Reflections on Donald Trump’s criminal conviction

The clash of political and religious ideologies

The use of language in a time of division

Showing respect in the Covid debate

‘They scattered my people and divided my land’

Modern society is increasingly wracked by division and unrest - but why?

Whom will it serve?

You don’t have to be a prophet, or even a believer, to recognise that deep divisions are wracking Britain today. The 2016 Referendum exposed some of these. People are starting to realise that ‘politics as usual’ is no longer possible: we have entered a period of unprecedented turmoil and upheaval: what we have frequently referred to on Prophecy Today UK as part of the ‘shaking of the nations’.

While the spiritual forces underneath this shaking may be black and white, so to speak, how all this bears out in individual thinking and behaviour was never going to be clear-cut, because human beings are complicated. For instance, the unforgiving binary options of the Referendum masked complex concerns and ideological standpoints on both sides, which has been a point of frustration for many.

But despite this complexity, the oppositional worldviews underlying the battle for the soul of the West are gradually becoming more and more apparent. At the polls and in virtually every sphere of daily life, people are increasingly being forced to choose, one way or the other.

Political Polarisation

It may have taken a generation for the cultural Marxism being preached in universities to filter down into mainstream culture, but that project is now nearly complete, enabled and encouraged by a political establishment purporting to take the centre ground. Those who accept this radical left-wing worldview are lining up on one side of the debate; those who react against it on the other. Because the worldviews at stake are vastly opposing, we are witnessing a general movement away from the political centre towards the extremes.

This polarisation is visible in the recent EU election results, which saw centrist parties lose considerable ground to parties both farther to the left (e.g. greens, ultra-liberals) and farther to the right (e.g. nationalists). Whether ordinary citizens are becoming more radical in their politics, or simply expressing frustration, the result is an empowering of parties farther outwards on the political spectrum.

We are witnessing a general movement away from the political centre towards the extremes, underlain by worldviews that are vastly opposing.

Dig a little deeper than left-right divisions, however, and the battle lines are really being drawn up either around the defence of the ‘old order’ that emerged from Christendom (including the nation-state system, a strong family unit and the importance of individual freedom from state interference), notwithstanding its imperfections, or around its destruction and replacement with the inverse (i.e. globalism, anti-life and anti-family movements including LGBTQ+/radical feminism/abortion/euthanasia, and the subjection of the individual to increasing state control).

All this means that wherever one sits on a variety of hot-button issues, it is increasingly difficult to forge a compromise path or remain neutral. This is especially the case for Christian institutions and ministries, who ostensibly hold the truth. The time has come to nail some colours to the mast.

Oceans Apart

The reality of this was exposed strongly this week with news of a vicar in Essex resigning, from both his positions as governor of a CofE primary school and local vicar, over the promotion of transgender ideology. The school had allowed a child under 12 to announce his gender transition to his class, without any agreed procedures and without informing other parents, but with the full support of the diocese. The Revd John Parker submitted his resignation letter, in which he expressed concerns that children are being “sacrificed on the altar of trans ideology”.¹

Mr Parker is one of many clergy and lay Anglicans who have borne the CofE’s drift away from biblical principles and into radical left-wing identity politics (the schools issue being just one manifestation of this) for as long as they can, hoping and praying for change from the inside, but who have finally decided that enough is enough.

These defectors are seeking spiritual safe havens in other denominations or breakaway Anglican groups, including GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference, an international Anglican body championing traditional biblical teaching), while the CofE establishment has drifted ever farther out to sea, lured by siren calls of ‘compassion’, ‘tolerance’ and ‘welcome’.

Across the vast distance that has opened up in between, calls for unity, dialogue and peaceful disagreement sound ever-more faint and hollow. It is difficult to see any other future for the CofE than one of disintegration, barring some drastic repentance, especially within the upper tiers of its leadership.

Mr Parker is one of many clergy and lay Anglicans who have borne the CofE’s drift away from biblical principles for as long as they can, but have finally decided that enough is enough.

However, there is yet a sense that the CofE has not capitulated completely, but is still being pulled in both directions. The Lambeth 2020 international meeting of bishops, for example, is being boycotted by both conservative GAFCON members and ultra-liberal bishops who think the Church is not going far enough in its ‘welcome’ of gays and lesbians.

