15 February 2023

Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 21:12

This news item was posted in Presbyterians Week category.

“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] Christians Need to Stand for Free Speech against Ungodly Censorship

[2] Archbishop of Canterbury Tells Synod Member to Apologise for Challenging ‘Same-Sex Blessings’

Additional Articles of Interest

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[1] Christians Need to Stand for Free Speech against Ungodly Censorship

OPINION, Feb. 14, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ — The following is submitted by Richard Harris, Executive Director of the Truth & Liberty Coalition:

Free speech is under attack in America like never before.

All Americans, but most especially Christians, must stand united in defense of this sacred and unalienable right. Our Founders gave it first place for good reason. Freedom of speech is essential to the pursuit of happiness and self-governance.

Self-expression is by God’s design a fundamental aspect of who we are as people. Freedom to express oneself is essential to happiness and fulfillment. The Bible says mankind is made in God’s image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). God’s first act was to speak (Gen. 1:3). Our words also express our hearts and minds, and therefore reflect who we are as people. As Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34).”

As Christ’s followers, we are commanded to preach the gospel, teach all nations, and be His witnesses (Mark 16:15-17, Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). So, the spread of the greatest news ever told (God’s gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ) depends on speech.

As William Federer often says, “The most important thing is to preach the gospel. The second most important thing is to preserve the freedom to do the most important thing.”

The erosion of free speech rights under American institutions increasingly hostile to the Church is truly alarming. Joe Biden and the Democrat Party have attacked fundamental beliefs at the core of Christianity, including the sanctity of life and biblically defined marriage, along with free speech.

The Biden administration actually created a “Disinformation Governance Board” seeking to police speech in this nation. It rightfully come under attack as unconstitutional and grossly chilling. According to Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, the Department of Homeland Security would have used the board to “respond to matters the government unilaterally determines to be mis-, dis- or mal-information,” and planned “to coordinate efforts to leverage ties with social media platforms to enable the removal of user content.” In other words, leftist bureaucrats and woke corporations would work together to decide what information is appropriate for public consumption. The Disinformation Governance Board has been leveraged against critics of the regime in general and Christians in particular.

Jesus did not shy away from confronting error, and was attacked because He spoke the truth, exposed lies and set people free. Those whose earthly power was threatened by Christ’s message sought to suppress the Truth (John 14:6) so they could continue control of the masses —condemning themselves.

In John 3:19, Jesus said, “this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

So it is today. The organizations that support limiting free speech are all closely aligned with the Democrat Party—the education establishment, Antifa, Black Lives Matter, LGBT groups, abortion businesses, and many others. These same groups (and that same political party) also oppose other biblical ideals like the sanctity of life, the nuclear family, and equality under the law.

Darkness can never defeat truth in a fair and open fight. That’s why these purveyors of leftist deception must rely on censorship. The leftist ruling powers of today are trying to overturn Americans’ unalienable constitutional rights and pervert not only the deeply Christian heritage of this nation, but also the design of humanity itself.

We must fight for freedom of speech and religion. We must fight now, and fight with all our might. There can be no compromise and there can be no surrender. This hill is the last hill left and make no mistake, it is worth dying on. As the Apostle Paul commanded the believers in Galatia, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1).

Note: Richard Harris is the executive director of Truth & Liberty Coalition, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization based in Woodland Park, Colorado. Established by Andrew Wommack and other Christian leaders, the goal is to educate, unify and mobilize Christians and conservatives to become involved in the affairs of their community and government.

+ The Truth and Liberty Coalition, Inc., Post Office Box 3333, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80934-3333, Contact Page

[2] Archbishop of Canterbury Tells Synod Member to Apologise for Challenging ‘Same-Sex Blessings’

A Church of England general synod member, who has received death threats for speaking against Queer Theory and LGBT pride events, has now been ‘rebuked’ by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for challenging ‘same-sex blessings.’

Sam Margrave, 40, a lay member of general synod, has received a formal letter from Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, telling him to apologise for his twitter activity ‘over the last few weeks.’

The letter makes no mention of Mr Margrave receiving relentless online abuse, often from clergy, and being forced to install CCTV at his home over fears for his safety for communicating the CofE’s own teaching on human sexuality.

In recent weeks, the Archbishop of Canterbury reportedly asked LGBT activist, Jayne Ozanne, for a list of names of people who allegedly “preach messages that harm LGBT people” so he could “deal with” the issue.

Following commitments in his manifesto that saw Mr Margrave receive the most votes in his diocese for election to synod, Mr Margrave has repeatedly challenged the influence of Queer Theory and the sexualisation of children within the church.

Last week it was revealed, however, that the Diocese of Coventry, led by the Bishop of Coventry, Christopher Cocksworth, had capitulated to pressure from LGBT campaigners and resorted to reporting Mr Margrave’s Twitter activity to the police for alleged ‘hate crime’.

Today, the Church of England’s general synod begins against a fierce backdrop of division over proposed changes to the church’s doctrine on marriage and the proposed introduction of ‘same-sex blessings’.

Last year when Mr Margrave attended general synod, he had to have protection and a panic alarm set on his phone due to the level of threat to his safety.

Responding to the letter from the Archbishops, Mr Margrave has refused to apologise. He said: “The Archbishops of Canterbury and York make no reference in their letter to the constant abuse and death threats I have received for speaking biblical truth and for standing for the Church of England’s own teaching on human sexuality. Due to the level of threats I have received, I have had to install CCTV at my house and a panic alarm on my phone.

“I am being thrown under the bus, excluded, and treated like a leper in the name of inclusivity. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are holding tight to their copy of Marx while leaving the Bible on a bookshelf.

“I will not apologise for speaking the truth. I do not believe I have done anything wrong. I have been honest, transparent and faithful.

“This letter is a thinly veiled and bullying threat for me to be silent or be removed from synod. I feel incredibly let down as serious accusations have been made without providing any evidence. This is a clear example of overreach from the very top of the Church of England’s hierarchy.

“Any conservative orthodox Christian beliefs are being pushed out of the Church of England. If it is me now, who will it be next? I am taking this stand because I do not want anyone else to be treated as I have.

“I believe the CofE has been politically infiltrated by Stonewall and others. The promotion of Queer Theory, the acceptance of Pride flags, and now reporting any vocal opposition to the police, bares all the hallmarks of Stonewall and a repressive regime that wants to silence biblical truth at any cost.

“I don’t hate anyone, this is not about hate, it has always been about truth and bringing positive change to the CofE.

“All I have wanted was to protect children and give a voice to parents by standing against the sexualisation and grooming of children, which was part of the manifesto I was elected to synod on.”