Listen to Dr. Mohler on Abortion and Religious Liberty

I love Dr. Mohler's analysis of events from a Christian worldview on his podcast "The Briefing." I strongly encourage you to listen to Monday's episode (8/17/15). The issues swirling around the abortion debate require our attention and for us to think clearly, biblically, and consistently. Also, the issue of same-sex marriage and the loss of religious freedom requires us to think biblically. 

Here it is. Why not listen to it while you drive around town today?

College Students: Get Involved in a Local Church

I am thankful that there are several solid, evangelical campus ministries at FSU. They have a love for Christ and his Word, and this comes out in all sorts of ways. They proclaim the truth of God's Word for right belief and practice even when it goes against the cultural winds. They evangelize without gimmicks. They use their strategic position on campus to do spiritual good.  The other thing a good campus ministry does is point college students to the local church.

The local church is the priority for every believer. Here are three reasons this is the case (I quote these from an article at Radical.net entitled "College Students: Don't Take the Frisbee. Feast at the Church's Table").

1. Jesus chose the church. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus tells Peter, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Jesus loves the church, his people, in a very special way; for proof, look no further than the cross (Eph 5:25). There are some great campus ministries out there that God is using in mighty ways. But he uniquely promised to build and sustain his church. There will come a day when Christian clubs are no more. But the church will never fail. Why would you not commit yourself to the thing that Jesus himself instituted and promised would endure?
2. You need the church. College is a trying time in many regards. Temptations are abundant, time is scarce, and pressure is high. This is precisely why you need the grounding and accountability of regular corporate worship in a community of believers who are committed to loving each other. And while there are campus ministries that seem to fit this bill, there are some non-negotiables that make a local church distinct – communion, baptism, a pastor who is accountable to God for his flock, and the wisdom of multiple generations, just to name a few.
3. The church needs you. Though our individualistic culture would tell you otherwise, college isn’t just about doing what’s good for you. Think of the void that would exist in churches if everyone between the ages of 17 and 23 left. Local churches need the energy and zeal of the college crowd; your perspective is invaluable. Also – and this may sound obvious, but – you are in the best position to reach your campus with the gospel. This is the work of the church, and it happens best through its student members. Without you, the church would be incomplete, and its mission would be hindered.

A healthy campus ministry is a blessing to Christian students and the campus. If you can, be involved in one (I can help you evaluate if it is a healthy one). Don't hop from one to another seeking "what's in it for me." 

At the same time, realize that a campus ministry is not a replacement for full-out involvement in your local church (and a healthy campus ministry will tell you that). The first step in that is to commit formally to a local body of believers by becoming a member of that body. Then, get to know the older generation in your church, serve in the nursery, encourage a middle-schooler, let a family "adopt" you while you are away from your natural family. 

"He or She? How Should I Refer to Transgendered Friends?"

How should Christians refer to transgendered friends or coworkers? This will probably be an increasingly common issue in our culture.  John Piper has some very wise and helpful counsel (10 minute audio).

Why the Pro-life Position Should be the Default Position

When it comes to the issue of abortion, there was a time when people would argue that a fetus was not a person. That is becoming less and less the case. The ultra-sound and now the videos by the Center for Medical Progress showing dismembered body parts of fetuses have exposed that lie. In addition, many pro-abortion advocates know that we are talking about a person. For example, in an article entitled, “So What if Abortion Ends Life?” Mary Elizabeth Williams writes:

I have friends who have referred to their abortions in terms of “scraping out a bunch of cells” and then a few years later were exultant over the pregnancies that they unhesitatingly described in terms of “the baby” and “this kid.” I know women who have been relieved at their abortions and grieved over their miscarriages. Why can’t we agree that how they felt about their pregnancies was vastly different, but that it’s pretty silly to pretend that what was growing inside of them wasn’t the same? Fetuses aren’t selective like that. They don’t qualify as human life only if they’re intended to be born.

Despite all this, some still make the argument that the baby in the womb is not a person. How should we respond to these arguments?

First, I think we can make the argument scientifically.  It is clear that you have new (distinct) biological life at conception, and since it is a human embryo, it can be nothing less than human life.  From conception you now have metabolism, cell division, etc. Some might say, "Yes, but that is not human life, we came from an embryo." However, none of us came from an embryo, instead each of us was an embryo. In the same way, we didn't come from a toddler but were at one time a toddler (as if a toddler is less of a human than I now am as an adult). In other words, we are not talking about a different kind of being, but rather the same being at a different level of development (prior to conception this is not the case, but once conception happens you have new human life).

