Christian Action Commission

The Bible Speaks on Alcohol

People have been drinking fermented beverages since at least the days of Noah. The Bible states that after the flood, Noah planted a vineyard, made wine, and got drunk (Genesis 9:20-21). In New Testament times, Jesus turned water into wine at the marriage feast at Cana (John 2:1-11), and Paul admonished Timothy to “use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). After the introduction of distilled spirits with their much higher alcohol content (up to eight times higher than wine) in the Middle Ages, the problems caused by alcohol increased significantly. Today, alcohol abuse has caused catastrophic problems and brought suffering to millions of people worldwide. Because the use and abuse of alcohol continues to plague our world, the Bible’s teachings on the subject are as relevant today as they have ever been. The following Bible passages speak clearly on some important matters …

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Internet porn a wide-ranging problem, even in the church

Editor’s note: This is part of a special four-part series of Baptist Press stories about Internet porn addiction.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Long before the surgeon general issued his 1964 report showing the devastating harm of smoking, much of the nation viewed cigarettes as fun and harmless, even cool.

A new report says much of America today has a similar naive attitude toward Internet pornography and that it needs to wake up and see porn’s destructive impact not only on individuals but also marriages, children and society in general—before it’s too late.

The 53-page report, called simply, “The Social Costs of Pornography,” was released by The Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, N.J., and was signed by more than 50 scholars from a wide variety of backgrounds: conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, atheists and Christians.

Gone are the days, the report notes, when porn was …

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Help needed to fight porn’s harmful impact

Editor’s note: This is part of a special four-part series of Baptist Press stories about Internet porn addiction.

WASHINGTON (BP)--A new report calls for celebrities, educators, lawmakers and journalists to help reduce the social harms of Internet pornography.

The 53-page document, “The Social Costs of Pornography: A Statement of Findings and Recommendations,” says Internet pornography is not “a harmless and victimless pursuit” but instead is a “social and personal health hazard.” It offers a series of proposals on reducing its harmful effects.

It calls upon celebrities and other influential people to use their social status to discourage pornography usage and the “so what” mentality. There is a particular need for awareness in the music industry, and the report encourages music artists to speak out against the degradation of women.

“If Eminem were to write a song saying ‘pornography is stupid,’ that would …

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Reliance on God leads to healing from porn

Editor’s note: This is part of a special four-part series of Baptist Press stories about Internet porn addiction.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Two women who have dealt with their husbands’ pornography addictions said the key to restoring their marriages was found in their own reliance on God.

Renee Crosse is married to Clay Crosse, who sings the title song for the project “Somebody’s Daughter,” a CD and DVD resource for helping couples heal from the ravages of pornography.

“It was quite shocking to me to find out that this was an issue, a struggle for him, because it was completely hidden. I really didn’t know that this was going on,” Renee told Baptist Press, recounting how she felt when she learned about her husband’s addiction in 1998.

Clay asked Renee to forgive him and to pray for him as he sought restoration and renewed …

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Porn & cell phones: protecting your kids

Editor’s note: This is part of a special four-part series of Baptist Press stories about Internet porn addiction.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Raising children and teens in a sexually charged culture was difficult long before cell phones and the Internet came along, but when technology combined the two into one handheld device—and added a camera—it became, some would say, nearly impossible.

Add to that the mix of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, all of which allow instant and far-reaching communication, and the task gets even tougher.

Consider the fact that the fourth-most searched word on the Internet for kids ages 7 and under in 2009 was “porn,” according to data by OnlineFamily.Norton.com. For all kids up to age 18, sex was No. 4, porn No. 5.

And, Web-enabled cell phones—which are growing in popularity and are by their very nature …

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Pro-Lifers cave, secure health care reform

All eyes were on Capitol Hill on Sunday. Late that evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, bucking the will of the American people, cobbled together a slim majority of House votes to send a trillion-dollar health care reform package to President Obama, who signed the overhaul into law today. To pro-lifers’ dismay, a flawed concession on the prominent issue that had threatened reform for months, abortion, proved to be a deciding factor in its passage.

Just hours before the House vote, the White House struck a deal with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and a handful of other Democratic holdouts by agreeing to an executive order to supposedly block funding of elective abortion under the bill. That was enough to propel the bill past the necessary 216 mark for passage with a final vote of 219-212.

Yet Rep. Stupak and his band of colleagues, who had …

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Substance Abuse: Methamphetamine

Much has been said in the news about the illegal drug methamphetamine (or meth) and cold and sinus medications like Sudafed containing the drug pseudoephedrine.

Meth is a highly addictive, illegal drug that has an intense stimulating effect on the brain.  Meth typically contains ingredients like Drano and ammonia nitrate (fertilizer), but the necessary ingredient for producing meth is pseudoephedrine.  Without pseudoephedrine meth cannot be made. 

In response to widespread use and problems associated with meth, Mississippi lawmakers recently passed a law that will make cold and sinus medications like Sudafed available only by a doctor’s prescription.  This law is effective July 1, 2010.

Meth comes in various forms and has the appearance of crystal, shards of glass, or white power if ground up.  Meth users typically smoke, ingest, or inject the drug.

The Partnership for a Drug-free America says that after …

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Little Boy Blue, Come Blow Your Horn . . .

Most of us have heard of the nursery rhyme, Little Boy Blue, and you may have even had it read to you at some time or another.  It reads:

Little Boy Blue, Come blow your horn, The sheep’s in the meadow, The cow’s in the corn; Where is that boy, Who looks after the sheep? Under the haystack, Fast asleep. Will you wake him? Oh no, not I, For if I do, He will surely cry.

