Proposition 8 and the Gay Marriage Debate

Written by Christopher Neiswonger | 09 August 2010

Americans can be very slow to understand the negative effects of assuming a “right” that corresponds to every want.  This was true when slave owners led the South by mob, crowing continually about their God given rights to their “property”.  This was true in regard to the civil rights movement when people powerfully proclaimed their right to separate schools, separate restaurants and separate portions of buses, their claim being that they had a right to be separate.  The supposed right was illusory and harmful to the community, all true rights being for the community’s good.

When the argument is made that there is no reasonable relationship between marriage and gender, while only corresponding genders produce children and gendered pairs are the primary environment for the social, educational, and physical well being of children it might seem that some are willfully ignoring unavoidable facts of human experience.

There is no need for one to be a Christian, nor even particularly religious to question the nature of the human rights claims made in the recent decision by federal Judge Vaughn Walker regarding Proposition 8.  The European Court of Human Rights recently maintained a unanimous decision against the categorization of Gay Marriage as a Universal Human Right.  Judge Walker re-classifying Gay Marriage as a “fundamental right” is in essence making that claim; that there is an implied but until now secret right hidden in the nooks and crannies of the Constitution.  I guess it’s possible, but whoever makes that kind of a claim should understand that it is contingent upon them to make very powerful arguments in their favor.  Here, and this is in being as charitable as possible, these are sorely lacking.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Come Back To Life

Written by Kent Moorlach | 05 July 2010

Hidden in a time of war, found in a time of war -- The Dead Sea Scrolls continue to be a battleground for Biblical scholarship today! Do these ancient scrolls confirm or deny the reliability of the Old Testament manuscripts copied over and over again? Do they help us to understand the historical context for the New Testament? Should these scrolls become additional books to the Bible? Have all the scrolls and fragments been open to the scrutiny of all scholars - or has their information been suppressed?

All of these questions, and more, are on the table as we discuss the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Join guest host, Kent Moorlach (Teaching Elder at Communion Presbyterian Church, Irvine) Lindsay Brooks (Staff Apologists with Apologetics.com) and Dr. Tim Finlay (Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Azusa Pacific University) as we discuss the history, scholarship, and theology of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Sacrifice and the Christian Life

Written by Dean Donald McConnell | 31 May 2010

Over the memorial weekend we take time honor those who sacrifice to defend our freedoms. These men and women choose to protect and defend others even over their own safety. This idea of sacrifice runs all through Christianity. From the Old Testament sacrifices, to the sacrifices made by Christ in taking on flesh and being obedient even unto death. It is in Christ's example that the Christian is to model his or her life. For scripture tells us in 1 Peter 4:1 "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking?