Ask Me Anything!

[Clete]

This thread is all about giving answers to questions from a biblical worldview and so I've placed it in the "Religion" forum, but is not intended to be limited only to biblical or religious questions. As the title indicates, feel free to ask me anything you wish on any topic you want an answer about.

I've taken everyone off of my ignore list for the purposes of this thread because I do not intend to debate people here. Anyone can ask any question they like and I will answer to the best of my ability. I do not, however, promise to answer every question asked.

The first question that I'd like to answer has to do with the biblical worldview I mentioned above. There are lots of people who claim to have a biblical worldview and so, one might be thoughtful enough to ask...



Why are there so many different denominations if we all read the same Bible, and how can we know which is right?


That’s a bigger question than a lot of people realize. To answer it fully would be to write an introductory course on the field of hermeneutics, which I am not inclined to do, no one here would read anyway. Stated simply, hermeneutics is the method of interpretation that we bring to the Bible. Every denomination, whether they admit it or not, has a set of principles that guide how they read and apply Scripture. Those principles shape the doctrines that emerge.

My doctrine, and what I consider the truly biblical worldview, comes from what I would call a plain and rational reading of Scripture. By "plain", I mean that words are taken in their ordinary sense unless the text itself makes it clear we’re dealing with symbolism, figures of speech, or a weak translation. By "rational", I mean that God gave us reason and expects us to use it. Truth cannot contradict itself, so any interpretation that creates contradictions must be re-examined.

Another key point in my hermeneutic is recognizing distinctions that God Himself makes in His Word. One of the most important is the distinction between Israel and the body of Christ. Israel’s promises, covenants, and kingdom program are not the same as the mystery revealed through Paul concerning the body of Christ. If we blur that line, we end up with the very contradictions I just mentioned, which lead to confusion, and confusion is what leads to denominations multiplying.

Finally, I believe in reading the Bible with the understanding that God is personal, relational, rational, righteous, and just. He is not playing word games. When He says something, He means it. When He gives instructions, He expects us to follow them. When He makes promises, He intends to keep them.

So while we can’t untangle the entire history of denominations in one sitting, we can say this much...
The “right” way is the one that handles the Word of God carefully, consistently, and without forcing passages to say what they do not. That is the hermeneutic I’ll be using in answering other questions here.


P.S. I just went to take people off my ignore list and can't find a way to do it. Can someone help me out here?

 

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P.S. I just went to take people off my ignore list and can't find a way to do it. Can someone help me out here?

I'm not sure that there is a way to list all ignored users, but they will show up on the thread if they post.

There will be a "Show ignored content" at the bottom of the thread if someone that you've ignored posts. You can click on that and they will be seen... then you can take them off of your ignore list.

I know that's not as straightforward as you'd probably like... but it works.

 

[Clete]

Okay, so right off the bat I get to tackle what seems to me like a pretty big one. I wasn't asked the following question by anyone here on TOL but it did come up yesterday and this particular issue hits close to home for me personally because one of my daughters really had a difficult time understanding the biblical teaching on this when she was a teenager. Her soft heart just couldn't understand the harshness of the biblical teaching on this one...

Why Is Homosexuality a Sin, and What Should Our Policy, as Christians, Be Toward Homosexuals?

The issue of homosexuality is not about private feelings or personal preferences. It is not a political category or a matter of taste. It is a moral issue that cuts to the heart of what makes civilization itself possible. It is not simply one sin among many, nor is it an identity to be accepted or affirmed. It is a rebellion against nature, a rejection of design, and a pattern of behavior that, if left unchecked, leads not only to personal ruin but to societal collapse and death on a massive scale.

Why is homosexuality a sin?

