25 January 2023
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“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
[1] Johnny Hunt, Disgraced Former Southern Baptist Convention Pastor, Makes Defiant Return to the Pulpit
[2] First Ever Prosecution for ‘Conversion Practices’ to Be Challenged by UK Christian Group
[3] In BBC interview, Archbishop of York Says Sexual Immorality Is Not Sinful
Additional Articles of Interest
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[1] Johnny Hunt, Disgraced Former Southern Baptist Convention Pastor, Makes Defiant Return to the Pulpit
A 19 January 2023 MinistryWatch article by Bob Smietana titled “Johnny Hunt, Disgraced Former SBC Pastor, Makes Defiant Return to the Pulpit” reports that former Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president and pastor Johnny Hunt returned to the pulpit on Sunday 19 January 2022 for the first time in eight months since allegations that Hunt had sexually assaulted another pastor’s wife became public.
Several years ago, Hunt was at the forefront of efforts to expel Reformed SBC pastors who subscribed to the biblical Doctrines of Grace.
+ MinistryWatch, 2514 Plantation Center Drive, Matthews, North Carolina 28105, 866-364-9980, info@wallwatchers.org
[2] First Ever Prosecution for ‘Conversion Practices’ to Be Challenged by UK Christian Group
The Christian Legal Centre is assisting the legal defence of a Maltese Christian charity worker who is facing criminal charges for allegedly discussing and advertising ‘conversion practices.’
In a case, believed to be the first of its kind, Matthew Grech, 33, a Trustee of Core Issues Trust who works closely with the International Federation of Therapeutic Counselling (IFTCC) and X-OutLoud, will face trial on 3 February 2023 at the Court of Magistrates in Valletta along with the presenters of a local free speech media outlet, PMnews Malta.
The prosecution comes after Mr Grech simply told his ‘ex-gay’ testimony during an online media interview, which was advertised on Facebook beforehand.
Mr Grech shared his story about his childhood and the confusion he had experienced when it came to his own sexuality and relationships. He spoke about how as an adult he had been involved in homosexual relationships before becoming a Christian, which changed his life dramatically.
Mr Grech spoke about how he does not agree with the term ‘conversion therapy’ and said that the deeper he went into his Christian faith and exploring the Bible, the more: “I understood that in the Bible, homosexuality is not an identity as we make it nowadays. And neither is it a feeling, but a practice. This means that no matter what sexual feelings a man or a woman is experiencing, if they have sexual relations with a person of the same sex, they commit the homosexual act in God’s eyes, and that is a sin. Just like every other sin, one can repent from it and ask God for forgiveness and ask Him for strength to overcome… I’m talking here from a Christian perspective…”
At no point during the programme did Mr Grech invite any listener to attend therapy or encourage anyone to get help for unwanted same sex attraction.
The full transcript of the interview can be read here.
Accused of advertising conversion practices
Despite ‘ex-gay’ being a protected under human rights law, Mr Grech was summoned by the police who later pressed criminal charges against him for allegedly advertising ‘conversion practices’.
In line with Maltese legislation, which criminalises the advertising of ‘conversion practices’, if convicted, Mr Grech could face five months in prison, and/or fined 5,000 euros.
It is understood that the two presenters of the show are also facing criminal charges.
The case is believed to be the first ever case where someone has faced charges of this nature.
Campaigners argue that it will be a precursor to the impact the UK government’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban, announced this week, will have on freedom of religion, speech, expression and thought.
Mr Grech believes he is being aggressively targeted by members of the Malta Gay Rights Movement, who believe that Christian beliefs on marriage and human identity, and any debate surrounding LGBT lifestyles, should be treated as a criminal offence.
What happens in Malta on these issues is of international significance as Malta became the first country in the European Union to ban what LGBT lobbies describe as ‘conversion therapy’ in 2016.
A ripple effect has followed with other nations, such as the UK and Australia, using the original Maltese legislation as a blueprint for similar bans.
The LGBT lobby, however, has struggled to define what the imposed term ‘conversion therapy’ is. No evidence has been provided to justify the bans, but instead the aggressive campaigning is aimed at criminalising Christian beliefs on human sexuality and silencing any opposition.
