By Stephen Green
(First published in Christian Voice Summer Recess 2012)
James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
1Pet 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
A few years ago I met with a pastor to seek his support for a witness against the London ‘gay pride’ parade. I went as a supplicant; I had nothing to offer. I hoped he would lead his people out onto this particular battlefield.
The reply surprised me. No, although he disagreed profoundly with sodomy, the pastor said, to protest against this display of depravity was inappropriate. He told me that what he would prefer to do would be to set up a stall along the route and give out water. That, he felt, would be a more gracious thing to do and would be a better expression of the love of Christ.
Not long after that I heard of the minister of a church along the route of the Belfast equivalent taking the same approach. He too had been invited, this time by the organisers of the Belfast protest, to stand against the ungodly parade. And he and his elders gave the same answer. They wanted to show the marchers the love of Christ. They wanted to be gracious.
Well, if a matter is established in the mouth of two or three witnesses, there is clearly a popular train of thought in Christian circles being articulated by these two ministers. It is not as if these were liberal churches. They knew that sodomy was sin. They just would not stand up against it. They preferred what they saw as the gracious approach to the confrontational.
I have encountered the same point of view since; an unwillingness to oppose evil coupled with a desire to be nice and the hope that in that way people will receive the Gospel. Those who really want to twist the knife will add with a superior air that we need to be ‘Christ-like’.
So it set me thinking and seeking the Lord. What is the Christ-like thing to do in these circumstances? What is Christ-like is God-like, and the scriptures with which we opened are very clear. God resists the proud and he gives grace to the humble.
What we actually have in the church is pastors who would turn that principle on its head. They resist the humble and they give bottles full of grace to the proud.
The clue to the character of those taking part in the gay pride events is after all in the title. The parades are founded on pride. Going further, they are founded in pride in something which God calls sin and vile affection.
There is another problem with the refreshment approach. It is an offer of hospitality. In the Biblical sense, anyone who offers another hospitality has accepted them. That is why when the stricter Pharisees, those who were obsessed with ceremonial cleanliness, raised with the Lord Jesus (I think quite mildly) their observation that his disciples did not ritually wash their hands (in Matthew 15) they receive a tirade of rebuke in return. If you invited someone, you were expected to take them as they were. Giving water to someone is, on a spiritual level, being part of what they are doing and of who they are:
Matt 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Returning to the way in which God discriminates between the humble and the proud, it isn’t even as if the words in James and Peter are swimming against the general flow of Scripture. The wrongfulness of pride and the need for humility is a prominent theme in the teachings of the Lord Jesus. He said when explaining that those who rule should be as if they served:
Matt 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
It is those like the abject publican in Luke 18 who are raised up, but those who boast, either in their sin or in their righteousness, who will be brought down. The Lord concluded that parable with exactly the same point as in Matt 23:12 above (it is also in Luke 14:11 where the context is choosing a place to sit at a banquet):
Luke 18:14b … for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The famously humble Rabbi Hillel had paved the way for our Lord with similar teachings, opposed to those of Rabbi Shamai, who was seen as rather aloof, but it is not as if the Lord had just picked up on something Hillel said, or invented it independently. Many years earlier, his mother Mary came out with a very similar expression under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in her ecstatic song of praise known as ‘the Magificat’:
Luke 1:51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Neither did Mary just invent such sentiments. In the Christian Voice Newsletter of December 2011 I wrote an article on Mary’s song, and showed that everything she said in it was based squarely on Old Testament scripture. The scattering of the proud, the pulling down of the mighty and the exaltation of those of low degree draw on a host of references like these in Psalms and Proverbs:
Psalm 18:26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
Psalm 138:6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
Prov 3:34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
Prov 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Prov 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
Prov 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Prov 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
It should not come as any surprise to find the words of the Lord Jesus, the song of Mary and the wisdom of the Old Testament agreeing. The Lord Jesus is God incarnate, so he wrote all the scriptures through the Holy Spirit.
