Six Men Arrested for Heckling Pastor Joel Osteen During Service; Lakewood Church to Press Charges

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Six Men Arrested for Heckling Pastor Joel Osteen During Service; Lakewood Church to Press Charges

Lakewood Church, Hecklers (Photos: Houston Police Department)

Christian Post Report – Top row (from Left), Jacob Garnder, an elder in The Church of Wells; Kevin Fessler, Mark DeRouville. Bottom row (from Left) Matthew Martinez, Randall Valdez and Richard Trudeau, a deacon.

Six men who called senior pastor of Lakewood church, Joel Osteen, “a liar” during a bizarre outburst which scared several members into leaving a service at the Houston, Texas, megachurch prematurely on Sunday morning were removed from the church then slapped with charges of criminal trespassing.

Donald Iloff Jr., a senior executive with Joel Osteen Ministries, revealed in a statement to The Christian Post on Monday that the hecklers were all with The Church of Wells, a controversial group known for protesting Christian churches they disagree with and that they were quickly arrested by members of the church’s security team, a number of whom are local law enforcement officers.

“We’ve learned that the protestors who disrupted one of our Sunday morning services were the leaders of a small controversial church in Nacogdoches, Texas, called The Church of Wells. This group is known for protesting many Christian churches with whom they don’t agree. The six protestors were arrested by Houston police and are being charged with criminal trespass. Lakewood Church takes the disruption of our services seriously and plans to pursue criminal charges, as well as all other legal remedies against these individuals and The Church of Wells,” said the statement.

“A significant number of Lakewood’s ushers and security team members are police and sheriff’s officers who attend Lakewood regularly. These officers were efficient and quick in responding to the situation and, along with Lakewood’s leadership will continue to be vigilant in the security and protection of Lakewood Church and its members,” it added.

Charged with criminal trespass are: Jacob Garnder, an elder in The Church of Wells; Kevin Fessler, Mark DeRouville, Matthew Martinez, Randall Valdez and Richard Trudeau, a deacon.

Joel Osteen, best-selling author and pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, says his books are popular in Muslim countries and that Muslims sometimes visit his megachurch. (Photo: video still)

Joel Osteen, best-selling author and pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, says his books are popular in Muslim countries and that Muslims sometimes visit his megachurch.

“The moment he started to preach, somebody gets up and they yell ‘Joel Osteen you’re a liar,’ said Anwar Richardson a former NFL writer who tweeted about the incident in a KSPR report.

“Sitting in Joel Olsteen’s church and it has been interrupted FOUR times by people against him. This is crazy!” Richardson highlighted in one of his tweets.

He revealed to KSPR that he decided to leave the church with his family after the sixth outburst.

“After the sixth time that it occurred, my son was sleeping in my lap, and I looked at my wife and she was nervous and we just decided we have to get out of here,” said Richardson. Many people, according to his Twitter feed, also followed his lead.

Richardson, who was visiting the church with his family, explained that he left the service because thoughts of the Charleston massacre ran through his mind.

“All I could think of is you don’t know what’s going on, and I just can’t wait to find out, so I’ve gotta get out of there,” he said in an ABC report.

During the commotion, snippets of which were captured on amateur video, Osteen can be heard telling his cheering congregants that “no weapon formed against us shall prosper.”

One witness told ABC that Osteen took it all in stride.

“He (Osteen) kept on going. He kept his composure. He really got the message out and he said no weapon formed against me shall prosper,” said the witness. “So kudos to him for delivering a good service.”

While no one is sure what sparked the protest, on member suggested to ABC that it could be related to last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage.

Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @leoblair

Source : Christian Post

Christians and the Sabbath

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Christians and the Sabbath

Christian Post Report – There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
— Hebrews 4:9-10

  • Greg Laurie
    (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)
    Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014.

Of the Ten Commandments, there is probably more confusion about this one than about any other: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). So let’s understand what it is and what it isn’t.

