31 March 2021
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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] Victory as Scottish Worship Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
[3] A Biblical Perspective on the Border Crisis
[4] Guiyang Renai Reformed Church Under Attack
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[1] Victory as Scottish Worship Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Twenty-seven Scottish church leaders have won a victory for Christian freedoms in the UK, with churches in Scotland being allowed to meet in person once again with immediate effect.
In a historic judgment handed down yesterday – believed to be the first successful legal case against Covid regulations in the UK – a judge has ruled that the Scottish government’s decision to ban and criminalise gathered worship was both disproportionate and a breach of human rights.
In his judgment, Lord Braid states: “I have concluded that the Regulations do constitute a disproportionate interference with the article 9 right of the petitioners and others. As such, they are beyond the legislative competence of the respondents for the reasons set out above.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which supported the twenty-seven church leaders, commented: “Over centuries, Christian worship has been regarded as a fundamental freedom in the nations of the United Kingdom. During this pandemic, for the first time in history, our governments chose to criminalise gathered church worship.
“We are thankful and relieved that the High Court in Scotland has recognised this dangerous interference with our God-given right to engage in worship for exactly what it is and ruled it unconstitutional. The fundamental principle of freedom has prevailed with a strong dash of good old common sense.”
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
In the latest example of “evangelicals” who are following vain secular thinking instead of God’s Word, Wheaton College has removed a plaque commemorating the 1956 martyrdom of five of its graduates because the word “savage” is now considered offensive (“Wheaton College scrubs ‘savage,’ The Spectator, Mar. 17, 2021).
The plaque, which was presented in 1957 by the student body class of 1949, stated, “Go and Preach the Gospel … For the Love of Christ Constraineth. Dedicated to the glory of God and in loving memory of Edward McCully, President of the class of 1949, and James Elliot, likewise an outstanding athlete and leader. Because of the Great Commission, Ed and Jim, together with Nathanael Saint, Roger Youderian, and Peter Fleming, went to the mission field.
Willing for ‘anything–anywhere regardless of cost,’ they chose the jungles of Ecuador inhabited by the Auca Indians. For generations all strangers were killed by these savage Indians. After many days of patient preparation and devout prayer, the missionaries made the first friendly contact known to history with the Aucas. On January 8, 1956, the five missionaries were brutally slain–martyrs for the love of God.”
The new “woke” Wheaton College is far too worldly wise to use the term “savage” to describe lying murderers of peaceful missionaries, even though it is a perfectly apt description by even the most modern dictionary definition. It means “lacking the restraints normal to civilized human beings, fierce, ferocious, wild, uncultivated, malicious” (Merriam-Webster).
Wheaton president Philip Ryken says, “Recently, students, faculty, and staff have expressed concern about language on the plaque that is now recognized as offensive. Specifically, the word ‘savage’ is regarded as pejorative and has been used historically to dehumanize and mistreat indigenous peoples around the world.”
But the missionaries were not dehumanizing or mistreating the Aucas; they loved them sacrificially and tried to warn them of eternal judgment and preach the good news of Jesus Christ to them. As for the Aucas of that day, the Bible itself uses terms such as “haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things … without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful … with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways … There is no fear of God before their eyes … children of disobedience … children of wrath … having no hope, and without God in the world” (Romans 1:29-31; 3:13, 14, 15, 16, 18; Ephesians 2:2, 3, 12).
The good news is that the college has appointed a “task force to review the wording of the plaque and make a specific recommendation by May 1 for its careful rewording and replacement.” It will be interesting to see what they come up with to describe murdering savages inoffensively.
+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org
[3] A Biblical Perspective on the Border Crisis
The following is submitted by Richard Harris, Executive Director of the Truth & Liberty Coalition:
Illegal immigrants are streaming through our nation’s southern border by the thousands. In the two short months of the Biden-Harris Administration, illegal immigration has reached a twenty-year high. Smugglers and human traffickers are pouncing on the opportunity. More than 13,000 children are being detained in facilities after crossing the border from Mexico to the United States. Some as young as six years old entered unaccompanied by a parent.
This crisis is a direct result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s dangerous and destructive immigration agenda.
Although radical leftists would say the Bible has no relevance to issues of national debate, the truth is it actually offers balanced wisdom that can light the way forward, not just as individuals, but as a country.
On the one hand, the Bible teaches that we must provide equal justice, protection and compassion for all immigrants who have come to our nation legally. Leviticus 19:33-34 makes this clear:
“And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
On the other hand, the Bible recognizes our inherent power to defend our borders and exercise our sovereignty.
God, “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). Borders and walls are found throughout the Bible, from God setting them around the Garden of Eden after the fall (Genesis 3:24), to the establishment of Israel (Exodus 23:31), to the city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10-21). If there will be nations, walls and governments in the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:23-24), how much more do we need them in this life!
Individual autonomy and self-defense are unalienable rights that go hand in hand. This is no less true for a nation than for an individual. Every day we secure our private information with passwords and unique usernames. We lock our cars in the parking lot and our front doors at night. In fact, you might even say responsible parents owe a duty to their children to secure the home. Likewise, nations have the natural right and duty to protect the borders of the country. Leaving your doors unlocked exposes you to theft and other crimes. Similarly, national policies that break down boundaries and disrespect national sovereignty, put the lives and property of the citizens at risk. Such laws are a breach of trust between the government and its people.
America can avoid this craziness by following the simple wisdom of the Bible. Let us show compassion and equal justice to all who immigrate here lawfully, while consistently defending our borders against those who seek to come here unlawfully. In the end, it is nothing more than common sense.
SOURCE Truth & Liberty Coalition
CONTACT: Michael Perini, 719-651-5943,
newstruthlibertycoalitiion@gmail.com
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[4] Guiyang Renai Reformed Church Under Attack
Because of the CCP’s increased surveillance and crackdown on house churches, many of them quietly organize their prayer meetings in hotel rooms. However, there is always the risk that the hotel personnel or others attracted by the monetary rewards paid to those who denounce illegal religious activities report them to the police.
This is what happened on March 16 in Guiyang, a prefecture-level city with a population of 4.7 million and the capital of the south-western Guizhou province. The Guiyang Renai Reformed Church organized a prayer meeting in room 1702 of the commercial building part of the Wenzhou Hotel complex, when the police raided the room and arrested several members of the congregation, accusing three local devotees, Chen Jianguo, Li Jinzhi and Li Lin, of having organized the illegal meeting, which was also attended by out-of-town Christians.
https://bitterwinter.org/house-church-under-attack-in-guiyang/
+ Bitter Winter, Via Confienza 19, 10121 Turin, Italy, 39-011-541950, info@bitterwinter.org
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