Contents

FEATURES

Puritan worship

Starfish Asia: 21 years and counting

Thinking about abortion: Laura’s story

Scripture’s hidden gems: Ezekiel

The most revealing meeting at church

Little golden worries

A century of gospel outreach in Cumbria

COMMENT: Integrity or liability?

GUEST COLUMN: Holiness is exciting!

A SHRINK THINKS... The seduction of Eve (part one)

THINKING IT THROUGH: Godly lies? — can deceit ever be right?

A WALK WITH MR O: Afraid of God?

CRUNCH POINTS: How can I discern which preachers to watch on YouTube?

NEWS

News in brief

Christians react as Boris resigns sparking debates over the next PM

Opposition to euthanasia and assisted dying is to be welcomed, say campaigners

Two employment tribunal rulings send mixed signals about the freedom to disagree with transgender ideas

British MPs demand abortion be made a ‘human right’ in the wake of the Roe v. Wade court ruling

Criminologist warns parents they risk arrest under Scotland’s proposal to outlaw ‘conversion therapy’

John Wesley’s first ever Methodist chapel to allow same-sex marriage

High Court judge quashes a law requiring Christian RE lessons in Northern Ireland

First full-time pastor for Hyde Heath Baptist Church, Bucks

Keswick Ministries and Faith in Later Life jointly host a training event focusing on older believers

Cheltenham meeting marks 130 years of the Bible League

Joel Beeke addresses Scottish Reformed Conference

Calvin Robinson speaks of his experience of liberal bias in education at Family Education Trust event

Met Office meteorologist addresses creationist meeting

Minister’s Relief Society asks for more people to join its committee

Face painting attracts youngsters to evangelical stall at Hay Festival

US: Pro-lifers welcome landmark abortion ruling but pro-abortionists hold angry demonstrations

Turkey: EU sends strong warning about growing intolerance of its religious and ethnic minorities

China: Local authorities take control of churches’ finances

Japan: Court upholds traditional definition of marriage

Mozambique: Christian beheaded by Islamic militants

Haiti: Kidnapped Christian missionary is released by violent gang

REVIEWS

Under God, Over the People: The calling & accountability of civil government

From Spare Oom to War Drobe: Travels in Narnia with my nine-year-old self

A Greater Glory: From pitch to pulpit

Praying in Public: A guidebook for prayer in corporate worship

Compassion for Souls: Following Christ’s approach for witnessing to different kinds of unbeliever

FEATURES

Puritan worship

When we think of the Puritans, we probably think mostly of Reformed doctrine, especially perhaps the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

We might also reflect on the preaching and pastoral practice at which Puritan ministers excelled.

Yet for the Reformers of the sixteenth century and the Puritans who followed them, it was not only doctrine and pastoral practice that was in need of reformation, but the manner in which the almighty triune God was to be worshipped.

Medieval mass

A moment’s reflection makes clear why this should be.

In late medieval England, the main religious service attended by most people was the Roman Catholic mass. In the mass, the high point of worship was certainly not preaching, nor was it even the sharing of the bread and the cup – the vast majority of the laity would not normally be in a position to receive either element.

The high point for most people was simply catching sight of the host – the consecrated bread – as it was lifted up by the priest and the words of transubstantiation were uttered: ‘Hoc est enim corpus meum’ (‘For this is my body’).

So important was it actually to see the elevated host that a bell would be rung immediately before the element was raised.

In larger churches, there could be multiple services going on at the same time in different parts of the building. They were not necessarily synchronised, however, so that a worshipper could, by listening out for the telltale bell and moving fast around the building, see the elevation of the host several times on one occasion.

This would be regarded as a wonderful thing. ‘This day have I seen my Maker,’ they would say, or, ‘I cannot be quiet except I see my Maker once a day.’

The idolatrous nature of the practice is clear. It is evident that false worship such as this was driven by false doctrine. The reformation of doctrine therefore required the reformation of worship.

Reforming worship

There was another, more fundamental reason why the reformation of worship was of such importance.

In 1544, an Imperial Diet met at Speyer on the river Rhine. John Calvin took the opportunity to address to ‘the most invincible Emperor Charles V and the most illustrious princes and other orders’ meeting at the Diet a ‘humble exhortation seriously to undertake the task of restoring the church’.

Calvin’s plea for the reformation of the church addressed first of all the church’s worship.

This was of central importance because it concerns the nature of God himself, from whom comes our salvation. If our worship is wrong, our understanding of who God is will be wrong and then we will have no adequate doctrine of salvation. These issues stand or fall together.

For these reasons, the Reformers concerned themselves as much with the reformation of worship as with the doctrine of justification by faith alone or with other vital matters of theology.

This emphasis continued to be vital for the English Puritans. When Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, England had just come out of a five year long, intense refresher course on what it meant to be a Roman Catholic country, complete with Roman Catholic doctrine and practice.

All the old ceremonies and rituals, which had been largely abolished during the time of Edward VI (1547-53), had been reinstated with a vengeance by Mary when she came to the throne in 1553. Services were once more held in Latin, rather than English. The wooden communion table in the middle of the church was replaced with a stone altar at the east end. Roman Catholic prayer books reappeared, together with the vestments, crucifixes, candles, images, and other paraphernalia of Roman Catholic worship that had been prohibited in Edward’s time.

This was the pattern of worship that faced the Puritans as they emerged from hiding or returned from exile to serve in Elizabeth’s church.

If worship in the national church was to be re-established on a biblical, Protestant, and Reformed basis, as they hoped and desired, much work would need to be done.

The reformation of worship was thus high on the agenda for the Puritans of Elizabeth’s age, just as it had been for the Reformers earlier in the century, and for the same reasons.

Battling for the Book of Common Prayer

This can be seen in the battles that many of them fought with Elizabeth over the order of worship in the Church of England that she governed.

The focus for these battles was the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), which regulated worship in the national church throughout the Puritan era.

The BCP abolished the principal elements of Roman Catholic worship and restored much of the form of worship that was in place at the end of Edward VI’s reign.

Yet elements remained from Roman Catholic times which caused Puritan ministers considerable unease. For almost a hundred years – throughout the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I – Puritan ministers and members of their congregations protested against provisions of the BCP which they believed to be insufficiently reformed.

The nature of the provisions complained against over that long period is striking.

It included the sign of the cross in baptism; the statements in the baptismal service that the baptised infant was regenerate; kneeling for communion; the use of rings in wedding services; the assumption in the burial service that the deceased person was a Christian; a concern that the BCP liturgy left too little time for preaching; the lack of church discipline; and the vestments to be worn by clergy when officiating at services.

Protest and persecution

Many of these concerns may seem trivial. Why make a fuss about the use of a marriage ring in the wedding service, or the gesture of the signing of the cross at an infant’s baptism?

The fact that Puritan ministers continued to protest these points demonstrates how significant for them was the reformation of worship.

They were free to preach justification by faith alone through Christ alone as much as they wished, yet that did not satisfy many of them: they also insisted upon pursuing in their churches a form of worship which, as far as possible, was obedient to Scripture as they understood it.

Their commitment to the reformation of worship can be seen by the extent to which many were willing to suffer for it.

John Whitgift, the Archbishop of Canterbury for the last 20 years of Elizabeth’s reign, clamped down on ministers who tried to evade the requirements of the BCP to which they objected.

As a result, some ministers were suspended from their duties. Conditions were worse under the far more stringent regime of William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633. Between 1629 and 1640, about 20,000 people (out of a population of around five million) left England for New England, many of them for religious reasons. During that period, 79 ministers made the same journey, most of whom had been in trouble with the authorities at home.

The climax ultimately came, of course, with the Great Ejection of 1660-62.

Under the Act of Uniformity 1662, ministers and preachers were obliged to declare publicly in a church service their ‘unfeigned assent and consent to the use of all things in the Book of Common Prayer’.

Nearly 2,000 ministers could not reconcile it with their consciences to comply with this law: they were prepared to lose their ministries and their livelihoods rather than conform to the prescriptions of the BCP which had been reissued at the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

Worship challenges today

As we reflect on the costly determination of Reformers and Puritans to establish biblical worship in their churches, we should ask how highly do we value biblical worship in our churches?

It is perhaps difficult to envisage a western government today taking measures similar to those passed in the Puritan era concerning the regulation of public worship.

I suspect that the danger for us comes not so much from state regulation as from the evangelical culture of the day.

That danger takes two forms. The first is the pressure to introduce unbiblical elements of various kinds into our meetings, in part at least so that they appeal more to the unbeliever and the outsider.

The cost of refusing to comply with such pressure can be high: younger Christians may not join because the church is perceived to be backward-looking and unlikely to appeal to their non-Christian friends; there may be pressure from within the congregation for unbiblical change, borne of an anxiety that new people are not joining. Pressure such as this can be intense, and the cost of resisting it high.

An equal challenge comes from worship that is mired in formality and unbiblical tradition, or that insists on the use of outdated language or forms. This is equally, if not more, damaging than unbiblical innovations. It breeds hypocrisy in churches and squeezes the life from them.

Where change is sought to make the worship more biblical – understood with the mind and truly heart-felt – tremendous resistance may result from those who consider themselves to be guardians of what is right and scriptural. Again, the cost of seeking biblical reform may be very great.

In either case, the Reformers and the Puritans throw down a challenge to us. Do we have the convictions of the Puritans about the high importance of the biblical worship of God? Are we as convinced as they were of the need to reform not just doctrine, but also the worship of our churches?

This article is taken from a paper given at the Banner of Truth Ministers’ Conference in April 2022.

Robert Strivens pastors Bradford on Avon Baptist Church.

Starfish Asia: 21 years and counting

It was 2003 and I was passing through Karachi on my way home from yet another visit to Pakistan. I looked back on the past month, in which I had visited some of our many Pakistani friends across the country.

My wife and I had lived in Lahore for nine years in the 1980s, launching the work of Operation Mobilisation in Pakistan.

As we pulled back, that work was taken forward by Pakistani Christians with a passion for evangelism.

We moved on, but we did not move out. We had formed a network of friendships among Pakistani Christians, but one family had a special impact on our future.

Ashley had directed his own shipping supply company in Djibouti on the east African coast, and had met and married Seema, a Christian from Yemen. They moved back to Lahore and he worked for an insurance company.

Ashley knew our commitment to his country, and he said to me one day: ‘Mike, if you really want to help our community, help us educate our children.’

I had no formal understanding of education but we took it to heart and, to cut a long story short, we raised some money and helped Ashley to open the Lahore Christian High School. It is still serving the Christians of Lahore.

That was three years earlier. Now in 2003 we faced the big question: how could we maintain our commitment to educate Pakistan’s poorest Christians? We had to launch our own charity and wrestled with a name. Pakistan’s Poor? People in Need?

There during that night in Karachi I bit the bullet and decided: Starfish Asia: bringing hope to the children of Pakistan. I loved the starfish story, the boy throwing dying starfish back into the sea. When asked what difference it made to the thousands of starfish on the beach, he replied, ‘It makes a big difference to this one.’

By September 2003 our charity was registered.

Growth and blessing

God blessed that small beginning. Ashley and Seema’s school grew, young people graduated, many became nurses or got good jobs to support their families.

We responded to other Christians who wanted to help their communities. For example, the Holy Shepherd School in Karachi was struggling to survive, but we were able to raise some funds to help them pay their teachers. Today, 600 Christian young people study in a purpose-built school building. It is the pride of their labouring community.

Mr Dean had run his school in Lahore for several years, but had no money to pay either himself or his teachers a decent salary. He was well-educated and I asked him one day why he did not get a job with a good salary. He smiled and looked at me. ‘It’s my community. I want to help my community.’ Such dedication inspired us.

The Miracle School was started by Angela, Edna, and Rubina with 50 children in their family home. We helped them and they now run two schools for about 600 Christian children.

Pakistan is sadly known for its troubles, not for its beauty. It is known for corruption and chaos, not for its history, dignity, and pride.

Open Doors rates it eighth on their persecution watch list for Christians. They do not mention the freedom Christians enjoy to worship, witness – and educate their children. Pakistan does have a very poor record on education. In March 2022 a major Pakistani newspaper reported: ‘Nearly one-fifth of all school-age children in Pakistan remain out of school… parents belonging to the lowest socio-economic strata are unable to send their children to school.’

It is sadly the five million Christians who form much of the ‘lowest socio-economic strata’. We set out to change that.

2016 Survey: For a better world

In 2016 we launched a survey across the areas of Pakistan where Christians are found in larger numbers. We wanted to find out what sort of education was available – and accessible – to children from Christian families. It was not a comprehensive or detailed survey, but it was revealing.

We contacted 604 private schools serving 85,000 children, mostly from Christian families. 13% of the schools had no toilet and a quarter provided no clean drinking water. Four out of five teachers had no teaching qualifications and some were paid less than £15 a month.

In many of the schools children had no notebooks. But there was good news: 95% of the schools surveyed had Bible classes for their students. The full survey is on our website, www.starfishasia.com.

We set out to help as many of those schools as we could. We organised teacher training classes and invited teachers from the surveyed schools to attend. We began to publish a magazine for Christian teachers in Urdu and sent it to all the schools and 4,000 teachers. We started to provide subsidies to enable teachers to receive a better salary. We also produced a Bible curriculum for primary classes – a five year project which is now used by many Christian schools across Pakistan.

Raising standards, lifting hopes

We found the Right Way School as a result of the survey. Located in a village north of Lahore, it was opened by a local farmer’s daughter – a young lady with a passion for education.

She rented a rough brick building (but never had enough money to pay the rent), paid a small wage to three or four teachers out of her own pocket, and invited Christian children to come in. They had no electricity or fans, even in the summer heat.

This lady, Naseeb, was the sort of person we loved to help. She was capable and compassionate — not waiting for funds before stepping out in faith. We helped her with furniture, electricity, and ultimately a better building.

In 2015 I visited a school in Pakistan’s third city, Faisalabad. Nabila had opened her home for Christian children to come in, and she hired five teachers.

We met them and asked them to tell us how much salary they were given. We had to press them for an answer, but finally, very slowly, they raised one finger. A thousand rupees or £6.50 a month. We asked them how much they would like. ‘Three,’ they replied. We offered to raise it to five. Now it is 10.

The next 21 years

We have come a long way over the past 21 years. We have just printed the Starfish Asia Story – an 84-page booklet of insights into the stories of the past that have brought hope to thousands of Pakistan’s Christians. You can request a free copy by writing to liz@starfishasia.com.

Pakistan is a country on the move. When we first helped to launch the Lahore Christian High School, the national census recorded 140 million citizens. Today’s population, 21 years later, estimates it has grown to 225 million Pakistanis. About four million (maybe more) call themselves Christian, and many of them are the poorest of the poor.

