For the next generation – and for this one.

The controversy begun by the remarks of Australian rugby player Israel Folau, supported by England’s number 8, Billy Vunipola, has caused a stir far beyond the game of rugby. Izzy Folau simply quoted the Bible in warning that those who practice homosexuality go to hell.

Biblical teaching says “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman, that is detestable” (Lev 18:22). And the Apostle Paul states explicitly, “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-10).

According to Paul’s teaching, practising homosexuals should be treated in the same way as drunkards, swindlers, slanderers in our society and not given preferential treatment or be allowed to promote their activities.

These rugby players are simply stating the obvious. It’s a bit like the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. Everyone was simply copying everyone else in praising the Emperor’s non-existent clothes. It took an innocent child to state the truth: “The Emperor is naked!”.

The New Normal

Billy Vunipola is quite right in saying that “man was made for woman to procreate”.¹ Two men practising anal intercourse cannot create life any more than two lesbian women pleasuring each other can create a human baby. But our teachers are told to tell the children that these are normal relationships and that gay parents having children through adoption, surrogacy or artificial insemination creates ‘normal’ families.

We all know that the ‘new normal’ being taught to our children in state schools is a blatant lie! There is a mass of sound academic research to show that the only type of family that consistently produces good results for children is the happy, faithful, heterosexual married couple. But we have a Parliament that has passed a law forcing teachers to indoctrinate four-year-olds with the idea that it is quite normal for some children to have two mummies or two daddies, and that all forms of family are equal.

We all know that the ‘new normal’ being taught to our children in state schools is a blatant lie!

Slippery Slope

This is a reversal of truth, an utter lie that can only lead to the destruction of society. It is social engineering: trying to mould the minds of children to accept LGBTQ+ values before they are able to think for themselves. It was Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May who started us down this slippery slope, forcing the legalisation of gay ‘marriage’ through Parliament with the support of the Labour Party, against the wishes of more than a hundred Conservative MPs.

This virtually pronounced the death knell of the Conservative Party as the party of the family, and the party that works to conserve our heritage of biblically-based values - the Judeo-Christian foundation stones of Western civilisation.

It produced the Parliament that we have today consisting of 650 individuals who cannot agree on anything to give clear guidance for the future of the nation. The plain fact is that when they passed the Same-Sex Marriage Bill, Parliament brought judgment upon itself. It is, in effect, a Parliament doomed to fail, and no doubt that is how it will be known by future historians.

A Soulless Nation

Yes, of course we need to get out of the European Union, which is the most secular humanist political institution in the world. But leaving the EU will not solve our national problems or redeem our Parliament.

Indeed, this whole Parliament needs to be swept away and replaced by a new reforming group of politicians, not only with high moral principles but with an understanding of the Judeo-Christian spiritual convictions that have been at the heart of our Parliamentary system for hundreds of years and formed the bedrock of the British character that was admired by the world. We need a political revolution - and maybe, if we have to participate in the EU elections, we might just get one, as the result is likely to further shatter and divide our political parties.

Of course we need to get out of the European Union, but leaving will not solve our national problems or redeem our Parliament.

Meanwhile, the whole world is viewing Britain with amazement! They simply cannot understand what is happening in our Westminster Parliament, which for centuries has been renowned as a model of democratic government. Even those who were not great friends of Britain admired our stability and reliability. Today that has been shattered – maybe irretrievably; certainly it will not be easily retrieved.

Winston Churchill, reminding the nation of the great Christian heritage underlying the British Commonwealth of Nations, rightly warned that “A nation without a conscience is a nation without a soul, and a nation without a soul is a nation that cannot live.”²

The Message of Good Friday

This is where the message of today, Good Friday, offers the only hope for our nation. On this day nearly 2,000 years ago, God carried out an act of divine intervention into human history by allowing his own Son to commit his life into the hands of violent, hate-filled, sinful human beings. He willingly sacrificed his own life to make possible a new relationship with God the Father, Creator of the universe.

Through faith in Jesus we all have the opportunity, not only of forgiveness of our sins, but of actually entering into a new relationship with God that transforms our sinful human nature.

This is the good news that Christians have to proclaim to the world: that God has done something for us that we could not do for ourselves, in overcoming our self-centred propensity to love the world and indulge in everything that is evil and corrupt, rather than things that bring health and happiness and put the welfare of others ahead of ourselves.

Hope for Britain

As any sociologist will tell you, all forms of social change tend to go to extremes: the pendulum swings too far one way and then the backlash begins. The rugby players who have dared to tell the truth, bringing on themselves the wrath of the secular humanist establishment, may be a little sign that the backlash has begun.

There are many other signs that young people are open to the truth: they are fed up with the mess that the older generations have created and they are looking for a new way. Last week Charles Gardner reported on evangelism happening in schools in Doncaster – and since then we have heard other reports from elsewhere in the country of hundreds of young people giving their lives to Christ.

There are many signs that young people are open to the truth.

There is a group of Christian rap artists, singers and dancers based in Manchester who are touring northern towns and cities and seeing hundreds of young people respond to the Gospel. Next month there is a great Christian gathering planned in Trafalgar Square on Pentecost Sunday, when thousands of young people are expected to fill the Square and demonstrate their faith in Jesus.

For those who have eyes to see and an understanding of the times, these may be little signs of the turning of the tide. The message of this Good Friday, that Jesus is the hope of the world, is our only hope for a turning point in the history of Britain. This is certainly something to which we should be directing our prayers!

References

1 The Times, 13 April 2019.

2 Sandys, J, 2015. God and Churchill. London: SPCK, p182.

Parliament is sliding down the slippery slope of Romans 1.

Wednesday 27 March 2019 was a day that will be remembered in history as the occasion when MPs ‘took control’ of the business of the House of Commons in regard to Brexit. With all the attention on the process of Britain leaving the European Union, it is very easy to forget that there is still a trickle of ‘normal’ business being processed.

Earlier that day MPs had participated in four ‘deferred divisions’, recording their votes on paper. One of the votes was in the name of the Education Secretary, Damian Hinds. It sought approval for the draft Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019.¹

Whilst most people, including Christians, have focussed on Brexit, I have found myself asking if there was an element of divine arrangement in the RSE division being held that same day.

The EU and Scripture

Experience suggests that amongst Christians, individuals' responses to the EU are influenced by their eschatology. Here, therefore, I look back in time, rather than forwards, to a Scripture passage that provides an historical perspective through which to evaluate the vision behind a united Europe.

Acts 17 records Paul's speech to the people of Athens, in which he declared that the ‘unknown God’ could be known. He reasoned that this God made "from one blood every nation of men", and ordered "their times and the limits of their lands." He then explained why the Lord had put men in separate nations - "that they should seek the LORD...and find him."

Scripture traces the beginning of nations to the division of mankind at Babel (Gen 11). Their construction of the tower was accompanied by a desire to make a name or reputation for themselves, thus preventing them from being scattered. Their Creator frustrated their proud plans by confusing their speech and separating them. Paul explained how this was actually for mankind's benefit - to put our forefathers, and now us, in situations which would motivate us to seek for the Lord and find Him.

