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God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

I was a sinner, less perfect than God. By conviction of the Holy Spirit I learned that my condition would incur the eternal condemnation of God if I did not submit to His grace. I acknowledged myself a sinner and threw myself on His mercy and grace, recognizing that He had brought salvation to earth through His Son Jesus Christ. After God the Father put God the Son to death on the cross, He could proclaim grace and pardon to all who would submit to Him. I came to the cross, believed His promise about His Son, and God declared me righteous even while I was ungodly and gave me authority to become His child. I ceased to be a child of wrath and became a child of God, justified from all things. Simultaneously, I was declared to be an heir of God, joint-heir with Jesus Christ. I received eternal life, and shall never perish. I was accepted in the Beloved; my body became the temple of the Holy Spirit; I was born of the Spirit into the family of God, baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption. I have an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fades not away, reserved in Heaven for me. Although I know myself to be a sinner, I am not concerned about the penalty for sin, since the Lord Jesus Christ bore the penalty and declared me righteous. The love of Christ becomes the constraining factor in my life, and I seek to glorify Him as Lord. I know Him as my Creator and so have peace of mind. I know Him as Savior and so have peace of conscience. In the measure that I enter into the second rest, I know Him as Lord and find the peace that passes all understanding.
Donald Grey Barnhouse

Ten Arguments against the use of birth control and a response to each: 1. Genesis 1:28; 9:1. But: a. If this were a specific command to every individual, every man and woman would be required to marry. But clearly marriage is not a universal obligation (Jesus, Paul, 1 Cor. 7). b. This text does address the responsibility to bear children but says nothing about how many or for how long. Nothing in the text explicitly requires us to have as many children as is biologically possible. c. Gen. 1:28 must be read in the light of 1:26. 2. Deut. 23:1 – The argument is that this prohibition reflects God’s displeasure with any means of birth control. But: a. There is nothing to indicate that these men were castrated as a means of birth control. b. In all likelihood, this refers “not to states of infertility produced by illness or accident, but to deliberate acts of castration at times associated with pagan worship in the ancient Near East” (Davis, p. 37). 3. Genesis 38:6-10 (Deut. 25:5-10). But: a. Onan’s sin was not that he violated the general command to have children, but that he violated the specific obligation in the law of levirate marriage. His action was sinful not because he used a form of birth control, but because he disobeyed a legal responsibility to raise up seed in his deceased brother’s name (probably because he didn’t want to assume the personal and financial obligation of raising them). b. Lev. 20:10-21 lists specific sexual crimes punishable by death under the Mosaic Code. If coitus interruptus, such as that committed by Onan, were regarded as an abuse or sin, one would expect to see it in this list. 4. Psalms 127:3-5; 128:1-6 – No one would dare disagree that children are a wonderful blessing from the Lord. But: a. Why should we conclude from these texts that we are morally obligated to have as many children as is biologically possible? b. As with all God's blessings, we must be wise and prudent stewards in the enjoyment of them. 5. The purpose of sex in marriage is procreational, not recreational. But: a. The Bible reveals at least [four other] purposes for sex in marriage. b. “If sex were intended only for procreation, then it would be strange that nature has it that women can procreate less than half of their married life…and then only at a very limited time each month” (Geisler, p. 215-16). c. If this argument were valid, it would be sinful for a married couple to have sexual relations subsequent to female menopause or a hysterectomy or in cases where either husband or wife is sterile. 6. Birth control is unnatural and artificial. Common sense suggests that the purpose for human sexual organs is reproduction. Anything that prohibits or interrupts the sex organs from performing their appointed role is thus sinful. But: a. “If the sole purpose of sexual intercourse is procreation, then why did God give women the desire for sexual intercourse at times when they cannot become pregnant? Does not the natural order of things, then, demonstrate that procreation is not the only purpose of sex?” (Feinbergs, p. 175-176). b. We do many so-called unnatural things that run counter to and hinder so-called nature, none of which any of us would regard as immoral or unbiblical: shaving, air-travel, mowing the lawn, etc. c. If we consistently applied this principle we would be forced never to employ medical assistance, medication, or surgery. d. Those who employ this argument concede the use of the rhythm method and abstinence during times of ovulation, none of which is itself natural (charting or scheduling intercourse based on body temperature, etc., is hardly natural; and abstinence runs counter to the natural sex drive). 7. Birth control betrays a lack of trust or faith in the sovereignty of God. He is Lord over the womb. If God wants us to have children, He should be free to bestow them. If He doesn’t want to, He (and He alone) should have the power and prerogative to prevent conception. But: a. We must be careful that our trust in God is not simply irresponsible behavior. b. If this argument were consistently applied, we should never work, use locks or alarms on our homes, save money for emergencies, purchase life or health insurance, wear safety goggles when using a weed-eater, use sun-screen when outside, or support the police or national defense. 8. Birth control has the potential to alter in a destructive way our concepts and experience of love and commitment. But: a. The fact that birth control may yield negative consequences does not itself make birth control wrong. The absence of intimacy, promiscuity, etc., are wrong, not because one may have employed a contraceptive device, but because such things are declared to be wrong in the Bible. 9. Birth control encourages promiscuity among both married and unmarried people. But: a. We must distinguish between an object and the purpose or use to which an object is put. Cars are not sinful simply because people can use them to escape the scene of a crime they’ve just committed. The fact that an object can be used for immoral purposes does not necessarily prove the object is in and of itself immoral. 10. Birth control devices have negative side-effects and are detrimental to one’s health. Since our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we should not employ those things that do damage to our physical constitution. But: a. If a birth control device is found conclusively to have physical destructive side-effects, it should not be used. But such scientific evidence does not exist for all methods of contraception.
Sam Storms

