That would be a strange greeting at this time of the year, wouldn't it! But if we are not careful, as Christians this could be the impression we give. There are a couple of possible reasons for a Christian to be against celebrating Christmas.

One reason is the way that worldliness has taken over. The airwaves, whilst being filled with carols that convey wonderful truths about the birth of the Saviour of the world, have become (to many people) like the masterpiece that has blended with the wallpaper on the wall where it is hung: no more than a pleasant backdrop - background music to the shopping spree.

A second reason is that many Christians have retraced their theological steps to the Jewish roots of the faith and have found that Christmas never was a biblical feast, but a remodelling of a pagan festival of winter solstice worship of the sun (not the Son!). A natural consequence of this would seem to be, as in our day, an eventual reversion to these pagan roots – something Christians understandably want to avoid.

Bygone Blessings

I have been among the foremost of those who have highlighted the importance of returning to our Jewish roots, focussing our celebrations on the biblical timetable in step with the Jewish world and thereby not partaking in an unscriptural religion.

Yet I also come from the generation who were children in the post-war years, brought up in a nation where Christmas did centralise the birth of Jesus. Children today would not easily understand how our families and communities those years ago focussed their thoughts more on the Nativity than on the TV, the food and the presents.

There are a couple of possible reasons for a Christian to be against celebrating Christmas.

Yes, we had presents and yes, we had a celebratory festive meal (the one and only time in the year when our family had a chicken lunch!) and some treats to follow - but just a few presents and many of us made our own decorations. When we broke up from school for the holidays, it was with the Bible passages describing the birth of Jesus in our mind, strengthened by the words of the carols we sang. We had the clear sense that the blessings of our family times were a consequence of our celebration of Jesus' birth – we weren’t thinking about the winter solstice and pagan worship. Our national culture had grown to have a different emphasis.

One cannot ignore such rich blessings from the Lord. But neither can one deny that Jesus was not born on 25 December, that the wise men did not visit him on the same day as the shepherds, and all the other myriad mistakes that are made with the ‘Christmas story’. So how do we approach Christmas this year, whilst working (in God's timing, which may be different from ours) to take the worldliness out of our celebrations and relocate them rightly on the biblical calendar?

Positive Changes

My personal answer is to ensure that any adjustments made to our celebrations are made in a positive way, in recognition of what Jesus has done. We do no good in our Christian witness to give a negative message to the world. There is still plenty of opportunity for our Christian witness at Christmas to have a positive effect on many people around us.

My own approach is - in moderation, and remembering past blessings - to still enjoy many of the carols, to wish my friends a happy (not necessarily merry!) Christmas, and to remember that although the Lord told us to remember his death until he comes, he was born as a human being - something to celebrate on any day of the year.

My personal answer is to ensure that any changes to our celebrations are made in a positive way.

Meanwhile, I believe that the Lord is reminding us of his design of the yearly cycle of the Feasts (the three main ones being Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) so that in time we will re-calibrate our years in step with these rhythms. But in his time. I believe we will have readjusted to this before Jesus returns, but to force the pace would be wrong and may even take away from the beauty and significance of these Feasts.

Remember what Paul taught in Romans 14:5, Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. Some will get there quicker than others, but let us be patient and persuasive rather than judgmental. And in these days of transition, let us still seek to bless our friends by saying, ‘Have a happy Christmas’ - and really mean it.

European nations pay for defiance of God’s plan

As Christmas draws near, the gloomy prospects of Brexit proposals are somewhat overshadowing the bright lights of Britain.

Virtual civil war has broken out within the ranks of the political class, but there is a general blindness to the real cause of our troubles, which lies with our relationship – not with Europe – but with Israel.

Nations are trying to tamper with God’s dwelling-place on earth and are suffering serious injury as a result.

As writer and theologian Frank Booth reminded me, after Donald Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2017 in recognition of the obvious, European leaders May, Macron and Merkel joined the voices raised against the decision. Look at them now!

Zechariah 12:3 says: “I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock [or heavy stone] for the nations; all who try to move it will injure [or grievously hurt] themselves.”

And Booth asks: “How can anyone who knows the slightest thing about the history of Israel deny Jerusalem as her natural historic capital?”

Signs of the Times

In the bleak midwinter, a popular carol, seems an apt description of the view ahead of us in the UK. But the hymn should also remind us of what life is really about, especially of how – 2,000 years on – we are still profoundly affected by the Christ child who came into the world to save us from our sin.

Bethlehem may have been his birthplace, but Jerusalem – just six miles away – was and is the key to the world’s future. It was there that our Lord died as the perfect sacrifice for sins, where he rose from the dead three days later, where he subsequently ascended to Heaven after appearing to more than 500 witnesses, and where he will return - probably in the very near future judging by the many signs of his coming already being fulfilled.

Nations are trying to tamper with God’s dwelling-place on earth and are suffering serious injury as a result.

The most obvious of these has been the re-birth and rise to prominence of the State of Israel, symbolised in the Bible as the fig tree (see Matthew 24:32-34). The blossoming of the fig tree has come about as a result of the return of Jews from every corner of the world to the land promised them some 4,000 years ago. All the world has witnessed this phenomenon, fulfilling an abundance of ancient prophecies (e.g. Jer 23:7f; Jer 31:16f; Ezek 36:24; Isa 43:5-7).

But as the scriptures also predicted, they would not be welcomed back to their homeland by their neighbours – hence the current upheaval in the Middle East.

So how does this affect the UK and why is this issue – and not Brexit – the source of our difficulties?

Britain’s Capitulation

Britain has been granted the inestimable privilege (by God himself and through international treaties) of facilitating Jewish repatriation. This was thanks to godly men like Wesley, Wilberforce and their evangelical successors, whose influence caused the Government of 1917, led by David Lloyd George, to issue a promise to do all it could to make this possible through what came to be known as the Balfour Declaration (signed by Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour).

Despite later reneging on this pledge and betraying the Jews – even refusing entry (to then British-controlled Palestine) to thousands of would-be immigrants trying to escape the Nazis – we at least got the ball rolling which enabled a reborn Israel to rise from the ashes of the ‘Valley of Dry Bones’ (Ezek 37) that was the Holocaust.

But as we kept caving in to Arab intimidation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict worsened and our great empire – on which the sun never set – began systematically to fall apart in direct fulfilment of Genesis 12:3, promising blessing to those who bless the seed of Abraham and cursing to those who don’t.

In addition, Joel 3:2 guarantees judgment on the nations that have scattered his people and divided up their land. All the talk now is of a ‘two-state solution’, carving up territory designated (both by God and international treaties) as belonging to the Jews.

