Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Mere Churchianity’ by John Hampton (2017, £9.99).

There is a growing phenomenon in amongst the Christian community in Britain and beyond: increasing numbers of genuine, born-again believers are abandoning formal churches. Many are finding that it is possible to fulfil what the Bible teaches about Christian gatherings without belonging to a denominational or institutional church.

Underneath this phenomenon are complex reasons and emotions. Some of these ‘out of church’ Christians feel forced to leave - others have been told to go. Emotions range from disillusionment and despair to a sense of liberation and excitement.

Behind the complexity, however, seems to be a genuine move of God to re-educate Christians as to what Church is really all about, from his perspective. Fundamental to this is the astonishing recognition that much of what we call ‘church’ today simply isn’t in line with what the New Testament demonstrates.

Several books exist exploring this trend (see base of page for a selection) but John Hampton’s must rate as one of the best - if not the definitive contribution on the subject to date.

Church as ‘a Thing in Itself’

Here is a comprehensive book tackling virtually every aspect of what has gone wrong over the course of Church history. Hampton’s seeks to define what we mean by ‘the Church’ and then explain why there is increasing disillusionment amongst those who have regularly attended traditional church formats over the years. He claims (p9): “This will, in turn, lead us to the following crucial consideration: In what could be the greatest irony of all, is it possible that Church itself is not biblical?”

Hampton builds his case slowly but thoroughly. His recurring motif is the idea that church has become ‘a thing in itself’. He shows that Church-as-a-thing-in-itself now dominates our experience and understanding of Church, rather than the biblical view of the Body of Christ, used of God for his purposes in the world.

A genuine move of God seems to be underway to re-educate Christians as to what Church is really all about, from his perspective.

This explains the title: ‘Mere Churchianity’,¹ paying homage to CS Lewis’s classic Mere Christianity and borrowing the term ‘Churchianity’ from such as Oswald Chambers.

Hampton modestly acknowledges his debt to the writings of others on this subject; but he is clearly also writing out of his own experience. 18 years of thinking, observing and questioning have produced this comprehensive book. It was also born out of a heart for the ‘de-churched’ (or those likely to become so) - especially those who feel lost, uncertain, even concerned about where to go from here.

Church vs Ekklesia

The book is in three main parts. Part 1 has six chapters which expertly dissect the main problem. Central to the argument is the fact that the word ‘church’ should not occur in our Bibles at all, not being a proper translation of the Greek word, ‘ekklesia’. Rather, it is an implanted word chosen for political reasons at the insistence of King James, who authorised a translation to promote the hierarchical structure in place at the time, of which King James (not King Jesus!) was the head.²

Over the centuries we have built a ‘Church’ totally different from what Jesus said he would build, and which Paul and the other Apostles originally established. Our man-made structures and institutions invite idolatry and stand in stark contrast to what the New Testament portrays, which is why many are now looking for something more authentic.

Grievous Bodily Harm

Part 2 explores practical issues that emerge from this wrong understanding of Church. There is an excellent section on leadership, including how the concept of ‘paid professional clergy’ has introduced the idea of control and submission so that the ‘customer in the pew’ never experiences the fullness of life that Jesus has for all his people. This stunts the growth of ordinary believers who are less fulfilled and less capable of serving the rest of the Body as a result. Phrases like “the priesthood of some believers” and “the silence of the lambs” are witty headings that make the points well.

Over the centuries we have built a ‘Church’ totally different from what Jesus said he would build, and which Paul and the other Apostles originally established.

Equally illuminating is the discussion on buildings and money. Church has become an enterprise which needs money just to keep going. The essence of a new covenant relationship between all believers in Jesus has been sacrificed in order to promote a hierarchical structure in which some dominate others and are paid to do so.

Hampton also turns the spotlight on the sort of meetings we hold and how they perpetuate a wrong idea of Church. Performance-based song lists for worship and Greek-style monologues for sermons have quenched the Spirit’s leading. Passive listeners are given little or no opportunity to question or debate, grow or disciple others.

The conclusion is that ‘grievous bodily harm’ is being committed by those who maintain a system that is so different from the initial communities that spread the Gospel like wildfire across the then-known world. Some believers may feel safe or comfortable in such a system, but clearly many are experiencing a deadness of routine or a level of dissonance which they can’t square with what they read in the Book of Acts. Their cries for help are profound: “I’m a Christian, get me out of here!”

