Perhaps you've familiarized yourself with the story of Brittany Maynard. She's a 29 year-old Portland, Oregon woman who has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Even more tragically, she's only been married to her husband for about 2 years and was attempting to have children. We always cringe and grieve when we hear of these tragedies affecting the youngest among us.
Brittany is now a volunteer advocate for Compassion and Choices - one of the nation's leading end-of-life choice organizations, or as it has now been called "death with dignity." Isn't it interesting how our culture renames things over time? What we used to call assisted suicide (remember Dr. Kevorkian - "Dr. Death") we now call death with dignity. This renaming has become common in our post-Christian culture. What was once "gay marriage" has now been re-branded "marriage equality." What was called "the taking of an innocent human life" has now been renamed "a woman's right to choose." The new terminology makes our sins sound so much better.
There are two major problems with assisted suicide, among many others. First, assisted suicide rejects the sovereignty of God. Only God has the right to end our lives. He alone is the Giver of life and He alone is to be the Taker. Bible-believing Christians affirm life from conception all the way to natural death. That's not to say that there is anything wrong with artificial life-saving methods (ventilators, etc.). But we should ask ourselves why a Christian would want to go to great lengths to extend his/her life when the Apostle Paul has said "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phi. 1:21).
Further, assisted suicide doubts God's power to heal, or at least it denies Him the opportunity to do so. Remember, there have been a number of people that doctors and nurses have given up on, only for God to step in and heal. The Bible is filled with examples. How about the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34)? She "had a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered many things from the physicians." Yet with one touch of the hem of Jesus' garment, she was totally set free. Or how about the man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9)? For thirty-eight years he had suffered with an infirmity, but after Jesus told him to "rise, take up your bed and walk," his life was never the same. Or how about the man at the Gate Beautiful (Acts 3:1-10)? He was lame from birth and was carried to the gate by his friends every day to come and beg. The apostles didn't have any silver and gold, but what they have they gave - healing in Jesus' name! He went "walking, and leaping, and praising God" (v. 8). And these biblical examples don't even include the countless other stories that could be told by many of you. Assisted suicide doubts that God is able to do even the miraculous.
Some may say I don't know what I'm talking about because I've never experienced Mrs. Maynard's kind of suffering. If I had, then I would have a much different perspective. What those people may not know is that I watched my dad suffer with prostate and bone cancer for several years prior to his death. I watched him throw up as a result of chemotherapy. I watched him burn up as a result of radiation. I watched him moan & groan and plead for relief. On one occasion, I even caught him as he fainted at the bathroom door.
Yet never once did my dad curse the Lord. Never did he get mad at God and ask "Why me?". In fact, he became an even greater soul-winner after his sickness. And he certainly never considered or mentioned the taking of his own life. Why? Because he trusted that the God who gave him his life was more than capable or taking it in His time. My mom, brother, and myself were standing right there with dad in the Hospice care facility when God did exactly that.
I truly sympathize with the Brittany Maynards of the world because I have witnessed their suffering up close & personal. But no amount of suffering gives us the right to make decisions that are reserved for God alone. We should all pray that God will relieve Brittany's suffering and that He will give her the courage to leave her life in God's hands rather than taking it into her own.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
So Now My Fast Food Has to be Gay?
I'm sure we're all keenly aware that we live in a world of ridiculous headlines. The stories have gotten so bizarre, I'll have to confess that I've become somewhat desensitized to much of the craziness in our culture. But then there's that headline that just can't be ignored...something so ludicrous that it makes you wonder if we've reached yet another all-time low.
Check out this story. Apparently even our fast food must now be gay, or at least gay-friendly. In honor of Gay Pride month, Burger King announced that it would be selling a gay whopper - "The Proud Whopper." Wrapped in a rainbow, this flame-kissed sandwich is more about an ungodly agenda than satisfying hunger. Really? Has our culture become so perverse that now even our hamburgers have to be homosexual?
This should only remind us that the assault on our Christian faith will only get worse. Those who do not believe in God or respect His Word will continue to level their assaults against the Lord and His truth. We would all do well to ask ourselves, "Am I totally surrendered to Christ?" You may be willing to live for Him, but are you willing to die for the Savior? We're tempted to think that things will never get that bad. Living in America, some of us might think that we'll never be forced to choose between our life and our faith.
Think again. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). Paul told young Timothy, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). The same Paul also said, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Millions of Christians across our world are already being physically assaulted for their faith - some even killed.
If you are forced to choose between Jesus and your life, what will you choose? Consider the words of our Savior: "What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26) In a world of homosexual hamburgers and collapsing convictions, will you live for Jesus? Choose wisely, for your eternity destiny (and that of many others) depends on your answer to that question.
Check out this story. Apparently even our fast food must now be gay, or at least gay-friendly. In honor of Gay Pride month, Burger King announced that it would be selling a gay whopper - "The Proud Whopper." Wrapped in a rainbow, this flame-kissed sandwich is more about an ungodly agenda than satisfying hunger. Really? Has our culture become so perverse that now even our hamburgers have to be homosexual?
