When will the silent Church speak up?

Trevor Phillips, Islamophobia and the gospel

Home schooling in Britain is growing rapidly - and with good reason.

It is August and the schools are closed for the holidays. Traditionally, this has been a time when children are with their parents, whether at home or on holiday – that special time of the year that offers opportunities for families to be together.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 comes to mind: a mandate given by God long ago, that all might go well with us. We can picture parents and children considering the beauty of God’s Creation on summer days when, walking and talking, they learn together about him.

Yet in this continuing season of political tension and upheaval, it is much more likely that we will be encouraged to dwell on the new Prime Minister’s tactics to win parliamentary battles (especially the battle to come out of Europe) than on how we might bring up the nation’s children in the ways of God.

Indeed, when September comes round and the schools re-open, for Christian parents the prospect of what will be taught to their children is of ever-growing concern. Watchmen in our nation, such as our own team at Prophecy Today and Issachar Ministries and others such as Christian Concern, inform us of more and more examples of the danger posed to our children through agendas at work within our educational establishments.

Godless Agendas

Unbiblical agendas such as those that have been imposed by the LGBTQ+ movement are impacting even the youngest primary school children, who are being driven to question their God-given biological gender.¹ The movement to eradicate belief in the God of Creation has long imposed itself and now we move on to the consequences, clearly outlined in Romans 1.

For Christian parents the prospect of what is being taught to their children in schools is of ever-growing concern.

Ungodly forces are being allowed to influence the teaching of our children and take them off that wonderful, God-given path for each one. “Train a child in the way he should go” (Prov 22:6) is the mandate given to parents, for which a sensitive, protected, God-given educational programme is needed whereby a child, nurtured first by parents and helped by teachers, learns how to walk with God themselves. Woe to those who perpetuate godless agendas in our schools. Jesus had these words of warning for them:

If anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me, to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matt 18:6)

Pressure Upon Pressure

The latest LGBTQ+ pressures on children add to others already well-established and highlighted in Prophecy Today for many years. The bigger picture, over the longer term, is of powers of darkness at work to divide up families and destroy the faith of an entire generation.

For example, before our eyes are growing numbers of teenagers being drawn into gang warfare and knife crime, to the extent that MPs are now recommending police officers in schools.² Does this not illustrate a society that is increasingly unguarded against the seductive powers of evil?

Even Christian schools are under pressure, as central Government has taken it upon itself to impose pressures to conform to secular humanist ideals, especially through Ofsted. If Ofsted were encouraging biblically-based curricula and putting in measures to protect our children by reinforcing the God-given mandate that parents have been given, then we could be grateful. If instead, we find an increasing departure and enforcement of ungodly educational content and strategy (dubbed ‘muscular liberalism’ by Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman), then it is time to be very concerned.

The bigger picture, over the longer term, is of powers of darkness at work to divide up families and destroy the faith of an entire generation.

Enough is Enough?

Many Christian parents are alarmed at what is happening in schools because of Government pressures to conform, and are saying, ‘enough is enough’. According to Ephesians 6:4 and elsewhere in the Bible, it is parents who have responsibility for their children. In the coming days, I do not doubt that many will seek to withdraw from or avoid the growing corruption of the world, including that which is in many schools.

Home education of children is an obvious, and still legal, option, that has much support in the USA and which many Christian families in the UK are already pursuing with great success. The number of home-schooled children in Britain has doubled in the last four years.³ It could become even more widespread here if those of us with experience in education can help make it an attractive and meaningful possibility.

If there is not a major move of repentance across the nation as a whole, home education could be a vital means to strengthen Christian families for the days ahead. Education of our children in a Christ-centred way should be a central priority in this, and will require those with expertise to seek the Lord in considering how to provide support. Could this be part of God’s strategy for safeguarding faithful families in future? What part might you play?

References

1 It is interesting to note the furore which has broken out in Birmingham primary schools between school staff intent on imposing a radical LGBTQ+ agenda and concerned parents. Most of the parents protesting are Muslim, prompting some difficult questions for the Government on how to negotiate the competing demands of these two minority groups, Islam and LGBTQ+.

2 MPs call for police in schools to cut youth violence. BBC News, 31 July 2019.

3 See here. This is for a variety of reasons, one of which is undoubtedly the impulse of Christian parents to protect their children.

Frances Rabbitts reviews ‘The Noble Liar’ by Robin Aitken (Biteback Publishing, 2018).

If you have ever been irritated, confused or upset by the blatant liberal bias of our national broadcasting network, this book is for you. Written by an ex-BBC journalist and executive who spent 25 years at the Corporation, The Noble Liar exposes the BBC’s ingrained ideological slant, taking its cue from Plato’s concept of a ‘noble lie’: a myth told knowingly by those in power for what they perceive to be the greater good, and/or to further their own particular agendas.

Accessible, punchy and full of up-to-date examples (some well-known, some less so), this is an easy read and a personable, non-academic contribution to the growing reaction against the left-wing hegemony suffocating the British media class.

Naked Bias

From Brexit to Trump, Aitken unpacks obvious examples of naked bias in BBC coverage, backed up by research, statistics and quotes. He then delves into history to understand the reasons, both sociological and ideological, behind it.

As he makes his way through decades of ‘noble lies’ perpetuated by the BBC – surrounding subjects including feminism, abortion, multiculturalism and immigration – what emerges is not a conspiracy theory about evil masterminds seeking to indoctrinate the British population, but a picture of a Corporation overwhelmingly staffed by sincere liberal ‘believers’, acting in what they think is the public interest and genuinely blinkered to the possibility that they might be wrong.

