Romans 1:24-32
Across the nation, pressure is increasing to grant and recognize homosexual privileges and rights. They desire access to jobs of every domain (including the ministry), the right to be accepted as foster parents, and the right to marry in church ceremonies. Should they have the right to do something that the Bible declares is morally and spiritually wrong? All this is the crux of what is called the “gay-rights” issue. Their theme is, legality not morality.
I. The Conflict of Homosexuality - Leviticus 18:22
What should be our attitude toward persons who practice homosexuality? Thirty years ago a discussion on the topic of homosexual rights in our society was unthinkable. Today, many Christians accept homosexuality and lesbianism as a legitimate alternate life-style. Sometime ago, Time Magazine in an essay “The Homosexual in America” made this discerning comment:
“Beset by inner conflicts, the homosexual is unsure of his own position in society...A vast majority of people retain a deep loathing toward them, but there is a growing mixture of tolerance, empathy or apathy.”
No doubt, our society is torn between condemnation and compassion for the homosexual. The deviates’ plea is that they be treated like everyone else, yet it is known that they are different and practice a different lifestyle. In simple terms, a homosexual is in the grips of Satan’s power.
Trace God’s Word for clarification and directions. Please take time to read the following:
Leviticus 18:22
Ezekiel 16:49-50
Romans 1:26-28
I Corinthians 6:9-11
The very fact that Leviticus 18:22 is followed by a commandment in Leviticus 18:23 against sexual acts with animals suggest the unthinkable nature of the homosexual-lesbian relations.
II. The Confusion of Homosexuality
In all of this, the Bible inevitably has come under sharp attack. Some seek to show by the Scripture that the Bible itself justifies the homosexual life-style. Christians should not be deceived, for the Bible clearly enunciates that this perverted lifestyle is without defense. Genesis 19 describes how the lust of men for men led to the destruction of the city os Sodom. Ultimate confusion and destruction prevailed.
From his writings, “Homosexuality: How Should Christians Respond,” Dr. Richard F. Lovelace states that the confusion of sex can be cleared up from Genesis 1 and 2.
Genesis 1:27 deliberately notes that the man made in God’s image was created male and female, connecting this with the command to reproduce in Genesis 1:28.
In Genesis 2, sexuality is also related to companionship; the loneliness of man is remedied not by the creation of another man, but the addition of woman. The woman became a helpmate suitable for the man. The bond of companionship between man and woman is cemented by sexual union and their togetherness as a family unit. The sexual relationship between male and female married partners continues to be celebrated with unembarrassed candor as a gift of God...such as written in Song of Solomon and Proverbs 5:15-19.
III. The Crudeness of Homosexuality
A “Gay Pride” rally in Boston had one of its speakers standing under a banner that read, “Christianity Is Our Enemy.” One gay leader read from Leviticus and then burned the Word of God in open demonstration. True Christianity and gay rights cannot mix, they are like oil and water.
The Marquis de Sade, a sex pervert of yesteryear, set the stage for today’s sex perverts in declaring “my greatest pleasure is to swear in God’s name.”
Dr. David Noebel, of Colorado and Summit Ministries, wrote in his book, “The Homosexual Revolution: A Look at the Preachers and Politicians Behind It” (Summit Press) regarding homosexual activity: “Homosexual and lesbian activity and seduction techniques vary among homosexuals and lesbians. Some visit gay bars and ponder with others of their same age. Others prey on younger boys and girls - finding them on the streets, in youth organizations, or in colleges, schools, or churches.”
The society of Homosexuals and Lesbians detest the word “queer” which berates them. The word “queer” is defined as “very unusual, odd or unconventional.” The title speaks for itself. It is without doubt, odd to see a man with a man or woman with a woman in a lover’s repose. This act defies social, moral and religious norms.
IV. The Cure for Homosexuality
God’s Word has proclaimed salvation and healing for every man and woman. The Word of God declares in I Corinthians 6:11-20 that although no one can continually practice this type of sin and be right with God, some former homosexuals and sexual deviants at the church at Corinth had found deliverance. They began a new life by faith in Jesus.
