Are you investing in fake or fortune?

Visiting family and friends over the past fortnight naturally exposed me to conversations – and television programmes – with which I am generally unfamiliar.

Among these was the intriguing BBC programme Fake or Fortune which, for this particular episode, focused on a rather beautiful portrait passed down through an aristocratic family line.

As it was unsigned, no-one was sure who had painted it. It was generally accepted as the work of a high-calibre artist of the mid-19th Century which, if proved to be the case, would fetch around £8,000 at auction.

However, another expert was convinced it was the work of the famous Thomas Lawrence, which would increase its value exponentially to some half a million pounds! And, indeed, it proved to be one of his!

The Stakes are High

There’s a lot at stake over the question of who’s behind a particular work of art. I got to thinking how this inevitably also applies to the Creator of the world: is God behind the beauty of our Creation, or are we to put our trust in Charles Darwin’s ideas?

Come to that – who wrote the Bible? Was it God, or man? These are big questions, and the stakes are high in terms of the answers.

According to the Apostle Paul, the acknowledgement of God as Creator is of vital importance. In fact, he points out, the denial of such leads to a progressive unravelling of civilisation itself.

According to the Apostle Paul, denying God as Creator leads to a progressive unravelling of civilisation.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul writes that men suppress the truth by their wickedness (Rom 1:18) – and the first casualty is the truth that God is Creator (vv19-20). As a result, their thinking becomes futile and they worship created things rather than the Creator (v23). This in turn leads to sexual degradation and the shameful lusts of lesbianism and homosexuality (vv26-27).

At the same time, it leads to “a depraved mind” (v28) filled with “every kind of wickedness” – even inventing ways of doing evil (vv29-30).

In this letter to the 1^st-Century Christians in Rome, Paul was writing in the context of a civilisation that was well on its way to being unravelled – and remarkably comparable to 21^st-Century Britain! Strange, and yet we are constantly being told that things have ‘moved on’…

Whose Hand?

The psalmist wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Ps 19:1).

Sir David Attenborough enthuses over the wonderful creatures God has made without ever mentioning their Maker, but sure to always emphasise how many millions of years it has taken each species to evolve. Yet Scripture says that God created the world in six days!

Yes, the stakes are high. Our values depend on recognition of whose hand is behind the canvas before us. A life lived in the knowledge of him through whom all things were made (John 1:3) – the greatest ‘artist’ of all time – will be truly priceless.

As Jesus asked, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). Knowing Jesus is the key to life. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).

A life lived in the knowledge of him through whom all things were made (John 1:3) – the greatest ‘artist’ of all time – is truly priceless.

Rebuilding the Walls

I don’t believe the residents of Derbyshire’s Whaley Bridge, threatened by a breach in the reservoir above them, merely crossed their fingers as the BBC correspondent reported they were doing. When a further thunderstorm was forecast but subsequently passed over the village, I am apt to conclude that residents had taken to genuine prayer. There are no atheists in a trench, they say.

The church built on the Mount of Beatitudes – the reputed site of Jesus’ famous sermon. Picture: Charles Gardner

As exemplified by the Whaley Bridge crisis, the walls have broken down in British society. And as in Nehemiah’s day, when the walls of ancient Jerusalem were in ruins, we too must return to the God of Israel if we wish to rebuild our country on solid foundations.

Concluding his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matt 7:24-27).

When faithful believers leave the pews.

At Prophecy Today UK we have become aware of a seemingly growing number of Bible-believing Christians in Britain retreating to the outskirts of formal/traditional expressions of church, or opting out altogether. This is an altogether different trend to the ‘falling away’ of nominal believers, representing instead mature, committed Christians acting in good faith and conscience. In August/September 2018 we circulated a survey through both Prophecy Today and Issachar Ministries to learn more.

We were pleased at the response we received, yielding 162 finished surveys and over 250 expressions of interest.

There are caveats; for instance, the sample was not representative and so we cannot make general statements about national or denominational trends. However, as a preliminary piece of research it is proving extremely helpful for our internal discussions and strategy, and we can share a number of findings at this stage in which you may take interest.

