New York Lawmakers Reject Same-Sex Marriage

On Wednesday, New York lawmakers rejected a bill — the Marriage Equality Act — that would have made it the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage. The New York measure needed 32 votes to pass and failed by a wider-than-expected margin, falling eight votes short in a 38-24 decision by the state Senate. Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn) challenged lawmakers to set aside their religious beliefs and vote for the bill. He asked them to remember that once even slavery was legal. "When I walk through these doors, my Bible stays out," Adams said.

"That's the wrong statement," said Sen. Ruben Diaz, a conservative minister from the Bronx, who led the mostly Republican opposition. "You should carry your Bible all the time." [The Associated Press]

The Twelve Rules of Christmas

Last week, the Rutherford Institute^® issued legal guidelines for celebrating Christmas in public, at school or at work. The "Twelve Rules of Christmas" were made available on their Web site in an attempt to deal with the annual onslaught of calls they receive regarding the censorship of Christmas celebrations. "Political correctness should never trump the First Amendment," said John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute in a press release.

For example, the "rules" remind school administrators, employers and city officials that:

• Public school students' written or spoken personal expressions concerning the religious significance of Christmas (e.g., T-shirts with the slogan, "Jesus Is the Reason for the Season") may not be censored by school officials.
• Neither public nor private employers may prevent employees from decorating their offices for Christmas, playing Christmas music, or wearing clothing related to Christmas merely because of their religious content, so long as these activities are not used to harass or intimidate others.
• Government entities may erect and maintain celebrations of the Christmas holiday, such as Christmas trees and Christmas light displays, and may include crèches in their displays as long as the purpose for including the crèche is not to promote its religious content and it is placed in context with other symbols of the holiday season as part of an effort to celebrate the public Christmas holiday through its traditional symbols.

Click here for the complete list of rules. The Rutherford Institute is a civil liberties organization that provides free legal services to people whose constitutional and human rights have been threatened or violated.

(from FotF's Pastor's Weekly Briefing)

Tim Keller shares wisdom for young pastors

Pastor Tim Keller shares some wisdom for young pastors and seminary students on the Redeemer Blog:

Young pastors or seminarians often ask me for advice on what kind of early ministry experience to seek in order to best grow in skill and wisdom as a pastor. They often are surprised when I tell them to consider being a 'country parson' -- namely, the solo pastor of a small church, many or most of which are in non-urban settings. Let me quickly emphasize the word 'consider.' I would never insist that everyone must follow this path. Nevertheless, it is worth thinking about. It was great for me.

Many young leaders perceive that the ideal first ministry position would be a position on the staff of a large church with an older, mature pastor to mentor them. The limits of this model are several. You can't teach a younger pastor much about things they aren't actually doing. And in a large church they aren't a) bearing the burden of being the main leader, b) leading a board of elders, c) fund-raising and bearing the final responsibility of having enough money to do ministry, d) and doing the gamut of counseling, shepherding, teaching, preaching. In a smaller church as a solo pastor you and only you visit the elderly, do all the weddings and funerals, sit by the bedside of every dying parishioner, do all the marriage counseling, suspend and excommunicate, work with musicians, craft and lead worship, speak at every men's retreat, women's retreat, and youth retreat, write all the Bible studies and often Sunday School curriculum, train all the small group leaders, speak at the nursing home, work with your diaconate as they try to help families out of poverty, evangelize and welcome new visitors to the church, train volunteers to do some (but not all) of all of the above tasks, and deal with the once-a-month relational or financial crisis in the church. No amount of mentoring can teach you what you learn from doing all those things.

Some will be surprised to hear me say this, since they know my emphasis on ministry in the city. Yes, I believe firmly that the evangelical church has neglected the city. It still is difficult to get Christians and Christian leaders to make the sacrifices necessary to live their lives out in cities. However, the disdain many people have for urban areas is no worse than the condescending attitudes many have toward small towns and small churches.

Young pastors should not turn up their noses at such places, where they may learn the full spectrum of ministry tasks and skills as they will not in a large church. Nor should they go to small communities looking at them merely as stepping stones in a career. Why not? Your early ministry experience will only prepare you for 'bigger things,' if you don't aspire for anything bigger than investment in the lives of the people around you. Wherever you serve, put your roots down, become a member of the community and do your ministry with all your heart and might. If God opens the door to go somewhere else, fine and good. But don't go to such places looking at them only as training grounds for 'real ministry.'

My own pathway of personal development began with nine years of being the pastor of a small church in a small town. This equipped me well for church planting in New York City, because, when you start a church, you must be a generalist, not the specialist that large churches create. I repeat -- I am not proposing that everyone follow the same course. Being a 'country parson' is not the right move for everyone. But for some it is.

Excellent Biblical Parenting Resources from Mars Hill Church

Mars Hill - Biblical Parenting Resources:

In October 2008, Mars Hill Church hosted a Biblical Parenting Conference with Dr. Tedd Tripp, who presented biblical teaching on topics from formative instruction to corrective discipline. Listen to streaming audio or watch video by clicking on the links below.

Session 1: Helping Kids Understand Authority – Tedd Tripp

• Audio
• Video

Session 2: Helping Kids Understand the Heart – Tedd Tripp

• Audio
• Video

Session 3: Overview of Corrective Discipline – Tedd Tripp

• Audio
• Video

Session 4: Giving Kids a Vision for God’s Glory – Tedd Tripp

• Audio
• Video

Session 5: The Call to Formative Instruction – Tedd Tripp

• Audio
• Video

For more on parenting, check out these resources:

• Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Tedd Tripp
• Instructing a Child’s Heart, Tedd Tripp
• Pastor Dad, free e-book by Mark Driscoll

(HT: Brenton Balvin)

Maine Churches Being Threatened

Gay activists in Maine are urging people to report churches that supported Question 1 — the initiative that restored the definition of marriage to one man and one woman — to the IRS. According to the activists, these churches should be investigated with the possibility of losing their tax-exempt status. The Alliance Defense Fund has offered free legal assistance to churches being singled out. [CitizenLink.com]