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    Controversial Issues In The Church
    Controversial Issues In The Church
    Controversial Issues In The Church
    Ebook139 pages2 hours

    Controversial Issues In The Church

    By Anne Kaestner

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    About this ebook

    Is it wrong for a Christian to drink real wine? Why does the Bible say that homosexuality is a sin? How should Christians handle the abortion issue? And what does the Bible say about the abuse of women? These questions and many others are answered in this six chapter book. Everything is stated in a direct and easily understood manner. And all assertions are fully backed up with quotes from the Bible and scripture references so that you can check it out for yourself.

    Chapter One is “Alcohol, Wine, And The Blood Of Christ.” It contends that although habitual drunkenness is a sin, the mere drinking of wine, or even alcohol, is not. And that the doctrine against the consumption of alcoholic beverages originated in the church, not in the Word of God. Proof is given that Jesus not only drank real wine, He turned water into wine. And Noah not only planted his own vineyard but drunk from its wine. Also, Paul told Timothy to stop drinking water so much and take a little wine for his frequent ailments.

    Chapter Two is “Sodomy And The Homosexual.” It explains why God considers this sin so blasphemous. It also provides information on the role Freud and others played in using hypnotherapy and catharsis to create an environment today that makes it look socially acceptable. Chapter Three is “The Abortion Issue.” Although it agrees with protesters that abortion is a horrible sin, it takes a different approach to fighting it. This chapter advocates assistance during pregnancy and kindness for the pregnant mother in the hope of winning her to Christ through love, not condemnation.

    Chapter Four is “Machismo, Rape, And The Abuse of Women.” It provides emotional comfort to women who suffer this way by giving a scriptural account of God’s anger and judgment against men who engage in this sin. The Bible gives the account of a young concubine who was horribly gang raped and murdered by a small group of vicious men. As a result, God ordered the killing of twenty-five thousand Israelite men because of it!

    Chapter Five is “Is The Death Penalty Christian?” The death penalty is advocated in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New. In fact, Jesus said the He didn't come to change the Old Testament law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-18). Answers are given to explain why Christ pardoned the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11) and His statement about turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).

    Chapter Six is “Dealing With The Poor And Homeless.” In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson announced his “war on poverty” program during his State of the Union speech. At the time the poverty rate was 19%. Since then, U.S. taxpayers have spent over $22 trillion on anti-poverty programs (in constant 2012 dollars). Adjusted for inflation, this spending (which does not include Social Security or Medicare) is three times the cost of all military wars in U.S. history since the American Revolution. Yet in November 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau said more than 16% of the population lived in poverty, including almost 20% of American children, up from 14.3% (approximately 43.6 million) in 2009 and to its highest level since 1993. By contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “The poor you will always have with you...” (Mark 14:7 NIV). Therefore, how should the Christian deal with this issue?

    This ebook has been well researched and should prove to be interesting and informative reading for those looking for answers to these popular issues of today.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnne Kaestner
    Release dateFeb 22, 2015
    ISBN9781310269691
    Controversial Issues In The Church
    Author

    Anne Kaestner

    Anne Kaestner is co-founder of Bible Believers Fellowship, Inc. with her husband Eric. She is the Vice President and Executive Director. Anne also functions as Secretary of the Corporation, and is involved in all major Executive decisions. She attends all Board of Directors meetings, as well as any initial and/or important meetings with professionals hired by the Corporation, including legal, banking, and accounting services. Anne runs the office and is also in charge of personnel. Aside from all of this, she has pioneered our efforts to purchase, at a drastically reduced price, the numerous Christian role model books that we distribute free of charge in correctional facilities nationwide. Anne is in charge of spiritual and doctrinal matters, as well as most written communication. Except for an occasional inmate testimony, she does all of the writing for our publication “The Good News Letter,” most of our mass produced literature, and most of our ebooks. She is in charge of all counseling, the majority of which she handles personally. She is actively involved in researching information that will assist us with our newsletter articles and similar literature, including our “Answers To Your Questions” series. Besides this, she personally reads any and all books and screens all videos that we purchase for distribution. And she was the original liaison between the video suppliers and this ministry. She arranged for the BBFI imprint in our role model books and worked to ensure that we receive copyright clearance on all the Christian videos that we distribute to prisons and jails.

