Thoughts on attending a same-sex wedding

Leaving a church that has departed from the faith

Will Christians no longer be able to stand for Parliament?

I am still recovering from the shock of realising that it seems no longer possible as a Christian to stand as a candidate for a major political party in Britain.

This appalling state of affairs became evident when Andrew Turner agreed to stand down as Isle of Wight MP at the upcoming election, because of his biblical views on homosexuality.

In a conversation with A-level students, he is reported to have said that “homosexuality is wrong” and “dangerous to society”.¹

It had already become clear that committed Christian Tim Farron was in an untenable position as Liberal Democrat leader for it is generally understood that ‘committed’ Christians are, by definition, disciples of Jesus’ teaching, which is based on the Tanach (the Jewish Bible, or what Christians call the Old Testament).

Jesus made this quite clear, saying: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven…” (Matt 5:17-19).

It seems no longer possible as a Christian to stand as a candidate for a major political party in Britain.

Andrew Turner, MP for the Isle of Wight. See Photo Credits.So it is hardly surprising that Mr Farron should be pressured by our politically correct media to state whether he viewed gay sex as sinful.² He sadly capitulated to the new morally acceptable line, in doing so denying Christ himself in the same way that the Apostle Peter denied knowing Jesus following his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Barred from Public Office?

Vicar’s daughter Theresa May, who claims to be guided by her faith, has also recently denied that gay sex is a sin.³ Yet the teaching that marriage is reserved only for sexual union between a man and a woman is fundamental to the Bible, and repeatedly emphasised in the New Testament. And St Paul makes clear, in relation to various sins including homosexuality, that approval is worse than practice (Rom 1:32) – which is also what Jesus indicates in the Scripture quoted above.

This means, according to Tim Dieppe of campaigning group Christian Concern, that Mr Farron and Mrs May are greater sinners in their approval of such practice than those they are defending.⁴

As for Labour, I doubt whether an orthodox/evangelical⁵ Christian stands any chance in the current climate of being accepted as a candidate, bearing in mind their sharp swing to the left.
I know that there are many Christians in Parliament right now, but it seems the door is being shut to further candidates – unless they remain secret believers!

All of which rather takes us back to the ‘dark ages’ when some Reformed Christians, such as the Quakers, were not only denied the right to practise certain professions, but also prevented from standing for Parliament.⁶

This takes us back to the ‘dark ages’ when Reformed Christians were denied the right to practise certain professions.

Fortunately, in the case of the Quakers, God turned what was meant for evil to good effect, not only through the introduction of chocolate to the world (Cadbury’s, Fry’s, Terry’s and Rowntree’s were all Quaker businesses), but also in providing useful employment, housing, a general boost to the economy and an influence in godly living that has echoed down the centuries.

God’s Design for Marriage

Marriage was part of God’s perfect plan from the very beginning (Gen 2:24) and is emphasised by St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians (Eph 5:22-33) when he compared it to the relationship between Christ and the Church.

As husband and wife, we reflect the greater purpose of God – the incurable romantic – who is seeking a bride for his Son; a perfectly adorned, beautiful reflection of ultimate goodness, joy and delight. Marriage is not an end in itself; it points to a greater reality that will find its consummation at a glorious future event referred to as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:6-10).

Wives are called to submit to their husbands as they would to Christ, and husbands are asked to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, allowing himself to be mocked, scourged and crucified for her.

The early disciples were devoted to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). I repeat, denying Christian teaching on marriage is to deny Christ himself, who authenticated all Scripture through his answers to satan when tempted in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11).

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16f)

It is interesting that, only four verses earlier, we read that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”.

The teaching that marriage is reserved only for sexual union between a man and a woman is fundamental to the Bible, and repeatedly emphasised in the New Testament.

Fortitude Demanded

Much fortitude is demanded of those who would follow Christ. The early Christians were thrown to the lions because they refused to worship Caesar; at the same time, their teaching was totally counter-cultural, shaming a world that indulged in promiscuous living, including homosexuality (see Rom 1:24-26).

Has the time perhaps come to support a party that is focused on Christian living and principles? After all, according to the Bible, Jesus is the one “by whom and for whom all things were made” (Col 1:16f). It’s all about him; the entire universe centres on Jesus – and yet he is not on the political agenda, or on the manifestos of the major parties! Why not? Something is seriously wrong in the state of Britain. And if we desire healing for our land, we believers need to repent and pray (2 Chron 7:14) – for the sake of the Gospel and for our children’s future.

