The verdict is in. The California Supreme Court has ruled and the voter's voice on marriage has been preserved, at least, for the moment. I must confess, though, that while I'm relieved, I'm a bit fatigued. Watching Miss USA contender Carrie Prejean assaulted for stating her views on marriage has been brutal. Hearing actor Sean Penn admonish supporters of the California law, Proposition 8, at this year's Academy Awards ceremony to "sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes" was ugly. Reading about how Proposition 8 opponents were circulating Google maps detailing the locations of Proposition 8 supporters' homes to harass them was insidious.

I'm sure I'm not alone. Many Christians may be hesitant, if not completely resistant, to engage the culture on issues that contradict their values and beliefs the next time around. But we must ask ourselves - as the church, what should our response be? The answer for me comes in looking back at how the early church responded to similar opposition. They were committed to stand for what they knew to be truth, even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice. Many were sent to their death in the jaws of wild beasts in front of a coliseum of eager spectators. Today rather than facing the lions, the church now faces the merciless jaws of litigation. Instead of an audience of robed spectators, there is now a virtual coliseum of media correspondents, magazines and talk shows ready to voice their particular perspective on the events. The attitude against the church is the same but the venue for persecution has been modernized. As a result many churches have gone underground on this issue of homosexuality and are fearful to engage the topic at any level. Some believe there is too much to risk and besides; gay marriage will eventually be federally legalized so why fight it?

But wait a minute. Who is the real victim in this scenario? Is it really the church?

The interesting thing about fear is that it desensitizes us to the needs of others by causing us to be preoccupied with our own concerns. When the church does not respond because of fear, others fall victim in this tragic truth war. What about the people that are looking for an alternative to unwanted homosexual struggles? What answers will they find? Will the only message they hear be one that directly opposes God's divine plan and creation?

I remember growing up in the church in the 1980s while struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions. At times, I have wondered what course I would have taken had I grown up in today's culture. There are so many options that appear to be based on truth and love that were not available 20 years ago. Would I have taken the same road or would I have chosen a path that was more harmonious with my proclivities? I would like to think I would be where I am today, but I have my doubts considering the growing, fearful silence of so many within the church.

Consider the men and women that may never know the merciful truth of Christ because we have allowed ourselves to become intimidated by those who oppose this truth. Are we communicating to these men and women that they are not worth the risk? Perhaps it is not the church that is in the coliseum, but rather those who have been blinded to the false promises of gay ideology. They are being sacrificed to a culture that methodically destroys God's intended design for gender and sexuality. The spectators are not the activists, politicians, or media, but rather the church as it sits in deafening silence, fearful that if they speak out, the culture will turn on them.

We must not shrink back in silent terror. If fear dictates our response, many will be lost. More than ever, we need to be a voice of truth in a compromised culture. So many men, women and children are in need of a redemptive message on homosexuality. The life-giving power and love of God cannot be contained by a cultural gag order or even by legal mandate. It is the church's high calling to proclaim it to those who need to hear it no matter what the cost may be. Jesus considered us worth it. May we follow His example as we press past our fatigue.

Jeff Buchanan is a pastor and the Director of the Exodus Church Association (www.exoduschurchassociation.org), a national network of more than 120 churches helping those dealing with same-sex attraction to live a life that reflects the Christian faith. read more

I made a collage for a boyfriend once. Silly, I know. I spent hours pinning little bows, buttons, kissy-pictures and other embarrassing items on a large piece of misshapen cardboard. It was Valentine's Day or some anniversary (or a Tuesday), and I thought a creative, thoughtful expression to be thoroughly appropriate.

After adding paint, song lyrics, and probably more kissy-pictures, I presented my work of art to him with enthusiasm. He seemed appreciative enough at first, spouting phrases like, "Oh, I love that picture" and "Excellent color scheme!" I assumed this meant he was going to take care of my masterpiece forever and ever.

How surprising it was, then, to find it on his floor months later, next to CDs and socks. No amount of initial marveling could make up for mistreatment later. His casual disregard of my efforts felt more like direct disrespect toward me.

