Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Rev. Paul McCain: How Obama Embraced Homoerotic Unions

          The Rev. Mr. Paul McCain, a Confessional Lutheran Churchman (LCMS), offers sage, balanced, thoughtful, and important counsel for all reformational (three streams), catholic, Biblical and historic Christians.  How should one deal with a loved one, a friend, or any discussion about the matter in re: homosexuality?  Rev. McCain notes, “You will desire to keep both them [a family member, friend, etc.] and your beliefs [Biblical, Confessional commitments] close.”  These twin desires will be a challenge.  
          Rev. McCain’s blog is recommended to Confessional Anglicans.
          Here is Rev. McCain’s blog-site and post.
How President Obama Became Pro-Gay Marriage
Excellent blog post by Pastor Philip Hoppe.
Listen to his own words:
“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told Roberts in an interview to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday.
Obama become Pro-Gay marriage relationally. He knew people who were gay and wanted no longer to offend those people by denying them the rights other couples have.
He did not come to this position through biological reflection. No one discovered a hereunto unknown gene which shows that people are born genetically gay. Every male and female born today are still born with private parts that suggest the only biologically compatible relationship is that between man and woman. It remains the only relationship which can propagate the species. Nothing has changed there.
He did not come to this position after re-examining the Scriptures Christianity holds as sacred. For again, those scriptures still testify from the first book to the last that marriage and sexuality are given only to men and women. Those wish to argue otherwise are required to come to the scriptures with a Jeffersonian love for excising troublesome parts of the Book at their own discretion.
He did not come to this position historically or sociologically. The research all shows that homosexuality is not a practice that prospers societies.
Obama become Pro-Gay marriage relationally. And he is not alone. I would suggest that everyone who does not come to this position by virtue of personally embracing homosexuality as their own sexual identity comes to this position relationally. They know someone who claims homosexuality as their identity and cannot bear to stand in opposition to them.
And I do not wish to minimize this struggle for a moment. It is a dark and torturous place for anyone to be. I have experienced it personally though not as closely as many of you may have. But the fact that it is hard to stand in opposition to those we love does not make it okay to not do so.

Matthew 10:37-39 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

If you have not felt the heat of this crucible yet, you surely will. You will know someone and love someone who will choose homosexuality as their way of life. You will desire to keep both them and your beliefs close.
When it happens, do not melt away. Do the truly loving thing, stand firm, and speak the truth in love. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you may save both yourself and them.
And yet be prepared for the opposite also. For if that person does not turn after much loving counsel, the intensity of the heat will grow. Eventually it may dissolve the connection between you and them. And while that is never the intention, it is far more important that you remain connected to Christ. You must remain relationally connected to Christ. It is your life.

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