They need our prayers. They need our help. The next 21 years are a wonderful opportunity for us to bring hope, faith, and confidence to the next generation – the church of Christ in Pakistan.

By Mike Wakely, executive trustee of Starfish Asia.

Thinking about abortion: Laura’s story

I was nineteen when I had an abortion.

I told my boyfriend at the time that I was pregnant. He was older than me, so I was expecting that I would get support and encouragement from him to have this child.

Instead he said, ‘You have your whole future ahead of you.’

I confided in my two closest friends, but they gave me no hope whatsoever.

The thing is that I’m from Nigerian heritage and to have a child out of wedlock is not really the ‘done thing’.

So I had these thoughts at the back of my mind: I’d be disappointing my mum. What would my siblings think? What would my peers think about me? And if my boyfriend wasn’t going to support me, or at least stand with me in this, how was I going to raise a child at nineteen?

Eventually, I gave in to having an abortion at twenty weeks.

In my case, I had become attached to the child because I had the opportunity to see a scan of the child.

The pregnancy was also so far progressed that I could feel my baby moving inside me – I had connected.

So I was confused. I knew deep down inside that I was not making the right decision, but I just needed somebody to affirm that everything was going to be OK.

I needed someone to tell me that I could actually do this and I would be supported if I decided to have this child, but there was not one person who affirmed that to me at the time.

The decision was basically solely down to me.

When we went to the doctor’s, the doctor quickly recommended abortion as though it was the only option.

And so, sadly, I went ahead and sacrificed my child because of fear.

A message to church leaders

When I plucked up the courage to talk to my pastor about my abortion, he prayed with me, he spoke with me, he fasted with me, he gave me Scriptures – but that’s where it ended.

There were no sermons about it in church and no directions as to where I could get post-abortive support. That was it.

I don’t know whether he had ever dealt with anybody who’d had an abortion before, but he tried to deal with it in the best way he could.

The issue of abortion is there. We can’t just turn a blind eye to it, because there are women and men who have already been affected directly or indirectly by abortion, and they are suffering in silence.

Also, a large proportion of women will continue to default to the option of abortion if it’s never addressed within the church. If there is no clear Bible teaching on the issue, they will assume abortion is an acceptable option.

If abortion had the platform of being spoken about in church, it would bring further light into the darkness because abortion is such a taboo subject in our society.

I’ve spoken to church leaders about this and the response I’ve had, which is very heart-breaking, is: ‘We don’t want to open a can of worms here.’ In other words, ‘It’s too difficult, it’s too complicated.’

But Jeremiah 32:27 says, ‘Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?’

My word to pastors and leaders is this: there is nothing that is too hard; it only becomes hard when we decide that we cannot speak about it. You are the mouthpiece of the gospel. If you keep that mouthpiece quiet and put a lid on it, you cannot deal with the real issues people are facing. You will find that you have broken people ‘playing church’ within church. Yet if abortion is spoken about, people have that option to say, ‘This is something that God can help me with.’ They will come forward.

Everybody in church has to play their part: talking about it, providing services for pregnant women, and providing post-abortion support.

My part, which God has called me to do, is to share my testimony. After what I have been through, I wouldn’t want to sit back and stay silent.

The church needs to wake up! We need to talk about these issues today so that people have that refuge place. It’s not about being judgmental, but about providing grace for people.

The more you talk about abortion and the more we allow people to see that we in the church are being gracious in the services we provide, the more you will find that many people within the church will respond.

Silence and shame

When I went to the clinic, I was sat down and given some pills to take.

I remember feeling the sensation of my baby moving into my lower abdomen. Eventually, I was taken to the theatre and put to sleep.

When I woke up, I felt this complete hollow emptiness inside me.

As the nurses escorted me down the lift to the waiting room, I felt that I was meant to have come away with something, but I felt so empty.

I remember saying to one of the nurses, ‘Where’s my baby?’ She said to me, ‘Do you not know what you have done?’

On my arrival at the clinic, I had been told I would be fine, it would be quick and I wouldn’t experience much pain. So as I left the clinic, I held on to those words that I would be fine.

Little did I know that it would be the beginning of nightmares, night tremors, and shame. I was riddled with guilt and so kept it secret. It was not a thing you talked about.

Although I was brought up in a Christian home, I hadn’t really given my life to Christ. I got saved after my abortion, towards the end of 2000.

In the first few months after my conversion, when I was listening to sermons in church, I would hear this high-pitched noise of my baby crying, week in, week out – it just wouldn’t go away.

I would turn around and say to my friends, ‘Can you not hear the baby crying?’ I was so baffled that no one else could hear it.

My friends would turn around and look at me, totally puzzled, saying, ‘No. I can’t hear anything.’ This went on for weeks.

God was doing a work in me: he kept bringing my abortion to the forefront of my mind.

I knew back then that I had not made the right decision, but God had a plan to heal me from it.

However, I needed to speak to somebody. I thought, ‘I can’t just keep this to myself, because I feel like I’m being tormented.’

Repentance and recovery

Finding peace with God began when I committed myself to him.

My peace and healing came from knowing Jesus Christ, but it had to start with that initial repentance.

The start of my journey to salvation was a heavy conviction. I wasn’t at peace. I was carrying this crippling guilt from the ‘choice’ I had made. In fact, my unrest with the abortion was like being haunted. I knew that I was a sinner and that God was the only one who could heal all my brokenness.

Part of what I was desperate for God to heal and forgive me for was the sin of ending my precious child’s life. I knew that it was murder of an innocent life.

Every time I remembered the abortion, I could do one of two things: I could either suppress it or speak about it. (While I needed counselling, I didn’t know where or how to access it.)

The guilt and torment stopped the moment when I confessed my sin openly, which God requires of us in order to do his work in us.

For me, that came about when I plucked up the courage to speak to my pastor.

God will forgive because his Word declares it. Scriptures such as Psalm 32 (taught to me as a child) and 2 Corinthians 5:17 (‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come’) helped me a lot.

One day, I met up with Ruth, a very good friend of mine from my new church.

She said to me, ‘I’m going somewhere,’ but didn’t say any more than that. I kept hassling her and asking, ‘Where are you going?’ I ended up with her at the Clarkson Academy, which trains people in pro-life apologetics.

After the training course, I attended a display outside the Department of Health where images of the aborted babies were displayed in my face.

That was another step in my healing. I broke down because that was the first time I had come face to face with what had actually happened to my baby.

I saw pieces of these children whose lives had been taken away from them, and I thought to myself, ‘That’s what happened to my baby.’ Those images stayed with me. They really exposed abortion for what it is – what I had done – and that’s why this exposure was part of my healing journey.

Over the years, God has healed me from within. I attended the PASE (Post-Abortion Support for Everyone) Recovery Course.

I had to make a conscious decision to walk in that forgiveness and to forgive myself, which wasn’t always easy.

However, being able to speak out about my experience and knowing that it helps others has made God’s forgiveness evident.

I know that only good can come from my place of hurt. Each time I’m presented with an opportunity to speak, I just can’t say ‘no’ – because I know that my experience of abortion impacted me so much and the many years of silence did me no good.

Many people in church need healing because there is such a thickened silence about this topic. If we are not willing to show people there is help, it makes it much harder for them to say, ‘Look! Here I am! This is my situation. How can you support me?’

Extracted from Thinking About Abortion by Ben & Valentina Cadoux-Hudson and Dr Chris Richards, published by EP Books.

Scripture’s hidden gems: Ezekiel

In this series Alan Hill surveys some of the lesser-known books of Scripture.

If you like reading, then you’ll know that a good book has a beginning that grabs your attention and an ending that is satisfying. For many Christians, Ezekiel fails this test.

Some find the vision of the first chapter incomprehensible. Others find the last nine chapters of no relevance to their Christian life.

As a result, Ezekiel is the most neglected prophet, not only by readers of the Bible but also by preachers of the Bible.

This is sad, for Ezekiel is a book that tells us much about God and his glory. It tells us much about Christ and his church, and it tells us much about the promised new heavens and new earth.

Granted, some parts of the book are hard to understand, but does that mean we should not study it? The apostle Peter found some of Paul’s letters hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16), but that did not stop him from reading them.

What is the setting of Ezekiel?

Ezekiel is set in Babylonia. The tribe of Judah is now under the control of the Babylonians.

Twice already (in 605 BC and 597 BC), many Jews have been taken into captivity. One of those was Ezekiel, of the tribe of Levi.

It is now 592 BC. Ezekiel is aged 30, the age at which he would have been expected to start serving in God’s temple in Jerusalem. Instead, God calls him to be a prophet.

His final vision is given in 572 BC when he is aged 50 – the age when a priest stepped down from active service. In other words, he served as a prophet for as long as he would have served as a priest: 20 years.

What is the outline of Ezekiel?

Ezekiel is arranged in chronological order, and the book revolves around the final fall of Jerusalem which occurred in 587 BC.

The first 33 chapters were all preached before that seminal event, the remaining chapters afterwards.

The book begins with the call and commission of Ezekiel in chapters 1–3. He receives an extraordinary vision of the greatness of God. He is then commissioned by God to preach to the Israelites in captivity.

The second section is the announcement of God’s judgment on Judah (chapters 4–24).

The third section is the announcement of judgment on Judah’s neighbours and enemies (chapters 25–33).

A turning point comes in 33:21-22. Ezekiel receives news that Jerusalem has fallen: ‘And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has been captured!”’

Now the whole tone of the book changes, as the fourth and final section (chapters 34–48) of the book is an announcement of hope and restoration.

The book ends with the description of a new temple in Jerusalem and a division of the land of Israel between the tribes.

What is unusual about Ezekiel?

All through the book God uses striking and unusual ways to speak.

First, there are fascinating visions such as the ‘wheels within wheels’, the scroll which Ezekiel has to eat, and the valley of dry bones.

Second, there are striking parables such as the worthless vine, the two lion cubs, and the cooking pot.

Third, God speaks through symbolic acts. In chapters 4–5 Ezekiel is instructed to build a model of Jerusalem being besieged and then to lie down next to it, living off a siege diet. This is all to illustrate the discomfort of those who rebel against God.

In chapter 12, Ezekiel packs up his belongings and digs through the wall of his home to illustrate God’s people going into captivity.

The most personally devastating sign experienced by the prophet was the death of his wife in chapter 24. This was to picture the loss of blessings which God’s people would suffer.

Reading Ezekiel is sometimes difficult, but it is never boring. Each of these visons, parables, and symbolic acts are like windows to the truth, helping us to understand more about God and his ways.

But is Ezekiel relevant only to Jewish people? On the contrary, it has a vital message for all people today. Here are two reasons why.

1. Ezekiel focuses on God and his glory

If there is one weakness of the church today it is a failure to appreciate the greatness of God. Ezekiel helps to correct this.

The phrase, ‘That they shall know I am the LORD’ occurs nearly 70 times in the book.

From chapter 1 with the famous vision of wheels within wheels, we are confronted by the greatness of God. Ezekiel fell on his face after seeing that vision, and so should we.

Ezekiel more exactly focuses on God’s glory. There are three key points in the book all linked to this subject.

First, there is the appearance of God’s glory as part of Ezekiel’s call to be a prophet.

Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire (1:4).

As a priest Ezekiel was fully aware of the notion of God’s glory appearing in the temple, but what he saw went further than that. He saw the glory of the Lord radiating from God’s throne, which was mounted on a chariot whose wheels within wheels gave it incredible speed.

The Babylonians had developed fearsome chariots of war, but they were flimsy and pathetic next to the power of God. This extraordinary vision at the beginning of the book is to drive home the truth that God is on the throne, that God is sovereign, and that he is in total control of all that happens.

How we need to be reminded of this in our day, when the world is dominated by godless nations and leaders!

The second key point is the departure of God’s glory from the temple in chapters 10 and 11.

In a vision Ezekiel is taken to the temple in Jerusalem. He sees the glory of the Lord there again in the form of wheels within wheels. Then something shocking happens.

Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them (10:18-19).

For 400 years God’s glory has been manifested in the temple, symbolising his presence. But now that glory departs.

The Lord moves slowly as he departs Jerusalem. He pauses to stop over the mountain east of Jerusalem, which is the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem is now unprotected, and God will watch the destruction of the holy city from afar.

It is no coincidence that centuries later Jesus would sit on the same Mount of Olives, look over the same city, and predict the destruction of the temple and the city.

Yet all is not bad news. In Ezekiel’s day, to where did God’s glory relocate? It went to be with the exiles in Babylon. God’s people were not left without hope.

Thus says the Lord God: ‘Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone’ (11:16).

We as God’s people may not be in captivity but we are living in the wilderness of this world. And where is the Lord? With his church! This is our ‘little sanctuary’: the Lord is with us.

The third key point is the return of God’s glory with the restoration after exile.

In chapters 38–48 there is a detailed description of a temple to be rebuilt and a city to be reoccupied. The glory of God returns and fills this new temple.

Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with his glory. It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw – like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east (43:1-4).

The book ends with a triumphant affirmation that God is with his people once more in Jerusalem: ‘The name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE’ (48:35).

We are reminded throughout Ezekiel that the Lord stays with his people wherever they are. This is our place of safety. The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us.

2. Ezekiel focuses on Christ and his kingdom

In chapter 34 we see the appearance of the shepherd-king. God himself will shepherd his people. The person with this responsibility will be able to trace his family tree back to David. Who is the shepherd-king? The Lord Jesus Christ. This chapter points to Jesus’s teaching in John 10 that he is the Good Shepherd.

We move to the renewal of Israel as the focus of chapter 36. God will bring the Israelites back from captivity, forgiving their sins. God will give his people a new heart and a new spirit. When did this happen? It began on the Day of Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The valley of dry bones coming to life is the great theme of chapter 37. Ezekiel preaches to dry bones and they come alive! Here is a picture of the power that God will give to gospel preaching in the gospel age, bringing life to the spiritually dead.

Ezekiel’s temple

The building of a new temple is found in chapters 40–48. What does this section mean? Christians are divided. Some take these chapters literally. They think this describes the literal rebuilding of the nation of Israel and the literal reign of Christ on earth, ruling from Jerusalem.

However, there are significant problems with this view.

Ezekiel describes the reintroduction of the sacrificial system with burnt offerings and sin offerings. Yet the book of Hebrews makes it abundantly clear that the sacrificial system has ended.

If the passages about sacrifices are not to be taken literally then surely the passages about rebuilding the temple are also not to be taken literally.

