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Is it Canute-like to protest against the errors of our denomination?

King Canute commanding the waves to proceed no further. From Peeps into the Past by Trelleek, published ca 1900.

Is protesting against the follies, the breaches in discipline and the deafness of many in our church leadership, an exercise akin to that of the actions of King Canute seeking to stop the incoming tide??

Critics and mockers may sneeringly say ‘yes’ to the question in our title. However, I recall the words of the Lord, found in the book of Jeremiah.

“‭And now, because ye have done‭‭ all these works‭, saith‭ the LORD‭, and I spake‭‭ unto you, rising up early‭‭ and speaking‭‭, but ye heard‭‭ not; and I called‭‭ you, but ye answered‭‭ not;‭ ‭Therefore will I do‭‭ unto ‭this‭ house‭, which is called‭‭ by my name‭, wherein ye trust‭‭, and unto the place‭ which I gave‭‭ to you and to your fathers‭, as I have done‭‭ to Shiloh‭.‭ ‭And I will cast you out‭‭ of my sight‭, as I have cast out‭‭ all your brethren‭, ‭even‭ the whole seed‭ of Ephraim‭.‭ . . ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬But this thing‭ commanded‭‭ I them, saying‭‭, Obey‭‭ my voice‭, and I will be your God‭, and ye shall be my people‭: and walk‭‭ ye in all the ways‭ that I have commanded‭‭ you, that it may be well‭‭ unto you.‭ ‭But they hearkened‭‭ not, nor inclined‭‭ their ear‭, but walked‭‭ in the counsels‭ ‭and‭ in the imagination‭ of their evil‭ heart‭, and went backward‭, and not forward‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Jeremiah 7:13-15, 23-24.

“‭For I earnestly‭‭ protested‭‭ unto your fathers‭ in the day‭ ‭that‭ I brought them up‭‭ out of the land‭ of Egypt‭, ‭even‭ unto this day‭, rising early‭‭ and protesting‭‭, saying‭‭, Obey‭‭ my voice‭.‭ ‭Yet they obeyed‭‭ not, nor inclined‭‭ their ear‭, but walked‭‭ every one‭ in the imagination‭ of their evil‭ heart‭: therefore I will bring‭‭ upon them all the words‭ of this covenant‭, which I commanded‭‭ ‭them‭ to do‭‭; but they did‭‭ ‭them‭ not,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Jeremiah 11:7-8. (more…)

Is encouraging the adoption of papist prayers official policy of the Free Presbyterian Church?

Thomas Aquinas By Sandro Botticelli

An email sent to some Presbytery officers on the subject:

Is encouraging the adoption of papist prayers official policy of the Free Presbyterian Church?

Brethren,

At the close of an article on prayer in the present ‘Vision’ magazine, the writer, Jonathan Story, minister of Mt Merrion Free Presbyterian Church, recommends that we adopt the prayer of the Romanist ‘saint’ Thomas Aquinas, an Italian Dominican friar and priest.

Is it now the accepted and established position of the Free Presbyterian Church that the prayers of mass-mongers and blasphemous bachelor priests of Rome are models to be followed and emanated?

If it has the sanction of the Ulster Presbytery then a line has been crossed that brings the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster into the camp of liberalism and apostasy.

As published in the current “Vision” magazine published by the Free Presbyterian Church

I have no doubt many members of our denomination will find that intolerable!

Should not the prayers of such an idolatrous priest be rejected as did the Saviour with the devil’s quotation and misapplying of Holy Scripture?

“Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,” Matthew 4:5-7.

I consider this a most serious and unacceptable breach in our denomination’s adherence to the Word of God and to the Reformed Faith and it is time to call a halt to such violations of our God-ordained stand and witness and deal with those guilty of such.

If the sentiments of this article are not the official position of the Free Presbyterian Church, then how was it sanctioned for publication in an official magazine?

Are we to expect exhortations to attend Corrymeela Ecumenical Centre published in the ‘Vision’ next?

I will be circulating a copy of this letter since the sinful error of promoting popery has also been circulated amongst our church members.

Sincere regards,

Ivan Foster
15th July 2024

Britain has elected the most godless parliament in its history

Never was there a truer headline printed in a newspaper than the one reproduced below from ‘The Times’ newspaper, sent to me by a friend!

We cannot agree with every comment, especially the one claiming that Tony Blair is a ‘Christian’ when he, is in fact, a convert to Romanism!

There is just cause for thinking that such a headline should have been used of recent Stormont Assemblies but there is no newspaper here of a mind to see Stormont as such or courage to print an article as this even if they did!

Sincerely in Christ’s name,

Ivan Foster


Britain has elected the most godless parliament in its history

Half the cabinet, including Sir Keir Starmer, chose the non-religious option to profess allegiance to the King

July 05 2024, 11.00am

When Alastair Campbell said “we don’t do God”, it was because he knew that Tony Blair very much did. But as Sir Keir Starmer becomes the first atheist prime minister for decades, Britain has elected the most irreligious parliament in history.

There were 14 Muslim MPs, who swore on the Quran, and Rishi Sunak was one of three MPs to swear on the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu holy book. There are also likely to be a handful of religious MPs, including Tim Farron, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats and a Christian, who affirmed because their beliefs prohibit oaths.

The big jump in irreligious MPs was the result of the Labour landslide in which Starmer’s party won 412 MPs. Almost half of Labour MPs — 47 per cent — affirmed, compared with only 9 per cent of Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats, who won a record 72 seats, also had 47 per cent of their MPs make an affirmation. (more…)