The Broadside

 "What was envisaged worked out exactly... We have moved easily through the levels of subversion, each one leaving the church deeper in cultural captivity, becoming, in effect, culturally blind (to secularisation), which neutralised her spiritual integrity. Then, this symbiosis reached the point where the church had no strength to act independently, and so became entirely culturally bound. Now, there is virtually no inclination or will to escape uncritical identification with the authority of the culture, hence the church has been terribly burned and will live with the dreadful consequences - a complete devastation of her value and significance amidst a world uprooted from any spiritual moorings".

Operation Gravedigger - The Gravedigger File Papers, Published by Os Guinness.

"If an Augustine, a Vaughan, a Treherne or a Wordsworth should be born in this modern world, the 'youth' orientated leaders of our religious organisations would soon 'cure' them".

C S Lewis - Membership.

Have you ever wondered how the world would have looked if the vast empire of Rome had never fallen (politically and socially) because of the extensive impact upon that culture of the message of the Christian church?

It's hard for us today to even imagine what it must have been like for that martyr church of the first three centuries, willingly giving themselves to lives of such constant danger and trouble because they understood it was essential not to compromise with the united political and religious imperatives of the day, but to stand resolute in their dissent to Caesar as Lord.

The ramifications of that faithfulness are staggering. Rome itself had to finally adjust to seeing a power above itself in the God who had become evident in the crucifying of a man under Roman law. It had to yield its presumed immovable power to the pierced hands and feet of the man of sorrows, and in so doing, see other powers remove it so that the greater Kingdom than its own could continue to spread throughout the nations.

It is beyond the natural tide of things, in which men always seek what is deemed best for themselves, that such a 'strength' should appear and then prevail, but this is the remarkable story of our world - that bond and free, pagan and religious, high-born and pauper, reflected the reality of the narrative of that earlier history found in the scriptures, and became a realm where, in all stations of life, the palpable reality of the depth-charge of God evidenced amongst us rippled throughout  our science and arts and into every corner of what was expressed as a 'Christian' society.

A year ago, I wrote here of how the vital cornerstone of that heaven-sent 'leaven' had been extracted from the church by the state - that this was no longer just a 'social' or 'moral' trouble, but how the very future of the faith was being drawn by making Christianity nothing more than a vassal of state might.

Many wanted to see the matter entirely as something necessitated by the health concerns of society at large, but this clearly mitigated both the content and the role of churches to "Preach the Word" in all seasons by gagging our public witness to the point, as many secular observers stated, that 'official' church contributions merely become an echo of the state's public health announcements.

The Gospel, in effect, took a back seat (or no seat at all) to our tripping over ourselves to comply with the secular requirements.

A year on, and nothing has changed. Clergy may talk about the 'sinful' or 'moral' questions of not being vaccinated, or happily nod when the political leader states at Christmas that engaging with such a program is right because "Jesus would do so", but none of this even scratches the surface of what I and others raised prior to the "jab" culture seizing the world.

The Gospel challenge in all of this remains unanswered by all of those who have so willingly closed churches, imposed the measures, encouraged jabbed congregations, and so on.

When the Apostle Paul witnessed the encroachment of a foreign (alien to the message of the faith) teaching on the early church, he recognised that this had to be countered and stopped, because the entire nature of Christianity was in jeopardy.

It's abundantly clear from Luke's writing in Acts and Paul's own epistle to the Galatians just how dangerous this became - this 'religion' (manner of behaviour) would insidiously poison the life of the believer so they came to a point, in practice, of becoming far more dependant upon "another" message than the one opened by the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This would be evidenced in their adherence to rules and requirements - in their behaviour - which denied the freedom that is exclusively provided by the message which saved them.

"Powers" had arisen which sought to shut-down the liberty of the faith by directing the church into a cul-de-sac of legalism. Paul made it clear that such behaviour was anathema to God, and must not be authorised.

The history of the church over the last 2,000 years shows us only too well what happens when such 'dominion' takes control. Popes, Emperors, Kings seek to manipulate the means of the church for their own ends, and the power game of these past two years has eagerly sought to employ the opportunity of a medical crisis for those same ends, and yet, the 'leaders' of virtually every Christian emphasis have played along, allowing the congregations beneath them to become entirely defined by the immediate strictures of the hour.

This is a miserable religion!

