ANOTHER CHAPTER in the FALL of WESTERN CHRISTENDOM

The ROAD to EMMAUS eNEWS -- October 8, 2008

Dear Fellow Christians & Other Friends, I watched another sad chapter play itself out in the continuing demise of Western Christendom. OK, it was not a chapter, only a sentence or two. But it reinforced my fear that very few Western Christians have what it takes to be allies with Jesus Christ in the resurrection of Western Christendom. One day we will. God is raising up a new Gideon army. The event was a panel discussion in a church about two hours away from my home in La Habra, CA, with the pro and the con sides presenting their views on CA Proposition 8 which defines marriage as between a man and a woman -- to be voted on November 4.

The real issue is the promotion of homosexual marriage vs. the preservation of the Biblical view. I had spent about an hour with the primary defender of the Biblical viewpoint several days before, hoping to persuade him that if he did not address the issue of homosexual behavior and its health consequences, he might say some very true things, but he would make no dent in public opinion. He is a theology professor at a nearby school, and some of his students were going along for the experience at such an event. I went to pray with and for him, and, if possible, to help raise the behavior issue in the Q & A session.

As it was an Episcopal Church, and there would be some very strong-minded pro-homosexual Episcopal clergy there, I wore my black shirt and white collar, hoping for a chance to point the discussion down the right road -- knowing it would create a "vigorous" response. It was sponsored by the local clergy association, who did a good job of trying to create an open and winsome atmosphere, encouraging honest discussion. But if they expected an open and honest contest of ideas and values, they were very naive. Pseudo-liberals (who do not know how to liberate) are much better at PR than pseudo-conservatives (who have no idea on how to conserve anything). "Liberals" (in skeptical quotes) know much better how to lie and win by defining the issues with their terms and biases. They know how to subvert the truth.

Those on the "conservative" side (equally skeptical quotes) typically stick to "Biblical" arguments. I put "Biblical" in quotes, not to be skeptical about the Bible, but to indicate that the way Biblical arguments are presented is almost never done in a Biblical way. That is to say, their arguments, often expositing wiith grace and truth on the Bible, nevertheless spin in their little Biblical circles, but never make contact with the facts on the ground. I have yet to see or hear a debate between "liberal" and "conservative" sides in which those presenting the Biblical position understood what they were doing. They are in over their heads, and unaware of why the other side always seems, in public opinion, to be able to hold the moral high ground.

God wrote two books, the Book of Creation and the Book of Revelation. The Book of Creation is read by the methods of science, by careful observation of the world, and then by equally careful reasoning from the observations to conclusions about how the world works. Science was a gift from God, not from secular or pagan interests. The Book of Revelation was written to get us back to the Book of Creation, to teach us how to recover our creaturehood (salvation). But we Christians have succeeded in disobeying God and making an enemy of science. We believe, for the most part, that there is an opposition between reason and revelation, between science and faith.

That is an absolutely unBiblical position because reason and faith in the Bible are absolutely wedded in the plan of God for creation. That means that our faith commitments must engage creation -- the facts on the ground. That is a fundamental part of our testimony. The facts on the ground are provided by the nature of the debate itself. There is only one thing which most practicing homosexual persons want the public to approve -- their homosexual behavior. Marriage is not much of interest, and when it is, it is radically redefined so as to fit their inherently promiscuous lifestyle. The homosexual defenders kept talking about how they valued monogamous relationships, nevermind that the inability of homosexual couples to stay faithful is established by studies done by both pro and con researchers. Almost no homosexual couples are able to stay faithful over five years. Their "divorce" rates will be astronomical.

But homosexual advocates do not talk about their behavior because it is ugly, dirty, and enormously disease-producing. They know the public would not approve, and are scared to death of a discussion of their behavior. And Biblical folks will not talk about it because of either prudery, timidity, or ignorance. So the issue never gets publicly addressed, and the homosexual agenda, with astonishing success, is able to promote the most destructive of sexual practices without pseudo-conservatives being able to mount a single effective objection. Absolutely astonishing. All the live ammunition (good evidence) is on the Biblical side, and the other side has only blanks. But the Biblical side is not shooting. The other side is, and scares the pants off the Biblical side with all the noise.

Good debate strategy defines clearly the terms of the debate -- for the common-sense reason that you cannot win a debate without clarity on the defining issues. Unless, that is, your case is not such that it can be won by fact and logic, and must be won, therefore, buy subterfuge and deceit. If homosexual advocates knew that every time they got up to speak, they would be challenged to defend their sexual behavior in detail, there would be far fewer of them getting up. And the public would begin to catch on that they had been lied to for decades, and ill-served by their pseudo-conservative leaders.