Solutions and Advice

Part 3 offers some solutions and good advice. If Church-as-a-thing-in-itself is now so entrenched that “any attempts at reform on our part are almost certainly doomed to failure” (p281), what are the options? Hampton explores three possibilities:

• Those who stay in order to ‘rock the boat’ (or make waves!);
  
• Those who accept the situation in which they find themselves and remain, knowing that no fundamental change is likely but still hoping to grow personally as best they can;
  
• Those who throw themselves overboard and go into voluntary exile, looking for new fellowship elsewhere with like-minded others.
  

Hampton suggests that though this third option (what he calls an “out-of-body experience”!) may seem a lonely one, in reality there are others waiting for you! However, he admits that it is still not an easy path and is not without its dangers.

The author’s realism here is to be applauded. One feels secure with his conclusions, especially as he has walked this path himself. He knows what to avoid and that the key is to listen to God and not run ahead. Putting Jesus ahead of ‘church’ is the safest approach.

Hampton’s realism is to be applauded. One feels secure with his conclusions, especially as he has walked this path himself.

Essential Reading?

Overall, this book provides an astute analysis of an important issue that is only likely to grow more prevalent. Hampton’s writing is full of brilliant and often humorous phrases, with pearls of wisdom throughout. It is a delight to read and very convincing in its message. Although bold and brave in its assertions, it never descends to the level of a rant. Above all, it is accurate in its assessments.

Its theme may be a shock for some. But if you have ‘out of church’ Christian friends and this puzzles you, then this book provides an explanation. And if you are already ‘overboard’, or thinking of jumping ship, then it will give you the necessary tools and information to reassure you and guide you into the future.

Highly commendable, even essential reading.

‘Mere Churchianity: Church and the Threat it Poses to the Body of Christ’ (336pp, paperback), formerly ‘Flatlining Church’, is available on Amazon for £9.99. Also available on Kindle.

Notes

1 Not to be confused with another book of this title by Michael Spencer.

2 Our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Clifford Hill, has written elsewhere on this theme.

Free at last? Not quite!!

Free at last! – Well not quite!! What does it mean? What is the future for Britain? We know what Theresa May said on Brexit Day and we know what Donald Tusk said, but what is God saying to us? Are any of our politicians pausing to seek God’s direction at this crucial time in our history – the most challenging time since the end of World War II?

It is quite wrong to look at Brexit as a ‘divorce’ because it was never a ‘marriage’ that the British people entered willingly and joyfully. It was certainly not a marriage made in heaven! We were tricked into a civil partnership and we lost our virginity in Europe! We were led to the altar, bright-eyed and trusting. When we discovered the reality we felt betrayed. The great question is – can we recover from the experience, and what sort of nation will we be?

In 1973, we thought we were simply joining a trading alliance but we were tricked by our politicians. Edward Heath admitted that he knew right at the start that what was being presented to the British people was not true. He didn’t exactly say that it was a con trick, but he certainly admitted that he knew the end result was full social and political union.¹

British Ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow handing over Theresa May's letter formally triggering Article 50. See Photo Credits.We have the opportunity now to create something new – it’s like being born again! But biblically, being born again involves repentance for the past, and committing ourselves to follow a new path – to live a Godly life. Is there even the faintest possibility that this might happen on a national scale for Britain?

Wartime Faith

A lot of commentators are comparing this testing time to the difficult days of World War II when Britain stood alone against the might of the Nazi army. But Britain is a very different nation today! In May 1940 when France had capitulated and it looked as though the whole of our army was trapped on the continent, King George VI called the nation to prayer.

The nation responded with practically every able-bodied man and woman filling the churches and a quarter of a mile-long queue to get into Westminster Abbey. Britain was a nation of faith. We did not all live godly lives but we believed in God and when we fervently cried out for help he responded with the miracle of Dunkirk, when calm seas enabled the small boats to get to the beaches to rescue the soldiers and low cloud shielded them from air attack.

Brexit feels like the chance to be born again as a nation - but biblically, this involves repentance and dedication to God.

The whole nation recognised this as a miracle - it was even acknowledged as such by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a speech to Parliament. The nation gave thanks to God for answered prayer. People in Britain knew that they were the only ones left in Europe still standing against the vast army and air force of Nazi Germany; but their confidence was in God.

