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Behind Walsingham The Walsingham Walk, a pilgrimage attended by both Anglicans and Catholics, has long been condemned by concerned Christians. But do you know what is really behind this Romish Walk? The misled folk of the Middle Ages used to trek to Walsingham in Norfolk, UK, to visit a supposed replica of the ‘holy house’ in Nazareth. Built in the 11th century, it provided a focal point for devout (or simply those who were too afraid to question) Roman Catholics. It was destroyed in 1538. However, thanks to pro-Catholic Anglicans, the Walk (from London to Norfolk, 127 miles in total) has been revived in recent years and even when faced with placards and leaflets displayed by Christians, those attending ignore basic scriptural teaching and beliefs. The Walk is not just a walk. It is not just Anglicans and Catholics visiting a shrine or displaying ecumenical fervour. It is about placing priests in places where Catholicism has no voice or influence, in order to bring the ‘dowry’ of Britain back to Rome. I have in my possession a letter and other information sent out to Mother Superiors and leaders of other religious orders prior to the 49th Walk, September 16th – 24th this year. They were sent out by the Master of the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom, Monsignor Anthony Stark, who has his office in Wimbledon, London, to those called ‘Ransomers’ and to everyone in the Walsingham Association. To ‘ransom’ what? Britain, back to Rome! The Walk is a ‘novena’ – a period of nine days when Catholics want to obtain a special favour from God by either private or public prayers. Thus, those who do the Walk pray silently for two hours every day as they walk, and for one hour at the end of each day. Every prayer is to the glory of Mary and to the salvation of Britain to Rome. For the walkers, their walk is a penance, and their ‘suffering’ (cut and bleeding feet, etc) is emphasised. So far, we can see that the Walk is steeped in Romish idolatry and superstition. So, how can Anglicans take part in good conscience? They can only do so if they are unsaved, or in such deep ignorance as to be dangers to their own souls! In 1999, the Guild collected and paid out quarter of a million pounds to ‘poor parishes’ in Britain, so that a Catholic priest could be employed in areas where they were either kicked out by king Henry 8th, or where there never has been a Catholic witness previously. Thus, the Walk, over the past 48 years, has carried out its express purpose of placing more and more priests throughout this land that is so coveted by Rome. Rome intends to get us back, by insidious and blatantly outward means, but most are unaware of its true design and purpose. Like so many other Catholic institutions, the Guild had to have the permission of Rome to do its work. The Guild has the highest of authorities on its board – its ‘Protector’ is the pope himself and its main patrons are the archbishops and bishops of Britain. This is not surprising, as the Guild is the ‘working’ title of a registered charity called the ‘Catholic Church Extension Society’ – a name which adequately describes its intentions! It exists solely to win back the UK. The Protector and Patrons are supported by countless ‘religious houses’ and orders, who all pray their novenas and send donations, plus all the ordinary Catholics and Anglicans they can muster. This year the Guild hopes to get about a million pounds to pay for even more priests. The work is executed by Catholics whose zeal is akin to the zeal of Jesuits, whose activities include murder and subterfuge. Catholicism is rather like Islam in this respect – both resort to lies and deceit when they consider it ‘necessary’ to win over people to their religion and beliefs. Religious houses, Orders and ordinary people have been encouraged to send in their ‘petitions’ to Mary. These are carried in bags on the backs of the walkers (who each pay £100 for the privilege) and presented to Mary at the shrine. On September 15th, the Master of the Guild will present the petitions when he ‘offers a Novena of Masses’ to Our Lady of Walsingham. That is, he will offer mass at various churches along the route until they reach Walsingham. Anglicans, of course, will take part as well. The daily Novena prayers are bluntly and sickeningly Roman Catholic, with no hint of an Anglican influence, as we would expect. The prayer begins: “O blissful Maiden Mother of God, so loved in England and Wales of old and again so loved today; sinful, we come to thee who art sinless; poor to thee who art rich; weak, to thee who art strong.” After this blatant heresy, comes the rest of the prayer, which continues in its blasphemy: “O pitiful Maiden Mother, teach us, thy children, better to know and love thy dear Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ....” Mary the intermediary! This mistaken and heretical diatribe then pleads with Mary to ask her Son to give special blessings: “O sorrowful Maiden Mother of God, by the memory of the Five Wounds of our Crucified Saviour, pray to Him for mercy on our country which was and is thy Dowry, that we may all, under the Successor of the Blessed Peter, be gathered into the One Fold of the One Shepherd, so to be happy with Him and with thee now upon earth and afterwards for ever in our true heavenly home. Amen.” After this first part of the prayer, ‘Ransomers’ are asked to pray “Jesus, convert England, and Jesus give back the Faith to Wales. Jesus, have mercy on this country.” (The words of Henry Heath – listed below – as he lay dying at Tyburn, UK. Following this there are two lists of names to pray for. One is ‘Hail Mary, Our Lady of Ransom, St Gregory, St John Fisher, St Thomas More, St Margaret Clitherow, Bl Henry Heath and BB English Martyrs.’ The other list includes, ‘Our Lady of Ransom, St David, St Winifrid, St David Lewis, St Richard Gwyn, Bl William Davies, BB Martyrs of Wales’ Each one of these was known for his or her tireless drive to win people for Rome. The prayer ends with a Latin ‘Salve’. Translated, it says, “Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy,, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus. O clement, o loving, O sweet virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”. A detailed itinerary is given so that Ransomers can pray at the right times. Before these prayers are uttered, the ‘mysteries of the Rosary’ are recited. As the year 200 is a ‘Jubilee Year’ for Catholicism, we can expect that this 49th Walk will receive greater support and money, thereby increasing the numbers of priests even more. The Guild’s work is solely to spread the Catholic faith so that Britain will fall by its own volition. We already have a pro-Catholic Prime Minister and a wife who is plainly and devoutly Catholic. We already have a government laying prostrate before a Catholic European Union, whose avowed intent is to get rid of everything Protestant and scriptural, including its laws and moral code. The aim of the guild is a throwback to the time of Elizabeth, when Catholic ‘martyrs’ were put to death for their blatant treason and plans to murder the Queen and her loyal courtiers. The Guild says much about the Catholic faith, and adds, “For many today, life holds none of the security which is the birthright of Catholics...Thank God we have a faith founded on a Rock.” The Guild prays for eight ‘intentions’:"
Readers – Rome has not changed! The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom carries on a vow that stretches back to our earliest history...Rome has a very long and untouched memory! Britain is the Dowry of Mary, promised to her as the Catholic church’s greatest gift on earth! It will not rest until that dowry has been presented to her again. Rome does it because it feels cheated of its greatest asset and influence in this world. The peacefulness of the Walk is but one deceitful face of Rome – the continuing murder and mayhem in Ulster is another grim, but determined face of Rome. Look also at the countries where Rome is supreme, such as Mexico, etc., and you will see violence as a way of life. If you have read the Jesuit oath (see Publications List), you will find its words dripping in blood and evil. That, dear friends, is the true and only face of Rome! Let those Anglicans who follow Rome’s Walsingham pilgrimage understand what they are really doing. They are pawns in a deadly spiritual (and physical) game of chess, where the entire people of Britain form the prize...a prize that will, once won again, be subjected to the same slavery that earned this country a period known as the ‘Dark Ages’. I have no doubt whatever that the Dowry will finally be presented again to Mary. The presentation, made with untold joy by the heinous Roman Catholic church, will be the mark of God’s displeasure stamped on our unfaithfulness, a sign of His judgement on a people whose heritage has been allowed to slip away. Use the above information well and wisely. Use it to pray intelligently and fervently. As Christians rightly wave placards, let them also understand what is behind the Walsingham Walk – their own downfall and the ransoming of Britain in to slavery once again, grinding the agonisingly-won freedoms by the true Martyrs in to the dirt. Walsingham is not just a Walk, or a placid token of ecumenism. It is part of a centuries-old campaign. Where are the soldiers of Christ nowadays? Sadly, most of them sleep! It Could be Me, or You... Just after the last Beacon was sent out, news came to me of the fall of another church pastor, whose name will not be mentioned here. His church has now had the heart-numbing news – news of something that every church believes will never happen to them. The man has run off with an unbelieving woman. (According to reports coming in from a variety of sources, he has committed adultery many times before, to his shame. Now his secret is out). In keeping with his past, he will probably ‘cut and run’ by applying for work elsewhere, instead of putting matters right. Yes – he has done this kind of thing before and, once again, he appears not to care less about the harm he is doing, such is his lust for illicit sexual pleasure. I predict that both he and the woman will repeat their actions, against each other, because that is what society does nowadays...nothing but cultural whoredom. He has had a problem with sexual matters since he was a lad, which he has never Biblically dealt with, and, on this occasion also, his desires overcame his moral and Christian senses. It is now known that he succumbed to pornography (something very easy to do) and has been making inappropriate remarks to young girls. He even had the gall to take his harlot to his daughter’s engagement party to ‘introduce’ her to his children!! (He told his wife the party had been cancelled). Do not use euphemisms – that woman is indeed an harlot according to scripture (Hebrew zanah, meaning one who commits adultery, fornication; someone who is unfaithful...emphasis on wanton behaviour. It also refers to cult prostitutes, which underlines the seriousness of the sins committed, for adultery is primarily a sin against God). We have been informed by a totally separate source in the business world that the woman designed to become his mistress from the moment she first saw him – which is not the habit of a moral woman only married for two years! “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make (them) the members of an harlot? God forbid.” (1 Cor. 6:15) I have also learned that his mistress has something to do with spiritualism. Does he not remember that God caused Saul’s death because he consulted with a witch (today she’d be called a ‘spiritualist’)? Does he not remember the many scriptural warnings against spiritualistic powers and knowledge? God help this man, whose mind has been dulled by contact with the woman! Can’t he see how close he is to utter catastrophe? Does he not see that he cannot keep going like this, for God will soon crush him for his disregard for human and godly decency? (On one occasion when he committed adultery he boasted that when he came to his senses God would