The vision behind the European Union - to eliminate wars by removing national identities - has similarities with the union of tower builders from Shinar. The fatal flaw in the present-day project is that mankind is seeking to achieve peace through their own efforts whilst excluding their Creator. Such a scenario, motivated by a desire to throw off the Lord's ‘fetters’, is described in Psalm 2. This quest turns our attention back to RSE.

The vision behind the European Union has similarities with the union of tower builders from Shinar.

RSE and LGBTQ+

Education Secretary Damian Hinds (left), Philip Davies MP (right).The new guidance should have been approved the previous Wednesday, but at the end of the debate,² one MP, Philip Davies,³ refused to approve the proposals. His action necessitated the following Wednesday's division, when he was joined by 20 others in rejecting the changes, whilst 538 supported them.

What had become clear in the previous week’s debate was that the majority of participating MPs perceived these measures to be promoting LGBTQ+ rights. Essentially, the guidelines distinguish between the ‘relationships’ and the ‘sex education’ aspects of the curriculum. The Government view is that parents' freedom to withdraw children from the latter should not apply to the former. It is under ‘relationships education’ in primary schools that the Department for Education wants children to learn, in Amanda Spielman's words, "that sometimes there are families that have two mummies or two daddies"⁴ and that is alright.

Others have discussed at length the reasons why this is a dangerous direction of travel and why the new guidance should be rejected.⁵ That is not my purpose here. Nor do I want to discuss the clash which this approach has already precipitated with Muslim parents at Parkfield School, Birmingham. Jules Gomes has helpfully highlighted where such secular stupidity will lead.⁶ My objective is to connect the overwhelming support amongst our political elite for forcing LGBTQ+ norms on young children with the failure of the self-same people to deliver Brexit.

Hopefully most Christians realise that Romans 1 is the passage which prophetically describes the judgment process in which Britain finds itself today. We are reaping what we have sown for centuries - the roots go back to the Enlightenment at least. The steady progression which Paul outlines begins with a refusal to recognise the Lord as God, leading to minds being filled with foolish things and senseless hearts being darkened. Idolatry comes next, followed by sexual immorality, as the Lord gives people over to the desires of their hearts.

Romans 1 is the passage which prophetically describes the judgment process in which Britain finds itself today.

The result is a society full of the awful attitudes and actions now bringing death to our streets and emotional and mental distress to many children. The consequences are unavoidable - though they know his law, "that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them."

If the same-sex marriage legislation did not convince Christians that Britain is now reaping the fruit of the unbelief it has sown for centuries, then I am not sure that this most recent decision will either - but it ought to!

The Consequences of Damaging Children

When Justin Welby, despite his evangelical credentials, spoke out in November 2017 in defence of Church of England schools allowing pupils to self-identify their gender,⁷ these words of Jesus came to mind; "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea" (Matt 18:6).

With that in mind, consider the ease with which the majority of our MPs agreed last week to teach unrighteousness to the nation's children. What does this say about the foolishness that now grips them?

The evidence is that they have been handed over to delusion, because they refused to receive a love of the truth.⁸ Is it any wonder therefore that they are unable to know what to do about Brexit?

Christians should recognise that we share a responsibility for what has happened. Mixture in the churches has meant that over the last two centuries we have collectively squandered multiple opportunities to challenge secularism. We too are reaping what we have sown. There is no room for us to point the figure at politicians when we have failed to stand for righteousness. Within ‘Bible-believing’ circles today there are those who are embracing unrighteousness, whilst the majority of the remainder remain silent.

Could the reason why it is Muslim parents who are rising up to challenge the secularism of the political classes be that Christians have forfeited their responsibility? If so, the outlook is far from good.

If as God's people we are no longer fit for his purposes, we need to seek him seriously to discover what we should do. When Israel lost its flavour, it was twice thrown out of the land. If the churches have lost their saltiness, then no amount of campaigning will rescue society.

Through Joel, the Lord told his people that it was time to "Return to Me with all your heart," adding "Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate...Who knows whether he will not turn and relent?" Christians need to do this earnestly, not to save the nation, but to ensure they are anchored firmly in Christ and prepared for what lies ahead.

Further update: The RSE guidelines are currently going through the House of Lords, where hundreds of letters of complaint have prompted a floor debate instead of just a vote. Read more on the Barnabas Fund website.

References

1 Find out more here.

2 Approval of Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019. 20 March 2019, Hansard, Volume 656. Watch on Parliament TV here.

3 Philip Davies, MP for Shipley.

4 Ofsted says schools should teach pupils about same-sex couples. BBC News, 21 February 2019.

5 Why the Draft Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education Act 2019 should be rejected. Gavin Ashenden, 20 March 2019. And Izzy Montague, "parents are part of the problem" and why RSE is so controversial. Christian Concern, 29 March 2019.

6 Teaching Muslim kids gay sex is like force-feeding their fathers pork. 'Rebel Priest' Dr Jules Gomes, 12 March 2019.

7 Roberts, R. Church of England tells schools to let children 'explore gender identity'. The Independent, 13 November 2017.

8 Hardy, R. Receive the Love of the Truth. Amen.org.uk.

9 Hosea 10:12: "Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek The LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you."

A house theologically divided against itself cannot stand.

In 8 January, the Anglican Centre in Rome issued a joint statement¹ with the Archbishop of Canterbury announcing the appointment of Dr John Shepherd as its Interim Director. Within days it came to light that he had preached a sermon in 2008 questioning the traditional view of Jesus' resurrection.

Immediately there were calls that Shepherd should resign,² and Justin Welby's judgment was openly questioned.³ Following the outcry Shepherd issued a statement seeking to clarify his beliefs⁴ but, as one commentator has observed, it far from confirms his orthodoxy.⁵

Shortly before this debate I was reminded of events 35 years ago surrounding the consecration of another resurrection-denier as a bishop. I believe that those events were a missed opportunity to steer the CofE away from the confused place it has now reached.

The Fire of 1984

A few weeks earlier a non-Christian friend had asked me if I could explain why CofE vicars were unable to understand the violent nature of Islam. My thoughts went immediately to the fire at York Minster which started 36 hours after the Archbishop of York, John Habgood, ordained David Jenkins as Bishop of Durham. Jenkins was on record as not believing in either Jesus’ virgin birth or the resurrection. In the early hours of the following Monday morning, ‘lightning’ struck the Minster, and the roof of the South Transept was consumed in flames. Many saw this as significant because that was the section of the Minster in which hands were laid on Jenkins by Habgood and others.

Faced with such a compelling set of circumstances, the Archbishops of the day did not heed the biblical injunction to ‘consider their ways’ (Hag 5:1). The Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, told The Times that “the Lord was on our side as we battled with those flames.” In a letter to the same paper, Habgood questioned the opinions of some who suggested that God was behind the incident, asking, “What kind of a god do your correspondents believe in?” He concluded that this was “the kind of world from which the Christian Gospel rescued us.”