Were the apostles gracious to everyone? Well, actually, they were not. Simon the sorcerer wanted to buy the gifts of the Holy Spirit from Peter, whose first letter we quoted from when we opened:
Acts 8:20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
This is the same Peter who wrote:
2Pet 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen
As God tells us, there are those with whom to be gracious, and those with whom to be firm. And look how Paul dealt with Elymas, another sorcerer, who wanted to stop Sergius, the Roman deputy, from hearing the gospel. Many Christians would want to be nice to Elymas, to tell him Jesus loves him. The man who met the same Jesus on the road to Damascus had a radically different approach, as he stared the wizard in the face,
Acts 13:10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Now we do not know whether Elymas repented, although we hope that like Simon the sorcerer, conviction of sin overtook him. But just look what a positive result occurred in the heart of the onlooking Sergius:
Acts 13:12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul told Timothy:
2Tim 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
But then, in his second letter to Timothy, he encourages him into more active opposition and to correct and rebuke:
2Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
The same man who had laid up for himself a crown of righteousness (2Tim 4:8) was even given to imprecatory prayer six verses later against a man we may assume was caught in the sin of pride:
2Tim 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
Again, in his letter to Titus, we find Paul urging meekness on the one hand, and directing that someone be thrown out of the church eight verses on:
Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Titus 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Now someone might say that the Apostles were only human, and that we need to look at the example of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We want to be Christ-like. The trouble is, too many of us think being Christ-like means going around saying ‘hello flowers, hello clouds’ and never saying anything untoward even to poultry. But our Lord’s example really does not encourage us to be nice and inoffensive.
Dorothy L Sayers said: We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mild’, and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.’
When we look at the life of the Lion of Judah, we find that he dealt with people exactly as God says he will deal with them. He resisted the proud and he was gracious to the humble.
The Lord Jesus displayed humility before heaven and he had compassion, empathy and forgiveness to everyone who came to him in humility. He was gracious to the humble ‑ the lepers he healed (Matt 8:2‑4, Luke 17:12‑16), the centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Matt 8:5‑13), the woman with the jar of ointment whose sins he forgave (Luke 7:37‑48), the paralytic he healed and whose sins he forgave (Mark 2:1‑12), the woman at the well (John 4:7), the Syrophenician woman (Mar 7:28), the father with the sick son (Mark 9:17‑27) and the scribe who asked his opinion (Mark 12:28‑34) to take just a few examples.
And of course, when our gracious Lord replied to the scribe, he quoted Deuteronomy and Leviticus, two books of the Old Testament.
Christ also resisted the proud. He referred to Herod as ‘that fox’ (Luke 13:32), called the traders in the temple ‘thieves’ and over‑turned their tables with two more Old Testament quotes (Mark 11:15‑17), called his dinner companions ‘hypocrites’ (Matt 23:13ff), accused his disciple Peter of being like Satan (Mark 8:33), and told a man who wanted to follow him right after his father’s funeral ‘let the dead bury their dead’ (Matt 8:22).
Jesus Christ pronounced woe on whole cities whose people did not respect his followers, saying it would be like Sodom for them (Luke 10:12‑15). And in a chilling passage, he said of those who would reject his authority to rule: ‘But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.’ (Luke 19:27).
In its desire to appear nice and gentle, the church has lost all balance. It has become like a tank of developing fluid which someone forgot to shake. All the developer has sunk to the bottom, so the film is over-developed on one half, and under-developed on the other. The modern fashionable church is well-developed with love, grace and acceptance while law, judgment and rebuke have become all but invisible. In this day, we need to learn when to be gracious and when to stand up against sin. The church, like the developing tank, urgently needs someone to pray that the Lord will agitate it!