forgive him anyway! Forgiveness is not given lightly by God – He will not forgive if a man deliberately sins, then, when he has temporarily had sufficient of his lust, he needs a quick whitewash!! That man deludes himself and dishonours God). “They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return to her again? Shall not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:1). This is a case of a problem not faced properly. It has not been put before the Lord with a plea for help to deal with it. It is a matter of being tempted and failing to stop it at that point. Yielding to temptation is sin. The very fact that this man was unable to deal with the matter shows that he needs counselling from a mature Christian. Satan strikes at our weakest link, and for each of us that link can be something different. For this man, his weak link was, and remains, a sexual one. But it led to continuous lies, deception, cheating, intolerance and pride. The church he helped so greatly will be utterly devastated, for it was he who gathered together many souls who had previously been cast adrift when their former pastor tried to take them in to the darkness of the Toronto Blessing and himself had committed sexual sins...which this man then condemned. By his fortitude and gift, this latest victim of Satan steered them back to a righteous path...but, lately, probably because of his sinful indiscretion, they had been experiencing much oppression of spirit. Since he has run off with his mistress, that oppression has lifted. His name is now blackened and everything he stood for is in ashes. Just for the sake of enjoying a momentary sinful pleasure! It will not be long before he again seeks a different partner, because he is hooked by his own sin, a weak vessel whose pathetic secret lifestyle is deemed to be better than obedience to God and holiness. I believe, strongly, and am willing to predict, that God will soon bring this man to his knees, possibly publicly. I just pray that God will, even in His judgement, show mercy, so that the man will be able to repent. He MUST, as a matter of urgency, repent and completely cast off his former ways and thinking. Normally, his pride would stop him admitting his wrongness, so only the Spirit can effect this. But, now, he has run out of options as his evil suffocates him. Amazingly, his wife still loves him and is willing to take him back – if he repents. Such a love is very hard to find – and he will not find it with a woman who acts out the harlot, for she will easily do it some more in the future. He can mark my words on this. But my main argument is not about this sad individual, or about those whose lives he has wrecked, or about his unsaved harlot. It is, rather, about you and me. Satan is out to cause ruin amongst men whose ministries have been faithful. It is in his interests to cause the downfall of Christian ‘leaders’, because many other Christians will go down with him when he falls. The name of Jesus will be cast in the mud in the eyes of onlookers, and anything built-up by the servanthood of that person will be left in tatters. It should be obvious to readers that Satan designed to catch this man by a woman’s wiles, who, directed by demons (whether she knows it or not), aimed at his ‘spiritual jugular’ – his sexual lusts. Once he was caught, the woman managed to teach him her ‘evil doctrines of devils’ via influencing his spiritual and moral decisions. The way Satan is currently sifting pastors and preachers like wheat was well written about recently in an Evangelical Movement of Wales Magazine editorial, and its truth is well attested to as a frightening number of once faithful men, gifted preachers and pastors, fall to sins that are made public. As the editorial rightly concluded – we ought to look not to the sin or to the man, but to the one who is behind it all, Satan. We could easily get caught up in the business of finger-pointing, but in the realm of the spiritual, we should get behind the scenes and see what is really happening – Satan is sifting the churches and is trying to remove faithful men from their positions of trust. (Yes, we must oppose the public sins of such men, but we must not concentrate on that). We fight dark powers, make no mistake about it. Churches are being left bewildered and bereft of proper pastorship because Satan is expertly removing men of God from the churches. Also make no mistake in thinking you or I are ‘above that sort of thing’. Each one of us – you and me – could be the next target. Each one of us is capable of the worst sins imaginable. Only the grace of God keeps us from committing them! That man is culpable and he will have to face God some time or other. (I believe it will be sooner rather than later). He will already be facing earthly ruin, even if he does not realise it yet. His mind and heart are presently ravaged by Satan’s use of a woman, who openly acted the harlot and can bring him nothing but sin, shame and destruction. He rants and raves because he has lost public face, though it is he who has perpetrated a great evil! Clearly, he is not in possession of his own mind, but is reflecting the will of Satan and his envoy, the woman. Though readers do not know this man’s name, we would ask them to pray for him, that God will rip out the sin he has harboured for so long, and that He will open the man’s eyes at last, using hard means if necessary! Let us all take sobre note of this man’s fate, for Satan is very subtle and his eyes are roving constantly for those he can ‘take down’ by pressing their own personal ‘trigger’, a sin that is kept secret from others and which has not been repented of before God. It is so easy to have these secrets, as we all know to our spiritual detriment! That man has a brilliant mind and he has been a friend to many folk in need and emotional trouble. In the service of God, he could have supported the Church in general with immense strength and gifts. (He still can, if he repents). But, he instead succumbed to his ‘besetting sin’ and, like others in this age in particular, his failure