When Statistics are Manipulated

Perhaps you've seen the latest report debunking the effectiveness of teen virginity pledges. In the late 80's and early 90's, many churches began promoting the idea of asking teenagers to take a pledge to remain virgins until their wedding day. This often involves signing a card and perhaps wearing a chastity ring. (I took one, albeit not the formal "True Love Waits" version most churches used.)

This week, news agencies are reporting the findings of Janet E. Rosenbaum, a post doctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is arguing that research now states that virginity pledges have no positive impact on teen sexual behavior, but they do have the negative impact of making teens less likely to use protection against STD's.

What you may not notice if you simply glance at the headlines is that no new research was actually conducted by Dr. Rosenbaum. She merely reinterpreted data from previous studies, whose findings she didn't like. Furthermore, she came to her conclusions by outright eliminating some of the samples from the surveys used.

In her own words..."I used the same data as previous studies but a different statistical method."

ABC news summarized her work as follows:

"This method allowed Rosenbaum to compare those who had taken a virginity pledge with similar teens who hadn't taken a pledge but were likely to delay having sex, she said. She added that she didn't include teens who were unlikely to take a pledge. "

Huh? She "didn't include teens who were unlikely to take a pledge?" Comparing teen pledgers to non-pledgers is the entire point of the research! By only comparing pledgers to teens who probably would have pledged had anyone bothered to ask them to is to defeat the entire purpose of the virginity pledge to begin with. Nobody is claiming that there is something magical about a True Love Waits card, which is exactly what Dr. Rosenbaum set out to disprove. What's important are the values that are being imparted in the process of the challenge. And if you are only going to compare teens who are taught those values with other teens who are also taught those values (but didn't technically sign their name to a card), what exactly have you proven? Absolutely nothing.

It's embarrassing when you see someone so blatantly manipulate statistics to try to disprove the validity of Christian values. And when so many news venues are eager to report the opinion of a doctor who actually didn't do any research whatsoever tells you how much the Bible is under attack by our culture today. But we need not worry about whether or not God's plan for sex is best or whether or not it works. I have counseled many couples who were dealing with relational baggage decades after their wedding that was directly related to their decision not to wait until marriage. However, I have never counseled a couple who waited until their wedding day and regretted it.

"Miracle in a Manger"

Before we move past the official holiday season, I wanted to post my message reflecting on Christ's birth from Luke 1:26-38. It will be available online for about one month.

Where God Has Put Me

I was in my office this afternoon preparing my message for next Sunday when I got an interesting visit. A complete stranger walked in and asked if we had any holy water we could give her. She said she wasn't religious but her mom just moved into a new home and needed some holy water to dedicate it. (She was just the one running the errand.) I didn't get to visit with her for long because she was out the door when she ascertained that we didn't have the kind of "holy water" she was looking for. But this brief encounter reminded me of why I love serving in a place like South Florida. Little experiences like this just don't happen in most parts of the country, especially in the Bible belt. This is where the greatest spiritual need is, in my humble opinion. This is the front line. For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone in ministry who cares a lick about missions wouldn't want to be where I am. Where else can you share the story of the prodigal son with people who haven't heard it or even heard of it and see the look of awe when you get to the end and they realize it's about God? Where else can you reach people for Christ who will then take the gospel to the ends of the earth every time they go "home" for a visit? Where else can you touch so many cultures and people groups in such a short amount of time without even leaving your county? If you live in Miami-Dade county and you're thinking about leaving, you need to seriously reconsider whether or not that is what God has called you to do. Frankly, we don't need believers leaving, we need believers arriving.

A Christmas Gift

Here's a fantastic Christmas video that touched my heart. In it, Stuart Shepard shares the true story of a Christmas gift that could not be delivered – and asks for your help. Watch it and it will be among the best two and a half minutes of your day.

The Helper of Our Faith

"Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month."
Luke 1:36

As I was driving to church early yesterday morning, I was thinking about my message from Luke 1:26-38 and something occurred to me. God gave Mary the most incredible news that any person could receive and Mary believed it. But God also gave Mary a means to discover that He was, in fact, working in her life in a miraculous way. Elizabeth, though advanced in years, was in the sixth month of pregnancy with John the Baptist. Thus, by going to interview Elizabeth, she had a way to verify the report that she'd been given. Mary may have had some doubts, but she had enough faith to step out and go to Elizabeth based on the message she'd received.

Likewise, God asks for faith. We're told that it is impossible to please Him without faith. But God also affirms our faith, often in subtle ways, so that any who seek Him will find Him.

Abortion Bailout

You knew it was coming. Now EVERYONE wants their bailout. Looks like the abortion industry isn't waiting until Obama is sworn in to ask for theirs. Numerous abortion providers have come together to request that the president-elect make the following package a reality in his first 100 days:

* $1 BILLION dollars in taxpayer funding for International Abortion Groups
* $700 million in taxpayer funding for “Title X” Health Clinics (aka your local Planned Parenthood affiliate)
* $65 million for the UNFPA, an international aid organization connected to coercive abortion as part of China’s coercive one-child policy
* Repeal the Hyde Amendment – Vastly expanding federal taxpayer funding for abortions
* Include Abortion coverage in any taxpayer-subsidized national health care program
* Expand taxpayer-funded abortions on military bases
* Expand taxpayer-funded abortions through the Peace Corps program
* Expand taxpayer-funded abortions for federal prisoners

Encourage your senators to oppose the abortion bailout. Let's attack this thing now before it becomes a media thing and they put their spin on it.