Madison’s Tart Dough

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CATEGORY CUISINE TAG YIELD
Vegetables Pies, Misc 1 Servings

INGREDIENTS

1 c Unbleached white flour
3/8 ts Salt
4 tb Cold unsalted butter; cut into small cubes
1 1/2 tb Solid vegetable shortening
2 1/2 tb Ice water, more if necessary

INSTRUCTIONS

This versatile dough can be the basis for either fruit or meat pies. The
recipe comes from Deborah Madison's "The Greens Cookbook" (Bantam, 1987).
COMBINE THE FLOUR AND SALT in a bowl; then add the butter and shortening.
With your hands, work the fat and flour together, sliding and flattening
the mixture between your palms, or thumb and fingertips, until the butter
and shortening are evenly distributed. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons cold water and
lightly work it into the flour, using your fingers, slightly cupped
together, or a fork. Gather the dough into a ball, sprinkle a few drops of
water over any remaining dry ingredients and gather them together. Cover
the dough with waxed paper or plastic wrap, flatten it into a disk, and let
it rest at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before using. The dough can
also be frozen at this point for future use. When you are ready to roll the
dough, lightly flour the work surface and the top of the dough. If it is
stiff from the cold, let it sit for 20 minutes before you roll it out. Roll
it out with firm, even strokes into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Pick it
up on the rolling pin and slide it onto the pie dish or tart mold. Or,
alternatively, fold it into quarters, lay it with the point in the center
of the pan, then unfold. Trim the edges, leaving an overhang of an inch or
so; then fold the overhang under and crimp the edge. To partially pre-bake
the crust, first freeze the empty shell until it is quite firm. If you
intend to freeze the crust for an extended period of time, wrap it in foil.
When ready to use, preheat the oven to 425F. Set the frozen tart shell
directly into the oven and bake until the crust has a "set" appearance and
is just beginning to color, about 8-to-10 minutes. While the crust is
baking, check to see that the bottom is now swelling with steam and air. If
it does, prick it lightly with a paring knife. More traditionally, the
crust may be prebaked unfrozen, first lining it with buttered foil, filling
the foil with pie weights or dry beans, then baking, as above, until the
edges are set and slighted browned. Makes 1 9-Inch Pie or Tart
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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