To understand these chapters we need to remember that all through the Old Testament God uses physical realities to point to spiritual realities, especially concerning Christ.

In Amos 9, for instance, we have a prophecy about the tabernacle of David being rebuilt. James, in Acts 15, confirms that this prophecy has been fulfilled in Christ’s death and resurrection.

We should interpret Ezekiel chapters 40–48 in a similar way.

In Ezekiel 47 there is a description of a river flowing out of the temple. The waters heal everything with which they come into contact (v. 9). Surely this is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, the water of life (John 4).

Chapters 40–48 are understood to be an extended picture of the New Testament church. God’s people are gathered and organised for worship and service. At the centre is Christ, the fount of living water.

But this does not exhaust the meaning of these chapters. It is a telling fact that there are 28 references to Ezekiel in Revelation, and nowhere is Ezekiel’s impact on what John wrote seen more than in the vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 and 22:

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honour into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. They shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 21:22-22:5).

In the New Jerusalem, as in Ezekiel’s vision, there is a river of life whose banks are lined with trees that produce fruit each month.

Most importantly, the New Jerusalem has no temple because all that the temple symbolises has been fulfilled in Christ. The pictures of Ezekiel 40–48 therefore point to the New Testament church and to the new heavens and earth. And all this means that ultimately Ezekiel points us to Christ.

How does Ezekiel end? With the words The Lord is there. Is that not a fitting definition of our eternal home?

So why read Ezekiel? Because it points us to the greatness of God our Saviour and to the greatness of his work in saving us. Why not start reading Ezekiel today?

Alan Hill is Pastor of Lausanne Free Church, Switzerland.

The most revealing meeting at church

IThe philosopher Martin Buber said, ‘All real meaning in life is in meeting.’ But what’s the most revealing meeting at church?

Sunday morning? In almost every church I know, the best-attended meeting is the Sunday morning service. That’s the ‘high point’, where most work is put in. That’s where we expect newcomers to show up; it’s what we put effort into. We want it to be high quality. It’s a bit like dressing up to go on a first date. We’re trying to impress.

Trustees meeting? The budgets likewise can tell you a lot about a church. Actions speak much louder than words. We can say x matters, but show me the money! How much money is being given to the church? What’s done with that money? How much money is being given away by the church? Is this a generous church?

Money is very telling. Where your treasure is, there your heart is also. Why is giving to mission so low? Hmmm… what does that reveal? How much is being spent on ‘publicity’?

Sunday evening? In plenty of churches, this service no longer exists. The congregation voted with their feet, and the church leaders didn’t have the conviction that the Lord’s Day was holy, so it was abandoned.

But when people come out for worship morning and evening, it says a lot. They will be the backbone of the church. The church that has a well-attended second service still has a good deal of fight left in it.

Elders meeting? I’m conscious that this meeting is invisible to most of the congregation, but it shouldn’t be! Even if you’re not an elder and you don’t regularly attend, it should be on your radar.

A good case could be made for the elders’ meeting. It’s certainly critical. There’s a close connection between the health of an elders’ meeting and the health of a church.

If an elders’ meeting is just admin and business, no surprise if that comes through to the church. Are they ‘shepherds’ of the flock?

Prayer meeting? I’d argue that the church prayer meeting is the most revealing meeting of the church. It’s the place where you can take the spiritual temperature.

What’s attendance like? Is it just a fraction of the Sunday morning congregation? What percentage of the church members attends the prayer meeting? What’s being prayed for? What prayer requests do people make? What desires are revealed? Is it freedom from suffering or freedom from sin? How much earnestness and zeal is on display?

Ultimately, it’s only Christ with his eyes like a flame of fire who can see what’s really going on at church. But these meetings can bring to the surface the desires of a church, and we’d do well to realise there’s more going on at them than meets the eye.

By Simon Arscott, sent by the International Presbyterian Church to lead All Nations Church, Ilford.

Little golden worries

Recently at our dear church, I stood to sing in my usual spot on the front row.

As the pastor’s wife, I sit in what feels like the designated seat, always in the view of a church filled with people I love.

They watch my face when Chad makes an amusing reference to me in a sermon. They glance my way when he looks at me and smiles. And they see it when I brush away tears as God breaks my heart in the places where it needs breaking.

The Lord is always moulding and mending, and this he sometimes does right there on the front row.

I stood that day and sang, knowing that I had just spent a week struggling with my own fears.

There I was, singing to the God of the universe, the one who is fully and truly in control of it all, and in that moment I acknowledged his might, his goodness, his everlasting love.

I cried and I prayed and I listened as my spiritual family sang the truths that I so badly wanted to remember.

I knew that I needed to surrender my fears to my Saviour. Maybe I even tried. But when I left church that day, tear-stained, I carried my worries with me.

They are, in many ways, my most prized possessions. I’m an expert at conjuring them. They are almost always my closest thoughts, and they sit like little golden statues all along the shelves that line my heart and mind. Gold, because they last and because they are alluring, always drawing my eye.

Even when I’m looking in a different direction, thinking better thoughts, the smallest glint of worry will flash in some distant part of my heart, and before I know it I’m standing there in my mind, looking over my collection of little golden worries.

My heart palpitates. I stand still, not resting, but not moving either: just existing there in the presence of all my fears – and if it weren’t for the Holy Spirit I would never budge.

I used to think that worry was one of those acceptable sins that we all just deal with. After all, God had reasons for telling us clearly more than 350 times in Scripture that we shouldn’t be afraid. But truthfully, we may need that reminder so often because we tend to idolise our worries.

We meditate on our anxieties more than we dwell on who God is. We stand there, just existing, staring at our fears, forgetting that the warmth at our backs is the radiance of God’s glory. All we have to do is turn around, pull our eyes away from those shiny fears that we so revere, and fix our eyes on the true light: he who will one day roll up the heavens like a cloak while keeping us safe in his arms.

That’s the God who loves us. He will carry us through whatever comes, so why do we root ourselves in place and obsess over all the things that will probably never happen?

Little golden worries are no different from that infamous golden calf that we Christians roll our eyes over. Those foolish Israelites! Couldn’t they see who they were really dealing with?

Can’t we?

Worry is heavy and useless. I have wasted time gazing at this idol while there is real work to be done, and a true and gracious God who deserves every ounce of my worship.

I’m tired of building this collection of fears and making space for it in my heart. He is so much better. I believe, Lord. Help me in my unbelief.

By Melissa Edgington, a blogger at yourmomhasablog.com.

A century of gospel outreach in Cumbria

The pioneering work of Cumbria Gospel Outreach was launched in 1912. It was then known as the Cumberland and Westmorland Gospel Tent.

Those with the vision to begin this work were John W. Laing and David J. Beatie (from Hebron Evangelical Church, Carlisle) and George Winter (from Penrith).

Their priority was to reach the people in the villages and hamlets of Cumbria where there was no Christian witness.

Many believing fellowships joined together in support of this venture of faith.

A tent and a van were purchased for the activities of the evangelists as they travelled and worked throughout Cumberland and Westmorland.

Many people were saved during those days and several churches were planted.

Evangelists John Knight and Phil Widdowson combined evangelistic work with a training school at Silloth to educate young people in the work of evangelism. Among those who attended were Brian and Peter Maiden.

From these earlier times of blessing, it became increasingly difficult towards the end of the 20th century to persuade people to attend a tent meeting. Therefore, the committee of Cumbria Gospel Outreach resolved to be more proactive, going out to where people were.

A van was purchased and adapted to display different booklets and Bibles at shows, markets and other public events.

Stories from the stall

Our volunteers also man a gospel stall at Keswick Market each Saturday throughout the year.

This is one of the largest markets in the UK, and people come to visit it from all over the world. It’s been said that we don’t need to go out to the world with the gospel, for the Lord has sent the world to us at Keswick!

A young lady from China studying at Durham University once came over to the stall. We asked her about her studies and enquired if anybody had ever told her what a Christian believes, or how one could become a follower of Jesus.

Needless to say, I spent some time explaining the gospel to her and was very encouraged by her response.

She said, ‘I have never heard anything like this, it’s amazing!’ She proceeded to take a photo of the volunteers at the stall, saying it would help her to always remember what had been shared with her.

‘K’ was a young lady from Indonesia, now working as a mechanical engineer in Dundee.

She showed real interest as we explained the gospel to her, also giving her a DVD and a booklet to help explain the Bible’s message.

We provided our contact details, and in a few weeks’ time she got in touch, requesting information about a church she might attend. In the course of time this led to her conversion, for which we praise God!

We have maintained contact with ‘K’, who is now living in Singapore and married to a lovely Christian man.

‘G’ and his daughter were of Indian descent, living in Bristol and followers of Hinduism, believing in many gods.

They were happy to talk and listen as we explained that God sent his Son into the world to show us what God is really like, and how Jesus manifested his love and power as he died for sinners and rose from the dead three days later.

It was pleasing to see them both listening so intently. We encouraged them to read the Bible and come to know the one and true God.

Appleby Horse Fair

The Appleby Horse Fair is an annual event held in June each year. It attracts some 10,000 gypsy travellers and 30,000 visitors.

By kind permission of Appleby Methodist Church, we park our van at the entrance to their carpark – an ideal spot which sees a lot of footfall.

‘L’ arrived at the van using his walking stick. We had witnessed to him previously, and he made the comment, ‘I have never asked Jesus into my life.’

When we explained the need for him to receive the Lord into his life (John 1:12), he said, ‘Why can’t I pray now?’ He bowed his head as he prayed, and afterwards said, ‘The Lord has taken away my fear of death.’

It is a joy for us to welcome other helpers, such as Ronnie McCracken from Northern Ireland. He brings a team for the fair, and they share the gospel with many of the travellers camped on Fair Hill on the outskirts of Appleby.

The first time Ronnie and his friends met the travellers’ leaders they were made most welcome. Chatting together, one of the travellers commented about needing God in his life. Ronnie said that he often tells people that they need God in their life, but few come out and confess it for themselves. What a joy it was for Ronnie to lead that man to the Lord.

We never cease to wonder at the deep needs of so many people we meet as we travel around our county at the shows, Appleby Horse Fair, and Keswick Market each Saturday.

But it is even more wonderful to see the power of the gospel in changing lives. How could we ever be ashamed of such a powerful message?

By John Heron, elder at Kirkby Stephen Evangelical Church and chairman of Cumbria Gospel Outreach.

COMMENT: Integrity or liability?

There’s been a lot of talk about ‘integrity’ following the Prime Minister’s resignation. Politicians and commentators have been lining up to say Boris had to go because he lacked ‘integrity’. But was that the real reason? Didn’t they know he lacked a commitment to the truth before he became leader of the Conservative Party? Wasn’t he a liar, a womaniser, and a cheat before he took office?

They knew his moral failings back then. But they were prepared to overlook them because he was a vote-winner. He was a success. However, following scandal after scandal, he had become an electoral disaster. That’s the real reason they got rid of him. Not because he lacked integrity, but because he had become a liability.

Evangelicals must not make the same mistake when we consider our own leaders. How often have evangelicals been prepared to overlook questions of moral integrity simply because a man is gifted, dynamic, and a ‘success’? And how often have those same men fallen into sexual and financial scandals?

The Bible is absolutely clear when it comes to the qualities we should look for in church leaders. They are moral qualities. They are matters of character and uprightness. Outward success and superficial charm should not enter our heads.

The next incumbent of Number 10 could have a big impact on evangelicals in the UK. Boris – for all his faults – came within an inch of dropping plans to criminalise ‘conversion therapy’. Will the next PM be principled enough to drop it? Or will the LGBT lobby push the new PM to have a catch-all law that will limit our freedom to preach, pray, pastor, and parent in line with biblical teaching on sexual ethics?

What will the next PM do about regulating the internet? That issue alone has huge capacity to create mischief for online preaching and evangelism. A new Schools Bill could restrict the right of parents to educate their own children. And what will the new PM think about abortion and euthanasia?

Unless you are a member of the Conservative Party, you won’t get a vote. But you can pray. Every evangelical can pray that we will have a Prime Minister who will govern with wisdom and righteousness, ‘that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.’

GUEST COLUMN: Holiness is exciting!

Every Bible-believing person must accept that holiness is important.

It is hardly a peripheral theme in the Scriptures. It is pervasive. Turn anywhere in the Old or New Testament, and you will not be far from a reference to holy living. But while unable to deny the importance of holiness, we may be unpersuaded of its glamour.

Driving provides an analogy. When on the roads we understand the necessity of keeping to the left, stopping at red lights, and using indicators at junctions. We take these matters seriously. All the same, observing the rules of the highway code does not excite us. Our pulses are rarely quickened by the thought of it.

Observing God’s law can be like that, too. Most of us would never question the rightness and urgency of the behaviour it stipulates – honouring God’s name, practising sexual purity, speaking truthfully, and so on.

But perhaps we view such holy living in the same, stolid light as correctly negotiating the daily drive to work. It is just something that needs to be done.

Underlying this perspective on holiness is, I think, a restricted understanding of salvation.

We tend to regard salvation solely in relation to guilt. We equate it with being forgiven, being justified, being made immune to God’s condemnation.

Holiness is a separate phenomenon. It flows from the experience of salvation as an indispensable but discrete accompaniment. Those who have been saved show it by subsequently living in a holy manner.

In this way of thinking, holiness is inevitably the poor relation. The removal of guilt is the great thing. It is the thing to get excited about. It is salvation! A holy lifestyle, on the other hand, is merely the supporting evidence. It is the paperwork, so to speak, authenticating the forgiveness we claim to have received – essential, but hardly exhilarating!

That is not the biblical outlook. According to the Bible, our natural, wretched condition is complex. Certainly, we have a legal problem: we are guilty before the Judge of all the earth, wholly liable to his righteous retribution. But we also have a moral problem: we are addicted to sin, incapable of resisting this vile enslaver’s demands.

Wonderfully, our salvation in Jesus Christ is correspondingly complex. It does not merely focus on guilt. It also addresses the powerful dominion sin has over our thoughts, words, and deeds.

One passage which emphasises this is Titus 3:1-5. Titus is to instruct the Cretan church regarding holy living (vv. 1-2). Having charged his colleague with this responsibility, Paul then reflects on human depravity: the bondage to ‘malice and envy’; the constant cycle of hating and being hated (v. 3). But these musings seem to undermine the commission Paul has just given. If this is what man is like, then what is the point of Titus preaching holiness? How can his hearers possibly attain it?

Paul explains: ‘When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us’ (vv. 4-5)! Salvation, here, is what makes holy living possible. It is deliverance from sin’s behavioural tyranny. Salvation is the reason once-depraved Cretans can now ‘be obedient… ready for every good work’ (v. 1)!