What is refreshing about Aitken’s writing is that he provides a working example of what BBC reporters should be – accurate and fair-minded, impartial and honest, not imposing his own beliefs on his work. In fact, having read the book I am none the wiser as to his own opinions on any of the issues he covers – only that he tends towards conservatism, recognises that the BBC is chronically slanted in the opposite direction and wants to understand why.

Aitken provides a working example of what BBC reporters should be – accurate and fair-minded, impartial and honest, not imposing his own beliefs on his work.

Like Melanie Phillips, Aitken traces the origin of the issue to the left-wing’s reactionary hatred of Britain’s Judeo-Christian heritage – a hatred which increasingly unites even the most disparate of causes and victim groups. Aitken is brave enough to acknowledge that Christianity is the real foundation of everything that was once ‘great’ about Britain (including the BBC), and that no framework has yet been found to equal or replace it as the foundation of Britain’s national identity.

Meanwhile, still enjoying levels of cultural influence and public respect and a reputation for journalistic excellence that no other media group can command, ‘Auntie the apostate’ has despised her own heritage and is busy evangelising the masses with a new gospel:

The BBC is not some virtual mirror that society holds up and sees itself reflected back; a mirror changes nothing – it merely shows us what we look like. The BBC far more resembles a preacher; a good preacher does hold up a mirror to people and says, ‘Look, this is who you are’, but…then goes on to say ‘And this is what you should be’…it is the BBC’s role as preacher that we need to be aware of and closely examine. (pp244-5).

Facing the Consequences

Though there is no vitriol in Aitken’s analysis, neither does he hold back from stating the full implications of his arguments: that slanted, selective news coverage and the BBC’s near-total silence on the harmful consequences of liberal policies and laws, together with its undermining, dismissing and omitting of conservative voices, constitute a gross dereliction of the Corporation’s duty to open up controversial topics for fair, full exposure and debate.

These topics are of extreme national importance; therefore, the BBC has been directly complicit not only in the suppression of true debate, but in the deterioration of British society. Thankfully, Aitken finishes on a positive note, reminding readers that no ideology or culture is immune from change or challenge.

The implication of Aitken’s arguments is that the BBC has been directly complicit not only in the suppression of true debate, but in the deterioration of British society.

Cathartic Reading

At times, Aitken becomes so engrossed in critiquing left-wing shibboleths that concrete examples from BBC coverage seem to fall by the wayside. More of his own personal story could also have been included, even though this has previously been published in his other books. And there is no mention at all of the BBC's prejudice against Israel - a cornerstone of its liberal worldview. However, these criticisms don’t detract from the overall satisfaction of reading an author who clearly values truth over myths, facts over convenient fictions or strategic omissions – and has very valid points to make about British media bias.

For those wanting a more sophisticated philosophical exposition of leftist ideology, it won’t go deep enough – as per Aitken’s background, this is a journalistic commentary. However, it remains a very cathartic read – saying out loud everything you ever muttered inwardly about the Beeb – and will be accessible to all, regardless of belief, if obviously irksome for those who incline left.

‘The Noble Liar: How and why the BBC distorts the news to promote a liberal agenda’ (paperback, 288pp) is available widely in bookshops and online. On Amazon for £7.72. Available on Kindle for less.

Watch the New Culture Forum's interview with Robin Aitken about the content of the book by clicking here.

Notes

1 By ‘left-wing’ and ‘liberal’, we mean the particular strand of radical leftism, inspired by atheism, humanism and Marxism, that has come to dominate the mainstream media in the West.

2 This might have been expected given his former history with the BBC, covered in his first book, ‘Can We Trust the BBC?’ (2007). See also ‘Can We Still Trust the BBC?’ (2013), which focuses on the revelations about Jimmy Savile.

Don’t let the media steer your priorities this year.

As we enter another calendar year (albeit on the Roman rather than the biblical calendar), what will be the central focus of our attention as a society, and as individuals? A delayed vote on the Brexit ‘deal’? Concerns over immigration? Climate change? The fortunes of our favourite sporting team? The next TV cooking competition?

We can be sure that the news media will be full of their own top priorities, all shouting loudly to draw our attention. Three days after Christmas, I ran a search on the name ‘Jesus’ on the BBC website. Among a multitude of news items, sporting fixtures and scores, entertainment, travel and so on, apart from a small amount of archived material, Jesus was barely mentioned: a late-night Christmas Day programme, an early morning Sunday radio show, and an upcoming Daily Service on 14 January. Nowhere else.

Yet, unless Jesus is at the centre of all that we think and do, our focus will be out of balance and our priorities skewed more towards worldly affairs and opinions than we might realise. In this fast-paced, media-driven culture we must be careful to check our priorities, even as Christians - that would be a good new year resolution for all of us!

Check Your Sources!

Personally, I have become more concerned than ever about the way the media focusses our attentions and dictates our concerns. We can be beguiled into thinking that the latest BBC news headline is the key issue in the world. But the choices of news editors can blinker us away from what might be God's priorities.

When I was a child I was brought up in a working class family and worked with my father on building sites, where I am glad to have come into contact with many ‘ordinary’ folk. I was impressed by the depth of understanding that they seemed to have of political affairs, debated hotly in the tea and lunch breaks. It was only in later years that I smiled when I realised that most were only expressing the opinions that they read in their daily papers, such as the Daily Mirror. Many of these workmen had their choice of newspaper in their pocket as they went to work.

Unless Jesus is at the centre of all that we think and do, our focus will be out of balance and our priorities skewed more towards worldly affairs and opinions than we might realise.

In conversations I have had this Christmas break, I was struck again by the way opinions across all social classes are still formed by the media. It was standard media opinions and the arguments of charismatic media personalities that were used by my non-believing friends to defend evolution against creationism, or LGBTQ+ ‘rights’, or to debate questions of our membership of the EU, or President Trump, Theresa May and so on.

