Church Fails to Give Moral Lead - Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY

Church Fails to Give Moral Lead

Wednesday, February 22, 2017 |  Charles Gardner  ISRAEL TODAY

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Christians

The Church of England has once again failed to give a moral lead to the nation.

Their Synod (parliament) has voted against the Bishops’ recommendation that, in the face of huge pressure to allow same-sex ‘equality’, they should continue to take the traditional view of marriage.

Those within the church desperately trying to honour the clear biblical teaching – that a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife (Genesis 2.24) – have reached a discouraging impasse.

Is it not time to say: ‘enough is enough’? Undermining the authority of the Bible only leads to heresy within and confusion without. Sure, the watching world sees a church divided, and some would say that is a bad witness. But there are surely issues over which it is impossible to compromise.

Endless debates create much heat, but bear little fruit. What, after all, is there left to debate? If the choice is whether or not to follow Scripture, then the advice from the Apostle Paul is: “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6.17) Those pushing for same-sex marriage are surely touching something ‘unclean’.

At the end of the day, we will all stand before God to give account of the decisions we have made or haven’t made. (Romans 14.12)

The letters to the seven churches of Asia recorded in the Book of Revelation give as much emphasis on teaching as on behaviour – the key doctrines of Christian belief are hugely important.

The Apostle John, in his first letter, reminds his hearers that those who were spreading false teaching had come from within the churches. “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us,” he wrote. (1 John 2.19)

Heresy was a great danger in the early church, just as Jesus predicted it would be in these latter days. When his disciples asked him about signs of the end of the age, the first thing he said was: “Watch out that no-one deceives you.” (Matthew 24.4.)

Yes, Jesus prayed passionately for unity among his followers. It was never meant to be unity at any cost, however, but the sort of oneness about which Paul spoke in his letter to the Ephesians when he explained that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers were there “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature…” (Ephesians 4.12f)

The context is clearly about developing maturity within the body of Christ as disciples learn to walk in harmony with the Word of God.

But because the modern church has failed to give a moral lead on the issue of homosexuality, the entire Western world is now in the grip of ‘redefining marriage’, if that is really possible.

We have seen the same thing happen over Israel. Undermining the authority of the Bible has led to the heresy of ‘replacement theology’, teaching that the church has replaced Israel in God’s affections. As a result, there is very little understanding of Israel in the UK church today, and yet God’s end-time purpose is for Jew and Gentile to work together for the gospel! How far we have fallen behind God’s programme!

Tragically, the church has succumbed wholesale to worldliness, ignoring the Bible’s directive: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12.2)

For example, as the mainstream media demonizes President Trump as a fool and a fascist, Christians will all too willingly pick that up without considering whether the truth may well have been stretched and muddied.

Lynne Patton, a black female executive for the Trump Organization, released a statement last year defending her boss against accusations of being a racist and a bigot, tearfully revealing how she’s struggled with substance abuse and addiction for years. But instead of kicking her to the curb, she said that Trump and his entire family loyally stood by her through “immensely difficult times.”

This was revealed in an article by Liz Crokin, an entertainment correspondent who has been reporting for the past ten years on Trump – especially over his involvement in The Apprentice TV show.

“Trump’s kindness knows no bounds and his generosity has and continues to touch the lives of people from every sex, race and religion,” she wrote. “When Trump sees someone in need, he wants to help.”[1]

Isn’t it time we re-committed ourselves to seeking the truth, perfectly demonstrated in Jesus Christ – “the way, the truth and the life”? (John 14.6)

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1. townhall.com, 13 February 2017, also published by Joy Digital, South Africa  ↩

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Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon, and Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com

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Church of England Removes Christ's Cross so Muslims Won't Be Offended - CHRISTIAN CONCERN CHARISMA NEWS

Church of England Removes Christ's Cross so Muslims Won't Be Offended

7/5/2016 CHRISTIAN CONCERN  charisma news

A Church of England school has removed the cross symbol from its uniform, over fears that it may offend local Muslims. (Diane Brennan/Flickr/Creative Commons)

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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A Church of England school has removed the cross symbol from its uniform, over fears that it may offend local Muslims.

Oak Church of England primary school, in Huddersfield, opened on May 3, a merging of Crosland Moor juniors, Dryclough infants and Thornton Lodge nursery.