Key Findings

The survey asked participants about their historic church attendance, their journey ‘out’ of church, their current position and their pastoral needs. Aware that individual patterns of church attendance/belonging are complex, we tried to give as much space as possible within the survey for participants to describe their journeys.

Past church experience

We found that 62% of church moves made by survey participants during the course of their adult lifetimes were on grounds of conscience (i.e. some kind of disagreement or concern), while 37% were practical (e.g. job or house move), 1% involving elements of both. When we looked only at each participant’s most recent church, the percentage leaving on grounds of conscience rose to 84%.

Of those leaving their churches on grounds of conscience, the most common complaint was of ‘spiritual concerns’ in the fellowship, followed by pastoral disagreements, then disagreements over fundamental doctrine.

At Prophecy Today UK we have become aware of a seemingly growing number of Bible-believing Christians in Britain retreating to the outskirts of formal/traditional expressions of church, or opting out altogether.

Stereotypical connections were made between certain problems and specific denominations: e.g. CofE, Methodist and URC churches were commonly associated with spiritual dryness, while charismatic and Pentecostal churches were often associated with worldliness and consumerism.

However, issues such as LGBTQ+ affirmation and problems stemming from the Toronto ‘Blessing’/the ‘prophetic’ movement in the USA, also errant theologies like dominionism and liberal theology, are spilling out across denominational boundaries. In particular, both Baptist churches and CofE churches stood out in our survey as being ‘blown about by every wind of doctrine’.

Current Position

More than 1 in 4 (28%) participants said that they cannot find a sound, biblical church in their area. Many highlighted the difficulty of finding a fellowship that declares the whole council of God, including the place of Israel, with relevance to the issues of the day.

1 in 4 cross the threshold of a mainstream church occasionally – whether still committed but deeply unhappy, or on the fringes/occasionally attending but not committed.

Happily, we found that the majority of participants (87%) enjoy fellowship with like-minded believers in other contexts (e.g. prayer groups, home fellowships, regional meetings). However, most did not consider their present situation to be satisfactory and there was a near-universal cry for more and deeper fellowship.

1 in 5 (21%) effectively feel cut off from like-minded believers, fellowshipping only with their spouses, or online, or considering themselves totally isolated.

Emotions and Attitudes

Just as people’s journeys ‘out of church’ are complex, so their emotional reactions are also complex. However, across all the participants, some emotional responses were particularly prevalent:

• Reaction against structure and authority: Looser, Hebraic forms of fellowship were stressed. Some participants concluded that all kinds of church structure and pastoral authority are unbiblical.
  
• Lonely but not alone: Many respondents described experiencing deep loneliness and often senses of guilt or confusion at finding themselves ‘out of church’. But many also testified to experiencing relief, thankfulness and times of refreshing and deeper communion with God.
  
• Suspicion, fear and hesitancy: Several implied that their past experiences have left them with deep wounds and a need for healing, rest and refreshing. Common was a hesitancy to commit to new forms of fellowship with people they don’t know and trust well.
  
• Relief and gratitude: Many were grateful to see the issue acknowledged and to realise that they are not on their own.
  

More than 1 in 4 (28%) participants said that they cannot find a sound, biblical church in their area.

Our Thanks

We believe that the ‘out of church’ trend may represent a new chapter in the life of British Christianity, indicative not only of the sorry state of many existing churches but also of an exciting, fresh move of the Lord, bringing new forms of fellowship to life.

We do not necessarily believe this means that all Bible-believing Christians should immediately leave any organised fellowships of which they are part! However, we do recognise that those who find themselves ‘out of church’ in a practical sense are not necessarily out of ‘Church’ in the spiritual sense. And we wholeheartedly affirm Hebrews 10:24-25: “…let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Once again, we are profoundly grateful to all who contributed to this survey. Please have Issachar Ministries and Prophecy Today in your prayers as we seek the Lord for his guidance as to how to respond to these changes in British church life.

Reflections on the achievements of the vicar's daughter.