Notes

1 The Daily Mail, 29 April 2017.

2 Ibid.

3 Interview with Andrew Marr on BBC TV, 30 April 2017.

4 Dieppe, T. Theresa May dodges question on hostility towards Christians. Christian Concern, 5 May 2017.

5 I.e. those who believe the Bible is the final authority on all matters of doctrine.

6 Quakers honoured Jesus’ command against using oaths (Matt 5:33-37), which Parliamentarians and lawyers were forced to do.

As same-sex issue divides, who will speak up for the truth?

The Church of England has once again failed to give a moral lead to the nation.

Their Synod (parliament) has voted against the Bishops’ recommendation that, in the face of huge pressure to allow same-sex ‘equality’, they should continue to take the traditional view of marriage.

Those within the Church desperately trying to honour the clear biblical teaching – that a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife (Gen 2:24) – have reached a discouraging impasse.

Heresy Within, Confusion Without

Is it not time to say: ‘enough is enough’? Undermining the authority of the Bible only leads to heresy within and confusion without. Sure, the watching world sees a Church divided, and some would say that is a bad witness. But there are surely issues over which it is impossible to compromise.

Endless debates create much heat, but bear little fruit. What, after all, is there left to debate? If the choice is whether or not to follow Scripture, then the advice from the Apostle Paul is: “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Cor 6:17). Those pushing for same-sex marriage are surely touching something ‘unclean’.

At the end of the day, we will all stand before God to give account of the decisions we have made or haven’t made (Rom 14:12).

Undermining the authority of the Bible only leads to heresy within and confusion without.

Danger of Deception

The letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor recorded in the Book of Revelation give as much emphasis on teaching as on behaviour – the key doctrines of Christian belief are hugely important.

The Apostle John, in his first letter, reminds his hearers that those who were spreading false teaching had come from within the churches. “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us,” he wrote (1 John 2:19).

Heresy was a great danger in the early Church, just as Jesus predicted it would be in these latter days. When his disciples asked him about signs of the end of the age, the first thing he said was: “Watch out that no-one deceives you” (Matt 24:4).

Yes, Jesus prayed passionately for unity among his followers. It was never meant to be unity at any cost, however, but the sort of oneness about which Paul spoke in his letter to the Ephesians when he explained that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers were there “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature…” (Eph 4:12f).

The context is clearly about developing maturity within the body of Christ as disciples learn to walk in harmony with the Word of God.

But because the modern Church has failed to give a moral lead on the issue of homosexuality, the entire Western world is now in the grip of ‘redefining marriage’, if that is really possible.

Jesus prayed passionately for unity among his followers, but it was never meant to be unity at any cost.

Seek The Truth

We have seen the same thing happen over Israel. Undermining the authority of the Bible has led to the heresy of ‘Replacement Theology’, teaching that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s affections. As a result, there is very little understanding of Israel in the UK Church today, and yet God’s end-time purpose is for Jew and Gentile to work together for the Gospel! How far we have fallen behind God’s programme!

Tragically, the Church has succumbed wholesale to worldliness, ignoring the Bible’s directive: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2).

Isn’t it time we re-committed ourselves to seeking the truth, perfectly demonstrated in Jesus Christ – “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6)?

The Synod’s vote this week shows how compromised the established Church is on the issue of gay marriage.

It must seem utterly amazing to people outside the church that Christians could spend such a long time discussing the issue of same-sex relationships.

To young people in particular, it appears to be a non-issue – not even worth discussing. For most of them sex is sex – it’s just a fact of life and it’s entirely optional whether you have it with the opposite sex or the same sex.

So why has the Church of England Synod spent so much time this week discussing a ‘non-issue’?

Most young people, other than those educated in faith schools or home-educated, have been subjected, over the past two or three decades, to a process of social engineering that has radically changed the structure of society. The change has seen a fundamental shift from the centrality of the family as the building block of society to a form of individualism that diminishes the family to a kind of ‘optional extra’ that can take any shape or form.

In the brave new world of reconstructed families, marriage has no special significance and is just one of those relationships that can be entered or dissolved at the desire of the individuals involved, regardless of the effects this might have upon the lives of others.

In the brave new world of reconstructed families, marriage has no special significance.

The Truth of Scripture

It is against this background that the Church of England, as the established church, has been struggling for several decades. At root, it is a theological issue that is determined by one’s attitude to Scripture. If you accept the Bible as the unchangeable word of God, you believe that marriage is part of God’s act of creation and that it is only between a man and a woman who pledge themselves to each other in a lifelong covenant of love and faithfulness.

