The 3 - September 3, 2017

Life, prayer, and sexuality are principal topics in the Labor Day weekend edition of The 3, featuring three stories of relevance to the Christian community. Another Planned Parenthood facility in Pennsylvania has closed its doors.  Also, government leaders are encouraging prayer in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  And, church leaders have signed on to a new document reaffirming central, time-honored truths about sexuality.

3 - Another Planned Parenthood clinic closes in Pennsylvania

What appears to be the sixth Planned Parenthood facility to close in the state of Pennsylvania since last fall did so recently, according to LifeNews.com.  The website reports on this latest closing:

The Planned Parenthood in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania reduced its hours earlier this summer, and then announced plans to close completely several weeks ago, WBRE reports. On Wednesday, the facility closed permanently. The facility in the Poconos did not perform abortions but it did recommend and refer for them.

According to the article, Pennsylvania Family Institute reports that 12 Planned Parenthood facilities have closed in the Keystone State since 2013. The organization states, “That’s a 50% drop of Planned Parenthood Keystone’s facilities in under five years (18 facilities in 2013, now down to just nine)..."

The LifeNews.com article reports that:

Across the country, the abortion chain has closed approximately 20 facilities so far this year.

While abortion supporters blame the closings on pro-life advocates’ efforts to defund the abortion business of millions of tax dollars, Planned Parenthood’s own annual reports point to a bigger reason.

While receiving huge amounts of taxpayer funding under pro-abortion President Barack Obama, Planned Parenthood lost about half a million patients and performed fewer actual health services, such as pap smears and breast exams. The group’s abortion numbers, however, remained steady and its political involvement increased.

The story contends that: "It’s more clear than ever that Americans do not need or want Planned Parenthood for health care."

2 - President, Texas Governor proclaim Day of Prayer after Harvey

In the aftermath of the devastation brought about by Hurricane Harvey, Texas Governor Greg Abbott had proclaimed Sunday, September 3, a “Day of Prayer," according to a report on the Family Policy Alliance website, which quotes from the proclamation:

“It is right and fitting,” he wrote in the proclamation, “that the people of Texas should join with their fellow residents and with others from across the country and around the world to seek God’s wisdom for ourselves and our leaders and ask for His merciful intervention and healing in this time of crisis.”

Then, the day after the governor's proclamation, the White House issued a national proclamation for a National Day of Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey and for our National Response and Recovery Efforts. As seen on the White House YouTube Channel, the President was surrounded by a number of faith leaders. He signed the proclamation, which included these words, as published on WhiteHouse.gov.

When we look across Texas and Louisiana, we see the American spirit of service embodied by countless men and women. Brave first responders have rescued those stranded in drowning cars and rising water. Families have given food and shelter to those in need. Houses of worship have organized efforts to clean up communities and repair damaged homes. Individuals of every background are striving for the same goal -- to aid and comfort people facing devastating losses. As Americans, we know that no challenge is too great for us to overcome.

As response and recovery efforts continue, and as Americans provide much needed relief to the people of Texas and Louisiana, we are reminded of Scripture's promise that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Melania and I are grateful to everyone devoting time, effort, and resources to the ongoing response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. We invite all Americans to join us as we continue to pray for those who have lost family members or friends, and for those who are suffering in this time of crisis.

It is encouraging to see our leaders recognize the importance of prayer, and this is especially important in times of disaster and crisis.  The faith community has the opportunity during these difficult times to minister with the love of Christ.

1 - Church leaders release, sign Nashville Statement reaffirming Biblical teaching on marriage and sexuality

In this age in which God's standards with respect to marriage, gender, and sexuality are being compromised, even within the Church, it is important for Christian leaders to reaffirm the central truths of the Scriptures in these matters. Over 100 such leaders signed on to the Nashville Statement, which, according to the National Religious Broadcasters website, is "expressing evangelical convictions about human sexuality." The article says that, "The statement, with 14 affirmations and denials, addresses issues of human sexuality “in the hope of serving Christ’s church...”

NRB President and CEO Jerry Johnson was one of the signatories and commented: “In order to be truly for the world, when the world is going in the wrong way, you must be against the world,” adding, “Athanasius knew this when he positioned himself contra mundi. For the good of our world, we must position ourselves, with The Nashville Statement, against the sexual heresy that is the spirit of our age.”

At least 15 NRB members and a number of Faith Radio programmers signed on to the statement, including James Dobson, Steve Gaines, John MacArthur, James MacDonald, Tony Perkins, Dennis Rainey, and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

People are invited to sign on at NashvilleStatement.com.

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood oversaw the composition of the statement. President Denny Burk, at the CBMW website stated:

Evangelicals who have been drifting away from biblical fidelity on these issues have often been running under the cover of confusion—confusion about what is essential and what is not essential to the Christian faith. From the very beginning of the Christian faith, sexual morality has always been central. Those who wish to follow Jesus must pursue sexually pure lives. A person may follow Jesus, or he may pursue sexual immorality. But he cannot do both. He must choose. One path leads to eternal life, and the other does not. These are not new teachings. They are the ancient faith.

And yet, there are many “evangelicals” who are trying to convince other evangelicals that homosexual immorality is a special case. They are trying to convince people that same-sex immorality and following Jesus can indeed go together. One of the main reasons for The Nashville Statement is to expose this contradiction.

He shared these statements in a section responding to Article 10, which says in part:

WE DENY that the approval of homosexual immorality or transgenderism is a matter of moral indifference about which otherwise faithful Christians should agree to disagree.

Burk also points out: "...we are not merely reasserting what the Bible says about the moral status of homosexuality. We are also saying that the gospel of Jesus of Christ offers hope for those laboring under the power of this particular temptation."

You can hear a discussion of the Nashville Statement with Stuart Shepard of the Family Policy Alliance (whose President, Paul Weber, was an original signatory) from The Meeting House on Faith Radio as part of the conversation found here.