To get involved, click HERE.

When Suicide Becomes a Peep Show

Craig Ewert's suicide will be televised on British television tonight, setting off a debate in that country regarding euthanasia. Personally, I think it's an attempt to desensitize us to a practice that should, in fact, concern us. What's next?

If life is not sacred in the womb, eventually it will not be sacred at any point. The moment we retreat from complete respect for the sanctity of life, we go down a one way road that leads to catastrophic ends.

Unfit to Serve

Most of you probably know that a state judge, Cindy Lederman, recently single-handedly overturned a 31 year old Florida law barring homosexual adoption. Forgetting that the constitution says "We, the people" and not "I, the judge", Lederman reminded us why the recent Amendment 2 drive was so necessary and why another one addressing adoption will now be needed as well.

In this specific case, judge Lederman heard ample evidence suggesting that children do better with a mom and a dad. However she threw out that evidence (Are you ready for this?) because the psychologist who testified on behalf of the state (in support of the adoption ban) was also an ordained baptist minister. Apparently, his baptist faith kept him from being able to objectively view the evidence regarding what is best for children!

Isn't it funny how activist judges like Cindy Lederman can use outright bigotry against Christians while claiming to rid the world of bigotry against gays?,! When judges use the religious faith of witnesses to bar their testimony outright, they are no longer fit to serve.

Careful What You Pray For

Looks like a Detroit mega-church spent significant time praying Sunday for congress to bail out the Big Three. They even brought in a Ford Escape, Chevy Tahoe and a Chrysler Aspen and placed them behind the pulpit. (How's that for sermon props?) Detroit pastors have vowed to fast and pray until the bailout comes through.

Hmmmm. I can't help but wonder...Are they also praying that the Big Three will demonstrate better stewardship? Or that they will manufacture better cars? Or that the United Autoworkers Union will agree to a more globally competitive contract?

I'm not so sure it's Biblical to ask God to bless bad stewardship. And I'm uncomfortable with anything that creates the impression that government is the solution to our greatest problems. And I'm very uncomfortable with praying that puts financial prosperity over the need for revival. What if it's God's will for the Big Three to flounder so that He might bring about revival as people begin to call on His name from repentant hearts? What if God answers the prayers of this church and these pastors and it turns out to be the worst thing that could have happened? Be careful what you pray for.

What We Have To Do

I have been so inspired this week by a quote that I received from a friend in North Carolina regarding Tertullian...

Tertullian of Carthage, an early Christian theologian and moralist, was also the pastor of a church in North Africa about 200 years after Jesus Christ was born. Many historians recount the story where some of Tertullian’s church members tried to justify their burning incense to pagan gods as they entered their workplace. They told Tertullian “even though we are Christians, we won’t really honor pagan gods.”

Tertullian asked, “Why would you do that?”

The people said, “Because we have to work to buy food to eat!”

Tertullian then asked “Why do you have to eat?”

They replied with astonishment “Because we have to live.”

Tertullian, who had been converted to Christianity by witnessing the uncompromising courage of Christian martyrs, looked at them and said, “No! You don’t have to work, or eat and you don’t have to live. The only thing you have to do is be faithful.”

All I can say is "Amen!"

THIS HOPE

Tomorrow night, we are blessed to be hosting This Hope, a men's quintet out of Woodstock, Georgia. These guys are a blend between Acapella and 4-Him. They'll be bringing their Christmas concert to First Baptist Church of Homestead Dec. 2, at 7:00 pm. This concert is free. A love offering will be taken. If you're reading this and you're in the area, make plans now to attend. To watch a promotional video and get a taste of This Hope's music, click HERE.

Dr. Warren Caves In

Neil Clark Warren is a Christian psychologist who has appeared in the past on James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. You probably know him from the commercials in which he promotes the company he founded, e-harmony.com. Dr. Warren has opposed homosexuality in the past and his company, which facilitates internet match making, has catered only to heterosexual inquirers. So perhaps you were surprised by e-harmony’s recent decision to create an internet matchmaking site for homosexuals. Compatible Partners is set to begin March 31, 2009.

Why the change, you ask? It appears that a homosexual group decided to sue e-harmony for only providing matchmaking help to heterosexuals. Rather than create and promote their own web site, which would have meant considerable start up costs, they decided to legally force e-harmony to do it for them. And it worked. Dr. Warren caved in and agreed to start Compatible Partners because he said the cost of losing legislation would have been devastating to e-harmony.com. This news is disturbing on several levels.

#1 – Dr. Warren caved in. We desperately need for Christian men and women to stand by their convictions, not throw them to the wind at the first sign of litigation. As Dr. Tony Perkins said about this controversy, “The surest way to lose the culture war is refusing to fight.”

#2 – What about the “Live and let live” theory we hear from gay rights groups? Is it “live and let live” to force a Christian who opposes homosexuality on religious grounds to provide matchmaking help to homosexuals just because he is doing so for heterosexuals?

#3 – How is it discrimination for a heterosexual psychologist to help other heterosexuals to find a likeminded mate?