All posts by Nic Gibson

Senior Pastor at HPC
Culture and Society

Pastoral Letter Extended 7: Get your roots ready

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This is the seventh of a series of posts expanding on my Pastoral Letter post based on my sermon from June 28th.

The original address was partially in response to the US Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage from this June. This series is not intended to be alarmist, but aims at equipping High Point Church to be faithful and vibrant followers of Jesus in a very sensitive cultural moment, while also anticipating what it may look like for us to do the same throughout whatever may follow.

7. We will need to (will get to) learn the truths of our faith – for real.

We are often impatient and disinterested in learning the deeper points of consistency and understanding within the Christian worldview, especially in “meddlesome areas” like sexuality, money, parenting, and marriage. We are naturally resistant to being told what to do, particularly in these areas, but God has told us clearly how to live regarding these things.

Your response might be, “I don’t need to know the theological definition of marriage in order to be a good spouse.”

But you do.

Even when we are not actively resistant, the word “theology,” particularly when used outside of a church building, sometimes initiates alternating waves of yawns and glazed-over eyes. It can conjure images of dusty academia and old men in robes who are detached from everyday Christian life.

The result is that we struggle to give any meaningful form to our beliefs. Continue reading Pastoral Letter Extended 7: Get your roots ready →

Culture and Society

Pastoral Letter Extended 5: Why no one’s listening

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This is the fifth of a series of posts expanding on my Pastoral Letter post based on my sermon from June 28th.

5. We have lost our moral authority. How did we lose it, and how can we regain it?

We could talk cultural apologetics and offer up the most rhetorically excellent, logically flawless arguments imaginable in favor of the gospel message, but few would care to listen long enough to understand what we’re saying, let alone be persuaded by it. They don’t care because, in their minds, our understanding of the fundamental nature of human society is completely defunct in moral authority. They’re not listening. Continue reading Pastoral Letter Extended 5: Why no one’s listening →

Culture and Society

Pastoral Letter Extended 3: The “right side” of what?

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This is the third of a series of posts expanding on my Pastoral Letter post based on my sermon from June 28th.

If we hold to the gospel, we are going to be on the bad side of public opinion, but we will not be on the wrong side of history.

There are a few important pieces to this. First, we need to consider what we believe about human history and where we’re headed. Our culture heralds progressivism, the belief that human life, and really humans themselves, are progressively getting better and better. This focus on our march toward progress is naturally hostile toward anything that seems to impede that progress. As I discussed in a previous post, dissent becomes not just an annoyance or a political obstacle; it is a moral offense. Continue reading Pastoral Letter Extended 3: The “right side” of what? →

Culture and Society

Pastoral Letter Extended 2: Perspectives and Perceptions

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This is the second of a series of posts expanding on my Pastoral Letter post based on my sermon from June 28th. In my last post, I spoke to people who have trouble understanding why some think that the recent US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage is a big deal. In this post, I’m addressing those who do consider it a big deal and struggle to understand the perspectives of others, including other Christians.

We must understand the perspectives of others assessing this situation from different vantage points.

It’s clear to everyone who’s been paying attention that there are a lot of different opinions on the subject of the US Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage. I can’t address the nuances of each, but I’d like to give attention to three general perspectives that are important for us to understand and engage in a Godly way. That means that, instead of talking past or over them, we need to wrestle honestly with what they’re saying and why, and we must interact with them lovingly and critically, being diligent to invite Biblical truth to shed light on the subject. Continue reading Pastoral Letter Extended 2: Perspectives and Perceptions →

Culture and Society

Pastoral Letter Extended: Is this a big deal?

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Anyone who has joined us for a Sunday morning when I preached will probably not be surprised to know that there is much more that I would like to have said on the subjects covered in my recent pastoral letter than time or space allowed. Given how complicated each piece is, I’d like to give a little more attention to each of the eight major points I discussed by expounding  them in a series of blog posts. This is the first in that series.

If you haven’t seen or would like to revisit the original sermon or summary blog post, you can find them here:
Sermon video and blog post

We fear what this decision may signal about coming days.

Both inside and outside the Church, some people wonder why others think that the recent Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage is a big deal. While many people will have different answers to that question, I suggest that it signals three concerning things. Continue reading Pastoral Letter Extended: Is this a big deal? →