I've heard Christians blabber on about how beautiful mountains and oceans are, about how much they enjoy nature - yet they make no real effort to actually take care of it.  (And does hunting really qualify as nature-appreciation?) The problem with pollution and deforestation isn't just that it hurts creation, but that it disrespects the Creator. How you treat the creation reflects how you feel about the Creator.

This is why the aforementioned boyfriend and I eventually broke up. (It wasn't only because of his misplacement of my arts and crafts project, but you get the idea.) There were some serious respect issues between us, and they influenced the relationship's demise. Now, God isn't going to "break up" with the Church over the environment. I think it's safe to say, though, there are respect issues that could hinder the relationship.

Many Christians presume "going green" means you have to start voting Democrat and dressing entirely in hemp - that somehow being an environmentalist means putting humans second, as if it really were a choice between hating trees or hating babies. This is pretty idiotic, because last time I checked, people live on Earth. When we protect the environment, we're protecting people. Oil spills and over-farming won't just hurt sea  otters and soil. They will hurt us.

Going green is about loving and respecting the Creator and our neighbors. (This was the idea behind that "Greatest Commandment" in Mark 12:29-31.) So, do some research. Recycle. Raise awareness. Conserve water and electricity. Carpool. Buy organic. Trendy, leftist activities they may be, they can also be acts of worship - steps that prevent the Earth from becoming a dump (and possibly prevent God from wanting to dump us).

Meredith Grady is a senior at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia. She is also (surprise!) the daughter of Charisma editor J. Lee Grady. read more

In September 2005, the Lord sent a team of ministers, led by Jesse Engle, to San Francisco, California. Their calling was to "cry for mercy on behalf of San Francisco and for deliverance of the homosexuality community." The Justice House of Prayer in San Francisco (JHOPSF) has been fulfilling this call for three years now. However, the passing of Proposition 8 has significantly heightened the amount of hostility they must face as they attempt to share the love of Jesus with the gay community in Northern California.

Last November, while ministering in the Castro District of San Francisco, Jesse's group experienced persecution so intense that it took about 20 police officers to control the mob of approximately 200 angry homosexuals attempting to harm them. For those who haven't heard, Proposition 8 was a ballot that recently passed in California, changing the state's Constitution to define marriage as being only between a man and woman. read more

4:16PM EDT 4/8/2009

Although twice as many Americans say they have no faith compared to 1990 there's a new hope on the horizon.

Are Americans becoming disillusioned by religion?

According to a new study, detailed in the new American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), released last week, traditional religion is playing less of a role in American life. More people are opting for non-religious weddings and funerals (30 and 27 percent respectively).

In just 18 years, the swing is significant, revealing that despite nearly 50 million adults added to the U.S. population by growth and immigration, almost all religious denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS survey in 1990.

Most significant-the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined, more than 11 percent in a generation. According to Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA TODAY, "the faithful have scattered out of their traditional bases: the Bible Belt is less Baptist ... the Rust Belt is less Catholic ... and everywhere, more people are exploring spiritual frontiers - or falling off the faith map completely."

In fact, the number of people who say they have "no religion" has nearly doubled in the same time (8.2 percent in 1990 to 15 percent today).

This dilemma largely stems from how people perceive Christianity in the U.S. Unfortunately most people are only exposed to two types of Christians-Separatists and Conformists and neither option is very compelling.

In The Fine Line, published by Zondervan, I address these recent trends by exposing the two irrelevant camps of Christians fueling this disillusionment.

The first camp-the Separatists-are anti-everybody, anti-everything, and they retreat from culture. Their excessive rules are an attempt to escape the world. Those who lean toward the Separatist camp are guilty of certain characteristics. Three of the most common are that they allow: rules to replace relationships, microscopes to replace mirrors, and performance to replace passion.

Rules and Relationships: Rules give them the illusion of control. They allow Separatists to hide their hearts safely behind their lists of do's and don'ts. By embracing ritualistic rules they inevitably forfeit a vibrant relationship with God. 

