Contents

FEATURES

Removing the ‘dating’ lane

Martin Chemnitz (1522–1586) and the ‘Formula of Concord’

Reaching the lost in the open air

What does it mean to educate?

Talking to the dead?

Scripture’s hidden gems: Revelation (Part 1)

Not a lack of food, but a lack of hunger

COMMENT: Hold to the never-changing gospel in this time of change

GUEST COLUMN: Pressing home the defeat of Satan

A SHRINK THINKS... Equality, diversity, and inclusion

THINKING IT THROUGH: Ignorant of his devices – recognising Satan’s schemes

A WALK WITH MR O: A living, bright reality

CRUNCH POINTS: Is it worth praying in prayer meetings?

NEWS

News in brief

Tributes for the Queen and prayers for the King

Court hears case of school chaplain fired and reported as a ‘terrorist’ for preaching a sermon on LGBT issues

Christian groups react as Liz Truss becomes the new PM

Thousands join the March for Life, including many more young people

Welsh Government spends millions promoting its new ban on smacking

Ricardo Hipolito is inducted at Downham Baptist Church

Sussex teen camp scales Pen y Fan, South Wales

Persian, Welsh, and English preaching at Tabernacle Cardiff’s summer conference

Glasgow conference addresses the topic of ‘Preaching Christ in a post-Christian land’

New building project starts for Isle of Skye congregation

Thousands of souls hear the gospel at Commonwealth Games outreach

Christian youth camp in Cumbria ‘travels the world’, as youngsters look at Paul’s missionary journeys

New documentary surveys history and theology of revival

‘Is creationism credible?’ explored at a CMNW meeting in Whitehaven

‘A fresh look at Christ’ at Longhorsley Bible Convention in Northumberland

US: Christian freedoms upheld in Kentucky and Kansas cases

France: European Court of Human Rights rules against Down syndrome video

Iran: Christians jailed after losing their appeal in ‘house church’ case

OBITUARY

Revd Neil MacDonald (1932–2022)

REVIEWS

Film Review: Jurassic World: Dominion

The First and the Last: The comfort of the Triune God in Revelation

God With Us: Knowing the mystery of who Jesus is

This World Is Not My Home: Reflections for pilgrims on the way

The Gospel According to Elisha: A commentary on the life of Elisha in 1 Kings and 2 Kings

FEATURES

Removing the ‘dating’ lane

It’s common for Christians to teach that you should only ‘date’ if you have marriage in view. I completely agree. The Bible teaches that there is singleness and marriage; there is no third state called ‘going out’. This third ambiguous category of ‘going out’ does not help us think biblically.

Granted, there’s going to be a period of transition between singleness and marriage; it’s appropriate for a man and a woman to have a period of deliberately getting to know each other. But ‘transition’ from singleness to marriage is precisely the way to think about what you’re doing as you get to know that girl or a guy better.

You can think of it like two lanes on a motorway. There’s the ‘single’ lane and there’s the ‘married’ lane. There is no third lane called ‘going out’.

Sadly, that third lane is something our culture has conditioned us to accept. It’s often used as a justification for sexual involvement between two people who may not be marriage-minded at all. Even in Christian circles, it can be seen as a state in which you simply ‘dare not go too far’ in terms of intimacy.

This whole idea of a third, ‘going out’ lane can cause Christians to sin against their brothers and sisters. It’s a failure to treat ‘younger men as brothers’ and ‘younger women as sisters, in all purity’ (1 Timothy 5:2).

We should shift our understanding to view ‘going out’ as the transitional process of checking mirrors and putting an indicator on. It’s preparing to change from the ‘single’ lane to the ‘married’ lane.

Now, I do realise that the process isn’t as mechanical and brief as it is in the illustration! Preparing for marriage involves the mystery of getting to know a person of the opposite sex. Part way through, one of the two may change their minds, and not want to proceed to marriage, and they are perfectly free to do so.

The point isn’t to make ‘dating’ sound easy, but it is to get us to think clearly in light of Scripture. It’s all too easy for Christians to act as ‘couples’, and for the church to accept them as such when they are not ‘couples’ in any biblical sense.

As Christians parenting our children, we should move beyond merely recycling the advice to ‘not get too physical’ or ‘keep marriage in view’. We should be talking to our children about biblical categories when it comes to relationships, and that singleness and marriage are the critical ones.

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

Martin Chemnitz (1522–1586) and the ‘Formula of Concord’

Unless you are a keen student of church history (or a Lutheran) then you may not have heard of Martin Chemnitz, who was born 500 years ago this November. In his day, however, he was recognised as immensly important, and is still lauded among Lutheran historians. ‘If Martin [Chemnitz] had not been, Martin [Luther] would not have survived’ was a popular saying. Why is this so?

Formative years

Chemnitz was born in Trenenbritzen in the state of Brandenburg. His father had been a prosperous merchant, but after his death times were difficult for the family. Martin finished school and entered the family business. He spent some time at the University of Frankfurt-on-the-Oder, but ran out of money and was forced to leave, becoming a teacher.

At 23 he enrolled at Wittenburg University and studied under Martin Luther (who died the next year) and Philip Melancthon, his main influence. He admitted that he did not pay Luther the attention that he should have done! Martin transferred to the University of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad in Russia), graduating in 1548.

From 1550 he became the court librarian of Albert, Duke of Prussia, being in charge of the state and university library, one of the best in Europe. Here Martin could indulge his passion for theological study. Chemnitz followed the course of study which Melancthon had proposed for self-taught theologians. First he learned Hebrew and Greek, then studied the Bible, and then the early theologians, with the controversies he wished to resolve in mind.

Many controversies

Lutheranism then had many controversies. Even in Luther’s time, his views on every subject did not go unchallenged. Germany, as we now call it, was a collection of autonomous states under the so-called Holy Roman Empire, and different theologians arose in the various states, advocating diverse views. Some were still seeking theological accommodation with the papacy. Catholicism was a constant threat, and many states were still Roman Catholic. Others ‘out-Luthered Luther’ in their views.

Melancthon was Luther’s successor, but he was not always teaching what Luther had taught, and many theologians disagreed with him on different points. Chemnitz sought to understand these differences and discover what was the truth, and this became his particular field of study.

In 1553 Chemnitz returned to Wittenberg. Here he lectured on Melancthon’s theology. He was ordained and became a superintendent (effectively bishop) for the duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, a post he retained for the rest of his life.

From now on Chemnitz put a considerable amount of effort into trying to resolve theological differences, not just in his own mind, but between others. Some of these were quite major. John Calvin’s Institutes were having an increasing influence, and provoking a reaction from those who would oppose any new insights that the French reformer had.

One of the issues was the nature of Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper (still called the Mass in Lutheranism). Does the bread and wine in some way also become the body and blood of Christ (consubtantiation), as Luther taught; or is Christ’s presence a spiritual one (Calvinism); or indeed, is the Supper simply a memorial feast (Zwinglianism)?

Calvin and Luther both taught predestination; but not all Lutherans were happy with the doctrine. Certainly, Calvin’s views on particular redemption and irresistible grace were rejected. Lutherans teach that Christ died for all men equally, and that the preached Word works salvation unless it is rejected by the sinner – and it can be rejected. But what about the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints? This also was a debated question.

A controversy grew up around the place of good works in salvation. Remarkably, there were some Protestants who declared that good works are necessary to salvation. Equally astounding is that some declared good works to be harmful!

All these controversies were complicated by the views of different local rulers and their shifting political pressures concerning Roman Catholic neighbouring states. This caused many theologians to move around in order to find posts where their particular views were acceptable to their local prince or city authorities.

Confessing the faith

In light of all this diversity, how is it that there remains a distinct Lutheran denomination today – how did it not fall apart long ago? Much of the credit under God belongs to Martin Chemnitz. Along with others, notably Jakob Andreä (1528-90), he laboured on what became known as the ‘Formula of Concord’ (1577). This later was incorporated into the ‘Book of Concord; Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church’ (1580).

The Formula’s original title was ‘A brief summary of the articles which, controverted among the theologians of the Augsburg Confession for many years, were settled in a Christian manner at Torgau in the month of June, 1576, by the theologians which there met and subscribed.’ These were confessional Lutherans. In the next eleven months, the document was circulated for discussions and revised in the light of these.

The Formula consists of twelve articles. In most cases, the ‘Statement of the Controversy’ occupied a paragraph. This was followed by an ‘Affirmative’ which was a number of paragraphs declaring what was agreed. This was followed by a ‘Negative’, also in a number of paragraphs, declaring what was rejected.

This would sometimes include Roman Catholic teaching, or Calvinistic ideas, or aberrations taught by some Lutherans. The subjects included such matters as original sin, free will, faith, the Law, the Lord’s Supper, the person of Christ, and election.

Chemnitz was influential in composing this, as he was in all his teaching, because he always sought to bring about a centrist position, where extreme views were rejected but where there was room for a certain latitude in interpretation of Scripture.

This was not ‘trimming’ to produce a form of words which could be accepted by opposing parties because it was ambiguous. Rather, it was affirming the boundaries within which Christians could disagree in love.

Reactions to the Concord

Not all agreed with the Formula of Concord. However, authorities ruling over some two-thirds of Lutherans in Germany did, including over 50 rulers and 35 free cities of the empire. Queen Elizabeth I, not wishing to see a united Lutheranism, had her representatives lobby against it.

Historic confessions of faith which have stood the test of time are valuable centres of fellowship. Yet they do have weaknesses. Confessions cannot anticipate subsequent denominational developments and church controversies which inevitably arise and require clarification. Confessions can end up being sincerely affirmed by those whose doctrine and practice are widely divergent to the point of impairing real fellowship, especially within independency.

This can be the case among those who hold to the Savoy Declaration or the 1689 Baptist Confession, for example. Do we perhaps need more work on agreed clarifications of the implications of historic confessions? Any competent volunteers?

By John Palmer, John Palmer lives in Ormskirk, Lancashire.

Reaching the lost in the open air

Some churches have unsaved people gathering with them each week, and so, encouragingly, they come regularly under the sound of the gospel. But that is not the experience of every church. In fact, the average Brit would not dream of darkening the doorstep of a Bible-believing, gospel-preaching church. Obviously, we rejoice when the ones and the twos actually come in, but we have to acknowledge that seems very rare today. No matter how hard we try with evangelistic events and services, isn’t it difficult to get people over the threshold today?

Where they are

Of all the ways in which the Lord has blessed the church to evangelise, surely the one method with the potential of reaching many personally and directly is open-air evangelism. Yes, we should always look at additional opportunities to share the gospel in the life of the church, but how many are beyond the four walls of our meeting places?

It is on the streets of our nation where people are passing by, working, and socialising. That is where they are. We reach the people of our communities by being out in the community among them. Those from all walks of life – different backgrounds, cultures, languages, and religions – who would not (and for some, could not) enter a church building, can be reached outside.

We are on safe ground with open-air outreach. George Whitfield (famous for reaching hundreds of thousands in the open-air) remarked, ‘I believe I never was more acceptable to my Master than when I was standing to teach those hearers in the open fields… I now preach to ten times more people than I would if I had been confined to the churches.’

Scripture abounds with examples of open-air evangelism. Ezra and the Levites publicly read and explained God’s Word in the public square – not in the temple courts which would have precluded some. The Apostle Paul in Athens – not just in the Areopagus (an established and organised meeting place) but daily in the market place ‘with those who happened to be there’ (Acts 17:17b). Where did Peter preach on the Day of Pentecost? Where did Jonah preach the judgment of God?

Though we do not read the words, ‘in the open-air’, it is obvious that these men, and more besides, preached in the open-air! C. H. Spurgeon (a great advocate of gospel work out-of-doors) said, ‘Our Lord Himself, who is yet more our pattern, delivered the larger proportion of his sermons on the mountain’s side, or by the seashore, or in the streets. Our Lord was to all intents and purposes an open-air preacher.’

Examples are not just confined to history. We have contemporary examples also. Through the work of The Open-Air Mission, Open-Air Campaigners, the United Beach Missions, Young Life, and countless churches up and down our nation, many are being reached with the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. Often, this is their first contact with the gospel. Reports concur that this is a valid form of evangelism – people are reached with the saving message of Christ, they receive literature and are referred to local churches – but how much more can be done?

Where we are

The ‘Great Commission’ is to go, but so often we are slow to act in obedience to the Lord’s command. Nowhere is this slowness seen more acutely today than in a reluctance to engage with people in the public arena. We can come up with so many ‘legitimate’ reasons (which are often excuses) as to why this is not for us. Fear is a big snare that we can fall into, but how much confidence do we have in Almighty God who, through his Spirit’s work, can strengthen us, help us, and embolden us?

From experience, I would say the greatest handbrake on this work is our past experience. There have been many occasions when I have cringed as I have seen unwise methods employed on the streets! We have often seen it done badly. Not every open-air preacher is as biblical and winsome as he should be. Sadly, there are poor examples of this method of evangelism. The preacher may have correct theology, but if the way he communicates the gospel comes across as aggressive, then that does not commend the love and grace of our message. Some also spend the majority of their time denouncing particular sins rather than announcing the good news. Some could be summarised in this phrase: ‘Preaching at people, not to people.’

Most critics to open-air work, if they were honest, would acknowledge they are against it because they have seen it done badly and so are embarrassed by it. But just because we have seen something done badly by others doesn’t mean that we should completely write it off. We have all listened to poor examples of pulpit preaching but we would not write off the validity of biblical exposition in church because of those poor examples. So, let us not write off a legitimate, tried-and-tested opportunity to reach out with the gospel.

Peer pressure is also a great hindrance to direct evangelism. Fearing, ‘What will people think?’ often leads to a watered-down approach or no evangelism at all. The fear of being asked awkward questions or being entrapped can prevent any meaningful engagement outside. I’ve heard it said, ‘Open-air work is no longer culturally acceptable today.’ But from what I can see from history, it has never been culturally acceptable! The Apostle Paul, John Wesley, George Whitefield, and many more beside, all experienced just how counter-cultural the gospel is.

To ‘go against the grain’ of society is naturally going to make Christians ‘stick out like sore thumbs’, but we can’t tip-toe around the issue: we are called to go and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). ‘The message of the cross’, says the Apostle Paul, ‘is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’ (1 Corinthians 1:18). So much so that Paul would write to the Romans, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes’ (Romans 1:16a).