Let's suppose however that science didn't prove this (as some assert). Or perhaps the argument is changed to, "Yes it is life, but it's not a human person." Peter Kreeft gives a great (easy to understand) philosophical case for the pro-life position being the default position.  Below is a short (2.5 min) video that you should watch.



To summarize, he argues there are only two possibilities when it comes to the unborn:

1. It is a human life
2. It is not a human life

Then he adds that your knowledge of which of those is true can only be summarized in one of four statements:

1. It is a human life and you know it
2. It is a human life and you don't know it
3. It is not a human life and you don't know it
4. It is not a human life and you know it.

In all except the last case, the default position must be the pro-life position. Otherwise, abortion would be:

1. Murder, 
2. Manslaughter, 
3. Criminal Negligence. 

Since no one is making argument number 4, then the pro-life position ought to be the default position.


HT: Justin Taylor

A Wedding Reception That Will Change All Our Lives

This is the final post in a series on God, Singleness, and Marriage: How the Bible gives purpose and direction to singles.  

As a man, my perspective on wedding receptions is that they serve one main purpose: they provide food of some sort. I suppose I should be more biblical and affirm that receptions provide a chance for the community of God to celebrate the nuptials they just witnessed with the newly married couple. Even with these good purposes, most of us would agree that we have never been to a wedding reception that changed our life. But the truth is, if you are a Christian, there is a wedding reception which will fill your heart with such joy that you will feel as if your heart is about to explode out of your chest. Before we get to that, let’s watch Jesus demolish our shortsighted view of marriage that stops us from seeing the wonders of what is to come.

Human Marriage is a Picture of Something Greater

A group of Sadducees approached Jesus and the spokesman of the group stepped forward. You can almost see the glimmer in his eye as he put Jesus to the test. The group thought they had Him right where they wanted Him. This little think tank devised a scenario that they thought would prove that Jesus was not the Messiah and that there is no such thing as the resurrection from the dead. Rubbing his fingers through his beard, the spokesman confidently began his “question.”

“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring.  And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise.  And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife” (Mark 12:19-23, emphasis added).

I imagine that the group let out a collective chuckle and waited for what they thought would be Jesus hem hawing to buy time. But, what they got was quick and firm rebuke.

Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Mark 12:24-25, emphasis added).

There were two problems with the Sadducees’ presuppositions, and Jesus drops bunker-busting bombs on them both. First, they did not know the Scriptures. God’s Word clearly teaches that there is a resurrection. Second, they did not know the power of God. That is, they did not believe that God had the power to raise people from the dead and make the eternal state of their existence much more wonderful than the current one. They assumed this world was all there was. They were so caught up in the present that they refused to see the glorious realities of the resurrection.

They assumed that they could disprove the resurrection (and need for a Savior) by showing how crazy an eternal state would be. It would be ludicrous to try and sort out the woman’s relationship to these seven men if there were a resurrection. She would be polyandrous. Their critical error, however, was failing to see that marriage is a temporary reality pointing to an eternal reality. You see, no one is married in heaven because the shadow of human marriage will give way to the realities of heaven. That reality is of Jesus and His bride, the Church.

Don’t assume this means marriage in this life is unimportant to God’s eternal purposes. On the contrary, it was designed by God to testify to the reality and beauty of Jesus’ relationship to His Church. Ephesians 5:31-32 says,

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Men, if you marry, realize that the way you love, lead, provide for, and protect your wife has everything to do with picturing Jesus’ covenant with His Church. Women, if you marry, realize that the way you affirm and respond to your husband’s leadership puts the Church’s relationship with Christ on display.

But what does this mean for those who remain single their whole life? John Piper writes,

This has profound significance for singleness in this life. It means that if two wives will not be one too many [referring to those who remarry after the death of a spouse], then no wives will not be one too few. If love in the age to come is transposed into a key above and beyond the melody of marriage in this life, then singleness here will prove to be no disadvantage in eternity.[1]

I hope that you see that it is no disadvantage to be single now, either. Your singleness, just like marriage, serves to point to the eternal realities of the gospel message. How so?