Microscopes and Mirrors: Microscopes magnify the image of small objects. When used to examine cells in the science lab, this is a good thing. But microscopes shouldn't be used to examine everything. Jesus warned, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" (Matt. 7:3). Unfortunately Separatists not only disregard this Scripture, but also their fellow Christians.

Performance and Passion: Separatists replace an inner passion for God with an outward performance for people. They fixate on out-doing others.

The second camp-the Conformists-are hypocrites, biblically shallow and consumers of culture. Their excessive desire for trendiness results in merely mimicking culture.

Those who lean toward the Conformist camp are guilty of certain characteristics. Three of the most common are that they allow: media to replace meditation, liberty to replace love, and tolerance to replace truth.

Media and Meditation: Conformists rarely take the time to get quiet before God.  The average American is exposed to over 3,000 ads every single day. As a result, keeping our minds biblically and theologically sound is difficult to do. Conformists fall into the pattern of being amused-not even recognizing the meaning of the word or its impact on their lives. Amuse means "to not think." Conformists might benefit by thinking a little bit more about why they don't think.

Liberty and Love: No one likes to be restricted, especially Conformists. It's easy to flaunt our freedom without considering how it affects others. Many Conformists have a personal vendetta against Separatists because they barely escaped their grip of control. As a result, Conformists enjoy their freedom and vow never to be subjugated to any individual or organization again. But many times they go too far and their freedoms quickly end up enslaving them. What started as a social drink here and there rapidly evolved into a love affair with hard liquor in order to cope with the stress of life.  And what began as watching films that incorporated risqué images somehow transitioned into a steady diet of porn movies.

Truth and Tolerance: For Conformists truth is only true when it's convenient. Besides who wants to come off as someone else's judge? Conformists certainly don't. Separatists are too narrow and so Conformists instead prefer a generous orthodoxy that incorporates anything and everything. In the process, their orthodoxy (meaning ‘right belief') becomes anydoxy.

Thankfully there is an alternative.

Enter stage right the Transformists, a new breed of Christ followers who are in the world but not of it and more clearly mirror New Testament Christianity. Transformists embody the Scripture, which exhorts Christians to neither separate from culture nor conform to it, but rather to be "transformed by the renewing of their minds" (Romans 12:2).

The back-story of Transformists is quite convincing. For starters, they don't need to have everything figured out, for that would mean they're Separatists. They don't need to say anything goes, for that would mean they're Conformists. They neither add to God's Word nor do they ignore it. Instead, they obey it.

They're not perfect, but they're seekers. They long to have a pure relationship with the Creator of the Universe. They desire to know the "why" behind the "what" and the purpose behind the principle. Of course there will be mistakes along the way, but this is what sets them apart. They have a little more grace and patience with each other, because they know what they've been saved from.

The movement is beginning. The gathering has united. They come from a variety of backgrounds, but share a common purpose. Above all else, they passionately love God and people. They don't fear culture because they're called to shape it. They don't fear Christianity because they're called to embody it. They are the Relevant. They are the Transformists.

Although initially the trend of ambivalence toward Christianity might seem disturbing, true followers of Jesus have an epic opportunity in these tough times to change the unconvincing stereotypes of Christianity set forth by Separatists and Conformists.

Despite nearly 2.8 million people identifying with dozens of new religious movements, calling themselves Wiccans, pagans or "Spiritualists"-such people are forced to re-evaluate their faith when they interface with Transformists and the undeniable grace and truth which defines them.

By integrating their faith with their culture Transformists are a breath of fresh air to both the world and the church. And because this remnant is walking the fine line of being in the world and not of it, there's hope on the horizon once again.

(Excerpt from The Fine Line: Re-envisioning the Gap between Christ and Culture.  Used with permission from Zondervan Publishing. ISBN: 0310285453)

Kary Oberbrunner, MDiv, DMin, is a self-proclaimed "Recovering Pharisee" and founder of Redeem the Day Ministries. The author of The Fine Line, Called, and The Journey toward Relevance, he serves as the Pastor of Discipleship and Leadership Development at Grace Church in Powell, Ohio. Kary and his soul-mate, Kelly, are blessed parents of Keegan and Isabel. Contact him at www.KaryOberbrunner.com.

