July/August 2003

An Episcopal homosexual Bishop is elected in the USA, and South Africa, too, has godless ministers. "Madonna" writes occult children's books.

Dear Friends,

The choice of two self-confessed homosexual bishops, one of the Church of England, UK, and the other of the Episcopal Church, USA, has shaken not only the worldwide Anglican communion, but Christendom at large. Following Christian objections the British candidate withdrew, but the American, Gene Robinson, was confirmed. A commission of bishops had examined and cleared him of all misdemeanor. - But the Bible says: "If any one aspires to the office of a bishop, he desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own house-hold well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God's church?" (1 Tim. 3:1-5) - A bishop "must hold firm to the sure word as taught," and not "profess to know God, but deny him by his deeds," for such are "detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed." (Titus 1:7-16)

Christian Leaders?
In the Anglican Church a bishop, at his consecration, has to acknowledge before God "that the Holy Scriptures contain sufficiently all doctrine required of necessity for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ." He has to promise that he will "teach and maintain them." But it has become almost fashionable for bishops to question the Truth, e.g. the virgin birth, the resurrection of Christ, the Word of God, or the moral Law. Are such men ever reminded of their vows? Are they ever disciplined? Clearly not. Referring to the two homosexual bishops Archbishop Tutu said: "What is all the fuss? The sexual orientation for us does not make a difference." (Argus 18.8.03) Indeed, only three years ago his own church was rocked by a scandal, when the dean of the Cathedral of Cape Town posed for an advert of a gay film festival in full ecclesiastical robes sporting a devil's tail. But he was not disciplined. His church hierarchy protected him. By association, so did the mainline churches affiliated to the South African Council of Churches. Through the SACC they said: "Truth in the Bible is evolving with time. Some things that were prohibited in the past are no longer prohibited. The SACC wants to see the concept of family broadened to include all kinds of family." Through the SACC they even urged Parliament to include "'sexual orientation' in the Equality Act'." 1) Did the member Churches cry out: "Not in my name!?" - No, they meekly concurred. No one resigned. - Though God mandates harsh penalties for sodomy, His commandments were ignored. "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman," He says, "that is detestable." (Lev. 18:22 NIV) "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Lev. 29:13 NKJV) - Unbelief and disobedience make Churches and leaders "walk in the counsel of the wicked and stand in the way of sinners." (Psalm 1)

Defiance of the Word of God also comes from another "religious" body, nl. the ANC's Commission for Religious Affairs. Its coordinator, Rev Cedric Mayson (formerly of the SACC), stated in an article in the Mail and Guardian: "The greatest myth is the whopper propagated by fundamentalist Christians who say that 'Christ was God and he died to save you from your sins'." 2) What is really surprising is that he is labeled (on the internet) "a Methodist minister in good standing.." How can he be "in good standing" when he denies the second person of the Trinity and suggests that Evangelicals who say that "there is no way to God except through Christ," are committing "spiritual terrorism" and "spiritual blackmail"? 3)

Though the "liberation struggle" is supposed to be over, the (ecumenical) Church clearly continues to be a "site of struggle" against the Truth - against the Triune God, against Jesus Christ the Son of God, against the Bible, against the Moral Law. Unrepentant and unbelieving church leaders continue to white-ant Christendom. It is time that lay leaders and ministers call their Councils and Synods to account for what is taught in their Churches, that they remind the apostates of their ordination vows, or defrock them. Sadly, in South Africa, many clergy are unnerved by the claims of the 'Truth Commission' and neutralized by Apartheid guilt manipulation. It takes courage to exercise Church discipline. Cowardice aids the de-Christianisation of the country. It allows "ministers in good standing" to help dismantle Christianity.

