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A La Carte (8/7)
- 08/07/09
- 11
Whither Evangelicalism?
Phil Johnson: Evangelicalism regularly comes under attack from all sides, and let's face it: a lot of the criticism leveled against evangelicals is well deserved. Although I hold firmly to historic evangelical doctrine, I thoroughly despise what the contemporary evangelical movement has become.
Evangelism: Joy, Planting and Watering
My buddy P-Mac, a new blogger, has already figured out the value of getting other people to do his blogging for him. Today Steve F., also a good friend, offers "An Encouraging Reminder to Keep Planting and Watering."
The First Lady's Staff
This article is completely overstated, but the information it contains is really interesting. It simply lists the staff retained by the First Lady. You'll be surprised at how many are involved in staffing this unpaid position!
Can Homosexuals Change?
Stand to Reason points to a journal article in the Journal of Human Sexuality that provides some counter-cultural facts. "There is substantial evidence that sexual orientation may be changed through reorientation therapy; Efforts to change sexual orientation have not been shown to be consistently harmful or to regularly lead to greater self-hatred, depression, and other self-destructive behaviors; There is significantly greater medical, psychological, and relational pathology in the homosexual population than the general population."
The Gospel Man
At this site you can download audio from three different Gospel Man conferences held in the last year.
Phil Johnson: Evangelicalism regularly comes under attack from all sides, and let's face it: a lot of the criticism leveled against evangelicals is well deserved. Although I hold firmly to historic evangelical doctrine, I thoroughly despise what the contemporary evangelical movement has become.
Evangelism: Joy, Planting and Watering
My buddy P-Mac, a new blogger, has already figured out the value of getting other people to do his blogging for him. Today Steve F., also a good friend, offers "An Encouraging Reminder to Keep Planting and Watering."
The First Lady's Staff
This article is completely overstated, but the information it contains is really interesting. It simply lists the staff retained by the First Lady. You'll be surprised at how many are involved in staffing this unpaid position!
Can Homosexuals Change?
Stand to Reason points to a journal article in the Journal of Human Sexuality that provides some counter-cultural facts. "There is substantial evidence that sexual orientation may be changed through reorientation therapy; Efforts to change sexual orientation have not been shown to be consistently harmful or to regularly lead to greater self-hatred, depression, and other self-destructive behaviors; There is significantly greater medical, psychological, and relational pathology in the homosexual population than the general population."
The Gospel Man
At this site you can download audio from three different Gospel Man conferences held in the last year.
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Comments (11)
Interestingly enough, the New York Times reported yesterday on a study by the American Psychological Association along these line.
However, it argued just the opposite - that there does tend to be an increase in depression and suicidal tendencies in people who are instructed to change their sexual orientation by councilors/psychologists.
I'm not qualified to say which study is better science as it were, but I do find myself pretty wary of picking studies which happen to agree with what we want to hear.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/06gay.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss
"The Journal of Human Sexuality" is a publication of N.A.R.T.H, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. Its not a peer-reviewed journal.
As for Michelle Obama...the list of her assistants is fairly meaningless without something to compare it to. What was Laura Bush's staff like? Hillary Clinton's?
The bottom line in the Obama waste of money when many live on barely nothing , its unjust and sick. As to the former first ladies , if this was the case as well , it just goes to show , you can change the party but waste and indulgent behavior knows no political colors. They wonder why so many are disgusted with politics.
That list does seem extensive, but if you read what the first lady actually does in a given day I can see why she'd need a staff. She's not paid or elected per se, but she basically does PR type work similar to the VP all the time.
The Journal of Human Sexuality is put out by NARTH? NARTH is completely biased. I trust this journal as much as I would if it were published by NAMBLA.
“There is significantly greater medical, psychological, and relational pathology in the homosexual population than the general population.”
I can agree with this statement. The $54,000 question is: What causes the difference?
NARTH says it’s the homosexuality itself; somehow, practicing homosexuality necessarily has these deleterious results.
May I suggest that it could be the following?
*** No role models
*** No affirmation of MANY aspects of one’s identity (most of which are NOT sinful)
*** No inclusion in communities that have appropriate boundaries regarding sex. Homosexuality is automatically outside the bounds so a homosexual might as well do anything because nothing will be acceptable anyway...
*** Bad interpersonal relationships that result from bias against homosexual activity
*** Bad interpersonal relationships that result from a bias against personal characteristics that are perceived to be homosexual
Intellectuals that we are, we seem to rely more on the sciences than on scripture to better understand homosexuality. One is man's understanding, however empirical limited beings claim it to be, and the other is God's truth, divine and unchanging.
I hate to say it, but I trust APA's findings more than NARTH's. I was going to comment on APA's released study, but it looks like I was beaten to the punch.
Hillary Clinton had three assistants, Laura Bush one,according to this article.
onehttp://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00e553b8b65088330115715c91ec970c
This site:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6206655
(which is clearly partisan) has a list of Laura Bush's staff, taken from a second website, that has 15 staff members with "First Lady" in their title. Which is similar to Michelle Obama's.
Haven't dug enough to verify whether the Laura Bush list is accurate or not. But it would not surprise me in the least if it were.
The APA's study actually is fairly balanced concerning reorientation efforts. It says there simply isn't enough solid research to say unequivocally if these types of therapy work or not (and really, there isn't -- NARTH is hardly a biased or credible research organization, despite their mostly good intentions in helping homosexuals). It cautions therapists to not get patients' hopes up about becoming heterosexual, because it simply might not happen.
Even as a Christian who struggles with same-sex attraction, I think that's wise advise. My goal is to pursue Jesus. I'm saved by His grace whether or not my homosexual temptations go away, and I can lead a full life as a strong Christian man even if I never experience heterosexual feelings.
The APA report also acknowledges the important role faith plays in sexuality. According to The Wall Street Journal, it says: "But if the client still believes that affirming his same-sex attractions would be sinful or destructive to his faith, psychologists can help him construct an identity that rejects the power of those attractions, the APA says. That might require living celibately, learning to deflect sexual impulses or framing a life of struggle as an opportunity to grow closer to God."
That doesn't sound too anti-Christian at all. Frankly, constructing an identity that rejects the power of our sexual impulses is the kind of "change" a Christian should look for, straight or gay. That's what I want more than 100% raging heterosexuality.
My above comment should say that NARTH is hardly "unbiased," not "biased." They are very biased, as other people have pointed out, and just because their bias is conservative, doesn't make it right to have one if they want to consider themselves secular therapists.