"Check your sources!" is my constant cry against arguments that are too often based on no solid foundations. Certainly the mainstream media is not usually a primary source of truth, even if it is a primary source for opinion.

Steering Public Opinion

I read Andrew Marr's book, My Trade, recently and this confirmed my view of much corruption in the news industry: always seeking a headline (whether true, part-true or contrived) in order to make sales. Fake news is a new term, but it is not a new issue. Fake news or biased news reporting has permeated news media from its inception.

Not all is bad and rotting of course, but overall, the general public is often faced with a variety of selected ‘news’ stories that they cannot check and which are cleverly contrived to steer their opinion in a certain direction.

What we witness in the public arena is a power struggle for who shall govern our nation. The media has a legitimate place to hold politicians to account, but it has become a manipulating power that often weakens government instead of strengthening it. This adds daily to the corruption which is all around us - a corruption that is deepening because Jesus – the Truth - is no longer the central focus in our nation.

Generation Gap

Young people are not always as beguiled as older generations by what they see in the news arena. They have grown up in a world where you can no longer believe what you see. I discovered this from other conversations that I had this holiday season. These conversations made me wonder whether I really understand our younger generation who, through their own interactive and online communities, seem to be separating themselves away from a failing world.

The mainstream media is not usually a primary source of truth, even if it is a primary source for opinion.

The up-side is that many young people are thinkers. The down-side is that they are vulnerable and susceptible due to our cultural drift away from the Gospel message (which many young people have never heard). The nation is ripe for a youth-led revolution: but whether an uprising or a revival - it could go either way.

Jesus at the Centre

My challenge for 2019, therefore, is for us who know him to bring Jesus fully into the centre of our lives once more: to see things as he sees them and not according to worldly agendas that make no reference to him.

The Bible speaks so often, though sometimes in mysteries to be understood through prayer, about the days in which we live - days like the days of Noah or of Sodom and Gomorrah - days leading up to the return of Jesus, on which we need to be focussed more and more.

Perhaps, if Christians were to strengthen their focus on our Lord, then he may be gracious enough to revive us once more and through us speak truth to this needful generation. The days are urgent.

The row has turned into a crisis.

You could be forgiven for missing it, because it has been all-but-buried by Brexit drama and limited mainstream news coverage. But Labour’s anti-Semitism row has resurfaced this week with vicious intensity – and is threatening to tear the Party apart.

Various explosive exposés in recent years have made the nation painfully aware that Labour has a deep-rooted anti-Semitism problem.

Now, as if things could get any worse, a furore has erupted because the Party has dared to create its own definition of anti-Semitism which waters down the international standard – effectively institutionalising its own anti-Semitic behaviour.¹

Seeing Red

Last week, a Labour sub-committee backed the diluted definition over the full International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) definition, which is widely accepted as an international standard and embraced by the UK Government, the CPS, the police and many local councils.

Predictably, Labour’s watered down version omits several specific examples of anti-Semitic behaviour to do with Israel, an area of discourse which has been a notorious sticking-point for the Party under Jeremy Corbyn and which today represents the main conduit for Western anti-Semitic attitudes and behaviour.²

The sub-committee’s decision sparked a huge backlash from MPs and provoked an unprecedented letter from 68 British rabbis, published in The Guardian over last weekend, urging Labour leaders to “listen to the Jewish community” and adopt the full IHRA definition.³ Hours later, the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, weighed in with the same message.⁴ On Monday night, a packed meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (with the noted absence of Corbyn) rebelled against the sub-committee, voting overwhelmingly to accept the IHRA definition in full.⁵

Labour’s watered down definition of anti-Semitism omits several specific examples of anti-Semitic behaviour to do with Israel, a notorious sticking-point for the Party under Corbyn.

Despite all this, Labour’s governing body, the National Executive Committee, upheld the amended definition on Tuesday, without recourse to a vote and with the full support of Corbyn, who was present. During the meeting, which was marked by bitter exchanges, NEC member Pete Willsman told the room that “Some of the people in the Jewish community are Trump fanatics – I’ll take no lectures from them” and rejected the open letter from the 68 rabbis by declaring their message “simply false”.⁶

Afterwards, a furious Dame Margaret Hodge – veteran Jewish Labour MP – saw red and approached Corbyn behind the Speaker’s Chair during the Commons votes on Brexit, reportedly calling him “an anti-Semitic racist” and adding, “It is not what you say but what you do, and by your actions you have shown you are an anti-Semitic racist.”⁷

Now, remarkably facing disciplinary action by the Party, Hodge has defended her actions in a Guardian article further laying into the Opposition Leader.⁸ A rally was held in Parliament Square on Thursday evening, and a number of Jewish MPs are said to be considering quitting the Party altogether.⁹

Willing Blindness

Having shattered Labour’s reputation as an anti-racist, pro-tolerance Party, Corbyn and his inner circle are stumping both MPs and ordinary citizens by remaining steadfastly committed to fostering this one particular brand of racism within Party ranks, blowing every possible opportunity to make amends with British Jews.

But, as Jewish author and blogger Melanie Phillips obligingly notes, Jeremy Corbyn is not the cause of Labour’s anti-Semitism problem – he is a result of it.¹⁰ For the anti-Semitism that embattles Labour today actually pervades the entire left wing of the political spectrum, being a natural consequence of its wholesale commitment to Palestinianism.

Corbyn and his inner circle have shattered Labour’s reputation as an anti-racist, pro-tolerance Party.

Through a potent cocktail of godless, anti-biblical ‘isms’ - postmodernism, secularism, humanism and liberalism - the left has blinded itself to the fact that Palestinianism is a fundamentally anti-Semitic endeavour that one cannot support meaningfully without eventually getting drawn into the same attitudes.

