A Wise Way to Stand up for Your Moral Convictions

Here are some good thoughts by Greg Koukl to keep in mind when standing up for your Christian convictions.

If you’re placed in a situation where you suspect your convictions will be labeled intolerant, bigoted, narrow-minded, and judgmental, turn the tables.  When someone asks for your personal views about a moral issue—homosexuality, for example—preface your remarks with a question.

You say:  “You know, this is actually a very personal question you’re asking, and I’d be glad to answer.  But before I do, I want to know if you consider yourself a tolerant person or an intolerant person.  Is it safe to give my opinion, or are you going to judge me for my point of view?  Do you respect diverse ideas, or do you condemn others for convictions that differ from yours?”  Let them answer.  If they say they’re tolerant (which they probably will), then when you give your point of view it’s going to be very difficult for them to call you intolerant or judgmental without looking guilty, too.

This response capitalizes on the fact that there’s no morally neutral ground.  Everybody has a point of view they think is right and everybody judges at some point or another.  The Christian gets pigeon-holed as the judgmental one, but everyone else is judging, too.  It’s an inescapable consequence of believing in any kind of morality.

"The Gospel of Jesus Wife:" What are we to think?

Perhaps you have heard in the news about this new "gospel" about Jesus having a wife. I put gospel in quotes because it is actually a fragment (about 13 partial lines of Coptic text). It is estimated that it (if genuine) was composed between the 4th and 7th Century AD. 

If you don't really know much about it, you can find a summary of what it is and says here. I found a comment by scholar Dr. Darrell L. Bock a helpful summary of what this "discovery" means:  

It is one speck of a fringe text in a sea of texts that say Jesus was single. It, if authentic, is the exception, to the rule of texts we have on Jesus. Thus, in the end, even if it says what people are suggesting, it tells us only about a fourth century group's views, not anything about Jesus.1

1. http://blogs.bible.org/bock/darrell_l._bock/quick_thoughts_on_the_new_jesus_wife_text

"Christian Values Cannot Save Anyone"

Here is a great article by Al Mohler on the all too common idea in our culture that Christian values are the most important thing. The whole thing is worth reading, but here is an excerpt:

Christian values are the problem. Hell will be filled with people who were avidly committed to Christian values. Christian values cannot save anyone and never will. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a Christian value, and a comfortability with Christian values can blind sinners to their need for the gospel.

He is not saying a person's values don't matter (read the article and you'll see that). The point is that Jesus didn't come to save those who thought they were good. In fact, those who think they are pretty good (ie. have Christian values) are the least likely to think they need a savior.

Parents who raise their children with nothing more than Christian values should not be surprised when their children abandon those values. If the child or young person does not have a firm commitment to Christ and to the truth of the Christian faith, values will have no binding authority, and we should not expect that they would. Most of our neighbors have some commitment to Christian values, but what they desperately need is salvation from their sins. This does not come by Christian values, no matter how fervently held. Salvation comes only by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A good reminder for us all. Are we committed simply to our morals or are we committed to Christ (who does in fact transform our values)?

Why the Pro-Life Position Should be the Default Position

A good video with Peter Kreeft on why the pro-life position should be the default position for a person unless he or she knows for sure that what is being aborted isn't human life.

A Caution to Young, Culture-Embracing Evangelicals