More often than not, we are not witnessing as we should because we are not where we should be spiritually. May the Lord give us a greater sense of the need of the hour. May the Lord move us with compassion as Christ was when he saw the multitudes as sheep without a shepherd. That deep love and concern moved our Saviour to action (Mark 6:34), but does it move us?

Do we fall into the trap of assigning John 4:35 to an overseas mission field? Do our Lord’s words not apply also to those in the open-air? ‘Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields; for they are already white for harvest!’ (John 4:35). What blessings and encouragements await us as we seek to engage people!

Yes, undoubtedly, this work (as with any Christian ministry) will have its difficulties and trials, but there are many encouragements. It was within the context of the great persecution by Saul of Tarsus that Acts 8 appears, with the conversion of many in Samaria and the Ethiopian.

Where we should be

Open-air outreach is not the only form of evangelism. Praise God for every opportunity available to churches and individuals to make others acquainted with our Saviour. We must recognise that not every Christian is equipped to preach in the open-air. But far from brow-beating people into this work, it is my prayer that we explore ways of communicating the gospel with people where they are.

A typical open-air scenario involves three components – preaching, literature distribution, and one-to-one conversations. Although not every location is conducive to preaching, almost every location is good for giving away gospel literature and engaging people in conversation. A free literature table is a great way of having a friendly presence in the community, seeking to warmly engage people with the gospel and invite them to church.

Where should we be? Engaging the lost in whatever door of opportunity is open to us! Please, however, in considering ways to witness to others, don’t neglect the open-air. May the Lord help us reach the multitudes, biblically and winsomely, where they are. But may we examine our hearts to consider where we are, so that fears, anxieties, and embarrassments are not a hindrance to us. The fear of man will keep us from vital gospel proclamation, but a loving concern for the lost will motivate us to point them to the Lord Jesus Christ. That is where we should be.

By J. P. Earnest, Field Operation Manager at the Open-Air Mission.

What does it mean to educate?

The couple of hundred faces in front of me are hard to read: mostly women – grandmothers and mothers – some men in tow, tattoo-covered, here to do their bit. Babies are plentiful, and making their presence known. I begin to speak, grateful for the mic.

Thank you for sharing with us the education of your child. You have just made one of the biggest decisions in your life. Together we’re going to make it the right decision.

Are they unconvinced or just bored?

I’m here to tell you that your child is being lied to. The phone in their pocket is telling them hundreds of times a day that their worth depends on three things: looks, popularity, possessions; that without those things they’re worthless. And some of them believe the lie.

Someone towards the back shouts out, ‘Yes!’ I take it as a good sign and lean forward.

The truth is, no one can put a price on your child; they’re precious not because of what they look like, what they have, what they will one day do. Their worth lies in who they are, who God made them to be. Your child is uniquely gifted and in this world for a reason: no one can take their place.

Mentioning God was a risk, but no one interrupts. We’re talking about Imago Dei, of course, the Judaeo-Christian insight that ‘God created man in his own image, … male and female’. And the startling further revelation – in Genesis 9 and James 3 for instance – that men and women continue to bear God’s image after the Fall.

With the children themselves, once the term got underway, I would take a sledgehammer to a £1 coin to make the same point. When I was through, the image of Her Majesty a little the worse for wear, there were no shortage of takers when I offered to make a gift of it.

To educate is to communicate a worldview. As a secondary head in the state sector, I believed I owed it to parents to make mine explicit. To pretend neutrality is, after all, the first step towards indoctrination. And to recognise children as image-bearers of a loving, all-wise designer has profound implications for education.

And so does the reality of the Fall. In an age of blame-shifting it is easier to talk about ‘living in a broken world’ than to point to the sin-nature of each one of us. But appealing to victim status comes at a cost: to surrender responsibility is to surrender the dignity of choice that is our birthright as humans – along with the possibility of change.

Anyone who has spent time with children knows that they’re not actually little angels, but the message of the Bible is not simply one of realism but of profound hope because of who Jesus is and the redemption he accomplished on the cross.

Creation, fall, redemption. The Bible in a nutshell, and each of these words speaks directly to education’s big questions: teleology (ultimate purpose), identity (of the learner), epistemology (basis for knowing), curriculum (subject matter), and pedagogy (instructional method).

Creation: God created us to glorify him and to enjoy him for ever, and he placed us on this earth to mirror and represent him. In his grace, God has not withdrawn this mandate. The qualities that make us human, such as reason, language, worship, creativity, conscience, an aesthetic sense, and an eternal soul, are given that we may know God and serve him, stewards over his creation. The intrinsic dignity of a child – and the fact that he is created to glorify God and enjoy him for ever – informs each of education’s big question.

Fall: In the Fall man lost the ability to mirror and the desire to represent God on this earth. Although he retains (to some degree) the capacities God gave him for this purpose, he employs them in pursuit of his own glory and autonomy. Lacking knowledge, righteousness, and holiness – the qualities in which Adam most clearly resembled God – he now misuses what knowledge he does have, exchanges the truth of God for a lie, worships and serves the creature rather than the Creator.

Redemption: ‘A second Adam to the fight and to the rescue came.’ Born of a virgin, free of the taint of original sin, possessing knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, Christ, the Son of God, took to himself a true body and a reasonable soul. As man he could be our mediator, suffering and dying in our place. Risen and ascended to the right hand of the Father, he sends his Spirit to restore the image of God in those he redeems. What could be more humbling – or inspiring?!

Take ‘teleology’ – education’s direction and purpose. When Tony Blair intoned ‘Education, Education, Education’ and we cheered, did we know what we were cheering for? The author of Paradise Lost tell us: ‘The end then of Learning is to repair the ruines of our first Parents by regaining to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to be like him…’

Milton understood that children are created to know God, with the ability to think and the urge to worship, but that original sin causes us to ignore and deny our Creator; that apart from Christ our thinking is futile.

The ultimate purpose of education, then – whether we study humanity, nature, or God himself – is to regain such knowledge of God in Christ as will lead us to desire and worship him as supremely holy and altogether lovely. Geerhardus Vos put it simply: education should lead you to ‘love the Lord your God … with all your mind.’

Which brings us to a really difficult question: How can we provide our children with an education like that? A worldview grid is a useful tool as we evaluate the options.

For example, how might we assess the Charlotte Mason method? Her teleology is laudable: education is about finding out who we are and how we fit into God’s universe. In a child’s identity she emphasises moral agency as God’s image-bearer: ‘I am, I can, I ought, I will.’ The impact of ‘Creation’ can be traced in every row. Less clear is her understanding of the Fall and of redemption: ‘[Children] are not born either good or bad, but with possibilities for good and for evil.’ Discernment required.

Classical Education has enjoyed a resurgence since the 1980s, in schools in which the trivium – the language arts of grammar, logic (or ‘dialectic’), and rhetoric – is taught to children not just as curriculum content to be learned but as tools of learning necessary for the training of the mind.

Dorothy Sayers’ observation that grammar, logic, and rhetoric neatly link up with a child’s developmental growth led her in 1947 to propose a return to the educational syllabus that flourished in cathedral schools during the medieval era.

Some excellent classical schools exist; but the label does not guarantee a Christian education. Christian parents will want to know something of the why and the what as well as the how of a particular Classical school before committing.

Can we send our child to the local state school? Here, perhaps, is the elephant in the room. It was good enough for us; why not for our little ones? And after all, we’re paying for it through our taxes.

No one has the right to tell you where to educate your children: the decision is intensely personal and will depend on factors beyond the scope of this article. That tremendous state schools exist I know at first hand. But the times, they are a-changin’. We have a responsibility to understand the dominant streams of thought shaping education today.

If Darwin was right, and man is created in the image of his evolutionary forebears, where is dignity, purpose, or moral responsibility? If Rousseau saw clearly, and adult intervention tends to destroy a child’s innate desire for knowledge, capability of observation, independence, and personality, what place is there for discipline and expert instruction?

And then there is Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Dewey, … Sadly, even faith schools can turn out to be a secular cake with a Christian cherry on the top, token religious imagery adorning entirely worldly thinking.

I would encourage parents to look beyond academic results and evaluate each educational option in light of the worldview grid. But however good the school you may eventually choose, in sending your child know that you would be doing no more than delegating some of the instruction. It’s when they come home that the learning really takes off. And we wouldn’t have it any other way!

‘And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up’ (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

By Jonathan Winch, Served as principal and executive principal in state funded Christian-ethos state schools for 17 years. He now directs Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary under Dr Ian Hamilton.

Talking to the dead?

A godly widow told me not long after her husband’s death that she kept feeling he was around. Sometimes she would find herself talking to him. This is not everyone’s reaction to bereavement, but it is unlikely to be unusual. It would be quite unnatural not to miss your life-partner of fifty years. In the privacy of our homes we can deal with things in our own way.

But then comes the public expression of loss. A pre-eminent example was our new King’s address (at the close of an otherwise moving tribute) to his late mother the day following her death. I have been accustomed for many years to hearing similar tributes at funerals which finish with such words as an emotional ‘Daddy, we love you’ or ‘Grandma you will always be in our hearts’.

But who is being addressed? Where is he or she? With people of no religious belief, one puts such language down to sentimentality or a humanistic worldview.

In other circumstances it can be a case of bad theology. Last April the Duke of Edinburgh was (supposedly) sent on his way with the presumptuous bidding, ‘Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul.’ Who is a mere man to address a human soul like that?

‘Soon gone, and we fly away’ (Psalm 90:10)

One is a bit dismayed, however, to hear evangelical Christians using the language of personal address to the dead, if not at funerals (though that can happen) then at least in the public space of social media. Who are they addressing? Yes, we do miss our loved ones; a declaration of ‘I love you’ to the departed is an understandable overflow of emotion. But is it helpful in public? Sometimes it goes further – you almost feel an attempt is being made to deny the reality of death.

Death is the separation of body and soul. It is not cessation of existence. It was imposed by God as the punishment for sin – a penalty of which he had warned Adam (Genesis 2:16-17). Jesus teaches us in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) that upon death the soul of the righteous goes into the Lord’s presence – just as with the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43). The soul of the wicked rich man goes to the torments of hell (‘Hades’ in Luke 16:23 where it is the intermediate state, not the final ‘lake of fire’).

The bodies of all the dead await the final resurrection to either condemnation or eternal life. What is clear throughout the Bible is that though death is not the end of existence for a human soul, it is the end of contact with this world.

Balanced grief

Christians are not immune to grief and should not even try to pretend that they are. It is healthy to grieve. But this does have to be balanced, and even our attitudes to the dead need to be brought to the bar of biblical truth.

If the dead person was a believer (which is usually the case when Christians grieve on social media) then that person is with the Lord and in that we rejoice. We do grieve, but not without hope. If he or she was not a believer, then they are in hell. That is of course tragic, although we are in no position to make the ultimate judgment as anyone’s ultimate destiny.

Someone may say of the believer who has gone to be with the Lord, ‘But they are really alive!’ This is gloriously true. But even if we say ‘fallen asleep’, there is no changing the fact that until the resurrection they are still in the realm of the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 14:13).

Is it appropriate to address them in the second person (‘you’) when they are in heaven? The fact is, they have left this earthly realm. How much they may be aware of the condition of the church on earth is debated, but there is no evidence in Scripture that we can address them or that they can hear us.

King David prayed earnestly for his little son but once he was told the boy was dead, he got up, comforted the child’s mother, and got on with life. ‘I shall go to him, but he will not return to me,’ he said (2 Samuel 12:23). Death, in terms of contact with this world, is final.

Watch your language

Christians should choose their words carefully in situations of bereavement. We must avoid giving the impression to others of a situation that is simply not true – that the loved one is in some sense still around or within earshot. One popular little reading speaks of the departed as ‘only in the next room’ because ‘death is nothing at all’. Evangelicals would, I hope, not use such language, but I have heard them use similar wording.

I know Christians who might speak in these ways would deny believing such things, but in that case – why use the language? We are living in days when most people, having stopped believing in God, will believe in anything when it comes to death and what happens next.

Frequently we hear people speaking to the effect that their dear departed is still with them. How literally they mean that is hard to tell, but Christians should not be using language that encourages such delusion. For some it may be a comfort, but it is a false comfort.

Death is serious. We know it is not the end spiritually, but it is the end of contact with this life. The souls of believer and unbeliever are in very different places, but they are still out of reach of this world.

Never in the Bible is there any encouragement to try to communicate with the dead. Rather, the opposite is commanded by God (Deuteronomy 18:11). Yet this is what the ‘we love you’ language sounds like – if not to the listening Christian, then to the undiscerning unbeliever.

This trend may come from following the fashion of the world which is chronically unable to be realistic about death. It may, more worryingly, come from muddle-headed thinking among Christians about death and the afterlife.

In the privacy of our own homes there may be latitude for dealing with the loss of loved ones, though even there all things must be subject to Scripture. But in public, at least, we really should be thoughtful, biblical, and careful about the language we use. The dead are not ‘close by’; it is to disregard the God-ordained realities of death, heaven, and hell to treat them as if they were.

By Mostyn Roberts, Mostyn Roberts is pastor at Welwyn Evangelical Church

Scripture’s hidden gems: Revelation (Part 1)

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

It is with some trepidation that I write these last two articles in the series Scripture’s hidden gems. Many devout Christians disagree on the interpretation of this book, and I anticipate a flood of letters to the editor of ET!

Before you put pen to paper, let me say that Revelation was not written to divide Christians, but to comfort and unite Christians around a fundamental truth: our Lord is on the throne and he is coming back.

My desire in writing this article is not to cause controversy but to glorify Christ. My prayer is that by the end of the article, even if you disagree with its standpoint, you will join with the apostle John and say: ‘Even so. come Lord Jesus!’

Revelation is for many the most puzzling book in the Bible, with all its symbols, numbers, and pictures. The diversity of interpretations is legendary. For this reason, many shy away from studying it or preaching on it.

This is a great shame. Revelation is the only book in the Bible which comes with a specific promise of blessing to those who read it. Revelation was written to comfort God’s people, and do we not all need the comfort of knowing that Christ is on the throne, that Christ is coming back, and that Christ will defeat sin and death and hell?

Who wrote it?

John wrote Revelation. But this is hardly an answer at all. John only wrote down what he saw and heard. The ultimate author is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is made clear in the first words of the book of Revelation: ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him.’