will affect countless others. In his case, then, Satan has won. (Temporarily, we hope). We can only pray that this man will come to his senses and will humble himself before men and God, for the Lord will forgive those who repent. Maybe his earthly ruin will prompt him to look again at this utterly foolish thing he has done. Maybe the Lord will graciously guide his presently rebellious heart back to Himself. I sincerely hope so, for otherwise it will mean God has left him to his own devices – the worst fate of all for any Christian. Then, he will wallow in his own muck until he dies. Let us not, then, judge the man (for he is already judged by his own actions and by God). Instead, let us be ever vigilant that we do not also fall to Satan’s great lies and manoeuvres. Do not think we can outwit this worst of enemies - he is an expert! Our only defense is the Lord, not our own wit or the hiding of our sins. If that man turns back to God, I will be there to help. I have already written to him offering such help if he repents. But, he became awfully angry with his wife when he found out she had told me, so his broken pride will probably keep him in his sin for a while at least. (Isn’t it strange, that those who do wrong, are the very ones who will become angry at others when they object to the wrong done!!). Meanwhile, in unmanly and petulant fashion, he is refusing to repay loans he initiated, or any of his bills, leaving his legal wife high and dry. For a long time he has acted meanly toward her, not even giving her housekeeping money to buy food, etc. Thankfully, her local church has been supporting her in many ways – they are a nice bunch of folk. Let us thank God for the good these fallen men have performed, but let us also uphold the purity of God’s word and requirements. At the same time, let us learn from these terrible falls, that, in our own lives, we do not give Satan a chance to penetrate the armour the Holy Spirit gives to us all, for moments just like these. Are YOU wearing the full armour of God? If not, then you could be the next victim. This is no idle scare-story. It is starkly true, with a reality than strikes to the very core. Matters Arising... Following publication of the last Beacon, I was sent information by a reader concerning Gregorian chants. It seems that they originated in pagan temples and were devised specifically for temple rites and practices. Later, they were taken over by the Catholic church (just as they took over a huge variety of pagan festivals, etc). So, what I thought was a lovely sound may not be so lovely after all! (As I advised the kind reader – it goes to show that I don’t know everything!!). Acknowledging this, I now find that the information opens up even more questions about the nature of music in our churches. For this reason we will be publishing the first article (Beacon 37), plus the information I received, together with further thoughts. (Article A/143). The article will be ‘open ended’ so that others might add their own comments. I am NOT looking for vague guesses, but for brief, well-argued, cases. If possible, maybe including something from musicians who can tell us why the Chants are different from ordinary music, and why they may be harmful. (We cannot only refer to the ‘atmosphere’, for example, because all music conveys an atmosphere – most of it engendered by our own personal psychological conceptions). Over to you! One other Beacon article prompted responses from two readers. They believed that my comments about the real nature of ‘mental illness’ and neuroses were far too sweeping. The article was rather short, it must be said. So, it did not contain too much detail. Hence the impression that it was ‘sweeping’. Any article published in a newsletter or newspaper suffers the same fate! I suggest readers should obtain the few articles we have on mental disturbances (see Publications List) and watch out for future articles. I am rather concerned that Christians are willing to overlook a proper scriptural view, because they, or their friends or family, have had some kind of mental disturbance. I am also concerned that they think people cannot actually want to be ‘ill’. Every sufferer of a mental ‘illness’ perceives there to be some kind of benefit to themselves.. Sorry to say that, but it is true – even for Christian sufferers who are otherwise true to God. Do not underestimate the way we can all use our minds to deceive ourselves as well as others! Well, I have spent far more time on this subject than I had intended to. But it had to be said for the sake of all who suffer needlessly. It is also for all who honestly think they help others by sympathising with their condition, but whose very ‘help’ sends the sufferer even farther down the dark road of despair. God’s joy and help is waiting for all who repent and live righteously, even amidst discomfort and terrible circumstances. This is scriptural truth, friends, not just my personal opinion. Guess What? In the last Beacon I said I would be spending time for a while on certain activities that should go toward providing a better financial basis for my family (amongst other things). Well, guess what? For a while now I have been working on an internet idea to sell my art work, etc. (which would also have freed my time to do more BTM work). I finally got everything together and the last piece of the requirements was a digital camera (which, as you might know, can be an expensive item – you can’t buy a cheap one, if you want good results). Anyway, a few days after everything was set up, I was mixing cement in my back yard. This was being carried to the front of the house, where I was laying paving stones, leaving the front door open. Yes – someone brazenly walked in and stole the new camera! Apart from the £50 excess, the cost of the (unused) camera has already been met by insurance – but it just goes to show that godly intent can be disrupted by devilish means! This has put back progress, but I must wait patiently. Soon after that, one of my computers died on me. At first I thought it might have been