Same-Sex “Marriage”: Helpful Links/Articles

I’d like to share some of the most helpful/meaningful articles I have read over the past week or so.  Many of these were written in direct response to the Supreme Court’s historic decision regarding same-sex “marriage.”

I have updated my post called The Gospel and Gay “Marriage.” It isn’t that much different than before but I’ve done a little bit of editing to (hopefully) improve it.  This has been one of the most frequently read post on my blog for several weeks.

Kevin DeYoung wrote an excellent post called Five Questions for Christians Who Believe the Bible Supports Gay MarriageHe later added 40 Questions for Christians now Waving Rainbow Flags. These are great questions for professing Christians who claim the Bible has nothing negative to say about homosexuality.

Carey Nieuwhof has written this post: Some Advice on Same-Sex Marriage for US Church Leaders from a Canadian.   He is ministers in Canada, where same-sex “marriage” has been legal for a decade. Note: this pastor’s last point is about judging.  I don’t think he is saying we should avoid preaching against sin.  I think he is talking about the unfortunate way some Christians behave on social media, etc.

Denny Burk has written a post on Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Lawsuits. This post includes a free booklet with some sample bylaws, etc.

I also ran across a couple of articles written my men who spent a decade in the gay lifestyle and left it after coming to Christ.

The first one is entitled  I was the Other Man: an Insider’s Look at Why Gay Marriage Will Not Work.* Blogger and author Joseph Sciambra described the secret frustration and despair he encountered among “monogamous” homosexual couples.

This will likely be the last post I write about this issue for a while.  As I’ve mentioned before, most of the broken hearts/lives I encounter are caused by other forms of sexual immorality (premarital sex, adultery, etc.).

*You may argue that this man’s testimony does not accurately represent the gay culture or same-sex couples.   It may not in all cases, but I think his experiences are a lot more common that than what the media would have you believe.

Six Month Update

I don’t guess I’ve said much about our journey since the post on reverse culture shock.  Mare Cris and I have been here in Alabama, USA for six months (as of yesterday).  Here’s what we’ve been up to:

Winter Fashion
Winter Fashion

Staying Warm

After 11 years in the tropics I was looking forward to the variation in weather that comes with the fall and winter seasons. Be careful what you wish for–we’ve experienced some record-breaking low temperatures.  Mare Cris saw snow for the first time while we were in Pigeon Forge (TN) helping with a youth retreat.  She also loves seeing me wear something besides shorts and white t-shirts (my garb of choice in the Philippines). I only sweat when I go to the gym these days, and this is a welcomed change of pace.

Ministry

Mare Cris and I visited several churches in and around the Birmingham area last year.  It was an honor to preach, worship, and in some cases catch up with old friends.

This month I started a new phase of ministry at First Baptist Chalkville (located about ten minutes from where we live).  Their pastor resigned recently (to pursue another ministry opportunity) and I’m preaching/teaching there while they search for a new one.  My wife and I are delighted to have a place to serve!

Spending Time with Family

Mare Cris' 27th Birthday Celebration (with our nephews)
Mare Cris’ 27th Birthday Celebration (with our nephews)

I’ve really been blessed with the way my family has welcomed Mare Cris.  My nephews are crazy about her (who can blame them?).  I’ve spend most of the past eleven years on the other side of the globe, so being with my family through the recent holiday season was a great joy.

Waiting

The most challenging part of our lives right now is living in limbo.  We believe the next step for us is for me to become a full-time pastor.  We just don’t know know exactly when or where this will happen.  We could end up settling down here in the Birmingham area or moving to another state altogether.   We are patiently waiting and trusting God to reveal these things to us in His perfect timing.