Christian Living Archives - Page 12 of 53

November 6, 2021November 5, 2021

WRAP Week – White Ribbon Against Pornography

The first week of November is White Ribbon Against Pornography or WRAP Week. Pornography is a problem faced by all churches as well as by our society in general. Several years ago, we worked with Jimmy Hinton to prepare a video series titled “Spiritual Warfare: Safeguarding Churches From Child Predators.” It has been disappointing that even though we provide the material for free, we have had difficulty getting congregations to use it because they deny that they have a problem.

The fact is that all congregations do face problems in this area, and they need to confront them. Here are some statistics:

93% of boys and 63% of girls are exposed to internet porn before age 18. The average age of exposure is 11.

Neurological studies show that pornography has a detrimental impact on the brain.

The probability of divorce doubles for men and women who begin viewing pornography.

50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women use porn.

Sex trafficking survivors report that they were forced into trafficking by acting in pornographic productions.

The Bible is full of warnings to encourage believers not to get involved in this kind of behavior. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “As a man thinks, so is he.” In Matthew 5:28, Jesus said, “..whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart.” Romans 13:14 tells Christians, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its demands.” First Corinthians 10:12 tells us, “..let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Hollywood, television productions, and novels rush to promote sexual images because sex sells in America today, thanks to our society’s rejection of God and the Bible. With that in mind, we should not let WRAP Week be the only time we address this problem. Instead, the Church needs to take the lead in teaching about the destructive nature of pornography and the beauty of sex as God intended it to enrich the relationship of men and women in marriage.

Reference: The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (EndSexualExploitation.org)

October 31, 2021October 30, 2021

Halloween in History

Have you ever taken the time to check out the history of Halloween? Halloween is not a satanic holiday, and witches or warlords did not invent it. The actual origins began in the Catholic Church in Ireland and Scotland, and it also has Celtic roots.

The original name was “All Hallows Day.” In Ireland and Scotland, it celebrated the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. The Celtics commemorated the holiday with a feast and with games based on food. In A.D. 606, Pope Boniface made it a celebration of the martyrs, and later, Pope Gregory IV initiated praying for the dead.

Over time, the Catholic Church brought “All Hallows Day” into their doctrine so that in 1200, churches rang bells to get people out of purgatory. In various western countries, people celebrated Halloween in unusual ways. In France. People prayed and left dishes of milk by graves. In Italy, people left a whole meal for the “spirits” of relatives. In Spain, people left pastries for dead relatives. None of these practices are biblical, nor are they connected to any satanic belief system.

By the end of the 19th century, people in Scotland and northern England began “guising” by wearing masks and disguises. For many, this involved wearing a costume to make fun of Satan. In 1911 this caught on in America, and by 1915, there was a combining of “guising” and providing pastries. By 1950, this had evolved into the familiar house-to-house trick-or-treat routine. For 90% of us, trick-or-treating was a fun time, and my children made it part of our family time. For my mentally challenged son, this was one of his favorite times because no one knew of his limitations, and he got the same treats as everyone else.

Satan has used Halloween as a time to bring bad things to people. A teacher friend had a very fair blond-haired daughter that Satanists tried to kidnap, allegedly for human sacrifice. We began to see stories of people putting anything from LSD to razor blades in the treats they gave to kids. The evil in the world has made Halloween suspect for many people.

Sorcery and witchcraft are as old as civilizations. In Exodus 7, we see that Egypt had sorcerers and magicians, and Exodus 22:18 mentions witchcraft. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 describes horrible things that were happening in the countries which ancient Israel invaded. In Acts 8:9-10, Simon used sorcery to gain political power.

Christianity opposes evil and the power of Satan. We see that in 1 John 3:8, Colossians 2:15, and James 4:7. The Bible tells us that Satan cannot remove our freedom of choice. Hollywood and Disney World have given us ghost images that may terrify some, but death is a one-way street. No one comes back as a ghost, and we have nothing to fear on Halloween except what evil humans might do to us. However, that danger is always with us 24/7/365 – not just on Halloween.

Reference: The History of the Christian Church by Philip Schaff.

October 24, 2021October 23, 2021

Suffering Disproves God – Or Does It?

We often get objections from atheists who say that suffering disproves God. They say that God cannot exist because there is pain and suffering in the world. Actually, the opposite is true. Suffering makes more sense under the Christian concept of reality. Therefore, suffering does not disprove God.

