Posted on 06/30/2015 6:32:42 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Leading Evangelist Franklin Graham is warning Christians nationwide that they should be ready to face persecution if they wish to stand by the biblical definition of marriage following last Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which legalized same-sex marriage throughout the United States.
Despite President Barack Obama claiming that the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges is a "victory for a America," Graham, the president of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, asserted in an interview with Fox News' Todd Starnes last weekend that the United States is really the true "loser" because the ruling could bring God's judgement upon the nation.
"Our nation has a spiritual problem and we need God's forgiveness and we need to repent of our sins and turn from our sins because I do believe that God's judgement will come on this nation," the 62-year-old Graham stated.
"When we read in the Scripture, we see how God judged Israel time and time again, when they would turn their back on Him and begin to worship other gods, foreign gods, and God would bring judgement on Israel. I believe God could bring judgement on America."
As it is not yet known what kind of legal protections Christian colleges will have, Graham wants those who are willing to stand for traditional marriage to be "prepared" to be persecuted.
"You better be ready and you better be prepared because it's coming. I think there will be persecution of Christians for our stand," Graham contends. "I believe the Bible. God loves us, no question about it. So when the president says that '#LoveWins,' yes, God loves us but sin is sin and God has standards. When we violate those standards, any type of sexual relationship outside of a marriage relationship between a man and a woman is a sin against God."
"I'm disappointed because our government is recognizing sin. This court is endorsing sin. That's what homosexuality is. It's a sin against God, just like any other sin. For the court to endorse sin, I am saddened for our country," Graham added. "We will have to go by what the court says but as far as for me, I will never recognize it in my heart because God gave marriage between a man and a woman. ... God gave us marriage and that's just it, period. God does not change His mind."
With the court ruling that it is a constitutional right for two individuals of the same sex to be legally married and receive the same government benefits that married hetrosexual couples do, Graham argued that the ruling could lead the nation down a slippery slope that eventually results in other kinds of sexual immorality — like polygamy or incest — being deemed constitutional.
"I think our country is the loser because marriage is an institution that God has given. And for us now to give this to same-sex couples, who is to say that in a few years from now a man cannot marry his daughter or two men can marry one woman? Where do you draw the line?" Graham asked. "This is new ground that our country is beginning to enter and I am just concerned about where we head."
When asked whether he agrees with other conservative pastors and political leaders who are calling for a "civil disobedience" over gay marriage, Graham said he would favor such an action depending on whether the court's ruling is enforced in a way that requires pastors and churches to participate in same-sex weddings.
"I think we have to wait and see what the ruling is and how it is going to be interpreted," Graham replied. "If pastors are going to be forced to provide marriage services for gay couples, I certainly am not going to do it because I would partaking in a sin against God. I just can't do that."
Although he disagrees with the homosexual lifestyle, Graham added that he loves people who struggle with same-sex attraction "enough to warn them" of God's impending judgment of their behavior.
"Do I wish ill to gay couples? No, I don't. But I want them to know the truth — that they are living a sinful life and a sinful relationship and God is going to judge sin one day and the Bible says that sinners will be separated from him in a place the Bible calls hell," Graham explained. "I love gay couples enough to warn them that God is going to judge one day and I want them to repent and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ so that they will be saved."
If the Rainbow House imagery doesn’t wake up any sleeping Christians, nothing will.
Christians can either prepare for persecution or they can prepare to fight persecution.
Rational commentary on discrimination from a piece addressing Jeb Bush statement:
First, there is nothing inherently wrong with discrimination. Despite its demonization by the news media—and Jeb Bush—the word discrimination is not a dirty word. Discrimination involves choosing between or among options. To discriminate is to choose one thing and exclude others. Men used to be lauded for having discriminating taste.
Second, Bush is as guilty as anyone when it comes to discrimination. When he married his Mexican wife Columba in 1974, he discriminated against every American woman, every white woman, every blonde, and every other woman in the world. He discriminated against the Episcopalian church of his youth when he converted to Catholicism in 1995. He also discriminated against all other religions and denominations in the world when he did this. Bush discriminates every day of his life. He discriminates against one store when he shops at another. He discriminates against vanilla ice cream when he eats chocolate ice cream. He discriminates against one interviewer when he chooses to do an interview with another instead. He discriminates against Pepsi when he drinks Coke. He discriminates against Democrats when he votes Republican. He discriminates against English when he speaks Spanish. Bush can’t get through the day without discriminating against something or someone.
