This program originally aired on June 29th. Topics include the recent SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage: The response from the Whitehouse, TX and LA who passed laws to protect pastors and churches, and what churches must do to protect themselves legally.
Attorney Jeff Mateer, with Liberty Institute, was the guest speaker on this conference call for pastors addressing the recent SCOTUS decision on marriage. He gives a break down of the ruling, what it means, and how it will affect pastors and churches in the future.
Dr. Jim Hendershot joins the program to discuss his new article titled “Without Understanding, We are Destroyed” dealing with the need for a greater understanding of the US Constitution.
With Richard Owen Roberts.
Dear Friends,
You’ve all read and perhaps even commented on the Supreme Court’s rulings of last week. But if I may, I’d like to make a brief summary, draw some conclusions and express some concerns as to a very concerning predominant response I’m seeing by most Christian leaders in America. NOTE: I strongly encourage you to listen to our Stand in the Gap Today radio program of June 30 as David Kistler and I dealt with some of these key considerations. This program was unique and I know will be very much worth your time. https://americanpastorsnetwork.net/resources/
A Summary: Without question, between the SCOTUS decision on Obamacare and then Marriage, two critical things happened: 1) The Constitution and the Rule of Law were trashed. In both cases as eloquently stated by the dissenting Justices, the Court had NO Constitutional jurisdiction to rule as they did in either case. The majority in both cases violated their oath of office, trampled the separation of Powers, trashed the Constitution and ruled not as justices upholding justice, but attempted to make law as politically driven renegades. 2) God Himself and His Moral law was arrogantly and defiantly rejected particularly in the Marriage Opinion. The implications of making a ruling on the definition of marriage established by God Himself and recognized for millennia by civilizations past and present, by defiantly redefining what God Himself defined, and choosing to negate the vote of state legislatures and citizens across the nation are more than dangerous. It is perhaps even fatal for our republican form of government. I note however that these decisions did not mark the beginning of a new chapter of egregious actions by the highest court but an exclamation point at the end of a lengthy book being written by numerous courts under numerous administrations over nearly a generation!
A Brief Conclusion: To understand what the Court has done several things must be noted: 1) The SCOTUS majority rendered a Judicial OPINION. They did not nor can they make LAW. How we as Americans (citizens and states alike) respond to this ‘opinion’ is critical; 2) Their opinion violated Moral Law and Constitutional law; 3) Their opinion while having the ‘color’ of law may be ‘legal’, but it is in no case ‘lawful’.
Major Concerns: Since this SCOTUS opinion on marriage was rendered, there has been a great deal of angst realized and expressed privately by pastors and Christian organizations across America. I have been part of private phone conferences as well as conducting updates and conferences this week for scores of pastors at a time. I have received emails from groups and pastors from across the country and I am concerned about what I am seeing.
My concern is two-fold: 1) By continuing to pursue failed human political strategizing on how to fight back against ungodly court rulings and government regulations, we will only encourage God’s judgment. I know this is a bold statement, but bear with me. I fear that most people are falling into the trap of speaking about and encouraging ‘civil disobedience’, defiance, marches and protests and making the lead strategy more like the days of the civil rights movement than what God expects at such a time. God expects now and always – repentance and biblical obedience. At APN, we are urging that all those who uphold God’s Moral Law and the Constitution think, speak, and act first and foremost with the goal of being biblically obedient. Our responsibility as preachers is to preach the Word of God. We know that our nation perishes because of a ‘lack of knowledge’ of God’s Word. We don’t need more political or human strategy. We need obedience to God’s commands.
While we may at some point be forced to disobey a government ‘opinion’ or ‘law’, we must lead with and die with a commitment, not to civil disobedience or rebellious strategy but with full commitment to God and His truth. Like Shadrach, Meshech, and Obedneggo, we must be prepared to step into the flames if so be before we ever bow the knee in worship of or allegiance to the gods of this world. We must be prepared to disobey the ‘king’ and die for the King of Kings, but we must focus more on obedient living for the King of Kings.
2) I am concerned that too many organizations are ‘using’ this circumstance to primarily angle for more donations to ‘continue the fight’ and I believe perhaps inadvertently direct attention away from the spiritual consideration to the human strategy. While all of our organizations need funds and I’ve spoken in the past about it, we must be very careful to make sure that our true motives are obedience. My Stand in the Gap Minute program that will air next week speaks to these issues: Title: “Watch out for those who Sneak About” https://americanpastorsnetwork.net/resources/ May God help us all to respond Biblically in these days.
Stand in the Gap Today Radio Program Update: According to recent polls, most Americans have NO idea of the real meaning of the 4th of July. On our Stand in the Gap Today radio program, we dealt with the real meaning yesterday, July 3. You can find this program here: https://americanpastorsnetwork.net/resources/ In this program I presented two short statements that I believe sum of my thoughts on this issue: 1) “The 4th Of July is not a mere celebration of an event(like a birthday). It is the observance of a sacred intent.”