Yet, ironically, those subscribing to left-wing secular humanism consider themselves to be paragons of virtue, incapable of racism: always standing in solidarity with the oppressed. That is why Corbyn cannot even admit fully to the Party’s anti-Semitism problem: he genuinely cannot see it. Or, even worse, he can see it, and doesn’t care - or explains it away – because he patently agrees with its underlying premises.

Spiritual Battle

Thankfully, this blindness has not descended fully on MPs or ordinary Labour supporters, among whom there is now new opportunity to highlight the roots of this nightmare in a rejection of the God of the Bible. For, contrary to popular opinion, anti-Semitism is not a racism like any other, but is actually a demonic backlash against God, his chosen Land, people and covenant purposes. Not even Melanie Phillips quite grasps its true, spiritual nature - which is why it is ‘the longest hatred’, repeatedly raising its head around the world and throughout history, refusing to die.

How people align themselves in this spiritual battle – whether or not they even know it is there – places them on one side or the other of a promise made by God some 4,000 years ago, recorded in the Book of Genesis, that “Those who bless [Israel] will themselves be blessed, but those who curse [Israel] will be cursed” (Gen 12:3).

It is the outworking of this very promise today that is causing such division and strife in the Labour Party. Truly, Jerusalem is a cup of reeling that makes the nations stagger (Zech 12:2). Systematically siding with Israel’s enemies and behaving in a way which evidences his commitment to her ultimate annihilation, Corbyn has placed Labour under a curse – which will undoubtedly affect the entire nation should he ever ascend to the office of Prime Minister.

Corbyn has placed Labour under a curse – which will undoubtedly affect the entire nation should he ever ascend to the office of Prime Minister.

House on Sand

Mercifully, most people can still recognise that something has gone fundamentally wrong with the Labour Party, even if they don’t understand why. There is now fresh opportunity for multitudes to be challenged to think about the ‘why’: why a Party so devoted to ‘inclusivity’, ‘tolerance’ and ‘anti-racism’ is manifesting the exact opposite behaviour.

We can pray that God will use their wonderings to open their eyes, to see that the ideological house of the liberal left – in which the vast majority of our politicians now shelter - has been built not on rock, but on sand.

How both MPs and ordinary citizens respond to this current storm will fundamentally shape the future for British Jews and indeed for the entire nation – perhaps as much as or even more than Brexit. As for those in Britain who have committed themselves to Israel’s destruction,

Make them like tumbleweed, my God,

like chaff before the wind.

As fire consumes the forest

or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

so pursue them with your tempest

and terrify them with your storm.

Cover their faces with shame, LORD,

so that they will seek your name.

May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;

may they perish in disgrace.

Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD-

that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:13-18)

References

1 Phillips, M. Institutionalising antisemitism in the British Labour Party. 20 July 2018.

2 Under Labour’s definition, calling Jews Nazis or Israel an ‘apartheid’ state could be permissible.

3 The 68 are said to represent 30,000 British Jewish households, from ultra-progressives through to haredi Orthodox. This show of unity is exceptional. See also, 68 rabbis from across UK Judaism sign unprecedented letter condemning Labour antisemitism. The Jewish Chronicle, 16 July 2018.

4 Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis writes unprecedented letter, warning Labour not to send 'message of contempt' to Jews. The Jewish Chronicle, 17 July 2018.

5 Labour MPs defy party leadership, vote to back IHRA definition of antisemitism. The Jewish Chronicle, 16 July 2018.

6 Labour rejects full IHRA antisemitism definition - but is accused of 'fudge' for pledging review. The Jewish Chronicle, 17 July 2018.

7 Stewart, H and Elgot, J. Labour MP labels Corbyn an 'antisemite' over party's refusal to drop code. The Guardian, 17 July 2018.

8 Hodge, M. I was right to confront Jeremy Corbyn over Labour’s antisemitism. The Guardian, 18 July 2018. 

9 Proctor, K. Jewish MPs may quit Labour as row grows over anti-Semitism. Evening Standard, 19 July 2018.

10 Phillips, M. Giddy at their boldness – but Corbyn didn’t cause Labour antisemitism. He’s its product. 30 March 2018. 

Truth and consequence.

“No rational argument will have a rational effect on a man who does not want to adopt a rational attitude.” – Sir Karl Popper

It is an interesting time to be American. I sit, comfortably composing this article, the afternoon sunlight bouncing off my desk. I sip hot Twinings as the heater in the house where I grew up kicks on. The sounds and smells of my mother’s cooking (she is 90…) fill my senses.

This same sunny afternoon a US Marshall is shot during a standoff in a house about a mile down the road from my home near Ferguson. He is saved by his vest. A productive, long-term employee is sacked because he allegedly said something ‘offensive’. A family debates allowing their child to undergo sexual reassignment surgery. Another church closes its doors.

I sip my tea. Dinner is served.

Realising that America is and always will be intimately connected to the UK, I do my best to keep an eye to the political horizons of each nation. As the quest to move our rational, democratic societies away from God in pursuit of some global, utopian ideal weighs on my mind, I conduct a ‘flash’ overview of the ideological war being waged against the US President.

Recipe for a Coup

President Trump’s stated agenda is to restore to Americans many of our former cultural and societal freedoms and to rebuild the US as a sovereign, national republic. Despite his personal imperfections, his ideas and consequent taking of concerted and effective action to carry out his agenda represents a clear threat to the utopian global narrative that has been gathering momentum over the last 30 years.

Among those who have openly come against President Trump’s agenda are the mainstream media, certain financial entities, holdovers from the Obama administration, and establishment Republicans, many of whom are openly left-leaning. Celebrities and media personalities have openly declared that Trump should be assassinated, to the point that the idea is becoming common parlance.