the keyboard, but a battery inside the casing burst, spreading acid all over the hard-drive (amongst other things), so the computer engineer had to give the whole machine a decent burial! That cost £20 to find out. Thankfully, he was able to save the data on the computer and transferred it to one of the others. This has created its own problems, though, as I now have to discover how to ‘stabilise’ the whole data system and learn to actually retrieve the information to use it!! For this reason I was temporarily unable to send out certain items ordered by readers. (Apologies). And, more recently both my scanners have refused to work. Don’t know why, yet!! Not only that, but a young couple who attends our church was burgled. This was whilst they were taking a break after the husband’s father’s funeral. We could not meet for six weeks, either, because of a rampant virus going through the nursing home where I work. Then, in Sussex, England, James Waddell (vice-president of BTM) and his family have also been ‘through the mill’ on a number of counts. More recently, he attended a job interview and was ‘grilled’ and castigated for his Christian beliefs and work with BTM. He didn’t get the job. (He was refused an interview for another job, for the same reason). Basically, it is now ‘politically incorrect’ to be a true Christian as such belief would ‘upset’ colleagues of other religions!! This begs the question – what if the people with ‘other religions’ upset James? Will they, too, be denied jobs? Note that there will come a more intense time when men will be denied work and income because of their belief in God. We are left in no doubt whatever that Satan is out to disorientate and badly shake the faith of the whole group of us. If you are led to do so, please pray for BTM and families. Oh yes – I managed at last to get up on my roof to strip it ready for re-slating. But, after getting the scaffolding up and actually getting on top of the roof – my foot went through it and I discovered rotten beams! So, I had to leave it. It is a big job that I can’t handle (or pay for), much to my annoyance. Back down came the scaffolding, wasting both time and money – and it poured down all the time!! Back to square one! P.S. A few days later a brick fell on my shin, and I am still limping, it is so painful! Any more accidents, bad news, or doom, please apply in writing!!
Is Organic Better? Nowadays, we have to rely more and more on getting accurate and honest advice from experts, for almost every aspect of our lives. That especially goes for food. Until the world went mad on over-production of food that was just left to rot in massive piles in sheds (such as in Europe, where bad farmers were subsidised for poor production – known as ‘CAP’), most folk knew what a carrot was. Now, we have to have the carrot tested and weighed, measured against EU regulations, etc. (I laughed recently to find ‘organic’ mineral water and even ‘organic’ clothing!! We’ll probably have organic babies, soon!). I have no technical expertise to enable me to assess the truth of claims, but I’ve tried organic foods and, frankly, much of it has been rather bland and tasteless. Vast amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilisers are used. On the other hand, there is a growth in ‘organic’ foods, which are supposedly better for us and more akin to those home-grown foods grand-dad used to grow on his allotment. They cost a lot more, so ordinary mums, eager to give fresh and wholesome nutrition to their families, pay through the nose out of already stretched incomes depleted by the highest taxes in Europe. But are organic foods really better for us? It appears that the hype might be greater than the reality, for food researchers now say that organic foods are not necessarily better, in taste, safety, or nutrition. Having tested the usual foods, they found that they do not contain dangerous amounts of pesticides or any other chemicals to harm. (At least that is what they are saying). So, why pay over the odds for organic foods? Does it come down to scare-mongering by some? I don’t know. The Soil Association, which promotes organic foods, admitted on a recent news programme, that the true reason for using ‘organic’ methods is to maintain rotation of crops and to ‘save the planet’. No benefit to consumers, it seems, other than those perceived by New Age theories about ‘Mother Earth’. Makes you think, eh? Another recent scare was about all farm animals giving us CJD. But, the number of CJD deaths so far are less than 16 out of the whole population...and no-one has yet proved any connection with eating meat containing BSC. (Though to families concerned this number is 16 too many, the fact must be weighed against another fact – that more men die of prostrate cancer than women who die of breast cancer. But huge amounts are being spent on rare conditions whilst these men die. This is weird financial accounting and resource management, to say the least!). The net result of all this, is a steady drawing toward vegetarian and vegan lifestyles and the idea of Earth as ‘Mother’, which is so tied-up with New Age and eastern mystical/cultic beliefs. Beware of being sucked in to anti-God beliefs via the back door, friends. P.S. Researchers have now discovered that artificial sweeteners, so avidly used by people who wish to lose weight, have the opposite effect on body weight! They slow down metabolism amongst other things, and so instead of losing weight, the person puts on even more weight! The better known fact is that these sweeteners are carcinogenic – that is, they can cause cancer. Even so, women (in particular) keep on using the stuff, such is the cultural need to be slimmer! Well, if sweeteners add on weight over time, users lose money, not fat, whilst manufacturers make plenty of profit. There is an odd logic in slimmers consuming the very item that produces weight! (Those I know who take these chemical substitutes never look any different to me). Local Councils Help Spread Evil You already know how local councils are happily teaching our children