Fear God, Honour the King

At this time of the year when the sacrifice of those who fought and died, in the struggle against Fascism, Nazism and tyranny, is remembered J. Sidlow Baxter has some interesting and thought provoking comments to make upon the later part of 1 Peter 2:17. The whole verse reads: Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

J. Sidlow Baxter highlights the fact that honouring the civil power must always go alongside fearing God. When patriotism is separated from the fear of God evils such as Fascism and Nazism result.

A Good Day for Truth and Righteousness!

 

Click on image to read article in Belfast Newsletter

The Ashers Baking Company have today learned that they have won their case at the United Kingdom's Supreme Court. This is a good day for truth and righteousness!

The McArthur family, who run the Bakery, had won their case in the court of public opinion a long time ago when they were first taken to court by the iniquitous Equality Commission in Northern Ireland. Now they have legally won their case in the highest court of the land. The five justices on the Supreme Court were unanimous in their judgement.

It is no surprise to hear the liberals in the media and elsewhere whine and complain about the ruling. This is a set back for their intolerant agenda and they are not happy. In their utopian world everyone would be compelled to express support for that which God says is wicked and contrary to nature.

Christian baker, in the US, who refused to bake a wedding cake for sodomites, wins his case 7-2 at the Supreme Court

The Christian baker from Colorado who refused to bake a wedding cake to celebrate a sodomite marriage has won his case at the United States Supreme Court. 

The chief justices voted 7-2 in support of Jack Phillips. This overturns the previous ruling by Colorado Civil Rights Commission which had ruled that Phillips had violated the state's anti-discrimination law, which bars businesses from discriminating against customers based on their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

It was decided by the chief justices that the Commission had violated Phillips' First Amendment right to exercise his religion. Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, saying Phillips' Free Exercise rights were violated because the Commission showed hostility to his religious beliefs when they were making the decision. 

Read more:
Christian Institute - Victory for US Christian baker at Supreme Court

BBC News - US Supreme Court backs Colorado baker's gay wedding cake snub

CNN - Supreme Court rules for Colorado baker in same-sex wedding cake case

Reuters -  U.S. Supreme Court backs Christian baker who rebuffed gay couple

Over 3,000 people support the Ashers' Bakery owners

A special meeting had been arranged by the Christian Institute to show support for the owners of the Ashers Bakery. Over 3,000 people attended. There were 2,500 people in the main hall, 300 in an overflow hall and 500 people outside. Typically the BBC said there was only over 2,000. Those within the main auditorium gave Daniel McArthur, the bakery's general manager, a standing ovation before he spoke and again when he had finished speaking.

See the following reports:

Belfast Newsletter - Waterfront overflows with ‘gay cake’ bakery supporters

Belfast Telegraph - Christian Institute rally for Ashers Baking Company held at the Waterfront Hall Belfast

BBC News - Ashers Baking Company: Show of support for County Antrim firm's stance in 'gay cake' row

British Values are Bible & Christian Values!

The response of the Westminster government to the Islamic 'Trogan horse' scandal of schools in Birmingham, is to require that 'British values' are promoted in all schools. But this surely begs the question: what are 'British values'? Much discussion has ensued about the subject and the definition. Surely there is an argument for saying that British values must be Christian and Bible based values. The Government are doing their best to define 'British values' without any reference to the Bible or to our Protestant heritage and history. They will struggle to do so!

Let Evangelical Protestants be Evangelical Protestants

Pastor James McConnell of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast has gone and done it. He declared in a sermon that: “Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell”. Golly. Not since the Rev Ian Paisley got the boot into the pope as Old Redsocks and indeed as the Scarlet Woman herself have we heard anything quite so robust in the way of religious rhetoric. (Oddly enough, there was something almost lyrical about it; he had lovely cadences.) But the anti-popery tradition is 

precisely the context these remarks should be seen in. 

Evangelical Protestantism has a thing about false prophets; it also has a thing about telling it like it is. For most of its history it self-defined against Catholicism; Islam is just being judged by the same austere criteria of whether it accepts Jesus as a personal Lord and saviour…and I think it’s fair to say that it doesn’t.

To read the rest of the article click here - The Spectator

Why no similar outcry when the Bible was recently mocked and Christians offended?

