Alliance Party Leader and PCI Elder David Ford Participates at Gay Pride Festival

A video of David Ford, the Leader of the Alliance Party and a ruling elder in the PCI, attacking Iris Robinson's Biblical stance against homosexuality after participating in the Belfast Gay Pride Festival. This elder thinks that homosexuality is no morally different than having a different colour of skin.

China Tries to Surpress Christians during the Olympics

Pastor Detained for Argeeing to Meet with the BBC's John Simpson
House Church Pastor Arrested and Beaten for Trying to Attend Church with Bush 1
House Church Pastor Arrested and Beaten for Trying to Attend Church with Bush 2

G.I. Williamson on Exclusive Psalmody

As mentioned in my discussions with Tim, G.I. Williamson wrote a book on Exclusive Psalmody. I'm glad to say that this excellent, succinct study is available on-line here.

I'm may still extract the bit on Ephesians 5:18,19 and Colossians 3:16 and post it on the blog for convenience. (Use "find" on your browser to find the relevant section in the web page linked above.)

Exclusive Psalmody and Singing about Christ

Just to inform my readers that there is a short discussion on this topic on the comments section of a completely unrelated post here.

Gay Day for California Schools

Please pray against the evil legislation that has been passed by the Californian Leglislature to have a Gay Day every year in all government schools. See here. Homosexual fanaticism knows no bounds! (I wonder when Christian family day is?)

Working Mums Return to Working from Home

See this interesting article about how there has been a huge increase in the UK of women returning to working from home to allow them to have more time with their children.

Christ Forbids Calling Religious Leaders "Father"

It is sad to see in so-called Protestant churches like the Anglican church that in some quarters the fashion has been resurrected of referring to ‘clergymen’ as “Father”. Christ's prohibition against this is abundantly clear:

“The scribes and the Pharisees… love… to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven… But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” (Matt. 23)

Some argue from Paul's use of the term "father", e.g. 1 Cor.4:14-15, that this practice is allowed, but it is one thing for Paul to consider himself as a father to his spiritual children, and it is another to append the title as Christ condemned.

Paul never called himself, nor was referred to as “Father Paul”. If you love your spiritual children in a fatherly way, and they love you as a father, then that is all good, but Christ doesn’t want you or others to call you, “Father so-and-so”.

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

(See also here and here.)

Continued...

The Second Commandment not Part of the First

The Reformed and Anglican Churches believe that the commandment against images is the 2nd Commandment, and that the commandment regarding coveting is completely encompassed by the 10th Commandment. The Roman 'Catholic Church', Anglo-Catholics and the Lutherans disagree, and believe that the 2nd is part of the 1st, and that the 10th is divided into two.

I think that it is telling that the Greek Church, the Early Greek authors (e.g. Origen, Athanasius, etc.) and the Early Latin authors (e.g. Jerome, Ambrose, Severus and Augustine) agree with the Reformed/ Anglican division, against the Later Latin Church and the Lutheran semi-Reformation. It is even more telling that the Jews also make the same division, e.g. Josephus and Philo!

It is absurd for the last commandment on coveting to be divided unnaturally. The only rationale for such a division is to avoid the clear intent of the 2nd, i.e. that images are not allowed in worship.

As Ursinus, in his Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism states: (Q.113):

That this commandment, which has respect to lust, or concupiscence, is one, and not two, is evident

1. From the fact that Moses repeats it in a different order in Ex. 20 : 17, and Deut. 5 : 21, as we have already shown.

2. From the fact that Moses comprehends it in one verse in both of the places to which we have just referred.

3. From the interpretation of Paul, who comprises in one commandment all that Moses says in relation to this subject, when he says, ” I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” (Rom. 7 : 7.)

4. From the fact that the Papists and others are accustomed, in their expositions of this part of the Decalogue, to join together the coveting of our neighbour’s house and wife ; because they, without doubt, perceived that the coveting of our neighbour’s wife, house, and all other things which long to our neighbour, are here forbidden, for one and the same reason. It follows, therefore, either that there is but one precept touching concupiscence, or that there must be as many commandments enumerated, as there are things belonging to our neighbour which we are forbidden to covet.

5. From the authority of the best ancient writers, both among the Jews and Christians, to whom we have referred in our remarks upon the division of the Decalogue.

Moreover, as Christ showed in His Sermon on the Mount, each of the Commandments are archetypal and comprehend all other types of sin (and obedience). If these are archetypal sins, then why divide coveting into two parts? Why have two archetypes of coveting?

Also, it should be noted that the 2nd Commandment forbids all additions to and subtractions from the ordinances of God, as clearly stated elsewhere in Scripture. Idolatry and images are but an archetype of all the corruption of God’s worship by the inventions of men, who think themselves wiser than God, and His Prophets and Apostles!

Continued...

Scottish and Irish Presbyterian Church History Undergoing Update

My original posts on Scottish and Irish Presbyterian Church History are currently being updated. The original First and Second Reformation period, scanned from Smellie (with some Irish additions) was very basic. The First Reformation post is the first to have been updated here.