Spine, Spunk, and Stiff Love.
Readership: All
Theme: Glory
Author’s Note: This essay was submitted by Rock Kitaro, author of Stage in the Sky, on 2023/3/11. Edited with section titles and images added by Jack.
Length: 1,300 words
Reading Time: 6.5 minutes + 2 videos totaling 10:36 minutes
Introduction
First, I want to thank Jack for reaching out by asking me to write a post on Glory.
I spoke to several church members about Glory and what it means to glorify God, and there seems to be so many ways to do so. So I decided to go with the route of glorifying God by holding up His moral laws. In this post, I’ll tell you four ways to do this.
- Take A Stand
- Overcome Fear and Shame
- Draw the Line on the Unacceptable
- Raise the Bar on Commitment
1. Take A Stand
Jack said I’m like the John the Baptist of the Black Community. It’s funny, but I guess it’s true. Ever since I started Stage in the Sky, I’ve felt like I’m the lone voice calling out in the spiritual wilderness of Black content creators. “Repent of your sins!” (Matthew 3; Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:1-14) I’ve never had a large following with this message, but things in the hood have been changing as of late. Let me tell you what I’m talking about.
In this five-minute video, Rev. Calvin Robinson eloquently breaks down the sin of homosexuality, sexual immorality, and why we as Christians shouldn’t bow down to the ways of the world.
Christianity Commons: Why Christians shouldn’t bow to “homosexual marriage” (2023/2/23) Length: 5:00
When I saw that video (and having Jack’s proposed theme in mind)… I saw an awesome example of how we can glorify God. It reminds me of Stephen in the Book of Acts. It reminds me of what Jesus taught in Luke Chapter 12. Starting in verse 11, Jesus says:
“11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Luke 12:11-12 (ESV)
Do not be anxious about how to defend yourself or what to say. The Holy Spirit will essentially give you the words to say in that very moment.
That video was released over 2 weeks ago and it has already received over 2 million views and 17,000 comments! You can tell there is a great hunger, a great need for Truth. The people are lost, scattered sheep. The fields are ripe. Jesus commanded us to go forth and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20). That won’t happen if we don’t take a stand for Christ and God’s Word.
2. Overcome Fear and Shame
Yes! We need to take a stand like Rev. Robinson has done. But we can’t do that if we’re afraid to tell the truth.
That being said, the fear is understandable. Satan has done a bang up job of giving such power to words like B!got, Intolerant, H0m0ph0be, R@c!st, Sex!st, and Toxic. Nevertheless, until we get to the Kingdom of Heaven we have to survive in this world. We have to work and provide for ourselves and our families. If speaking the Word of God means we get fired, it’s definitely understandable why many would fear glorifying God by speaking the truth.
But remember, Jesus Christ told us that the greatest commandment is to love your God with all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength (Mark 12:30). Sometimes a demonstration of love is what we’re willing to sacrifice. Can we love God and make him number one in our lives while still embracing the things that God disapproves of? Even if you’re just pretending to go along with the world… Is that glory?
Recall Christ’s words,
“whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Luke 9:26 (ESV)
In a recent post I made about the Acceptance of Baby Momma culture, I had a commenter criticize me for making the video. Throughout her rant, her main issue was, “So? What is it to you? It’s none of your business. Why do you care? That’s their decision! It’s not your problem!”
I could have backed down and taken the stance that is now so common among conservative Christians. “You do your thing. I’ll do mine. (And please leave me alone!)” But instead, I responded with, “I care because I’m Christian.” The second Greatest Commandment Christ taught was to love our fellow neighbor. When you love someone, you don’t just sit back and say nothing as you watch a generation of your peers rushing head-long into danger.
3. Draw the Line on the Unacceptable
More honestly, people like me speak up because we see the mass saturation of stupid, wicked, and immoral advice that’s constantly sprayed out via commercials, music, and social media. How many times have we heard from the secular world:
“Keep your religion to yourself! What if we don’t believe what you believe! Why don’t you guys just ignore these things and let people live however they want? It’s none of your d@mn business!”
It’s the Progressive Left’s version of, “You do your thing. I’ll do mine. (And please leave me alone!)” And yet these same people have no problem flaunting their lifestyles and personal beliefs, and forcing others to acquiesce to their demands, regardless of whether or not God-fearing Christians agree with them.
