“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] New Christian Observer Articles for July 2015
[2] ARP Moderator Schedules Called Meeting of ARP Synod Executive Board to Hear Legal Counsel Regarding a Response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Homosexual Marriage Ruling
[3] Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales Threatens to Stop Performing Government-Sanctioned Marriages if Homosexual Marriage is Legalized
[4] South African Dutch Reformed Church Moderator Calls for Allowing Homosexual Clergy to Enter Civil Unions
---
[1] New Christian Observer Articles for July 2015
New Christian Observer articles for July 2015 include:
-- Revisiting the Family Context of the Gospel Covenant - by Christian Observer Contributing Editor David Brand - “Militant efforts to redefine nature itself in terms of marriage and family relationships are engulfing America. It is critically important for Christians to revisit the major recorded apostolic presentations of the gospel, carefully noting the scope of the gospel promise itself and of the baptism which followed….”;
-- The Fearful Face of Failure -by Christian Observer Contributing Editor Dr. Joe Renfro - Charleston, South Carolina mass murderer Dylann Storm Roof’s life of failure that led to his only “success” which was to do something dastardly wrong;
-- The Life and Times of Jan Hus - by John Goris –originally published in the Volume 42/6 July 2015 issue of Faith in Focus, magazine of the Reformed Churches of New Zealand
+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 24450, christianobserver@christianobserver.org
+ Reformed Churches of New Zealand, stated-clerk@rcnz.org.nz
[2] ARP Moderator Schedules Called Meeting of ARP Synod Executive Board to Hear Legal Counsel Regarding a Response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Homosexual Marriage Ruling
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Moderator Jamie Hunt has called a meeting of the ARP Synod’s Executive Board for Monday, 13 July 2015 at 9:00 a.m. EDT for the purpose of hearing from Synod’s legal counsel regarding a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on same sex marriage. The meeting will be conducted by conference call, and information is being sent to members of the board.
Moderator Hunt requests that you pray for this meeting and ask God’s wisdom for the members of the Executive Board as they consider this matter.
+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729
[3] Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales Threatens to Stop Performing Government-Sanctioned Marriages if Homosexual Marriage is Legalized
A 6 July 2015 commentary by Dr. John McClean, convenor of the Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales (PCANSW)’s Gospel, Society, and Culture Committee and vice-principal of Christ College, in the Sydney Morning Herald, stated that if homosexual marriage is made legal in Australia, PCANSW ministers may stop performing state-sanctioned marriages.
Dr. McClean stated:
“Jesus' view was that sex is for marriage, marriage is for life and marriage is for a man and a woman. When he was asked about marriage, he quoted from the beginning of the Bible which says that God made marriage for a man and a woman to share a life and sexual union. From that he came to his famous conclusion: "what God has joined together, let no one separate". Jesus' account of marriage is reinforced by many parts of the Bible….”
“Many people don't share any of the three key elements in Jesus' definition. Most people do not think that sex is only for marriage and the vast majority of couples in Australia who marry live together first. Many Australians are not convinced that marriage should be for life. Often wedding vows don't have the "till we are parted by death" kind of words. Now a significant section of the Australian population also want marriage redefined to include same-sex couples….”
“If we decide to separate from the Marriage Act, we hope there will be a way in which we can continue to celebrate marriages, though our services won't be recognised by Australian law. We don't want to divorce marriage, just the Marriage Act. We're still looking at how this could be possible.”
+ Sydney Morning Herald, Level 2, 1 Darling Island Road, Pyrmont, New South Wales 2009, Australia, 13-2535 Contact Page
+ Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales, Post Office Box 2196, Strawberry Hills, New South Wales 2012, Australia, 02-9690-9333, Fax: 02-9310-2148, general@pcnsw.org.au
[4] South African Dutch Reformed Church Moderator Calls for Allowing Homosexual Clergy to Enter Civil Unions
An 8 July 2015 Eyewitness News article by Monique Mortlock titled “Dutch Reformed Moderator Calls for Equal Rights for Gay Pastors” reports that Moderator Nelus Niemandt of the Dutch Reformed Church says that he wants equal rights for homosexual ministers in the denomination, including the right to enter a civil union with a member of the same sex.
Niemandt stated:
“There isn’t a clear prohibition in the bible on what we see as a life-long union between two people of the same sex who live according to Christian values.”
