The following articles concern the break from Ministry that John Piper is taking in order to examine his own life before God. Pastor Piper has acknowledged areas of sinfulness in his life that need to be addressed and is taking time out to do so.
This example of John Piper is an amazing thing in Christianity today and I have to say he has certainly risen in my estimation as a result of his decision. He neither needs my approval nor would he wish to know how impressed I am by his example in doing so, but I am thankful to God for his example and leadership in doing so.
I would commend John Piper to our prayers as he seeks to examine his life before God and also that we would do the same.
I thought it was time to highlight the Westboro Baptist Church in the United States. This is a church that I believe has gone way too far in its condemnation of homosexuality.
Yes, I do believe that the Bible (and therefore God) condemns the homosexual lifestyle and way of life. It is a practice that the Bible clearly condemns and no one who reads the Bible can escape the clarity of its condemnation of homosexual sinfulness. As such, all attempts to bring the practice of homosexuality into the church as an acceptable alternative lifestyle are clearly anti-Biblical and anti-Christian.
Yet it is my contention that the Westboro Baptist Church goes way too far in the way that it condemns homosexuality and it seems to make attacking homosexuality as one of its most central tenets. This would seem to me to be an overbalanced position that has caused the church to loose a more balanced approach to homosexual sin, let alone the presentation of the gospel to sinful men and women.
The holier-than-thou approach of the Westboro Baptist Church is evidenced all over the church’s web site and even the site’s domain name of www.godhatesfags.com is a clear indication of what you would expect to find on the site.
The church declares that the 9/11 attacks were the result of God’s punishment on America for condoning the homosexual lifestyle. In one photo there is a slogan carried on a banner that reads, ‘Thank God for AIDS’ and another that reads ‘Pray for more dead soldiers.’ There is a plethora of similar sentiment on the web site and in its sermonic materials.
The Blog site for the church is also full of the rants and raves of this church and I’m sure you will be appalled at the diatribes contained within it.
Random Thoughts 