Sexual immorality. Drag Queen Story hour. The Breakdown of Gender Roles. Gender C0nvers!on. Hyped Up Feeel Good Humanitarianism (i.e. human idolatry). Pride Parades. Self-Love. Sex positivity. S1ut Walks. Or even amoral ideologies in law (No Fault Divorce, Duluth, Widespread Abortion and Birth Control, Euth@nas!a), politics (unfettered immigration), medicine (v@xx mandates), mainstream religions, r@c!al beliefs, and special interest movements, whether it’s with BeeEllEm or Feminism. And the list keeps growing every year…
All of this is unacceptable!!!
But the moment you bring God’s Word into it, we’re expected to keep it to ourselves. And of course, we all know why. Don’t we. The moment you bring God’s Word into it, their issue is no longer with you. They’re now faced with the undeniable choice of accepting God’s Word or rejecting it. That’s why they get livid in debates and say things like, “I don’t want to know what the Bible says. I want to know what you say!” AS IF a Christian’s personal views would be any different from what the Bible preaches. Obviously, it’s a set up designed to dig up your doubts, separate you from God’s Word, and hook you into their false rhetoric.
It’s long past time we opened our eyes to what is going on. We need to draw the line like Jason Whitlock does in this video on D!$ney’s R@c!al Pride propaganda where he calls it out for the idolatry that it is.
4. Raise the Bar on Commitment
I call upon others to glorify God not just when it’s convenient, not just when it’s safe… but every chance you get to help save the life of another. Especially in moments where you see Satan’s minions hard at work trying to corrupt those around you. Don’t give in to apathy or fear! (Jude 1:17-23)
This is a bit of dark comedy, but it reminds me of when people say, “The only way to stop an active shooter is with another shooter.” That’s how I feel when I see someone spreading Satanic influence. The only way to combat that is with God’s Word.
I encourage everyone to pray and ask for God to bless you with His Holy Spirit, to say the right words, to say it with love and kindness, and to exercise wisdom, to know when it’s a trap, and to recognize that very often, your real audience isn’t the person you’re speaking to. It’s those who happened to be listening in on the conversation (c.f. John 12:28-30).
Related
- Σ Frame: Understanding Temptation (2009/12/21)
- Σ Frame: The Nature of Evangelism (2010/3/28)
- Dalrock: Christian denial and institutional resistance to change. (2012/9/29)
- Σ Frame: Why Do Men Need Visions and Dreams? (2018/5/15)
- Σ Frame: Entering Manhood (2021/6/18)
- Σ Frame: Rethinking Rites of Passage From a Biblical Perspective (2021/7/12)
- Σ Frame: Determination and Detachment (2022/4/2)
Σ Frame 
Hold on. No fault divorce? If a couple can’t make it together isn’t it better for them to part ways amicably rather than fabricate lies about each other just in order to obtain a divorce? Sure, there are some cases where couples could have been fine if they would’ve just waited it out, but there are many who are truly incompatible with each other.
Birth control? Really? How are couples supposed to limit and space out children unless they use some form of birth control? If a couple only intends to have 3 children and the wife gets pregnant after the first try for each, are you suggesting they only have sex 3 times total during the entire marriage?
Euthanas1a? After seeing my grandmother suffer greatly the last 2 years of her life, I’m for it in those circumstances. If it becomes legal before I get old and if I’m in her condition, I’m going for it.
But I will agree that these are amoral. I think the word you wanted to use though is immoral.
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I am not sure that I am up to Rock’s level of moral courage, but here goes.
No fault divorce is an unmitigated evil. One, usually the woman can just walk out and continue to claim the resources of her ex-husband, no matter how he feels, no matter how much he is willing to make it work. No fault divorce is probably the major factor that has perverted and corrupted marriage. We Christians should not be surprised that gays and lesbian claim ‘marriage rights’ to an institution that we have perverted and corrupted.
Birth control is sinful, but there always ways to do it even if the chemical, mechanical, and surgical means of birth control are prohibited. It needs to be legal, but remains sinful.
Euthanasia is a sin that cries to Heaven for justice. You, AMD, want that option if you are suffering. What that means is that you are too gutless to do it yourself, and want someone to do it to you to escape the guilt and messiness of killing yourself. If you ever avail yourself of the legal option of euthanasia you will not escape the guilt when you find yourself before the Throne of Justice at the time of your death.
