Articles

Why a Christian Party? By Revd Jonathan Willans

Two years ago the results of a nationwide church survey were published. It highlighted the need for Christians to stand up for their beliefs and resist the tide of secularism and immorality that is destroying our country. The report entitled ‘Help your church grow: let the people speak’, revealed that across the UK, people were increasingly alarmed at the moral and spiritual state of the nation and urgently wanted Christian leaders to break their silence, “stand up to be counted” and say “enough is enough.”

The aim of The Christian Party is to do this – with your help. It is a voice for Christian communities across the nation to ensure that the message of the Bible will be heard and heard where it matters!

Many of those who responded to the survey were in despair at the failure of many ‘mainstream churches’ to provide a robust stand in defence of Christian beliefs and values. The voice of the once mighty church is now a mere whisper. This meant that if the Christian message was to be heard boldly and distinctly another way had to be found – hence The Christian Party.

In the report people commented “with society in its present state church ministers should be playing a leading role in guiding people towards the straight and narrow path…. yet every time a major issue arises, from pornography on TV to the morning after pill, all we hear is silence…. it is little wonder the faithful are losing heart and losing respect for some churches.”

The Christian Party however, will not be silent! Whatever your denomination, whatever your churchmanship, the report clearly shows that the time has come to unite and stand together for the Christian faith and all it represents. God has reserved a faithful remnant in these turbulent times as a light and guide to those who are in darkness and despair. People are lost and confused and do not know where to turn. Now is the time to join together, so that the light of the Gospel may be seen by everyone and the voice of truth be heard by all. This fascinating report can be downloaded free from www.churchsurvey.co.uk

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Who says, “Religion and Politics shouldn’t be mixed!”?
By Revd J. George Hargreaves

In the May 2005 General Election I stood as a parliamentary candidate in the Western Isles constituency of Na h-Eileanan an Iar.  I arrived on the Isle of Lewis, an Englishman, a Pentecostal Englishman, a Black Pentecostal  Englishman, knowing absolutely no one.  

On polling day 7.8% of the electorate cast their vote in my favour, and the Labour incumbent MP lost his seat after 18 years in Parliament. In reality the good folk of the Western Isles did not vote for me, they voted for what I stood for; namely ‘the proclamation of the Lordship of Christ;.  In lay terms this means acknowledging that Christ is the highest governmental authority, even higher than Parliament. 

During the campaign I did encounter some objections, even from among Christians. To pre-empt  three of those objections being raised in the future, I am going to address them now.  So here goes:

“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s…”

This quotation,  which can be found in Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospels is often taken out of context to argue that Christians should place their faith in one compartment of life and their political thought and actions  in another.   The scripture actually teaches that whilst we should pay our taxes in submission to secular authority, we should give our all to God. 

The denarius coin that Caesar Tiberius minted for the payment of taxes had an inscription that made the claim that Tiberius was “the son of the divine Augustus” i.e. the son of a god.  The coin also bore the Emperor’s image; just as we bear the image of God.  The point Jesus was making was give that which was made in Caesar’s image (the coin) to Caesar, but give that which was made in God’s image (yourself) to God.  Just as it says in Luke 14:33 “So likewise, whoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

“Politics is about compromise, religion is about absolutes.” the ordering (or administration) of civil society. 

There are many ways in which civil society can be ordered; compromise is just one of them.  Another way is through obedience to and faith in God.  I believe the latter is what we desperately need.  Just look around and you will see that the former  has failed.

3.  “There should be a separation of Church and State, as there is in the U.S.A.”

The fact is the “separation of church and state” in the U.S.A. is a myth.  The First Amendment of the US constitution provides that:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

It was Thomas Jefferson who in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association interpreted the First Amendment as “building a wall of separation between church and state.”  This however is not how the U.S. Supreme Court understands the First Amendment.  In Walz v Tax Commission of the City of New York, 379 U.S. 670, 90 s. Ct. 1409 (1970) the Supreme Court ruled:

Adherents of particular faith and individual churches frequently take strong positions on public issues including, as this case reveals in the several briefs amici, vigorous advocacy of legal and constitutional positions. Of course, churches as much as secular bodies and private citizens have that right.

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Christian Choice 2008 London Mayoral and Greater London Assembly Campaign

The Christian Party and the Christian Peoples Alliance came together for an historic collaboration to contest the2008 Greater London Authority elections.  Although the joint-ticket did not succeed in winning a seat on the Greater London Assembly, they came 6th out of a field of 17, behind the British National Party who did win a seat.

Cllr Alan Craig, the leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance, stood as the Mayoral candidate for the joint campaign and polled almost 120,000 first and second preference votes. 

