The Christian Worldview & BREXIT (Al Mohler – The Briefing)

Not everyone will agree with this (obviously), but for me, Al Mohler is absolutely spot on with this. Below is the Transcript from Friday’s The Briefing. And THIS LINK for the Audio.


Sovereignty, subsidiarity, and the future of Europe: What the Brexit deal tells us about the prospect of the EU

But next, we turn to another story with huge worldview implications, most of which are simply not acknowledged in the mainstream media coverage. We’re talking about the world’s messiest divorce in history. It’s actually not between a husband and a wife, it is between Britain and the European Union, the so-called Brexit. British voters voted quite unexpectedly in the views of the political elites early in 2016, to leave the European Union for Britain to declare its economic independence and to leave the union that had so characterized Europe in the post-war period.

This was a declaration that Britain intended to exercise and to assert its national sovereignty. But that, of course, led to a huge array of the most complicated questions ever confronted in modern politics. How in the world would a nation like the United Kingdom, which has been so integrated into the European Union exit? The word Brexit, as it became popularly known, was actually a clever political neologism. It was a word coined out of the blue, a combination of Britain and exit, thus Brexit.

…political elites first of all in Europe, but also in the United Kingdom were absolutely confident that the voters in the UK would never vote to leave the European Union. But that’s exactly what they did.

It is really important to notice that the political elites first of all in Europe, but also in the United Kingdom were absolutely confident that the voters in the UK would never vote to leave the European Union. But that’s exactly what they did. This then precipitated to the biggest political crisis in modern diplomatic history. How would the United Kingdom leave the European Union? That’s still an unanswered question. It was declared earlier this week that the British government under Prime Minister Theresa May had reached a Brexit agreement with the forces in Brussels that are responsible for the European Union. It had to be a negotiated exit. This is how complicated the situation is.

Britain had been integrated into the immigration laws, integrated into the border laws, integrated into the economic policies, integrated within the custom system of the European Union. In essence, the European Union that came out of the ashes of the Second World War was an attempt to limit the sovereignty of those European states that would join the union and create a new super national authority, the European Union.

Now, as Christians, we need to pause for a moment and recognize there is a huge problem here. That problem is a violation of the principle of what is called subsidiarity. It’s always good for Christians to be reminded of this principle. Subsidiarity is a basic principle of Christian theology, deeply embedded in the biblical worldview. It tells us that truth and reality and health subside at the most basic unit possible. If that sounds abstract, let me clarify. This means that the greatest unit of meaning is in the smallest unit of structure, which is to say that marriage is actually the centerpiece of civilization. Marriage is not healthy because the civilization is healthy. A civilization is healthy because marriage is healthy.

Marriage, the union of a man and a woman creating a family as that man and the woman have children, that creates the unit of greatest importance to the civilization. The functioning of healthy families is something that is so indispensable that no government at any level can alleviate what is missing if the family is broken. That’s a pathology that is radically demonstrated in American society, and in so many other societies today.

Subsidiarity also tells us that the most important government action is not at the highest level possible, most abstracted from the real lives of people, but rather at the closest level possible. That’s to say, a city government is more likely to be responsive to people, than a supranational authority The United States is more likely as a government to be responsive to its people, than would be the United Nations. This is a basic principle. It’s written into our constitutional order in the system of federalism that marks our constitution. It’s also important to recognize that the intellectual elites both in Europe and in the United States, increasingly have rejected subsidiarity. They have instead argued for a certain kind of internationalism.

In the views of so many, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, bigger is always better. A global authorities better than a national authority, a national authority as far better than a state authority. That we need to note is not only the reversal of the constitutional logic of the United States, it is also the reversal of that basic Christian worldview principle of subsidiarity.