+ Eyewitness News, Primedia House, 2nd Floor 5 Gwen Lane , Sandown, Johannesburg, South Africa, 27-011-506-3702, news@ewn.co.za
+ Dutch Reformed Church, Posbus 13528, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa, 27-0-12-342-0092, Fax: 27-0-12-342-0380, algemenesinode@ngkerk.org.za
[1] New Christian Observer Articles for July 2015
[2] ARP Moderator Schedules Called Meeting of ARP Synod Executive Board to Hear Legal Counsel Regarding a Response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Homosexual Marriage Ruling
[3] Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales Threatens to Stop Performing Government-Sanctioned Marriages if Homosexual Marriage is Legalized
[4] South African Dutch Reformed Church Moderator Calls for Allowing Homosexual Clergy to Enter Civil Unions
---
[1] New Christian Observer Articles for July 2015
New Christian Observer articles for July 2015 include:
-- Revisiting the Family Context of the Gospel Covenant - by Christian Observer Contributing Editor David Brand - “Militant efforts to redefine nature itself in terms of marriage and family relationships are engulfing America. It is critically important for Christians to revisit the major recorded apostolic presentations of the gospel, carefully noting the scope of the gospel promise itself and of the baptism which followed….”;
-- The Fearful Face of Failure -by Christian Observer Contributing Editor Dr. Joe Renfro - Charleston, South Carolina mass murderer Dylann Storm Roof’s life of failure that led to his only “success” which was to do something dastardly wrong;
-- The Life and Times of Jan Hus - by John Goris –originally published in the Volume 42/6 July 2015 issue of Faith in Focus, magazine of the Reformed Churches of New Zealand
Plus, Daily Devotionals by
Christian Observer Contributing Editor T.M. Moore, dean of the Centurions
Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe.
+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 24450, christianobserver@christianobserver.org
+ Reformed Churches of New Zealand, stated-clerk@rcnz.org.nz
[2] ARP Moderator Schedules Called Meeting of ARP Synod Executive Board to Hear Legal Counsel Regarding a Response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Homosexual Marriage Ruling
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Moderator Jamie Hunt has called a meeting of the ARP Synod’s Executive Board for Monday, 13 July 2015 at 9:00 a.m. EDT for the purpose of hearing from Synod’s legal counsel regarding a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on same sex marriage. The meeting will be conducted by conference call, and information is being sent to members of the board.
Moderator Hunt requests that you pray for this meeting and ask God’s wisdom for the members of the Executive Board as they consider this matter.
+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729
[3] Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales Threatens to Stop Performing Government-Sanctioned Marriages if Homosexual Marriage is Legalized
A 6 July 2015 commentary by Dr. John McClean, convenor of the Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales (PCANSW)’s Gospel, Society, and Culture Committee and vice-principal of Christ College, in the Sydney Morning Herald, stated that if homosexual marriage is made legal in Australia, PCANSW ministers may stop performing state-sanctioned marriages.
Dr. McClean stated:
“Jesus' view was that sex is for marriage, marriage is for life and marriage is for a man and a woman. When he was asked about marriage, he quoted from the beginning of the Bible which says that God made marriage for a man and a woman to share a life and sexual union. From that he came to his famous conclusion: "what God has joined together, let no one separate". Jesus' account of marriage is reinforced by many parts of the Bible….”
“Many people don't share any of the three key elements in Jesus' definition. Most people do not think that sex is only for marriage and the vast majority of couples in Australia who marry live together first. Many Australians are not convinced that marriage should be for life. Often wedding vows don't have the "till we are parted by death" kind of words. Now a significant section of the Australian population also want marriage redefined to include same-sex couples….”
“If we decide to separate from the Marriage Act, we hope there will be a way in which we can continue to celebrate marriages, though our services won't be recognised by Australian law. We don't want to divorce marriage, just the Marriage Act. We're still looking at how this could be possible.”
+ Sydney Morning Herald, Level 2, 1 Darling Island Road, Pyrmont, New South Wales 2009, Australia, 13-2535 Contact Page
+ Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales, Post Office Box 2196, Strawberry Hills, New South Wales 2012, Australia, 02-9690-9333, Fax: 02-9310-2148, general@pcnsw.org.au
[4] South African Dutch Reformed Church Moderator Calls for Allowing Homosexual Clergy to Enter Civil Unions
An 8 July 2015 Eyewitness News article by Monique Mortlock titled “Dutch Reformed Moderator Calls for Equal Rights for Gay Pastors” reports that Moderator Nelus Niemandt of the Dutch Reformed Church says that he wants equal rights for homosexual ministers in the denomination, including the right to enter a civil union with a member of the same sex.
Niemandt stated:
“There isn’t a clear prohibition in the bible on what we see as a life-long union between two people of the same sex who live according to Christian values.”
+ Eyewitness News, Primedia House, 2nd Floor 5 Gwen Lane , Sandown, Johannesburg, South Africa, 27-011-506-3702, news@ewn.co.za
+ Dutch Reformed Church, Posbus 13528, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa, 27-0-12-342-0092, Fax: 27-0-12-342-0380, algemenesinode@ngkerk.org.za