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I’m aware some Christian sects teach this but it’s not the majority “ruling”. Majority has nothing to do with whether something is actually sinful or not, obviously, but there is no evidence for using it being sinful, much less not using it and just refraining from attempting to impregnate one’s wife. “Onanism” has so many definitions now that its ridiculous. Some even claim it’s masturbation.
Alimony is reserved for the wealthy. The average middle class divorced man isn’t paying it anymore, generally speaking.
Euthanas1a is controversial, obviously, and a gray area. I just saw too much suffering to believe that letting someone go through it, especially in old age when they are begging to die, is a worse sin.
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You are dumber than a box of rocks.
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@RICanuck
At the very least there should be no subsidies at all for birth control.
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At least the Man should marry when he could afford a family and not before since he is the Primary Breadwinner. Plus they must be willing to be a minimalistic as possible.
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Primary Breadwinner is what got men paying alimony in the first place. It’s better when both have their own finances in order.
Minimalism is great but that’s just another thing that has to be worked out and agreed upon during the dating stage, the early part of it, even before it. Minimalists should just seek each other out. There’s no guarantee that a non-minimalist will ever change. If you meet a great woman and she checks all boxes but is not a minimalist, pass her by.
So that’s yet another thing that is going to shrink the dating pool. Good luck!
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@Aaron
So being punished as a Traditional Family delegitimizes it. Obeying God to be punished for it doesn’t actually.
Nope. Its the law that has to change.
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Traditional family? If you mean wife not working outside the home, most women throughout history had to, only the very upper classes did not. Women working outside the home has been the traditional norm since time immemorial. We already settled this on a previous thread.
If one can afford for his wife not to work, great! But remember, alimony is so such a woman with no money of her own and no work history can stay off the streets in case of divorce.
Even Sharia law has some sort of arrangement and I’m assuming that ancient Hebrew law must’ve had something has well.
Nobody enters marriage thinking they’re going to divorce but divorce is also something that’s been around since time immemorial.
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I saw the thread. It wasn’t settled at all. Meanwhile:
The Joyful Patriarchy Wife: “Keepers at Home” (2022/1/15)
Proverbs 31 would be the prooftext for your view. But that makes no difference with the fact that the Husband is still the Primary Breadwinner not the Sole Breadwinner.
A home-based business isn’t incompatible with the dictim to be “Keepers at Home”. But your arguments do militate against that also.
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@Aaron
Punishing Traditional Relationships. Said reasoning doesn’t work in reality:
Dalrock: The Gospel of Child Support (2018/1/18)
Dalrock: You better do as she says or she’ll take away your kids (2019/8/28)
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@Aaron MacDonald
Weaving was Women’s work. And was part of a Household economy. That’s how it works out with being “Keepers at home”.
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If a home based business is lucrative, great. Many are not.
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@Aaron
Read my comment again about Husbands being primary breadwinners.
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Women are %60 of college graduates and %97 of child support receivers. They have graduated at higher rates than men for 40 years. At this point, it’s easy to see women will never give up that cash and it will never b fair. 6 fig women are not hard to come by. My ex made that and they sent me into poverty paying her after divorce.
Yet we still hear the trope: “If they had better jobs, us men would b in the clear.” I’ve done the research into the cases and women who make more money get better post divorce prizes. 2 women in my state, recent cases, licensed practicing doctors, 6 figs+ received alimony. Both married other doctors who made more $$$. After alimony and CS, the man had less than her. When they give alimony to practicing MD’s, the show is over. It was never about equality. It’s a deliberate plan. Sadly, only 1 way to win.
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@info,
Many families need both parents working and contributing more or less equally in order to get by.
@locustsplease,
That makes sense in light of what I said. Alimony is for wealthy people. The lower-middle to lower class divorced men I know are not paying any alimony.
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Women being keepers of the home isn’t a lesser contribution than the Husband as Primary Breadwinner.
You believe that childcare done by mothers and keeping the house isn’t work.
When people actually pay for daycare with real $. But in-house childcare actually is saving on the $.
You also believe Men and Women must be equal in order for the relationship to work. False on all counts.
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As it is written:
As it is written:
And again, as it is written:
Why must divinely revealed truths be such matters of debate? The Lord knows all circumstances, and in His wisdom he declares what is right and just.
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Onan’s story has nothing to do with birth control.
