The Wickens' Ministry

This is something of a follow-up article to one I posted the other day concerning some responses to Gary Glitter. Over at Exodus International I just read an article examining the link between homosexuality and pedophilia: When Sexual Addiction Targets Children

With that having been introduced I want to add a sentence of qualification from the article,

...we must be careful not to paint homosexuals and pedophiles with the same brush. 

However, instances of pedophilia are high among homosexuals than heterosexuals. Whatever your belief the article is worth reading.

To give you an idea of who Exodus International are and their general attitude here are a few paragraphs from their About Us page. While I believe homosexuality is a sin I do not advocate the violance sometimes directed towards homosexuals or the purely condemning tone others take. 

Exodus is a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization promoting the message of Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ.

Since 1976, Exodus has grown to include over 120 local ministries in the USA and Canada. We are also linked with other Exodus world regions outside of North America, totaling over 150 ministries in 17 countries.

Within both the Christian and secular communities, Exodus has challenged those who respond to homosexuals with ignorance and fear, and those who uphold homosexuality as a valid orientation. These extremes fail to convey the fullness of redemption found in Jesus Christ, a gift which is available to all who commit their life and their sexuality to Him.

Due to a number of obstacles my pastor, Tom Dotson, has not had the opportunity to visit with us here in Northern Ireland. We have wanted to arrange the trip for a while but it just ha snot been possible until now.

Yesterday I collected Pastor Dotson and Mrs. Jane from the airport and we have been enjoying a time of fellowship and catching up. There is something special for me about having my pastor visit the church where I now pastor. 

Last night as we sat in the living room Pastor Tom had just as much time for the children as he did for us. At one point Ashleigh was talking about being afraid and so pastor began talking about the love of God and then led into sharing the Gospel with her. A little while later Ashleigh mentioned that sometimes she was naughty, and pastor began to share about what sin is and how Christ has paid for our sins. 

And that is who my pastor is, he is a witness for Jesus Christ. The greatest gift any individual could give to my child is to tell them about Christ, and my pastor has done that twice within a couple of hours.

I know Mrs. Jane and Carrie have enjoyed talking and Carrie always enjoys learning all she can from her. 

We are so excited to have them with us and we truly do thank the Lord for the impact they have had on our lives, and now on the lives of our children. 

Every now and again I see a group of articles I want to share and so this section is all about that. It is a brief blog with links to 3 intersting and useful sites or articles:

1. Is Brian MClaren Stuck on Stupid or Purposely Misleading Us?

To read these lines one would think that all fundamentalists are created equal, that is, that they are all wild eyed and dangerous. He has stated that “whatever religious variety:” they happen to be they are to be feared. Surely McLaren has heard of Scholarly Fundamentalism. He claims to know about and be well aware of Church History as he endorses the so called ancient future faith (aka Roman Catholic mystical practices). Is he really ignorant of Scholarly Fundamentalism in his polemic against all fundamentalists? McLaren’s polemic is a great hindrance to serious discussion. McLaren seems to have a disdain for history unless it is history that supports his subjective and erratic choices.

2. The Democrats and the Abortion Laws

A few years ago, Richard Doerflinger, a pro-life Roman Catholic intellectual with decades of experience in the trenches of America's culture wars, was invited to debate the moral and legal status of the human embryo before a large class of Harvard undergraduates. During the course of the discussion, Doerflinger's Harvard faculty interlocutor drew a timeline of human biological development on the blackboard: conception, implantation, brain waves, viability, birth and so forth. His challenge to Doerflinger was to defend, in a nonarbitrary way and without reference to religious principles, the notion that society should recognize moral value and legal rights at any particular point along that line. If here, why here? If there, why there?

After the class, as the conversation continued with a few students and the professor, Doerflinger took a piece of chalk and extended the timeline to the end of the blackboard, where he wrote "Tenure." The students laughed, and got the message. The only point along that continuum that wouldn't be arbitrary was the starting point—conception.

3. Provoked

When we think of the word provoke, it ususally is in a negative connotation. Yet as I think about the opportunities we have to go into churches, preach and meet people; I wonder if we provoke them in a positive way.