| Presbyterians Week21 July 2021 “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 is a product of the Christian Observer Inc., publisher of the oldest international Presbyterian and Reformed periodical. – Bob Williams, Managing Editor In Memory of Publisher Dr. Edwin P. Elliott, 62, d. 11 October 2009 See Presbyterians Weekly Blog for back issues, and please visit The Christian Observer. Headlines [1] Vicar Facing Discipline for Singing Without a Face Mask [2] Dr. Frank Wright: We Will Not Bow to Cancel Culture [3] Alberta Pastor Freed from Jail, Church Properties Unchained; Freed Canada Pastor Says, “Don’t Fear Man, Fear God” [4] Tyndale International University Graduation Address “Driving Away the Darkness” Additional Articles of Interest —– [1] Vicar Facing Discipline for Singing Without a Face Mask Rev. Charlie Boyle, a vicar in Dorset, was pressured to leave his post and his home – along with his wife and four sons – and now faces discipline over allegations relating to Covid. During the pandemic, he had sought to minister the gospel – sharing his faith and pastoring his congregation – while avoiding spreading Covid-19. But at a meeting after Easter Sunday 2021, the Archdeacon of Dorset met Charlie and put pressure on him to leave his post and the vicarage by the end of July.The Archdeacon didn’t say why. But he wrote to Charlie on 24 June 2021 listing allegations that Charlie had broken Covid rules. What were these claims? He had sung “Thine Be the Glory” at the end of an Easter Sunday service while leaving church. He had returned Bibles to the church building. He had hugged a mourner following a funeral. He had conducted an online service from a beach hut he rents. What would Jesus say? Charlie’s story was featured in this week’s Mail on Sunday Charlie can answer every one of these claims – he has not been reckless. For example, he has diagnosed asthma but sought to wear a mask when possible for the comfort of others. Another accusation was that he had not taken responsibility for the church’s Covid risk assessments, despite strong evidence that he did. But even if he had, these are not sins worthy of the heavy-handed discipline being enacted by the Archdeacon. Putting Charlie through discipline over these matters paints a picture of church authorities acting like Pharisees over Covid, while doing nothing about other church leaders promoting all sorts of false teaching within the Church of England. Members of Charlie’s congregation have rallied to support him after discovering that he had been asked to leave, particularly as he was unaware of the allegations against him. One message of support said: “Having discovered to my horror that Charlie and Sarah Boyle are being asked to step down from their present roles, I felt it only fair and right to let you have my input as someone who has been quite actively involved with them since they arrived eight years ago.” Another said: “I know there can always be difficulties in any parish, not least leading a parish through a pandemic. Charlie has achieved this admirably in my opinion.” Furthermore, a member of the congregation said: “Rev. Charlie Boyle has brought a vibrancy to All Saints during the past eight years and a younger congregation have embraced the church wholeheartedly with him at the helm. It has been a wonderful experience and he should be congratulated on the work he has achieved.” ‘I won’t give up my calling’ Charlie commented on his case: “I am deeply saddened and hurt that Covid regulations are being used as an excuse by the church hierarchy to bully me and my young family. “During the pandemic, due to government guidance, churches and their congregations have become places of division and fear instead of the places of prayer, refuge, worship, outreach and hope they should be. “We must all take precautions of course, but we also have to ask the question of what Jesus would do in such a crisis? “Churches have been forced to capitulate to government and Church of England guidance and have been prevented from supporting their communities in the biggest crisis since the war. “I have done everything possible to reassure and protect people’s material, emotional and spiritual well-being.” + Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page [2] Dr. Frank Wright: We Will Not Bow to Cancel CultureNEWS PROVIDED BY D. James Kennedy Ministries July 16, 2021 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 16, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ — In a public statement on video, D. James Kennedy Ministries President and CEO Dr. Frank Wright revealed a series of cancel culture attacks on the Christian broadcast ministry which, he said, are “surely the first wave of much more to come.” Despite that, he pledged that “we remain committed to standing for truth and defending your freedom.” The text of his full statement is below and may be viewed at www.djameskennedy.org. Statement from Dr. Frank Wright on Cancel Culture Attacks: When James Madison was a young man, he stood with his father outside a Virginia jail listening. They were listening to Baptist preachers, who stood in their jail cell windows preaching the Gospel. Why were they in jail? What was their alleged crime? They were preaching opinions not approved by the government. These visceral examples of viewpoint discrimination were not lost on Madison who later drafted the U.S. Constitution and went on to serve as the fourth President of the United States. Fast forward 250 years or so and we see a new and insidious form of viewpoint discrimination in what’s called the cancel culture. Many have heard the term but may not understand what it means. Cancel culture is the moniker for the systematic efforts of media and technology elites to marginalize, demonize, and eventually criminalize speech and ideas that are unacceptable to their hard-Left Marxist sensibilities. For D. James Kennedy Ministries, the first significant attack came from the Southern Poverty Law Center—who placed us on their so-called hate map for our Biblical views on marriage and human sexuality. As you may know, we sued both SPLC and Amazon in federal district court for defamation and discrimination. Four years later, that case is still alive before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. We