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As far as I know, you are the only one who has ever said to me that it is entirely unjust for someone else to pay for crimes of which another is guilty. I have to conclude that you made this statement rashly, and without too much thought. There is nothing at all unjust about any father stepping in and paying a speeding fine for his son. It happens all the time, and the judge has no concerns of where the payment comes from, as long as it is lawfully paid.

How would you react if you were guilty of violating civil law, and your dad loved you so much that he sold his house and spent all of his hard–earned savings to pay the massive fine, so that you could get out of prison? Would you point at your father and accuse him of some sort of crime? How perverse would that be? If you did that, you would not only be despising his incredible sacrifice, but you would also reveal something horrible about your own character.

That’s what you are doing when you accuse almighty God of being unjust. He became a man in Jesus of Nazareth to take the punishment for the sin of the world, so that we could live forever. If you or I accuse Him of being unjust, it reveals something horrible about our character. We need to humble ourselves, get on our knees and thank God for giving us life in the first place, and then for offering wicked humanity such an unspeakable gift.

Ray Comfort has sold over one million copies of The Atheist Test, debated atheists on ABC's Nightline, and has written a number of books on the subject of atheism, including his latest, Nothing Created Everything (with a special cover condemnation by Richard Dawkins). He has debated atheistic evolution on the BBC, and been a platform speaker at the 27th National Convention of American Atheists, Inc. in 2001. He also produces a syndicated weekly radio program on atheism and evolution for Moody Radio. Known as the man who is "Internationally hated by atheists," he daily blogs at "Atheist Central" to hundreds of atheists. He is a best-selling author and co-host (with actor Kirk Cameron) of an award-winning TV program. Kirk and Ray send out a free weekly email ipdate to help equip Christians to share their faith--available at livingwaters.com read more

A look at the parallels between sinners and smokers.

No one stinks like a smoker does. It’s true, and what’s more, they don’t realize how bad they smell. The reason they smell so poorly is that they have deadened the sensitivity of their nose. They literally can’t smell the stench that a non-smoker can smell.

The conscience is like a nose. It sniffs out the stench of sin. Someone who has deadened the sensitivity of his conscience literally can’t detect how morally bad he is. That’s why we need God’s Law. It stirs the conscience so that it can detect sin. When the conscience does its bloodhound duty, it shows us that we don’t smell like a rose, but that even our very best deeds stink (for want of a better word) to high Heaven. Check out Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:10-20 to sniff out more details. read more

One of the most common mistakes people make with the Bible, is to confuse the issues of Law and grace. The Scriptures make the difference when they say "The Law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." The Law of Moses is categorized into three parts: the Moral Law (the 10 Commandments), the Civil Law (the Law for Israel's court system) and the Ceremonial Law (the Law for ceremonial worship). The whole Law had 613 precepts (its do's and don'ts ).

Male circumcision was part of the ceremonial Law given to Israel to set them apart from other nations, as was not eating pork and Sabbath worship. Capital punishment under the Law--for murder, adultery, idolatry, blasphemy was part of the civil Law of Israel, so why should we as a nation live under the standards of justice given to a nation three thousand years ago? We are under no obligation to keep any of the dietary, civil, or ceremonial Laws of Israel.

However, we are under obligation to keep the Moral Law. It was given to Israel but its purpose is to "leave the whole world guilty before God" (see Romans 3:19-20). And it certainly does. When we study its holy precepts and understand that we violate the Seventh by our lust, it shows us we need the grace (mercy) of God.

The reason the Moral Law leaves us guilty before God is that its precepts are written on our hearts, via the conscience. We intuitively know that its wrong to lie, to steal, to lust, to hate, to murder, to commit adultery, etc.

It was one night way back in 1972 that the Law showed me that I was guilty, heading for Hell, and it sent me to the Savior where I found mercy. The Law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. As the hymn-writer wrote 200 years ago:

"By God's grace at last my sin I learned, then I trembled at the Law I spurned, till my guilty soul imploring turned, to Calvary." read more