Holiness, then, is no dull necessity for the believer. We must never think that while the upside of the Christian life is receiving salvation, the downside is the obligation to be good. Rather, the ability to lead a new, holy life lies at the very heart of salvation.

When you and I keep God’s law, we are living out our liberation from sin’s foul mastery. Holy behaviour is salvation in action! In its own way it is just as thrilling as the cancellation of guilt.

Dan Peters is minister at Newcastle Reformed Evangelical Church.

A SHRINK THINKS... The seduction of Eve (part one)

How do you get an innocent person to sin?– ‘innocent’ in the fullest theological sense, of someone who is free from sin and free from any inclination to sin?

In Eve (and Adam) there was no tendency to sin at all. No corruption. No desire to do wrong.

As corrupted sinners we are in a very different position. As James tells us: ‘Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin’ (James 1:14-15, ESV).

But when Satan tempted Eve she had no desire towards disobeying God. In paradise she and Adam were content. Satan had nothing to grip onto, no target to aim at. So instead he had to generate sin from within the mind of Eve.

A process of seduction

To get an innocent to sin, the idea of sinning needs to be produced by the mind of the innocent. Satan did this by a process of seduction.

When Paul was concerned that the church in Corinth was being drawn away from their devotion to Christ by false teachers, he expressed his concern, saying, ‘I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ’ (2 Corinthians 11:3).

The commentator Philip Hughes observed: ‘Paul is concerned because he perceives that the Corinthian converts, though betrothed to the one Bridegroom, are in grave danger of being seduced into unfaithfulness by the impostors who have invaded their community.’

Seduction involves persuading an initially unwilling person to do something they had never thought of doing. Frequently this involves a man sexually seducing a woman. She has no intention of going to bed with him and sinning, but he has other ideas, and through flattery, deceit, and wooing words, he persuades her into sexual sin.

Satan uses the same devious approach, doesn’t he? He never actually tells Eve to eat the fruit. His approach is indirect, it is suggestive, and yet it is also clear what he intends.

Laced with ambiguity

Satan’s language is laced with ambiguity, which he employs to bring Eve to think of transgressing God’s command.

His first words to Eve – ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”?’ (Genesis 3:1) – contain two ambiguities.

First is his use of ‘really / truly / actually’. Wenham comments: ‘Does he mean “Can I check that it is true that God said...”, or, “Really?! I can hardly believe that God said…”?’

To paraphrase further: Satan could mean the apparently innocent ‘Can I just check that it is correct that God actually said this?’ or the malign, ‘Really?! I can hardly believe my ears, it surely cannot be true that God said…’

The craftiness of such ambiguity is that if Eve pushed back on this malign intended meaning, Satan could reply, ‘No, no, I didn’t mean that, I was simply checking if my understanding is correct.’

Second there is ambiguity in the phrasing of ‘any or every tree’. Aalders observes: ‘In the Hebrew the words are so arranged that the statement can be understood in two ways. It can read, “not from every tree” or “not from any tree”. The statement was meant to be ambiguous. The duplicity of the question was intended in order to be most effective in arousing suspicion in the mind of the woman.’

To paraphrase again: Satan could more innocently be saying, ‘Did God command you not to eat of every tree?’ – which is still turning God’s generous statement into something which sounds more mean. But he really intends the even worse suggestion, ‘Did God command you not to eat of any tree at all?’

Again, if Eve challenged Satan about this audacious question, he would reply that he only meant to check if God had banned all trees or whether there were some exceptions.

Questioning God’s character

There is more here of course than mere ambiguity, because what Satan intends is to question God’s character, and in particular God’s goodness.

With this opening ambiguous question, he grossly misrepresents God’s command to Adam in Genesis 2:16: ‘I can hardly believe that God would be so mean as to deny you the pleasures of eating the fruit of all these beautiful trees!’

Of course God had said no such thing. He had generously told Adam he was free to enjoy eating from any of the trees in the garden except the one specific tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Satan insinuates that God is harsh and unkind, giving such strict commands which deny Eve legitimate pleasures.

And Satan is successful, isn’t he? Eve accepts Satan’s malign suggestion about God. We see this in three elements of her reply.

Eve drops ‘every’, and so misquotes the Lord’s command, making it seem less generous. She adopts the same divine title (God) as Satan does, not giving the LORD God his full covenant name. And most obviously she adds ‘neither shall you touch it’ to the prohibition, indicating that she has bought into the view suggested by Satan that God is being mean and restrictive.

A common strategy

Making out God’s good commands to be harsh (and thus God to be mean) is a common strategy still isn’t it?

Only a harsh God would include the unborn in the Sixth Commandment. Only a mean God would include people suffering terribly with terminal illnesses in such a command.

And when God said that a woman should not teach or exercise authority over a man (1 Timothy 2:1), wasn’t he being mean? – to exclude even humble and highly educated Christian women?

So with his first words Satan has created in Eve’s mind an altered view of God. By his ambiguous and suggestive words he has made her think meanly of God.

Next time we will see how he builds on this to seduce her into eating the forbidden fruit.

Alan Thomas, Professor and Consultant in Psychiatry. Elder at Newcastle Reformed Evangelical Church.

THINKING IT THROUGH: Godly lies? — can deceit ever be right?

A Christian friend has been reading a Bible story, usually from the Old Testament. And he or she is puzzled.

One or more of the characters in the story deliberately deceives others, either by their words or their actions. And there’s no hint in the passage that it was a wrong thing to do.

So does that mean that sometimes it’s right to use deceit? It’s a question I’ve been asked many times.

Difficult cases

If you know your Bible at all, I’m sure you can think of examples.

When Joseph in Egypt met his brothers, he acted as if he didn’t recognise them. He pretended that he didn’t believe their story (Genesis 42:7-17). He arranged for his cup to be hidden in Benjamin’s sack and then accused them of stealing it (44:1-15). Yes, he intended that eventually he would let them know the truth, but at that point he deceived them. He gave them the false impression that he thought they were thieves.

When the Israelite midwives were commanded to kill every Israelite boy, they disobeyed and deliberately let them live. When they were asked why, ‘The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women... are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”’ (Exodus 1:19-20).

Moses was told by the Lord to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, so that the Lord could bring them to Canaan (Exodus 3:17). But then he was told not to say anything to Pharaoh about a journey to Canaan. Instead, he was to say, ‘Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God’ (v. 18).

Rahab hid the Israelite spies in her house in Jericho, but when questioned she pretended that they had already left: ‘“I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them”’ (Joshua 2:5).

The Lord told Joshua to use a strategem to capture Ai. A division of the Israelite army was to pretend to flee in order to draw the defenders away from the city, leaving it exposed to attack by the main Israelite force. ‘And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, “They are fleeing from us, just as before”’ (Joshua 8:6).

The inhabitants of Gibeon lied to the Israelites about where they lived, and saved themselves from extermination by doing so. The Israelites believed the lie, entered into a covenant with them, and stood by it when the truth emerged (Joshua 9).

Jael deceived Sisera into thinking that he had nothing to fear from her: ‘Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.’ And then while he was asleep, she killed him (Judges 4:18-21).

Gideon deceived the Midianites into thinking that he had a vastly greater army than he had, sent them into panic, and won an overwhelming victory (Judges 7:16-22).

Samuel was told by the Lord to go to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king. But he was also told to conceal the real reason for the trip. ‘The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD’”’ And Samuel did. (1 Samuel 16:2-5).

When David suspected that Saul intended to kill him and went into hiding, Jonathan tried to deceive Saul about David’s whereabouts. ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. He said, “Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there...” For this reason he has not come to the king’s table’ (1 Samuel 20:28-29).

David fled from Saul to Ahimelech the priest and told him, ‘The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, “Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you”’ (1 Samuel 21:2).

On another occasion, David took refuge among the Philistines. But when they turned against him, he ‘pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard’ (1 Samuel 21:13). Then, during a later stay with the Philistines, David ‘made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites’ (1 Samuel 27:8). But when the Philistine king wanted to know, ‘“Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah”, or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites”’ (v.10).

During Absalom’s rebellion, David urged his counsellor Hushai to stay in Jerusalem and to pretend to Absalom that he had changed sides: ‘If you return to the city and say to Absalom, “…as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant”, then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel’ (2 Samuel 15:34). So Hushai became David’s mole in Absalom’s team, and saved the day.

The king of Syria sent troops to capture Elisha at Dothan. But the Lord struck them with blindness. ‘And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria’ (2 Kings 6:19).

Those examples are all drawn from the first half of the Old Testament; and there are plenty of others I could point to.

So what do we make of them? Let me list out three points which commentators and preachers often make when faced with passages like these.

1. When is a lie a lie?

The first point they make is that not all these examples involve direct lying.

When Joshua at Ai told his troops to pretend to flee, he didn’t actually lie to the enemy! It was the enemies’ decision to interpret the Israelites’ retreat in that way.

Likewise, when David pretended to be mad, he didn’t shout out, ‘I’m insane!’ If the Philistines chose to read his behaviour as insanity, David was not responsible for their deductions.

I’m not convinced. Joshua and his troops may not have shouted lying words, but they were clearly aiming to give a false impression. So was David. The fact that they did it by actions rather than words surely makes no difference.

If I send my child to have a shower and he comes back with wet hair, clutching a towel, I’ll assume that he has had a shower. If I find out later that he simply poured a cup of water over his head to deceive me, I’m not going to excuse him because he did it with actions rather than words.

What about the examples where words were used? Some folk have argued that in some cases there was no actual lying because the words were ambiguous. The speakers used words that would be interpreted in one way by the listener but which carried a hidden truth known only to the speaker.

They would argue that David’s statement to Ahimelech that he was on the king’s business was subtly true, because he himself had been secretly anointed as king. Elisha told the Syrians, ‘This is not the city’. The hidden meaning was ‘the city where God wants you to be’. But the Syrians naturally understood him to mean ‘the city you were looking for’.

Again, it doesn’t wash. If my children deliberately used ambiguous words to give me a false impression, I would rebuke them for their deceit.

Imagine that I ask my son, ‘Have you been using my camera?’ ‘I’ve not touched it’, he replies. Later I find out that he had used it. But he explains that he was wearing gloves – so he didn’t actually touch it! I might be impressed by his ingenuity, but his words were no better than a lie.

One common way of deceiving without lying directly is to leave out relevant facts. Samuel told the truth when he said that he would be offering a sacrifice at Bethlehem. But by leaving out other information, he made people think that that was his main reason for being there. What he said was literally true, but it was still intended to leave a false impression in their minds.

I can’t get away from it. Many, if not all, of the passages we’ve quoted show us people deliberately setting out to put false ideas into the heads of others, whether by words or actions. And in normal English, that is called deceit. In intention, it’s no different from lying.

2. Who’s doing the deceiving?

The second point many commentators make is that not all these people were well-taught or mature believers.

The Gibeonites had some awareness that the God of Israel was the true God, but they knew very little about him. They had grown up in a brutal, deceitful society. We shouldn’t be surprised if they thought it was legitimate to deceive to achieve their ends. God may have allowed them to get away with it because they knew so little. But that doesn’t mean it would be right for established believers to do as they did.

Ditto Rahab. How, after living her life in the corrupt society of Jericho, could she have known that deceit was wrong? God honoured her not because she lied but because she feared him.

So the argument goes. And yes, all of that’s true. But it doesn’t cover Joshua, Samuel, or Elisha, does it? These men are among the greatest and godliest of Bible saints, raised up by the Lord to instruct others. If the midwives, or Rahab, or the Gibeonites were the only ones who achieved good ends by deceit, I would feel no problem. But they’re not!

3. Does God approve?

A third point that’s made is that we should not assume that the Bible writers – or the Lord who inspired them – approve of all they report.

The writer of 1 Samuel doesn’t say that David was wrong to lie to the Philistine king. But, they point out, that doesn’t mean that he approved.

We are not told that Jael was wrong to deceive Sisera. But that doesn’t mean she was right either. Bible writers often describe events without making any comment, expecting the reader to draw their own conclusions.

True enough. But in some cases, the writer does pass verdict on what was done. The writer who tells us of the midwives’ lie goes on to add, ‘so God dealt well with the midwives’.

Or other characters give their verdict. Deborah, in her Spirit-inspired song, had no hesitation in commending Jael for the way she had deceived Sisera: ‘Most blessed of women be Jael… He asked for water and she gave him milk’ (Judges 5:24-25).

Not just that, but some of these people were following the Lord’s instructions. It was the Lord who told Moses the words he should use when speaking to Pharaoh. It was the Lord who told Samuel what cover story to use when he went to Bethlehem.

The fact is that we’re not told that the Lord rebuked any of these folk for the way they misled others. And very few (if any) of them showed any sense afterwards that they had done wrong.

When you look at the psalm David wrote after he pretended to be mad, far from showing any shame for his deceit, he rejoices in his integrity, and sees his deliverance as being from the Lord: ‘I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears’ (Psalm 34:4).

No, there seems no room for doubt. In many, if not all, of these cases, the Bible suggests that the people we’ve listed out were right to do what they did.

So deceit is OK?

Is that the conclusion we’re supposed to draw – that there’s no harm in telling lies? Were my parents and Sunday school teachers mistaken when they taught me that I must not deceive, whether with words or actions?

Well, before I answer that question, let’s remind ourselves of some clear, plain, Bible verses:

‘O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth?’ (Jeremiah 5:3)

‘It is impossible for God to lie.’ (Hebrews 6:19)

‘The devil... has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character. For he is a liar and the father of lies.’ (John 8:44)

‘You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.’ (Psalm 5:6)

‘No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.’ (Psalm 101:7)

‘As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.’ (Revelation 21:8)

Those are just six out of scores of verses which spell out the same facts: God loves truth and hates deceit. He cannot lie. The devil is the great deceiver who loves to lie. Every lie is abhorrent and horrible to God. Deceit is contrary to his very nature. And he has sworn to cast every liar into hell.

Why does God care so much about truth?

God’s hatred of deceit springs from his own nature as Trinity. From all eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have related to one another in perfect and joyful truthfulness. It is unthinkable that any of the Persons of the Trinity should deceive, mislead, or hide truth from the others. Each Person loves the other Persons with a passionate love which leaves no room for deceit.

And God wants his creatures to mirror his own nature. We are supposed to be like him, and our relationships are supposed to be like his. He is horrified, saddened, and angry when he sees human beings speaking or acting deceitfully, because every lie is a defacing of his image in us.

If a person says he’s a Christian but habitually or painlessly tells lies, we have to doubt whether he is a child of God at all. If he were, he would resemble his Father, the God of truth. Believers are renewed in the spirit of their minds ‘to put off your old self... and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour’ (Ephesians 4:22-25).