Ahead of the trial, Mr Grech, who says he was shocked when the police called him out of the blue to question him, said: “Anyone who cares about freedom of speech should be alarmed by what is happening to me. If it happens to me in Malta, I assure you that it will soon be happening in the UK and other countries across the world.” (Full statement at the end of the story.)
‘You will be arrested’
On 6 April 2022, Mr Grech was invited by PMnews Malta, a small free-speech media platform, to share the story of how he had become a born-again Christian, which led to him leaving behind a homosexual lifestyle and unwanted same sex attraction.
The interview was advertised on PMnews Malta’s Facebook page and the topic for the interview was chosen by the presenters of the programme.
At no point during the programme did Mr Grech invite any listener to attend therapy or encourage anyone to get help for unwanted same sex attraction.
Following the interview, Mr Grech received a prosecution order from Inspector Roderick Attard from the Maltese police.
The order accused him of advertising ‘conversion practices and this breaking article 3 ( a ) ( iii ) of Chapter 567 of Maltese laws.’ He was told that he would need to attend a hearing on 3 February 2023 and that if he failed to attend, he would be arrested.
Article 3 of Malta’s draconian Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act, states that: ‘It shall be unlawful (a) for any person to: (i) perform conversion practices on a vulnerable person; or (ii) perform involuntary and, or forced conversion practices on a person; or (iii) advertise conversion practices; and, or (b) for a professional to: (i) offer and, or perform conversion practices on any person irrespective of whether compensation is received in exchange; or (ii) make a referral to any other person to perform conversion practices on any person.’
In response to the charges, Mr Grech’s lawyers have written to Inspector Attard urging him to drop the charges and to meet to discuss what has happened.
Lawyers argue that bringing these charges against Mr Grech breaches his Fundamental Human Right to Freedom of Expression safeguarded under Article 41 of the Constitution of Malta and Article 10 of the European Convention Human Rights (ECHR).
They will argue that under Human Rights legislation derived from Malta’s obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights, as well as the free speech rights guaranteed by its own Constitution, Mr Grech had every right to freely share and express his story and views on unwanted same-sex attraction.
They say he should therefore not be criminally charged, tried and publicly shamed for having done so.
In regard to the allegation made by the police that he had ‘advertised conversion practices’, lawyers say that at no point in his interview did Mr Grech direct the viewers and listeners to a counsellor, therapist or a counselling entity whose counsel or services would breach Chapter 567 of the Laws of Malta.
They conclude by saying that Mr Grech’s sharing of his own testimony was, not only an expression of Mr Grech’s own thoughts and views on the subject matter, but also a manifestation of his Christian beliefs, which he respectfully shared with the viewers.
If there is a criminal conviction, Grech’s lawyers say that freedom of the press in Malta is on the line, and that anyone who wants help for unwanted same-sex attraction, which is a protected characteristic, will be suppressed and driven underground.
‘Alarmed’
Ahead of the hearing, Mr Grech, who has never been involved with the police in his life, said: “I was shocked when the police called me out of the blue and said they were summoning me for interrogation.
“The outlet I appeared on is a very small and emerging free-speech platform in Malta, and I didn’t think it would be treated so seriously by the Malta Gay Rights Movement to the extent that I could be criminalised for telling my Christian testimony. It shows how determined they are to stamp out any debate or voice on these issues. I was worried for myself and what my family would think, as nothing like this has happened to me before.
“I am determined however, to raise awareness on the danger and harm that ‘conversion therapy’ bans are and will cause, not just to churches and society in Malta, but all around the world.
“I am committed to keep sharing my testimony because I don’t want other men and women to go through what I went through in my upbringing and adolescence. I don’t want them to be victims of unwanted sexual feelings. I don’t want them to be robbed of the biblical side of the story around sex, sexuality and marriage. I don’t want the masses to believe ‘born gay, cannot change’, and allow that to go unchallenged.
“If we don’t act now, more countries will introduce such bans as if they were a charitable noble cause that is saving lives and works for the common good, when they are tyrannical, draconian and will achieve the opposite of what they set out to.
