modern knowledge today have proven the Bible wrong, that it can’t be trusted in presenting a true and accurate picture of the world. On and on the list could go as to why most people today don’t trust the Bible enough to read it regularly and rearrange their lives to conform to its teachings. People don’t seem to trust that the Bible is really, ultimately from God; maybe they think it’s mostly full of the thoughts of man. And so on. Today, I’d like to help people trust in the Bible as God’s Word by showing how we can know that both the Old and New Testaments are true and from God, not by going verse-by-verse through the Bible defending each teaching, but by simply asking the question, “What did Jesus think of the Bible?” — and then following Jesus. Personally, I know I can trust the Bible because Jesus himself trusted it. We can’t go wrong by following Jesus. Let me explain further.

Peace, Loyalty and Diplomacy

Title: Peace, Loyalty and Diplomacy

Text: Matthew 10:34-42

Date: June 28th, 2009

 

Continuing in The Gospel According to Matthew, this week we look at Jesus’ instructions to his disciples about having realistic expectations about the Christian life and Christian ministry. Today, we almost always hear about the benefits of Christianity or the positive effects of Christian faith upon one’s life. Most evangelists describe all the good things that will result when we place our faith in Jesus Chris and begin to live the Christian life. In fact, it’s become popular today for church pastors to present the Christian faith almost exclusively or solely in terms of positive benefits. “Come to Jesus and he’ll fix your marriage.” Put you faith in the Lord and he’ll give you success on the job or in your career.” “If you trust in God you’ll experience a happier life and a healthier body.” “By applying the principles of God’s Word, the Bible, to your life you can have more money and material resources.” But not only is the blessing of God available to individuals, but it’s also available to nations as well, we are told. We hear that if more people in the United States would only return to church, read their Bibles and pray, and obey God our nation would be blessed. Now the truth is, there is much truth to these statements. By trusting and obeying God we can experience personal blessings. By our nation turning back towards God in respect to laws and policy-making, through its citizens following more closely the moral and spiritual commands of God, we can prosper as a nation. But it is also a fact that the Christian life is not only an opportunity to experience positive blessings, it also comes with negative consequences as well. That’s something overly zealous evangelists and over-eager church leaders often times fail to mention to people. But it’s something that Jesus never omitting from mentioning to his disciples in preparing them for the Christian life and ministry in the real world. Jesus soberly reminds them that they will face opposition. Far from making the world a more peaceful place, the introduction of the Christian gospel might actually increase tensions in families and between friends, even in society, in communities or even within a nation, as individuals and groups decide whether or not to trust and obey the gospel. In addition, Jesus communicates that he demands 100% loyalty from his followers. They must place him in highest priority in their lives – above even family and friends. No one or no thing can take priority over loyalty to Christ – no career, no hobby, no interest, no earthly possession – nothing. Finally, in this section, Jesus tells his disciples that they are to function as his ambassadors, carrying his message and ministry to others. If they are received well, it is because people are receiving Christ; if they are rejected, it is because people are rejecting Christ. These are important truths for us as 21^st century disciples of Jesus to remember, especially in a day and age that only likes to hear about only the positive benefits that come from trusting and obey the Lord. We must realize that even in the midst of the many blessings we receive from following Christ, we’ll also encounter negative consequences for our faith as well. We must be ready for this aspect of the Christian life also. With that as an introduction, let’s look at what Jesus teaches his disciples – all of his disciples – about what they will encounter.