When British voters in early 2016 voted so unexpectedly for Britain to withdraw from the European Union, the arguments were extremely important, and they were generally very straightforward. European leaders argued that Britain could not leave, it must not leave. Because in so leaving it would leave the entire European project. Most major British political leaders in both major British political parties also opposed Brexit. So, this was a populist revolt that in so many ways, was matched by the populist revolt in the United States in the 2016 presidential election. Those two events Brexit in early 2016, the presidential election in the United States at the end of 2016, those really formed the year of the great uprisings in both Britain and the United States.

But Britain’s uprising, the Brexit vote, set into play a series of events that clearly is not over. But there’s a deadline, that deadline, March 29, 2019. That’s a hard exit for the United Kingdom, and that might appear to be the easiest solution except it’s not. It’s extremely complicated. Britain is so interwoven into the European Union, its policies, its economics, its politics, its policies going all the way down to regulations about produce and weights and measures. Furthermore, the very important issues of customs and trade, all of these are so deeply intertwined that it is not easy for just one partner to walk out of this relationship any more than it’s easy for one spouse to leave a marriage.

The metaphor of divorce in this case is almost entirely appropriate. It’s messy. Prime Minister Theresa May appeared to win the support of her cabinet in the middle of this week, only to have her cabinet undermined by two very prominent resignations in protest by those coming from a conservative side who argued that this is a compromise, a further compromise of British sovereignty because under the proposal of the British Prime Minister, Britain would continue to lack control over its own trade and customs, processes and policies. That is indeed a very important infringement of sovereignty.

So, what’s the principle for Christians? Why would Christians in the United States care about this? There’s a huge lesson, the lesson is this: once you surrender sovereignty, it is extremely difficult to get it back. Once you compromise subsidiarity, it is extremely costly to clarify it. There are many in the political elites in the United States who would prefer very clearly to have more federal authority than state authority, more state authority than local authority, and even more authority in international entities above the United States of America. That’s a very dangerous argument. We do live in a global community, but we’re really not a global community. We are a community of nations, but what’s really important is to recognize that the existence of the nation state is itself a protection for human dignity and human rights around the world.

The compromise of that national sovereignty is extremely dangerous. But as I said, for Christians, we understand there’s more than sovereignty at stake here, subsidiarity is at stake. The European Union did come out of the ruins, out of the ashes of World War II with the promise that the violence between states that so marked the 20th century will be overcome by integrating those nations in one big entity. There was actually explicitly the hope of something like a United States of Europe to match the United States of America. But the current European Union is complicated by the fact that the kind of union that had been envisioned, well, it turns out to have been far more idealized than can ever be realized to the perplexity are so many who want to believe that we live in a simple global community. The French continue to speak French and to act French, the Germans speak German and to have characteristics to German culture. That’s true across the board in Europe. And what you see right now in the United Kingdom is that the people of Britain decided we’re simply going to be Britain.

Now the question is: will that actually happen even as the decision of the voters in 2016 was abundantly clear, even if unexpected?

Al Mohler – The Briefing

Abortion – Holding Down The Truth

At the end of this section is a letter I sent to the Welsh Assembly back in February to oppose the funding of Abortions from Northern Ireland. But I’d like to set the letter in the broader context. Events have followed on from the letter showing how utterly absurd it is to deny what’s real – that is, we are aborting babies not lumps of cell tissue. This denial can only be described as the deliberate holding down (or suppressing) of the truth in unrighteousness.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

The suppression spoken of in the verse is of a continued effort exerted to keep the truth from rising to the surface. it’s been described as akin to holding a beach ball under water. Very difficult to do. To keep it under water takes a lot of effort! But every now and then it pops up to the surface as you will see in the videos.

Just the other day I happened to watch a feature on BBC breakfast about infertility and the anguish for couples that cannot have children. Yes, we call them children. The time, research, cost and pain couples go through to have children is quite extraordinary. But the results are beautiful and amazing! I know this to be true.

And then a ‘royal’ baby is born. Yes, it’s incredible, a little boy for the world to Coo over. I wonder when the happy couple, grandparents and indeed the public and even Parliament starting calling that little life a baby. I would think fairly early on, as soon as she knew she was expecting, while the baby was still in the womb. The Royal Fetus somehow doesn’t sound quite right.

