So What Events Can Christians Attend?

[@danmorris47]

Well done Dr mohler

[@OnlinePreachingCoach]

Turn your mic to the side so we can see you. That's a front-entry mic and it works just as well from the side.

[@michaeltanner1351]

So, we're still pretending that Alistair Begg said Christians should attend any same sex wedding any time, yes.?

[@robertrowe8392]

👌

[@robertomendez1547]

The difference between a Catholic funeral and a Protestant one is that in the Catholic one there are novenas where masses are held with an absent body, we cannot attend there.

[@MichaelPetek]

You can attend a Mass if not a Catholic, but you may not receive Holy Communion.

[@lindacowles756]

G'day, Dr. Mohler! I truly appreciate your approach and attitude in answering these questions. I do have one question regarding the phrase "as long as you don't participate in the [funeral] mass". What would constitute participation v. attendance?

[@jmdsservantofgod8405]

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Do all in love and unto the Lord! We will be judged according to how we judge! We will receive mercy if we show mercy! Pride is a sin! If we feel proud & better then others God says we are his enemies! Be humble! All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God! We are saved by faith….not by perfect knowledge!

[@johnnel6290]

Respectfully you misuse the text in Phillipians, that is in context about evangelism and persecutions, hence why Paul says I can do all things. ❤

[@kenbarber6592]

“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” Titus 1:15.

[@MrGMcAulay]

When we look at 1 Cor 5 and read that Paul distinguishes the association between immoral believers and association with nonbelievers. We break fellowship with the immoral person who claims to hold the same beliefs. Association is not the same thing as fellowship. Attending a civil union or ceremony of same-sex couples moves the association into a fellowship, implying the believer in attendance is walking in agreement with the couple. Based upon that, the believer should not attend. As for other life events, attend, so long as the attendance does not put the believer into fellowship agreement with the nonbeliever. Eating food sacrificed to idols was a test for the early church. Interesting discussion. If we break from all immoral people, the believer would have to leave the world altogether, and where would the witness be then?

[@ericpollard-xg1gd]

Maybe God is showing us that we're way off compared to the apostles. I mean the whole separation of Church and State isn't true. The apostles obeyed the powers that be but didn't collaborate with them. Has the Church been so afraid of persecution that it has collaborated with civil government. Not to mention the money that's involved with Christian universities , conferences, broadcast ect.. God might have never intended it to be this way. Look at what happened with Alistair Begg. He might have already repented but won't give these extremist the benefit of hearing it. The hypocrisy of not holding Jmac accountable for clearly saying it's not a sin for a Christian baker to bake a cake for a gay wedding. I believe Alistair was wrong g on his advice but spot on with his accusations.

[@ericpollard-xg1gd]

Maybe it's wrong to broadcast. Wasn't MLJ against it. When a Christian is wrong maybe that person should just be accountable locally that way you're not accountable to social media and the partiality that will take place. Not to mention the witchhunt similar to Salem. Think about it . If Alistair lived during g the Salem witch trials then he would be nit just excommunicated but burned. Church discipline needs to be firm but loving.

[@ericpollard-xg1gd]

And prompt but eager for that person to repent with a longing of that similar to losing a child.

[@ericpollard-xg1gd]

It's one thing to call out error, it's another to ridicule.

[@kenchilton]

Either it is holy, or it is not. Either it is righteous, or it is not. Either it is lawful or it is sin. Either it is God, or it is evil. Moral compromise is never an option. The question is: where does the Bible say we should not go? The Bible says the opposite. We are to go, speak, be a witness, pray, be used by God, and show love. Being at an event does not imply agreement or permission. Just as it was noted that being at a Catholic funeral and not participating in the mass is a powerful option, so is showing up to a pseudo-wedding and not applauding or participating in the party afterward. We are to go into all the world, and we will be given what we are to speak, even before kings. We were never commanded to look down on fellow sinners, but to seek the lost and spread the Gospel, be the example of compassion and mercy because we have been given compassion and mercy. So attend the event, and just maybe they will ask you to pray.

