The battle is on for the foundations of our civilisation.

President Trump’s demolition of Obama’s legacy continued this week with the issuing of a directive overturning Obama’s federal guidance that students have unfettered access to whichever bathroom and locker room best matches their ‘gender identity’.

A joint letter sent out by the Departments of Justice and Education on Wednesday referred to the legal battles being fought in a number of States against the Obama directive, which was issued in May 2016. These State Governments have refused to comply with the federal guidance, on the grounds that boys claiming to be girls and exercising a right to use the girls’ toilets and showers would not only be an infringement of the rights of girls, but could expose them to acts of violence.

The Trump administration has cited these legal battles as justification for withdrawing the federal guidance issued by Obama, on the grounds that these complex legal issues all need to be clarified before education policy is finally established.

LGBT Backlash

LGBT rights groups immediately attacked the Trump administration saying “This is a mean-spirited attack on hundreds of thousands of students who simply want to be true to themselves and be treated with dignity while attending school.”¹ That was said by Maria Keisling, Executive Director of the National Centre for Transgender Equality.

Trump’s demolition of Obama’s legacy continued this week with the issuing of a directive overturning Obama’s transgender bathroom guidance.

Of course, she gives no evidence for the claim that there are “hundreds of thousands” of children who want to change their gender; although no doubt with all the publicity being given to the subject, more children will think it is a good idea and climb onto the bandwagon! This has been part of the tactics of the LGBT lobby for a long time – to exaggerate the numbers involved and to gain publicity far above their numerical value.

‘Equality’ and ‘Tolerance’

The main line of attack used by LGBT groups is on the grounds of ‘equality’. In one of the lawsuits currently being pursued in the USA, a student is suing her school for refusing her permission to use the boys’ toilets because she is registered as a girl. A so-called medical expert stated “refusing to respect and affirm transgender students’ gender identity communicates a clear, negative message: there is something wrong with the student that warrants this unequal treatment.”²

‘Equality’ and ‘tolerance’ are the two main values put forward by the LGBT lobby as justification for their campaigns. However, do not be fooled by these smooth, positive-sounding words. The radical agenda of the LGBT lobby is (and always has been) to change the whole structure of Western society, with the ultimate goal of destroying our Judaeo-Christian biblical foundations. In Britain, way back in 1971, a collective of gay rights groups issued a ‘manifesto’ in which they stated that the traditional family was the start of all gay oppression and had to be destroyed.³

Do not be fooled by smooth, positive-sounding cries of ‘equality’ and ‘tolerance’.

Maria Miller, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee. See Photo Credits.Battle for the Foundations of Civilisation

What we are facing today is nothing less than a great spiritual battle to uproot the foundations of Western civilisation. Immediately after Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the USA, LGBT groups and other far-left radical political groups who had formed an alliance made an appeal for funds. The alliance is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In the first month, they raised more than $80 million as a war chest for fighting the Trump administration.

In Britain today, the same radical social engineers who are to trying to destroy our Christian heritage are supporting a Private Members Bill in Parliament. The ‘Gender Identity (Protected Characteristic) Bill 2016-2017’ is being debated today (Friday 24 February 2017), led by Maria Miller, who was David Cameron’s Equality Minister who drove through Parliament the Same-Sex Marriage Bill that was opposed by more than half of Cameron’s Conservative backbenchers.

Miller’s latest assault on traditional family life is aimed at stopping so-called ‘unjust discrimination’ against people on grounds of gender identity and allowing men into women’s changing facilities. The new thing about this Bill is that whereas until now it has been assumed that transgender people are those who have had some surgical adjustment to change their gender, this Bill redefines ‘gender identity’ in terms of a person’s subjective perception of themselves. So, anyone claiming to be a person of the opposite gender will have a right to use public conveniences of their choice!

Britain’s own transgender bathroom bill is being debated today.

The Nature of the Battle

It really is essential that Christians should recognise the spiritual nature of the battle in which we are all involved. This is not just a gender issue. Neither is this just a local issue. We are facing a fundamental attack upon the biblical revelation of the God of Creation, that is being mounted by secular humanists throughout the Western world. They have been carrying out a planned campaign of social engineering for 40 years.

Their first target was to destroy the Christian concept of family and marriage. They have certainly been highly successful in this by redefining marriage and changing the whole concept of family. We now live in a society where – increasingly – any and all forms of family life are considered acceptable, normal and equally valuable.

Their second target has been to brainwash children and young people: moulding them into radical protesters who can be quickly mobilised through social media to take to the streets on any issue that threatens their ‘equality’ and ‘tolerance’ agenda.

This is why we have seen huge demonstrations against Trump in the USA and many other nations in the Western world. In their eyes, Trump represents a threat to all they have achieved in the past 40 years, not least because in his administration are many committed Christians who are dedicated to holding firmly to traditional biblical values.

A Crooked Generation

This is the heart of the battle today. It is a result of God shaking the nations and revealing their deep and widespread corruption. These revelations have generated an awareness among ordinary people that our leaders cannot be trusted, which has led to the rise of populist movements in Britain, the USA and Europe that are challenging the ruling authorities.

But these ruling elites are not just well-known leaders: they are civil servants and local government officers and other minor officials who have been infiltrated and dominated by the liberal left.

The radical agenda of the LGBT lobby has always been to destroy the biblical foundations of Western society.

We need to avoid implying that there is some kind of joined-up dark conspiracy; but there is plenty of evidence that there are lesser-known individuals and groups operating behind the scenes, (such as Common Purpose, George Soros-backed Indivisible and Organizing for Action) dedicated to manipulating social values and undermining our biblical heritage in order to work towards a one world government (presumably whereby they can seize power to gain their own ends).

Anti-establishment, populist victories like Brexit and Trump are perceived to be a threat to their power and the achievement of their purpose. They have instigated far-reaching counter-revolutionary demonstrations – and now even occult groups are calling their supporters to put a curse on Trump at midnight tonight, 24 February 2017.⁴ The forces of darkness are certainly being stirred!

This is why Christians need to understand the nature of the spiritual battle that is raging in Western nations today. Believers need to understand what Isaiah meant when he said:

When your judgements come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord. (Isa 26:10)

It is surely time for the army of the Lord to rise up in prayer; and to declare publicly God’s truth to a crooked generation!

References

1 Smith, D and Redden, M. Trump administration rescinds Obama-era protections for transgender students. The Guardian, 23 February 2017.

2 Ibid.

3 Gay Liberation Front: Manifesto. London, 1971, revised 1978.

4 We have examined evidence for this claim and are satisfied that it is true, but we are not publishing website details as we have no wish to promote these organisations.

In the wake of the closure of the Dubs scheme to bring in unaccompanied minors from the Calais migrant camps, how should Church and state respond?