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s weak attempts to appease both sides in the sexuality debate have failed to give strong leadership one way or the other, permitting the gradual permeation of the Church with LGBTQ+ ideology in a way that has angered both pro-LGBTQ+ activists (for not being fast or far-reaching enough) and those trying to remain faithful to Scripture. In other words, attempts to forge a middle-ground, compromise position have only made matters worse, fuelling polarisation – just as we have seen more widely in national politics.

The Time is Now

All this is really to say that the era of easy ways out – of fudging compromises, of appeasement and of sitting on the fence – is all but over. But perhaps that is not a bad thing, for, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm…I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Rev 3:15-16).

The Church in all quarters badly needs to choose whom it will serve (Deut 30:19; Josh 24:15), heeding James’s warning that “whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God” (4:4). The disagreements in which the CofE is mired result from it befriending a worldly ideology that stands in total opposition to God. This ideology cannot save, and only leads to division and disintegration. As with the Church, so with the nation.

Our study this week looks at Jeremiah, the ‘weeping prophet’, and expresses hope that in our day we will see people who humbly cleave to the Lord’s council, grieving over the nation and daring to speak prophetically from that place to both king and priest. If ever Britain needed such prophets, it is now.

Meanwhile, may the faithful continue to rally – not primarily to one political party or another, but to the Lord and his word, just as the Levites rallied to Moses (Ex 32). Therein we will find salvation, security, hope and light which will radiate out through us to the nation.

References

1 Read more at Christian Concern.

Will Britain stand?

Last Saturday, 11 May, two marches of quite different natures processed through central London.

One was a Palestine solidarity protest marking what Muslims worldwide call the ‘Nakba’ (the catastrophe), or the formal re-establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

The march attracted mainstream press attention and some 3,000 protestors, led by Palestinian activist and former convict Ahed Tamimi who proclaimed the genocidal slogan of Hamas and Hezbollah: “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” (i.e. Israel must be destroyed).

The other march, which attracted nearly 5,000 supporters but received no mainstream press coverage, was the March for Life. Standing up on behalf of the plight of unborn children, hundreds of thousands of whom lose their lives silently in the UK each year, the march celebrated and proclaimed the sanctity of human life.

Opposing Worldviews

Seeing these marches take place virtually side by side reminded me just how divided our country has become. Every month, all sorts of protests take place in our capital, each one claiming a just and righteous cause. Both the above marches purport to stand for justice on behalf of the oppressed. However, they are undergirded by vastly opposing worldviews.

The pro-life movement is rooted in a biblical worldview, in which human life - from conception - is divinely given, in the image of God, and innately deserving of dignified treatment. While not all within the pro-life movement are believers, the movement is grounded in an understanding that life and death are sacred matters, in which humans must defer to an authority and set of moral standards higher than their own. And so, the pro-life movement champions a culture of respect, non-violence and life.

The March for Life attracted nearly 5,000 supporters but received no mainstream press attention.

Palestine Solidarity March, 11 May 2019. See Photo Credits.By contrast, Palestinianism is rooted in a rejection of the God of the Bible: specifically, his choice of land and people, denying the covenant heritage of the Jews (and its basis in historical and legal fact). It leads people to believe gross distortions and slanders about Israel, regurgitate age-old anti-Semitic tropes and side with terrorist groups who seek to murder innocent Jewish civilians. The result, directly or indirectly, is the championing of a culture of violence and death.

The issues of Israel and unborn life, though seemingly unrelated, are two of the most defining battles of our time. Both are, I believe, particularly close to God’s heart. Both are also modern spiritual litmus tests: telling indicators of the spiritual condition of our nation before God. With this in view, pondering Saturday’s marches I was reminded of Jesus’ sobering words that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” (Mark 3:25; Matt 12:25).

A Nation at War

This coming week, Britain goes to the polls again for an election which many are calling a ‘second referendum’ on our membership of the EU. Current projections indicate that because the Remain vote will be split across several different parties, Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party will make considerable gains by mopping up the Leave vote, at the particular expense of the Tories. But this does not change the fact that the country is still split roughly 50/50 over Brexit.

Brexit has divided families, neighbours, co-workers and friends. As we have written elsewhere on Prophecy Today UK, these divisions are far more than superficial political disagreements. They are symptoms of an underlying spiritual battle raging for the soul of the nation.