Realising that America is and always will be intimately connected to the UK, I do my best to keep an eye to the political horizons of each nation.

Since the 2016 election, Trump has been labeled a Nazi, a fascist, a racist/sexist/xenophobe and as mentally incompetent to hold his position. Almost every attempt at staffing the departments under his control has been met with resistance on a ridiculous scale. Let us not forget myriad allegations concerning Russian collusion and election fraud; the Nunes memo, the Democrat memo, the ‘dossier’ (see Author’s Note, below).

From all that I have read and studied, such actions demonstrate the recipe for an internal coup, not just against a President, but against each individual citizen who voted for him - just as attempts to throw off Brexit represent a coup against those who voted Leave.

What is Freedom?

It seems to me that, in large part, there is a great misapprehension of key concepts on both sides.

Both sides declare that the endgame is ‘freedom’. Key to the concept of ‘freedom’ are the concepts of ‘liberty’ and ‘equality’. But the concepts and the words are open for interpretation (much like ‘love’ and ‘good’ and ‘justice’). We hear these words and immediately, libraries of mental pictures, interpretations and personal experiences come to mind. Ask ten people to describe their definition of ‘freedom’, ‘liberty’ or ‘equality’ and you will get ten different answers, each evoking mixtures of learned rhetoric, emotion, anecdotal evidence and fantasy.

Why? Because we are no longer a people trained and/or inclined to think critically or truly examine what we think we know. We are too busy attending to our phones, our possessions, our jobs and the pragmatic realities of this world to stop long enough to think or to seek wisdom. Concepts such as those I have mentioned, perforce, become two-dimensional. ‘Truth’ and our desire for it fades until we barely recognise it anymore.

The ideological war being waged against Trump amounts to an internal coup – not just against him, but against every citizen that voted for him.

To the average citizen, for instance, the concepts of ‘liberty’ and ‘equality’ appear to be closely related. We hear these words used alongside ‘freedom’ quite frequently, often from people we consider possessing more authority on the subject than might we, so we think no more about it.

But the devil is in the details. “Equality of the general rules of law and conduct…is the only kind of equality conducive to liberty and the only equality which we can secure without destroying liberty,” writes Austrian-British economist and philosopher Friedrich Hayek.

“Not only has liberty nothing to do with any sort of equality, but it is even bound to produce inequality in many respects. This is the necessary result and part of the justification of individual liberty: if the result of individual liberty did not demonstrate that some manners of living are more successful than others, much of the case for it would vanish”¹ (emphases added).

This is the classic liberal view: that a society must have certain freedoms in order to flourish, which must be protected by the law. But those freedoms necessarily mean that inequalities will also arise. This is a necessary outcome of people’s diversity and the world’s unpredictability – and makes space for compassion and mercy in relationships. But any top-down attempt to artificially re-balance these inequalities will inevitably lead to tyranny of one sort or another.

The Founding Fathers

The classic liberal view was where the USA started off. To broad stroke a bit, America’s founders (many of whom were of British heritage) believed that each individual was created by God, born in an imperfect state. Yet God gifted us with individual liberty. It is God’s wish that we might seek relationship with him and become reconciled with him for eternity, but liberty in this lifetime, however we choose to use it, is ours.

It was the original intent of the founders to respect and protect that individual liberty and by so doing, honour God. The US Constitution was created to express the ideal that each man (ultimately, each person) could marry, worship as he chose, own property and possessions, exercise his right to defend and protect his family, work at whatever suited him and prosper as much as he was able. The potential success of the individual was protected by general rules of law and conduct created to facilitate a stable, safe and prosperous society.

Classic liberal philosophy has very particular views on the concepts of ‘liberty’ and ‘equality’.

This Constitutional ideal has been the bedrock of our national identity since its acceptance into law. By defining equality according to general rules of law and conduct, the individual remains accountable to society for how he/she exercises that individual liberty. Societal accountability often drives the individual to recognise and pursue relationship with God.

So, for the Constitutional conservative, ‘liberty’ is defined as their God-given individual freedom, of which faith is often an important component. ‘Equality’ is defined as equality under the law of safety, opportunity and socio-economic mobility.

The Postmodern Left

However, the utopian ideals being promoted by the postmodern ‘liberal Left’ are based on a humanistic, often atheistic approach, which has Marxist origins. For them, man creates his own liberty, his own equality, and so must also control it. If that means gaining control of the liberty and equality of others through gradual, often nuanced, ultimately tyrannical means, this is a price worth paying.

For the liberal Left, enforced ‘equality’ is a way to achieve human perfection. It teaches that an individual should be free to best express their own version of ‘liberty’ by letting the state administer their foundational needs, leaving them free to explore, create, express and fulfil their ambitions – so long as the fruits of those endeavours ultimately benefit the state. Individual ‘liberty’ is encouraged if it results in ‘equality’.

But true individual liberty has the capacity to produce very different results – and so is viewed ultimately as an enemy to the cause. Anyone who is industrious, independent and successful, who demonstrates what is possible under America’s current social conditions – achievement, prosperity and fulfilment – contradicts this utopian campaign.

The Battle for Truth

The ultimate battle of Truth vs Untruth inserts itself into our lives every day, in practically every situation – though we may not notice it. Even the definition of ‘Truth’ seems to have changed from ‘that which is inerrant’ to ‘whatever will work best toward achieving an end’.

The utopian ideals being promoted by the postmodern ‘liberal Left’ view true individual liberty as an enemy to the cause.