It’s obvious that Little Boy Blue has a responsibility – to serve as a watchman over the sheep and cattle.  If cause for alarm arose, then it was Little Boy Blue’s responsibility to sound the horn, alert the people, and rally them toward action.

So, the sheep’s out of the fold, and the cow’s in the corn patch – a cause for alarm, but where is he?  He’s …

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Silencing Christians: Homosexual protection & Hate Crime Bill

WASHINGTON (BP and local reports) — Despite objections that it would infringe on the religious liberty of pastors and other faith leaders, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a defense bill October 8 that includes historic hate crimes protections for homosexuals.

The 2010 defense authorization bill, which passed 281-146, has little if anything to do with hate crimes but is being used as a vehicle to pass hate crimes legislation. The defense bill (H.R. 2647) now goes to the U.S. Senate, where a similar version already passed earlier this year.

Mississippi Representatives Travis Childers, Bennie Thompson, and Gene Taylor — all Democrats — voted yes on the bill. Republican Representative Gregg Harper voted no.

Lobbyists for homosexual organizations for years have supported expanding the hate crimes law but failed, either because Republicans controlled Congress …

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Land: Christians must battle barbarism

NEW ORLEANS (BP and local reports) — Civilization stands at a fork in the road and will either ascend to greater heights or tumble into barbarism unless Christians reassert the value of all human life and absolute moral truth, Richard Land told a Founder’s Day audience October 6 at New Orleans Seminary.

Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, said the future of civilization turns on two fundamental questions: Is moral truth real and knowable or is it merely a preference? A question of human value follows: Is mankind of value because of the essence of mankind, or only for what mankind can do?

These questions are at the heart of policy debates over abortion, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia, and health care reform, said Land, who is scheduled to speak October 26 at …

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Gay divorce would undermine marriage

Homosexual activists, fighting to attain legal same-sex “marriage,” are creating an unlikely battleground: divorce courts. In the latest skirmish, a Dallas judge, Tena Callahan, has ruled that her court has jurisdiction to hear the “divorce” case of two men “married” in Massachusetts in 2006 and now living in Texas.

The decision caused quite a stir in the state where, in 2005, 75 percent of voters passed a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Everybody thought that meant: NO GAY MARRIAGES. Period. End of story.

But homosexual groups are trying to figure out how to force same-sex “marriage” on states where voters are clearly and overwhelmingly against it. This attempt to get the courts to grant divorces to gay couples is one way they’re going about it. Jennifer Pizer, marriage project director for the gay advocacy group Lambda Legal, …

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The World is Hungry!

The pastor began his sermon with this statement, “The world is hungry!” He paused and stood silently to allow the words to rumble around in the minds of his congregation. Then he asked, “How many of you are wondering why they are hungry and for what are they hungry?” Over half raised their hands. 

The simple truth is that the world is hungry for food, not peace, not universal health care, nor more money, just basic food.  It is fairly safe to assume that you, like me, know very little about malnutrition and hunger.  But many in our world face a crisis every day—no food.  The United Nations reported in June 2009 that approximately 1.02 billion people are acutely hungry every day.

The world’s population is estimated to be around 6.788 billion as of Sept. 30, 2009.  Approximately 1 billion live in developed or industrialized nations …

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Q&A: Hate crimes bill & religious liberty

July 17, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The hate crimes bill currently making its way through Congress has led to charges by Christian conservatives that it could impact religious freedoms.

The bill would expand current hate crimes laws to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity—terms that encompass homosexuality and transgenderism.

On Friday Baptist Press spoke with Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University School of Law, and asked him about the bill, which he opposes. Following is the transcript:

BAPTIST PRESS: “Religious conservatives often charge that passage of a hate crimes law that includes sexual orientation would impact religious freedom. Supporters say it targets only criminal acts. How would it impact religious freedom?”

STAVER: “For starters, sexual orientation and gender identity gets elevated to the same level as race. And whenever you start putting sexual …

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The trouble with hate crimes legislation

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1913) is an irresponsible piece of legislation. Its most notable flaws are its determination to prosecute people for their beliefs about homosexuality and its creation of a special protected class for homosexuals. How do you prosecute someone for prejudice? You determine what that person believes about a particular issue and then you surmise that his actions were a result of that belief. Most Christians, as well as many other religious groups, believe that homosexuality and homosexual behavior are contrary to God’s design for humanity. Consequently, this bill puts Christians and many other religious groups in the government’s crosshairs.

Under this law, one’s religious belief about homosexuality can be sufficient reason to prosecute him for a hate crime if he engages in an act of violence against a homosexual. While we should never condone acts of violence against people merely …

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The Public Health Plan: A Pro-Life Non-Starter

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has posted on its Web site the health care reform bill they have been working on. It’s called the “Affordable Health Choices Act.” As promised, it contains a public health care option. The impact on other health insurance providers is reason enough to oppose a public health plan, but an even greater reason is the way it is going to undermine pro-life values.

The public plan’s immediate and long-term threat to pro-life values is what makes it a non-starter. The plan’s immediate threat to pro-life values is evident from its failure to provide any pro-life protections. There is no protection for health care providers who, due to their faith convictions, cannot provide abortion or abortion referrals. There is no protection for pharmacy owners or workers who cannot in good conscience dispense abortion drugs. There is no restriction on abortion, …

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