Tag: Christian

September 15, 2009

Can you be a Christian AND a homosexual?

by Carlotta Morrow — Categories: Bible Study Topics, Homosexuality, Tonex, Top Posts — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — 30 Comments

If you’ve seen the Lexi Show interview with gospel singer/pastor Tonex, you would have witnessed a very intriguing albeit disturbing display of a man trying biblically to justify his homosexuality while clinging to the title of Christian pastor.  Tonex’s coming out and letting the world know that he’s now a practicing homosexual has caught many who are familiar with his music off guard.  There are many who’ve suspected his homosexuality and of course those who know the truth quite well because of their relationships with Tonex.

But I have witnessed much conversation over the Internet and in live conversations about Tonex and those talks can be categorized by the following:

  • Many are critical of those of us who dare judge Tonex
  • Many have resorted to name-calling describing Tonex’s new public lifestyle
  • Many homosexuals and homosexual supporters have embraced Tonex even moreso now for “keeping it real”
  • People are more critical of Tonex being a pastor of a church than anything else
  • And the number of Christians who have declared God’s word to follow rather than follow after men has been very pleasing to see

Summarizing the lessons shared with people by myself and others are these: (all scripture is New King James Version unless otherwise noted)

  • Homosexuality is strictly forbidden and there is no way to ever justify it:  Old and New Testament: Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26-28
  • We should never allow any form of sexual immorality rule our bodies but use our bodies for righteousness: Romans 6:12-13, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
  • Judging is commanded by God’s word for us to do to other Christians – not to unbelievers! And if the believer is unrepentant to disassociate ourselves from that defiant Christian:  1 Corinthians5:9-13
  • We must speak the truth in love – not in harsh name calling or ill treatment: Ephesians 4:15
  • We must sometimes rebuke publicly: 1 Timothy 5:20
  • Don’t wait upon God to change us; we must simply obey God. It is our OWN DESIRES that lead us into temptation and sin: James 1:13-15
  • When sin continues without repentance and God’s word used to justify it – that person’s mind becomes reprobate: Romans 1:28 (KJV)

So, can you be a Christian and practice homosexuality?

There are those who are struggling with the sin of homosexuality, who have asked Christ into their lives to save their souls. These people are quite repentant and I do consider Christians.  So yes, it’s quite possible to be committing the sin of homosexuality and still be a Christian.

A Christian is a person who: (See my section on How to be Born Again for full details!)

  • has acknowledged their sin (Romans 3:23)
  • desires to change because they recognize it’s the sin that separates them from God – repentance (Romans 6:23)
  • believes in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for their salvation (Romans 10:9)

A Christian is NOT a person who’s already “arrived” but a sinner, needing saved!

But people who practice homosexuality with NO repentance and even trying to use the scriptures to justify their abominable acts are clearly NOT CHRISTIANS!  They are defiant and of a reprobate mind.  But we must continue to pray that they do trust and believe in Christ before they die!

So that’s it in a nutshell about this whole thing of homosexuality while calling oneself a Christian.  Tonex has shown me enough (in all three of my posts about him) that it’s highly possible he isn’t even a Christian.  But I’ll leave the ultimate judging of one’s soul to God!

___________________________

Video added 1/25/13

Ravi Zacharias Answers Question if one can be Christian and Homosexual


September 4, 2009

Obama disses Christianity while embracing Islam's Ramadan

by Carlotta Morrow — Categories: Islam, Obamaisms — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — 21 Comments


Obama’s claims of being a Christian have caused many of us to question him already because of his support of abortion, homosexual issues, his previous statements regarding biblical positions and the manner in which he’s handling our government.  But recently he’s shown why many believe he’s quite proactive in disrespecting the Lord he claims to serve.

The latest comes in the form of hosting a Ramadan dinner in the White House on September 1.  Not just with words of praise, but the participation of an actual Ramadan feast.  Showing respect for another person’s religion is one thing, but embracing it and practicing it’s rituals is another thing altogether!

He welcomes this ritual by saying the following:

“And most of all, I want to welcome all the American Muslims from many walks of life who are here.  This is just one part of our effort to celebrate Ramadan, and continues a long tradition of hosting iftars here at the White House.”