In the letter below I mention the trauma of (a real) miscarriage where all hopes for that little life are dashed. Yes, a life all the same, and treated as such. I also mention the joy of a safe arrival.

It’s quite clear then, at least it seems very clear to me, that if the child is wanted it’s a baby, a little life with a future and a hope, but if that same little life with all its future and hope is not wanted, it’s called a fetus and can be terminated. That’s how we treat a product, a commodity to be discarded at will, not a baby. We treat animals better than that! I know the decision to terminate is not always easy, maybe rarely easy. But we should ask why it isn’t easy. Could it be that suppressing the truth takes an awful lot of effort? Going against what is known deep down to be an egregious crime is actually very difficult to do. But many millions have done exactly that all the same. 

All the above is very recent but shortly after I’d written the letter Jenny Rathbone AM (Assembly Member – A Welsh MP) was interviewed. It was a few weeks ago now but please watch the two videos as they demonstrate very clearly the deliberate suppression of the truth – never mind the ethics of truthful unbiased reporting.

Num 32:20  So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war,

Num 32:21  and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him

Num 32:22  and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD.

Num 32:23  But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.

I first watched the report – about completing a Medical Abortion – I happened to be at home watching the BBC Regional (Wales) news at lunchtime. My thought at the time was ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s never shown again’. I remember quickly rewinding the live TV so I could play it back to record it on my phone. I wasn’t 100% sure what I’d heard so listened really carefully when I played it back. So I listened ‘drop-jawed’ to what Jenny Rathbone AM calls the woman. To my surprise, the interview was aired again in the evening – with a difference.

This time the offending word MOTHER had been edited out. Exactly as I thought. There’s your honest unbiased reporting for you from the BBC. I couldn’t say if it was edited out at the request of Jenny Rathbone (most likely as a supporter of Abortion) or if the BBC took it upon themselves to edit Mother out. Either way, the BBC have a responsibility to be truthful to reality. They could have refused to edit it but they obviously didn’t. The reason I recorded both before and after was because I thought that’s what they would do. The editing is really obvious and badly done (deliberately I hope). Like everyone, Jenny Rathbone knows the truth. She expressed it in the original interview. The edited version is the deliberate suppression of the truth. This isn’t to single her out but it serves as an example of how suppressed truth ‘pops up’ unconsciously to the surface. Colloquially we might call it a Freudian-slip’ but it’s much more than that.

You may have heard the expression ‘be sure your sin will find you out’. You might not realise that saying is from The Bible. Although the original context is said to the Israelites it holds true as a principle. Your sin will find you out. Not everyone gets found out in this life. Some fear they will be found out and exposed and then sadly commit suicide to escape the shame of discovery. But there’s another day coming when there will be no escape.

Rev 6:15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,

Rev 6:16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,

Rev 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?

 


Women and Children’s Health Branch
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

6th February 2018

RE: Funding / Enabling NI Abortions

Dear Assembly Members,

A few months ago a lady I know had a miscarriage at around 11 weeks. This was as you might imagine quite devastating for her, and her husband. In fact, as many do, they held a short service for their unborn child. She grieves for that precious little life. Just a few days ago another lady I know gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  That family is rightly rejoicing. The lady that miscarried did not think any less of her child than the one that went full term. I suggest most ladies’ that miscarry feel a terrible sense of loss. Why is it then that in our so-called civilised society we are on a mission to terminate our unborn children? Not only this, in Northern Ireland where the unborn has some safety, we in Wales are considering inviting women to bring their unborn children here. Why? That they might be killed in what should be the safest place on earth – the womb.

