Fighting Flies, Original Sin, Baking Cakes, and Jean Valjean

I agree with Abraham Lincoln when he said, "I don't like to hear cut and dried sermons. No—when I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees." 

This past Sunday morning, I wasn't fighting bees but I was fighting some flies (for real!).  

I like to open doors for people to walk through when I preach, teach, have one-on-one conversations, raise my children, or play the piano...to stir the heart and soul of all of us to search out the depths of the Gospel. On Sunday, I invited people to text questions or comments during the sermon and quite a few did.  I have greatly enjoyed interacting with these individuals.  People are reeling from the cultural shifts and it is crucial that we are driven back to the Scriptures in order to “answer well.”  

I am going to try to shed more light on the common themes contained in the questions that were texted to me or asked at the door after church. As I said on Sunday, in the Gospel and Culture series, I am most concerned with our answers and responses.  I believe that many Christians are not answering from a Gospel perspective or even biblical perspective, but we have been more like "parrots" for our favorite religious leader, political party, or talk show host.   We mix some Bible, our own views and biases in there and out comes the answers.  As a result we do not "answer well" as Jesus "answered well" in Mark 12. 

1. Is it possible for a homosexual to be "born that way"?  

Orthodox theology answers this question.  We may not like the answer much…but it is my belief that answering well will actually lead to further dialogue with those struggling with homosexuality.  Most churches and pastors believe in a doctrine called Original Sin. Original Sin has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred to as a "sin nature", to something as drastic as total depravity or automatic guilt of all humans through collective guilt. (Jeffery Brodd, World Religions).  The Reformed tradition holds that Original Sin is “total depravity”…in other words, we believe that Original Sin renders us in the worst possible state as infants…spiritually dead with a rotting spiritual heart capable of the most vile evil.  

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

    and in sin did my mother conceive me. --Psalm 51: 5

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.  --Ephesians 2: 1-3

The heart is deceitful above all things, who can understand it? --Jeremiah 17: 9 

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.  --Proverbs 22: 15

Jonathan Edwards comments on the meaning of the word "child": 

The word translated youth, signifies the whole of the former part of the age of man, which commences          from the beginning of life. The word in its derivation, has reference to the birth or beginning of existence . . . so that the word here translated youth, comprehends not only what we in English most commonly call the time of youth, but also childhood and infancy.

Not only are we born sinful, but it is far worse...we are born spiritually dead.  Some are inclined towards drunkenness. Some are inclined towards gossip and jealousy. Some are inclined towards adultery and lust. I think we also can say that some are inclined towards homosexuality. 

Let me pause there for a moment. 

I have spoken with two kinds of people who struggle with same-sex-attraction: those who believe it is a sin and those who do not believe it is a sin.  There exists both kinds of people claim to be Christians...some are from evangelical backgrounds...mostly young people.  Those who believe it is a sin are desperate for help and deliverance.  They are scared and lonely. 

Those who do not believe it is a sin have embraced the teaching that the 6 passages that reference homosexuality have been misunderstood.  These are people who claim to be Christians and are kind and loving individuals.  Following is a link to an article by Matthew Vines, who leads a movement to "reform church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity": 

http://time.com/author/matthew-vines/

Here are 40 questions Matthew Vines poses to those who oppose gay marriage and/or hold the homosexuality is a sin:

http://tobingrant.religionnews.com/2015/07/03/40-questions-for-christians-who-oppose-marriage-equality-guest-commentary/

And an evangelical response to these 40 questions...

http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php/2015/07/03/a-believing-response-to-matthew-vines-40-questions/

A rebuttal of Mathew Vines by Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, a fellow PCA Teaching Elder: 

http://www.redeemer.com/redeemer-report/article/the_bible_and_same_sex_relationships_a_review_article

Following is a link that demonstrates that certain liberal biblical scholars, some of whom are from the LGBTQ community, actually disagree with Matthew Vines and themselves believe that the clear teaching of the Bible is that homosexuality is a sin and the only way to justify a Christian practicing homosexuality is to reject the Scriptures (I'm not a big fan of his website and the somewhat inflammatory pictures and captions, but the research on this particular subject is sound and informative):