The Government has come under fire this week for ending the ‘Dubs’ scheme to allow unaccompanied minors from the Calais camps to enter the UK.

Lord Dubs, himself a refugee from Nazism who came to the UK on the Kindertransport, who introduced the scheme, is outraged at the decision to end it. The Archbishop of Canterbury was described as “shocked” over the decision and has asked the Government to reconsider.¹

The Government’s argument, put forth by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, is that the French authorities did not want the scheme to continue because, "It acts as a pull. It encourages the people traffickers."²

So, is the UK really failing in its responsibilities?

Pledges for Syria

It has also been pointed out that the UK is one of the largest international donors to refugee aid as well as to humanitarian aid in general.

Britain hosted a conference last year to raise support from the international community to aid the crisis in Syria. Huge pledges were forthcoming (£9.6 billion in grants, £32 billion in loans), but a year on, which nations have actually put their hands in their pockets?³

• The US, Germany, the European Union and the UK have actually out-given their initial pledges. The next highest donors on the list are the Netherlands, Japan and Norway.
  
• Canada, Belgium and Spain have given more than they pledged.
  
• Ireland has also exceeded its pledge, giving now the same as Saudi Arabia, which has only given a fraction of its pledge.
  
• Little Estonia has donated more than China, not proportionally, but in actual cash. China promised £28m but has only given £2.4m. Estonia has given £2.6m.
  

There is a total list of 48 donor countries, but the top four, including the UK, have significantly out-given the others. We are also in it for the long haul, with pledges going up to 2020. Saudi Arabia and China are notably absent from this phase of giving.

Discerning a Right Response

Now, comparing ourselves to others is not the way to set our obligations. We are accountable to the Lord for our behaviour in every sphere of life. Comparing ourselves to others and pointing out their faults will not win favour with God.

So how should the British Government balance economic and social realities with our Geneva Convention obligations to refugees?

Christian campaigners point to the Bible’s commands regarding foreigners and those in need:

Iraqi refugee children at a camp in Syria. See Photo Credits.He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. (Deut 10:18-19)

So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud labourers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty. (Mal 3:5)

No stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveller… (Job 31:32)

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. (Matt 25:25-36)

It is also worth noting that tithing was intended to help (among others) foreigners:

At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no land allotted to them or any inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. (Deut 14:28-29)

When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Then say to the Lord your God: ‘I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. (Deut 26:12-13)

However, Scripture is also full of encouragements to be wise and discerning in all our ways.

In the light of all this, what do you think our Government should do? What should the Church do? Leave your comments below and have your say.

References

1 High Court challenge to UK's child refugee efforts. BBC News, 10 February 2017.

2. Ibid.

2 Coughlan, S. Who really paid up to help Syria? BBC News, 10 February 2017. All further quotes from here.

Balfour Declaration motivated by Cabinet’s Christian faith.

A political document blamed by many for today’s Middle East crisis was motivated by the evangelical Christian faith of a uniquely international, cross-party, British war cabinet.

This was the claim of Jerusalem-based Canadian Rev Dr David Schmidt in a London lecture last week marking the centenary of the 1917 Balfour Declaration.¹

This refers to a letter to Britain’s Jewish leaders, signed by Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur Balfour, promising that the Government would do all in its power to facilitate a return to their ancient land of God’s chosen people who had been scattered throughout the globe for some 1,800 years.

They weren’t at the time in a position to do so, for the region then known as Palestine was under Turkish Muslim control, but the situation changed within weeks following the capture of Jerusalem by British and Allied forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby.

Balfour: God’s Plan and Israel’s Destiny

So it was that a brief 130-word letter became the basis for British rule of the territory, subsequently confirmed by the League of Nations (the UN’s predecessor) until such time as the Jews were ready for independence. But Britain later reneged on its agreement in a bid to appease Arab opposition. However, it did not stop the eventual creation of a Jewish state in 1948.

As a Bible-believing academic, Dr Schmidt is convinced that, far from being an embarrassing relic of the British Empire responsible for the current regional conflict, as many claim, the Balfour Declaration was part of God’s plan and Israel’s destiny, as foretold by the Old Testament prophets. “I believe what is written in the Bible regarding the Jewish people and prophecy; that the Jews would be exiled and scattered throughout the world, and in the last days return to the land in unbelief.”²

Such a time would be marked by an increase in travel and knowledge (Dan 12:4), among other phenomena, but specifically by fierce opposition of the nations to an independent state of Israel (Zech 14:2, Ps 2:1-6).

Dr Schmidt is convinced that, far from being an embarrassing colonial relic, the Balfour Declaration was part of God’s plan and Israel’s destiny.

Force of Christian Zionism

Various theories have been put forward for the motivation of David Lloyd George’s ten-strong War Cabinet of 1917 – such as empire expansion, remorse over Jewish persecution and even gratitude for the war efforts of Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, a top biochemist who had developed an important chemical ingredient for gunpowder.

But Dr Schmidt is convinced that Christian Zionism was at its heart, defining Zionism as the belief that Jews remain God’s chosen people and that they have a right to live in the land of Israel.

Though from different social backgrounds and representing all contemporary political parties, these magnificent ten were, for the most part, non-Conformist evangelical Christians – there were no Anglicans – who were familiar with the Old Testament and aware of biblical prophecy. Ironically, the only Jewish member strongly opposed the policy. Many Jews at the time saw it as being herded into a ‘ghetto’. But their opposition gradually faded as the Zionist movement gained momentum.

Lloyd George was the main figure behind the declaration, said Dr Schmidt. Though “ethically challenged” – he had a mistress, for one thing – the Welsh-born Liberal Prime Minister was raised on the Bible and retained a sentimental attachment to biblical values while not always living up to its high ideals.

Balfour too was steeped in the Bible from his Scottish Presbyterian childhood, believing that Christian civilisation owed an immeasurable debt to Judaism. He was motivated by what he called “the desire to give the Jews their rightful place in the world” and even gave theological lectures at Cambridge University.

He was highly accomplished, having already served as Prime Minister, and declared on his deathbed that aiding Jewish restoration was possibly the most worthwhile thing he had done. And he asked that the inscription on his tombstone should read, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” quoting the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7.

Balfour was steeped in the Bible from his Scottish Presbyterian childhood.

Lloyd George’s War Cabinet

Also in the cabinet was Jan Christian Smuts, a Boer general in the South African War. Raised in the Reform Church, his early life was filled with Bible teaching and he predicted that, in generations to come, a great Jewish state would arise once more. In fact, Smuts argued for the biblical restoration of Israel all his life. He was the only Cabinet member who lived to see the re-born state when, as South African Prime Minister, he was the first to recognise the new country after the United States.

Edward Carson, a fiery criminal lawyer from Ulster, opposed Lloyd George on many other issues, but not this one.

