TV is associated with a lot of sin, and it's addictive.  Do those two things make it wrong?

Sincerely,
Power Off?

Dear Power Off,

Television can be associated with bad things, and it can be associated with good things – it all comes down to how you use it.  Television is just a means of communication and gaining information.  Before television, it was radio, and before radio, it was books.  There is bad music to listen to and good music; there are bad books to read and good books.  It all comes down to wisdom.  God tells us to fill our minds with things that are good and true (Php 4:8).  Use that principle in the television shows you choose to watch.

Someone told me that they knew a young man that was once gay and had aids, but God made him not gay anymore and made the aids go away.  I believe that he turned straight, but can God really make aids/HIV go away?  If so, why not other people?

Sincerely,
Perplexed

Dear Perplexed,

God can do anything, but He also says that He often lets us suffer the consequences of our choices as an example.  No one is forced to lead an actively homosexual lifestyle – we always have a choice.  If this young man chose to stop living a homosexual lifestyle, good for him… he is doing what the Bible says.
We can’t speak to this particular situation, but we can say this: homosexuality comes with consequences – including a much greater possibility of getting HIV.  Jude 1:7 says that Sodom & Gomorrah suffered the consequences of homosexuality, and Rom 1:27-28 says that all cultures that turn to homosexuality and away from the Bible will face consequences for those decisions.  The consequence of sin is one of many reasons to try and stop sinning.

Would it be okay to be in support of equal civil rights for homosexuals?

Sincerely,
Almost An Advocate

Dear Almost An Advocate,

Biblically speaking, a nation that puts God first will be blessed (Ps 33:12).  God makes it clear that active homosexual lives are sinful and should be discouraged (Rom 1:26-27).  When a Christian has a chance to impact the political realm of the society they are in, they should always try and shape that society in a way that discourages homosexuality.  "Civil rights" for homosexuals isn't about treating them equally as humans; it is about making society more amenable to that sort of lifestyle.

  I fell in love with my best friend, and we had sex once.  We were dating, and then she said she couldn’t have a sexual relationship with a woman; it’s against her beliefs.  We are the same sex.  Now she’s not talking to me but says she does love me.  I’m praying for God to bring her back in my life as my friend, but if she wants it to be more, that would be her choice.  Will she change her mind and still be my friend?

Sincerely,
Abandoned

Dear Abandoned,

We can’t tell you whether or not she will change her mind and be your friend again, but if we were advising you both, we would advise against a friendship after the trouble it has created for you.

God makes it clear that homosexual relationships are sinful (Rom 1:26-27).  The right thing to do is exactly what your friend did – flee fornication (1 Cor 6:18).  We are sorry you have lost a friend, but better to lose a friendship and start down a better path than to go to hell together (Matt 18:8).

     In a rage of anger, I threatened my wife and grandson.  My wife forgave me, God forgave me, but my grandson’s mother will not.  Why do I have to live with that sin for the rest of my life?

Sincerely,
Grieving Grandpa

Dear Grieving Grandpa,

Maybe you will have to live with it; maybe you won’t.  The physical consequences of sin still remain after forgiveness from God and even after forgiveness by our fellow man.  God says that we reap what we sow (Gal 6:7).  When we behave immorally toward a woman, lose our temper, mistreat others, are bad examples for our children, etc. – there are consequences to those choices.  God does offer forgiveness if we place our faith in Him (read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” for more details), but that forgiveness doesn’t remove the consequences of sin in this life.  David sinned when he committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:2-4); God forgave David of the sin when David repented (2 Sam 12:13), but David’s child still died as a consequence of that sin (2 Sam 12:14).

We can’t tell you what the long-term consequences of this sin of anger will be, but part of being faithful is humbly facing those consequences head on.