http://barbwire.com/2014/04/29/liberal-scholars-homosexuality/

I am concerned about ministering and loving both groups.  However, I take the position that homosexuality is a sin. I also take the unpopular position (at least among evangelicals) that there are other sins in the Scriptures at the same level of homosexuality, including gossip specifically with spreading a bad report in churches (Num 16...it has been said that homosexuality is the sin which caused God to kill the people in Sodom and Gomorrah, but killed his own people for the sin of gossip), adultery (Ex 20), pride (Prov 6), and the other sins listed in I Corinthians 6:9-11 and Proverbs 6: 16-19.  I do not believe that we can call something that is sin, not sin.  It is also difficult for me to understand how Christians, churches, and church leaders from practically all corners of Christianity were wrong on this issue up until the 1960s.  I realize that means many will be tempted to stop reading and write me off...I can't imagine how painful it must be for you to have a same-sex-attraction, believe it is not a sin, and experience some of the hateful responses I have seen from many who call themselves Christians. I hope you will continue to listen to the Holy Spirit's prompting and to those who love you, but may disagree with your position, just as I pray I will always continue to listen to those who lovingly speak into my life. I have found that the Scriptures speak to me in profound ways...always go back to the Scriptures. Back to our question...

When we rely on our theology we are on solid ground. In this case, if the homosexual says that he is "born that way", we can answer from Scripture (not from our favorite talk show host or political figure) and say, "yes, it is possible that the sin passed down through original sin to you is homosexuality...so what? You still need to battle it and kill it, just as I need to battle my inclinations that may be part of my original sin makeup." When we answer this way, with biblical truth, we move forward. The reality is that not only is it possible for someone to be born with this inclination....it is far far worse! We are born spiritually dead. Our spiritual heart is dead, rotting, and capable of anything. We have a deep and well-vetted theology of Original Sin...even if it goes against our sensibilities, we should "answer well". 

Here is the beauty...the truth sets us free and opens up a whole new world of potential heart change...so instead of arguing over the way they were born, we can say, "ok, you may have been born with this inclination since we believe in Original Sin...in fact, we have no clue how depraved we were born...now let's figure out how to beat it because Christ died for that sin, as he died for my sins and has provided a way out. (I Cor 10:13) He has said that he can get rid of the dead rotting heart of stone that is inclined towards not only homosexuality but all kinds of creative evil and replace it with a new divinely apportioned heart of flesh." (Ez 36:26) This approach especially works with those individuals who believe it is a sin and want to beat it. It is good to acknowledge what they are feeling inside...that, yes, they may have these inclinations.  

2. You said WHAT about baking cakes for a gay wedding? 

  

First, let me state that I grieve that we need to engage with such impossible and difficult questions that have caused so much hurt on both sides of the debate.   However, here we are...and we need to "answer well."  On Sunday, I used Matthew 5 to demonstrate that when Jesus told the people if "someone asks you to go one mile, go instead two miles" he was making a statement that would help get him nailed to a cross.  Romans, especially soldiers, were allowed to compel a Jewish person to drop what they were doing and carry the Roman solider's stuff for one whole mile. Jewish people hated this law.  By carrying the Roman's bags and weaponry, Jews were rendering themselves unclean. You could say that they were breaking the Law of God and enabling a pagan and evil government to operate more efficiently.  There was NO WAY that a Jewish person would agree to carry the stuff for not only one mile, but TWO miles. Jesus, however, made a new law for those who would partake of his Kingdom.  He said, "don't just go one mile...but go TWO miles." These were fighting words for religious people.  How dare Jesus ask them (well, tell them) to do this. This wasn't a suggestion...it was now Law...as was the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount. 

On Sunday,  I added to this context the issue of "binding the conscience." Once again, great theologians have gone before us and vetted this doctrine and have concluded that we cannot "bind the conscience" of another on issues not expressly addressed in Scripture. That "every man should be convinced in his own mind" (Rom 14: 5, Col 2: 23) and that we should respect those convictions.  It is not a "black and white" issue when it comes to baking the cake. There are a whole host of considerations for each individual situation.  Therefore, I stated that it is absolutely possible for a Christian baker to refuse to bake a cake or elect to not only bake one cake, but TWO cakes. Just as Jesus told the Jews to not go "one mile, but two miles."  Some asked if I understood that Jesus was talking about everyday situations...indeed I do understand this and I find that baking a cake is incidental and routine, especially for a baker. 

