The Eclectic Web – June 20, 2014

By Don Johnson | June 20, 2014

More on SBC: Ken Silva weighs in on the Southern Baptist non-decision we mentioned last week. This is a serious matter. Churches and Christians who have considered entering into some kind of connection with the SBC should pause, read, and consider whether the SBC is clearly a safe haven in a time of spiritual storm.

SBC AFFIRMS BIBLICAL SEXUALITY BUT NO DISCIPLINE FOR GAY-AFFIRMING SBC CHURCH

In other news:

In Kentucky, Democrat governor Steve Beshear is fighting for marriage against the assaults of those who would pervert it. We haven’t seen his argument championed a great deal, but it is welcome and accurate:

Governor says gay marriage hampers birth rate

Democratic [sic] Gov. Steve Beshear says in a new legal argument that a primary reason society encourages heterosexual marriage is the long-term economic stability that is sustained through procreation.

“Procreation is vital to continuation of the human race, and only man-woman couples can naturally procreate,” the lawyers argued. The ability to produce offspring, they said, provides “long-term economic stability through stable birth rates.”

Marriage is the foundation of human society and is a part of creation, being enacted by God prior to the fall of man. It’s perversion will lead to social collapse and a political crisis of enormous proportions.

Also in Kentucky, a court ruling defending the traditional clergy housing allowance:

Good News for Churches Worried About Losing Their Pastor’s Best Benefit to Atheist Lawsuits

The atheists attacking the exemption were rejected because they failed to show any exclusion to atheists for the exemption. According to the IRS, there is no reason that atheist organizations could not meet the requirements for religious organizations and gain the exemption for their leaders as a kind of “clergy.”

More news on the Bryan College struggles over creation and the historicity of Adam and Eve:

Bryan College Is Torn: Can Darwin and Eden Coexist?

Since Bryan College’s founding in 1930, its statement of belief, which professors have to sign as part of their employment contracts, included a 41-word section summing up the institution’s conservative views on creation and evolution, including the statement: “The origin of man was by fiat of God.” But in February, college officials decided that professors had to agree to an additional clarification declaring that Adam and Eve “are historical persons created by God in a special formative act, and not from previously existing life-forms.”

For administrators and many members of the governing board at Bryan, the new language is a buffer against what they see as a marked erosion of Christian values and beliefs across the country. But for critics, the clarification amounts to an assault on personal religious views, as well as on the college’s history and sense of community.

We can hope that orthodoxy will prevail, but note that this struggle is part of the culture-wide struggle for truth we are observing and experiencing. We should be prepared for struggle in our own communities and ministries. Success in any individual battle does not mean the struggle will be over everywhere. So watch, prepare, and stand for the truth of God’s Word.

That’s all for this edition of the Eclectic Web. If you see an article you think worthy of note in this feature, feel free to pass it along in our Comments section.

Publication of links in The Eclectic Web feature does not imply endorsement of the viewpoint or contents of any of the websites linked. The links are provided as a matter of interest to Christians.

The Eclectic Web is compiled by Don Johnson. Don Johnson is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.

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