It seems every day we find more cowardly, compromised and carnal Christians caving in to various worldly agendas. Instead of taking a stand for biblical truth, many are simply capitulating to the other side – partly in order to be liked, to be popular, and to be trendy.
These folks will one day stand before their Lord and give an account of their cowardice and betrayal. And far too many Christian leaders are in this boat as well. There are sadly plenty of compromised and spineless wonders found in so many pulpits today.
That is why it is so refreshing, if not even shocking, to find some Christian leaders who actually stand up and be counted, even if it means getting plenty of hate and abuse. Two recent cases have just surfaced of some brave Christian leaders who would rather be true to Christ and biblical principles than to be accepted by the masses.
They deserve our praise and our prayers. The first leader worth singling out is pastor Charlie Hughes from New Zealand. This courageous Christian and his wife would rather face the wrath of the militants and the forces of political correctness than to trample on the truth of Almighty God. Their story has just appeared in the press, so let me pass some of it along to you:
An Anglican pastor has quit the church and is taking his congregation with him after the governing body moved ahead with plans to bless same-sex relationships. Charlie Hughes, the former vicar of St Michael’s in Henderson, says he cannot reconcile the decision of the church to recognise same sex relationships with his ordination vows. He said the vows were a pledge to uphold the constitution of the Anglican Church. The constitution states it is “not lawful to ordain anything contrary to God’s word written”.
“It’s not because we have a problem with people who are in a same sex relationship but because of the commitment we have to shaping our lives around the teachings of the Bible,” Mr Hughes said. “This isn’t an anti-gay issue. This is a pro-Bible issue. There are seven completely clear statements in the Bible about same sex acts which are all disapproving.”
The Anglican Church’s ruling body this month issued an apology to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. It also told clergy they could bless same sex marriages with a bishop’s permission and set out a path to formalising the recognition. The Herald is aware of intense debate in congregations grappling with how to accept the ruling of the governing body, the General Synod.
Mr Hughes said he knew of other churches in which rifts had formed. “There is a large body of Anglican clergy who are convinced this is the wrong way to go.” There was also a group of lawyers — including two QCs — who were working on a legal challenge to the church’s move. Two-thirds of St Michael’s board had also resigned as had half the staff, while Mr Hughes was in talks with a non-Anglican church to take over as minister.
Well done Charlie Hughes. Closer to home we have another leader who has decided that standing on principle is far better than compromise. Up in Queensland one college head has stood his ground, even though the forces of PC are now baying for his blood. The story begins:
The principal of a Christian College has come under fire for transferring two student teachers after they turned up for work dressed in traditional Muslim headwear. The two women, in their final year of a teaching degree, had started a work placement at Redlands College this year. In a newsletter addressed to the school’s parents on Tuesday, principal Mark Bensley outlined his reasons for dismissing the pair, explaining he had acted out of a “duty of care”.
“I have a duty of care to ensure that those teaching at the College are actively supporting the Christian principles, practices and beliefs of the College,” he wrote. “I see the wearing of the hijab as openly acting in a manner that is contrary to or inconsistent with these principles, practices and beliefs.” The principal explained that he had arranged for both students to transfer to another school to complete their respective field work. “While I respect their desire to wear a hijab, I feel it’s inappropriate to do so at Redlands College,” he wrote.
A statement issued to The Sunday Mail said, as a Christian school, Redlands College “respects and loves all people, from all backgrounds and religions”. “However we don’t hide our Christian values and we provide an important educational option for families seeking Christian education. “We are not aware that they (student teachers) had any concerns, and it is our understanding that all parties came to a mutual agreement for the benefit of all.”
Predictably, it was clueless Christians who made the biggest stink:
One Redlands College parent, Jennie Duke, took to social media to express her disappointment at the school’s decision. “So very sad that my daughter attends this school and my university sends our student teachers there,” Ms Duke wrote. While some have labelled Redlands College “Redneck College”, others have questioned Mr Bensley’s Christian faith. “It’s not very “Christian like” for a Christian school to tell student teachers that they are not welcome to teach and learn because they wear a hijab,” one user wrote.
Of course it is Christlike to stand up for Christian principles. If someone attends a Christian college, they should abide by the ethos and rules of the school. Just imagine if a Christian demanded to parade around a Muslim school with a cross and a Bible. It would never happen of course.
