Here we go again. Evangelical church leaders just put out a statement on the biblical view of marriage and sexuality called the Nashville Statement.1 Interestingly enough; I agree 100% with everything in the statement. But church leadership is still not getting it! You cannot expect people (even professing Christians) to have biblical values if they do not believe the Bible. And if they do not believe the Bible starting with Genesis, they do not believe the Bible.
I teach people that they can believe the Bible – starting with Genesis. And I have found that church leadership, by and large, does not want to touch this subject. But they put out these statements in a vain attempt to sway people that do not build their thinking on the Bible; because these people do not believe the Bible. And I am talking about Christians!
Church leaders remind me of Abraham. He kept telling people his wife Sarah was his sister. Genesis 12:12-13 states: “When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.”2 Genesis 20:1-2 states: “Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, ‘She is my sister.’ ”3 Then Abraham’s son Isaac did the same thing. Genesis 26:7 states: “When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, ‘She is my sister.’ ”4 They feared being killed for their wives. But it always had the same result. Whoever they lied to found out anyway and it created hard feelings.
Church leaders need to look at why we are where we are and try something different than what got us here. If you do what you have always done, you will get what you always got.
Terry Read
- https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+20&version=NLT
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2026
