“Contentious Issues” Sermon Series

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Everyone agrees that America is polarized, with ever-hardening positions held by people less and less willing to listen to one another. So what does the Christian faith have to say about the issues and topics that divide our society? There are plenty of people on opposite sides of the spectrum claiming to know the will of God in these matters. In this series, we will be looking at both sides of these topics and applying the biblical witness to arrive at an authentically Christian belief about them.

January 5, 2025 // Abortion // Psalm 139:13-16

The abortion debate is a longstanding and contentious discourse that touches on the moral, legal, medical, and religious aspects of induced abortion. The debate most visibly polarizes around supporters of the self-described "pro-choice" and "pro-life" movements. In week 1 of this series, we will look at both sides of the debate and see where they point us toward scripture.

January 12, 2025 // Income Inequality // Proverbs 22:16, 22-23

Income inequality is the uneven distribution of income among individuals, groups, or populations. It's a major factor in social stratification and social class. In the United States, the income gap between the rich and everyone else has been growing markedly, by every major statistical measure, for more than 30 years. So what does Scripture say about this issue? This week, we will look at the biblical witness in regards to the issue and see how we can address it as individuals, a community and our nation.

January 19, 2025 // Immigration // Deuteronomy 10:18-19

During the 2024 U.S. presidential election, many U.S. voters listed immigration among their top concerns. This is not new; immigration has been a touchstone of the U.S. political debate for decades. So how should Christians respond? This week, we will look at what the Bible says about immigrants and how we can live out these biblical principles in our churches, our communities and our nation.

January 26, 2025 // Christian Nationalism // Matthew 4:8-10, 20:25-28

You have probably seen all the headlines over the past few years about Christian Nationalism. Like other divisive issues in our series, Christian Nationalism has people on opposite sides of the movement. Today, we will try and answer several questions about this movement. What is Christian nationalism, and how is it different from Christianity? How is it different from patriotism? How should Christians think about nations, especially about the United States?

February 2, 2025 // Human Sexuality // Acts 11:1-9

The issue over the treatment of LGBTQ+ community has divided our society and our churches over the past several decades. Today, we will be wrestling with the topic of the Bible and sexuality. We'll start off looking the question of sexual practices in the Bible and what that says to Christians in 2025. Then we will consider the question of homosexuality and what the Bible says about it.