Frequently Asked Questions on R-74

Why should I vote to "Reject" R-74?

Same-sex couples ALREADY enjoy all the same rights and benefits as married couples in Washington under the domestic partnerships, “Everything But Marriage,” law from 2009. R-74 is an attempt to redefine marriage and remove the interests of children from the purpose of our marriage laws. We believe that children deserve the best opportunity to be raised by a mom and a dad, and that marriage is our best (and only) institution to encourage that result. Our opponents believe that marriage exists only to satisfy the demands of adults and that children have nothing to do with it. Furthermore, when marriage is redefined there are profound legal consequences to anyone—licensed practitioners, parents, children, and clergy—if they disagree. With over 247,000 signatures of Washington voters asking to bring the issue before the people, it is clear that Washingtonians want to preserve marriage from these activists who seek to radically redefine the institution of marriage.

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Election 2012 Part 5: Is it Wrong to Vote for the Lesser of Evils? Shouldn’t We Instead Vote for a Third Party Candidate?

(Randy Alcorn)
I’ve received many comments from those who believe that we should vote for a third party candidate. Why? Because voting between President Obama and Governor Romney involves choosing between the lesser of two evils, which means choosing evil, something no Christian should do.

First, let me say that I appreciate the vigorous exchange in the blog comments and take no offense at those who disagree with me. I appreciate it when Christians can make their arguments without painting those who disagree as stupid, less spiritual, or lacking an eternal perspective. I was very encouraged to see some asking each other’s forgiveness for what they said. Godly people land on different sides of this issue, but still love the same Jesus.  MORE

10 Questions a Pro-Choice Candidate is Never Asked by the Media

(Kingdom People, Trevin Wax) Debate moderators and reporters love to ask pro-life candidates hard questions about abortion. Curiously, they don’t do the same for pro-choice candidates.
Here are 10 questions you never hear a pro-choice candidate asked by the media:
1. You say you support a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices in regards to abortion and contraception. Are there any restrictions you would approve of?
2. In 2010, The Economist featured a cover story on “the war on girls” and the growth of “gendercide” in the world – abortion based solely on the sex of the baby. Does this phenomenon pose a problem for you or do you believe in the absolute right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy because the unborn fetus is female? MORE

50 Women You Should Know

(Christianity Today)
Christian women who want to pursue influential roles in politics, the church, and other sectors of public life in the United States and Canada have never before had more opportunities to do so. As the following profiles in our cover package show, they are taking advantage of those opportunities in spades. It's not just a golden moment for Christian women, of course, but for the entire church, as we benefit from the fruit of their manifold gifts.

Not that long ago, this cover package would have been inconceivable. But that isn't to say that Christian women had no influence in church and society before 2012. It was women who formed the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. Harriet Tubman, a Christian who escaped slavery, went on to lead an influential movement within the Underground Railroad.  MORE

Election 2012: Part 3 Which Candidate has more Christian Beliefs (and should I vote for a Mormon)

(by Randy Alcorn)
My previous blog, on religious liberties, concerned the response of Christian organizations and business owners filing suit against the Obama administration because of its demand that organizations pay for, via their insurance coverage, their employees’ surgical abortions and contraceptives (including abortifacients).
I was surprised reading my blog’s comments to hear professing Christians say that they do not believe it is an infringement of religious liberties for a Christian university, ministry or business to be required to do this. If you haven’t read that blog you may wish to. This subject has far-reaching importance. I find it difficult to understand how the administration’s demands can be seen as anything other than a fundamental violation of historic religious liberties. MORE

Why Your View of Politics May be Wrong

(by James Smith, Sr.)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- Your view of politics -- or, more specifically, the role of Christians and Christianity in politics -- is probably wrong (at least at times).

Don't be offended; my views over the years also have been wrong -- and I must continually resist being seduced by some wrong thinking about this matter.

Some readers got no further than the headline of this editorial, deciding the subject matter is of little to no interest, illustrating at least one wrong view of politics. Others aren't reading these words because they firmly believe Christians' involvement in politics is not only unnecessary, but also actually harmful to a godly life -- yet another incorrect way for Christians to assess politics.

Those faulty views and others could play a significant role this election year. With the general election just under three weeks away, this is no time for Christians to hold and propagate misunderstandings about politics and government.

A sure guide to understanding this matter is theologian Wayne Grudem and his book, "Politics According to the Bible" (Zondervan, 2010). Before explaining the biblical demands of Christian citizenship, Grudem outlines "Five Wrong Views About Christians and Government." They are: MORE

Of Babies and Beans

(Dr. Albert Mohler) Adam Gopnik is a gifted essayist and writer whose contributions, often published in The New Yorker, are almost always thoughtful and interesting. Nevertheless, one of his most recent writings is deeply disturbing, and at the deepest level.