On the London-Wide List the joint campaign gained over 70,000 votes.  However, the list campaign was hampered by the fact that election law prevented the two Christian parties from using their official joint description ‘The Christian Peoples Alliance and Christian Party’; instead the phrase ‘The Christian Choice’ had to be used.

Revd Hargreaves, who served as campaign manager, stated “The rules governing the Greater London Authority elections were complicated beyond belief, but they were the rules and we had to submit to them, as unto the Lord.  The fact we polled more votes in the Mayoral and Constituency elections than we did on the London-Wide List leads me to conclude that we were disadvantaged by the rules.  I will therefore be seeking a change in the law.”

In the constituency campaign the joint candidates from the Christian Party and the Christian Peoples Alliance polled almost 80,000 votes in 13 constituencies.  There was no candidate in the West Central constituency.

Revd Hargreaves added, “All in all, the Greater London Authority election campaign has provided a great launch pad for the 2009 European Elections, which is a proportional representation election – just as the Greater London Authority election was and thus well within our grasp, given the growing support that the Christian parties are receiving.” 

Talks have already begun between the Christian Party and the Christian Peoples Alliance concerning next years European elections.  Both parties have already committed not to fight against each other in any election.  Current discussions are focussed on whether the European campaign should also be fought as a joint campaign.

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Pastor John Willans writes... Science and the Bible

Recently I was reading a book entitled ‘Science and the Bible’ by a Henry Morris (Moody Press). The purpose of this fascinating book was to highlight scientific truths that have lain hidden in the Bible for thousands of years. It was difficult to put that book down.

From our school days we know how the boat crew under the command of Columbus mutinied for fear of sailing over the edge of the world! That was as recent as 1492 when scientists believed the world was flat. In Isaiah 40:22 however it stated, “God sits above the CIRCLE of the earth.” The word translated circle is the Hebrew ‘khug’ which means sphere. The Book of Isaiah was written about 700 BC.

Again in Job 26:7 it stated, “God hangs the earth upon nothing” a clear reference to the planet being suspended in space. The Book of Job is thought to have been written about 1500 BC. It wasn’t until the 17th century that Galileo and Newton confirmed this scientific fact and indeed Galileo was almost burnt at the stake as a heretic! A clear and sobering reminder that what the Bible teaches and what the church decides to teach is not always the same!

Ecclesiastes 1:7 explained that rain is caused by evaporation and condensation of water – again a discovery only understood and accepted in recent centuries. “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full (evaporation). To the place from which the rivers come (clouds) there they return again.” This was written around 970 BC

Most amazing of all is perhaps Ecclesiastes 12:7. Scripture teaches that God created the human race out of the dust of the ground. Verse 7 declares that when we die our bodies or “dust will return to the earth as it was, and our soul will return to God.” Modern science has confirmed that there was not one single chemical element contained in the human body which is not found in the dust of the ground. When one thinks of the complexity of the human brain, DNA, the ear, eye or the human body in general this scientific fact is remarkable beyond words. It just goes to show what God can create out of a lump of dirt!

The Bible which is the world’s number one best seller, is not strictly speaking one book, it is in fact a volume of 66 books written over 1500 years by about 44 different authors. Each author states that the information they are consigning to ‘paper’ has been given to them by the Creator. Something like 2700 times they expressly put it “Thus saith the Lord.” In other words they are emphasizing these are not their own thoughts or ideas, far from it. Some of them like Isaiah actually died for the views they expressed, a clear indication that they really believed they were teaching the truth and not simply stories invented by themselves.

One third of the Bible is narrative, one third is history and an incredible one third is composed of prophecies and predictions. There are around 300 prophecies in the Old Testament which predicted the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. For example Psalm 22:12-18 gives a shocking description of the crucifixion. Incredibly this Psalm was written over 1000 years before its fulfilment, by King David, who stated “the Spirit of God” inspired the Psalms he wrote.

When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, they were found to contain every book of the Old Testament (except for the Book of Esther). The manuscripts upon which these prophecies were written were dated at being 120-150BC, clear proof they were written centuries before their fulfilment. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the simplest ways to discern the Hand of God upon the Bible.

Sadly there is one prophecy which appears to be being fulfilled in our generation and by many in our society! In Jude v18 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4, the writers predicted an age when Scripture would no longer be taken seriously and would indeed be derided and ignored! This is exactly the attitude held today by so many.

Other prophecies being fulfilled in modern times can be read in chapter 4 of the resource entitled ‘A Call to the Nation.’ This can be downloaded free from www.churchsurvey.co.uk
The sad fact is that although the Bible is the world’s best seller, many people fail to explore the treasury of knowledge it provides. Often this ‘instruction manual for the human race’ lies gathering dust unopened and unread. The Bible is full of the most amazing things. Take it seriously and it will change your life and open your eyes to the Heavenly Father Who loves you so much, that He sent His Son to die for you on the Cross at Calvary.

