Acceptable Methods of Birth Control (VoF)

The Voices of Faith question for this week was simple, "What is your view of birth control?"

Several biblical principles come into play to answer this question from the Christian perspective. Two separate questions actually need to be answered; Is birth control a Christian option at all, and if so, which methods fit with a Christian worldview?

The Christian's Response to Bin Laden's Death (VoF)

First, let me say that I was as glad as everyone else to get the news (in my case via a text from my sister) on May 1 that Osama bin Laden had been found and killed.

As the news spread and reports began to come in I have to say that I was uneasy with many of the scenes of celebration throughout our country. Not the joy at seeing justice done, which I'm sure was part of the emotional mix, but the party atmosphere that has since been described as "spiking the football" and a "Super Bowl party" (Why so many football analogies). It just didn't sit well with me as many people, many of which were very young (if around at all) when 9/11 happened, danced around looking like they were just happy to have found another reason to party. 
I asked myself at the time, "what is the proper response that I, as a Christian, should have to the news." I was happy then when Voices of Faith changed their regularly scheduled question to ask how a "person of faith" (the newspaper phrases their questions very broadly) should respond to bin Laden's death.

A Word About "Voices of Faith"

Part of the purpose of this portion of our website is to expand on my "Voices of Faith" (VoF) answers. Some of you, however, may have no idea what VoF is, so here is a brief explanation.

Our local newspaper here in Redding, the Record Searchlight, runs a feature each Saturday called Voices of Faith. For this feature the paper has assembled a panel of writers from widely divergent religious positions (Jewish, Muslim, Christian Science, Unitarian, Anglican) as well as several Christian denominations. I write each week presenting a reformed Christian perspective.

The questions are given to the writers in advance, and each person submits their answers, which appear in the next issue of the feature. The catch is that we are limited to 150 words. While this forces us to be concise, it is often a bit too restrictive for us (for me at least) to give a good answer. In those cases, and since I know that many people read VoF, I thought that this  forum would give an opportunity to expand a bit on some answers.

You will not find an expansion of the answer to every question here (some of the questions are, to be honest, quite inane), but occasionally I'll want to flesh things out a little more.

If a post is an expansion on a Voices of Faith article, I'll flag it with (VoF) in the title.

PG

Well, here we are . . .

Welcome to our new blog. I plan for this to be a repository for a few different types of information:

1. Extended answers to some of the "Voices of Faith" questions from the Record Searchlight.
   In answering the questions posed by the editors, we are limited to 150 words. Now, if you have ever done any writing, you know that 150 words is about the length of one good paragraph, and in trying to answer the questions in such a way as to give clear distinctions between the Christian view and the views of the myriad of other "faith communities" represented in the feature, it is hardly every enough. Though it does serve as an exercise in being concise.
   Here I won't have that restriction, so I will take the opportunity to give longer answers.
   (By the way that explanation I just gave was 114 words -- and I really didn't say much of anything, so you can see how restrictive 150 words is).
   
   
2. Reflections or thoughts that I have on topics of interest to our church and to the Christian community at large.
   During the week, in addition to preparation for Sunday worship service, various Bible studies, meetings, administrative duties, visiting members and potential members, writing ads, and so on, I try to keep up on what is going on in God's world and in the church. I'll try to be consistent in sharing with you some of those things, and try to give a biblical perspective on them.
   
   
3. Suggested further reading for you.
   As I read the books and magazine that I do, and as I wander through cyberspace during the week, and read blogs and stories from across the web, I will share some of them here. There are many good, Christian writers and bloggers out there, and I will try to pass some of their wisdom along to you. As well as steer you away from those that are wastes of time or downright dangerous to your spiritual health.
   
   
4. Limited interactions with comments.
   Comments from members of my own church, Redding Reformed Fellowship will always be addressed either on the blog or in person. I am also happy to respond to honest questions or challenges to specific views I hold and present. I am especially happy to talk with people concerning Christ and their need for the forgiveness of sins that comes only through Him.
   However, I have neither the time nor the inclination to enter into the time-pits of continuing debates with those who seem to have time for nothing else.
   

So read and enjoy. "Follow" us, "Like" us, Subscribe to our RSS, do all of those things that today's social media would have you do to show support for us and to spread the word about Redding Reformed Fellowship and especially about Jesus Christ, the only hope for the world and the folks in it.

Pastor Gene