A Christian Nation?

The difference back then, however, was that everyone in Britain had been taught the Bible from infancy. Every school started the day with an act of worship and every day included teaching from Scripture. Most people knew at least some Bible verses as the children were taught to learn Scripture by heart. After Dunkirk many favourite verses were memorised such as:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

My grandma had a ‘promise box’ which was like a honeycomb. Each day she took out one of the little folded pieces of paper with a text that gave her a word for the day. I am not saying that Britain was a Godly nation, but it was certainly a Bible-believing and God-fearing nation.

Today, more than half the nation doesn’t even believe in the existence of the God of the Bible and we have a large minority who worship other gods. It would not be possible for the Queen to call the nation to prayer today – who would they pray to? How can the nation know God when they have never heard the Gospel?

We have to face the plain fact that we are no longer a Christian nation.

A lot of commentators are comparing this testing time to the difficult days of World War II – but back then Britain was still a God-fearing nation.

Still Under Judgment

So what hope is there for the future? Will Brexit really bring a blessing? Will Brexit be good for Britain - was it really an answer to prayer?

If we believe Brexit was an answer to the prayers of the faithful remnant of committed Christians left in Britain, then we have to recognise the enormous responsibility that this faithful remnant now bears. The remnant recognised the true spiritual nature of the European Union and the satanic forces that were driving Europe towards an ever-increasing secular humanist and anti-God society.

But it is not enough to recognise the sinful nature of the EU and to rejoice that we are leaving it. We have to recognise the true spiritual state of our own nation. We are a nation under judgment, not least because we have passed many laws that are directly against the word of God - and we cannot blame all these on the EU. Brexit will not get us out of judgment: it is a time of grace, not deliverance.

We lost our way when we drifted from our constitutional position encapsulated in the Queen's Coronation Oath, which was made before God on 2 June 1953. Central to the Oath is the commitment to the utmost of our power to maintain the laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel. Now we have the opportunity to bring that Oath back into the centre of our recovery as a nation - more central than the economy or any other primary motivating principle.

In our democracy, we all share responsibility for the state of the nation because we all have a vote and we all have access to our politicians who are our representatives in Parliament. Most Christians don’t ever bother to look at what our politicians are discussing in Parliament and don’t even bother to pray for them! If we never bother to witness to our MPs and ensure that they know the word of God when they are considering issues of state, then how can we escape the judgment of God ourselves?

Brexit will not get us out of judgment: it is a time of grace, not deliverance.

A New Nation Under God?

If Britain is to be a new nation under God, much depends upon the faithful remnant of believers. Are we prepared to stand firm for the truth even when it’s not politically correct to declare it and we may get strong opposition? How much are we prepared to suffer for the Gospel?

We need to read again the letters to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation because we are facing similar situations today and we need to learn how to become ‘overcomers’.

The Christians in Laodicea, which was the richest town in the region, were lukewarm in their faith and had shut God out of their lives. Is this not the condition of many Christians in Britain? We are like the believers in Laodicea who said “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and I do not need a thing.” God’s response to them was “You are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev 3:17).

Many Christians in Britain are quite content with their lives and do little or nothing to share their faith with others. We are just like the Christians of Laodicea – and we don’t even realise it!

If we are among the Christians who voted for Brexit, we carry a responsibility to blow a trumpet of warning in the nation and to make our witness among fellow believers who do nothing about the spiritual state of their unbelieving neighbours. God will hold his Church responsible if Brexit fails to produce a new nation under God.

There are many signs of life in some of Britain’s churches so we must pray that the faithful remnant rises to the challenge and exercises a transforming influence in the nation.

References

1 See here and here.

Clifford Hill asks: could Britain be revived to follow God once more?

What will happen next week if Britain votes to leave the European Union? We hear so much about the dire economic consequences of leaving, but very little about the benefits and the prosperity that could follow - if there were a Christian initiative.

Could Britain become a nation under God - and what would this look like?

There is still a statistically significant number of active Christians in Britain and many prayer meetings have been planned over the next week, drawing together thousands of believers fervently calling upon God for his blessing upon the nation. Will their prayers be effective?

What is God Seeking in His People?

God does not rely upon numbers in making his decisions for judgment or blessings. God told Abraham that if he could find just ten righteous persons in Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities would be spared. So what are the things God looks for in his people before pouring out his blessings? It is certainly not large numbers, nor even moral righteousness, although his people are certainly expected to become righteous.