This commandment originally was given to the Hebrew people for a day of Sabbath rest, which, by the way, is Saturday. This commandment to keep the Sabbath is the only command that is not repeated in the New Testament. It was given to the Jewish people but not to non-Jews.

Jesus never taught anyone to keep the Sabbath. In fact, He was repeatedly accused of breaking the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders came down on Jesus because He healed a man on the Sabbath day. Religion and rituals began to overtake the whole purpose of what the Sabbath was. Jesus told the Pharisees, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

The apostles never taught anyone to keep the Sabbath. The Jews met in their synagogue on Saturday. The early church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, met on the first day of the week, Sunday. Why did they meet on Sunday? That is the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It was a New Covenant.

Some have taken the Sabbath and have tried to turn it into a law that Christians should keep. But the Bible addresses this in Colossians 2:16–17, saying, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” The Sabbath was pointing to and was fulfilled in Jesus. One word could sum up our faith: done. It was done for us by Christ on the cross.

Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000

Used with Permission

Source : Christian Post

Pastor, Worshipers Beaten After 200 Hindu Radicals Storm and Devastate Protestant Church in India

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Pastor, Worshipers Beaten After 200 Hindu Radicals Storm and Devastate Protestant Church in India

Christian minority in India (Photo: Reuters/Anindito Mukherjee)

Christian Post Report – Demonstrators shout slogans as they hold placards during a protest outside a church in New Delhi, India, February 5, 2015. Hundreds of Christian protesters clashed with police in India’s capital on Thursday as they tried to press demands for better government protection amid concern about rising intolerance after a series of attacks on churches.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India has reported a violent attack against Christians in the country that was committed earlier this month when over 200 Hindu radicals stormed a Protestant church in the town of Attingal, Kerela, beating up the pastor and some of the worshipers, and breaking the altar.

EFI shared the news with Fides News Agency, reporting that the attack took place on June 14. The radicals apparently shouted slogans like “Bharat Mathaki Jai” (“Hail Mother India”) during the attack, which was broken up after police arrived.

Christians in Attingal have since staged a protest march in the city, calling for harmony and religious freedom, while counter-demonstrators reportedly chanted anti-Christian slogans and threats.

Although Christians are only a distinct minority throughout India, their numbers have been rising, and followers of Christ make up as much as 40 percent of the population in Kerala.

The rise of Christianity in numbers has been met with attacks and hostility from Hindu radicals, who have often accused Christians of trying to convert Hindus to their faith. Several church services have been attacked throughout the country, and there have been at least two gang rapes of Christian nuns reported this year.

Voice of America reported last week that a nun in the Indian city of Raipur has been gang raped, in what Christian community leaders called an ongoing “anti-Christian hate campaign.”

“We are 100 percent sure that the nun was raped yesterday. There cannot be any dispute over this fact. And it appears to be part of the ongoing anti-Christian hate campaign across the state,” said Arun Pannalal, president of Chhattisgarh Christian Forum.

Some Hindu radicals have also suggested that Christians and Muslims in India be forcefully sterilized, and said that Hindu gods and goddesses should be placed in churches and mosques.

“The population of Muslims and Christians is growing day by day. To rein in this, Centre will have to impose emergency, and Muslims and Christians will have to be forced to undergo sterilization so that they cannot increase their number,” Sadhvi Deva Thakur, vice president of All India Hindu Mahasabha, said back in April.

India finds itself ranked No. 21 on Open Doors’ World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution for their faith, with violent attacks carried out by Hindu extremists cited as the main cause.

Source : Christian Post

Bishop T.D. Jakes Addresses Supreme Court Gay Marriage Decision: ‘We Shouldn’t Lose Our Minds Over the World Being the World’

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Bishop T.D. Jakes Addresses Supreme Court Gay Marriage Decision: ‘We Shouldn’t Lose Our Minds Over the World Being the World’

Christian Post Report – Bishop T.D. Jakes downplayed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end state bans on same-sex marriage during a worship service at his Texas megachurch on Sunday, saying that the issue was not his primary concern.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, founding pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, remarks on the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage during a service on Sunday, June 28, 2015. (Photo: screengrab)

Bishop T.D. Jakes, founding pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, remarks on the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage during a service on Sunday, June 28, 2015.