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25 comments
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Barbara Richards
21 September 2012 at 18:24 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Jesus never flinched from calling a spade a spade, but he was gracious and kind to the afflicted and needy. When that woman was going to be stoned for adultery he saved her life, but he told her to sin no more. I know how lovely Jesus is, because of what he has done for me in my own life, and I have felt the sting of being a social outcast but Jesus doesnt just slam doors in peoples faces, he knocks on our souls door instead and asks to be invited in, to be at the centre of our lives. I was abused as a child, and abused children become sexualised. The Lord didnt shun me when I begged him to help me, he didnt turn his back on me because of the state I was in. I think we should be like the Lord, as much as we can, he is our guiding Saviour.
Don
21 September 2012 at 18:40 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Suggested signs:
Remember! When the Judgment comes, You would not repent of your sins!
Remember! God says: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”
Remember! God says: “What you sow you will reap.”
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Parents, shield your children’s eyes from this wickedness!
Pride? SHAME!
William Cairns
21 September 2012 at 18:55 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you, Stephen.
A much needed post. Your conclusion is a lucid assessment of much of modern evangelicalism.
I fear greatly for the visible church, if, rather, when we are faced with saying “sodomy is a sin” in order to save our souls. I greatly fear that Lot’s wife syndrome, as I term it, could prove disastrously widespread.
Alex Lennox
21 September 2012 at 19:08 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I wonder what the two minister mentioned in this article would have thought of Jesus when he whipped the money changers out of the Temple? Would they have shook their heads at the Lord? would they have set up a water stall and would they have given to those who had offened the Lord? The Lord in his rightous anger would have whipped them, and overturned their water stall. He would have firmly put them out of the house of God.
No where in the Bible does it say “God Loves the sinner but hates their sin”
God hates the workers of iniquity… Full stop .. in other words he hates those who practice their sin, and so should the two ministers in the above article, and instead of watering these sodomites, they should be on the street with the word of God sharing it with them, and warning them of the wrath to come.
Chris
21 September 2012 at 19:32 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Neville Chamberlain tried to be nice to Hitler, and to appease him. Hitler just took advantage of Chamberlain’s weakness. Sir Winston Churchill stood up to Hitler, and was prepared to fight and never surrender. Sir Winston’s method worked, whilst Chamberlain’s method was totally useless.
Much of today’s church is spineless, weak and soft, and achieves nothing. The well known hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” portrays how we need to be, although unfortunately this hymn is now classified as being “politically incorrect” in many churches.
The best way forward is given in Ephesians 6 vv 10-20. There is no weakness here.
Brian Davison
21 September 2012 at 21:23 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Jesus war was fought on the cross, his suffering and death his victory, his might turned to resisting the temptation to turn away, not in warfare as Churchill knew it.
Jane
22 September 2012 at 17:32 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Brian – I think Chris is just using this as an analogy; I don’t think he/she intends us to kill sinners – or we’re all done for! We should fight and never surrender, but in the way set out in Ephesians.
Brian Davison
21 September 2012 at 21:21 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
You say ” Giving water to someone is, on a spiritual level, being part of what they are doing and of who they are:” and yet Jesus ate and drank with sinners, not approving their lifestyle but reaching out to them. He didn’t rail against specific sins (except for the religious leaders who were putting impossible burdens on people) , but invited them to leave all sin and follow him. A very big difference.
Does railing against specific sins advance the Kingdom? Does it draw people to consider following Jesus or push them away? Where is the gospel message in protesting about Gay Pride? Jesus came to offer these people life in all it’s fullness, not just to condemn their sexual preferences.
And why the use of the “Good news for 17th Century Man” version? It portrays a people stuck in the past, bizarrely out of touch with people, rather than those who have a life saving message of a relationship with God who is incarnate in the 21st century, in his Body the church. Making points from the original greek or hebrew or aramaic I can understand, when talking “in house” but using Shakespearean English is a s foreign to english speakers today as using Gaelic or Welsh!!