For atheists to make the moral judgment that suffering is bad, they are deciding what is good and bad while at the same time saying that in reality, there is no ultimate good or bad. The atheist is only saying that he does not like things that he has determined are “bad.” Since suffering is bad, suffering disproves God.

People, in general, seem to assume that if there is a God, then His purpose is to make us happy as if God is our servant. On the contrary, Christians believe that the primary purpose of life is not happiness but knowing God. Human suffering may not make us happy, but it may very well give us a deeper knowledge of God and His love.

In times and places where the hardships have been the greatest, faith in God and Christianity have grown the most. Also, we have to realize that humans are in rebellion against God and His purpose. As long as people are in rebellion against God, there will be evil in the world, and we will all suffer as a consequence.

If God is not limited by our time dimension, then His purpose for us will not be limited to this present world and the life we are living. As someone said, we are in the cramped entrance foyer opening into the Great Hall of Eternity. If there is a God, as I believe there is, to know Him is the greatest of all goods. Any suffering in this life cannot compare with the good that God has in store for us.

While the atheist says that suffering disproves God, Christians can face the problems of life and say, “God is good all the time!” Perhaps there is no “earthly” reason for the catastrophes we face. But perhaps there is a “heavenly” reason that we are not yet equipped to see. As John Clayton has often said, “For the atheist, this life is the best he will ever experience. For the Christian, this life is the worst we will ever have to endure.”

We have a website dealing with pain and suffering – www.whypain.org.

October 21, 2021October 20, 2021

Happiness Is Beyond Reach

Before COVID, the World Health Organization announced that depression was the most widespread illness in the world. Even with COVID, that is probably still true. The Yale College Council has found that more than half of undergraduates sought mental health care from the university during their time of enrollment. In his book Straw Dogs, Atheist John Gray wrote, “Drug use is a tacit admission of a forbidden truth in Western Culture. What is that truth? It is that for most people happiness is beyond reach.”

The information above came from the chapter “Our Never-Ending Pursuit of Happiness” in Richard E. Simmon’s book Reflections on the Existence of God. (You can read our review of that book HERE.) Simmons also quoted from a book by Dr. Armand Nicholi of Harvard Medical School titled The Question of God. Dr. Nicholi says that one of the major causes of depression is a person’s worldview. We must point out that there are different kinds of depression, and medical causes of depression must be treated medically. However, that is not the point Nicholi was making.

An evidence for the validity of Christianity is that the teachings of Jesus Christ give a worldview that leads to fulfillment and happiness. If you have bought into a worldview that says there is no God, then finding happiness is only available to those who are “the fittest.” In that case, happiness is beyond reach because no matter who we are, we will eventually not be the fittest. Older adults struggle with the fact that they can no longer do what they did 50 years ago. The whole euthanasia issue is rooted in this realization.

For Christians, there is joy in seeing fruit in living the life Christ has called us to live. We find fulfillment in being able to give time, support, and encouragement to others. Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). In other words, there is more happiness in giving than in receiving. We don’t have to be rich to give time, care, and love to others. Joy comes from having a worldview that says whatever happens in this life, it is the worst I will ever have to endure. Christ assures us of hope for something much better.

If you haven’t gotten involved in a service organization, you are missing something that combats depression. Join a local effort to help those in need and enjoy the company of people who are joyously serving others. Churches operate food banks and homes for the homeless. Dozens of organizations such as the Carter Center, Habitat for Humanity, Feeding America, Kids Wish, Americans Helping Americans, and Heifer International enable people to get involved in meeting the needs of others. Every time I have been involved in local or national programs like those, I have received more than I gave. It is hard to be depressed when you are a part of something bigger than yourself, reflecting the Christian worldview.

For most of us, we can do something about our depression. On the other hand, those who reject God and the Christian worldview will find the alternative only leads to frustration and the realization that happiness is beyond reach. If you are clinically depressed, please seek medical help. However, if you are just “down,” get up and get involved in some of the things Jesus talked about in Matthew 25:34-40. Happiness is not beyond reach.

We have used other quotes from Richard E. Simmons III HERE, HERE, and HERE.

October 16, 2021October 14, 2021

The Bible Reports Human History Without Condoning It

As we pointed out yesterday, critics of the Bible say that it describes many disgusting stories. Of course, that is true, but the critics fail to realize that the Bible accurately reports human history without condoning it.