Andrew Bonar Law, a Canadian raised by a Presbyterian minister, became Prime Minister in 1922, but died of cancer soon afterwards.

Labour politician Arthur Henderson was converted to Christ through the famed evangelist Gypsy Smith and was also a wholehearted supporter of the Balfour Declaration, as was fellow Labour member George Barnes, who loved the Jewish people.

Support also came from Alfred Milner (brought up in Germany) but George Nathaniel Curzon raised early objections. As a former Viceroy of India, he understood how the Muslims could rise up in opposition and believed the Jews would struggle to live in such “a desolate place”.

Edwin Montague, meanwhile, was opposed both to the declaration and to Zionism in general despite being a Jew himself, because it would force a nationality on people who had nothing in common, and become a Jewish ghetto.

Lloyd George’s ten-strong war cabinet were, for the most part, non-Conformist evangelical Christians.

Failure of Appeasement

In answer to questions, Dr Schmidt suggested that the failure of British foreign policy was not in supporting the Jews with their Zionist cause but, in having done so, trying to appease the Arabs as well so that in the end they pleased no-one.

The composition of the cabinet was also ironic, I believe, in that none of the many Christians among them were Anglicans, and yet it had been the Church’s Ministry among the Jewish people (CMJ), an Anglican society, who had done much to influence politicians about Jewish restoration since its founding in 1809 by William Wilberforce and others. In fact, the London meeting last week was sponsored by CMJ on behalf of the Balfour 100 (Christian) Committee.

Dr Schmidt holds a PhD in Middle Eastern political history focusing on the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate, and has lived in Israel with his wife Susan since 1989.

Notes

1 Held at the City Temple, Holborn, on 25 January 2017. Hosted by CMJ UK.

2 He made the point that the early Jewish Zionists were not religious – “they were proud of the fact that they did not go to synagogue; they were in a sense Jewish atheists…” But now, he says: “Every year in Israel people are more spiritual and observant,” fulfilling Ezekiel’s prophecy of the dry bones coming to life.

What underlies the BBC's efforts to re-shape British culture?

Last week we commented on the BBC’s deliberate promotion of the transgender element of the LGBT agenda. This week, Dr Clifford Hill offers a biblical-sociological framework for understanding just why the BBC is trying to reshape society to fit these values.

*****

The Apostle Paul was way ahead of his time in teaching principles that are in accord with the modern discipline of Sociology, whose founding fathers (such as Durkheim and Weber) were early 20^th Century scholars. Paul perceptively outlined a five-stage theory of social change in his letter to the Romans, written from prison in Caesarea, around the year AD 60.

Paul had travelled widely across the Roman Empire and was a keen observer of human nature. He had lived for several years in the city of Ephesus with its fertility cults and sex symbols in full view of the public – the relics of which can still be seen by visitors today. He had experienced an incredible amount of hardship and suffering through pursuing his missionary zeal. He described some of his travel experiences:

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea…I have laboured and toiled and often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Cor 11:23-27)

But whilst being an intrepid traveller, Paul was also no mean scholar who ably debated with the Greek philosophers in Athen’s famous Areopagus. Paul brought his vast resources of knowledge and experience to focus upon the forces of social change that he perceived to be at work in the Roman Empire, that would inevitably lead to the decline and fall of that great empire.

He wrote about this in the opening chapter of his weighty theological treatise to the Christians in Rome. Luther, when a professor in the University of Wittenberg, declared Romans to be the greatest book in the Bible. It sets out Paul’s mature thinking about the current condition of humanity in the context of God’s eternal purposes.

Romans 1 sets out Paul’s mature thinking about the condition of humanity in the context of God’s eternal purposes.

Paul’s Analysis of the Forces of Social Change (Romans 1:18-32)

Stage 1 (verses 18-21): Paul begins with a statement that human beings in rebellion against God deliberately become involved in the leading of society astray from fundamental truth rooted in God’s principles and good design. Paul says that when people suppress the truth about Creation, they are at beginning of a slippery slope towards the degradation of hearts and minds. In other words, once you deny the central truth of the existence of the God of Creation (which can be understood clearly by all human beings), you open the way to the whole gamut of forces of social and moral corruption. Every true perspective on life becomes warped. Paul’s teaching is that once you reject the truth you automatically come under the sway of the forces of darkness.

Stage 2 (verses 22-23, 25): The second stage in the degradation of society comes when human beings pass from the denial of the God of Creation into idolatry. Paul recognises that all human beings have an innate tendency to worship something or someone. Once the basic truths of Creation are denied, people seek alternatives and find them in bits of wood and stone or anything created by human hands – which they worship.

Modern forms of this idolatry include worship of wealth and property (just consider the preponderance of TV programmes about finding the perfect house – e.g. seeking A Place in the Sun or Location, Location, Location - plus our worship of cars which we fondly clean and polish, the jewellery we wear, the fashions we parade and the wealth we own). They also include worship of people – including celebrity cults or the adoration of self. In our era, the individual is now god.

Stage 3 (verse 24): The third stage in this social change is the relaxation of personal and corporate morality, when we begin to cheat on our partners. In Romans 1 the emphasis is on sexual desire, but cheating can extend to every area of life (e.g. finances, relationships, legal responsibilities). We abandon standards of truth and integrity and we worship our bodies and our “sinful desires”.

Stage 4 (verses 26-27): The fourth stage is where human beings are no longer content with simply indulging their God-given sexual desires but “[exchange] natural relations for unnatural ones”. Paul describes this delicately: “men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another”.

Stage 5 (verses 28-32): The fifth and final stage in the corruption of society, Paul says, is God giving people over to “a depraved mind”. This is a vital stage and a tipping point – a point at which society has deliberately refused and rejected God’s efforts to rescue them to such an extent that God gives them over to their chosen course of rebellion, allowing them to become completely enslaved and deceived by it. He does not necessarily abandon them to this forever – but it is by far the more painful road for humans to walk, and many can be lost forever as a result.

Human beings in rebellion against God deliberately become involved in the leading of society astray from fundamental truth.

Brainwashing and Reversal of Truth

In national terms, this means the whole mindset of society becoming warped through being brainwashed with false teaching. This includes the deliberate injection of false values into our children – the calculated, strategic changing of society by social engineering to make everyone conform to a false ideology. This is what happened in Germany in the 1930s, when the majority of the population accepted the Nazis’ ideology of a super race, and acquiesced to the murder of 6 million Jews.

Social engineering produces human minds so corrupted that they completely abandon the whole concept of ‘truth’– in fact they reverse truth. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

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. (Isa 5:20)

Paul says that at this stage in the corruption of society, the mindset of humanity is so degraded that people can no longer recognise the truth and are no longer aware of the forces of evil that are driving them towards destruction. He says:

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice…They invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

Paul sees this as the final degradation of humanity leading to what we would describe today as a ‘dysfunctional society’ – or the end of civilisation.