Stephen
22 September 2012 at 09:27 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
The big difference in your first paragraph, Pastor, was that our Lord seems to have accepted hospitality wherever it was offered, but he himself did not offer the hospitality. The Last Supper and the Beach Barbecue were for his disciples. The two exceptions of course are the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand, but those were done for a different purpose.
Nor did the Lord have people parading through Jerusalem demanding state recognition of certain sin, as we have today. The gospel message in witnessing at ‘gay pride’ is firstly in resisting the proud, which is part of the gospel and the prophetic duty of the church, and secondly taking the trouble to offer those people life in all its fullness.
We use the Authorised Version because people recognise it as ‘Bible’, because of the veracity of its Hebrew and Greek text, because of the humility of its translators, because of the simplicity and majesty of its language and because no-one has yet suggested a modern version which is an honest translation rather than a paraphrase and which has universal acceptance in the church.
phil heaton
23 September 2012 at 14:43 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Every incident that has been documented showing how Jesus would act or react to a given situation is to be an example for us. Jesus is the exemplar we are to follow.
To give water at a Gay Pride event without offering a witness is not something Jesus would have done. The two ministers put themselves into a situation where Jesus was not invited so why were they there? I have been invited to the Manchester Gay Pride event but refused to go on the basis that I could not participate in an open endorsement of a sinful lifestyle. If I had gone it would be to provide a witness for Christ and for no other reason.
As ministers with God-given authority more is required of the two gentlemen than of the laity. Regrettably I see this all too often and write letters to newspapers contesting such actions but seldom have these printed.
The apostasy that has been prophesied for these end times is all too evident in the clergy, which of course is where it must start.
Remember the words in 2John verse 11, “For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds”
lilian
21 September 2012 at 23:07 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Chris, I thoughouly agree with you we are a wishy washy church who no one takes any notice of. We should stand up and be counted, Jesus stood up to the money changers because they were wrong, and we shoud do the same if something is wrong.
Charles
22 September 2012 at 01:36 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I am absolutely sure that there are times when we need to use the power of Christ and say ‘Get away from me Satan’, ‘Stay away from me Satan’ and ‘Never cross my path again Satan’.
There is nothing in the Bible or Jesus’ testimony about forgiving those who are greatly evil and show no repentance and never say sorry.
In such difficult times as now when the Prime Minister and most of his Cabinet are out to bring in even more anti-Christian laws against some of the most profound teachings in the Bible and against Jesus’ teaching, and out to impoverish most of the UK as never before, we need to stand steadfast in our faith and in our Christian beliefs.
I say to all politicians, to all members of the Cabinet and to David Cameron himself ‘Get away from me Satan’, ‘Stay away from me Satan’ and ‘Never cross my path again Satan’.
We all need to do this at every chance and opportunity until they learn to repent. make no mistake, they (and the previous many Governments) are out to destroy Christianity as we know it.
Those who are manifestly not Children of God but choose and continue to choose deliberately to be children of the Devil must be treated accordingly. How can any decent Church minister allow very evil politicians in any church premises, including Westminster Cathedral. I just do not know what the world is coming to right now.
So to all who would do great evils and carry on doing great evil I repeat ‘Get away from me Satan’, ‘Stay away from me Satan’ and ‘Never cross my path again Satan’.
