Chris R. Quinlan

The teachings of the Bible reveal to us that marriage was designed by God to be a “picture” of the relationship between Jesus and His “church” (his true followers.) He did this to show His love and devotion, and to illustrate His role as “head”. Those of us that embrace the Bible see marriage as one of the most important institutions created by God. Therefore we cannot and should not try to redefine it. To do so would distort God’s purpose in creating it. Marriage is one of the most explicitly described concepts in the bible. It only has one meaning. Ephesians 5:31-32 , which quotes Genesis 2:24 Opponents of same-sex marriage are often described as bible-thumping bigots that hate people who have embraced the homosexual lifestyle. This is a fallacy that attempts to paint an opponent with negative stereotypes in order to discredit them. While there may be a few people out there that can be described in this way, most are not. There are good reasons to oppose the homosexual agenda,...

Our culture’s view of cussing is obvious from observing TV and movies. Everyone cusses, even children and religious people. It’s the “grown-up” and “cool” thing to do. It’s fun, it makes people laugh, and makes you feel more powerful and popular. The clear message that is caught is: cussing is normal and expected, therefore there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just words. As vulgarity becomes more and more accepted in our culture, the media that most people consume becomes more and more filled with it. The question to be asked by the Christian should be: What does the bible say about this subject?   The bible does not give a list of cuss words to abstain from using. The bible wasn’t written in English, and we’re not interested in legalism anyway. In the bible we find several passages that give us principles to apply to this matter. It is my belief that anyone who calls him or herself a Christian should completely abstain from using any word that is, or even sounds like a c...

2 Peter 1:10b-15 "For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these thing s This verse needs to be understood with care. If one isn't careful, a conclusion could be drawn that would be in opposition to the truth that the verse is proclaiming. Verse 11 is key, but I included the end of verse 10 so that the entire thought could be seen. The reason this is so critical to understand is because what we see here in verse 10-11 is what, at first glance, looks like ...

(This is an excerpt from a letter from Legh Richmond to one of his children. Legh was a contemporary of William Wilberforce and lived in the late 18th and early 19th century.) My dear child, May my you be preserved from the defilements of a vain , dangerous , and destroying world. You know not, and I wish you never may know--its snares and corruptions! I send you the following applications of my sermon on Ephesians 5:15-16, Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. On circumspection of walk, redemption of time, and general sincerity of character: 1. Adhere most scrupulously to Scriptural truth; and strive to preserve the strictest integrity, simplicity, and sincerity. 2. Engage in no pursuit in which you cannot look up unto God, and say, 'Bless me in this, my Father!' 3. Strive to be as kind, forbearing , and forgiving as you can--both to friends and foes. Never speak evil of anyone. ...