The thought of telling a lie at any time should make a Christian shudder – because it makes God shudder. God hates it wherever deceit is practised.

So, where does that leave us?

A lie is always an evil because it is a contradiction of God’s nature. And yet there are examples in the Bible where it seems to have been the right thing to do. How can both those things be true?

The answer, I believe, is this. In this fallen world, there are times when it is necessary to do something which is in itself an evil. We do it because not to do it would bring about an even greater evil. We have to choose the lesser of two evils. And although God hates to see what is done, he commands us to do it. It is the right thing to do, even though it is in itself contrary to the perfection of God’s nature.

Think about something as commonplace as a parent punishing a child. Inflicting distress on a child is, in itself, an evil thing. In the perfect world of heaven, no one inflicts pain on anyone else! But to let the child grow up undisciplined, selfish, cocky, would be a worse evil. So sometimes it’s necessary to inflict the pain. In fact, it’s the right thing to do. God has commanded it.

Or think about war. It is an evil thing for human beings to go to war, to kill other humans made in God’s image. God hates to see his creatures maiming and killing one another. And yet the Bible teaches that there are times when it’s necessary and right for a country to go to war.

It was God’s will for Joshua to go to war against Ai, because the Canaanites were so evil that they could not be allowed to live. It was necessary for Deborah and Barak to lead the Israelites into war against the Midianites, because the Midianites were intent on destroying or corrupting them.

When the Israelites fought those wars, yes, they were doing something that was evil in itself. How could the mass killing of human beings by their fellow human beings not be an evil? Yet it was necessary and right, because not to do it would have been a greater evil.

Deceit – a weapon of war

Is it possible to fight a war without ever using the weapon of deceit? I don’t think so. The Israelites needed spies to go into Canaan if they were to campaign successfully. Those spies had to pretend to be Canaanites. They needed strategems like the one they used at Ai.

Every general tries to give the enemy false information in order to deceive them. And if the war is right to fight, then it’s right to do that. If it is right in times of war to kill people made in God’s image, it cannot be wrong at those times to deceive them.

Almost all of the incidents mentioned above are set in a war situation. Rahab had changed sides and joined the Israelites in their war against Canaan. David was defending himself against Saul at one time and the Philistines at another. Elisha was caught up in the war between the Syrians and the Israelites.

Pharaoh made war on the Israelites and especially their babies. Even Joseph could say that his brothers had made war on him. He would have been justified in imprisoning or executing them for their treatment of him! He judged that it was necessary to mislead these guilty men – for a time at least – to see whether they had repented and the war was truly over.

Should a Christian lie in similar circumstances? If my reasoning is right, yes, it might be the necessary and right thing to do. Would I lie about the whereabouts of my children if social workers were determined to take them from me and hand them over to be brought up by evil people? Yes, if there were no other way of protecting them, I think I would. But I would do it conscious that my lie would still be an evil thing that God hated. I would do it only because not to protect my child would be a worse evil, a greater denial of my duty to reflect his image.

Would I lie to a terrorist if it were the only way of preventing him from carrying out an attack that would kill scores of people? Yes, I would. Not to do so would be to fail to reflect God’s concern to uphold justice. But I would do it with a sense of horror. The lie would still be contrary to God’s nature and character.

And every time I tell a lie or perform an action that is contrary to God’s nature, some harm must flow from it. If we have to do something as horrible as lying, it is a ghastly reminder of how Adam’s sin has distorted the whole moral order.

The need for wisdom

Deceit of any sort is horrible – whether it’s done by words or actions, whether it involves direct lying or subtle words. It can never be right for a Christian to deceive others for his own advantage. We must never lie to get out of an embarrassing situation. Or to cover up our sins. Or out of malice. Or to win an argument. Or simply because we’ve not checked the facts. Or because we enjoy telling dramatic stories. I may tell myself that carelessness about the truth is not the same as deliberate lying. But they are both offensive to the God of truth.

Living in a fallen world is complicated, difficult, and often distressing. Not only in the matter of truth and deceit but in every area of life we encounter situations where we have to choose between two evils. Again and again we must decide which is the lesser evil. If we are to cope wisely with such dilemmas, we need to heed the whole of Scripture, and we need the wisdom which only the Holy Spirit can give. May God grant us that wisdom.

All Bible quotations in this article are taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, published by HarperCollins Publishers © 2001.

This article first appeared in the monthly bulletin of Grace Baptist Church, Stockport.

Stephen Rees is pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Stockport

A WALK WITH MR O: Afraid of God?

Mr O, may I ask you a question that I’ve never asked anybody before?

The answer is obviously yes. But I’m intrigued.

I don’t want to be too intrusive or personal; but are you ever afraid of God?

Before I answer, I would really like to know where this question has come from. What has prompted it?

It’s quite simple, really. The other day, when I was out walking by the river, I was thinking about God. I was thinking about his eternity and how he has always existed. Then I began to think about the fact that the whole of his being is present in all places; that he is always the same; that he knows everything; that he is holy and just and strict and powerful and wise and inescapable… I could feel my heart racing and I began to be a bit dizzy.

Then I thought of these millions of galaxies which he just spoke into existence; of the fact that he is pure spirit; that he is three and yet one; that he has a plan which unfolds in every detail of every event; that he is the judge of all humans and angels; and that he is the one who sends every one of us to either hell or heaven.

At this point, Mr O, I was completely overcome. I couldn’t take any more. I was scared out of my wits and had trouble walking home. When I got back I was trembling and nauseous.

Was it wrong of me to feel as I did? What do you think? And are you ever afraid of God?

Yes, I am very afraid of God. But you need to know that the experience you had, although life-changing, was defective. Can you see why?

When I was 10 years old I needed some extra help at school, so, for just a term and a half, my parents sent me to a little private school run by a certain Mrs Longman. This formidable lady was fierce. I was terrified of her. Yet I loved her with the whole of my being. I would have done anything for her. Deep down I just knew that she cared about me. She rescued me educationally and I owe her a debt that I can never repay.

It is not wrong to be scared of God. ‘The fear of the Lord’ is encouraged from one end of the Bible to the other. But it is wrong to have a one-sided view of God. It is sinful to forget his tenderness.

In eternity he lovingly elected millions of men and women to be saved from their rebellion, sin, and misery by a Redeemer. So it was that the eternal Son of God became man, living perfectly on earth before dying our death on the cross. The most overwhelming thought that can pass through a human mind is that ‘the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me’.

Risen from the dead, the Son of God lovingly applies his redemption to us by means of his Word and Spirit. Who can ever recite the wonders of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the assurance of God’s love? These are blessings that we enjoy in this life.

And what shall we say of the blessings that God’s tenderness will give us in the future? These are Christ’s presence in death, resurrection to glory, acquittal at the final judgment, and the full enjoying of God throughout eternity!

Mr O, as you talk about God’s grace I can feel my heart leaping in a way that it didn’t during my other experience. Because he is so awesome I still feel that I want to run away from him; and yet because he is so kind I want to run to him. If you like, I want to hide from him, and I want to hide in him.

And that is what authentic spiritual experience looks like. We worship him. We are awestruck and reverent. Always. And yet at the same time we bathe in the warm ocean of his infinite, eternal, unchanging, and undeserved love.

Stuart Olyott, is an actively retired minister and conference speaker. He preaches most Sunday mornings at Caergwrle Evangelical Church.

CRUNCH POINTS: How can I discern which preachers to watch on YouTube?

We all value biblical advice from our elders, the first ones to whom we turn for counsel. Jeremy Walker outlines the kind of answer he might give to a question received at the chapel door.

‘I found a really engaging preacher on YouTube but some things don’t sound quite right. How can I discern what to watch?’

YouTube – what a mixed bag! Speaking with Christians around the world, so many of them have been blessed by ministry they first found online. Some of them trace their conversion, under God, to a particular sermon or preacher they watched remotely. Many of them came to a deeper understanding of the gospel of divine grace through the same medium.

At the same time, how many have been confused, distressed, and hindered by the things you identify – not just the weird and cranky conspiracy theorists and wilder heretics, but people who appear to know what they are talking about, at least up to a point; but still – ‘some things don’t sound quite right.’

Let me say first how glad I am that you are showing a measure of discernment to hear the duff notes in these videos. I trust that the Holy Spirit has used the ministry of God’s Word here, and the fellowship of the saints, to equip you to listen with care to such teaching.

At the same time, be aware that worldly eloquence – mere excellence of speech (1 Corinthians 2:1) – deceives easily, and we are more susceptible to it than we might imagine (Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 2:4).

Let’s go back to basics. The primary environment which Christ has appointed for the feeding of your soul is the local church, under the loving care of your elders and pastors (Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 4:11-16, Hebrews 13:17). Any other ministry, by any other medium, ought to be at best a supplement to and not a replacement of that.

Then, you are a part of a church which actually knows what it believes, and has a well-developed and coherent basis of faith, which helps establish the biblical system of truth within which we operate. Furthermore, you have godly friends, spiritually-minded brothers and sisters, who are watching out for your soul.

Then, we ask: who is the person speaking on this YouTube channel? What are their personal qualifications and church authority for so speaking? Are they a preacher or teacher recognised by a well-ordered church? If not, you can and should approach with a legitimate measure of caution, or you might need to steer clear of them altogether.

And then, as ever, bring everything to the touchstone of God’s Word. Remember the spirit of the noble-minded Bereans. They received the word with readiness (as they might have done, the two visitors being recognised teachers presumably welcomed or vouched for by their synagogue leaders), but also ‘searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so’ (Acts 17:11).

So, put any such channel of teaching in its proper place. Bring it to your elders, especially if you are concerned. Perhaps we should listen to a few together and discuss them? Ask other seasoned saints what they think. Assess the legitimate authority and ability of the teacher. Measure it all by God’s Word as already taught to you by competent and qualified elders and other mature Christians.

Finally, I would say this. If it is remotely dodgy, or might be, why risk danger to your soul? Why not stick with tried and trusted resources? It’s great that you want to dive deeper, but make sure you are diving into the purest water. Flee the poison. Steer clear of the infected. Step back from the suspect. Avoid the stale. Drink the tonic. Take the medicine. Slake your thirst at the living streams.

If you would like some recommendations of books to read, sermons to hear, or videos to watch, please ask, and I should be delighted to give you some pointers.

If you would like an answer to a crunch question, please email crunchpoints@evangelical-times.org. We cannot guarantee an answer to every question.

Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley.

NEWS

News in brief

Porn safety faces delay

Christian charity CARE has accused the official regulator, Ofcom, of dragging its heels over the introduction of pornography safeguards for children. The charity said, ‘Children have waited far too long for protection online. Ofcom need to show more urgency in protecting the most vulnerable.’

PM chaos hits gambling plans

Plans for a review of gambling laws may be hit by the chaos caused by the Prime Minister’s resignation. The current laws are seen as outdated and insufficient to protect those vulnerable to addiction. The gambling review was waiting for final approval from Downing Street, but that now looks likely to be greatly delayed.

Joint statement on free speech

Christian Concern and Oxford University’s Worcester College have published a joint statement upholding free speech. The statement came as the result of a dispute about the behaviour of staff and delegates at the Wilberforce Academy 2021, organised by Christian Concern. The statement can be read in full on the Christian Concern website.

Toilets must be single sex

New public buildings such as schools, hospitals, and theatres must include separate single-sex toilets, the government has announced. It says the ‘rise in “gender neutral” toilets raised safety concerns from women who feel they are losing privacy and being unfairly disadvantaged’. Gender-neutral toilets can be provided as an addition, but not instead of single-sex toilets.

Prison group’s new chairman

Prison Fellowship England and Wales has appointed Peter Harlock as chair of trustees. Peter’s prior employers include Barclays Bank, Save the Children, Pathway Care, and VisionFund International. He has volunteered at HMP Brixton and HMP Wayland, and commented, ‘Through its 3,000 volunteers, Prison Fellowship is well placed to demonstrate God’s love practically in prison.’

Praying for the planet

Overseas Missionary Fellowship recently held a ‘Praying for the planet’ online meeting. OMF representative Tim Jenkins presented the biblical case for creation care. He cited ‘loving one’s neighbour as oneself’ as a key incentive for environmental care. ‘Our global neighbours,’ he said, ‘particularly the poorest in society, are most vulnerable to the extremes of climate change.’

Spanish sermon translation used

During open-air outreach in May, ET columnist Alan Hill met some Spanish-speakers interested to attend church on Sunday. Anticipating their visit, Alan printed a Spanish translation of his upcoming message – something he’d never done. Sunday arrived but the Spanish family didn’t attend. It transpired, however, that a different Spanish family came, accepting the printed sermon.

Tyndale House holds open day

In May, Tyndale House in Cambridge opened its doors for visitors to learn more about its research into the languages, history, and cultural context of the Bible. The day included talks from academic staff, displays of ancient near-eastern artefacts, publications from the centre’s history, tours of the house and library, and a DIY cuneiform tablet workshop.

Global Mercy begins service

Mercy Ships Africa has inaugurated the Global Mercy ship at a ceremony in Dakar, Senegal. The impact of an expanded two-ship fleet will ripple across Africa, bringing more safe surgeries to the patients who need them, and increased training to empower local healthcare professionals.

Afghanistan tops list of 16 persecutors

International Christian Concern has unveiled its ‘Persecutor of the Year Awards’ report. The 150-page report lists the world’s top 16 persecutors of Christians within the last year, with the top three spots going to Afghanistan, the Fulani Militants in Africa’s ‘middle belt’, and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Two Chibok girls found

Two women, who were among hundreds of schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from the Nigerian town of Chibok eight years ago, have been found. Hauwa Joseph was discovered around Bama, while Mary Dauda was found outside Ngoshe village near the border with Cameroon. Each woman was carrying a baby in her arms.

Court backs prayer coach

The US Supreme Court has upheld the right of a high school football coach in America to pray with his team after their games. Joseph Kennedy took legal action against the school after being suspended for praying in public after games. Kennedy said he was committed to thanking God after every football game, win or lose.

Christians react as Boris resigns sparking debates over the next PM

Christians have been responding to the resignation of the Prime Minister, and discussing the implications of who could be the next occupant of Number 10.

It matters because the next Prime Minister could alter the course of key pieces of legislation affecting evangelicals, including the proposed ban on conversion therapy.

Christian MP Gary Streeter (Conservative) said, ‘I think one thing we can take encouragement from is that so many colleagues all agree that integrity and truth at the heart of government is important.

