“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] Vicar
Facing Discipline for Singing Without a Face Mask
Rev. Charlie Boyle, a vicar
in Dorset, was pressured to leave his post and his home - along with his wife
and four sons - and now faces discipline over allegations relating to Covid.
During the pandemic, he had
sought to minister the gospel - sharing his faith and pastoring his
congregation - while avoiding spreading Covid-19. But at a meeting after Easter
Sunday 2021, the Archdeacon of Dorset met Charlie and put pressure on him to
leave his post and the vicarage by the end of July.
The Archdeacon didn't say
why. But he wrote to Charlie on 24 June 2021 listing allegations that Charlie
had broken Covid rules.
What were these claims?
He had sung "Thine Be
the Glory" at the end of an Easter Sunday service while leaving
church. He had returned Bibles to the church building. He had hugged a mourner
following a funeral. He had conducted an online service from a beach hut he
rents.
What would Jesus say?
Charlie's story was featured in this week's Mail on Sunday
Charlie can answer every one
of these claims - he has not been reckless. For example, he has diagnosed
asthma but sought to wear a mask when possible for the comfort of others.
Another accusation was that he had not taken responsibility for the church's
Covid risk assessments, despite strong evidence that he did.
But even if he had, these are
not sins worthy of the heavy-handed discipline being enacted by the Archdeacon.
Putting Charlie through
discipline over these matters paints a picture of church authorities acting
like Pharisees over Covid, while doing nothing about other church leaders
promoting all sorts of false teaching within the Church of England.
Members of Charlie's
congregation have rallied to support him after discovering that he had been
asked to leave, particularly as he was unaware of the allegations against him.
One message of support said: “Having
discovered to my horror that Charlie and Sarah Boyle are being asked to step
down from their present roles, I felt it only fair and right to let you have my
input as someone who has been quite actively involved with them since they
arrived eight years ago.”
Another said: “I know
there can always be difficulties in any parish, not least leading a parish through
a pandemic. Charlie has achieved this admirably in my opinion.”
Furthermore, a member of the
congregation said: “Rev. Charlie Boyle has brought a vibrancy to All Saints
during the past eight years and a younger congregation have embraced the church
wholeheartedly with him at the helm. It has been a wonderful experience and he
should be congratulated on the work he has achieved.”
‘I won’t give up my
calling’
Charlie commented on his
case:
"I am deeply saddened
and hurt that Covid regulations are being used as an excuse by the church
hierarchy to bully me and my young family.
"During the pandemic,
due to government guidance, churches and their congregations have become places
of division and fear instead of the places of prayer, refuge, worship, outreach
and hope they should be.
"We must all take
precautions of course, but we also have to ask the question of what Jesus would
do in such a crisis?
"Churches have been
forced to capitulate to government and Church of England guidance and have been
prevented from supporting their communities in the biggest crisis since the
war.
"I have done
everything possible to reassure and protect people’s material, emotional and
spiritual well-being."
+ Christian Concern,
[2] Dr. Frank Wright:
We Will Not Bow to Cancel Culture
NEWS PROVIDED BY
D. James Kennedy Ministries
July 16, 2021
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 16, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- In a public statement on
video, D. James Kennedy Ministries President and CEO Dr. Frank Wright revealed
a series of cancel culture attacks on the Christian broadcast ministry which,
he said, are "surely the first wave of much more to come." Despite
that, he pledged that "we remain committed to standing for truth and
defending your freedom." The text of his full statement is below and may
be viewed at www.djameskennedy.org.
Statement from Dr. Frank Wright on Cancel Culture Attacks
When
James Madison was a young man, he stood with his father outside a Virginia jail
listening. They were listening to Baptist preachers, who stood in their jail
cell windows preaching the Gospel. Why were they in jail? What was their
alleged crime? They were preaching opinions not approved by the government.
These visceral examples of viewpoint discrimination were not lost on Madison
who later drafted the U.S. Constitution and went on to serve as the fourth
President of the United States.
Fast forward 250 years or so and we see a new and insidious form of viewpoint
discrimination in what's called the cancel culture. Many have heard the term
but may not understand what it means. Cancel culture is the moniker for the
systematic efforts of media and technology elites to marginalize, demonize, and
eventually criminalize speech and ideas that are unacceptable to their
hard-Left Marxist sensibilities.
For D. James Kennedy Ministries, the first significant attack came from the
Southern Poverty Law Center—who placed us on their so-called hate map for our
Biblical views on marriage and human sexuality. As you may know, we sued both
SPLC and Amazon in federal district court for defamation and discrimination.
