Not Just Good, but Beautiful by Pope Francis

Author:Pope Francis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Plough Publishing House
Published: 2015-07-29T00:00:00+00:00

“Our culture has accepted two lies: that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle you must hate them or are afraid of them, and that to love someone means that you must agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense.”

–Rick Warren

10

RICK WARREN

What Must We Do?

An Evangelical Perspective

There is always a danger in being the twenty-eighth speaker in a conference. What’s left to say?

After hearing so many great speakers yesterday, I cancelled my dinner engagement last night to write a new message because most of what I had prepared to speak about was already covered by the speakers before me. I had prepared a message called “Why Marriage Matters,” but I didn’t want to repeat what you’ve already heard.

I had prepared to speak on how God reveals his presence and character through marriage, but that was eloquently explained by Cardinal Müller. I had also prepared to speak on the specific ways that our lives, our culture, and especially our children are damaged when we reject God’s plan for marriage and sex; but that was eloquently explained by Pastor Arnold.

I had also prepared to speak about how gender ideologies confuse our identity and destroy our dignity – but, of course, Sister Prudence brilliantly explained that. I had prepared to speak about how the covenant of marriage and the act of sex parallel the intimate relationship that God wants to have with us, but my former friend Rabbi Sacks powerfully explained that. With every speaker, my speech kept getting shorter and shorter. So in conclusion, I now understand what our Lord Jesus felt when he said in John 10:8: “All who came before me are thieves and robbers”!

In Hebrews 13:4 we are given this clear command: “Marriage is to be honored by everyone.”

Sadly, today, marriage is now dishonored by many. It is dismissed as an archaic, manmade tradition, denounced as an enemy of women, discouraged as a career-limiting choice, demeaned in movies and television, and delayed out of fear that it will limit one’s personal freedom.

Today marriage is ridiculed, resented, rejected, and redefined. What are we going to do about this? The church cannot cower in silence! As you have heard, there is too much at stake.

So after hearing all that we’ve heard, I sat down and outlined an action plan of possible steps we might take after this colloquium ends. Rather than “Why Marriage Matters,” my new title is “What Must We Do?” Just for fun, I put these action steps in alphabetical order:

A. Affirm the authority of God’s Word.

We do not base our worldview on fads or feelings or opinions or political correctness. We build our lives on the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Jesus affirmed, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Isaiah affirmed that “the grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of God stands forever.” David affirmed, “Your word, O Lord, is eternal. It stands firm in the heavens” (Ps. 119:89). Truth is still truth no matter who doubts it.

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