Keep Silent….or Speak Out?

“I can see as clear as day what is coming down the tracks. And I don’t want to have on my conscience the Lord’s people in a few years time saying ‘we didn’t see that one coming!’. Some of us did. And we have to speak out before it’s too late.

Whether people will listen or not – that’s not our concern. We have to speak the Word of the Lord.…”

– At The Wee Flea, David Robertson explains why he believes he must speak out.

What the Leyonhjelm Euthanasia Bill means for the Vulnerable

“If the Leyonhjelm bill passes federal parliament one thing is guaranteed: the ACT will implement euthanasia legislation.

As reported in the ABC today, Chief Minister Andrew Barr has written to all but the staunch objectors to euthanasia in federal parliament urging them to support the bill. …”

– Media release from The Australian Christian Lobby.

When the church lets you down

“In the C S Lewis classic (Screwtape Letters), senior devil whispers to his apprentice: ‘one of our greatest allies at present is the church itself’.

Screwtape is aghast that Wormwood’s patient has become a Christian, but he encourages his junior devil by saying that the church is in such a mess that ‘it matters very little … your patient will quite easily believe that their religion must therefore be somehow ridiculous’.

I feel sad today, and ask: Is one of the devil’s greatest allies at present the church itself?

It’s one thing to have Australian society approve of same-sex marriage, but when a church approves – it’s disturbing … and confusing.

To be sure, not our church, but nevertheless a branch of the Christian church in Australia. …”

– Presbyterian Moderator-General John P Wilson responds to the Uniting Church of Australia’s decision about marriage last week.

Leviticus in The New York Times: What’s the Real Story Here?

“Even in this secular age, the conscience of Western civilization continues to be haunted and shaped by the Bible. The inherited moral tradition of the West was explicitly formed by the Bible – both the Old and New Testaments – and the moral power of the Bible continues as the main source of the principles, intuitions, impulses, and vocabulary of modern times.

But if European and American cultures have been morally shaped by the Bible, these same cultures are now haunted by the Bible. The Bible haunts all the modern efforts to push a vast revolution in morality – specifically sexual morality. …”

– Albert Mohler looks at one attempt to make the Bible say the exact opposite of what it says.

The Facebook Penalty Box

“I am posting an article below by Robert Gagnon. I am posting it here because Facebook removed it earlier when Gagnon posted it, and suspended him for a day. Having posted it here, I will send it out to Twitter and Facebook, and would encourage you all to share it all over the place.

Incidentally, the article is a model of moderate and firm argumentation, and so you should take special note of what Facebook deems to be seething with hatred. …”

– Doug Wilson reposts a now-deleted article by Robert Gagnon.

A message to Uniting Church members about the decision on marriage

Uniting Church President Dr Deidre Palmer explains how the 15th Assembly of the Uniting Church of Australia came to adopt an internally inconsistent and unbiblical view of marriage while, at the same time, calling it a great triumph of unity.

Watch and weep.

See also these Responses to the 15th Assembly, published by the Assembly of Confessing Congregations, including this one (PDF):

“The summary statement concerning the marriage debate to come out of the Uniting Church’s recent Assembly that reads, ‘We will hold two equal and distinct statements of belief on marriage’ is a fallacy. Why?

Imagine that the Uniting Church released this statement: ‘We will hold two equal and distinct statements of belief on adultery. The first: Members have a choice to be faithful in marriage. The second…”

And do pray for Uniting Church members, that they would have great and godly wisdom and courage to act.

St Paul’s Cathedral ‘forbids public reading of the Bible’

“Last week Barnabas Fund highlighted a video showing City of London Police arresting a man for reading the Bible in public outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The police officers claimed that cathedral staff had asked them to do so.

Now a further video has emerged from several months ago of a similar event showing police stopping a man publicly reading the Bible in public outside St Paul’s, with what appears to be member of the cathedral management standing close behind the police officers. Ironically, the man was reading from the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ in Matthew chapter 5 which includes the verses…”

– Read it all from Barnabas Fund.

The Soft and Hard Intimidation of the Church

“It’s been an intense but revealing 24 hours. I have learned to an even greater extent just how deep the rot is in the contemporary church, and just how easy it is for us to be intimidated and bullied into silence.

Let me set the background, then explain what happened yesterday, and then offer some analysis of what precisely is going on.

Vicky Beeching brought out her book Undivided a couple of months ago and has been touring the TV studios and doing newspaper interviews ever since, telling everyone how bad and wicked the evangelical church is. I wrote an honest review of that book trying to empathise with her, whilst not agreeing with her theology. …”

– David Robertson at The Wee Flea shares something of the intimidation he has been experiencing after writing his open letter to Vicky Beeching.

Euthanasia’s Dark Side

“Slippery slope arguments are not always invalid.

Indeed, in some cases they are very important. …

I once heard a Dutch researcher speaking about the situation in his home country, where euthanasia was legislated in 2002. He summarised the litany of shocking outcomes after more than a decade of euthanasia, by saying that in his country, the ‘psyche of care’ has been fundamentally changed.

Once you accept that death is a valid form of care, you have changed a great deal.”

– The Australian Christian Lobby’s Martyn Iles presents some deeply disturbing examples of what has already been happening on that slippery slope.

