It's not what you know . . .

It's nice to have famous relatives. At least, I think Kevin Rudd must be our relative. How many branches of the Rudd family tree can there be? We are undoubtedly close of kin back on the beautiful Irish island.

Check out our "cousin" at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Rudd

Actually, my VERY BEST relationship is that as a result of Jesus' redemptive work, I have become part of the family of God. Wow! God is my Father and Jesus my brother. What a privilege! John 1:12 and 1 Peter 2:9ff.

It's not what you know, it's whom you know.

I borrowed my son's Rev! magazine and am enjoying a lot of very helpful articles...nearly all rather short, likely reflecting their understanding that we live in a "Google" culture today rather than the "Gutenberg" culture people my age grew up in and too often still assume.

One article on "being a team player" had some good reminders: understand that your way is one way and not the only way; remember, if you always agreed with others, it wouldn't be called "submission;" and do what's asked of you first, ask questions later.

Those are good reminders for me.

Today is my mother's 91st birthday.

She's been in heaven since October 1999, joined by my father not quite two years later.

It's hard to believe they've been gone that long. I still miss them greatly and think of them virtually every day. Even after this many years I still find myself wanting to pick up the phone and call them to share some news about us, or about our children or grandchildren.

My brother and I both lived a minimum of 300 miles away from them from the time we graduated from high school (except a few summers), I sometimes feel pain for how they must've felt isolated from their children. I wrote to them often, but wish I had phoned them more.

The unselfishness, love, generosity, prayers, affirmation, and Christ-centered values of my parents is an amazing legacy. I hope our children and grandchildren will be able to say the same of us.

Hope of eternal reunion is one of the most wonderful aspects of our Christian faith. My heart aches for those who lack that hope.

Christianity Today magazine sends out an online version which arrived this morning. One link connected me to an article by Tim Stafford, "This Samaritan Life."

Starrord responds to the suggestion that American Christians often behave as if they are living in Jerusalem when in fact, they live in Babylon...or, more precisely in his view, in Samaria. Hmmmm. The article is very insightful about church history, the enlightenment, post-modernity, and how to live out our faith "in Samaria."

I would highly recommend reading the entire post: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/february/21.47.html. It's fairly long but definitely worth the read.

Here's the opening...

"Denis Haack, who critiques films, books, and music on his Ransom Fellowship website, says that Christians often act like they live in Jerusalem. Not so, argues Haack—we live in Babylon, as aliens and strangers. Why, therefore, are we surprised when we see a movie that offends our values? Babylonian movies reflect Babylonian values, not Christian ones.

I liked Haack's point, but I had a nagging sense that he was missing something. Eventually I figured out what: We don't live in Babylon. We live in Samaria.

Babylon is far from Jerusalem and doesn't know much about its religion. What you believe or how you worship is of little significance to Babylon, so long as you keep the peace and contribute to civic life. Daniel and other Jewish exiles did. They got in trouble only when they were perceived to undermine the government or got caught up in petty politics.

It's different in Samaria. People there know plenty about Jerusalem's religion (though some of their information is distorted), and have a definite grudge against it."

Don't read it if you prefer to live in blissful (but dangerous) ignorance of what's happening in the culture.

I read an article today that suggested that if evangelicals elected a pope, it would be John Stott.

Hmmmm. I'm not sure I agree and, of course, by definition, evangelicals would not elect a pope. But of course, that wasn't the author's point. He was merely engaging in a bit of overstatement to suggest the level of respect and confidence which is stirred by the name of English theologian, preacher, author, and rector of All Souls Church in London, John Stott. To that I agree. Stott is a giant. He has always been one of my favorite authors--one who stretches and challenges my thinking.

Anyway, the article quoted Stott (from his book, THE LIVING CHURCH):

“We cannot proclaim the gospel of God’s love with any degree of integrity if we do not exhibit it in our love for others. Perhaps nothing is so damaging to the cause of Christ as a church which is either torn apart by jealousy, rivalry, slander and malice, or preoccupied with it’s own selfish concerns. Such churches urgently need to be radically renewed in love.”


"....especially in the West, if I may generalize, the church is not growing. Its development is stunted. Its waters are stagnant. Its breath is stale. It is in a state not of renewal but of decay. We long to see it continually being reformed and renewed by the Word and the Spirit of God."

Wow!

This is the second time in the last couple of months Gloria has said to me, "You HAVE to read this book NOW!"

