AFA Staff
AFA Journal staff reviews movies, books and other resources
February 2016 – Resource for church tackles homosexuality with love, truth
“I used to think God hated me.”
Those seven words sum up the early years of Dennis Jernigan, writer of some of the most beloved worship songs of our generation.
Why would he think the God of love hated him? Because Jernigan was also a homosexual trapped in suicidal despair – that is, until Jesus Christ set him free.
That powerful story of deliverance is told in the DVD titled Sing Over Me. (See AFA Journal, 10/14 and 9/15.)
Sing Over Me has just become available in a church resource pack that gives excellent help for churches who want to know how to engage family, friends, and congregations over the issue of homosexuality with Christ-like love and biblical truth.
Stand in Love: Truthful Answers to Questions About Homosexuality, Identity, and the Church is a new DVD in which Jernigan answers 15 of the toughest questions facing the church today.
“Homosexuals are not our enemy,” Jernigan passionately insists. “The enemy [Satan] is our enemy, and he is a liar and a deceiver, and in many ways he has captured the mind of our culture.”
Jernigan answers common questions such as “Does God call homosexual behavior sin?” and “Do homosexuals go to hell?” Questions like these and others are answered biblically – and unapologetically so. This is a welcome respite from the often mushy manner in which many evangelical leaders address homosexuality.
He is always compassionate and consistently offers hope for those struggling with same sex temptation. For example, he explains the difference between temptation and sin, and between good, strong desires – such as for sex – and the perversion of those desires into sinful lusts.
However, Jernigan also wades into some of the complex questions that have baffled evangelicals who want to proclaim the truth in a loving manner. Some examples: “Does orientation equal identity?” “Is change possible?” “How do I love someone without judgment or condemnation?”
Especially helpful is his answer to the question, “Should homosexuals be in places of leadership in our evangelical churches?” Jernigan stresses that no one who is walking in willful disobedience should be in leadership. But the church cannot single out homosexual behavior in upholding this biblical standard. Stubborn persistence in other sins – such as adultery, fornication, lying, and stealing – also disqualifies.
Jernigan is a compelling spokesman for a gospel-centric approach to addressing this issue. The church resource kit is a timely presentation on some of the most theologically tricky issues surrounding an already controversial topic. Churches will be blessed and helped at a critical time.
A separate paperback study guide contains a helpful section that highlights main points as well as discussion questions. Available at dennisjernigan.com.
— Ed Vitagliano
Life is Best
Scott Klusendorf has collected some of the brightest minds in the pro-life arena and gathered their voices together for a 13-episode study that is ideal for Sunday school, small group, or individual study.
Each episode includes three segments, each with a unique angle on that episode’s main point. The DVD package also includes a PDF study guide.
Two facets of Life is Best set it apart from most other pro-life studies available today. First, it stands on Scripture, but it also uses logical arguments to defend pre-born life. Abortion is often an emotional issue, but Klusendorf and company remove emotion from the equation by bringing everything down to one central question: What is a baby in the womb? If a baby is just a lump of cells and tissue, then abortion is no problem. But if a baby is a unique, live human being, then that child is valuable and worth protecting. Second, Life is Best examines pro-life arguments, explaining how some of them do not work and have even been twisted to further a pro-choice agenda. Presenters then offer stronger arguments to replace those that do not work.
Presenters include Stephen Kendrick, Matt Chandler, Paul Washer, David and Jason Benham, Voddie Baucham, and others.
More information and one free episode are available at lifeisbest.tv. Life is Best is available for purchase at afastore.net or 877-927-4917.
— Teddy James
Answers to your kids’ toughest questions
Children can ask parents challenging questions about God and Christianity. Speaker, writer, and apologist Alex McFarland offers a new curriculum titled The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity that will help.
Produced by AFA, the package includes two DVDs, each with three thirty-minute sessions, one Leader’s Guide, and one Participant’s Workbook (available separately).
The 21 Toughest Questions equips parents to “be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15 NKJV). The six session topics include: How to Answer the Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity; Questions About God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; Questions About Suffering and Evil; Questions About the Bible; Questions About Miracles; and Questions About Christian Living.
Each session begins with a summary and questions for discussion. The main segment (30-33 minutes) is followed by questions for further discussion.
Several small group resources are included at the end of the Leader’s Guide and the Workbook. These include: How to Begin a Relationship With God, Small Group Planning Calendar, and Suggested Memory Verses.
The 21 Toughest Questions is an invaluable tool for parents and youth leaders. Available at afastore.net or 877-927-4917
— Debbie Fischer
Find a Way
Based on a true story, Billy “Smiley” Cain is a Christian who is a high school senior football star.
The story begins with Smiley hanging out with friends, encouraging and impacting each according to the need. The next morning Smiley does not wake up.
The entire community struggles with Smiley’s untimely death. Those facing crisis and dealing with pain wrestle with the age old question: Why does God allow this to happen to such a good person?
Find A Way is not a film for young audiences. Divorce, marital unfaithfulness, drugs, sexual activity, drinking, bullying, parental abuse, and disrespect for parents are all discussed or displayed. However, these behaviors serve as avenues for the gospel to take root and for God to move individuals to repentance and healing. Both the school counselor and the pastor give clear biblical guidelines to those seeking answers.
For more information visit corneliusmullerproductions.com.
— Debbie Fischer