William Barclay writes, “The proof of Christianity lay in its power. It could take the dregs of humanity and make real men out of them. No man can change himself, but Christ Jesus can change him.”
Leviticus 24:17
According to Scripture, the Bible favors the death penalty. Capital punishment not only deters crime; it is the ultimate and greatest deterrent because the murdering criminal realizes that the imposition of sentencing will mean no probation and no parole. Society, according to God’s law, has a right to defend itself and take the life of those who commit murder with premeditation.
I. Capital Punishment is taught in the Scriptures.
Genesis 9:4-6 teaches that life is preciously made in God’s divine image. Murder is a strike at God, who created man. God requires, according to Genesis 9:6, the life of the murderer.
The laws and ordinances of Exodus again remind us in Exodus 21:12-15, of the sacredness of life. James 1:14-15 describes the corruptibleness of sin that bringeth forth eventual death. It is the right of the people to impose capital punishment for murder offenses.
Other scripture references declare God’s intentions toward life. These Scriptures are: Exodus 20:13, Exodus 21:23-25, Romans 13:3-5, and Acts 25:10-12.
II. Many Governmental Laws Seek To Banish Capital Punishment.
In 1972, in the case of Furman verses Georgia, the US Supreme Court ruled 5 -4 that capital punishment was unconstitutional. This nullified the existing death penalty statues in forty states and the sentences of six hundred and twenty nine death-row inmates.
On July 2, 1976, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in the Gregg verses Georgia case that the death penalty, at least for the crime of murder, is not a cruel or unusual punishment. Presently, state legislatures have passed death penalty statues, yet there is not a federal death penalty legislation on the books.
After World War II, the death penalty became less popular. Newsweek stated, “there were 82 executions in 1950; 49 in 1959; and finally two executions in 1967.” Much of the decline resulted as a result of legal battles that were waged by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union).
III. Our American Society is Concerned
According to a recent Gallup poll, sixty-five percent of Americans now favor capital punishment. This percentage is up from forty-two percent in 1986. Most people believe that capital punishment is an effective public deterrent to murder and a permanent deterrent in preventing the murderer from committing additional crimes inside or outside of prison.
At least one study by Dr. David Phillips, a sociologist at the University of California at San Diego, confirms that capital punishment acts as a “deterrent to murder for at least two weeks after a highly publicized execution. On the average, homicides decrease by 35.7%,” explained Dr. Phillips.
Death penalty executions are such a slow process now due to the ability of criminals to appeal and appeal. Many people are beginning to complain. “I feel the same way the majority of people in the United States feel about the death penalty,” stated former Texas Judge Michael McSpadden. “Enough is enough of these appeals. It’s time to enforce the laws.”
Former Governor, George Deukmejian, probably brought the “delay” issue more into focus when he complain ed that of all the men on the California Death Row, the state Supreme Court had reviewed the cases of twenty three and of that number only thirteen convictions had been upheld.
Senator Dennis DeConcini (D. Arizona) writing in the American Legion magazine, presented the use of capital punishment into correct perspective:
“If we in this country are to administer a successful criminal justice system, we must first consider what qualifies as justice. Obviously, the most simple and direct form of justice is restitution-compensative to one who has been wronged. But in reality, restitution often is not possible. When an innocent human life has been lost, restitution is not among the options from which blind justice can choose. Punishment becomes the alternative. It logically follows that the more severe the crime, the more severe the punishment applied. We have, in this nation, admirably adhered to the protection of individual rights; yet we should not in that process forsake our responsibility to protect the rights of society as a whole. And, in these cases (murder cases where the murderer was sane and represented a threat to society)...capital punishment emerges as the only vehicle for ensuring those rights.”