The first time it was TALE OF THREE KINGS. It was extremely helpful in helping me understand some very painful things going on in our lives. I don't agree with everything the author (Gene Edwards) says, but then, I don't agree with a lot of things I say shortly afterward. The book was immensely helpful to me.

The new book was recommended to us by our dear friend, Barb Yates. I ordered it but hadn't gotten to it yet, and Gloria picked it up and read it while I was in PA this week.

That's when the new recommendation/ultimatum came. "You HAVE to read this book NOW."

So, knowing where my bread is buttered, I've started reading WHO STOLE MY CHURCH. The author is one I have greatly appreciate in the past, Gordon MacDonald.

Gloria was right. I'm almost half way through it beginning last night. To all my readers who are struggling with change in church, this is a must read.

Perhaps every Christian over 40 who has been a Christian for 10 years or more needs to read this.

Back to the book . . .

Tomorrow morning I'll continue our current sermon series, "Questions Jesus Asked." This week's question lies in the middle of a famous miracle story, the feeding of the 5000: "What do you have?"

One aspect of the story is the issue of how to respond to staggering need (20,000 hungry people counting women and children, who, in that culture "didn't count" so weren't included in the numeration of 5,000 men) with insufficient resources (a little boy's lunch).

Studying for the story has brought depressing thoughts about the overwhelming suffering in this broken planet we call "home."

Today's mail brought an opportunity to send a note to Fred and Diborah, two African (Ghana) children we have the privilege of supporting. The communication included the following story:

“She was only four when genocide swept across her native Rwanda. ‘We fled our home. It was in the night.’ Her family was captured, and she saw her mother clubbed to death. Her siblings were also murdered. ‘They struck me on my back, but I did not die. I just lay there. I could not stand up, because my back was broken.’

Alice survived. But she was shattered in body and spirit. Her family was gone. She had little hope for a decent future.

By age 14, she was trapped in a ‘job’ that included abusive sexual exploitation. Her innocence was sold for 500 Rwandan francs—less than a dollar.

By God’s grace, Alice managed to escape. Thanks to help from generous friends like you, she was able to survive and go to a school to learn how to be a tailor. She graduated with the highest marks in her class. Taken in by a Christian family, she also turned to the Lord. ‘My faith has helped so much. Before…I lived in loneliness. I lived in self pity. Because of a Christian ministry I have been much blessed. I feel my future is good.'

And yet, her happiness is tinged with sorrow. [Alice says] 'I know there are many street children who are suffering and others living in households who do not have a happy life. I wish those children could be cared for.’”

Reading that reminded me how incredibly blessed I have been, growing up in "Disney Land" (the USA) where I have been pampered and insulated from a degree of suffering all-to-familiar in other parts of the world.

"Forgive me, Lord, for my ignorance and indifference. Help me to know how to place my limited resources in Your hands to multiply help to those in need. Help me to bring little glimpses of renewal into this broken world so others can see pictures of Your coming kingdom at the restoration of all things. Help me to give bread to the hungry as well as introducing the Bread of Life (John 6)."

SIMPLE

Last year I read three different books with a form of the word "simple" in the title. Hmmmmm, does that reveal something deeply significant about me or about that time in my life?

All three books deeply impacted me, though the theories are still a long ways from becoming practice to the degree I desire.

This week David sent our pastoral team a quote from The Orchard Church. It really resonated with me. So, here it is:

"One of the things we value here at The Orchard is simplicity. We don't just say that, we really DO keep things simple here.

So what does that look like for us?

Well it means that we pretty much stay focused on a handful of things we know we can do well and consider anything above that "bonus." For example, we don't have a lot of the "ministries" and "programs" that you'll find at most churches (i.e. men's ministry, women's ministry, classes out the whazoo, etc...) I'm certainly not saying that having these programs are bad or shouldn't be done in some churches - they're just something we've decided we're not going to do here at The Orchard.

Here are a few reasons why simplicity rules at The Orchard:

We'd rather keep people freed up throughout the week to engage missionally in the community around them and to gather in small groups. (Instead of keeping them inside the walls of the church three or four nights a week.)


We're not interested in having programs JUST to have programs. If we're going to offer a class, environment, etc... we want to make sure that it is a STEP TOWARDS something else. (See Seven Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley.) On a side note - the only people who WANT a gazillion programs are churched people. And that's not who we're trying to reach. I NEVER get asked by an unchurched person why we don't do women's ministry.