Brexit did not create these divisions; it merely exposed them, albeit starkly and painfully. For this reason, those who hope that a political resolution (deal or no deal) will make everything ‘go back to normal’ are sadly mistaken.

Britain has apparently become a nation of polarised outrage, shouting about a plethora of issues electronically, on the street and at the ballot box. But whether Brexit, Israel, abortion, climate change, President Trump, feminism, LGBTQ+ pride or any number of other causes, follow them to their roots and you will find one single, simple battle over God and his truth, revealed in Scripture.

True Unity

A generation of rebellion against the biblical beliefs and values that once united our nation means that Britain’s social and moral fabric is now rife with division and discordance. While our political and religious establishment call for unity and bridge-building, we must stand back and ask whether unity is possible, or even desirable, in this context.

True unity is a blessing of the Holy Spirit for obedience to the Lord. God will not bless a nation that rejects him. But Britain is a house divided, not knowing whom she really serves. Any man-made unity foisted upon this spiritual backdrop will necessarily be a poor imitation of the real thing; at best a charade, at worst a forcibly-imposed regime.

Britain has become a nation of polarised outrage on a plethora of issues – but follow each to their root and you will find one battle over God and his truth.

The only real answer to our problems is repentance and a return to the Gospel. Thankfully, God desires to use the present division and instability to draw people back to himself. He wants people to come to an understanding that something has gone very wrong in Britain: we are broken, in so many ways, and in need of a Saviour. He wants us to “seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27). As Christians, are we being faithful in praying and working for this end?

A Hope and a Future

Credit: March for Life UK

I am thrilled by the growing strength of the pro-life movement in this country (and in the USA). But, while protests and goodly debate are vital, these alone will not win the day, because “our battle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph 6:12). As the Brexit polls indicate, Britain as a whole is still split right down the middle: not just politically, but spiritually.

Things cannot remain this way forever: they will tip one way or the other, unless the Lord intervenes in a more drastic and immediate way. Similarly, in 1858, Abraham Lincoln quoted Mark 3:25 to the Illinois Republican State Convention, warning that America could not remain divided over slavery forever. He said: “I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”¹

When it comes to both Israel and abortion, I hope very much that we will see a turning of the tide, with hearts and minds changed nation-wide and righteous decisions at the very top. But the ultimate hope for Britain, including on these issues, remains the Gospel, accompanied by much prayer. That is the only thing that will unite our beleaguered nation and give her a hope and a future.

References

1 'House Divided' speech, Springfield, Illinois, 16 June 1858. Read the full transcript here.

The prophet whose very presence was a message in itself.

Ahijah of Shiloh prophesied the breakup of Israel into two kingdoms. In the tenth part of our series on the relevance of the message and ministry of the non-writing prophets for today, Fred Wright considers the impact of Ahijah’s life on the times in which he lived.

The ministry of the non-writing prophets reached the highest expressions around the time of the demise of Solomon and the subsequent division of the kingdom. Tensions centred around the definition of the true Israel and the true worship of the Lord. Ahijah of Shiloh is a key figure in the tumultuous times leading to, and the institution of, the divided kingdoms. The story of Ahijah is an outstanding example of how a man can be a message in himself.

Solomon built high places for his foreign wives and although the practice may have commenced as ‘courtesy worship’, it soon became an established part of religion in Israel to worship foreign gods, notably:

• Ashtoreth/Astarte: the goddess of the Sidonians. A mother goddess of fertility and war, a common figure, rife in the time of the conquest and the time of Samuel's ministry (Judg 2:13, 10:6; 1 Sam 7:3-4; 12:10), of whom numerous naked female statues have been discovered. Female deities of this nature were invariably earth mothers. Today the New Age movement frequently use similar motifs.
• Molech: the detestable god of the Ammonites generally considered to have the meaning of 'king of shame’ because of the practice of child sacrifice in the fire (Lev 18:21, 20:2-5; Jer 32:35 cf. 2 Kings 17:31). The law of Moses demanded the death penalty for one offering his child to Molech but the practice constantly re-emerged, as in the case of King Ahaz (2 Chron 28:3) and King Manasseh. Although there was a rout of the cult by Josiah, Ezekiel still had occasion to protest against the practice.
• Chemosh: the detestable god of the Ammonites also contained the practice of child sacrifice. The notion of child sacrifice was to some extent to pacify the deity. Today child sacrifice through abortion is in a similar vein a sacrifice, in this case to appease the idol of felt needs of the individual.