For those who remain single by choice, you testify to the world that being part of Jesus’ family matters more than physical ties and offspring. Our world’s motto is, “You only live once.” And the perspective has been pervasive throughout the history of fallen mankind. But when you choose to live in a way that shows having spiritual offspring and contentment in your heavenly family is all you need, then you stand as a beacon of light for eternal realities.

For those who are single by trial and yet demonstrate contentment in the Lord, you too testify to the gospel. You bear witness that God is good and that your inheritance is not of this world. You prove that your own desires do not rule you, but Christ does. You demonstrate faith in God to a world which believes in only what it sees. When you seek to have spiritual offspring, even while your desire for physical offspring is unmet, you show that the family of God is more important than physical life. When you walk humbly with your Savior, even when you do not have an earthly spouse, you show that Jesus is your all.

The Banquet Hall of Heaven

As I said at the beginning of this post, there is coming a wedding banquet which will fill you with unspeakable joy. Marriage and singleness both point to it, and the married and single, rejoice when it comes. Here is the Apostle John’s description of it:

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God” (Revelation 19:7-9).

This is your wedding reception, Christian! True blessing, everlasting happiness, belongs to “those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” At this table will be gathered all Christians. At this supper, none of them will be married to each other, because they are all, together, married to Jesus Christ.

This is not some weird “Jesus is my boyfriend” type of thing. This is the glorious reality to which human marriage points. It is the fullness of the reality that we, God’s people, are one with our Savior. We belong to Him. His love, protection, and joy belong to us. Our allegiance belongs to Him, and our everlasting happiness is found in Him.

The Final Word

Your eternal state begins with our collective feasting at the marriage supper of the Lamb. We have covered many practical matters, which are important in this life. But do not lose sight of the purpose of marriage and singleness. He who finds a wife finds a good thing. The one who is seated at the marriage supper of the Lamb lacks no good thing. Now that is a wedding reception I look forward to attending.

Copyright Ben Khazraee. You may share this article with others, but please direct them to this blog rather than posting the text to your own website, blog, etc. You may share printed copies with friends as long as you do not charge more than the cost of producing the copies.

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[1] “For Single Men and Women,” in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, pg. 13.

5 Things We Must Do in The Fight for Life

"Never, never will we desist till we . . . extinguish every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonor to this country” (William Wilberforce).


This past Monday, the Senate Bill (S.1881) to defund the largest abortion provider in the US stalled. What does that mean for those who want to see the end of abortion? How should we think about these things? What should we do? I'll suggest five things.

1. Keep our focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We oppose abortion first and foremost because it is an attack on the gospel. Satan has been a murderer from the beginning, and the unjust termination of human life is a sign that the dominion of darkness still has sway. Satan has always been about murdering children since he knew that the Offspring of the the woman would one day crush his head (Gen. 3:15). This is why the kingdom of darkness has been characterized by child sacrifice (ex. sacrifices to Molech). This is why Herod had hundreds of baby boys killed in Bethlehem as he sought to kill the new born "King of the Jews." So, we focus on the only hope of salvation and of turning back Satan's attacks. The gospel pushes back the kingdom of darkness by transferring people into the kingdom of light.

The gospel has a word for those who have committed and participated in abortion. It says judgement is coming, but there is hope for any who will turn away form their sin and to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. So, we show compassion and share the good news and declare that abortion is evil. We must also encourage men and women, who are in Christ, who have committed abortion to know that all their shame was taken by Jesus. He died to face the wrath of God and shame that their (and our) sin deserves.

2. Continue to pray and fast, pleading with God to end this evil in our land.

As Christians we know that trusting in horses and chariots (our arguments and political involvement) is not where our hope comes from. As Jesus said when talking to the disciples about why they could not cast out a particular demon, "this kind only comes out by prayer and fasting." That is to say, God has the firepower, so we call out to him in prayer as the infantry would call over the walkie talkie for air-support in the midst of conflict.

We do not have the power to overcome the murderous lies of Satan and the seduction of the world which has blinded people from seeing the glory of God and from seeing humanity as made in God's image (no matter how small). So, we diligently cry out to God, to the point where we are willing to forgo food to spend more time on the walkie talkie knowing that we need God's strength more than we need every meal.

3. Understand what is going on politically and be involved. 

While we do not put our hope in politics we are to be "as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves." We ought to know how to fight smart in order to protect the unborn. Joe Carter has a helpful article on what happened in last Monday's cloture vote and what things look like going forward.

