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Are There "Hills to Die On" for the Christian in the West?
Denison Forum ^ | 12/11/2018

Posted on 12/12/2018 9:00:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Peter Vlaming teaches French at West Point High School in West Point, Virginia. He was fired by the school board last Thursday for refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronoun. (The student was born as a biological female but wishes to use the pronouns “he” and “him.”)

The school’s administration claims that Vlaming was told multiple times to refer to the student using male pronouns. “By failing to follow the directive, he was therefore discriminating and creating a hostile environment,” the superintendent told the board.

The next day, students at the school coordinated a walkout in support of Vlaming. Several held signs that read “Men are men and women are women and that is a fact!” and “You can’t impose delusion on us.”

Vlaming told the school board that his Christian faith was the reason for his refusal. “We are here today because a specific worldview is being imposed on me,” he said. “Even higher than my family ranks my faith.” Asked whether the debate was worth losing his job over, he told reporters, “There are some hills that are worth dying on.”

God “made them male and female”

My purpose today is not to focus on the transgender issue itself. (For an in-depth discussion of this subject, please see my chapter on the transgender debate in my book, 7 Crucial Questions.) Nor do I want to limit our discussion to the West Point controversy.

Rather, I want to ask: Are there “hills that are worth dying on” for Christians today?

Imagine yourself in Peter Vlaming’s position. Your Christian worldview affirms the biblical statement that God creates humans as “male and female” (Genesis 1:27). You agree with Jesus: “He who created them from the beginning made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4).

What should you do?

This is not an abstract question. A recent survey found that nearly 3 percent of ninth- and eleventh-grade students say they are transgender or gender nonconforming, meaning they don’t always identify as the sex they were assigned at birth. Of America’s 15.1 million high school students, 3 percent equates to 453,000 transgender students.

In addition, according to one adoption website, there are 594,000 same-sex couple households in the US; 115,000 of them have children. As these children become students, Christian teachers who affirm biblical marriage may be faced with a dilemma similar to the one confronting Peter Vlaming.

These questions pertain to more than high school teachers. Parents who affirm biblical morality must address these issues with their children. Pastors face similar issues with their congregations. So do those who work alongside transgender or LGBTQ persons.

Let’s survey our options.

One wrong approach: Change your theology to match the culture.

As our society embraces “gender fluidity,” same-sex marriage, or other unbiblical morality, we could adapt our beliefs accordingly. This might enable us to appear relevant to our post-Christian world.

Of course, interpreting the Bible through the lens of our fallen culture is a never-ending process of adjusting God’s unchanging word to our changing world. If the Bible is wrong on “gender fluidity,” is it also wrong on same-gender sexual relations? Polygamy? Premarital sex? Pornography? Abortion? Euthanasia?

Scripture is clear: “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it” (Deuteronomy 12:32). Unpopular truth is still truth. A doctor who tells her unwilling patient that he needs medical help is exercising courageous compassion.

A second wrong approach: Condemn those with whom you disagree.

We could see the school board members as attacking our faith. It is more likely, however, that they are acting out of their worldview. They apparently believe that gender is fluid and the gender identity of this student should therefore be affirmed. And they are convinced that to believe otherwise is bigoted and discriminatory.

For every enemy of our faith who uses moral issues to attack us, there are many who think we are simply wrong and intolerant. The root of their problem is spiritual: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Like Paul, we are sent “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18). We are called not to reject those with whom we disagree but to minister to them.

The biblical mandate: Obey your highest authority.

Peter taught us, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution” (1 Peter 2:13). Yet when he was ordered by the authorities to cease preaching the gospel, he and the apostles responded: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

We should do all we can to obey and respect those in authority over us: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). We should look for ways to resolve conflict, remembering Jesus’ beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

But if we are forced to choose between Caesar and God, we must choose God.

Chinese pastors and believers who will not submit to the control of the government are being imprisoned and their churches closed. According to Open Doors, 215 million Christians experience high levels of persecution for their faith today.

American churches are not being closed by our government; American Christians are not being imprisoned or martyred for following Jesus. But we are increasingly being forced to choose between what is popular and what is biblical.

For a follower of Jesus, this is no choice at all.

The next time you must pay a price to obey God’s word, consider the cost of your salvation. And remember: The first “hill to die on” was called Calvary.



TOPICS: Politics; Religion; Society
KEYWORDS: christian; homosexuality; transgender
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1 posted on 12/12/2018 9:00:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Private Schools

I toured a private, orthodox Catholic school recently. It was established by 1 man with the help of a few parents with a vision. The building is a disused parish school building, rented from the diocese for $1. There are no organized sports, no bureaucracy, no government requirements. There is a cost to the parents, but it is minimal.

Teachers are like-minded, Christian professors. All are highly educated and most are university professors, who are happy to teach their subjects 1-2 hours per day to focused, like-minded students, in a Christian environment - because they believe in the mission. Of course, the academics are excellent, with courses in advanced Calculus, Latin, etc...

In 3 years, the school has already grown to 80 students.


2 posted on 12/12/2018 9:10:10 AM PST by PGR88
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To: PGR88

RE: Private Schools

But how much are the tuition?