Paul’s analysis is sociologically sound, though written c.2000 years ago. It is a timeless way of understanding any society – no matter what culture, geographical location or place in history. It would be interesting to take a poll of a cross-section of the population in Britain today asking which stage in this framework of social change we have reached.

What is your assessment?

Author: Dr Clifford Hill

Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Tolerance leads to compromise.

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 2I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.'

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— that one 'will rule them with an iron sceptre and will dash them to pieces like pottery'—just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give that one the morning star. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The letter to the church in Thyatira is one of the less well-known letters of Revelation 2-3, being hidden in the middle of the list. However, it is also the longest letter and carries a message of such vital importance to our culture and generation that it would be careless of us not to give it the attention it deserves.

Thyatira Then and Now

Thyatira (modern-day Akhisar, Turkey) was a small commercial city about 50km inland from the coast of Asia Minor – a crossroads town situated at the junction of two major trade routes. As the messenger carried the letters of Revelation northwards from Ephesus, through Smyrna and Pergamum, he would then have arced back down to Thyatira on the next leg of his journey.

As with many settlements in Asia Minor, Thyatira has a long history stemming back thousands of years to Hittite rule. It has changed hands many times since then, coming under the authority of the Persians, Greeks, Romans and many others. A Christian community existed there from the very early days of the apostolic era and flourished for many hundreds of years, until the Ottoman Empire took over in the 14^th Century.

Thyatira was infamous in ancient times for its dyeing facilities and its role in the purple cloth trade (the Gentile convert Lydia, who welcomed Paul, Silas and Timothy into her home in Philippi, was originally from Thyatira and known for her successful trading in 'purple', Acts 16). However, it was also a commercial hub for many other industries including wool and linen textiles, leather work, pottery, bronze-work, agriculture and the slave trade.

In the World, But Not of the World

Culturally, Thyatira was a Gentile, pagan city with a 'work hard, play hard' ethos. It was known for its mercantile prosperity and its trade guilds, which would host lavish festivities for members with drink, sex and idolatry in abundance.

For Christians in Thyatira, though not facing the threat of dreadful persecution, there was constant temptation back into the ways of the world – indulging in unGodly revelry and being tempted into compromise by the comforts and social requirements of the good life. Indeed, refusing to give reverence to pagan gods or Caesar worship as part of guild celebrations could have led to expulsion from one's trade guild (and therefore unemployment), so it would have taken a lot of courage for believers to stand against this kind of activity.

Thyatira was a Gentile, pagan city with a 'work hard, play hard' ethos.

Ruins of a Byzantine church in Thyatira. See Photo Credits.The faithful in Thyatira had to learn to be 'in the world but not of the world' - how to take their stand against the flow of peer pressure and not let worldly values infiltrate the Church. This is exactly the theme the Lord Jesus chose for his letter.

From Tolerance to Compromise

In fairness to the Thyatiran church, they were doing a lot of things right - as the letter openly acknowledges. Jesus Messiah begins by congratulating the group for their good deeds, their love, faith, service and perseverance – and for the obvious growth in their dedication.

However, he loved this band of believers too much simply to pat them on the back for their good deeds and ignore the issues that needed addressing. He knew that though they were doing all the right things on the outside, there was compromise in their hearts.
At the time, the issue in hand was the influence of a certain 'Jezebel' who was leading God's people into sin, telling them it was fine to go along with the rest of the pagan city, experimenting sexually and partaking in idolatrous festivals. This seduction into sin may also have involved some element of occult, with believers being deceived and tempted by the promise of being given knowledge of "Satan's deep secrets".¹

This was the immediate, surface issue for the Thyatiran Church – and God's message was a tough one. She who had refused to repent (the letter implies she had already been given ample opportunity), along with her children (this may refer to her followers, cf. her biological children), would be subjected to suffering and even death as a consequence of their sin. God had had enough of their wilful disobedience; He was going to bring judgment upon them.

The Thyatiran church were doing a lot of things right - but the Lord Jesus loved them too much to ignore the issues that needed addressing.

But the underlying issue here was neither sexual immorality nor the eating of food sacrificed to idols, as much as both needed addressing. The fundamental issue was that the community of faith in Thyatira were being led down a road of compromise because of their attitude of tolerance towards those who were sinning and leading others to sin.

The word used for 'tolerate' in verse 20 means to permit, to allow, to not hinder. In other words, it is not restricted to those who joined in with the Jezebel rebellion, but also includes all those who stood by and watched it happen - too afraid to say anything.

Mixture is Not an Option

This is where the letter shouts so very loudly to our church culture today: tolerance of worldly values, pagan idolatry and false doctrine within the Church, even if we ourselves do not participate, is not an option for Christians. We cannot serve two masters – if we try, we will end up denying the Lord Jesus.

According to Clifford and Monica Hill in their book Ephesus to Laodicea, Christians in Thyatira "had learned the practice of tolerance in order to survive in a multicultural and polytheistic society, but in so doing they had compromised their faith".² Arguably, exactly the same thing has happened – and is happening right now – with Christians in Britain.

Relative wealth and freedom in Britain have left Christians exposed to the seductive pull of materialism, individualism and living for pleasure. The encroachment of suffocating, secular humanist 'tolerance' has made it virtually impossible to talk about universal rights and wrongs without being labelled judgmental or a bigot – so it is easier to stay quiet, to live out the faith in private.

To top it all off, many congregations in this country (like the Thyatirans) are doing well in their good deeds, their love, faith and perseverance; but this often makes it easier to justify doctrinal complacency or sinful behaviour. Believers are too tired, too busy, already doing their bit.

The fundamental issue for the Thyatirans was that they were being led down a road of compromise because of their attitude of tolerance towards those who were sinning and leading others to sin.

And so, comfort has led to complacency – to the point where the Lordship of Jesus is downplayed (even denied), his righteous ways are made light of, and his call to holiness is ignored, in case we offend others. Only last week, verses from the Qu'ran were read out in St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow as part of a Christian Epiphany service!³ We are already on a very slippery slope.

If believers do not live in ways that challenge and change the culture around us, that culture will end up changing us. Note that the two major aspects of the compromise in Thyatira – sexual license and compromise with other religions – are also the two that most deeply divide the Church in Britain today.⁴

Living Victoriously in Babylon

Learning to live distinctive Christian lives in the midst of a secular/pagan culture is difficult. What is it alright to 'tolerate' in order to build bridges with our neighbours for the sake of the Gospel? How do we grow a Church culture that is not soft on sin, whilst avoiding both legalism (on the one side) and liberal compromise (on the other)?

There are many questions here and no easy answers – this is a path that can only be walked with the help of the Holy Spirit. But it is important to note that the process starts not in word or deed, but in the heart.

