14 December 2022
“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
[3] 15,000 Call on Church of England to Scrap Its Pro-Transgender Guidance for Primary Schools
[4] Church of Nigeria Bishop Leads Violent Sectarian Mob Attacking Anglican Church in New Jersey
[5] Union Seminary Teaching Students to “Think and Feel with Trees”
[6] 1000 Church of England Clergy Say They Would Perform Same-Sex Marriages
Additional Articles of Interest
—
In a win for Christian freedoms, the government has said that it was ‘inappropriate’ for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to argue that parts of the Bible are ‘no longer appropriate in modern society’ while trying to convict a Christian preacher of an alleged ‘hate crime.’
In the House of Lords this week, Baroness Hoey (Non-Afl) asked the Government ‘what assessment they have made of the written statement by the Crown Prosecution that the “Bible contains references ‘which are simply no longer appropriate in modern society and which would be deemed offensive if stated in public’”.
Baroness Hoey was referring to the case of Christian preacher, John Dunn, who, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, last month faced criminal prosecution for preaching from the book of Corinthians on Swindon High street.
Despite the case against Mr Dunn being thrown out, it was revealed that while trying to secure Mr Dunn’s conviction the CPS had argued that parts of the Bible are ‘abusive’ and ‘no longer appropriate in modern society.’
The news sparked international media attention and was seen as the latest example of CPS overreach by pursuing street preachers who have done nothing wrong.
Broadcaster, Tim Stanley, spoke about the case on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ and how the approach of the CPS could silence and censor people of faith.
In response to Baroness Hoey’s question, Lord Stewart of Dirleton (Con), who specialises in criminal law and is the Advocate General for Scotland, replied stating that: “The Wessex Area of the CPS has “undertaken a post-case review and acknowledges that the statement was inappropriate”, and Lord Stewart states that “[t]he statement was not intended to and does not represent a change to published CPS Policy. It is not indicative of a general approach by the CPS to cases involving the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the right to freedom of expression”. He states that “in future…in cases where there is scope for argument to arise as to rights such as that of freedom of expression, such arguments will be submitted to the Senior District Crown Prosecutor for signing off, prior to service”.
The response represents a clear acknowledgement that the CPS was wrong to suggest that quoting the Bible could be a criminal offence.
Responding to the news, Mr Dunn said: “I am pleased that the government has recognised that the arguments made against me by the CPS were wrong. I faced the prospect of criminal conviction for over two years on these grounds. I hope what has happened will protect other Christians who find themselves unfairly on the wrong side of the law for speaking biblical truth.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre who supported Mr Dunn’s case, said: “This was a clear example of overreach from the CPS and demonstrated the extent to which they misunderstand the Bible and freedom of speech. Their arguments in this case were so steeped in the prevailing secular political orthodoxy, it was chilling.
“The Bible and its teachings have historically been the foundation of our society and has provided many of the freedoms and protections that we still enjoy today. It is extraordinary that the prosecution, speaking on behalf of the state, could say that the Bible contains abusive words which, when spoken in public, constitute a criminal offence.
“Scraping the barrel in this way to try and convict a Christian preacher does not just waste a lot of people’s time, but consistently creates wider and far-reaching implications for Christians across the UK who believe in Jesus and for society in general.
“This recognition from the government that what happened was inappropriate represents good news for UK Christians, and such arguments must never be made by the CPS again.”
The case
John Dunn, 55, a cancer survivor from Swindon who has served in the British Army’s Special Forces, was interviewed under caution and subsequently summonsed by the police for alleged ‘homophobia’ after preaching on Swindon High Street in November 2020.
Mr Dunn, who regularly preaches despite having lost his voice box following throat cancer, is a Bible-believing Christian who preaches in Swindon town centre. He considers preaching on the streets and speaking God’s truth to be an essential part of his Christian calling, which he has been doing for 15 years.
As part of his message he often refers to Genesis 1, being made in God’s image, male and female and marriage between one man and one woman being God’s purpose and pattern for the good of society.
On 1st November 2020, Mr Dunn was preaching when two women walked past holding hands. Mr Dunn said: “I hope you are sisters”. They replied that they were in a same-sex marriage.
