 on. Okay, excuse me, sorry. Okay, welcome back everybody to BC212 course on Christian apologetics. We are down to the final hour of our lecture. We are dealing with social challenges and just creating a biblical framework on how to think about things and then providing a few pointers on different issues. And then we will take up questions that are on the chat which have been posted. I'm sure there are other questions people can ask and we will try to answer them. So let's just pick up from where we pause before the break and answer and move on those topics. So we were talking about how a believer responds or relates to the whole issue of gay marriages, homosexuality and so on. We were talking about we talked about one scenario about a business owner. We can think about another scenario where in the workplace if you're an HR person you're supposed to hire people for the organization. People are sending you the resumes. Now we keep in mind that when you're hiring people you're hiring based on their skills and not based on their race or marital status or sexual orientation. Excuse me. Excuse me. Sorry. You know you're not hiring them based on that. So hey. All right. I think you can hear me there so I'll say something. All right. All right. Let's go back to the glass now. So you know so as an HR person in your faith you don't approve of you know somebody who's a homosexual but when you're hiring a person for the organization your responders check their skills. Do they meet the requirement? Do they pass the tests and then based on that you make the offer. So that's you know you have faith in God. You know what you are you don't you're not compromising yourself but the workplace you're following the instructions the policies are given to you by the organization. Think about if you're in a authority or a government position and if you're a chief minister what would you do? Well you have people from all religions backgrounds on day or you know if you're a prime minister or a president and you've got people all kinds of backgrounds and you've got to treat everybody fairly. Think about God. He makes the sun to shine on the good and the bad. He gives rain to the good and the bad. He's being fair to everybody. Right. So that's how we should operate when we are in those places of leadership we've had to all. You have your conviction about faith in God and what's right and wrong but in your position as a government official, treat everybody equally. Think about the local church. Now as a local church we have the right to stay known to conducting gay marriages. It's against the teaching of the future. So that's why we that's within our jurisdiction that is within our space we could say well we are going to do it like this because the Bible says. So we have the right to refuse gay marriages. Now I know that's changing in some context of the Christian world where even churches are not denominations are okay conducting gay marriages but actually it's going against the teaching of the scripture. Right. So as a church we can stand by the teaching of scripture. In our church, in our sphere, we have the right to follow what we believe. We will stand by that. Now if we are persecuted for it that's fine. We're going to stand for the truth. We don't compromise on the truth. Think about divorce. This is another area where we know God doesn't approve of divorce but we also know that there are situations where these things will happen but we will go through this. Either one spouse is unfaithful, one spouse deserts leaves and abandons the family and disappears or there's abuse, things like that. So there are these difficult situations and then how do we respond to that? We're not encouraging divorce. We're going to do our utmost to preserve every marriage but the divorce does happen. So in that case we still love the people we still believe that God is a God of a second chance. He can give them a new beginning and work with them in that direction. So we can't make one person responsible for the actions of another person. Somebody was unfaithful. That was somebody else's action. And so on. So we have to understand that and be God like and redemptive in every situation, even in the case of divorce. Think about abortion. That's another big area that, yeah, it is the killing of an unborn child. It's taking away of a life. It is equal and equal to mother. But there are situations like in the case of a rape. It wasn't that person who wanted to get pregnant but it was done against her will. And would we allow abortion in that case? Or what if there's a mother who already has a child? She's going to have another child but her life is in danger. Does she need to live? Of course she needs to live for the sake of the child that she already has. And so what do you do in a situation like that? Or another situation is what if the baby in the womb has not been formed properly? There's some abnormality in the doctors because of the tests they do and all that they can want. They want the parent to say something's wrong with the child. What do you do? So in all of these situations we have to look at it from God's perspective. And so if a woman has been violated, becomes pregnant, we leave it to her to make that decision. In some situations the woman says, okay, I know this has happened against my will but I will still go out and have the child. Fine. Respect that decision. In some cases a woman may say this has happened against my will. I don't want the child. Fine. You respect that person's decision. You love the person. Similarly in the case of you know when the doctors say look the child in the womb there's some abnormality. We don't force our faith on the parents. We say okay, you decide. In some situations parents will say no, we are going to go through and have the baby and we'll face the consequences. Fine. You respect their decision. In some cases parents will say okay, we know what the doctor said therefore we will abort the child. Fine. You respect their decision. So we don't want to force faith upon people. We don't want to force to act against their will. We respect, we respect for their decision and so on. But of course we do not want to abort a baby just you know for every women fancy no. The child is precious and we must respect that. We respect the life of the unborn child and not in as far as possible protect the life of the unborn child. So that's important. Some other social issues you know one would be about climate change and environment. Now even in