It is in the heart that the choice is made whether or not to stand against deception or falsity within the Lord's Body. It is in the heart that tiny decisions are taken to stay silent when brothers and sisters go astray, in case they are offended by our speaking out. It is in the heart that compromise in our own behaviour is pursued, in exchange for the good life or for acceptance by others.

In sum, it is in the heart that tolerance blurs into compromise – before any words have been uttered or actions [not] taken. No human sees these small, imperceptible choices – but God does.

Sifting the Church

The time is coming when the Lord will sift and test us all, as he undoubtedly did the Thyatirans. Those who do not turn will end up suffering – not because God is a sadist, but because he knows we have hard hearts that often need to be broken before they can be changed.

It is in the heart that tolerance blurs into compromise.

Ideally, this judgment will produce a fruit of repentance and a return to obedience and righteousness. This may or may not happen – but what is certain is that it will become increasingly difficult in this nation to exist as a Christian with one foot in the world and the other in the Kingdom. It is either/or, not both/and! What will it take for us to choose the Lord?

Those who do, who hold on faithfully to that which they have been given whatever the cost - the overcomers - will participate with the Lord Jesus in His ultimate rule and reign at the end of time.

They will be given the bright morning star – Messiah Jesus Himself – whose eyes are a blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. He is the King of Kings who will reign for all eternity, when all other kingdoms with their seductions of wealth and prosperity have been blown away like chaff on the wind. It is this perspective that we need – a healthy fear of the Lord's glorious supremacy and power – to keep us from sinning.

References

1 Cf. Luke 8:17; Ephesians 5:11-14. See also commentary here.

2 2005, Handsel Press, p75.

3 See news coverage from Christian Concern.

4 Interestingly, the diocese that oversees all Greek Orthodox adherents in Great Britain (established in 1922 when Greek Christians were driven out of Asia Minor into diaspora by Turkish nationalists) is called the Archdiocese of Thyateira [Thyatira] and Great Britain! Culturally, we have a lot in common.

Click here to read the rest of the articles in this series.

Echoes of 1930s as May government betrays Israel.

Theresa May gave an extremely encouraging speech on Monday.

Let's give thanks that, at the close of 2016, Prime Minister Theresa May has made no bones about the fact that she is a keen supporter and ally of Israel, which she has this week called "a remarkable country."¹

On Monday, in a firm speech to the Conservative Friends of Israel, our Prime Minister described Israel as "...a thriving democracy, a beacon of tolerance, an engine of enterprise and an example to the rest of the world for overcoming adversity and defying disadvantages." She waxed lyrical about the shared values and positive relationship between Israel and Britain, emphasising her hopes for an even stronger friendship between the two countries post-Brexit.

Determined to Back Balfour

Crucially, in the face of parliamentary and civic attempts to derail the 2017 Balfour Centenary celebrations and force Britain to apologise for her role in creating the Jewish homeland, the PM staunchly defended the document as "one of the most important letters in history...[which] demonstrates Britain's vital role in creating a homeland for the Jewish people."

As for the centenary celebration, she declared that "it is an anniversary we will be marking with pride." Hopefully that will be a big blow to the anti-Balfour movement!

Resounding 'No!' to BDS

Not only that, but in the same speech she also roundly condemned BDS (the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement) and all attempts to boycott Israeli products and producers. In relation to the extensive economic ties between Britain and Israel (we are Israel's second-largest trading partner), she said in no uncertain terms: "We should celebrate that, we should build on that – and we should condemn any attempt to undermine that through boycotts. I couldn't be clearer: the boycotts, divestment and sanctions movement is wrong, it is unacceptable, and this party and this government will have no truck with those who subscribe to it."

This is a profoundly encouraging position for our national leader to take – and the fact that she is able to speak on behalf of her party and the current government is also very welcome. Having openly stated her support for Israel in September, in a letter to Conservative Friends of Israel's Informed magazine,² we have all waited to see whether or not Theresa May would stand by this position in practice. Now, happily, she confirms our hope that we truly do have a pro-Israel PM!

This is a profoundly encouraing position for our national leaer to take.

Not All Positive...

Whilst thanking God for her bravely positive words (follow the link below for the full text of the speech, which is well worth a read), it is important that we also note those aspects of her speech that were not quite as encouraging – though whether they are indicative of her own personal opinions or simply of politically correct diplomacy is not yet fully known.

For instance, she condemned "illegal" Israeli settlements (i.e. in the West Bank and Gaza), showing clearly that she has not done her legal homework on the issue or fully appreciated the complex history of the region. The PM also clearly stated her support for the so-called 'two-state solution', which is the fashionable answer but a diplomatic dead end as far as Palestine is concerned.

Her celebration of her own efforts to eradicate anti-Semitism by cracking down on 'hate speech' (as much as her position on anti-Semitism should be celebrated) should sound alarm bells for Christians because of the potential for this ideology to be meted out in ways that restrict our freedom to declare the Gospel. Furthermore, it could easily be consolidated on by future governments that may or may not be so friendly towards Israel.

And despite the goods of her recent acceptance of an encouraging international, formal definition of anti-Semitism,³ contributing to global efforts to stem anti-Semitic behaviour and making it easier to prosecute perpetrators in this country, her assertion that "Islamophobia comes from the same wellspring of hatred" as anti-Semitism is worryingly misguided, especially when you consider how wide the 'Islamophobia' net can be flung.

So, we must be realistic at the same time as being thankful. Let us hope that Theresa May is not simply out to take the credit for Britain's role in creating Israel for the sake of securing some good trade deals. If we want to take the credit for our historic successes, you can be sure that God will also hold us responsible for our failings.

In the face of parliamentary and civic attempts to derail the 2017 Balfour Centenary celebrations, Theresa May staunchly defended the document.

Onwards and Upwards!

Neither is this necessarily a sign that Britain is turning back towards Godly beliefs and living. For instance, from this week 3-parent babies will be able to be made in Britain, in a move that bioethicists are already calling 'a slippery slope'.⁴ Also this week, Government-funded LGBT pressure group Educate and Celebrate have published a guidebook advising against the use of the terms 'boys' and 'girls' in schools around Britain, in case 'transgender' pupils are offended.⁵

Nevertheless, let's rejoice and praise God at this, the close of 2016, for small mercies. That our national political head is willing – passionately so, it would seem – to affirm and bless Israel on the one hand, and defend Christian freedoms at home on the other, is indeed the grace of God to us in this hour, for it will undoubtedly place Britain on a better spiritual footing for the road ahead.

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen 12:3)

"Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses Israel will be cursed." (Num 24:9)

Make no mistake: the battle for Britain is raging all around us. All our prayer and witnessing efforts are needed – every hand to the plough. But surely this is evidence that it is worth interceding for our leaders, that this is a battle worth fighting - that all is not yet lost, even though there is much still to be done?