The Absolute Absurdity of “Gay” Church Leaders

Title: The Absolute Absurdity of “Gay” Church Leaders

Text: 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:6-9, Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27

Date: June 26th, 2009

 

Last week I talked about the “Absolute Absurdity of Gay Pride,” strongly objecting to the new president’s proclamation of June as “Gay Pride” month in the United States. Also, while I was on a similar subject, I then talked about the “Absolute Absurdity of Gay Churches,” pointing out the impossibility of reconciling homosexual practices with legitimate, biblical Christianity. Now, while still on the same general subject, I’d like to address the whole issue of so-called gay clergy within the church, by calling this talk “The Absolute Absurdity of Gay Church Leaders.” You may or may not be aware of the fact that in a few church denominations and in some local Christian churches there are practicing homosexual church leaders – pastors or elders or deacons or board member or church council members. In denominational structures there are even practicing homosexual bishops or overseers – or whatever the specific denomination may call them. Ever so often these gay church leaders receive attention in the national news reporting on their specific situations. For example, a few years ago news reports described the United Methodist Church embroiled in a controversy involving a lesbian pastor in a local church who was fighting for the right to remain in her leadership position within the Methodist Church. The report also indicated that she had an open lesbian lover. As it turned out, she was permitted to remain in her position as pastor. In a far more important and controversial case, an openly homosexual Episcopalian church leader was installed as bishop in New England. And while the Episcopal Church has been ordaining gay clergy for a number of years, it had never elevated one to the level of bishop or overseer before. A bishop is a position that provides leadership coverage not just on a local church level but also carries with it the spiritual responsibility of a whole region of churches and the leaders and members of these churches. So whether it is right or wrong, whether we like it or not, there are a number of recognized Christian churches that are placing into leadership at all levels openly acknowledging and practicing homosexuals. Now the question is not whether it is or isn’t taking place – it is. Rather, the question is, is it right or wrong, is it permissible by God or is it not? And the only way to answer that question is to return to the Bible, specially the New Testament — which is ultimately the final authority for matters of faith and practice within Christianity, and more specifically, in the Christian Church. When we turn to the New Testament of the Bible we find that there are very specific qualifications for church leaders. Besides the general qualifications for all Christians found in the whole New Testament, there are very specific qualifications for church leaders found primary in two places: the books of 1 Timothy and Titus. Any bona fide church leader must pass qualifications in these two places. So with that, I’d like to review the basic qualifications for church leaders. Then, I’ll review basically what the New Testament teaches about homosexuality. Finally, I’ll show that based on the qualifications the New Testament places on church leadership and based on what the Bible teaches about homosexuality, there is absolutely no way a practicing homosexual can legitimately hold a position of church leadership. I never dreamed that I’d ever have to argue such an obvious case, but because more and more people are confused these days about such things, it’s obvious I need to spell it all out once again as clearly as possible. A practicing homosexual has no business in church leadership – at any level.

Do Not Be Afraid

Title: Do Not Be Afraid

Text: Matthew 10:24-33

Date: June 21st, 2009

 

Continuing in The Gospel According to Matthew, this week we look at Jesus’ instructions to his disciples concerning fear and intimidation. He just gave them their assignment to preach the gospel but now he’s warning them about some of the difficulties they will face and how to deal with these difficulties. But it’s interesting that he talks about the biggest challenge they will face – their own fear. Jesus warns them about what other people will do in opposition to the gospel but then he focuses in on what the disciples will be tempted to do in reaction to what people do to them – and that temptation is to fear or be anxious or worry about it. Fear is a perfectly natural reaction to perceived threats against us. I’m sure we all fear over some things in different situations at different times. We are like the disciples because even though we are separated by over 2000 years, human nature is essentially the same. What made those early Christians fear would make us fear, and vice verse, what makes us fear would probably make the disciples fear too. But Jesus wants to teach his disciples – and that includes us today as 21^st century disciples – not to fear. He was qualified to do so because he had mastered the ability to press on in the face of fear during the course of his ministry. For example, remember when the New Testament describes that Jesus “set his face towards Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51) knowing that he’d face opposition, knowing that he’d face persecution, and ultimately knowing he’d face death. That attitude of facing his fears and forging on ahead in the face of them served as a role model for the disciples because we see them later gathering up their own courage and making statements such as “Let us go with him (Jesus) into Jerusalem and even die if need be” (John 11:16). So the disciples had courage, they had loyalty, they were brave, but Jesus had to continually remind them to be not afraid because they were just like everyone else – they had their moments of doubt and fear. That’s the funny thing about human nature. In some things an individual will be rock solid, as brave as can be, but in other moments under other circumstances the same person will act cowardly. That same phenomenon exists in the animal kingdom. Remember the elephant? A huge creature that towers above the other animals in the jungle except perhaps the giraffe, yet this same creature when confronted with a tiny mouse crossing its path will rise up its front legs and scream out in sheer panic. Go figure. Well, people do that too in their own ways when confronted with some situations. Jesus knew that, so he continually instructed his disciples on how to deal with fear as they carried out their missionary assignment. Between verses 24 to 33, Jesus tells his disciples not to fear three times. So let’s take each of those instructions to fear not and look closer at them. Remember, Jesus isn’t just instructing first century disciples; he’s also speaking to us today in the 21^st century. So let’s see what we can learn from Jesus about avoiding fear.

