The Nihil Rule

I read Taboo, so you don't have to. "With all sincerity, I can say that few things make me happier than seeing diversity in my church." I mean, the Bible tells us that the angels rejoice over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). I would hope that is one of the few things that makes Mike happier than his congregational demographics. And Paul tells us his joy is fulfilled by having members of the church be like-minded, being of one accord (Philippians 2:2). Paul preached to diverse audiences in his missionary trips, but he never expresses a concern about the diversity of a particular community. Why does Mike derive happiness from skin color? I thought we were supposed to not judge by the color of a persons' skin but by the content of their character.

  I read Taboo, so you don't have to. "If you love diversity, you will adore eternity. If unrepentant racists were allowed into heaven, they would hate the VIP section" This is the *only time* I find Novotny using the word "unrepentant" and insinuating someone going to hell for their sin. He wouldn't dare use it in proximity to the lifestyle sins of the LGBTQ+, unwedded pregnancy or abortion. He also seems to pedestalize diversity, since apparently the VIP's are diverse... but more on that in next weeks' installment.

I read Taboo, so you don't have to. "Before you assume, 'I'm not racist,' let's not make racism a black-and-white, yes-or-no issue any more than jealousy, pride, or impatience. Racism, like any other sin, is on a spectrum that stretches from pure godlessness to absolute holiness, from Hitler/slave traders on one end to Jesus on the other. The question, therefore, isn't 'Am I racist like Hitler?' Instead, it's 'How racist am I these days? How often do I prejudge people from other ethnic backgrounds? Where and when do I show favoritism based on the color of one's skin or the sound of one's accent?' " It's a neat trick to try and say that sin isn't "black and white." If it's black, we have to repent. If it is white, we are in the clear. If it's grey - then we find ourselves in a perpetual 'struggle session' questioning our status. We've heard other WELS pastors and presenters echo sentiment...

I read Taboo, so you don't have to. "You shouldn't publicly share your views on gay marriage. You shouldn't try to convince gay non-Christians to stop living like they are. There is a time, after lots and lots of love and lots and lots of gospel, when you can talk to your LGBTQ+ friends who profess Christianity about their biblical sexuality" So we see why Mike Novotny gave us poor advice last week : he inverts the proper ordering of law and gospel. Speratus, help us out! The law reveals the guilt of sin and makes us conscience-stricken; but then the gospel enters in the sinful soul to quicken. Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live; the law no peace can ever give, no comfort and no blessing. You cannot profess Christianity while living in active unrepentant sin. We have to be shown our sin before we recognize our need for a Savior. The WELS statement on human sexuality , Third Article, point 6, identifies this correctly:  We cannot accept that a Christian with...

  I read Taboo, so you don't have to. "[T]here's something I need to tell you about transgender people, something that deserves 110% of your attention, especially if you are a follower of God who loves the entire world. The experience of gender dysphoria is so agonizing that, according to the America Academy of Pediatrics, 42 percent of trans teenagers have attempted to kill themselves. Forty-two percent! And not just thought about it, but actually tried it. That means 42 percent of those precious souls have grabbed a razor blade or a bottle of pills or a gun and attempted to escape the brutal battle in their brains. The daily struggle of gender dysphoria is so heavy that trans teens will try to end their lives three times more often than their non-trans friends. I need you to understand that. Before you minimize this with some crude joke like, 'well, I'm identifying as a unicorn today,' before you post some snarky meme, remember those kids are killing themselv...

I read Taboo, so you don't have to. "I'm not sure about Sodom, but the rest of Scripture is clear." On page 79, Mike Novotny wants to be too cool for school by attempting to disprove that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah had anything to do with homosexual relations. Skip back a few pages and you'll find his reasoning. "Let's start with Genesis 19, the story of Sodom. Do you know it? Sodom stinks. God says its stench wafts up to heaven and turns his stomach. God send angels in disguise to investigate. A man named Lot welcomes them into his home, but that's when the men of Sodom pound on the door. "Where are those men?!" they demand. "Bring them out so we can have sex with them." When they try to break down the door, the angels step forward, strike the sex-crazed mob blind, and rush Lot's family out of Sodom just as fire falls from heaven and destroys them all. And if you grew up in church, that's all the proof you need...

I read Taboo so you don't have to. In chapter 9, Mike describes something that made him want to hide under a pew: "Our church invited a guest speaker to talk about his struggle with same-sex desires. The speaker was honest and vulnerable. He admitted that despite all the attempts, he couldn't pray the gay away. That's when an older Christian raised his hand. "How can you feel that way?" he yucked. "I can't imagine feeling that way about another man."  We talked about homosexual ideation in our discussion on Video 1 when Ben told us that empathy necessitates putting ourselves in homosexual shoes and in Video 3 where Bill tells us that LGBTQ+ stories that are not in line with God's will and word are worth listening to. In both cases we appealed to Scripture - Psalm 1, where the blessed man is described as not walking in the counsel of the wicked or stands among the sinners, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and likewise to Jude wher...

  I read Taboo, so you don't have to. Over the next few months I'm going to drip out midweek installments of Mike Novotny's Taboo. I do not recommend you read this book, and the posts here will help explain why. This week we'll kick it off with a softball anecdote from the last chapter of the book: "Earlier this year, I met a man who, along with his wife, worked for a pro-life ministry. He told me how they invited a young woman to stay in their guest bedroom while she got on her feet. But the girl liked to party and, one day, found herself pregnant." *record scratch* One does not go to a party and simply find herself pregnant  like catching the common cold. This soft-pedalling of sin particularly when it comes to LGBTQ and women is pervasive throughout the book.