Well, the Bible doesn't exactly whisper about this or tiptoe around this issue. It speaks quite plainly, in fact. In Romans 1, Paul describes homosexuality not as an isolated moral failing but as the visible consequence of a much deeper rejection. When a society refuses to retain God in its knowledge, God gives it over. Women exchange the natural use for what is against nature. Men burn in lust for one another. In other words, these things are not the first cause of societal decline, they are the results that come from a society that has detached itself from the moral foundations that civil society requires. Paul's statements in Romans 1 are a divine diagnosis of what happens when the moral foundations of a culture rot from within. It is not merely wrong; it is a sign that judgment has already begun.

At its core, sin is not just the violation of a list of rules. Sin is what destroys life, defiles what is good, and turns something that could be fruitful into something that is barren and corrupting. Goodness builds, protects, and nourishes life. Evil degrades, perverts, and kills it. Homosexuality is not sinful because it violates an abstract religious code, it's sinful because it breaks down the very structure of life. That is what makes it evil. Indeed, that is what makes it not merely evil, but criminal.

Not every sin is a crime, but every crime worth punishing by the state is a moral one. In the Old Testament, Israel was given many capital statutes, some of which were symbolic, tied to the nation’s priestly role and to the coming of the Messiah. Those have passed. What remains, however, are the moral laws that reflect God’s eternal character. These are not limited to a covenant with a particular people. They apply to all humanity and form the basis of any society that hopes to endure. Even societies that overtly reject the Judeo-Christian worldview tacitly accept its precepts in order to sustain itself, but that's a discussion for another time. For now, we're specifically discussing the Christian worldview.

Romans 1:32 is not written in the past tense. It says that those who commit such things are “deserving of death,” and that those who approve of them are equally guilty. That is not a private opinion, that is the verdict of Holy Spirit inspired Scripture, affirmed in the New Testament, well after the cross. Paul did not say, “we were all once deserving of death.” He said plainly that he did not object to dying if he had done anything worthy of death. The governing authorities, he wrote, are ministers of God to execute wrath on the evildoer, bearing not the sword in vain. The sword is not for spanking, it is for blood. Romans 13:4 is a direct New Testament endorsement of the death penalty.

To be clear, this is not a call to mob action. It is not about rage or vengeance. It is a call for lawful justice under the authority of civil government, carried out with due process, and based on objective truth. A society that refuses to punish moral crimes with the seriousness they deserve is a society that has already abandoned the concept of justice itself. Laws that are not enforced may as well not exist, and you cannot preserve your nation if you are too “nice” to confront the perversions that destroy that which the laws are there to protect.

So, what should Christians do?

The Christian is not called to take the sword into his own hand. That role belongs to the state. But that does not mean that the Christian should be silent, either. We are not ashamed of the truth, and we are not bound by the emotional blackmail of a culture that identifies compromise as compassion. Our response must be grounded in the truth of God, the standard of life, and the hope of redemption.

A just society will not celebrate perversion. It will not pretend that lies are love. It will not place tolerance above truth. It will guard its children, defend the family, and punish those who deliberately undermine the moral framework upon which all liberty depends. And the Christian should proudly advocate for such precisely because we cherish children, we love our country and we wish to defend, uphold and improve not only life but the quality of it for the whole of society.

What then should our policy be?

We must speak the truth without flinching. Homosexuality is sin. It is not an identity to be affirmed or a lifestyle to be tolerated. It is a moral crime with real consequences that go far, far beyond what happens behind closed doors in someone's bedroom. We must support laws that restrain evil and protect what is good, including laws that punish those behaviors which corrupt the body politic and poison the next generation. We must resist false mercy, the kind that spares the wicked while sacrificing the innocent. And we must remember that redemption is possible, not through affirming sin, but through repentance and truth. The Cross is still open and Christ still saves, but He saves sinners! How is a sinner going to get saved if they're being told, even by Christians, that their gross sin is "love"?

The choice before us is not between tolerance and intolerance. It is between life and death. Either we uphold a moral order grounded in creation and truth, or we descend into confusion, injustice, and decay. There is no middle ground. There is no third option. Choose life!