You accept that marriage is at the heart of family life for the pro-creation and upbringing of children and that this form of society is ordained by God for the health and well-being of humanity. It is not just the ideal – it is the only form of sexual relationship between the genders that is acceptable in the sight of God.

This is where the problem arises with LGBT people who defend this lifestyle but who also desire to be part of the Church. They often emphasise that love is part of the very nature of God and therefore assume that God will bless any form of love relationship between human beings whom he has created in his own image.

This is why homosexual people have been so persistent in pressurising Church leaders of all denominations to recognise same-sex marriage, which is now legally recognised by the state. Those living an LGBT lifestyle want to be assured of God’s blessing upon their relationships.

Not Denying Difficulty

Of course, these decisions are extremely difficult because they involve people’s hearts, identities and lives. No Christian hates or wishes to hurt their friends or family who choose to pursue an LGBT lifestyle. However, we must all also consider the wider implications of their decisions upon the health and well-being of the whole of society.

I saw at first hand the cost to Dr Rowan Williams, then Archbishop of Canterbury, when he made the decision not to appoint Jeffrey John (who was openly gay) as Bishop of Reading. On the day before his meeting with Jeffrey John and Richard Harries, the Bishop of Oxford, I spent three hours with him in prayer and seeking the Lord.

It was an agonising decision for Rowan, not simply in terms of affirming biblical truth but because he had been friends with Jeffrey since college days and yet he knew that such an appointment could split the Church and have implications for the worldwide Anglican Communion. The wider repercussions of Church decisions are far-reaching and long-lasting even in this secular age when so much of our Judaeo-Christian heritage has been eroded.

Marriage is not just the ideal – it is the only form of sexual relationship between the genders that is acceptable in the sight of God.

It is a plain sociological fact, demonstrated by hundreds of research findings, that faithful loving marriage produces the healthiest form of society. It is also true that family breakdown has disastrous consequences - not only for individuals, both children and adults - but also for the physical and mental health and even the economic prosperity of wider society.

Members of the House of Clergy, meeting earlier this week. See Photo Credits.This Week’s Synod Vote

The situation faced by the Synod of the Church of England is complicated by three major factors:

• Biblical truth
  
• The pastoral care needed for individuals, and
  
• The demands of the LGBT lobby
  

All three are represented within both the hierarchy and the Synod of the Church of England. There is no easy path for the Synod, which is reflected in what happened this week when all  three groups had members who voted against the report presented by the House of Bishops. Despite upholding marriage as only being between a man and a woman, the report was also presented as "a stepping stone toward greater inclusiveness".¹

Evangelicals voted against it because it indicated a departure from Scripture. The LGBT members voted against it because it did not give them the full equality that they wanted; and other clergy voted against it because they have concerns for the people in their pastoral care.

The Church of England always wants to be a ’broad’ church that includes everyone – but the Bishops’ Report satisfied no-one. It was presented with lots of apologies which showed that the Bishops knew that it would not please anyone: it was just a fudge. But that is the very nature of a church that tries to be all things to all people!

The Church of England wants to be a ’broad’ church that includes everyone – but the Bishops’ Report satisfied no-one.

Reflecting Society?

The Rev Bertrand Olivier, who is a gay man, told the BBC that the Church needed to “reflect modern society”.² But that is the very thing that the Church must not do! Its mission is to declare the unchangeable word of the Living God and apply it to the changing times in which we live; however unpopular that may be. The Church must be different from secular society.

Archbishop Justin Welby called for “a radical new Christian inclusion”³ for homosexual Christians, which sounds very much as though he is advocating a Church that reflects modern society just as Bertrand Oliver wants.

But the Church is answerable to God for its teaching, not to human beings. The Church of England will continue to be divided so long as it tries to please everyone. Surely the only thing that should matter is the presentation of the unvarnished truth in a world where truth has disappeared, or has become ‘alternative facts’ or ‘fake news’.

The Prophet Isaiah provides a pinpoint description of our nation today. He says:

Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honestly cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. (Isa 59:14-15)

Surely, what is most needed in the nation today is for a Church that does not follow popular trends in society, but sets an example to the nation by lovingly and fearlessly declaring the truth of the word of the Lord!

References

1 Church of England votes against gay marriage report. BBC News, 15 February 2017.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.