Recent days have witnessed an outpouring of condemnation directed towards Pastor James McConnell, minister of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast, over his comments in a sermon about Islam. We have had the 'former' IRA commander and Joint First Minister, Martin McGuinness, along with the moderator of the ecumenical Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Rev Dr Rob Craig, voicing their opposition. An assortment of others from the secular and ecumenical classes, including Alliance's East Belfast MP Naomi Long; MLAs Anna Lo, Alex Attwood, John O'Dowd and Danny Kinahan; Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, Ivan Lewis, Northern Ireland Secretary, Theresa Villiers and Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, have all come out to join in the chorus of condemnation as they castigate Pastor McConnell for his comments. When you have these types of individuals arrayed against you, what you say must indeed be the truth. A man is known by those who oppose him, as much as by his friends!

However, it is worth remembering that when the Bible was mocked and ridiculed a few months back in The Theatre at the Mill in Newtownabbey [For details click here] no such outpourings of condemnation were forthcoming from these individuals and their respective constituencies. At best, they stood by and were quite happy for the Bible to be mocked, without raising a single word of opposition. At worst, they insisted that the play must go ahead and the production must be allowed to mock the Bible in the name of free speech, civil liberties and a pluralist society.

A Sinister Development for Home Educators in Northern Ireland

There is presently a consultation running in all five Education & Library Boards in Northern Ireland regarding the issue of Home Education.

Presently it is any parent's legal right to educate their child[ren] outside the state system of education. This legal right permits independent schools to exist, such the Free Presbyterian schools, or a parent may desire to educate their child[ren] at home. The relevant legislation is to be found in section 45 of the: Education and Libraries Northern Ireland Order 1986 SI 1986/594: 
Duties of parents to secure full-time education for their children
45. (1) The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
(2) The provisions of Schedule 13 shall apply to the enforcement of the provisions of paragraph (1) and a parent who contravenes the provisions of that Schedule shall be guilty of an offence and liable to the penalties provided by paragraph 4 of that Schedule.

Where a local Education & Library Board believes that they have evidence that this is not happening they can intervene using Schedule 13 Enforcement of duty imposed by article 45.

Northern Ireland's Attorney General dismayed by Supreme Court’s sodomite B&B decision

The Attorney General for Northern Ireland, Mr John Larkin has criticised the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court for finding against Peter and Hazelmary Bull who refused to rent a double room to a sodomite couple.

Mr Larkin said that November’s decision by the Supreme Court seemed to leave such Christians with the option of either leaving business or "being complicit in what the Christian must regard as deeply sinful".

To read full report on his comments click - Belfast Newsletter - Attorney General dismayed by top court’s gay B&B ruling

Will the Haass proposals include Public Meetings such as 'Christian Commemorations', 'Gospel Open-airs' & 'Christian Protests'?

A previous attempt to resolve issues, through legislation, surrounding 'parading' in Northern Ireland  did envisage including Gospel Open-airs & Christian Protests. It was back in the spring of 2010 that the then proposed legislation was going to require anyone organising an open-air Gospel meeting or protest, where there was the prospect of more than 50 people in attendance, to have to give 37 and 22 working days notice respectively. Objectors to such events would only have had to give 7 days notice.

These proposals were only dropped after a storm of protest. At the time objections were received from the Human Rights Commission and the likes of Emmon McCann, hardly the frontline defenders of Gospel liberties!

This therefore begs the question whether the Haass proposals this time around will seek to include something similar? In reading through the 'Haass Proposals' the section dealing with 'Parades, Select Commemorations, and Related Protests' is not entirely clear. The document uses a raft of different wording and phraseology. For example, it includes the following words/phrases: 'parading and marching'; 'parades, protests, and events'; 'parades, protests, and other events'; 'parading, protesting, and assembling'; 'parade, commemorate, and protest'; 'parades, select commemorations, and related protests'; 'parades, select commemorations, and protests'; 'parades and other events' & 'parade or select commemoration', etc.

Christian Bed & Breakfast loses Supreme Court appeal

Click here

Victory for Housing Trust manager over Gay Marriage comments

Mr Adrain Smith made the comments on his personal Facebook page, outside of work hours, and which were not visible to the general public. He said that sodomite weddings in churches were "an equality too far".