By keeping things simple, it allows us to maintain a good amount of "asking equity" from our volunteers. Since we don't have to maintain numerous programs and events throughout the month, it keeps our volunteers fresh and focused on what's most important. This is especially helpful when it comes to things like FUEL - our monthly leadership gathering. I'm convinced that the reason we don't have a problem getting our leaders to FUEL is because we aren't asking them to be at numerous other meetings throughout the month IN ADDITION to this one!

Keeping things simple allows us to pour a good amount of resources, time and energy into the things that we are most passionate about and consider to be missional priorities. So instead of doing a hundred different things poorly, we are able to do a handful of things very well. It communicates to EVERYONE what is most important.

Being simple helps clearly define what we will and will not do. This is beneficial all the way around! For example, because of this, staff meetings can stay focused on what they need to be focused on instead of wasting hours having conversations debating and going back and forth as to whether or not we should or shouldn't do a particular ministry or program. Does it mean we don't come up with new, innovative ideas? Of course not! But we don't add just to add. It's always strategic and directly tied to the mission - or else we don't waste time talking about it.

Now, with all that said, let me also say that keeping things simple is not always easy. It requires a lot of "NO's", tons of vision casting and lots of reminders as to WHY we value simplicity. It also requires a willingness to recognize that this is just one more reason why The Orchard isn't the right church for everyone. And that's ok!

How about you? What does simplicity look like for you?"

Selah

I could've been killed

Driving to Grand Rapids this morning to make a hospital visit on one of our LIFEGroup members, I was moving with the traffic (under 70 mph) on what appeared to be a dry road (I-96)when suddenly everyone in front of me was slowing down rapidly (I later learned that there was an accident around the bend ahead).

I touched the brake and discovered I was now on ice. Careful brakework didn't solve the problem and it appeared I might not be able to stop before my front bumper arrived in contact with the back bumper of the car in front of me.

I eased onto the shoulder so if I wasn't able to stop in time I could ease up beside the car rather than raming into his trunk.

Unfortunately, the shoulder was not plowed wide enough for my car to fit without my left tire going into the snow. Immediately, the snow grabbed my car and yanked me downward into the median.

As I sailed into the median at perhaps 50 mph, instantly my windshield was totally covered with flying snow so I could not see anything. After traveling a little ways and holding the car somewhat straight so as to not roll, I realized that I could be about to emerge on the other side of the median into the path of approaching traffic. A head-on-collision was not high on my "to do list" so at that point I decided to turn my wheel so that moving through the median sidewise could slow and stop the car.

I was very much aware of the automatic response of asking God for help -- the prayer wasn't fancy -- probably a little like Peter's when he began to sink into the Sea of Galilee after his brief walk-on-water experience. "Help, Lord!"

Thankfully, He did and I stopped in the median's deep snow -- but only a short distance from emerging into the oncoming trafic. I was very much aware that I was a few yards and a few seconds from what could easily have been a fatal head-on-crash.

30 minutes and a $75 tow job later I was back on the road . . . grateful that God hadn't wanted to end my earthly journey quite yet. Not because being with Christ isn't "better by far" (Philippians 1), but because I'm not eager yet to stop investing in the people I love and in the ministry to which I've been called.

Thank you, Lord.

We're all mixed bags.

Recently I read a book someone recommended to me and was profoundly impacted by it. It was just what I needed! It was well-written, amazingly insightful, Biblically sound, and so helpful! I have already recommended it and purchased and passed on numerous copies to others.

I ordered a second book by the same author and once again was deeply blessed. I've recommended it to others and purchased half a dozen copies to distribute.

I ordered a third -- it was very good, but the themes didn't connect as much with where I was in my journey. None-the-less, I appreciated the fresh insights into the Biblical story.

I ordered #4 -- this author really hooked me.

Wow! I could hardly believe it was by the same author. It reeked with sarcasm and negativity. It was brutal and harsh in its judgments on other believers and painted large segments of Christianity with broad strokes of horrendously ugly shades--even using coarse language to describe Christian brothers and sisters. It was full of logical fallacies, and, in my opinion, gross ignorance and perversion of the Scriptures and church history.

Could this be the same author who had so blessed me?

Yes. We are all "mixed bags" -- made of dust (Psalm 103:14) -- fallen and depraved dust. Yet, we are made in God's image, and the worst of us display moments of His beauty shining through.

Should I throw this author out the window because I have found one book with which I have profound disagreement? No! Even in it I must remain open for what I can learn and need to hear. And even if my negative evaluation of this book is accurate, it does not cancel the profound value of the others.

