When I was working on this message, the first thought went through my mind was an incident that took place in 1990, where I got invited to serve on what was called Human Sexuality Commission.

It was sponsored by a major denomination.

And my response was immediately, clear, unequivocal,

no. I knew that out of the 24 people on that commission, there were only three who really

believed that the Bible is the Word of God. The rest didn't. Then they asked me,

would you hold your response? Would you wait until a representative would come and talk to you about

this? Because we really want all views to be heard. So the person came and explained to me.

He said, we really, we want to hear all the views, be represented.

We know your view is very different from the rest, but we want to hear it anyway.

I said, well, since you know it, why do you want to hear it again?

Well, we want to project an image that we are tolerant, that we accept our views.

We want all views to be heard.

Then I asked if the others who don't believe that the Bible is God's self-revelation or the Bible is the word of God,

and we're going to be really hard-struck to come into an agreement when they're all basically 21 in one agreement

and the three of us. Finally, he came clean and said, look, we know the decks stacked against you

and you will never have your way. It's not my way, but we want to project an image that we are listening to all views.

At that point, my answer was not only no, there was no, never, not even a certain place freezes over.

Because I knew we're going to be used.

And this person began to tell me that if I turned them down and I do not deserve

on that commission, my terrible reputation as being narrow-minded and bigoted and intolerant is going to stick.

I said, really. If you don't serve on that commission, that terrible reputation of yours will really prove people right.

I remember clearly as if it was yesterday, I looked to that

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