I had planned, as I have done before, to ask the homosexual advocates if they understood that the typical behaviors of homosexual persons included oral intercourse, anal intercourse, rimming (inserting one's tongue into the anus of one's partner for sexual pleasure), fisting (insertion of the hand and forearm into the rectum of the partner), golden showers (urinating on each other), and sometimes, scat (the consuming of human waste). These behaviors all involve intimate contact with human waste, and are described in great detail in The Gay Report, by Karla Jay and Allen Young, two homosexual authors. These are the kinds of behaviors one will commonly find in a homosexual bathhouse (described in detail by Jay and Young).

And, they are being taught to public school childen in Massachusetts. If they are not being taught in California yet, they will soon be. A group called GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network: Home is well on its way to infiltrating every school system in America. It controls the education system in Massachusetts, and sponsors this kind of education. (Do a Google search on "fistgate".) Those are the facts on the ground, which were never addressed by any of the speakers. Those are the kinds of relevant facts on the ground to which all that good theology ought to be addressed. But theology currently instead circles only around itself, going nowhere, challenging no one's viewpoint. The theology therefore appears artificial and abstract, no matter how good it is.

It does nothing at all to win the moral high ground. That is done by the pseudo-liberals who are quite good at making their case look like a social justice, fairness, and civil rights issue. Nothing was said on the Biblical side which effectively countered those claims. Conservative speakers are, almost always, in way over their heads. They have no idea of the level of deceit and manipulation involved in sexuality debates (see Dialogue in Darkness at http://www.theroadtoemmaus.org/EM/ShpMl/DinD/00DinD.HTM) As for my presenting the facts on the ground, questions had to be written on cards, allowing the monitors to filter out anything controversial. So my presentation was never made. I was limited to passing out some brochures (see http://www.theroadtoemmaus.org/RdLb/22SxSo/BroSx/Html/ShrtEvid.htm, and http://www.theroadtoemmaus.org/RdLb/22SxSo/BroSx/Html/Strtgy1pg.htm, and http://www.theroadtoemmaus.org/RdLb/32Ang/Epis/RbnsnGHsx.htm.)

A second issue never raised was that homosexual marriage is still in fact illegal in every state in the Union, including emphatically, Massachusetts and California. Both state constitutions are rock solid clear that the courts cannot have changed the relevant laws. They cannot change laws at all. The courts provided the illusion of having changed marriage laws, which the two governors then illegally spun to make those changes in the marriage certificates. Nothing has changed legally. But Christians do not do their homework, and so are oblivious about how to mount an effective counter-attack.

A third issue is the totalitarian nature of any lifestyle which rejects objective truth or morality, and which rests therefore on "feeling good" and then power as it primary criteria for making decisions. Since one cannot appeal to truth as a standard of rightness, one has only feeling-good and power. Power, in the end, wins. The history of homosexuality in Massachusetts gives abundant examples. (Again, do a Google search on "fistgate") The forces of darkness prevailed because the forces of light fought with rubber swords and their pants falling down around their knees.

I believe that, with just a few exceptions, nothing short of persecution will bring forth good leadership among Western Christians. And the few exceptions (such as the Constitution Party with Chuck Baldwin, and the American Independent Party with Alan Keyes), are being effectively sidelined by the media, politicians, and by Christian leaders -- and ignored by rank and file Christians. Christians vote for the supposed "least of two evils", rather than for the truth. So truth hardly gets a voice in the debate. That is betrayal of Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords. Followers of Jesus vote for those who represent the King, not for the lesser of two evils. The lesser of two evils is not the one into whom to be grafted. Only the True Vine will make your works productive for on-the-ground, real-time truth, righteousness, and love. If you are worried about "theocracy", go to http://www.theroadtoemmaus.org/RdLb/21PbAr/Pl/Cnst/00Const.htm#Church/State For a list of topics on homosexuality, go to http://www.theroadtoemmaus.org/RdLb/22SxSo/PnSx/HSx/00HoSx.htm and http://www.theroadtoemmaus.org/EM/ShpMl/WinSxWrs.htm

Take a good look at the articles posted below, stop spinning your theology in circles, get your testimony engaged with the facts on the ground. Trade in your rubber sword for the 2-edged Sword of the Spirit - reason & revelation welded back to back. And continue to grow in truth, righteousness, and love.

Resurrection Blessings, Earle Fox ** Emmaus Ministries - a School of Judeo-Christian Apologetics ** 1001 W. Lambert Rd #232, La Habra, CA 90631 **

Editor's Note: For the articles mentioned above, go to:
http://theRoadToEmmaus.org ****