WANTED: BOLD LEADERS Recently I was reading the November edition of Focus on the Family “Citizen” Magazine. An article by Tom Minnery jumped off the page. He states “I’ve been to many conservative conferences over the years, and I’ve heard many politicians speak at those meetings, but not long ago, there was a first.” Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota, was addressing the annual Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., and near the conclusion of his speech, he recited a very familiar portion of Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14. It says, “...if My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” I don’t think Gov Pawlenty realized it, but as he recited that verse, the audience of nearly 2,000 began to quote with him, until, by the end, a full chorus was under way. It was so spontaneous that I believe the people themselves were surprised. That moment was a metaphor for the state of mind among conservatives at this point in time. They are hungry for leadership, so edge-of-the chair eager to join the campaign to restore righteous leadership to our nation that, given a chance, they’ll even help a speaker with his speech.” WANTED: BOLD CONFRONTATIONSPaul states in I Thessalonians 2:2...”we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.” We, as moral agents of God, must boldly share God’s Word with our nation. There is not a place for timidity in our twenty-first century. In 1828, Noah Webster ( the Father of American Christian educators and the writer of the first American dictionary) wrote: “the moral principles contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.” Our bold confrontations, against the evils of our day, come from God’s Word, the Bible. The Moral Action stands against homosexuality, gambling, illicit drug abuse, pornography, abortion, euthanasia, stealing, lying, cheating and so on and so on. God’s Word proclaims these acts as sin. God hates the sin but loves the sinner. Reading Suggestions The Gay Agenda, by Dr. Ronnie Floyd, New Leaf Press, approximately $16 Let Freedom Ring, Sean Hannity, Harper Collins, approximately $25 The ACLU vs America, by Alan Sears, B & H Publishing, approximately $15 The New Tolerance, by Josh McDowell, Tyndale Publishing, approximately $13 Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Questions, by Randy Alcorn, Multnomah, approximately $15 Culture Shift, by Albert Mohler, Multnomah, approximately $15 WANTED: INFORMED READERS
Moral Action recommends the following Magazines: Focus on the Family with Dr. James Dobson 1-800-232-6459 www.focusonthefamily.com American Family Association Journal 1-662-844-5036 or order online at http://store.afa.net and click on AFA Publications www.afajournal.orgCitizen 1-800-AFAMILY www.Citizenmagazine.comIsrael My Glory 1-800-257-7843 www.foi.orgDecision 1-877-247-2426 www.billygraham.org/decision WANTED: BOLD MENThe National Brotherhood of the BMAA 2009-2010 Project Theme is “Sound The Warning” from Ezekiel 33:7-8. “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.” The project is Moral Action. Your offering will help present the Moral Message of God’s Word. Please send your offerings to: Robert Bynum 43 Bear Pen Creek Road Laurel, MS 39443-2959
Once again in the mind-boggling arena of politics the ugly head of killing old and feeble people is on the agenda. Exodus 23:7 states “Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked.”
Euthanasia is, of course, morally and Biblically wrong. As believers we should see to safeguard the God-given right to life, to which every individual is entitled. According to the humanistic philosophy, your life is in danger if you are very old, mentally ill, or severely handicapped. These individuals have God-given life and spiritual desires and should be treated with compassion, dignity and encouragement. Proverbs 6:16-19...”The Lord hates...hands that shed innocent blood and a heart that devises wicked plans.” Those who wish to destroy others because they are “no longer profitable” or “costly” are classified as “wicked.”
I. Historical Aspects of Euthanasia
When Hitler of Germany issued his direct order for euthanasia of the Jews in 1939, all German state institutions were required to report patients who had been ill for at least five years or who were unable to work. The decision of which patients lived or died was based entirely on a brief questionnaire. The Nazi authorities that pronounced their death were professors of psychiatry at major universities in Germany. The never even saw the individuals that they pronounced the death sentence upon.
The first to be killed in the 1940's, during the holocaust, and also in the Middle Ages, were the aged, the infirmed, the senile, the mentally retarded, and “defective” children. The German Nazi power even went so far as to exterminate children with badly modeled ears, epileptic, and bed-wetters.