‘In the end, it was that lack of integrity and truth and the Downing Street conduct and actions throughout lockdown that that have brought to an end the premiership of a very talented politician.’

Christian Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck said, ‘We just have to pray that all of this drama stops soon, and that we have some stability.’

Tim Farron, a Christian and Liberal Democrat MP, said, ‘I honestly think the Prime Minister should have resigned once it was obvious that he had taken part in and overseen parties and other breakings of lockdown during the lockdown.

‘I think we should pray for wisdom for politicians of all kinds. I think that we should be praying that the hearts, minds and intellect and energies of people in high office should be focused on serving the people.’

A spate of ministerial resignations left Boris Johnston with no alternative but to step down from his role as Prime Minister.

Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid says he was inspired to resign by a message on integrity that he heard at a prayer breakfast in Parliament.

‘It might sound a bit strange but I was listening to the sermon by this amazing man, Reverend Les Isaac – you know, he started Street Pastors,’ Javid told the BBC’s Sophie Raworth.

‘I was listening to him talking about the importance of integrity in public life and, just focusing on that, I made up my mind.

‘I went straight back to my office and drafted the resignation letter and went to see the Prime Minister later in the day.’

The next Prime Minister could alter the direction of several pieces of proposed legislation announced earlier this year.

A ban on conversion therapy and a plan to regulate the internet could both limit freedoms for evangelicals.

The government also wants to reform the Human Rights Act and push through a Schools Bill which could undermine the rights of parents.

By Mike Judge, Editor

Opposition to euthanasia and assisted dying is to be welcomed, say campaigners

Pro-life campaigners say they are pleased at the ‘strength and breadth’ of opposition from MPs to introducing euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The Care Not Killing alliance was responding to a debate in Westminster Hall where parliamentarians discussed the issue.

MPs heard about some of the dangers of introducing so-called ‘assisted dying’, including evidence from other places that have gone down that road.

They were told that in Oregon, Canada, and the Netherlands, vulnerable people feel pressured into ending their lives prematurely. There is also a growing link between the introduction of euthanasia and the general suicide rate.

Labour MP Sir Stephen Timms said if the practice were legalised, ‘we would impose an awful moral dilemma on every conscientious frail elderly person nearing the end of their life’.

Sally-Ann Hart MP warned that clinicians in Canada have reported that the introduction of assisted suicide and euthanasia ‘diverts resources away from crucial palliative care services’.

Danny Kruger, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Dying Well, said, ‘I know doctors are good people who want the best, but if we force them to make utilitarian decisions about the best use of resources, won’t they push people in this direction?’

Two employment tribunal rulings send mixed signals about the freedom to disagree with transgender ideas

Two different employment tribunal rulings in recent weeks have sent mixed signals about the right of employees to express their disagreement with transgenderism.

In one case, an Employment Tribunal has ruled in favour of Maya Forstater (pictured left), stating that she was unfairly dismissed because of her belief that biological sex cannot be changed.

But in a different case, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled against Dr David Mackereth (pictured right), 58, who had claimed he was sacked because he refused to use transgender pronouns.

The Forstater case started in 2018 when she lost her job at the Center for Global Development because of comments she had made on Twitter criticising transgenderism.

She sued her employer for unfair dismissal but in 2019 an initial Tribunal ruled against her, declaring that her beliefs were ‘not worthy of respect’.

However, that was overturned by the Employment Appeal Tribunal, who ordered a fresh tribunal hearing to take place.

That fresh tribunal hearing has now ruled that she did suffer unfair dismissal and discrimination because of her belief in biological sex.

Forstater was supported throughout her case by many feminists, and also by the Harry Potter author, J. K. Rowling.

However, the Mackereth case reached a different conclusion. His case also dates back to 2018 when he worked as a medical assessor for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

He says he was sacked after refusing to identify clients by their chosen gender instead of their biological sex.

An earlier Employment Tribunal ruling said his belief in Genesis 1:27, that God created people male and female, was ‘incompatible with human dignity’ and ‘unworthy of respect’.

The Employment Appeals Tribunal has now said the earlier ruling was wrong in that regard, but still upholds the decision to rule against Dr Mackereth’s claim of unfair dismissal and discrimination.

The ruling says, on the one hand, Dr Mackereth is entitled to protection under the Equality Act for his Christian opposition to transgenderism.

But on the other hand, the tribunal also ruled that Christians cannot express those beliefs in the workplace without fear of losing their jobs.

Dr Mackereth says he will continue his legal battle by taking his case to the Court of Appeal, backed by the Christian Legal Centre.

Chief Executive Andrea Williams said, ‘The freedom to hold a belief, but not be able to express it, is no freedom at all.

‘This ruling means that you can believe that it is impossible to change sex but if you live out that belief as a doctor your job may be at risk.

‘If you fail to comply, you could be forced out of your employment. We stand with David as he continues to seek justice in this case.’

British MPs demand abortion be made a ‘human right’ in the wake of the Roe v. Wade court ruling

A group of MPs in Westminster has demanded that abortion should become a ‘human right’ following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

In the House of Commons Stella Creasy MP (pictured) asked if an amendment to the Bill of Rights would be tabled ‘to protect a woman’s right to choose for every single woman in the United Kingdom’.

And Rosie Duffield MP asked Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab if he would accept an amendment to the proposed Bill of Rights, ‘which would enshrine in law a woman’s right to choose’.

Raab responded, ‘The position on abortion is settled in UK law and it is decided by honourable Members across the House.’

He added, ‘It is an issue of conscience, and I do not think there is a strong case for change.’

Pro-life MPs spoke in defence of the unborn. Danny Kruger MP criticised those who were demanding abortion be made a human right.

He said, ‘They think that women have an absolute right to bodily autonomy in this matter.

‘However, I think that, in the case of abortion, that right is qualified by the fact that another body is involved.’

Carla Lockhart MP said, ‘Abortion is not and has not ever been deemed a human right in any binding international law.

‘In fact, almost the opposite is the case. Some internationally binding treaties reference a right to life, such as article 6 of the international covenant on civil and political rights.’

Meanwhile, a pro-life campaigner has been threatened with rape and death for speaking out in defence of unborn babies.

Abortion Resistance founder Eden McCourt, 23, speaks out on social media platforms.

She said, ‘I get private messages and some of them are just horrendous – rape threats and death threats.

‘I think some people react like this because abortion is a very sensitive topic. Everybody knows someone who has had an abortion and it’s very emotionally charged.’

She added, ‘It is difficult to be pro-life in Britain today. It’s very scary and you’re subjected to a lot of hate.’ But she concluded, ‘If you can save one life, it’s worth it.’

The latest statistics show that the number of abortions in England and Wales continues to hit record highs.

There were 214,869 abortions in 2021, the highest figure since records began. That is over 4,000 more than in 2020, according to data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

Criminologist warns parents they risk arrest under Scotland’s proposal to outlaw ‘conversion therapy’

Scotland’s proposed conversion therapy ban could end up with parents being treated like criminals, according to a criminologist.

Dr Stuart Waiton (pictured), writing in Scottish newspaper The Herald, said the proposed conversion therapy ban could treat parents in Scotland like ‘torturers’ and criminals for ‘expressing their moral values and beliefs to their children’.

He wrote, ‘The fact that grown adults seeking guidance about their sexuality are disregarded and presented as simply victims of other people is a profoundly degenerate and one-sided idea of human subjectivity.’

In April, proposed legislation was introduced to enable transgender ‘self-identification’, allowing people as young as 16 to change the sex on their birth certificate in Scotland.

And the government in Edinburgh has pressed forward with its plans to ban the practice of conversion therapy.

In a statement in 2021, the Scottish government said, ‘Conversion therapy is an abhorrent practice that has no place in Scotland.’

However, some MSPs have called for a ban to go much further, so that it would be a crime to even question your child’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

But Dr Waiton says these arguments disregard family autonomy and undermine parents’ freedom of conscience and beliefs.

He said if a bill were to progress along these lines, it would be an indication that society is ‘losing a genuine sense of what it means to be free’.

This comes as the Christian Institute has highlighted the case of a man preparing to sue the NHS, saying it pressured him into the ‘biggest mistake’ of his life.

While in his 20s, Ritchie Herron, who was battling mental health issues, was told by strangers on the internet he ‘must be trans’.

He claimed the NHS clinic he visited failed to take his spiralling mental health crisis into account or properly counsel him about the impact of ‘sex swap’ surgery.

Instead, he ended up visiting a gender clinic where he was diagnosed with ‘transsexualism’ after just two 30-minute appointments.

He claimed he was asked if he wanted genital surgery, and although he turned it down initially, he was referred again for the irreversible operation. However, he said he ‘immediately’ regretted his decision.

John Wesley’s first ever Methodist chapel to allow same-sex marriage

Gay weddings are to be allowed at the first chapel set up by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement.

The New Room in Bristol is the world’s oldest Methodist building, and the church announced the news on Facebook.

The church said, ‘We are delighted to announce that John Wesley’s New Room is now available to host, officiate, and celebrate same-sex weddings.’

Revd Mandy Briggs from New Room described the decision as a ‘natural’ step.

She said, ‘The chapel has been a venue for services organised by Christians at Bristol Pride since 2018 and so this registration feels like the natural next step.’

She also said the move was ‘the latest step in our journey of allyship with the LGBTQIA+ community’.

But Revd Gareth Higgs, vice-chair of Methodist Evangelicals Together, told Premier Christian News he was saddened by the decision.

He said that when John Wesley was alive, ‘he affirmed the only pattern of marriage that we find in Scripture, which is that marriage is between one man and one woman… and so to suggest that we don’t know what he thought, is wrong.’

Last year the Methodist Church became the largest denomination in Britain to abandon the biblical definition of marriage and permit same-sex unions.

Freedom of conscience clauses mean Methodist ministers will not be forced to conduct same-sex weddings if they oppose the move, and ministers will still be free to preach about biblical marriage.

At the time, chairman of Methodist Evangelicals Together Revd Dr David Hull said he was ‘greatly saddened’ by the decision to ‘abandon the teaching of the Christian Church held throughout history and still held by the majority of Christians around the world today’.

High Court judge quashes a law requiring Christian RE lessons in Northern Ireland

A High Court judge has decided it is unlawful to have Christian-focused RE lessons and assemblies in primary schools in Northern Ireland.

Mr Justice Colton ruled the curriculum breaches human rights as it does not approach religious education in an ‘objective, critical and pluralist manner’.

The legal action was brought by the non-religious parents of a seven-year-old schoolgirl in Belfast.

According to the BBC, the parents did not object to most of the focus being on Christianity.

But they alleged that no meaningful alternative teaching is available in Northern Ireland’s state-funded primary schools.

The Department for Education argued there is already scope for teaching on other religions and worldviews in the existing curriculum.

But the Department was unable to confirm whether such teaching was actually taking place in Northern Ireland’s schools.

The judge called the lack of evidence of pluralistic teaching ‘a damning admission’ and claimed it demonstrated ‘the need for a reappraisal’.

Under the current law, Religious Education lessons and daily collective worship, such as assemblies, must focus on Christianity.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from such activities if they wish.

But the judge ruled that this right of withdrawal was not enough, and said it risks ‘stigmatising’ them.

The Christian Institute’s Director Colin Hart said, ‘This is a very surprising ruling.

‘As it stands, the law protects human rights, it doesn’t set them aside. The judge seems to have completely dismissed the crucial right of withdrawal available to this girl’s father and indeed all parents.

‘We will look closely at the judgment. It is not yet known whether it will be appealed but we certainly hope it will be.’

First full-time pastor for Hyde Heath Baptist Church, Bucks

Baptist witness started in the village of Hyde Heath, Buckinghamshire, in the 1750s as a result of Particular Baptist influence, first from Chesham and then from Amersham.

A church was built in the 1820s and then enlarged in 1868. The present building was erected in 1932 when the church was finally constituted for the first time as a non-denominational fellowship.

Subsequently the church joined the Baptist Union, but distanced itself in the 1970s as a result of theological differences.

However, in 2010 the church finally left the BU and joined the Association of Grace Baptist Churches (South East). Sale of surplus land facilitated the building of a manse in 2015.

Throughout this time there is no record of a full-time pastor, although several students from London Bible College served as ‘student pastors’ in the 1960s and 70s.

Paul Barton (pictured left), from Belvidere Road Church, Liverpool, was called to serve as an evangelist in 2017 and was inducted as the church’s first full-time pastor in May this year.

Philip Woodley, elder at Hyde Heath, spoke about the need for more men to be called to the ministry, highlighting the church’s failure to appoint a pastor for over 200 years.

Philip also spoke of the church’s gratitude to God not only for Paul, but for Paul’s wife Nikki and their five boys, who have all been a great blessing to the church.

Ali McLachlan (pictured right, Grace Baptist Church, Edinburgh) carried out the induction and then spoke from Titus 1:9 on the ‘Manner of ministry’, the ‘Means of ministry’, and the ‘Measure of ministry’.

The church is still small with only five members, but we are extremely grateful to God for Newtown Baptist Church, Chesham, the AGBC(SE), and Grace Baptist Partnership for their support in enabling this appointment to be made.

Friends from around the country joined together, or watched online, to praise God and celebrate this momentous day in the church’s history.

By Philip Woodley

Keswick Ministries and Faith in Later Life jointly host a training event focusing on older believers

As churches we naturally want to see young believers equipped to share their faith. But we often have large groups of older people in attendance, and how much care do we really give to ministering with them?

Keswick Ministries, in partnership with Faith in Later Life, held a training event in May which focused on ministry with older people.

Entitled ‘Faith in the second half’, the event featured Professor John Wyatt. He spoke over three sessions and likened the Christian walk to a marathon with various transitional periods. These include the transition from work to retirement, from caring to being cared for, and from life to death.

About 70 people gathered for the three-day event, most of whom saw themselves in the ‘second half’ of life.

Several other speakers shared their research and involvement in serving those who have become dependent on others.

‘Dependence’ was portrayed as a natural and God-designed plan for our lives, as even our Saviour took on a position of dependency during his incarnation.

Debs Fidler shared her experiences working in an inter-church befriending service in Manchester.

Jeremy Marshall, author of Living Beyond the Big C, though on the eve of going for his 41st bout of chemotherapy and his 13th major surgery, movingly shared his experience of gospel opportunities during his nine-year battle with aggressive cancer.

Video recordings of a most helpful three days can be found on the Keswick Ministries YouTube channel and on the Faith in Later Life website.

By Roger Carswell

Cheltenham meeting marks 130 years of the Bible League

A meeting was held in May at Providence Baptist Church, Cheltenham, to give God thanks for sustaining the Bible League for 130 years.

