tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14410967.post112378046791915675..comments2023-11-05T01:57:23.149-06:00Comments on The Constructive Curmudgeon: Book Review: "Christianity on Trial"Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08766692378954258034noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14410967.post-1124063107924605672005-08-14T17:45:00.000-06:002005-08-14T17:45:00.000-06:00Mr. Groothuis:I think there are some parallels bet...Mr. Groothuis:<BR/><BR/>I think there are some parallels between these two social issues, though I acknowledge that they are not perfectly parallel. (The parallels would be stronger if it were certain that homosexuality is inborn; personally, I suspect sexual orientation is determined by a mixture of nature and nurture.)<BR/><BR/>I should perhaps clarify what I said. I don't think the Church must necessarily condone homosexuality among Christians (e.g. by ordaining homosexual ministers).<BR/><BR/>But outside of the Church — that's a different matter. Must the Church oppose homosexual marriage, for example, if solemnized by secular officials?<BR/><BR/>In generations to come, this will be perceived as another black mark on the Church's record: trying to control events outside of its relevant sphere, and attempting to deny human rights to a minority group.<BR/>Qstchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04018824090441668781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14410967.post-1123913778599641852005-08-13T00:16:00.000-06:002005-08-13T00:16:00.000-06:00Something inside of me (is it my Mennonite, "Chris...Something inside of me (is it my Mennonite, "Christ Against Culture" upbringing?) just has a hard time caring about what the world thinks about Christianity.<BR/><BR/>Certainly we're to be salt and light to this world, and in doing so it is said that our Father will be glorified. And not to do so off somewhere in a community by ourselves but living it out in the world. If we have God's kingdom ethic and substantially (not perfectly since we won't succeed) live out by the Spirit God's kingdom, surely it will make a difference for good in the world.Ted M. Gossardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10580691315315271791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14410967.post-1123897175132416512005-08-12T19:39:00.000-06:002005-08-12T19:39:00.000-06:00If the church endorses homosexual coupling, it wil...If the church endorses homosexual coupling, it will have betrayed its Christ, its calling, and its Bible. Homosexuality is a result of the fall, not of creation, and it must be treated in that light. See Romans 1:18-32. Marriage is ordained by God as defined by heterosexual monogamy. See Genesis 2 and Matthew 19.<BR/><BR/>For the record, I am egalitarian and do not want to find women restricted in ministry. But I do not put the Bible aside for this conviction; it is a biblical conviction. See two books by Rebecca Merrill Groothuis: "Women Caught in the Conflict" and "Good News for Women," as well as one she co-editted, "Discovering Biblical Equality." There is no logical connection between supporting egalitarianism and endorsing homosexual practice or coupling.Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08766692378954258034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14410967.post-1123886935784988542005-08-12T16:48:00.000-06:002005-08-12T16:48:00.000-06:00Surely we have to take a historical perspective he...Surely we have to take a historical perspective here. Whatever positive contribution we made in the past, we had better not be reactionary with respect to current social issues.<BR/><BR/>I agree, for example, that Christianity made a significant contribution to an elevation in the status of women. "There is neither … male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus", Gal. 3:28, is an extraordinary text for the first century. Acts 2:17-18 is another remarkable text.<BR/><BR/>But Western society has caught up to the Church's initial revolutionary impulses, and left the Church far behind. The Roman Catholic Church, with its opposition to female priests, is an easy target. But evangelical churches are still taking half measures as well — for example, allowing women to function as ministers only as long as they are ultimately under male oversight.<BR/><BR/>That's why it is difficult for Christians to boast about the great social advances led by the Church. It is not entirely unreasonable for people to say, "Maybe, but the Church is now an obstacle to further social progress."<BR/><BR/>Some day Christians are going to be embarrassed by our generation's rigid opposition to rights for same sex couples, just as we are currently embarrassed by the witch hunts, the Crusades, etc.<BR/>Qstchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04018824090441668781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14410967.post-1123858015486916912005-08-12T08:46:00.000-06:002005-08-12T08:46:00.000-06:00There is also How Christianity Changed the World b...There is also <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0310264499/qid=1123857385/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8629974-2452704?v=glance&s=books&n=507846" REL="nofollow">How Christianity Changed the World <BR/>by Dr. Alvin J. Schmidt</A>. It is a bit polemical at times, but it makes a good case for Christianity as an important source of much that is good in Western culure. Another older book worth a look is <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0008B2I2Y/qid=1123857683/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8629974-2452704?v=glance&s=books" REL="nofollow">England: before and after Wesley <BR/>by John Wesley Bready<BR/></A>. Bready demonstrates the decisive impact of the 18th century Great Awakening on the social transformation of England and America leading to the development of democracy and the abolition of slavery, among other things.ambrshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15058048352034683390noreply@blogger.com