Evidence for God in Morality Archives

March 7, 2025March 4, 2025

Being a Christian Is More than “Churchianity”

For many people in America, being a Christian means attending a worship service in a physical building once a week, once a month, twice a year (Easter and Christmas), or only when a tragedy or death strikes the family. That is far from what God intended as revealed in His Word. It is not Christianity but might be called Churchianity.

The word “Christian” originally meant “Christ-like” or belonging to Christ. Acts 11:26 tells us, “The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.” It was not a label they put on themselves but what the people of Antioch used to describe the disciples of Christ.

In his book Why Aren’t Christians More Like Jesus? Michael J. Clemens coined the word “Churchianity” to describe those who feel that going to Church is all they must do to be in a saved relationship with God. Jesus said many times that being a disciple meant following Him 24/7, not just once a week or less.

Americans have been turned off by what has happened in Christian churches. We have all seen the arrogant pushes of televangelist fundraisers, political activism by churches, blatant hypocrisy by preachers and church leaders, cult activity, immorality, pedophilia, and abusive behavior of church leaders exposed in the media.

Galatians 5:22-23 describes what being a Christian (not a Churchianity participant) involves. Christians demonstrate love (agape), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Romans 12:3 describes what authentic Christianity is all about: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment according to the measure of faith God has given you.”

Reference: Why Aren’t Christians More Like Jesus? by Michael J. Clemens, Keledei Publications, ISBN 9781958139493

March 5, 2025March 4, 2025

Alcoholic Beverages and Cancer

In 1988, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer first classified alcoholic beverages as carcinogenic. Since then, cancer research has shown that they are a significant cause of cancer of the mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, breast, liver, and colon. A 2024 report in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians indicated that in 2019, alcohol contributed to 54,000 cancer cases in women and 42,000 cases in men. Lancet Oncology researchers reported that about 4% of all cancer cases worldwide were attributable to alcohol in 2020. The British Journal of Cancer reported that female breast cancer was as much as 1.6 times more prevalent in women who drank.

The companies marketing alcoholic beverages will fight all these studies, but some are now selling beverages with the same taste but no alcohol. Alcohol is the most destructive recreational drug in existence. If you drink, you are inviting cancer. The fact that the entertainment industry pushes alcohol in music shows the entertainment value of alcohol.

Our bodies are where God’s Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Alcoholic beverages destroy our bodies and will cause us to die, a fact that science is now confirming. Christians must educate their children and the world in general about the damage caused by drinking, both in this life and in eternity.

Reference: Science News for February 2025, Volume 207 # 2, pages 18-19

March 4, 2025March 3, 2025

The Facts Concerning Gender Transitions Become Clear

President Trump issued an executive order to cut off federal funds for institutions that engage in the chemical and surgical mutilation of those under age 19. This reminds us of the struggles many people deal with as their children seek gender transitions. Like the abortion issue, gender transition is being decided by people who don’t understand the implications of their decisions. This is without any consideration of the religious implications involved in changing one’s gender. We are seeing the facts concerning gender transitions become clear.

Puberty blockers and cross-gender hormones are life-long medical interventions with severe complications. They become less effective with long-term use, the side effects are severe, the cost is enormous, and they result in shortened life expectancies. Other countries have reduced or eliminated government funding and the availability of gender treatment drugs. As the facts concerning gender transitions become clear, the U.K., Sweden, and Denmark all strictly limit their use.

To expect a child to make non-reversible life-changing decisions is a foolish course of action. Surgical actions, such as mastectomies and genitalia operations, along with chemical and drug treatments, can lead to permanent infertility and high costs. Trans kids can be excluded from athletic participation because they have a biological advantage over non-trans girls. The cause of gender dysphoria is hotly debated, but the fact that it affects troubled kids’ lives cannot be debated.

From a Christian standpoint, this issue is one where we must exercise compassion and empathy. Like other issues in dealing with the LGBTQ question, Christians cannot endorse these lifestyles because they bring suffering and medical issues to all who struggle with their feelings. God’s design of male and female is strong, and human attempts to change it are doomed to much collateral damage.