2) The door of freedom swings on the hinges of the fear of God and is oiled by the preaching of men of God!” We sit here today as beneficiaries of the hard work and deep understanding of men of God, in the pulpit, in government, and in the home. We sit here today watching it all flee away not because there is nothing we can do about it, but because we refuse to know and do what God says. May God help us all to kneel down, stand up, and press on.
God bless you all.
Sam
This program features a special emphasis on the “Real Meaning of July 4th.”
“The door of freedom swings on the hinges of a fear of God and is oiled by the preaching of men of God.” –Sam Rohrer, Host
For evangelicals who lament last Friday’s Supreme Court decision, it’s been a hard few days. We aren’t asking for emotional pity, nor do I suspect many people are eager to give us any. Our pain is not sacred.
Making legal and theological decisions based on what makes people feel better is part of what got us into this mess in the first place. Nevertheless, it still hurts.
There are many reasons for our lamentation, from fear that religious liberties will be taken away to worries about social ostracism and cultural marginalization. But of all the things that grieve us, perhaps what’s been most difficult is seeing some of our friends, some of our family members, and some of the folks we’ve sat next to in church giving their hearty “Amen” to a practice we still think is a sin and a decision we think is bad for our country. It’s one thing for the whole nation to throw a party we can’t in good conscience attend. It’s quite another to look around for friendly faces to remind us we’re not alone and then find that they are out there jamming on the dance floor. We thought the rainbow was God’s sign (Gen. 9:8-17).
If you consider yourself a Bible-believing Christian, a follower of Jesus whose chief aim is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, there are important questions I hope you will consider before picking up your flag and cheering on the sexual revolution. These questions aren’t meant to be snarky or merely rhetorical. They are sincere, if pointed, questions that I hope will cause my brothers and sisters with the new rainbow themed avatars to slow down and think about the flag you’re flying.
1. How long have you believed that gay marriage is something to be celebrated?
2. What Bible verses led you to change your mind?
3. How would you make a positive case from Scripture that sexual activity between two persons of the same sex is a blessing to be celebrated?
4. What verses would you use to show that a marriage between two persons of the same sex can adequately depict Christ and the church?
5. Do you think Jesus would have been okay with homosexual behavior between consenting adults in a committed relationship?
6. If so, why did he reassert the Genesis definition of marriage as being one man and one woman?
7. When Jesus spoke against porneia what sins do you think he was forbidding?
8. If some homosexual behavior is acceptable, how do you understand the sinful “exchange” Paul highlights in Romans 1?
9. Do you believe that passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9 and Revelation
21:8 teach that sexual immorality can keep you out of heaven?
10. What sexual sins do you think they were referring to?
11. As you think about the long history of the church and the near universal disapproval of same-sex sexual activity, what do you think you understand about the Bible that Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Luther failed to grasp?
12. What arguments would you use to explain to Christians in Africa, Asia, and South America that their understanding of homosexuality is biblically incorrect and your new understanding of homosexuality is not culturally conditioned?
13. Do you think Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were motivated by personal animus and bigotry when they, for almost all of their lives, defined marriage as a covenant relationship between one man and one woman?
14. Do you think children do best with a mother and a father?
15. If not, what research would you point to in support of that conclusion?
16. If yes, does the church or the state have any role to play in promoting or privileging the arrangement that puts children with a mom and a dad?
17. Does the end and purpose of marriage point to something more than an adult’s emotional and sexual fulfillment?
18. How would you define marriage?
19. Do you think close family members should be allowed to get married?
20. Should marriage be limited to only two people?
21. On what basis, if any, would you prevent consenting adults of any relation and of any number from getting married?
22. Should there be an age requirement in this country for obtaining a marriage license?
23. Does equality entail that anyone wanting to be married should be able to have any meaningful relationship defined as marriage?
24. If not, why not?
25. Should your brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with homosexual practice be allowed to exercise their religious beliefs without fear of punishment, retribution, or coercion?
26. Will you speak up for your fellow Christians when their jobs, their accreditation, their reputation, and their freedoms are threatened because of this issue?
27. Will you speak out against shaming and bullying of all kinds, whether against gays and lesbians or against Evangelicals and Catholics?
28. Since the evangelical church has often failed to take unbiblical divorces and other sexual sins seriously, what steps will you take to ensure that gay marriages are healthy and accord with Scriptural principles?
29. Should gay couples in open relationships be subject to church discipline?
30. Is it a sin for LGBT persons to engage in sexual activity outside of marriage?
31. What will open and affirming churches do to speak prophetically against divorce, fornication, pornography, and adultery wherever they are found?