“Onanism” has so many definitions now that its ridiculous. Some even claim it’s masturbation.
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If I am understanding you correctly, you claim a requirement for SPECIFIC reasons for divorce will cause people to fabricate LIES to obtain divorce. Therefore it is preferable to have a No Fault option so that people should be able to walk away amicably from each other if things do not work out — NO SPECIFIC REASON REQUIRED. If that is the case, you just described a live in relationship, NOT a marriage.
Marriage makes sense only if you believe in marital VOWS. People who do not believe in marital vows or who do not believe they have the CAPACITY to keep marital vows should not get married. To keep marital vows requires CHARACTER not COMPATABILITY. A person’s character is entirely their CHOICE.
Questions — What circumstances exactly? Is there a scale by which you measure suffering? Who gets to decide how much suffering is too much? The patient? How does one determine the patient is mentally capable of making such a decision? When people contemplate suicide does one help them or does one stop them? When does one decide it is appropriate to help them and when does one decide it is appropriate to kill them? Who is an appropriate person to make this decision? The doctor? How does he decide when to give care to patient and when to kill him and at what point does that change? Also, why waste money on medical research or treatment? Just kill them all and put them out of their misery.
In case it was missed… the theme of this post is Glorifying God through the courage of upholding HIS moral laws!!!!
Which brings me to my final question — How do you think no fault divorce, euth@nas!a, and all issues you mentioned (celibacy in marriage?????) translates to GLORIFYING GOD by upholding HIS moral laws? Unless they do NOT!
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They do. Here’s how.
I’ll start with the easiest. Marital celibacy. Jesus was celibate and told his followers to give up their belongings and “follow me”. They lived like renunciates and the first generation of Christians after him lived like renunciates. This doesn’t mean none of them got married but they lived with temperance as married couples. You wouldn’t hear any of them shameless enough to give sexually explicit “sermons” from the pulpit like you here in today’s sex obsessed church. A responsible couple today will determine how many kids they can afford and either go forth with a sexually disciplined lifestyle where they have sex for procreation ONLY and abstain otherwise, or they will have to use birth control methods. A godly marriage is based on so much more than sex and Christians have to be willing to be sexually disciplined in one or another.
No fault divorce. It’s sad but sometimes it happens that two people just can’t get along or make a life together. Sometimes they try everything to make it work, and sometimes even more religion can’t make it work. Rather than have a miserable marriage where God is not being glorified through a loving union it glorifies God more to separate and wish them God’s blessings. They can then go on to lead lives that truly glorify God either single or with a blessed second marriage.
Euthans1a is controversial but having seen what my Grandmother went through and how she died in agony I would have rather she been assisted to pass when she was lucid and free of at least enough pain to be praying, reciting passages from the Bible and remembering Christ. If an old, sick, and painful person is going to die soon anyway, better to have it planned so that it can be set up that she is with family and pastor or Church people around her and she is conscious of the prayers being prayed, hymns being sung, etc. She can pass glorifying God rather than alone and suffering out of her mind.
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Insanitybytes is a marital celibacy advocate (as was Kate Minter, IB could not applaud loudly enough for that weird writeup).
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The evidence is mounting.
Marital celibacy?!? Is that an oxymoron intended as a joke? Or is that code for sex denial / marital fraud? Or a well thought out evasion tactic? Or is it a Christianized version of the argument that Irresponsible Ejaculation Causes Abortion? Whatever it is, it stinks of female hypoagency.
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If anyone recalls, my first comment on this thread was in favor of marital use of birth control, not necessarily marital celibacy. I’m simply pointing out the hypocrisy between today’s oversexed and pornified “church” that preaches marital sex all day everyday, along with middle class upward mobility — while preaching against birth control methods.
You can’t have it all, entitled Christians. Somethings gotta give somewhere. So either you use birth control and keep your number of kids to what you can afford, or you practice celibacy in marriage.
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@ Jack, how else do you suggest fertile couples space and limit their children if not birth control or marital celibacy? Remember now, NFP, that is Natural Family Planning, is controversial in the Catholic Church (as well as some other denominations), and is NOT supposed to be used as “natural” birth control. In Catholic doctrine NFP is to be used only under certain mitigating circumstances.
The young lady in this video talks about how NFP is NOT Christian birth control and should NOT be used under usual circumstances (according to Catholicsm).
