This topic, “Culled From” is an attempt to cull some of the mini-debates I’ve engaged in, from forums or blogs where they’ve been buried. I liked quite a few of these debates, and I’d like to share them with a different audience. The following quote can be found here:

Well if their “Good Christians “, then they follow the New Testament not the old testament. When Christ came he set aside the old ways. You will have to read the New Testament to see if being Gay is still a sin. I’m to lazy to look it up for you.

My response which followed can be found here:

As for the injunction against homosexuality being an old-testament-only thing.. I beg to differ.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

– 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.

– 1 Timothy 1:8-10

A well-known Christian songwriter, who’s written over 2700 songs, has a great story about how he was trapped in the homosexual world as a young man. Since that time he’s made it a mission to reach out to homosexuals in all walks of life, from his Christian perpective.

He’s married, with 9 children now.

Like a poster above said – ALL have fallen short of the glory of God. There is NO sin worse than any other. I’m just as mad, honestly, about the legality of abortion as I am about the potential for “recognizing” so-called gay “marriage”. Or perjury, or etc. I get mad at myself, daily, when I find myself agreeing with Paul.

For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

– Romans 7:19-21

A bit later, we are given the question resulting from the above… a very pertinent question, really.

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

The opener for the next chapter answers it, and answers it well.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans, as a book, is chiefly concerned with outlining the foundation for Christianity. Chapter 7 deals with the law, and it’s seeming contradictions in dealing with sin by condemning it. Chapter 8 deals with the fulfillment of the law in Jesus. It’s an interesting read, if you’re really serious about learning the foundation for the statements we’re batting back and forth. The only way to debate the Bible is to study it – otherwise, you’re only going to rehearse arguments you’ve heard from elsewhere. Who knows, you might even learn something 😀

On the Christian side… if a Christian doesn’t argue biblical principles with the Bible… he’s coming to the debate unarmed. Logic only goes so far, because the way most people are taught logic is from the subjective morality position, these days. You will, necessarily, be arguing from the objective morality position, which means that even your logic won’t avail you. THAT is the reason most debates over religion end up in “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it” – because Christianity, as well as most other religions founded on a scripture of any sort, are based on those scriptures as guidelines for living – the objective in objective morality. So, unless you’re really seriously out to do nothing but make an attempt to discredit an objective morality system by means of subjective morality (which, I have to tell you, is rather pointless), the argument is never going to go anywhere.

Ever. Proponents of objective morality cannot change their objective positions. Subjective proponents are a different story altogether. That’s why so many proponents of such philosophies continually call themselves “open-minded” – the very foundation of their philosophies are based on the principle – that their principles – depend on the situation.

So, really.. as much as I LOVE any sort of debate wherein it is possible to give some portion of the message of my Lord… treating it as a debate is always, always doomed to failure – if you want to win, not just exchange ideas.

As a favorite parable of mine about sowing seeds says… “Some wwas eaten by the birds, some fell on the rocky soil, some fell on thorny soil, and some fell on good soil”…

All we can do is sow.