The
Truth In Print Vol. 15 Issue 2, March 2009
A
Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928-782-5058)
Website Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
News Week’s Biblical Blunder On The
Bible & Gay Marriage
As
stated in our last monthly publication, “The Truth In Print,” as well as in
several of our most recent newspaper articles titled “Newsweek’s Biblical
Blunder On The Bible And Gay Marriage” — News Week magazine (Dec. 15th
issue) had as its top article “Gay
Marriage: Our Mutual Joy” by Lisa Miller. This journal-evangelist of sorts was
out of her league and telling Christians the Bible teaches what we know the
Bible does “not” teach! As another example of material related to this you may
desire to read “The Real Sin In Sodom” on our website.
You will see there that the church has taken advantage of the opportunity to
teach on this matter (cf. I Tim. 3:15; I Th. 1:8; Phil. 1:27-28). The series of
articles the church is running on this in our local newspaper, as well as other
information on this is located on our website at:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com/articles/newsweekblunder.htm
Local churches
of Christ sounded out the Word in the first century as part of the work God
gave, they being God’s authorized organization and not institutions built by
men. In Eph. 4:10-16 the mention of “pastors” in verse eleven implies the local
church arrangement as God’s divine organization. Acts 13 presents the church at Antioch with
prophets and teachers, Barnabas and Paul being among them. They were sent out
by the church for the work the Holy Spirit called them to do (Acts 13:2-3).
That work included establishing local churches of Christ with their own elders,
also called pastors and overseers, which was God’s work and not man’s idea or
tradition (See Acts 14:23). Those who were members of the local churches were
called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). The unity of one God and Father, one Lord,
one faith, one baptism and the permanent
arrangement of local churches each with its own overseers, also called pastors
and elders, sounding out the Word was to be diligently preserved, i.e. the
things given were to be kept in the state in which they were given (cf. Eph.
4:3-6,10-16). Man does not have a better plan!
Concerning adversaries one of the above mentioned passages stating the
work of the local church in preaching the word says,
Phi 1:27 Only let your
conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:
that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs,
that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith
of the gospel;
Phi 1:28 And in nothing
terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition,
but to you of salvation, and that of God.
The
Valley Church of Christ has an adversary. Our adversary has identified himself
as some strange combination of religious belief that the New Testament the “one
faith” of Eph. 4:3-6 knows nothing about. He says that he belongs to the
Unitarian / Universalist faith. Moreover he has accused our church of using
selective scriptures, the effect of which he says is to marginalize and
demonize gays and lesbians.
The
first thing we’d like for those of you who have read our articles to note is he
accuses us of the selective use of scripture but he himself presents no
scripture! And please do read our articles if you have not yet done so, for their intent is
that people will come to a knowledge of the truth. We hope that some will not
only come and hear the Gospel preached, but by hearing believe in the deity of
Christ as the Son of God and repent and be baptized for the remission of their
sins (Rev. 22:17, Jo. 20:30-31, Mk. 16:15-16, Acts 2:37-41, Acts 18:8). And
then continue steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship with
faithful brethren (Acts 2:42).
Another thing that is not found in the New Testament, the “one faith,”
is his calling himself a Unitarian / Universalists and wearing the title
“Reverend.” We do find the word “reverend” in the scriptures in Ps. 111:9, but
that scripture says God’s name is holy and reverend! Mr. Knapp’s title is a
title bestowed by man, not God, for God gave no such title for his teachers and
ministers to wear.
Mr.
Knapp is illustrative of how confidence in the social scientific theories of
the “present” can lead one. It is obvious as one reads his last paragraph that
this confidence has led him to say the opposite of what the Scriptures really
do say. For example compare what his last paragraph says with our fourth
article, “News Week’s Biblical Blunder On The Bible
& Gay Marriage #4.” The New Testament scriptures do not teach that those
who practice gay sex are to be included in fellowship with members of the local
church.
Here
now is what Mr. Knapp says in the opinion column of our local newspaper
concerning our church’s articles:
“Selective use
of scripture
There have been several advertisements by a local church on the religion page of The Sun over the past few weeks on the subject of homosexuality. Specifically,
the advertisements were a response to a thoughtful and sensitive article on homosexuality in Newsweek, written by a devout Christian.
The effect of those advertisements, using selective passages of scripture, is to marginalize and demonize gays and lesbians. These advertisements fail to recognize that, throughout the history of the American Republic, such selective use of scripture has been used to justify slavery, to underwrite segregation, to prohibit inter-racial marriage and to attempt to lock women into second-class citizenship.
Such attempts to marginalize gays and lesbians spring from the outdated idea that homosexuality is somehow an evil choice. And this is in spite of all the social and
scientific evidence of the 21st century that gays and lesbians do not choose their sexual orientation
but that their sexual orientation is an aspect of their essential and biological' nature.
As a Unitarian/Universalist,
I rejoice that I am part of a religious
tradition that does not deny the validity of the sexual
orientation of gays and lesbians, nor dispute their need for loving relationships, but welcomes them into every aspect of religious life, including membership,
leadership
and the ministry.
REV. RONALD KNAPP
Visiting Minister Unitarian/Universalist
Fellowship of Yuma”
A Scriptural Warning to True Christians Against False Teachers
Peter warned Christians
about a certain kind of teacher that promises personal liberty in the
defilements of this world (Read 2 Pet. 2:19). And what did he say about them in
2 Pet. 2:18? He said they speak great swelling words of emptiness all the while
enticing by fleshly desires, by sensuality referred to as the “defilements of
this world” (2 Pet. 2:20). And one prior application to the defilements
(immoral filth) of this world that Peter made in this very chapter that relates
to gay sex is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Read 2 Pet. 2:4-11. So,
what kind of “religious” people did Peter warn Christians about who would be
willing to push gay sex as acceptable? They were presumptuous and self pleasing
not caring, loving and kind. Take time now to read 2 Peter 2 and compare it
with Jude 7.
By
Bob Lovelace
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To
learn more call, visit or visit our website at:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com