A Christian Naturist Retreat!

Hello, everyone!

I haven’t written for a while... but that might be changing soon... more on that below.

I’m just letting you know about a new Naturist Retreat that is being built in Livingston, TX (near Houston). And it is specifically Christian!

It’s being established by a pastor named Jim Moore.

How could a Pastor do such a thing, you ask?

Well, it's like this... when someone comes up to you as a pastor and asks you to help them talk their Christian friend out of being a “nudist,”

• and you agree to do so... 
• and you’re responsible enough to come into such a meeting fully prepared with all of the biblical direction that speaks to the issue... 
• and you’re honest enough to seek what the Bible really says... 
• and you’re committed firmly to the authority of God’s Word rather than the traditions of men...
• and you discover that the bible doesn't actually say what you expected it to say...
• and you tell the person that asked you to meet their friend what you actually found in the bible..
• and so you suggest that they might want to JOIN their nudist friend instead...

Then... you ask yourself... “So, what am I going to do now?"

Well, the honest follower of God’s Word is going to lay aside their old beliefs and embrace the truth of God’s Word instead!

The rest—as they say—is history!

That’s Pastor Jim's story in a nutshell.

It’s a story I'm personally familiar with! You open the bible fully expecting it to forbid social nudity... only to find out that God’s Word is actually quite friendly to the practice... IF... we are honest and diligent enough to remove our modern cultural blinders.

And like me, Jim and his wife decided that they couldn’t honestly continue to live as if a lie were true. They had to live as if the truth is true instead. That’s why I wrote my 3-part series, Naturist By Biblical Conviction (Part 2, Part 3). Wow... I just realized... I wrote those articles over 10 years ago!

Jim and his wife also set up a web site to publish articles detailing the biblical understanding of God’s Word that led them to their current beliefs and practices. I’m happy to share it with you!

NakedAndUnashamed.org

And... if you would like to help Jim and his wife establish this new retreat... they have set up a GoFundMe page.

I hope that you’ll pray about helping them!

Eden Ranch Christian Naturist Retreat - GoFundMe

 Meanwhile... I am hoping to begin publishing a little more on this blog. The problem is finding topics to write about. I’ve pretty much covered all the ground I needed to biblically, so I’m thinking about a series that I might call, The Logical Files... to deal with logical reasoning regarding naturism as it relates to what the Bible teaches.

And, as always, if there’s some Scripture passage that you have some questions about, please feel free to contact me or comment on the blog post to raise your questions. I just might write a new article to answer your question!

One last thought... I was talking to Jim on the phone and remembered the words attributed to Abraham Lincoln...

“When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.”

Jim,  Thanks for being an honest Man of God!!

By HIS Grace,

— Matthew Neal

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Relevant Links:

Naturist By Biblical Conviction
NakedAndUnashamed.org
Eden Ranch - GoFundMe

The Biggest Enemy of Christian Naturism

…Is NOT Bible-believing Christians

There are a LOT of Christians who are absolutely sure that the very idea of social nudity is totally immoral and contrary to God’s will… 

But they are NOT the biggest enemy of Christian Naturism.

I’d better define what I mean by “Christian Naturism” first…

Christian Naturism Is…

Christian Naturism: The belief held by followers of Jesus Christ that social nudity can be practiced in a chaste and righteous manner; it is also the belief that the practice of naturism is spiritually and physically healthy, and is in fact, a help to personal moral purity.

I believe that statement with all my heart. I also believe that the church at large would be greatly benefitted by this belief gaining widespread acceptance. I know that I’m not alone in that belief, for I have had the privilege of making the acquaintance of many followers of Christ with whom I have enjoyed fellowship in a socially nude context.

An Enemy of Christian Naturism is therefore anything that would impede the wider acceptance of Christian Naturism among non-naturist followers of Christ.

 

What Committed Christians Care About

My identity as “Christian” is MUCH more important to me than my identity as a naturist. For me, that means that God’s moral truth is of paramount importance, and living a life that pleases God and is in harmony with God’s Word is what really matters… not the practice of naturism.

A committed Christian cares about:

• God’s Truth as revealed in the Bible.
• God’s standards of moral conduct.
• Living life to please God rather than self or others.

I will never suggest to any Christian who loves God to abandon or degrade even one of those core values in order to embrace any practice or lifestyle.

The Biggest Enemy of Christian Naturism

I hold therefore that greatest threat to the acceptance of naturism among Christians is when that acceptance is married to the acceptance of unbiblical positions on other moral issues.

I’m fully aware that I may incur the ire of many fellow naturists who have appreciated my other works on this blog, but I’m going to name the issues that I believe must be separated from the issue of naturism:

• Sexual Immorality… in any of its forms:
  • Fornication (pre-marital sex)
  • Adultery 
  • Homosexuality
• Unbiblical Social Stands:
  • Same Sex Marriage
  • Transgenderism
  • Abortion rights
• Any rejection of the authority of the Scriptures as God’s truth for His people

I would never ask a Christian to abandon any of their convictions on these issues in order to embrace naturism. In fact, I will openly and vigorously oppose any naturist (Christian or not) who suggests or declares that the practice of naturism presupposes the alteration of their beliefs on any of the points I’ve just listed. Why?

Because doing so is the biggest enemy of Christian Naturism.

I Want Committed Christians to be Even MORE Committed To God’s Word!

I’ve written this blog principally for one purpose… to demonstrate that social nudity is NOT contrary to the moral teachings of God’s Word. I’ve written to demonstrate that the nudity-taboo taught in the church today is a man-made cultural doctrine that is actually unbiblical, offensive to God, and an impediment to moral purity.

I want Christians to study social nudity with a deeper commitment to the authority of God’s word, God’s truth, and God’s standards of morality than they’ve ever had before. I want them to have more confidence that their beliefs and practices are based on careful, honest, and accurate interpretation of the Scriptures than before they sought to discern a biblical stance on naturism.

I will never ask someone to embrace naturism at the expense of God’s revealed truth. Period.

— Matthew Neal —

See also:
Naturist By Biblical Conviction
I Don’t Promote Naturism
I Would NOT Be A Naturist If…