Keeping Up

We are called to be distinctive people, who are motivated by our love for Christ and devoted to
speaking truth boldly. 1st John 2 says:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.

We deceive ourselves if we think we have to become like the world and to adopt its principles in order to somehow reach people for Christ.  That is not to say that Christians are not to look for ways to build bridges in order to share the truth of Christ.  But, if we compromise His principles in the name of being compassionate, or "tolerant," then we have to ask ourselves if we are really walking in the love of God.  We have to guard against modifying the teachings of Scripture in the name of cultural relevance.

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There is a passage in Jude that describes the cultural landscape that we encounter today and how we as believers can respond:
17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

It's really amazing how church attendance by celebrities has become such an attraction for certain media outlets.

Take, for instance, the U.K.'s Daily Mail.  It covered a Wednesday night appearance at a church in Beverly Hills in this way:

Kourtney Kardashian was snapped attending midweek services at the Beverly Hills location of Hillsong Church, the religious institution that regularly draws big names including Bono, Nick Jonas, Hailey Baldwin, Hailee Steinfeld and pop superstar Justin Bieber.

The eldest of the Kardashian siblings, 38, wore a black leather coat over a white top with torn blue jeans and pointy black heels for the weeknight service.

The story is an interesting portfolio of pictures ranging from the attire - mainly the attire - to a screenshot by Kourtney of a projected slide with John 3:16 on it. The piece also features some material from Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz, who is actually the Hillsong New York City pastor, discussing his viewpoint on celebrity.

The timing of this appearance is curious: it was just four days after an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, in which the three sisters, one of whom is unmarried and pregnant with a child, visited a Planned Parenthood clinic. The website, Newsbusters, reported on the visit. According to the story, they wanted to “learn firsthand that the nonprofit does more than just abortions.” Kim reportedly said: “The perception of Planned Parenthood is that it’s this like abortion clinic,” adding, “That’s nothing like what it’s like.”

Khloe added: "I'm a big fan of Planned Parenthood now," adding, "I think people need to be more educated before they form opinions, and that's what I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to do today."

I actually agree - how's this for education?  From the Newsbusters article:

Speaking of education, according to Planned Parenthood’s most recently published annual report, the organization performed 328,348 abortions and received $554.6 million in “government health services grants and reimbursements” for the year 2015 – 2016. While the national abortion rate has lowered, Planned Parenthood’s abortion rate has risen.

While Planned Parenthood claims that only 3% of its services consist of abortion, pro-life groups, such as Students for Life of America and Live Action, have long debunked the statistic. Even The Washington Post has called the number deceptive.

Even though Planned Parenthood has attempted to sanitize or cover up the taking of life that is occurring, nevertheless, they try to mix faith into the offensive practices.  The Huffington Post reported:

Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and secular leaders gathered inside Planned Parenthood Metro Washington’s new Carol Whitehill Moses health center on Tuesday to perform a blessing of the space.

The event, co-hosted by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, included interfaith blessings, prayers, and testimonies about why it was important ― politically and spiritually ― for women to have autonomy over their own bodies.

Dr. Laura Meyers, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, told The Huffington Post that it’s crucial for Americans to hear these progressive voices of faith speak up for women.

“Having a group of interfaith clergy perform a ceremony focused on unity and wholeness therefore takes on special meaning to empower and celebrate rather than to stigmatize, control and dehumanize...

Memo: there is nothing empowering about the taking of human life.  The empowering, as Melissa Ohden pointed out at last night's Sav-a-Life banquet in Montgomery, should be for women facing an unplanned pregnancy to receive the education, encouragement, and resources they need in order to make the right choice - the choice for life.

I don't know what the Kardashians are learning about the sanctity of life in their church service, but it's ironic how Carl Lentz, the New York Hillsong pastor has had to respond to comments he made on The View recently.  He was asked point-blank by Joy Behar is abortion was a sin.  His answer was non-committal.  After receiving criticism, according to LifeNews.com, he wrote on Twitter:

“I do believe abortion is sinful,” Lentz wrote. “Our prayer is that we can continue to help and love those that deal with the pain of regret from personal choices, rather than cast further shame and guilt on those already carrying so much and create a church that can teach people how to form convictions based on God’s word, that will be the driving force in all their decisions.

“I will continue to point people to Jesus, above all else, every opportunity I get. The story of God’s redemptive grace, available to all, is the best news available,” he continued.

LifeNews.com stated that: "A 2016 Pew Research Center poll found that just 29 percent of respondents heard their clergy member speak about abortion during a religious service. Most who did said their clergy spoke out against abortion (22 percent), while a few (3 percent) said their clergy spoke in support of abortion."

I think this illustrates how important it is for the church to be clear in its position on abortion.  The Bible points to God our Creator and teaches the sanctity of life, the concept of people being made in the image of God.  When we take the life of another person, born or unborn, it violates and contradicts the heart of God.

We also can be reminded how the church has a call to reach the world and change it - celebrity culture and media will misinterpret the role of the church and focus on externals, when it's the internal that God is concerned about.  We are to be salt and light and to proclaim truth in a world that is searching for answers.  We cannot afford to compromise truth in an attempt to somehow be socially relevant. Our relevance comes in our devotion to following God's principles.

We are called to be used of the Holy Spirit to communicate His dedication to changing lives.  In my comments last night at the Sav-a-Life Gala, I highlighted three types of change: a change of heart for a women who is considering terminating the life of her unborn child, a change of culture that can occur as hearts are changed to be more sensitive to the sanctity of life, and a change of perspective for individual believers as we reflect on how God is working through the ministry of Sav-a-Life.