It is almost a year since the result of the 2017 General Election, and accordingly perhaps time to review Theresa May as both Home Secretary and Prime Minister.

The election, called three years early at her whim, changed the composition of the House of Commons considerably. Instead of a tight working majority, her miscalculation – possibly borne out of hubris - meant that she became the Prime Minister of a minority Government, kept in power by the DUP.

To many Christians, given the progressive tendency of much recent Conservative and Coalition policy, and of many Conservative MPs, this was God’s mercy. Whatever one’s thoughts on the outcome of the election, governing without a mandate and without a majority does make Government much more difficult.

Great Expectations

Theresa May has made much of the fact that she is a Christian and that her father was a vicar. Many Christians have expressed the hope that this might mean she would seek to advocate for, and adopt positions that align with, biblical values and principles – but this has (thus far) been a vain hope.

Typically, MPs (particularly those newly elected and in Opposition, who have more time) get involved with organisations which they support: it is of note that she has never really been involved with the Conservative Christian Fellowship, preferring as she does to let others know about her faith through her works, not her words.¹

This attitude is her absolute prerogative, but has its consequences.

Theresa May has made much of the fact that she is a Christian and that her father was a vicar.

Tenure as Home Secretary

As Home Secretary for six years, her tenure is one of the longest in recent political history, so she has had huge scope to make a real impact on one of the great offices of state. However, her record as Home Secretary is, at best, mixed.

She pushed through the Modern Slavery Act of 2015, which was designed to tackle slavery in the UK by consolidating and extending previous legislation. However, her role in pushing through same-sex marriage has not had the publicity that she deserves. She was effusive in saying that same sex marriage was one of David Cameron’s key achievements – but was too modest. Her own role was considerable.²

One of the key roles of the Home Secretary is to keep the country safe – which includes keeping control of the UK’s borders. During her tenure, notwithstanding the increasing risk of Islamic terrorism, there were no major terrorist outrages in the UK. In this she was perhaps fortunate, as her policies were little different to her immediate predecessors’. With a humanistic rather than biblical understanding, it is hardly surprising that she also enthusiastically adopted the Home Office’s – and to be fair, the whole of the Establishment, including the Church Establishment’s - views on Islam as being a religion of peace.³

These views may well have functioned to slow down even further responses to the issue of widespread sexual abuse of teenage girls by gangs of Muslim men. Indeed, political leaders have steadfastly refused to acknowledge the inherently Muslim nature of the problem.⁴

In a related vein, there have long been allegations in Westminster about historic child sex abuse. These allegations are serious and ostensibly include current and former MPs, including those in Government, as well as civil servants and many others (the allegations also extend across the whole country).

Her record as Home Secretary was, at best, mixed.

One way to clear the air in both these respects would be to launch broad-ranging inquiries, operating in close co-operation with those who have been abused. Another way would be for a Select Committee to be encouraged to conduct its own such investigations.

Yet little if anything has happened. The question needs to be asked, why not? Home Office culture seems not to have changed at all, seemingly preferring to keep its and others’ secrets hidden rather than truth being brought to light, after which the healing process can properly start.

Tenure as Prime Minister

As Prime Minister, Theresa May is responsible for dealing with matters of State, for the direction of her Cabinet and for setting the political agenda more broadly. She is also responsible for choosing her Cabinet and her Ministers.

She became Prime Minister in the aftermath of the EU Referendum and pledged to lead Britain out of the EU – yet notwithstanding a divided party and without a working majority, she gives no impression of what she actually wants. Is she still a closet Remainer, wanting the softest of all Brexits - or at the other extreme, is she negotiating in such a way that nothing will be achieved, in the hope that the UK will be cast out by the EU, in sheer exasperation? Maybe God alone knows, but the ineptness, irrespective of one’s view on Brexit, is truly embarrassing.

Whatever her private thoughts about Brexit, it would be reassuring to know that she was aware that many Christians believe it is God’s plan for this country – and why. One key reason is to enable Britain to stand with Israel and fulfil what we failed to do with the British Mandate. Given the strength of the Arab lobby in the Foreign Office, standing with Israel has been almost anathema in British international diplomacy over the past 70 years. The forthcoming official Royal visit – the first ever - by Prince William to Israel is a welcome first move towards healing our national relationship with God’s chosen people.

