Appeals to Higher Law

June 6, 2013 in Coeur d'Alene Issues, Homosexuality, Politics, Sexuality

I was interviewed by phone yesterday by Scott Maben, a reporter with the Spokesman Review. His article came out today. If you’re interested in reading it, you can find it here. He actually quoted one of my more rational statements. And in case you’re wondering after reading the comments, I have no immediate plans for relocating to Iran. I have a feeling I wouldn’t be any more welcome there.

Our Fourfold Charge

June 5, 2013 in Coeur d'Alene Issues, Homosexuality, Politics, Sexuality

All,
As you have probably heard the Coeur d’Alene City Council passed by a vote of 5-1 the proposed Anti-Discrimination legislation. Councilman Steve Adams played the man, bore testimony of Christ, and voted against the legislation. The other 5 voted in favor. Councilwoman Goodlander was frank enough to admit that this legislation granted special rights to the homosexual community at the expense of the Christian community. I spoke and also have written some letters this am – one to Councilman Kennedy on a couple questions he asked me during public testimony and another letter to the editor, a tongue in cheek Plea for the Adulterer. You can find my letter to Councilman Kennedy on my blog.
Our charge is fourfold. First, we are to continue as ever we have – loving Christ, loving one another, loving our neighbors, including those ensnared in various types of sexual sin – whether heterosexual or homosexual. While we vocally and stridently oppose the homosexual lobby, we must beware lest this opposition degenerate into self-righteousness or inhumanity. All humans, regardless of their sexual choices, are made in the image of God; indeed, this is why we call them to that which is noble and natural. Second, we need to be prepared to receive joyfully the plundering of our property for the sake of Christ and to come to the aid and encouragement of brothers who suffer in this way. We are called to identify with Christ and His people, bearing our cross, despising the shame. Third, we need to continue to urge our own families as well as other Christians to extract their children from the godless government education system. It is one of the chief institutions perpetuating the distorted notion that love does not demand change in the beloved and that kindness and tolerance are absolute virtues. Fourth, we are to use all lawful means to recall this legislation and the men and woman who passed it. It was clear from the representation at the meeting last night that the Council members were not representing the community at large but a special interest lobby. They should be made to know this.
Blessings,
Pastor Stuart Bryan

An Open Letter to Councilman Mike Kennedy

June 5, 2013 in Coeur d'Alene Issues, Homosexuality, Politics, Sexuality

Councilman Mike Kennedy
Mayor Sandi Bloem
Members of the City Council
Coeur d’Alene City Hall
710 E. Mullan Avenue
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814
June 5, 2013
Dear Councilman Kennedy,
On several occasions last night at the City Council Meeting you asked for a description of the difference between discrimination on the basis of religion versus discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Since you asked this question of me among others, I felt it would be fitting for me to reply having had some additional time to think about the matter. The problem with rushing this legislation is that you robbed yourself the opportunity to receive the best and most thoughtful responses to your questions.
So what is the difference between discrimination on the basis of religion versus sexual orientation? First, I would insist that basic to our make-up as human beings are the twin realities of religious and sexual expression. In every culture and at every time in human history these two things are natural and normal components of what it means to be human. We are religious beings and we are sexual beings.
Second, these two types of expression are both capable of natural and unnatural, constructive and destructive manifestations. In every society at every time in human history, including our own, both religious and sexual expression have been regulated and limited so as to preclude unnatural and destructive behavior.
For example, although we have constitutionally guaranteed rights of religious expression, these rights are limited by what is natural and constructive. For instance, ancient forms of worship that required the sacrificial offering of human beings or even the public sacrifice of animals are not permitted in our communities. This would be true even if the human victim voluntarily agreed to be sacrificed. We judge such religious expression perverse and unnatural, violating the sanctity of human life and destructive of the very fabric of society.
These same principles apply in the arena of sexuality. Sexual expression has never been, is not, and will never be completely unregulated. Most states currently prohibit consensual or non-consensual sex with minors, incest, polygamy, bestiality, rape, etc. On what basis do we make such limitations? I would suggest that one criterion is that which is natural and constructive.