The civic law that seems to require a Christian baker to bake a cake for a gay wedding is difficult. There is a difference between discriminating against someone because of their race and refusing to support a person's gay marriage.  One is discrimination, and sinful, the other is a matter of conscience. Let's get that said first. That law is just as impossible as it was for a Jewish person, during the time of Jesus, to be required to carry a Roman soldiers' stuff for a mile. Both laws were made by men with agendas that are in direct contrast to the Law of God.  But the law sits there stubbornly on the books. So how does a Christian respond well? Is Glenn Beck our authority on how to respond? Bill O'Reilly? Ann Coulter? Franklin Graham? Or is Jesus our authority and example on how to respond when a civil law is unfair and may cause us to go against our morals? Is there only one "right" response for the Christian baker? Or are there several different responses that could be considered "right" and godly and Gospel driven? Is it possible for one baker to be convinced in his conscience that he cannot possibly bake a cake for this wedding because he would be supporting something he knows is abominable to God? Is it also possible for another Christian baker to feel in his conscience that, although he continues to be convicted that marriage is between a man and a woman, that baking a cake is an incidental and routine way of building a bridge to someone far from God? Is it a matter of conscience when it comes to this issue of baking a cake? Yes.  Absolutely. So the baker should pray over it. Read the word. Evaluate his/her relationship with the individual, be convinced in his own mind, and make the decision based on what the Holy Spirit says. 

I will make your head spin even more...it could be that the same baker would bake a cake for one wedding but not for another wedding based on a variety of issues. Maybe it is a planned gay marriage where one of them is really struggling and wrestling with God...maybe there is a chance that they will still turn back...maybe the baker sees this hope and actually elects NOT to bake the cake in order for their heart to continue to soften. OR imagine that someone is set in their desire to go through with it, but the baker has built a relationship and has told them he disagrees but he sees the cake as a way of being like the Bishop was to Jean Valjean in Les Miserables....Jean Valjean, that miserable low life thief (one of the heinous sins according to Prov 6) had been shown grace by the Bishop yet he abused that grace badly and stole from the gracious Bishop...

"My friend," resumed the Bishop, "before you go, here are your candlesticks. Take them."

He stepped to the chimney-piece, took the two silver candlesticks, and brought them to Jean Valjean. The two women looked on without uttering a word, without a gesture, without a look which could disconcert the Bishop.

Jean Valjean was trembling in every limb. He took the two candlesticks mechanically, and with a bewildered air.

"Now," said the Bishop, "go in peace. By the way, when you return, my friend, it is not necessary to pass through the garden. You can always enter and depart through the street door. It is never fastened with anything but a latch, either by day or by night."

Gospel responses are messy and wild and inconsistent at times! Gospel responses allow the Prodigal Father to run to his whore-loving messed-up son and throw himself on his son. His son didn't deserve that feast!  That "son of his", said the older brother, squandered his Father's money on prostitutes. Gospel responses allow the Bishop to not only provide a cover story for Jean Valjean when the law comes looking for him, but to send him away with the stolen goods and the candlesticks and an open invitation to come back as well! 

Haven't we ALL cursed God with our lives and yet he does more than bake a cake for us or give us candlesticks...he gives us his only begotten Son...it would be like me giving someone CJ or Markie, my precious sons, times a billion, to those who had abused my sons. This is Gospel 101. Is it possible that we are on milk when we should be on solid foods? Is it possible that we, of all people, should be known for "making cakes"? The cake question, I have to admit, should be easy for us (me included). A slippery slope?  Yes, the Gospel is an incredibly slippery slope. 

3. If you are saying that a Christian baker should decide in his own mind what he should do, isn't that a slippery slope that would lead to a Minister "deciding what he should do" as it pertains to performing gay marriage ceremonies?  

This is a GREAT question.  

If I say that in some cases it may be not only ok, but godly and good for a Christian baker to bake a cake for a gay wedding, and that he must convinced in his own heart which direction to take, am I also saying that a minister should "decide for himself" whether or not to officiate at a gay wedding? No. These are two totally different issues.  

A minister of the Gospel cannot and must not officiate a gay wedding. Marriage is instituted by God as being between a man and a woman. A wedding ceremony has friends and family present who both act as witnesses and supporters. The minister is "blessing" and "signing off" on the wedding. In fact, a Christian minister is performing a legal function and doing so in the name of his denomination. So when I officiate a wedding, I am authorized to do so by the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA: the smaller conservative Presbyterian denomination).  The PCA has already ruled on homosexuality.  As a PCA Minister, I am acting in their stead…therefore, I couldn’t perform a gay wedding even if I wanted to.  