Jakes informed worshipers at The Potter’s House in Dallas that he had been “bombarded” by various people wanting to know his thoughts on the Supreme Court’s ruling last Friday that state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional.

“I’m not really as concerned about this as a lot of people are,” said Jakes during service on Sunday, according to a video excerpt of his remarks published online. “I’m really not as concerned about it. I think that we should not lose our mind about the world being the world and the Church being the Church. This is not a news flash. The world is gonna be the world and the Church is gonna be the Church, and you have to understand the difference.”

The influential megachurch pastor, bestselling author and film producer went on to explain to his congregation that the Supreme Court, as a worldly institution, has one job: to uphold the rights of all Americans.

“The Supreme Court is there to make a decision based on constitutional rights and legalities that fit all Americans. They are not debating Scripture,” he said, which led to applause from the congregation.

“They are just not debating Scripture,” Jakes repeated. “I guarantee you that they were not in there looking at Romans 1 and First Corinthians this and weighing it against the policies.”

“We have bought into all this rhetoric about America being a Christian nation,” Jakes said.

He went on to suggest that indeed America has a lot of Christians in it, but the country is governed as a democracy and not by theocratic principles.

“But what we do need to watch is that our religious freedom is also respected and protected so that we don’t have to get caught up in the winds of the world and go the way the world is going,” Jakes added. “So we need to watch that as we grapple with an ever-changing society, and our society is becoming more and more pluralistic. “

“There’s nothing to say that Christianity will be the dominant religion in this country. I hope it will. It’s up to us,” he added, going on to say that Christians have “stopped witnessing” and “stopped winning souls” and continue to isolate themselves from people who do not “believe like we believe.”

That runs against what Jesus commanded His followers to do, he insisted, adding, “Jesus said go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every living creature.”

“So we need to change as a Church too. We need to start reaching out to all types of people and preaching to them and ministering to them and sharing our faith with them. I don’t mean on Sunday morning. I mean in the mall, I mean in the grocery store, I mean while you’re getting your hair done. It’s time for you to be a real Christian. I mean a real Christian, and win people to Jesus Christ. And you can start in your own house,” Jakes admonished his flock and the countless others watching the service via livestream.

Jakes, 58, rounded up his remarks by informing worshippers that “God is still in control” and giving them a stern warning about God’s judgement.

“The Supreme Court makes its decisions based on the Constitution, debating the constitutionality of any particular issue. But I must warn you, God does not judge you by the Constitution. He judges you by the Word of God. So while the Supreme Court is looking at the Constitution, you better search the Scriptures …,” Jakes said.

Holding up his Bible, he added, “This blessed old book is still good, it’s still right anyhow.”

During his excerpted remarks to his congregation on Sunday about the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage, Jakes did not state what he believes the Bible says about human sexuality or state his thoughts on the definition of marriage, which orthodox Christians hold as a monogamous heterosexual union.

TD Jakes (Photo: Courtesy of MegaFest)

Bishop T.D. Jakes sits down with Oprah Winfrey for two tapings of her OWN television program, “Oprah’s Lifeclass” to talk about the millions of children who are growing up in fatherless homes, at the American Airlines Center on Aug. 29, 2013, in Dallas, Texas.

The Potter’s House pastor was asked a couple of years ago by Oprah Winfrey for his views on homosexuality during an OWN episode of “Oprah’s Next Chapter.”

“Would you say that everybody is embraced in your church?” Winfrey asked Jakes during the 2012 interview. “Cause you know you have been accused of saying that gay people would not be welcome.”

“That’s not true at all. The perception in our society today is that if you don’t say you’re for same-sex marriage or if you say homosexuality is a sin that you’re homophobic and you’re against gay people. And that’s not true,” Jakes responded.