The Dividing Church: When a Denomination Chooses Syncretism

“Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.” (1 Kings 18:21)

“Last week the 15th Assembly of the Uniting Church of Australia adopted a motion to permit same-sex marriage for their churches. …

The deal is being packaged as a triumph for diversity, and a celebration of recognising the rights of people to marry whomever they wish. However, once we’ve stripped the rhetoric of its layer of spray paint, what’s left behind is good old-fashioned syncretism…”

– Murray Campbell doesn’t beat around the bush.

And he also encourages us all to pray for “the many Christians within the Uniting Church who have difficult conversations and decisions ahead of them”.

Wanted: A party to stand up for parents

“The row at Heavers Farm Primary School in Croydon, south London, caused by the head teacher’s plan to parade pupils as young as four on a homosexual pride march, illustrates a terrible truth: British state education has now become an engine for imposing anti-Christian cultural Marxism to the spiritual and moral harm of children…”

– Julian Mann in South Yorkshire wonders which British politicians will stand against the tide.

Further background in this earlier article by Anglican Mainstream’s Andrew Symes.

(Photo: Julian Mann with Archbishop Ben Kwashi.)

Uniting Church: Post 15th Assembly Pastoral Letter from the Assembly of Confessing Congregations

“In our view, the UCA Assembly has removed itself from the faith and unity of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

On behalf of the National Council of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations, we therefore say in the strongest terms possible, that we reject not only this decision, but the authority of the National Assembly and therefore stand aside from this Council of the Church. …”

– The Rev. Dr. Hedley Fihaki writes on behalf of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations National Council.

Doubtless, many in the Uniting Church would value your prayers for wisdom.

Update:

The 15th Assembly’s Resolution on Marriage and same-gender relationships has been published:  Read more

Two doctrines of Christian marriage? That’s OK says Uniting Church theologian

“The headline conceals what actually happened in Melbourne this week. Without setting out to do so, the Uniting Church recovered its stated vocation of making visible unity in diversity. …

without disputing the biblical and theological validity of the traditional understanding of marriage … the Assembly has approved an additional statement on marriage for the Uniting Church, also biblically and theologically valid.

Two doctrines of Christian marriage? Two expressions of that in ‘the rites of the Uniting Church in Australia’? How does that work?

Well, that’s the kind of thing that the Uniting Church was always supposed to be able to manage: unity in diversity. …”

– Past President of the Uniting Church of Australia, Prof. Andrew Dutney, explains that ‘unity in diversity’ is what the Uniting Church of Australia is all about. (Did George Orwell have a word for this?)

Uniting Church chooses on Marriage

The Uniting Church of Australia will officially attempt to sit on both sides of the fence.

Here is a press release from the 15th Assembly of the Uniting Church of Australia, meeting in Melbourne.

Emphasis added:

“The 15th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia has agreed to hold two equal and distinct views on marriage to honour the diversity of Christian belief among its members.

Meeting for the first time since last year’s change to Australian marriage laws, members of the Church’s national decision-making body, the Assembly, resolved to allow its ministers the freedom to conduct or refuse to conduct same-gender marriages.

“This decision follows many years of reflection, prayer and discernment, and I want to thank Assembly members for the way they have responded with grace to what is a difficult conversation for many people of faith,” said Uniting Church President Dr Deidre Palmer.

Dr Palmer acknowledged the ministry and struggle of LGBTIQ people in the Uniting Church over many years.

‘I know that this conversation is painful and difficult for you,’ said Dr Palmer, directly addressing LGBTIQ Church members.

‘We also acknowledge those who for whatever reason have not been able to support this change – and your pain and difficulty in this space.’

‘Please rest assured that your rights to follow your beliefs on marriage will be respected and protected.’

‘I thank you all for modelling a loving Christian community, holding together and caring for each other, across our diversity of strongly and faithfully held views.’

Members of the Uniting Church’s 15th triennial Assembly have been considering the change to the marriage policy and other issues since Sunday 7 July at Melbourne’s Box Hill Town Hall.

During the meeting, they heard advice from theological and legal experts and had the opportunity to speak to proposals for and against the changes.

The proposal that was adopted on Marriage and same-gender relationships seeks to accommodate a range of views by adopting an additional statement of belief.

The existing statement of belief is that marriage is the freely given consent and commitment in public and before God of a man and a woman to live together for life.

The new additional statement of belief says that, “For Christians, marriage is the freely given consent and commitment in public and before God of two people to live together for life.”

The proposal also acknowledges the diversity of religious beliefs and ethical understandings within the Church, and that they have been “developed through continuing faithful discernment and held with integrity on matters relating to sexuality and marriage.”

The proposal determined that the Church is able to accept this diversity within its life and make the decisions necessary to enable its ministry and members to act with integrity in accordance with their beliefs.”

– Source: Uniting Church of Australia, 13th July 2018.

Euthanasia should never be glorified

“Australian Christian Lobby calls on the ABC and other media outlets to stop endorsing euthanasia.

The destruction assisted suicide is having on vulnerable people is real and deeply concerning and continues to go unreported. …”

– Source: The Australian Christian Lobby.

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