According to the News Service Publications, “The mass extermination of Germany’s undesirables started with the acceptance of the attitude basic to the euthanasia philosophy, that “there is such a thing as life not worthy to be lived.” This is the attitude that is being widely debated and accepted today in the abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia movement.
II. Present Day Concept of Euthanasia
Euthanasia is not a mere fear for the future. It has survived and is now present in the American Medical practice. Even today doctors in the United States are debating whether it is better to starve “undesirables” to death or administer fatal injections. “Voices in our government are looking for ways to reduce health care costs,” states Denyse Handlen in her book, Mercy Killing.
Well meaning people are attracted to what might seem to be the beneficial aspects of some form of euthanasia. Americans must not be misled or tranquilized by assurances that this practice is limited to the “terminally ill.” Abortion was once proposed as a last resort to desperate cases, but today is a commonplace procedure. “To say that this subject can be carefully controlled is either naive or deceitful,” The Right To Live, The Right To Die - C. Everett Koop.
Former Governor Richard Land of Colorado shocked the nation in March, 1984, when he told a group of health lawyers that “sick people have a duty to die and get out of the way and let the well society build a reasonable life.”
III. The Biblical Perspective of the Right To Life
I Corinthians 3:16-17 reminds us that our bodies are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in us. That makes life very precious to God. As the movement continues to gather momentum, euthanasia is moving into the spotlight as the great moral issue of the twenty-first century. Turning to the Bible for answers is the only possible guideline. The “Dying with Dignity” movement is worldwide, and its membership is swelling. The Hemlock Society is one of thirty seven organizations of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies in twenty three countries.
The Word encourages life for all ages: Psalms 8:2 - Babies; Psalms 127:3-5 - Children; Matthew 5:21 - Adults.
Attention: Brotherhoods of the Baptist Missionary Association of America
I am so pleased that the National Brotherhood Organization has selected the Moral Action as their 2009-2010 national project. The men of our congregations did an outstanding job last year for the Cape Verde National Missionary work project. I encourage you as you help rebuild and fund our Moral Action agency. The funds will be used to buy promotional materials, books, posters, packets, and other necessary materials to keep our churches up to date on moral issues. I will continue to send our churches, our state and national Senators and Representatives letters informing them of our Christian stand on morality issues. I pray that each of your brotherhood men will be a part of this much needed ministry.
I am making plans to visit Washington, D.C., again this year. These are critical times as we are daily challenged on issues such as abortion, homosexuality, pornography and the liberal agenda.
State Moral Action Agencies
The Moral Action Trustees and myself, the director, will be asking for the name of the “Moral Action Committee” to be changed to “Moral Action.” The BMA Executive Directors and BMA Coordinating Council, along with myself, have discussed this name change and it will be presented at the Annual BMA meeting in Fort Smith, AR., in April, 2010. This change, dropping the wording “Committee” will align our department with other departments such as Disciple Guide, LifeWord, etc.
We will also be asking each state or regional association to elect a Moral Action Director or trustees to help coordinate our moral agency efforts. We desire for each state or regional Association to name or rename their moral agency such as: the Moral Action of California, the Moral Action of Texas, etc. This would enhance unification and cohesiveness among our agencies. Please prayerfully consider these proposals.
Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works; Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Make use of our website
Our Moral Action web page will keep you updated on timely articles and information. This is a valuable tool in our spiritual warfare for morality.
Highlighted Supporting Churches of the Moral Action
Letona, Letona, AR
Paramount, Wiggins, MS
Calvary, Warren, AR
First Baptist of Calhoun, Laurel, MS
Zion, St. Louis, MO
Religious Freedom
II Corinthians 3:17 states “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
The Word of God abounds with words promoting freedom. We should feel comfortable talking about religion in our nation. Our Founding Fathers prohibited a Federal establishment of religion, but there is not a single thread of evidence that they intended to set up a wall of separation between the state and religious belief. The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution was not written to protect the citizens from religion, but was penned to protect religion from government tyranny.
A woe is given to liberal-minded lawyers and judges in Luke 11:52, when they try to take away the key of divine knowledge from our lands.