Human beings are created to operate in a certain fashion, in accord with our God-given nature. Homosexual acts are inherently perverse and unnatural; this is a simple matter of biology and is confirmed by the sexual and personal consequences that attend the practice of homosexuality as well as by its intrinsic fruitlessness. The widespread presence of STDs, including AIDS, in the homosexual community is concrete evidence of its perversity. It is inherently risky sexual behavior because it is unnatural and destructive.
So in what sense is discrimination on the basis of religious expression different than discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation? On one level there is no difference – in both cases societies discriminate against religious and sexual expressions that are unnatural and destructive. On another level there is a huge difference – the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgendered community is requesting protection for practices which are unnatural and destructive whereas the religious groups protected by current legislation are not.
You also asked whether I would think it just if an owner of a company fired an employee after discovering that he or she were homosexual. But let me suggest that this begs the question of whether homosexuality is constructive or destructive behavior. As a society, we do not fault the owner of a company from conducting mandatory drug screenings and potentially firing an employee who fails to pass the screen. Why? Because we recognize that drug use is destructive to the individual and potentially to the company. I would suggest that the same is true of unnatural sexual expression – whether lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered, adulterous, or incestuous. If the behavior becomes public knowledge and the employer judges that that behavior compromises the reputation of his company or the quality of the work then he should be at liberty to fire the employee. Similarly, if a hotel owner recognizes a neighbor who has entered his hotel with a woman who is neither the neighbor’s wife nor his daughter, then he should be at complete and full liberty to refuse to give the man a room – the same would apply were it a same sex couple parading their sexual intentions.
So how would I speak to someone who was fired or refused service for unnatural sexual expression – whether adulterous, incestuous, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgendered? Again, I would ask a related question: if my brother failed his drug screen and were fired by his employer, what would I say to him? I would say a couple things. First, I would express my sympathy for his plight. “I am sorry that you have lost your job; that must be a grievous trial.” But I wouldn’t stop there. Knowing as I do that the drug use is self-destructive and has brought this on him, I would also say, second, “But listen, my brother, this is a wake up call for you. You need to change your behavior; you need to get rid of the drugs. They are self-destructive and will only cause you more problems in the months and years to come – and even more when you face your Creator on the Day of Judgment.”
This is precisely what I would say to anyone fired or denied service because of his or her sexual orientation. His behavior is destructive and unnatural – love dictates that I not set my heart on his destruction by telling him that what he’s doing is normal or natural. It simply is not.
I hope you will pardon the length of my letter. I felt it important that you have some more reflective thoughts on this question. Magna est veritas et praevalebit.
Sincerely,
Pastor Stuart W. Bryan
Trinity Church
A Reformed & Evangelical Congregation

An Open Letter to the Coeur d’Alene City Council

May 31, 2013 in Bible - NT - Mark, Coeur d'Alene Issues, Homosexuality, King Jesus, Politics, Sexuality, Ten Commandments