Originally the uniform badge contained a design of a cross on an oak tree, which had been designed by a pupil. Now, in a move that has prompted anger from parents at the school, the cross has been replaced by branches of the tree. 

Cross Design 'Temporary'

In a letter to parents, head-teacher David Bendall claimed that the original design was only a temporary version and had not been confirmed.

Mother Niki Trepak, who has four children at the school, questioned this, saying: "Staff said people complained about the cross yet the head says it was only temporary. Why make temporary banners and temporary uniforms?"

Fear of offense.

The school is in a diverse area with a high Muslim population, which has prompted some parents to question whether the cross had been removed over fears of causing offense.

Niki Trepak said that she had not heard any complaints from her Muslim friends.

"I've got quite a few Muslim friends at the school and I asked them, does the cross offend you, and they said no.

"This isn't about race, it's the fact they removed the cross so as to not offend. A Church of England school should keep the cross."
 

Christian Foundation Should Be Given Respect

Chelsea Fox, another mother at the school, said: "The offensive card is always played, and this one time I was proud of something, only to have it snatched back.

"I'm not only disappointed, I'm disgusted.

"Yes, it has remained a Church of England school as it is the church that keeps it open. That needs to be given more respect.

"Thank the church for your children's school instead of complaining about a logo."

Mr Bendall said: "The logo was amended to give more prominence to the tree, which reflects the school name and is an ancient symbol representing many beliefs.

"Three branches signify Oak primary was three schools joining as one. Our ethos is that children of all backgrounds are treated the same."
 

Stark Contrast

This decision to remove the Christian symbol of faith from the CofE school contrasts sharply with the increasing promotion of LGBT issues in schools.

Only weeks ago, 38,000 pupils took part in "Schools Diversity Week," which aimed to tackle 'homophobic bullying'.

The initiative is organized by the charity Just Like Us, whose aims are to "empower and support young LGBTQ+ people to become active agents of change in making schools LGBTQ+ friendly places".

Debating Just Like Us CEO Tim Ramsey on Channel 5 News, Andrea Williams, the Chief Executive of Christian Concern said that while we are "against bullying of any kind", what is being celebrated here is the"indoctrination of a lifestyle". Although "each one of us is beautifully and wonderfully made," she said, we do not have to promote "this idea that all lifestyles are equivalent [and] that all lifestyles bring equal good". 

This article originally appeared on Christian Concern. 

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Over Half of This Denomination Now Supports Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex cake-topper figurines. (Reuters)

Over Half of This Denomination Now Supports Same-Sex Marriage

9/22/2015 THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE  charisma news

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Over half of the members of the governing body of the Church in Wales have backed the idea of allowing same-sex couples to marry in church.

A secret ballot was held on taking the issue forward. Of the 120 members present, 61 voted in favour of holding same-sex marriages in church.

However, this falls short of the two-thirds majority needed for change.

Constitution

And any amendment to the Church's constitution requires a new bill to be passed by Parliament.

The governing body comprises of the six diocesan bishops alongside 51 other clerics and 86 lay people.

It is now up to the Bench of Bishops to decide whether to take further steps.

'Very foolish'

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr. Barry Morgan, said it would be "a very brave or perhaps a very foolish Bench of Bishops" who would take the issue forward now.

"Because that might just rip the church apart and lead to the acrimony that has been absent from this debate."

The Church of England and the Church in Wales are legally not allowed to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

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The Real Reason Liberal Churches Are Losing Members - Michael Brown

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The Real Reason Liberal Churches Are Losing Members

6/25/2014 MICHAEL BROWN

Why are the more liberal mainline Protestant denominations seemingly bleeding members? (R. Nial Bradshaw [edited])

Almost every day conservative Christians are told that if we don't become more enlightened and progressive, we will become irrelevant to society as our numbers continue to decline.

In reality, the opposite is true: We will only be relevant to the extent we honor God and hold fast to biblical truth, which is why the more "progressive" and "enlightened churches" are the ones losing members the most rapidly.

God will back His gospel, not some man-made, watered-down message.

God will back the exaltation of Jesus, not some muddled, every-path-leads-to-God nonsense.

God will back the call to take up the cross and live for Him, not some flesh-pleasing success formula.

God will back biblical standards, not some meet-me-halfway, worldly-wise compromise.