“I’m not called to give my opinion. I’m called as a pastor to give the scriptural position on it,” The Potter’s House pastor continued. “Doesn’t mean that I have to agree with you to love you. I don’t dislike anybody. I love everybody.”

Winfrey pressed a bit further, roundly asked Jakes if he thinks being gay is a sin.

“I think that sex between two people of the same sex is condemned in the Scriptures, and as long as it is condemned in the Scriptures, I don’t get to say what I think. I get to say what the Bible says,” Jakes said.

He went on to say that he was “not particularly political … not particularly denominational … not worried about any of that.”

“I’m not anti-gay, I’m not anti-anything. I don’t want to even be known by what I’m against,” he said.

“I’m for people bettering themselves, no matter who they are and where they are, doing all they can to be all they can be,” Jakes added.

Jakes, who has been in ministry since 1976, established The Potter’s Church with about 50 families in 1996. Since then, the megachurch, which describes itself as “a nondenominational, multicultural church and humanitarian organization,” has grown to about 30,000 members.

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Source : Christian Post

Pastor Greg Laurie: 6 Things Christians Can Do Amid Supreme Court’s Gay Marriage Ruling

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Pastor Greg Laurie: 6 Things Christians Can Do Amid Supreme Court’s Gay Marriage Ruling

Pastor Greg Laurie (Photo: Screenshot/Harvest Church)

Christian Post Report – Pastor Greg Laurie speaking on how to deal with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.

California megachurch pastor Greg Laurie gave a special sermon Sunday to help his congregation and Christians elsewhere in the country deal with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage.

There are at least six things that Christians can do, he said, including showing the power of a biblical marriage to the world in his Sunday sermon titled “Stand Your Ground!”

“The church is under attack around the world,” the Harvest Ministries pastor said as he began the sermon on Sunday, two days after the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right.

“I’m very disappointed by this decision. It is clearly the wrong decision,” Laurie said, urging the congregation to stand their ground.

God created marriage, and it precedes all civilizations, culture and everything, he said.

Mark 10:6-9 points to God’s purpose of marriage, the pastor added. “This special union will happen only between a man and a woman.”

Biblical truth is being challenged, he said, adding, however, that just as it seems some things are coming apart, in the same way they are also coming together. “Bible prophecies are being fulfilled before our very eyes.”

There are at least six things Christians can do in the wake of the Supreme Court decision and other attacks on Christians and Christianity, Laurie suggested.

One, “don’t panic; God is still on the throne,” he told the church.

He quoted Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, as saying: “The Supreme Court can do many things, but the Supreme Court can’t put Jesus back in that tomb. Jesus of Nazareth is still alive; He is still calling the universe toward His kingdom.”

The church thrives when it is in sharp contrast to the culture around it, Laurie said, giving the example of the first century Christians, who also lived in a pagan culture where immorality was rampant. Yet “they turned the world upside down.”

They didn’t do it through protests or marches, the pastor said. “They out-loved, outplayed and out-gave the non-believers.”

Two, we need to remember that Romans 8:28 is still in the Bible, Laurie told the congregation.

“Even a ruling like this can, in God’s sovereign will, work together for our good and His glory,” he said.

Three, we need to show this culture what a biblical marriage looks like, Laurie shared.

A reason why marriage is a big deal to God is because “of all of the pictures, of all of the illustrations He could have chosen to illustrate His love for the Church and His Church’s love for Him, He chose marriage.”

“Your marriage should be a testimony and an example” to the non-believing world, Laurie urged.

If you have problems in your marriage, “forgive and move forward,” the pastor said, explaining that differences between spouses are bound to happen but love can overcome them.

Four, we need to show the love of Christ to everyone, Laurie said. To do that, we need to meet them where they are and greet them with the Gospel, he added. “God loves everyone, no matter what they have done.”

Nobody is born a gay, the megachurch pastor said. One may be tempted with attraction for the same-sex, which can be resisted, he explained, and read out a letter a former lesbian woman wrote to him about how she turned away from homosexuality after her conversion as she listened to his messages on the radio.