One point he makes is that a government shut down might be looming, but that is probably not the best move for the pro-life cause. The reason is that elections are coming up soon and there are possibly four supreme court justice positions that will come open for the next president to appoint. Additionally, more pro-life senators and representatives would help future votes to topple wicked laws. A government shut down might put pro-life candidates on the defensive rather than allowing them to focus the nation's attention where it should be- on the horrors of abortion.

It is important to note what good the cloture vote did accomplish. The vote put every senator on record as to their position on what planned parenthood is doing.1  With elections coming up, we must be sober-minded enough to know that they will have consequences, and we must vote for pro-life candidates.

Some argue we ought not be a one issue voter, and in one sense I agree. I care about the budget, immigration, the environment, and education. I don't agree with ever pro-life candidate on these issues. However, I think we must realize that there are certain positions a political leader might hold which should, for us, immediately disqualify him or her. Abortion is one of those issues. Think about it.  If someone was running for office and said they believed we should go back to slavery, you would probably not vote for them even if every other view they had seemed better than their opponent. I would argue that killing innocent human beings is one such barbaric view that must disqualify someone in our eyes.

4. Know and make the pro-life argument to friends and family members.

The unborn are human beings unable to defend themselves. Just like courts appoint a guardian ad litem to speak for a small child and to argue for his or her best interests in cases of abuse, we ought to see ourselves as speaking for these children. We also ought to see ourselves as speaking against the oppression of women by predatory men and organizations like planned parenthood. We ought to argue for women's health care (which means we will also be for unborn women's health).  Let's bring these issues up to others, even those we know who are pro-life so that we might strengthen each other.

To make the case for the unborn, just remember, if you can prove that this is a human being, every other argument ultimately falls to the wayside. To help you make this case, I suggest watching this short video by Scott Klusendorf or reading this article by Kevin DeYoung.

Also, watch and encourage others to watch the videos being put out by the Center for Medical Progress revealing what is happening inside Planned Parenthood. The main reason is not to see that what they are doing is illegal (though congress has a responsibility to investigate this). Instead, it is to show people what abortion is. The legality issue isn't the main issue because the laws have always lined up with the strong as they oppress the weak (ex. slavery was legal).

The last few videos get graphic, but they prove that these are human beings. There are arms. hands, fingers, legs, eyeballs, spinal cords, and even the ability to tell if it is a boy. One of the most horrific images, in my mind, is seeing a tiny dismembered hand and arm being lifted up out of a petri dish by cold tweezers. It is a hand that has never known a human touch and which will never hold his mother's hand. A hand which only knows cold forceps which ripped it from the warm, safe womb and then cold tweezers which plucked it from a petri dish where it sat slated for sale. It makes me sick, mad, and sad at the same time. This is not, as some pro-abortion folks argue, an emotion of disgust like one might have watching a "messy and gross" surgery like heart surgery or an amputation. This is disgust because I know, we all know, that this is a dismembered human being and that has a moral weight to it. The "my body, my choice" argument does not work very well when we are talking about someone else's body and organs.

The reason you should watch and encourage others to watch these videos is that they prove that these are human beings and abortion is horrifyingly evil. General Eisenhower made Germans who lived near concentration camps walk through the killing camps to see the horrors of what had been happening in their backyards. They needed to know the moral gravity of what occurred. Help your friends see, as William Wilberforce said, that "You may choose to look away, but you can never say again that you didn't know." Abortion is horrifying and the bloody traffic must be stopped.

5. Do Not Grow Weary in the Fight

This is not a fight for better education or better foreign policy (as important as those are). This is a fight for the lives of millions of unborn human beings. Planned Parenthood killed over 327,000 babies in 2014. Over 50 million have been killed since Roe v. Wade (that is the Holocaust x 10). So, we must not grow weary in the battle. We must be willing to spend our money, counsel others, and have uncomfortable discussions for the long haul.

Again we find a good example in William Wilberforce, who fought the slave trade in England. He fought for over 42 years before he finally was able to see the evil outlawed. Along the way, he fought and won small battles, passing small pieces of legislation, while calling for the full end of slavery. As Nicole Russell wrote at The Federalist, "Pro-lifers are today's abolitionists." We have some big shoes to fill. By God's grace we can.

"Never, never will we desist till we . . . extinguish every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonor to this country” (William Wilberforce).