He talks about some of the pros and cons of NFP and how it requires sexual discipline and chastity (celibacy) within marriage and how this can be more or less difficult for different individuals depending on how well they are attuned to Christ-like temperance.
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Cons of NFP
Tracking and charting, all the time, manually or via apps. This lady’s husband does the charting for her. She already has two kids and is a caregiver for her autistic brother and ON TOP of all that has to track…
Her temperature
Her hormone levels
Her cervical mucus
Regular ovulation testing
What nobody talks about: When a woman’s body is the MOST primed for sex, the OVULATION phase, is when she has to abstain. When her body is the least primed for sex, the LUTEAL phase (PMS, people) is when she is allowed to indulge – using NFP.
It’s hard to abstain when she most craves it but there is some compensation because NFP has increased communication between her and her husband resulting in more “emotional intimacy”.
Does that sound palatable to you guys? You can’t have sex with your wife when she MOST DESIRES YOU, but you can look forward to increased “communication” and “emotional intimacy”.
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InsanityBytes is all against healthy passionate sex within marriage. And the inherent connection between that and reproduction.
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Sounds like someone who’s never experienced healthy passionate sex within marriage and is envious of those who have.
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@Oscar
Evil is revealed also by its opposition to Genuine Good like the legitimate pleasures God gave us to enjoy. God’s curse applies to those as much as those who call evil good (Isaiah 5:20).
The hand of Satan exists just as much in regards to frigidity within marriage as promiscuous sex outside marriage. Anything but God’s Goodness.
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We do well to heed Jesus in how he avoided the word traps his enemies made for him in public. In order to ruin his reputation. We aren’t dealing with honest inquiries from them:
In ancient Israel honest inquiries occurs in private settings. Like with Nicodemus (John 3).
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Disagree though with @InspiringPhilosophy about the lack of internal moral compass of Ancients given written elsewhere people even Pagans had God’s Law even though distorted written in their hearts (Romans 2:15).
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Hahahaha! Thanks Jack. The post looks amazing. But I do have to point out this part:
Much love and respect, and I appreciate the compliments, but I don’t recall those being my words. Hahaha! If I did ever say that in the past, I think I’d be a bit embarrassed to say that out loud as I am today.
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Rock,
Yes, that bit is my own addition (“Jack said…”). Although you may have never said the subsequent sentences in those words, that’s the impression I get from reading your writings at Stage in the Sky — a Christian Maverick. Readers are welcome to agree or disagree.
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Great post, brother.
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But… but… but… You don’t understand the meaning of the word “emergency”!
Baby mama culture is not your problem…. until some baby mama’s son mugs you, or worse. Not to mention that you’re involuntarily supporting baby mamas by proxy.
We tried “live and let live”. It got us where we are now.
But yes, your answer — “I care because I’m a Christian.” — gets to the heart of the issue.
As for no-fault divorce, you’re right, it should not exist. The one who violates the marriage covenant should forfeit everything — the kids, the house, the cars, the accounts — everything.
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A buddy of mine who grew up Catholic said he always thought Catholics were supposed to only have sex when they specifically wanted a child. Other than that, celibacy within marriage was required. This didn’t sound right to me at the time but I suppose it makes sense if birth control is deemed sinful. When you consider that Christ was a lifelong celibate and the early Christians were renunciates, maybe that IS what married Christians are supposed to be — celibate — unless specifically planning a child.
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Then your buddy turned 11, had a basic biology class, and learned that female mammals are only fertile when they ovulate, which isn’t all the time? (Yes, I’m supposed to be off social media. My bad. This was too stupid to let go.)
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Makes sense then that it would have been an old Catholic / Christian teaching, before modern science’s knowledge about the female reproductive system and cycles. I suppose now with all the high tech ovulation tracking devises out there, more women can track their cycles more accurately but how many people around the world even know about this today?
Maybe the Catholic Church is onto something with this celibacy in marriage idea, provided that’s what they even teach. I’m not Catholic so I don’t know. But I do know Catholic couples who do use birth control.
What’s bizarre is pastors preaching from the pulpit that married couples should be having sex, lots and lots of sex, and at the same time preaching no birth control.
Celibacy within marriage may sound harsh, but it would be more in line with Christ’s teachings and own example than being obsessed with sex.
