a few weeks ago i starting teaching a lifestudies (cool term for sunday school) on current events and what the bible has to say about them. since the whole alito confirmation thing is going on and 75% of the question asked of him by the senate had something to do with abortion and sunday was the 33rd anniversary of roe vs. wade i thought it would be a great time discuss the idea of abortion.
well we all know jeremiah 1:5 "before I you were born i set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world." scripture talks about how God cherishes us in the womb and had a plan for us. so easily we can assume the importance of life and to keep this sacred.
along with scripture i wanted to see what the wesleyan church had to say about abortion. this is a direct quote from the 04' discipline:
The Wesleyan Church— seeks to recognize and preserve the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death and, thus, is opposed to the use of induced abortion. However, it recognizes that there may be rare pregnancies where there are grave medical conditions threatening the life of the mother, which could raise a serious question about taking the life of the unborn child. In such a case, a decision should be made only after very prayerful consideration following medical and spiritual counseling. TWC encourages its members to become informed about the abortion issue and to become actively involved locally and nationally in the preparation and passage of appropriate legislation guaranteeing protection of life under law to unborn children.
now to break it down.
1. "seeks to recognize and preserve the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death"--this i believe we can all agree with.
2. "however"--whenever however is added after a statement you know it is going to go in a different direction.
3. "it recognizes that there may be rare pregnancies where there are grave medical conditions threatening the life of the mother, which could raise a serious question about taking the life of the unborn child."--the church taking a stance like this makes believe that they are pro choice. which is kind of interesting because a lot of people in my denomination voted for bush on the sole reason of him being pro life. i wonder how critical the situation with the mother does have to be. many people i have talked to says they know someone who was told by a doctor that it would cause complications and might even hinder the life the of the mother. but these mothers carried the baby full term and there was not one complications. but by the wesleyan standard it would be seen as okay if they had chose to end the life. by trying to appease everybody the wesleyan church has made few happy by this comment.
4. "In such a case, a decision should be made only after very prayerful consideration following medical and spiritual counseling."--at least they do add the idea of prayer and counseling.
5. "TWC encourages its members to become informed about the abortion issue and to become actively involved locally and nationally in the preparation and passage of appropriate legislation guaranteeing protection of life under law to unborn children."--the church then adds this comment to show that they want to protect the life of the human child.
please do not read me wrong i like the wesleyan church and have decided to stay within the denomination to pastor but i am wondering how many wesleyans actually know this is the stand that their church takes on abortion. i wonder if parishioners would be happy about this. i wonder if this should be discussed at the next general conference.
i was wondering how many of you knew what the jewish faith says about abortion. i came across this statement the other day that the "jewish law not only permits abortion but requires it if the mothers life might be in jeopardy." they view the child as a "potential human life until the mojority of the body has emerged from the mother.
what does your denomination say? what is your view?
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
the goldent globes and my ignorance
the big winner is brokeback mountain. i am not sure how many times i heard this movie announced as a winner for different awards on monday night but it was definately an interesting night in my eyes as a movie pushing the gay agenda won multiple trophies.
now maybe i am ignorant, because i havent watched the movie and i really do not know any homosexuals. maybe it was a beautifully written script and had great acting. i have tried many times mot to write a blog on this movie because i hadnt seen it but after monday i feel that i have to voice my concern. for a very small percentage of the u.s. population to be able to get this much air time in the news is disturbing.
the other big winner of the night was transamerica. a movie about someone going through the sex change process. and i wonder how this is affecting the culture. many times before i have mentioned tolerance has changed who we as christians have been observed. but i wonder where tolerance will take us in the future. for something like this to be accepted is absolutely crazy, not just for the moral implications but because of the physical and emotional health. (yeah i know these same things are issues also in hederosexual relationships as well.) so this article is really not just singling out homosexaulity as wrong but the pushing of
relativism in our society.
who are you to tell me i am wrong? it might be okay for you but for me its not right. who is to say there is only one way to the Father? this is the idea that i get from our society and even friends of mine saying we need to be more tolerant and allowing of people to live their own lives.