Faced with such a compelling set of circumstances, the Archbishops of the day did not heed the biblical injunction to ‘consider their ways’ (Hag 5:1).

At the time many suspected that this denial of divine intervention was because the Church’s insurance policies did not cover ‘acts of God’, but were there more fundamental reasons behind their protests?

The South Transept of York Minster ablaze, 1984. PA/PA Archive/PA Images.Habgood’s god was shaped by the theology of deism, in which God takes no action in the world. This argument is consistent with Jenkins’ denial of the virgin birth and resurrection, for a prerequisite of both is faith that God is actively involved in our lives. The Archbishops therefore colluded in twin denials: the first being that Jenkins’ disbelief was of any consequence; secondly that the Creator remains involved with people.

Was God Serious?

It is easy for some Christians to react to major traumatic events when they occur with claims that they are expressions of divine anger. It is much harder to then watch through several subsequent decades of no apparent further consequences and still believe that God was serious when he broke out “like fire” (Amos 5:6) in 1984.

Elijah, however, did not meet the Lord in the storm, earthquake or fire, but through his still, small voice (1 Kings 19). God does not always work within our human time-frames; in order to understand his purposes, we must draw near him and listen intently.

Enoch was a prophet who warned of coming judgment 1,000 years before the Flood. Similarly, Israel rejected the Lord as their king over 1,000 years before Jesus’ incarnation, but they only spoke out their rebellion a few hours before his crucifixion (1 Sam 8:7; John 19:15). At this point there was no sudden thunder from Heaven, no immediate sword of the Lord - it was almost 40 more years before they reaped what they had sown.

When answering my non-Christian friend, I realised that many clergy are now incapable of discerning good from bad, unwilling to take God at his word and unable to understand his ways and purposes, as the recent debate around Rev Shepherd illustrates. But there are consequences of disbelief: throughout the Scriptures we discover that the Lord uses both nature and people to discipline those who are known by his name (Heb 12:4-8) and that he judges them more stringently than unbelievers.

The Lord uses both nature and people to discipline those who are known by his name (Heb 12:4-8) and judges them more stringently than unbelievers.

People Who Lack Knowledge

Israel was warned of the dangers of disbelief by various prophets. One was Hosea, who highlighted the consequences of not seeking truth, mercy and a knowledge of the Lord. Hosea specifically warned that God’s people would be destroyed for their lack of knowledge, adding, “Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (4:6).

Three decades after the York fire, we are in a situation where the ‘children’ of that generation are now in leadership. They bear all the signs of having embraced the disbelief of their forefathers and having forgotten the law of God. They are people who have not had their senses trained to discern between good and evil (Heb 5:12-14). Though the current Archbishop of Canterbury is from the evangelical stable, he seemingly approves of secular sexual ideologies which seek to eradicate all memory that the Lord created us male and female. Thankfully not all in the CofE agree – over 2,600 have now signed an open letter urging the House of Bishops to reconsider their position on transgender ‘celebration’ services.⁶

The CofE was built on disjointed foundations, and any house thus theologically divided against itself cannot stand (Matt 12:25). 35 years after the events of 1984, therefore, that we have arrived at this current state of affairs should be no surprise.⁷ But where is God?

It may seem that since 1984, the Lord’s response has involved little more than starting a fire. But if we join the dots of disbelief in that institution and elsewhere, we will appreciate that he has not forgotten, nor is he slow in fulfilling his promises: in fact, he is enduringly patient, wanting all to be given opportunity to come to know the truth (2 Pet 3:9). Only then, when it is his time, will he judge them in righteousness.

The Lord has not forgotten: in fact, he is enduringly patient, wanting all to be given opportunity to come to know the truth (2 Pet 3:9).

Many faithful clergy and congregations are ready to leave the CofE altogether, while others continue to hope that the tide will turn. There has never been a time like the present – as the hallmarks of judgment described in Romans 1 manifest across the nations - for believing Anglicans to seek the Lord’s heart and guidance.

I’m not sure if my non-Christian friend has accepted that the disbelief of their predecessors is the reason why many vicars are unable to discern the spirit behind Islam, but I pray that one day he will embrace the Son of God who was born of a virgin and whose transformed body was raised from the dead. Would that the leaders of the established Church would do the same.

References

1 Anglican Centre in Rome: Appointment of an Interim Director for the Anglican Centre in Rome.

2 Bird, S and Wyatt, T. Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy who disputes the resurrection of Christ urged to quit Vatican post. The Telegraph, 12 January 2019

3 Ashenden, G. The appointment of a heterodox priest as new Director to the Anglican Centre in Rome. ‘What would Jesus do?’ is not what Welby did.

4 Anglican Centre in Rome: A statement from the Very Rev Dr John Shepherd.

5 Believing in the body: Reflections of an Anglican Theologian.

6 See https://www.responsetohob.co.uk/.

7 The CofE is not alone. In most denominations leaders are falling over themselves to embrace the godlessness prevailing in the nation.

See also: 'Joining the Dots of Disbelief in the Church of England' by Randall Hardy.

Background links

July 9, 1984: Lightning bolt is responsible for catastrophic York Minster blaze | BT

Memories of York Minster fire in 1984 | York Press

How the York Minster fire sparked an unholy row in The Times | YorkMix

The fire at York Minster, July 9th 1984 | Prophetic Telegraph

THE UK DROUGHT 1984, Weather Vol 39(11) | DeepDyve

Searching for reality in a 'post-truth' age.

The famous words of Pilate at the fake trial of Jesus have echoed down the centuries – what is truth? These words have taken on new significance in the 21^st Century with the development of social media and the spread of ‘fake news’. Paul defines truth in very simple terms: as the good news of salvation (Eph 1:13). Jesus says that he himself is truth. He says “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). By this statement Jesus means that anyone who knows God, knows truth.

If truth is so central to the purposes of God, it is small wonder that it is under attack from the powers of darkness that are presently ruling the world. It is as though a huge blanket of cloud is covering humanity and preventing clear perception and rational thinking. The evidence of this can be seen in every part of the world.

In America, division over immigration has led to parts of Government being shut down because of President Trump’s dispute with Congress over the wall he wants to build between the USA and Mexico. Europe too is wracked by disagreement over immigration and the many other problems besetting the EU project: in Germany there is mounting fear over the failing economy and the future of the Euro. In France there are growing social problems, with millions taking to the streets before Christmas in populist demonstrations against the policies of President Macron.

These problems are not going away and there are similar tensions in other EU states. But, arguably, none have such potentially far-reaching consequences as the divisions over Brexit.

No Alternatives?

At the moment Brexit arguments in Britain have not spilled over into the streets, although there are plenty of noisy groups in Westminster demonstrating around Parliament day after day. The major upheavals are inside Parliament where confusion reigns supreme.