The word translated ‘Revelation’ is crucial. It means ‘unveiling’. It is used in Scripture to describe the uncovering of something that is hidden and which would remain hidden unless God revealed it. But there is more. This is the Revelation about Jesus Christ. This gives us a second vital clue about this book. Revelation reveals Jesus Christ to us. We will see him in all his glory as our Saviour, our King, our eternal Lord, the conqueror of death and Hades.

One day we will all experience a revelation or revealing of the Lord Jesus. Note how else the book begins: ‘Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him’ (1:7).

John tells us that this Jesus is coming back one day. He will appear in the sky and every eye shall see him. All the dead will be raised and they will see him. Those who nailed him to the cross will see him. The arrogant atheist will see him. The multi-murderer will see him. You and I will see him.

Who is this letter for?

Chapter 1 verse 4 tells us: ‘to the seven churches which are in Asia’. The seven churches are listed in verse 11 and were real churches with real problems and real needs. This should give us a clue as to how we interpret this book. This letter was written in the first place to help 1st-century Christians.

But is this only whom the letter is for? The promise of verse 3 tells us otherwise: ‘Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.’ Whoever reads these words and keeps them will be blessed. This book was also written to comfort and help Christians in every generation until the end of the world.

This is confirmed in the ending to each letter to the 7 churches: ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ This is further confirmed at the end when we read how the whole church calls upon Jesus to come back in chapter 22 verse 17. This is a book for all Christians.

What is the purpose of Revelation?

The purpose is to reveal things that will shortly take place: ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants – things which must shortly take place [my emphasis].’

After the letters to the 7 churches, and just before he describes all the visons that he saw, John writes these words: ‘After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this [my emphasis]”’ (4:1).

The purpose is to tell the 1st-century Christian about things that will soon or shortly take place. It is therefore not primarily a book about things that would take place thousands of years after it was written, but things that would start to take place soon after it was written.

What is the great theme of Revelation?

After the introduction we find the great theme in Revelation 1:7, ‘Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”’

Christ is coming, and when he comes he will defeat all the enemies of the church. The return of the Lord Jesus and the subsequent defeat of all God’s enemies are mentioned seven times throughout Revelation. The defeat of all the enemies of the church – the world, the anti-Christ, Satan, and even death itself – is proclaimed.

John, the last surviving apostle, was in exile. The church was being persecuted all over the world. The Lord gave Revelation to encourage those early persecuted Christians. Revelation is God’s happy ending, reminding us that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us.

How are we to understand the book of Revelation?

Generally, when we read the Scriptures we should take it literally unless we have good reason to think otherwise. What about Revelation? It is certainly a book containing many symbols. There are beasts, and locusts, and swords coming out of mouths. What is disputed is what should be taken literally and what should be taken figuratively.

I have never met anyone who thinks that a real beast will come up out of the sea (13:1). Yet later on in the same chapter, some think that people will one day have a literal mark on their foreheads.

The most controversial area is numbers in Revelation. Some say the reference to 144,000 people means 144,000 literal people, and that the reference to 1,000 years means 1,000 literal years. However, I have never met anyone who takes every number in Revelation literally. No one, for instance, says that the seven spirits of Revelation 1:4 are literal.

In the Bible, context gives us the answer as to what is literal and what is symbolic. The context of Revelation is that it is a book full of symbols and pictures, mostly drawn from the Old Testament.

This is clear from the beginning. Chapter 1 references stars and lampstands. Are they literal? No. We are told what they symbolise in verse 20. Chapter 21 describes a great city coming down out of heaven. Is this literal? No – verse 9 of that chapter tells us that the city is the bride of the Lamb – in other words, the church.

How are we to interpret Revelation?

Now we come to the heart of the matter. Christians disagree. The mere fact that they disagree should put us on our guard. Some things are not clear and if they are not clear they are not important. A golden rule of Bible interpretation is that we should give precedence to plain statements. They should be our starting point. For instance, if you are seeking to form a view of what happens at the end of the world, you should go to passages where there is no symbolism and the teaching is clear.

What are the signs of Jesus’s coming and the end of the age? Jesus tells us in Matthew 24. What is the falling away and the anti-Christ like? We can go to 2 Thessalonians 2. What will the return of the Lord Jesus be like? 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 teach about this. What is our resurrected body like? 1 Corinthians 15 addresses this. What will the Day of Judgment be like? Jesus tells us in Matthew 25.

Don’t go first to Revelation. Many doing this have made the mistake of interpreting whole sections of Old Testament prophecy through the lens of Revelation 20 and the 1,000 years. This despite the 1,000 years being mentioned only once, and in the final book of Scripture. Having said that, there are four main methods of interpreting the Book of Revelation, all held by Bible-believing Christians.

Preterist

First there is the preterist view. This was first developed in detail in 1730 by a Frenchman living in Geneva named Firmin Abauzit. This view holds that what is described in the book (apart from in the last two chapters) refers to real events that took place at the time John was writing. On this basis most of Revelation is an interesting historical document that does not have much relevance to the church today (except for the final two chapters). This view is not common today.

Futurist

The second view is the futurist. This takes the position that all the events outlined after the end of chapter 3 will take place well into the future. A key verse for such scholars is Revelation 4:1, where an angel says to John, ‘Come up here and I will show you things which must take place after this.’

This is the view taken by theologians like Warren Wiersbe and John MacArthur. For them, Revelation 1–3 describes the church age in which we now live. Between the end of chapter 3 and start of chapter 4, a secret rapture of believers takes place. Revelation 6–19 are understood to describe a 7-year tribulation and period of the Anti-Christ. Revelation 20 is held to depict the return of Jesus after the 7 years and his reigning for 1,000 literal years on earth, followed by the battle of Armageddon. The final two chapters are believed to outline the Last Judgment, the end of the world and the creation of new heavens and a new earth.

On this basis, chapters 1–3 are very relevant to us today, but chapters 4–19 are only of academic interest because none of us will be there – we will all have been raptured!

The main challenge to this approach is in the first verse of the book: ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants – things which must shortly take place [my emphasis].’ A second problem with the futurist view concerns Revelation 12. In theory, this chapter falls in the middle of the long section describing events in the 7-year tribulation. But what is it describing? The birth of Jesus (‘She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron’, v.5)!

Historicist

The third view is the historicist view. This understands the book of Revelation as a chart of world history, highlighting major events. For those adhering to this view, the seven churches are not seven real churches but seven eras in the history of the church. On this basis we might, for instance, be now in the ‘lukewarm’ era.

Chapters 4–22, then, are thought to be a chronological chart of the history of the world from the 1st century AD until the end of the world. We may be at the stage of the 6th seal or the 4th trumpet, for example. The problem with this view is obvious: where are we? No one can agree!

Idealist

The final method is called the idealist view. This approach says that Revelation simply deals with principles which are always valid to the church’s experience. On this basis Revelation has no root in specific historical events. Karl Barth is perhaps the most famous advocate of this view. The problem with this view is again raised by Revelation 1:3 (‘things which must shortly take place’). Revelation is not just about principles but events which take place.

Fusing the four views

Which is the right view? I believe it is a fusion of all four! Our interpretation must be one that means this book is a comfort and help to the first readers and all subsequent readers.

Revelation is preterist in that it does refer to real events of the 1st century AD. For instance, John’s first readers would have made a connection between the ‘scarlet woman’ who sits on seven mountains (17:9) and the superpower of the day – Rome – which is sited upon on seven hills.

Revelation is futurist in that it does describe some events far into the future, such as the rise of the anti-Christ, the end of the universe, the fall of Satan, and the Day of Judgment.

Revelation is historicist in that there are prophecies which will have a historic fulfilment. Most agree that the seven trumpets of judgment refer to calamities that happen in the world.

Revelation is idealist in that it does show principles that will be in operation throughout the gospel age. For example, it conveys the principle that the church will be persecuted by the world.

If we take this broad view, then Revelation tells us about the past, the present, and the future. It makes all of Revelation relevant to every age and every Christian. In other words, we can turn to any chapter and any verse and see how it is relevant to us today.

Do not fall into the trap of thinking, ‘Well, the great bowls of wrath haven’t happened yet, there’s no lesson for me there’, or, ‘The 1,000-year reign of Christ is far in the future and of no relevance to me.’ This entire book is for us now, to help us now and comfort us now and guide us now. This is the true marvel of this book. It is a book written for all ages and all Christians.

We’ll continue looking at Revelation in Part 2, considering the structure of the book and what it teaches us about the Lord Jesus Christ and his church.

By Alan Hill, Pastor of Lausanne Free Church, Switzerland.

Not a lack of food, but a lack of hunger

I was once told of a woman who lived in a cold-weather climate. She suffered from poor health and this in a part of the world where she could not easily get the nutrition she needed. Doctors suggested she travel to the tropics where the setting might be more conducive to a recovery.

A few weeks after her departure she wrote to a friend to say, ‘This is a wonderful spot where I have access to all the good and nutritious food I could ever need. If only I could find my appetite I’d be well in no time.’ Yet within weeks she was gone. In the end, it wasn’t a lack of food that took her life, but a lack of hunger.

In much the same way, we have laid before us all the spiritual food we could ever need – enough to fill and sustain us for a lifetime, enough to carry us through the most difficult trials we can ever face, enough to fit us for life on this earth and an eternity of heaven. The question is whether we will take and eat – whether we will satisfy ourselves with the bounty spread out before us.

Do you attend the worship services of your local church? It is here that you will be fed good food. It is here that the Bible is preached and read and prayed, here that you will see the Bible displayed in the ordinances, here that you will join to sing its very words and greatest truths. It is here that week-by-week you can take and eat. Do you?

Do you read your Bible day-by-day? Generations of our forebears and millions of our contemporaries could only wish to have the access to the Scriptures that we do today – a hundred translations, a thousand apps, a million opportunities to read it, to know it, to obey it. All that can keep you from the Scriptures and all their benefits is a lack of desire, a lack of hunger. Do you fill yourself with this food?

Do you spend time in fellowship with Christians, those who are charged by God to carry out the work of ministry, to speak the truth in love, to encourage you in your faith? To spend time with brothers and sisters is to spend time with those who can speak the greatest truths to your highest joys and your deepest sorrows. Do you spend time with them so you can enjoy the feast they provide?

Do you take advantage of the bounty of resources that is available to all of us today? Never in all of history have we had so many books and blogs, so many broadcasts and podcasts, so many sermons and periodicals. There is a great meal spread before us at every moment of every day and the only question is whether we will partake of it, whether we will join in the feast.

We see many withering and perishing around us, many diminishing and dying. Those who fall away and are lost cannot possibly be said to have died from a lack of food, for there is an unending bounty spread before us. They can only be said to have died from a lack of appetite – from a simple failure to take what is offered, what can feed them, what can strengthen and equip them for a lifetime of serving God and an eternity of enjoying him. It is not a lack of food that threatens any of us, but only a lack of hunger.

By Tim Challies, Tim Challies is an elder at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario. He blogs at www.challies.com.

COMMENT: Hold to the never-changing gospel in this time of change

It is a time of great change. The United Kingdom has a new King and a new Prime Minister, both of whom took office within days of each other. After a reign that spanned 70 years, the death of Queen Elizabeth II is a significant moment in the history of our nation.

It is right that there is honour and respect given for the Queen’s life of service. But we must also avoid the error of idolising her. No doubt, evangelicals will have differing views of her reign. Some will point to her unwavering commitment to duty and her many references to her personal faith in Christ. Others will say she gave her royal assent to many ungodly laws and was Supreme Governor of the Church of England during a time of moral and doctrinal compromise.

Perhaps, in the future, there will be occasion for a more detailed debate about those matters. But now is not the time for such reflections. Now is the time for us to pray, ‘for kings and all who are in authority, 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.’

During this time of great change, we must continue to hold to the never-changing truths of the gospel. In the words of the Queen’s speech on Christmas Day 2011, ‘God sent into the world a unique person — neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are — but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.’ And we say with all sincerity, God save the King!

GUEST COLUMN: Pressing home the defeat of Satan

The purpose of these articles has been to dispel the idea that holiness is humdrum. The New Testament presents this dimension of the Christian life in the most colourful terms. In cultivating holiness we live out our liberation from sin and we bring the future into the present. But that is not all. We also press home the defeat of Satan.

Satan was defeated by Jesus at the cross. It is arguably the Bible’s primary perspective on the Good Friday event. The world’s greatest problem was the serpent that had devised its ruin; the cross’s greatest accomplishment was the crushing of that serpent’s head. Golgotha was a battleground. Jesus ventured there as a warrior. His mission was that ‘through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death’ (Hebrews 2:14).

But the sequel to Satan’s defeat is surprising. He does not disappear. He remains highly active. He fills Ananias’ heart (Acts 5:3). He hinders Paul from visiting Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:18). He prowls around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). He frequently makes his presence felt as we all can testify. Life this side of the cross has not become a Satan-free zone!

In response to this phenomenon of a vanquished-yet-not-vanquished devil, different points may be made. For one thing, Satan’s activities, while not terminated, have been modified by the cross. He is now Christ’s captive, bound with a chain (Revelation 20:1-2), and enjoys only such freedoms as his captor allows him.

For another thing, his reprieve is brief. The ‘lake of fire and sulphur’ is his unavoidable destiny (Revelation 20:10). The full implementation of Satan’s Easter defeat has been delayed but it has not been rescinded. No one knows better than he that ‘his time is short’ (Revelation 12:12).

But there is a further consideration, too. During his present ‘stay of execution’, Satan experiences miniature re-enactments of his defeat. Remarkably, however, it is Christ’s people, rather than Christ himself, who inflict these new losses.

Satan tries to lure them into sin, but they resist and he has to ‘flee’ (James 4:7). He attempts through trials to shake their moral resolve, but they emerge as ‘more than conquerors’ (Romans 8:35-37). He targets young men, but they prove too strong and ‘overcome’ him (1 John 2:14).

There is thus a deepening in these last days of the head wound Satan received from Christ — as Christ’s followers, by the defiant holiness of their lives, join the fray and ‘put the boot in’ too!

Perhaps, indeed, that is the main reason Satan has this ‘borrowed time’ between the cross and the lake of fire. The deferment is not an act of divine mercy toward him. Rather, it exposes him to the ordeal of ongoing, unrelenting defeats at the hands of Christians; and, it may be argued, to a degree of shame beyond even that which he experienced at Golgotha.