“The Gospel does not define us by our temptations, but by the righteousness of Christ,” Laurie stated.

Laurie also said we need to love homosexual people but not condone or accept homosexuality. Evaluating and speaking the truth in love are not judging or condemning, he explained.

Five, we need to engage all people with the Gospel, Laurie said.

Deep down, everyone is searching for a relationship with God, he said. “God can change anyone.”

Six, we need to pray no matter what, Laurie said. “We need to pray that America has a spiritual awakening.”

There’s no political messiah that is going to save us now, Laurie underlined. “This is bigger than politics, this is bigger than culture … this is a spiritual war we are engaged in, and we need a spiritual solution. … America needs a revival like she has never needed it before.”

We might lose a few battles, but the Bible says we’re going to win the war, Laurie emphasized, stressing the importance of being equipped with the armor of God.

He quoted Ephesians 6:10-13: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Source : Christian Post

K. Michelle Shares Prayer For Tamar Braxton After Pair Quell Issues at BET Awards

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K. Michelle Shares Prayer For Tamar Braxton After Pair Quell Issues at BET Awards
  • Tamar Braxton, K. Michelle
    Photo: Screen Shot
    Tamar Braxton, Patti LaBelle, K. Michelle unite for BET Awards 2015 Performance on Sunday June 28.

Christian Post Report – After years of publicly shooting verbal jabs at each other, singer K. Michelle revealed that she is now praying for fellow Christian songstress Tamar Braxton following the pair’s joint performance at the 2015 BET Awards show.

The 31-year-old singer born Kimberly Pate, joined 38-year-old Tamar Braxton for a performance with the legendary Patti LaBelle where the two women settled their disagreement. After the performance, the women embraced onstage and K. Michelle took to Instagram to offer prayers for her former rival’s success.

“Thank you @tamarbraxtonher and my mother Patti for a moment I will never forget. Tamar, we’ve been through a lot,” K. Michelle wrote. “I truly pray for your continued success. Love u ladies.”

Before hitting the stage with K. Michelle, Braxton also shared her thoughts about ending her public issues with her fellow songwriter.

“With the whole women’s empowerment and everyone coming together, and everyone coming from a place of where we all can understand each other, I’m doing a very special performance with myself and K. Michelle. In the past, we’ve both had a lot of disagreements about life, in general,” Braxton told Entertainment Tonight. “This actually the first time we’ll be meeting each other. I’m just really excited because I’m really about girls sticking up for each other and being there for each other..”

Braxton and K. Michelle began feuding in 2012 when the latter spoke about being physically abused by Mickey “Memphitz” Wright. Wright, once worked as a Jive Records music executive who managed K. Michelle. Wright is also married to Braxton’s good friend Toya Wright.

“..It’s just time for all the nonsense to stop,” Braxton told Entertainment Tonight. “Let’s just empower each other and be great!”

follow me on Twitter @CAThomasos

Source : Christian Post

Iraq’s Christians Pray Through Their Struggle

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Iraq’s Christians Pray Through Their Struggle

Iraq's Christians Pray Through Their Struggle

Christian Post Report – The Rev. Canon Andrew White, known as the “Vicar of Baghdad,” has said that persecution of Christians at the hands of ISIS in Iraq has passed all expectations of extreme brutality. White said that while Christians have lost everything, it’s their faith in Jesus that’s keeping them going.

“It is happening now in our midst and the persecution of Christians is like we’d never expect would happen,” White told the audience at the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City, according to Deseret News. “All I know is we are not (ceasing) to love Jesus. We are still serving him.”

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/vicar-of-baghdad-says-christians-are-desperate-and-petrified-by-isis-but-worship-and-love-for-jesus-sustains-them-140787/

Source : Christian Post

Can You Hold Your Church Together Through Its Greatest Crisis?

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Can You Hold Your Church Together Through Its Greatest Crisis?