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1. Every senator is on record with the exception of Lindsey Graham who did not show up but says he is for defunding PP. Also it should be noted Senate Majority Leader McConnell voted "no" even though he is for the bill. This was for a good, strategic reason (read Carter's article for more details).

Contact Your Senators Today and Ask Them to Defund Planned Parenthood

If you have not watched the videos which clearly expose the horrors of abortion, you might be avoiding your civic duty. What's more important, is that we advocate for the weakest among us who have no opportunity to defend themselves. The Senate has a vote scheduled for Monday on Bill S.1881 to defund Planned Parenthood and reallocate the half a billion dollars to local health care facilities for women that do not provide abortions. 

I encourage you to read the bill and then email Senator Bill Nelson to vote yes (assuming you live in Florida). You can also email Senator Marco Rubio (though I think he will be voting yes).

Here is a sample email from Denny Burk

I am appalled at the recent revelations of barbarism taking place at Planned Parenthood every day. As a nation, we are better than this. This daily destruction of human life should not even be legal, much less subsidized by the federal government.

So I am asking you to do everything within your power to defund Planned Parenthood. I’m also asking you to support any legislation that would protect human life at its earliest stages.

Thank you for receiving this letter and for serving Kentucky.

Sincerely,
Denny Burk

Here is my email (a little longer so it runs the risk of not getting read though...you might keep yours short).

Dear Senator, 

William Wilberforce stood on the floor of British Parliament during the height of the slave trade and recounted horror stories of human beings being brutalized simply because they were useful to the financial gain of others and because they had no legal rights. Wilberforce concluded by calling for the courage to end slavery saying: “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”

By now, you may have watched the videos released by the Center for Medical Progress exposing Planned Parenthood’s profiting off of the sale of aborted fetal tissue. The content of the videos is disturbing and highlights the destructive nature of the abortion industry. I would urge you to please support S.1881: Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood.

In fact, I would urge you to do what you can to end abortion in this land. I will briefly give my logical appeal to end abortion.

1. 1  We know that these are human beings.

a.       This is a medically proven fact (debated during Roe v. Wade, but proven now). The fetus has its own (human) DNA from the moment of conception. It is just a human at a different developmental stage.

b.      38 states have fetal homicide laws on the books.

c.       The images of a Planned Parenthood doctor saying “It’s a boy” while looking into a petri dish with the baby’s dismembered parts on display.

d.      The fact that “fetal parts” are even valuable to researchers as “livers, legs, brains, and hearts” show that they are human beings (they have human organs).

e.        Even pro-choice individuals have acknowledged this reality. In an article entitled, “So What if Abortion Ends Life?” Mary Elizabeth Williams writes:

I have friends who have referred to their abortions in terms of “scraping out a bunch of cells” and then a few years later were exultant over the pregnancies that they unhesitatingly described in terms of “the baby” and “this kid.” I know women who have been relieved at their abortions and grieved over their miscarriages. Why can’t we agree that how they felt about their pregnancies was vastly different, but that it’s pretty silly to pretend that what was growing inside of them wasn’t the same? Fetuses aren’t selective like that. They don’t qualify as human life only if they’re intended to be born.

f.       Some have said fetuses are dependent upon their mother or located in her so they are not worthy of the same rights. However, a one year old is quite dependent on his mother. And a person’s location does not determine if they are a person.

1. 2  It is unlawful to take the life of a human apart from due process of the law and is required that all people have equal protections.

a.       The 14^th Amendment, Section 1, of the Constitution makes this guarantee.

1. 3  Abortion takes the life of an unborn person

a.       The human being inside the womb (point 1 above) is “terminated” by means of lethal injections, crushing, dismemberment, etc.

1. 4  Therefore, abortion should be seen as unconstitutional by a court or explicitly outlawed by an act of Congress.

I realize that Planned Parenthood does not only perform abortions (STD testing and contraception resources, note they do not provide mammograms). However, other organizations offer these kinds of resources, too, without involving themselves in the destruction of life in the womb.  Bill S.1881 calls for funds to continue to be directed to these basic services at other organizations.

It took many years after William Wilberforce’s speech before parliament acted. Surely we all look back and wish they would have acted sooner to prevent the abuse and murder of so many African Americans. May you and other legislators have the courage to end the practice of abortion as soon as possible. Please begin by voting “yes” on Bill S.1881.

Thank you for your service to our state and country and for taking the time to consider this very important issue.

Sincerely,
Ben Khazraee