Jerusalem the Key

Jerusalem is the key to all this. Plans for dividing the city into east and west in order to achieve peace are actually a recipe for further bloodshed, as Israel’s enemies want all of it.¹ The last great war, the Bible says, will be over the status of Jerusalem, not Europe or the Far East.

Australia’s lukewarm attempt to please both sides of the divide by only recognising West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and holding off acceptance of East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital until a two-state solution is found, will cut no ice with God, who spits such lack of commitment out of his mouth as English folk might do with tepid tea (see Rev 3:16).

Australia’s lukewarm attempt to please both sides of the divide will cut no ice with God, who spits such lack of commitment out of his mouth (Rev 3:16).

While this position might be seen as a step in the right direction, Australia’s Pentecostal Christian Prime Minister Scott Morrison should note what has happened to Britain, Germany and France since Donald Trump’s brave decision to move his embassy to Jerusalem.

Taking their cue from the politically correct secularists, May, Merkel and Macron defiantly refused to follow Trump’s example, and all three are now in grave difficulties.

Open warfare over Brexit threatens to bring further chaos to Britain including the distinct possibility of a Government led by Jeremy Corbyn, an ally of terrorist groups wishing to obliterate Israel and who shows no sign of lancing the boil of anti-Semitism within his party.

Merkel, meanwhile, has a fragile hold on power as Germans express great frustration with the problems caused by mass immigration, and deadly street riots – led by a movement reported to be grossly anti-Semitic – have erupted in Paris in protest at Macron’s ‘reforms’.

Reaping the Whirlwind

Such a triple calamity can be traced back, quite simply, to defiance of the God of Israel and of his commandments which have formed the basis of Western civilisation.

We are reaping the whirlwind of anti-Semitism and godlessness after shamefully turning our backs on the God who bought our redemption when his Son was brutally murdered in his very own city (Ps 48:1-3).

The Bible is clear that our security as nations and individuals depends on our attitude to Jesus, to the Jews and to Jerusalem (John 3:16; Gen 12:3; Ps 122:6).

References

1 See also Senior Palestinian negotiator: all of Jerusalem on table, World Israel News, 18 December 2018.

Dr Clifford Denton offers some thoughts.

These days there is much talk about hopes for revival, but the term has become ambiguous, ranging from expectation for spiritual manifestations in Christian congregations to an entire nation being called to repentance.

Ambiguity on this issue can make us vulnerable and even imprecise in our prayers. This is especially so when people do not exercise discernment: they can believe that any significant spiritual manifestation is an act of God, and fail to test whether false spirits are finding a doorway into assemblies and individual lives.

The word revival is used to describe what Ezra sought from God in the Babylonian captivity to bring order back to Israel, God’s covenant people, and to restore them (Ezra 9:8). This link to restoration is also found in Psalm 85, where the psalmist yearns for Judah to be brought back to order under the hand of God.

The word revival in ordinary English usage implies waking up, consciously returning to a right order. In this sense our prayers for revival in Britain today are rightly focussed on the waking up of the Christian community to their New Covenant relationships with God and one another, and on their greater empowering for ministry within the Church and out to the world.

‘Revival’ is a necessary help from God through His Holy Spirit, at times when our spiritual lights are dimming and when the world encroaches upon us, so that we might be that light to the world again.

A similar idea comes from Peter's exhortation in Solomon's Portico (Acts 3:11-26). He called his hearers to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, and to waiting as a community for the Lord Jesus' return: “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). In this period of earthly perseverance Peter spoke of times of refreshing coming from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). Undoubtedly Peter saw ahead to times when believers would need this spiritual refreshment to keep them alert and to be the continuing light to the world that Jesus expected, fulfilling the Great Commission.

Tying these things together we surely see that revival, as we choose to call it, is a necessary help from God through His Holy Spirit, at times when our spiritual lights are dimming and when the world encroaches upon us, so that we might be that light to the world again.

There have been times when such re-awakening at the hand of the Lord has spilled over into the nation, resulting in law changes, a multiplication of Church membership, a greater sense of the awe of God and a growth in the influence of the Christian community in the country at large. This was certainly the case at one time in Britain, and may yet be a possibility in the future. But revival is first an act of God among the assemblies of his covenant people, typified by repentance, new waves of prayer and study of the Bible. The exercising of spiritual gifts in the discipline of the Holy Spirit follows, but for service and not self-indulgence.

This week we also publish the first in a two-part critical review of ‘The Turning’, an outreach programme being rolled out across the country in the hopes of stimulating revival. Read it here.

We need to be honest about the root causes of our national problems.

In last week’s Editorial we said that successive Governments have undermined the central importance of marriage and family, thereby damaging the social stability of the nation. This is a major reason why we are now seeing so many children and young people who have no understanding of right and wrong and whose behaviour is uncontrollable. And this is why so many young people are dying on our city streets in a wave of knife crime, drugs and gang warfare.

20 years ago, I was working with Home Secretary Jack Straw MP, compiling a report to Members of Parliament on the health of the family in Britain. It was presented in July 1998 at a meeting in the Moses Room (appropriately) - with its great wall murals depicting Moses receiving the 10 Commandments.

Mr Straw promised a White Paper stressing the importance of measures to strengthen family and marriage in Britain. In a Green Paper, Supporting Families, he had correctly stated that marriage was the most reliable framework for raising children: but this caused dissension from LGBT members in the Cabinet which prevented him from issuing the White Paper or taking any concrete measure to support and strengthen married families.

The rallying cry of the secular humanists driving Government policy was “the family is not deteriorating, it is only changing”. They said that all kinds of family are of equal value. This was the beginning of Government policy focusing upon ‘equality’. Hence the value of the married couple family could not be taught in school in case a child from a single-parent family was made to feel inferior.

The rallying cry of the secular humanists driving Government policy was “the family is not deteriorating, it is only changing”. They said that all kinds of family are of equal value.

In defiance of all the evidence, children were taught what is now known as ‘alternative facts’ (laying the groundwork for ‘fake news’!). This was a milestone in the reshaping of Britain in accordance with secular humanist objectives.

Church and State Collude

At that time, the Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group recognised that child poverty, ill health, drug abuse, mental health problems and youth crime all stem from marriage failure and family breakdown. The evidence was said to be conclusive and incontrovertible, but ‘political correctness’ prevented the Government dealing with these root issues. In the Foreword to the Report The Cost of Family Breakdown it was stated:

Different sexual and child rearing lifestyles are decisively not ‘equal’ in the sense of ‘equality’ that is applied in all other areas of legislation; that is, ‘equal’ in their average results for good or harm on the present population and on generations to come.