Moses reported to Israel:

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh King of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Deut 7:7-9) [emphasis added]

God looks for a particular quality: he primarily looks for people of faith whom he can use in working out his purposes in the world.

Need for Faith

The definitive statement of this mission for Israel is in Isaiah 42:5-9:

This is what the Lord says – he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the Earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

God is a covenant-keeping God who never breaks his promises, but human beings are prone to faithlessness and falling into sin. When this happened with Israel and they cried out to God for forgiveness and help, he willingly forgave them and restored prosperity and blessings to them with a fresh command to do his work in the world – to open eyes that are blind by reflecting God's presence with them.

God is never unfaithful to his people – but when his people are unfaithful to him, he willingly forgives and restores if they return and cry out to him.

That promise was given to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple in 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

A similar promise was given to all nations through the Prophet Jeremiah, "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned" (18:7-8).

Need for Repentance

What God also looks for is sincere repentance among people who are determined to do something about the moral and spiritual state of the nation; who are prepared to pray in accordance with Isaiah 59:12: "Our offences are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on God...Truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey".

That prayer was offered by the people who were captives in Babylon – they prayed on behalf of the whole nation. God's response was "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever, says the Lord" (Isa 59:21).

This promise could be available for Britain if even a small number of righteous individuals pray in line with the will of God and are determined to put their lives under the direction of his Holy Spirit for transforming the nation.

God is looking for repentant people who are prepared to pray about the moral and spiritual state of their nation.

Need for Action

What is required is not just faith and repentance - we also need to do something about the state of our nation, where the proportion of the population professing a Christian faith continues to decline year on year. "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17).

We are meant to be Christ's ambassadors, through whom God can reveal his nature and purposes and through whom the Holy Spirit can be poured out, as in the days of revival described in this week's article by Clifford Denton, when people's lives were transformed by the Spirit of God.

The result could be a nation under God.

A Radiant Future?

What would such a nation look like? Isaiah 35 gives a picture of such a transformation, when the land blossoms with the glory of the Lord through the presence of his people who are filled with his Spirit and radiating his presence to all around them!

Of course, in taking great steps of faith there are hardships and anxieties, and it does require each believer to be involved. But the Lord urges his people to "strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, be strong, do not fear; your God will come" (Isa 35:3-4).

The details of the blessings that can be expected when a nation puts their trust in the Lord are set out in Deuteronomy 28:3-8:

• "You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country." - Peace and security will cover the whole land.
• "The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock – the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks." - The health of the population and the land will be guaranteed.
• "Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed." - The economy will prosper.
• "You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out." - Borders will be secure.
• "The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated." - There will be protection from terrorism and war.
• "The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to" - The nation will experience great prosperity and blessing in all its endeavours.

Surely this scenario is far better than anything being promised by our political leaders!

There is hope yet!

Over the last two months, high profile arguments for and against the UK remaining in the EU have rarely - if ever – laid out an exciting vision for the future. It is up to those who know the ways of God to set out such vision, considering our history and our future based on the Lord's promises.

As a nation we have reached an important fork in the road. Recently on Prophecy Today UK we have tested some contemporary prophecies that warn us of serious consequences of remaining in the EU. Within those same prophecies is hope for the future, should we decide to come out.

A walk with God into the future, as a nation, is the exciting vision that has been missing from the political campaigns so far. We have walked with him before and we can again - so let us pause and consider our history – and what hope in God might bring for our future.

Looking Back to God's Grace on Britain

1. The Welsh Revival

If, through an outpouring of grace and mercy, Almighty God were to revive our nation, it would not be like the action of some centralised bureaucracy. Each of us would be touched personally by the living God.

The Welsh Revival is well-documented, with records telling us of how God came powerfully to the chapels across Wales in 1904-5. A wave of repentance swept the nation, impacting a generation and saving 100,000 souls. It also triggered awakenings in the rest of Britain and further afield in Scandinavia, North America, Europe and elsewhere.¹

Let me personalise this a little.

My wife's favourite aunt lived in Merthyr Tydfil. Auntie Flor had been the headmistress of the primary school that was destroyed in the Aberfan disaster of October 1966 (thankfully, this happened a few years after she retired). Before this, she had always lived in this mining community of South Wales and knew all about the peaks and troughs of Welsh valley life.