Revd Neil Pfeiffer chaired the meeting; Revd Pooyan Mehrshahi read from the Scriptures and led in prayer.

A report of the League was to be given by John Hooper, a trustee. Sadly, he was unable to be present, but provided a script which was read by the chairman.

Among other interesting facts relayed in the paper, it was stated that, ‘The mortal remains of C. H. Spurgeon were laid to rest in West Norwood Cemetery on Thursday, 11 February, 1892. The next day an article appeared in a Christian periodical under the title What is to be done? The author wrote, Disbelief in the inspiration, and even the accuracy, of the Word of God has apparently firmly established itself in the seats of learning and is spreading daily.’

The article goes on to suggest the formation of a Bible Defence League. On 3 May 1892 in Exeter Hall, London, the Bible League was formally constituted.

Following this fascinating paper on the League’s history, Revd John Thackway discussed some of the literature recently produced by the organisation, including works by the late Bishop Thompson which had been collated and printed in the book Valiant for the Truth.

Revd Malcolm Watts, former chairman of the League, preached from 1 Corinthians 15:58: ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.’

By Stephen A. Toms

Joel Beeke addresses Scottish Reformed Conference

It was a joy to worship together again in May at the 31st Scottish Reformed Conference in Hamilton after two years of lockdown.

Speakers this year were Dr Joel Beeke (pictured, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) and Revd Rupert Bentley-Taylor (Christian Institute).

Turning to Matthew 27 and Hebrews 12, Dr Beeke highlighted the wonderful truth that God’s people will never be abandoned by God because Jesus was forsaken on our behalf on the cross.

What’s more, Jesus understands our emotional darkness, our agony, our loneliness, and despair. That Christ died as our sacrifice, satisfaction, and substitute is one of the great truths of the Bible, a truth that sustains and strengthens us especially during the difficult times of life.

Dr Beeke also noted that ‘Jesus forsaken’ is a model for every Christian as Christ shows us how to cope with pain and affliction. Christians are to ‘look unto him’ – considering the affliction of Christ and remembering the purpose behind it.

The affliction of the cross would ultimately bring spiritual healing and joy, reminding every believer that even in pain and forsakenness God can be glorified.

The Puritan John Trapp put it this way, ‘He who rides to be crowned will not weary of a few rainy days.’

Rupert Bentley-Taylor took us to the Old Testament book of Jeremiah and gave an uplifting overview of chapters 27 and 28, dealing with how to live during a time of crisis.

Every generation is faced with the choice of believing the truth or believing lies. The people of God had the choice of listening to Jeremiah or the many false prophets around them. We are no different today – we too hear many voices demanding to be heard.

Revd Bentley-Taylor encouraged us to remember that God speaks with the voice of truth, and that his ultimate and eternal truth is guaranteed by his character.

Though the truth of God is often unwelcome, submitting to it is the way of blessing, while turning from it brings the sorrows of judgment.

Popularity does not determine truth and lies do not change reality. The false prophets of old were credible, confident, pleasing, and clever but they turned people away from God and judgment came upon them.

Both speakers called upon Christians to have confidence in God’s Word. Heaven and earth will pass away but the Word of God shall remain. Our words will be easily and quickly forgotten but God’s Word will speak to all people for all time.

By Iain Shaw

Calvin Robinson speaks of his experience of liberal bias in education at Family Education Trust event

The failures of mandatory sex education and liberal bias in education were the themes of this year’s Family Education Trust conference in May.

Professor David Paton explored whether sex education mandates effectively reduce teenage pregnancies.

Citing a variety of studies, Professor Paton stated that educational interventions do not significantly delay the initiation of sexual intercourse; that educational programmes had no demonstrable effect on the prevalence of STIs; that sex education had minimal effect on reported behaviour, and no impact on conceptions or terminations by age 20.

Paton conducted an international study of the impact of sex education mandates on teenage pregnancy. He found evidence that mandatory sex education in some cases was associated with higher rates of teenage pregnancy, though this can be mitigated when parental opt-out laws are in place.

There is no consistent evidence that mandatory SRE has any beneficial impact on sexual health outcomes but considerable evidence that aspects of SRE cause harm, especially the provision of the morning-after pill, which frequently led to an increase in sexually transmitted infections.

Parents especially, said Paton, need to beware the following warning signs regarding sex education: the assumption of ‘Gillick competence’ for under-16s, normalisation of underage sexual activity, ‘consent’ as a sufficient condition for being sexually active and confusing ‘non-judgementalism’ with affirming irresponsible behaviour.

Calvin Robinson (pictured) spoke on the liberal biases he had experienced in education.

Mr Robinson expressed his view that most people in British society still believe that there are only two genders and that marriage is a union between man and woman.

However, the education system teaches a radically different view. Many schools promote gender self-definition, critical race theory, and queer theory. Those not in line with this ‘woke’ culture get cancelled. Initially, ‘cancel culture’ was applied to those on the fringes, but today even secretaries of state get cancelled by top universities.

How can parents combat bias in education? They can cite the Education Act 1996 which forbids political indoctrination in the classroom. Guidance from the Department for Education states that teachers ‘should not use school resources for party political purposes’.

Mr Robinson said that we need to acknowledge that we all have biases but be fair and balanced in our messaging.

By Piers Shepherd

Met Office meteorologist addresses creationist meeting

The annual public meeting of the Creation Resources Trust took place in May in the Somerset village of West Camel. Just over 60 people attended.

After a short time of worship, treasurer David Herring presented the 2021 financial report. Geoff Chapman, director of CRT, explained that he would be giving up most CRT work by 2024, having reached the age of 78. He asked for prayer, especially for the future of the Our World children’s paper.

The guest speaker was Andrew Sibley of Creation Ministries International, who recently retired after 38 years as a meteorologist with the UK Met Office.

In his first talk, ‘Cracking the Darwin code’, Andrew explained how Hindu and pagan beliefs had influenced the growth of the evolutionary ideas later popularised by Charles Darwin.

Andrew’s second talk was ‘Creation and climate change’. He said that while the media tended to portray a negative message, he wanted to bring a message of hope. There is, he argued, a conflict between biblical Christianity and the ‘religion of nature’, and we need to balance human needs with the needs of nature.

Andrew said that climate alarmists tend to highlight worst-case scenarios, and even the journal Nature has criticised this bias. Current observations, including satellite data, don’t support these predictions. There have been warm periods in the past, such as 900–1400 AD when the Vikings grew crops in Greenland.

Andrew concluded that we need to clean up our environment without leading the world into poverty. Climate alarmism doesn’t help, but we can all do our bit – we can recycle, use low-energy lightbulbs, use our cars less and walk or cycle more. We can continue research into non-fossil fuel technology and share it with the rest of the world.

Yet while caring for our planet, we need not panic nor listen to scaremongering. We should trust the promises of God, including Genesis 8:22 and the rainbow covenant.

By Geoff Chapman

Minister’s Relief Society asks for more people to join its committee

The Ministers’ Relief Society was founded in 1872 to provide financial support to gospel ministers and their dependants.

Unlike today, there was no social welfare system available, so for anyone in poverty, life was tough, including those in Christian ministry serving self-supporting churches.

People donated funds to the Society, which distributed grants to men who were facing times of difficulty.

It has been difficult to unearth much of what has happened in the Society’s history, but there have been several unsung heroes of the faith serving the Lord in this important work, which is still needed.

Today the Society is facing various challenges. There are a number of retirements pending, and the committee is in need of more members. If anyone feels called to help, then please contact our secretary via minrelsoc@gmail.com.

The Society appreciates the donations and bequests received for this vital work, and continues to provide grants to needy ministers and their dependants.

Members of the Society receive a newsletter informing them in greater detail about the present work, while maintaining the anonymity of those who submit testimonies.

Ministers now supported are predominantly nationals of other countries, since there are other charitable organisations which provide assistance to men serving in the UK.

Currently, changes are ongoing to make the Society more visible in this digital age. A logo has been adopted, a website will soon be available (mrs2022.co.uk), and work is being carried out to establish improved ways of working, including secure online banking.

By Phillip Firmin

Face painting attracts youngsters to evangelical stall at Hay Festival

After an absence of two years, the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts in Powys was back – and so was the Bethesda Church, Evangelical Movement of Wales, and Show Jesus Outreach over the three days of the Festival.

We utilised a large stall serving tea and coffee (and of course, Welsh cakes), tract distribution, and – the most popular attraction in Hay – face-painting.

Hundreds of people either on their way to the festival site, or on their way back, passed us.

We had boards asking people to tell us in six words how their lives were, and a ‘question of the day’ inviting people to put coloured balls into tubes indicating answers of ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘not sure’.

Example questions were ‘Is there more to life than this?’ and ‘Does God exist if terrible things happen in this world?’

The team met every morning for prayer, and on the Sunday, services were held at the site.

Delicious meals were available for the team at the manse, provided by our pastor, Gordon Bingham, and his wife Helen.

We encouraged each other, laughed with each other, and talked to other Christians. We had deep conversations with some people and brief words with others.

There was rain, there was sunshine, and our leaders Gordon Pitt, Andy Pitt, and Andy Goode did get very cold sleeping in the tent overnight. Most importantly, we worked through the Holy Spirit to show Jesus’s love.

It was a great honour and privilege to be part of the team for the first time; I am already looking forward to being part of it again next year.

By Jane Dodds

US: Pro-lifers welcome landmark abortion ruling but pro-abortionists hold angry demonstrations

Pro-lifers responded with joy in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court ruling which defends the lives of unborn babies.

As expected, the court overturned the 1973 ruling, known as Roe v. Wade, which had effectively legalised abortion throughout America for almost 50 years.

In overturning the ruling, the court declared that there is no constitutional right to abortion and each individual state is free to decide its own laws.

It is believed about half of US states will either ban or place tight controls on abortion.

Pro-lifers welcomed the decision. Dr Stephen J. Nichols, president of Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Florida, said, ‘There is much to celebrate.’

He said the court’s declaration that ‘the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion’ will ‘overturn decades of injustice and the murder of tens of millions of lives’.

But he warned, ‘[This] is not the end of the legal battles, but merely the beginning of a new phase. All that to say, the fight for life and the end of legalized abortion is not over.’

The National Right to Life Committee is America’s oldest and largest pro-life organisation. President Carol Tobias called the Supreme Court’s decision ‘a great day for preborn children and their mothers’.

She added, ‘The Court has correctly decided that a right to abortion is not in the constitution, thereby allowing the people, through their elected representatives, to have a voice in this very important decision.’

But pro-abortionists were angered by the ruling. Protests were organised in cities across America, and also in other western nations.

More than 180 people were reportedly arrested at a pro-abortion-rights rally near the Supreme Court in Washington D.C..

And at a pro-abortion protest in Phoenix, Arizona, authorities deployed tear gas and flash-bang grenades on thousands of demonstrators around the state Capitol.

The FBI is reported to be working with local police in the US state of Colorado to investigate a suspected arson attack on a Christian pregnancy centre.

The fire at ‘Life Choices’ happened within hours of the court’s decision, and the building was graffitied with the message ‘if abortions aren’t safe neither are you’.

Planned Parenthood is one of the biggest pro-abortion groups in America. President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson called the Supreme Court ruling ‘horrific’.

‘Knowing this moment would come does not make it any less devastating,’ she said, referring to the circulation of a leaked draft opinion in May.

Turkey: EU sends strong warning about growing intolerance of its religious and ethnic minorities

Turkey has been given a strong warning from the European Union to protect freedom of thought, conscience, and religion after a spate of persecution against religious minorities.

A report adopted by the European Parliament in June has urged the increasingly rogue country of Turkey to implement ‘positive and effective reforms’.

The EU has noted that the government has been placing ‘sustained legal and administrative pressure’ on religious minorities.

The report was adopted in a vote of 448 in favour and 67 against, and it condemned the ‘oppression of religious and ethnic minorities’.

It noted the ‘continuously shrinking space’ for members of minority groups to ‘operate freely in Turkey’.

The report highlighted the Greek Orthodox population, which has been targeted in particular, and calls on authorities in the country to enable religious communities to obtain legal personality and education rights.

Georgia du Plessis, legal officer for global advocacy group ADF International, said, ‘Everyone has the right to choose their religion and to express it publicly and privately.

‘However, in Turkey, we are seeing an increasing number of Christians and other religious minorities being deprived of this fundamental freedom.

‘Turkish residents have been arrested for sharing their faith and pushed out of the country, banned from returning.’

She said while it was encouraging to see the European Parliament acknowledging ongoing violations, Turkey still had to ‘do better’.

ADF cited a rising number of discrimination claims made against the government by Christians residing in Turkey.

One example is that of evangelist David Byle (pictured), who was facing several arrests. Eventually, he was forced to leave the country he had called home for 19 years in 2018 simply because he shared his faith.

Although the ECHR refused to hear his case in May 2022, Byle is still pursuing justice with support from ADF International, as are former Turkish residents David and Pam Wilson.

The Wilsons have brought their case against the Turkish government to the European Court of Human Rights, having been banned from re-entering their long-term home in 2019.

The case could set a precedent that may protect other Christians from facing such faith-based discrimination and banishment from the country.

According to OpenDoors, the Turkish government expelled at least 60 foreign Christian workers and their families between 2020 and 2022.

‘It is concerning that we are witnessing increasing displays of hostility – particularly towards foreign Christians in Turkey.

‘These deliberate attempts to stifle the spreading of Christianity violate religious freedom’, said Lidia Rieder, legal officer for ADF International.

China: Local authorities take control of churches’ finances

International advocacy and human rights groups have expressed concern at the latest moves by the Chinese authorities to clamp down on religious activities in China.

In June, new measures came into effect which place church finances in the hands of local authorities, and any decisions about the use of registered church finances or buildings can no longer be made by the churches themselves.

Moreover, according to Release International partners, China has banned the use of the word ‘Christ’ in published material online.

Reports have claimed that a WeChat post written by the Early Rain Covenant Church had been picked up and censored.

The censorship team at WeChat sent a message that the word ‘Christ’ the church was trying to use within the book review group was ‘violating regulations on Internet Information Services’.

The only way the group could get around the censorship was to alter part of the word.

Release International said the ban prevents any ‘organisation or individual from posting religious information on the internet, without first obtaining the permission of their provincial government’.

‘It bans religious groups, schools and organisations without valid permits from conducting online sermons.’

Evangelical Times has often reported on the growing anti-Christian sentiment coming from the Chinese central government.

In 2021, ET reported that Christians in the communist country may find persecution stepping up a pace, with reports warning that they could find themselves in ‘re-education camps.’