Reflecting on the debate between Vice President Joseph Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan, Gopnik registered alarm at “something genuinely disturbing and scary” that had been said by Paul Ryan. Gopnik first complained that Biden and Ryan should not have even been asked about the role their Roman Catholic faith plays in their thinking, specifically on the issue of abortion. (MORE)

The Five Responses to the Problem of Evil

(Parchment & Pen Blog. By C Michael Patton)
This is an unedited excerpt from my upcoming book with Crossway: The Discipleship Book: Now That I Am a Christian. Chapter title: “Pain and Suffering” (book name and title tentative).

The overwhelming majority of Christians who suffer with significant doubts in their faith do so due to the pain and suffering they experience in their lives. The late Christian philosopher Ronald Nash once said that it is completely irrational to reject the Christian faith for any other reason than the problem of evil. This expresses the respect he gives to this issue. The “problem of evil” is the problem of pain and suffering. This is, indeed, a tremendous problem. C. S. Lewis, the great Christian writer, wrote a very academic book on pain, suffering, and evil called The Problem of Pain. It was a wonderful, monumental work and I recommend it without hesitation. But after he wrote this work, he experienced pain and suffering at a different level. It is one thing to evaluate something from the outside; it is quite another to personally experience it. C. S. Lewis lost his wife after a battle with cancer filled with ups and downs. It broke him and brought him to his knees, and he rested for a bit in front of God, asking painful questions which stemmed from his disillusionment. Thankfully, his whole experience is recorded in another book about pain. This one was a very personal book called A Grief Observed. In it he laid himself bare before God, expressing his confusion. I highly recommend this book as well. These are two very different works, one intellectual and one emotional, by the same person about the same subject.  MORE

‘Staying in His Lane’ — Joel Osteen’s Gospel of Affirmation Without Salvation

(Albert Mohler) Joel Osteen was back on CNN this week, appearing Thursday morning on “Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien.” Osteen’s new book, I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life, recently hit the nation’s bookstores.


Osteen’s positive thinking theology was on full display in the interview, as in the book. O’Brien asked if he really believes that speaking declarations out loud can make them come true. Osteen assured her that he does, promising that speaking positive words can bring positive results and warning that speaking negativity will bring negative results. “I don’t think there’s anything magic about it, but those words go out and come right back in and affect your own self-image.”  MORE

The Top 10 Things I need to Know About Discipleship

(Mark Howell) I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded about certain things on a regular basis. As I think through discipleship, here’s my current list of things I need to know:

1.It takes a disciple to make a disciple. While I sometimes argue that anyone can host a small group (even a non-Christian), only a disciple can make a disciple.

2.Real disciples make disciples. I think this is an important distinction. It means that if you’re not actively making disciples, you probably aren’t a disciple.

3.Disciples are rarely made in rows. From an environmental angle, a disciple is far more likely to made in a circle. After all, becoming a disciple has far less to do with digesting information (like in a class) and far more to do with spending time with those who are becoming like Him.

4.You don’t have to arrive before you begin making disciples (see Philippians 3:12-14 if you don’t believe me).  MORE 

Losing our Religion One in Five Americans now 'None"

RELIGION NEW SERVICE  BETHESDA, Md. (RNS) The number of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation has hit an all-time high -- about one in five American adults -- according to a new study released Tuesday (Oct. 9) by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

The number of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation has hit an all-time high - about one in five American adults - according to a new study, with the number of self-described atheists and agnostics hitting a peak of 6 percent of the U.S. population. Photograph taken inside a Catholic church in Kansas City, Mo. on Oct. 9, 2012. Credit: RNS photo by Sally Morrow

Labeled “nones” because they claim either no religious preference or no religion at all, their ranks have hit 46 million people. Much of the growth is among young people -- one in three U.S. adults under 30 are now considered nones.

The report also found that the number of self-described atheists and agnostics has hit a peak -- 13 million people, or 6 percent of the U.S. population. That’s a rise of 2 percentage points over five years. MORE

Great Thinkers of the World and their Warnings about Islamic Violence

(THE WASHINGTON TIMES COMMUNITIES) CHARLOTTE, October 9, 2012 – We have a tendency to think the global war with Islamic terrorism can be traced to 9/11/2001.
A little research shows that the Western world has been dealing with the complexities of the Middle East and its primary religion for hundreds of years as evidenced by the words of many of our most prominent historical figures. Here is what some of them had to say.

1: “Bolshevism combines the characteristics of the French Revolution with those of the rise of Islam. Marx has taught that Communism is fatally predestined to come about; this produces a state of mind not unlike that of the early successors of Mahommet. Among religions, Bolshevism is to be reckoned with Mohammadanism rather than with Christianity and Buddhism. Christianity and Buddhism are primarily personal religions, with mystical doctrines and a love of contemplation. Mohammedanism and Bolshevism are practical, social, unspiritual, concerned to win the empire of this world.” Bertrand Russell (1872 – 1970).  MORE