Although the Report was received warmly by MPs on both sides of the House and in the Upper House, there was no change in Government policy. It was as though a veil was drawn over the eyes of politicians of all parties shielding them from the truth.

Worse was to come: at the time this report was published in July 2000, an Education Bill dealing with what pupils should be taught in school about sex and child-rearing was going through Parliament. A peer attempted to include Jack Straw’s statement in Supporting Families saying that “marriage is the most reliable framework for raising children”.

The Government fiercely opposed teaching children the truth that married families are the most reliable unit for raising children. There were extraordinary scenes in the Lords with the largest turnout of the session. No fewer than 234 peers voted against the Amendment, including nine bishops! It was a very tight vote and if the nine bishops had voted the other way it would have been carried. So, the Church of England’s representatives in Parliament voted against holy matrimony being taught to children in the schools of Great Britain!

In 2000, Church and State colluded to destroy family and marriage on one of the saddest days in our Parliamentary history.

Church and State colluded to destroy family and marriage on one of the saddest days in our Parliamentary history. Therefore, surely, in the sight of God, the Church of England must be held responsible for what we are now seeing on our city streets!

Veil of Deception

The veil of deception is still over the eyes of senior Church leaders today. I have seen evidence showing that the Bishop of Liverpool, a strong LGBTQ+ supporter, is using his power to prevent evangelical clerics from being appointed to Liverpool churches.

The Methodist Church has appointed a homosexual man as their National Director of Evangelism with the specific intention of creating more LGBTQ-friendly inclusivity; and the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster has banned evangelist David Hathaway from hiring it. He held a prayer meeting there last month but evidently said some things that were unpopular with some of the staff.

As I said in my recent book, The Reshaping of Britain,

The intensity of the great shaking of the nations is increasing rapidly. We may all soon be engulfed in a modern ‘Babylon’ of unbelievable intensity. But God is offering to Christians the most incredible opportunity, because only those who have put their trust in him will be able to stand and be overcomers.

Spiritual, Not Political

What we need to recognise is the hand of God in the deepening national crisis! Truth being upturned in the public square, confusion over Brexit, violence on the streets, soaring mental health problems, public institutions on the verge of collapse: all speak of a nation under judgment – both Church and State.

We have turned the word of God upside-down and he is saying, “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” (Isa 5:20-21).

We need to recognise the hand of God in our deepening national crisis!

As the Brexit crisis deepens and the confusion among politicians increases, we have to recognise that there are no political solutions to our problems, because they are primarily spiritual.

The cleverest politicians in the land will not solve the present crises! The only solution – the only way forward for the nation – is repentance and turning to the word of God. If we do this, whether we have a deal OR no deal, God will reach out and restore peace and prosperity to Britain. But if we simply continue as we are today, the result can only be catastrophe.

The People’s Vote

The people of Britain are being offered a choice at this astonishing juncture in our national history. This is the true ‘people’s vote’!! Joshua presented the same choice to the people of Israel: “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Josh 24:15). To the people of Britain, the choice is whether we will serve ourselves, and the pagan gods of the European Union, or the God of the Bible who has preserved us and so richly blessed our forefathers in times past.

To Christians in Britain, the choice is whether we will stand up and declare the truth, or stay silent. The good news is that it is always in times when God shakes the nations that the greatest opportunities for evangelism are presented.

Two books on the Hebrew language.

Chaim Bentorah is a teacher of biblical Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic from the Chicago area. We review two of his books below.

Chris Foster reviews ‘Hebrew Word Study’ by Chaim Bentorah (Whitaker House, 2016)

On walking into any Christian bookshop, one will come across numerous devotional books with all sorts of slants. When I first saw the Hebrew Word Study, I was sceptical that this would be any different from or better than others. The size of it, and the cost (I bought my copy for just under £20 from Amazon), would normally be enough to put me off. But it had been recommended to me by someone who had spoken about the joys of the Hebrew language, and I was intrigued by the thought that delving into it could “reveal the heart of God”.

Indeed, Bentorah believes that “If we take the time to study the Hebrew language, we can see the true beauty of God’s word and come to know God and His heart in a much deeper way.”

So I bought the book and started reading. Within a few pages I knew that the title was justified in claiming to reveal at least a little of the heart of God - and I was engrossed.

Exploring Roots and Meanings

In each of the 90 studies, the author starts with a verse from the Bible, takes a key word or phrase, and looks at the original Hebrew word that has been translated into English. He then explores the root and various meanings of the Hebrew word, which often don’t make it through into the English translation. He looks at other passages where this word is used in the scriptures to compare and contrast. Then, finally, he revisits the passage he started with, illuminating it further using some of the meanings he has drawn out of the Hebrew.

If you are looking for a book that will take you into the riches of the scriptures without you having to learn Hebrew, this is a good place to start.

As an example, in one study (p145) we read Psalm 27:5: “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion”. We find that the word translated ‘trouble’ (ra’) is related to the word which David used for 'shepherd' (ra’ah) in Psalm 23:1 when he wrote “The Lord is my shepherd”. How can this be? Bentorah goes on to explore this in some detail, relating it to the trouble one feels when one’s shepherds let one down.

Positive and Uplifting

In each chapter, the author draws out meanings that are positive and uplifting. The studies are not set out in any particular order, so the book could be read every day as a three-month devotional series, or more sporadically. There is a Hebrew-English and English-Hebrew index at the back, as well as a glossary of terms.

One doesn’t need to have learnt Hebrew to read this book (though it may possibly deepen one’s understanding to have a grasp of Hebrew letters). The author takes the reader through step by step, so it is not at all difficult to read. If you are looking for a book that will take you into the riches of the scriptures without you having to learn Hebrew, this is a good place to start.

‘Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God’ (448pp, hardback) is available from Amazon for £19.34. Also on Kindle.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Learning God’s Love Language’ (True Potential Inc, 2018).

This book is described as a guide to personal Hebrew word study and can be seen as a companion to Bentorah’s previous Hebrew Word Study devotional.

The complexity of the Hebrew language means that each word can have a wide range of meanings; any book which can help us to navigate through this variety of renderings is to be welcomed, especially if, as the author claims, he has written for individuals “regardless of his or her educational background, cultural experience or level of spiritual maturity” (p11).

Warning: Esoteric Influence

However, a warning should be sounded here as Bentorah states his intention to take us beyond the words and into the “ancient rabbinical esoteric meanings behind each letter of the Hebrew alphabet” (p12). Indeed, the bulk of the book is dedicated to a letter-by-letter exploration in which the author stretches each Hebrew letter into the realm of the enigmatic and cryptic. These rather dubious extensions at times seem fanciful and even rather worrying.