Any congregation of faith which looses its conviction and strength to understand, define and refute evil is unfit, without repentance, to remain in the company of the saints - so the Lord Himself shows us in His words to the seven churches of Revelation.

The "comfort" that many wish to apply is that, for the present at least, the pandemic appears to be waning, but they should equally notice the response of many realms in the past weeks has not been to ease restrictions, but to tighten them! This is entirely because the intention is not merely to control a health disorder... but to gain a manner of control over society that is far more restrictive than before. This is why our nation (the UK) is currently seeing a barrage of new laws that will curtail public free speech, internet usage, press enquiries and the autonomy of the judiciary - these changes have nothing whatsoever to do with health concerns!

We should clearly have awakened far sooner, but this warning is given once again.

If we wish to see a further generation changed by the truth, we must become a faithful church before this day once again.

POSTSCRIPT:

It has, apparently, been announced today by Government scientists that the virus elements of the crisis are now OVER - that the expected large numbers of cases placing pressure on a winter-stretched health service have failed to materialise, so that, by rights, should allow life to return to normal. Let's see what unfolds next.

Tethered

 "Just as sin came into the world through one man, and then death through sin, so death passed on to all men, because all men sin". Romans 5:12.

"He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives - to release those who have been oppressed". Luke 4:18.

How shaped we are by the past.

There's the obvious ways that this is true - family, upbringing, education, experience - but that barely touches the surface of this truth.

Recently, I found myself watching a video of the last living (from a year ago) man who served as a prosecutor at the trials at Nuremberg in 1946-47. The candid interview raised several key issues, which I'll touch on in a moment, but what also struck me hard was just how much of my life had been moulded by the events that occurred at this time... decades before I was born.

This struggle brought about a shift in the world that was simply huge in respect to the entire culture that I have known for the length of my days.

Virtually all the privileges and luxuries that I have around me all of the time found their first real renditions in the years following that war. The ambitions to bring some level of social security and healthcare to every citizen grew out of this moment, and the atrocities of 'the final solution' framed a manner of law and order that sought to secure the freedom and safety of everyone.

Which brings me to the excellence of what happened at Nuremberg.

The first and vital thing to notice is that this was a trial of those who had committed "crimes against humanity". By their attempt to denigrate and then extinguish particular elements of society, they were, in truth, denying the basic humanity of those that they relentlessly preyed upon which they had deemed to be less than themselves due to some particular, vile form of classification.

The trial found such acts were deemed wholly evil and thereby entirely contrary to the ideals of civilisation - the abuse and extermination of millions of people whose only crime against this state was that they failed to fit the profile of what had been defined as purposefully and morally 'good'.

The judgement of the court was crucial, affirming the right of people everywhere to live in peace and with dignity - to live without the imposition of the state upon such a liberty. The vital nature of this code to our society has been key, especially in respect to realms such as those of medical ethics.

In the midst of our present crisis, the Prime Minister of Japan has so far been the only world leader who has had the courage to once again align with this essential judgement. He stated this in respect to the present global program: "Vaccines will never be administered without the recipient’s consent. We urge the public never to coerce vaccinations at the workplace or upon others around them, and never to treat those who have not received the vaccine in a discriminatory manner".

Nuremberg was the essential reversal of the atrocities which had preceded that point, and this is where there is a parallel to Christianity.

Good theology allows us to view the depth and scope of the wickedness of humanity and understand that a higher court - a higher standard than our own - must prevail in the addressing and evaluating the consequence of such matters.

We stand in the dock, clearly found wanting, but there is another time and place which answers our evil - the cross of Christ. There, amidst an offering for a full redemption, we find full resolve of our guilt and condemnation and are made free by the ransom of another.

Humanity must always be called to a 'greatness' - a truth and goodness - outside of itself, because within us there is only the poverty of sin, and, when this prevails, we encourage only what is wicked, often guised as virtue, especially upon those more vulnerable than ourselves. Genuine dignity and autonomy and worth can only be present when this is so, for we then become dependant upon a principle far richer and enduring than our own selfish ends - a genuine good for our neighbour.

That so needs to be not only the outcome, but the direction of travel we take in this present crisis if we are to truly respect the actual, heaven-sent value of each other and ascribe the genuine value God gives to each, thereby avoiding the folly of those who made some less than they actually are.