3 posted on 12/12/2018 9:11:28 AM PST by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
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To: SeekAndFind

In this case, its about $4000/year


4 posted on 12/12/2018 9:19:21 AM PST by PGR88
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To: SeekAndFind
they are acting out of their worldview. They apparently believe that gender is fluid

The humorous thing is that five years ago they didn't believe that.

5 posted on 12/12/2018 9:28:15 AM PST by marron
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To: PGR88

I’m old enough to remember when teachers would have been fired for indulging delusions of students........

Now it’s required.


6 posted on 12/12/2018 9:28:30 AM PST by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents__Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: SeekAndFind
American churches are not being closed by our government; American Christians are not being imprisoned or martyred for following Jesus.

Yet. We get a Democrat/Socialist/Communist in the White House, and that may change.

7 posted on 12/12/2018 9:32:24 AM PST by hoagy62 (America Supreme!)
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To: PGR88

I’ll bet even non-catholics want to send their kids there. In fact, I bet even non-Christian parents will want to send their kids there. Such a school is a powerful outreach to the unreached world.

I’ve seen it with similar schools elsewhere. Churches are missing it if they don’t consider schooling their own kids (and the kids of their town). What good does it do to send missionaries around the world and lose your own kids?


8 posted on 12/12/2018 9:32:28 AM PST by marron
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To: marron

“They are acting out of their worldview. They apparently believe that gender is fluid”

“The humorous thing is that five years ago they didn’t believe that. “

Kinda sounds like their BRAINS are fluid...


9 posted on 12/12/2018 9:37:56 AM PST by HeadOn (Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway. - John Wayne)
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To: SeekAndFind

Keep in mind that these are the very same people who worship people like Bill Nye and constantly tell us that, unlike Christians, they believe in science.

Well, here’s some science for you, oh superior ones; there are only two genders, period.


10 posted on 12/12/2018 9:43:59 AM PST by Obadiah
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To: SeekAndFind

bump


11 posted on 12/12/2018 11:05:14 AM PST by Albion Wilde ("The word 'racist' is used to describe 'every Republican that's winning'" --Donald Trump)
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To: SeekAndFind; 2Jedismom; 6amgelsmama; AAABEST; aberaussie; AccountantMom; Aggie Mama; agrace; ...

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

This ping list is for the other articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. Articles pinged to the Another Reason to Homeschool List will be given the keyword of ARTH. (If I remember. If I forget, please feel free to add it yourself)

The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.

12 posted on 12/12/2018 12:06:47 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith......)
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To: SeekAndFind
The phrase "sex they were assigned at birth" is misleading No one is assigned a sex at birth. Sex is discovered at birth. Sex may be discovered before birth, through a sonogram, but in no sense is it "assigned."

The use of the verb "assigned" implies it's purely arbitrary, It isn't arbitrary. There are some cases of children born with mixed sex organs, but they are clearly abnormal. Their existence is not an excuse to obscure the fact that sex exists before it's discovered. It isn't assigned arbitrarily.

13 posted on 12/12/2018 12:10:11 PM PST by JoeFromSidney (Colonel (Retired) USAF)
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To: Obadiah
Keep in mind that these are the very same people who worship people like Bill Nye and constantly tell us that, unlike Christians, they believe in science.

I've seen some of Bill Nye's stuff for kids.

It is useless.

For one thing, NOBODY can follow it.

It jumps around so fast that it's impossible to process anything.

And the guy is an imbecile. He acts like a total idiot.

14 posted on 12/12/2018 12:10:24 PM PST by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith......)
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To: Lurkinanloomin

school that requires speech in conflict with fundamental truth is not a school. It is a gulag of indoctrination.


15 posted on 12/12/2018 12:48:56 PM PST by Louis Foxwell (The denial of the authority of God is the central plank of the Progressive movement.)
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To: SeekAndFind

We home educated four kids for a few hundred to maybe $2,000 a year total.

All are adults and live independently. One is an engineer now so it obviously worked out OK.


16 posted on 12/12/2018 12:55:01 PM PST by cyclotic ( Democrats must be politically eviscerated, disemboweled and demolished.)
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To: SeekAndFind
There is a time for martyrdom. And then there is not.


17 posted on 12/12/2018 3:11:09 PM PST by DoodleBob
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m about to pay $13k per year per child.
There’s a war for our children’s minds, I’m willing to pay that cost.


18 posted on 12/12/2018 3:42:18 PM PST by Roman_War_Criminal (Like Enoch, Noah, & Lot, the True Church will soon be removed & then destruction comes forth.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I have metaphorically died on more than one hill, going back to 1984.

The degradation of churchianity is not new, but it is getting worse.

I have personally aided numerous homoerotic persons, but I refuse to accept their lifestyle as legitimate for someone claiming to be a Christian.


19 posted on 12/12/2018 4:29:16 PM PST by YogicCowboy ("I am not entirely on anyone's side, because no one is entirely on mine." - J. R. R. Tolkien)
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To: Obadiah

Respectfully: two sexes, not two genders.

The left insidiously changes words to sow confusion and weaken opposition.

Gender is linguistic; sex is biological.

This is important: Some languages do indeed have many genders, but humanity has exactly and only two sexes.


20 posted on 12/12/2018 4:33:46 PM PST by YogicCowboy ("I am not entirely on anyone's side, because no one is entirely on mine." - J. R. R. Tolkien)
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