"Lord, help me to balance grace and truth. Help me to judge as I want to be judged. Help me to set aside the bones and enjoy the fish."

Ticking People Off

Every Monday, I get an email from mondarymorninginsights.com (by Todd Rhoades). It seems specially designed for pastors who, after Sunday, need to be restored, renewed, and revisioned.

Today, he wrote about a book by Oren Harari entitled, The Leadership Secrets of Collin Powell.

Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, is quoted as saying, "Being responsible sometimes means ticking people off." Todd observes: "Sometimes when you're a responsible leader, people will not like what you're doing. Sometimes people will get quite angry. Unfortunately, in a church leadership setting, many times this means that people will get so angry they will leave the church."

Again, he quotes Powell: "Making people mad was part of being a good leader. As I had learned long ago, an individual's hurt feelings run a distant second to the good of the service."

The author writes: "Leadership can't be a popularity contest. Trying not to offend anyone, or trying to get everyone to like you, will set you on the road to mediocrity. Why? Because leaders who are afraid to make people angry are likely to waver and procrastinate when it comes time to make tough choices. Leaders who care more about being liked than about being effective are unlikely to confront people who need confronting. They won't challenge the status quo. And inevitably, by not challenging tradition, they hurt both their own credibility and their organization's performance."

Rhoades concludes: "Clearly, in ministry work, peoples' feelings are important. But the work God has called us to do for the kingdom is equally important. Many churches are deadlocked in tradition and will never change because there's a group of people whose feelings (or even sins) will never be confronted...As effective leaders, sometimes being responsible means ticking people off."

Ouch! Wow! That's tough! Especially for someone with my temperament which wants to make everyone happy. "Can't we all just get along?" I'm sure there are some who would not believe that is my temperament, but rather have suggested I am manipulative, self-seeking, insensitive, and high-handed. Ouch! Lord, help me to be open to what I need to learn.

I must remember that Jesus did not hesitate to "tick people off" with the truth and by exposing their hypocrisy, deceitfulness, and lack of comprehension of the way of the Kingdom and the cross.

One of my hindrances is that I know that I am not Jesus and that I, like everyone, have a proclivity for self-deception (Jeremiah 17:9) and often nurture a lack of self-perception. After all, a "blind spot" is, by definition, a "BLIND" spot -- i.e. a flaw I cannot see.

People with a temperamental bent like mine (which includes both a strength and a weakness) often promote a "culture of niceness" in which ticking people off feels very wrong. As suggested above, it can really contribute to mediocrity.

Of course, the pendulum may be swung too far the other way, and often is by those whose temperament is more confrontational than conciliatory.

May God help me to self-perceive and, guided by the Holy Spirit, to be fearless about integrity and truth, even when it is offensive. I must fear offending God far more than offending people.

Forgiven! How incredibly freeing!

What does it mean to be forgiven?

My O.T. reading today in Jeremiah 50 uncovered a great illustration in the future restoration of God's covenant people, Israel: "In those days...declares the Lord, search will be made for Israel's guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare."

To be forgiven is to have no remaining record of one's sin. Wow!

I'm so grateful!

God calls on us to forgive others as He has forgiven us.

If this means that I eliminate all evidence of their wrongs (real or perceived) against me, I will need God's grace to make and maintain that commitment.

A related challenging issue relates to wrongs which are not merely personal (which I must forgive) but which fall into the category of crimes against other individuals, or institutions, or society --wrongful actions which go beyond personal offenses.

What is personal, I must forgive -- erase the record. What is civil or social I must release to God and to those He has ordained to deal with such (e.g. Romans 13).

I have sometimes briefly thought (this is undoubtedly the suggestion of my sinful nature) how gratifying it will be someday to receive God's vindication where I have been wronged. Then sanity returns and I recognize that in His presence, I will undoubtedly be so overwhelmed by a new comprehension of His grace and mercy in MY life, that I will not desire nor find any pleasure in anything but God's grace and mercy in the lives of others as well.

I am so thankful for the forgiveness Jesus provides.

The metaphor of the church as the Body of Christ "extends the incarnation through time."

That is one conclusion Philip Yancey makes as he reflected on a pre-Reformation debate between theologians Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus.

Believing that baptizes all of life with astounding worth. Whether carpenter or teacher, I continue Jesus' mission on earth.

How tragic that I settle for much less -- not so much in what I do, but in my awareness of what it means, and thus, how I carry it out.