Some have called the culture in which we live ‘The Culture of Death’. The measure of civilisation can be measured by how we treat the most vulnerable. Who amongst us are more vulnerable than the unborn? Our culture seeks to deprive the unborn of the right to be born, to have a future, to live. As if our society were not already in The Dock standing accused of taking the lives of thousands of children – we intend on heaping upon ourselves even more guilt by inviting and cajoling like the child catcher the helpless children so they might be terminated. Termination is euphemistically called a ‘Health Service’, (Children’s Health!) which in itself must be regarded as a contradiction. Shame on us! Shame I say. This is not the mark of civilised people.

In light of the above, and more, much more could be said; I implore you to take a stand against funding NI abortions. I do not support funding NI Terminations.

Yours Sincerely,

Michael J. Iliff

 

A Bad Day for Free Speech

My off the cuff comments:

It’s funny thing to carry on as if nothing is happening, or has happened. Most will though, and simply carry on as if nothing has happened. But while we all (rightly) go about our daily business Free Speech & The Freedom of Religion has taken another battering. The ruling over Asher’s Bakery means the end of conscience. It’s clear from todays ruling that conscience, that most precious gift from God, must be aligned with another’s subjective view of how conscience is to be informed. As Christians we believe our conscience is to be informed primarily by a right application of the Word of God – The Bible. There can only be one, ultimately, objective source of ‘right & wrong’ of morality. In our day we are seeing the last vestiges of a ‘right’ means to inform the conscience being dismantled. While the Word of God and the Christian faith continues to be sidelined we ask what is the standard to be applied. It does appear to be the case, that where a conflict occurs between ‘rights’ it will in most cases automatically defer to the Anti-Christian position. But the reality is this; without an objective view of morality supplied by the Word of God the West collectively will slowly but surely itself be sidelined in favour of other civilisations. There is no ‘God-given’ ‘right’ to the West. It will eventually implode on itself. That doesn’t mean the West will disappear, or cease to be a strong economy or the place where many people will seek to find refuge. But it does mean morality will be defined ‘on the hoof’. The situation, or money, or power, or personality, or sexual orientation will decide on all moral cases. This is what must happen when the Bible is abandoned.

Marriage in the Manifestos

From The Coalition for Marriage
MARRIAGE IN THE MANIFESTOS
Dear marriage supporter,As the election approaches I thought you might like to know what the political parties are saying about marriage.David Cameron highlights same-sex marriage in his manifesto, saying it“helped drive forward equality and strengthened the institution of marriage”. This is despite the fact that most of his backbenchers voted against it.The Labour Party correctly say that it was their votes which got gay marriage onto the statute book.At the time, both Conservative and Labour Party leaderships brought huge pressure to bear on their MPs to back gay marriage. By contrast the Liberal Democrats seem to have had a genuinely free vote. But all three parties now talk about same-sex marriage as official policy and pledge to go further.

Same-sex marriage is not mentioned in the UKIP, SNP or Plaid Cymru manifestos.

Both the Conservatives and UKIP back the married couples’ allowance, which also applies to same-sex couples in a legal marriage or civil partnership. Labour, the Lib Dems, and the SNP pledge to scrap the married couples’ allowance.

Extracts from the manifestos are given below.

Over four out of five MPs from the last Parliament are seeking re-election. You should have received an email from us last month telling you how your MP voted on redefining marriage.

Ask all your candidates whether people should be punished for believing in traditional marriage. Our 30 Cases leaflet highlights some examples of concern.

We must keep on raising the issue of marriage because we know it really matters to the future of our country. The people elected on 7 May will make crucial decisions in the future, such as whether to reduce or increase legal protection for freedom of conscience and freedom of speech.

