Signs of the Times (August 25th, 2016)

Signs of the Times  (August 25th, 2016)

This blog is LOADED with the latest MADNESS from the MODERN world!

Single Christians Can Have Sex as Long as It's 'Mutually Pleasurable and Affirming,' Pastor Says!!

 

The Reverend Bromleigh McCleneghan and the cover of her new book, 'Good Christian Sex.'

image: http://graphic.christianpost.com/images/homepage11/enlarge4.png

Bucking against conservative Christian tradition advising against extra-marital sex, the Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan, a married mother of three and associate pastor for ministry with families at Union Church of Hinsdale in Illinois, says single Christians can have sex as long as it's "mutually pleasurable and affirming."



Citing 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, many Mainline Protestant and evangelical churches like the Assemblies of God Church, advise against sexual relations among single Christians.
"Today within our society singles exist for one of two reasons — by choice, or by circumstance. In either case the Bible's mandate is clear for all unmarried individuals: they are to remain sexually pure (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)," the Assemblies of God church warned.
For McCleneghan, however, whose views are comprehensively captured in her new book, Good Christian Sex: Why Chastity Isn't the Only Option — And Other Things the Bible Says About Sex, single Christians don't need to abstain from sex to remain pure since being chaste is about moderation.
"American Christians sometimes conflate celibacy and chastity, too, which is a problem. Chastity is a virtue, related to temperance — it's about moderating our indulgences and exercising restraint. We're all called to exercise chastity in a variety of ways, though the details will vary given our individual situations," McCleneghan said in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
"In the official teaching of the Catholic Church and some other churches, however, chastity requires restraining oneself from indulging in sexual relationships outside of the bounds (and bonds) of marriage. That is, chastity for singles means celibacy — no sex. … I'd argue that we can be chaste — faithful — in unmarried sexual relationships if we exercise restraint: if we refrain from having sex that isn't mutually pleasurable and affirming, that doesn't respect the autonomy and sacred worth of ourselves and our partners," she explained.
McCleneghan believes it's unfair to ask single Christians who haven't been called to a life of celibacy to refrain from sexual intimacy when both men and women need sex.

image: http://images.christianpost.com/full/99684/bromleigh-mccleneghan-sex.png
(Photo: Facebook)

An excerpt from Reverend Bromleigh McCleneghan's new book, 'Good Christian Sex.'

image: http://graphic.christianpost.com/images/homepage11/enlarge4.png

"There are those who feel that they are called to seasons of celibacy, or even years of celibacy, and if answering that call is life-giving and purposeful, then they should take it up as a spiritual discipline. But no call can be forced on an unwilling person, especially not if they find themselves single only by virtue of circumstance," she wrote.
"Plenty of women and men love sex, and need it — we need bodily pleasure, remember — and the abundant life for them will involve seeking out relationships of mutual pleasure. Chastity, or just sex, requires that whether we are married or unmarried, our sex lives restrain our egos, restrain our desire for physical pleasure when pursuing it would bring harm to self or other," she added.
The Christian Post reached out to McCleneghan to further discuss her book on Monday but she was unavailable for comment at the time this story was published.
While some Christian scholars have offered praise for McCleneghan's views, not everyone thinks her advice is sound.
"We are to be Holy people, blameless and spotless unto Jesus Christ. One man and one woman married until death, not extra-marital affairs (adulterous behavior) even fornication. That is sin that will lead anyone to eternal Hell. Please show me Scripture that backs up your belief," wrote Trish Nastasi, a longtime married Christian woman on McCleneghan's Facebook page.
McCleneghan, who began her ministry at Hinsdale in July 2015, is responsible for worship, pastoral care, ministry leadership, teaching at the church. Her special focus is on helping people with children at home better their ability and commitment to raising those children in the Christian faith, according to the Church.
You can read an excerpt from her book by clicking here.

The reaction you give when such people call themselves "Christians"

 

Gay clergy to appeal to Anglican bishops for ‘full equality in the Church’

A new report from Christian Today is indicating that a Church of England clergyman who married his gay partner is to publish an open letter signed by at least 12 married clergy couples calling on bishops to relax the rules against gay marriage.  The Rev Andrew Foreshew-Cain, who married his partner Stephen last year and who was also elected to the
General Synod, the Church’s governing body, on a liberal pro-gay ticket, is still finalising the text of the letter which he hopes will ultimately help the Church move towards full equality for LGBT people. He told Christian Today that about half the signatories are happy to be named because they have already gone public about their marriages. There will be a second category of “anonymous” signatories from gay clergy who might have told their bishops they are married but whose bishops are keeping this information private. CONTINUE

 

Bibles Removed From College Hotel Following Complaint From Atheist Activist Group

Looks like another one bites the dust as Officials at a public university in Arizona recently agreed to remove Gideon Bibles from the school’s hotel rooms following a complaint from a prominent professing atheist organization. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent a letter earlier this year to the CEO of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, which is part of Arizona State University.
It said that an employee, who remained unidentified, had contacted FFRF to express their objection to the presence of the Bibles at Thunderbird Executive Inn. FFRF also asserted that the Bibles violate the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution, which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” CONTINUE

Elementary School Bans Teachers From Calling Students ‘Boys and Girls’

Looks like the ban on calling boys and girls by their gender identity is spreading. Recently we heard how teachers from a school in North Carolina were advised to not call boys and girls by those terms and now Teachers at Carlos Rey Elementary School are in a tough situation after their assistant principal told them to stop calling their students “boys and girls.” It seems the school administrators decided to take the new transgender bathroom policy for Albuquerque Public Schools a step further.
This appears to the first example of something that started as a bathroom issue now expanding into daily life in the classroom. A letter sent to teachers at Carlos Rey this month titled “Gender Identity Procedural Directive” states teachers can no longer refer to their students as boys and girls starting this month, telling them to eliminate gender in their classrooms. CONTINUE