The idea that Truth no longer really matters and that its interpretation is up for grabs, is particularly insidious. It has been introduced through lots of culturally acceptable, benign-sounding rhetoric (e.g. ‘live your truth’), and perpetuated on every frontier of media, business, and often, in the Church. Talk about ‘fake news’….

As for the war on Trump, major revelations are pending which may totally up-end the liberal Left’s agenda for the United States and vindicate embattled President Donald J Trump. It is also possible that the web of deceit will continue to grow stronger and God will allow our nation to be broken. Perhaps much of his decision will depend upon how we, his people, respond to this crisis. Where do we stand on Truth?

Tea, anyone?

References

1 Hayek, F, 1960. The Constitution of Liberty. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p85.

Author’s Note: For those interested in following up the issues raised in this article, I recommend the following shortlist of sound resources:

• For the circumstances perpetuating the Nunes memo: Nunez Memo and Russian Collusion: The Dan Bongino Show (Ep. 628)
• For a list of attempts made against the Trump presidency: From Conspiracy Theories to Conspiracies
• For an overview of his achievements in spite of the ‘resistance’: The Big List of President Trump’s Triumphs

Parliament’s Christian witness will prevail.

As if London hasn’t seen enough tragedy of late, her weary eight million residents woke up to a veritable picture of Dante’s inferno on Wednesday morning. The sight of a West London tower block burning away all night was truly terrible, with all the loss of life, home and family that resulted. Our hearts go out to all the victims.

In truth, we are all reeling in shock, perhaps wondering why things just seem to have gone from bad to worse in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks. And though the Grenfell Tower fire did not fall into the latter category, the cause is as yet unknown.

Nevertheless, we need to take stock, and continue to pray for God’s mercy on our battered nation, now further rocked by the resignation as leader of the Liberal Democrat Party of Christian politician Tim Farron. More of that later…

Biblical Voice in Parliament Maintained

In fact, not everything is gloom and doom; there are real signs of hope, despite a General Election that left confusion and chaos as politicians jostled for power, the Conservatives winning most seats but with no overall majority, and thus in a seemingly weak place for negotiating our exit from the European Union.

The Bible says: “When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order” (Prov 28:2).

Christians had been dismayed as they found themselves having to choose between main parties who had all agreed that sexual ethics – and in particular same-sex marriage – was not an issue. So it seemed that the way was left open to continue running the country on secular humanist lines, with no thought for the biblical laws that have underpinned our civilisation for centuries.

We need to take stock, and continue to pray for God’s mercy on our battered nation.

But who would have thought the Conservatives would be forced to ‘get into bed’ with the strongly Christian Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland, in order to secure a still wafer-thin overall majority for carrying out planned legislation? The DUP’s ten seats add up to a coalition fractionally more than all the other parties put together. So they will clearly be beholden to their friends from across the Irish Sea, a fact provoking hysteria from many quarters – not least the Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who is a lesbian.

It could certainly make for a rough passage for any new un-Christian laws. The DUP is thoroughly opposed to same-sex marriage and, in line with their Bible-believing basis, is also unreservedly pro-Israel.

So, for all the humanistic attempts to rid Parliament of its Christian witness, God has ensured that it remains – and that biblical thinking cannot be ignored. God will not be mocked.

The psalmist asks: “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them…” (Ps 2:1-4).

The fiercely Protestant DUP was founded in 1971 by the Rev Ian Paisley who, when he launched the Northern Ireland Friends of Israel group in March 2009, drew a parallel between his own country’s struggles against terrorism and that of Israel’s. And he also prayed for peace in Jerusalem!¹

Time to Plead with God

Last Sunday evening, as my wife and I contemplated the ongoing political turbulence, we suddenly noticed a worrying crack in the ceiling, with water dripping through. Our hot water tank was leaking and on the blink, and we have since had it replaced (at no small cost). Thankfully, disaster was averted by an emergency plumber.

It was very much a picture of the state of the nation with the drip, drip, drip feed of secularism (and in particular the LGBT+ agenda) on the point of bringing the house down. We are in serious hot water, and poison is leaking into the ship of state, which is on the verge of sinking.

For all the humanistic attempts to rid Parliament of its Christian witness, God has ensured that it remains.

I am sickened by the BBC’s continual obsession with depicting the ‘virtues’ of left-wing propaganda. As the country rocks with uncertainty, and in danger of collapse, a great show is made of a ‘gay pride’ march in York, described as a symbol of unity and love. Of course, I realise this is nothing compared to the 200,000 who marched through Tel Aviv, Israel’s major city, in celebration of the homosexual lifestyle. And that in what is universally known as the ‘Holy Land’! However, this only goes to prove that both Jews and Gentiles are prodigals whom the Father longs to welcome back.

And since we are talking numbers, it’s worth noting that a recent prayer meeting of Christians in South Africa drew a massive 1.7 million people (equal to Tel Aviv’s total population) to a farm outside the central city of Bloemfontein, where they pleaded God’s mercy for their beloved nation. We too, in Britain, need to pray – and how! Surely it’s time Christians got together, as they have done in South Africa, to plead God’s mercy for our land?

Truth Turned Upside-Down

Tim Farron. See Photo Credits.

Tragically, much of the West has not only rejected God and his laws, but has gone further by turning millennia-old precepts completely upside-down. The Prophet Isaiah, writing 2,700 years ago, said: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks…” (Isa 5:20-22). Ring any bells?

To put it another way, it would be like Monty Don reporting from the Chelsea Flower Show that weeds are the new flowers and rubbishing anachronistic gardeners who insist on showing their beautiful roses and lilies amidst finely-cut lawns and water features.