Bentorah explains that he draws from numerous ancient Jewish sources, admitting that “Some information does come from the mystical books of the Kabbalah” (p39). He adds that he does not embrace Kabbalistic teachings and has studied them only as “a reference to develop my skills with the Aramaic and not to gain any spiritual insights” (p39), but this nevertheless may still be off-putting for some, and may rather contradict his claim to appeal to readers regardless of spiritual maturity. Certainly discernment is needed here.

Bentorah’s esoteric leanings rather contradict his claim to appeal to readers regardless of spiritual maturity – certainly discernment is needed here.

His foray into the murky numerical world of Gematria must also be read with caution. While this topic is certainly worth exploring, the author insists that “words with the same numerical value are in some way related” and could be the basis for fruitful meditation. Again, he is wanting to draw as much as he can from what he sees as a legitimate practice by the Jewish people who are the guardians of the ancient Hebrew language. He states that Gematria “has evolved over many generations of Jewish mysticism” but considers “their insights to be of great value” (p111). However, some of his examples left me floundering.

Some Valuable Information

Having said all that, there are some other sections outside of these central pages that are worthy of consideration: for instance, those on Jewish literature, the history of the Hebrew alphabet, and issues involved in translating from Semitic languages. The book provides very useful information in these areas.

The author, a Gentile who adopted a Jewish pseudonym, clearly enjoys exploring the delights and intricacies of what he calls ‘God’s love language’. Once you understand where his studies have led him then it is possible to make use of his ideas and decide how far to follow him.

‘Learning God’s Love Language: A Guide to Personal Hebrew Word Study’ (160pp, paperback) is available from Amazon for £11.54. Also on Kindle.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Israel’s Anointing’ by Sandra Teplinsky (Chosen Books, 2008).

Sandra Teplinsky’s book ‘Why Still Care About Israel’ was reviewed previously on Prophecy Today and highly recommended. Now we feature her other main book of this kind, ‘Israel’s Anointing’.

The book, subtitled ‘Your Inheritance and End-Time Destiny through Israel’, aims to prepare God’s people for the closing events of this age (and beyond) by providing insights into God’s heart and purpose for Israel and how these apply to us personally as individual believers in Jesus.

Messianic Understanding

In the author’s own words, “the chapters build on each other, taking us from the ancient paths into the prophetic future” (p17).

Two of the chapters focus on single books – Ruth and Song of Songs, respectively. Chapter 3 uses the story of Ruth to illustrate the mystery of Jew and Gentile as ‘one new man’ and the recent unprecedented move of the Spirit, destined to increase in the coming years, that is causing a “global rejoining of Gentile to Jewish believers in Messiah” (p40). Chapter 4 features the Song of Songs to emphasise that Jesus is coming for a Bride.

The next two chapters are particularly impressive as Teplinsky explores two key themes, Sabbath rest and Torah. The chapter on the Sabbath contains many useful insights. Rather than just being a repeat of familiar arguments, we are given a feel for the importance and potential impact of a Sabbath rest.

Teplinsky aims to prepare God’s people for the closing events of this age by providing insights into God’s heart and purpose for Israel and how these apply to us personally.

Her explanation of the role of Torah is one of the highlights of the book. Here is a brilliant exposition set within the context of the covenants. The level of understanding that comes through these pages is perhaps one that only a Messianic Jew can provide.

The Physical and the Spiritual

Chapter 8, ‘From Zion’s Battlegrounds’, is a fascinating description of the military pressures and battles that Israel faces, especially over Jerusalem. Teplinsky’s proposition is that we can only properly understand the physical warfare once we have grasped the nature and intensity of satan’s heavenly rebellion against the God of Israel.

She convincingly explores the link between what Israel has to face on the ground and what the Church faces in terms of spiritual warfare. “The Israeli Defence Forces have been called to fight battles in the natural that both prefigure and reflect battles the Church is called to fight in the supernatural” (p136). As Christians often don’t see these supernatural battles or feel called to engage in them, they remain largely unaware of the real aspects of ‘Zion’s battlegrounds’.

One interesting extra detail is Teplinsky’s link between the role of women in the IDF and that of women in the Church as intercessors. Whatever reaction this might cause amongst her readers, the whole chapter is nevertheless well expressed and thought out.

Encouragement to Stand Firm

In later chapters Teplinsky focuses on aspects of Jesus’ return and its aftermath. She maintains a steady position based upon a straightforward reading of the biblical texts. Jesus will set up a Messianic Millennial Kingdom in line with that of his role as the fulfiller of the Davidic covenant. Righteousness and peace will ensue and the earth will be progressively restored.

Teplinsky’s proposition is that we can only properly understand the physical warfare once we have grasped the nature and intensity of satan’s heavenly rebellion against the God of Israel.

The planet will be in tremendous need of rehabilitation after the havoc wreaked by the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation, and “resurrected saints will play a thrilling role in overseeing the millennial operation” (p166). Without trying to explain every detail of this, we are simply encouraged to stand firm to the end in order to have a part in this eternal destiny.

The book concludes with an extensive bibliography, end notes and index. Overall it succeeds in its aim of providing insights into God’s purposes for Israel and how individual believers can engage with this. It will enable both Gentile and Jewish believers to grow in maturity and come together as ‘one new man’ in Messiah.

'Israel’s Anointing' (215 pages, paperback) is available from Amazon for £7.99.

How Britain began to unite into one nation, under God.

Last week, Clifford Denton reminded us that God blessed Britain very early on with the arrival of the Gospel to our shores perhaps not a century after Jesus walked the earth.

Thanks particularly to Roman Christians who travelled here as part of Rome’s settlement of the island (AD 43-410),¹ the Gospel began its work of conversion amongst the pagan Celtic tribes. But Britain remained a patchwork of warring tribes and religions, with no central government. Then, c.410, the Romans abandoned the island.

This week, we fast-forward through faithful persons in our island’s history who, overseen by divine grace, together established Britain as one nation, united under the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Early Missions

After the Romans abandoned ‘Britannia’, British Christianity did not die out, but spread independently and developed its own distinctive flavour. But the soon arrival of Anglo-Saxon invaders pushed the fledgling Church to the western fringes of the island complex – to Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

A depiction of Augustine of Canterbury preaching to Æthelberht of Kent. JWE Doyle, 1864.

While the Gospel continued to spread here thanks to the efforts of devoted missionaries like Patrick (who was converted at 16 through dreams and visions from the Lord), Columba and Aidan, England was subsumed under Germanic pagan rule until the late 6^th Century. But God did not forget England nor its history of faith.