Muslim inmate sues Indiana sheriff over halal diet

So much for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! A Muslim inmate is suing a central Indiana sheriff for denying him a diet that follows Islamic dietary laws. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed the lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Gannon Thomas against the Boone County Sheriff’s Office over its refusal to serve him a halal diet.
It accuses the Boone County Jail of violating Thomas’s First Amendment rights and his rights under Indiana’s Religious Freedom and Restoration Act signed by Gov. Mike Pence in 2015. The state law says government entities cannot pose a substantial burden to a person’s exercise of religion. CONTINUE

MD School District Admits it Won’t Inform Parents if Transgenders Bunk With Daughters on Field Trips

Once again, “the State” oversteps its boundaries and assumes the role of parent — or better put, seeks to usurp the role of parent. A new report in the The Washington Times reveals how a Maryland school district is training its faculty and administrators how to accommodate transgender females, particularly during overnight field trips. The issue, according to Bob Mosier, a chief spokesman for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, is that these transgender females wish to bunk with other girls during field trips and that there is no question the school will allow them to do so.
What’s more, he said that respecting the privacy of the transgender student means parents of daughters bunking with that student would not be informed. The instructions were laid bare during a training video (featured above) recorded in June and posted online July 12 featured above. The Times parsed the relevant portion from the 43-minute instructional video, with Mosier stating: CONTINUE 

Jesus to Star in New Virtual Reality Film

You are about to see a story about Jesus like you’ve never seen before. Filmmakers are rethinking how they tell the story of Jesus by creating a new virtual reality film. The groundbreaking Jesus film, called “Jesus VR – The Story of Christ,” will be the first of its kind because it is shot with a different lense — virtual reality technology. That means viewers will watch the life, ministry, and crucifixion of Christ in a highly-immersive 360 degree format.
Movie-goers will be able to see the Jesus story up close and personal with special virtual reality glasses or headsets instead of on the big screen. Viewers can purchase virtual glasses like Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard, anf investment Director David Hensen believes is well worth it. CONTINUE

W.V University Defines You as a Criminal If you don’t use “transgender approved” language

Talk about taking to the extreme! West Virginia University (WVU) has told its 29,000 students that they are breaking federal law if don’t agree to use the pronouns — including ‘he’ or ‘she,’ ‘zir’ or ‘hir’ etc. — preferred by each person who claims to be transgender. That policy means if a biological man — for example, famous transgender athlete Bruce Jenner
— says he “identifies” his gender as female, then all other students must refer to the man as a “she,” or else be treated as a law-breaker. WVU says using the wrong pronouns is a crime because the United States departments of justice and of education insist that transgender people are protected by decades-old sexual discrimination law. So remember if you din’t comply with the approved language you are deemed as a “Law Breaker” and as guilty as a criminal.  CONTINUE

Syphilis Cases On The Rise

A disease that once thought to be a painful reminder of history is making a strong comeback! The disease, caused by the bacterium Treponema Pallidum and passed on through unprotected sex, has affected the famous through the ages (Al Capone and, reportedly, Hitler, to name just two). But syphilis is in no way confined to big names, nor is it a sexually transmitted infection (STI) of the past.
The 2016 Public Health England (PHE) syphilis report has shown that infection rates are on the up, with disproportionate rates in London. In 2015, the capital accounted for 56% of all cases in England, with a 22% increase in diagnoses in the year 2014-15. Since 2010 the number of cases of syphilis in Londoners has increased by 163%, with a 22% increase in the year from 2014 to 2015. The borough of Lambeth has the highest rates, closely followed by the City of London and Southwark. CONTINUE

Parents Outraged Over All-Nude Shakespeare Performance In Park…

How would you respond as a parent to an “All-Nude” Shakespeare performance in a public park? According to a report, This is exactly what’s about to take place and CBS2 was there for a clothed dress rehearsal for the dressed-down performance of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” by Torn Out Theater.
The all-female cast will be all nude come showtime next month inside Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The group also performed earlier this year in Central Park. “We were really interested in getting an audience to be able see nudity as non-sexual, non-threatening, and eventually not even strange,” said director Pitr Strait. “By the end the play, it’s normal.” CONTINUE

 

Record Number Of Americans Giving Up On God and Miracles

24 August, 2016

The Bible speaks of the “Falling Away” that will take place in the end times, and it appears that this headline is simply confirming this prophecy. According to a new report from the Washington Examiner,  Half of Americans who have left their church no longer believe in God, leading a surge of nearly one-quarter of the nation who have no affiliation with any religion, according to a new survey.
Pew Research Center said Wednesday that 49 percent of what they term “nones” left their church and religion because they “don’t believe.” Another 20 percent said they don’t like organized religion. Other reasons included “common sense” and a lack of believe in miracles. The survey is the latest from Pew that demonstrates a growing trend in America: More and more people are junking religion, and many are giving up on God. CONTINUE

‘Pokemon Go’ Causes Stampede in Taiwan

If you think people are going nuts over Pokemon Go in the United States, You should see what just took place in Taiwan. In a shocking video depicting the latest act of mass hysteria around Niantec’s Pokemon Go, players in Taiwan stampeded
down a street to capture a Snorlax. The video shows a crowded Taiwanese street with many people walking along sidewalks and multiple vehicles stuck in traffic. All of a sudden hundreds of people begin to sprint en-masse down a side street. CONTINUE

When is that comet coming again?