Below are a few of our core moral beliefs; you may not like or agree with all of them, but that’s between you and God. Know that these beliefs are the standard morality and undercurrent of ethics integrated throughout the content on this platform. These are some of the sacred truths we believe in.

Pornography/masturbation is sinful.

Deuteronomy 5:18 | Romans 13:13-14 | Matthew 5:27-30 | 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
“A man who governs his passions is master of the world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them, and it is always better to be the hammer than the anvil.” –Dominic Guzman

Living/supporting an LGBTQ+ lifestyle is immoral.

Leviticus 18:22 | Romans 1:26-28 | 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 | 1 Timothy 1:8-11
“Persons with a homosexual inclination ought to receive every aid and encouragement to embrace the call to holiness personally and fully. This will unavoidably involve much struggle and self-mastery, for following Jesus always means following the way of the Cross, but He is an essential source of consolation and aid on this path.” –Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination

Sex is sacred; fornication is a lie.

Ephesians 5:2-5 | Hebrews 13:4 | 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 | Song of Songs 7:6-12
“God does not blush when He speaks of intimacy and orgasms. He designed our bodies with parts that become one in the most intimate and enjoyable ways possible, to produce new life. Sex should cause us to marvel at Jesus, because all of its pleasures point to the glorious One who made them.” –Garrett Kell

Abortion is evil.

Deuteronomy 5:17 | Psalm 127:3 | Psalm 139:13-16 | Psalm 106:35-38
“This so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children, and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father’s role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts, a child, as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has exposed women to increasingly unjust and selfish demands from husbands and other sexual partners.
Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his or her humanity. The right to live does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else.” –Mother Teresa

I believe in one God, the Father almighty; Maker of heaven and earth; of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God; begotten, not made, consubstantial (of the same essence) with the Father; through Him, all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit, was incarnate (was made of flesh) of the virgin, Mary, and became man.
For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified; who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

He didn’t command us, “Thou shalt convert the multitudes to Methodist,”or “I shall make you fishers of Catholics,” or “only 144,000 Baptists will pass through the gates of Heaven.”

What He commanded us to do, was repent. Take up your cross. Follow Christ and His Commandments. And love everyone you encounter along the way; those who help you carry your cross, those who watch with wide eyes from the sidelines — and especially those who trip you, and laugh when you fall.

Remember, He said it’s through the depth of our love for others, that people will know we are His.

A new commandment I give unto you: that you love one another, as I have loved you. By this, shall all men know that you are My disciples — if you have this love for one another.

–John 13:34-35

The post the core beliefs of this blog. first appeared on the Way of the wretch.

What I actually had was over a year of praying through countless names, trying to find one that would not only honor God, but resonate with my audience (..and also be one that I liked too).

All of that brainstorming (+ a couple more pages), and none of them were right.

It wasn’t until late one summer evening, when I was drowning in the overwhelming sense of failure, that it came to me.

It was sometime after 11 p.m., and I was standing at the end of a pier. The world was a dark, dark grey, not only because of the hour but also because the sky was full of storm clouds. The rain was steady but not torrential; tears were slipping down my cheeks, but I was sniveling them away bravely to not disturb the couple making out fifty feet beneath me in the sand.

Then it hit me how terribly dramatic I was being.

“Wretch,” I muttered as I turned to leave — and stopped when I heard the word come out of my mouth.

Wretch. The word struck a chord within me, like the slow reverb of the lowest bass string on a guitar; there was this strong sense that it would resonate with other struggling, searching souls too.

Wretch. A word that didn’t shy away from acknowledging the heavy crosses we’re asked to carry through this lifetime, without stapling a superficial “good vibes only” sign over the wood.

The word “wretch” in and of itself, though, was a bit dismal. Though I see the world through a darker lens, I am also a believer in the Good News, which means there must be hope amidst the suffering.

But, how is a wretch supposed to find that hope, let alone hold onto it?

John 14:6 — by following the Way, the Truth, and the Life: Jesus Christ.

He is our hope; our salvation. He is our Way, especially for the “how could anyone forgive this,” “God doesn’t want to hear from me,” “it’s too late for me to be a Christian” wretches out there.

…like you and me.

The post the story behind the name. first appeared on the Way of the wretch.