the Christian world there are two sides to this. There's one side that says you know God is going to, the world is going to end up in a mess and God is going to make new heavens and the new earth. So no matter what we do the world is going to end up in a mess. So don't worry. God is in control just leave it. Don't bother. Don't waste time and money on trying to protect the environment and don't worry about climate change. It's not a problem. It doesn't exist. One part of the Christian world speaks like that. Another part of the Christian world says we are stewards of the of this planet. God has put us in charge and yes we know that you know the world will get you know will grow worse. Things will get worse and and God is going to make new heavens and new earth. We know what scripture is saying but as long as we live we need to do what we can to protect the environment and to lessen whatever we can on climate change and do our part. Be responsible. That's another section. So my personal conviction is that we need to be good stewards right? Just like you take care of your body. Is this body going to die one day? Of course it's going to die one day but as long as I can I need to take care of my body. I need to do what I can with my body do it well so that I can live healthy. I know I was going to die but doesn't mean I'm going to go and destroy it today. No I'm going to take care of it as long as I can live as well as long as I can for the glory of God. I think that same perspective how you're being stewards of that, being stewards of your time, being stewards of your money, we have to be stewards of the planet. So that's my perspective, my conviction that that's how we should approach the environment, the planet, the natural resources and climate change. That we need to do what we can, study, research, take action, educate, do all the right things to be responsible about the planet. That's my position. If somebody disagrees with me, it's okay. That's their decision, their choice. I'm not going to fight. I'm not going to argue but I believe this is God has made us stewards of everything that is entrusted to us. That's our position. The other thing is organ transplant. During Bible time some of these things were not possible. We did an organ transplant or implant or prosthesis and other things but in today's world these things are possible. So what about organ transplant? Taking the organ from one human being to another or in some cases they've even tried from animal to another. They're trying that. What about those kinds of things? Well, what about surrogacy where if a couple finds it difficult to have a child for whatever reason then they have another woman carry the baby in her form for this other couple. What about that? What about genetics and gene editing and genetic modification? Of course it is already being done for the improvement of the quality of life where you can modify the genes of plants of vegetation so that you can make them grow in conditions they cannot grow otherwise or you can modify the fruits and so on so forth to be resistant to pests and other things and so on. For the benefit of human life, what about gene editing and genetic modification for the treating and healing of sicknesses so that you can actually get in and edit the genes that are causing those problems. So these things were not there during Bible times and so how do we respond to these kinds of things that we are seeing happen in our world today? I can't hear, I'm sharing my personal thoughts and I can't give a chapter in verse. I'm coming from that biblical framework that we had created or set up earlier saying that look if it's going to be for the good of people without hurting people then it's fine. So if you're going to work in genetics so that you can produce better crops or increase harvest or better fruit or whatever, it's for the good of people, fine, do it. It's okay. This again, my perspective, you're free to disagree with me on this but I feel it's fine. If somebody else is burying children for somebody where the egg or the footlace leg is implanted in the womb and they bury it, is it good for somebody? Yeah, it's for the good of somebody. I find nothing wrong with it God has given us the technology, the means to do something good, use it. So organ transplants, if it's going to help, fine. What about transferring from an animal to a human? That's a little far-fetched. It's probably going against the natural way. I think God created things so I would say stay out of it but from human to human it's going to help somebody, fine and people's lives have been extended because of that, a good thing. So these are not chapters and verses but these are just my perspective on how to look at these things, so how to think about these things. If it's doing good without hurting somebody, fine. But when somebody's being hurt, that's when we have to be careful or when we're going against the natural way that God designed things, that's when we have to be careful. I know there's a great area there, but I feel that the knowledge and technology that God has given to us, if we can use it for good then definitely we should be okay with that. But again, these are areas that we need to think about. Think about what's going on with murder, war and genocide. This is happening all over the world, different places. How do we look at it? Well, murder is wrong. God doesn't want us to take away the life of another human being. Now, in war, in order to protect a country, yes, people kill and that's not sin. You're protecting your country, you're protecting the citizens of your nation. That's not sin. You're doing a work in order to protect your country against people who are attacking or people are meaning to do harm. But what about killing innocent people? What about killing civilians? What about killing people because they don't belong to your same race or things like that? That's not right. If you're killing, you're protecting your country and engaging in war, yeah, that's fine. But to go and kill people because they are just different from you. That's not right. Now, in the Old Testament, when God had directed his people to go occupy territory, occupy the land of Canaan, there was conflict. They ended up killing people. That's different. The context was you have to take over this territory. If they submit to you willingly, fine. But if they resist, that's when you conquer. So the motivation was different. In today's world, that's no longer there. It's not about