University of Vermont Adds 'Gender Neutral' Bathrooms

When I read this article, I didn't know whether to scream or cry. The University of Vermont has added, as a part of recent renovations, bathrooms for transgendered individuals. Let me start out by saying that the blending of the sexes in any society is a sin against our Creator. (He is your Creator, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.) It is also a tremendous mistake when branches of the government (a state college) or other parts of society begin to accommodate such behavior.

My favorite part of the story is the quote from Annie Stevens. She is the assistant vice president for student and campus life at UVM. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she's a liberal. I know it's a reach, but I think I nailed this one.

Here is her brilliant statement: "It's about inclusivity and accessibility and the importance of meeting all people's needs, not just a few."

Keep in mind, we're talking about the need for 'gender neutral' bathrooms, not just bathrooms for men and women. Here's my question: What percentage of society is transgender? Is it 1%? 2%? I think 5% would be a ridiculously high estimation. In any case, that means at least 95% of the American population is NOT transgender. Yet Ms. Stevens believes that having separate bathrooms for men and women only meets the needs of "a few." Brilliant.

I am in awe of the lack of intelligence among those whose task it is to offer "higher education."

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Addition:

I was discussing this article with my mom and she made a great point. Ms. Stevens implied that these 'gender neutral' bathrooms were a necessity to "meeting all people's needs." My mom pointed out that having male and female bathrooms actually does meet all people's needs. Everyone is either male or female...even if they haven't figured out which one they are.

Great Post on Justification vs. Sanctification

Pastor McEntire is the author of a blog entitled Fully Persuaded Baptist. I read this blog on a regular basis. Pastor McEntire writes in a way that is extremely understandable, thorough and Biblical. He recently posted an article on the difference between the doctrines of justification and sanctification. He also comments on how these doctrines are misrepresented in mainline Christianity today. You can find this post here. Take a moment to read it. You will be edified and challenged.

A Fundamental Difference

I just read an article on Yahoo news about CNN's upcoming six-part documentary on religious fundamentalists. The documentary covers Jews, Muslims and Christians. Obviously, you can't stereotype each group by the examples studied in the documentary, but you probably will get an idea of the differences.

Personally, I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in a CNN documentary on religion. The lady overseeing the project is apparently a well known and well respected journalist. Her name is Christiane Amanpour.

You might ask why I doubt the integrity of this documentary. The answer lies in a question from Amanpour referred to in the aforementioned Yahoo news article. When interviewing a fundamental Christian, she noted that young ladies received encouragement to wear long dresses. She then asked how they were any different from the Taliban. (Of course, strict Muslims have strong dress codes for women.)

You have no idea how bad I wish Amanpour would have asked me that question. Here is the answer: Fundamental Christians don't send suicide bombers to kill masses of innocent people.

I totally understand how she could miss that one. Anyway, that kind of unintelligent question is the reason for my lack of faith in this documentary.

No Accountability

If you follow sports at all, then you've probably heard about NBA referee Tim Donaghy. He has plead guilty to gambling on and fixing NBA games. Of course, this kind of activity totally compromises the integrity of the sport. Fans who watch the game simply assume they are watching two teams play as hard as they can with the same rules applying to everyone on the court. The team that plays better wins if everything is on the level. This scandal puts doubts in the minds of fans about how level the playing field really is.

The whole situation is sickening to me as a basketball fan. However, I read a statement from Donaghy on Foxsports.com that sickened me more. He said, "I'm very sorry about what happened..." At first glance that sounds good. He's sorry. He's contrite. He wishes he never did what he did. I don't think so. If he was really sorry, he would have said, "I'm sorry for what I did." This kind of attitude is prevalent in our society. There is no accountability for his actions.

I'm sorry for what happened too, but he should be sorry on a different level. He was the one who was gambling! He was the one who was fixing games! I know that in the scope of eternity, this situation has almost no bearing at all. I just view it as a microcosm of our society.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I recently started a new job here in Oregon and one of my responsibilities is to drive to construction sites all over the west side of Portland to pick up concrete samples. While driving through Beaverton today, I drove past this sign in front of a "church." When I saw it, I had to pull over to take a picture.

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. It is a church made of Lutherans and Catholics...and they are proud of it! I don't agree with every thing Luther taught, but I have a feeling he'd roll over in his grave if he knew about this "church." Notice that they have a "Father" and a "Pastor."