Ramadan created in honor of the Quran

What is Ramadan? What is an iftar?  What are people really celebrating and why?  Not knowing much about Ramadan myself, I did a little digging and have come up with a few things about it from various websites.

Ramadan is described as the following from history.com:

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year, the holy month of fasting ordained by the Koran for all adult Muslims of the Islamic faith. According to the Koran, the fast of Ramadan has been instituted so that believers “may cultivate piety”; this particular month was designated because it was the month during which Muhammad received the first of the Koran’s revelations.

Ramadan was initially created as a celebration of the creation of the Quran.  Another explanation of the origins from rumela.com:

The Month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran “was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation”.

So let’s get this straight. By bringing Ramadan into the White House and praising it, Obama is telling people how great this religion is in creating another book of revelation that contradicts our salvation and our Lord Jesus Christ!  Something a politician would do who didn’t care about compromising his beliefs as Obama has done time and time again.

And the “iftar” he mentioned above is the name of the Ramadan dinner.  It is explained as follows (from rumela.com):

During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning.

Should ALL religious holidays be celebrated in the White House?

Couldn’t Obama just had a dinner recognizing the Muslims during a time that WASN’T during Ramadan? Now he’s going to have to recognize EVERY religious celebration by all the religions celebrated in the United States if he’s going to be fair about it.  But something tells me that’s not about to happen.  He will show how much he favors the Muslims by not recognizing ALL other religious celebrations.

More quotes from Obama on this dinner:

“Tonight’s iftar is a ritual that is also being carried out this Ramadan at kitchen tables and mosques in all 50 states.”

How many mosques hold Christmas dinners?

Obama about religion: “They all contain truths.”

“And while Muhammad Ali could not join us tonight, it is worth reflecting upon his remarkable contributions, as he’s grown from an unmatched fighter in the ring to a man of quiet dignity and grace who continues to fight for what he believes — and that includes the notion that people of all faiths holds things in common.  I love this quote.  A few years ago, he explained this view — and this is part of why he’s The Greatest — saying, “Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams — they all have different names, but they all contain water.  Just as religions do — they all contain truths.”

Wow! In the paragraph above, Obama says what makes Muhammad Ali partly the greatest because of his belief that all religions contain truths!  Obama is praising ALL religions because of their truths!

That paragraph is another piece of evidence that shows Obama’s lack of regard for the bible being God’s unadulterated book of God-inspired truth and the ONLY book of truth for mankind to follow!  No one could pay me to say what Obama said in front of all those people and for the world to see!

He closed the feast by saying the following:

“So tonight, we celebrate a great religion, and its commitment to justice and progress.  We honor the contributions of America’s Muslims, and the positive example that so many of them set through their own lives.  And we rededicate ourselves to the work of building a better and more hopeful world.

So thanks to all of you for taking the time to be here this evening.  I wish you all a very blessed Ramadan.  And with that, I think we can start a feast.  I don’t know what’s on the menu, but I’m sure it will be good.  (Laughter.)  Thank you very much, everybody.  (Applause.)”

Islam should be respected but not embraced.

Okay. I do agree with the contributions of many Muslims who have done our country good, but Islam is not coming off as a great religion right now.  I will never forget the number of my Muslim neighbors who cheered when 9/11 happened.  The hatred of our country runs deep and sadly that’s even within many of the Muslims who have decided to make America their home.

Obama has embraced a religion that hates us, that denies Jesus Christ as the Son of God, that doesn’t recognize the bible as God’s only word to mankind and many more things that one can see on this chart that shows the difference between our religions:  Comparison Grid between Christianity and Islamic Doctrine (CARM.org).

I respect Islam as a religion.  I respect Muslims practicing their religion in our country and practicing their rituals and their dress as long as it doesn’t impede upon the safety of our country and its people.  The Muslim people have that right as our constitution dictates.  And oh yes, as long as the right to practice their beliefs doesn’t cause others to compromise their own.

A Call for Self-Examination

My prayer is for President Obama to open his eyes to much that is going wrong with him and his handling of our country.  But most importantly my prayer is for him to examine himself and to truly obey our Lord.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5

And no, there will be no prayers from me for him to die!