mark
22 September 2012 at 01:38 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
This is a great article which exposes the deception within chritiandom. The point of view which says that you are to be meek and mild no matter what the circumstances. This is erroneous thinking on our part true love will drive us to be confrontational without being disrespectful and challenge sin where it presents itself. God does not call us to be wishy washy or Lilly livered and spineless as many ministers today clearly are, but to be as daring and outspoken as those that are the enemies of the kingdom of God. When the temple, or house of god became a house of trading and disrepute, christ through out the money traders out of the temple and turned over thier tables accusing them of turning it into a den of thieves. Math 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19: 45-46. I doubt there was any pious humility displayed there. Christians especially in the west need to understand how to ‘contend’ for the faith and to be without fear and fear of criticism – for if we do, it won’t take much to crumble under much greater pressure – think about it. People who criticise Christians do it partly because they do not see much in the way of courage of conviction and cannot be completely to blame for there outlook, let’s be real. However, there is great reality they are missing out on because WE, Christians, fail to show that Gods ways, and their lives, are woth fighting for – that’s right, you might hate us but you are worth fighting for! God offers eternal life to anyone who dares beleive in him, and everyone needs to know this, but they won’t know it if we don’t show it and defend it. Peace
Gerald Cleverley
22 September 2012 at 03:06 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
A Minister by definition is a servant unto the Lord, a servant unto his congregation in which the Lord has assembled as his flock. A Minister’s duty is to teach, encourage, rebuke and guide those in whom the Lord has trusted unto his care to be dependant unto the Lord for all things.
As a servant unto the Lord I often referr to myself as an irritant, provoking those in my charge to consider the broader aspects of the Lord, his awesome power and his desire for those calling themselves Christians to seek his guidance, not mine!
Unwavering Prayer and resolve establish and vindicate true devotion under fire.
Jane
22 September 2012 at 17:22 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Gerald – it’s interesting that pearls are produced by irritation…
Jonathan Campbell
22 September 2012 at 06:45 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Excellent article. Full of scripture but a lot of common sense too. Thank you for preparing and sharing this sound teaching.
Dave H
22 September 2012 at 11:17 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Dave H.
Mark, I completely agree with your views regarding the way things are going in our society and the reasons why. The Churches are not empty because they preach the Gospel of Christ they are empty because they preach anything but. Trying to please the people by not tackling these problems is not Christs way. T
John Winlow
22 September 2012 at 13:33 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
All religions are “filtered” through the culture, so whilst our British cultures have been greatly shaped by the teachings of Christianity, there are still recognisable differences in emphasis.
For example Brititish/English Christians have emphasised the “soft answer turneth away wrath” approach, and that we should be peacemakers and quick to forgive.
But all these things have to be seen in the context they are written in.
For example Jesus was loving, gentle and forbearing in some situations, and scathing, angry and quick to point out hypocrisy or insincerity in others.
We could never get the balance right! But I fear that it is the wishy washy gentle “don’t upset anyone” approach which has done a great deal of harm to the Christian cause in the UK in more recent years. Personally I can’t see any British Christian being accepted for Prophetic Training School, as that relates to our culture. We all tend (and I include myself) to be too nice, too afraid to being seen as harsh or judgemental. Obviously that can’t be an excuse for us choleric types to let fly, but you get my drift…
Jane
22 September 2012 at 17:40 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
John – an odd comment ref the Prophetic Training School…wouldn’t we be hearing from the Lord and speaking out His word? Of course our personalities come into this, as we are imperfect clay vessels, but too much overlay of our own interpretation should be discernable and I have seen that the Lord can withdraw anointing too.
John Winlow
22 September 2012 at 16:29 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Apologies for the break-I had to go out.
Anyway, my real point is that Christians are saved by Grace, which to me means that God accept us as we are and sends the Holy Spirit to work in our newly sanctified spirits to produce fruit, and we also learn to hear that small voice prompting and guiding our inner man.
All fine and dandy until we have to re-engage not only with our “old” life and relationships, but develop new relationships with other Christians in a church or fellowship. That’s where the prevailing culture begins to mould us into ,
“What WE believe is acceptable behaviour, and this is how you will earn brownie points in THIS church!”
It isn’t intentional. It isn’t usually taught as such either. We just start to absorb it through our skin..bit like osmosis.
So my argument is that if God has saved us in all our glorious “messedupness,” then somehow we have to try and minimise the way that group behaviour gradually becomes OUR behaviour as Christians. We have to accept each other as parts of the Body of Christ, and whilst pointing to Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and Head of the body of Christ, find ways to accept others from different backgrounds, help them find a place where they will feel comfortable.