[@christinebutler7630]

Everybody gets in a knot over same sex weddings. BUT: All four Gospels resoundingly forbid divorce. The only acceptable reason for divorce is if the woman cheats. Remarriage after divorce is simply flat out forbidden. Marriage that doesnt include at least the intention and reasonable possibility of procreation is not a marriage. Infertility happens, but those who intend to remain childfree are long term dating, not entering into a marriage. So, i maintain that attending a wedding where one party, or both, have been married and divorced would be just as wrong as a same sex wedding. A wedding in which the couple have made it known they do not want children is absolutely the same as a same sex wedding. A woman who has an illigitimate child should marry the father of that child, and it should be a quiet and private ceremony, not a huge party. So, evangelicals, that business of glass houses applies here.

[@aglover12345]

"Should I attend a Roman Catholic funeral?" What in the world kind of silly question is this? I mean, I probably wouldn't advise randomly dropping in on the funerals of random Catholics you don't know. That would be weird. But if you knew and loved the person and want to celebrate their life and console their family, then obviously you should attend. How is this a theological question? Catholics are Christians too, ya know. Only a disturbingly narrow and almost pathologically hubristic image of the Christian faith would even begin to imagine otherwise. Holy smokes, guys. Get it together.

[@tnairman83]

How about a wedding between a professing believer and an unbeliever.

[@abellewis3062]

1 Corinthians 7:39 “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.”

[@sym8246-f5c]

Think of it in practical terms is it more likely that the wife will see the light through her husband or by being shunned by the believers.

[@sym8246-f5c]

As a Catholic we have no problem sharing the happiness of our protestant brothers and sisters, but same sex marriage is counter biblical.

[@jeffreysnyder936]

As a young believer, I was faced with this issue when a girl that was part of the group of friends that had evangelized me in high school several years before, in college got engaged to a non-believer. They were engaged for 2 years and then got married. Over those years I spoke with her many times about the command to not be unequally yoked to a non-believer. She was adamant that they were in love, that he was a great guy who "respected her faith" and that he might eventually come to faith. I was good friends with both of them, and he really did seem to be a nice guy -- as a younger believer I couldn't help but to wonder if I was reading 2 Cor. 6:14-15 right. A couple months before the wedding they asked me to be a groomsman in their wedding. I took some time to consider and pray about it, and in the end politely declined. I saw being in the wedding (being an officiant, groomsman or bridesmaid) as saying "this is great, I'm all for this" and I felt that I just couldn't do that in good conscience. (Also, there was an aspect of respect for the couple -- I wouldn't want someone participating in my wedding if they didn't feel that my getting married was a good thing.) However I did go to the wedding (and gave them a gift). It helped that I had made clear to the girl that marrying the guy was wrong and ill-advised, and that before they were married my "job" was to tell her "don't do it," but once they were married my job was to do whatever I could to help their marriage succeed. I've heard some critics of Begg's advice say that even attending a wedding (or reception) were "participating" -- I guess I just saw a big difference between being an active, up-front participant in the ceremony versus sitting in the audience.

[@CottontailLegacy]

And has Al said a single word about plagiarism yet? Trying to get back to relevance by commenting on the obvious of not celebrating sin while literally ignoring ed litton’s obvious plagiarism? Makes sense…

[@lozartandthestinky2379]

During your video a piece of scripture came to my mind (Genesis 4:17) "Cain knew his wife." Just a thought towards your point about unbelievers marrying, great stuff Mohler love your content!

[@lozartandthestinky2379]

Mohler u da goat

[@arepadetrigo]

Well said.

[@Descriptor_]

Good wisdom.

[@Chrisplumbgas]

By whose authority do you teach, to go against the Catholic Church?

[@Time_Chance]

By the authority of the Word of G-d.