that homosexuality is okay (see earlier Beacons). Now, they are just as happily giving easy passage to pornography and ‘live’ sex shows on a large scale! (Information received from the Christian Institute).An increasing number of public and family venues around the UK are being used as huge sex shops and events. Olympia, Wembley Arena and others have all been used. It seems that the next big venue will be Cardiff Arena. Sex trade operators apply to local councils for permission to hold events in arenas, etc., and they bring in hundreds of sex stalls selling videos, hard-core magazines and sado-masochistic equipment. ‘Lap’ dancers (I will not describe what their ‘dancing’ involves here) and strippers all provide ‘live’ shows. Councils get away with it by giving them single ‘sex shop’ licenses for their event. The Christian Institute, believing the granting of these licenses is unlawful, applied for permission from the High Court for a judicial review of a similar sex fair granted a license by Newcastle upon Tyne council. Sadly, the review found in favour of the fair operators and refused the Christian Institute leave to appeal, thus giving pornography sellers easy access to our best town venues.I am appalled and angered by the way local and national governments encourage sexual deviancy, using our tax monies whilst supposedly acting as our representatives! They receive their income, too, from our money...and some local councillors get paid massive ‘expenses’ and wages...Cardiff being a prime example. National representatives (MP’s and MEP’s) are no better. Another area of concern is the way occult fairs are given permission to occur in local venues. I remember writing to a local newspaper and to the local council with my objections some years ago, giving the Christian view. This publicity led to further objections, and then to the council refusing permission for the fair to be held at a council venue. The fair organisers then gave up. It is now up to local folk to protest if they hear of similar ventures coming to their areas. Similarly, I objected strongly over a period of time to homosexual activities in our city. Eventually, I was glad to be told in a public letter in the newspaper, by an homosexual leader, that I had ‘put back the gay cause in this area by at least ten years’. (But be warned – count the cost! Success in local papers can often lead to sustained persecution by pressure groups). We can make a difference, friends! Sometimes, it need not take lots of folk – just one person who persists. Obviously, numbers can make a greater impact, but it takes surprisingly few objections sent to a local council to make them do the right thing. (I don’t advocate Christians joining many causes – but there are times when we must stand and be counted, especially where decency and scripture are at stake). A Top Ranker J. Arthur Rank originally started his film empire in order to spread the Gospel. But, film-goers disliked his short evangelical films slotted between main features, and those around him refused to let him carry on. Tell me about it! Are You a Christian? I heard an ecumenist on the radio recently. He put his argument in a nutshell when he said that, for him, the real question is “Are you a Christian?” he went on to say that one’s denomination or denominational beliefs did not matter. The question is valid, of course – but the way it is defined is something else entirely! To an ecumenist, a ‘Christian’ is not what scripture says, but is one who merely accepts in his head that ‘Jesus is Lord’. He then believes any old rubbish, all of which negate his ‘belief’ in Jesus Christ. Don’t be fooled by ecumenical wordage, because that is all it is. It has no substance. It is absurd to say it does not matter what denomination you are, for adhering to a denomination defines what kind of person you really are. There is nothing more empty than to claim ‘Christ crucified’ and then to stick rigidly to humanly-devised denominational structures and beliefs. One negates the other! It is becoming obvious to us at BTM that few people, including many of those who say they are Christians, know what a Christian really is. Hopefully, we will provide suitable material in the future. In particular, I have started writing a book called ‘Patchwork Quilt Theology’, which will describe what real Christian thinking is all about and how it can change lives for the better. It should be available later this year. Any Antinomians Out There? It has been suggested that BTM ought to produce articles on antinomianism. But, from the many letters we have had over the years, it would appear that our readers already know that morality and God’s laws cannot be broken just because one is saved. What is antinomianism? Basically, it’s a Gnostic (heretical) concept. The Gnostics (and certain folk at the time of the Reformation, who were not representative of the Reformers) thought that because matter was distinct from spirit, the spirit could not be harmed by allowing the body to get up to all sorts of licentiousness! So, they ignored morality and God’s laws as found in scripture. To my knowledge no reader of BTM supports such a view or lifestyle. At BTM we constantly teach the need for a moral and Biblically-legally-upright life to go along with one’s claimed salvation...because these go hand in hand with being saved. Indeed, this is the reasoning behind the article above (‘It could be me, or you’). BTM, then, does not believe in antinomianism, and this much is very clear throughout our literature (we ought not get too hung up on these technical terms, when one’s life and teaching says something clearly). Perhaps, one day, we will produce an article on the subject, but given our readership, made up mainly of ‘constantly reforming’ Christians with an acute sense of both God’s love and His laws, we are not pressed to do so just yet. BTM Web Site James Waddell recently forked out to get our web site in the ratings. Though it has been available for a few months, few folk found it because of ‘competition’ from so many others on the internet. James’ financial investment paid off, though...as soon as Yahoo (a search engine, as it is called) put us on their list, we had immediate responses!! We thank God for this, and I thank James for spending all his time on designing and maintaining the web site, as well as paying out of his own pocket in order that the gospel might be spread to all parts of the world. Hopefully thousands will now get hold of true doctrine. (It is interesting that whilst so many will now read our material on the internet, as well as all who read our paper articles, not one Christian newspaper or magazine will publicise either our web site or BTM itself!! Yet, they will publicise any other organisation that is willing to toe the reformed party line. There is a concerted effort to deny BTM access to Christians, which is why we publish our own material and why we now print spiral-bound books. These folk believe they do God’s will by such denial and prejudiced silence. On the other hand, those we help speak volumes! Though the mainstream groups continue to reject us, they are still willing to accept our money when we place paid adverts in their publications!! What double standards). www.christiandoctrine.net Gospel Enemies? More and more Christians are opposing use of the AV Bible. Most recent example is an article in the Christian Herald written by well-known London Vicar, Mike Starkey. The title of his article is ‘AV: No Help to the Gospel’. In the first paragraph he derided use of the AV. The article condemns use of the AV because people misunderstand what it says. One example? A man who said the ‘Christian faith was not for him’ because he read that God was not a ‘respecter of persons’. Another said a similar thing because Jesus said ‘Suffer, little children’!! Friends, anyone who says the ‘Christian faith is not for them’ is not called by God anyway; the language they use is contrary to one whose heart has been touched by God! And if they shrug off salvation because they do not understand one or two texts...well, there is no intention of knowing God anyway. Starkey is one of the new breed, a pro-charismatic who scorns the AV. Why do we persist in using it at BTM? Because the AV is a genuine translation, whereas the modern versions are merely re-writes. They do not translate, but pretend that they do. Thus, what you read in the new versions are other men’s opinions and ideas, and not translations from original sources. The AV sources were themselves taken from sources that can be traced back to the originals. That’s the difference. The AV is the most reliable translation we have in the English language and anyone truly called by God to be saved will overcome any supposed problem with certain words. Keep your AV Bibles, readers, even if the pages come loose and the covers fall off – because there will come a time very soon when AV’s will not be available. Don’t submit to the scorn of people like Starkey and other charismatics, for they are about their father’s business – the father of lies, Satan. Heaven on Earth? One foolish and gullible writer said that the Greenbelt festival this year was like ‘heaven on earth’! I think he will be very disappointed when he gets to the real thing (if he is saved). At these festivals so-called Christian music (from soft stuff to hard rock) mixes with non-Christian music and songs. To call this ‘Christian’ is to stretch the meaning of the word beyond credulity. Unfortunately, most children of Christians and most Christian youngsters, listen to rock garbage, both ‘secular’ and so-called ‘Christian’. They are not taught to resist the devilish ethos and meanings behind most rock music, but take it to the very centre of church life. Older folk give in, because they think the gospel needs to be ‘modernised’. Yes, we must evangelise in today’s language – but we must not resort to playing pagan music in Dagon’s temple! SpiraBooks We now have a growing list of SpiraBooks, published in hardcopy format at present. These include: Reformers Today £6.20 Prayer and Prayer Meetings £6.20 The Alpha Course – Deception unmasked £8.45 Quakers £7.20 All spiral-bound for ease of duplicating. Softcopies in Word format will soon be available for down loading from www.christiandoctrine.net. Other titles being prepared are: The Paper King (An account of king Saul); Aspects of Doctrine (the BTM Bible course on doctrine, rewritten without the tests); Patchwork Quilt Theology (how to think as a Christian), and more. Publication dates will be given in the Beacon. Note that the web site also has a news item page not available to hard-copy readers, and an archive section, containing all back copies of the Beacon, Charismatica, Here & Now and more (currently being transferred to the web). The Crewe Station Story A story that always tickled me, because it was true and it happened to me, is the one about the UK Crewe railway station.... It was back in the late 1950’s when we had real trains on the tracks – great steam engines with gritty smoke that blackened your face if you poked your head out of the window with the wind in the wrong direction! Because my Dad was a railway worker we had several free passes a year, so my mother took all of us (six kids) on trips around the UK. On this occasion we had taken the long journey from Swansea in South Wales to the famed Blackpool seaside resort, just for the day, starting out at about five in the morning. To cut the long story short, we enjoyed our day and caught a train to Crewe, which is inland, and where we would get a connecting train to South Wales. In the 1950’s Crewe station was a sooty, blackened place, but full of the nostalgic stuff we love to see today. We got there before ten o’clock at night, tired but happy, and headed for the waiting room. Anyway... We kids were sent to ask a porter what time the train would arrive. He gave us a time and we duly informed our Mam. A bit later we saw a magnificent train arrive huffing and puffing in all its glory and squealing to a halt. A short while later we waved to it as it built up steam and left the station. Mam asked me to check