are asking that court to remand our case for a trial before a jury of our peers. Please pray that God will open that door with a favorable ruling. More recently the attacks on D. James Kennedy Ministries by the cancel culture have accelerated dramatically. Not long ago, our Truths That Transform television program was forced off the Lifetime Channel being deemed too controversial. Just in the last month, the digital vendor hosting our website’s bookstore—known as Volusian—forced us to close down our bookstore—again because of our Biblical stand for truth. And most recently, the thought police at Facebook began blocking our Facebook Live program titled, “Why Do You Believe That?” This is a program we have aired for the last fifteen months on Facebook—but suddenly we are deemed in violation of their so-called community standards. Friends, this is surely the first wave of much more to come. But I wanted you to know that we are not sitting here wringing our hands in despair. We are confident in our calling and blessed beyond measure by your faithful prayers and consistent financial support. We are taking every possible step to secure all our digital, video, and print content. And we are working diligently to expand our channels of distribution. The Scriptures promise that when the enemy comes in like a flood, God raises a standard to which we can repair. That standard is truth—God’s truth. We remain committed to standing for truth and defending your freedom. Thank you for standing with us.D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM) is a media ministry whose television program, Truths That Transform, airs nationwide. DJKM actively communicates the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the supremacy of His Lordship, and a Biblically informed view of the world. + D. James Kennedy Ministries, Post Office Box 11184, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33339, 866-534-1294, letters@djameskennedy.org [3] Alberta Pastor Freed from Jail, Church Properties Unchained; Freed Canada Pastor Says, “Don’t Fear Man, Fear God” The following is excerpted from “Pastor Tim Stephens Freed,” jccf.ca, July 1, 2021: “The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is pleased to announce that Pastor Timothy Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church was released from the Calgary Remand Centre earlier today. Pastor Stephens has been in jail since Monday, June 14. … The Justice Centre also confirms that Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, and Grace Life Church near Edmonton, have been unchained and released from government seizure and will be returned to their congregations effective today. Alberta’s public health orders are subject to Charter challenges in two separate court actions, both justify public health orders, the Alberta government has gained international notoriety by jailing three different pastors,’ states Jay Cameron, Justice Centre Litigation Director. … On the afternoon of Monday, June 14, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) arrived at Pastor Stephens’ house and arrested him in front of his wife and eight distraught children. … This June 14 arrest of Pastor Stephens relates to an alleged outdoor church service held on June 6, 2021 in Calgary, with about 200 congregants of Fairview Baptist church. A police helicopter was deployed to search for and detect this peaceful outdoor gathering, and to collect evidence against Pastor Stephens of non-compliance with public health restrictions. … The Alberta government has failed to produce any evidence that outdoor services are a threat to public health. … The Kenney government in Alberta, including Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw, have engaged in a months-long systematic attack on peaceful worship, arresting and incarcerating three Christian pastors for the ‘offence’ of peacefully gathering to worship, and barricading the pastors’ churches with an intimidating show of police force of scores of officers. Pastors and congregants were issued tickets totalling tens of thousands of dollars, and churches had their locks changed and double and triple fencing erected around them. Health officials and police worked in consort to spy on congregants and church leadership. … ‘The Alberta Crown has failed entirely to produce evidence to justify its tyrannical lockdowns, a prerequisite under the Charter to justify lockdowns measures that have inflicted much harm on Albertans in the past fifteen months,’ concludes Cameron.”dating back to 2020. … ‘While refusing to present any medical or scientific evidence in court to justify lockdowns measures that have inflicted much harm on Albertans in the past fifteen months,’ concludes Cameron.” The following is excerpted from “Canadian Pastor,” Christian Headlines, July 6, 2021: “A Canadian pastor who was released from jail last week told his congregation Sunday he was strengthened by the support and prayers of Christians around the world. Tim Stephens, the pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, was released July 1, more than two weeks after he was arrested for holding church services in violation of provincial COVID-19 health restrictions. … Tears in his eyes, Stephens told the congregation he was ‘encouraged that many of you were strengthened and emboldened in your faith.’ … ‘Each day, He sustained me and each day I heard of His work among you and in the world,’ Stephens said. Stephens preached from Matthew 10, in which Jesus told the disciples they would face persecution. … ‘The last 17 nights I’ve spent in jail,’ he said, ‘have given me opportunities to declare the glory of Christ, within and without. [There] never has been a time in my life when I’ve been so hated by people. But never has there been a time in my life when I felt so loved by people [at] the same time. Don’t fear men. Shout from the rooftops that Jesus Christ is King of all kings. … Fear God. Jesus said [that] God is the one who is going to judge and God is the one who is going to care for you.’ In a blog this summer, Stephens acknowledged COVID-19 is ‘serious’ but argued the ‘cure should not be worse than the disease,’ pointing to problems of mental health and suicide. His church had not had a ‘single transmission’ of COVID-19, he wrote.” + Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org [4] Tyndale International University Graduation Address “Driving Away the Darkness” We are living in a strange time, are we not? A time when evil is being called good, and good evil. A time when the foundations of society are being destroyed. A time of cultural revolution that not only threatens the society as a whole but the church in particular. A time when purportedly highly educated people do not know how many genders there are. And a time in which the institutional church herself is under assault not merely from external forces but from within, so that there are false prophets proclaiming their heretical and divisive messages—or, to use a metaphor, snake-oil salesmen hawking their deadly potions. In such a time as this, those who are genuine believers in Christ may find themselves bewildered. Why are these things happening? What should we do? What should we believe? (Should we modify or abandon time-honored doctrine and moral views?) By what means can we see clearly through all the cloudy scene, whose murkiness, like a pea-soup fog, disorients us?In answering these questions, I first want to reflect on the nature of the Situation, viz., why is it that we don’t always see clearly? Well, in the first place, with the fall of Adam and the resulting effects of corruption and original sin, man’s natural finiteness is compounded by man’s failure in his sinful state to perceive even that which has been revealed to him. Further compounding the matter is the work of our Enemy, viz., the devil, whom Jesus describes as the Liar from the beginning. Satan hates God and men, and the Great Conniver plots incessantly to darken the mind and the understanding. So, what is the Solution to this Situation? The Bible gives us the answer. God Himself provides the light that shines in the darkness and dissipates it (John 3:19). Psalm 119:105 tells us that the Law of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Psalm 36:9 affirms: “In Thy light we see light.” It is the Word of God that enlightens and illumines the phenomena (general revelation) by the Word’s special revelation. Are you confused about creation—for example, with respect to the origin of man or perhaps the nature of man? The light of the Word of God cuts through the darkness like a laser beam, informing us that man was specially created by God rather than having evolved from lower creatures; and that God made man in His own image, male and female. In contrast to the lunacy of many academics and even churchmen and churchwomen, there is no gender fluidity, but only a fixed and binary reality. Are you tempted to listen to the special pleadings of those who would deny these truths? Resist the temptation! Rely upon the plain teaching of the Word of God. Are you bewildered by those who insist that religion and politics should not mix? Contradict that assertion by pointing to the truth that there is no square inch of this world and no societal institution where Christ does not declare, “Mine! It is Mine! It belongs to Me! All authority in heaven and earth have been given to Me, and everyone in every place must submit to My kingship!” In a day when monuments to heroes, including in many cases Christian heroes (such as Lt. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson), are being destroyed, and we are unsure how to react, remember the counsel of Proverbs 22:28, “Remove not the ancient landmark.” And when people are being called upon to confess their guilt simply because of the color of their skin, fight back against that false notion by reciting the truth that we are saved by grace, not race. This last instance is one among many indicators that we are witnessing an obscuring of the gospel itself. But please be aware of the fact that the light that drives away the darkness is not simply that of theoretical truths; rather, the true light, as John describes it, is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the Light of the world. So, my dear friends, be encouraged during these dark days. Do not lose heart. Do use the Scriptures as a light to expose darkness and to bring clarity in a time of cloudiness. Do rely upon the Lord Jesus as the one who Himself is the true light. And remember that as you do these things, not only will you have light by which to see, but you yourselves will shine forth as children of light. In the words of Jesus, “You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Kansamnida [Korean for”thank you”]. And may God bless you. Dr. Smith has served in the administration of Tyndale International University and its predecessor institution since 2013, first as President and now as Chancellor. He is also Pastor of Atlanta Reformed Presbyterian Church, an inner-city ministry of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America; and Lecturer of History at Georgia Gwinnett College. + Tyndale International University, 1218 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90019, 213-389-1773, Fax: 213-383-5044, tyndaleinternationaluniversity@gmail.com Additional Articles of Interest – Canadian Doctor: Sixty-Two Percent of His Patients Vaccinated for COVID Have Permanent Heart Damage. “Microscopic Blood Clots” – U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director and Chief Medical Advisor to the U.S. President Anthony Stephen Fauci Funded Research with Body Parts From Viable, Healthy Babies Killed in Abortions – International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Guidelines Now Allow Scientists to Create Unborn Babies Who are Part Human, Part Animal for Research – University of California San Francisco Caught Harvesting Genitalia from Aborted Babies for Research – Attorney Files Lawsuit Against CDC Based on “Sworn Declaration” from Whistleblower Claiming 45,000 Deaths are Reported to VAERS – All Within Three Days of COVID-19 Shots – Graphene Oxide: A Toxic Substance in the Vial of the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine – Graphene-Based “Neuromodulation” Technology is REAL: Press Release from INBRAIN Neuroelectronics Describes Brain Controlling Biocircuits using AI-Powered Graphene – CDC Website Reveals COVID Injections Killed More People Than Virus in Recent Weeks |