The TV news also got this wrong big time, siding as they usually do with the Muslim community. They even claimed that Muslim leaders said that Christians are free to do as they please in Muslim schools. Umm, no. Consider just one case. The headline goes this way: “Furious debate as teachers at Islamic College of SA’s West Croydon campus ordered to wear hijab or face sack”.
The February 11, 2013 story began this way: “A warning from South Australia’s biggest Islamic school that teachers – including many non-Muslims – will lose their jobs if they do not wear a hijab to school functions and outings has sparked outrage.” So much for Christian freedoms in Muslim schools.”
So well done to Mark Bensley for sticking to his guns. He and Hughes are champions in my books. I sure wish we had more Christian leaders like them, instead of all the invertebrates we find all over Western Christendom today. It is time for those who name the name of Christ to stand and stand strong.
19 Replies to “Christians Taking a Stand – Finally”
Hi Bill – thank you for raising these two cases. It is so encouraging to hear.
We are indeed at war. Having just returned from visits to Christian Concern & Christian Institute in the UK (while visiting my family) it is clear that the UK church looks set to be torn in half over the SSM issue. Tragic.
But Our Lord reigns. He has a plan – and those who choose to join His side will be blessed, no matter what the cost.
May God strengthen us in His holy-love and boldness in these difficult days.
Blessings,
Jim Collins – FamilyVoice
Christian Activism – at last.
Christ’s death was the ultimate in Christian activism. Stephen was martyred for his faith.
God bless this congregation and may the eyes of their blind leaders be opened by the truth of God’ word.
Redland’s College is NOT a secular school.
They are upfront and honest of their world-view.
Their motto is “Christ-centred excellence”- couldn’t be much clearer.
My experience with ex-student’s from there testifies to the success of their world-view.
The Muslim girls must have had it in their mind that the hijab would cause dissent. Its not as if its a cross tucked inside the blouse or something.
I would feel the same way if a student teacher turned up with a death’s head on a T-shirt!
I can’t help but wonder if this wasn’t a set-up by the teaching institution who sent them there? Just a thought- but worthy of further investigation.
I hope the courage shown by these men inspires more Christians.
Thanks Jim. I too just visited Christian Concern & Christian Institute in London – just a few a short weeks ago!
What a great example these blokes are setting to the rest of us.
Some of the biggest halfwits go to churches! Good on that principal, the sad part about a lot of Christian schools though is that they often take kids whose parents have nothing whatsoever to do with the Christian faith, and that is a large part of the problem.
Dear Bill,
Thank you for highlighting these two cases.I heard about the principal at the Christian College at Redlands. Mark is making sure the college is truly Christian. It would be a good idea for everyone to write in and support him.
One Redlands College parent, Jennie Duke, took to social media to express her disappointment at the school’s decision. “So very sad that my daughter attends this school and my university sends our student teachers there,” Ms Duke wrote.
Umm, could the school ask this mother to explain why her students are still at Redlands, when she challenges the school, and disagrees with their principles which she and her husband (partner?) probably signed on to when enrolling their children?
The same people who decry this private school for operating according to their own beliefs usually love to shove their minority values and beliefs down our throats, at the tax payers expense.
I haven’t seen anything from them yet but I can imagine the ABC would be chomping at the bit to jump on the Islam supporting bandwagon – the same ABC that basically runs a tax funded ideological outreach broadcast program for Labor and the Greens. These kinds hate it when free individuals or companies get to make their own rules about how their lives and companies operate – I guess that’s why they love oppressive ideologies like Marxism.
Gay so called marriage is a fiction, in the same way that claiming that the moon is made of green cheese. One can pass laws saying that it is. One can lock people up and even kill them for refusing to say it, but it won’t alter the reality that the moon is not the sun and the sun is not moon.
Recently, the sodomite Bishop Gene Robinson (his parents wanted a girl and so named him after his mother, Imogene) after only six years of marital bliss, since his civil ceremony in 2003, has divorced from gay his lover, Mark Andrew.
In a recent statement he said,
“As I tell couples in pre-marital counseling, “Marriage is forever, and your relationship will endure—whether positively or negatively—even if the marriage formally ends.”
Clearly he does not apply this principle of “enduring for ever” to his marriage to his wife, Isabella “Boo” McDaniel, who bore him two girls.