References

1 Full text of the PM's speech available here. All further quotes from here.

2 Read the September issue of Informed here.

3 As "language or behaviour that displays hatred towards Jews because they are Jews", including sweeping statements about Israel as a 'Jewish collective'. Quote taken from Theresa May's speech, see note 1.

4 Gallagher, J. Babies made by three people approved in the UK. BBC News, 15 December 2016.

5 Guidebook tells schools not to call children 'girls' and 'boys'. Christian Concern, 13 December 2016.

Clifford Hill discusses the demise of secular humanism – and the power of prayer to change a nation.

Discerning Christians began to see a turning tide in Britain more than two years ago when the Scottish Referendum upheld the unity of the United Kingdom. The result was seen as the outcome of a huge wave of prayer that had swept the UK in the lead up to the vote.

That movement to prayer increased throughout the stormy months of divisive argument that preceded the EU Referendum on 25 June this year, which marked a fundamental change in the history of Britain that has reverberated around the world and has even been influential in the election of an American President.

The Beginning of the End for Secular Humanism?

Both Brexit and the Trump election have been highly divisive in the UK and the USA, but both are profoundly world-shaking events in which discerning Christians can see the guiding hand of God.

Already in Britain we are beginning to see the fruit of the Brexit vote in turning the tide against the demonic campaign of the secular humanist liberal elite, who have driven the country to the very edge of moral and spiritual bankruptcy during the past 40 years (since we joined the EU) climaxing in the parliamentary vote to re-define marriage, which is part of God's act of Creation.

Both Brexit and the Trump election, though highly divisive, are events in which discerning Christians can see the guiding hand of God.

PM Defends Christian Rights

That vote sealed the fate of Prime Minister David Cameron and his Government and paved the way for a new Prime Minister who is prepared to stand up in Parliament and declare her Christian faith. On Wednesday of this week she said,

...we are now into the season of Advent, and we have a very strong tradition in this country of religious tolerance and freedom of speech and our Christian heritage is something we can all be proud of.¹

She said:

I'm sure we would all want to ensure that people at work do feel able to speak about their faith, and also feel able to speak quite freely about Christmas.²

Theresa May's statement was in response to a question from Fiona Bruce MP, who reported to the House that many Christians are worried and fearful of speaking about their faith. She referred to a report from the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, which confirms that the "legal rights of freedom of religion and freedom of speech to speak about one's faith responsibly, respectfully and without fear, are as strong today as ever".³

A major report is also forthcoming from the Equalities watchdog criticising employers who intimidate Christians who dare to make a stand for their faith. This is a major turnaround for the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, which has traditionally upheld LGBT rights and discriminated against Christians.

The Commission report, due to be published in full next week, criticises organisations that have been dumbing down Christmas by using secular phrases such as 'Seasons Greetings' and 'Winterval'. It also highlights employers who have victimised Christians, such as British Airways, who suspended an employee for refusing to remove a tiny cross she was wearing.⁴

From School to the Workplace

In yet another sign of the turning tide against anti-Christian secular humanism, it was reported this week that a Christian Teaching Assistant, suspended for answering a question from a pupil about her faith and stating that she believed marriage was only between a man and a woman, had been re-instated and the school had apologised to her.⁵

Other schools have stopped producing nativity plays in case they upset their Muslim pupils – disregarding our centuries of Christian heritage.

A major report is also forthcoming from the Equalities watchdog criticising employers who intimidate Christians who dare to make a stand for their faith.

The Prime Minister's statement in the run-up to Christmas is timely, when many organisations and workplaces organise carol concerts. It is particularly important that Christians should feel free to speak openly about their faith on these occasions, which draw many people who have little or no knowledge of Christianity. The report from the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship (LCF) encourages Christians to share their faith at every opportunity – "in the workplace or at the bus stop".

Pressure for Change

The two reports, from the LCF and the Equalities Commission, reinforced by the PM's statement, reflect a sociological turning of the tide in Britain. There is widespread disillusionment and discontent with the general trends in the life of the nation. This fuels anti-establishment ideologies – a rejection of mainstream politics and a movement towards the far right or far left extremes of the political spectrum – towards anyone who will offer an alternative to the present holders of power.

People don't necessarily know what they're looking for; but they're looking for 'change' – something different from the present status quo that has led to increasing social, economic and cultural oppression. This atmosphere of discontent has been particularly palpable since the banking crisis of 2008 and the ensuing package of austerity measures that politicians have levied on various unsuspecting sectors of public life. There has been national outcry at the injustice of ordinary people having to pay the price for the reckless gambling of a small number of greedy bankers, who created economic chaos in a bid to secure their own fortunes.

The Brexit vote in Britain was heavily influenced by this discontent and so too was the election of Donald Trump in the USA. The same spirit of discontent is spreading right across Europe and will manifest itself in national elections across the EU, many of which are forthcoming in the next couple of years.

People are disillusioned with the secular humanist status quo in Britain - there is great opportunity here for Christians.

Is Samson's Hair Still Growing?

This social turning of the tide has spiritual implications that Christians need to note. Christians, of course, are part of the general population and are also influenced by social pressures. Many have been sensing the changes in society for a long time and have increasingly turned to prayer and studying the word of God to try to understand what's going on in the world around us.

As far back as September 2004 I said in Prophecy Today (the printed magazine) that there were signs in the churches that "Samson's hair was growing" – that spiritual strength was increasing as increasing numbers of Christians were gathering in small house groups for prayer.

Discerning Christians could see this as the beginning of a momentous change in the spiritual life of the Western nations. I said then that when the tide turns, it happens far out in the main, long before the waves begin to run up the beach where everyone can see the incoming tide. Praying Christians today can see the signs and recognise the new opportunities for sharing their faith in an age of disillusionment with the secular humanist policies that have been driving Western nations for the past 40 years.

Let's Take the Opportunity!

We do not yet know whether this turning of the tide will result in widespread revival of the Christian faith or whether it is simply a short 'window of opportunity'. But clearly the opportunity is there to be grasped. The Christmas Carol Love came down at Christmas expresses the heart of the unique opportunity being offered to Christians at this time of discontent. Now is the time to tell our friends and neighbours about why God sent Jesus – "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

If Christians rightly use this Advent season and it is followed up in the New Year by a call to prayer, this window of opportunity could become a time when we see the advancement of the Kingdom of God on earth – and in our nation.

References

1 Watch the video of Theresa May's statement during Prime Minister's Questions (30 November 2016) by clicking here.

2 Ibid.

3 Ms Bruce's own words, Prime Ministers' Questions, 30 November 2016. In reference to the LCF/Evangelical Alliance report entitled Speak Up: The Law and Your Gospel Freedoms, published August 2016. Click here for information on how to obtain copies of the report, which is also available online.

