FORGE wanted to cover some “Difficult Topics” from May 24 – August 23, 2022, to get a handle on what’s going on in the world and how we, as Christians, should respond to those issues.

For our time together we determined to go through the following questions and process:

1. What is the ISSUE?
2. Do I truly UNDERSTAND the issue? [Opposing viewpoints, etc.]
3. How do you FEEL about the issue? Why?
4. What do the SCRIPTURES say about the issue, directly or indirectly?
5. What would Jesus do? What would Jesus have US do? What lesson(s) is this teaching me?

The dates and topics we decided to cover, as well as some of the Scriptures for each topic are below.

(A PDF of all of this is available here. There is also a PDF of a document from our Church denomination on “”Gender Identity Disorder or Gender Dysphoria in Christian Perspective” here.)

24 May — TRUTH // MANIPULATION

• Psalm 25:3–5
• Psalm 51:6
• Psalm 86:11
• Proverbs 6:16–19
• Proverbs 23:23
• Isaiah 59:14–15
• John 1:17
• John 4:23–24
• John 8:31–32
• John 8:43–47
• John 14:6
• John 16:13–14
• John 17:17
• John 18:37
• Romans 1:25
• Ephesians 4:11–16
• Ephesians 4:25
• 1 Timothy 2:3–4
• Titus 1:1
• 1 John 3:18
• 3 John 3–4
• Revelation 19:11

14 June — ABORTION

• Genesis 1:26–27
• Genesis 9:5–6
• Exodus 20:13
• Exodus 21:22–25
• Deuteronomy 5:17
• Deuteronomy 32:39
• Job 10:8–12
• Job 31:15
• Psalm 22:9–10
• Psalm 139
• Proverbs 6:16–17
• Proverbs 31:8–9
• Isaiah 44:2
• Isaiah 44:24
• Isaiah 49:1–5
• Jeremiah 1:4–5
• Jeremiah 20:17
• Luke 1:41–44
• Galatians 1:15

28 June — IDENTITY ISSUES // GENDER // HOMOSEXUALITY

• Genesis 1:1
• Genesis 1:26–28
• Genesis 1:31
• Genesis 2:18–25
• Genesis 5:1–2
• Genesis 19:4–11
• Leviticus 18:22
• Leviticus 18:29
• Leviticus 20:13
• Deuteronomy 12:1
• Deuteronomy 12:8
• Deuteronomy 22:5
• Deuteronomy 23:1–2
• Judges 19:22–26
• Job 31:1
• Psalm 139:13–14
• Isaiah 56:1–8
• Jeremiah 13:27
• Matthew 5:28
• Matthew 7:3–5
• Matthew 16:24
• Matthew 19:1–12
• Mark 10:5–12
• Acts 8:26–39
• Acts 15:1–19
• Romans 1:18–32
• Romans 2:4
• Romans 8:20–23
• Romans 13:14
• 1 Corinthians 6:9–7:11
• 1 Corinthians 11:2–12
• 1 Corinthians 12:18–23
• 2 Corinthians 12:7–9
• Galatians 3:28
• Galatians 5:17
• Ephesians 2:8
• Ephesians 5:21–33
• 1 Timothy 1:10
• Hebrews 13:4

12 July — WOKE-ISM // PRIVLEDGE // CANCEL CULTURE

• 1 Samuel 2:7
• Psalm 75:7
• Matthew 23:12
• Luke 14:11
• Luke 18:14
• John 9:31
• John 14:15–17
• John 15:18–19
• John 17:14–18
• Acts 10:34
• Romans 2:11
• Romans 8:5–9
• Romans 12:1–3
• 1 Corinthians 1:18–26
• Ephesians 4:4
• Ephesians 4:20–25
• James 4:10
• 1 John 2:15–16

26 July — RACISM // DISCRIMINATION // SLAVERY // TRAFFICKING

• Genesis 16:1–15
• Exodus 19:5–6
• Exodus 21:2–7
• Leviticus 20:26
• Leviticus 25:39–46
• Deuteronomy 7:6–8
• Deuteronomy 16:19–20
• Deuteronomy 21:15–17
• Job 34:16–19
• Psalm 4:3
• Psalm 10:17–18
• Psalm 72:1–4
• Proverbs 31:8–9l
• Isaiah 42:6–7
• Isaiah 61:1
• Mark 10:42–44
• Luke 4:18–19
• John 8:34–36
• Acts 10:28–35
• Romans 2:11b
• 1 Corinthians 7:20–24
• Ephesians 6:5–9
• Philemon 8–21
• James 2:1–9
• 1 Peter 2:9–10

09 August — ATHEISM // OTHER RELIGIONS

• Exodus 20:3–6
• Deuteronomy 4:35–39
• Deuteronomy 5:6–10
• Deuteronomy 6:4–5
• Deuteronomy 7:9
• Deuteronomy 32:39
• 2 Samuel 7:22
• 2 Kings 5:15
• Psalm 10:4
• Psalm 14:1
• Isaiah 42:5–8
• Isaiah 43:10–13
• Isaiah 44:6–8
• Isaiah 45:5–22
• Hosea 13:4
• Mark 12:28–32
• 1 Corinthians 8:4–6
• 1 Corinthians 10:14

23 August — DRUGS // TATOOS // URBAN DICTIONARY

• Genesis 9:20–22
• Leviticus 10:8–10
• Leviticus 19:28
• Numbers 6:2–4
• Proverbs 11:6
• Proverbs 20:1
• Proverbs 21:17
• Proverbs 23:20–21
• Proverbs 23:30–32
• Isaiah 5:11–12
• Mark 15:23
• Luke 1:15
• Luke 21:34
• Romans 8:12–17
• Romans 13:13
• 1 Corinthians 5:11
• 1 Corinthians 6:9–13
• Galatians 5:18–21
• Ephesians 5:18
• Philippians 3:17–4:1
• 1 Timothy 3:8
• 2 Peter 2:18–19

The discussions we have and are having have been enlightening and useful. We pray this may be of some use to you as well.