In 597, at the direction of Pope Gregory I,² a troop of 40 intrepid monks led by a prior called Augustine arrived on the shores of Kent. These missionaries reportedly almost bottled out on their way from Italy, halting in Germany and nearly turning back but for further encouragement from Rome. Mercifully, they found the courage to continue to Britain, where they were received favourably by Anglo-Saxon King Æthelberht, himself a pagan, but influenced by his Frankish Christian wife Bertha. This oft-forgotten duo, moved by the Father’s hand, opened the gate for the Gospel to be brought back to England, permitting preaching and funding the building of churches.

Anglo-Saxon King Æthelberht and his Christian wife Bertha, moved by the Father’s hand, opened the gate for the Gospel to be brought back to England.

What followed was the remarkable conversion of almost the entirety of Anglo-Saxon England – still then split into warring tribes – within the space of a generation. Britain saw pagan kings as well as thousands upon thousands of ordinary people converted and baptised, with no force or bloodshed. The genuineness of these conversions may have varied, but certainly biblical living and thinking came to define the tribal monarchies of Britain in extraordinary ways.

This was particularly the case for the kings of Wessex, such as Ine and Alfred, who started to integrate inspiration from Scripture into codes of laws from the late 7^th Century onwards. Alfred the Great’s legal code was prefixed with the Ten Commandments and it was Alfred who really laid the foundation for state laws grounded in Christian ethics, applied evenly to rich and poor and even to relationships with enemies (he famously baptised the invading Vikings rather than slaughtering them).

By the Lord’s direction, it was the house of Wessex which eventually prevailed across the land and united England from regional tribal kingdoms into one nation, under God.³

The ‘Dark Ages’

It is from these centuries that we derive our historic close relationship between Church and state, which can be dated right back to the early discipleships established between the Gregorian missionaries and the Anglo-Saxon kings. But for God’s unfathomable grace, those missionaries might have stopped in Germany, or the kings may not have welcomed them, or the Viking invaders may have triumphed, and things would have turned out very differently.

Yet, it is easy to romanticise and smooth out this period of Britain’s history. Paganism still persisted, arguments erupted between the Roman missionaries and the ‘native’ Church, and undoubtedly clergy became embroiled in royal power play. Nevertheless, the so-called ‘Dark Ages’ were actually marked by an extraordinary spread of the Gospel by missionaries who were as concerned for the fate of ordinary souls as for those of kings.

In the process, the Christian faith became inseparably intertwined with the development of a new nation. Biblical beliefs and ethics clearly influenced nascent codes of law, integrating into Britain’s early political culture Judeo-Christian principles of justice and mercy. Surely Almighty God was overseeing all of this.

The so-called ‘Dark Ages’ were actually marked by an extraordinary spread of the Gospel.

Speaking Truth to Power

After 1066, when the Anglo-Saxon elites were deposed by the Norman conquest, God made sure that England’s budding legal and administrative system was not tossed aside, but kept and gradually institutionalised by royal charters.⁴ Many of our major cathedrals were built, as well as Oxford and later Cambridge (both as religious schools). But these centuries were also flavoured by a corruption of both Church and state, civil unrest at home, power struggles abroad and tension with the papacy in Rome, which by then had become supremely dominant in Europe.

Under Norman rule, the Church became sought after for its wealth and political influence. However, God did not give Britain over to corruption, but chose this time to raise up reform movements calling for justice, greater autonomy for the Church from royal influence and greater independence for England from Rome.

John Wycliffe, Washington National Cathedral. The text is a variant of 2 Timothy 2:4: "No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer." See Photo Credits.It was against this backdrop that Bishop Stephen Langton led a protest movement of local landowners to pressure King John to sign the Magna Carta, which he did in 1215. In doing so, Langton raised the ire of both King and Pope, since Magna Carta checked the powers of the monarchy and represented a rebellion against Rome. However, crucially, it established protections and liberties for the Church and for ordinary citizens, laying a firm and just foundation for English statute law and later inspiring the US Constitution. Thanks to Stephen Langton, Magna Carta not only applied biblical ethics, but also gave glory to God, proving to be a foundational document in the establishment of Britain as a truly Christian nation.

Nevertheless, while Magna Carta guaranteed important freedoms, it did not prevent the continued corruption of the Church from power and wealth. Less than a century after Magna Carta was inscribed into English statute law by Edward I (who was also, less wonderfully, responsible for expelling Britain’s Jewish population in 1290), the Lord raised up a powerful prophetic figure in the form of Yorkshire scholar and dissident John Wycliffe.

Wycliffe’s writings vociferously attacked the pomp and corruption of the clergy. His criticisms of Roman Catholicism – he has been dubbed the ‘morning star’ of the English Reformation⁵ - brought him into constant conflict with the established Church.⁶ However, Wycliffe had the support of many priests and itinerant preachers who ministered outside of the institutional Church in a sort of non-conformist exile, suffering poverty in order to preach the Gospel to ordinary people. In Wycliffe, the faithful remnant around the nation found a spokesperson raised up by God to protest the ways in which British Christianity departed from the truths of Scripture.

In Wycliffe, the faithful remnant around the nation found a spokesperson raised up by God to protest the ways in which British Christianity departed from the truths of Scripture.

In fact, convinced of the centrality of the Bible as God’s revealed truth to all men, Wycliffe set about translating it from Latin into English, completing the project in the 1380s. And so, God chose this time and this man to make his word available to the masses, who before had been beholden to priests and unable to study Scripture for themselves.

Though the death penalty was eventually levied against those found in possession of an English Bible, Wycliffe jump-started the nation’s journey towards Protestantism which, according to Professor Linda Colley, “was the foundation that made the invention of Great Britain possible”.⁷

Faithful Servants

Æthelberht, Bertha, Augustine, Patrick, Columba, Aidan, Ine, Alfred, Stephen Langton, John Wycliffe…Britain’s Christian heritage is a wonderful and complex fabric made up of the faithful service of individuals guided by the Lord’s hand. These servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, many now forgotten or side-lined in historical accounts, were used powerfully of God to bear the truths of the Gospel to this land, into its laws and culture, and into the hearts and minds of its people.

As we look over the broad expanse of our history, whether we understand it fully or not, we witness the hand of God at work and the Spirit brooding over our nation. Surely it was not on account of our own righteousness, but on account of the Lord’s grace, that Britain was established over the centuries under the stabilising influence of the Bible, with freedom given to the sharing of the Gospel, and with faithful men and women being raised up to hold our institutions to account.

Next week: The establishing of biblical laws.

Notes

1 As well as archaeological remains of church buildings, Roman villa chapels have been uncovered, suggesting that house churches were alive and well in Roman Britain. See John Bradley’s The Mansion House of Liberty: The untold story of Christian Britain (2015, Roperpenberthy).