Yours sincerely,

Colin HartColin Hart
Campaign Director
Coalition for Marriage

Extracts from the manifestos

Conservative Manifesto 2015

  • “We will back the institution of marriage in our society, enabling married couples to transfer £1,060 of their tax-free income to their husband or wife, where the highest earner is a basic rate taxpayer. This applies to civil partnerships too”. (page 27)
  • “Our historic introduction of gay marriage has helped drive forward equality and strengthened the institution of marriage. But there is still more to do, and we will continue to champion equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people.” (page 46)

Labour Manifesto 2015

  • “We will create a fairer tax system, helping those on middle and lower incomes by introducing a lower 10p starting rate of tax, paid for by ending the Conservatives’ Marriage Tax Allowance.” (page 18)

Labour Party LGBT Manifesto 2015

  • “Since Harold Wilson’s Government finally decriminalised homosexuality in 1967, Labour has continued to lead the fight for LGBT equality. We abolished the hateful section 28, equalised the age of consent, gave statutory rights for NHS fertility treatment for lesbians, created civil partnerships and delivered the votes that put equal marriage on the statute book.” (page 3)

Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2015

  • Under ‘A Record of Delivery’: “Introduced equal marriage for gay and lesbian couples”. (page 105)
  • “A fair society should treat its citizens equally and with dignity. In this Parliament, thanks to Liberal Democrats in government, there have been key advances in the fight for equality – like introducing same-sex marriage and banning age discrimination.” (page 105)
  • The Liberal Democrats say they will: Promote international recognition of same sex marriages and civil partnerships as part of a comprehensive International LGBT Rights Strategy that supports the cause of decriminalising homosexuality in other countries.” (page 107)
  • They will also: “Give legal rights and obligations to cohabiting couples in the event of relationship breakdown or one partner dying without a will.” (page 107)

UKIP Manifesto 2015

  • In the next Parliament, UKIP pledge to “increase the transferable personal tax allowance for married couples and civil partners”. (page 5) Again, UKIP will: “Increase the transferable tax allowance for married couples and civil partners to £1,500.” (page 7)

SNP Manifesto 2015

  • “We will also look to release additional resources by backing a series of revenue raising measures…reversal of the married couples’ tax allowance. (page 8)

Plaid Cymru Manifesto 2015 – no mention of same-sex marriage or marriage tax breaks

Green Party Manifesto 2015

  • The Green Party manifesto pledges to: “Legislate to remedy inequality in pension inheritance for same-sex marriage partners and same-sex civil partners.” (page 26)

Breaking News: Street preacher on trial today

Breaking News: Street preacher on trial today. Follow link for source. Story below.

It’s incredible that Preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ could land you in a court of law. I’m presuming (not always a good thing to do) his offence is to mention sin. And it doesn’t take the brain of Britain to work out which sins – or even alluding to them. The worse crime one can commit in David Cameron’s United Kingdom is the sin of being ‘offensive’. It needs no definition. I pray Christian Concern will win their case. May God have mercy on our land!

______________________________________________

Street preacher on trial today for gospel preaching

Please pray for Mike Overd and the Christian Legal Centre team

Mike Overd – Street Preacher

Mike Overd, a Christian street preacher from Somerset, begins his trial in Taunton today for proclaiming the gospel in Taunton town centre.

Mike has been preaching the gospel on the streets of Taunton for over five years. But he’s faced real opposition — police even appealed to the public in a local newspaper to record him preaching so that they could get evidence of him making “offensive remarks”.

Now the Crown Prosecution Service is bringing charges against him under the Public Order Act. A number of witnesses say that they can’t remember what Mike said, just that it was “offensive”.

Mike preaches on the street because he loves people and wants them to come to Christ.

He says: My motivation for preaching the gospel is my love for Jesus Christ and my deep concern for people who do not know His great love and are heading towards an eternity separated from God.

Please pray for Mike and the Christian Legal Centre team as the trial begins today, asking that they will give clear testimony and that justice will be done.

Victory for Christian registrar dismissed for refusing to conduct same-sex ‘marriages’ | Christian Concern

Victory for Christian registrar dismissed for refusing to conduct same-sex ‘marriages’ | Christian Concern.