The Honorable Sandi Bloem, Mayor of Coeur d’Alene
Members of the City Council
Coeur d’Alene City Hall
710 E. Mullan Avenue
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814
May 30, 2013
Dear Mayor Bloem and Members of the City Council,
It has come to my attention that the City Council will be given an opportunity to vote on the anti-discrimination ordinance. This ordinance is designed to protect the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgendered community at the expense of other community members.
I love our community and do not see a need for this ordinance especially as it sanctions behavior which is immoral, unnatural, and destructive. As a local pastor it is my obligation to speak first and foremost as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ who simultaneously expresses his love for those ensnared in sexual sin and his abhorrence of such sin. He warns us that from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins… All these evil things come from within and defile a man (Mk 7:21-23). Jesus’ term “sexual sins” encompasses the very actions this legislation is written to protect. Such legislation would require Christian businessmen and property owners to endorse behavior that is evil.
I would remind you that as those entrusted with the responsibility to rule, you have been given this responsibility under God. His law is superior to any civic law and forms the basis for civic laws. Central to his law is the protection of human sexuality from abuse and degradation. Even as you would oppose someone endeavoring to paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa, so you are called at this time to oppose those who want to pervert God’s gift of sexuality.
I would urge you, in the Name of God, to vote NO on this legislation. Voting NO would uphold the sanctity of God’s law, be in keeping with Idaho State Law, and preserve the rights of all people living here in our beautiful city. 
Sincerely,
Stuart W. Bryan
Pastor

Know When Not to Listen

March 3, 2013 in Bible - NT - 1 Thessalonians, Meditations, Politics, Sexuality, Tongue

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)
21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
If you’ve lived long you no doubt have come to learn that effective communication is difficult. Not only is it challenging to explain things to others, we frequently find that the one to whom we’re speaking just isn’t willing to listen. This is especially true in times of conflict. We speak to the best of our ability and it seems that our words just bounce off our hearer.
It is this dullness of hearing among his audience that Paul will rebuke in our text today. They were in danger of not understanding him – not because the subject matter was overly challenging but because they were unwilling to listen to what he was saying.
When we come to the text we will highlight the problem with this attitude when faced with the biblical text. As human beings made by our Creator, we are to listen to the Word of God and pay heed to the voice of wisdom.
But as Paul indicates in 1 Thessalonians, there are times when we should close our ears. “Test all things,” he writes. “Hold fast what is good.” We are called upon to listen carefully, understand honestly, and then test what is said, clinging only to that which is good. This implies, of course, that we are to reject that which is evil. So how do we distinguish? We assess what we hear in light of the Word of God. God has revealed that which is good in His Word and as we feast upon His Word we will be enabled to recognize falsehood when it rears its head, no matter how alluring it may appear.
Solomon describes this benefit of gaining wisdom in Proverbs 2. “When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, To deliver you … From the man who speaks perverse things… [and] From the seductress who flatters with her words,” (Prov 2:10-12, 16). Gaining wisdom protects us from folly, from giving heed to that which we ought not. It protects us from the man who speaks perverse things and from the seductress who flatters with her words. It teaches us when it is appropriate to close our ears and refuse to listen.
I was reminded of these things while attending a debate this week between Doug Wilson and Andrew Sullivan over the resolution Is Civil Marriage for Gay Couples good for Society? Mr. Sullivan professed to believe in Jesus and serve him while simultaneously living as a homosexual in union with another man. He was very winsome, very passionate, very articulate. But if we know the Word of God; if we know what God has to say about the abomination of homosexuality; if wisdom has entered our soul, then it delivers us from the man who speaks perverse things, it enables us to recognize the folly of the position.
Our calling as God’s people, therefore, is twofold. It is both to listen and not to listen. Our calling is to listen to God, give heed to what He says, believe it and embrace it for the good of ourselves and our children after us. Simultaneously our calling is not to listen – not to listen to the subtle or not so subtle temptations of those who would turn us from Christ and teach us to listen to some other god.
This reminds us that as human beings we frequently fail to listen to the right voices and instead listen to the wrong, And this is certainly becoming increasingly true of America. We are shutting our ears to the voice of God and listening to the voices of others. Reminded of this, let us kneel and confess that we have become dull of hearing.

Christ and the Upcoming Election

October 30, 2012 in Bible - OT - Psalms, King Jesus, Meditations, Politics

Psalm 146:3–5 (NKJV)
3 Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. 5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lordhis God,
Recently my friend and fellow pastor Brian Nolder wrote a piece on the intersection of Christianity and the upcoming election. This morning I’d like to read sections of it for us in light of Psalm 146 that we’ve just read. He writes:
There is a lot of “doomsday” talk in this election.  “If candidate X is elected, this awful thing will happen.”  “If candidate Y is elected, America will not survive.”  And we frequently hear what we seem to hear every four years: “This election is the most important election of (my/our/your) lifetime!”

