Persecution and murder in Nigeria

The recent outbreak of violence in Jos, Nigeria, has had tragic consequences. Helen, a mother of ten, and her family who live in Bukuru, a suburb of Jos, were attacked in their home by a violent mob of Muslim extremists. In the attack her husband, Samuel Ani, and three of her sons, Kenneth Ani, Nonso Nweke and Chinedu, were tragically killed.

Muslims had gathered outside Helen’s house, incessantly banging on the door and lighting fires in the street. Helen and her daughters pleaded with the attackers and they eventually allowed the females to leave the building, before ransacking the house and mercilessly attacking Samuel Ani and his sons.

In total the deaths of 48 Christians have been confirmed in the outbreak of violence, which was triggered when Muslim youths attacked a church building. Police estimate over 300 lives were lost in the violence.

In order to bring such atrocities to the attention of politicians, Open Doors is working together with Andrew Pelling, MP for central Croydon, who has sponsored Early Day Motion No. 877. The Motion calls on the government to raise and pursue concerns about human rights and religious liberty when dealing with foreign governments. Open Doors is urging supporters to write to their MPs requesting that they add their names to the list of signatories.

To take part in the campaign please visit www.opendoorsuk.org/campaign

One law for them??

The U.K. news during the past week has featured at least two major stories that seem to suggest that British law is a multi-faceted entity.

Much has been made of the sexual shenanigans of the (now former) captain of the English national footbal team. This gentleman, it has been alleged, has been in an encounter of the very close kind with the former girlfriend of one of his national team-mates. This, in my old-fashioned type of morality, is adultery, and I am not going to make any attempt to defend Mr Terry's activity. However, it is interesting to note that he has had the English team captaincy taken from him - a punishment, I imagine, that means a lot more to him than it would to me!

Now, let's take just one example from the world of the rest of the rich and famous. On Remembrance Day 2008, senior Labour Party politician Nigel Griffiths smuggled a woman - who was not his wife - into the House of Commons, and not only had a 'sexual romp' with her, but actually filmed the hour-long encounter. And what was the punishment that this (dis) honourable gentleman had to face? As far as I can make out, there was nothing (someone please correct me if I am wrong). It is true that he has intimated his intention to stand down from his Edinburgh Parliamentary seat at the forthcoming General Election but, even then, he will do so with a handsome financial severance package, and a pension that will make mine look like pocket-money!

The other issue to hit the headlines was the ongoing saga of members', and Lords', expenses. Only three members of the House of Commons, and one from the House of Lords, have been formally charged with fraudulent activity. However, I seem to recall that there were a lot more than 3+1 who were guilty of similar "creative accounting". I am no more of an apologist for Livingston MP Jim Devine - one of the three - than for John Terry, but his misdemeanour seems to fade into relative insignificance when compared to that of, for example, Barbara Follett, a former Labour government minister who is being told to repay more than £42,000 that was wrongly claimed for items such as security and insurance.

So what is wrong with British justice, and our fabled "sense of fair play"? I am reminded of the wise saying in the Old Testament book of Proverbs: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." (14:34) It is to be hoped that, at the Election, with so many 'standing down' (rather than face the ignominy of losing their seats - with the resultant loss of that severance package!), that the corridors of power at Westminster will be filled with a new breed of politician - those who are men and women of faith and integrity, and who put the Lord at the centre of their lives. Perhaps, then, we might see this nation return to the paths of righteousness from which it has so long departed.

The sins of the parents!

There was a time, in the not-too-distant past, when the majority of the population of the U.K. would have been at least familiar with the Ten Commandments. The extremely disturbing reports of the two young brothers who were convicted of having severely assaulted two other children - almost killing one of them - and having forced them to commit sexual acts on each other have, rightly, caused many to ask what has gone wrong with our society.

There is no way in which such deliberately sadistic behaviour can be condoned, and these boys must now suffer the consequences of thoer actions - although I suspect that the victims, and their families, will suffer more, and for far longer. However, equally disturbing are the reports of the environment in which the perpetrators have been reared during their short lives to date. It would appear that these boys were regularly watching horror films - that would have had an 18 Certificate; that the elder of the two drank alcohol, and smoked cannabis; it has been alleged that they saw their father threatening their mother with a knife. They are reported as having climbed on to the roof of a building, stripped off tiles; and thrown them at passers-by; they were captured on video, throwing stones at a house.

As it is alleged that the authorities knew about much, if not all, of this unacceptable behaviour, questions are also being asked about the part that the Doncaster Social Services played - or failed to play - in the situation. They, it has been reported, did not even act in accordance with legal requirements!

But, back to the top - the second of those Ten Commandments states that Almighty God does not "... leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but [punishes] the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generation." (Ex.20:5, NLT). This is not, as some might conclude, the statement of a capricious Deity. It is actually a statement of fact. Children learn by mimicking the adults with whom they have closest contact. That's how, in more 'socially-normal' families, children grow up able to speak and behave with some degree of acceptability. Sadly, far too many parents today - certainly in our "western" culture - blissfully unaware of the Second Commandment (or any of the other nine!), and content to abrogate all responsibility for the upbringing of their offspring, fail to realise the consequences of their own behaviour.

