MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
Programs to help men become transformed to the image (character) of Jesus Christ.
MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
MEN ALIVE - 232 - Untangling Misconceptions about Holy Sexuality
Get ready for an enlightening journey as we unravel the profound concept of holy sexuality with insights from Dr. Christopher Yuan. Learn how his incredible transformation from a life entangled in homosexuality and the drug trade to becoming a devoted Christian and esteemed faculty member at Moody Bible College sheds new light on biblical purity and faithfulness. We share a delightful and humorous tale from a Central Asian church experience that will keep you both entertained and introspective about the biblical command to greet with a holy kiss.
Welcome to Men Alive, a biblical journey to help us conform to the image of Jesus Christ. I'm your host, paul Estabrooks, our teacher, is my longtime friend, dr Jim Cunningham, consultant in adult education, director of Go Teach Global and author of the book Men Alive. Jim, you and I have been like blood brothers for over 65 years. We have traveled together, taught together and written texts together, and each of us is happily married for over 57 years to the wife of our youth. Our topic for today is titled Holy Sexuality, but before we begin, let's tell our listeners what happened in a Central Asian country when they discovered we had never kissed.
Speaker 2:As I recall, pablo, some years ago we were in Moscow visiting a Russian Baptist church and discovered that most Christians in Russia practice the verse in the Bible that says greet one another with a holy kiss. So the women kiss the women and the men kiss the men on the lips. That is their culture. Some cultures greet by rubbing foreheads or bowing or kissing on the cheek, and in our Canadian culture we usually just shake hands or maybe hug each other. Later, you and I flew to a Central Asian country to teach in a Russian Baptist church with about 200 congregants. We asked the pastor about this verse With surprise. He asked Don't men greet one another with a holy kiss in Canada? And we said no, we have never kissed. He then told us that it's commanded in four different passages in the Bible Romans 16, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and again in 1 Thessalonians.
Speaker 1:That was the beginning of an embarrassing moment. When we visited his church the following Sunday, we discovered the men sat on one side and the women sat on the other side. The pastor stood up and said to the congregation we have special guests with us today Brother Paul Estabrooks and Brother Jim Cunningham. They've been friends for over 50 years and they have never kissed.
Speaker 2:The congregation turned to look at us in disbelief. We called ourselves Christians, but we had never kissed.
Speaker 1:Then the pastor added this comment from the pulpit Before they leave today, we would like to see them kiss.
Speaker 2:We nearly dropped in shock, but, as I recall, pablo, we stood up, put our finger beside her mouth and gave a smacking sound of a kiss as we touched each other's cheek.
Speaker 1:Men. Kissing men in our culture is associated with being a homosexual rather than following a biblical command. Since different countries and religions have varying cultural norms, rules and expectations, let's discuss what Jesus and the Bible teach about holy sexuality.
Speaker 2:I like that term, pablo. I first heard it used by Dr Christopher Yuan. His story is described in his book called Holy Sexuality. He was the immigrant son of a high-achieving father who wanted his son to be a dentist. Christopher announced to his parents that he was gay, moved to Atlanta, georgia, for dental studies, got involved in the drug trade and, just before graduation, was arrested and imprisoned as a drug dealer. He phoned his parents from prison and told them he was HIV positive. They were devastated, but his Christian mother kept praying. One day Christopher found a Bible in the prison. He took it to his cell and began reading it several times. He ended up believing that Jesus was the Son of God, died for his sins and accepted Christ as Lord of his life. He committed his life to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. Christopher enrolled in a correspondence course with Moody Bible College in Chicago. During this time in prison he unexpectedly received a reduced sentence, was released, and so he went to seminary and later became a faculty member at Moody. He was asked so many questions about the gay lifestyle, his involvement in the drug trade and prison that he finally published a book called Holy Sexuality and the Gospel.
Speaker 2:Dr Yuan notes that the term homosexual was coined in the late 1800s meaning sexual relations of the same sex. The term heterosexual was later coined to identify what one would call normal male-female sexual relations. Therein lies Dr Yuan's concern. A person who engages in heterosexual relations may still be living a life of sexual indulgence that is beyond what God's Word approves indulgence that is beyond what God's Word approves. One can be heterosexual and fornicate with multiple members of the opposite sex. One can be an adulterer and still be heterosexual. Dr Yuan makes a strong case for what he calls holy sexuality relations that are biblical. Holy sexuality relations that are biblical, pure and faithful to God's plan as recorded in Scripture, at all stages of life.