The Prime Minister insists that the deal she has negotiated with the EU is the only deal and there is no Plan B. But Parliament has voted to take back the initiative by insisting that if her deal is voted down by Parliament next week, she must come back to the House of Commons in three days with a further plan.

If truth is so central to the purposes of God, it is small wonder that it is under attack from the powers of darkness that are presently ruling the world.

Although there appears to be no valid alternative to Mrs May’s deal, there is probably a majority of MPs who want to ensure that Britain does not leave the EU with no deal at all. The EU fears a ‘No Deal’ more than Britain does, but our politicians appear blind to this. If the MPs make it impossible for ‘No Deal’ to happen, they strip the Prime Minister of the most powerful weapon in negotiations with Brussels.

The Netherlands alone say that they will lose more than £2 billion in trade if there is no deal between the EU and Britain. Germany is desperate to sell their cars in Britain, without which their economy would be in serious trouble; and the EU itself urgently needs the €39 billion promised in the divorce bill, without which the Euro currency is likely to fail. Many of our MPs seem completely unaware of the power they hold over the EU, which is part of the blindness afflicting leaders of our nation.

The Consequences of Rebellion

This blindness to truth is not simply a political, economic or social issue: it is fundamentally a spiritual problem resulting from Britain’s rejection of her biblical foundations. Though this rejection is not recognised, its consequences can be seen throughout the life of the nation.

One obvious example is that every week there are young people dying on the streets of London through a wave of knife crime, drugs, gangs and lawlessness that is spilling across to other cities. This is a national issue, but our politicians are too busy arguing over Brexit to notice what is happening on our streets.

But this wave of violence is directly linked to our rejection of God. We have rejected the biblical foundations of Britain’s value system, so we are no longer able to recognise truth. For 50 years we have allowed the nation to be driven by secular humanist activists who have deliberately undermined traditional family life, promoting divorce, cohabitation, sexual perversion, abortion-on-demand and more recently, transgenderism. These policies have all been based on a lie – the lie that all types of family are equal.

This blindness to truth is fundamentally a spiritual problem resulting from Britain’s rejection of her biblical foundations.

There have been scores of sociological research reports demonstrating that only faithful marriage as the Bible describes it produces happy, stable and successful family life for both adults and children. But this truth about families has been wilfully ignored or rejected by post-modernist agitators who have done untold harm to British children.

Every child who dies on the city streets of Britain is in some way a victim of the post-modern, secular humanist, pro-LGBTQ+ policies that have deliberately aimed at destroying family life in the nation in this ‘post-truth’ age.

Spiritual Blindness

The greatest crime in Britain today is the blindness of our leaders, in both Church and state, to recognise the sickness of the nation and the root of its problems.

I have been responsible for no less than eight sociological reports to Parliament on family life in Britain during the past 30 years. They have set out clearly the consequences of following policies based upon the false concept of ‘equality’. But successive Governments have been blind to TRUTH.

This blindness is a spiritual malady. It is not a lack of intellectual capacity. It is plain and simply a spiritual force of darkness, given a foothold through rebellion and rejection of God’s word, that makes it impossible to understand and accept TRUTH.

This is why our MPs are in such utter disarray over Brexit. There is no shared vision because they are blinded to TRUTH. The plain fact is: no political solutions to the nation’s problems can be found until there is repentance for what has been done to the nation; and new openness to the word of God. What will it take? Is it a matter of more prayer, or more truth-telling – or must more disaster be allowed to come upon Britain?

At this time, it is vital that the faithful remnant of God’s people seek to understand what he is doing and pray and act in line with his will. Elsewhere in this week’s issue of Prophecy Today UK is an article to this end, entitled ‘A Word for 2019’. Please do read this and bring it before the Lord in prayer, seeking how you might respond.

Are We Heading for an Apostate Church?

In last week’s editorial Dr Clifford Denton gave solemn warnings about the vulnerability to judgement of Church and State in Britain. I want to follow this by exposing some of the things that are happening in the denominational churches of Britain – particularly the Church of England and the Methodist Church.

Information comes into our office on a daily basis from readers all over the country showing the degree to which post-modernist beliefs and practices are entering the churches in Britain. We see it as our duty to share some of this information with our readers for two major purposes.

Post-modernist beliefs and practices are entering the churches in Britain.

First, it is our hope that those who have leadership influence in the churches will recognise the degree to which they are drifting away from the truth of the New Testament Gospel that has been at the heart of Christian mission followed by faithful believers for nearly 2000 years and is in grave danger of being lost. Secondly, we would like all Bible-believing Christians to be informed in their prayer life so that they can pray in line with the will of God for his church.

Church of England

Last year, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, informed Synod that it was his intention to lead the Church of England to become a ‘radically inclusive church’. He failed to define exactly what he meant by such a term, but before the end of the year he sent a letter to all Church of England Primary Schools telling the teachers to encourage the children to cross-dress in preparation for living in a pro-LGBTQ+ nation.

Anglican Primary Schools promote LGBTQ+ values

Some six months later a meeting was held in Church House Westminster to discuss education in Anglican Primary Schools where it was stated by the leader that it was Church of England educational policy to promote LGBTQ+ values in its schools. Only one voice was raised pointing out that this was a denial of biblical truth and the man who raised the objection was firmly told that this policy was not open for discussion.

No Discussion

A similar thing happened last month at an educational policy discussion in the Anglican diocese of Derbyshire where homosexual teaching is replacing biblical truth in Church of England Primary Schools. Bible-believing Christians are not only being side-lined but are being banned from raising any objections, or are simply being told that the Bible has got it all wrong and that the church is now teaching a different gospel.

Abandoned Church Organ / See Photo Credits

Methodist Church

It is not only the Church of England that is abandoning biblical truth – the Methodist Church has gone even farther. They have recently appointed an American minister from the United Methodist Church in Chicago USA to a key national position. This man and his ‘husband’, who is a lecturer at Queens College Birmingham, has been working as a minister among Methodist churches in Birmingham where he took groups on the Birmingham Gay Pride March, led training days and was working on planting a ‘radically inclusive church group’ in the City of Birmingham with a plan to establish eight more across the Midlands.

He has now left Birmingham for London where he has been appointed to a key national role in the Methodist Church as ‘Director of Evangelism and Church Growth’. This is described as “a new position aimed at supporting the development of these vital areas in church life”. This man is said to be “young, intelligent, personable, energetic and hard-working” and has “the ear of the Methodist Church leaders”.

Promoting Radical Inclusion

As the national Director of Evangelism for the Methodist Church in Britain this man is reported to be “preaching another gospel of radical inclusion where people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community are encouraged into fellowship and leadership without any requirement for a change of lifestyle. The LGBTQ+ lifestyles are promoted as completely acceptable.”