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Pastor John Willans writes... WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR NATION?

“Does God reward good behaviour?” I’m not referring to the reward of individuals in heaven; I am relating this question to “countries and nations.” In other words does God reward and bless a nation which takes His laws seriously, or doesn’t it really matter how a nation behaves?

The Bible gives an emphatic answer. Many passages of the Bible show that just as God rewards individuals in the next life, He likewise blesses nations or countries that follow Him. Perhaps it doesn’t need to be stated but of course the reverse is also true – ie God withdraws His blessing and protection proportionate to how far a nation ignores His laws. Many sections of Scripture teach this, for example Psalm 107:34 “a fruitful nation will become impoverished because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it. “ Proverbs 14:34 “righteousness will exalt a nation but wickedness will destroy a people.” Of course there is also the whole of Deuteronomy 28 which lists one example after another explaining the practical problems and troubles that will befall any nation or society that rejects the laws of God.

Our country is lurching from one crisis to another and it is not difficult to recognize that God is neither blessing our nation or protecting it. The following sad statistics perhaps highlight some of the reasons why:

‘Britain has the worst record in Europe (excluding Ireland) for pilfering.’(5/10/05)
‘Britain is now the card fraud capital of Europe.’ Classic FM Radio (21/11/06)
‘Britain is the single parent capital of the world.’ Daily Telegraph (23/3/05)
London is the abortion capital of the world.’ Evening Standard (7/8/07)
‘Britain’s youngsters are the most destructive in Europe.’ Classic FM Radio (21/11/06)
‘Britain has one of the highest rates in the world of children dropping out of education.’
(6/7/07)
‘Britain has the highest rate of school truancy since records began.’ (21/9/05)
Between 1969 and 2005 an average of one church closed down every 8 days!

How can a righteous God bless and protect a nation which clearly wants nothing to do with Him, His church or the Ten Commandments He gave? Our society has lost touch with the reality of sin and the consequences it brings. For some this may seem an old fashioned message – a message that sits uncomfortably with their own personal agenda of “me first selfishness” but to such people I would ask the following question, “if liberalism is so good, why is everything going bad?”

Our country is now developing an unprecedented level of debt, but more borrowing and spending cannot fix the problems caused by too much borrowing and spending! Money will not save us. Our national salvation lies instead in addressing the spiritual crisis which is the root cause of our national ills. A sane, spiritual revival which changes the hearts and minds of our people is what is really needed!

There is a famous incident which occurred during the reign of Queen Victoria which illustrates this. On one occasion she was asked by a prince of India to explain the secret of Britain’s power. For her answer the Queen picked up a Bible from the table and said “This is the secret.” The secret was that as the nation took the laws of God seriously and people applied the Commandments to their own personal lives, God’s blessings flowed.

It is easy to forget just how great Britain was and how recently at the turn of the century our wealth and power was unmatched. Our country was the world’s number one or two producer of petroleum, coal, steel, pig iron gold and every other precious metal. The Royal Navy, by law larger than the world’s next two largest navy’s combined, provided a presence around the globe. We made sure we were reliant on no other country for our defence! At its peak The Royal Navy had almost 900 warships. Currently we have 22 and only a third of these can operate at any one time.

Our once prized military self sufficiency in arena after arena has gone – we are forced to trust on the goodwill of other nations for our military needs. Put another way we now rely on other countries for our defence and liberty. People hold differing views about Britain’s past history but whatever view an individual may have does not change the fact that a country which not long ago governed one out of every four people on the planet, is now having trouble governing its own children and has become a fractious nation full of infighting! Our society has done away with God’s “thou shall nots” which were intended for our benefit and blessing and the consequences of this rejection can be seen all around us. These consequences are outlined in detail in chapter 2 of the resource ‘A Call to the Nation’ which can be downloaded free from www.churchsurvey.co.uk

As uncomfortable as it may be, what we need to hear loudly and clearly are hard truths about repentance and living a life that is pleasing to God. As Abraham Lincoln stated, “It is the duty of nations as well as individuals to recognise, and to acknowledge the sublime truth taught in Holy Scripture and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”

I urge you to pray for our nation and that closed minds may be opened. The following prayer was written by Thomas Jefferson, a former President of America. It is a useful guide regarding how we should pray.

A PRAYER FOR THE NATION

Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage, we beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favour and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord and confusion; from pride and arrogance and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of the government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness and in the days of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail.

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