In line with biblical beliefs on human sexuality, Mr Dunn said out of genuine concern for the women that: “It says in the Bible that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God”, which is a verse from 1 Corinthians 6.
Mr Dunn insists his intention and motivation was to declare God’s truth out of love and compassion for the people passing by and listening.
However, the two women took ‘offence’ and reported Mr Dunn to the police, describing his comments as ‘biblical speak.’ They also alleged that Mr Dunn had shouted at them, despite his voice box, that “they will burn in hell”, which he categorically denies saying.
Mr Dunn subsequently voluntarily attended a police station for interview. At the station he was told if he tried to leave he would be arrested and was then summonsed for an offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act.
The Crown alleged that he was guilty under of hate speech because he had ‘offended’ and ‘upset’ a member of the public however the law requires that a defendant “uses threatening or abusive words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour” and this must be “within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby”.
Mr Dunn said that he had not threatened nor abused the complainants nor did he do anything disorderly.
Lawyers instructed by the Christian Legal Centre argued in Mr Dunn’s defence that the interview and subsequent prosecution breached his human rights under Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding freedom of thought, conscience, religion and expression.
They said that very strong opinions must be protected, ‘even if these cross the sensibilities of the majority of the population.’
Furthermore, they said that Mr Dunn: ‘Did not abuse the complainants. It is submitted that abuse involves the communication of an invective message to an individual. Simply conveying Biblical truth cannot so amount.’
‘Constitutional implications’
However, lawyers representing the CPS argued that prosecution of Mr Dunn was ‘necessary’ and ‘proportionate.’
Shockingly the CPS even went as far to say that: “There are references in the bible which are simply no longer appropriate in modern society and which would be deemed offensive if stated in public.”
They cited references to slavery in the biblical books of Exodus and Leviticus and references to the death sentence, which had no relevance to what Mr Dunn was alleged to have said.
Expert evidence was provided in response to the CPS’s arguments by Christian theologian, Dr Martin Parsons. Analysing the history of the Bible being read on the streets of the UK since the early 16th century, Dr Parsons said that the: ‘Public reading of the Bible was actually the first aspects of freedom of religion to be developed in England after the Reformation’.
Dr Parsons cited how the authorised version, known as the King James Bible, has played a specific role in the coronation service. During the 1953 coronation service HM Queen Elizabeth II was presented with a copy of this Bible with the words:
“Our Gracious Queen: To keep your Majesty ever mindful of the Law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian princes, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing this world affords. Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God.”
Dr Parsons concluded that: “The Bible has had a unique status within British constitutional history. The suggestion by the crown that there are parts of the Bible “which are simply no longer appropriate in modern society and which would be deemed offensive if stated in public”, is one that if accepted would have significant constitutional implications.”
A hearing, which could have seen Mr Dunn convicted and given a criminal record, was scheduled for the 13 November 2022 at Swindon Magistrates Court before the Magistrates. However, the case against him was thrown out after the two women reportedly ‘refused to engage with the case’ after making the initial allegations.
According to the CPS a police officer went to their home to encourage them to come to court, but no one answered or responded. Neither would the couple respond to any of the calls from the Police.
‘Jesus was the answer for me’
Following the outcome, Mr Dunn said: “Before I became a Christian, I hated people, I served with the Special Forces and I made it my mission to learn how to best kill people, that was my job. But when I met Jesus Christ, he changed my heart, took away my hatred and filled it with love. Jesus was the answer for me, and I believe the world needs to know and experience this hope. That is why I do what I do, to help everyone to find the light of Jesus out of the darkness we all live in.
“Most people of Swindon I believe appreciate my preaching, and my preaching has led to the conversion of notorious drug dealer and petty criminal Shaun O’Sullivan. If I had not been out on the streets, he would never have heard the Gospel. We now regularly preach together.
“When I preach, I only ever say what is in the Bible. When they told me they were in a same-sex marriage, I was concerned for them. I had to communicate the consequences of their actions based on what the Bible says. I wanted to warn them, not out of condemnation, but out of love. I wanted to them to know that there is forgiveness through the love of Jesus.
“Nine times out of ten when I preach or engage with people on the streets, people ask me to pray for them.
