Tolerance is a Two Way Street

It was recently announced that Trinity Western University in British Columbia intends to offer a law degree in 2016.  And at least two provincial bar associations, including Nova Scotia, have voted to not allow students graduating from Trinity to be members of their associations. 

The reason?  Trinity is Canada’s largest Christian liberal arts college and part of its community covenant, requires all staff and students to abstain from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.”  Members of the Gay rights communities assert that  this covenant discriminates against Homosexuals.  Technically it would also discriminate against heterosexuals in common law relationships but apparently they don’t have a strong lobby group. 

Trinity Western’s president, Bob Kuhn suggested the vote “can’t help but have a chilling effect on the freedom with which Christians, especially evangelical Christians, feel a part of the society.”

Trinity is not discriminating against a group of people, they are simply requiring that their student’s refrain from certain activities as long as they are students of the University.

However, the reaction demonstrates how lacking in tolerance are those who speak so loudly for tolerance.   They are saying “We require you to be tolerant of us, but we have no interest in extending tolerance to your beliefs.”

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Heaven is for Real

I wonder how Johnny Depp is feeling after his latest movie was left in the dust by a movie about a Wesleyan Pastor and his family?  “Heaven is for Real” opened in theatres this week in third place, which I think was a surprise to many. 

And people have asked me what I think about the story, which is the account of Pastor Todd Burpo and how he, along with his family and his church, deal with his three year old son’s vision of heaven. 

I’ve read the book and  have seen the movie and enjoyed them both.  Did I agree with everything, nope, but I often default to: In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.  

In the end, will “Heaven is for Real” damage the Kingdom or hinder the gospel?  It’s doubtful.  Will it bring people closer to Jesus?  Probably some and maybe others will meet Jesus because of a little boy’s story of what he saw when he was really sick. 

There are a lot of things in the book that are difficult to explain without a supernatural source and my theology doesn’t permit the dark one that type of power over an innocent child whose godly parents and their church family are covering him in prayer.

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

A Swing of Emotions

TALK ABOUT A SWING in emotions! I have been working on two separate messages this week, one for Good Friday and one for Easter Sunday: a message of despair and a message of hope, a message of defeat and a message of victory, a message about the depths that man can fall and a message about the heights to which God can lift us. Two messages … both need to be preached but truthfully I prefer Easter Sunday messages to Good Friday messages. I know that without the crucifixion we couldn’t have the resurrection, but still … we killed Him!

He offered us life and we killed him. He came in love and we destroyed Him with hatred. Good Friday? For who? Jesus? They nailed him to a cross. For humanity? We showed how depraved we really can be. Good Friday? I think not. Black Friday? Maybe. Bad Friday? For sure. Without Sunday, Friday is a blot on the history of humanity.

Sunday changes all of that and turns despair to joy, defeat to victory. We may not have been there on Friday, but we are just as guilty. We may not have been there on Sunday, but we are just as forgiven.

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.