That, at least, was Thomas Goodwin’s view. He remarks that while, at the Fall, Satan conquered the bride (Eve) first and then her husband, in salvation the order is inverted. Satan is conquered first by the husband (Christ), and then by Christ’s bride throughout the rest of this age.

And, he concludes, it is being conquered by the bride that particularly distresses the proud serpent: ‘This second after-victory puts the devil…to more shame and confusion than the first…for the weaker the victor is, the more glorious is the conquest…. Christ’s so hard tread may break his head…her tread breaks his heart’!

In repelling temptation and behaving righteously, we intensify the humiliation of Calvary’s loser. We break his heart. We send ripples of consternation through the demonic ranks. Holy living is a truly epic business!

Dan Peters is minister at Newcastle Reformed Evangelical Church.

A SHRINK THINKS... Equality, diversity, and inclusion

Whether it is in my work at the University as a neuroscientist or at my NHS Trust as a consultant psychiatrist, I find myself repeatedly encountering the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) agenda. In both places I am often involved in advertising and appointing people for new jobs, and the associated adverts and job plans need to include some kind of EDI statement.

Nowadays, in grants I write to fund my research, I find sections where I am asked to explain how I will fulfil the EDI mandate. When I organise an academic conference session or a medical meeting, I am again told that I have to demonstrate my commitment to EDI. And the funny thing is that I don’t find it difficult!

When a colleague asks me about my EDI views, I can say with my hand on my heart that I truly believe in equality. I look him straight in the eye and declare that I wholeheartedly support diversity. I affirm unwaveringly my commitment to inclusion.

If my questioner knows me well he is likely to give me a quizzical look and try to work out if I am joking. If he doesn’t then he might take me at face value. But the truth is I do believe in these things. It is just that I don’t support the wider agenda associated with EDI.

My concern with EDI was demonstrated when I had to attend an EDI event which was supposed to teach us about interviewing ‘fairly’. The room was full of older doctors and thus still had a majority of white males. The training was delivered by a black woman who embarrassed everyone by asking what was different about her from most people in the room.

After a short silence I said that she was a woman and black. And she replied telling me that I had just proved I was sexist and racist. I’m pretty sure that most present thought she had simply proved that she was the one with the problem! She well illustrated my concern about the EDI agenda, that it is easily and often used as a tool to discriminate against evangelicals and what we stand for.

As Jacob Rees-Mogg said in the House of Commons, ‘It is a sad truth that many people who tout themselves as being liberal are only liberal about what they like and are very intolerant of views they disagree with.’

For as an evangelical I wholeheartedly believe and commend the equality of all human beings. We are all God’s image bearers and were created equal in honour and glory. But I don’t accept the contemporary egalitarian interpretation of equality, which makes it mean identity.

We are equal but different. I reject sexism and racism in all its forms. We are equal but different as individuals, and equal but different as men and women. We are equal in status before God but different in our personalities and gifts, and so we are fitted to perform different kinds of works in God’s service.

As an evangelical I am committed to diversity in our churches and in all spheres of life including my workplaces. I don’t want a church of clones. I want a diverse church with old people and young people, with rich and poor, with people from as many cultural and ethnic backgrounds as the area around my church includes. I want a ‘such were some of you’ church (1 Corinthians 6:11), which seeks to include people with all kinds of backgrounds and experiences.

But I object to so-called positive discrimination in its many insidious forms. I object to the approach that wants to force so-called diversity upon us and which ironically repudiates the famous words of Martin Luther King in his 1963 speech, ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.’

For the modern way does judge someone by the colour of their skin or their sex or sexuality and is more interested in this than in the skills they offer and character and experience they bring.

As an evangelical I am committed to inclusion in our churches. I want to include people of all sorts because I want to worship God in a diverse church. But more than that I want to include everyone meaningfully in the life of our churches. I believe in congregational church government. This means listening to people and including their views in the process of making decisions. It means respecting people for who they are, not for the group they belong to.

But I object to the approach to inclusion at work that tells me that as a white heterosexual man I can only demonstrate my commitment to being inclusive by never appointing another white heterosexual man to a job! I object to the cancelling of the Franklin Graham events at all eight UK venues in the UK a year so ago because of his biblical views on homosexuality.

As Fiona Bruce MP said when raising the issue in the House of Commons, ‘Can we have a statement as to whether we can really call ourselves a tolerant, inclusive and diverse society which respects freedom of speech whatever one’s religion or beliefs if we deny the Billy Graham Association a platform in this country?’

So my opposition to and disagreement with the contemporary EDI agenda is not that I may mean something a bit different from others by equality and by diversity and by inclusion. I believe that I am the one in agreement with the desires at its core (or perhaps what should be its core) not to discriminate and to value people of all kinds.

There is a biblical basis for each component of EDI which we who love the Lord and his truth ought to fight for and commend to others. We do not need to run or shy away from EDI; rather, we should aim to explain our true understanding and support the Scriptural concept of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

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

THINKING IT THROUGH: Ignorant of his devices – recognising Satan’s schemes

Have you ever been attacked by demons? Here is an account of the way that one family was attacked by demons. It was written by a 17th century Puritan preacher named Cotton Mather who lived in the American colony of Massachusetts. I’m going to quote it at length, but I’ve still left out many interesting details.

In the year 1679 the house of William Morse, at Newberry, was infested with daemons after a most horrid manner... Bricks, and sticks, and stones, were often by some invisible hand thrown at the house... a cat was thrown at the woman of the house, and a long staff danc’d up and down in the chimney; and afterwards the same long staff was hang’d by a line, and swung to and fro; and when two persons laid it on the fire to burn it, it was as much as they were able to do with their joint strength to hold it there. An iron crook was violently by an invisible hand hurl’d about; and a chair flew about the room until at last it litt upon the table, where the meat stood ready to be eaten, and had spoil’d all, if the people had not with much ado saved a little. A chest was by an invisible hand carry’d from one place to another, and the doors barricado’d, and the keys of the family taken, some of them from the bunch where they were ty’d, and the rest flying about with a loud noise of their knocking against one another. For one while the folks of the house could not sup quietly, but ashes would be thrown into their suppers, and on their heads, and their cloaths; and the shoes of the man being left below, one of them was fill’d with ashes and coals, and thrown up after him. When they were a-bed, a stone weighing about three pounds was divers times thrown upon them. A box and a board was likewise thrown upon them; and a bag of hops being taken out of a chest, they were by the invisible hand beaten therewith, till some of the hops were scatter’d on the floor, where the bag was then laid and left...

...When they were winnowing their barley, dirt was thrown at them; and assaying to fill their half bushel with corn, the foul corn would be thrown in with the clean, so irresistibly, that they were forc’d thereby to give over what they were about.

While the man was writing, his inkhorn was by the invisible hand snatch’d from him; and being able no where to find it, he saw it at length drop out of the air down by the fire. A shoe was laid upon his shoulder; but when he would have catch’d it, it was rapt from him; it was then clapt upon his head, and there he held it so fast, that the unseen fury pull’d him with it backward on the floor. He had his cap torn off his head, and in the night he was pull’d by the hair, and pinch’d, and scratch’d; and the invisible hand prick’d him with some of his awls, and with needles, and bodkins; and blows that fetched blood were sometimes given him. Frozen clods of cow dung were often thrown at the man; and his wife going to milk the cows, they could by no means preserve the vessels of milk from the like annoyances, which made it fit only for the hogs...

...The man and his wife, taking the boy to bed with them, a chamber pot with its contents was thrown upon them; they were severely pinch’d and pull’d out of the bed; and many other fruits of devilish spite were they dogg’d withal, until it pleas’d God mercifully to shorten the chain of the devil. (Great Works of Christ in America, Banner of Truth edition, vol. II pp. 446ff.)

Well, now that you’ve read that, let me ask you again. Have you ever been attacked by demons? Have they ever thrown lumps of cow dung at you? Or pulled your hair in the night? Or thrown bricks at your house?

No. And if that’s what it means to be attacked by demons, neither have I. In fact, I don’t think demons attack anybody in the way that Cotton Mather describes. I’d be inclined to say that the episode he describes is either an elaborate hoax concocted by a member of the household, or that it’s down to hysterical imagination, or that it’s simply a pack of lies.

Yes, demons are real. They are evil spirits, under the command of God’s great enemy Satan, full of hatred and cruelty. But the Bible never suggests that they operate in the way that Mather describes. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that they cannot operate physically in our world in any direct way. They can’t pick up chairs, prick people with needles, or mix up the foods in your cupboard. They are spirits and have no power to interfere in our world physically.

Isaiah and the demons of Babylon

The city of Babylon was a city dominated by idols and the worship of false gods. Such worship is demonic. ‘...what pagans sacrifice, they offer to demons and not to God’ (1 Corinthians 10:20). The priests in the pagan temples of Babylon claimed that the idols they worshipped were indwelt by gods. They said that as they bowed down before the idols they were in contact with those gods. But no, they were deluded. They were actually serving demons. Demonic power lay behind the whole idolatrous system.

But what could the demons that operated behind the scenes in those temples actually do? Could the demons actually empower the idols to do anything? Could the demons give magical or miraculous power to the priests who bowed before the idols?

This was the challenge that Isaiah the prophet put to the idols of Babylon, and to the people who worshipped them: ‘Let them bring them [the idols], and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you’ (Isaiah 42:21-24).

Isaiah invited the idol worshippers of Babylon to bring in their idols, and then to get the idols – or rather the ‘gods’ that indwelt the idols – to do something. Let them predict the future! Let them do something good! Let them do something harmful! Anything! ‘No’, says Isaiah. ‘They can do nothing. The work they can perform is zero. Less than zero.’

Isaiah was confident that the demon worshipping priests of Babyon would never produce one sign or miracle. He knew that the demons could never make an idol twiddle its finger. The idols had to be carried from place to place by their priests. And once an idol was set in place it never moved. ‘They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble’ (Isaiah 46:7).

Isaiah’s argument would collapse if the demons that the priests worshipped could make one of the idols speak or move. But Isaiah knew it would never happen. Demons don’t have the power to operate directly in the physical world.

Elijah and the demons of Canaan

Let me give you another example. The Baals and other gods that were worshipped by the Canaanites were again a front for demons. The Israelites ‘did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons’ (Psalm 106:34-37). Elijah confronted those demons on Mount Carmel. Again he challenged the Baals and their worshippers to carry out one simple physical sign. Let them bring down fire from the sky. What happened?

...they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, ‘O Baal, answer us!’ But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.’ And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. (1 Kings 18:26-28)

Elijah, just like Isaiah, was confident that the demons that the priests of Baal worshipped were powerless to intervene physically. And he was right.

Moses and the demons of Egypt

But what about a different case? What about the magicians of Egypt who opposed Moses (Exodus 7:8-12). We’re told that they turned their staffs into serpents. Wasn’t that done by the power of demons? No, I don’t think so. Why do I say that? Because the Lord has reserved for himself the power to give life. The Lord kills and brings to life (1 Samuel 2:6). No demon has the power to give life.

The Egyptian magicians were just skilled conjurors and the trick they pulled is one that is still performed in many parts of the world today. A snake, gripped in the right way will become rigid and look just like a stick. When released, it returns to its normal state. That is the simple explanation of the magicians’ power. Calvin comments, ‘It is probable that the eyes of the wicked king were deceived by their illusions.’ He concedes that there is one other explanation: ‘God in just vengeance might choose the rods of the magicians to be changed into serpents.’ But could demons have brought about these extraordinary phenomena? Calvin never hints at that possibility.

The same magicians were able to perform other tricks in imitation of the plagues that the Lord, through Moses and Aaron, brought on Egypt. They were able to turn water blood-red (Exodus 7:22). They were able to entice frogs from the water onto particular patches of land (Exodus 8:7). But there were limits to their trickery. They couldn’t reverse any of the miracles that Moses and Aaron had performed. That would have taken real power!

So I repeat. Demons have no power over our physical world. Despite what Cotton Mather wrote, they cannot bring about miracles. They cannot make things happen contrary to the laws of nature.

Demons and the laws of nature

Remember, the so-called laws of nature are simply God himself acting consistently in controlling his creation. We may speak of the law of gravity. But what we mean is that God consistently makes apples fall towards the earth. So if demons could make apples float through the air, it would mean that they had successfully overridden God’s consistent rule of action.

Just think. If demons were allowed to interfere with the laws of nature, what would the consequences be? It would mean that we could never be sure of the cause of anything. Mrs Jones is accused of poisoning her husband. Arsenic was found in his coffee and the prosecution says that she was the only person who could have put it there. But... what if a demon did it? No one could ever be sure that that wasn’t the explanation.

I find that a packet of biscuits has vanished from the cupboard, and then discover the wrapper under my child’s bed and crumbs on the pillow. How can I be sure that he’s not been framed by the cunning of demons? Even the chocolate round his mouth could have been smeared there while he slept. How could I confidently fulfil my duty as a parent? I might be rebuking my child for actions which actually were done by demons.

Please don’t think I’m joking. In all seriousness, how could I ever trust any chain of cause and effect in a world where demons can tamper with the laws of nature? How could it ever be fair to convict a driver of speeding if demons have the power to snatch away his brakepads and then replace them after the event? How could any scientist trust the result of any experiment in his lab? Yes, the liquid turned green... but that might simply be because some evil spirit had rejigged its molecular structure! How could you ever be sure when you buy a tin of beans in the supermarket that a demon might not transform the contents into mud before you get home? How unfair if you blamed the manufacturer!

People forget that Satan and his demonic servants are liars. Some Christians seem to believe every story he spreads about his own powers. But we have good reason to doubt the sort of stories that Cotton Mather reported.

Yes, we read in the book of Job that Satan brought many miseries into Job’s life and that they included such things as lightning from heaven, and a tornado from the desert (Job 1:16,19). But it’s not suggested that Satan himself was able to bring about these physical disasters. Rather, as we read on in the book, we find the Lord saying to Satan ‘You incited me against him, to destroy him...’ (Job 2:3). Only the Lord himself could bring about such events.

Demons, Satan, and us

Why am I emphasising this so strongly? Is it because I’ve met lots of Christians who live in fear that demons might throw stones at their house or steal their inkhorns?