32. If “love wins,” how would you define love?
33. What verses would you use to establish that definition?
34. How should obedience to God’s commands shape our understanding of love?
35. Do you believe it is possible to love someone and disagree with important decisions they make?
36. If supporting gay marriage is a change for you, has anything else changed in your understanding of faith?
37. As an evangelical, how has your support for gay marriage helped you become more passionate about traditional evangelical distinctives like a focus on being born again, the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the total trustworthiness of the Bible, and the urgent need to evangelize the lost?
38. What open and affirming churches would you point to where people are being converted to orthodox Christianity, sinners are being warned of judgment and called to repentance, and missionaries are being sent out to plant churches among unreached peoples?
39. Do you hope to be more committed to the church, more committed to Christ, and more committed to the Scriptures in the years ahead?
40. When Paul at the end of Romans 1 rebukes “those who practice such things” and those who “give approval to those who practice them,” what sins do you think he has in mind?
Food for thought, I hope. At the very least, something to chew on before swallowing everything the world and Facebook put on our plate.
Author: Kevin DeYoung
To read this article on The Gospel Coalition site, please click HERE.
One Sunday church service has come and gone since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Friday that legalized same-sex marriage in America. Many pastors from the pulpit reflected on the ruling, asked their congregations to pray for the nation and wondered how the ruling would affect them directly.
The American Pastors Network (APN, www.americanpastorsnetwork.net) is lending help on how pastors and churches can move forward after the ruling, with plans to protect their religious liberties in the future—and without forgetting that Friday’s ruling deeply impacts the freedoms of all Christians.
“Friday’s Supreme Court ruling was hardly a cause for rejoicing,” said APN President Sam Rohrer, who also serves as President of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net). “In reality, it is cause for alarm, not only in how a handful of judges without the moral authority can arrogantly attempt to redefine an institution created by God and recognized through millennia, but these same judges can unlawfully plunge a knife into the heart of the Constitution they are sworn to uphold. The majority of Americans have yet to fully realize the extent to which all our Constitutional freedoms have been undermined.”
On its daily one-minute radio feature, “Stand in the Gap,” APN recently commented further on the same-sex marriage ruling: “Last Friday’s Supreme Court ruling, which embraced same-sex marriage in America, is just one more symptom of the sin epidemic that is running rampant in our nation. When a person or a nation rejects God and succumbs to this fatal attraction with sin, there is always a heavy price to pay! Proverbs 14:12 says, ‘There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.’ The only Cure for this epidemic is Jesus Christ! However, if we truly want to cure America, we as believers must paint an honest picture of what happens when people or a nation reject the Truth of God’s Word. ”
Rohrer, along with Gary Dull, APN board member, executive director and vice president of PPN, and Dave Kistler, president of the North Carolina Pastors Network (NCPN, www.ncpastors.net), co-host “Stand in the Gap Today,” a daily one-hour radio program*** heard on stations throughout Pennsylvania and via satellite. Each day, the hosts discuss current news topics and welcome guests, and over the past few days, the SCOTUS marriage ruling was front and center, as some of these questions were explored:
***To listen to this program please click HERE
Rohrer also recently spoke with Perry Atkinson for The Dove’s program, “Focus Today,” stating that both the King v. Burwell/Obamacare and marriage rulings effectively dismantled the rule of law and the Constitution.
“(SCOTUS) has, in fact, plunged us into a moment of crisis—a moment that would make anyone say, ‘What provision of the Constitution is any longer sacred?’” Rohrer said. “‘What provision, if any, stands with predictability that cannot be overturned, at will, by the handful of the majority of the Court?’ They have done great harm, and that is unfolding as we go forward.”
Attorney Jeff Mateer of the Liberty Institute, who was a featured speaker at PPN’s “U-Turn” conference this spring, attended SCOTUS’s oral arguments in April and called same-sex marriage “the issue of our generation.” He has been working closely with APN and PPN to offer support to pastors as religious liberty questions regarding the ruling arise.
APN released the following statement Friday after the ruling:
“This landmark decision had deep biblical, historical and constitutional roots, and unfortunately, our justices chose to redefine marriage for the entire nation, ignoring other constitutional rights and opening the door to a dangerous infringement on religious liberties. The fact that this issue even made it to the Supreme Court of the United States was an indictment against American Christians and against American churches. Even though some churches have sought to blend into the culture rather than change it, this ruling serves as a wake-up call for pastors and churches who are committed to being the salt and light of our society and standing up for truth.
“This is just the beginning, and as the culture continues to change—and move even further away from the truth of God’s Word and from our constitutional roots—it is crucial that pastors and churches know the truth, speak the truth and live the truth, doing all they can to preserve God’s Word and protect the religious liberties of Christians across the nation.”
Attorney David New from The Washington Beat joins the program today to discuss the article he is authoring regarding court strategies following the SCOTUS decision on same-sex marriage. Other topics include: A new Barna Report on how Christians feel about legalizing same-sex marriage, Political Correctness 101, and more!
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