Mr Smith's employer, Trafford Housing Trust, near Manchester, took disciplnary action against him for bringing the Trust into disrepute, alleging that his comments amounted to "gross misconduct".

However, today, Mr Justice Briggs, said that Trafford Housing Trust had no right to demote Mr Smith over his Facebook comments, and ruled that the Trust had breached the terms of his contract. It emerged in court  that Trafford Housing Trust was worried it could lose a gay rights charter award unless it took action against Mr Smith.

Police ban Bible from 'Christian' café

Police in Lancashire have threatened the owner of a 'Christian' café with arrest and told him that he should stop displaying Bible verses on a TV screen because it is offensive and a crime.

Jamie Murray is the owner of the Salt & Light Coffee House in Blackpool. Police told him that displaying the Bible verses was a breach of Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

See Daily Mail report

See the  Christian Institute's response which highlights that Mr Murray is not breaking the law at all and is perfectly entitled to display verses from the Word of God. 

Tokens for good!

More often than not it seems that the stand for Christian values suffers setbacks. Thankfully here are two cases in which the opposite is true. We thank the Christian Institute for all their labours to defend and maintain our civil and religious liberties.

1. Birmingham street preacher wins wrongful arrest case

An autistic Christian street preacher who was handcuffed and arrested for speaking out against homosexuality and many other sins has been awarded £4,250 in damages following a court case against West Midlands Police. Read more on the Christian Institute website.

2. Cumbria Police payout for arrest of Christian

In a second similar case in recent days, a Christian street preacher has won £7,000 plus costs from Cumbria Police in settlement for a claim of wrongful arrest, unlawful imprisonment and breach of his human rights. Read more on the Christian Institute website.

An attack upon our civil and religious liberties

The consultation document which forms part of the review of parading published by the OFMdFM contains a direct attack upon our civil and religious liberties.

The working group set up by Sinn Fein and the DUP have moved beyond reviewing legislation on parades & related protests and are now seeking to place restrictions on all public assemblies or protests. Freedom of peaceful assembly, which our forefathers fought and died for, instead of being a fundamental right will now become a privilege that has to be applied for and by inference can and will be restricted or denied in certain circumstances.

1. Permission will have to be obtained from a new government quango to hold an open-air gospel meeting, where more than 50 people will be present. Notice will have to be given 37 days in advance and this new body will decide whether it is lawful to go ahead with the open-air meeting. Those opposed to the open-air meeting taking place will be able to register their objections with the purpose of having the meeting ruled unlawful or having it restricted.

Objectors will have up to 7 days prior to the open air meeting taking place to register their objections.

If this proposed legislation becomes law the fundamental civil and religious right of free assembly has been taken away. Our freedom to worship in the open air will be subject to the say so of a government quango. You can be sure that any sympathy towards the Gospel will be lacking in this new body.

2. Permission will have to be sought from this quango to hold a protest where more than 50 people will be present. This time 22 days notice will have to be given and this new body will decide whether the protest can go ahead or what restrictions will be placed upon it.

3. This quango will be charged with facilitating mediation between 'the organiser' and 'the protestor'. They: 'may take into account a person’s participation or non-participation in any meeting convened under this section' when deciding on the lawfulness of any meeting or protest. When preaching the gospel or protesting against sin we can have no dialogue with those we oppose about what is acceptable. The Word of God is our rule. Are they going to tell us that we cannot use certain words or phrases as part of the assembly or protest? This we cannot accept.

The Free Presbyterian Church holds many open-air services as part of its witness. In Newtownabbey we hold open-airs every Lord's Day after the evening service, June - August, weather permitting. If these proposals become law then we are going to be told when, where and whether we can have these open-airs. This is totally unacceptable and a denial of religious liberty.

The Free Presbyterian Church holds many protests as part of its witness. We protest against ecumenical gatherings. We protest against immoral gatherings whether at theatres or other places. Again these are going to be subject to the whim of this quango. Can you see them giving us permission to protest again sodomy and other vile sins that are displayed in public? I think not!

