Modern Day Pharisees

[temporal1]

BRIAN HOLLAND / Fast forward to the 58:00 mark.

i stumbled upon this Babylon Bee podcast interview with BRIAN HOLLAND.
This talk reflects how there are many ways to share Truth. Thankfully so. It’s a big world, many hands are needed.

Babylon Bee with Brian Holland / “Complicated Lies, Simple Faith“ / FF to 58:00 mark

Description:
“ Kyle, Adam, and Jarret at The Babylon Bee are back at it again tackling the news of the week and laughing as the world goes full clown.

Pastor Brian Holland also stops by to talk about how following Jesus is SIMPLE.

The Bee guys talk about what’s in the news this week like the Stephen Crowder situation,
Biden celebrating Muslim culture being woven into America’s founding,
and how Community Notes on Twitter seem to actually be fact checking people now with real facts.
AI is making videos now and they are terrifying,
Elon Musk commented on The Onion’s jokes,
and the Writers Guild of America is on strike!” ..

Pastor Brian Holland, Ignite City Church, California
https://ignitecity.church/ignite-city-church-blog/

Book: SIMPLE


i’m new to Brian H., i have not read his book. i thought of this topic as i listened to the interview.

A lot of what they’re discussing is based on the Holy Spirit.

[Bootstrap]

Are you familiar with Christopher Yuan's testimony & ministry? Did you read his book "Out of a Far Country"? We went to a two-day seminar him and his family put on to help us learn more about how to deal with the homosexual community. I can't keep saying it's the fact that they want to say that it is not sin. Their position is that we are the ones that are wrong in our interpretation of the Bible saying it is sin. That is the difference which I don't seem to feel like people are really understanding here except for a couple that have spoken up. The push is for us to accept that it is not sin.

Clearly, there are people teaching that you and I are misinterpreting the Bible, and that this is harming people who need to be "who they are". We do need to content for the truth.

I don't know Christopher Yuan, but what I can find online says that he believes homosexual behavior is sin. He seems to be endorsed by conservatives, published by Multnomah, and associated with Moody:

Dr. Christopher Yuan has taught the Bible at Moody Bible Institute for twelve years and his speaking ministry on faith and sexuality has reached five continents.

When I look at book reviews, Christopher Yuang seems to say that engaging in homosexual sex is wrong:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/far-country/

I turned to the Bible alone and went through every verse, every chapter, every page of Scripture looking for biblical justification for homosexuality. I couldn’t find any. I was at a turning point, and a decision had to be made. Either abandon God to live as a homosexual—by allowing my feelings and sexual passions to dictate who I was. Or abandon homosexuality—by liberating myself from my feelings—and live as a follower of Jesus Christ. My decision was obvious. I chose God (186).

[M]y identity shouldn’t be defined by my sexuality. Paul said in Acts 17:28, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Christ should be everything—my all in all. My sexual orientation didn’t have to be the core of who I was. My primary identity didn’t have to be defined by my feelings or sexual attractions. My identity was not “gay” or “homosexual,” or even “heterosexual,” for that matter. But my identity as a child of the living God must be in Jesus Christ alone (187).

Holy sexuality doesn’t mean that I no longer have any sexual feelings or attractions. Nor is it the obliteration of my sexuality either. God created us as sexual beings with the natural desire for intimacy. And everyone is created to desire intimate, God-honoring, nonsexual relationships with the same gender. But because of the effects of original sin, this normal feeling has been distorted. I believe homosexuality (and any other sin, such as jealousy, pride, and gluttony) stems from a legitimate need fulfilled in an illegitimate way (188).

That seems even clearer in this book:

https://www.baptiststandard.com/departm ... he-gospel/

[Bootstrap]

I would like to see more visible support networks for Christians battling with same sex attraction. I would like to see them have the same kind of support from the rest of us that people have when they struggle with other sins. An awful lot of churches on all sides of these issues would be very uncomfortable with that. But I think that's the Christlike way.

I’ve seen it, it doesn’t seem very common. Sexual sin seems to be treated in levels
Pornography
Adultery
Homosexuality
Transgenderism
Pedophilia

By "battling with same sex attraction", I was not saying "engaging in gay sex".

When I was a young man struggling with sexual temptation, people around me saw that as normal, even usual for young men, of course I found women attractive, but I needed to learn how to walk in righteousness and not give in to sin. So did most of the other boys in my youth group. Leaders made sure we had lots of help and support.

But I know people who were in exactly the same situation, except that they found people of their own gender attractive. Their struggles with temptation were treated quite differently than mine. Nobody knew what to do with them. Nobody offered help and support. They got the message.

[Josh]

I knew a young man who has homosexual urges and his biggest sin area was pornography. Thru the Lord’s grace he overcame it and lived a life free of pornography. It is a serious sin for any man or woman, regardless of homosexuality or not.

The Bible teaches to confine sexuality to marriage and outside of that it is sin and we need to flee from it.