Now, I am not saying that the upcoming election is unimportant, insignificant, or inconsequential.  I’m not saying that Christians should retreat from politics or the public square.  Indeed, I think we should be far more active than we have been.

But for now, let us engage in a little thought experiment: what if all the doomsday predictions come true?  What if candidate X is elected (insert the name of your choice), and “America as we know it” ends?

Christian, remember that Jesus made a promise: “on this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” (Mt. 16:18)  Read it again: “I will build my Church.”  Jesus was keeping that promise long before July 4th, 1776.  He is still keeping that promise today.  He will still be keeping that promise, even if there is no longer a spot on the map that says, “the United States of America.”

Will I be “happy” if America does not survive?  Not necessarily.  I consider myself patriotic; I count myself very blessed to have been born and raised in this country.  But I must always remember, as a Christian, that the kingdom of God is much bigger than America–indeed, that most Christians in the world today have dark skin, not light; most do not necessarily speak English–and that the kingdom of God does not, in the final analysis, depend on America.

If we take a long-range perspective, we realize that nations come and go–as do kingdoms and empires.  But while kingdoms come and go, and so do their kings, Jesus will still be building his Church.

Another reality check: go to persecution.com sometime and read about what Christian believers face in places like Saudi Arabia (a so-called “ally” of the US), North Korea, China, and even a seemingly “friendly” nation like India.  Do we think that these Christians, who are suffering, in prison, and even dying for the name of Christ, really care who will be the occupant in the White House next January?  What matters to them is that Jesus occupies the throne of heaven at God’s right hand.

I close with a portion of Psalm 146, 3000 year old words that remind us where our ultimate trust and confidence always needs to be:

Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lordhis God,
So reminded this morning that our great King Jesus is exalted to the right hand of God, let us kneel and confess that we have often put our trust in other kings.
Our Father,
We have put our trust in princes as a people. We have turned to government as the solution to our problems rather than turning to Christ. And so we have become subject to inreasing levels of intrusive government. We have thrown off self-restraint and so have brought upon ourselves shackles. Forgive us our sin – teach us to trust in you, to labor for your kingdom, and to look to the future in faith knowing that our Lord Jesus has conquered and will yet conquer again. All praise and thanks to you O Lord, Amen.

Rejoicing over the Death of Osama Bin Laden

May 15, 2011 in Bible - OT - Isaiah, Meditations, Politics, Thankfulness

Exodus 15:21 (NKJV)
21 And Miriam answered them: “Sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!”

For the last couple weeks one of the pervasive news items has been the killing of the notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the September 2011 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. After nearly ten years eluding capture, bin Ladin was finally slain by an elite Navy Seals team on May 1, 2011. Perhaps as interesting as the killing itself is the controversy that has erupted in its wake – is it right to rejoice in the death of such a man?

As Miriam indicates in our text today and as the Psalms pervasively reveal, it is good and right to rejoice when God executes justice on the wicked. “Sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!” The Lord is the ruler of all. There are at times men and sometimes even women who are notoriously depraved. When such folks are brought to justice it is good and fitting to thank God for the same.

As Steve Wilkins has written, “While we are forbidden, as Christians, from rejoicing over our personal enemies – as though they deserved to die and we didn’t – we surely may rejoice when evil men who have oppressed and killed others perish.” To rejoice in the demise of a Pharaoh, of an Ahab and Jezebel, of a Herod, or a Hitler, or a Stalin, or a Pol Pot, or an Osama bin Ladin is good and right.