The declared policy of the Conservative Party to enhance, if elected to government, the status of marriage, is a hopeful sign. There will always, in a fallen world, be those who will be willing tools of the evil one, and he will always find work for them to do. May it be that this distressing case will cause people, not only to ask questions, but also to find answers in the right place - the written Word of God!

Morals and Contraceptives!

It is reported that, in England and Wales, a pilot scheme is to be introduced next year whereby the Contraceptive Pill will be available from chemists without a prescription. Like doctors, pharmacists will be able to give the Pill to girls under 16 without their parents’ consent if they believe that they are at risk of becoming pregnant.

Surely this is yet another ill-conceived (no pun intended!) idea from this increasingly desperate government! My fear is that many boys will see this as the green light to have ‘unprotected’ penetrative sexual intercourse, safe in the knowledge that no pregnancy will result! What they may not realise is that even the Pill does not have a 100% success rate. However, of even greater concern is the obvious potential for a rapid increase in STDs. Fewer teenage pregnancies may well be a laudable objective – but at the cost of increased numbers of young people (of both genders) suffering from syphilis, chlamydia, AIDS; herpes, and gonorrhoea and all of the others ... ??

Add to this the recent research by Lloyds Pharmacy that informs us that the 'average' person in the U.K. has 7.65 sexual partners in their lifetime (somebody must have 15 just to make up for me!), leading to a potential infection rate of 2,811,024 as disease is spread to each of those people's partners - and to each of theirs, etc.

I would suggest that having the highest teenage birthrate in Western Europe is due more to a lack of Mr Brown’s famous 'moral compass' than it is to lack of contraceptive devices. The erosion of family values (especially under the present government); the lack of parental responsibility; and the high number of children being raised with no adequate male role-model; are all factors that must be taken into consideration.

What is even more disturbing is the statistic that 50% of all teenage pregnancies end in abortion: the deliberate ending of the life of an unborn human being when it is at its most vulnerable.

There is still no successful alternative to the old-fashioned values of chastity before marriage, and fidelity within it. It is a simple, and incontrovertible, fact that if these values were universally practised (even I may dream!), there would be no more STDs and only rarely an ‘unwanted’ pregnancy.

Promiscuity is not all that it is cracked up to be – and may even carry within itself the seeds of its own destruction!

Letter to the Editor

The following is a letter that was published (with some editing!) in The Herald newspaper on Saturday.

Dear Sir,

So the Board of RSB is threatening to resign if they are not allowed to dish out some £1.5 billion in bonuses! Now, there’s a surprise! However, I would wish to add my voice to that of Mr Vince Cable (apparently the only current politician with a modicum of common-sense, and a grasp of finance that goes beyond the ability of a basic pocket calculator!), and encourage the government to call their bluff. It would be interesting to see exactly how many would be willing to put ‘principle’ above their 7-digit salaries, and the gold-plated pension packages that go along with them.

As a tax-payer – who therefore owns, jointly with my fellow tax-payers, a whopping 70% of the bank (soon, apparently, to rise to over 80%) – I was particularly incensed by the reported comment of one of the Board members, that not too much notice should be taken of “only one shareholder” i.e. the government. If this person does not have the financial nous to understand that ‘the government’ doesn’t have a penny-piece of its own, but (all too) freely disburses the hard-earned taxes of a fair proportion of the British public, then he should not even be in the banking industry! Indeed, I will happily this person's place – and do so for a lower salary – as I truly believe that anyone who has lived in the real world, and who has successfully managed his personal finances could not do any worse a job than these people have done; and might even manage to do a slightly better one!

I am informed that at least 5,000 bankers will earn more than £1million this year, meaning that they will be earning more in one year than the average tax-payer earns in a lifetime. The old adage reminds us that “He who pays the piper, calls the tune”. Let Mr Brown, and Mr Darling, as those who represent the piper, insist that these Board members be told exactly where to get off, and offered a brief guide to claiming unemployment benefit!

Yours faithfully,

C.Brian Ross (Rev)

Yesterday, in Calderhead-Erskine Parish Church (both Shotts and Allanton), I made reference to the happiness of the true disciple of Jesus. For so many in our contemporary society, 'happiness' is dependant upon material possessions - how much money is in the bank account(s); how big a car is being driven; how expensive, and fashionable, the clothing and furniture are; how large a bonus is received. But these things may be lost, or stolen - and they will, eventually, disappear! The happiness of the disciple of Jesus comes from the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit, and that happiness is totally independant of external circumstances. This is the testimony of those on the persecuted church, who bear in their own bodies "the marks of Jesus." (see Gal.6:17).

Perhaps more of us should try that happiness that is real joy - a joy that is deep in the heart.

Politics and faith!

During the past week, David Cameron, the Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition (a strange nomenclature, when it is really her Government that is being opposed!) gave a full and frank interview to a reporter from the London Evening Standard – as reported in The Times newspaper! (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6906219.ece).

