Christians Are To Promote That Which Is Good, Not Evil

1 CommentReligion, , , ,

A_Cross_of_Candle_LightThe following is a guest post by Luke McCoy.

Many LGBT advocates often misunderstand people of faith who oppose homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Many of those advocates invoke verses like Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” (KJV) or Matthew 22:39, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” (KJV). They sometimes accuse people of faith of being hypocritical, judgmental, or lacking compassion.

However, Scripture tells Christians to do many things, one of which is to cling to what is good and abhor evil. Is it possible to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” not be judgmental, and still be against sinful activity? I believe so.

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Two-thirds of Arkansans Support New Religious Freedom Law

Religious Freedom, , ,

If you support religious freedom in Arkansas, you are not alone. Nearly two out of three likely voters in Arkansas support the state’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and more than half believe a business-owner (such as a caterer or florist) with religious objections to same-sex marriage “should be allowed to refuse to those services to same-sex couples.”

The findings are the result of a poll commissioned by Talk Business, Hendrix College, and Impact Management Group.

The poll indicates Arkansans strongly support religious liberty; in fact, less than half of Arkansans under 30 expressed that businesses ought to be required to provide “services to same-sex couples.”

What’s striking about the survey are its findings despite its wording. According to the survey’s authors, one key survey question was taken verbatim from a CNN poll conducted last spring. The question reads,

“If a business provides wedding services, such as catering or flowers, should it be allowed to refuse those services to same-sex couples for religious reasons, or be required to provide those services as it would to all other customers?”

The phrases “refuse services to same-sex couples” and “as it would to all other customers” slant the question significantly, missing the point: That this is about the impact of same-sex marriage on religious liberty.

Here is what we mean:

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The Magna Carta and Religious Liberty

Current Events, History, , ,

Today is the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta–considered by many to be the founding document of the concept of the rule of law. But an important aspect of the document’s history is being overlooked: The role the church played in its drafting.

Writing at Breakpoint, Eric Metaxas says,

“With the disagreement threatening to turn into a civil war, the Archbishop of Canterbury, working as an intermediary between the King [of England] and the barons, helped to draft a proposed charter that would settle the dispute. . . .

“Since then, virtually every opponent of despotism and tyranny in the English-speaking world has drawn inspiration from the Magna Carta, which declared, ‘To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay, right or justice.’ When the Founding Fathers complained about ‘taxation without representation,’ they were appealing to the Magna Carta.”

Listen to Metaxas’ full commentary below to learn more about this document and what it has to do with liberty today.

[audio:http://www.breakpoint.org/images/content/breakpoint/audio/2015/061515_BP.mp3]

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