Why the evangelical church is losing the battle on homosexuality

The speed at which homosexuality has been publicly accepted and endorsed by society is remarkable; in the generation since homosexual activity has been legalised it has moved from a position of ridicule and contempt, to one of acceptance, and ultimately on to a position of high esteem. The media is replete with LGBT related news items, homosexual storylines pervade most television programmes, and pride parades throughout the country are attended by tens of thousands of people, with children and infants bedecked in the colours of the pride flag. What is evident in all of this is that the evangelical church is losing the battle on the issue of homosexuality. The apostate denominations have long given up the battle and, in many cases, have become active promoters of the homosexual lifestyle. Yet conservative denominations and churches, which continue to oppose homosexuality, and denounce it as sin, are failing to impact society on this matter. I believe that the reason for this is that our response to homosexuality has been lacking in numerous areas. 

Should a church be seeker sensitive?

A popular model for many churches today is the 'seeker sensitive' approach to evangelism and conducting church services. One of the most high profile exponents of this is Rick Warren, whose book The Purpose Driven Church was released almost 20 years ago. The seeker sensitive advocated by Warren and many other involves changing church to something which is more friendly, culturally sensitive and appealing to the unchurched, a church experience which is non threatening and which will give them what they want from church. Old style hymns and worship will be replaced with a more modern worldly style of music, including pop, rock and rap. Long expository sermons will be diluted down into a shorter story based talk that meets the perceived needs of the hearers, with biblical doctrines such as sin and repentance being rarely mentioned. The focus of the message will instead be light on doctrine, centred on man and with the Lord Jesus Christ presented as the means of you improving yourself and filling that void in your life. Essentially it is church done the way the unsaved want it to be done, a way that does not cause them to feel uncomfortable or threatened. The seeker sensitive church will also provide for the social needs of the area with numerous programs aimed at improving the lives of those living in the community. These churches have been very successful in seeing large congregations built up very quickly, with thousands of people in attendance and multi-million pound programs being run by the congregation. The question is whether the seeker sensitive approach to doing church is one that we should adopt, and whether it can be supported by scripture.

Calvinistic motivation for evangelism

The teaching of John Calvin is often summed up in what is described as the five points of Calvinism. Most commonly this is known by the acronym of TULIP. Whilst these five doctrines are not all that Calvinists believe, it is what marks them out from Arminians, from Lutherans and from other branches of Christianity. These beliefs have come under many attacks from the opponents of Calvinism, one of those attacks being that some of them are a hindrance and a discouragement to evangelism. This view is encouraged by those who are hyper-Calvinist in their doctrine, and who do refrain from engaging in active evangelism. Yet in truth it is an accusation without any support; indeed far from discouraging evangelism, all five points should be an encouragement and a motivation to the Christian to evangelise the lost. In each one we do not simply have a dull theological concept, but a scriptural encouragement to spread the good news of the gospel, sure and certain that our work is not in vain.

The need for a 'breach of the peace'

Twice within the last week baptist pastor Josh Williamson has been arrested in Perth, Scotland whilst preaching in the open air. The allegation was that his preaching was causing, or was likely to cause a breach of the peace. What many people do not realise is that a 'breach of the peace' is exactly what the United Kingdom currently needs. By that statement we do not mean that there is a need for public disorder or violence, but that there is a a need for people to be shaken out of their indifference to the gospel, their lives disturbed and changed by the preaching of the word of God. Throughout our land the vast majority of people are peacefully unaware of their need of salvation. Their lives are comfortable and they have all the possessions that they require. They are living for pleasure and for self, and have no desire that anyone would disturb them. The same is true also of many Christians. They have become indifferent to the spiritual condition of the land and are content to drift along through life without seeking to win the lost for Christ. Just like the lost their peace also needs to be disturbed and their conscience awakened to the need of the hour. Are we involved in behaviour that liable to cause a breach of the peace in a spiritual sense? If not then we ought to be, that people would find true peace and rest for their souls. Let us commit ourselves to disturbing Britain's peaceful neglect of spiritual matters and may there be regular breaches of the peace throughout our nation as men and women are directed to the cross.

Unconsidered difficulties for Christians in the face of moral decline

There is currently no pressure group making greater advances in today's society than that which advocates the cause of homosexuality. Almost on a weekly basis it appears that decisions are made to accommodate their desires, with anyone who opposes it being labelled as a bigot and homophobic. The recent law to allow gay marriages in England and Wales has already given rise to one homosexual couple launching legal action to force the Church of England to carry out gay marriages on their premises. Beyond the area of homosexuality, stories have been run recently by the BBC on 'polyamorous relationships' where four people live in simultaneous relationships with each other. Meanwhile in Kenya two men have announced an agreement to marry the same women in a wife sharing deal. When we consider such immorality we often think of its general effect of society, and of the pressures which churches and Christian businesses will be placed under, yet we often forget the difficulties which will arise for individual Christians in their normal daily life as such standards become more widespread and accepted.

10 Tips for using Facebook effectively in Christian witness

The rise of social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter has had a huge impact on how people interact with each other. Our lives are now communicated to others 24 hours a day, news travels faster than it ever did before, almost instantaneously. We communicate with more friends, more often, and more easily. Whilst social media websites can bring problems they have also brought many opportunities, not least for how Christians can seek to spread the message of the gospel and be a witness for Christ. Here are 10 tips on how you can use websites such as Facebook effectively as a Christian.