Shiloh

The whole concept of monarchy and, to some degree, even the institution of the Temple was regarded by some as a foreign institution, alien to the covenant with God. God did not live in a Temple but was omnipresent. Israel's call was not to be like other nations, but to be free of idols and to be dedicated to the Lord alone. We find a primary expression of these tensions in Ahijah’s appellation ‘of Shiloh’.

It soon became an established part of religion in Israel to worship foreign gods.

Shiloh was situated on the north side of Bethel (Judg 21:19) and it was here, in the early days of conquest, that the tent of meeting was set up (Josh 18:1). We may reasonably assume that the establishment of the shrine was a prophetic action looking forward to the fulfilment of the Messianic ascription in Genesis 49:10. It was at Shiloh that the seven tribes who had not as yet received their inheritance tarried. We may understand Shiloh, therefore, as representing, in a primary sense, a symbol of awaiting of that which is yet to be fulfilled.

Although not directly mentioned in Scripture, it appears that Shiloh was destroyed c.1050 BC as an example of God's judgment against wickedness. The priesthood moved to Nob (Jer 7:12, 14; 26:6, 9). It would be reasonable to assume that a remnant of the cultus, of whom Ahijah was a part, remained and ministered out of Shiloh.

Separated Through Choice

Throughout the history of Israel there were always groups who considered that Israel had gone astray with the institution of the monarchy, the Temple and its worship. They preferred to remain outside of Jerusalem and the Temple environs. The Recabites (Jer 35) are an example of such a group from the time of Jeremiah while the Essenes are an example in the late Second Temple period.

John the Baptist may have belonged to such a group amongst whom such a notion was held, as witnessed by his preaching (Matt 3:9; Luke 3:8). Paul's ‘Israel of God' may also have this connotation (Gal 6:16). There can be little doubt that in the modern age the battle to preserve authentic devotion to the Lord is getting harder. We have seen over recent years many fashionable, often syncretic ideas come and go through the church.

A worrying trend, in recent times, is the sudden interest in Israel for the wrong motives. One charismatic stream has promoted prayer for the Jewish people on the grounds of Genesis 12:2-3 as part of a ‘prosperity’ doctrine. This has also included raising vast amounts of money for aliyah-related projects that have born little fruit.¹

Throughout the history of Israel there were always groups who considered that Israel had gone astray.

A Divided Kingdom

Ahiiah makes a dramatic entrance (1 Kings 11:29) encountering Jeroboam, who was at that time a petty official, on the road. He proceeded to pronounce the end of the united kingdom by rending his garment into 12 pieces and presenting 10 to Jeroboam. These pieces represented his forthcoming rule (1 Kings 11:31).

The deep loathing of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, is implied almost immediately. His mother’s name is given as Zeruah (leprous) – a widow. In the Septuagint translation she is described as a harlot (1 Kings 11:26). Jeroboam fled from Solomon, finding refuge in Egypt with Shishak, and returned upon the revolt of the ten northern tribes against Rehoboam. He was elevated to kingship by popular assent (c. 931 BC) and set about establishing a rule that would become a negative measuring stick for subsequent kings who are generally considered to have perpetuated his sins of idolatry.

One should understand that the prophet in ancient Israel fulfilled far more than a religious or cultic function. The prophet was involved in matters covering all the main areas of life, including both political and domestic matters. in the same way the role of the prophet today is not simply to pronounce blessing and encouragement to the church, but also to speak to the leaders of the nations.

Consequences of Idolatry

We next encounter Ahijah when Jeroboam’s son fell sick and he sent his wife in disguise (with the customary gifts) to the ageing prophet, who we are informed was poor of sight. However, the prophet immediately knew who she was and predicted the death of Jeroboam's son, the fall of his house and the future captivity of Israel (1 Kings 14:6-16). Idolatry, in all of its forms, is abhorrent to the Lord. In the New Testament, the aged John’s mature reflections and departing plea make this most clear (1 John 5:21).

The story of Ahijah of Shiloh is one of the many warnings in Scripture against idolatry in all of its forms. More than this, it also one of several instances where God shows that he will operate through a faithful remnant. Paul may have had this in mind when speaking of the last days in his letters to Timothy (1 Tim 1:3f) where he states that in the last days there will be times of great stress when many will follow deviant teachings. Israel's disasters were invariably caused by the forsaking of the Lord in favour of foreign gods and other idols.

