Letter to the Editor
Response to the CEEC Statement
Dear Sir,
And so the debating continues concerning matter sexual. CEEC have produced a video entitled, Learning From Elsewhere. The full title should read, Learning From Elsewhere – other than the Bible. Have you watched it? It’s a 15 min. travesty, a betrayal of the Biblical witness and a shame to the name Evangelical. There is another video due suggesting a way forward. Don’t hold your breath. Church Society has produced their critique of Lambeth and Lambeth responded by simply writing it off. Issue unresolved, of course, but one can imagine CS’s response: there’s another paper in this – let us get writing. Churches around the country are debating the issues – in-out; what to do; how to respond? How about, what does the Bible say and what are we going to do in obedience to God?
How long will this verbal tennis continue? The devil is clearly the umpire in this deadly game and only allows the cry of foul if someone quotes the Bible, talks of sin, calls for repentance, states that God does not change, says that God is angry and judgement awaits, or someone in opposition to Scripture has cried hurt feelings, etc. Why this literally endless debating? The Bible is clear throughout – we do not debate sin we proclaim the Word of the Lord against it and call people to repentance. All true Evangelicals should have been doing this from the start. We are called to be faithful witnesses to what God has spoken, not endless debaters of human wisdom. God must have the first and last Word in all these issues. If we do not begin here we do not begin at all. The liberals have restricted the areas for, and manner of, debate and Evangelicals have capitulated to their agenda. They now stand with sinners and on their ground.
The cry of “foul, my feelings are hurt” has become the predominant response to the Biblical position and the Evangelical response has been a balm of apology. Yet the realisation of personal sin against a holy God is painful, it’s meant to be, and there is no relief without repentance. One is weary of asking the question, why debate? It seems that at last GAFCON is standing up calling Welby to repent regarding the appointment of David Monteith to Canterbury Cathedral. However, one would wish GAFCON had gone further for Welby can easily ignore this call [after all it is hurtful!] but even if he responds it will be almost certainly some weak, verbal shuffle and then the game continues. It must not! And here’s the nub: whilst there is the mindset to remain in the C of E regardless of how irretrievably apostate it has already become [GAFCON’s terms] then nothing will change. We need both to proclaim and we need to act – decisively.
John Dunn
Isle of Wight