The Bible does not even whitewash its heroes. David’s horrible sin with Bathsheba is reported, but it certainly is not endorsed. A man named Jephthah makes a vow that he will sacrifice to God whatever comes out of his house if God gives him a victory (Judges 11:30-40). God did not command that, and He has always discouraged careless vows on the part of His people. In this case, Jephthah’s daughter was the first thing that came out to him after the victory. This was not a case of God commanding human sacrifice as atheists have claimed. Exactly what was done with the girl can be argued, but the message is about vows, not a command of God to engage in human sacrifice. The incident is reported but certainly was not condoned or commanded by God.

Another example is Judges 20:5-7, where a woman is raped and killed. Then her body is cut into pieces, and the parts are sent throughout Israel to rally a response to the crime. Again, this awful story is a news report, not a religious act done at the command of God.

We all know that whatever is on the news is not something the channel or the news reporter necessarily endorses. In the same way, the Bible reports human history without condoning it.

This article was adapted from The Source: Eternal Design or Infinite Accident? (page 101) by John N. Clayton. This book is available for purchase HERE.

October 15, 2021October 14, 2021

God Tolerates Human Actions He Does Not Desire

Critics of the Bible say that it describes many disgusting stories. However, they are missing the point that God tolerates human actions He does not desire.

Polygamy is a good example. We all know that many biblical characters had more than one wife–especially in the Old Testament. In Genesis 2:24, God said the man was to have one wife, and that man and wife were to become one. Despite that, Lamech takes two wives in Genesis 4:19-22.

In Deuteronomy 17:17, God commands one wife, but Solomon takes hundreds of wives as God pleads with him not to do it (1 Kings 11:1-10). God is tolerant and does not force the issue, but the Bible shows the problems created by having multiple wives and refusing to do what God said.

In the New Testament, Jesus tells the Jews that God tolerated these things “because of the hardness of your hearts” (Matthew 19:3-9). However, when God gave instructions for the church leaders called bishops and deacons in 1 Timothy 3:2, 12, He specified that they were to have only one wife. What God wanted for marriage is described in Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Corinthians 7:2-5.

God never commanded polygamy. He warned against it and tried to teach humans what a wonderful thing marriage could be with one man and one woman for life. Tragically, that concept has been lost today, but God tolerates human actions He does not desire.

Human actions are often contrary to God’s will. We will continue along this line of thought tomorrow.

This article was adapted from The Source: Eternal Design or Infinite Accident? (page 100) by John N. Clayton. This book is available for purchase HERE.

October 10, 2021October 7, 2021

The Dash and Life’s Purpose

We received the following poem from friends who found it in an anonymous publication. It is titled “The Dash” and has a good message for us all:

“I read of a preacher who stood to speak at the funeral of his friend.
He referred to the date on his tombstone from the beginning to the end.
He noted that first came the date of his birth and spoke of the last date with tears
But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time that he spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved him know what that little time is worth.
For it matters not how much we own; the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we lived and loved and how we spent our dash.
So think about this long and hard, are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left, you could be at ‘dash midrange.’
If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real,
And always try to understand the way other people feel,
And be less quick to anger, show appreciation more,
And love the people in our life as we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect, more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash,
Would you be pleased with the things they say about how you spent your dash?”

— John N. Clayton

October 9, 2021October 7, 2021

Domestic Violence and Christianity

Domestic violence is a major problem in the United States today. The Cora Lamping Center reports that one in four women and one in nine men experience intimate partner violence. We suggest that Christianity is the one belief system that directly addresses this issue. Ephesians 5:22-33 spells out the Christian system of domestic relationships:

“You wives must learn to adapt yourselves to your husbands as you submit yourselves to the Lord … Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it … So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. The love a man gives his wife is the extending of his love for himself to enfold her … But as for you individually, you must each of you love his own wife exactly as if she were yourself and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her husband…” (Phillips translation)

Galatians 3:28 adds to this view by describing the equality of all humans in the Christian system. “All distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and freeman, male and female, have vanished for in union with Christ you are all one.”

Many religions teach that women are inferior to men and have a servant role. While Christianity assigns roles to men and to women, the equality and rights of men and women are clear. The most basic cause of domestic violence is an unwillingness to follow what God has told us about relationships with one another. The media and proponents of evolution suggest that our lives are driven by “survival of the fittest,” and we have to “look after #1,” meaning ourselves.

Why are premarital sex and cohabitation rapidly increasing in our culture? If a man can get what he wants and then walk away from the relationship, his investment is minimized. Marriage, as described in Ephesians and Galatians, involves sacrifice and patience. It isn’t hard to understand the reason for domestic violence. The only real answer is for men and women together to look to God for the strength to live and love as He intended. Becoming “one” and following God’s plan works. Alternatives do not work and lead to frustration and destructive results.