[@Chrisplumbgas]

How do you know the bible is the word of God and not some other religious book?

[@jesuschristbiblebiblestudy]

Answer: Any event that is within God's revealed will. Amen.

[@ryanprosper88]

Comparing Gay marriage to Catholic funerals or unbelievers' weddings is ridiculous. It just shows how little discernment there is in the church of we can't differentiate between the open celebration of debauchery and grieving of departed loved ones who had a different understanding of ecclesiology than us. I'm saying that as a very uncatholic Protestant, but we need better discretion than to lob EVERYONE we disagree with into the same bubble

[@FRodriguez_]

Would you attend a Catholic first confirmation/communion? My cousin will have one soon and I’m unsure whether to go.

[@arepadetrigo]

Sadly, I think you are right. I appreciated Dr. Mohler's gentle responses to these questions that hopefully were sincere. But I do think we are a church without discernment and we keep trying to carve out ways to disobey and ignore and explain away the clear teaching of Scripture. When I hear people asking. "What about this, that, the other," it reminds me of trying to open a coconut with an ice-pick only to find that the milk inside is sour.

[@ryanprosper88]

@FRodriguez_ are you close with him? I've been to one Catholic service in my life, and it was an interesting experience. We didn't participate in the mass though

[@callawaycass5148]

@ryanprosper88 it is an incredible lack of discernment to think the difference between Protestant and Catholic is just ecclesiology. The most important difference is soteriology, for believing what the Catholic Church holds as doctrine regarding salvation, one cannot be saved.

[@ryanprosper88]

@@callawaycass5148 red herring, you've missed the point. Catholicism is not comparable to gay marriage.

[@JasonBlake-o1u]

Very deceiving and calculated how you imply catholics are not christians. Do you realise that if you omit catholicism from christendom , you make islam the dominant faith. The fruits of the catholic branch of christianity are plenty and has survived for centuries.

[@calebstarcher4934]

Imagine not knowing that Catholicism is the Truth. Although you should attend Mass but not receive Christ, I'm confused on what you mean by 'not participate in the Mass?' By not participating, are you saying not to: recite the Niceno-Constantipolitian Creed, the prayers, or stand and kneel? Also quite ironic that you continually say 'Roman' Catholic, when there are other branches of the Catholic Church. And, like a good pr*t, you forget about the various Orthodox Churches too.

[@EvieBear236]

Could you explain what other branches there are of the Catholic Church other than Roman Catholic? I truly want to know. I know there are Orthodox Churches but I am not familiar with other Catholic Churches that aren't Roman Catholic.

[@calebstarcher4934]

@@EvieBear236 there are 23 Eastern Churches in communion with Rome, all liturgically different, but theologically in line with the Latin Church. There are about 18-20 million Eastern Catholics. There are also Old Catholics and Sedevecantist groups who, besides rejecting certain aspects of papal authority and are separated from the Pope, practice quite similarly to real Catholics. The other Eastern Churches with valid Apostolic succession are the: Eastern, Oriental and Assyrian Churches. There are various different bodies within those groups.

[@FRodriguez_]

You better start saving up for all those indulgences with all the heresy you’re spitting out.

[@calebstarcher4934]

@@FRodriguez_ shows your ignorance and that you don't know how indulgences work. Also, care to name any heresy that I said ?

[@sunnydays8270]

@calebstarcher4934 The Catholic mass is a twisted sacrament which attempts to re-sacrifice Jesus Christ. Its blasphemy.

[@williammarinelli2363]

Scripture says marriage is honorable in all. I take that to mean Bible all as opposed to Mohler's calvinistic all.

[@fernandogamboa2623]

Marriage has become a miningless event, signs of a godless culture .

[@Johnburggy]

Christians have freedom of choice It does not mean they agree or accept . It depends if they feel able to. Christians cannot act on things against there Christian faith but this is different from just attending something .