2 According to the Venerable Bede, Gregory had been moved by the sight of Anglo-Saxon boys being sold as slaves in the Roman marketplace, and resolved to send a mission to their place of origin. If this is true, how much we have to thank the Lord for arranging this encounter and moving the heart of the future pope.

3 This is generally attributed to Alfred’s grandson, Æthelstan, who also outlawed paganism in 927 and arranged for the Bible to be translated into Anglo-Saxon (Old English).

4 E.g. William II (1093), Henry I (1100).

5 Michael, E, 2003. John Wyclif on body and mind. Journal of the History of Ideas, p343.

6 Wycliffe distinguished between the visible, institutional Church and the true, redeemed Body of Christ, just as we would today.

7 Britons: Forging the Nation: 1707-1837. 1992, revised 2009, Yale University Press.

A selection of books to see you through August.

In case you are going to be relaxing poolside this August or just enjoying some extra spare time, here are a few recommended books to keep you company. Please see the base of each review for purchasing details.

‘Praying Like the Jew, Jesus: Recovering the Ancient Roots of New Testament Prayer’ by Timothy P Jones (Lederer Books, 2005)

In this delightful book, author, professor and pastor Timothy Jones opens our eyes to the Jewish background of the prayers of Jesus. Jones, author of many textbooks, professor of biblical languages and senior pastor of a Baptist church in Oklahoma, is well-qualified to explain the customs and traditions behind our Lord’s prayers and uncover the beauty and power of his prayer life.

This is a book that will inspire you to pray but also help you understand the true nature of prayer and of God himself.

With the help of historical vignettes and careful research, we are transported back to the historical Jewish world of Jesus, so that we gain wonderful insights into that world by studying his prayers (or, in the case of the first two chapters, the prayers of others around him ahead of his birth and during his early life).

Each of the ten chapters follows a similar structural pattern so you know what to expect and so the book could easily be taken a chapter at a time. Each begins with an imaginative re-telling of an event from Jesus’ life, weaving the original context of his prayers into the biblical stories in order to help you not only study the prayers but also experience their fuller meaning.

At the end of each chapter there is a meditation for readers to apply the lessons to their own lives, considering how God hears and relates to us. The endnotes are excellent and there is a usual glossary for the reader unfamiliar with the Jewish terms Jones uses.

If prayer is like breathing, then this book is “designed to help readers ‘breathe deeply’ as they enter into prayer” (Foreword, p.vi). Do read this book – it will inspire, bless and challenge you.

Maureen Trowbridge and Paul Luckraft

‘Praying Like the Jew, Jesus’ (122pp) is available very cheaply on Amazon. Kindle version is £5.86.

‘The Left’s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Anti-Semitism’ by Dave Rich (Biteback Publishing, 2016, revised 2018)

If you are looking for a highly topical book that will help you understand a central crisis in modern British politics, we highly recommend Dave Rich’s exploration of left-wing Jew-hatred. Associate Research Fellow at the Pears Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism, Birkbeck College (University of London), Rich works for the Community Security Trust, briefing MPs, civil servants and police officers about anti-Semitism. Though he is not a believer, his insights into this phenomenon are well worth reading.

Beginning with a brief history of how the Labour Party transformed from the party of the working class to a mainly middle-class party championing identity politics, Rich demonstrates how Labour totally reversed its position on Israel in the space of a decade or two, from steadfast support to outright loathing.

Subsequent chapters trace this transformation through to the present day, including more recent alliances between the left-wing and Islam (much as Melanie Phillips does in her book ‘The World Turned Upside-Down’). Rich also exposes how the ideological left has adopted a radically wrong view of the Holocaust.

His research, originally a PhD project begun in 2011, is here brought further up-to-date and made suitable for a general readership. A 2018 update is promised in September covering the many high-profile developments that have taken place since the book was first published.

If the presence of virulent anti-Semitism within a so-called ‘anti-racist’ Party has taken you by surprise, or if you are aware that Corbyn is simply a symptom of a much longer-standing problem but are unsure why, this book is for you.

Paul Luckraft and Frances Rabbitts

The 2016 version of ‘The Left’s Jewish Problem’ (352pp) is available from the publisher for £12.99 (paperback) or from Amazon Kindle for £8.54. Read an interview with the author here.

The 2018 version is available for pre-order for £12.99 (paperback) or £10 (Kindle) – to be released in early September.

‘Left to Their Own Devices: Confident Parenting in a World of Screens’ by Katharine Hill (Muddy Pearl, 2017). With Foreword by Rob Parsons OBE.

In this clever, refreshing book, lawyer, writer and present Director of Care for the Family UK Katharine Hill explores the impact of a decade of the digital world on the younger generation.

Member of the Board of the International Commission for Couples and Family Matters, Hill is married with grown-up children and is also a well-known public speaker and columnist for a local newspaper.

In 15 chapters and a poignant epilogue, she “skilfully and sensitively tackles a thorny subject with razor sharp insight and unremitting authenticity” (Dr Samantha Callum, family policy expert), aiming her writing particularly at those involved in parenting, teaching and youth work. Practical advice is given on issues like screen time, social media and consumer culture, as well as more serious issues like cyber-bullying, grooming and pornography, making this an invaluable handbook for parents who not only want to ‘cope’ with today’s digital challenges but face them confidently. Over 20 cartoons provide a gestalt complement. For those wishing to explore these ‘thorny issues’ further, a helpful index is provided.

I recommend this important, timely book without reservation, as being of exceptional value.

M. Paul Rogoff

‘Left to Their Own Devices’ (143pp, paperback) is available from the publisher for £9.99. Also available from Care for the Family and Amazon. Watch an interview with the author here.

‘The Bible’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ by David Hamshire (Faithbuilders Christian Books, 2018)

This short booklet (40 pages in length) follows on from two others by the same author, whose themes are all linked to the number seven: ‘Seven Days of Creation’ and ‘Seven Feasts of the Lord’. Whilst these previous two studies are on central and accepted themes, the exploration of how the number seven relates to wisdom (using Proverbs 9:1-6) breaks new ground.

The number seven binds much of Scripture together so, on the one hand, it is likely to have significance in ways yet to be found. However, on the other hand, the concept can be forced too far and become speculative. For this reason, I approached this particular study with caution. I did, nevertheless, find it well-written and thought-provoking.

I am not yet unconvinced that it leans more towards the speculative than the authoritative, but I can nevertheless recommend it as a good stimulus for study, especially in small interactive groups.

Clifford Denton

‘The Bible’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ is available from Christian Publications International for £9 inc. P&P, where you can also find more information and an extract from the Foreword.