Our reader who wrote to us states –

“The gospel he promotes has other very worrying elements as well. A flavour of his theology can be seen by reading some of his Twitter feeds and also from the statements put out by the ‘Urban Village Church’ in Chicago where he was a pastor. They describe him as ‘A missionary to Europe and the UK’. From his blogs he is called a ‘Recovering Control Freak’ (whatever that means!). He also works as a coach with something called ‘Epicentre’ where he gets alongside ministers and clergy of all denominations to develop Mission and Church Growth.”

A false gospel will destroy the church, not build it.

Abandoning Truth

The truth of the gospel is under attack today from many different sources – not only from the secular post-modernist world, but from within the church where truth is being sacrificed on the altar of expediency. But a false gospel may promote church growth by increasing numbers in the pews, but once we abandon the gospel of ‘salvation only in the Name of Jesus’ we are entering realms that will destroy the church, not build it.

There are numerous warnings in the New Testament against preaching another gospel, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3:11). Paul also severely warned the Galatians, “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal 1.7).

What we are seeing today is a destructive power of deception spreading through the churches. It will inevitably lead to their further decline and eventual collapse. Maybe it is God’s will to destroy the corrupt man-made denominations that we call ‘churches’ so that out of the rubble the true ‘ecclesia of the Lord’ will emerge.

Maybe we are already seeing the beginnings of this true church in the multitude of home-based small groups meeting for prayer and studying the word of God.

The Equalities Commission will not have its cake, nor will it eat it.

In a rare win for freedom of expression, Belfast bakers Daniel and Amy McArthur have been exonerated by the UK Supreme Court of any liability, after refusing to bake a cake promoting gay marriage.

Four years of this high-profile legal battle have exposed the gross injustices of Britain’s ‘hate laws’. Well done to these two steadfast Christians for refusing to give in to the state bullies who have wrongly accused them. This is a real victory!

It is frightening that this case had to go all the way to the Supreme Court to get a verdict that plain common sense should have delivered instantly. It has also exposed the bias of the so-called ‘Equality Commission’ in Northern Ireland (ECNI) – a supposedly ‘independent’, publicly-funded body dedicated to promoting ‘equality’ and ‘human rights’. Here, effectively, is an arm of the state colluding with the LGBTQ+ lobby to punish ordinary citizens and small businesses for failing to affirm LGBTQ+ ideology, wasting £250,000 of tax-payers’ money in the process.¹

But despite these things, the verdict should still be a real cause for celebration. It is not an ‘offensive’ win, taking legal ground back for ‘Christendom’, but it is a landmark ‘defensive’ win, ensuring Christians’ continued freedom to refuse to partake in and affirm the sinful beliefs and practices of this generation.

Freedom for Conscience

Had it gone the other way, it would effectively have spelled the end of freedom of conscience, especially in the sphere of trade, setting a legal precedent for the state to enforce independent businesses to affirm values with which they disagree profoundly. It is therefore a win that should benefit everyone, not just Christians, as Daniel McArthur emphasised to the press after the judgment was given:

The judges have given a clear signal today. In fact, it couldn’t be clearer. Family businesses like ours are free to focus on giving all their customers the best service they can – without being forced to promote other people’s campaigns.

I know a lot of people will be very glad of this ruling today, because this ruling protects freedom of speech and freedom of conscience for everyone.²

By contrast, the ECNI revealed its contempt for the idea of individual freedom of conscience in its post-judgment statement, saying “There is a concern…that the beliefs of business owners may take precedence over a customer’s equality rights, which in our view is contrary to what the legislature intended”.³ Those in charge of equality law enforcement obviously consider their own brand of morality to be incontrovertible; they brook no dissent- and they don’t think that the courts should, either.

Had the judgment gone the other way, it would effectively have spelled the end of freedom of conscience, especially in the sphere of trade.

The Battle Underneath

Underlying the Ashers case is a deep conflict between the freedoms brought about by Judeo-Christian values – the vestiges of which still linger in Britain’s institutions and culture - and the secular humanist values of equality law, which promise freedom but tend towards tyranny.

This latter worldview has been encroaching on Britain for decades, helped along by the commandeering of positive-sounding words like ‘justice’, ‘freedom’ and ‘equality’. Instead of ‘equality’ meaning the dignity that should be afforded to all humans because they are made in God’s image, regardless of their personal beliefs, ‘equality’ has been co-opted to mean enforced compliance with an atheistic, sexually licentious worldview.

This kind of ‘equality’ is grounded in a rejection of the God of the Bible and his created order, and a devaluation of individual freedoms for the ‘greater good’.

Behind this again are spiritual forces of darkness aiming to thwart the salvation of millions by (a) promoting and seeking to compel ungodly beliefs and behaviours, and (b) working to shut down and punish godly behaviours and responses. In the Ashers case, both of these spiritual strategies have been in play. The McArthurs have come under enormous pressure to compromise their own convictions and bow to the spirit of the age.

But – praise the Lord – this time, the attempt to shut down Christian witness has backfired spectacularly. The Supreme Court’s verdict shows that there may yet be hope for our institutions. Even more deliciously, the case has afforded Daniel and Amy many opportunities to testify in front of national reporters and TV cameras to God’s goodness and truth, which they have done with grace, dignity and evident faith:

Victoria Jones/PA Wire/PA ImagesI want to start by thanking God. He has been with us during the challenges of the last four years. Through the Bible and the support of Christians, He has comforted us and sustained us. "He is our rock and all His ways are just.”

We're delighted and relieved at today's ruling. We always knew we hadn't done anything wrong in turning down this order. After more than four years, the Supreme Court has now recognised that and we're very grateful. Grateful to the judges and especially grateful to God.⁴

Praise the Lord – this time, the attempt to shut down Christian witness has backfired spectacularly.

The Light Shines

The victory and the witness are both enormously refreshing. The McArthurs have tasted the truth of Isaiah 54:17: “’no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord.”

But just as heartening is the amount of public support the couple has received, including from surprising quarters such as gay activist Peter Tatchell. Tatchell does not agree with the McArthurs’ beliefs, but vehemently defends their right to hold them without fear of punishment, understanding that vital freedoms are at stake. Tatchell joins a growing crowd - like the lesbians protesting trans ideology, and the students rejecting an inherited university culture of alcoholic excess (see last week’s editorial) - who seem to be realising that Britain’s culture change has gone too far. Though they may not understand fully, they can see that society is risking self-destruction and the loss of many hard-fought, hard-won freedoms.

Perhaps (I certainly hope) we are seeing the beginnings of a backlash against the seemingly relentless erosion of Judeo-Christian values in Britain. The war is certainly not over - God apparently still stands ready to intervene for his precious saints, granting continued freedom to the whole nation in the process. Who knows, we may yet see some unlikely characters joining the fight for freedom before long.

Meanwhile, we can pray that the McArthurs’ testimony bears abundant spiritual fruit. When believers stand their ground, graciously but firmly, against the attacks of the enemy, sometimes they are granted worldly victory and vindication - sometimes not. But God will never let their witness go to waste:

Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues…But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you…

…Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:16-33)

Notes

1 DUP MP Ian Paisley has written to the secretary of state for Northern Ireland in the aftermath of the Ashers ruling, calling for a review into the ECNI’s funding.