As the facts concerning gender transitions become clear, we must realize that physical attacks on LGBTQ individuals are wrong and must be condemned by the Christian community. We must all work together to bring stability into everyone’s life, obedience to God’s instructions, and conformity to the role God intends for us.

Reference: Presidential Executive Order January 28, 2025

February 24, 2025February 23, 2025

Evidence Against Marijuana and Alcohol

One of the tragic aspects of marijuana use is that scientific evidence and demographic evidence of damage have not yet been assembled. The National Center for Drug Use Statistics reports that there is a high cardiovascular risk in marijuana use, and the more it is used, the greater the risk. There is also a higher risk of stroke. More than ever, we are seeing evidence against marijuana and alcohol.

On the social level, Elton John, Time magazine’s “Icon of the Year,” told the magazine, “Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.” John says that marijuana is addictive and leads to other drugs. He speaks from experience with a past of marijuana use. John’s personal experiences with drugs are explored in a new Disney documentary, “Elton John: Never Too Late.”

Taking care of the body God has given you is essential. It affects not only you but also your descendants. It is too soon to tell if marijuana contributes to babies born with physical or mental problems, but those of us who lived through the days of LSD have seen huge suffering among children and grandchildren of LSD users.

Alcohol, which is the most destructive drug available today, has been responsible for more suffering than all the wars put together in terms of the number of people affected. Proverbs 31:4-6 tells us, “It is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.”

Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” That was written before distillation, and it is even more true today. The evidence against marijuana and alcohol is growing.

References: Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter for January 2025, page 2, and South Bend Tribune for December 16, 2024, Page 3A.

February 21, 2025February 19, 2025

Churchianity vs. Christianity

One of the things that frustrates congregational leaders and is used by atheists and skeptics to discredit the Church is that many Christians do not understand the difference between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Orthodoxy is having the correct doctrine, and orthopraxy is having the proper practice. Both are essential, but a vast percentage of those who “attend church” are people who only practice orthodoxy. ”Churchianity” is saying to oneself, “I have doctrine, and I believe, so that’s all I need.” That is logically wrong, but more importantly, it’s biblically wrong.

Read Matthew 8:21-22, 9:9, 16:24, 19:21, and John 21:21-22. What phrase do all of those passages have in common? The answer is “follow me.” What did Jesus do? Did He go to worship service once a week?” Is that all He expects of us? Read Matthew 25:31-46. Does Jesus picture those who are saved as weekly church attendees who could quote selected biblical passages? Is that all there is to Christianity?

Read Matthew 6:19-21 and ask yourself what “treasures” Jesus is talking about. What good are earthly treasures when you face the end of life or the loss of someone you love? At those times, the value of following Jesus becomes clear. Is your heart set on earthly treasure or heavenly treasure?

The loss of young people from the Church today is not because they have a problem with Jesus Christ but rather because they see no practical value in Churchianity. We urge you to follow Jesus and practice orthopraxy as well as orthodoxy. Churchianity is a false way of life and has nothing to do with what Jesus intended for us to do and be.

— John N. Clayton © 2025
Reference: Why Aren’t Christians More Like Jesus by Michael J. Clemens, Keledei Publications, ISBN 9781958139493

February 18, 2025February 17, 2025

The Lure of Gambling

When I was eight, my parents took me to a gaming facility on the Mississippi River. My mother wanted to eat in a restaurant located there. It was my first introduction to slot machines. I saw people playing slot machines, and I wanted to try them. I asked my mother for a dime to play the slot machine, and that was the price of a candy bar in those days. As she gave me the dime, she said, “Now you can use the dime to play the slot machine and probably lose it, or you can use it to buy a candy bar.” Her intent may have been good, but I put the dime in the slot machine, pulled the lever, and hit the jackpot. I was able to buy a whole bucket of candy bars. The lure of gambling became obvious.

Fast forward that story to 2016, when my wife and I took a certificate we received in the mail to Las Vegas, where we purchased a room in a hotel at a significantly reduced rate. On the desk in the room was a $10.00 certificate to use in the hotel’s gaming center. My wife took the certificate and went into the gaming center. She had no money on her as she entered the center, but her first pull on the slot machine proclaimed her a winner and gave her a $20.00 bill. She returned to our room saying that if she played the slots five more times, she would have $100.00 minus the $20.00 she now owned. Again, the lure of gambling showed its ugly head.

