Gendercide

Gendercide is the newly coined term for the selective killing of people of one sex.  Most often it refers to the practice of nations which encourage for cultural and/or for governmental reasons the aborting or killing upon birth their daughters in the hope of having male children instead.  Usually we think of this atrocity occurring in nations such as China and India, where their practice of gendercide is well documented.  These nation’s gendercide practices have led to a birth ratio of 6:5 males to females.  Some of the more obvious long-term consequences of gendercide are falling birth rates, national aggression, increased crime,  polyandry, and a heightened sex slave trade.

Yet this practice does not only occur outside the borders of the U.S.  As the organization Protect Our Girls has been revealing, increasingly abortion is being used in our country for gender selection.  This week videos shot in Austin, Texas, and New York City by Live Action show Planned Parenthood counselors helping undercover reporters, posing as pregnant young women, work through the steps of a gender specific abortion.  You can see the video of the Austin interaction below (go to the links in this paragraph for the other video).

What is so chilling in watching these reports are not the graphic images (there are none) or the explicit language (again none is present).  Rather, it is seeing the two women counselors speaking so friendly and reassuringly about safety even as they are discussing the murder of unborn girls.   Who is truly being “anti-woman” here?

Surely Christians will debate over the ethics of these women reporters posing as something they are not.  Yet before condemning them, it would be good to remember that Rahab’s faith and Corrie Ten Boom’s courage employed dealing crookedly with those bent on taking human life.

In Case You Missed T4G

I have only listened to three of the 2012 main session T4G messages, and all three were superb!  If you can find time to listen to these, or at least one of them (while driving, or walking, or whatever), you will not be disappointed.

Here’s brief a breakdown:

Glory, Majesty, Dominion, and Authority Keep Us Safe for Everlasting Joy, by John Piper.

Piper reflects afresh on God’s ability and promise to keep His people from falling.  There’s a strong personal element to this talk, and one cannot help but be drawn in to Pastor Piper’s awe-struck reflections.

The Underestimated God, by Ligon Duncan

This is easily one of the best messages I’ve heard this year.  Oh, that all of God’s people would listen to this.  And oh, how I wish that all discouraged pastors would find their way to this profoundly honest, biblically charged, insightful and inspiring talk.

Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions, by David Platt

Caution: Prepare to be challenged to give your life to missions.

Sermon Fit for a Child’s Mind

This past Lord’s Day I preached a children’s sermon.  Twice.  One was for the little ones in our congregation.  Then a few hours later I used the same message, with a slightly different application, in the afternoon chapel with the folks in the dementia unit where my mom lives.

In some ways, the contrast in audiences could not have been greater.  In the morning I was surrounded by little ones with fresh faces, tidy clothes, and squirmy bodies.  In the afternoon gathered round me were the aged with dulled expressions, slept-in and spilt-on clothes, and tired, worn out bodies.  The morning group’s minds needed filling with new lessons perhaps never heard, while the afternoon group needed minds filled with old lessons now forgotten.  Clearly, both groups needed a lesson fitted for a child’s mind.

Selah

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).

I commend to you today a new blog published by a group of young people who are seeking to take this command seriously. Selah, or the Selah Psalm Blog, is edited by Jonathan Kim and Cameron Adams, young men I had the privilege of pastoring during most of their high school years.

A Graduation Reminder

Last night Sycamore Covenant Academy had a graduation service for five young people.  Through both smiles and tears (including this dad’s), these godly young people sang Christ’s praises, spoke of his grace in their lives, and posed with their parents on each side as their picture was taken.  The evening was a wonderful reminder of the high calling of Christian parenting and the church’s duty to encourage and disciple families in sending their children out prepared to advance Christ’s kingdom.  Our academy’s battle cry is Sicut Sagitae (“Like Arrows”) as in the spirit of Psalm 127:3-5 they have been readied, aimed, and now are being released to bring Christ even into the gates of His enemies.

Fellow blogger and pastor Jared Olivetti gave an excellent commencement address.  Choosing as his theme the Scriptural phrase “Bought with a Price,” he reminded the graduates that our earthly achievements are to reflect our Redeemer’s crafting hand behind them.  To listen to this fifteen minute message (Way to be concise also, Jared!), click  2012 SCA Graduation Message.

Say it without saying it

I came across the following in a sermon from Charles Spurgeon on 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and thought it was good counsel, especially in light of some over-the-topness in evangelical and reformed circles on issues of sex in recent years:

You will notice that in this chapter the apostle Paul has been dealing with sins of the flesh, with fornication and adultery. Now, it is at all times exceedingly difficult for the preacher either to speak or to write upon this subject; it demands the strictest care to keep the language guarded, so that while we are denouncing a detestable evil we do not ourselves promote it by a single expression that should be otherwise than chaste and pure. Observe how well the apostle Paul succeeds, for though he does not mask the sin, but tears the veil from it, and lets us know well what it is that he is aiming at, yet there is no sentence which we could wish to alter. Herein he is a model for all ministers, both in fidelity and prudence.

Gentle Answers #2: How Fast?

Short and sweet, here’s the next question:

Is it a sin to go 66mph in a 65mph zone?

(I hope you’ll join in the conversation! And remember to keep submitting your questions.)

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Rich Holdeman responds:

No.

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Barry York responds:

Yes, but it is a far greater sin to keep the speed limit and believe yourself superior to those who do not or, dare I say, to swerve to miss the gnat hitting the windshield only to run into a camel.

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James Faris responds:

Is it a sin to go one mile-per-hour over the speed limit? Not if you a first responder such as a police officer! But, what about the rest of us? God has given the state real authority. The state must establish certain laws beyond the specific direction of Scripture for safety, just as parents do for their children. These laws should be obeyed as part of our obedience to God, insofar as the do not require us to sin (Romans 13:5).

We must also understand how the law functions. Jesus showed the Pharisees in Matthew 12:11 that they did understand how the law is to function based on what the Pharisees would do with one of their own sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath. It may be wrong to curl sheep on the Sabbath to build your biceps, but it is not wrong to lift a sheep from a pit on the Sabbath.

So with speed limits, a civil law instituted by man for the sake of safety. We are to abide by the law, but for the sake of safety there will be times when we need to speed up – the magistrates who wrote the law knew so, and officers on the roads enforce the laws with that knowledge. However, we should not use those times of necessity as an excuse for sin.

What does it mean to go-with-the-flow of traffic for safety’s sake? It is a judgment call, and it requires wisdom. Far more could be written about the nature of law and government on this topic. But, this kind of question often reflects matters of the heart. Are we simply looking for excuses to sin? Let’s be honest, it’s not all that difficult to figure out at a practical level. Examine your heart by asking: “When I pass an officer on the side of the road, do I instinctively slow down?”