Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”  [NIV]

People who normally scoff at the Bible, reject its teachings, and ridicule its content love to quote this verse at just the right time to shut the mouths of those who promote Godly values in the public square. 

Some familiar statements they try to silence are: “Homosexuality is a sin!”  “There is no such thing as a Christian homosexual!”  “All pre-marital sex is wrong.”  “A man and a woman living together who are not married are committing adultery.”  “Abortion is murder.”  ‘It is the killing of a human being and those doctors who perform abortions, except for very rare exceptions, are guilty of taking innocent human life.”

Now when those statements are made the world immediately trots out their favorite verse in the Bible: "Judge not, that ye be not judged."  This raises a question, "Should a Christian judge?"  The answer of Jesus was not an outright “no”, as some people think.   The answer of Jesus was "It all depends."

In the rest of the passage Jesus tells us to be watchful of three things - logs, dogs, and hogs.   You’ve got to use some type of judgment to identify any and all of them.  Jesus gives us three principles to help us answer the question: "Should you judge?"

The Bible is a collection of 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament or Old Covenant, and 27 in the New Testament or New Covenant. 

All the books of the Bible, written over a timeline of around 1600 years, give a consistent picture of who God is, who we are, what God wants, and what we can expect depending on our choices in this life.  The Bible reveals the story of how God has dealt with mankind, His chosen nation of Israel and His New Covenant people, the Church.  The Bible speaks with the same authority and relevance today regarding who He is and what He is doing in our times.  It speaks to us regarding what will happen in the future and how God will change everything.

The Bible is not just a book of rules and ancient history.  It contains thousands of wonderful promises which are constantly applicable to all who believe in Him.  The challenge that mankind faces today is to know, understand and experience the wonderful things that God promises to do for those who believe.  God's promises in the Bible guarantee us more than enough for all our needs in every area.  The only condition is to trust and obey God, and expect Him to do what He says He will do.  If we don't we are the losers.

1. What is the gay rights movement?

The gay rights movement is a highly-organized and disciplined effort to radically transform law, politics, culture, and society in general. Although there are many aspects to the gay rights movement, the most important aspect to consider at the present time is the effort to gain legal status for societal relationships based on homosexuality, in particular, same-sex marriage and so-called 'gay adoption.'

2.  What is the origin of the gay rights movement?

The gay rights movement, contrary to common belief, is not a new phenomenon. The first gay rights movement of which we have a record was the social upheaval in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Bible scholars have pointed out that the events in Sodom and Gomorrah have many parallels in modern times, and these include the tumultuous gatherings of vocal advocates of homosexuality and an insistence on imposing one's views on others. Recent demonstrations in major American cities, with Christians barricaded behind doors, while crowds of unruly "gay" activists protested in the streets, are very reminiscent of the Biblical account of the events in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Most merciful Heavenly Father,

On this National Day of Prayer we acknowledge you as the Father and Creator of all things, and the giver or life.

We praise you for the many gifts you have given us, especially the natural beauty and bountifulness of our land, our state, and our nation.

Help us to see that without you, no matter how wealthy and powerful we are, we are the poorest and most abject of all people.  

We are mindful that past, present, and future are always before you, and that you see us here today standing where many generations have stood before,  praising you, and humbly seeking your will.  We ask that we may be worthy of the efforts of those who have gone before. 

There is an old-fashioned look to Old Town. Main Street is flanked by a canoe factory, an Indian crafts store, and a small shop which sells mostly maps and compasses. Men wear red mackinaw jackets, and women drive to Hannaford's in pickups.  To many, the town seems like a frontier outpost, a gateway to the Great North Woods.

The urban blight which has marred parts of Portland, Augusta, and other cities, has passed Old Town by.  Indian Island is even better.  Once you cross the long, green bridge over the Penobscot, you find a quiet and neat community. There is no litter, no graffiti, no urban sprawl. Everything is done on a small scale. There are one or two churches, a Penobscot museum well-worth the visit, and lots of warm and friendly people. The largest building in town is a high-stakes beano hall. Even so, it is a very modest structure compared with the enormous casino and seven-story hotel being built by Hollywood Slots.

Those who read my thoughts regularly will know that I am a casual observer of naval history. When I heard the Portland Press Herald say that Christians had lost this phase of the Culture Wars, I was reminded of a sea battle that took place in 1812.  On a bright autumn day, a large crowd gathered outside the Portland Observatory and listened to reports about a battle between the U.S.S. Enterprise and a British ship, the Boxer. Not long into the battle, a cannon blast blew away the main mast of the Boxer, and mortally wounded her captain. The Yanks called out for the Boxer to strike her colors; to which the English crew replied, "We cannot, since our flag is nailed to the mast."