The Cora Lamping Center is a division of the Avenue Family Network. Their website is www.theavenue.ngo, and their 24-hour crisis helpline is 888-237-1891.

September 28, 2021September 27, 2021

Catholic Political Conflicts

Our Catholic friends are struggling with political conflicts. Six of the nine current Supreme Court Justices are Catholics, as are President Biden, the Speaker of the House, and many other government officials. One of the Catholic political conflicts is allowing the president to participate in the Eucharist because of his position on abortion.

Previously, Biden said he believed that life begins at conception. Now he supports abortion and the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. (The Hyde Amendment bans federal funding for most abortions.) Pope Francis waded into the Catholic political conflicts by saying, “The Eucharist is not the reward of saints, it is the bread of sinners.” This seems to be at odds with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and indicates some strife within modern Catholicism. In the 2020 election, Catholic voters cast 20% of the votes, so they play a significant role in American politics.

The wisdom of Jesus in telling his followers to separate politics from His spiritual message (Matthew 22:21) is demonstrated in current Catholic political conflicts. As a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and living in the shadow of that school, I have seen the struggles that result from mixing religion and politics.

Our primary concern about the Catholic political conflicts is the domino effect of the struggles. Many people leaving Catholicism separate themselves from any kind of religious faith. God’s word is the real answer for how we should live. Read Matthew 5–7 and see what authentic Christianity is. Read Acts 2:14-42 and see the message Peter gave to seeking people. This is the same Peter that Catholicism looks to as the founder of their faith. However, Peter would not have recognized much of what is practiced by many Catholics today.

References: The Week for July 2, 2021, page 16 and Time for July 5/July 12, 2021, page 10.

September 26, 2021September 23, 2021

America is Becoming a Land of Intoxicants

The dictionary defines an intoxicant as “that which produces feelings of pleasure or happiness in a person.” America is becoming a land of intoxicants. The enormous success of science and technology has given our culture a comfortable lifestyle and a sense of security. The illusion of self-sufficiency is constantly reinforced by Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and even many churches.

In the meantime, our culture is rejecting the words of Ephesians 5:15-18 despite the evidence that they are true: “Look carefully how you walk. Do not act thoughtlessly, but like sensible men. Make the most of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days. You can not afford to be reckless but understand what the will of the Lord is. Don’t get your stimulus from wine but let the Spirit stimulate your souls.”

America is becoming a land of intoxicants lagging behind other countries in recognizing the destructive nature of substance abuse. The American entertainment industry pushes alcohol. Even country music, which used to emphasize the negative effects of alcohol, is now saturated with promoting it as a way to pleasure and happiness. The destructive nature of alcohol is astounding. Biotech Investor’s Journal for September 2021 published a research report on the harm caused by alcohol compared to 20 other recreational drugs. Alcohol ranks # 1 in harmful effects, far beyond LSD, Meth, Crack Cocaine, and Heroin.

Some countries have recognized the serious consequences of alcohol and have passed laws to control it. For example, Scotland and Sweden have passed stringent laws to mitigate the use of alcohol. In America, the maximum blood alcohol content allowed for a motorist is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood or .08%. In Scotland, the limit is .05%, with penalties of the automatic loss of license, fines up to $7000, a criminal record, and possibly a prison sentence. In Sweden, the limit is .02%.

Alcohol’s impact on humans is well documented. Negative effects on reaction time, perception, and balance are outward products of alcohol use, as are inhibition and impaired decision-making. Now the accepted use of marijuana is adding more pain to the human experience.

For some who claim to be Christians, their religious experience may be an intoxicant. The desire to find an intoxicant in Church has led to the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God will supply wealth (materialism) to His children. Other intoxicants for some religious people are emotional experiences of speaking in tongues or even out-of-the-body experiences.

The Bible’s description of successful Christian living involves recognizing that Satan controls activities on Earth (1 John 5:19). If we are looking for heaven on Earth, we are in for disappointment and pain. The Bible indicates that the influence of Satan is all around us. (See 1 Corinthians 15:33; James 1:27, 4:4; 2 Peter 1:4, 2:20; 1 John 2:15-17.)

As America is becoming a land of intoxicants, people learn that using intoxication to find pleasure and happiness doesn’t work. However, being a light in a dark world (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:14-15) brings contentment and satisfaction that not only leads to a meaningful existence on the Earth but ultimately to eternal joy and happiness with our Lord.