“I am relieved and grateful that the case has been dropped and I plan to continue to preach on the streets of Swindon.”
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
A Church of England (CofE) primary school has justified secretly teaching 8-year-old children that they can be born in the wrong body and encouraged the idea that 3-year-old’s can declare themselves as ‘non-binary’ to their parents.
Parents, Calvin and Nicola Watts, who are being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, have been forced to remove their children from St Michael’s Church of England primary school in Tenterden, Kent, after discovering that their 8-year-old child and classmates were being given extreme teaching on gender identity.
Following parental complaints, however, the school, whose website states that it is ‘proud of its Christian values’ justified the teaching based on the CofE’s own guidance, ‘Valuing All God’s Children’. It also did not rule out showing similar content to children in future.
The family were alerted by other parents that a video of ‘It feels good to be yourself: a book about gender identity’, by Theresa Thorn, had been shown in class without their knowledge or consent.
The book read by Nana Ceecee promotes the idea of children being “both a boy and a girl”, or “neither a boy nor a girl”, or “non- binary”. It says that people “guess” about a baby’s gender when they are born. It also suggests that: “You might feel like your gender changes from day to day or from year to year.”
The book opens with the character ‘Ruthie’ who is described as a ‘transgender girl’ and says that ‘she’ was born a girl, despite being biologically male.
Ruthie’s brother ‘Xavier’ is described as a ‘cis-gender boy’’ and it adds that ‘there are so many different ways to be a boy or a girl, too many to fit in a book.’
The book affirms and encourages the idea that: ‘Your gender identity might not match what people thought you were when you were born. When you were born you couldn’t tell people who you were or how you felt. They looked at you and made a guess. Maybe they got it right, maybe they got it wrong.’
In conclusion it states that: ‘Ruthie was five when she told her parents they had got her gender identity wrong’ and ‘Xavier was three and a half when he told his family he likes being a boy. You might feel like your gender changes from day to day.’
Books such as ‘And Tango makes Three’, which normalise same-sex relationships, were also promoted to children at the school.
Showing such material to children goes against official government guidance which cautions schools against relying on: “Materials which suggest that non-conformity to gender stereotypes should be seen as synonymous with having a different gender identity should not be used and you should not work with external agencies or organisations that produce such material.”
The guidance adds that: “You should not reinforce harmful stereotypes, for instance by suggesting that children might be a different gender based on their personality and interests or the clothes they prefer to wear. Resources used in teaching about this topic must always be age-appropriate and evidence based….While teachers should not suggest to a child that their non-compliance with gender stereotypes means that either their personality or their body is wrong and in need of changing, teachers should always seek to treat individual students with sympathy and support.’
Child abuse
The promotion of this material came despite the parents writing to the school saying that due to their Christian beliefs, and how they wished to bring up their children, they wanted their children to be withdrawn from any lessons that normalised LGBT relationships.
They asked for this request to be passed to any relevant teachers and politely said that if anyone wanted to discuss this with them, they would be happy to talk.
When the parents’ discovered that their children and their classmates were being exposed to and taught about gender identity, they raised urgent concerns that their children were being ‘politically indoctrinated’ and that this went against the school’s safeguarding policy.
They raised awareness among other parents and were banned from trying to speak to the teacher who had initiated showing the video and the gender identity lesson.
They also wrote to the head teacher and Chair of Governors saying that they were genuinely concerned for the emotional and physical safety of their child and did not believe they could return their child to the school until the issues were properly addressed. The parents’ said that they believed that showing the video was child abuse.
The parents’ say that other parents from other religious and secular backgrounds have also raised concern with the school after being made aware of the video and other materials.
Chief executive response
In a letter in response to the parents’ concerns, the chief executive of the Tenterden Trust, Stuart Reeves, who oversees the school, refused to rule out that similar content would not be shown in future. He added that decisions on what could be shown to children would come down to the discretion of the head teacher.
Furthermore, Mr Reeves wrote in response to the complaint: “I have sought advice from the Department of Education, the Diocesan Board of Education and the Association of School and College Leaders. I have also referred back to the law as it currently stands in relation to equalities legislation and the guidance that is given to schools by the Department for Education and also by the Church of England in this regard.