The issue of the Church and Homosexuality has been the most controversial issue of the last several decades.  The ordination of homosexual pastors and churches performing homosexual marriages has brought the issue of homosexuality to the forefront.  It has also  caused much debate in and out of the church in recent years.  It is an issue on which the church must take a stand - a Biblical stand.

The problem we face today:
- Several states are considering the sanction of homosexual marriages.
- Gay couples are granted the privileges of married partners when it comes to insurance 
  coverage.
- There are laws prohibiting the “discrimination” of homosexuals.
- The military has a “Don’t ask … don’t tell” policy.
- Christians are being labeled as “homophobics”, and criticized when they exercise their free speech rights in opposition to homosexuality, as being uncaring, unloving, judgmental, and hateful.
- Gay-Rights parades are being promoted on city streets.
- There is a “Gay Day” at Disney World.
- It is politically incorrect to be against homosexuality, and doing so can jeopardize a political career.
- The Boy Scouts of America were criticized, and lost funding, because they refused to accept an openly gay Scoutmaster.
- Television programs are rampant with gay issues - new programs regularly emerge with openly gay characters, gay makeovers, etc. They are being portrayed as NORMAL.
- The American Psychological Association has threatened to revoke the license of any psychologist or psychiatrist who counsels a homosexual to change his lifestyle.
- Sex change therapies on children are being offered. Click here to read for youself.

Injustice causes poverty -

- Proverbs 13:23 “The field of the poor yields abundant food, but without justice, it is swept away.”

Sometimes the immoral actions of others cause poverty.  There are those who have lost their businesses, or their homes, or their savings because of the actions of others. 

One thinks of slot machines here in Maine as a prime example of a significant cause of poverty.  We are all aware of those in our society who prey on the weak, the kind and the trusting.  Some people are led to poverty through phone solicitations, unscrupulous salesmen, and e-mail scams.  Others are led to poverty because of the lawsuits of people trying to get rich at the expense of others.  There are many other examples, but, injustice does cause some poverty.

Matthew 5:27-30

When doing a web search on your computer, it is all too common to be shocked and embarrassed at what comes you see.  Accidental hits are symptomatic of a greater problem in our society brought on by the curse of pornography.  We are experiencing pornography in our society in epidemic proportions.  What is sad is that it is not just people outside of the church but many in the church that have been caught up in this plague.

I was able to hear Ruth Summers speak for the second time at a meeting this week.  She was impressive.  She represents her soldier husband well.  Charlie is running for the first district congressional seat.  He is not able to campaign because he is deployed to Iraq.  He won't get back until after the primary election in June.

While Mrs. Summers is impressive, Charlie's opponent Dean Scontras is more impressive still.  Mr. Scontras is taking a risk and running a campaign that violates the conventional poll driven wisdom of the Maine Republican Party.  Mr. Scontras must defeat Charlie, clearly the insider's favorite, to earn his go at the Democrats in the general election this fall.

Mr. Scontras put out a press release this week announcing his Faith and Values Coalition.  I was listed along with over twenty other respected pastors and leaders.

Towards the end of the last presidential debate there was finally a question on something that has the potential to be far more devastating to people’s lives than a terrorist attack or even a war.  The moderator asked “Homosexuality; is it a choice?”

One of the candidates answered with a very strong religious statement. It wasn’t George Bush because he answered, “I don’t know”.  It was Senator John Kerry who said; "We’re all God’s children, and I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney’s daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she’s being who she was.  She’s being who she was born as.  I think if you talk to anybody, it’s not a choice."  This is important because most people would not want to deny homosexuals any civil right, including marriage, if they are created by God to be homosexual.

A Christian group is trying to resurrect a colonial era practice called "Fast Days."  The Jeremiah Project (JP) is urging Mainers to set aside April 10 as a day to refrain from some type of secular pursuit and use their free time for a spiritual purpose.

The Portland Press Herald (PPH) provides a bit of history here.

The PPH points out two possible reasons for the disappearance of the Fast Day.  One is discrimination against Roman Catholics.  The other is the increasing use of the day for entertainment.  The paper also highlights the Jeremiah Project's reference to "enemies" in their reasoning for resurrecting the practice.

The JP writes, "We find ourselves in Maine out of time and completely surrounded by an enemy that is more numerous and more sophisticated than we are, and we are quickly running out of options. Will you join us in this specific effort to humble ourselves, repent of our own sin, and pray for a revival of the Church of Jesus that will heal our land?"  The paper describes this as "strong language."