Speaker 1:Jim. Some would argue that Jesus never taught anything against homosexual activity. So this argument from silence says that since Jesus did not speak against the practice, it must be okay to be a homosexual.
Speaker 2:There is no direct command by Jesus against many kinds of sexual perversions. Jesus simply confirmed the scriptures as they commanded flee sexual immorality. That includes abnormalities and perversions of all kinds. That is clear teaching by Jesus that a man shall leave his mother and father and be joined to his wife, not another man. The entire sexual act of intercourse is designed to be shared and enjoyed by a husband a male with his wife, a female. The wife is the receiving responder. The husband is the initiating provider.
Speaker 1:I remember you're telling me about a gay politician in your community who spoke to Christian students and told them I suppose you think God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for being homosexuals. Not so. He then quoted from Ezekiel 16, 49 and 50, where it says Sodom's sins were pride, gluttony and laziness. While the poor and needy suffered outside her door, she was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen. Good memory, pablo.
Speaker 2:He argued that Sodom was destroyed for being arrogant, overfed and unconcerned with the poor and needy, not for their sexual perversion as homosexuals. However, the Bible clearly states in the book of Jude, verse 7, do not forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. These cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God's judgment. I heard a well-known pastor tell his listeners not to use what he calls the clobber verses in the Bible, like Jude, verse 7. Clobber is a slang term meaning to hit harshly, but the reality is all 10 commandments could be considered clobber verses. The Bible is very clear on what God does and does not want us to do.
Speaker 1:You are listening to Mental Live with Dr Jim Cunningham from Go Teach Global. At the end of the program we'll share how and where you can send your questions on this topic to Dr Jim let's go further with Dr Yuan's theme of holy sexuality.
Speaker 2:It applies to every man listening to this program, regardless of age. The Apostle Paul says in the book of Romans the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who oppress the truth by their wickedness, since what we may know about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world, god's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. So, men, you can see God's invisible qualities all around us, his eternal power and his divine nature, yet some choose to ignore God.
Speaker 1:My father, as a pastor, used to say the key phrase to remember when we read Romans 1 is God gave them over.
Speaker 2:Exactly the Apostle Paul adds. Therefore, god gave them over to their sinful desires of their hearts, to sexual impurity, for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen.
Speaker 1:When we choose to ignore God, he gives us over to worship images of creation like man and birds and animals.
Speaker 2:Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men and received to themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God while to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
Speaker 1:There's that phrase again for the third time. So God gave them over.
Speaker 2:But now the plot thickens. Look what Scripture says happens when those men reject God's plan for their life. Romans 1 has a list. It says they become filled with every kind of wickedness. No wonder these men hate the Bible. The Bible says they are filled with evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, god-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful. They invent ways of doing evil. They disobey their parents. They have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God's righteous decrees that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them.
Speaker 1:There is perhaps no place in Scripture that better describes the lifestyle of men who reject God's love and His original plan for mankind than Romans 1.
Speaker 2:This program is being broadcast in English in countries that may have different worldviews, but Scripture is clear. If we want to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, we need to remain true to the teachings of Scripture, regardless of what our culture permits. One man, one woman, faithful in marriage, fulfilling holy sexuality till death, parts them from each other.
Speaker 1:Jim. Some teach today that if two gay married men accept Christ, they should remain together.
Speaker 2:So if two men are robbing banks together and become followers of Jesus Christ, does that mean they should continue to just rob small banks after they accept Christ? Of course not. The Apostle Paul clearly says we know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous, but for lawbreakers and for rebels, the ungodly and the sinful, the unholy, the irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for those slave traders and liars and perjurers and whoever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God which he entrusted to me. The Apostle Paul identifies unholy sexuality as contrary to sound doctrine that conforms to the good news conveyed by God through His Son, jesus Christ. Men and I am speaking to myself as well let's agree to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ and practice holy sexuality.
Speaker 1:There you have it, men. Contact Dr Jim by sending your email to menaliveuntogod at gmailcom. For more information, go to our website at goteachglobalcom. Until next time, I'm Paul Estabrooks, encouraging you to be men alive, transformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
