Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[Christian Post]

The Church of England has expressed fear over a newly proposed law that could allow homosexuals to sue the church if they felt discriminated against by religious authorities.  Under the proposal, a gay individual could sue the church if he heard a sermon that condemned homosexuality. The law is meant to protect homosexuals from hostile or humiliating “environments” as part of a revision of discrimination legislations.

The Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship in England further warned that an unrepentant, practicing homosexual could sue the church if it refused him membership under the proposed law.

England’s anti-discriminatory proposal is similar to the hate crimes debate raging in the United States.

Christian leaders and pastors in America are protesting the hate crimes bill in Congress that would add sexual orientation, gender and gender identity to the existing list of hate crimes protected under law.

Conservative Christian groups such as Focus on the Family warn that if a pastor preached against homosexuality and one of his congregants later commits violence against a homosexual, then the pastor could be charged for inducing a hate crime.

Read about it here.

[From me]

There are many groups in the US trying to get similar laws passed.   This is scary to me.  Why would someone want to join an organization that preaches the individual lives in sin.  I talked about this subject yesterday in my message on God’s design for family.  We don’t need the hate crime legislation because the ones who will be hated are Christians.

What do you think?

[From The Washington Times]

The words “natural family,” “marriage” and “union of a man and a woman” can be punished as “hate speech” in government workplaces, according to a lawsuit that is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Huh? What’s next? Are we not going to be able to introduce our spouses as “husband” or “wife?” Will children be arrested for calling their female parent mom, mommy or mother? Will cops beat down the door when children refer to their male parent as dad, daddy or father? What can we call our children? Will we be required to call them “offspring?”

Does this mean that men can’t call their wives “the old ball and chain?” Can the term “trophy wife” be used? How about a wife referring to a husband as “Sugar Daddy?” Will terms like “gold-digger,” “cradle robber,” “sugar snookums,” “old man,” or “old woman” be added to the crime list?

How dumb is this nation becoming?

What other names will be outlawed? What do you think?

Have you noticed all of the venom  in the world today?  It is in politics, in newspapers, on TV, on blogs and even in church.  What is it that everyone is so angry about?

I’ve noticed that if people aren’t responding some people just yell louder.  Some people aren’t happy unless they have a battle to fight for.   Brian Kaylor in his book For God’s Sake Shut Up said believers need to find new metaphors.  He is so right! Have you read or heard some of these?

• Battle for the Bible
  • are there not enough Bibles?
  • Shouldn’t we be proclaiming and living it instead of fighting over it?

•  Takeover ___________ convention/church/school/nation (insert)
  • Really?  Does God need our help?
  • Did Jesus come to takeover the world or to serve?
• Fight for___________
  • Why are we fighting?
• Gain control of______
  • Didn’t Jesus say if we want to gain our lives we have to lose it?
• Win back our________ nation/church/denomination/seminaries/schools
  • Is everything a win or lose situation?
  • Can’t everyone win by having a relationship with Jesus?
• Debate
  • Can’t we just talk our dialog?

Maybe I’m too naive or just optimistic.  I think we can make a greater impact on our world if we talk to them in a language they can understand.  I know that when I yell my kids tune me out.  I’m the same way.  I a person is yelling at me I don’t hear a word they are saying.  They may actually have something good to say but human nature says to tune it out.

[From WRAL]

Words like “bomb” and “die” draw attention to the small sign in front of Good News Independent Baptist Church.

Rev. Gary Murrell put up the sign, which on one side claims the message of Islam is “submit, convert or die.”

The other side reads: “When is the last time you heard of a Jew or Christian with a bomb strapped to their body?”

Read about it here.

[From me]

Nothing like being “salt and light.”

What do you think?

The highly misguided people from Westboro Baptist Church are at in again.  Now in the midst of the worst school shooting our our nations history the folks at Westboro are planning to protest the funerals of the victims.

Read about it here.

When is does this go too far?  Come on those students did nothing to deserve what happened to them.  Now in the midst of this tragedy the Phelps gang is going to inflict more pain.   If you have never watched my interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper you can watch it here.

To the Phelps family if you are looking for a place to protest I invite you to come to Charlotte.  I would love to share with you the “TRUE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST.”

When does free speech go too far?