Not only are these proposals impractical but they smack of an overbearing, authoratarian, anti-Christian, police state. Many, if not most, public assemblies and protests are organised at short notice. What about protests which may be organised in just a few days or even hours? This means that if we do not submit a request on time no public meeting or protest could take place. This is a blatant attempt to erode religious freedom and liberty and shame upon any who have any part in bringing it into existence.

Curtailing the right to worship and peaceful protest should be a matter of grave concern to every believer. We should not treat this matter lightly. Dark days are coming for the gospel witness in this Province. The old battles which our forefathers fought are going to have to be fought again.

Update

It would further seem that convicted terrorists will be able to sit in judgment on these issues. It is only convictions subsequent to appointment to this body that will necessitate resignation. There is the possibility that those who have engaged in murder and mayhem will now be able to decide whether we can preach the gospel or protest against sin. How true it is: when the wicked beareth rule the people mourn, Prov 29:2.

A good night for Christian liberty!

I'm not talking about the shenanigans that is taking place at Stormont or Hillsborough Castle.

Last night in the Lords the Government was defeated in its attempt to make Christian organisations employ sodomites.

For further information see:
Lords defeat Government over church staff - Christian Institute
Lords defeat for Harman over forcing churches to hire gays - Daily Mail

If this law had gone through it would have meant that Christian organisations would no longer be able to turn down for employment anyone who does not agree with their theological position.

Churches, etc. have a special status that lets them turn down applicants whose lifestyles conflict with the churches' beliefs, even if they are otherwise well qualified for the job.

Churches can turn down candidates for jobs as ministers if they practice sodomy, or if they have changed their sex or are women.

We appreciate the work of the Christian Institute in this matter.

A good day for free speech

The BBC is reporting that the government has admitted defeat in their attempt to remove a 'free speech' defence from new laws against inciting homophobic hatred.

Summary
MPs have voted four times to scrap it but it has been repeatedly overturned in the Lords, who again last night voted by 179 to 135 to keep it.

An offence of inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation was brought in by legislation last year, but a 'free speech' defence, opposed by the government, was inserted by Conservative peer Lord Waddington.

The law was not brought into force while the government sought to remove the defence but on Thursday, the last day of this Parliamentary session, the government admitted defeat in a statement from the Ministry of Justice. A spokeswoman said the government was 'very disappointed' at the Lords vote and as the threshold for prosecution was 'high', the defence was not needed.

She said: 'The offence only covers words or behaviour that are threatening and intended to stir up hatred'. But she added the government could no longer delay the passage of the Coroners and Justice Bill. 'It is with considerable disappointment, therefore, that the government has agreed not to remove the 'freedom of expression' section'.

She added that the law against inciting homophobic hatred would now be brought into force 'as quickly as possible' and the government would return to the issue in future 'should it prove necessary to do so'.

However the concession was not announced by Justice Secretary Jack Straw in the Commons on Thursday. Instead deputy speaker Sir Alan Haslehurst read out a list of amendments on which 'this House does not insist, in its disagreement with the Lords'.

Conservative MP Edward Leigh asked, unsuccessfully, for a statement from Mr Straw, adding it appeared 'that the government has run up the white flag on the Lord Waddington amendment. This is a great victory for free speech, I think we should know more about it'.

MPs have, on four occasions, voted to remove the free speech clause from the bill by large majorities during its passage through Parliament. Ahead of Wednesday's vote in the Lords justice minister Lord Bach warned peers: 'There must come a point where this House, with all its great virtues, gives way to the House that has been elected by the people of this country'.

But Lord Waddington argued that peers had to maintain consistency: 'If we are to finish up with a free speech clause in the religious hatred offence but no free speech clause here, we're simply asking for trouble'.

And during the Lords debate crossbencher Lord Dear cited the example of grandmother Pauline Howe, 67, who was visited by police after writing a letter to Norwich Council to complain about a gay pride march.

The council informed her the letter was assessed as 'potentially being hate related' - she argued she was expressing her Christian beliefs.

On Thursday Simon Calvert, of The Christian Institute, welcomed the government's decision as a 'victory for common sense'.

Comment
This is indeed to be welcomed. Thankfully it is still legally possible to call sin sin and to declare with Scripture that sodomy is an abomination to God: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination, Lev 18:22.