MARGINALIZATION ALLOWED?

From My Perspective - - -

We are living in a day and time of deteriorating cultural values. Things that used to be accepted as a moral value are now brought under scrutiny and being rejected. A nation that was once religion-oriented is becoming less so as it moves toward progressivism and secularism. The ruling of the courts that allowed prayer and Bible Reading to be banned in the schools; abortion to be a legal alternative for women; same-gender marriages to become legal and socially acceptable; and limitations on First Amendment rights are indicators of the slippery slope and path upon which this nation is allowing itself to tread. The Economic Collapse Blog lists 34 Signs that America Is In Decline. This looks at life in America from an economic viewpoint. However, if one adds to that the moral erosion, the list will be considerably longer.

A current issue arose when during a discussion about repentance and God, Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty is asked what he finds sinful. "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there - Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. He goes on to paraphrase Corinthians: "Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers - they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right. GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) on Wednesday condemned his remarks as some of the vilest and most extreme statements uttered against LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) people in a mainstream publication and said his quote was littered with outdated stereotypes and blatant misinformation. Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe…He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans - and Americans - who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors, who now need to re-examine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."

Inasmuch as Biblical values have been ignored by a secular culture and society, and secularism dictates what is culturally acceptable within the nation, one can see why GLAAD and LGBT have gained credibility with and for their alternative lifestyle choices. A popular cable news program allowed that Phil Robertson erred when he said homosexuals would not inherit the kingdom of God. The basis for that assessment was based on a quote of Luke 6:37, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned…” Is that a fair and balanced and accurate application? Genesis 19 is a statement against rampant homosexual behavior occurring in Sodom and Gomorrah and the ensuing judgment of God upon those cities. Jude 1:7 gives this summary as well, “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” There are some who have a mushy concept regarding a God of love. They seem to have forgotten that God will not allow His Standards to be violated and such behavior to go unnoticed. Psalm 7:11 (ESV) states, “God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.” The NKJV renders this verse, “God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”

What is the extent of God’s Indignation against an indulgent people and culture? Romans 1:18-32 clearly represents the posture of a Holy God. Verses 24-32 are on point with the GLAAD and LGBT orientation: “God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves… God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due…” The only error that Phil Robertson made in his referencing I Corinthians 6:9-10 is that Verse 11 is part of the context: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” There is the possibility of hope and transformation for anyone who subjects himself/herself to the Triune God for deliverance from sin. Consider these things with me.