You can find their website here. Here is an excerpt from their homepage: "Mission of the Atonement is a community of Roman Catholics and Lutherans. We are a single community of two traditions, with each maintaining its own identity. We respect our two traditions, while at the same time we celebrate our unity in Christ." What these people don't understand is that you can't sacrifice truth for unity. Since neither Lutherans or Catholics preach truth, I guess it's easy to see how they'd decide to just hold hands. You can also find information about a "covenant" they made with a local Islamic mosque after 9-11. It all sounds good on the surface, but understanding Bible teaching regarding end times and the False Prophet really makes this whole situation a little scary.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

If I had a dime for every time someone said I looked familiar to them, I'd be a very rich man. I guess there is someone who looks like me in every city in America. People say I look like their uncle. They say they've seen me at a Bible conference I've never been to. People confuse me with someone they know all the time.

My family recently started serving at Timberline Baptist Church in Sherwood, OR. One of the assistant pastors is a young man by the name of Jared Rhodes. He is three months older than I am. Several people have asked me if I am his brother. We both have sons who are a little more than 2 years old. My son has walked up to Jared and tried to hold his hand thinking he was me. Just this morning, Jared's son Dillon wrapped his arms around my leg only to look up and realize I wasn't his dad. It's all a case of mistaken identity. People think I am someone I am not.

To be honest, these kind of situations are getting kind of old to me. I think I'm just going to start messing with people from now on and tell them I am the person they think I am. That should be fun.

When I think about it, every Christian should experience a kind of mistaken identity.

Acts 11:26 says, "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." They were called Christians because they acted so much like Christ. People saw Christ in them.

Romans 8:29 says, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son..." God's desire for his children is that He could constantly be conforming us more and more into the image of His Son. Of course, as long as we're in this body of sin, we'll never be exactly like Him. 1 John 3:2 gives us that promise that "when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

The fact is that if we are surrendered to God and He is doing the work in our lives that He wants to do, people should be mistaking us for Somebody else all the time. That Somebody is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are You Sure You Have Something Up There?

You really HAVE to read this article! It's one of the funniest things I've seen in a while that's actually real. The picture to the left is an MRI of a man's brain. At first glance, you would think that the dark part in the middle is his brain. In fact, the gray matter pushed to the edges of the skull is his brain. The dark area is actually water. The man almost has no brain!

There is just too much room for joking here. I'm sure you're thinking of somebody you know who might have this condition (it's called the Dandy Walker complex...I'm sure Dandy Walker is really proud of that). Anyway, read the article and check out the symptoms. Are you sure you have a brain?

Appreciating the Faithful Man

For the last three years, I pastored the Mission Peak Baptist Church in Fremont, CA. Just recently, my family moved to Sherwood, OR to serve at Timberline Baptist Church. For the time being, I am working a secular job. It is the first time in over four years that I have drawn income from anything other than a ministry position.

Here is something I have learned having been back in the "regular" work force for the last two weeks: We should praise the Lord for faithful men!

Let me start by saying that the ministry is work. Hard work. The preacher doesn't just work on Sunday and play golf the rest of the week. He usually puts in 50-60 hours a week and is basically on-call 24/7. Be sure to show your appreciation for a faithful pastor.

Having pastored for three years and now going back to working a secular job, I know how valuable faithful men are to the church. There are a lot of things demanding my time right now. Even though I'm tired, there are places I need to be on certain nights of the week. I'm an ordained minister, so serving passionately and regularly kind of comes with the territory. What amazes me is how faithfully some laymen in the church serve.

There have been men like this in every church I've been a member of. They go to work five days a week. They give their Saturday to spread the gospel by going door to door. They volunteer for a prison ministry service that takes place on Saturday night. They're always there for the mid-week Bible study on Wednesday or Thursday (whenever your church might have it). They even stay after the Bible study service to pray with other men (we have our men's prayer time at 9 PM).

The men that do these things weekly never went to Bible college. They have never been called to preach or been ordained to the gospel ministry. They're just faithful men. They're leading their families in a way that glorifies God. They're doing the same for the church. The truth is, no church can survive without faithful men. I don't care who the pastor is or how structured the programs are, the church won't go forward without faithful men.

I praise God for many faithful men I have known in my Christian life. They're not perfect. Their families aren't perfect. The churches they are members of aren't perfect. Nevertheless, God is using them. Praise God for faithful men.

Dr. R-ism

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Dr. Mark Rasmussen is the Vice President of West Coast Baptist College (my alma mater) in Lancaster, CA. He is known for his very funny one liners. He came to our church in Sherwood, OR last night with the singing tour group from the college and before he started preaching, he delivered one of the best "Dr. R-ism's" I've ever heard.

He said: "Lancaster looks a lot like Sherwood...if Sherwood was hit by an atomic bomb."

If you've never been to either place, you'll find a picture of Lancaster and Sherwood above. I was still chuckling ten minutes after he said it.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everybody has a great 4th of July. Blow some things up. Spend time with friends and family. Eat some good barbecue. Most of all, don't forget to thank God for the privilege of living in the greatest country on earth.