He even has the cheek to say,
“It is at least a small comfort to me, as a gay rights and marriage equality advocate, to know that like any marriage, gay and lesbian couples are subject to the same complications and hardships that afflict marriages between heterosexual couples.”
Really? The same complications? My marriage to my wife is not subject to the same health complications resulting from sodomising her, having children produced through IVF, or having a taste for sex with children, animals and dead bodies.
Even more remarkable is this statement: “The thing that astounds me about Jesus, as told in this Passion story, is that he keeps putting one foot in front of the other, praying that it’s in the right direction, but not knowing for sure……While I would never remotely compare myself to Jesus, I do know that I too have to move forward without knowing whether the steps I am taking are in the right or wrong direction.”
Jesus Christ was just as uncertain and confused as Gene Robinson about whether what He was doing was the right thing or wrong thing? Oh what? Whatever!!!
Is there no limit to the overweening presumption and narcissism of this one solitary bleeding heart?
One could not find a more holy couple that that of Jeffrey John , the homosexual dean of St. Albans Abbey and his long standing lover, the rev Grant Holmes . They have married and yet, we are led to believe have solemnly sworn to abstain from any future, sexual activity. This indeed is a beautiful and unearthly marriage, difficult to match even in a heterosexual partnership, but is also a form of gnosticism and denial of God the Creator who ordered that a man cleave to his wife in order to become one flesh. I just hope that, when and if a homosexual at St. Albans declares that he has finally broken free of the bondage of his habit and is now clothed in his right mind, there is as much celebration and enthusiastic applause- as there surely will be in Heaven – by the cathedral congregation of about 300 , over this one sinner who repented , as when Jeffrey John and his partner’s marriage was announced from the pulpit with the words : “It is a delightful occasion for them both but I am even more pleased that the congregation reacted so warmly and arranged a reception after the main service to toast their good health.” It is more than likely that such a repentant sinner would be rushed off to the nearest diversity training centre or even mental home.
No doubt the bleeding hearts who attack Charlie Hughes and Mark Bensley will also turn on homosexuals who repent and turn away from homosexuality and Muslims who turn to Christ. The jaws of the reticulated pink, Islamic python move in only one direction- into the pit of hell.
My great grandfather Bishop Harper Primate of NZ would turn in his grave at the spineless church that the Anglican Church in NZ has become. Have they forgotten they will judged more harshly before God?
I would have no problem with the two trainee teachers wearing clothing that may include a head scarf. However, that excludes the Burka which nobody should wear regardless of religion. (hide not thy light under a bushel or covering) All students and governing bodies and parents have a right to see who they are talking to or associating with and who is teaching their kids.
However the real point here is that if you are a Muslim and if you wish to effectively show a sign of your belief (as a Christian Might when wearing a cross) as is your belief then you should not be teaching in a Christian School. How can it be compatible when to a Muslim Jesus is nothing more than a prophet/teacher and not the son of God.
Man in his infinite limitation can create by cloning or artificial insemination and even alter a genetic code
Yet many do not credit God with the ability to create perfection in a human form.
Be fearful of Gods word. Christians cannot be unequally Yoked.
11 Cor 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers etc. As It is written. Should we delete it? How can we go against Christian teachings yet still call ourselves Christians, it is not possible.
I am thankfully too old to be bothered with “social media” (!) but when I read that the Prime Minister winks and that makes Twitter “go viral” (or was it bacterial?) I would never take anything said on “social media” seriously. Well, that’s an exaggeration, but it seems that such a high proportion of such media users are suffering from a vitamin deficiency it’s no wonder one of them claims she is so sad that her daughter attends the school she sends her to.
Dear Jennie Duke:
It is nice that you want to show submissive Christianity to Muslims. If we are nice to them (accepting their beliefs as we would our own) then surely they will do the same. We should lead by example. This will lead to a beautiful harmonious existence – Muslims and non-Muslims, just like the Middle East – only down under.
… Er… hold that thought…
I am indeed heartened to read, Bill, of Christians choosing to place God’s moral code above the ‘value relativism’ of this world. This is a choice that ALL Christians will have to make as state laws start conflicting with God’s word. May the Lord give us the strength to stand wherever He has placed us, not fearing even death, for we know that in the end, WE WIN! God’s word cannot fail… Thank you for a great site Bill!