At the time, press reports cited ‘ever-growing evidence of the deteriorating treatment of religious groups in China’, highlighting the treatment of the Uyghur Muslims, who have been taken to camps in Xinjiang, as an example of what is to come.

To date, despite international outcry, Beijing has denied the Uyghurs are in concentration camps, stating these are ‘re-education facilities’.

According to human rights organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide, other religious minorities are facing escalating persecution.

Japan: Court upholds traditional definition of marriage

A Japanese court has ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage is not unconstitutional.

Three same-sex couples had started a legal action in a district court in Osaka, demanding one million yen (£6,113) in damages for each couple.

But the court rejected the claim, saying that marriage was defined as being only between opposite genders.

No other nation in the whole of Asia allows gay marriage except for Taiwan, and the Japanese government has no plans to redefine marriage.

Legislation recognising same-sex partnerships has been adopted in nine of Japan’s 47 prefectures, but gay marriage is not allowed under the Japanese Constitution.

According to Article 14 of the Constitution, ‘All of the people are equal under the law and there shall be no discrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race, creed, sex, social status, or family origin.’

Article 24 states, ‘Marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes and it shall be maintained through mutual cooperation with the equal rights of husband and wife as a basis.’

The Japanese Constitution, which came into effect in 1947, makes no reference to ‘sexual orientation’.

The Court rejected the claim that the ban on same-sex marriage was discriminatory under Article 14 and found that Article 24 was not intended to include same-sex marriages by definition.

It pointed out that other legal avenues are available to protect the rights of same-sex couples, such as wills and binding contracts.

The same-sex couples who brought the legal action said they would appeal to the Osaka High Court.

Under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, legal marriage was redefined in England and Wales on 29 March 2014.

Scotland legalised same-sex marriage the same year, but in Northern Ireland the traditional definition of marriage was upheld until 2020.

Mozambique: Christian beheaded by Islamic militants

A Christian villager was beheaded after Islamist militants raided a Christian village in Memba, Nampula province, northern Mozambique on 17 June.

According to reports, the raid was by terrorists linked to Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh), and was the first such Islamist raid in recent years in Nampula province.

Barnabas Fund reports that IS has also claimed responsibility for the ‘beheading of several Christians’ in raids across Nangade, Cabo Delgado province, to the north of Nampula.

The militant Islamic State-affiliated organisation Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama started to gain control of some territories in 2017.

In late 2021, Mozambican, Rwandan, and South African forces had started to drive the Islamists back, but the Islamist insurgency now appears to be spreading.

Haiti: Kidnapped Christian missionary is released by violent gang

A Christian missionary from Chile who was kidnapped by a violent criminal gang in Haiti has been released.

Esteban Zambrano, aged 32 (pictured with his wife), was taken hostage when he was on his way to a school where teaches Spanish and Bible lessons to children.

Two men violently intercepted his car and released his daughter who was with him at the time.

Zambrano said, ‘They then took me quickly to the place where I spent my 13 days of captivity. I was there with other people, locked in the control zone of this gang.’

He said it was God’s ‘word, attention, and care’ which lifted him up and encouraged him during his ordeal.

He was released following days of negotiations. On social media he spoke of his thankfulness to God.

He said, ‘We wanted to share our gratitude, first of all to God because we have seen His care for us, His care for me during the time I was abducted, so first of all we thank Him.’

He also thanked the many Christians who had been praying for him. He said, ‘I wanted to thank you for your concern, for all the prayers.

‘Little by little I have been realising all the support given to my family during the time that I was kidnapped.’

REVIEWS

Under God, Over the People: The calling & accountability of civil government

Oliver Allmand-Smith

Broken Wharfe

130 pages; £9.99

BUY

Under God, Over the People is of immense value to anyone unsure of the relationship between civil authorities, with all their anomalies, and Christian faith and practice.

Much of the author’s work is based on the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, applied and made relevant to the 21st century. Of course, the principle of the relationship of church and state has not changed. However, where this book excels is in clearing up much misunderstanding in the minds of many who are unsure of the demarcation line between the state’s authority and Christian liberty.

Is civil government a human idea concocted by philosophers and politicians, or is it a divine institution? What are the limits of subjection to civil authorities for Christian citizens? Are we to obey ungodly rulers? Should Christians pursue a career in civil government? Is capital punishment permitted, or is it too draconian? What are the limitations of the state in imposing restrictions on churches during a pandemic?

Answers to these questions and many more are given and explained in this timely study which is based on the firm and sound teaching of the inspired Word of the Bible.

As North of England Divisional Organiser of the Lord’s Day Observance Society in the 1970s, I was involved in the fight to keep what remained of Lord’s Day legislation. Some battles we won, but some we sadly lost. Having access to a book of this calibre would have been immensely helpful. It would have made me better equipped in convincing unconvinced Christians of the value of maintaining the Lord’s Day and the hard-fought legislation that protected it from secularisation.

The Christian church in the western world faces even more pressure from the state to conform to their secularistic agenda. In these challenging days, Christians need to know precisely where they stand and what they believe in their relationship to the civil law of the land: in other words, when to obey God rather than men. This book will be of great assistance in determining how we face up to challenging times that lie ahead. May God, by his grace, help us to honour him, that he may honour us as we shine the light of truth in a darkened world.

Les Yates,

Ramsbottom, Lancashire

From Spare Oom to War Drobe: Travels in Narnia with my nine-year-old self

Katherine Langrish

Darton, Longman and Todd

288 pages; £16.99

BUY

C. S. Lewis famously told his goddaughter Lucy, ‘Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.’ Perhaps that time has come for some of us who grew up reading the Chronicles of Narnia. Here Katherine Langrish plays the part of tour guide on a welcome ‘return visit’ to that imagined land.

Things look a little different from a grown-up’s perspective. One can appreciate more Lewis’s craftsmanship, spot faults and weaknesses which had gone unnoticed, and yet still feel a grateful fondness for those places, characters, and events which made such a deep impression on a child’s mind.

Langrish runs over the storyline of each of the seven novels, relating their highlights and recalling how she reacted to them at first reading. It is a joy to relive with her the excitement, adventure, laughter, and poignancy which the stories evoke.

An accomplished writer herself, Langrish identifies the books’ literary influences – from Scandinavian fairy tales, Arthurian legends and Arabian Nights, to Plato, Spenser, Milton, and Kipling. She can also pick out their inconsistencies, continuity errors, and plot holes – perhaps a little too zealously at times.

She largely defends the Chronicles against widespread charges of sexism, pointing out that the female characters are frequently depicted as braver or wiser than the boys. But she is less sympathetic toward Lewis’s portrayal of Middle Eastern culture, which she condemns – whether fairly or not – as ‘dog-whistle prejudice’ (p. 255).

While the Chronicles are not straightforward allegories of the Christian faith, they are undoubtedly reflective of Lewis’s spiritual outlook. And here the author hits a problem. Having abandoned the faith later in life, Langrish is unable to hide her discomfort with Lewis’s beliefs – or sometimes her misunderstanding of them. Thus when they emerge in his writing, she finds it ‘didactic and prescriptive’ (p. 130).

The concept of God working all things for good is ‘manipulative… controlling’ (p. 127-8); vengeance against the wicked ‘leaves a bad taste’ (p. 156); a picture of repentance is misinterpreted as showing merely ‘how deep within yourself you might have to go in order to change’ (p. 175); and fundamentalists ‘live within the restrictions of a literal understanding of the Bible’ (p. 219).

Lewis did not hold to evangelical doctrine, and his insistence that many worshippers of false gods will nonetheless be saved is illustrated in an episode toward the end of The Last Battle. Sadly this heretical teaching has provided false hope to many unbelievers – including the author of this book, who concludes, ‘If there is a God after all… I’ll go with Lewis, and say a loving God won’t turn us away’ (p. 276).

If one is prepared to put up with these drawbacks, From Spare Oom to War Drobe will prove an enjoyable means of revisiting and enjoying The Chronicles of Narnia all over again. Despite the passing of years, the wonder still remains.

Matthew Cox

Bethersden, Kent

A Greater Glory: From pitch to pulpit

Gavin Peacock

Christian Focus Publications

264 pages; £11.99

BUY

If you’re a football fan of a certain age, you’ll enjoy this book. I can remember watching Gavin Peacock playing football on TV during the 1990s, so it was a pleasurable trip down memory lane.

My football-mad 10-year-old son and I started reading it together. He loved following Peacock’s rise through the ranks to the Premier League, and it was easy enough for him to read. As a dad, I loved the example it gave him, as it weaves the story of the author’s conversion and Christian experience into the story of his football career.

He goes on to relate his time as a TV football pundit, and then his training for pastoral ministry in Canada. This is all interspersed with wise lessons which he has learned throughout his life.

It’s a great book for youngsters who are attracted by the allure of football fame: here is a man who has been there, done it all, and who tells you: Christ is far greater.

When I asked my son for his reflections, he said: ‘I think that this could be a very inspirational story for many people looking to turn their eyes to Jesus. Even if he was playing for some of the best, it’s incredible how he put his God first. I can tell that he is a man who loves Jesus.’

Personally I would have liked to know more about Peacock’s theology and Christian experience: why did he play on Sundays? What church involvement did he have during his career? But I don’t think the book is written primarily for Christians. Its strength is its evangelistic thrust: it keeps returning to the gospel with winsome, gentle challenges to trust in Christ. I’d happily give it to an unbelieving friend to read.

In the introduction the author expresses his desire for his readers to approach the book ‘as a memorial of God’s sovereign, saving grace in a man, and to see how knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour is the most necessary thing in life’ (p.22).

Dave Cox

Nelson, South Wales

Praying in Public: A guidebook for prayer in corporate worship

Pat Quinn

Crossway Books

176 pages; £13.99

BUY

Do we need a book on this subject? Yes we do!

Sadly, public prayers in many churches are often thin, with major omissions; some are irreverent, and some largely irrelevant. Sometimes the prayer is fine, but basically the same one is offered each week.

Is this the book which we need? Largely, yes. Certainly everyone who is going to lead a congregation in prayer – at least, regularly – should read it.

In the first part we have principles to guide prayer: it should invoke the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, use biblical language (though not exclusively), be gospel based, theologically strong, thoughtful, relevant, and well-prepared. This is thoroughly Reformed, God-centred teaching.

One notably helpful exhortation is to pray the prayers of Scripture, especially those in the Psalms and New Testament letters. Scriptural resources are given here which alone make the book worth reading. Another well-developed point is on the necessity of preparing seriously before leading the congregation in prayer.

The second part contains a number of sample prayers from the author. These are divided into adoration (including thanksgiving), confession, and supplication. Quinn favours writing his public prayers, thus he can give us these samples. There is much by way of good example and thought-provoking content, even for those who don’t agree with fully pre-written prayers.

Pat Quinn is doing for public prayer what Don Carson did for private prayer in A Call to Spiritual Reformation. It’s easy to read this book. Gaining all its benefits will take much longer.

John Palmer

Leigh

Compassion for Souls: Following Christ’s approach for witnessing to different kinds of unbeliever

Peter Masters

Wakeman Trust

99 pages; £5.95

ISBN: 978-1-91313-309-2

BUY

This updated version of Peter Masters’ previous book Biblical Strategies for Witness is very timely, coming after a period when many of us have had little, if any, opportunity to mix with unbelievers, and may feel out of practice sharing our faith.

The author argues that personal witness is the most effective way of spreading the gospel, but it is a hard, risky, and often slow method. The aim of the book is to encourage and inspire us, and this is done in a very readable way.

He states that, although we cannot persuade the unconverted person to receive the gospel, that does not mean that there is nothing we can do. Since it is God who imparts spiritual life, the Holy Spirit may well choose to use our witness in the process of conversion.

The book lists various kinds of unbelievers and focuses on four of those classes: the ignorant and indifferent, the self-righteous, the self-interested, and the convinced atheist. We are encouraged to learn and practise different strategies, using scriptural examples of how Christ and the disciples varied their approach with different people.

The author has good advice on being prepared for questions (be brief!), and there is a link to a series of short online videos suggesting answers to some of the more common questions, like why God allows suffering.

Highly recommended reading which should motivate us to pray, prepare, and be ready to witness to our unbelieving contacts.

Jan Rhys

South Wales

Table of Contents

FEATURES

Puritan worship

Starfish Asia: 21 years and counting

Thinking about abortion: Laura’s story

Scripture’s hidden gems: Ezekiel

The most revealing meeting at church

Little golden worries

A century of gospel outreach in Cumbria

COMMENT: Integrity or liability?

GUEST COLUMN: Holiness is exciting!

A SHRINK THINKS... The seduction of Eve (part one)

THINKING IT THROUGH: Godly lies? — can deceit ever be right?

A WALK WITH MR O: Afraid of God?

CRUNCH POINTS: How can I discern which preachers to watch on YouTube?

NEWS

News in brief

Christians react as Boris resigns sparking debates over the next PM

Opposition to euthanasia and assisted dying is to be welcomed, say campaigners

Two employment tribunal rulings send mixed signals about the freedom to disagree with transgender ideas

British MPs demand abortion be made a ‘human right’ in the wake of the Roe v. Wade court ruling

Criminologist warns parents they risk arrest under Scotland’s proposal to outlaw ‘conversion therapy’

John Wesley’s first ever Methodist chapel to allow same-sex marriage

High Court judge quashes a law requiring Christian RE lessons in Northern Ireland

First full-time pastor for Hyde Heath Baptist Church, Bucks

Keswick Ministries and Faith in Later Life jointly host a training event focusing on older believers

Cheltenham meeting marks 130 years of the Bible League

Joel Beeke addresses Scottish Reformed Conference

Calvin Robinson speaks of his experience of liberal bias in education at Family Education Trust event

Met Office meteorologist addresses creationist meeting

Minister’s Relief Society asks for more people to join its committee

Face painting attracts youngsters to evangelical stall at Hay Festival

US: Pro-lifers welcome landmark abortion ruling but pro-abortionists hold angry demonstrations

Turkey: EU sends strong warning about growing intolerance of its religious and ethnic minorities

China: Local authorities take control of churches’ finances

Japan: Court upholds traditional definition of marriage

Mozambique: Christian beheaded by Islamic militants

Haiti: Kidnapped Christian missionary is released by violent gang

REVIEWS

Under God, Over the People: The calling & accountability of civil government

From Spare Oom to War Drobe: Travels in Narnia with my nine-year-old self

A Greater Glory: From pitch to pulpit

Praying in Public: A guidebook for prayer in corporate worship

Compassion for Souls: Following Christ’s approach for witnessing to different kinds of unbeliever