How does Jesus want to change the world through me today?

Philip Yancey is one of my favorite authors. The most recent book of his I read was "Prayer." His gutsy honesty and depth are refreshing. He has great insights. CT on line included a piece he wrote about "A Believer's To Be List." It's really worth reading: http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2001/001/4.45.html

The same CT included an article entitled "What Evangelism Isn't." I wouldn't put it on a parr with the above, but it's also worth a read: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/decemberweb-only/101-12.0.html?start=1

One of my 2007 goals which I met and exceeded (that doesn't happen very often!) was a targeted number of books to read. My reading took a different turn than usual as I dipped into a number of novels...partly, I'm confident to escape pain into a world of fantasy. Imagination is a wonderful gift from God.

But most of the books were not fiction.

Thanks to Dan Lenz for suggesting A TALE OF THREE KINGS by Gene Edwards, and my bride's not-so-gentle-encouragement, "you HAVE to read this book TODAY," I "ate the whole thing" in one day. The timing of it's message was providential -- convicting, healing, insightful, affirming, revealing . . . It would probably not be as impactful (is that a word?) to someone not experiencing some of what we were at the time.

I followed up with another book by Gene Edwards (I've now read four by him but was as enamored by all), PRISONER IN THE THIRD CELL. Wow! For those whose lives include lots of disappointment and a sense of "where-is-God-when-you-really-need-Him?", this one is really helpful.

Books are great. Shouldn't be a surprise as God chose to use a book (a book of books) to tell His story so we could frame our existence and live as people of hope in a very broken world.

This Sunday we will begin our new Sunday morning series which is a study of "Questions Jesus Asked."

In my Bible reading this morning in Mark 6, I came on another of the hundreds of questions Jesus asked: "What do you have?" In this face of a huge mob of hungry people, Jesus' question challenged His disciples to check their available resources.

As with us, their resources (a little boy's lunch) were woefully inadequate to meet the need, but sacrificed to the mission, Jesus multiplied their impact both to fill stomachs and to picture the coming kingdom/restoration when the Promised One will return and restore the ruined creation to its original perfection. Hunger will be banished.

Jesus' question, "What do you have?," reminded me of a note I recently saw which I had written some time ago in the front of my Bible:

"If you have household assets exceeding $61,000 then you are among the richest 10% in the world. If you have assests exceeding $500,000, you are among the 1% -- which numbers 37 million people. The bottom half of the world’s adult population have 1% of the world’s wealth."

As another modern prophetic voice reminded me, I "live on an island of luxury in an ocean of need."

May my heart be tender to how God wants to change me, and my hands open to share what He has so graciously given.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

From CT magazine (1/08, p. 34): "Jesus Christ, the Lord of Creation, Redemption, and Fulfillment, calls the church the salt and light of the world. Jesus seems to have had in mind a community engaged in virorous, self-sacrificing mission that goes to great lengths to enact costly love, that inconveniences itself regularly to seek justice for the oppressed, that creatively serves the forgotten, all to portray that the kingdom of God is at hand.

Depending on where we look in the world, however, that church seems to have gone missing.

Rather than seek the God who spoke from the burning bush, we have decided that the real drama is found in debating whether to podcast our services. Rather than encounter the God who sees idolatry as a pervasive, life-threatening temptation, we decorate Pottery Barn lives with our tasteful collections of godlings. Rather than follow the God who burns with justice for the needy, we are more likely to ask the Lord to give us our own fair share. A bland God for a bland church, with a mission that is at best innocuous and quaint--in a tumultuous world."

Wow! That's painful to read...but important to ponder.

PRAYING FOR OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN

There is nothing I pray about as much as for our children, their spouses, and our seven amazing grandchildren.

While praying for them this morning it occurred to me that my selfishness might be reflected in the disproportionate amount of time I spend praying for them compared to world evangelism and for resolution of needs such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, injustice, and other prevalent kinds of global suffering.

I don’t know if the next thought was my own rationalization or a word from the Spirit, but I recognized that love of family is not evil, but rather is a reflection of being made in the image of the heavenly Father who takes great delight in His only Son. The problem is not that I spend too much time praying for my immediate family, but that I spend too little praying for the vast global family of which I am also a part.

Further, while praying for our family recently, I’ve been convicted about the shallowness of many of my prayers. I realized that a great deal of my prayers were focused on the short-term happiness of my children as a result of their living “good Christian lives,” having strong marriages, being good parents, having success in their vocations, etc.