______________________________

Full text of speech here – http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Iftar-Dinner/

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June 30, 2009

Michael Jackson or Mikaeel Jackson? Christian or Muslim?

by Carlotta Morrow — Categories: Michael Jackson — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — 44 Comments
mikaael

Michael Jackson donning a black veil in Bahrain

Many are asking about Michael Jackson’s family, how are his kids, what about his assets, his debts and even interest in his will but how many of us are wondering where is he with God?  Of course that final answer belongs to God Almighty Himself, but it doesn’t stop us from wondering.

Michael gave many mixed messages about what he believed.  From being raised a Jehovah’s Witness to being persuaded by brother Jermaine to become a Muslim.  But I’m reading some unconfirmed reports that he talked with close friend and gospel music great Andrae Crouch recently and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord.

Michael converts to Islam

The last thing that the public has heard of Michael’s religious interest is his acceptance of Islam back in November of 2008.  According to articles, he was influenced by his brother Jermaine to try out Islam.  Jermaine converted to Islam in 1989 and is now known as Muhammad Abdul-Aziz.  Michael converted and became Mikaeel.

The website Haaretz.com says the following of the Islamic conversion of Michael: 

“The 50-year-old pop star, who changed his name to Mikaeel, pledged allegiance to the Koran at a friend’s house in Los Angeles. An Imam was summoned from a nearby mosque to hold the shahada, the declaration of belief in Allah and Mohammed’s prophecy.”

A video of the same news story:

That news was devastating to me as a believer in Christ and still a pretty huge fan of Michael’s.  I wanted to see him on the right road and that can only come through knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!

Michael meets with Christian Pastors Andrae and Sandra Crouch shortly before his death

But can it be that Michael IS born-again? It was reported in the WorldNetDaily.com of a possibility of him becoming saved after a meeting with twins Andrae and Sandra Crouch.  According to a spokesman of the Crouches:

“Andrae and Sandra did in fact visit with Michael Jackson two times, once at the recording studio, and once at his home in the last two months, as recently as three weeks ago, asking for prayer concerning the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and how he could make his music more ‘spiritual.’ So Andrae and Sandra explained to him about the anointing and about Jesus. He wanted to know what makes your hands go up, and makes you ‘come out of yourself,’ and what gives a ‘spirituality’ to the music? He then requested to hear his favorite song that he loves and wanted the(m) to sing to him, so they … joined hands and sang together, and he said, ‘It was beautiful.’ He first heard it in New York and loved it and wanted it on tape. He had the engineer tape the song sang to him by Andrae and Sandra. He definitely had an encounter with them.”

Michael looking to spiritualize his music doesn’t necessarily make him born-again.  My own hopes of him being eternally safe shrank as I continued reading about his moment with the Crouches.

The spokesman goes on to say in the article that although Michael didn’t reject Jesus Christ, he didn’t acknowledge Christ as Lord either. Sandra also says the following about those reporting that Michael did accept Christ through them:

“Not sure where that came from,” said Sandra Crouch on her Facebook page. “We loved and respected Michael and will continue to pray for his family. All the extra is not from us.”

Michael Jackson’s judgment left to God

So back to my original state of again wondering about Michael’s salvation. Nothing is a done deal as he has never publicly professed a belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

I’m sure when what will be one of the largest funerals ever in American history for Michael begins, many and myself included will once again wonder where will Michael be on that glorious day of Christ’s return!  Hoping for the best . . .but one day we’ll all know.

The Great White Throne Judgment

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. – Revelations 20:11-15

June 1, 2009

Christians who leave Christianity and embrace Atheism

by Carlotta Morrow — Categories: atheism — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — 50 Comments

I recently read on a WordPress.com featured blog where a blogger described in detail the reasons why he left Christianity.  This blogger was quite surprised at the number of responses he received: nearly 1,000 comments as of the writing of this post.  What was very sad to me (but not surprising) was the number of people who congratulated this person for leaving Christianity.   I was quite amused and always want to know what’s behind these people who claim to experience the joy and salvation given to them by believing in Christ, only to turn their backs and not believe in Him at all.