Four years later, that case is still alive before the Eleventh Circuit Court of
Appeals in Atlanta. We are asking that court to remand our case for a trial
before a jury of our peers. Please pray that God will open that door with a
favorable ruling.
More recently the attacks on D. James Kennedy Ministries by the cancel culture
have accelerated dramatically. Not long ago, our Truths That Transform
television program was forced off the Lifetime Channel being deemed too
controversial. Just in the last month, the digital vendor hosting our website's
bookstore—known as Volusian—forced us to close down our bookstore—again because
of our Biblical stand for truth. And most recently, the thought police at
Facebook began blocking our Facebook Live program titled, "Why Do You
Believe That?" This is a program we have aired for the last fifteen months
on Facebook—but suddenly we are deemed in violation of their so-called
community standards.
Friends, this is surely the first wave of much more to come. But I wanted you
to know that we are not sitting here wringing our hands in despair. We are
confident in our calling and blessed beyond measure by your faithful prayers
and consistent financial support. We are taking every possible step to secure
all our digital, video, and print content. And we are working diligently to
expand our channels of distribution.
The Scriptures promise that when the enemy comes in like a flood, God raises a
standard to which we can repair. That standard is truth—God's truth. We remain
committed to standing for truth and defending your freedom. Thank you for
standing with us.
D. James
Kennedy Ministries (DJKM) is a media ministry whose television program, Truths
That Transform, airs nationwide. DJKM actively communicates the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, the supremacy of His Lordship, and a Biblically informed view of the
world.
+ D.
James Kennedy Ministries, Post Office Box 11184, Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida 33339, 866-534-1294, letters@djameskennedy.org
The following is excerpted
from “Pastor Tim Stephens Freed,” jccf.ca, July 1, 2021: “The Justice Centre
for Constitutional Freedoms is pleased to announce that Pastor Timothy Stephens
of Fairview Baptist Church was released from the Calgary Remand Centre earlier
today. Pastor Stephens has been in jail since Monday, June 14. ... The Justice
Centre also confirms that Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, and Grace Life
Church near Edmonton, have been unchained and released from government seizure
and will be returned to their congregations effective today. Alberta’s public
health orders are subject to Charter challenges in two separate court actions,
both justify public health orders, the Alberta government has gained
international notoriety by jailing three different pastors,’ states Jay
Cameron, Justice Centre Litigation Director. ... On the afternoon of Monday,
June 14, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) arrived at Pastor Stephens’ house and
arrested him in front of his wife and eight distraught children. ... This June
14 arrest of Pastor Stephens relates to an alleged outdoor church service held
on June 6, 2021 in Calgary, with about 200 congregants of Fairview Baptist
church. A police helicopter was deployed to search for and detect this peaceful
outdoor gathering, and to collect evidence against Pastor Stephens of
non-compliance with public health restrictions. ... The Alberta government has
failed to produce any evidence that outdoor services are a threat to public
health. ... The Kenney government in Alberta, including Health Minister Tyler
Shandro and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw, have engaged in a
months-long systematic attack on peaceful worship, arresting and incarcerating
three Christian pastors for the ‘offence’ of peacefully gathering to worship,
and barricading the pastors’ churches with an intimidating show of police force
of scores of officers. Pastors and congregants were issued tickets totalling
tens of thousands of dollars, and churches had their locks changed and double
and triple fencing erected around them. Health officials and police worked in
consort to spy on congregants and church leadership. ... ‘The Alberta Crown has
failed entirely to produce evidence to justify its tyrannical lockdowns, a
prerequisite under the Charter to justify lockdowns measures that have
inflicted much harm on Albertans in the past fifteen months,’ concludes
Cameron.”dating back to 2020. ... ‘While refusing to present any medical or
scientific evidence in court to justify lockdowns measures that have inflicted
much harm on Albertans in the past fifteen months,’ concludes Cameron.”
The following is excerpted
from “Canadian Pastor,” Christian Headlines, July 6, 2021: “A Canadian pastor
who was released from jail last week told his congregation Sunday he was
strengthened by the support and prayers of Christians around the world. Tim
Stephens, the pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, was released July
1, more than two weeks after he was arrested for holding church services in
violation of provincial COVID-19 health restrictions. ... Tears in his eyes,
Stephens told the congregation he was ‘encouraged that many of you were
strengthened and emboldened in your faith.’ ... ‘Each day, He sustained me and
each day I heard of His work among you and in the world,’ Stephens said.
Stephens preached from Matthew 10, in which Jesus told the disciples they would
face persecution. ... ‘The last 17 nights I’ve spent in jail,’ he said, ‘have
given me opportunities to declare the glory of Christ, within and without.