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      Book preview

      Controversial Issues In The Church - Anne Kaestner

      Controversial Issues In The Church

      By Anne Kaestner

      Co-Founder of Bible Believers Fellowship, Inc.

      Copyright Page

      Copyright 2015 by Anne Kaestner

      Published by Bible Believers Fellowship, Inc. at Smashwords

      Cover and chapter designs by Eric Kaestner with suggestions from Anne Kaestner.

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this ebook and did not purchase it, please go to www.smashwords.com or your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

      Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

      EPUB ISBN – 9781310269691

      Table of Contents

      Title Page

      Copyright Page

      Dedication

      Introduction

      1 - Alcohol, Wine, And The Blood Of Christ

      2 - Sodomy And The Homosexual

      3 - The Abortion Issue

      4 - Machismo, Rape, And The Abuse Of Women

      5 - Is The Death Penalty Christian?

      6 - Dealing With The Poor And Homeless

      About Anne Kaestner

      Other ebooks by Anne Kaestner

      Connect with Anne Kaestner

      Dedication

      All books are dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in so many ways.

      Introduction

      Is it wrong for a Christian to drink real wine? Why does the Bible say that homosexuality is a sin? How should Christians handle the abortion issue? And what does the Bible say about the abuse of women? These questions and many others are answered in this six chapter book. Everything is stated in a direct and easily understood manner. And all assertions are fully backed up with quotes from the Bible and scripture references so that you can check it out for yourself.

      Chapter One is Alcohol, Wine, And The Blood Of Christ. It contends that although habitual drunkenness is a sin, the mere drinking of wine, or even alcohol, is not. And that the doctrine against the consumption of alcoholic beverages originated in the church, not in the Word of God. Proof is given that Jesus not only drank real wine, He turned water into wine. And Noah not only planted his own vineyard but drunk from its wine. Also, Paul told Timothy to stop drinking water so much and take a little wine for his frequent ailments.

      Chapter Two is Sodomy And The Homosexual. It explains why God considers this sin so blasphemous. It also provides information on the role Freud and others played in using hypnotherapy and catharsis to create an environment today that makes it look socially acceptable. Chapter Three is The Abortion Issue. Although it agrees with protesters that abortion is a horrible sin, it takes a different approach to fighting it. This chapter advocates assistance during pregnancy and kindness for the pregnant mother in the hope of winning her to Christ through love, not condemnation.

      Chapter Four is Machismo, Rape, And The Abuse of Women. It provides emotional comfort to women who suffer this way by giving a scriptural account of God’s anger and judgment against men who engage in this sin. The Bible gives the account of a young concubine who was horribly gang raped and murdered by a small group of vicious men. As a result, God ordered the killing of twenty-five thousand Israelite men because of it!

      Chapter Five is Is The Death Penalty Christian? The death penalty is advocated in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New. In fact, Jesus said the He didn’t come to change the Old Testament law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-18). Answers are given to explain why Christ pardoned the woman caught in adultery (John 8:3-11) and His statement about turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).

      Chapter Six is Dealing With The Poor And Homeless. In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson announced his war on poverty program during his State of the Union speech. At the time the poverty rate was 19%. Since then, U.S. taxpayers have spent over $22 trillion on anti-poverty programs (in constant 2012 dollars). Adjusted for inflation, this spending (which does not include Social Security or Medicare) is three times the cost of all military wars in U.S. history since the American Revolution. Yet in November 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau said more than 16% of the population lived in poverty, including almost 20% of American children, up from 14.3% (approximately 43.6 million) in 2009 and to its highest level since 1993. By contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ said, The poor you will always have with you... (Mark 14:7 NIV). Therefore, how should the Christian deal with this issue?