No, not a bit. I have a different concern. It’s this. Christians in Cotton Mather’s day clearly had an unnecessary fear that demons could attack them physically. I don’t think most of us share that fear. But could it be that such sensational accounts of demonic activity have distracted our minds from the real ways in which the powers of evil attack believers?

Read these words: ‘Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8). Do you believe those words? Do you believe that not just demons but Satan himself is actively looking for ways to devour you?

If you were walking through the African bush and knew that a lion was stalking you, would you be apprehensive? Satan himself is stalking every believer. He hates us and he is planning our ruin.

Of course, when Peter says that the devil is prowling around, seeking to devour believers, he is not saying that it is the devil in person who carries out each attack. Satan is the head of a vast empire of demonic spirits. If we say that Putin has attacked a Ukrainian city, we don’t mean that he personally was there on the battlefield. We mean that he has sent his troops into battle. Likewise, the New Testament writers point to Satan as our great enemy but make clear that he uses his vast armies of demons to attack us.

How do Satan and his demons attack us? Not by throwing furniture and shoes around. They work by infiltrating our minds and attacking our souls. In a mysterious way that we cannot fully understand, these evil spirits have access to our spirits. They can affect our moods, they can inject unhelpful thoughts into our minds, they can plant suggestions, they can torment us with doubts.

Paul talks about the ‘flaming darts of the evil one’ (Ephesians 6:16). Do you understand that picture? Imagine an arrow with a triangular barbed head. An archer wraps an oil-soaked rag round the head and sets fire to it. The arrow strikes an opponent and is driven into his flesh. The victim can’t pull it out – if he does, the barb will rip out his flesh. So the fire burns beneath his skin and causes agony. Well, Satan and his demons can shoot horrible thoughts into our minds which stick there and which we can’t get out. They burn away under the skin of our mind and can cause us terrible distress. That’s just one way that Satan can attack us.

One word that’s often used in the Bible to describe Satan’s attacks on us is temptation. Satan uses every means available to him to draw us into sinful and destructive attitudes and behaviour. He takes advantage of whatever situation we’re in to tempt us. If we’re experiencing financial difficulties, he may stir up jealous thoughts and tempt us to resent people who are better off. If we’re prospering he may stir up proud thoughts and tempt us to despise people who are worse off. If we’re tired with overwork, he may tempt us to be irritable. If we’ve not enough work to do, he may tempt us to be idle and to spend time gossiping or watching unhelpful stuff on the internet. If we’re married, he may tempt us to be selfish in our dealings with our partner. If we’re single, he may tempt us towards an unwise relationship with an unsaved member of the opposite sex. He can turn any situation to his advantage if we let him.

Paul talks about the ‘schemes of the devil’ (Ephesians 6:11). Satan and his demons are cunning and skilful beyond imagination in their attacks on believers. They’ve had thousands of years of practice.

The New Testament tells us of many believers whom Satan has successfully attacked and ruined – at least for a time. Paul talks of younger widows who found themselves foot-loose and fancy-free. He said, ‘I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. For some have already strayed after Satan’ (1 Timothy 5:14-15). Satan had taken advantage of their situation and used it to tempt them into careless, foolish living.

Again he warns Timothy that great care must be taken to appoint the right men as elders; a potential elder ‘must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil’ (1 Timothy 3:7). Paul knew of men unwisely appointed to positions of leadership whom Satan had trapped and brought to ruin.

When Satan attacks churches

Paul’s warning in that verse makes it clear that it is not only individual believers who are under attack from Satan. Satan attacks churches and often he does so by targeting leaders. He does not empty chamber-pots over them while they’re in bed; rather, he aims to drag them into foolishness, sin, false doctrine, or depression and emotional collapse.

Here are some more verses that speak of Satan’s attacks on churches. ‘Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no foothold to the devil...’ (Ephesians 4:26). Satan is always looking for footholds from which he can damage the unity and peace of the church. If one church member is angry with another and fails to sort out the matter immediately, Satan has that foothold. A disagreement can turn into a grudge and a grudge can turn into a division that destroys a church.

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about a member of that church who had committed a grievous sin against Paul himself. The church had put that man out of membership. But now he had repented and Paul had forgiven him. However, some members of the church were unwilling that he should be restored. Paul urged them to relent, ‘so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs’ (2 Corinthians 2:11). Satan may attack a church by encouraging a hard and unforgiving spirit among its members.

Again, in the same letter Paul wrote, ‘I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ...’ (2 Corinthians 11:3). That is the most dangerous of all the ways in which Satan, the great serpent, may attack a church. He may lead its members away from their devotion to Christ. Whether he does it through false doctrine, or through materialism, or through worldly ambitions, or by absorbing them in secondary things, he knows that if he can distract a church from the Lord Jesus himself, he has won the battle. A church that loses its love for Christ soon ceases to be a church at all.

Well, let me ask again the question I asked at the beginning of this article. Have you ever been attacked by demons? Have Satan and his forces ever targeted you? If you are a real Christian, a child of God, you are under attack from Satan and his armies every moment of your life. Satan is attacking you as an individual and as a member of the church to which you belong.

Paul wrote these words: ‘Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not fight against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm’ (Ephesians 6:10-13). Are you ready for the battle? Are you equipped with the armour of God? Are you standing on the alert, ready to resist the schemes that Satan and his demons are planning against you?

Jesus taught us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread. That is a prayer for us to pray every day. But then he continued, Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. So that is to be our daily prayer too. Don’t wait until demons throw a cat at your wife or hit you on the head with a broom. The war’s already on.

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: A living, bright reality

Mr O, I know we’ve talked about this already, but can we please talk again about church troubles? In recent months I’ve heard of even more of them. Surely there’s something that can be done about it.

Yes, there is. But we can never avoid such troubles entirely. You will remember that in 1 Corinthians 11:19 the Word of God says, ‘There must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognised among you.’

I’ve read that, but I don’t actually know what it means.

It means that if the banknotes in your pocket are worth anything at all, someone will try to counterfeit them. If no one tries to counterfeit the money you carry, it is because that money is of no value. The gospel is of incalculable worth, which is why there are false gospels everywhere. To God, every believer is a treasure; so the devil is flooding the world with counterfeit believers. Church troubles are inevitable. Without them, it would be much more difficult for us to know who is who, and which gospel is which.

For me, that sheds a whole new light on everything. But, that said, do there really have to be as many church troubles as there are at the moment?

No, I don’t think so. Counterfeiting is not always the issue. Many churches are in a mess simply because they are managed by their church officers, rather than directed by Christ himself.

That’s a very strong statement, Mr O, and I think that you’ll have to give me an example of what you mean.

Well, take the average church officers’ meeting. It goes something like this. There is an opening prayer and Bible reading, and sometimes a short ‘word’ or meditation. The rest of the time is then business, business, business, with a time of open prayer at the end.

That sounds quite encouraging to me, so what’s wrong with that?

There’s no real depth to it. It’s all a bit like a family firm. Christ is recognised as the Owner, but the day-to-day running of the business is actually done by a number of family members who set out to enact what they think the Owner would approve of.

How should it be done, then?

Christ must be in the room. The event is primarily a meeting with him. The whole purpose of the gathering is for the church officers to have a corporate spiritual life and, as a close-knit band of brothers, to commune intimately with the risen Lord. It is to be a time of prayer, of study of the Word, of stirring each other up spiritually, of waiting on the Lord, of basking in the wonder of his presence, and of consciously considering each item of ‘business’ in communion with him. The ambition of each man individually, and of the group of men as a body, is to know him – and, therefore, to know his mind.

But that could take ages!

Of course! But spiritually-minded men will come dancing to a meeting where they are going to spend a few hours with their Saviour, in company with their nearest and dearest friends on earth. And in that atmosphere of spiritual appetite and delight they find that the ‘business’ of the church gets done more easily, more pleasantly, and infinitely more wisely and courageously than under the present system.

But I’m not at all sure that the Lord Jesus Christ is that real to the average church officer.

But he wants to be! And he says to them what he says to us all: ‘You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13). I would suggest that one of the deepest needs in our churches is for our church officers to be men who will pray, pray, and pray in the following way. And of this we may be certain: when they do, unnecessary church troubles will be massively reduced.

O Jesus, make Thyself to me

A living, bright reality,

More present to faith’s vision keen

Than any earthly object seen;

More dear, more intimately nigh

Than e’en the closest earthly tie.

Charlotte Elliott (1789–1871).

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

CRUNCH POINTS: Is it worth praying in prayer meetings?

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.

Is it worth praying in prayer meetings? Most people that pray go on for so long and use words that I never could.

I hope that everyone who prays publicly, who ‘leads in prayer’ in the public gatherings of God’s people, or among friends or in family worship, feels some holy pressure. We must begin with a sense of what we are trying to do.

When we pray in public, we speak to God and for men. We approach the God of heaven and earth, relying on the name and resting in the merits of his beloved Son and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Then, in public prayer, we are typically speaking in the second person, using ‘we’ and ‘us’ language, bringing praises, confessions, thanksgivings, and requests on behalf of those for whom we are speaking.

The first means we must come in a spirit of holy reverence (Hebrews 12:28-29) but it does not mean that we cannot have confidence: when we pray ‘in Jesus’ name’ we are able to come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). There is holy fear with holy familiarity.

The second means that we need to speak sincerely and simply, in a language that everyone knows or can have translated: ‘I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding’ (1 Corinthians 14:15).

Now let’s think about that second one some more. Some of the people who are praying in the prayer meeting have been doing so for years, and are Christians of long standing. Some of them grew up in churches with good examples of earnest and thoughtful public prayer in the pulpit and in the pew. They are not performing, but they are well-practiced; learn from them.

Perhaps, though, some of them grew up in churches where people prayed to sound intelligent or ‘spiritual’; perhaps some of them are self-conscious, or have never got over the idea that ‘good’ prayers are, by definition, long prayers! Honestly, we are all learners, and all are being instructed. (There are some collections of pulpit prayers that make us all feel like spiritual pygmies!)

So, remember that you are praying to God on behalf of people and not for applause. The primary audience is God himself.

I remember hearing about a seminary professor whose prayers were remarkable not because they were clever or profound, but because he prayed like a child talking with his father. That’s your privilege: you come as a child to your heavenly Father.

All of us are ready to put the weight of our hearts behind your words. So prepare your heart and your words. For the heart, don’t just turn up at the prayer meeting and hope that you will enter into the spirit of prayer. Take time before or as you come to meditate on the truth of God, to get a consciousness of the privilege of prayer and the needs of the hour.

For the words, think back to last Lord’s days sermons, or take one of the particular promises of God. Don’t necessarily memorise something (though that’s no bad thing) but get the truth and its sense into your soul. Ask God that you might enter into the experience of the saints for whom you speak, and that we would be of one heart and mind in prayer.

Then, pray earnestly, sincerely, simply, and clearly, even briefly. Perhaps pray earlier in the meeting, so that you are not put off. Help those harder of hearing by speaking up and – if appropriate – standing up.

Remember to whom you are coming, and why, and speak to your Father in heaven on behalf of his dependent and needy people. Express your heart for all of us, humbly and reverently and expectantly. Enter, too, into the prayers of others.

It is worth praying, because God hears and answers prayer (Psalm 143:1), not because it’s long or clever, but because he delights to hear the prayers of the righteous (Proverbs 15:8).

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

Christian jailed over contempt

An evangelical schoolteacher in Ireland has been jailed for contempt of court after he refused to stay away from his school in defiance of a court order. Enoch Burke was on suspension because of his refusal to use gender-neutral pronouns. The school’s lawyer said it was with a ‘heavy heart’ that it sought Burke’s committal to prison.

Attempt to ban assemblies fails

A humanist headteacher’s attempt to promote LGBT ideology over Christian values in her school has been quashed. Hampshire County Council refused an application from Poulner Infant School for exemption from the government requirement to hold Christian collective worship. Headteacher Jo Conner claimed pupils would be better served by following the LGBT programme.

Leeds issues preacher code

Leeds City Council together with West Yorkshire Police have issued a ‘code of conduct’ for street preachers. It tells open-air evangelists that their freedom of speech may be limited, and it says, ‘Do not preach outside the same premises for any longer than 90 minutes.’ The Council claims the code aims to prevent ‘hate speech’.

Stable families better for kids

Data collected by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, shows that children fare much better in stable families. She said such families provided the ‘most powerful foundation for the future’ and offers ‘universal values and provable protections’. She added, ‘What we should be supporting is stability and keeping couples together.’Pro-lifers win Bewl Water fundraiser

In June Proclamation Zambia held its annual sponsored walk around Bewl Water on the Kent/East Sussex border. Proclamation Zambia is a charity that supports the Proclamation Institute of Zambia, a Bible college in Kitwe, Zambia. There were 11 walkers and 3 cyclists this year on what was a windy but sunny day.

Bournemouth Bible week

In July several hundred gathered at two venues in the Bournemouth, Poole, and Christchurch conurbation for the annual conference. Adrian Reynolds (FIEC Head of National Ministries) and Revd Dr Andrew Sach (Grace Church Greenwich) spoke on ‘Foundations for life’, basing their talks on the book of Ezra and the Sermon on the Mount.

Ipswich martyrs are remembered

Every July several Christians gather at Ipswich Martyrs’ Memorial in Christchurch Park. The monument commemorates nine men of Suffolk who were burnt at the stake during the 16th century for their Protestant faith. Revd Stephen Holland described the annual gathering: ‘We sing praises to God, preach his Word, and thank God for the martyrs’ example and sacrifice.’

Free Church starts podcast

The Free Church of Scotland has launched a new podcast entitled ‘The healthy gospel church’. It is intended to have three 10-episode series each year. It will be hosted by David Meredith (Mission Director of the FCS), who said the podcast will ‘explore all aspects of church life while also shining a spotlight on good practice’.

German court prayer victory

A German court has ruled a pro-life group cannot be banned from holding silent prayer gatherings outside abortion centres. In 2019, members of ‘40 Days for Life’ were banned from conducting a 40-day prayer assembly within direct sight of Pforzheim’s Pro Familia abortion centre during its opening hours. But Mannheim Administrative Court has now overturned the ban.

Brain-dead pastor ‘alive’

Ryan Marlow, a pastor from North Carolina, was pronounced brain stem dead on August 27 and was about to have his organs harvested, before he showed unmistakeable signs of life. According to reports, he moved his feet while he was shown videos of his children. A subsequent CT scan showed signs of brain activity.