I would argue that it would be very difficult for a Christian to even ATTEND a gay marriage ceremony because by attending you are witnessing and affirming what you witness. This is why in the older wedding liturgies the witnesses are charged and challenged, "if anyone has reason why these two should not be married speak now or forever hold your peace." That announcement is unfortunately dropped in most modern weddings...but it doesn't change the fact that those in the audience are witnesses and supporters. I suppose a person could register their disapproval in a loving manner and recuse themselves from being "supporting" witnesses...but that is a stretch because you are still there witnessing and supporting by witnessing. This is a long answer to say that baking a cake for a wedding is not comparable to officiating or attending a wedding as a supporting witness.  Baking a cake or tailoring a suit or putting gas in a car that takes a gay couple to their wedding or working in the kitchen at a hotel hosting a gay reception are all impossibly difficult situations that have been caused by man's depravity...but I believe I am on firm theological ground by seeing these issues as highly complex matters of individual consciences.  

These are tough issues!  It is only fair that Christians be given room to openly answer these questions since so much room has been given to others to work through and answer their own questions and to legislate their conclusions. I had a ten year old (!) asking questions tonight about these issues based on things he heard in public school. Crazy times...but we must not shrink back from addressing the issues head on. We won't find ourselves aligned with Republicans or Democrats if we are looking to the Gospel for answers and responses to cultural issues. We should not be choosing the "lesser of two evils" and we should be wary of those who give lip service to these positions. Charles Spurgeon said, "of two evils choose neither." We will be quite alone, odd, and in the minority. I already know I am in the minority, even among evangelical pastors, when it comes to my approach to these cultural issues. I am sure there are areas where I am wrong...there was only one perfect pastor...and we nailed him to a cross. 

I believe these are incredibly exciting days to be a Christian.  There are wonderful opportunities for the church to stand firm, but to offer the hope of the Gospel.  Our response should be Jesus' response to the woman caught in adultery in John 8, "I do not condemn you...go and sin no more." 

Gospel and Culture Series...First Installment

Our culture has rapidly shifted. Many sociologists believe that we are experiencing a 500 year seismic shift that hasn't happened since the Reformation. Marriage equality, gender issues, drug legalization, assisted suicide, police/criminal justice, climate change debates, just and unjust wars, debates over religious freedoms, race-related tensions, terrorism, gun control debates, late term abortion, immigration, universal healthcare, and God and Science are issues bombarding Christians and our children. How should we respond to these issues? With silence? With peacemaking? With love? With posts on social media? With acceptance and compromise? By parroting our favorite political talk show host or politician? 

The Gospel and Culture series was born out of a conviction that Gospel centered reflection is missing from the conversation regarding the cultural shift we are experiencing. The lack of Gospel reflection and application to these issues is bearing devastating fruit...even among many Christian families. Join Senior Pastor Chuck L. Betters this Sunday at 10:30 for the first installment of the Gospel and Culture Series.

Mexico, Men's Breakfast, Red Lion Graduation, Baptist Pastors

A huge thank you to all who showed up after church for lunch, and supported the teens who are going to Mexico on a mission trip. They raised over $2000.00! What a great day at Glasgow Church. Randy and the choir...that was probably the best ever. What an awesome weekend we have had. We had the Red Lion Graduation on Friday night and Pastor George W. Tuten III from Liberty Baptist was the keynote speaker--he knocked it out of the park. We had a men's breakfast Saturday morning and Pastor Dan MacDonald, David MacDonald's Dad brought the word to us and he knocked it out of the park as well. Two Baptist Pastors in one weekend at a Presbyterian Church. Ecumenism at its best.

Mexico Mission Trip

This summer, 32 of our teens and leaders will be traveling to Mexico for a week long mission trip to an orphanage. This kind of trip is a huge undertaking for everyone involved, but from the beginning stages to years after, these trips have a lasting impact that is beyond words.

Tomorrow, after the worship service, we will be hosting a Mexico-themed luncheon in the family life center in order to help raise the funds needed to make this trip happen. We will be having authentic Mexican food homemade by the team which can be eaten in or taken to go:

Empanadas $3.00
Tacos 2.00
Fajitas 2.00
Drinks/Corn/Watermelon 1.00 

These types of events are always great times of fellowship. We will also be having face painting for kids! Your support means a lot to all of us as we push ahead to make this trip happen. We hope many of you will stay for a few minutes after church and get some good food for a great cause.