“The ‘conversion therapy’ ban is creating an ideological domino effect. The lobbies and gay rights movements behind them take a single moral viewpoint around human sexuality, and enforce it on the entire population. It causes legal confusion, and it discourages journalists from exploring the other side of the story.
“Many of us in Ex-LGBT ministry are experiencing an increasing silencing from the general press and media, and are noticing a decreasing public interest in the exploration of the ‘Ex-LGBT’ reality, which we believe is driven by the intimidation and fear these bans are creating.
‘Forced underground’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “Criminalising someone for telling their story of freedom and change from unwanted and unfulfilling sexual behaviours is discriminatory and violates their Christian freedoms and fundamental human right to free speech.
“The domino effect of ‘conversion therapy’ bans began in Malta. If a precedent is set by this case in Malta we will see similar cases in the UK unless, unless robust action is taken.
“If Matthew is convicted, men and women seeking change in their lives, to leave behind patterns of behaviour which make them unhappy, will be forced underground. We will seek men and women who are seeking help in Malta silenced, fined and put in jail.
“Matthew Grech’s life was powerfully transformed when he became a Christian and learnt what the bible teaches us about who we are. It was in his new found faith that he found his identity and freedom.
“The actions of the police are deeply concerning, and we have not seen anything like this before. We face no alternative but to fight for justice for Matthew and to ensure no one else experiences what he had.
“It is vital to win this case, , not just for people in Malta, but for Christian freedoms and the freedom to leave homosexuality and unwanted same-sex attraction across the world.”
Dr Mike Davidson, IFTCC Chairman, and CEO of Core Issues Trust, said: “In what is probably a test case, the freedoms of speech, conscience and religion are being attacked. The fact is that therapeutic and counselling choice is a fundamental right. Governments promoting monocultural viewpoints – this idea that sexual orientation is inborn and unchangeable, and that gender is unrelated to biological sex – are denying those unwilling to identify as LGBT the right to leave identities and practices no longer relevant to them. This is a human rights issue. Without ideological diversity in any life issue, democracy is denied checks and balances and descends to totalitarianism”.
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
[3] In BBC interview, Archbishop of York Says Sexual Immorality Is Not Sinful
The Archbishop of York (AoY), Stephen Cottrell, has confirmed in a BBC interview that he believes sexual immorality is not sinful.
The interview on BBC Radio Four’s Sunday programme yesterday (Jan 22), came following the Church of England’s announcement that it would not allow ‘gay marriage’ but would allow ‘blessings’ for same-sex couples in civil partnerships in its churches.
The move is a landmark moment, confirming the CofE’s departure from its own biblical teaching on human sexuality which states that marriage is: “in its nature a union permanent and lifelong, for better for worse, till death them do part, of one man with one woman.”
The BBC interviewer, William Crawley, began the interview by asking the AoY whether the decision to reject gay marriage, but bless same sex marriages, was a ‘bit of a fudge.’
The AoY responded saying that he thinks the CofE has found a ‘human… but I think godly way forward.’
Crawley presses him again by suggesting the CofE is ultimately ‘sitting on the fence’ on this issue, to which Cottrell responds:
‘Well, that’s not how I see it, no. I see it as a way of holding together a church which doesn’t agree on this issue and it takes us to a place where LGBTIQ+ people, people entering into same-sex marriages, people in civil partnerships are able to come to the Church of England and those relationships and marriages can be acknowledged and celebrated. People can receive God’s blessing, and that’s a good thing. Yes, of course there are people who want more, but as we’ve just heard, there are people who want a great deal less. So yeah, I think it’s something that, yeah, I think it’s a new place that we’re in.’
Crawley then asked if the AoY could clarify whether the CofE still believes that ‘gay sex is sin’.
In the following exchange, the AoY, refused to use the word ‘marriage’, and said:
Archbishop of York: “Well, what we are saying is that physical and sexual intimacy belongs in committed, stable, faithful relationships and therefore where we see a committed, stable, faithful relationship between two people of the same sex, we are now in a position where those people can be welcomed fully into the life of the Church, on their terms.
Crawley: “And given a blessing: you don’t bless sin, right? So you must be blessing something you believe to be good.