Because I believe that many who are saved from difficult or “rough” backgrounds are far better placed to reach out to others. They will make mistakes sure, but they will also be more in tune with what’s going on outside the church, and more willing to reach out. That’s what we mustn’t squash. We want them to be more like Jesus, not more like us.
Charles
23 September 2012 at 00:20 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
All of Jesus’ good disciples took testimony of Jesus and His Resurrection often into distant lands and such was their selflessness and self-sacrifice in spreading the Gospel and the Good News that they too were tortured and brutally murdered.
But through their actions the Gospel and Good News now reaches out worldwide.
I often think in our so-called civilized society, which is in fact anything but, that Church Ministers have often been out for platitudes rather than speaking truths. Rowan Williams, thankfully, as Archbishop of Canterbury has had more to say about the plight of impoverished people in Britain than most!
My MP speaks out (supposedly very graciously (but such is the work of the Devil)) for an inclusive society where all people enjoy the same rights and responsibilities, regardless of their religion or sexuality. In truth this is reverting to savagery and debauchery. Holiness means nothing in this world of ‘equality’.
We revere the Lord Jesus Christ above all others. We worship God and if God chooses others to have authority over us, there is no equality of treatment in that!!!!
Nowhere in the Bible does it say to treat unrepentant sinners with any equality.
But if we suffer gross indignities, loss of jobs and careers, physical harm even unto losing our lives in this world for our Faith, have we not fought the good fight? And when we arrive at Heaven’s door we will be greeted with ‘Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter here-in’ to our just reward!
Many who live though cowardly and shrinking away from doing good will find their own reward in this life, but little beyond. We can have an easy life and let evil do its work, or stand up for good at whatever cost.
Doing good hurts, sometimes gravely so, should we shrink and step back from doing good or step out whatever the risk forward onto the brink, and do good?
Remember our Lord and Saviour died on the Cross for our sins.
Do we put this to one side or stand up for Christianity with all we have and all we our worth?
The answer should be, whatever, do good and make good, manifest, every time!
Ghoul
23 September 2012 at 14:26 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
You are so right.
Society is headed for the rocks primarily because so many church leaders are weak men who would do anything for a comfortable, confrontation-free life.
They find every conceivable excuse to justify their dereliction of duty.
Jill Widdowson
23 September 2012 at 18:12 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
How refreshing, you have hit the nail on the head. I have long thought that there is such misunderstanding on the subject of both the grace of God and being gracious; you describe the error of the latter so well. Keep up the good work in bringing truth.
Mike lampard
26 September 2012 at 19:46 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Generally, the thrust of this article is sound and i support it whole heartedly. What is happening is simply compromise by the church and its leaders. There are several versions of this, effecting many different issues but this one is directed at gay pride, etc. We try to be nice to everyone and we become nothing to anyone. Furthermore, the Gospel is either compromised, or, worse still not preached at all! I personally am not bothered what the secular world thinks about gat marriages and gay effections etc. I am bothered how the church responds, and it is clear that a large part of the church does not have the correctregard for the Bible as THE word of God, at which point they c either cease to be a church or become totally apostate. That applies pretty well to the whole of the demonimational church leadership. As believers we are to stand on the Word of God, not on any organization, whatever the cost. Anything less will result in similar compromise.
Ashley DICKENSON
31 January 2013 at 18:14 (UTC 1) Link to this comment
To quote Melanie Philips from her excellent book ‘Londonistan’ : In America the churches have been in the forefront of the defence of Western values. In Britain, by contrast,the Church of England has been in the forefront of the RETREAT (capitals mine) from the Judaeo-Christian heritage. At every stage it has sought to appease the forces of secularism, accomodating itself to family breakdown (eg), seeking to be non-judgmental and embracing multi-culturalism’ (which even Trevor Philips admitted doesn’t work and neither does Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones (UK’s first black farmer)