Exaggerating? Hardly – for one of the most disturbing aspects of the election campaign was the blatant anti-Christian prejudice promoted in much of the media, claiming that Christian candidates were unfit to hold public office because of their biblical views.² Even the Prime Minister was condemned by a major national newspaper for visiting one of the UK’s largest black churches – because the church opposes abortion and same-sex marriage.³

One of the most disturbing aspects of the election campaign was the blatant anti-Christian prejudice promoted in much of the media.

And now Tim Farron is the latest victim. After an insufferable media campaign directed at his Christian faith, in the words of Evangelical Alliance spokesman David Landrum, “he has found himself torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader – and so he has resigned. And who could blame him? Politics has always been a tough business and general elections have always been rough rides. Tim was surely prepared for that. What he wasn’t prepared for, and what nobody really expected, was a vicious and sustained assault on his faith. And he wasn’t alone in this.”⁴

The Fields are Ripe for Harvest

Finally, on a more positive note: Rosaria Butterfield, a former lesbian and LGBT advocate, converted to Christ after reading large sections of the Bible as part of research into why the so-called religious right ‘hated’ people like her. Her first book, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, details her conversion and the cataclysmic fallout which followed – in which she lost “everything but the dog”, yet gained eternal life in Christ.

We are the people of the Book, which holds the key to life and leads us to the ‘pearl of great price’ which can often cost us everything (Matt 13:46). Pearls are shaped through rough times, and we need to speak up for Christ in the face of the storm.

References

1 Teller, N. The UK balance of power – weighted towards Israel. Jerusalem Post, 12 June 2017.

2 E.g. The Daily Mirror, 4 May 2017, The Spectator, 18 May 2017, Buzz Feed, 27 May 2017. See here.

3 Robertson, D. The Independent, 30 May 2017.

4 Landrum, D. Farron’s fall – neither liberal nor democratic. Christian Today, 15 June 2017.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘What Are They Teaching the Children?’, edited by Lynda Rose (Wilberforce Publications, 2016).

This very pertinent and important question for our age is thoroughly explored in this collection of 12 essays written by a wide-ranging group of well-qualified contributors and skilfully put together by Lynda Rose, CEO of Voice for Justice UK, who have published this volume in conjunction with Wilberforce Publications.

Much Food for Thought

Lynda herself has written a key chapter, entitled Battle for the Soul of our Nation. Other topics covered include the role of parents as primary educators, the relevance of Christian assemblies and the issue of indoctrination, especially in the areas of sexual morality and scientism (the way in which scientific investigation has been turned into a belief system). The collection concludes with a personal reflection by Baroness Cox, called Holding the Line.

If you are concerned about the ways in which state education has become a vehicle for promoting secular and liberal beliefs about religion, morality and the family, often overriding the wishes and values of parents, then this is a book that will give you much food for thought.

Vital Resource

It is not a book to be dipped into lightly. Every chapter has been thoroughly researched and is well-documented with many endnotes. The overall contention of the book is that education today has become an ideological battleground.

There has been a revolution, a bloodless coup that has been consciously planned and instigated by secular activists committed to the overthrow of the Judeo-Christian foundations on which our educational system was built. Given this scenario, this book is a vital resource for teachers, parents and all those concerned with the wellbeing of our nation’s children.

What Are They Teaching the Children? (352 pages) is available from Amazon for £12.

The new wave of feminism is nothing to do with love, life or liberation.

On Wednesday of next week (8 March), it will be International Women’s Day.

Coinciding with this, some 673 protest marches are being planned in cities around the world – 35 countries have expressed interest so far – and a ‘general strike’ is being called, that women everywhere might express their resentment about inequality by walking out of their jobs and onto the street, placards held high. It’s being called ‘A Day Without a Woman’.

This strike and the marches are the latest in an apparent ‘new wave’ of feminist activism since Trump took the US presidency – though actually it started before this and elsewhere, with protests against gender violence in Argentina and a mass revolt in Poland against a proposed abortion ban.

But, as with the many other increasingly militant manifestations of liberal protest, this new wave of feminist demonstration deserves some closer analysis.

Boycotting What?

So, what is Wednesday’s march all about?

Last month, several prominent female academics and activists introduced ‘A Day Without a Woman’ in The Guardian, as “a day of striking, marching, blocking roads, bridges, and squares, abstaining from domestic, care and sex work, boycotting, calling out misogynistic politicians and companies, striking in educational institutions.”¹

The article presents a stirring call to women to stand up against wage inequalities, job insecurity and male violence. It seems attractive at first – indeed, for many decades the feminist movement has been inviting, even for Christian women. It is hard to argue against recognising the contribution that women make to national economies, or the need to protest against domestic violence.

A new wave of increasingly militant feminist activism is beginning.

However, there is more to it than this. Further down the manifesto, the group ally themselves with a “new, more expansive feminist movement” that not only protests the usual inequalities, but also radically pushes the LGBT agenda and rails against “xenophobic immigration policies”.²

The National Review criticises the planned demonstrations as representing “a standard, vague list of clichéd left-wing hobbyhorses, not a principled protest engaging current policy problems.”³

So what is really going on – and why are these protests being described as more ‘militant’⁴ than ever before?

Behind the Scenes

Co-organisers of Wednesday’s march (the US variant) include Rasmea Yousef Odeh, a convicted Palestinian terrorist who spent 10 years in prison for her part in two bombings of Israeli students, and Angela Davis, former leader of the Communist Party USA and long-time supporter of the violent Black Panther movement. This kind of leadership alone suggests that more is going on here than merely a groundswell of popular concern for the welfare of women.

Despite this, the campaign is being presented in a very positive, accessible light. The website is pleasant to look at (with more than a hint of pink in the colour scheme – surely not!) and encourages women to join a movement happening “In the same spirit of love and liberation that inspired the Women's March” of January.⁵

The problem with this statement is that it’s simply not true; news coverage of the January march made it clear that it was far from loving and liberating – from Madonna’s virulent and vulgar speech to the hate and rejection directed at pro-life women trying to join the proceedings. In fact, it rapidly became clear that only one brand of feminism is welcome in this new ‘movement’: that which accepts ultra-left-wing attitudes towards life and liberty.