“As I mentioned when we met, after viewing this resource myself, my opinion was that it was not appropriate for all children and some may well have found the material confusing at this age. Having said that, there were two qualified adults in the room that were able to answer any questions relating to the story should there be any from the children. In hindsight, and in view of the sensitive nature of the topic, it would have been better to have checked the suitability of the resource with the Headteacher. This is something that will happen in the future.
“With reference to the potential promotion of gender fluidity I have found no evidence to suggest that this is happening at the school. I have, however, found evidence of the school adhering to the guidance set out by the Department of Education and that of the Church of England in particular which mentions, very clearly, that our role as teachers is to ‘help young people to value and respect everyone as cherished and loved by God, regardless of gender identity or sexuality’.
Mr Reeves was referring to the Church of England’s ‘Valuing All God’s Children’ which has been used in a number of high-profile Christian freedoms cases to silence disagreement from Christian parents, clergy and teacher’s on these issues.
Valuing All God’s Children
Appalled that the CofE’s guidance on these issues were being used against them, the parents have now written to the CofE’s chief education officer, Rev. Nigel Genders. They stated they had originally wanted their children to go to a Christian school partly because: “we did not want them to be exposed to transgender propaganda which we view as completely contrary to fundamental Christian teaching.
“The Chief Executive’s letter quoted from your defence of the Valuing All God’s Children guidance for Church of England schools…We wanted to ask whether you knew that your statement was being used to defend the use of transgender propaganda in a Church of England school?
“We have read your full statement in which you argue that the Valuing All God’s Children guidance does not support affirming children in the opposite sex. However, even your statement is now being used for the purpose of defending teaching young children that they may wish to identify in the opposite sex.
“We would also like to ask you to withdraw your statement and the Valuing All God’s Children guidance as a matter of urgency before more schools use these statements to defend encouraging children to consider that they might wish to identify in the opposite sex.
‘Horrified’
As they wait for a response from the CofE, in a joint statement, Calvin and Nicola Watts, said: “When we found out that extreme transgender ideology was being pushed on our 8-year-old without our consent, we were shocked and horrified.
“We felt very disrespected and betrayed as we had asked at the start of the year for our children not to be exposed to any LGBT ideology.
“When we met with the head teacher, we were made out to be ‘unloving’, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Our primary concern is for the welfare of our children and their classmates after being exposed to such harmful material. Once we raised concern, the priority from the school, however, was to shut us down.
“If you watch the Nana Ceecee video it can only be described as child abuse – it is unscientific, nothing to do with relationships and encourages the idea that 3-year-olds can declare themselves as non-binary to their parents.
“Whether the showing of the video was politically partisan, or an ignorant mistake doesn’t matter – either way it was negligent.
“We are equally mortified by the response from Stuart Reeves and the fact that the CofE’s own guidance is being used against us and other Christians.
“It is tragic that Christian parents can no longer send their children to CofE primary schools in confidence that they will not be exposed to extreme transgender ideology. The CofE appears to care more about politics than biblical truth.
“We urge the CofE hierarchy to urgently look into what has happened and to address how its own guidance is being used to defend the promotion of what we believe to be child abuse.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “The Nana Ceecee video that was shown to 8-year-olds was disturbing and utterly inappropriate. The Church of England must urgently respond to the serious issues raised by the family. It is unacceptable that children as young as eight should be exposed to such harmful material.”
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
[3] 15,000 Call on Church of England to Scrap Its Pro-Transgender Guidance for Primary Schools
Christian parents and two members of General Synod have handed in a petition to the Archbishop of Canterbury demanding an end to the Church of England’s (CofE) policy that says children as young as five should be affirmed if they want to identify as transgender.
Nigel Rowe 49, and his wife Sally, 47, had called on the CofE to urgently scrap its ‘Valuing All God’s Children’ (VAGC) guidance which provides its 4,700 primary schools with policies on how to respond to alleged ‘homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.’
VAGC was used by the Church of England primary school in the Isle of Wight, to justify telling the Rowes and their six-year-old son that they would be ‘transphobic’ if they refused to ‘believe’ in transgender affirming policies.