I. History Records the Loss of Religious Freedom.
Anti-God forces have steadily assaulted religious liberty and wicked landmark court decisions have curtailed the spread of the Good News. Many have remained silent in the halls of history as the liberals raged.
II. Present Day Issues Confront Religious Freedom.
If we do not begin reaffirming our Judeo-Christian values at all levels of government, we will soon be a large country without freedom. There are many who oppose and strive to remove religious freedoms. Russia and China are prime examples of nations that have removed religious freedom due to alien-anti Christian forces. We cite past attacks and changes:
A. A Lower Lake, California teacher forbids her students to repeat the words “under God” during class recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. (AP)
B. A woman in Collinsville, Oklahoma was awarded $390,000 by a jury because her church excluded her from the membership. (60 Minutes)
C. The ACLU, through the courts, has forced Kentucky schools to remove the Ten Commandments from school classroom walls. (NBC)
D. The courts have forced Gideon in Illinois and other states to end its practice of giving Bibles to public school children. (BNS)
E. The ACLU sought to establish the unconstitutionality of the Presidential proclamation declaring “The Year of the Bible.”
The most aggressive organizations in America against religious freedom are the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), the AHA (American Humanist Association), NEA (National Education Association), NOW (National Organization of Women), and PAW (Norman Lear’s People for the American Way). These groups and many others pose a serious threat to America’s religious freedoms. The ACLU alone has over 6,000 active court cases pending, with a budget of $1.7 million, and over 4000 liberal lawyers.
III. God’s Word Advocates Religious Freedom.
The Bible declares in Psalms 2:1-2 that the heathen will rage and people will imagine vain things, as they set themselves against the Lord and His ways. We believe that freedoms for all people flourishes when religion is vibrant and the rule of the law of God is acknowledged.
As King David of Israel was dying, his last kingly message was “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” II Samuel 23.3. Even King Nebuchadnezzar of the renowned Babylonian Empire recognized the need of serving God...Daniel 3:28-29. Paul told the Roman Empire that “the creature (human beings) shall be delivered from bondage into the glorious liberty of God”..Romans 8:21.
Religious freedom is being assaulted time and time again. We need to raise the “Banner of the Lord” higher! Contact your Senators, Congressmen and Congresswomen and the President of the United States with your Biblical convictions. These addresses are available to you at our website: www.macbma.net .
Freedom Offering for Moral Action Committee
July 5, 2009
God bless you as you give to this worthy ministry.
This is the third article in a series of four titled “Judeo-Christian Heritage” writings. The topics thus far have been:
Abortion, The Great Issue;
Euthanasia, The Right to Die; and
Homosexuality, The Real Problem.
Dr. James Dobson, family psychologist and Founder of Focus on the Family, states, “most Christians seem to believe that pornography is characterized by air-brushed nudity in men’s magazines, but “mainstream porn” has become far more perverse in recent years focusing on rape, incest, defecation, urination, mutilation, bestiality, vomiting, enemas, homosexuality, and sadomasochistic activity.”
Some say that pornography (sex magazines) is a victimless crime. The Bible exposes sexual explicit magazines for what they really are...smut and filth. Pornography is a slap in the face to the integrity and beauty of women and all who are sexually exploited.
Paul the Apostle, told the Ephesian culture not to even let impurity be named among them. Our modern era has to contend with sex parlors, topless bars, porno magazine stands, video stores, sex cable channels, dial-a-porn telephone services and internet porn. Most Americans are ignorant of how vicious this moral plague has become.
Ephesians 5:3-5 gives clear instruction regarding God’s intolerance of such grave sin: “but fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
The pornography industry has entered the mainstream of American life via movies, magazines, and internet and seemingly has lost its offensiveness and shock. And yet, we Christian believers should adamantly oppose this ungodly industry and it’s profits.
How to get involved and express your disapproval?
1) Contact your local, state and nationally elected officials. Be clear and concise in your opposition to the porn trade and lewd magazines in your local stores or on your local cable/satellite networks. Always be courteous and Christ-like in your activism.