Denmark lets kids swap sex

Children as young as 15 should be allowed to change sex by self-declaration, the Danish government has announced. The age at which a person can change their ‘gender marker’ in the national database is set to be scrapped under government proposals, but under-15s will need the consent of a parent or guardian.

Canada expands euthanasia laws

The Canadian government is set to expand euthanasia access next year, despite experts warning that the current laws are already too weak. Campaigners say the regulations lack safeguards and devalue the lives of disabled people. Euthanasia and assisted suicide accounted for 10,064 deaths in the country in 2021, a 32.4 per cent increase from the previous year.

Tributes for the Queen and prayers for the King

Churches and Christian organisations have been issuing their tributes for Queen Elizabeth II, who died on 8th September, aged 96.

Believers have also been offering prayers for the new monarch, King Charles III, and the rest of the Royal Family.

The funeral of the Queen, who reigned for 70 years, was held on 19th September, after this edition of ET went to print.

The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches issued a statement saying, ‘We give thanks to God for a life well-lived.

‘We want to offer our heartfelt condolences to her four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Our prayers are with them for their comfort and in their mourning.

‘The Queen exemplified a life of service, putting others before herself and often serving without regard to personal cost – most noticeably seen in her crowded calendar and in the way she dutifully carried out many of her responsibilities. She was a great example of such service at a time when such selflessness is increasingly uncommon.

‘We also affirm the public manner in which she spoke about her Christian faith. Such conspicuous allegiance to Christianity amongst public figures is rare and her boldness to say what she thought was always welcome.

‘We commit ourselves to pray for our new King, Charles III, and his Consort, Camilla.’

Revd Iver Martin, Free Church Moderator, on behalf of the Free Church of Scotland, said, ‘The Free Church of Scotland is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

‘Her 70-year reign has been characterised by continuous and wholehearted commitment to what she believed was her God given position as sovereign over the United Kingdom.

‘We are deeply thankful for her many years of service and the important principles she stood for, most notably her personal faith in Jesus Christ, which was made evident in her consistent conduct and regular broadcasts.

‘The Free Church wishes to extend its deepest and prayerful sympathy to the Royal Family: Their Royal Highnesses, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward, together with their spouses, children and grandchildren.’

Revd Greg MacDonald, Moderator of the 2022 General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), said, ‘The presence of Queen Elizabeth II for so many decades, ruling with a meekness and steadfastness, had an immense impact on our nation, and beyond.

‘Her unwavering profession of the Christian faith set an example to our nation in an age of rapidly declining church attendance.’

He added, ‘In the death of our Queen the whole nation has the opportunity not only to reflect on a remarkable life, but to ponder the realities of the life to come.

‘For us all there is a heaven to win, a hell to shun, a judgement to come and a Judge to face. We cannot see beyond the veil but we can prepare for it now.

‘We cannot judge the soul of anyone else. God is Judge. But we can make our own calling and election sure in this life (2 Peter 1v10).’

Affinity – a network of more than 1,200 evangelical churches and agencies – said, ‘We give thanks to God for such a consistent, faithful and honourable public servant and head of state.

‘And we pray that the UK may be led by heads of state and ministers of government who likewise submit to the higher authority of God. At this time of political change and financial uncertainty may God turn many hearts to Jesus Christ, the King who lives forever.’

The Evangelical Alliance said, ‘As we mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, we thank God for her faith and her life, defined by service and commitment to her God and country.

‘The longest-reigning monarch, the Queen was well-respected around the world, and an inspiration to many Christians as she lived out her faith as a leader in the public square.’

Former chairman of The Christian Institute, John Burn OBE said, ‘The death of Queen Elizabeth II is a very significant day in the life of our country. She was a remarkable example of service to the nation.

‘We all recall the vow she made at the time of her 21st birthday, when she said “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service”.

‘In a day when vows are lightly broken, she has held forth constantly the fulfilment of that vow – to the very end of her life.

‘I believe we should thank God for her, for her extraordinary life and for her example of simple Christian faith.’

Court hears case of school chaplain fired and reported as a ‘terrorist’ for preaching a sermon on LGBT issues

An employment tribunal has heard the case of a school chaplain who was fired and reported to an anti-terrorism unit because he preached a sermon saying it was okay to question LGBT ideas.

Revd Dr Bernard Randall, a former chaplain of Christ’s College, Cambridge, is taking Trent College – a CofE school – to court for discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and unfair dismissal.

As previously reported by ET, Randall delivered a sermon in the school’s chapel in June 2019 on the subject of ‘Competing ideologies’.

In his sermon he told children they were allowed to disagree with the LGBT agenda. He was later asked to attend a meeting with the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead.

During disciplinary process, he was given notes revealing that he had been referred to ‘Prevent’, the government’s counter-terrorism watchdog.

He said, ‘I was astonished and extremely frightened by this. The suggestion that I might be an extremist or a terrorist made no sense to me.’

He added, ‘This general acceptance that a belief in Church of England doctrine can merit a referral to Prevent was the most worrying aspect of this whole saga.’

In giving evidence last month to an employment tribunal, Randall said that ‘truth, Christian faith, freedom of faith and speech’ were ‘ridden roughshod over’.

The Church of England, instead of supporting Dr Randall, has acted against him, refusing to allow him to officiate in church services.

Randall said, ‘The behaviour of the school is wrong, but the Church should have known better and done better. How I have been treated by the CofE has hurt me more than anything.

‘I have had no protection at all and have faced no choice but to pursue justice. The day comes when you have to stand up to bullies. I am appalled that it is the Church that has forced me to do so.’

He is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre. Its CEO, Andrea Williams, said, ‘I would love to have seen the Church of England defend Bernard Randall after his moderate and thoughtful sermon upholding the Church’s teaching.

‘I would love to have seen them say that he was a faithful minister doing the job he loved and serving the children at Trent College. If they had done that and helped him to keep his position we wouldn’t be where we are today.

‘Instead, the Church of England capitulated to the pressure and washed their hands of him. Astonishingly, they cooperated with Trent College to ensure he was blacklisted from his vocation for expressing the CofE’s own teaching on marriage and human sexuality.’

Christian groups react as Liz Truss becomes the new PM

Christian groups have responded to Liz Truss becoming Britain’s 56th Prime Minister after her victory in the Conservative Party leadership contest.

CARE’s Chief Executive, Ross Hendry, said, ‘We wait to see what happens to various pieces of legislation, some of which could undermine freedom of religion.’

He added that Liz Truss has ‘said she’ll change the Online Safety Bill to safeguard free speech and her campaign manager, Iain Duncan Smith, suggested she’d look to change the proposed conversion therapy legislation which I know is of huge concern for many Christians’.

Dr Carys Moseley, Policy Researcher for Christian Concern, said, ‘Liz Truss voted for same-sex marriage. This is unsurprising for someone who is something of a libertarian.

‘She later voted for imposing same-sex marriage on Northern Ireland. This latter vote crosses the line from viewing the issue as one of personal choice to viewing it as a new moral value to be imposed on society.’

Moseley also commented on Liz Truss voting to impose abortion on Northern Ireland, saying, ‘This shows a reckless regard for the sanctity of life, the will of the people of Northern Ireland and the constitutional arrangements of the United Kingdom.’

But Mosely said, ‘One policy that does stand out as virtuous in Liz Truss’ track record is that of steering the government two years ago to reject liberalisation of the Gender Recognition Act in England and Wales.’

In one of her first acts as Prime Minister, Liz Truss decided to shelve controversial plans to replace the Human Rights Act 1998 with a Bill of Rights.

The bill would have given greater weight to protecting free speech, but it also risked damaging religious liberty.

The new Prime Minister reportedly told her Cabinet colleagues that there were better ways to reform human rights laws.

The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director Ciarán Kelly commented: ‘This is good news as it gives time for the government to address a number of important problems.

‘The Bill could have made landmark judgments in important Christian Institute cases such as Ashers Baking Co. and the Named Person scheme harder to achieve in the future.

‘Specific religious liberty protections successfully campaigned for by The Christian Institute also risked being watered down.’

Thousands join the March for Life, including many more young people

Record numbers took part in this year’s March for Life UK which was held in central London on Saturday 3 September.

More than 7,000 people took to the streets of London to protest against Britain’s abortion laws, which allow abortion of a foetus up to 24 weeks in the womb.

The event was timely, coming within days of new government provisions to permanently allow at-home early medical abortions from 30 August.

The provisions, which were introduced during the Covid crisis, were only meant to be temporary and critics say they are dangerous.

One of the aims of the March for Life UK is ‘To raise awareness of the hurt and damage that abortion causes and promote the value of every human life from the first moment of conception’.

According to the campaign website, the march started at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster before heading to the Houses of Parliament.

During the morning, there were events at the centre for the whole family, including placard-making competitions, as well as talks from leading commentators.

The organisers of the march said, ‘It seems that the overturning of Roe v. Wade in America has had quite a ripple effect across the ocean as more young people than ever paraded through the streets on a lively procession which ended in a gathering at Parliament Square.’

Madeline Page, CEO of The Alliance of Pro-life Students said, ‘We’ve seen a steady increase in the amount of young people wanting to take part in pro-life events since the news from America.’

Welsh Government spends millions promoting its new ban on smacking

Campaigners have slammed the Welsh Government for spending a ‘horrifying’ amount on promoting its smacking ban.

According to pro-parent group Be Reasonable Wales, the estimated spend on publicity around the ban is £2.7m already.

The law was introduced in March, and under the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020, parents will no longer be able to even so much as tap a toddler on the behind without fear of prosecution.

Over the past few months, the Government in Wales has been pushing ahead with promotional materials for the ban, which according to a 2019 survey only received 38 per cent support among the public.

Be Reasonable spokesman Simon Calvert (pictured) told the Daily Express that ‘ordinary hard-working Welsh people will be horrified’ at the money allocated for advertising.

According to the publicity, ‘physically punishing a child will be breaking the law and perpetrators could be charged with common assault, and/or other offences.’

An information leaflet tells those working with children who ‘see a child being physically punished’ to contact their local social services department or the police.

But Calvert said the measures run counter to claims made by ministers during the legislative process that the law would not criminalise parents.

Calvert added, ‘It is time for the Welsh Government to drop this pernicious and unnecessary ban.’

In 2021, Naomi Long, Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister, said she intended to put forward similar legislation that would criminalise parents who discipline their children.

Ricardo Hipolito is inducted at Downham Baptist Church

In July, Ricardo Hipolito (pictured with his family) was inducted to the pastorate of Downham Baptist Church in southeast London.

The church was planted in 2014 after two American missionaries felt called to begin a work in that part of the city.

Ricardo was raised in Sunderland, and studied at the Theological College of North Staffordshire, graduating in November 2019.

Ricardo was a member of Bethesda Free Church (Sunderland), where he was discipled further. At Bethesda he met his wife, Katharina, with whom he now has two daughters, Jireh and Hope.

The family moved to Bromley in March 2021, where Ricardo began preaching at DBC and was eventually invited to the pastorate.

Travis Snode, one of the American missionaries who planted the church, was present at the induction and spoke of his thankfulness and happiness at seeing Ricardo take over pastoral responsibilities.

The induction service also featured Stephen Boreland (pastor of Bethesda Free Church), who preached from 2 Timothy 4. He highlighted how Paul’s charge to Timothy applies also to Ricardo.

Stephen also encouraged Ricardo to be faithful to the Lord in fulfilling his calling, and exhorted the church to honour Ricardo in the way that the Bible commands, without setting him upon a pedestal.

Reflecting on his new appointment, Ricardo told ET, ‘I have a burden to see the saints at Downham mature, so that the church can be known as a local assembly that edifies itself in love as its members serve Christ in ministering to one another.’

By John Tredgett

Sussex teen camp scales Pen y Fan, South Wales

Over the summer a group of about 25 teenagers gathered at Forest Fold Baptist Chapel, Crowborough, for the annual Young People’s Holiday.

This year we headed off in our minibuses to the Brecon Beacons in sunny Wales. After a long journey, we arrived at our base and everyone soon settled in.

The week included many activities. These included gorge walking and trekking through an old railway tunnel. In the darkness, we held each other’s shoulders and some began to sing hymns!

We also had the opportunity to walk up South Wales’ highest mountain, Pen y Fan. It was a steep climb, but there were incredible views from the top.

Evening Bible talks also featured during the holiday. The topic for the week was the difference that the gospel makes in our lives.

Leaders took turns to address various issues in light of what the Bible teaches. These included justice, as we saw that God sets the standard and that he is a just God and will justly forgive us.

We also considered guilt, and how even though we try to ignore or deal with our own sin and guilt, God is the only one who can truly deal with it. The illustration was given of the conscience working like warning lights on a car – if we ignore them, they will only get worse!

Sex and identity were also held up to the light of Bible teaching, and finally we looked at the issue of the future. We saw that Jesus is going to prepare a perfect place for his people and that we need not be anxious about what the future holds.

The leaders were amazing and helped make it a brilliant week. We learned more about God and his Word, got really close as a group, and made many happy memories.

Bryony Rowell

Persian, Welsh, and English preaching at Tabernacle Cardiff’s summer conference

Organised by Tabernacle Cardiff, the Summer Conference has become an eagerly-anticipated fixture in the calendar.

Due to the Covid pandemic, the conference was held online in 2020, and although 2021 was ‘in-person’, the schedule was reduced. Thankfully a full programme was resumed this year.

The whole week provided ministry that was rich, soul stirring, Christ exalting, and vitally applied to Christian life and experience in today’s world.

John Greer (Ballymena) spoke on the person of the Holy Spirit, emphasising his gracious ministry to Christians in their spiritual struggles.

In another address he preached on the grand subject of ‘The God of revival’, basing his message on the opening verses of Ezra. He showed how God’s promises stirred the hearts of his servants before being wonderfully fulfilled in history.

Timothy Nelson (Belfast) took the theme of the Lord’s help in times of severe testing, applying principles found in the days of Jehoshaphat when he and the people of Judah faced vast and powerful enemies.

William Macleod (Glasgow) preached on the words of Hagar in Genesis 16, ‘Thou God seest me’, applying this comforting truth to the believer.