Can You Hold Your Church Together Through Its Greatest Crisis?

Christian Post Report – A theology of forgiveness and repentance is put to the test when we have been sinned against. (Prior posts in this series covered the biblical definitions of forgiveness and repentance as well as lessons for their practical application.)

In trying to obey, we are challenged with when and how to forgive. Do we forgive unconditionally, even when it seems the one who sinned against us hasn’t yet repented? Do we forgive only once we have begun to see the fruit of repentance?

These questions came to a head and were at the crucial center of the last days of Mars Hill Church, and many leaders strongly disagreed on the answers. This post explores how varied our answers to these questions can be, even according to the Scriptures.

As a leader and pastor of a church, you need to understand what type of culture exists in your church leadership. And though it may seem that all should agree on the essential natures of sin, repentance, and forgiveness, slight differences during the good times turn into massive chasms when crisis comes.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/a-helpful-guide-to-cultural-unity-leadership-culture-part-3-140675/

Source : Christian Post

Will America’s Pastors Stand With Rand?

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Will America’s Pastors Stand With Rand?

Will America's Pastors Stand With Rand?

Christian Post Report – In 2012, 57 percent of Iowa’s Republican caucus-goers identified themselves as Evangelical or born-again Christians. Needless to say, a candidate who wants to do well in the upcoming Iowa Caucuses in February will have to court Evangelicals. It’s simple math.

U.S. Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., has a greater ability to reach Evangelicals than his father, former Congressman Ron Paul, R-Texas, did in 2012, and he is reaching out.

In March at a small prayer breakfast with pastors in Washington, D.C., Paul said that America needs a spiritual revival.

“The First Amendment says keep government out of religion. It doesn’t say keep religion out of government,” Paul told the group of 50 pastors. “We’re the most disconnected city on the planet from the people, so don’t have a lot of faith in what’s going on up here.”

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/rand-pauls-courtship-with-evangelicals-will-it-be-enough-to-win-the-gop-primary-140850/

Source : Christian Post

Pastor Voddie Baucham Explains Why Gay Is Not the New Black

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Pastor Voddie Baucham Explains Why Gay Is Not the New Black

Voddie Baucham (Photo: Screenshot/desiringGod)

Christian Post Report – Pastor Voddie Baucham of Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas.

Texas pastor Voddie Baucham has appeared in a video produced by the desiringGod ministry, responding to the oft-repeated claim that “gay is the new black.” He argues that some similarities between the two movements cannot undermine significant differences between ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Similarities exist because “there are some things that we accepted philosophically in the civil rights movement that were not based in biblical truth,” which are being applied in the so-called gay rights movement the exact same way, says Baucham, pastor of preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas.

The video was posted on the desirigGod website the day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees same-sex marriage across the country. President Barack Obama hailed it as “a victory for America.”

Baucham explains that both movements use the idea of seeing people as constituencies and seeing rights as rights for constituencies of people. “We’ve embraced a hyphenated understanding of ourselves as opposed to a view that sees us as one people.”

The homosexual community is “latching onto some of those very concepts,” which are rooted and grounded in cultural Marxism, he adds. “Divide people up into constituencies, and then the way you gain power is by making promises and representing particular constituencies. … So even when gains are made, you have to downplay those and go looking for other things that are problems.”

The homosexual community has identified itself as “a constituency deserving of our attention and pity,” intentionally using the AIDS crisis, he argues. “The direct result is they now have achieved a one-to-one correlation that we are finding it very hard to move away from.”

But differences between ethnicity and so-called sexual orientation cannot be overlooked, Baucham underlines. “Ethnicity is innate and unchangeable. So-called sexual orientation is not innate and is changeable.”

There is 2,000-year-old evidence in 1 Corinthians Chapter 6 that people can stop being gay, the pastor says.

Verses 9 to 11 read: “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

“However, if all you are doing is using the language of the culture and the idea of people as constituencies, then you end up right where we are, and it is hard to stop that train,” Baucham concludes.

Source : Christian Post

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