4 Petre, J. Hallelujah! Equalities watchdog says persecution of Christians must end - and blasts Lord's Prayer film ban. Daily Mail, 26 November 2016.

5 School backs down after disciplining worker for Christian views. The Christian Institute, 1 December 2016.

Clifford Hill discusses growing ethnic segregation in Britain.

A report published this month highlights the alarming trend of racial segregation in many towns and cities in Britain.¹ The overall decline in the white population of Britain is accelerating with vast changes that have taken place in a single generation.

By contrast, this month we have also been celebrating black culture, with the BBC broadcasting an excellent series called Black and British: A Forgotten History, as part of their Black and British season this November.² In this article we review some of the changes that have taken place since the middle of the last century.

Initial Arrivals

Before World War II the UK population was virtually 100% white. The number of non-white people was statistically too small to show in any survey. For most people in Britain their first encounter with non-white people was when members of the Commonwealth came to help defend the Motherland from threatened Nazi invasion, and when American forces with many black soldiers arrived in preparation for the 1944 invasion of Europe.

HMT Empire Windrush.After the war the first non-white migrants (mostly ex-servicemen who had served with the British forces) came to Britain from Jamaica aboard the Empire Windrush in 1948. Their numbers increased steadily during the 1950s. It was not until the early 1960s that significant numbers of Asians began arriving, settling mainly in the Southall area of West London.³

Ten years later I was living in East Ham, in 1972, when the first Asians arrived in Newham as refugees from Uganda, expelled by Idi Amin. The area where they settled was mostly white with a modest number of Caribbeans. Today it has only 4% white people living there. Many of the white people in Newham are now from Poland, Lithuania or other parts of East Europe, and there are only a handful left of local EastEnders who were born and raised in the area.

I was living in East Ham in 1972, when the first Asians arrived in Newham as refugees from Uganda.

Total Transformation

There are other areas of Britain that have seen a similar change-over in a single generation. The report, by professors Ted Cantle and Eric Kaufmann of Birkbeck, University of London, shows how in some areas the white British population has halved in the past 20 years.

Blackburn in Lancashire has areas where there are virtually no white people. The Whalley Range area of Manchester is where migrants from India and Pakistan came in the 1960s to work in the cotton mills. Today, the report says, 95% of the local population is Asian and there are schools where there are no white children. Integration has simply not taken place.

The process of neighbourhood change is very similar to what I have seen happening in Chicago and Detroit in the USA where 'redlining' has taken place. When the first black people moved into an area the real estate agents would 'redline' it and inform the white occupants that property values were dropping and if they wanted to maintain their stake in the housing market they should sell quickly and move out of the area. Within two or three years the population can change drastically. Something similar has happened in many towns and cities in Britain.

A Racial Issue?

Church and mosque side by side, Birchfield. See Photo Credits.

Last year my wife and I visited a church in Leicester where they were baptising 15 former Muslim migrants. They were the only church left in the area. We took with us a friend from Oxford who had a sore throat. He went into the local corner shop to get some cough sweets but was unable to make himself understood because neither the shopkeeper nor anyone in the crowded shop spoke English!

According to the report, white people are moving out of 'Asian areas' in droves and this situation is repeated in many other places such as Slough where the white British population dropped in 10 years from 53% in 2001 to 34% in 2011.

This lack of integration will cause serious social problems if it is not tackled very soon. Segregation breeds prejudice and dysfunctional societies. It reinforces racial stereotypes and creates fear and suspicion; this is what is happening in areas where large-scale Asian settlement has taken place. But this needs to be seen in its true perspective – not as a racial issue but a cultural issue! It is very important to recognise this.

Segregation breeds prejudice and reinforces racial stereotypes, creating fear and suspicion.

Segregation is About Religious Culture

There are many inner-city areas where Africans and African-Caribbean migrants have settled and integrated with the local white population. In the 2011 riots that began in Tottenham, north London, and spread to other areas of London and other cities, it was very clear that these were not race riots – black and white participated equally in protests against inequality and injustice. I described this from my personal experience of living in Tottenham in FREE AT LAST: The Tottenham Riots and The Legacy of Slavery.⁴

Following some difficult times in the early years, the Africans and Caribbeans have now integrated well into local white communities because they share a common Christian culture - in contrast to the Indians and Pakistanis whose backgrounds are mostly Muslim, Hindu or Sikh. These cultural differences have been exacerbated by the failure of our politicians to understand the social and cultural issues involved.

Establishment Ignorant

British immigration laws were formed in the 1960s, based upon outdated concepts of the old British Empire. All citizens of the Empire were regarded as 'British' which gave them the right to settle in Britain. This has allowed large numbers of Asian migrants the freedom to develop a form of voluntary racial apartheid in Britain. They have been allowed to settle in an area of their choice and given no official help with cultural integration, language instruction (although local voluntary groups have helped) or education in British history, law or customs. There has been no expectation that they would integrate into British society. They have been free to come to Britain and establish culturally isolated expatriate communities.

To reinforce their cultural isolation, they have also been permitted to bring their relatives to Britain including sending their children back to India or Pakistan to find a marriage partner and bring them back to Britain, thus doubling the size of the childbearing migrant population every generation and maintaining a much higher birth-rate than the white population. Of course, some Asians integrated very well into British culture as can be seen in the election of the London Mayor, but this has not happened with the majority of migrants.

By contrast, most African and Caribbean migrants have been keen to integrate into British society. African-Caribbeans have English as their first language; their education is British-based, and the vast majority are Christians having attended churches of similar denomination to those in Britain. The largest churches in Britain are African, and the Redeemed Christian Church of God holds an all-night prayer meeting twice a year where 50,000 (mainly migrants from Nigeria) meet at the ExCeL Centre in London to pray for the re-evangelisation of Britain.

Segregation is a cultural issue, not a racial issue - it varies greatly depending on the religious culture of migrant populations.

The differences between the Africans and the Asians have not been recognised by our politicians. Politicians of all parties in Britain have recklessly ignored our centuries of Christian heritage in Britain and encouraged the settlement of those who have no interest in becoming 'British'. Many Asian migrants want to retain their own culture and for some of them their desire is to change the culture of Britain. This is particularly true of some Muslims; whose stated aim is to make Britain a Muslim country. British immigration law actually facilitates this. Unless the law is changed Britain could have a Muslim majority by the middle of this century.

Of course, it could be argued that the migrants are only following the British example. The British formed expatriate communities in India and made no attempt to integrate, and to a small extent we are doing it today in Cyprus, but that doesn't make it right.