A Christmas Cornucopia!

 

The Annunciation by Waterhouse.

"Tidings of great joy!"

If you're looking for a bounty of Gospel grace this season, then just pop over to the recent radiant submissions of the splendid Mockingbird site.

First up, is a nativity that evokes truth and the need for mercy amidst some honest confessions - the 'sign' of the Angel's words is for you!

Then, there's a chance to unwrap what lies above and beyond what we must do (or think we need to achieve) in respect to a goodness that is always there.

Additionally, there's an opportunity to re-consider the manner of 'accommodation' made available that first Christmas, which seeks to explode the folly of thinking this was some 'bleak-mid winter' night by focusing upon the sheer joy that undergirds Luke's gorgeous narrative.

Just a few of the festive delights you can feast upon in a brief time on this precious site... go for it!

Zersetzung

"Many encompass and surround me, their mouths wide to devour, like ravening beasts - my strength is gone, and I am poured out, as I lay in the dust of death".

Psalm 22:13 &14.

There is a policy of decimation at work amongst us, and its methods are as follows - (we are not ignorant of our enemy's devices):

1. Induction.

If we want what is 'good' and 'safe' for the whole, then we must, of necessity, submit to what is defined by authority as "necessary" for this to be so. This process allows a very particular mindset to seep into the norms of everyday life by a process of introducing 'methods' deemed essential for the 'safety' of all. These are then continually re-imposed over time as a necessity to underpin the 'health' of all, substituting what had been for what now must be accepted as proper.

C S Lewis, in his masterful tale, That Hideous Strength, shows how this occurs in a college town, through a Government 'scientific' department imposing just such measures upon the place, and then bringing in the necessary 'strong arm' manpower to insure they are carried through. Lewis clearly understood that this narrative was an insight into what was fast approaching in our own society.

2. Abolition.

Once the pattern in the first stage of the process has been firmly established and accepted, the second stage is to entirely subvert and discredit what had been viewed as 'good' previously. The fulcrum of this process will be a shibboleth established by the authorities that cannot be questioned or challenged, which defines the insoluble power of this oversight.

The object of marvel will be underpinned by an entire ideology that  "correctly" defines what is to be acceptable and what is to be marked and reported as heresy.

Means of resistance will be removed, those marked as erroneous will be muted, and an intentional "undercurrent" will be encouraged to deter and alienate such dissenters from the mainstream, leading to their gradual ostracism, exile, and demise.

3. Conformity.

The "pressure cooker" process of the first two methods are perpetuated until a 'critical mass' is achieved amongst the majority (70-80%) of the population, who entirely conform to the new regime. Once 'hearts and minds' are so manipulated, there can be no discerning questioning of the aims and objectives of the policy (the presumption is accepted that all is for the good). It is at this point that the very 'points of reference' that once referred to very different values come to be re-defined as only speaking of what is deemed right by the new order.

4. Assimilation.

The will of the state becomes all. Individual or collective toil against this will be excised, and the belief will be held that only this single agency can bring genuine security and value.

This is the inversion currently taking hold upon the world.

We are so often ruined by what lies within our natural desires - for "peace and long life", no matter what the cost, but sometimes, the price for this is too high, and, in truth, secures no such ends.

In the face of such schemes, we must clothe one another in the armour of light, and call for an aid beyond ourselves.

Evil employs such methods because they are so effective in the natural - they pander to the longings we carry for self-deification - but the "foolishness" of God is to take what is deemed the weak and foolish things and bless these with the strength that brings light from darkness.

Christmas allows us to view the most explicit expression of this wonder. As those gathered again around the naked child, we are seeing the majesty of the ages, garbed in frail flesh, bringing a victory that no power can prevent, and there is our confidence, our comfort in this most dark hour.

The company of evil are howling and baying, believing they have the day, but there, just beyond their gaze, is a greatness that has already won the fight, and He will soon appear again.

"The only thing"...

 "And an angel of God appeared, whilst God's radiance shone all around the place, and they were all filled with a deep fear".  Luke 2:9.

Science Fiction, as with any useful genre, can give us some telling insights into the reasons for foolish human behaviour.

In the Star Trek Voyager episode entitled The Thaw, we learn of a group of people who have been connected to a program that is meant to rescue them from a global disaster. Sadly, the program fails them and its purpose long after the danger has passed, and those tied to it's failure have now become victims to an endless cycle of control, personified in a character defined as fear.