i guess it is not for me to push my views on someone else. because most do not want to hear it. or do they really want to hear about the truth? what is absolute in our world. what is right for me as well as you to believe?
who knows? maybe it is just my ignorance?
now maybe i am ignorant, because i havent watched the movie and i really do not know any homosexuals. maybe it was a beautifully written script and had great acting. i have tried many times mot to write a blog on this movie because i hadnt seen it but after monday i feel that i have to voice my concern. for a very small percentage of the u.s. population to be able to get this much air time in the news is disturbing.
the other big winner of the night was transamerica. a movie about someone going through the sex change process. and i wonder how this is affecting the culture. many times before i have mentioned tolerance has changed who we as christians have been observed. but i wonder where tolerance will take us in the future. for something like this to be accepted is absolutely crazy, not just for the moral implications but because of the physical and emotional health. (yeah i know these same things are issues also in hederosexual relationships as well.) so this article is really not just singling out homosexaulity as wrong but the pushing of
relativism in our society.
who are you to tell me i am wrong? it might be okay for you but for me its not right. who is to say there is only one way to the Father? this is the idea that i get from our society and even friends of mine saying we need to be more tolerant and allowing of people to live their own lives.
i guess it is not for me to push my views on someone else. because most do not want to hear it. or do they really want to hear about the truth? what is absolute in our world. what is right for me as well as you to believe?
who knows? maybe it is just my ignorance?
Thursday, January 12, 2006
why
many times i look at things and wonder how they were made and how they work. i wonder how a small microchip can hold so much information. i wonder how an ipod works and how such a small device can hold so many songs.
i also sit back and look at creation and wonder how, how did God create us? did he create the world literally in a week and rest on the seventh day or did he take six different days as periods of time and create us in human terms thousands or even million year apart?i wonder how scientists know the world is millions of years old and can date back a bone that far? i wonder how conservatives can prove that the world is only 6-8000 years old?
i wonder how God thinks of time. we know the bible says a thousand years are like a day and a day like a thousand years. so then i wonder how much asking of how is even relevant?i believe in intelligent design as a fact. for me this is an absolute because the word says "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." for me this is a simple belief. if the word says it then it must be truth.
for me the question the past few days has turned from how to why. for me the how is not important because it does not really matter to me how. sure God could have used science to create but i do not know how exactly he did. i believe that he did create and that is enough for me. the question is now why?
why did God create the heavens and the earth? why was it so important that he created us?
worship?
love?
obedience?
serve?
relationship?
what is it that you believe?
i also sit back and look at creation and wonder how, how did God create us? did he create the world literally in a week and rest on the seventh day or did he take six different days as periods of time and create us in human terms thousands or even million year apart?i wonder how scientists know the world is millions of years old and can date back a bone that far? i wonder how conservatives can prove that the world is only 6-8000 years old?
i wonder how God thinks of time. we know the bible says a thousand years are like a day and a day like a thousand years. so then i wonder how much asking of how is even relevant?i believe in intelligent design as a fact. for me this is an absolute because the word says "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." for me this is a simple belief. if the word says it then it must be truth.
for me the question the past few days has turned from how to why. for me the how is not important because it does not really matter to me how. sure God could have used science to create but i do not know how exactly he did. i believe that he did create and that is enough for me. the question is now why?
why did God create the heavens and the earth? why was it so important that he created us?
worship?
love?
obedience?
serve?
relationship?
what is it that you believe?