There is more going on here than merely a groundswell of popular concern for the welfare of women.

It should come as no surprise, then, that one quarter of the feminist groups that took part in the January march owe some $90 million in funding to ultra-left-wing billionaire George Soros.⁶ Soros, a former Clinton supporter, is well-known for using his fortune to fund groups around the world that promote (among other things) abortion, the destruction of biblical gender roles and relations, and the globalist vision of broken-down national borders, too often by seeding anarchic protests.

Selective Campaigning

Women's march in Washington, January 2017. See Photo Credits.So, despite appearances, these protests are not just popping out of the ground spontaneously, but represent some deeper and more insidious agendas. Meanwhile, back on the surface, the fact that these agendas fail to translate into genuine concern for women is drawing accusations of hypocrisy.

For instance, commentators are lamenting that thousands of women are somehow being mobilised to shout about perceived gender inequalities in the Western world (where women have more freedoms and opportunities than anywhere else on earth) whilst completely ignoring situations of far worse oppression elsewhere (e.g. much of the Middle East, where women are prohibited from walking unaccompanied down a street, for example).

Instead, critics are suggesting, the feminism currently taking to our streets seeks to stir up anger amongst thousands of normal and well-meaning citizens, against vague and easily warped ideas of ‘oppression’, whilst turning a blind eye to genuine issues of real inequality.

In other words, it seems more concerned with fomenting anarchy than with solving real problems.

LGBT Agenda

As such, these marches and protests are not the place to go if you’re looking for a constructive definition of femininity or womanhood. In fact, the entire movement fails to offer a concrete, helpful vision for what being a woman actually means – largely because it isn’t concerned with that.

The Guardian manifesto pitches the movement as “anti-racist, anti-imperialist, anti-heterosexist and anti-neoliberal”⁷ – but this long list of ‘antis’ revealingly leaves out any ‘fors’. The entire movement is negative and destructive - and as such, risks leaving women feeling confused about what they are actually fighting for.

However, a key part of what the campaign is really for is hidden in the term ‘anti-heterosexist’, above. Rather than being about the welfare of all women, regardless of sexual orientation, this campaign is more about pushing LGBT ‘rights’ and challenging heterosexual norms, in the guise of protest against ‘gender oppression’.

The campaign is less about the welfare of all women and more about pushing LGBT rights.

The manifesto deliberately pitches the purposes of Wednesday’s strike and marches as “to mobilize women, including trans women, and all who support them in an international day of struggle”.⁸

This positions the whole movement as part of the much bigger sexual revolution that has been going on since the 1960s, seeking to ‘liberate’ people from the perceived ‘shackles’ of heteronormativity - that is, the established, biblical norms of heterosexual family life. In other words, it is simply the latest manifestation of revolt against the boundaries set by God, in direct rebellion against our Creator.

Don’t be fooled by the use of Donald Trump as a focus for anger and protest on Wednesday. This is not one bit about Trump – it’s about God.

Ugly Anarchy

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I believe this entire movement is actually satanic in origin, because it involves such clear and orchestrated rebellion against biblical principles. Personally, I am delighted that God made me female – but I am equally passionate about promoting his vision for womanhood (and all that this entails, including femininity, sexuality, marriage, motherhood), not the morally relative vision of postmodern feminism, which is already a long way down a very slippery slope.

Whilst thousands of women are being mobilised by vague talk of ‘inequality’ and ‘injustice’, inspired to march by a confusing mixture of causes, by its fruits shall this new movement be known. Nobody is being ‘liberated’ by the protests, which are increasingly angry, vulgar and violent. They seem to be more of a Trojan horse for anti-establishment anarchy than for genuine democratic protest – the enemy thrashing his tail, as we noted last week.

But the word says “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” (Isa 5:20-21).

The latest 'feminist' protests are a Trojan horse for anti-establishment anarchy, not genuine democratic protest.

What Can We Do?

It’s time for Christians everywhere – men and women – to turn to the word and ask God to open our eyes afresh to a positive, scriptural definition of femininity and womanhood (and masculinity and manhood!). It is this biblical vision alone that can offer a living, breathing, soul-quenching alternative to modern feminism.

If you were considering joining the strike on Wednesday (apparently 15 cities and towns in the UK will host a march of some kind), I would urge you to abstain – and perhaps instead to consider hosting some kind of alternative event in the near future, to help others near you explore the Lord’s vision for the two genders.

Let’s also respond to the ‘new wave’ of feminism with a ‘new wave’ of prayer. Today happens to be the Women’s World Day of Prayer, and women (and men) all around the world will be gathering to hold a special service celebrating God’s creation of women and thanking him for his blessings.

Why not use this as a reminder to pray over Wednesday’s marches: that they will fail to foment violence, and actually cause disillusionment amongst women, prompting them to question what they are getting involved with and the kind of vision for gender, sexuality, life and liberty that it promotes. Pray that God will turn the enemy’s plans for good.

References

1 Alcoff, LM, Arruzza, C, Bhattacharya, T et al. Women of America: we're going on strike. Join us so Trump will see our power. The Guardian, 6 February 2017.

2 Ibid.

3 Wilhelm, H. The embarrassing confusion of the 'women's strike'. The National Review, 22 February 2017.

4 See note 1.

5 Women's March website.

6 Soros gave $90m to feminist anti-Trump protest groups. Liberty Headlines, 17 January 2017.

7 See note 1.

8 See note 1.