‘More Drops: Mystery, Mercy, Messiology’ by George Verwer (CWR, 2015)

George Verwer met the Lord in 1955 in Madison Square Gardens, New York listening to Billy Graham, and started a life dedicated to evangelism. At the Moody Bible Institute, he learned that every student has to be an evangelist - for him, first in Mexico, where he married, and then in over 90 nations.

In 1962, Verwer formed Operation Mobilisation (OM), one of the most impactful mission agencies of the last half-century, known for its unrelenting preaching of the Gospel and its social action in Gospel-resistant countries like India, Nepal and the UK. From the 1970s, he obtained a series of ships named Logos to bring the Gospel to millions in coastal regions of the world.

2015 celebrated 60 years of this continuing passion. ‘More Drops’ (one of nine books by Verwer) is written in an auto-biographical style and is alive with refreshing honesty and pace, always giving God the glory through many successes and failures. Verwer’s reflection that most of what we touch includes messy situations (hence his term ‘Messiology’) - including theology, church life, leadership and people (!) – is followed up with the insight that God does wonderful things through the mess.

This is a book alive with the boldness and passion of its author, who lived to share Christ with as many people as he could. Helpfully, More Drops also recommends personal reading of nearly 50 other books, all classic works of Christian living, though Verwer always advocated getting into the word of God first and foremost, and allowing the Lord to transform your life from there.

Greg Stevenson

‘More Drops’ (136pp) is available from Amazon for £6.99 (paperback) or £6.64 (Kindle). Also available is the ‘George for Real’ DVD, a fast-moving, highly personal, encouraging and challenging story of a man on fire for the Lord and his Gospel. Highly recommended.

A world shaken by earthquakes and violence can soon expect the Prince of Peace

As the Western world wobbles, rumblings of earthquakes are sending out worrying signals in Israel. The two are connected, I believe.

A quick succession of quakes have rocked parts of Galilee, significantly the region where Jesus lived and conducted much of his earth-shaking ministry which changed the world forever.

He warned that his coming again would be preceded by a number of signs including strange weather patterns – and particularly an increase in earthquakes comparable to the onset of birth pains on a pregnant woman (Matt 24:7f). As they become more frequent and severe, we will know his coming is near.

It so happens that a very big one is due in Israel, according to geologists. When a 6.5 magnitude quake struck Galilee in 1837, it killed up to 7,000 people.¹

The Prophet Zechariah actually predicts that a devastating quake will accompany the return of the Messiah to Jerusalem. So we could be witnessing the closing stages of the present age. Are we ready to face the Judge of all mankind? Are we presiding over righteous laws?

The Bible Criminalised

Here in Britain, freedoms won at great cost are being jettisoned in favour of a new intolerance of those who hold the biblical views on which the country’s great institutions were founded.

You couldn’t make it up, but a man was arrested for reading the Bible outside St Paul’s Cathedral (apparently at the instigation of staff there)² where, nearly 500 years ago, the Bishop of London burnt copies of the Bible in protest at the effrontery of William Tyndale in daring to translate God’s word into a language we could all understand (i.e. not Latin). Tyndale was later burnt at the stake, with St Paul’s staff again implicated in this travesty of justice.

We could be witnessing the closing stages of the present age. Are we ready to face the Judge of all mankind?

The man recently arrested was simply reading aloud the King James Bible, virtually the same as the one for which Tyndale was martyred – 80% of the King James New Testament is Tyndale’s work.

It would seem that this incident is related to a case in Bristol early last year concerning the arrest of a street preacher when a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer told magistrates that publicly quoting from the King James Bible “in the context of modern British society must be considered to be abusive and is a criminal matter”.

It is against this background that Christian charity Barnabas Fund is campaigning to ‘Turn the Tide’ against the erosion of religious freedom and calling for a new law to protect it.

Violence and Chaos

Before returning from a visit to the capital earlier this week, I picked up a copy of the London Evening Standard³ and was greeted with the front page headline ‘How do we turn the tide?’ – referring to the latest teenage victim of the violence which has swept the city in recent months.

This is another sign of the end times. For Jesus also said: “Just as it was in the days of Noah [which were marked by violence], so will it be in the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:26).

As the paper launched a special investigation into its causes, they are discovering – surprise, surprise – that its roots lie in what police call ‘adverse child experiences’ (ACEs). In other words, in the home, which is what many of us have been saying for decades.

The home is the breeding ground either for good or for evil, which is why it is so important for legislators to place the welfare of the family above all else. But instead the family is under severe attack from all sides.

But there is hope, according to a recent survey⁴ which found, among other things, that teenagers now enjoy spending more time with family. It certainly seems that they are crying out for meaning and purpose; for something bigger than themselves.

The home is the breeding ground either for good or for evil.

Suicide is another big killer among the young, fuelled in part by the superficial hedonism encouraged by the media which soon enough leaves its victims feeling empty and worthless. Violence is even perpetrated on a massive scale in the so-called interests of ‘health’ – nine million babies have been butchered before birth since the Abortion Act was passed more than 50 years ago. And we call ourselves civilised.

Peace, or War?

In addressing the protest against President Trump’s visit to Britain, Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “I wish to live in a world of peace, not of war.”⁵ Quite apart from the hypocrisy of such a statement from someone who has referred to terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah as ‘friends’ and has failed to effectively deal with anti-Semitism in his own party, it betrays extreme naivety. After all, Mr Trump managed to get the world’s most feared dictator to the negotiating table. Was that not a gesture of peace?

Yes, we all want peace, and it is possible, but only through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Yet there is a paradox here which needs to be understood. Jesus came as the long prophesied Prince of Peace (see Isa 9:6) who would ultimately bring war to an end at his second appearance when people “will beat their swords into ploughshares” (Isa 2:4).

But he also came as one who divides. “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt 10:34). This was a warning that choosing him would cause division even among families because he stands as the ultimate test of whether you are for or against God. He is God come in the flesh. Those who are for God choose him; those who are against God reject him, leaving them as enemies of both God and his disciples.

Jesus came as the long prophesied Prince of Peace who will ultimately bring war to an end, but he also came as one who divides.

And yet he has bridged the gap between sinful man and a holy God by taking the punishment for sin we all deserve. God the Father has heaped all our sins on him so that we can enter his presence free of sin, and at peace with both God and man.

In addition, the barrier of hostility between Jew and Gentile has been broken at the cross where Jesus died; that is where you will find true peace among men. It is no fairy-tale; I have seen both Jew and Arab embracing one another in reconciliation through their common love for Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, after discovering what he has done for them at the Cross (see Eph 2:14-18).