In time, the Government will need to acknowledge Britain’s past anti-Semitism and shortcomings during the Mandate, during WWII and indeed since Israel’s independence (the Church throughout Britain could usefully lead the way in this). Yet, it remains to be seen how Theresa May will respond: she has been much cooler towards Israel than her predecessor, David Cameron. 

It is Theresa May’s prerogative not to talk about her faith. But if that is to be the case, she needs to show by her actions that she is a believer.

Further Tests to Come

It is, of course, Theresa May’s prerogative not to talk about her faith. But if that is to be the case, she needs to show by her actions that she is a believer.

A further test will be how she treats the demands for Northern Ireland to relax its abortion law, in the wake of Proposition 8 in Eire. Is she pro-life, or not? It is unrealistic to expect any Christian in Government to be able to do all that he or she wants to do – ultimately the battle we are in is a spiritual battle (Eph 6:12 and 2 Cor 10:3-5). Equally, the diversity of views of many genuine Christians is considerable, so what different Christians in Government may do will vary considerably and may differ from what their fellow believers think is right.

However, it still remains an opportunity for Theresa May to speak and act in a way that sets forth a clearly biblical attitude towards the unborn. The question is whether she will act, and if so, how - or if she will take the line of least resistance.

Weighing Up the Evidence

The lack of evidence from a biblical perspective that Theresa May has made any meaningful Christian difference in Government and the minimal evidence to suggest that she is meaningfully born again, is both sad and also instructive.

It is sad because we may have hoped for more from her, and it is easy to become disappointed and discouraged. But God is not taken by surprise. He chose her (Psa 75:6-7; Dan 2:21). We are all works in progress: she is his workmanship and it may be that he needs to break her in a way that has not yet happened, for his purposes that we do not yet know.

It is also instructive, because it behoves us to ask the degree to which she is representative of many Britons who profess to be Christian, but for whom there is scant evidence of such belief. God’s heart is that none should perish (John 3:16-7). Indeed, a key mission place is now the local church itself - including some church leaders whose words and works are in some cases so far from orthodoxy and orthopraxy that whether or not they are truly converted is a valid question.

The Way Ahead

Few Christians would dispute that we are in a mess - politically, socially and economically – because ultimately, we are in a spiritual mess. We need to intercede, beseech and pray hard - and keep on such intercessions and prayers.

We must ask the degree to which Theresa May is representative of many Britons who profess to be Christian, but for whom there is scant evidence of such belief.

We must pray – but not that God will simply bless the work of Theresa May’s hands and those of her Government, that we may live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and reverence, and that prosperity will come to the nation once again. We must pray that the current turmoil in Britain and abroad would have its desired effect upon their hearts: that in his mercy, blind eyes would be opened and deaf ears would be unstopped.

We are commanded to pray for those in authority for the sake of the believing community (1 Tim 2:1-3), yet the reality is that most of us pray at elections and not continuously. But if we don’t pray continuously, others with a different agenda will do so – indeed, are doing so.

If we don’t pray for Theresa May, for her Government and her successor, we will get even more of the Government we deserve, not the one we need.

References

1 Montgomerie, T. The Practical Faith of Theresa May. Catholic Herald, 14 July 2016.

2 Booker, C. Theresa May used Europe to push through gay marriage. The Telegraph, 16 July 2016.

3 Murray, D. Why is Theresa May pretending that Islam is a ‘religion of peace’? The Spectator, 30 September 2014; Murray, D. Will politicians finally admit that the Paris attacks had something to do with Islam? The Spectator, 14 November 2015.

4 McCrae, N and Harradine, K. Muslim rape gangs and the inconvenient truth. Rebel Priest, 3 June 2018.

Reflections following the death of Stephen Hawking.