This should only remind us that the assault on our Christian faith will only get worse. Those who do not believe in God or respect His Word will continue to level their assaults against the Lord and His truth. We would all do well to ask ourselves, "Am I totally surrendered to Christ?" You may be willing to live for Him, but are you willing to die for the Savior? We're tempted to think that things will never get that bad. Living in America, some of us might think that we'll never be forced to choose between our life and our faith.
Think again. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33). Paul told young Timothy, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). The same Paul also said, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Millions of Christians across our world are already being physically assaulted for their faith - some even killed.
If you are forced to choose between Jesus and your life, what will you choose? Consider the words of our Savior: "What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26) In a world of homosexual hamburgers and collapsing convictions, will you live for Jesus? Choose wisely, for your eternity destiny (and that of many others) depends on your answer to that question.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Should Christian Business Owners Be Forced to Provide Goods and Services to Everyone?
A strange thing happened to me last night. I was driving home and listening to what was supposed to be sports talk radio. But almost as soon as the discussion came on, the conversation turned to whether or not Christian business owners should be forced to provide goods and services to homosexuals. I'm not sure what sparked such a discussion on a sports talk show, but it might have had something to do with Jayson Collins becoming the first openly gay player in the NBA. In fact, his jersey has become the top-seller on NBA.com.
While I don't know what prompted the conversation, it immediately caught my attention. Caller after caller said it is reprehensible that a homosexual would be denied service for any reason. One brave soul dared to call in with a different perspective and he was laughed off the air. The hosts routinely compared the "homosexual struggle" to that of blacks during the civil rights movement. The logic: Just as service should have never been denied to blacks, neither should it be denied to homosexuals. That is clearly an apples and oranges comparison, but that's a blog for another day.
There is currently a bill in the Arizona legislature that would protect the freedom of Christian business owners from providing goods and services to anyone (not just homosexuals) for religious reasons. The governor is receiving heavy pressure to veto the measure so that Christian business owners would be forced to serve all comers, including homosexuals. The bill was introduced in Arizona because some Christian business owners have refused to provide their services (wedding cakes, photography, flowers, etc.) to homosexual customers.
It begs the question: Should Christian business owners be forced to provide goods and services to everyone, even if they have a religious objection? We need to ask ourselves why some business owners have refused to offer their services to homosexual customers. In most cases, it's because those owners have been asked to provide their services for gay weddings. If we were talking about selling a cup of coffee to a homosexual, that would be one thing. But we're not talking about a cup of coffee and a piece of pie - we're talking about goods and services being used for homosexual weddings & receptions.
Why would a Christian business owner object to that? Because Christians believe that marriage was an institution created by God in the garden of Eden. Jesus said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh" (Matt. 19:5). Christians have always believed that marriage was a joining of one man and one woman for life. Anything beyond the union of one man and one woman is classified as sin throughout both testaments of Scripture.
Clearly, Christian business owners would not want their services being used to celebrate that which God has condemned. For that reason, some have lovingly refused to do business with homosexual customers. Should they be forced to violate their deeply-held convictions? Absolutely not, and all those who support religious freedom should stand and support their "right to refuse." If the government can force business owners to do business with those who violate their convictions, what will they force them to do next? This is still "the land of the free and the home of the brave." Let's encourage our lawmakers to keep it that way.
While I don't know what prompted the conversation, it immediately caught my attention. Caller after caller said it is reprehensible that a homosexual would be denied service for any reason. One brave soul dared to call in with a different perspective and he was laughed off the air. The hosts routinely compared the "homosexual struggle" to that of blacks during the civil rights movement. The logic: Just as service should have never been denied to blacks, neither should it be denied to homosexuals. That is clearly an apples and oranges comparison, but that's a blog for another day.
There is currently a bill in the Arizona legislature that would protect the freedom of Christian business owners from providing goods and services to anyone (not just homosexuals) for religious reasons. The governor is receiving heavy pressure to veto the measure so that Christian business owners would be forced to serve all comers, including homosexuals. The bill was introduced in Arizona because some Christian business owners have refused to provide their services (wedding cakes, photography, flowers, etc.) to homosexual customers.
It begs the question: Should Christian business owners be forced to provide goods and services to everyone, even if they have a religious objection? We need to ask ourselves why some business owners have refused to offer their services to homosexual customers. In most cases, it's because those owners have been asked to provide their services for gay weddings. If we were talking about selling a cup of coffee to a homosexual, that would be one thing. But we're not talking about a cup of coffee and a piece of pie - we're talking about goods and services being used for homosexual weddings & receptions.
Why would a Christian business owner object to that? Because Christians believe that marriage was an institution created by God in the garden of Eden. Jesus said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh" (Matt. 19:5). Christians have always believed that marriage was a joining of one man and one woman for life. Anything beyond the union of one man and one woman is classified as sin throughout both testaments of Scripture.
Clearly, Christian business owners would not want their services being used to celebrate that which God has condemned. For that reason, some have lovingly refused to do business with homosexual customers. Should they be forced to violate their deeply-held convictions? Absolutely not, and all those who support religious freedom should stand and support their "right to refuse." If the government can force business owners to do business with those who violate their convictions, what will they force them to do next? This is still "the land of the free and the home of the brave." Let's encourage our lawmakers to keep it that way.
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