The truth be told, most people who are serious about spiritual things are looking to join with people of like mind, while most people who don't take God's Word seriously will not take spiritual commitment seriously either.

Why bother going to church if you don't believe what's being preached? Why go to a prayer meeting or a Bible study if you're not sure any of it is real? Why make a serious commitment to church life if you view committed Christians as radical extremists?

In 1974, a German theologian named Gerhard Meier wrote a bold and controversial book entitled The End of the Historical Critical Method, explaining that what the seminaries were teaching the pastors was not helping the people.

Maier argued that pastors in training would attend seminary, where they would learn the "historical critical" method of interpretation, being told that Moses didn't write the Pentateuch, that the prophets didn't predict the coming of the Messiah, that Jesus didn't really rise from the dead, and that the Bible was not truly God's Word, among other things. Then they would go and preach to their congregations, but they had nothing to give them.

The congregants came to church services to find strength and guidance, to grow in faith and hope, to learn how to cope with difficult circumstances, but the pastors were full of unbelief. And so, cathedrals that seated 3,000 people would have 30 in attendance on Sunday morning.

Recently, in light of a steep decline in attendance at Church of England services, Baroness Brenda Hale, one of England's top judges, told a conference at Yale Law School that the Church of England is in decline precisely it makes so few demands on its adherents: "It has no dietary laws, no dress codes for men or women and very little that its members can say is actually required of them by way of observance."

How remarkable. It appears that Lady Hale is aware of the old adage that if something costs nothing, it is worth nothing.

To be sure, some church groups will grow because of an "itching ear" message, as the preachers tell the people what they want to hear. This is one of the reasons that Jesus said that the road to destruction is broad (see Matthew 7:13). But over the long haul, there will not likely be sustainable life and growth on a denominational level where compromise is the hallmark.

And there are, it is true, conservative denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention that have seen a decline in membership in recent years, although the reasons for that appear to be varied.

But it is the liberal churches, those which embrace abortion and homosexual practice and which compromise biblical truth and biblical standards, which have experienced the steepest decline in membership. In all likelihood, they also have far lower commitment levels from their people.

Wikipedia notes that, "At the time of its formation, the UCC [United Church of Christ] had over 2 million members in nearly 7,000 churches. The denomination has suffered a 44 percent loss in membership since the mid-1960s ... As of the 2014 Annual Yearbook of the UCC, membership is listed as 979,239 members in 5154 local churches."

The Episcopal Church had a membership of 3.4 million in the mid-1960s; today, that number is slightly over 2 million.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has dropped from a membership of 4.25 million in the mid-1960s to 1.8 million today, a number that is expected to decline rapidly in the coming years.

Yet these are some of the churches which have led the charge on liberal causes like the redefining of marriage.

I thought young people were leaving our churches because we weren't liberal enough. I thought young people and old people were flocking to these enlightened, progressive churches. Perhaps the reports about why people are leaving the churches are not as accurate as they seem?

I don't dispute that many Americans, especially young people, have been turned off to "religion" and have left the church because they view Christians as hypocrites or because they are turned off by the politicizing of American Christianity.

But it appears that many of those who have left were affiliated with liberal denominations more than conservative denominations. As noted in a 2011 report by the National Council of Churches, while many liberal, so-called "mainline" Protestant churches were declining in membership, "strong figures from the Assemblies of God and the Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.) suggest an increase in the number of adherents to Pentecostal groups ..." (quoting Rev. Eileen Linder; recent reports from the AG do confirm this growth trend, both in the USA and abroad).

This is true around the world (primarily outside of Europe and North America), where Bible-based, Spirit-filled churches that hold to conservative moral values are outgrowing all other religious expressions, as the respected statistician David Barrett has documented for more than three decades. When people truly encounter the Lord, they will gladly forsake everything and follow Him.

Let's not believe the lie that the way to win the world is by becoming worldly.

Let's hold fast to Jesus, let's ask the Lord to cleanse us from all hypocrisy and compromise, let's renew our love for the Lord and for our neighbor, let's ask our Father for a fresh touch of His Spirit, and let's live out the high and lofty standards of the Word, without compromise or apology.

No doubt, opposition will come. But so will the people—hungry, thirsty, hurting and ready to give their lives for something that counts forever.

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