[There] never has been a time in my life when I’ve been so hated by people. But
never has there been a time in my life when I felt so loved by people [at] the
same time. Don’t fear men. Shout from the rooftops that Jesus Christ is King of
all kings. ... Fear God. Jesus said [that] God is the one who is going to judge
and God is the one who is going to care for you.’ In a blog this summer,
Stephens acknowledged COVID-19 is ‘serious’ but argued the ‘cure should not be
worse than the disease,’ pointing to problems of mental health and suicide. His
church had not had a ‘single transmission’ of COVID-19, he wrote.”
+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port
Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org
[4] Tyndale International
University Graduation Address “Driving Away the Darkness”
We are living in a strange
time, are we not? A time when evil is being called good, and good
evil. A time when the foundations of society are being destroyed. A time of
cultural revolution that not only threatens the society as a whole but the
church in particular. A time when purportedly highly educated people do not
know how many genders there are. And a time in which the institutional church
herself is under assault not merely from external forces but from within, so
that there are false prophets proclaiming their heretical and divisive
messages—or, to use a metaphor, snake-oil salesmen hawking their deadly
potions.
In such a time as this, those
who are genuine believers in Christ may find themselves bewildered. Why are
these things happening? What should we do? What should we believe? (Should we
modify or abandon time-honored doctrine and moral views?) By what means can we
see clearly through all the cloudy scene, whose murkiness, like a pea-soup fog,
disorients us?
In answering these questions,
I first want to reflect on the nature of the Situation, viz., why is it that we
don't always see clearly?
Well, in the first place,
with the fall of Adam and the resulting effects of corruption and original sin,
man's natural finiteness is compounded by man's failure in his sinful state to
perceive even that which has been revealed to him. Further compounding the
matter is the work of our Enemy, viz., the devil, whom Jesus describes as the
Liar from the beginning. Satan hates God and men, and the Great Conniver plots
incessantly to darken the mind and the understanding.
So, what is the Solution to
this Situation? The Bible gives us the answer. God Himself provides the light
that shines in the darkness and dissipates it (John 3:19). Psalm 119:105 tells
us that the Law of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Psalm
36:9 affirms: "In Thy light we see light." It is the Word of God that
enlightens and illumines the phenomena (general revelation) by the Word's
special revelation. Are you confused about creation—for example, with respect
to the origin of man or perhaps the nature of man? The light of the Word
of God cuts through the darkness like a laser beam, informing us that man was
specially created by God rather than having evolved from lower creatures; and
that God made man in His own image, male and female.
In contrast to the lunacy of
many academics and even churchmen and churchwomen, there is no gender fluidity,
but only a fixed and binary reality. Are you tempted to listen to the special
pleadings of those who would deny these truths? Resist the temptation! Rely
upon the plain teaching of the Word of God. Are you bewildered by those who
insist that religion and politics should not mix? Contradict that assertion by
pointing to the truth that there is no square inch of this world and no
societal institution where Christ does not declare, "Mine! It is Mine! It
belongs to Me! All authority in heaven and earth have been given to Me, and
everyone in every place must submit to My kingship!" In a day when monuments
to heroes, including in many cases Christian heroes (such as Lt. Gen. Thomas J.
"Stonewall" Jackson), are being destroyed, and we are unsure how to
react, remember the counsel of Proverbs 22:28, "Remove not the ancient
landmark." And when people are being called upon to confess their guilt
simply because of the color of their skin, fight back against that false notion
by reciting the truth that we are saved by grace, not race.
This last instance is one
among many indicators that we are witnessing an obscuring of the gospel itself.
But please be aware of the fact that the light that drives away the darkness is
not simply that of theoretical truths; rather, the true light, as John
describes it, is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the Light of the world.
So, my dear friends, be
encouraged during these dark days. Do not lose heart. Do use the Scriptures as
a light to expose darkness and to bring clarity in a time of cloudiness. Do
rely upon the Lord Jesus as the one who Himself is the true light. And remember
that as you do these things, not only will you have light by which to see, but
you yourselves will shine forth as children of light. In the words of Jesus,
"You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Kansamnida [Korean
for"thank you"]. And may God bless you.
Dr. Smith has served in
the administration of Tyndale International University and its predecessor
institution since 2013, first as President and now as Chancellor. He is also
Pastor of Atlanta Reformed Presbyterian Church, an inner-city ministry of the
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America; and Lecturer of History at
Georgia Gwinnett College.
+ Tyndale International
University, 1218 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90019,
213-389-1773, Fax: 213-383-5044, tyndaleinternationaluniversity@gmail.com
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