going and taking territory. But if you're destroying lives because they are of a different race or of a different persuasion, that's not right. So like this, there are other things that we can talk about, corruption, government, how to deal with it, civil law and faith. How should believers interact with government? What about some of the things we see in our country, caste system, dowry, yoga, those kinds of things. So in all of these things, we have to think through and apply that biblical framework. So let me just make a few comments here. We'll take questions after that. So in corruption, of course, that's wrong. We cannot be participants to that. But sometimes people are oppressed. That means there is extortion. That means people forcibly take things away from you. So you can't help it. Suppose you're going to a government office and that man says, you have to give me so much money to do your work for you. Now, that's not bribery, but that's extortion. That means that man is taking away from you money that you shouldn't be paying. That's extortion. So God is not going to hold me responsible for it. He's going to hold the other person responsible for it because he's forced to be taking money away from me to do what he's supposed to do when everything on my side is clean. My papers are clear. I'm just filing a paper. I just want work done, but he's pulling money out of me. That's his or sin, not mine. Whereas if I go and pay money and say, hey, my papers are not in order, but I'm giving you money, just pass my papers. That's corruption. That's me bribing a person. That's my sin. So understand the difference between bribery, corruption, and extortion. So corruption can be in different ways. And we don't engage in bribery, but sometimes extortion happens and then be unresponsive for it. And the good thing is, in some parts of the world, the government itself is taking measures against corruption and against extortion. But the fact is, it is there in government. Another thing to think about is civil law and faith. I believe that people of faith should and can be engaged in civil government. But when we go there, understand that we have to bring righteousness and justice, but we don't force our faith on people. That means if it's integrity, if it's honesty, if it's justice, we do it. But I can't go and say everybody has to read the Bible. Everybody, especially in a secular government, the fact that a country secular means we respect people of all faiths. We respect people of all persuasions. And we're going to do what is just, equitable, fair, righteous, honest for everyone. But we're not going to force our faith on people like everybody must go to church. Can't do that. And so we have to understand, as believers, we must and we can, should be involved in civil government. But don't force your faith on people, especially in a secular government. We have to treat everybody with fairness and respect. So lastly, caste system, we know that's not right simply because it demeans the value of people based on where they were born or in which family they were born. And that's not right. In the eyes of God, everybody is equal. The practice of dowry, again, out of own free will, if people want to exchange gifts at a wedding, that's entirely their choice. But to forcibly take money or demand money in the context of a marriage, I feel it's wrong. If it's a free will, something free people to freely, that's fine. But to forcibly take or demand is wrong. Yoga is making a comment here. It is connected, has deeply religious context. While yoga in general has been presented as a form of exercise, its origins are deeply spiritual. And so we cannot ignore its spiritual roots. So my response is, hey, if you want to do exercise, do exercise. You don't have to practice yoga. Do whatever exercise you want, breathing exercises, sitting, stretching, do whatever exercise you want. But yoga in itself, in its original form is an expression and so we stay away from that. So we've gone through, you know, quickly gone through a lot of different parts and ideas. And the goal here is to give us a framework on how to think about things and how we should respond to various things. Let's open up a time for question answers. I'll speak up the questions here in the chat. Going back to our previous chapter on suffering, there's a couple of questions. How do we understand certain kind of sickness where death is kind of inevitable? Just a matter of time. And it goes on. On the time we're dead in the life of a servant of God or believers who lost their lives to COVID and similar. Now, one is how do we respond to that? One is we do not want to judge anyone, not even other believers, right? So we shouldn't say if somebody, you know, goes, dies in untimely death, whether through sickness or accident or, you know, like people who lost their lives in COVID, we shouldn't judge them and say, hey, there was some sin in their lives or God took them away. Now, what is God's will? God's word is God's will. His word says that he wants to bless us with a long life. That's the will of God. A long life is the will of God. But do people die before their time? Yes, it happens all the time. Believers are unbelievers. People die before their time. Excuse me. So it does happen. Believers are unbelievers. Our responses don't judge them. Second, don't speculate. That means don't try to come up with some reasons or some, you know, answers, you know, just accept the fact that we don't have the answer for every situation. In some situations, the untimely death could have been prevented. For example, during COVID, there were some, there were, in some cases, if people had taken precautions, maybe they would not have died. I'm just guessing. I don't know if they've been more cautious. And maybe they exposed themselves. And maybe they died because of that. So could it have been avoided, maybe? But we don't want to judge. So don't judge. Don't speculate. And since they are believers, we just thank God for their life, whatever life they've lived. And we know that they are in God's hands. Is it that God's will for them to die before their time? My answer is you shouldn't know because God's word says that he will satisfy us with a long life and show us his salvation. That's his word. Even if he spoke at once, that's what he means. And he's spoken it many times, right? That he will bless us with a long life. So that's his will. Do we fall short of it? Yes, we do. So we shouldn't change his will. We just say