As a follow-up to this weekend’s sermon, here are several resources from our archives and around the web:
Abortion
Sanctity of Life Sunday: Testimony and Resources, Brad Hambrick. For many, the conversation about abortion evokes distinctly personal emotions. Some of you have abortion in your past, and the church wants to walk with you through the challenges of that healing process. As Brad, our Pastor of Counseling, points out here, we’re thankful for those members of our church who have experienced grace in the midst of abortion. You can see one such story in Brad’s collection of resources here. He also highlights a number of articles that help us minister to everyone involved in these abortion stories.
Nine Myths About Abortion Rights and Roe V. Wade, Kevin DeYoung. In any public debate, it’s important to get your facts straight. Unfortunately, when it comes to abortion, claims are often tossed around without much concern for the truth. DeYoung looks at nine of the most common myths about abortion and Roe v. Wade, showing the truth behind the chatter. Some of these we’ve known for a while; others were new. Don’t buy the popular myths: read on.
Pro-Life Resources in Raleigh-Durham. If you’re looking for some tangible ways to get more involved, we’ve compiled a list of organizations in the area that are doing great work for women and for the unborn. Check out some of the opportunities here in the Triangle, and get involved today.
Homosexuality
Is Your Church a Safe Place for Those with Same-sex Attraction? Brad Hambrick. “If you want your church to be a safe place for those with same-sex attraction (SSA), then step one is to realize that we already have church members who experience it. Just like those who are dealing with any other struggle, we should thank God for bringing them to our churches, and ask God to help us serve them well. This is an important starting point because it ensures we are not thinking about ‘those people’ who are ‘out there.’ This first assumption moves the rest of this post from a hypothetical to a necessity; it is no longer something that ‘would be nice if we could get to it’ but becomes a pressing need because we realize we already have friends, classmates, or colleagues who don’t feel comfortable talking to us (evidenced by the fact that they haven’t).”
Preaching Like Jesus to the LGBT Community, J.D. Greear. “The narrative our culture puts forward regarding homosexuality is that we have only two options—affirmation or alienation. Sadly, the church has far too often simply condemned and alienated those in the LGBT community. What greater lie could we tell about our Savior than to distance ourselves from others, especially at their moments of greatest hurt and vulnerability? Jesus shows us that a third response—a gospel response—is possible.”
How Should the Church Talk About Same-sex Attraction (5-Part Series), J.D. Greear. “I know that every time I talk about same-sex attraction, that there are many listening to me who have been hurt or ostracized over this issue. Parents have disowned kids who confessed same-sex attraction. That’s simply heartbreaking: at the time when they needed the constant love of a parent most, these kids instead faced rejection. Even more tragically, this rejection is sometimes done in the name of Christ. What greater lie can we tell about our Savior than to distance ourselves from the hurting and broken in the moment they would need us most?”
Racism
Justice, Dr. King, and Sanctity of Human Life, KJ Hill. We tend to think of caring for the vulnerable and promoting justice as two distinct (but equally good) things. But the biblical picture ties justice to both compassion and mercy. If we aren’t caring for the poor, the immigrant, the orphan, and the widow—what Bible scholars often call the “quartet of the vulnerable”—then we have left justice by the wayside.
Righteously Angry, Graciously Hopeful: In Light of Charlottesville, J.D. Greear. “If we aren’t bothered by ideas that consider other people sub-human, we haven’t yet understood the implications of the gospel. Allowing racism to run rampant isn’t a “social justice” issue; fundamentally, it’s a gospel issue. The church, God’s ‘Plan A’ for rescuing the world, should stand as a place of refuge for people of every color. We are one race—the human race—united under one Savior—Jesus Christ—with one problem—sin—and united with one hope—the resurrection.”
Discipling Families in a Multi-ethnic Lifestyle, Blair Waggett. “Like all of us, I am broken by the sin of racism. As I think of what a multi-ethnic lifestyle looks like in the home, my hope is that we get to a place where we, as daddies and mommies, not only push our children to understand race, ethnicity, and culture, but to respect, love, and, most importantly, value it the same way that God does—because he treasures the richness of the varied ethnicities he created. My wife and I want the little disciples in our home to say, with ease and sincerity, ‘Mom! Dad! I have a black/brown/white/Asian/Latino/Native American friend. And I love them.’ To reach that goal, here are five ideas we prioritize in our home.”