Valium and Classical Music

I'm so thankful for the gift of classical music. A study was done that showed listening to 30 minutes of classical music is like taking a 5mg Valium. I think the reason why musicians and artists are so different, almost alien-like, is because they tap into a subconscious part of them....this video, along with the Psalms, has sustained me this past week. This was the first Concerto I ever played and I never went back to it, but I think I will. The slow movement (11:30) is probably the most beautiful slow movement of Mozart. If from 16:00--18:00 doesn't cause your soul to stir...I don't know, I guess everyone is different. I know these two guys may seem bizarre to some (the pianist probably belongs in another century)...but they have tapped into something very deep in the human experience. So much of music is passionless and dry because people don't take risks and don't want to put themselves out there. The conductor, Sándor Végh, died in the 90s, and is known as one of the great ensemble players of the 20th century. The Romanian pianist, Radu Lupu, is a recluse who won the three major piano competitions. In a rare interview, he said, "Everyone tells a story differently, and that story should be told compellingly and spontaneously. If it is not compelling and convincing, it is without value." Just put this video on repeat and thank me next week!

Mozart Piano Concerto Number 23, A Major

The Evil Mets, Mollie, and a Taste of Glasgow

I get to have dinner with Darryl Strawberry tonight. That man could hit a baseball. Used to kill the Phillies. I get to hear Natalie Grace Wilson play. I get to hear Randy Voight and Katie Eileen and our choir sing and Stephanie Merkel play. I get to be blessed by my parents Sharon Betters and Chuck Betters ministry in memory of my brother. See a bunch of great friends. Tomorrow I get to take Mollie to a volleyball tournament and hang out where I am just one of the Dads. Tomorrow night is the GCA prom. Sunday morning is worship...I feel that the Holy Spirit gave me a very clear message yesterday to deliver on Sunday, that I think will encourage people in their faith. Sunday evening is our second "Taste of Glasgow". The first one resulted in several young families hearing about our church and coming to the church. Every day is a new blessing. And...Denis Woltemate's fertilizer plan worked! It looks like a green carpet! 

This morning I preached on Mark 5 which covers the grace and mercy Jesus showed to three people...the demon possessed man, a woman who had a blood disease for 12 years, and to the father of a dead 12 year old little girl. 

As I was preaching, I was wondering how relatable the whole thing was. How is grace relatable? I thought...surely there is something I can tell people "to do." Surely it is not as simple as grace. There has to be limits and conditions to grace, right? Even though practically all of our songs are about the love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and our sufficiency in Christ alone...certainly in the "real world" that is just not the way it works. 

Maybe that is because grace comes from another world. To add the descriptors, "limitless" and "unconditional" to the word grace is redundant because the grace of God, by theological definition, is already those things. Thankfully for all of us, God's grace doesn't have a ceiling. 

After I greet people at the door after church, I usually have a question/answer/hang out time back in our conference room...today I believe God sent me three people (one on the way to the room, and two in the room)...a precious woman whose daughter is serving a life sentence in prison, an older woman who has all kinds of health problems, including a blood disorder, she has spent all her money, and regardless of all the help that many at church and doctors have been to her, she is basically destitute and hopeless, and a father who buried his little girl last week. It was uncanny how God dramatized my sermon right before my eyes.

I can pray with them, I can listen to them, I can speak encouragement into their lives, I can be there for them, I can marvel at their moments of joy and strength, but like the three in Mark 5, their only real, tangible and lasting hope is the grace of God in Jesus. 

It sounds esoteric and impractical to say that...how does grace help a parent whose child is in prison? It doesn't get the child out of prison. It doesn't give them Thanksgiving dinners together or give them grand-children. How does grace help a lonely older woman who can't catch a break? People can help out but it is never really enough to soothe the pain and fear that can come with older age...it gets worse not better. What does grace have to do with a parent who has lost a child? Parents aren't supposed to bury their children and the pain doesn't end. How does grace help in that situation? In fact, how does preaching Jesus help in these real life situations? 

Perhaps the healings of Mark 5 are a taste of what is to come in Heaven. The woman's tormented daughter will be free of her prison, the older sickly woman, who just can't find her way, will be whole again, and the Daddy will be reunited with his little girl. One day. Jesus brought Heaven to Earth for a time. The Kingdom of Heaven broke in to this world and he "healed them all." (Matthew 12: 15). 

I am reminded of Question 1 from the Heidelberg Catechism...

What is your only comfort in life and death?

That I, with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, wherefore by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.