A walk with God into the future, as a nation, is the exciting vision that has been missing from the political campaigns so far.

Her father was a Deacon in the local Baptist Church, and proud she was of her Christian roots. She was a child at the time of the Welsh revival and was proud to have sat under the preaching of Evan Roberts, the 26-year old former collier who led it.

I asked her one day, "What are your best memories of Christianity in Wales?" I can hear her voice in my mind's eye. "Dew", she said in the Welsh way, "After the revival, everyone went to Chapel on Sunday morning except those who were too ill to leave home. You would look out of the window and see a sea of people, all going past our window, down the street, on their way to Chapel."

The many revivals embedded in our history witness to us down through the years, so that a little child called Florence could still testify many decades later to what God had done, holding firm to her faith through all the ups and downs of human experience.

2. The Methodist Revival

Before this, in the 18^th Century, another great revival had swept across our nation. God took hold of John and Charles Wesley and of George Whitfield and demonstrated the power of his Spirit to transform Britain.

The historian JP Green, in his book A Short History of the English People (1874, Macmillan), described Britain prior to the revival in these terms:

The English clergy of the day were the most lifeless in Europe...The greater part of the prominent statesmen of the time were unbelievers in any form of Christianity, and distinguished far by the grossness and immorality of their lives...Purity and fidelity to the marriage vow were sneered out of fashion...The masses of the poor were ignorant and brutal to a degree which is hard to conceive...In the streets of London at one time gin-shops invited every passer-by to get drunk for a penny, or dead drunk for twopence... (p736)

There were almost no schools or religious education, no effective policing, many uncared-for poor people, outbreaks of mob violence and unjust penalties for many crimes. That was the background - but not the main point being made by Green at this point in his book. He went on to say of that time:

In spite however of scenes such as this, England remained at heart religious. In the middle class the old Puritan spirit lived on unchanged, and it was from this class that a religious revival burst forth...which changed after a time the whole tone of English society. The Church was restored to life and activity. Religion carried to the hearts of the people a fresh spirit of moral zeal, while it purified our literature and our manners.

A new philanthropy reformed our prisons, infused clemency and wisdom into our penal laws, abolished the slave trade, and gave the first impulse to popular education. The revival began in a small knot of Oxford students, whose revolt against the religious deadness of their times showed itself in ascetic observances, and enthusiastic devotion, and a methodical regularity of life which gave them the nickname of 'Methodists'.

The sinful nature of Britain before the revival was shameful, but God was gracious and led to repentance multitudes of individuals who came under the power of the Gospel. As a result of this, the nation changed with such continuing momentum that God's grace, despite all, brought us to the second half of the 20^th Century before Britain as a whole began to slide back towards levels of sin comparable with the time before the Methodist Revival.

This tells us that, despite all, there is still hope for our nation – hope fuelled by our records, memory and testimony of what God has done before.

The lasting impact of the Methodist Revival on a sinful Britain tells us that there is still hope for our nation - hope fuelled by testimony of what God has done before.

What Might our Nation Yet Become?

God's grace meets us at point of need. The witness of the Welsh Valleys, ringing with hymns of thanksgiving to the saving grace of the Gospel, brings tears to our eyes even now - a hundred years later. Such is the beauty of God's ministry, in what we term 'revival', meeting the people at their point of need.

Perhaps the need of ordinary families in our nation now is like it was in the Welsh Valleys, but perhaps the conditions in the UK today are more like the days prior to the Methodist Revival. JP Green's description of the days prior to that revival only need a little adapting to describe the days in which we live.

The particular needs of our day are worthy of prayer. We have dwelt much upon the decline of our nation over the years in Prophecy Today, bringing warnings and interpreting the signs of the times, such as Amos might have done for Israel (see Amos 4). Due to our ungodliness, it is as if our wall of protection has been breached, leaving us vulnerable. Yet, might future historians look back and observe (like JP Green did over a century ago) that despite all these things, there was a remnant of faith in the Christian Church that turned to prayer, which God answered?

Could the Gospel once more be preached across the nation leading to repentance, so that laws which displease God will be reversed, literature, art and music purified, the media cleansed, education of children renewed, and all aspects of our society centred on biblical truth?