True Security

Meanwhile, as Israeli residents – especially in Galilee – watch out for further ground movements with a degree of trepidation, we are reminded of what the Prophet Haggai reports the Lord Almighty as saying: “In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations [the Messiah] will come, and I will fill this house with glory” (Hag 2:6f).

The New Testament Letter to the Hebrews reminds its hearers of this word, adding: “The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain” (Heb 12:26f).

The world around us is tottering. But are we secure? Are we living in a world which cannot be shaken because of our absolute trust in the Lord?

Notes

1 Jerusalem News Network, 9 July 2018, quoting the Jerusalem Post. 

2 Barnabas Fund, 10 July 2018.

3 17 July 2018.

4 Conducted by British Pregnancy Advisory Service.

5 Daily Mail, 14 July 2018.

Same-sex marriage and the Church.

There is increasing pressure for the Church to adopt the secular world’s agenda and to ‘show love’ by agreeing to conduct same-sex marriages and show unequivocal support for LGBTQ+ people.

The LGBT agenda has already infiltrated the mainstream media and is increasingly directing Government policy, while any opposition is considered both unjust and immoral. Worryingly, this is extending forcefully into education where OFSTED is now penalising schools that do not teach LGBTQ+ lifestyles as ‘normal’.

No bastion of our society is exempt from this relentless onslaught, including the Established Church, where there are already determined efforts afoot to get it to accept same-sex marriage, following the examples of the Episcopal Churches in the USA and Scotland. As anticipated, the legalising of same-sex marriage in 2013 was the thin end of the wedge – and clauses allowing the Church’s right to opt out on grounds of conscience were never a final guarantee of safety.

Enormous Pressure to Succumb

Although the official policy of the Church of England is that same-sex marriage should not be performed in Anglican churches, some churches already offer services of blessing following civil ceremonies (indeed, the Diocese of Hereford has put forward a proposal that the Church should produce a formal liturgy for these services).

The General Synod has so far toed the official line, although it recently rejected a report upholding the traditional teaching on marriage and, last year, ‘sadness’ was expressed at discipline that had to be meted out on the Scottish Episcopal Church for its decision to flout the current rules.¹

There seems little doubt that the issue will be pushed repeatedly in Synod until opposition gives way. Earlier this year a Government Minister castigated the Church of England for not sanctioning same-sex marriage. Unless Bible-believing Christians wake up and call the Church of England to account, it will likely succumb to the enormous pressure – indeed, many bishops are already in favour.

Unless Bible-believing Christians wake up and call the Church of England to account, it will likely succumb to the enormous pressure.

The recent Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) resulted in a letter being written urging the Archbishop of Canterbury to speak the truth about the Gospel and sexuality - but Justin Welby gives the impression of striving for unity above all else, including biblical truth.Already, Ugandan Anglican bishops have said that they will not attend the 2020 Lambeth Conference because of the woolly thinking of the Church of England and it is likely that other African bishops will do likewise.

If so, the LGBTQ+ movement will have caused a major split within the worldwide Anglican community.

What Scripture Says

So what does the word have to say about marriage and homosexual practices? Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness” (remembering that Paul’s scripture was our Old Testament). In Genesis 2:24 it says “Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh” (and God graciously provided the anatomy to make this possible – and enjoyable). Jesus corroborated this statement in Matthew 19:4, so the principle is established that marriage is between a man and a woman.

What does the Bible say about homosexual practice? Leviticus condemns it - not once, but twice (18:22 and 20:13) - including it with various other sexual prohibitions. As homosexual practice was commonplace in the ancient world, this was radical teaching. In Romans 1:18-32 Paul describes a deterioration in moral behaviour as man abandoned what he knew about God:

Because of this God gave them over to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

This shows us that a rise in homosexual behaviour is actually a stage in the disintegration of society. Strong stuff, but a scripture we should take to heart.

A Truly Christian Approach

Should we then ban people who practise homosexuality from our churches? By no means – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), yet we are all welcomed into the church. But as church members we should acknowledge our sinful ways and, with God’s help, give them up – even if we fall woefully short. We would not welcome a bank robber and suggest that next time he has a job on we will drive his getaway car! We would try to get him to change his ways.

Romans 1 shows us that a rise in homosexual behaviour is actually a stage in the disintegration of society.

The LGBTQ+ agenda says that ‘love’ is paramount, and therefore so long as the couple is in a loving relationship the Church should welcome it. But Jesus said (in John 14:15-21) that love means obeying his commands – and the Father’s love will follow. His commands appear in Scripture, so to say that love conquers all does not wash.

Sexual behaviour is a matter of choice. Archbishop Hope, at a time when bishops were being ‘outed’ by the homosexual community, said that his sexuality was a grey area but that he chose to remain celibate. We live in a sex-mad society, but sexual activity is not the be-all-and-end-all of our existence. Self-control is essential if we are to prosper.

The World’s Agenda

We should take great care whenever an agenda popular in the world’s eyes is foisted on the Church, even from within. Over the years many spiritual authorities have issued warnings about this:

• “Almost everything the Church is doing these days has been suggested to her by the world.” (AW Tozer)
• “I looked for the Church and I found it in the world. I looked for the world and I found it in the Church.” (Horatius Bonar)
• “Worldliness is rampant in the Church. The devil is not fighting churches He is joining them! He is not persecuting Christianity he is professing it.” (Vance Havner)
• “That which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.” (Charles Spurgeon)
• Finally, “God brings about reformation when his people return to the word of God as their sole source of doctrine and practice.” (John H Armstrong)

Within Scripture, there are many warnings against false, worldly doctrines infiltrating the Church. Paul writes, for example: “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths” (2 Tim 4:3-4). Peter also warns against false teachers in his second letter (chapter 2).

We should take great care whenever an agenda popular in the world’s eyes is foisted on the Church, even from within.

Also noteworthy are the number of warnings in Scripture against outward displays of religion which mask and encourage underlying rebellion. For instance, Jeremiah warned (chapter 7) about complacency in the Temple, where there was an assumption that as long as people went through the external rituals of worship, everything would be all right – they could live how they pleased. And Jesus gave a stark warning in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven”.

The Road Ahead

The Established Church has so far chosen gradual compromise and synthesis with the ways of the world, when in fact stark decisions to hold firm to Scripture in the face of huge opposition are what is needed. It was Spurgeon who said:

Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrine of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved taste of fallen nature: instead however of improving the Gospel, carnal nature pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel and not the truth of God at all.

In months and years to come, God will sift and test the hearts and minds of all within the Church of England, to find out where they truly stand. How they respond will decide the fate of this once-great institution.

References

1 Mbakwe, T. Welby 'sad' to discipline Scottish Episcopal Church. Premier News, 3 October 2017.

All Bible quotes from the New Revised Standard Version.