I'm a trial subscriber to Christianity Today because I've always felt that it gives a snapshot of the evangelical church catholic. It's always been an ecumenical magazine as its origins were ecumenical, coming out of the "fourth" American Great Awakening at the end of the 1940's and beginning of the 1950's. It was a much more conservative time. Revivals were sweeping the Northeast and West through Billy Graham's and others' work. Biblical morality was an accepted societal norm, and any deviance to that sin was something to be ashamed of and kept in the closet. People were broken as many had done things during wartime that they would never have done had they been stateside. They had sinned, they knew it, and they wanted freedom from their guilt and shame.
Today is a different age. Sin is something not just to be accepted as civil liberties, but it is to be embraced and celebrated. How does the church deal with these issues? Church magazines like to address these, some out of protest to changing society, while some deal with the challenges of sharing the gospel, and maintaining the purity of the visible church. Christianity Today does have articles which address those things, but they also have some that push past the envelope of biblical orthodoxy. Women ordination, for instance. Like the Arminian understanding of soteriology accepts some scriptures but disregards others, the same gets done with gender roles which are explicitly stated in the scripture. It's no wonder we've had problems with open theism and accepting homosexuality in the church. A lot of inch-length concessions will turn into a mile.
If one's Christian conscience will not permit him or her to embrace sin, that person is considered bigoted, intolerant, and unprogressive. Many denominations of Christianity will say the same thing. In America the church's militant strength is being whittled down to a small remnant, like Gideon's army. History has proven that a little can do a lot as revival in our redemptive history is cyclical. When it comes to wicked government there are no worries either. There may not be a Constantine in our lifetime, but they do happen. Like Manasseh, Nero, Pope Leo X, and even our current president, there will be antagonists to the gospel of Jesus. But Jesus remains our champion and still has not relinquished control of His kingdom. He's still in control. Even still, come quickly Lord Jesus!
I was reading an article in my magazine last night about the liberal/LGBTQ boycott of Chick-fil-A last summer. I was entertained by Antoine Dodson, a homosexual, who would not give up his Chick-fil-A regardless of the biblical conscience of its CEO. Chick-fil-A doesn't support political/social organizations, by the way. Sadly, Starbucks wants my business, but on their terms as they will give money to organizations who are antagonistic to a biblical conscience on marriage. Chick-fil-A never told a LGBTQ person to not give their restaurant patronage. But Starbucks told shareholders to sell their stock if their religious conscience commands them to believe what the Bible says about marriage, and not support the company's decision to support LGBTQ beliefs. Islam will kill you for being LGBTQ, yet no liberal dare says anything to them about their beliefs! I'll love an LGBTQ person because Jesus first loved me, and want to see them freed from sin (any sin) like He freed me. Too bad that's such a hate crime, that a business doesn't want someone's money anymore because they respect the rules made by the God who made marriage. Regardless of how I'm treated, I'll love them anyway.
By the way, the bakery who wouldn't make a cake for a lesbian wedding missed a dynamite opportunity to develop a gospel inroad/rapport with other sinners who need Jesus. I can't say if she was wrong to do so (she was following her conscience), but we can't be afraid of developing gospel-winning relationships with the lost, particularly homosexuals. That's true homophobia. Fight to keep the church pure, but engage sinners like ourselves in the market. Like them, we're beggars. We just know how to tell them where we found bread!
Starbucks is such an artistic, intellectual, and comfortable place to engage in dialogue as most of the time one has to share a table with someone they don't know. But I do have a conscience and can't justify giving money to a company who will support organizations who seek to deny me my civil liberties. I reckon now I'll have to go share the Gospel with everyone in the highways and byways of diners, truck stops, Krispy Kreme, and Dunkin Donuts.
By the way, the title of this entry is on a shirt at Dunkin Donuts. It has nothing to do with the subject of this blog. This is also a personal blog, so don't get mad at anyone I'm friends with because of it.
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