The guidance has also been repeatedly used by authorities and groups, such as discredited transgender lobby group Mermaids, to justify silencing and sacking Christians who believe transgender ideology is harmful and a clear departure from Christian beliefs on human sexuality, especially in regards to vulnerable gender confused children.
After taking legal action against the Department for Education over how they and their children were treated, the Rowes this year won a legal settlement and commitment from the government to revise transgender guidelines in UK primary schools.
Backed by 15,000 signatures, this week the Rowes handed in the CitizenGo petition to Justin Welby’s HQ at Lambeth Palace, London.
The petition makes it clear that transgender affirming guidelines have no place in Church of England schools.
Despite the Church of England trying to suggest that VAGC does not say children as young as five should be affirmed if they want to identify as transgender, on page 20 of the guidance it states:
“In creating a school environment that promotes dignity for all and a call to live fulfilled lives as uniquely gifted individuals, pupils will be equipped to accept difference of all varieties and be supported to accept their own gender identity or sexual orientation and that of others. In order to do this it will be essential to provide curriculum opportunities where difference is explored, same-sex relationships, same-sex parenting and transgender issues may be mentioned as a fact in some people’s lives.”
This statement is on a page specifically addressing issues for CofE primary schools, and therefore the treatment of pupils as young as five-years-old.
The paragraph states that children as young as five “should be supported to accept their own gender identity”. It also states that transgender issues “may be mentioned as a fact in some people’s lives.” The next paragraph goes on to make this even clearer by saying “Children should be at liberty to explore the possibilities of who they might be without judgement or derision”. This section cannot be read as anything other than advocating for affirming children as young as five if they wish to identify as the opposite gender.
The VAGC guidance also states (on page 14):
“Schools must not discriminate (either directly or indirectly) against gender variant pupils, pupils who are perceived to be gender variant or pupils with trans parents. In the context of a school, indirect discrimination could include an inflexible uniform policy that creates a particular difficulty for trans pupils.”
The petition hand-in coincided with the House of Bishops gathering from Monday 12 December to discuss its Living in Love and Faith project. The discussions are believed to involve finalising proposals and decisions ahead of the CofE’s General Synod in February 2023 where it is believed a vote will take place on whether same-sex marriages can be held in its churches.
Handing in the petition, Nigel and Sally Rowe, said: “The Church of England must urgently recognise the significant concerns that so many parents have about the dangers of transgender ideology in our schools.
“Jesus strongly warned us to protect and teach the whole truth to children: “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18: 6).
“We all therefore have a responsibility under God to protect our children, especially church leaders.”
Rebecca Hunt, member of General Synod and on the Diocesan Board of Education for Portsmouth Diocese, said:
Unfortunately, the Valuing All God’s Children document is a trojan horse for the promotion of radical gender identity ideology in schools. It is being used to justify suggesting to primary school children that they may be “born in the wrong body” and the use of material that is pure indoctrination.
“This is causing distress amongst parents who know it is harmful to their children. It is also being used up and down the country to bully faithful Christians into silence when they seek to question gender identity ideology or feel they cannot in all conscience condone its promotion in the schools where they work.
Benjamin John, Member of General Synod and Mission & Public Affairs Council of the Church of England, said:
“Jesus says “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them” (Matthew 19:14). Valuing All God’s Children does the opposite by exposing young children to a harmful and destructive ideology.
“We have a wonderful message for our young children today that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, that God has made each one of us male or female, and that we are called to either sex within marriage to someone of the opposite sex, or chastity outside of it. Children need to hear that we do not need to believe the lies in the culture or in ourselves that we need to change our bodies or should engage in anything we feel we desire. To be who we truly are is to know Jesus.
“We want our children to grow up and see the goodness and beauty of God’s pattern for the world. This petition shows that there are many who are concerned about the guidance and the effect it is having on our children. It is shocking that this guidance has been accepted and promoted for so long within the Church of England and it must be dropped immediately.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre who backed the Rowes’ legal case, said:
“No matter how much the Church of England would like to spin it, its Valuing All God’s Children guidance says that children as young as five should be affirmed if they want to identify as the opposite gender.
“This guidance covers over 4,700 CofE primary schools and tens of thousands of pupils. We believe this guidance is deeply damaging and must be scrapped.”