The story concludes by this avatar being outwitted by a cool, detached application of reason and cunning, leaving it with nothing to feed upon, and thereby allowing a total exhaustion of its ability to prey upon the vulnerability of others.

Fear, as this story actually notes, when applied well, can be a good thing, giving us a healthy wariness of what is unknown or uncertain, but it can also become a tyrant, ruining all that is good.

The shepherd's in the gospel narrative were rightly unsettled by the arrival of the divine presence and God's messenger, who proceeds to seek to calm them so they could receive the tidings he brought, but what use would the message had been if that calming had not occurred? Fear most certainly would have ruined the opportunity of them genuinely sharing the marvel of the message that was being delivered to them. Fear, then, is only good when it leads us to something which is far greater than the fear itself. 

In the past few days, it is estimated that there has been around a 90% cancellation rate in all bookings of Christmas hospitality venues in the festive period, with some four a half million racing since Monday to book a booster, no doubt fuelled in part by the health secretary estimating in Parliament infection rates with the new variant are some 16 times higher than the official data would suggest. The 'seer's' of such means are truly back, stating that we could see 'up to a million' cases a day very shortly, hence, we rush towards 'stricter' "necessary" measures.

Naked fear.

It kills. It relentlessly drives. It banishes all reasonable considerations, and thereby, it leaves us locked into a cycle of increasing trial and loss, too afraid any longer to live beyond such fences.

We are most certainly caught in just such a spiral, but if anything should have been learned in the past months, it is that we lack the natural resources to break this power. We have become a people constantly pushed under by the force of what is upon us, and any suggestion that we should even try to question is deemed evil - we must all submit to a particular single order, or be shunned and banished.

When even natural affection and care becomes subservient to these ends, we must question what has become of ourselves.

Christmas affirms the God who will not be silenced by such misery.

By means of all that is deemed weak and pathetic, the Lord breaks the tyranny and shatters the conventions of the day by showing a sway over sin and death that is unmatched by anyone or anything else, but until that 'reign' becomes known to each of us, fear and wickedness will always leave us chained to the madness that 'we' can achieve what must be in our own devising (Genesis 11).

The 'war' against the current malady is merely an expression of our continual intent to make a particular construct 'king', and fear has become the optimum weapon to wield to do this, but it will all end terribly after the deaths of many.

The question we must ask ourselves is does our trust in God and His Son allow us to work through this trial with certain faith, or just the terror of fear?

D e c e p t i o n

"(Their) hands are defiled by blood - fingers dipped in iniquity with lips filled with lies, continually uttering wickedness. None of them enters just pleas or goes before the law honestly - they rely on empty appeals, filled with lies, uttering wickedness".

Isaiah 59: 3 & 4.

"If you won't go there - if you won't face the darkness and the pain, if you play games with evil and call it anything but evil, you will never experience the sufficiency of Christ". Steve Brown - The pain we avoid.

Amidst all the furore of the last few days, I finally came across a commentary last night that really commenced to get to the heart of matter of what our Government's behaviour really means in the present circumstances.

Once again, Neil Oliver pressed to the heart of the issue when he stated that the true evil being worked against us at present is that the deeds of those involved in normal behaviour last Christmas (celebrating the season together at work in Government buildings) states emphatically that they were not afraid of the nature of the virus, not only prior to any official medical remedy being made widely available, but whilst the rest of us were being told that we needed to be very afraid, and act accordingly.

Sadly, as we've learned from other incidents and enquiries this year, this wasn't, by any means, the only example of those in authority behaving this way towards those expecting what was reasonable and, more importantly, truthful in their guidance.

We know, from the example of other regions of the world, that these measures were commonly unnecessary, and had little or no effect upon the spread of the virus. We know, from the clear examples of what happened in various provinces in India, in Mexico City and Japan, that Ivermectin has provided a very effective and readily available solution to outbreaks, bringing clear and quite remarkable resolve to these, but the West still refuses to even allow such data to be raised. We know that, in spite of all the misery and horror inflicted in these past two years, our leaders continue to seek to rule and control by means which were rejected for such a situation as this for decades before they were imposed upon us.

We have been victims of an unnecessary horror, and it must end.