Wisdom and Love, Not Xenophobia

I have spent the whole of my working life living and working among migrants and campaigning for the rights of ethnic minorities. My first book was called Black and White in Harmony,⁵ and I have constantly advocated the rich benefits of cultural diversity - so I can hardly be charged with xenophobia in calling for a change in our immigration policy.

It is surely time for Christians in Britain to sound the alarm and call upon our politicians to review ALL the laws regarding immigration as part of the Brexit negotiations. Surely it would be much better to be giving refuge to Christians fleeing their desperate plight in war-torn Syria than to go on allowing thousands of migrants to come in from Pakistan who have no love for Britain and who may represent a very real threat to the future of this nation.

White Britain has gone forever and I personally have no regret - I love living in a multi-racial community with its rich diversity. But I am greatly concerned that our precious freedoms for which we fought two world wars will be lost if Islam becomes the dominant religion in Britain. We need to wake up to the fact that our present immigration laws are directly handing Britain over to Islam.

For all who believe that Britain still has a role in the modern world – it is time to sound the alarm! If we are to maintain our freedom to preach the Gospel of Jesus and to preserve our Judaeo-Christian heritage, our immigration laws must be changed!

References

1 Reported in The Guardian. Asthana, A and Parveen, N. Call for action to tackle growing ethnic segregation across UK, 1 November 2016.

2 Watch online here. See all the programmes associated with the BBC's Black and British season here.

3 ONS net immigration statistics quoted from Hill, C, 1970. Immigration and Integration. Pergamon Press Ltd, Oxford, p27.

There is a great spiritual battle raging for the soul of the West.

These are dangerous days for the USA and for Britain. Both are seeing an unprecedented level of social and political unrest. Both have had national referendums, democratically conducted. But both are now seeing these democratic resolutions challenged.

In the US, Donald Trump is said to be the most unpopular choice of President in living memory and street protests against his election have been taking place in cities across the country. More than 4 million people have signed petitions calling upon the Electoral College to reverse the decision of the people and appoint Hillary Clinton as President-elect.

Technically this could happen. Donald Trump is not yet President-elect: he has been nominated by vote of the people, but it is the Electoral College that actually makes the appointment of President-elect. They meet on 19 December 2016, when the representatives from the states who are committed to vote for Donald Trump could, in theory, change their minds and vote for Hillary Clinton on the grounds that she won the popular vote.¹ These rebel delegates would incur a personal fine if they did this, although there will be plenty of Democrats only too willing to pay their fine. But it is highly unlikely that this will happen, despite the petition and despite the vehemence of the street protests.

In a similar way, the Lib Dems in Britain, backed by Tony Blair, are campaigning for a second referendum to overturn the decision taken on 23 June this year, which they do not like. They want to remain in the European Union regardless of its restrictions upon national sovereignty. It is strange that a Party that has always championed democracy is now seeking to undermine democracy and to defy the will of the people.

UK and US Similarities

There are many similarities between the situation in the USA and that in Britain. This was perceived by Donald Trump during his campaign when he said that the outcome of the vote would be "Brexit plus plus plus". No doubt this is the reason why, as part of his celebrations, he invited Nigel Farage as the first British politician to meet him. There are strong similarities between the US presidential election and Brexit. In both cases, evangelical Christians played a large part in the outcome. I cannot prove this statistically, although one report from the States estimates that as many as 80% of white evangelical voters chose Trump.²

Both the USA and Britain are experiencing unprecedented levels of social and political unrest.

Christians in the US are happy that the Vice President-elect, Mike Pence, is a committed Christian and they are praying that Donald Trump will also commit his life to the Lord. They voted for him, not because they thought he was a good man, but because they believed that in some way God was going to use him to break the dominance of the secular humanist liberal elite that has been driving America for decades. And this is very similar to the motives of British Christians who voted for Brexit in order to get Britain out of the increasingly evil influences of the EU.

Battle for the Soul of the West

Many Christians on both sides of the Atlantic have a sense that a great spiritual battle is raging over our nations that is essentially a battle for the soul of the West, which has been witnessing its centuries of biblical heritage rapidly draining away under the impact of a toxic mixture of Marxism, secularism, humanism and Satanism. What is becoming abundantly clear is that this is not a battle against flesh and blood but against what Paul aptly described as "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12).

There is a desperate need today for committed Christians who understand the times in which we are living and who are able to engage in prayer that is directed by a clear understanding of the nature of the battle; and who are also willing to be witnesses to the truth in their sphere of influence, so that the word of God is directed into the life of the nations both at a grassroots level and into the arteries of power.

In order to gain the level of understanding required for the incredible times in which we are living, we need Godly revelation. This was something of which Moses had foresight. At a critical point in his life, with half a million people to feed in the desert, he cried out to God that he just couldn't carry on. God appointed 70 elders to share the burden of leadership and the Spirit of God came upon them so that they prophesied (Num 11:24-25). God had already given Moses a definition of prophecy as declaring the word of God [being his mouthpiece] (Ex 4:5-16).

Moses then expressed a wish that has prophetic significance for our day. He said "I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets" (Num 11:29). That is what we greatly need today – all God's people knowing the word of God and having the ability to declare it openly among their friends and neighbours, and more widely when they have the opportunity.

Christians on both sides of the Atlantic have a sense that a great spiritual battle is raging over our nations - a battle for the soul of the West.

Need for Divine Strength

There are many stories in the Bible showing how, when those with leadership responsibilities got to the end of their strength and cried out to God, miracles happened. It happened with Moses several times. It also happened with King Jehoshaphat, who realised that the tiny army of Judah could not face the vast army coming against him. He led the whole nation in prayer that ended with a cry for help "For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (2 Chron 20:12).

The response from God was "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God's." It is when we admit our powerlessness to deal with the situation that God is able to take over and exercise supernatural power. St Paul found this many times in his own life when God said to him "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9). Paul's own testimony was "When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10).

For Those in Power...

It is this divine strength that is needed by our leaders in these testing days, but it is not easy for politicians to express weakness. This is where they need the prayer support of Christians who understand the times. We should be giving special prayer covering to the meeting of the Electoral College in America on 19 December and the inauguration of the new President on 20 January 2017.

We should also be praying for Prime Minister Theresa May in Britain and all the politicians and civil servants who are engaged in the negotiations to get Britain out of the European Union. This is already a giant spiritual battle in the heavenlies and on the ground in Brussels and other European capitals. But if the battle is God's, it is more than possible that he will do something spectacular in Europe before the completion of the Brexit negotiations! Right now, the greatest need is to mobilise prayer among Christians.

There is a desperate need today for Christians of understanding and wisdom, who are able to pray strategically and witness to the truth in their sphere of influence.

References

1 Forster, K. Hillary Clinton voters call on Electoral College members to stop Donald Trump. The Independent, 17 November 2016.

2 Bailey, SP. White evangelicals voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, exit polls show. Washington Post, 9 November 2016.