That is why it is so refreshing, if not even shocking, to find some Christian leaders who actually stand up and be counted, even if it means getting plenty of hate and abuse. Two recent cases have just surfaced of some brave Christian leaders who would rather be true to Christ and biblical principles than to be accepted by the masses.
Hi Bill – thank you for raising these two cases. It is so encouraging to hear.
We are indeed at war. Having just returned from visits to Christian Concern & Christian Institute in the UK (while visiting my family) it is clear that the UK church looks set to be torn in half over the SSM issue. Tragic.
But Our Lord reigns. He has a plan – and those who choose to join His side will be blessed, no matter what the cost.
May God strengthen us in His holy-love and boldness in these difficult days.
Blessings,
Jim Collins – FamilyVoice
Christian Activism – at last.
Christ’s death was the ultimate in Christian activism. Stephen was martyred for his faith.
God bless this congregation and may the eyes of their blind leaders be opened by the truth of God’ word.
Redland’s College is NOT a secular school.
They are upfront and honest of their world-view.
Their motto is “Christ-centred excellence”- couldn’t be much clearer.
My experience with ex-student’s from there testifies to the success of their world-view.
The Muslim girls must have had it in their mind that the hijab would cause dissent. Its not as if its a cross tucked inside the blouse or something.
I would feel the same way if a student teacher turned up with a death’s head on a T-shirt!
I can’t help but wonder if this wasn’t a set-up by the teaching institution who sent them there? Just a thought- but worthy of further investigation.
I hope the courage shown by these men inspires more Christians.
Thanks Jim. I too just visited Christian Concern & Christian Institute in London – just a few a short weeks ago!
What a great example these blokes are setting to the rest of us.
Some of the biggest halfwits go to churches! Good on that principal, the sad part about a lot of Christian schools though is that they often take kids whose parents have nothing whatsoever to do with the Christian faith, and that is a large part of the problem.
Dear Bill,
Thank you for highlighting these two cases.I heard about the principal at the Christian College at Redlands. Mark is making sure the college is truly Christian. It would be a good idea for everyone to write in and support him.
Umm, could the school ask this mother to explain why her students are still at Redlands, when she challenges the school, and disagrees with their principles which she and her husband (partner?) probably signed on to when enrolling their children?
The same people who decry this private school for operating according to their own beliefs usually love to shove their minority values and beliefs down our throats, at the tax payers expense.
I haven’t seen anything from them yet but I can imagine the ABC would be chomping at the bit to jump on the Islam supporting bandwagon – the same ABC that basically runs a tax funded ideological outreach broadcast program for Labor and the Greens. These kinds hate it when free individuals or companies get to make their own rules about how their lives and companies operate – I guess that’s why they love oppressive ideologies like Marxism.
Gay so called marriage is a fiction, in the same way that claiming that the moon is made of green cheese. One can pass laws saying that it is. One can lock people up and even kill them for refusing to say it, but it won’t alter the reality that the moon is not the sun and the sun is not moon.
Recently, the sodomite Bishop Gene Robinson (his parents wanted a girl and so named him after his mother, Imogene) after only six years of marital bliss, since his civil ceremony in 2003, has divorced from gay his lover, Mark Andrew.
In a recent statement he said,
“As I tell couples in pre-marital counseling, “Marriage is forever, and your relationship will endure—whether positively or negatively—even if the marriage formally ends.”
Clearly he does not apply this principle of “enduring for ever” to his marriage to his wife, Isabella “Boo” McDaniel, who bore him two girls.
He even has the cheek to say,
“It is at least a small comfort to me, as a gay rights and marriage equality advocate, to know that like any marriage, gay and lesbian couples are subject to the same complications and hardships that afflict marriages between heterosexual couples.”
Really? The same complications? My marriage to my wife is not subject to the same health complications resulting from sodomising her, having children produced through IVF, or having a taste for sex with children, animals and dead bodies.
Even more remarkable is this statement: “The thing that astounds me about Jesus, as told in this Passion story, is that he keeps putting one foot in front of the other, praying that it’s in the right direction, but not knowing for sure……While I would never remotely compare myself to Jesus, I do know that I too have to move forward without knowing whether the steps I am taking are in the right or wrong direction.”
