Call to Protestant Politicians to uphold Biblical values

The Evangelical Protestant Society yesterday released a statement calling upon Protestant Politicians to uphold Biblical values. It reads:
The Evangelical Protestant Society, as an evangelical umbrella organisation which seeks to defend and promote evangelical Protestantism in our changing society, has been concerned for some time about the gradual but steady erosion of Ulster’s Protestant foundations. We have therefore written to all Protestant and Unionist elected representatives at Stormont and Westminster to urge them to take a firm stand in two specific areas where we feel there has been slippage in recent times.

To read the rest of the statement click here.

Honouring the memory of Jesus Christ is more important than honouring the memory of anyone else

It is being reported that Peter Robinson is going to attend the funeral of murdered Roman Catholic police officer Ronan Kerr. This means that he is going to attend the Roman Catholic Mass. Back in the month of February this year Peter Robinson indicated that he would do this.
To read more of what he said then, click on this link for the Belfast Telegraph report. 

Republican terrorists, encouraged by seeing those who previously engaged in the same activity now elevated to high office and pandered to at every turn, are increasing their capacity to maim and kill. The sympathy of those whose trade in the past has been murder and mayhem is pure 'cant'.

Peter Robinson would be regularly briefed on the prevailing security situation here in Ulster. He may well have calculated that this day would arrive sooner or later in Northern Ireland where sadly a police officer, and a Roman Catholic one at that, would be murdered. That may well be what lay behind his comments some weeks ago. His announcement then was to pave the way for him actually attending the mass.

It is not being disrespectful to the dead to say that because of your religious beliefs you cannot attend the Roman Catholic Mass. As pointed out previously by the Free Presbyterian Church, the chief Jewish Rabbi refused to enter Westminster Abbey at the time of Princess Diana's funeral because of his religious beliefs. He was praised for the manner in which he conducted himself.

It might bring short term political advantage to Peter Robinson but it will do no one any good to dishonour the name of Jesus Christ in this way. To a Bible believer the Mass is a 'blasphemy' as the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of Ireland rightly state. It is an attack upon the finished work of Jesus Christ and because of this no Protestant should attend the Mass.

Honouring the memory of Jesus Christ is more important than honouring the memory of any one else. Christ and His honour must come first every time. To love God above and before everything and everyone else is the first great commandment; to love our neighbour is the second great commandment, Matt 22:37-39: 
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

This same principle was repeated by the Lord Jesus in a different context in Luke 14:26,27:
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

For whatever reason Peter Robinson has reversed this divine order. He has put the honour of his neighbour before the honour of Jesus Christ.

In putting the honour of Christ first it will seem at times that we are hating others we love dearly. But this is what it means to put Christ first in our lives and this is what the New Testament calls upon us to do. We cannot profess to follow Christ and neglect His word: If ye love me keep my commandments, He said in John 14:15. 

There is a reproach that must be borne when faithfully doing so. No doubt there will be much invective directed at those who oppose Peter Robinson attending the Mass. It will be caricatured as unloving and dishonouring to a murder victim.

Ronan Kerr deserves our respect and his family deserve our sympathy. Every Bible believer believes murder is wrong on every account. There are however other ways to honour the memory of someone wickedly murdered as Ronan Kerr has been. The dead can be respected and Christ's honour maintained. Going to the Mass does not do this.

Free Presbyterian Church's official response to Peter Robinson's comments

The following statement has been issued by the Moderator and Clerk on behalf of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster:

In light of recent criticism the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster wishes to publicly reaffirm its opposition to the Roman Catholic service commonly termed ‘The Mass’. In this ecumenical age, the false notion is propagated that there is little difference between the Roman Catholic Mass and the simple Communion Service as practised by Protestants. However, there is a vast difference. The historic creeds of Protestant Churches underline this difference by referring to the Mass as ‘blasphemous’, ‘idolatry’ and ‘injurious to the work of Christ.’

The reason for these statements is that the Mass purports to be a continuation of the sacrifice of Christ. It leads sinners to trust in the priest, the Mass, and the church rather than in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest who made the one perfect sacrifice for sins forever (Hebrews 10v12). His is the only sacrifice that can deliver from sin.

Our objection to attendance at the Mass has nothing to do with bigotry or lack of respect for others as our critics often claim. During the funeral service of Princess Diana, the Chief Rabbi, on a point of religious principle, declined to enter the Cathedral and was praised for showing his respect by going as far as the entrance. Yet we and other Evangelical Protestants are often castigated and denigrated when, out of love and loyalty to our Saviour, we cannot countenance the ‘sacrifice of the Mass.’

Moderator: Rev Ron Johnstone

Clerk: Rev Ian Brown


Update
Rev Thomas Martin, minister of Lisburn FPC, has also made some comments about this matter calling on Peter Robinson to reconsider his statement, as reported in the Newsletter, see here

Update [Friday 25th Feb]
The Newsletter have carried a report on the statement which the Officers of Presbytery released, see here

Someone else sees the folly of Peter Robinson's position

The news media are carrying the story that Peter Robinson has let it be known that he would attend a Roman Catholic mass.
To read more see Newsletter & Belfast Telegraph

Mr Wallace Thompson, a DUP member and former adviser to Nigel Dodds, on behalf of the Evangelical Protestant Society, released a statement which is on their website

NO EVANGELICAL PROTESTANT SHOULD EVER ATTEND THE POPISH MASS 

The Evangelical Protestant Society fully respects the principles of civil and religious liberty, but our long-standing position as a Society is that no evangelical Protestant should attend the Roman Catholic mass under any circumstances.  We hold to the mainstream historical view as summarised by, for example, the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Thirty-Nine Articles.