100 Years ago – Remembering WW1

Lights out for WW1
Lights out for WW1 (Photo credit: mastamark2050)

Yesterday there were many acts of Remembrance all over Europe to commemorate the start of WW1. Westminster Abbey held a ‘full on’ act of Remembrance with readings from The Bible, prayers, letters from soldiers and other (now) historic documents. (They sang a great hymn as well but I can’t recall it – I’ll post it here if I remember.)

It was broadcast live on the BBC so I was able to watch most of it. There was a suitable air of seriousness and solemnity. And we should mark and remember these historic moments. I have to say (US friends would I think agree) No country does pomp & ceremony like we do.

I don’t want to be a killjoy, but it being a Religious act of remembrance is hugely problematic – to me anyway. Most likely not to anyone else. The whole service was a journey into the darkness of war. Candles were extinguished, and as they were, a section of the church was simultaneously plunged into darkness. Very visual. It worked I thought. With this idea of darkness – and even without it – the readings were like an incredible Beam of Light shining into the darkness of a sinful world (apostate church).

At the start of the service these words were read by Reverend John Hall the Dean of Westminster:

 “As we reflect on the failure of the human spirit that led to an inexorable slide into war, let us spend a moment in silent repentance,”

That failure of the human spirit is called sin. And when I heard the ‘call’ to ‘silent repentance’ I wondered what it was we were called to repent of. There is no doubt war is terrible thing, the cost is horrific. Later in the service readings from the Bible put some flesh on it as we were called through the Word of God to ‘return to the Lord’. As much as I appreciated the readings from scripture there needed to be preaching pointedly to the congregation and the Nation as a whole to repent and believe the Gospel. The work of the minister or Pastor is to ‘Herald’ the good news of the Gospel. But it can’t be good news without explaining that ‘we all like sheep have forsaken God, and turned to our own ways’. And that The ‘Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all’. We need a Saviour, a Mighty Rescuer to redeem us from the righteous and just Wrath of God.The readings will, I suspect, just be seen as part of the remembrance ceremony and to be discarded on leaving the building.

Imagine the furore the next day in the news – or even during the service – if the Gospel was powerfully proclaimed. If all were named as sinners in need of a Saviour.

This morning I read about Josiah and his reforms in 2 Kings 22 & 23 and 2 Chronicles 34 & 35. The stand out verse, and relevant to our discussion, is found in 2 Kings 22:8 ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord’. Also in 2 Chronicles 34:15. What an irony! The Bible is found in a Church. Upon hearing it read, Josiah tore his clothes as he realised the wrath of God is upon them (2 Kings 22: 13 & 2 Chronicles 34:21). Josiah then sets about reforming the worship and is the only King to put it all right since Solomon introduced false worship hundreds of years earlier.

The dignitaries are gathered, there is much pomp and ceremony. The Word of God is read. But no repentance toward God. ‘O that Thou wouldest rend the heavens and come down’ (Isaiah 64:1). O Lord have mercy on us and our land, grant repentance and faith in The Lord Jesus. Save the people Lord, Save the people and bring Glory to your Son Jesus Christ.

 

‘Get with the Program’ — The Church of England Votes to Ordain Women Bishops – AlbertMohler.com

Al Mohler gives an insightful overview of the recent CofE Synod vote to allow women Bishops.

‘Get with the Program’ — The Church of England Votes to Ordain Women Bishops – AlbertMohler.com.

I fully realise that Conservative Evangelical CofE congregations are able to use the CofE mechanism to further their own evangelistic efforts. But having said that, surely the time is now for those Conservative Ministers & leaders to take their congregation (and  their cash) out of the CofE and to form something else (I have no idea what – but it could be done) that will have doctrinal (Biblical) and historical integrity.

Perhaps Conservative congregations that are ‘bolted’ on to a failing structure also ‘need to get with the program’ and get out. Such a move would I believe be applauded by the general public for taking a stand even if they didn’t fully realise why.