During the interview, Mr Cameron spoke about his faith, revealing that he waited until he was 18 in order to be confirmed (the Episcopal equivalent of ‘joining the church’/’coming into full membership of a congregation/ fellowship’) and claimed to be “a questioning Christian”. He has, he claimed, “… a sort of fairly classic Church of England faith, a faith that grows hotter and colder by moments …” and thinks “… that it’s perfectly possible to live a good life without having faith, by which I mean a positive and altruistic life, …” He also thinks that the teachings of Jesus are “… a good guide to help us through.” – although so are “… the teachings of other religions, …”

So, where does this leave Mr Cameron in terms of Biblical Christianity and being a disciple of Jesus? It is certainly good that he is willing to be so open with regard to his personal beliefs – but does what he says tie in with the Biblical picture of what Christian should be? With all respect, I fear not.

A Christian – i.e. a disciple of Jesus – is described in a number of passages in the New Testament, one of which is Philippians 4:4-13. In that brief section, Paul makes three simple points about what a Christian is. First of all, he says, a Christian is someone who enjoys a presence – even the Presence of the Lord Jesus. It makes such a difference who we have around. “Show me your company, and I’ll tell you your character” was one of the many bits of homespun philosophy that my paternal grandmother used to share. And it’s true. The Presence of Jesus is like no other. Different, and constant. He promises to be with His disciples, not just some of the time; not even just most of the time; but all of the time! (Matt.28:20)

But a Christian is also one who forms a practice. “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!”, writes Paul. (Phil.4:4) And considering the circumstances in which he was writing – from a prison-cell in Rome – these may be viewed as strange words indeed. But Paul shows us how we may overcome our circumstances. He encourages us to pray, and to praise (v.6). The disciple of Jesus may pray about anything, and rejoice in every situation. Members of the persecuted church in over 50 countries around the world testify to this – and theirs are circumstances that no-one would desire!

The disciple of Jesus is one who also trusts a promise. Such a person is aware of the adequacy that Christ brings to a life. We know peace when we have adequate resources and, in v.13, Paul cries out “I can do everything that is required of me, with the help of Christ, Who gives me adequate resources” (my translation!). And the true believer discovers that Jesus not only brings adequacy, but that He also stills anxiety, as He provides that “… peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.” (v.7).

No other religious belief-system of which I am aware, offers what Jesus offers. But there are conditions. I must confess my own sinfulness (my inability to meet the standard of God's moral law); I must accept that He, and only He, is able to pay the price for that sinfulness; and I must commit myself to Him, making Him #1 in my life. Now, if Mr Cameron, and every other Member of Parliament, were to be in that sort of relationship with the Lord then, here in the U.K., we would have a Parliament of which we could justly be proud, and one in which His Name would be honoured, and His Word obeyed.

The Lisbon Treaty

So, the ‘Lisbon Treaty’ has now been ratified by each of the European Union’s member states. Well, if we are going to be accurate, in almost every case, it has been ratified by the political elite of the member states. Only the Irish had the luxury of being asked in a national referendum – and when the unelected, unaccountable, EU ‘powers-that-be’ didn’t like the answer that was received, the Irish were instructed to vote again. As far as I could see, there was so much spin exuded during the campaigning for the second referendum, that it is little wonder that the Irish reversed their earlier decision.

I have been opposed to the EU since its inception. Even when Edward Heath – a man who, in my opinion, was a greater traitor to his country than Lord Haw-haw – led us into the EEC (European Economic Community), I had voted against. I could not see how the breaking cherished ties with other Commonwealth countries was going to be of any particular benefit to the United Kingdom.

Of course, as anyone who knows me will understand, I am not some xenophobic anti-European! I have very dear friends in a number of European countries and, while I am only truly fluent in the English language, I can get by very well in French, have a smattering of German, a little bit of Dutch, and a little bit of Italian. And, of course, for many years, our main summer holiday has been spent in the countries of Western Europe. I am just one of what I suspect is a rapidly growing number of people who are totally opposed to a European Super-state, in which I, as an ordinary tax-payer, am expected to accept every diktat, even as I fund the blatant corruption of the Brussels-Strasbourg gravy-train.

However, I have recently been wondering about the advice given by the Jewish rabbi, Gamaliel. “…my advice is, leave these men alone. If they are teaching and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:38-39)

I am having to ask myself: “Is this ever-expanding, ever-devouring, man-made entity a part of the plan and purpose of God? Is the EU a clear sign that we are in the end-times, when time and history, as we experience them, will be no more?” What is certain is that, climate change, space exploration, or whatever, history does have an end. And was it not Albert Einstein who worked out that time has a beginning, and an end, as well?

So, in opposing the EU, might I be opposing the plan and purpose of God? For me, it’s a big question. For anyone, it’s a question worth considering. My only assurance is that, as an adopted son of the Living God, my future is secure. As one of my cousins states at the close of every e-mail “I don’t do worry, I know the ending!” History, I was often told, is ‘His story’. That story hasn’t ended, but the day is coming, sooner or later, when the heavens will open, the Lord Jesus will return, and Paul’s amazing prophecy will be fulfilled as “…at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil.2:10-11)