2 Watch Daniel’s full statement here (1 min 50).

3 Read the full ECNI statement here.

4 See note 3.

Britain is lost unless Bible-believing Christians speak up.

It is not easy being a Bible-believing Christian in Britain or any of the Western nations today. 30 years ago there were prophecies that Christians would soon be facing persecution. These seemed like wild predictions – such things could never happen in nations with centuries of Christian tradition!

Today, every day there is news of Christians losing their jobs because of taking a stand upon biblical principles, or Christians being taken to law charged with so-called ‘hate’ offences because they’ve quoted the Bible or refused to bake a cake with an LGBTQ+ slogan on it.

For British Christians an increasing problem is discerning between ‘fake news’ and the truth. Our national broadcaster, the BBC, once world-famous for trustworthy reporting founded upon biblical principles of truth and integrity, has been taken over by a consortium of secular humanists, including LGBTQ+ activists and Israel-haters. Their influence can be seen in everything from soaps and entertainment programmes to news broadcasting.

The search for truth is becoming increasingly difficult in an age when we are battered on every side with different media reports that are usually more ideological than factual. Where can we find truth and integrity today?

Today, every day there is news of Christians losing their jobs because of taking a stand upon biblical principles.

Battle Between Good and Evil

Of course, there are plenty of warnings in the Bible such as:

There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Tim 3:1-5)

We all know people like this and we read about them every day in our newspapers and on the internet. But we also know of people from around the world who responded to the call for help to go and rescue boys trapped underground in a Thailand mountain. They willingly risked their own lives - and one of them actually died - in an effort to save the boys. It is an inspiring story of human bravery and self-sacrifice. Clearly there is something of great worth in our human nature that responds to such needs (as our Managing Editor describes in her article this week).

It is these two sides of our human nature, the good and the bad, that are reflected in the national life of both Britain and the USA at the moment. We are witnessing a conflict between the opposing forces of light and darkness.

Nations Torn Asunder

Both nations are being torn asunder by battles over God’s instituted truths - including gender. In the USA there are numerous legal cases being fought over the rights of transgender people to use public toilets or attempts to ban therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction.

In Britain our Government is considering a similar ban and Prime Minister Theresa May last week pledged support for making transgender processes easier. She either doesn’t understand the nature of the battle or she is deliberately forsaking her professed Christian principles for the sake of alleged political gain.

Both Britain and the USA are being torn asunder by battles over God’s instituted truths.

It is small wonder that the British Government is in disarray, the Cabinet torn apart by resignations and disagreement over the proposed Brexit terms to be offered to the EU. Once biblical standards of truth are abandoned, chaos and confusion inevitably follow: everyone makes up their own rules. This is what is happening, not only in Britain, but in all the Western nations, where their biblical heritages are being deliberately challenged.

The fundamental issue is a clash between human beings and God: do we follow our own human rules or do we accept the word of the Lord?

Rejecting the Nature of God

Paul neatly sums up the issue: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godliness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom 1:18). Paul says that the nature of God has been revealed in Creation and that once we reject the God of Creation we are driven by the destructive powers of darkness. This is why we are beginning a short series of study articles on Creation today, which we hope all our readers find helpful in their search for truth.

The Apostle Paul says that once we stop believing in God we don’t believe nothing, we believe anything! We worship all kinds of images in our idolatry. In Romans 1: 24-31, Paul outlines three stages in the degradation of humanity:

1. Human beings exchange the truth of God for a lie and worship created things rather than the Creator, which leads to engaging in all kinds of sexual impurity.
   
2. The second stage is “exchanging natural relations for unnatural ones” which includes all kinds of homosexual acts.
   
3. The third stage is when God gives human beings over “to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice”
   

I leave our readers to decide which stage we are in but we cannot ignore the fact that Britain and all the Western nations are immersed in an intense spiritual battle for their very souls, which will determine the history of humanity for the next 100 years or more.

Britain and all the Western nations are immersed in an intense spiritual battle for their very souls.

Answer to Prayer

I believe that it was in answer to prayer that God enabled the British people to vote to leave the secular humanist European Union. But the rich and powerful are combining with big businesses in a campaign to try any way they can to force Britain to reverse the decision – thus keeping us under the yoke of Brussels.

There are powerful forces in the media sponsored by big business feeding fake news and lies to the British public in a desperate attempt to keep us shackled to the EU. They say that our economy will collapse, whereas the reverse is more likely to be true! It is the profits and investments of the global conglomerates that may be hit by Brexit, but small businesses will be released from EU rules and regulations that inhibit their growth.
I believe that a time of great prosperity under the blessing of God awaits Britain if we can only shake ourselves free from the European Union.

A Prophetic Voice?

But why do we never hear a prophetic voice from the churches in Britain? Is it because the preachers don’t take the trouble to study what’s going on in the nation, or do they care so little about the word of God that they never apply the Gospel to current events? Why do we not hear the words of Amos thundering from every pulpit in the land, “Let justice roll down like a river and righteousness like a never-ending stream!” (Amos 5:24).

Surely it is time for Christians to wake up and recognise the severity of the great spiritual battle that is raging in the heavenlies and on earth as the forces of darkness seek to destroy our Judeo-Christian heritage.

Wake up, Bible-believing Christians! Speak up in the ‘silent’ churches! Come together in small groups to spread these things before the Lord and join the battle for truth before it is too late!

The World Cup, Brexit and what really matters!

They say that if you can’t beat them, you should join them! So if you don’t mind, I’m taking a little rest from ‘important matters of state’ to indulge in fond reminiscing over the joys of sport. But there is a serious point to it – a goal even! So bear with me.

I was a sports journalist for much of my career and know how incredibly addictive it can be. So when I stood up to lead a workshop at a recent Christian conference, I was in direct competition with Harry Kane and his heroes – as we kicked off at similar times – and I guess I was no match for the Three Lions.

I was later informed that half of those who had earlier indicated interest in my seminar had absconded to watch the football instead – in the chapel of all places! Which surely blows away any lingering doubts that football has become a religion in our country.

But back then I was delighted to hear the quarter-final result, rendering England a clear winner over Sweden. And I feel I contributed to that by virtue of my absence as the only game I had watched until then was against Belgium (in the group stage), which we lost 1-0.

Faith on the Pitch?

The national excitement stirred by a game which the churches of England helped launch into the stratosphere is amazing indeed. Many of our major football teams began life as church youth clubs to foster fellowship and healthy exercise as an alternative to drinking!

What on earth did we start? Many have become so passionate for the sport that they have forgotten about the source of all goodness. And yet good has still come out of it. For many of today’s football stars have come to know the Lord of glory and put him first in their lives.

