Michael Craven

This past week we bore witness to an agregious act of tyranny when the U.S. Ninth Circuit Appeals Court elevated the authority of the state over and above that of parents in regards to the education of their children. The court ruled that, "... there is no fundamental right of parents to be the exclusive provider of information regarding sexual matters to their children." What can be done in the face of spreading judicial tyranny that usurps American democracy?

Traditional marriage receives an "unconventional" endorsement. Bob Geldof from the hit 70s and 80s rock band, the Boomtown Rats, and founder of the Live Aid and more recently Live 8 mega-concert events aimed at addressing poverty in Africa was featured in a BBC documentary series, Geldof on Marriage. In it Geldof laments the breakdown of the family as a cause of societal disintegration saying, "I know it's uncool, and I truly have no desire to cause upset or offence by saying this, but the truth of every study is clear: dual-parent upbringing produces healthier, better educated children. That's it."

Texans will go to the polls on November 8th with an opportunity to constitutionally limit the definition of marriage to one man and one woman, [who are unrelated to one another] making Texas the 18th state to do so and the 44th state forced to enact some measure of legal protection for traditional marriage in response to the relentless assault by homosexual activists. However, proponents of homosexual marriage are engaging in a blatant campaign of deception and trickery.

One of the unfortunate risks associated with speaking apologetically is that you can begin think that the Kingdom of God will advance on the weight of intellectual arguments. Scripture clearly teaches that we are to "be prepared to give answer for the hope that lies within us" however, I must continually be reminded of Christ's commandment to love my neighbor.

Same-sex marriage advocates scoff at the suggestion that legalizing homosexual marriage will lead to the legalization of all forms of relationships including polygamy. Well, just this past week officials in The Netherlands sanctioned the first polygamous arrangement only four years after codifying same-sex marriage.

This past week I wrote about the rise of utilitarian ethics and morality being effectively advanced by Princeton philosopher, Peter Singer. There is no greater evidence of this than the fact that just last week I warned against the influence of utilitarianism and this week officials in The Netherlands announced that they were preparing to legalize "child euthanasia." Why does this matter?

The September/October issue of Foreign Policy (FP), a publication of the influential Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, featured an article by the controversial Princeton philosopher and ethicist, Peter Singer. Singer predicts, "By 2040, it may be that only a rump of hard-core, know-nothing religious fundamentalists will defend the view that every human life, from conception to death, is sacrosanct." Is this where we are headed?

This past week the Centers for Disease Control released the results of a nationwide study, Selected Health Measures: Men and Women 15-44 Years of Age, United States 2002. This study chronicles the sex behavior trends among Americans including teens. Initial reports on this study from both the Washington Post and New York Times suggest very different conclusions than the report seems to indicate.

For Charles Darwin and others, natural selection explained the appearance of design without a designer. The Intelligent Design movement threatens to undo Darwin's theory. The absence of an intelligent Christian response to Darwin's theory has produced both theological compromise and marginalized the Gospel. Are you prepared to engage in this historical dialogue?

Perhaps one of the most persistent and pervasive myths that has shaped the thinking of many people and subsequently public policy is the myth that the world’s population is spiraling out of control and ultimately leading to catastrophic shortages of the essential resources necessary to sustain life.

Some radical feminists, pornographers, and sexual libertines attempt to justify prostitution and in general the sexualizing of women by advancing the notion that if women simply <i>think</i> they are in control of male sexuality then they <i>are</i> and therefore they become "empowered." Is there any truth to this notion?

The aftermath of Katrina reveals our prevailing beliefs in the nature of man as merely an "evolved" animal and therefore not responsible for his barbarism. Secondly Katrina exposes our futile trust in human reason and technology. Using both, the media validates their blame on the Bush administration.

We are seeing the rise of the first thoroughly postmodern generation in history. A generation in which many young people lack any coherent or systematic explanation of truth, reality, morality, ethics, meaning or purpose. Even so-called "Christian" youth have been indoctrinated to this way of thinking and too many churches seem incapable or unwilling to offer young people anything more than simplistic religious rhetoric and mindless MTV style entertainment.

I am often asked how to defend the biblical conception of marriage in a culture that rejects the authority of the Bible. I will grant that this is not always easy, and to do so effectively requires that we rightly apply the principles put forth in Colossians 4:6, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." The "salt" spoken of here implies an intelligent and rational argument which seeks to affirm God's truth. This is the essence of "cultural apologetics" and toward that end I wanted to share my recently prepared testimony for presentation to the New Hampshire State Legislature addressing same-sex marriage.

It is possibly this uniquely American phenomenon [consumerism] that may be contributing to so much resentment around the world. We used to export missionaries in unparalleled number and fortunately still do to a large extent but more and more we are exporting consumerist ideology; an ideology that is ultimately at odds with Christianity.

There is a pervasive and persistent force working in American culture that is undermining individuals, disintegrating families and communities, and sapping the Church of its influence and relevance. That force is consumerism.

Are same-sex "marriages" simply the next step in the ongoing evolution of human relationships, and should we just accept them? Or are there legitimate reasons to believe legally sanctioning same-sex unions will harm society?