Third, why is it that customers can legally discriminate against businesses but businesses cannot legally discriminate against customers? Why is it that customers can discriminate against merchants for whatever reason they want—no matter how irrational, illogical, or unreasonable—and on any basis they want—no matter how racist, sexist, or homophobic—but not the other way around? Does Jeb Bush have an answer for this? No one is ever charged with violating an anti-discrimination law if he publicly announces that he will never patronize a particular business—because there are no such laws. Not yet.
Fourth, there is no right to service. Not if the concept of private property has any meaning. Not if the concept of freedom of association has any meaning. Not if the concept of a free market has any meaning. Not if the concept of freedom of contract has any meaning. In a free society, business owners have the right to run their businesses as they choose. Just as homeowners have the right to exclude anyone they want from entering their house for any reason, so business owners should have the right to refuse service to anyone—including Jeb Bush—for any reason.
Fifth, discriminating against someone is not aggressing against him. Discriminating against Jeb Bush on election day and voting for someone else is not an act of aggression against him. No one is entitled to a particular job. No one is entitled to rent a particular apartment. No one is entitled to buy a particular house. No one is entitled to enter anyone else’s property. Not hiring, renting, selling, or granting the right of entry to someone on the basis of his race, religion, sex, color, national origin, political views, or sexual orientation may be wrong, immoral, hatful, or nonsensical, it may be based on stereotypes, prejudice, bigotry, or racism, but since it is not committing an act of aggression or violence against him, it should not be prohibited by force of law.
Sixth, discrimination means freedom. A free society must include the freedom to discriminate, not only against someone because he is gay, but because he is straight—or obese, bulimic, attractive, ugly, handicapped, tall, short, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, agnostic, married, single, divorced, transgendered, Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, young, old, pregnant, or named Jeb Bush.
And Seventh, to ban discrimination is to ban freedom of thought. In a free society, everyone has the right to think what he wants to think about anyone else—including Jeb Bush—and choose to discriminate or not discriminate against anyone on the basis of those thoughts. His thoughts may be erroneous, illogical, irrational, or unreasonable, but in a free society everyone is entitled to freedom of thought.
I find the use of the rainbow ironic.
If ever there was a time when God needed reminding that he would never again destroy the earth, it certainly is NOW. Good thing all of those rainbow flags are flying.
He truly is a vile POS.
>>> Second, Bush is as guilty as anyone when it comes to discrimination. When he married his Mexican wife Columba in 1974, he discriminated against every American woman, every white woman, every blonde, and every other woman in the world.
What nonsense is this?
If they want a CIVIL marriage in front of a justice of the peace that is way different than a religious ceremony
The first one to complain should be REQUIRED to hold their gay marriage in MOSQUES ONLY
I keep thinking when I see all the rainbow flags, "Next time the fire."
I just read Psalm 73 in my morning reading. It describes BO, Hillary, Soros, all of them perfectly.
To paraphrase Jack Nicholson,”They screwed with the wrong Marine” when they went after evangelical Christians. Its time for a nationwide “Code Red”.
Not nonsense. We discriminate all day long, every day. It is our right to freely choose some things and disregard others. We are in this mess because folks like you cannot think in principles.
Now the chickens are coming home to roost and those pseudo Christians are going to have some hard decisions to make.
1 Cor 11:19: For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
Exactly, HE promised never again would he flood the Earth. However he never said anything about FIRE.
“It is our right to freely choose some things and disregard others.” That is our free thoughts, and the freedom to associate. You call that discrimination. Fine.
Your original post still had gone too far. And I’m the one ‘cannot think in principles’ and caused ‘this mess’?
“I preached against “bidding God speed” to evil doers “
I’m not familiar with “bidding God speed” to evil doers. What do you mean?
In the covenant of which the rainbow was a sign, God didn’t mention fire. However, for us Orthodox Christian, the normative image of the Last Judgement is the River of Fire from apocalyptic passages of the Book of Daniel.
It's a principle alluded to by John. He applied it to worship, but it's applicable to much more.
Olympus Has Fallen
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