2) Address your city council or county supervisors on issues of obscenity. Share your opinions regarding legal, medical and moral concerns. Communities need to band together to prevent exploitation of teens and children. Many sexually transmitted diseases are a problem related to some of the practices regarding pornography.
3) Inform your law enforcement officers and District Attorney of your concerns. Police and sheriff departments along with the district attorneys will investigate and prosecute those committing illegal and obscene acts in which the law is broken. Many cities and states have local and state prohibitions that are to be enforced.
5) Help stop indecent offensive language and sexually oriented programming on television and radio. Contact the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at their web site www.fcc.gov. Scroll down to the obscenity/indecency link at the bottom of the left hand bar. Register your complaint and concern. American Family Association (AFA) and Citizen (Focus on the Family) magazines recently reported that it was not until more than half a million Americans complained about a “raunchy, breast bare Super Bowl halftime show, did the FCC take action. Christians, you can play an important role in making sure that the airwaves are wholesome.
Light penetrates darkness.
Tom Minnery in his book “Why You Can’t Stay Silent” writes “Jesus challenged His followers to be the light of the world and that light will conquer the darkness.” We can defeat the Porn industry in our locale by being active. It simply involves convictions and responsibility.
Love Offering for Ms Neva McLaughlin.
Our hearts continue to be saddened by the death of Dr. Roy McLaughlin. The Moral Action Committee Trustees invite each church or local association to give a love offering to Ms Roy (Neva) McLaughlin. You may send this expression of care and concern to:
Ms Neva McLaughlin
3114 Derby Lane
Swartz Creek, MI 48473
National Day of Prayer.
The MAC encourages every church and pastor to make preparations for our May 7, 2009, National Day of Prayer. Www.ndptf.org.
Highlighted Churches that Support the MAC:
Fellowship Baptist Church, Pittsburg, TX
First Baptist, Mantachie, MS
Farley Street, Waxahachie, TX
First, Carthage, TX
Friendship, DeQueen, AR
Exodus 23:7
Our Judeo-Christian Heritage
Euthanasia is morally and biblically wrong. Euthanasia is defined as “the act or practice of ending the life of a person suffering from an incurable illness or injury, or better known as mercy killing.” As believers, we should seek to safeguard the God-given right to life, to which each person is entitled. According to the humanistic philosophy if you’re old, mentally ill, or severely handicapped you should be allowed to die. The listed individuals have a God-given life and spiritual desires that should be treated with compassion, dignity, and encouragement. Proverbs 6:16-10...”The Lord hates...hands that shed innocent blood and a heart that devises wicked plans.” We are urged to “keep far from a false matter..in not slaying the innocent or righteous.” Those who desire to destroy other individuals by injections are classified as “wicked.” Exodus 23:7 states, “Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked.”
I. Historical Aspects of Euthanasia
When Hitler of Nazi Germany issued his direct order for euthanasia in 1939, all German state institutions were required to report on patients who had been ill for at least five years or who were not able to work. The decision of which patients should be killed was based entirely on a brief questionnaire. The Nazi authorities who issued the death sentences were professors of psychiatry at major universities in Germany. The professors never saw the individuals personally.
The first to be killed in the Middle Ages and during the holocaust in the 1940's were the aged, the infirmed, the senile, the mentally retarded and defective children. The German Nazi power even went so far as to exterminate children with badly modeled ears, epileptic seizures and bedwettters.
According to a new service publication, “The mass extermination of Germany’s undesirables began with the acceptance of the attitude which is basic to the euthanasia philosophy, there is such a thing as life not worthy to be lived.” This is the same philosophy that is accepted today with abortion, infanticide and euthanasia.
II. Present Day Concept of Euthanasia
Euthanasia is not a mere fear for the future. It has survived and is now present in the American Medical practice. Doctors in the United States face the medical ethical decisions of starving “undesirables to death or administering fatal injections. “Voices in our governments are looking for ways to reduce health care costs.” Mercy Killing by Denyse Handlen.