The Absolute Absurdity of “Gay” Churches

Title: The Absolute Absurdity of “Gay” Churches

Text: Genesis 19:1-29 (4-5, 29), Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27

Date: June 23rd, 2009

 

Last week I talked about the “Absolute Absurdity of Gay Pride,” strongly objecting to the new president’s proclamation of June as “Gay Pride” month in the United States. This week, while I’m on the same subject, I’d like to talk about the “Absolute Absurdity of Gay Churches.” Yes, that’s right. There are so-called “Gay Churches” in more and more communities throughout the country. These so-called churches, many which identify themselves as Evangelical churches, claim that they are full-fledged members of the Christian church or Body of Christ. Members of these “churches” say that they must gather together in gay-friendly churches because they feel unwelcome and discouraged and discriminated against in typical churches. They say that they must form their own congregations and affiliate with a different denomination – such as the Metropolitan Community Church, in order to pray, worship God, fellowship and receive instruction in Christianity. They claim separate pro-gay churches are needed until the wider Christian community accepts and finally embraces people of different sexual orientations. While some churches in the main-line or so-called “old-line” denominational structure are opening to welcoming and affirming homosexual Christians – such as the United Church of Christ, the Episcopalians, the United Methodists, and the Northern Baptists, for example, most churches and denominations still object to the practice of homosexuality as sinful and therefore something to be discouraged, not encouraged or accepted. Because they are not accepted yet in all churches and denominations, so-called Gay Christians must meet separately for now in separate churches and denominational structures. But wait. Don’t all Christians conclude that homosexuality is a sin? Isn’t in plain from the Bible that homosexuality is contrary to the law of God? Isn’t it clear both in the Old Testament and New Testament that the practice of homosexuality is sinful? Isn’t Sodom and Gomorrah the best-known examples of God’s opposition to homosexuality? Isn’t it clear from the judgment of God that came upon these ancient cities, as recorded in the Old Testament, that homosexuality is a sin? Not according to the so-called Christian pro-gay movement. Despite millennia after millennia of traditional biblical understanding that Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of God’s displeasure and opposition to the sin of homosexuality, according to the members of the so-called pro-gay churches everyone has got it all wrong for thousands and thousands of years. They say the Bible has been misinterpreted; it never really teaches against homosexuality at all. All the familiar verses used to teach that homosexuality is a sin are misinterpreted. Accordingly, one can be a full-fledged Christian and practicing homosexual – and need not repent. One can be a member of a Bible-believing church that teaches homosexuality is not sinful, according to this view. Same-sex marriages can be performed and blessed within the church with God’s full endorsement — and so forth and so on. Now the big question is, what should be the wider Christian community’s response to such claims? I’d like to weigh in on the issue by first of all stating categorically that these kinds of claims are absolutely absurd! They are rationalizations and denials of biblical truths – and not very good denials and rationalizations either. But because they are heard more and more today, I’d like to go through these claims and show why they are false. According to the Bible and authentic Christian teaching, homosexuality is a sin. That is very clear when the Bible is examined carefully. Let me point out three areas that show why Christianity and homosexuality are totally incompatible, and that it is absolutely absurd to speak of “gay” churches or “gay” Christianity with any degree of seriousness.