Dechristianisation, however, brings disaster. When the Bible is discarded, the religious, ethical, psycholo-gical, cultural, social and political spheres of life are dramatically affected. Without faith in the triune God human life becomes empty, lonely, lost, and dark. A person who loses sight of his Creator also loses understanding of the creation order. Not knowing where he comes from, why he is here, and where he is going, he becomes ignorant of the purpose of life and devoid of a sense of destiny. A person without God is uncertain of his place in God's scheme. He is without hope of an eternal home. Unconscious of his dignity and uniqueness as the crown of creation, he descends to the animal level where he allows himself to be governed by urges, hormones and 'chemistry'. Knowing no loving heavenly Father he becomes self-centred, cold and cruel, respecting neither God, nor creation, nor man. And so, as godlessness multiplies, society becomes an atomized chaos, i.e. a whirlwind of egos all seeking their own. The after-effects of Christian civilization may last for a while, but when they fade, Barbarism comes into its own.

Age of the Occult
Man was created a living soul, a thinking being, with an intelligent mind, capable of causal thinking. When he is right with God his mind is "sound" (2 Tim. 1:7) and his judgment wise. (Prov. 2:6; 2 Chron. 1:7-13). His relationships are loving (John 15:12), and his character strong. (Joshua 1:5-9) But when he rejects God he becomes "futile in [his] thinking and [his] senseless mind is darkened." (Rom. 1:21) - As the authority of the Bible is ever more rejected, futile thinking, especially in intellectual circles, is on the increase. So much so that our world is open to an occult revolution. The descent into magical thinking is most visible in the Harry Potter mania. Every new "Harry Potter" book is given a hysterical welcome. Parents and teachers alike encourage their children to read them. They seem to see nothing wrong in letting them go into the pagan world of magic. After more than 50 million Harry Potter books the Church of Satan in America has grown from 100.000 in 1995 to 14 million in 2000. Whilst in 1995 most members were adults, in 2000 most members were children. 4) Successive waves of occult literature are taking the youth further away from Christianity and deeper into the world of power mystery. We have seen "Dungeons and Dragons," "Ninja Turtles", "Pokemon", and "Harry Potter". But there is more to come. On 15 September the singer Madonna intends to launch her book, "The English Rose", in Paris. It is designed for children of 6 years and over, and she is planning 6 volumes to be translated into 30 languages and distributed simultaneously in 100 countries. "The English Rose", she says, is based on the doctrines of the "mystical Kabbalah," a system of Jewish occult theosophy, an esoteric distortion of Old Testament teaching. In fact, modern witch-craft draws heavily on the Kabbalah which is intelligible only to the initiated and is full of mystery, magic, astrology, visualization and self-actualisation. There are rituals in which the powers of evil can be overcome by the supremacy of man's spirit. Kabbalists believe that when man's mind is in full control, Messiah will come and restore the world to a perfect state. Every letter, word, and number of Scripture, it says, has a hidden sense, an occult meaning, which enables the Kabbalist to enter into the mysteries of God and foretell events. - In a culture where the Bible has been questioned and denied, "Madonna" now fills the void with the promise of power over spiritual forces, even "Messiah" himself. How will children ever accept that they have no power, but that they need Jesus to save them from their sins. Only He has power - all power in heaven and on earth. With occult ideas children are being inoculated against "salvation by grace".

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge," says Proverbs 1:7. We need to fear God's Judgement. He will examine all hearts and judge all deeds. Did we trust and obey? There is only one Book which tells us who God is and how to please Him. The Bible! It contains the will of God completely. It teaches everything one must believe to be saved. No angel, apostle, minister or bishop may teach anything other, nor add or subtract from the Word of God, for it is perfect and complete. "If anyone comes to you," says John, "and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house." (2 John 10). Doubting and denying the Scripture does not belong to the Church, for the Church is the body of Christ, and Christ is the Truth. Mere mental assent is also not enough. "The time is fulfilled," says Jesus, "and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15). May the Church uphold and defend God's Word. May she do it fearlessly, for "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Tim. 1:7)

May God bless you richly,
D. Scarborough.

Footnotes:
1) C McCafferty & P Hammond, The Pink Agenda, p. 131' quoting an ACDP media release: 'The SACC misrepresents the church,' 23.11.99..
2) Mail and Guardian, 7.7.2000.
3) Theologians for a flat Earth, Mail and Guardian, September 15, 2000.
4) Die Afrikaner: Harry Potter - Toonbeeld van die Okkulte, 25-31 Julie, 2003.
5) Die Burger, Madonna boek gou op rak, 11.8.03