In recent years, the world-beating Brazilians have made no secret of their faith, though this is likely to become less evident now - not only due to their shock exit from this year’s competition, but because FIFA, the game’s ruling body, has handed a ‘red card’ to expressions of faith on the pitch – in order not to give offence (at least six members of Brazil’s current squad are born-again Christians and, in 1994, the Brazilian team publicly honoured the Lord following their win)!

Many of our major football teams began life as church youth clubs to foster fellowship and healthy exercise as an alternative to drinking!

But when all the hoopla has finally died down, as worship leader Robin Mark puts it in one of his songs, “There is just one thing that matters: did I do my best to live for truth; did I live my life for you?”

As I said to my depleted audience last Saturday, there is something more important than the World Cup. There is also a world waiting to see if Britain will again take up the baton she dropped several generations ago when she forsook her love for the Gospel.

Meanwhile, in Westminster

But with the serious matter of Brexit still not finally, or effectively, resolved, Prime Minister Theresa May held a reception for LGBTQ+ supporters, assuring them that the Government would ease the path for those who want to change their gender.¹

Cabinet ministers who resigned this week over the Government's Brexit plans.

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic springs to mind. I don’t blame David Davis and Boris Johnson for rocking the boat by resigning over Mrs May’s plan to keep us at least partially moored to the godless EU monstrosity. Was this perhaps a bid to bury bad news – Mrs May’s betrayal of the 17.4 million people who voted Leave in the 2016 Referendum – while everyone is glued to the football?

Undermining her ministers, as she has clearly done with David Davis,² and threatening them with the suggestion that they would have to take taxis home (rather than their chauffeured cars) if they didn’t toe the line, is no way to run a democracy.

She even stands accused of being a Judas. In his Daily Mail column, Richard Littlejohn said she had turned Britain into an international laughing stock, and asked: “How does she square that with her Christian conscience? How can she live with the knowledge that she has betrayed the British people? Every week this vicar’s daughter parades her piety, pictured leaving the Sunday service at her local church in Berkshire. Who knew her role model here on earth was Judas Iscariot?”³

Enough of Compromise!

If we wish to ‘rule the waves’ again as a global power worthy of respect, we need to rediscover our godly heritage.

And we can’t do that by being ‘unequally yoked’ with Europe (see 1 Cor 6:17). I appreciate this Scripture relates specifically to believers not being ‘hitched’ in marriage or business with unbelievers, but our nation does have an exceptional Judeo-Christian heritage, which has inspired all its great institutions and is unmatched in the rest of Europe. Witness, for example, the Latin inscription on the floor of our Parliament – itself the envy of the world – which translates: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain” (Ps 127:1).

If we wish to ‘rule the waves’ again as a global power worthy of respect, we need to rediscover our godly heritage – and we can’t do that whilst ‘unequally yoked’ with Europe.

Enough of compromise, dilly-dallying and appeasement of Brussels bullies who, when push comes to shove, have no teeth anyway. For the truth is, Europe needs Britain more than Britain needs Europe.

It’s time to break off from our European moorings – we are island people after all – or the ship of state will sink, just as the house of sand collapsed for those who heard the words of Jesus and failed to put them into practice (see Matt 7:24-27).

Heavenly Priorities

In conclusion, I return to my point about the importance, or otherwise, of the World Cup. A family member, presently going through the mill, rang me up from the other side of the world to congratulate me on getting through to the semi-finals – as if I had anything to do with it, apart from not watching it, that is!

But when he told me that he and his wife were trusting Jesus in their difficulties, I was filled with a joy no amount of sporting glory could ever give me. As Jesus said, heaven holds a party each time someone turns to the Lord (Luke 15:7, 10).

He also said: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Notes

1 Daily Mail, 5 July 2018.

2 John Stevens in the Daily Mail, 9 July 2018, pages 1 & 2.

3 Daily Mail, 10 July 2018.

Catharine Pakington reviews ‘The New Normal: The Transgender Agenda’ by Dr Lisa Nolland et al (2018, Wilberforce Publications).

‘The New Normal’ aims to help the Church face changing attitudes to gender and sexuality, being a follow-up to the November 2016 conference of the same name.¹

Since then, the campaign for ‘transgender rights’ has gathered pace with bewildering intensity but the Church seems to be largely ‘missing in action’. Theresa May has now launched the delayed consultation on removing safeguards to legally ‘change sex’. How will Christians respond?

Informative and Practical

This book is a vital tool to inform those willing to engage with the issue through the experienced contributors who have researched the background, development and implications of the movement. From the preface onwards, the reader is challenged to act on practical suggestions rather than be a passive observer. But as one author says, “we cannot know how to respond to something unless we first know what that something is”.

The 11 contributors come from backgrounds of theology, medicine, philosophy, sociology and literature to produce a work divided into two halves: ‘Other LGBT Issues’ helps to understand the context for ‘The Transgender Agenda’ and includes the personal experience of those who grew up with same-sex parenting and the abusive atmosphere of the LGBT movement.

It is shocking to read of the intensity of abuse faced by those who dare to resist or expose the lengths that this community will go to, whether against children or academics doing sound research.

This book is a vital informative tool, from experienced contributors who have researched the background, development and implications of the transgender movement.

Building a Comprehensive Picture

Chapters are naturally written in different styles, being the work of different authors. All are thought-provoking and worth reading while varying in accessibility, with some being more academic and others speaking more from personal experience. Together they build a picture by seeking answers to deep questions (although unbiased evidence may be hard to find). Why is it that this agenda is becoming the ‘new normal’ when a large proportion of the population in this secular society is not comfortable with it?

As Britain’s Christian foundations have weakened, individualism and demand for personal rights have grown. Laws are changed with concern for costly litigation under European directives without considering the impact on children and families, schools, healthcare, the integrity of official data and so many other areas of our society.

The final chapter, written by a literary critic, looks for evidence that homosexuals are ‘born that way’ (in the words of key LGBTQ+ authors) but finds graphic descriptions of negative upbringing and expectations and abusive sexual relations that result in individuals ‘turning gay’. These examples reveal confusion in the LGBTQ+ movement and are useful for that purpose but you may not wish to dwell on them.

Clearing the Fog

Definitions for terms are given but the book also highlights the difficulty in defining ‘gender identity’ in law when a fluid, chosen state of mind is being regarded as a more trustworthy indicator of identity than sex, a fixed, biological characteristic.

Is sex reassignment surgery even a proper medical procedure if the aim of medicine is to restore body faculties to their proper function or prevent dysfunction? Is it morally permissible? Yet we live in times when it is increasingly unacceptable to suggest that gender identity should be brought into line with biological truth.

All the chapters thought-provoking and worth reading while varying in accessibility, with some being more academic and others speaking more from personal experience.

The great confusion over defining terms such as ‘gender’ and ‘sex’ has been enough to create a fog that disables opposition. Can we recognise the lies perpetuated through the history of the movement that are promoted with such virulence in the Western world today? As we seek truth, we need to be prepared to support gender-conflicted people who come to us needing compassion and empathy while we hold to the biblical teaching that God created mankind in his image, male and female.