      This ebook has been well researched and should prove to be interesting and informative reading for those looking for answers to these popular issues of today.

      Back to Table of Contents

      Chapter One

      Alcohol, Wine, And The Blood Of Christ

      Traditional Use Of Alcohol As Medicine

      Is it wrong for those who love and serve Jesus Christ to drink wine or other intoxicating beverages? Many Christians have wondered about this subject for a long time. Catholics have no problem with this. It is taken for granted that there is no ban on it (Matthew 15:11-18). However, among Protestant denominations, there is a doctrinal gap a mile wide! All Christians agree that habitual drunkenness is a terrible sin (see Luke 12:45-46, Romans 13:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21). There is no dispute about that in the church. But on the subject of wine vs. grape juice during Holy Communion, or any type of alcoholic beverage consumption by Christians, that’s where the rift begins. Back in the early days of the church there wasn’t any great controversy about this. Paul even wrote in a letter to Timothy, Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities (1 Timothy 5:23 KJV).

      In the days before we had modern wonder drugs, alcohol was often used as medicine when someone was sick or just not feeling very well. My 1905 copy of Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent by Fannie M. Farmer, states that alcohol is obtained by the fermentation of sugar. And that it must be considered as a food. That’s because it is completely oxidized in the body. Only 10% is passed out of the system. The book explains that alcohol has traditionally been used for the purpose of bathing the sick, and is best diluted with water. In those days, it was also administered to stimulate heart action. It was left up to the doctor to decide how it was to be prescribed and what kind of alcoholic beverages to use. Alcohol was often used when there is a frequently weak pulse. Also, when the temperature is constantly high or during nervous exhaustion. Alcohol was also considered desirable at times when tremors occurred or for low mental confusion. The book goes on to advocate the use of alcohol if the digestive system was in need of a boost. And when the elderly are weak or in cases of injury or shock.

      In a number of diseases, alcoholic beverages were considered necessary. Champagne has also been used to save lives. It was said to be helpful during a fever and was prescribed to produce depression, which would help the patient sleep. This enabled them to save strength for the critical crisis. It also advocates the use of brandy and red wines when the patient has diarrhea, due to the tannic acid they contain. This also acts as an astringent. Large quantities of alcohol were given in diseases like erysipelas. The patient would not become inebriated as long as no more than eighteen to twenty ounces of brandy or whiskey were prescribed on a daily basis. The diabetic also was said to benefit from alcoholic beverages. Digestion of fats was considered beneficial when brandy was given. Alcoholic drinks were advocated for weak or elderly patients in cases of Pneumonia. And, in those days, diphtheria patients were often saved when alcohol was prescribed early. That’s the way alcohol was viewed back in 1905 at the Boston Cooking School, where Fannie Merritt Farmer was the principal.

      The French Paradox

      However, what about modern medicine today? My local pharmacist tells me that very few medicines these days contain alcohol. Nevertheless, he did add that many physicians tell their patients that certain heart problems would be greatly alleviated by one glass of wine a day. Yet American doctors in general, are reluctant to promote the regular drinking of wine because of the persistent problem of alcoholism in the United States. Nevertheless, the French drink wine every day, whole families including the children! Yet they don’t have the same problem with alcoholism that we in America do. In fact, the intake of wine, per capita, in France is higher than any place else in the world. The U.S. intake is among the lowest.

      Wine in France is taken with meals. Interestingly, they not only drink a lot of wine in France, but they also live on a very high fat diet! Nevertheless, the French have nowhere near the rate of heart disease that we in America do! Dr. Serge Renaud, the late French medical researcher, was the former Head of the Lyon Center of Inserm Unite 63, Unite Dc Recherche De Physiopathologie Vasculaire, which is the French equivalent of America’s National Institutes of Health. For many years he had been searching for answers to what

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