ISSUE 981 l JULY 2013
Bethany Baptist Church exists to glorify God by proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and preparing His people to worship Him forever.
Boy Scouts and the Cultural Tsunami My son Jackson has loved being part of the Boy Scouts for the past four years. He is now a Life Scout and hopes to earn Eagle Scout before the end of the year. The Boy Scouts have been dear to our hearts as it has been an organization that has helped our son learn life and leadership skills along with sound moral character. While Boy Scouts has not been an inherently Christian organization, it has been very friendly to Christianity and to biblical morality. Yet the cultural tsunami of the approval of homosexual behavior is changing that. Those leading this cultural tsunami demand that all groups and all peoples embrace homosexual relationships as morally and socially good. This demands that Scripture be rejected as a reliable guide for a moral life. In May, the Boy Scouts voted to amend their membership policy to allow for openly, self-identified homosexual youth to join the organization. Previously, an open avowal of homosexual orientation would have kept a boy from joining the scouts, as it was perceived as inconsistent with the Scout Oath and the Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word and deed. To be clear, the Boy Scouts still affirm that no youth should be engaged in sexual activity, heterosexual or homosexual. Yet the
decision that the Boy Scouts made regarding membership reveals a profound change in the organization’s view of the morality of homosexuality. The new policy communicates that homosexuality is not a moral issue at all. In this, they reject the morality of Scripture for the morality of the powerbrokers of culture . Why should believers who are involved in Boy Scouts be concerned? I think four issues demand rethinking one’s commitment to Boy Scouts. 1.
Helping Boys with Same Sex Attraction One’s perspective about same sex attraction is foundational to one’s response to the Boy Scouts decision. The world would have us believe that same sex attraction is a healthy part of a person’s identity to be encouraged in those who are genetically predisposed. The forces of cultural change advise young men with same sex attraction, “Proudly embrace it and at some point in life, express it through homosexual relationship (s).” The world says that anything other than a celebration of homosexual relationships is bigotry. In contrast, the Bible views attraction to any sin as part of our Continued on page 2
Dr. Ritch Boerckel
Senior Pastor
In This Issue: 3
Over the Coffee Cup
4
Missions
5
Sr. High News Save The Date
6
July Calendar
7
Birthdays & Anniversaries
8
Small Groups
9
Children’s Ministry
10 Adult Bible Communities
Biblical Counseling Training Open Hearts Open Homes 11 Membership Class
Missions Services Boerckel Reception Women’s Ministries 12 Vacation Bible School