Monday, January 09, 2006
home from vacation
in a trip where we thought jenny was going to be able to visit home on vacation, i think we realized the all to familiar phrase "we cannot go home again," what it actually meant. it is not that you cannot go and visit, but in reality it is not your home anymore. we have settled here in pulaski. with as much fun as we had, i have seen how much our lives have really changed in the 1 1/2 we have been married. things have changed. we have changed. we have grown together in to who we are and where we now call home. indiana is now a place where she grew up, a place where we met in college and the place where we came together as one. but it is no longer our home.we were able to have a great time in indiana and today was my first day back to the church for office hrs in which at least seemed like forever. but really it has been two weeks. after logos, jenny and i made the trek out to indiana to visit friends and family members. it was a fun time as we were able to see titus, steve and michelle mowat's six month old, for the first time. we were able to see all the changes on the iwu campus. (it really seems very big now.) we visited with college friends mike and manda light.we were able to visit with family and really for the first time in 6 months, relaxed, watched a lot of football. but when it came right down to it. i missed being in pulaski. i wanted to be able to go back and share life with the teens. i wanted to be there for youth group. i wanted to watch the patriots game with some one else who cared.i very much enjoyed the vacation. it was much needed time away and time together with family. but what i am trying to say, is that is nice to have a new home. a place to experience life. a great place to be involved in a growing ministry. i love this area despite the 24 inches of snow a day and the distance from our immediate family.God really has brought us to this place, that already holds a special place in our hearts. i am only looking forward to seeing what will happen in the future. but i really am home now from vacation.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
logos5:the good and the band
like a lot of youth ministries throughout the wesleyan church. it was time for logos5. it was an amazing time of growth for the group of 22 that went. 2 teens of which that made first time commitments to follow Christ. we bonded more then the previous 5 months that i had been there. i saw people stretching themselves because they knew that is where they needed to go rather than the emotion pushing them to where they were not quite yet ready.
the speakers could not have been better. maybe someone reading this went to grand rapids or orlando and you tend to disagree with me but i feel strongly that they wasnt more appropriate speakers to speak. at least to my group. efrem smith brought the word by talking about the word, hence the idea of logos in the first place. dwayne hotten talked about relativism which every person needs to hear these days. anthony graham brought truth like he always does in a gentle but in your face manner. tim elmore brought images into illustrations of our life.
the concert that was put on at logos was another story. the opening band was the worst band that i have ever heard in my life. out of the six songs they did 3 of them were covers. (the blur song "woohoo" and does anyone remember "shout, let it all out" and of course they also covered a song by the band they were opening for, pillar. this from a band who is not yet signed. when grand rapids gets three quality bands.
during some free time we hopped on the t to check out cambridge, harvard square and of all places a thrift store. (the teens found it on line and unanimously voted to go there, so we did.) we also took in a tour of the fenway park. i say the because it is unique. there is nothing quite like it. the smallest and oldest park in the major leagues. i remember growing up and going there every summer. this time however it looked even smaller then it had each previous time i was there.
it really was a good time. overall it took about $5700 plus food to go. it sounds like a lot of money which was one of the things that worried me about taking this trip in the first place. but after all is said and done sometimes it takes sacrifice to see change within the lives of the teens that you spend your life pouring into. pray with me as these teens take these commitments into the new year.
the speakers could not have been better. maybe someone reading this went to grand rapids or orlando and you tend to disagree with me but i feel strongly that they wasnt more appropriate speakers to speak. at least to my group. efrem smith brought the word by talking about the word, hence the idea of logos in the first place. dwayne hotten talked about relativism which every person needs to hear these days. anthony graham brought truth like he always does in a gentle but in your face manner. tim elmore brought images into illustrations of our life.
the concert that was put on at logos was another story. the opening band was the worst band that i have ever heard in my life. out of the six songs they did 3 of them were covers. (the blur song "woohoo" and does anyone remember "shout, let it all out" and of course they also covered a song by the band they were opening for, pillar. this from a band who is not yet signed. when grand rapids gets three quality bands.
during some free time we hopped on the t to check out cambridge, harvard square and of all places a thrift store. (the teens found it on line and unanimously voted to go there, so we did.) we also took in a tour of the fenway park. i say the because it is unique. there is nothing quite like it. the smallest and oldest park in the major leagues. i remember growing up and going there every summer. this time however it looked even smaller then it had each previous time i was there.
it really was a good time. overall it took about $5700 plus food to go. it sounds like a lot of money which was one of the things that worried me about taking this trip in the first place. but after all is said and done sometimes it takes sacrifice to see change within the lives of the teens that you spend your life pouring into. pray with me as these teens take these commitments into the new year.
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