again for the time of our own train...and we all groaned when a different porter told us “That’s it – the one you just waved off!” Well, we were ready to spend the night in the dank station, because the next one would not be until 12 hours later. We all trudged in to the railway tea-room (you know, the place that used to sell stewed tea and stale cakes). Our money had run out so we just sat in a corner huddled up and trying to sleep. Then, just after midnight, we were awoken by the sound of people laughing and chattering... To our amazement, a whole wedding party came in! The staff had put tables together with white cloths on top and the party, complete with wedding gown, top hats and tails, sat down with gusto. It was obvious that these were rich folk who thought it would be a fabulous jaunt to ‘slum it’ in a railway cafe! How they ate, drank and enjoyed themselves! Toward the end of their meal, the diners began to notice us, and before too long we saw one man going from diner to diner and then coming to my mother, holding a white napkin. He handed the napkin to her, smiled, and went back to the tables. The party stood up and, laughing merrily, they all left as quickly as they had arrived. It was a very surreal time. Mam opened the napkin and saw that it contained several one pound notes and silver coins! They must have thought we were destitute and took pity on us! Well, we had cups of tea and something to eat after all...then in came a porter to tell us that the station master had kindly called up the line to tell a milk train to stop at Crewe, just for us. The old train came grinding to a halt about half an hour later and we clambered on board, making ourselves comfortable between milk churns that clanked and banged all the way back to Swansea, via Cardiff. 20 years later the story was such a good yarn, it was published in a national paper and I got paid the princely sum of twenty pounds! That was one memorable time amongst many. We had lots of trips with Mam and heaps of adventures. As we grew older tragedies and woes struck, as they do everyone...but the good times and the sheer wondrous ones, some very surreal like the one at Crewe station, came along to brighten life enormously – so much so, that we can still recall them with relish and enjoyment. The way of God is just like that, even to the point of seeming so out of the ordinary in ordinary life, that they appear to be surreal. But they’re not surreal – God acts in the most extraordinary ways at times, because nothing is hard for Him and nothing is outside His ability. What is surreal or extraordinary to us is normal to Almighty God! All Christians who truthfully live by God’s word can look back in their lives to periods or incidents when God moved wonderfully. We can view some things as being so out of the ordinary as to seem surreal. Others are sad or even quite terrifying. But, overall, surely we can praise God for everything, because He only does for us what is for our own good and to His glory? Even the nasty and rotten bits. As I look back on my own life – and as many readers know – I can see some peculiarly awful bits when to just exist seemed to be as close to obliteration as one can come. Yet, over the whole span of my years these are as nothing, for mostly I can thank God for the majority of times which were exciting, or surprising, or out of the ordinary. Indeed, though sometimes human misery intervenes, I should (and try to) also thank God for those times that most of us refer to as awful. God is good to those who believe and obey. And, against what human beings are like, He is often good to those Believers who go their own way, making a huge mess of their lives, of the lives of others, and of their faith. His agenda is certainly not ours...and for that we ought to be very thankful! That episode at Crewe station, before I was a Christian, and in days when life was far nicer, was surreal but full of excitement. It was a lovely day with much to remember. That is how I view what happens to me in the Christian life, give or take occasional ‘blips’ of self-misery that quickly evaporate as I look afresh at what God has done, and is doing, in my life. So, sorry to those critic-chaps who think that my ministry must mean I am personally depressed and bitter – but I love my life! I love the sheer artistry with which God weaves every moment I live! I love the way I cannot be that sure of every twist and turn! I love even the awful bits, because I know that God has something else for me other than misery. We have such a great God – let us thank Him for everything, for even the bad bits are used to shape and use us, and to make our faith stronger and more useful to Him. Euro Revolt As you know, most governments, like our own in the UK, do not listen to those who elected them. Now, the plucky Danes have rejected the idea of joining the Euro money system. Good for them! If the UK holds a referendum, I hope Christians will reject the Euro, too. Why? Not because it is a nationalist reaction, but because it is folly to throw one’s Christian heritage and country to the dogs. The EU was supposed to be only the EEC – a loose economic alliance to help cross-border trade. It has become, instead, a massive fraud, where governments are selling their countries in to the hands of pro-Rome and pro-police state powers, whether or not people want it. Of course, this wholesale spiritual genocide is forecast by scripture in the last days – but it does not mean we must take it laying down! As a student preparing for my business degree, I was shown how the UK was almost brought to its knees (and ultimate defeat) by Germany in the Second World War, because we relied on foreign lands to supply our food. Now, we are handing over such supplies to foreigners again! Along with ownership of UK companies. You’d think governments would have learned by now, eh?
Bible Theology Ministries © September 2000 PO Box 415, SWANSEA SA5 8YH Wales United Kingdom Make a Donation to support the work of Bible Theology Ministries |
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