Biweekly wrap-up 
the best news and insights from our Facebook page 
   

Dear Friends and Supporters of Transforming Congregations (TC),


Beginning with this edition, TC will be publishing a biweekly wrap-up of the best news and commentary that was posted on our Facebook page over the previous two weeks. Since mid-May our Facebook readership has increased steadily, growing from just a few dozen to over 1,600 readers! And I hope we can reach even more people as our fans continue to "like" the site and recommend it to their friends.

Quick Links
But I also think that this email alert will be a great addition with its easy-to-read format for finding the most pertinent and insightful information. Hopefully, the ideas and suggestions that follow will help you to establish a strong moral compass in your own life, with your family, and in your church and community.

Be sure to let me know what you think of our newest endeavor. And, as always, thank you for your faithful partnership with Transforming Congregations. Your financial support is essential to our work.

Yours in Christ, 
Rev. Karen Booth, Director

SANCTIFIED SEXUALITY


Pornography is a growing moral cancer in our society, including for many within the Church. Covenant Eyes (from Job 31:1) is an organization that helps Christian believers (and others) overcome pornography use and addiction through internet accountability and filtering services. In addition to their blog Breaking Free, they also offer a number of  free ebooks for download. Covenant Eyes blog editor Luke Gilkerson has done a one hour video called "Porn in the Church: A Discussion About Fighting Porn Among Christians." 

Perhaps part of the reason porn is having such a major impact is because the Church as a whole has softened its stance and teachings about sexual sin and sanctification. Joe Dallas challenges Christian believers to get serious about real grace in his article  "Amazing Grays," and Riley Case of The Confessing Movement within The United Methodist Church calls faithful members back to their holiness roots in his commentary  "Can We Still Speak About Purity?"

SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY

Written from a Roman Catholic perspective, an article by Daniel Mattson in First Things -- "Homosexual Orientation, or Disorientation?" -- challenges all of us to think about HOW we think about sex and sexuality.
 
Our most widely-read post was about a six-year-old girl who is living as a transgender "boy" with the blessings of her parents. It's a sadly prophetic look at where our culture may be headed.

David Murray shares some thoughts about how parents can respond with both love and faith to their children's sexuality issues in "'Mom, Dad... I'm Gay.' A Christian Parent's Response" on the Christianity Today web site. And Albert Mohler shares a compassionate and truthful Christian leader's response in the video of a panel discussion he did at the Southern Baptist Convention annual gathering.


Finally, Debora Barr tells the amazing story about how God's transforming grace redeemed and healed her after several decades living as a lesbian. 

MARRIAGE

The end of June, the Supreme Court issued two landmark decisions regarding same-sex marriage -- one regarding the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the other regarding California's Proposition 8, a voter initiative to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

  

Check out Richard Hammar's "7 Must-Know Facts About Same-Sex Marriage and the Supreme Court Ruling" for a concise summary of the rulings. It would make a great bulletin insert or discussion guide.

For a more in depth understanding, see this three part series by Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation: 
 
Many well meaning Christians think that same-sex unions are no different from traditional heterosexual marriage except for the gender of the partners. Joe Carter, blogging for the Gospel Coalition, sets the record straight in "What You Should Know About 'Monogamish' Relationships."  
 
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Bishop Marcus Matthews from the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference is the
most recent denominational leader to "come out of the closet" in favor of gay rights. This is a sadly personal disappointment since he was very supportive of Transforming Congregations when he led the Peninsula-Delaware Conference.

And Sara Thompson Tweedy, an ordained pastor in the New York Annual Conference, is the most recent clergy person to publicly announce her homosexuality. A formal complaint has been filed against her, which may ultimately lead to another church trial. Check out
"By Their Fruits: Liberal United Methodist Charged with Sexual Immorality" by John Lomperis of the Institute on Religion and Democracy for an excellent analysis and commentary about the situation.

CULTURE  
 
If you think that the sexual and feminist revolutions have been beneficial for women, think again.

The RAND Corporation has released the results of a new study on cohabitation that confirms what moral traditionalists already know: living together does not improve a couples' chances for a lasting marriage. An article in the Wall Street Journal online explains why it is especially detrimental to women.

Another study by the Parents Television Council monitored the "sexploitation" of teens on network and cable TV and reported a significant increase in incidents involving underage girls.

Moral behavior on campus continues to decay with -- surprise! -- young women increasingly participating in "hook up" culture. Kate Taylor analyzes the rationale in a
NY Times article called "Sex on Campus: She Can Play That Game, Too."  (Tamara Rajakaria disputes some of the Times conclusions and offers a more positive assessment of the situation in an article on Mercatornet.) And Gracy Howard in The American Conservative offers a faithful -- and hopeful! -- alternative.


Thank you for your prayer and financial support  
for the ministry of Transforming Congregations.
    
Your partnership makes it possible for us to continue  
speaking out in defense of biblical teachings on sexual morality.  
   
If you haven't sent a gift lately, we would prayerfully
encourage you
to join us in the struggle today! 
 
 
Yes! I want to help Transforming Congregations (TC) equip the Church
to effectively minister to the sexually confused, broken and sinful.
  
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Transforming Congregations
 
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