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That’s not bizarre at all, since having children is the natural God ordained purpose of and direct result of coital consummation. Your viewpoint indicates that you don’t see children as a blessing from God (Psalm 127:3), or that you’re afraid of the responsibilities of having children, or that you don’t believe a Christian woman’s body and reproductive potential belongs to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and to her husband (1 Corinthians 7:4).
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Natural family planning goes long, long back. And I don’t really believe your “buddy” said this. I think you’re just trolling.
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Long, long back? How long back? Not too long ago lots of Catholics used to have lots of kids, too many for what most of them could afford so I don’t think it went back too far. And even now in Latin America, the last Catholic stronghold, poor people still have more kids than they can afford so NFP is obviously not a universal Catholic practice.
The Church teaching sex is only for procreation is apparently a thing, or at least some people think it is. And if it’s not a thing, maybe it should be.
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@ Jack, people have to be financially responsible for their children. Sexually undisciplined couples who have lots of sex with no method of birth control whatsoever are irresponsible. We rarely meet people in this country with more than 3 kids anymore but there was a time when people, poor people at that, were having 9,10,11 and more kids. There are still places around the world where people are having that many and are dirt poor.
This is a good thing in your eyes? Bringing children into abject poverty because of a lack of birth control methods or a lack of sexual discipline?
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Am I the only one noticing the inconsistencies in the story here?
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What inconsistencies? Where are you living and what are your social circles where the majority of people you meet with kids, have over 3? Utah?
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Single moms have more kids than they can afford. That’s why they’re on the govt payroll. Married people don’t have more kids than they can afford, and they are paying for them on their own. The single moms are nailing it and the married couple is failing?
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This is an excellent article; with some trepidation suggest a follow up…. Holding the line is good, but at some point someone is going to have to walk out past the line and meet the enemy head on. How do we prepare, and then how do we do this? I am actively trying to do this in my own life right now (see my posts on public education), and I am open to suggestions.
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40 comments, 15 of them from AMD, contributing nothing except a target.
Defense of euthanasia, no fault divorce, claiming to know no families with children over 3, spreading falsehoods about Catholic doctrine, claiming to know of churches where pastors speak of nothing but marital sex, sneering at third world parents of large families, on top of all that there are constant changes of topic.
This is the first time I have laid into another commenter, here or any other Christian manosphere site.
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Rock’s point #3: Draw the Line on the Unacceptable
Commenter “Aaron MacDonald” has been placed on moderation because of violations to the comment policy. Violations are as follows.
1– Comments are grossly off topic.
3– Attempting to introduce red herrings and take over the conversation.
5– False statements, including lies about identity, logical inconsistencies, Gaslighting, and defense of amorality.
8– Trolling.
“Aaron MacDonald” is believed to be the same person as “GrifterShifter” who commented back in late January, and InsanityBytes. Same hobby horses. Similar writing styles. Passive-aggressive behavior. Contradictory without being directly so. Bad-faith conduct.
Readers have identified her hobby horses as follows.
1– Birth Control, Family Planning, maternaphobia, tokophobia (fear of having children), etc.
2– Euth@nas!a
3– Marital Celibacy (whatever that is).
4– No Fault Divorce
5– The idea that closely-knitted Christian communities create sexual repression which leads to apostasy, illicit sex, and prostitution.
Concerning #5, I have picked this argument apart in the following posts. In summary, it is legalism that leads to apostasy, illicit sex, and prostitution — NOT Christian community.
Σ Frame: The Sin of Prioritizing Purity above Marriage (2020/1/17)
Σ Frame: Picking through the fruit of the Purity Movement (2020/4/20)
Σ Frame: Satan’s Secret Recipe for a Heretical Purity Movement (2020/6/15)
Σ Frame: Did Purity Culture Undermine Christian Identity? (2020/9/9)
For those readers who feel led to do so, let us say a collective prayer that AMD / GS / IB has awoken from her pseudo-ethical system of Power vs. Fear, repented of her sins, and has put her trust in the Lord.
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It’s sex for procreation ONLY.
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Nope. It’s for procreation and pleasure (Proverbs 5, Song of Songs). Why do you call Good evil by calling God given legitimate pleasures evil?
Pleasure isn’t inherently evil. Because God created it to be inherent connected to Good. Only sin distorts that.
By that definition, eating and drinking for pleasure and nourishment is evil.