Jesus Christ was just as uncertain and confused as Gene Robinson about whether what He was doing was the right thing or wrong thing? Oh what? Whatever!!!
Is there no limit to the overweening presumption and narcissism of this one solitary bleeding heart?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/04/a-bishop-s-decision-to-divorce.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-27278938
David Skinner UK
One could not find a more holy couple that that of Jeffrey John , the homosexual dean of St. Albans Abbey and his long standing lover, the rev Grant Holmes . They have married and yet, we are led to believe have solemnly sworn to abstain from any future, sexual activity. This indeed is a beautiful and unearthly marriage, difficult to match even in a heterosexual partnership, but is also a form of gnosticism and denial of God the Creator who ordered that a man cleave to his wife in order to become one flesh. I just hope that, when and if a homosexual at St. Albans declares that he has finally broken free of the bondage of his habit and is now clothed in his right mind, there is as much celebration and enthusiastic applause- as there surely will be in Heaven – by the cathedral congregation of about 300 , over this one sinner who repented , as when Jeffrey John and his partner’s marriage was announced from the pulpit with the words : “It is a delightful occasion for them both but I am even more pleased that the congregation reacted so warmly and arranged a reception after the main service to toast their good health.” It is more than likely that such a repentant sinner would be rushed off to the nearest diversity training centre or even mental home.
No doubt the bleeding hearts who attack Charlie Hughes and Mark Bensley will also turn on homosexuals who repent and turn away from homosexuality and Muslims who turn to Christ. The jaws of the reticulated pink, Islamic python move in only one direction- into the pit of hell.
David Skinner UK
And here’s another potential hero who dares to tell it like it is in regard to Islam, Pastor McConnell of Northern Ireland, who is now being investigated for a “hate crime” because of his recent remarks about Islam from his pulpit, calling it “heathen” and “Satanic” and “spawned in hell”.
Even a preacher’s pulpit is now not immune from the PC Police and PC media!
See http://therightscoop.com/pastor-who-said-islam-is-satanic-and-a-doctrine-spawned-in-hell-being-investigated-for-a-hate-crime/
My great grandfather Bishop Harper Primate of NZ would turn in his grave at the spineless church that the Anglican Church in NZ has become. Have they forgotten they will judged more harshly before God?
I would have no problem with the two trainee teachers wearing clothing that may include a head scarf. However, that excludes the Burka which nobody should wear regardless of religion. (hide not thy light under a bushel or covering) All students and governing bodies and parents have a right to see who they are talking to or associating with and who is teaching their kids.
However the real point here is that if you are a Muslim and if you wish to effectively show a sign of your belief (as a Christian Might when wearing a cross) as is your belief then you should not be teaching in a Christian School. How can it be compatible when to a Muslim Jesus is nothing more than a prophet/teacher and not the son of God.
Man in his infinite limitation can create by cloning or artificial insemination and even alter a genetic code
Yet many do not credit God with the ability to create perfection in a human form.
Be fearful of Gods word. Christians cannot be unequally Yoked.
11 Cor 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers etc. As It is written. Should we delete it? How can we go against Christian teachings yet still call ourselves Christians, it is not possible.
I am thankfully too old to be bothered with “social media” (!) but when I read that the Prime Minister winks and that makes Twitter “go viral” (or was it bacterial?) I would never take anything said on “social media” seriously. Well, that’s an exaggeration, but it seems that such a high proportion of such media users are suffering from a vitamin deficiency it’s no wonder one of them claims she is so sad that her daughter attends the school she sends her to.
Dear Jennie Duke:
It is nice that you want to show submissive Christianity to Muslims. If we are nice to them (accepting their beliefs as we would our own) then surely they will do the same. We should lead by example. This will lead to a beautiful harmonious existence – Muslims and non-Muslims, just like the Middle East – only down under.
… Er… hold that thought…
I am indeed heartened to read, Bill, of Christians choosing to place God’s moral code above the ‘value relativism’ of this world. This is a choice that ALL Christians will have to make as state laws start conflicting with God’s word. May the Lord give us the strength to stand wherever He has placed us, not fearing even death, for we know that in the end, WE WIN! God’s word cannot fail… Thank you for a great site Bill!
Many thanks Elaine.