Last week we noted 8 consequences of homosexuality. Due to the recent national attention to homosexuality because Gene Robinson, though living with a man for 13 years, was selected to be a bishop in the Episcopalian Church, I want to make a few reflections on the present state of immorality in our country.

USA Today, Thursday, August 7, 2003, had two articles: "Where Churches Stand," and "God Have Mercy on this Church." Of the thirteen churches selected, six ordain openly gay bishops or ministers. Five of them perform same sex marriages and eight have women clergy. Only five of them answered "no" to all three questions (gay clergy, same sex marriages and women ministers).

Canada has now approved homosexual marriages. The Episcopalian Church is the first major "Christian Denomination" to approve of an openly gay bishop. CNN was conducting a non-scientific poll of American opinion about homosexuality. Out of 12.8 million who participated, 50% were for homosexual marriages and 50% were against them. Our country has lost its sense of right and wrong.

Leo Rosten in Religions in America, 1975, asked various churches their stand on homosexuality. Here are some of the responses: The Catholic Church said that it is "an unnatural vice, but it is a psychological disorder. The Christian Scientist said that it calls for specific healing rather than condemnation. Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and Seventh-Day Adventist do not allow homosexuals membership and say that homosexuality is grounds for disfellowship. The Unitarian Universalist opposes all discrimination against homosexuals and bisexuals. The Disciples of Christ have no official position. So say the Episcopalians (but they do now).

Here are some of my reflections on the present state of immorality.

Arius’ doctrine placing Christ beneath the Father and the Holy Spirit less than both the Father and Son was a serious departure from the faith. Arius lived in Alexandria, Egypt from 256-336 AD. The Nicean Council was called to deal with Arianism. Wellhausen’s documentary hypothesis, JEDP, presented a view of Scripture which became known as liberalism. It denied the inspiration and revelation of Scripture. The theory of evolution from Darwin was applied to the Bible. It came about entirely in natural ways from several different sources. The Pre-millennial theory taught a physical, political view of the Kingdom of God. The churches that accepted it crossed the Rubicon. Women preachers, the denial of the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead, acceptance of divorce and remarriage, Bultmann’s demythologizing of the Bible, and now the acceptance of homosexuality among churches are all examples of crossing the Rubicon.

Adam and Eve in the Garden had two trees from which to choose; the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Joshua set before the Israelites two choices. (Joshua 24:15.) Jesus spoke about building on the rock and on the sand. (Matt. 7:24-27.) He urged people to enter in at the strait gate instead of the broad way that leads to destruction. (Matt. 7:13-14.) He said that we cannot serve two masters. (Matt. 6:24.) The apostle John wrote that the one who is in us is greater than the one in the world. (1 John 4:4.) Man has two possible fathers spiritually, either God or Satan. (John 8:44.)

How does "join the church of your choice sound now?" All roads do not lead to Rome; some of them lead to Corinth. Condemning and judging others does not make us right, but following the Lord and His Word does. We should "judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (John 7:24.)

The Psalmist asked, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3.) Read the whole psalm.

Here are some things that I would suggest that we do: 1) Trust the Lord; flee as a bird to His mountain, 2) keep on doing right, 3) do more than what you have done in the past, 4) do not hate sinners, 5) despise the sin but love the sinner, 6) find some sin in your own life and pray to God to help you overcome it.

If Satan can convince "Christian Churches" to accept homosexuality as normal, godly behavior, then we should know that deception is at work.

"For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy; for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him." (2 Cor. 11:2-4.)

The deception of Satan---what else could possibly explain the blatant and obviously evil things that we do?

In the pre-millennial view, things must get really bad before the Lord will return. In the post-millennial view, the Gospel must be spread around the world and the knowledge of God covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. Does all this evil in our country mean that the end of time is near? No, but it may mean that the end of our country is near. The truth is that on earth we have always had good and evil going on. When the Lord returns, a thousand years of godly living will not usher Him back to the earth. Neither will evil demand his return.

Many churches and preachers preach a political message that confuses the spiritual Kingdom of the Messiah with our nation. The two are not the same. The United States, nor any other nation, is the spiritually chosen of God. Would it be good if generally our nation followed the Lord’s will instead of evil? Of course it would. But we must remember that there is no such thing as a Christian nation, a Christian School, or even a Christian Church in Scripture. The only entity that is "Christian" is the individual who submits to becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. (Acts 11:26.)

The world is in darkness. We should not be surprised what the world does. The church should keep the darkness out by preaching the light. God’s Kingdom is not of this world. Men must leave the world and enter the kingdom of light.