Following the death, last week, of Professor Stephen Hawking, many tributes have been flowing across the scientific world and surfacing in the media. One example comes from the University of Cambridge, where he spent most of his academic career (see here).

When I was at the University of Cambridge in the early 1970s, I would often see him being helped out of his disability vehicle at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. There was already an aura surrounding him - perhaps a combination of respect and wonder at the perseverance of such a crippled young man and an acknowledgement of his sharp mind.

So, whilst agreeing with much that has been said following his death, I would like to add a word of caution concerning the exciting scientific theories of our day.

Taking Hypothesis as Fact

Despite all the hype, there is much speculation that requires us to have discernment in these days of growing deception. Are there really black holes? Is there really such a thing as Hawking Radiation? The popular press frequently takes as fact what the scientific world presents as hypothesis.

Furthermore, when we follow the trail of a theory through to its consequences, we often discover that a scientist is really trying to advance an agenda – perhaps trying to explain the origin of the universe or the nature of life. These experts are trying to find answers as much as the average citizen. The next step is to claim that their theories cancel out a need for a Creator God. This was the case with Hawking – which should be a prompt for us to suspect his entire hypotheses.

The popular press frequently takes as fact what the scientific world presents as hypothesis.

There is so much of this sort of thing rising to the surface today that we must see science as a potential tool for the powers of evil. When a humanistic media reports on scientific theories that feed a humanistic, atheistic mentality, we have to be careful that we are not drawn in to accept what is simply speculation, thinking it fact.

Popular Science

If I were to speak even more strongly, I would say that more and more, public presentations of science are far from good science. One reason for this has been a drive in recent years to popularise science. Richard Dawkins had this remit for some years and this resulted in an out-and-out attack on those of us whose faith is founded on biblical truth. With little opportunity for Christians to respond within a media biased towards his point of view, Christians have talked more among themselves than on a public platform.

Then there is David Attenborough, who for many years has brought to the television spectacular programmes on wildlife and pictures of our planet. With modern-day camera facilities what has been presented has been truly spectacular. Yet, there is a difference between spectacular photography and the validity of a scientific commentary that is more founded on unproven evolutionary theories than on hard science. And so, the truth about Creation is hidden from public view.

Now, another popular presenter, Professor Brian Cox, with his colleagues, has come centre-stage, feeding the public beguiling arguments about the origin of the universe as he presents spectacular images of outer space. Indeed, views about the so-called ‘Big Bang’ origin of the universe and Darwinian evolution are not so much argued as assumed, these days. For many scientists, it is not worth risking their career to argue otherwise.

Scientific Proof…or Faith?

Yet, science can never take us beyond conjecture when the instruments used to investigate theories of the origin of the universe are themselves part of Creation. Thus, all science must start with hypotheses and all proofs must be based on assumptions. Therefore, scientists who claim to have ‘proved’ theories such as the ‘Big Bang’ and evolution (and I might add to this the Theory of Relativity) must have based their ‘proofs’ on assumptions.

All science starts with hypotheses and all proofs are based on assumptions.

Any scientist knows this, but it is a fact that passes the general public by in popular presentations. It is when the assumptions become a sort of faith that we must be even more concerned, and that is where science is taking people today.

Among the basic assumptions of more and more scientists these days is that there is no need to believe in a Creator God. This is the strange ‘faith’ behind much science today, but it is as insecure as the sand on which Jesus warned his hearers that we should not build.

Writing God Out

Just as scientists must have a sort of ‘faith’ in order to claim proof of their theories, so have Christians - though in quite a different way. Secular science’s faith is that there is no God. Our faith is founded on the Rock that is Jesus, who was with the Father at the creation of the universe.

The tool for recognising error in the beguiling scientific atmosphere today is the gift of discernment. We must test all things and the beginning of our testing is to recognise the foundations on which ideas presented to us are built – foundations not of truth, but of belief.

Stephen Hawking was a remarkable man, but he was a man who did not believe in the God of Creation. With all due respect to his amazing life, his humour, his ability to communicate despite severe bodily limitations, he was, nevertheless, a man. We serve the God whom he chose to write out of his scientific theories.