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Those who are ashamed by past promiscuity cannot separate the association of sexual pleasure with feeling and being defiled.
Hence like Augustine they go to the other sinful extreme of condemning sexual pleasure and passionate embrace altogether becoming Manicheans and having that continue even when they have apparently converted.
I suspect h0m0sexuals are also susceptible to this extreme position also, especially when they try to turn against and repudiate sexual sin. They never knew that sexual pleasure can be clean and pure within marriage.
It’s like they only knew horribly diseased human bodies. Such that they despise all flesh.
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One of the great insights of my life came from Vox a few years ago, where he reviewed J. B. Bury’s book, A History of the Freedom of Thought. The summary is that someone is always policing the discourse. Even if you give people “free speech”, someone will always step in and create rules and boundaries. This always happens, there have been no exceptions. Once you see this, you see it everywhere.
What AMD, and whatever other aliases it has, has done is police the speech by taking our propensity to argue and sending us off course in a million different directions, distracting us from whatever topic or lesson is at hand. If someone is going to police speech, and someone always will, it might as well be us, or else we will be unable to have discourse that is beneficial to us.
“Free speech” is just trusting your enemies not to create rules that box you in. It’s fantastically stupid. Jack, this is your blog, run it how you want. But allowing people like AMD to run amok for extended periods of time benefits no one, wastes precious time, and prevents the desired discussions from happening. They have no remorse for doing so. They are bad faith actors and deserve no seat at the table, and cause more problems the more you try to reason with them, because reason is the opposite of why they’re here.
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Point taken.
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I have always known this, and yet, I am still learning this. The trolling not only detracts from the discussion, but also from our appreciation of the glory of God. And yet, God is glorified in the conflict between good and evil (something that will be covered in this week’s posts). My apologies for not acting sooner. I believe I’ve got a working system to deal with this now.
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Many rabbit trails have been started. So I shall stick to just ONE.
OK — At the risk of sounding exactly like thedeti sir (and my apologies to thedeti sir in advance — no disrespect intended), but I really TRIED and just could NOT resist the question…
Name and address of this church please????? Is it just one or are there several?
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I am making a short list (and it is indeed very short) of non-converged churches that have many healthy young families having children. If anyone knows of churches like this, please send me an email and I’ll add it to the list. I’ll publish this list as a page as soon as we get more than five.
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She can correct me if I misunderstood, but I didn’t interpret Rowena’s comment as agreement that an…
…is a healthy, non-converged church. I may be wrong and projecting my opinions onto hers. There isn’t a church preaching marital sex all day, every day, LOL.
We belong to a church with a lot of seemingly healthy young families, and lots of babies being born. Our elders don’t spend lots of time preaching about marital sex at all. As it emerges in Scripture (expository teaching is not like topical, cherry-picking preaching), a healthy intimate life between husbands and wives is strongly encouraged.
AMD seems to be of the mind that any pastor who even mentions Proverbs 5:19 (which was referenced from our church pulpit two weeks ago) is “pornifying” marriage.
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Don’t you know that no such churches exist, Elspeth?
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Thank you Elspeth for expressing what I wished to say. I am sorry that my sense of humour was misunderstood. Sigh! Will do better….
What I meant was — I have yet to hear a pastor preach, “marital sex all day everyday”. Which is why I was curious if there were pastors that did this — to the extent that the church appeared “oversexed and pornified”?
If there is, I would like to know about it. Specifically, is there a church / churches where the pastor preaches, “marital sex ALL DAY EVERYDAY”?
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On topic: Pro-Abortion Doctors Abandon Pregnant Women, Force Idaho Hospital to Close Maternity Ward (Life News)
This is how we win, but it’ll be painful in the short term. This is what requires courage.
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Re: Closing the Idaho Maternity Ward
The article doesn’t go into the Whys? But upon further examination, we can figure it out.
For one, this was a sleepy little town with very few patients to begin with. But if it closes its
MaternityAbortion ward, then that’s something worthy of national news!Secondly, doctors quit, not only because of being subject to the risk of being sued, but also because they had less work to do and that cut down their earnings. Also, it’s a lot more work to care for the health of a mother and child than it is to vacuum flush the city’s mobile urinals that come to your doorstep on their own volition.
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I say “good riddance”. This is how we win the state-level battle. Pass laws that make degenerate leftists run screaming.
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