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
[4] Church of Nigeria Bishop Leads Violent Sectarian Mob Attacking Anglican Church in New Jersey
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Anglican Office for Government & International Affairs
Dec. 9, 2022
IRVINGTON, N.J., Dec. 9, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ — What began as a joyful church service celebrating baptisms and confirmations at Christ Anglican Church, a member of the Anglican Church in North America, ended in heartbreak as violence erupted and the church was attacked on Sunday, December 4, 2022 by an angry mob led by Church of Nigeria (CoN) Bishop Dr. Augustine Unigbe who attempted to illegally seize the church.
Christ Anglican Church is a member of the Anglican Diocese of the Rocky Mountains. Bishop Ken Ross, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Rocky Mountains, was leading the worship service when CoN Bishop Dr. Augustine Unigbe, who is also a medical doctor in New Jersey, and a group of 14 CoN members forced their way into the church attempting to illegally seize the church property. Bishop Unigbe stormed the platform yelling “I have come to take over the church and shut this service down.”
In a video obtained by the Anglican Office for Government & International Affairs, Bishop Unigbe is clearly seen pushing and shoving church members and at one point to raises his Bishop’s staff, striking a church member trying to stop the illegal trespassing.
The video shows the violent mob continuing to illegally trespass and attempting to move past law enforcement and church officials. The video also shows that, despite multiple requests from law enforcement officers who were already on the scene, Bishop Unigbe and 14 of his followers refused to obey lawful police orders to leave the church. Eventually the mob was dispersed and the trespassers were forced by police to vacate the premises.
Complicating the issue further is that the violent incident appears to be pre-meditated and orchestrated by another Church of Nigeria Bishop according to a letter from the Church of Nigeria dated 29 November, 2022. The letter, written by The Rt. Rev’d Nathan C. O. Kanu, Interim Coordinating Bishop, Church of Nigeria North America Mission (CONNAM) to Bishop Ken Ross of the ACNA directing him to stay away from Christ Anglican Church, saying:
“Whatever the purpose or intention, we are troubled that the visit may be misconstrued… The optics may then ensue in additional protests or, worse, physical confrontations.”
Bishop Kanu is the supervisor of The Right Reverend Dr. Augustine Unigbe. The letter was also sent to The Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, who is the Primate of the Church of Nigeria.
It is unclear at this point whether the Church of Nigeria will respond appropriately by removing Bishops Kanu and Unigbe from leadership. While everyone is innocent until proven guilty in our system of law, the evidence is overwhelming and very public. The CoN would be wise to remove them at least over the next few months while authorities and prosecutors vigorously move the matter through the courts. Given Bp Kanu’s assignment is from the Primate of the CoN, there are serious questions if this was initiated at the highest levels of the CoN. If so, this one incident may prompt the State Department and FBI to become involved.
This situation is ongoing and the case is before local prosecutors. More information can be found at aogia.org.
SOURCE Anglican Office for Government & International Affairs
CONTACT: Justin Murff, 202-227-7878, info@aogia.org
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
[5] Union Seminary Teaching Students to “Think and Feel with Trees”
Union Seminary in New York City is teaching students how to communicate with trees. In the course Master of Arts in Social Justice for 2023-24, taught by Claudio Carvalhaes, students learn to “think and feel with other species, with the trees, with the soil, with the rivers” and “how do we connect with those other species in our communities and how to create ritual to honor them?” (@UnionSeminary, Nov. 29, 2022). In a chapel service in 2019, Union students asked forgiveness of some plants that had been set up in the auditorium. From its official account, the school tweeted, “Today in chapel, we confessed to plants. Together, we held our grief, joy, regret, hope, guilt and sorrow in prayer; offering them to the beings who sustain us but whose gift we too often fail to honor. What do you confess to the plants in your life?” (@UnionSeminary, Sept. 17, 2019). This is the final stage of theological liberalism. It leads to atheism and pantheism. Union Seminary was founded in 1836 by the