The story of Ahijah is one of many warnings in Scripture against idolatry, and one of several instances where God shows he will operate through a faithful remnant.

Ahijah the Shilonite could possibly be styled ‘Ahijah the faithful’. We know little of Ahijah outside of the notices in 1 Kings but we may say with assurance that as a representative of a faithful remnant his mere presence had a prophetic significance that demanded attention - a quality sadly lacking today.

This article was first published in Prophecy Today in 1999, Vol 15(1).

Notes

1 This references 'prosperity gospel' movements operating in the late 1990s abusing aliyah for their own ends, rather than the principle of aliyah itself, to which Prophecy Today is fully committed.

Political change cannot provide solutions for society's deepest need: in the wake of the General Election it is time for Christians to unite to transform our nation...

The result of the 2015 General Election has meant relief for some and grief for others, but surprise for nearly all. One prediction came true: the SNP landslide. Will Scotland seek a further referendum on independence? Nicola Sturgeon says no, but if she does not gain what she wants at Westminster, will she change her mind? Will English and Scottish politicians spend the next five years butting heads? Will the Union collapse?

Division is rife

Division is rife in our nation: politically between Scotland and England, economically between north and south and the haves and have-nots, and socially between black and white, male and female.

Greed and selfishness breed unhealthy competition and division. Those who cannot compete go under and growing numbers find themselves in a poverty trap. We blame the government for our social ills, but no government can solve them all. Only the gospel can change the selfishness in human hearts that causes division and suffering. Only the compassion of the Saviour can reach the depths of broken lives and only a revival can transform society.

The Wesleyan revival of the 18th century transformed areas of society that no politician could reach. Yet our national church did not champion their preaching but closed its pulpits to them, so that the Wesley brothers and their friend George Whitefield began to preach out of doors to the poor. Opposition to the revival continued in the Anglican Church and so Methodism as a separate denomination was born. Sadly, part of the legacy of the revival was division in the Church. The opportunity for a revival uniting people across class and political divides as one Body of believers was lost.

If we are to see revival in our nation, we must seek unity so that we do not limit the work of the Holy Spirit by our divisions."

A divided nation needs a united Church

Let true believers of every denomination unite under the manifesto of Jesus from Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.

Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, leader of the Catholic Church in Britain, has pointed out that when Christians are persecuted, their persecutors do not ask what denomination they belong to or what, for example, is their theology of the Holy Spirit. They just see the people of the Cross. In the same way, the beggars Mother Teresa helped were unlikely to have questioned her orthodoxy: they simply saw her devotion to Christ.

The needs of our society cry out for Christians of all denominations to work together, sharing skills and resources, rather than insisting on promoting the work of our own churches and organisations, which leads to duplication of effort and inefficient use of assets.

That does not mean compromising core beliefs but discerning who are our real gospel partners: we must jealously guard the faith handed down to us by the apostles, and prioritise the saving work of the gospel at the centre of all mission and social action, otherwise we lose our distinctiveness (Matt 5:13).

Seeking unity does not mean compromising on core beliefs. It means discerning real partners in Christ and prioritising the saving work of the gospel."

How do we discern who our gospel partners are?

Christian unity must be based on our position "in Christ" (Gal 3:28), proceeding from his saving work and the ongoing work of his Spirit conforming us to his image (Rom 8:29).

The hallmark of true believers of every denomination is spiritual new birth (John 3:3), through which we become part of the Body of Christ:

there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:4-6)

Ephesians 4 also speaks of our "unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God", which grows as we are equipped and edified by the five-fold ministry (v11-13). This implies that our unity is built on the Word of God. May we work towards local leaders meeting together for study and prayer so that unity for ministry in our neighbourhoods is strong in both word and Spirit?

Bound together in love

Jesus did not say that our distinctiveness lies in identical doctrinal positions on all points, but in the love we have for one another (John 13:35). It is time for us to unite in love, to "put on love, which binds all virtues together in perfect unity" (Col 3:14) and to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph 4:3).

So let this "one body" work in unity across denominational boundaries to "bind up the broken-hearted" and "release the captives" (Isa 61). May we agree to disagree about our differences on matters of secondary importance and lift Jesus higher in our nation through servant-hearted gospel witness and social intervention?

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