Well meaning people are attracted to what may seem to be the beneficial aspects of some type of euthanasia. Americans must not be misled or tranquilized by the assurances that the practice is limited to the terminally ill. Abortion was also once proposed as a last resort in desperate cases. Today it has become a common practice for birth control. “To say that this subject can be carefully controlled is either naive or deceitful,” The Right to Live, The Right to Die - Dr. C. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General.
Former Governor Richard Lamb of Colorado shocked the nation when he told a group of health lawyers that “sick people have a duty to die and get out of the way and let the well society build a reasonable life.”
III. The Biblical Perspective of the Right to Life
I Corinthians 3:16-17 reminds us that our bodies are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in us. Our life is precious to God and to us. Euthanasia is moving into the spotlights and the movement continues to gather momentum in our land as a great moral issue. Pray for our nation.
Highlighted Contributing Churches and Organizations:
Zalma, Zalma, MO
Northeast Mississippi District WMA
Magnolia, Hattiesburg, MS
Antioch, Gilmer, TX
Abortion- The Devaluing of Life
David, the shepherd King, declared in Psalms 139...”thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb...thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect.” We agree with King David that life begins at the time of conception, and that God is watchful even over the embryo in the womb.
One of the most joyful anticipations is hidden in the womb of the mother. Since the invention of sonograms, it is possible to see and marvel at the human embryo. Abortion, therefore, is one of the most traumatic experiences that a person could encounter.
According to the Scripture text, Psalms 139, God designed man, and the complications are beyond us; we can only wonder and adore. Every embryo is a bundle of possibilities. God alone can know the small child in the mother’s womb. He knows the child from the beginning. For this reason we in our Judeo-Christian heritage are firmly convinced that life begins at the time of conception in the motherly womb.
When is human life expendable? And the answer to the question is: NEVER. Yet on January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the landmark, Roe versus Wade, decision that unborn human beings are not legal persons according to the U.S. Constitution. An unborn baby is the property of the owner, and she can have the child killed at her request. Ours is a peculiar society. We have laws protecting wildlife and dogs but not defenseless human embryos. The real question today is not when human life begins but what is the value of human life?
I. Abortion is Evil.
Time Magazine states, “even in the earliest stages of pregnancy, the embryo is amazingly babylike. By the ninth week the fetus is kicking and moving, and even today its sex can be recognized at nine weeks.” Dr. Everett Koop, author of the book, “The Right to Live, The Right to Die” states “once there is the union of the sperm and egg, and the 23 chromosomes of each are brought together, that one cell with its 46 chromosomes has all the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the whole genetic code that will, if not interrupted, make a human being just like you with the potential for God-consciousness.” He asks a crucial question, “At what point can one consider this life to be worthless and the next minute consider the same life to be precious?” Ecclesiastes 11:5 states, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.”
Since 1973, more than 54,000,000 unborn children have been aborted. Every day an average of 4,257 babies are aborted in the U.S. or 1 every 10 seconds. It is a horrible, painful death considering that the babies heart is beating at three weeks and the embryos nervous system is sensitive to pain.
II. Abortion Is An Error.
First, there is a wrong attitude toward human life. Every human being reflects to some degree the likeness of Almighty God. When man dares to take another human life, he lifts his hand in rebellion against the image of Almighty God. - Genesis 4:10. Abortion on demand laws give one person (the mother) the legal right to kill another (the baby) in order to solve the first person’s social problem. It’s hard to believe that this is happening in our civilized society. A second wrong value is the emphasis on self. That is, that the mother has the right to decide what happens to her own body. The question is raised, is not the rights of the unborn child to be recognized? President Ronald Reagan quoted by the L.A. Times stated, “When they put it simply and say I believe in the right of someone to have a free choice. What I came back with was, that’s what a murderer is insisting on, that he’s got free choice to decide that he thinks somebody else should be dead.” Scriptures to ponder are Job 31:14-15 and Isaiah 49:1.