I know, I know, we are all institutionalised to some extent and this makes it very hard to sever the ties. Nevertheless I’m wondering just how far the CofE will need go before conservative Evangelicals will say enough. Personally from where I’m sitting (I’m not an Anglican) it will never happen because in the end the structure no matter how rickety it is will always be more important. I confess to not understanding that.

Bakery sued for refusing to make a gay marriage cake

Here’s the latest in Homosexual silliness. To be fair there’s no indication on the Ashers Bakery website to show they are a business that operates on Christian principles. (Does this mean Christian businesses in the catering and hotel industry – probably other sectors too – need to be more explicit about their commitment to Biblical values?) So I’m assuming the ‘couple’ concerned didn’t know they were asking Christians to bake their ‘wedding’ cake. However, I suspect they knew it was a Christian business.

But let’s assume they didn’t know. Upon hearing the devastating news that Ashers would be unable to bake the cake, what was the reaction. Naturally it was to go blubbing to the Equality Commission. ‘They (the wicked evil Christians), sob, have refused, wahhh sob, to bake our cake, blubber sob’. Of course they knew the ‘rights’ of Homosexuals trump all other rights. They had the right to take their business elsewhere – perfectly fine. They have the right to boycott Ashers. They have the right to tell their friends not to buy cakes from there. They actually could have had a cake made and had the offending words put on some other way – but noooo.

Quite where this leaves the moral or ethical right of people who don’t agree with the homosexual lifestyle is not entirely clear. To be sued for refusing to bake a cake must for any sane person be the height of silliness. What this is, this is nothing less than the imposition of a minority ideology upon the Nation. It’s not enough for their ideology to be accepted. I read the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has given Ashers a week to  “remedy your illegal behaviour”. It must go further than mere acceptance. Now it has to be endorsed, approved and promoted. That isn’t free-speech. That is propaganda. That being so it kicks into touch any rational thinking – after rejecting the Bible why would any homosexual couple want to get married in a Church of all places. Aside from the clear prohibitions found in the Bible there is also a clear creation mandate and design placed upon humanity. The male female partnership is endorsed by Jesus as is the design for procreative activity found in marriage.

After quite a while being quite mystified about how we have arrived at this situation I concluded some time ago that we as a Nation, and especially ideologically driven homosexuals are under and are experiencing the wrath God. I’ve written about this before, but put out of your mind the idea of a bolt of lightning striking people dead (though it could happen). Rather, realise the wrath of God means handing people over to do the very thing that ought not to be done and yet is being done. Rebellion against God, plain and simple, is what it is.

Homosexuality and associated behaviours (LGBT) is sinful. I’ll go further, these lifestyles are against the created order. It isn’t natural, it’s un-natural. Why? Because the Bible says so (see Romans 1: 24-27). Some of us actually still believe what it says and that it is the very Word of God.

What is the answer to homosexuality? The answer is just the same whether to the Homosexual sinner or the upright moral self-righteous person. Repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15). So before any us get on our high horse let’s remember before God we are all deserving of the righteous judgement of God ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). ‘There is none righteous, no not one’ (Romans 3:10).

NEWS STORY BELOW FROM Christian Concern. More from the Christian Institute: Here.

Bakery sued for refusing to make a gay marriage cake

A family-run bakery in Northern Ireland has been threatened with legal action for refusing to decorate a gay marriage campaign cake.

Ashers Baking Company Limited in Belfast was asked to print the words “Support Gay Marriage” on one of their cakes. But the owners, Colin and Karen McArthur, felt that doing so would go against their sincerely-held religious beliefs.

They contacted the customer, a volunteer activist for QueerSpace, to offer a full refund and explain that they could not, in good conscience, complete the order. The following month, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland contacted the bakery and said they’ll be sued unless they change their stance.

Sudan Christian Meriam Ibrahim ‘detained’ again: Call to Prayer and Action | The Domain for Truth

Sudan Christian Meriam Ibrahim ‘detained’ again: Call to Prayer and Action | The Domain for Truth.

Lots of contact info from The Domain for Truth.