The book was launched with the view that the transgender movement could collapse if more people were prepared to challenge it, because it is so contrary to truth and science.² Be informed by reading the book, follow up with suggested websites, encourage others including church leaders and politicians to engage and, above all, pray.

‘The New Normal’ (211pp) is available on Amazon for £9.99 (paperback) or £5.99 (Kindle).

References

1 Christian Concern has created an online hub of resources to accompany the conference, available here.

2 Click here for coverage of the book's launch.

Full list of Contributors: Lisa S Nolland, Carys Moseley, Carlos D Flores, Robert Oscar Lopez, James D Lopez, Daniel Moody, John Nolland, Peter Saunders, Rick Thomas, Julia Gasper, Brittany Klein. As listed in the book cover.

Truth has stumbled in the streets – and in the pulpits.

For the second week running the BBC on its Radio Four Sunday programme interviewed a young woman who had been an evangelical and then changed her beliefs to become a homosexual.

It would appear that the BBC has got its researchers scouring the land for these unusual specimens to make a big display of presenting them as part of its programme of normalising the abnormal. Every programme from quiz shows and entertainment to soap operas and documentaries must have its token LGBTQ+ representative.

For the past 20 years the BBC has been infiltrated by LGBTQ+ people who now make up a significant percentage of the staff.¹ Their influence can be seen every day in programmes and reporting. Our official state broadcasting service has effectively been taken over by a powerful lobby group who, although only representing 1.7% of the population, are determined to force their views on the rest of society by brainwashing the nation.

I listened to the programme with my usual analytical antennae raised high; even so, I was shocked to hear some of the things claimed by a young woman who said she had been an evangelical until the age of 35. She had written many popular worship songs but she had always struggled with her sexuality until after a nervous breakdown she was counselled by a liberal theologian who helped her to read the Bible in a different way, so now she is happy to tell the world that she is a homosexual.

But the thing that really shocked me was that she said that she had since talked with Archbishop Justin Welby who encouraged her to apply for ordination, saying that she would be just the kind of clergy that he wants to see in the Church of England. So now we have not only the state broadcasting service but also the state Church promoting LGBTQ+ agendas!

Now we have not only the state broadcasting service but also the state Church promoting LGBTQ+ agendas!

Friendship with the World

This is not the first time the Archbishop has said similar things. He told the Church Synod last year that he wanted the Church to become “more inclusive” (code for more open to compromising with secular humanists, other religions and the LGBTQ+ lobby) and he wrote to all CofE primary schools telling the teachers to encourage the children to cross-dress if they wanted, in order to prepare them for the kind of world in which they are growing up. It would appear that the Archbishop’s objective is to make the Church acceptable to the world.

This is surely the exact opposite of the Gospel of Jesus Christ where the object is to transform the world, not to befriend the world! Jesus said, “I have come to bring fire on the earth…Do you think that I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (Luke 12:49).

The plain fact is that the Gospel offends the world. It brings division because those who love the world and its values hate the values of the Kingdom of God (James 4:4). The Gospel offends the world because the world hates truth. If the Church seeks friendship with the world, the Church ceases to proclaim the Gospel!

Denying the Nature of God

Of course, there is a cost to discipleship. There always was and there always will be. The 3^rd Century Church leader Tertullian said that ‘The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church’.² The Christian Church was born in blood, which is both a theological and an historical statement.

The Roman Empire persecuted the Church and cruelly executed Christians because they could see that the Christians were proclaiming a Gospel that was diametrically opposed to the values of the Roman world. Once the Church begins to compromise with the world it ceases to declare the word of God and it ceases to be the bearer of truth.

It would appear that the Archbishop’s objective is to make the Church acceptable to the world.

Truth is an essential part of the very nature of God. Isaiah recognised this when he heard God say “I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right” (Isa 45:19). And Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He described the Holy Spirit who would come from the Father as “the spirit of truth” (John 14:16). But the world hates truth because it exposes the evil and corruption of its ways.

When truth and its associated values of justice and righteousness are abandoned, disaster falls upon that nation. There is a telling verse in Isaiah 59: “Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey” (v14). This is exactly what has happened in Britain over the past two or three decades. Once you abandon truth, you put yourself outside the protection of God and disaster soon follows: hence the mess we are in today.

Truth Turned Upside-Down

But it is not only the politicians and the media who are peddling fake news and corrupt values. We now have the Archbishop of Canterbury as head of the state Church saying that a lesbian woman is just the kind of clergy the Church of England needs!!

Does he not realise the terrible damage he is doing to family and marriage by promoting the LGBTQ+ agenda? Truth has indeed not only stumbled in the streets, but in the pulpits of the Church of England under a disastrous Archbishop. Has he not read the Scripture: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness”?

You cannot turn truth upside-down without incurring the wrath of God and that goes for archbishops as much as it does for corrupt politicians and greedy businessmen. Back in the 1980s in Prophecy Today we criticised Archbishop Robert Runcie for promoting New Age teaching and liberal unbelief. We said we could not imagine a worse Archbishop – maybe we were wrong!

Truth has indeed not only stumbled in the streets, but in the pulpits of the Church of England under a disastrous Archbishop.

We are all accountable to God for our lives and those who carry great responsibility should take the greatest care to guard the truth. If the Archbishop leads the Church of England further into apostasy, he will be depriving the nation of a potential prophetic voice that could yet declare the truth in an age of scepticism and corruption. He will surely be held accountable before God.

Signs of Revival?

Many ordinary people across Britain are aware that the nation is in a mess. Even some newspapers are recognising that the nation is in trouble, with everything from political chaos, collapsing social systems (NHS) and rising mental health problems, to knife crime, drugs and gang warfare among young people.

What the nation desperately needs is a prophetic voice to declare that we have abandoned the word of the Lord and we are reaping the consequences! Church leaders need to declare the word of the Lord with simple direct authority and the Archbishop should lead the way.

If the institutional Church (not the true ekklesia of God) fails to lead in preaching the Gospel, God will bypass it and raise up prophetic voices elsewhere: as John the Baptist said, “I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” It may be God’s intention to raise up a grassroots movement by putting his word into the mouths of the faithful remnant of believers. This would fulfil the wish of Moses who said, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Num 11:29).

Guide to Christian Workers

Give us a watchword for the hour,

A thrilling word, a word of power;

A battle cry, a flaming breath,

A call to conquest or to death;

A word to rouse the church from rest,

To heed the Master’s high behest.

The call is given, ye hosts arise,

The watchword is EVANGELIZE!

To fallen men, a dying race,

Make known the gift of gospel grace.

The world that now in darkness lies,

O Church of Christ, EVANGELIZE!

(Our thanks to reader Penny Rutter for submitting to us this verse, taken from the back of her Bible)

References

1 11.5% of bosses and 10.6% of staff, surpassing an 8% quota. See here.

2 Original quote: “We multiply whenever we are mown down by you; the blood of Christians is seed.” Apologeticus 50, s.13.