But what I’m finding out is that perhaps there was never the joy and peace from the very beginning.  It’s quite possible that this person and those like him were never truly a Christian to begin with!  This was made evident by the writer’s own words:

Last fall, I finally moved past guilt and admitted to myself that I no longer believe in Jesus or the god of the Bible. Surprisingly it was a relief. Not because I wanted to run wild and sin freely, but because I no longer felt the weight a Christian carries. The weight of guilt, unworthiness and fear of god’s judgement.“  the BEattitude: Losing my religion. Why I recently walked away from Christianity.

The last part of his very last sentence I highlighted because it carries the crux of his entire problem – the fear of God’s judgement.   Should Christians ever carry the weight of guilt and fear of God’s judgement? What is actually happening to this person’s relationship with God?  This person is indicating by his own words that he was working his way to earning God’s acceptance.  The burden of knowing that he was always falling short of God’s approval – no wonder he had no true peace or joy as a “Christian!”

This atheist also said in his previous paragraph:

“The change was a culmination of things that I could no longer ignore. Faith is belief in the unseen and unprovable, but still requires a foundation for that faith. With the countless religions of the world, I began to question why the god of the Bible is more believable than all other gods worshiped on earth. With the mountain of evidence staring me in the face, my faith began to die.”

What an amazing statement for a person to make who called himself a Christian.  His faith died because of a mountain of evidence staring at him? He lists some of those things on his site such as the following (numbers 4-7 on his list):

  • Bloody animal and human sacrifices are illogical demands by a divine god as payment for petty wrong doings. These actions are no different than the rituals of archaic pagan religions. Not to mention the bizarre ritual of symbolically drinking human blood and eating human flesh.
  • If God loves us and wants us to know and believe in him, why be so completely invisible? What is the purpose of being so illusive to those who believe and worship him?
  • God never manifests himself or performs miracles as he regularly did for the Israelites in Old Testament stories.
  • Prayers are never answered. Certainly not in the way Jesus described. Prayer has absolutely no affect on the world around us.

Sadly, he either ignored the supporting evidence for biblical truth or he asked the questions and received the wrong answers.  Those reasons he lists for rejecting Christianity could have easily been dealt with – if he had an opened heart and mind!

There’s so much more evidence that gives credibility to Jesus Christ’s existence and Lordship over us all that I won’t begin to cover in this post.  Any Christian apologetics website will give tons of information for the existence and reasons why Jesus Christ in Christianity is far superior to any religion.

It was apparent to me that this person never knew Christ or even understood what he believed by calling himself a Christian.  For this person perhaps there is still hope.  But if this person and others like him truly did taste of God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, then to turn their backs on Him, these following verses gives a very dire warning:

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”  Hebrews 6:4-6

Wow! We should never want any person to fall into the category of being an apostate – a complete falling away from the faith to never go back! No repentance is possible here.  True Christians can never lose their salvation so the person that these verses are speaking about are still the unsaved.  Does this atheist fit the description of these verses? That I truly cannot answer.  That judgement is left to God.

Well, that’s my take on this whole Christian turned atheism/agnostic thing.  Apostate or not? My hope and prayers is that this person and others like him are not apostates but people with hope for a true redemption!

Verses for assurance of Salvation

According to God’s word, NO MAN can ever earn God’s acceptance on his own!

“8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that “no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

And why’s that?

Our righteousness is like filthy rags to God!

“But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.”  Isaiah 64:6

We are dirty before the Lord so much so that even our righteousness is considered filthy!  How then do we become acceptable before God if none of our own works can gain eternal acceptance.

Christ became sin so that we can then become righteous before God.

“21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  Romans 10:9-10

It took the perfect lamb of God – Jesus Christ – to atone for our sins! By believing in Him we THEN become the righteousness of God!  And once we believe this, we are saved!  Not saved with doubts but saved and given the assurance that we belong to God once and forever more!


The assurance of eternal security:

“11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal lifeand that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:11-13

As a Christian, with all the questions that may be present, the one thing I do not doubt is Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection.  Knowing that He suffered and died AND rose again, gives me the peace and joy I now possess in knowing that He will one day come back for me!  The peace and joy knowing that I belong to God and will never taste of His eternal judgement to Hell. God does want us to bring our doubts and fears to Him, but we must believe that He exists for Him to speak to us!

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