In a second message, he preached from Zechariah’s vision of the man on the red horse, comparing the challenges faced by the captives who had returned from exile to Jerusalem to our present age as we long, labour, and pray for the building up of Christ’s church.

The four evening meetings were devoted to evangelistic gospel preaching when each man powerfully challenged unbelievers with their spiritual need and warmly presented Christ as the all-sufficient Saviour.

In two further meetings, Pooyan Mershahi (Cheltenham) preached in Persian and Geraint Jones (Trefor) in Welsh.

Towards the end of the conference, one attendee alluded to Isaiah 25 and said that we had been treated to ‘a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees, well refined’. He spoke for us all!

We are deeply thankful to the preachers for their ministry, to the officers and church at Tabernacle Cardiff for organising the conference, and to God for pouring out such blessing upon the week.

By Joan Saunders

Glasgow conference addresses the topic of ‘Preaching Christ in a post-Christian land’

In our modern Christian context, the Greek word parrēsia can hardly be noted as having an equivalent reputation to words like agape or koinonia, which promote the spirit of love and fellowship.

Unlike these words, parrēsia falls into a trickier category for Christians.

Put simply, it means to speak boldly and plainly. It can be found in Ephesians 6:19, where Paul asks for prayer in communicating the powerful truth of the gospel.

Currently in the western world, bold proclamation of the gospel has increasing potential for hostile confrontations. Many believers struggle to see how they can be both bold in their commitment to Christ and loving towards their neighbour.

Seeking to address this issue, the Reformed Baptist Publishing House called Parrēsia ran a conference in July. It was held in the Glaswegian district of Govan, and ‘Preaching Christ in a post-Christian land’ was the topic.

Speakers included Jeremy Walker, Geoff Thomas, John-William Noble (pictured), and Daniel Funke. While helpfully diverse in their application and focus, each of the five sessions wonderfully highlighted the centrality of Christ.

Jeremy Walker set the tone for the two-day conference by preaching on the accomplishments of Christ and his saving power.

Working from John 17, Jeremy reminded delegates that because Christ conquered death through the cross, believers can have full assurance of salvation in his name alone.

Expanding on this in a second message, Jeremy called upon us to work like Christ, imitating his diligence, discerning our specific God-given tasks, and ultimately giving God the glory.

In similar fashion Geoff Thomas exhorted attendees to live in the light of Christ’s commands, such as being fishers of men, and in engaging in the work of evangelism.

Geoff also preached on the practical elements of what this might look like and how to give an ‘apologia’ (defence of the faith) as commanded by 1 Peter 3:5-16.

Approaching the sensitive topics of marriage and family, John-William Noble preached on principles of a godly marriage. Considering Joseph, the husband of Mary, John-William underlined his obedience to God, his love for Mary, and his leadership in the home.

Lastly, Daniel Funke preached on the nature of being foreign ‘citizens of heaven’ in a post-Christian land, as spoken of in Philippians 3. He encouraged attendees to await the return of Christ, while living by his commands in the present.

All of the sermons are available at the Parrēsia YouTube channel.

By Jehian Tiley

New building project starts for Isle of Skye congregation

Work on Portree and Bracadale Free Church’s new building is well under way. Earlier this year, concrete was laid on the site and the cornerstone of the building was laid.

Dr Charles Crichton, Session Clerk and Treasurer for Portree and Bracadale Free Church, said, ‘The whole building is dependent on this cornerstone being straight and true, and we pray that the work based in the new building will be “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”’

The single-storey building plus a 90-space carpark is set to be completed by summer 2023.

Most of the money required for the church building has been raised, but unprecedented rises in building costs mean the congregation still needs to raise funds to reach a final total of £2.1 million.

Fundraising efforts by church members include that of runner Bruce Crawford. He tackled a double marathon to raise over £12,000 for the building project.

Other fundraising projects have taken place. On the occasion of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, a baking stall raised £558.

A 2022 calendar, produced by the congregation and showing scenic views of Portree and Bracadale, has also raised £5,000.

The congregation has not had its own church building for the past two decades, so it has been meeting in a local primary school. Around 80 worshippers meet on Sunday mornings with up to 70 more joining online.

The new build, which will be on a housing estate, is intended to be a real hub for the community.

By the Free Church of Scotland

Thousands of souls hear the gospel at Commonwealth Games outreach

The Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham over twelve days in July and August. Some 72 different nations competed, and over 1.3 million tickets were sold for the various sporting events.

This created an ideal opportunity for souls from around the world to hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Eight of us travelled from the USA to Birmingham to bring the message of salvation to any who would listen.

Our ministry, Sports Fan Outreach International (sfoi.uk), seeks to utilise the opportunities presented by large-scale sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games.

Prior to the trip, and thanks to advertising the outreach in Evangelical Times, contact was made with Francis Williamson from Birmingham City Mission. He contacted us about our plans and informed us of BCM’s own plans for some outreach at the Games.

We set up at two locations: the Bullring (a shopping centre in the middle of the city) and Edgbaston Stadium (a cricket ground).

We engaged in open-air preaching and tracting, while behind the scenes much prayer was offered up for the outreach to be fruitful under God.

For up to eight hours each day over the course of the Games we endeavoured to be out and about, ministering to locals as well as to ticket-holders who had come to Birmingham specifically for the Games.

The event certainly drew the masses: thousands of passers-by heard the gospel every day, and members of the outreach team had many conversations with a whole range of people: Muslims, Hindus, Jehovah’s Witness, sceptics, unbelievers, and everyone in between.

By Revd Bill Adams

Christian youth camp in Cumbria ‘travels the world’, as youngsters look at Paul’s missionary journeys

It’s the highlight of the year for leaders and campers alike. After months of planning, Compass Camps 2022 was finally here.

Aimed at those aged 11–17, Camp is held each August in Coniston in the heart of the Lake District.

The week-long get-together includes Bible teaching, small-group discussions, prayers, outdoor activities and loads of fun and games throughout.

The general theme for the week was ‘Compass Camps Airlines’, travelling the world and going to a different location each day. From the Norwegian fjords to the Brazilian rainforest, we covered it all!

Activities included an Egyptian sandcastle competition, Mexican piñata bashing, and Norwegian Viking tag rugby. Outdoor adventure activities included kayaking, mountain biking, and ghyll scrambling – always a popular one!

This year’s teaching theme was linked to travel as we looked at Paul’s New Testament travels around the Mediterranean. Once again Ole Kristian Hunt (Grace Baptist Church, Ulverston) planned the talks.

It was amazing to see how God worked through Paul, and how Paul was so faithful in preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone he encountered.

We’re so grateful to our excellent speakers and to our tent leaders for the planning and delivery of the many meetings that take place throughout the week.

We’re also grateful to God that he was glorified through Compass Camps this year, and for the growth we saw in the campers throughout the week.

This annual opportunity to glorify God and share his gospel with a wonderful bunch of young people is a real privilege. We pray that all the campers will continue in their walk with Christ as they return home.

By Josh Smith

US: Acts 29 President Matt Chandler suspended over inappropriate online messages to a woman

The Acts 29 church planting network has suspended its president, Matt Chandler (pictured), from speaking engagements following his church’s decision to place him on a disciplinary leave of absence.

Chandler is lead pastor at The Village Church in Texas, but he has been placed on leave following an investigation by his church’s elders into private messages sent by him to a woman who is not his wife.

In a statement the church elders said, ‘while the messages were not romantic or sexual in nature, the frequency and familiarity of the messages crossed a line.

‘They revealed that Matt did not use language appropriate for a pastor, and he did not model a behaviour that we expect from him.’

The statement went on to say, ‘The elders concluded, and Matt agreed, that Matt’s behaviour was a sign of unhealth in his life, and that the best course of action would be for him to take a leave of absence from teaching and preaching at The Village Church.

‘Matt’s leave of absence is both disciplinary and developmental, which allows him to focus on growing greater awareness in this area.’

Following on from the church’s findings, Acts 29 issued their own statement, saying, ‘the Acts 29 Board has asked Matt to step aside from Acts 29 speaking engagements during this time.’

Chandler became President of Acts 29 in 2012, succeeding Mark Driscoll, the controversial founder of the now defunct Mars Hill Church in Seattle.

Driscoll was later accused of plagiarism and being ‘domineering, verbally violent, arrogant, and quick-tempered’. In 2014 he was removed from the Acts 29 board and Mars Hill Church was removed from the group’s membership.

That same year, the elders of Mars Hill Church said it had found evidence of ‘bullying’ and ‘patterns of persistent sinful behaviour’ by Driscoll. He resigned in October of that year.

In 2020 Steve Timmis, the CEO of Acts 29, was removed following accusations of ‘bullying’ and ‘misuse of power and authority’. He was the founder and pastor of the Crowded House church in Sheffield, UK.

However, some former Acts 29 staff members say they were fired when they tried to raise concerns about Timmis with Matt Chandler as early as 2015.

The Acts 29 network includes hundreds of churches across the globe, with over 70 churches in the UK and Europe.

It has been described as being part of the ‘emerging church movement’ which seeks to modernise Christian worship, evangelism, and fellowship in line with a post-modern culture.

But critics of the ‘emerging church’ say the movement has embraced post-modernist thinking, which inevitably leads to loose and liberal doctrine.

Germany: Declaration of Christian and civil liberties is published in Frankfurt in response to the Covid crisis

Evangelical pastors from across the world have signed a declaration of Christian and civil liberties published in Frankfurt.

The document, which was written in response to events during the Covid crisis, has been signed by pastors including John MacArthur in America and Dr Voddie Baucham in Zambia.

Here in the UK, notable signatories include Geoff Thomas, Stephen Rees, Jonathan Bayes, Regan King, Billy McCurrie, Pooyan Mehrshahi, John-William Noble, and Robert Oliver.

The main authors of the document are Tobias Riemenschneider, Pastor of the Evangelical Reformed Baptist Church in Frankfurt, Germany; Dr Paul Hartwig, Pastor of Lakeside Chapel in Betty’s Bay, South Africa; and Steven Lloyd, Pastor of the Protestant Evangelical Church in Narbonne, France.

The Frankfurt Declaration, as it is known, has been signed by over 4,300 people at the time this edition of ET went to print.

The document begins, ‘In the course of human events, it sometimes becomes necessary for people of good faith to speak out against the abuse of power.’

It goes on to say, ‘A few concerned pastors from different continents, moved by an emergent totalitarianism of the State over all realms of society, and particularly the Church, and the disregard of God-given and constitutionally guaranteed rights during the Covid crisis, joined in common cause to craft a solemn declaration, which seeks to address these threats with the timeless truths of God’s Word.’

The Declaration proceeds to set out five articles which contain ‘affirmations and denials, derived from biblical principles’.

The five articles are, (1) ‘God the creator as sovereign lawgiver and judge’; (2) ‘God as the source of truth and the role of science’; (3) ‘Mankind as the image of God’; (4) ‘God-given mandates and limits of authority’; and (5) ‘Christ as the head of the church’.

The document ends by calling for respect for those authorities that exercise their powers legitimately; for repentance from those authorities that have abused their God-given powers; and for resistance against any secular authority that compels Christians to obey the State rather than God.

In the concluding paragraph, the document states, ‘It appears that the world may well be entering a time of testing, not only for the Church, but for everyone who believes in freedom and who opposes tyranny.’

It calls on Christians to stand together with those whose liberties have been infringed, and asks ‘that God would give us the courage to stand firm in our faith as His witnesses; and that He, who is Lord over all, would give us the strength to remain faithful and persevere to the end. Amen.’

China: UN accuses Beijing of crimes against humanity

The United Nations has accused China of possible crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs, citing reports of ‘credible evidence’ of torture.

While China’s Uyghurs – nearly a million of whom are said to be in internment camps in China – are mainly Muslim, they also include Christians such as Pastor Alimujiang Yimiti (his wife is pictured).

Pastor Yimiti was jailed for 15 years after telling a colleague on the phone that citizens were being monitored by state security.

But according to Release International, that phone call had been tapped and he was jailed for ‘inciting separatism’ and ‘leaking state secrets’.

Reports via Release’s partners on the ground claim that Chinese authorities have forced Alimujiang and other prison inmates to constantly wear headphones tuned into communist propaganda and to memorise what they hear.

The Chinese authorities have been arresting pastors and shutting down congregations. Partners of Release International have compiled disturbing video evidence of a police raid where Christian women collapsed and others were manhandled.

For example, partners have shown video evidence of raids on Sunshine Reformed Church in Jilin Province.

On August 21, local police raided the Sunday service of the church in Changchun. They burst in and hauled away the pastor, his wife, and seven others.

Outside, as congregation members tried to leave, ChinaAid claimed police beat the Christians, causing two women to lose consciousness.

A recent report by the US State Department said clergy of all faiths are now required to attend political indoctrination sessions and to pledge allegiance to the CCP.

To help protect Christians in China and elsewhere where believers are being incarcerated for their faith, Release has launched an appeal called ‘Prisoners of Faith’, which can be found on its website.

US: Christian freedoms upheld in Kentucky and Kansas cases

The freedom of Christians to act upon their biblical beliefs has been upheld in two recent cases in America.

One case involves Chelsey Nelson (pictured), a Kentucky wedding photographer who has won the right not to be forced to take photos of same-sex weddings.

The other case involved a teacher who was suspended when she refused to deceive parents over a student’s gender identity.

The school district in the State of Kansas wanted Pamela Ricard to use the child’s preferred gender pronoun in the classroom, but use the child’s birth name with the parents.

Ricard was suspended when she refused to do so, but she has since has received a $95,000 settlement.

France: European Court of Human Rights rules against Down syndrome video

The European Court of Human Rights has upheld French authorities who ruled in 2014 that a pro-life video about children with Down syndrome video was ‘disturbing’ and should not be broadcast.

The video’s creators, Fondation Jérôme Lejeune, supported by ADF International, appealed through the French courts.

They finally took their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, but judges ruled the group’s application to be ‘inadmissible’.

Fondation Jérôme Lejeune is the leading organisation in France for research and care for people with Down syndrome.

The video at the centre of the case begins by quoting an email from a pregnant mother, seeking advice: ‘I’m expecting a baby. I’ve discovered he has Down syndrome. I’m scared: what kind of life will my child have?’

It is then followed by messages from 15 adults and children with Down syndrome in which they reassure the worried mother that life with Down syndrome can be fulfilling and enriching.