that we know that a lot of things in this earth that cause undamaged deaths, as you've seen already in this chapter on suffering, we just leave it to God and glorify God for who he is in spite of what has happened. That would be my response in situations like that. Okay. Any other questions, please? Any questions on the social challenges? I know I went through it very quickly. But any questions on that? And how do you think through various situations, various challenges that we face? Okay, the class is very quiet today. All right. So we bring our course to a conclusion. So in this course of Christian apologetics, we have actually gone through a very wide range of topics. And I would encourage you to explore any topic that you want further, that you might be interested in. We spend some time talking about God, the existence of God, creation, so on. Then both from, you know, from a philosophical, scientific, biblical response to it. Then we spend some time talking about the Word of God itself, the Bible, how it came to us, why we believe it's true. Then we spend some time talking about the person of Jesus Christ, the uniqueness of Christ, how do we communicate Christ to a Hindu and a Muslim? And then we spend some time talking about the aspect of suffering and be closed off with just creating a framework to think about social issues. We didn't address every social issue, but just said, okay, this is how we think about it, look at it as how God looks, God would look at it and respond to that matter from that perspective. So what I'm going to do is post assessments for this. They will, you know, it's just going to be covering all the content. It should take you not more than an hour or maximum two hours to do. And you'd be created based on the assessment. And yeah, so you have until the post today, this afternoon, I work on it, post it. And you'll have time until next Friday, so about a week and a half to the 24th to finish it. So thank you for the time. You just need about two hours to do it. It'll be an open book, open Bible assessment. So you can look at your notes. You can look at your Bible. But of course, you'll have to do it independently, that means do it by yourself. Don't discuss it with somebody. Yeah, that's the only only good strength. Any questions? Okay, there's a question in the chat. Well, we know homosexuality is seen in today's world. There is an opinion that there are people who are created that or through the Christian way to respond to this. I understand that that's part of the argument that I was born like this. It's in my genes, or it's in my psyche, it's in my makeup. And that's why I have these tendencies, I have this tendency towards the same sex and so on. That's what some people might say. Okay. But one, we know in the Bible that God created male and female. Two, in the Bible, God condemns this kind of behavior or lifestyle. He says it's wrong. So could there be an aberration of God's original design because of sin? Yes. So when people say, I have these tendencies or I have this propensity, could that be true? Yeah, it's true. What's the root cause of sin? Can God deliver people from it? Yes. Just when you look at an example, you look at any other sinful behavior like alcohol or stealing. A person in that, they say, look, I want to do this. Can God deliver that person? Yeah. So in the same way, but do they have the propensity, do they want to do it? Yeah, they want to do it. So we're not denying that, that we're saying God can deliver. So that's what we are response that God created male and female He has said, homosexuality is wrong. So very clear. Third, could people have these tendencies and propensities and inclination? Yeah, because of sin. But just because they have it doesn't mean it's okay to do. No. The standard that we measure is the word of God. So what should I response? God can deliver just as in any other form of sin. That should be a response. And we should try to reach out and love. Some people will accept it. Some people will not. And nowadays, there is even retaliation against the efforts to, you know, to see change in people, especially in the Western world, they even are against that. The Christian praying for people, praying for deliverance, praying for wholeness and healing against that. So if people are open, we can minister. If they don't want to receive that, don't want to receive ministry and deliverance. It's okay. We will not force it. Any other questions? All right. If there are no other questions, we're going to close and I just want to thank all of you for being part of this course, for joining through this. I apologize for some of the classes, some of the weeks that we missed because of traveling and so on. But I hope you found this course informative, helped you in thinking about certain things. And if you have questions in the future, always welcome to reach out to any of our pastors and we'll do our best to try and answer. Okay. Can I please ask somebody to pray and then people close please? Get a new Jamaican and pray please. Okay. Father God, thank you, Lord. Thank you for teaching us so many truths, Father God, and the topics that we're covering this course, Lord God. Father, you have given us this opportunity, Lord. Thank you. We praise you, Lord God. Father, even as we're learning so many things, Lord God. Father, we pray for your wisdom and strength even in our personal lives, Lord God. How we have to follow these things, Lord God, even regarding social concerns and suffering, Father God. Father, you teach us, Lord God, give us your wisdom and guidance, Lord God, and we pray, Lord God, that you will encourage each of us, Lord God, to follow the way that you want us to follow God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord Father. We also pray for pastor, Lord. Father, we pray for healing, Lord, that whatever is the suffering that he's going through right now, Lord God, the cold or the cough, Father, we pray for your healing by your stripes. We are healed, Master God. Thank you, Lord. We pray a blessing over each of us, Lord God. Father, it is your choice that we are here, Lord God. Help us, Lord, to use whatever that we have learned here, Lord God, the way that you want us for the God. Guide us and be with us, Lord God. In Jesus' mighty, matchless name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you, everyone. Thank you for being part of this course and joining together. God bless you all. We'll see you again next semester. Thank you. Bye now.