It will therefore come as no surprise that the Evangelical Protestant Society does not share the First Minister's position on this matter. 

We note that the First Minister has stressed that his decision is a personal one and that others of his colleagues might have a different view.  In light of this, we would therefore hope that no attempts will now be made by the usual suspects to demonise or persecute those evangelical Protestants who come to conclusions contrary to those of Mr Robinson.

21 February 2011

At least someone else sees the folly of this 'new politics'. It may please the Romanists and the ecumenists in society but it will not please God. Peter Robinson's new views and the historic Protestant position can't both be right. One or the other must be wrong and it is not the historic Protestant position. 

The 'Rubicon' was crossed in 2006 when Peter Robinson and others thought it all right to share power with those whose trade has been murder and mayhem in this Province for 40 years. With that sacrifice of principle the floodgates have opened. It will be one issue after another where historic Protestant Biblical positions are jettisoned. What will it be next: abortion, Sunday opening?

It is mere semantics for Peter Robinson to say that 'I wouldn’t be going as an act of worship, I would be going as an act of respect for the individual'. He may well indeed be paying his respects but he is also attending an act of worship. Every Roman Catholic funeral is a mass. The 39 articles of the Church of Ireland rightly state that the mass is 'a blasphemous fable and a dangerous deceit'. No right thinking, God honouring, Bible believer would want to presence themselves where such a blasphemy was being enacted. 

This blasphemy is directed at Jesus Christ. The mass claims to be a reenactment of Calvary which the Bible teaches was a finished work needing no repetition. To attend the mass is therefore no insignificant matter. The honour of Jesus Christ and His finished work is at stake. 

It seems political calculation is more important than Bible principle!

Response to Peter Robinson's comments on Education

I have been asked repeatedly over the weekend by a number of media outlets to comment on Peter Robinson's remarks about education.

Here is the full text of the response I gave to the Newsletter yesterday. They have included a little of what I said in a report in today's edition.

1. Peter Robinson is right to highlight the unjustifiable advantages, privileges and special arrangements that Romanism is given in the field of education in Northern Ireland. 100% funding is available to no other religious group that I know of.

2. His language about church schools being a ‘benign form of apartheid’ are however totally unacceptable, if he includes the FPC schools in that description.

i. If the state sector of education doesn’t offer an education in accordance with what the Word of God commands, then every Bible believing Christian has every right, and a duty, to stand apart and run their own system of education. This is not a ‘benign form of apartheid’ but obedience to the Word of God. 

ii. The state sector is presently secular, evolutionary, & man-centred in its ethos and therefore ultimately falls short of true education, For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding, Prov 2:6. True education begins with a knowledge of God as He has revealed Himself in His holy Word. 

iii. The Bible clearly teaches the principles of separation. This is a fundamental starting point for evangelical Christianity. The born again believer is in the world but not of the world. We are to stand apart, ecclesiastically, morally, and educationally. This has been the historic position of our Christian forefathers.

We have been here before. This is not a new idea. Dr Henry Cooke [A Presbyterian minister back in the mid 1800s] had a great controversy over the issue of joint education.

iv. It is disingenuous for Peter Robinson to equate race and faith based views. To segregate on the basis of race is unbiblical, God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth…, Acts 17:26. 

To stand apart on the issue of faith is the essence of Bible religion. In fact, God pronounces a blessing upon it: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, Ps 1:1.

3. Peter Robinson draws a parallel between the higher level education and primary or secondary schools.

i. He fails to appreciate the importance of education in these early formative years. The older someone grows the more they should be able to discern between what is truth and what is error. In early years there is the additional aspect of a pupils' character forming. 

ii. If there was a Christian University/College holding to evangelical principles then I would certainly encourage Christians to attend there. This is due to the fact that sinful example has a detrimental effect upon the youth. So much behaviour is learned by watching others. God commands us to be wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil, Rom 16:19; Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things, Phil 4:8. Sadly many state educational institutions fall far short of this exhortation.

Historically, many of the state schools and universities originally started out being run and funded by Churches. It is the state who are the recent converts to education and not Churches.

iii. It must be remembered that education is not neutral. All education must have an ethos which underpins it. Secular education seeks to send out into the world those who are of a secular outlook. This is unacceptable for a Bible believer. God commands the Christian to raise their children with a Biblical worldview, to fear God and to serve Jesus Christ. The born again believer who wants to obey God has presently no option but to stand apart and place their children in an environment that honours God and has the Bible as its foundational textbook.

iv. State education has in the past been used to further the aims of politicians in solving the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland. Education for Mutual Understanding was set up by the Department of Education with the purpose of eliminating differences and points of distinction on the foolish premise that this would solve Ulster’s troubles. It was an attack upon evangelical Christianity.

The state is not neutral, that is impossible for any form of education. The ethos of the state system of education is contrary to the evangelical Christianity. 

4. Christian legislators are required to rule by the Word of God and particularly the Moral Law of God, Rom 13:1-10 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

If they fail to do so then it can be legitimately asked: what is the point of electing them in the first place if they acquiesce in or even push a secularist agenda?