Archbishop of York: “As I say, we believe that stable, faithful, committed, loving relationships are good. They are the place for physical intimacy…
Crawley: And not a sin?
Archbishop of York: But well, that… that’s what I’m saying… we’re looking to focus on the good in relationships and we want people to live in good, stable, faithful relationships.”
The AoY has made these comments despite the Lambeth 1998 Resolution I.10 of the international Anglican Communion declaring that:
‘In view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage’, and ‘cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions.’
‘Same-sex marriage, or leave’
The AoY’s position will comes as no surprise to many, especially clergy who served under him during his time as the Bishop of Chelmsford.
In 2019, ‘Bishop Stephen’, as he was known then, was exposed telling clergy in the diocese to get on board with ‘same-sex marriage, or leave’ the CofE.
His compromised position on the CofE’s own teaching was highlighted starkly in the case of Rev. John Parker.
Rev. Parker had repeatedly raised concerns with Bishop Stephen about how the CofE and Chelmsford diocese under his leadership were, ‘embracing unbiblical approaches to matters of sexuality and gender’.
This included Bishop Stephen telling clergy that ‘God was doing a new thing’ in relation to the acceptance of same-sex marriage.
After his concerns were ignored by Bishop Stephen, Rev. Parker was forced to ‘break communion with him.’
The compromised position of the diocese came to a head when a local CofE primary school, where Rev. Parker was a governor, invited the now discredited transgender lobby group, Mermaids, into the school.
Mermaids, whose staff have since been exposed to having links to paedophilia and encouraging girls to wear chest binders, had been brought in to advise staff on a how to manage the gender transition of a child.
A Mermaids trainer told staff at an inset day training session that they were ‘all honorary Mermaids now whether they want to be or not.’
The Department for Education has since stopped recommending trans charity Mermaids as a mental health and wellbeing resource for schools.
Following the involvement of Mermaids, Rev. Parker said in a statement: “Obvious safeguarding issues were raised by this situation as well as it having clear implications for the Christian ethos of the school. The Diocese of Chelmsford was complicit in preventing any discussion of the wider issues and imposed the views and strategy of the lobby group Mermaids onto the school.”
He said that: “The instruction of its Director of Education the diocese refused to consult or engage in any way with the parents/carers of any of the other children in the school but instead attempted to bind the adults involved to a culture of secrecy through its advice to the head teacher.
Commenting on the role of the AoY in the case, Rev. Parker said: “This situation, in its entire disregard for the Christian children and parents in the school, and those of other faiths and philosophies, presented the clearest possible instance of what Bishop Stephen had previously told me – that my Biblical views on sexuality were not welcome in the Church of England and that I “could leave”.
Without any backing from the CofE or the now AoY, Rev. Parker faced no alternative but to resign as governor and left the Church of England.
Compromised church
Andrea Williams, member of general synod for ten years and chief executive of Christian Concern, said: “The comments from the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, on the BBC embody the compromised position of the Church of England on human sexuality.
“The role of the Archbishop of York is to lead in explaining God’s beautiful pattern for human life and relationships, not to preside over a convoluted process of compromise. Sadly, it has been a failure of leadership from the start by the Archbishop of Canterbury and York. For this they will answer to God, and we must pray for them. It is not loving or kind to hide the truth from the culture.
“What we have needed for so long on these issues is spiritual leadership from the Church of England’s hierarchy. Sadly, however, what we have seen is a relentless and determined capitulation to the spirit of the age from the Archbishop of York, among others. The church and Christians are called to be distinct from the world around them and yet the Archbishop has shown he is ashamed of the clear teachings of Jesus Christ.”
Rebecca Hunt, member of the CofE’s general synod, said: “The Bible clearly teaches us that in order for humans to flourish, the good gift of sex has its proper place only within the marriage relationship between a man and a woman. This is what the Anglican church worldwide has believed throughout its history. If we teach people otherwise, we are deceiving them with eternal consequences for them and for us. The Church of England stands at the edge of an abyss: unless we repent, Jesus says in Revelation chapter two that our lampstand will be removed from its place.”
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
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