Will future historians look back and observe that despite the nation's rebellion, there was a remnant of faith in the Church that turned to prayer, which God answered?

The ways in which God promised he would bless Israel if they walked with him as a nation are expressed in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Dare we believe such promises could come to pass even now, in our own families and in our communities? This week's editorial lays out some of these promises for us to consider before God.

Conditions for Revival

A revived nation will not come about without repentance, the key to which is the preaching of the Gospel. Some of us who have hoped for and prayed for revival over the years, and who have watched the nation decline instead, have sometimes wondered if ours was a false hope. In human thinking it is impossible...but God.

Jeremiah 18:7-8 gives us the promise and the conditions. Jeremiah was at the potter's house, where he was shown that God could re-model a nation just as the potter can re-model a vessel on his wheel.

The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull it down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. [emphasis added]

Anyone who has come under the convicting power of God's Spirit knows that we are not alone – God himself helps us and brings us to the repentance he requires.

Beyond the Referendum

Is it possible to see withdrawal from the EU as the first steps of repentance, helped by God? Can we see beyond the political campaigns? Can we go on to further steps of repentance buoyed up in the prayers of Christians and the proclamation of the Gospel? Will God help us in this?

As our nation declines, in human thinking true revival seems impossible...but God. He will help us, if we are obedient to the conditions he puts before us.

I have no doubt that he will, but we must fulfil any conditions that he puts before us. That is the seriousness of the fork in the road, the decision point, our nation has reached, and the way we walk afterwards, even if we take the decision to leave the EU.

There will be far-reaching consequences, whichever path we take, but there is no doubt about the wonderful things that the Lord will do in our nation if we respond to his invitation. He has helped us before, and can help us again.

References

1 For further information, see the Wikipedia page on the Welsh Revival. You may also be interested in Voices from the Welsh Revival 1904-1905 by Brynmor Pierce Jones. Bryntirion Press, 1995.

When was the first national referendum in recorded history?

The answer is in Deuteronomy 30, where Moses had in front of him the whole nation of Israel. He knew he was near the end of his life and he called them to make a choice that would have a lasting effect upon the future of the nation. This was the choice he presented: "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction."

A similar choice is being offered to the British people today, but it is being obscured by a multiplicity of opinion and a paucity of facts. There is grave danger of voter fatigue overtaking the Referendum campaign. We are already on overload with politicians, big business moguls and celebrities bombarding us with their versions of 'facts and figures'. A large portion of the population is still undecided, and is likely to be put off voting by the increasing intensity and nastiness of the debate.

Nasty Debate

The suggestion last week that the whole EU project is being driven by Germany's desire to control Europe under a unified structure, thus completing the work of Napoleon and Hitler, took the debate to a new level of nastiness. Historically, of course, there is a lot to support such a contention. But Germany's remarkable rise from the ashes of defeat and destruction in 1945 to its present prosperity is a demonstration that the Protestant Work Ethic is more powerful than military force.

It may well be Germany's aim to create a 'European Super-State' in which, as the largest economy, she will have the greatest share of power and will be able to dominate the rest of Europe. But our objective in this article is to point to issues that are being bypassed by campaigners on both sides of the debate. These are the spiritual issues at the heart of national identity.

The spiritual issues at the heart of Britain are being bypassed by campaigners on both sides of the debate.

Setting Out a Reminder

What Moses did in the formative days of Israel, in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt, was to remind the people of the spiritual journey that had brought them to this point. He said:

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh King of Egypt. (Deut 7:7-8)

Moses not only reminded the people of the good things that God had done in the days of their forefathers, but he also reminded them of the teaching they had been given, including the 10 Commandments, setting out the standard of behaviour required if they were to continue enjoying God's blessing. He stated clearly the blessings of being in a right relationship with God and the inevitable consequences of forsaking God.

Each of these is clearly stated in Deuteronomy 28:16-29. In politics Moses said that disobedience would lead to "confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to" (28:20) and his final point in terms of relationships with other nations was: "you will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you" (28:29).

When Israel came out of Egypt, Moses reminded the people of the spiritual journey that had brought them to that point – and God's goodness to them along the way.

Reviewing Our Spiritual Heritage

Of course, we cannot compare our own nation with that of Israel. Britain was never chosen by God to be in a covenant relationship. But as a nation, historically, we have chosen to accept the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be our God: and this is sealed in our Coronation Oath.

