Unpopular Biblical Teachings

What is the responsibility of a Christian in post-modern America when confronted with Biblical teaching that is clearly out of date and border-line hate speech in light of today’s enlightened culture?  The Bible teaches that wives should submit to husbands, that women are not to hold offices of authority in the church, that homosexuality is sin, that sinners are not to be welcomed into the local body, that coveting is one of the worst sins possible.  All of these teachings are passe and offensive to our culture.  Many of these teachings are offensive to ‘christians’ in our church pews today.  I suspect that several of you reading this are thinking me simply wrong in my assertions about what the Bible teaches.

And that is where I’m challenged.  In a recent article I read a teacher rebuts a new examination of 1 Timothy 2:12′s prohibition of women teachers, elders and pastors.  My church’s leadership would not agree, and in fact would suggest that the Bible allows such.  In reading through the article http://www.reformation21.org/articles/on-womens-ordination-a-response-to-dr-john-jefferson-davis-on-1-timothy-212.php I was struck to the heart by the humility of the author.  I was encouraged to think, what other Biblical teachings are unpopular?  What other doctrines central to Christianity are under attack?

It is not hard to find the big 3 under attack from without and from within today:

1. The Role of Women in Leadership
2. The Role of Homosexuals in the Church and Leadership
3. The Exclusivity of Christ in Salvation

But I suggest there are a few others under attack in more subtle ways which are just as dangerous and just as likely to reform unsuspecting and childish Christians to the world instead of visa-versa:

1. The Acceptability of Coveting (Posterity Seekers)
2. The Worship of Man (American Idol, Sports, Health, Romance)
3. Democracy (We are diluting the influence of a man who has walked with God for 50 years by the votes of very young Christians and children)
4. Rejection of Familial and Elder Authority (children don’t obey, submit or honor)
5. The Rejection of the Sabbath (while Jesus changed the Sabbath, He did not do away with the Sabbath)
6. The Epidemic of Adultery
7. The adulteration of the Gospel of Peace which substitutes peace between God and man with peace between man and man.