But now, nagging at the edge of my consciousness was the thought that God’s plan for our children may include pain and suffering through which God would ultimately be glorified, though not always by joyous deliverances this side of “the renewal of all things.”

If the Old Testament prophet Hosea’s parents prayed for him, I wonder how they felt about how God was glorified in his life? His wife was repeatedly unfaithful to him and presented him with children not his own. It could not have been a happy marriage and then she left him for her lovers. Yet in obedience to God, Hosea took her back, restored her as his wife, and showered her and her children with an unconditional love which for more than two thousand years has been an astounding object lesson of the love of God for His wandering people.

Do I really want God to be glorified in the lives of our children no matter what it takes? Is the glory of God more important than the comfortableness of my family? Am I willing to pray that God would be honored even if it is through great suffering in the lives of those for whom I would gladly die to protect them from the slightest pain?

I’m struggling, but finding myself increasingly asking God to glorify Himself through our children and grandchildren and leaving the details of “how” to His infinitely wise, loving, and eternal plan. Of course I want them spared from pain, and often ask for that without sense of guilt or selfishness. But I find myself whispering what our Lord exampled for us, “Nevertheless not my will but Yours be done.”

“Lord teach me to pray and to love Your glory more than anything. Thank you for assuring me that you are always good and that you love my children more than I ever could.”

BAD PLANNING

Gloria has a very attractive hanging fern just outside our front door. It requires a fair amount of water, so nearly every day one of us will run the hose into it for an extended time.

For a couple of days we were startled by a bird flying out of the fern. Inspecting, we discovered she was building a nest. We should have immediately removed the partly constructed structure, but waited a couple of days. When I went outside tonight to remove the nest before the mama bird became too attached to her site, I discovered . . . you guessed it…two eggs.

Now what do we do? If we immerse the fern every day, it will flood the nest. If we don’t, the fern may not survive. If we remove the nest, the eggs will be lost, and, I assume, the mother bird will grieve.

When you think about it, the location of the nest reflects really bad planning by the mother bird. She didn’t take into account the possibility that someone much bigger than her could frustrate her plan and obliterate her carefully prepared but ill-placed “nursery.”

Some of our plans are really bad too. Like our short-sighted, feathered friend, we don’t see the big picture. Our illadvised actions place us and others at risk.

Aren’t you glad that the all-powerful God is not in His nature a home-wrecker and egg smasher? He is loving and kind, and works His sure plan for the ultimate good of all who nest in Him.

Homosexuality, part 3 (see previous 2 posts)

10. I really struggle with some practical issues such as providing health insurance for a committed homosexual couple. A part of me favors this in spite of my conviction about the morality of the relationship. However, I’m not sure I comprehend all the related issues (other groups of people, economic impact, etc.) which may be involved. Should any two people (regardless of gender) who live together in a long-term, non-sexual relationship be granted these benefits? If two heterosexual women share a committed relationship, even adopting a child, but are not homosexual, should they qualify or be given the right of some legal recognition and benefits (we have such a “couple” in our church – 2 ladies who have lived together, not sexually, for 40 years and raised a child—but are not homosexual). How about a parent and an adult child – or three generations -- living together? If one of them qualifies for medical insurance, should the others have a right to be included in the plan? I suspect that this needs to be considered apart from the question of the validity of homosexual “marriage” though I think I understand why many want it to be connected.

11. I really grieve that many of those who hold to the same Biblical understanding as I do about homosexuality have too often been guilty of the sin of hate, unkindness, misunderstanding, discrimination, and even violence. That is deplorable and all Christians should speak out against it. I am embarrassed and ashamed that I have not always recognized this and practiced it myself—at least to the degree I should.

12. I do not believe the United States ever was or should become a “Christian nation” in the sense those terms are typically used. Although our nation was founded on many Judeo-Christian principles, it never was nor should it have been another “Geneva.” The nation of Israel was a theocracy – ruled by God and His law (at least, it was supposed to be). When Jesus returns, He will establish/impose His righteous kingdom on the entire earth. Today, we are called to live as aliens and strangers in this world (1 Peter 1:3, 17; 2:11; Hebrews 11:13; Philippians 3:20). We certainly should impact our culture and our nation by our good works and our values, but we are not called to impose our values or beliefs on others. I would no longer support any part of the view that we are called to make this a “Christian nation” in any sense other than that we want to share the Gospel with everyone in America to give them the opportunity to freely choose to become a Christian.