The status of adopted children is freely available to each one of us through faith in Jesus and this has been influential in the history of our nation. Under Greco-Roman Law, adopted children actually had closer ties to the father than putative children. They could not be reclaimed by their biological parents and they could never be rejected by their adoptive father.

Paul obviously knew this law when he told the believers in Ephesus (Gentiles and Jews) that God had "predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph 1:5). He also wrote to the Galatians that God had sent Jesus so that Gentiles "might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out 'Abba, Father'." (Gal 4:6)

The Referendum debate gives us the opportunity of reviewing our spiritual heritage. We are a small nation and yet we have had the immense privilege of establishing the largest empire in world history that is now a commonwealth of free nations. Of course we must not overlook the many wrong things we did in the days of empire and colonialism, especially by tolerating and benefiting from the horrors of the slave trade.

But there were many good things our forefathers did in health and education and in opposing tyranny in countries that are now free to work out their own destinies. We can also thank God for the way he has blessed and protected our nation when he saved us from invasion in World War II, even though we stood alone against aggression.

The Referendum debate gives us the opportunity of reviewing our spiritual heritage.

Choose Life!

Moses urged his fledgeling nation to review their history and to re-affirm their relationship with God. He said "I have set before you life and death...Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him" (Deut 30:19-20).

Voting to leave the EU will not in itself bring peace and prosperity to Britain. But re-affirming a determination to seek a right relationship with God will undoubtedly bring an era of blessing. The great unknown is whether the faithful remnant of believers in Britain in the older generation and the rising tide of young people who are accepting Jesus as role model, Saviour and Lord, have sufficient strength to inspire the nation to embark upon a great adventure of faith.

The Prime Minister has fired the starting gun: what he calls 'the debate of our lifetimes' has begun. Politicians on both sides of the Referendum debate have been falling over themselves to give TV interviews and write newspaper articles.

With the date now fixed as 23 June 2016 we face something like 120 days of wrangling, during which the public is likely to get bored - especially if the debate descends into personal abuse similar to the Presidential Election Campaign in the USA.

In this magazine we have already raised a banner stating our belief that the Referendum offers a unique opportunity for Britain to take a bold step of faith in shaking off the shackles of the European Union and regaining our ability to shape our destiny as a nation.

One thing we do promise our readers – we will not be trotting out the same old arguments week after week, or entering into the minutiae of 'The Deal' negotiated by David Cameron, or debating whether in fact Britain will be 'safer, stronger and richer' by staying in the EU.

No Real Reformation

We acknowledge that the PM has worked extremely hard for many months in trying to persuade the leaders of all the European States to back his proposals. We do not doubt the PM's sincerity and commitment, but in his reports to the House of Commons and numerous other statements it cannot be claimed that the EU have made any significant concessions that could justify asking the country to endorse an agreement with a 'Reformed' European Union.

There does not appear to be any significant reformation! There is no change to the Common Agricultural Policy which is strangling the life out of British farming, such that farmers have the highest rate of suicide of any occupation and the dairy farming industry is likely to be wiped out.

There is no change in the Fisheries Policy which forces our fishermen to throw thousands of fish back into the sea in order not to exceed their quotas, whilst we buy fish caught by foreign fishermen in our own waters. Britannia certainly does not 'rule the waves' around our shores since we gave away our sovereignty to the EU. And there is no change in the predominance of the European Court of Justice, that takes precedence over our own legal system (itself developed over the past 800 years, since Magna Carta).

In this magazine we have already raised a banner stating our belief that Britain should take a bold step of faith in shaking off the shackles of the European Union.

Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire/Press Association ImagesMichael Gove said last week "EU rules dictate everything, from the maximum size of containers in which olive oil may be sold (five litres) to the distance houses have to be from heathland to prevent cats chasing birds (five kilometres)."¹

He said, "Individually these rules are comical...As a Minister I've seen hundreds of new EU rules cross my desk, none of which were requested by the UK Parliament, none of which I or any other British politician could alter in any way and none of which made us freer, richer or fairer".²

Speaking of his personal frustration with the restrictions placed upon us he said "Every single day, every single minister is told: 'Yes Minister I understand, but I'm afraid that's against EU rules'."³

Our Greatest Concern

Our greatest concern in this magazine is with the spiritual state of the nation and whether or not decisions regarding its future destiny are in line with the word of God and are likely to have his blessing.