The video was shared across various French media platforms, but in 2014 the French broadcasting authority issued a warning claiming the video was ‘disturbing to the conscience of women who, in accordance with the law, had made different personal life choices’.

A letter was sent to the three television channels that had aired the video instructing them to stop broadcasting the video in slots reserved for ‘messages of general interest,’ resulting in its effective censorship.

But the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Fondation Jérôme Lejeune cannot claim to be a ‘victim’ under the terms of the European Convention of Human Rights, because the Down syndrome video had been broadcast several times prior to the French authority’s intervention.

Jean-Paul Van De Walle, legal counsel for ADF International, said, ‘The Court’s decision to declare this case inadmissible is regrettable as it sends the signal that governments can exert pressure to silence the voices of persons with Down syndrome in the public sphere.

‘This contributes to a culture of discrimination, which we must stand against if we truly are to uphold the dignity of persons with disabilities. Children and adults with Down syndrome deserve to be heard and seen in society.’

Iran: Christians jailed after losing their appeal in ‘house church’ case

Five Iranian Christians have lost their legal appeals against sentencing for involvement in ‘house churches’, which are illegal in Iran.

All five were convicted of ‘forming and operating illegal organisations with the aim of disrupting the security of the country’.

According to Barnabas Fund, the term ‘illegal organisations’ refers to underground house churches attended by Muslim-background Christian converts, who worship in the national language, Farsi.

Pastor Shahbazian and four Christian converts from Islam took their case to the court of appeal in Tehran, but the court ruled the defence had failed to meet the necessary criteria for the appeals to be considered.

Pastor Shahbazian was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Converts Mina Khajavi and Malihe Nazari were ordered to serve six years.

The other two converts, Masoumeh Ghasemi and Somayeh (Sonya) Sadegh, were sentenced to jail, but permitted instead to pay fines of $1,100 to $1,751.

The 26th Revolutionary Court of Tehran also ruled that Pastor Shahbazian should face a two-year ban on travelling abroad and two years of internal exile when he is released.

OBITUARY

Revd Neil MacDonald (1932–2022)

Neil Macdonald was born in Greshornish, Skye, in 1932, the youngest of a family of five. He attended Edinbane Primary and Dunvegan Junior Secondary schools.

His intention was to leave school at 14 and follow two of his brothers into a trade. However, his parents sent him on to Portree High School and then Edinburgh University.

From a Gaelic-speaking household, he earned prizes in Gaelic at both school and university. He was later to be Gaelic editor of the church magazine, The Record, for 16 years.

Neil became a Christian at an early age, and while at university felt called to the ministry. He completed his training at Free Church College, Edinburgh, before being called to the congregation of Ardelve in Lochalsh, in 1959. He was then called to Fearn in 1970 where he ministered for 27 years. He later became Moderator of the General Assembly in 1996.

During his time in Ardelve, Neil married Cathie Mason. They would go on to have three children together.

Neil always had a good rapport with children, regularly visiting local schools to teach Bible stories; he was also involved in other youth ministries.

Neil was a wise and faithful pastor with a friendly and welcoming manner. He was a prayerful man who rated integrity highly.

Over the last few years, Neil had many health issues, but he was upheld throughout by the Lord and was lovingly cared for by his wife. He passed away peacefully on 3 July.

By Revd Alasdair Macauley

REVIEWS

Film Review: Jurassic World: Dominion

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Universal Pictures

147 minutes

BUY

This is the sixth film in a franchise that began with 1993’s Jurassic Park, which saw a corporation use ancient DNA to bring back dinosaurs for a theme park – with disastrous results. This time, dinosaurs now at large, global corporation Biosyn exploits genetic technology for gain – again with disastrous results!

It’s hard not to admire the special effects used to bring these animals to life on screen. And much could be said about the accuracy of various species, some making their debut alongside old favourites. But I want to reflect on particular lines and quotes which reveal the film’s philosophy and its obvious alignment with old-earth evolutionism.

During a fossil dig, Dr Grant declares, ‘Palaeontology is science and science is absolute truth. Truth is in the rocks.’ This reinforces a popular misconception that science is about proving things. In reality, it’s a method used to help us understand the world step by step. The data in the rocks or anywhere else needs interpreting, and how that’s done depends on the model or framework within which the scientist is working.

Dr Malcolm speaks to young people at Biosyn’s HQ: ‘We do not have dominion over nature, we are subordinate to it.’ But the Bible says that humanity was given dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28). We were meant to rule well, but we have misused that dominion because of our sin.

One of the dilemmas of secular environmentalism is that it rejects such biblical notions as dominion, which is precisely what’s required to pursue their aims! The only real basis for creation care is the responsible position the Creator has given us. But if on the other hand we are only creatures subordinate to others, we might as well let nature take its course.

Similarly, Charlotte Lockwood says, ‘Dinosaurs humble us, as we’re a smaller part of the world than they were.’ From an evolutionary point of view that would be the case. And the magnificence of nature should indeed humble us before the One who made it. But the biblical timescale reiterated by Jesus himself insists that man was made at the beginning to exercise dominion, and it is dinosaurs and other extinct creatures which have come and gone.

Finally, with closing shots of dinosaurs mingling with modern animals, we’re told that ‘we are part of nature and must all live together’. But animals kill and eat other animals; in fact, much of the film involves characters running away from dinosaurs for that very reason! The truth is that we live in a ‘fallen kingdom’ (to use the previous film’s biblical subtitle), one that is awaiting redemption and restoration through Christ.

Many critics wish this franchise would now go extinct. Whatever happens, don’t build your worldview on it. Better to stick to the Bible for that.

Please note that the film is rated 12A, and contains mild bad language and the misuse of God’s name.

Matthew Pickhaver

Briston, North Norfolk

The First and the Last: The comfort of the Triune God in Revelation

Melvin Tinker

EP Books

192 pages; £10.00

BUY

This excellent book is difficult to categorise. It is not a detailed commentary on Revelation, but assumes the reader is conversant with its content. It is not primarily doctrinal, although it emphasises the presence of the Trinity throughout.

Instead, the author, the late Melvin Tinker (who is now enjoying the unbroken presence of his Saviour whom he served so well), shows how God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is the church’s and individual Christian’s comfort. ‘In his own distinctive way, John serves up for God’s tested and tempted people a vision of Reality which is second to none, firing our imagination as well as strengthening our faith’ (pp. 11–12).

The author characterises Revelation as apocalyptic and prophetic, but also as a letter to the church. It portrays an ultimate reality: that ‘the God who occupies the throne of heaven, the place of supreme order and beauty is triune’ (p.29). Tinker says that ‘one of the hoped for consequences for Christians reading the Book of Revelation is re-capturing of a child-like enchantment with “all things, visible and invisible” and the triune God who made, sustains and redeems them’ (p.47).

A chapter on God the Son speaks of the Lion as the Lamb. God became man to effect redemption for fallen mankind. He is worthy of our trust and worship because he was slain to rescue us from sin and Satan. ‘The role of the Spirit is to enable Christians to fulfil their role of testifying to the nations by proclaiming the Gospel’ (pp. 107–108).

A chapter on ‘The Anti-Trinity of Revelation’ points beyond the human instruments to the demonic powers that manipulate them. And in ‘The Victory of the Trinity’, Tinker states: ‘Rebellion against the glory and kindness of God is so great that the judgement of God, which will eventually come, must match it’ (p.145).

‘The Trinity in Heaven’ reflects on the glories of Revelation 21–22. ‘The overall picture is of a world from which there is a complete absence of all the negative associations of our existence’ (p.152). It is a world of joy and love.

I thoroughly recommend this book. It is well-written and firmly established in the Old and New Testament Scriptures. It is guaranteed to lift the spirits of the troubled Christian.

Kerry Orchard

Cardiff

God With Us: Knowing the mystery of who Jesus is

Daniel R. Hyde

Reformation Heritage Books

192 pages; £13.99

BUY

Knowing Jesus is at the heart of the Christian faith. As Daniel Hyde writes in this helpful book, ‘How can we know Jesus as Savior and Lord unless we know something about Him?’

God With Us is a short but substantial book explaining the doctrine of the person of Christ. In seven chapters (as well as a full introduction and useful appendices), it introduces the historic Christian understanding about who Jesus is: the God who is also man. He is the Son of God who possesses the full divine nature. Yet because of the incarnation, the same eternal person also possesses a true human nature.

Hyde explains these two natures of Christ in a way that is faithful to the orthodox creeds and 17th century Protestant confessions of faith. He also explains their importance: through his incarnation Jesus is able to fulfil all that is necessary to save and bless sinners. This work is a work of God. It is also the central message of the Bible.

God With Us was first published in 2007, and this second edition retains its references to early 21st century Western pop culture. But these do not detract from a serious discussion of the topic.

I appreciated how Hyde used a redemptive-historical approach to explain the biblical testimony about the person of Christ. The closing chapter comparing the ‘Christ’ of the Qu’ran with the Christ of the Bible is a useful if slightly niche application. Overall a book worth reading.

David Shedden

Penicuik

This World Is Not My Home: Reflections for pilgrims on the way

Mark G. Johnston

Banner of Truth Trust

192 pages; £6.50

BUY

All Christians embark upon a life of faith. Like Israel of old, they become pilgrims. They live as strangers in a world that is not ultimately their home. They look forward, rather, to a home that is eternal, where God dwells.

From a collection of articles appearing initially as a monthly column, Mark Johnston has selected 30 reflections, each four to six small pages in length, which are grouped into five main sections.

The first, ‘From Eden to the New Jerusalem’, gives an overview of the nature of pilgrimage from Genesis to Revelation. The second considers Christ as ‘The Pioneer and the Perfecter of our Salvation’ and reflects upon the significance of his person and work.

Section Three, ‘God’s Pilgrim People’, presents a variety of reflections on the nature of the church. The fourth, ‘Living the Pilgrim Life’, supplies the individual believer with important reflections such as the grounds of assurance and how to deal with doubt. The fifth, ‘Rejoicing in Hope and Heading for Home’, offers closing reflections focused largely upon the subject of joy.

Each chapter can be read as a stand-alone topic. Each is relevant to 21st century concerns, is stimulating and contains much to chew on without being too demanding. The contents, however, might not be so accessible to young Christians with little church background, as some of the concepts and language used would require some prior biblical familiarity. The book does not give a ‘theology of pilgrimage’, but provides much by way of pastoral help for ‘pilgrims on the way’. It shows very commendably how theology is relevant to practice.

Gareth Williams

Bala

The Gospel According to Elisha: A commentary on the life of Elisha in 1 Kings and 2 Kings

John D. Legg

Covenant Books UK

199 pages; £7.48

BUY

The premise of this publication is that Elisha should be seen as a ‘type’ of Christ who prepares us for the future ministry of the Saviour. Therefore the book is full of Christ, and the author draws many parallels between the ministry of Elisha and the ministry of Jesus.

He works his way through the biblical material on Elisha, expounding each passage clearly and helpfully; but he always then relates the Old Testament event to similar events in the life of Jesus. Thus, as the title suggests, this is very much a gospel-centred book.

For example, the incident in 2 Kings 4:1-7 where God uses Elisha to fill numerous jars with oil, which the widow then sells to pay off her debts, is applied to the way of salvation. The slightly strange story of the floating axe head (2 Kings 6:1-7) is helpfully related to the way God works through the use of means. The headings of other chapters will give you a clue as to their content, like ‘The Power of Christ’ (2 Kings 4:38-41), ‘The Trustworthiness of Christ’ (2 Kings 8:1-6), and ‘The Goodness and Severity of Christ’ (2 Kings 8:7-15).

The book ends with the miracle which followed Elisha’s death and burial: when a dead man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and his body touched Elisha’s bones, the man revived and stood on his feet. The author then leads the reader to Christ as the one who gives spiritual life to the dead sinners.

This book is devotional in style; it draws its readers to the Saviour. It is suitable for the man and woman in the pew. But as a pastor, I found it particularly helpful in learning how to preach through the life of Elisha, something which by the grace of God I feel more capable of doing having read this book.

Noel Ramsey

Leyburn

Table of Contents

FEATURES

Removing the ‘dating’ lane

Martin Chemnitz (1522–1586) and the ‘Formula of Concord’

Reaching the lost in the open air

What does it mean to educate?

Talking to the dead?

Scripture’s hidden gems: Revelation (Part 1)

Not a lack of food, but a lack of hunger

COMMENT: Hold to the never-changing gospel in this time of change

GUEST COLUMN: Pressing home the defeat of Satan

A SHRINK THINKS... Equality, diversity, and inclusion

THINKING IT THROUGH: Ignorant of his devices – recognising Satan’s schemes

A WALK WITH MR O: A living, bright reality

CRUNCH POINTS: Is it worth praying in prayer meetings?

NEWS

News in brief

Tributes for the Queen and prayers for the King

Court hears case of school chaplain fired and reported as a ‘terrorist’ for preaching a sermon on LGBT issues

Christian groups react as Liz Truss becomes the new PM

Thousands join the March for Life, including many more young people

Welsh Government spends millions promoting its new ban on smacking

Ricardo Hipolito is inducted at Downham Baptist Church

Sussex teen camp scales Pen y Fan, South Wales

Persian, Welsh, and English preaching at Tabernacle Cardiff’s summer conference

Glasgow conference addresses the topic of ‘Preaching Christ in a post-Christian land’

New building project starts for Isle of Skye congregation

Thousands of souls hear the gospel at Commonwealth Games outreach

Christian youth camp in Cumbria ‘travels the world’, as youngsters look at Paul’s missionary journeys

US: Acts 29 President Matt Chandler suspended over inappropriate online messages to a woman

Germany: Declaration of Christian and civil liberties is published in Frankfurt in response to the Covid crisis

China: UN accuses Beijing of crimes against humanity

US: Christian freedoms upheld in Kentucky and Kansas cases

France: European Court of Human Rights rules against Down syndrome video

Iran: Christians jailed after losing their appeal in ‘house church’ case

OBITUARY

Revd Neil MacDonald (1932–2022)

REVIEWS

Film Review: Jurassic World: Dominion

The First and the Last: The comfort of the Triune God in Revelation

God With Us: Knowing the mystery of who Jesus is

This World Is Not My Home: Reflections for pilgrims on the way

The Gospel According to Elisha: A commentary on the life of Elisha in 1 Kings and 2 Kings