"Nominal" Christianity

Two events that have been reported in the national news today appear, at first glance, to have no connection at all. However, I quickly realised that they have one common denominator. The events to which I refer are the marriage of Peter Phillips, eldest grandson of H.M. the Queen to Miss Autumn Kelly, and the addressing of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

What, it may be asked, do these two events have in common? Well, it is reported that the new Mrs Phillips gave up her Romanist faith and "converted" to the Church of England, enabling Mr Phillips to retain his right to the throne. As far as Mr Brown is concerned, I have never - in spite of his Presbyterian manse upbringing - heard him say, or seen him do, anything that would even suggest that he has a personal, saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. This means, to me at least, that the two events have one word in common - nominality.

If the new Mrs Phillips had anything other than a nominal belief, i.e. something that exists in name only, she would not have given it up. By the same token, her new husband would not even have expected her to have done so. As others have pointed out, being 11th in line to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland doesn't actually allow for much of a possibility of gaining it!! As for Mr Brown, one does not need to be a student of politics to know that he has repeatedly deceived the British public with, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, he brought ten years of "stealth" taxes. Recent publications by those who have been closer to him than I, also suggest that his private speech and attitude are a long way short of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, the Christ.

At the General Assembly, Mr Brown called for people everywhere to discover their shared values, communicate with each other and join together with people in other countries in a "single moral universe to bring about change".
"This is the irrepressible revolution of our time - a billion voices for change. And I'd like to think that acting together we can become the generation to address climate change," he said.
"Acting together, the first generation in the history of mankind to abolish illiteracy and give every child the right to education; acting together, the first generation to eradicate tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, malaria, on the way to eradicating HIV/Aids.
"And to honour the dream of the scriptures: that justice will roll like water and righteousness like a mighty stream." (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7405547.stm)

I find it interesting that he (or, at least, his speech-writer) quotes from one of the Old Testament prophets (Amos 5:14), and that he quotes from a passage in which it is YHWH (the LORD) Who is speaking to His people, Israel, and warning of impending judgement! Perhaps the Prime Minister, and Mrs Phillips, should consider more the words of the Lord Jesus to the Jewish leader, Nicodemus: "You must be born again" (John 3:7). It is only as we enter that new life - confessing, and repenting of, our sins; accepting the salvation that Jesus won for us on the cross; and sharing the Gospel message wherever, whenever, and with whoever, we can; that we become "conviction" Christians. And that, as far as the Lord is concerned, is the only kind of Christian that He recognises. The nominal "Christian" is heading only for condemnation, and a lost eternity. (see Matthew 7:21-23; 25:31-46).