We were greatly concerned during the prolonged negotiations leading up to the Maastricht Treaty, when there were a number of attempts to get some reference in the Treaty to the centuries-long Judaeo-Christian tradition shared by all the nations of Europe. This was vehemently resisted by the secular humanists who have gained power among the unelected officials in the European Union.

Attempts to get the EU to recognise the continent's Judaeo-Christian heritage have long been resisted by secular humanists.

Their atheist values have had a fundamental effect in promoting the secularisation of Britain. A recent example is a 2010 case law challenge to the EU 'Charter of Fundamental Rights' (that became binding in December 2009) from Austria which, though unsuccessful, did lead the European court to affirm same-sex relationships as a valid form of family life protected by fundamental human rights:

61. Regard being had to Article 9 of the Charter ["The right to marry and the right to found a family shall be guaranteed in accordance with the national laws governing the exercise of these rights"]...the Court would no longer consider that the right to marry enshrined in Article 12 must in all circumstances be limited to marriage between two persons of the opposite sex...⁴

This opened the door for a challenge to the law in Britain restricting marriage to persons of the opposite gender, paving the way for the Same-Sex Marriage Bill.

UnGodly and Repressive System

When nations deliberately reject the truth of God's word, they put themselves outside the blessing and protection of God. This is what has happened in Europe, which has gone from being the most Christian continent in the world to the most secular.

Today the nations of Europe are facing multiple problems as they struggle to cope with a vast influx of migrants, high unemployment and growing social discontent, compounded by the desperate attempts to maintain the Euro (which are causing incredible suffering to the poor in countries such as Greece, Spain and Portugal).

Of course they all want Britain to stay to help prop up this ungodly and repressive system, which is why all the leaders spent so much time trying to shuffle together a few crumbs for our Prime Minister to take back to London and claim it as a new deal in a "reformed Europe". This is so far from the truth as to be laughable if it were not so serious.

The Prime Minister's 'new deal' is so far from genuine reform as to be laughable – if it were not so serious.

Politicians and leaders of big businesses are combining to try to scare the voting public into remaining in the EU. But the greatest fear is not in leaving, but in staying within a failing organisation. The warning signs have been there for a long time. Now we have the opportunity of escaping before the collapse comes - like Lot getting out of Sodom, or Abraham leaving Ur.

Of course it leads us into unknown territory, but this is where trust in God is far more important than making pacts and treaties with other nations. Jeremiah had to warn the politicians in his day that making treaties with other nations would lead to disaster. He said "The Lord has rejected those you trust; you will not be helped by them" (Jer 2:37). Sadly, the leaders and the people refused to listen and only a few years later Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians who had invaded the land.

The big question facing us today in Britain is whether or not there is sufficient trust in God for him to be able to lead the nation into ways of righteousness and prosperity.

A Faithful Remnant

God is not dependent upon numbers! He loves to work out his salvation with just a handful of people who are totally committed to him like Gideon's 300; and like the 120 disciples on the Day of Pentecost who shouldered responsibility for the 'Great Commission', taking the message of God's salvation to all the world.

God is mobilising the faithful remnant in Britain today to intercede to save the nation. As the prayers of the faithful saved the nation at the time our soldiers were rescued from Dunkirk and our airmen won the Battle of Britain against the might of the Nazi war machine, so too faithful believing prayer has the power to influence the destiny of the nation.

God is mobilising the faithful remnant in Britain today to intercede to save the nation.

We are being offered just such an opportunity to put our trust in God. Even though we will be treading unfamiliar paths; if we are doing this through trust in God, he will respond and ensure that blessing will come upon the nation.

God is Faithful

The God of Creation, who holds the nations in his hands, is faithful to keep his promises. He says:

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. (Isa 42:16)

He also promises when we put our trust in the Lord, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isa 30:21).

The faithful remnant of believers in Britain today have the opportunity to bless the nation through their prayers and through their witness; that if we put our trust in the Lord he will lead us, not only into ways of righteousness but into times of prosperity and happiness.

References

1 Apps, P, EU Referendum: Michael Gove's full statement on why he is backing Brexit. The Independent, 20 February 2016.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 Schalk and Kopf v. Austria (case), European Court of Human Rights. A summary can be found on Wikipedia.