Nevertheless, the fact that justice has been executed on bin Ladin reminds us that justice does not play favorites – justice too will visit us. We have been used by God to execute justice on a man who deserved the same – but unless we Americans repent, seek the forgiveness of God for our own sins, and return to the worship of the Triune God, we stand guilty under the same standard of justice.

Shall we execute judgment on a terrorist who has killed his thousands when by our laws we have slain millions of innocent children still in their mothers’ wombs? Shall we condemn this man for his numerous wives and mistresses when by our laws we scorn the marriage covenant and even sanction the abomination of sodomy? Shall we condemn this man for exploiting the poor and needy when by our laws we spend money to get out of debt and enslave future generations so that we can steal the fruit of their labor? We too stand guilty.

“Woe to America,” God Almighty says, “the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation…
Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?
Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?
As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!
Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
Will send disease on his sturdy frame, from head to toe,
And within his flesh a fever like fire shall burn.”

(cf. Is 10:5-11)
Reminded of our guilt as a people, let us kneel and confess our sins to God, seeking His mercy upon us as a people.

Political Conspiracies

November 10, 2008 in Bible - OT - Isaiah, King Jesus, Meditations, Politics

Isaiah 8:12-14 (NKJV)12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’ Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. 13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread. 14 He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Isaiah lived at a very tumultuous time in Judah’s history, in many respects a frightening time in Judah’s history. For about two hundred years the separate kingdoms of Judah in the south and Israel in the north had squared off against one another in an ancient cold war. Occasionally the ice would break and outright fighting would take place; but even when outright fighting wasn’t occurring, tensions were high.

In Isaiah’s day, the ice had broken and the northern kingdom of Israel was preparing to invade and conquer her smaller sister of Judah. Israel joined forces with the land of Syria and together they planned to conquer Judah and place a puppet king upon the throne in Jerusalem.

Many in Judah were understandably afraid. How could Judah possibly withstand the combined might of Israel and Syria? Destruction seemed inevitable. The conspiracy among the kings of Israel and Syria would certainly undo them.

And so the great temptation among the people of Judah was to look around for a Savior. Who will deliver us from our dire circumstances? Shall we call upon Egypt? Shall we call upon Assyria? Perhaps, some suggested, we should seek counsel on the course to take from the dead – we should consult the mediums and spiritists.

In the midst of this situation, this angst, God spoke His word through the prophet Isaiah. “Do not regard as a conspiracy everything that these people regard as a conspiracy.” You see the people of Judah were tempted to look about them and conclude that the attack upon them by Israel and Syria was a result of a conspiracy between Israel and Syria. Well, wasn’t it? Yes and no. Certainly it was in the sense that Israel and Syria had joined forces to overthrow Judah.

However, in our text today, Isaiah reminds his hearers that in another sense the answer was no – there was no conspiracy. How’s that? Because God Himself had planned and orchestrated this event for this very time in Judah’s history. Israel and Syria weren’t the real players on the scene – God was. And God calls His people in the midst of political turmoil to look to Him as their Savior. Do not look to Egypt; don’t look to Assyria; look to me and be saved all you ends of the earth. The Lord Him shall you fear and of Him shall you be in dread. He is the one who has orchestrated this to instruct and chastise to the end that all the ends of the earth might know that there is a God in Judah who rules and reigns over the sons of men.

Events this week have been the cause of much consternation and hand wringing among many Christians. Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th President of the United States of America and the Democratic Party has achieved majority control of the legislative branch of government. If you are disturbed by this turn of events then the message from Isaiah is very relevant – “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’ in relation to all this people says, ‘A conspiracy.’” The Lord of Hosts – Him you shall fear, Him you shall dread. This turn of events is first and foremost from the hand of God and is a call upon us as the people of God to seek His face and ask Him to show mercy to our nation and to teach us to fear Him.

Reminded that we so often in the midst of political changes look to the proximate causes rather than the ultimate cause – namely, the hand of God – let us kneel and confess that we miss the point of these events and fail to grow in our fear of the Lord.