Presbyterian Church in the USA; but by the end of the 19th century, it was roaring drunk on liberal theology, the essence of which is the rejection of the Bible’s infallibility. In January 1891, Charles Briggs attacked the Bible in his inaugural address at Union Seminary after being appointed to the Edward Robinson Chair of Biblical Theology. He questioned the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch and one-Isaiah authorship of Isaiah. He questioned the Bible’s miracles. He claimed that the doctrine of verbal inspiration is a “barrier” that hinders a proper approach to the Bible. He denied Scripture’s predictive prophecy. He claimed that the doctrine of inerrancy is “a ghost of modern evangelicalism to frighten children” (Jabez Sunderland, Is the Bible Infallible?, 1906). When Briggs was found guilty of heresy and suspended from the ministry by the Presbyterian Church in 1893, Union Seminary stood behind their heretic and broke away from the Presbyterians. In 1897, Union professor A.C. McGiffert published A History of Christianity in the Apostolic Age, in which he denied the supernatural inspiration of Scripture and “questioned the genuineness of half the books in the New Testament.” McGiffert implied that the Lord Jesus was mistaken in some of His views and denied the doctrine of Christ’s substitutionary atonement. In 1931, Henry Sloane Coffin, President-Emeritus of Union Seminary, wrote, “There is no cleansing blood which can wipe out the record of what has been. … The Cross of Christ is not a means of procuring forgiveness” (Coffin, The Meaning of the Cross, pp. 118-121). When the Bible’s infallible inspiration is rejected, one is driven about by every wind of false doctrine. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:5).
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, 3041 Broadway at 121st Street, New York, New York 10027, 212-662-7100, online@uts.columbia.edu
[6] 1000 Church of England Clergy Say They Would Perform Same-Sex Marriages
The following is excerpted from “Over 1,000 Church of England clergy,” Premier Christian News, Oct. 27, 2022: “At least 1,100 clergy have indicated they would conduct same-sex marriages should it become allowed in the Church of England, according to a survey. Carried out by the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England, the survey was launched at the beginning of September to compile a list of those favouring changing the Church of England’s current stance on same-sex marriages. During this year’s Lambeth Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Rev Justin Welby, acknowledged there’s a ‘plurality of views’ within the Anglican Communion regarding the same-sex marriage issue, but admitted the Church only recognises a Christian marriage as between a man and a woman.”
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Anglican Communion, St. Andrew’s House, 16 Tavistock Crescent, London W11 1AP, England, 20-7313-3900, Fax: 20-7313-3999, aco@anglicancommunion.org
Additional Articles of Interest
– Woman in Norway Faces Prison for Saying Men Cannot Be Lesbians
– Vaccinated People Are Dying at “Incredibly High Pace” in Hyper-Vaccinated Australia
– Governments Are About to Introduce Climate Change Lockdowns
– Sixth Graders Taken to ‘Drag Show’ without Parental Knowledge
– Banks Freeze Funds of Pro-Free Speech Video Platform Bitchute
– New Autopsy Report Reveals Those Who Died Suddenly Were Likely Killed by the COVID Vaccine
– Poll: 12 Million Americans Have Suffered Major Side Effect from COVID Shots
– The Weaponisation of Psychiatry against Critics of Governments’ Covid Narrative
– Study: India’s 2021 COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign Caused Approximately 3.7 Million Deaths
– Canada Expands Euthanasia “Mercy” Killing to Ensnare Society’s Most Vulnerable, Including Children
– Study: Face Masks Do More Harm Than Good, Especially in Children
– Switzerland Plans to Temporarily Limit Electric Vehicle Use This Winter Due to Energy Shortage
– American Library Association Training Collude with LGBT Promoting Porn to Children
– Autopsies Confirm: Covid-19 Vaccine Causes Fatal Heart Inflammation or “Sudden Adult Death Syndrome”
– ‘Obsolete, Misguided’: Critics Call Out Pfizer’s Plan for Bivalent Booster for Kids under Five
– Government Criminally Ignoring Vax-Injured Living in Hell on Earth
– Canadian Veteran, Ex-Paralympian Offered Assisted Suicide by VA Office after Seeking Help
– Explosive Report Reveals Horrific Forced Abortion Program Allegedly Conducted by Nigerian Army
– Trudeau Government Doubles Down on Removing Charitable Tax Status of Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers
Comments are closed for this Article !