The main question R.J. Gardner asks is, “what will we do with a human life that has been given to our keeping?” ... Medical Society Journal
III. Abortion and It’s Effect.
The effects of willful death is far greater than we can comprehend. Proverbs 24:11-12 instructs us: “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his works?
Moody Monthly Magazine asked - “have we been sitting-Lot-like, quiet at home, unruffled, even critical of those who are easily alarmed about babies? If the blood of Abel, one innocent adult, cried out to God from the ground, how much more 54,000,000 babies blood since 1973?”
The problem of “throw-away” life will not lessen. It should press upon the conscience of Americans and Christians with agony and sorrow.
Highlighted Churches that support the MAC:
Bethel, Fulton, MS
Calvary, Fayetteville, AR
Hattieville, Morrilton, AR
Franklin Street, Farmerville, LA
Landmark, England, AR
I desire to provide you with as much Christian material and information as possible. The following are Moral Magazine Recommendations:
1. American Family Association Journal
P.O. box 2440
Tupelo, MS 38803
1-662-844-5036
Www.afajournal.org
2. Focus On the Family “Citizen”
P.O. Box 35500
Colorado Springs, CO 80935
1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459
Www.citizenmagazine.com
3. “Focus On The Family” with Dr. Dobson
8605 Explorer Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
1-800-232-6459
Www.focusonthefamily.com
4. “Decision” Magazine
1 Billy Graham Parkway
Charlotte, NC 28201
1-877-247-2426
Www.decisionmag.org
Morality Web Site Links and Action Steps:
1. Www.ONENEWSNOW.COM
2. Www.afa.net (AFA Online)
3. Www.operationoutcry.org
4. Www.macbma.net (BMA online)
5. Www.citizenlink.com
6. Www.Alliancedefensefund.org
7. Www.TexasMoralAction.org
8. Www.heritagealliance.com
9. Www.lifeway.com/twl (True Love Waits)
10. Www.cacbma.net (Christian Action Commission - MS)
Morality Book Recommendations:
1. “The Secret Seductress”/Breaking the Destructive Cycle of Pornography- Dr. Mark Laaser
Serendipity House, 2007
Www.SerendipityHouse.com
1-800-525-9563 - Cost approximately $7.99
2. “The Culture Shift” Dr Albert Mohler, Jr
Multnomah Publishing - Cost approximately $14.99
Www.mpbooks.com
3. “The Truth War” Fighting For Certainty In an Age of Deception -
Dr John MacArthur
Thomas Nelson Publishing - Cost approximately $22.99
Www.thomasnelson.com
4. “The ACLU versus America” Exposing the Agenda to Redefine Moral
Values - Alan Sears and Craig Osten -
Broadman Press - Cost approximately 14.99
Www.broadmanholman.com
5. “Rediscovering God in America” The Role of Faith in Our Nation’s History - Newt Gingrich
Integrity House - Cost approximately 14.99
Www.integritypublishers.com
These books would be great personal reading or gifts to your pastor, youth workers or Bible teachers.
Morality Series
January through April, 2009, I hope to write articles from a series that I prepared in sermon and writings entitled “Judeo-Christian Heritage” series. This is a thirteen-part series. They are:
January, 2009 Abortion, The Great Issue
February, 2009 Euthanasia, The Right to Die
March, 2009 Pornography, A Moral Plague
April, 2009 Homosexuality, The Real Problem
Highlighted Trustee of the Month:
Aaron Whitman is one of the Associate Pastors at Cornerstone Baptist Church, Swartz Creek, MI. He is married to Vicki and they have two children. He enjoys playing and watching softball, baseball, fishing, and reading. We are so glad to have Bro. Aaron on our trustee board. God bless, Bro. Aaron.
Highlighted Churches that Support the MAC:
Grace Temple, Arlington, TX
New Heights, Oklahoma City, OK
Midway, First, Sumrall, MS
Bethel, Forrest City, AR
Merry Christmas!
Ms Adams and I wish each reader a very “Merry Christmas” Join us in repeating these wonderful words this season as we “keep Christ in Christmas”
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