[Valerie]

Are you familiar with Christopher Yuan's testimony & ministry? Did you read his book "Out of a Far Country"? We went to a two-day seminar him and his family put on to help us learn more about how to deal with the homosexual community. I can't keep saying it's the fact that they want to say that it is not sin. Their position is that we are the ones that are wrong in our interpretation of the Bible saying it is sin. That is the difference which I don't seem to feel like people are really understanding here except for a couple that have spoken up. The push is for us to accept that it is not sin.

Clearly, there are people teaching that you and I are misinterpreting the Bible, and that this is harming people who need to be "who they are". We do need to content for the truth.

I don't know Christopher Yuan, but what I can find online says that he believes homosexual behavior is sin. He seems to be endorsed by conservatives, published by Multnomah, and associated with Moody:

Dr. Christopher Yuan has taught the Bible at Moody Bible Institute for twelve years and his speaking ministry on faith and sexuality has reached five continents.

When I look at book reviews, Christopher Yuang seems to say that engaging in homosexual sex is wrong:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/far-country/

I turned to the Bible alone and went through every verse, every chapter, every page of Scripture looking for biblical justification for homosexuality. I couldn’t find any. I was at a turning point, and a decision had to be made. Either abandon God to live as a homosexual—by allowing my feelings and sexual passions to dictate who I was. Or abandon homosexuality—by liberating myself from my feelings—and live as a follower of Jesus Christ. My decision was obvious. I chose God (186).

[M]y identity shouldn’t be defined by my sexuality. Paul said in Acts 17:28, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Christ should be everything—my all in all. My sexual orientation didn’t have to be the core of who I was. My primary identity didn’t have to be defined by my feelings or sexual attractions. My identity was not “gay” or “homosexual,” or even “heterosexual,” for that matter. But my identity as a child of the living God must be in Jesus Christ alone (187).

Holy sexuality doesn’t mean that I no longer have any sexual feelings or attractions. Nor is it the obliteration of my sexuality either. God created us as sexual beings with the natural desire for intimacy. And everyone is created to desire intimate, God-honoring, nonsexual relationships with the same gender. But because of the effects of original sin, this normal feeling has been distorted. I believe homosexuality (and any other sin, such as jealousy, pride, and gluttony) stems from a legitimate need fulfilled in an illegitimate way (188).

That seems even clearer in this book:

https://www.baptiststandard.com/departm ... he-gospel/

If you ever get a chance, attend one of his conferences- we were so blessed- and its very beneficial- i need to order his recent book. It's so awesome to hear his testimony because you hear people say oh they will never change but his family's entire story of redemption is a miracle that should encourage anyone to keep praying for someone.

[Sudsy]

Yes, we should never 'write off' anyone for the type of sinning they are involved in. Paul says he was the chief of sinners. He was full of religious zeal and ready to wipe out Christianity when he had the miraculous, Damascus road experience that led him to repentance.

I think it dangerous to elevate a certain kind of sinning over another type as if God is limited in His transforming power. I love hearing testimonies of how God transforms those that come from obvious sinful practises. And also, those who have sinning that isn't that visible to others, yet it is destroying them.

Perhaps it is harder for some Christians who have not had close acquaintances who have had dramatic conversion experiences to really believe in the extent of change that God can make in anyone's life. Myself, I did not know the change my parents went through in their conversion but my older sister did and it amazed me as she told me about their before conversion life. Very worldly, anti-God, mocking some professing Christian folk. Then Jesus came into their lives and they became new creations. I was so blessed to be raised in such a home. Thankyou Jesus !

[Bootstrap]

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/far-country/

I turned to the Bible alone and went through every verse, every chapter, every page of Scripture looking for biblical justification for homosexuality. I couldn’t find any. I was at a turning point, and a decision had to be made. Either abandon God to live as a homosexual—by allowing my feelings and sexual passions to dictate who I was. Or abandon homosexuality—by liberating myself from my feelings—and live as a follower of Jesus Christ. My decision was obvious. I chose God (186).

[M]y identity shouldn’t be defined by my sexuality. Paul said in Acts 17:28, “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Christ should be everything—my all in all. My sexual orientation didn’t have to be the core of who I was. My primary identity didn’t have to be defined by my feelings or sexual attractions. My identity was not “gay” or “homosexual,” or even “heterosexual,” for that matter. But my identity as a child of the living God must be in Jesus Christ alone (187).

Holy sexuality doesn’t mean that I no longer have any sexual feelings or attractions. Nor is it the obliteration of my sexuality either. God created us as sexual beings with the natural desire for intimacy. And everyone is created to desire intimate, God-honoring, nonsexual relationships with the same gender. But because of the effects of original sin, this normal feeling has been distorted. I believe homosexuality (and any other sin, such as jealousy, pride, and gluttony) stems from a legitimate need fulfilled in an illegitimate way (188).

That seems even clearer in this book:

https://www.baptiststandard.com/departm ... he-gospel/

If you ever get a chance, attend one of his conferences- we were so blessed- and its very beneficial- i need to order his recent book. It's so awesome to hear his testimony because you hear people say oh they will never change but his family's entire story of redemption is a miracle that should encourage anyone to keep praying for someone.

Based on summaries and book reviews, he really does seem to combine biblical holiness and compassion in a useful way.