That story has been repeated many times. In 2020, Americans spent 21.5 billion dollars on legal sports betting. In 2023, they spent 121 billion dollars, according to the American Gaming Association. They expect the final figures for 2024 to exceed 150 billion dollars.

Our congregation in Dowagiac, Michigan, is across the street from a casino. We regularly hear from people who have lost their life savings to the lure of gambling. The various Indian tribes that operate the gambling facilities continue to offer specials, such as a new car, to those they want to entice to participate in the casino’s gambling facility.

An organization called “DraftKings” offers gambling customers a $1,000 bonus if they deposit $5,000 and bet $25,000 within 90 days. Researchers at UCLA and USC have released a paper showing that online sports betting has led to 30,000 bankruptcies and eight billion dollars in annual debt collections. The lure of gambling leads to destruction.

As our culture moves farther away from the teachings of Christ, we can expect a constant increase in money spent on gambling. In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Paul writes, “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.”

The lure of gambling is similar to prostitution. It takes something good that God has given us and turns it into a destructive, selfish addiction rather than using it for its intended purpose. The lure becomes the curse.

February 17, 2025February 15, 2025

Required Pilgrimages Not Required

A unique characteristic of the teachings of Jesus and the first-century Church is the freedom from religious pilgrimages. A recent incident reminded us of the problem and tragedy of required religious pilgrimages when people died or were injured during the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela. This Hindu celebration is supposed to absolve people of sins and bring salvation. It is held in Prayagraj, India, at the confluence of three sacred rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. A stampede developed when people jumped over crowd-control barriers. Last year, 1.8 million Muslims made Hajj in Mecca, Arabia, to cleanse their souls of sin.

There are other examples, all of which show the human desire to be free from evil and sin. We have to admire the dedication of the Hindus and Muslims who are willing to sacrifice to make their required pilgrimages. It certainly shames many people who claim to be Christians and contrasts with the obsession many Americans have with materialism and physical pleasure.

The teachings of Jesus Christ starkly contrast with the required pilgrimages. Christ taught us to focus on serving others and avoid selfish greed. Jesus did not establish a sacred place for worship. When the Samaritan woman at the well tried to argue about the proper place to worship, Jesus replied, “The hour has come when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:19-24). In Matthew 25:31-46, Christ made it clear that serving the needs of others shows that we are saved. In Romans 6, Paul tells us what is involved in cleansing our souls.

The wisdom of not having required pilgrimages is obvious. It involves more than avoiding a stampede or using our limited resources to visit a geographic location or have a sacred object. People can participate in Christian worship anywhere, anytime, free of sacred objects. Serving those in need benefits everyone and brings peace to a world desperately needing freedom from religious wars, selfish materialism, and politics.

It is tragic that some who wear the name “Christian” disregard the teachings of Christ and adopt the same destructive practices of the rest of the religious world. When Christians fail to follow the teachings of Christ, others see no value in becoming followers of Jesus.

February 14, 2025February 10, 2025

Conquering Fear Through Faith

We live in an age of anxiety. The American Medical Association says that fear is the number one health issue in the United States. Americans spend massive amounts of money on alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, and pop psychologists and psychiatrists to help them deal with fears. The problem of conquering fear is not new, and the Bible uses the phrase “fear not” 366 times.

Susan Giboney, writing in the March 17, 2025, issue of Power For Today, tells of a person she calls the superhero “Anxiety Girl” who can jump to the worst possible conclusion in a single leap. One of the causes of fear in our day is collateral damage from rejecting God. If this life is all you have and you are in danger of losing it, you have a lot to be anxious about. Here are five suggestions about how to reduce the effect of being an “Anxiety Superhero.”

#1) Building faith leads to conquering fear. This program offers courses, DVDs, and books to help fearful people actively build faith in God. Faith can help you realize that this life is not all we have. We are not talking about blind faith but evidential faith.

#2) Listen to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Read Matthew 6:25-34 and think about the questions it raises. What do you worry about? Having water, how you look, what you wear, what will happen tomorrow? Read the words of Christ and think!

#3) Know what the Lord will deal with the wicked. Read Psalms 94:16-23 and 1 Corinthians 10:13 and understand that Christians have relief from the awful things in this world.