The poison of such deceit, notes Isaiah, is fatal (59:5). The deeds and fruits of such violence have been made clear, for there can be no justice in this course. We will continue to grope, blindly in the dark, until integrity, clothed by God steps forward to execute what is due comes to us, causing the 'coastlands to offer their due payment' in respect to righteousness (59:18).

It is indeed time for such a reckoning, for only in this manner of intervention, can genuine justice and peace flow amongst us.

P R A Y E R

"Praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints". Ephesians 6:18.

So today, we clearly need to talk about viable prayer.

To set us in the right direction, I cannot do better than share with you this excellent posting from today by Rev. Jamie Franklin at the Irreverend You Tube page.

The time for uninformed and 'asking amiss' requests before God's throne is clearly past - it's time for Christians in the UK to get on their knees and get very serious before God if we want to see something vital happen in this land again.

Done Roamin'

 A little theological excellence from the M(p)astor of Blog and Mablog.

In Excelsis Deo

 One of the very best moments from The West Wing.

May we aim for, hope for, pray for, this manner of conviction, dignity and respect for every man, woman and child in this wicked day.

In the enveloping richness of this season.

Ah, yes...

 "If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah".  Romans 9:29, Isaiah 1:9.

What constitutes a Christmas movie?

it's a debate that a certain news channel had this week in respect to particular films - whether they really were right to place in that category or not - and the results seem to reflect the notion that a movie can be included, if there is a redemptive aspect to the story... hence Die Hard is a Christmas film!

The events recorded in the second chapter of Matthew are somewhat 'outside' the conventional Christmas narrative. Rather than speak about the inn and the manger, the shepherds and the glorious visitation of angels, Matthew takes us to a scene quite a distance away and some length of time after the actual birth itself to introduce us to a group of strangers - aliens to Israel - who had come at great cost to themselves to find the one which certain astronomical 'signs' had pointed to (see Genesis 1:14 for the first affirmation this would be so). 

Foreigners to the realm, they had headed to the capital in search of the King that was to be born (Matthew 2:2), but when they reach the place, they find no such birth, only a shrewd power in Herod, who quickly becomes unsettled at such a potential arrival. He calls for his research group to examine the assertion, and sure enough, the words of the ancient prophet Micah (5:2) appears to correspond with what the strangers are seeking - a new ruler is expected!

So, Herod finds himself facing the possibility of the rise of a new King in the land, one he clearly deems to be an immediate threat to his own position and authority, and he clearly doesn't like the sound of that. He advises the visitors to earnestly look for and find the new child, and when they have done so, to come back and tell him where he is 'that I too may come and worship' (Matthew 2:9).

The entourage resume their journey, finally find the child (note: Child, not baby, who by this time is living in a house there - verse 11 - not a stable), presenting him and his mother with the treasures they have brought.

What happened next is telling and chilling.

The pilgrims are told by God to return home without returning to Herod, and the new royal family are instructed to now leave for another country - to effectively become refugees - because of what's about to happen... Herod's genocide of the children of Bethlehem (verses 10-18).

So, here's the question - why didn't the 'Wise Men' do what they were instructed to do by a King? Well, runs the reply, because an angel told them not to, so the reason is because they have a mandate which is superior to the orders or requirements of mere men.

What about us? As we enter the Christmas season, have we heard the voice of the Angels in respect to what heaven calls for us to be and to do, even if it means departing from the "requirements" being made by what is happening around us?

Let's be clear - we're in the midst of the manner of horror enacted in Herod's day. People are seeing life as it was, for numerous reasons, being destroyed and taken from them - there is indeed a deep weeping in Ramah! The church is the one place where the consolation of the ages can be found, but that aid comes within the very pertinent realities of today, not distanced from them.

Christ was born into a world filled with woe and evil, and in that place 'became sin for us' to bring genuine healing.

Our solutions to troubles are always 'leaky' - as with the current MRNA materials, they leave us all vulnerable to the transmission of what can harm and kill, to the risk of believing that if we subsume what is good to the will of those who seek to constrain us to what they deem right, we can gain 'safety', but it is only the safety of the shedding of blood of Him who is singularly righteous that will prove eternally good.

We come to behold the one come amongst us - to worship the truth that there is the true home of all who are delivered and healed by unmerited mercy alone.

O come, let us adore Him!