#4) The Bible calls us to repent. That means we must learn to think differently. Repentance is not just sorrow for our mistakes, although that can be part of it. Read Philippians 4:8 and follow its advice. Focus on the good things. If the news upsets you, don’t watch it. If the TV show is negative or violent, turn it off. Don’t watch depressing movies or listen to songs full of profanity. Avoid abusive people. The Church is the “called out ones” and can provide help and support.

#5) Trusting God to do what He says leads to conquering fear. Read 2 Peter 3:9 and understand God wants you to be saved and to live with the forgiveness promised through Christ. God provides continuous cleansing and a better existence beyond this life. (See 1 John 1:6-10.)

We all have an instinctive drive to avoid death, but the fear that fills us with anxiety is what affects our lives from day to day. Faith addresses and reduces that fear. Drugs and other alternatives to God do not.

February 7, 2025February 3, 2025

Superbowl Flu and Learning from History

The further America gets from God, the closer it is to collapse. The history of past nations that achieved greatness and then collapsed should be a wake-up call for us. We should be learning from history as we see this pattern has been repeated over and over.

On February 9, 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will compete in Superbowl 59. The game is always on Sunday, and the country basically shuts down for the game. Churches will cancel or postpone their worship services. Businesses will cease operation except for bars and casinos with big-screen TVs. People will spend thousands of dollars on tickets, transportation, and lodging for the game.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying a game, but millions of Americans are expected to come down with the “Superbowl flu” and call in sick on the day after the game. If an enemy of the United States attacked on February 10 of this year, would they find American society ill-equipped to defend itself?

On July 4, 1952, President Harry Truman established the “National Day of Prayer,” encouraging Americans to pray for peace and an end to the war going on at that time. Americans widely accepted that idea in 1952, but it is virtually ignored today.

Our society must start learning from history of past nations and cultures. We must demand that our leaders be men and women of moral principles, setting the example for others. The “Superbowl flu” is just one symptom of our country’s sickness. A look at political proposals and how people now treat their neighbors leaves no doubt about our nation’s sickness.

Will the United States start learning from history or continue following the path of other nations? That choice is up to the citizens of this country and whether they will understand and act on the facts of history or join the disastrous decisions being made at all levels in our country.

January 29, 2025January 28, 2025

Muhammad and the History of Islam

One of the interesting things about Islam in our day is that most Muslims have never read the Qur’an. They also know little or nothing about Muhammad and the history of Islam.

Muhammad was born in Arabia in 570 when the region had many Christian and Jewish towns. There were even several large Jewish communities in Mecca and Medina. Muhammad believed that both Christians and Jews would accept him as a prophet who fulfilled both faiths. When they rejected him, he attacked the Jews in Mecca and Medina. He forced the male members of the Jewish group in Medina to dig a mass grave and then beheaded six- to nine hundred of them and sold the women and children into slavery.

Shortly before Muhammad’s death in 632, he began attacks on Byzantine Syria and Persia. In his farewell address, Muhammad said, “I was ordered to fight all men until they say ‘There is no god but Allah.’” Qur’an 9:5 says, “Slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush.”

The rest of the story of Islam was one of war, with Muhammad’s followers killing all the Jews and Christians they could find in the Mediterranean area. In 711, Muslim forces invaded Spain and later Italy. Most of my Muslim friends are quiet people who would never want to resort to war or force to establish Islam in America. The reality is that Muslims in America have set up their own communities, putting fences around them and not allowing other belief systems in – not even police, fire, or military personnel.

Contrast Muhammad and the history of Islam with that of Jesus Christ and Christianity. Jesus did not allow his followers to use military force to establish His Church. When Peter cut off the ear of Malcus, the servant of the high priest, Jesus healed the wound and said, “Put your sword in its place: for all they who take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:51, Luke 22:50-51 and John 18:26). The difference between the history of Islam and Christianity is huge. We still see it today in the “Holy Land” and in the lives of those who follow Christ in America.

For those who wish to explore Muhammad and the history of Islam more deeply, we recommend Dr. Rodney Stark’s book The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion, pages 200-211 (ISBN 978-0062007698).