In the Belfast Telegraph of 19 July 2003 local author and Pastor, Derick Bingham, recommended to those interested in some ‘Summer reading’ a book called ‘What’s So Amazing About Grace’ by Philip Yancey. In so doing Derick Bingham is yet again directing Christians to the writings of someone whose beliefs would, in the light of God’s Word, be more than ‘questionable’ to say the least. Set out herewith are a couple of reports and also a web site link that will give some alternative views on the writings and beliefs of Philip Yancey.
Category Archives: Assorted Articles
DERICK BINGHAM and GEORGE HARRISON
In recent weeks the Belfast Telegraph has published articles in which professing Christians, Derick Bingham and Alf McCreary have expressed some very strange views from a Christian perspective.
Set out below are the articles penned by each author together with copies of letters that I submitted to the Belfast telegraph but which to date have not been published.
THERE are times when you hear a story that touches something deep inside. I heard such a story recently and I now share it.
A friend of mine was at a dinner at which the speaker was the international Evangelist Luis Palau. He said that a Christian man was at a Formula One racetrack one day and saw the late George Harrison of The Beatles there.
IS ‘WILLOW CREEK’ THE ‘WAY TO GO?’
As I prepare this article, Belfast is gearing up for yet another conference to promote the evangelistic methodology of the group known in the UK as the ‘Willow Creek Association’. An advert for this conference to be held in the Kings Hall Conference Centre on Monday 10 March 2003 reads as follows –
- REACH THE UNCHURCHED
- BUILDING A CONTAGIOUS CHURCH
- SPEAKERS
- LEE STROBEL (Author of ‘The Case for Christ’)
- MARK MITTELBERG (Evangelism Director of the Willow Creek Association)
Many pastors and churches are being urged to adopt the strategies used apparently with great ‘success’ at the Willow Creek Community Church in America whose Senior Pastor is Bill Hybels.
Power To Change – Ecumenical or not Ecumenical?
At a meeting I attended last Saturday evening it was reported to me that at the recent New Horizon event, Stephen Cave of ‘Evangelical Alliance’ in his public promotion of ‘Power To Change’ stated publicly words to the effect that ‘Power To Change is not an ecumenical ploy’.
In view of the fact that I opened my article ‘The Leaven in Power To Change’ with these words – ‘The latest ploy to involve ‘Evangelical Catholics’ as full ‘partners’ and ‘participants’ in mainstream so-called Evangelical Mission efforts is being progressively launched over the next months’
I feel it only right to respond to what Mr Cave said. ‘Ecumenism’ in the professing Christian world has always been understood as being ‘co-operative effort’ to promote Christianity. Historically faithful ‘evangelicals’ did not get involved in such ‘co-operation’ when the Roman Catholic church was involved for the simple reason that Rome does not preach Biblical Christianity.
So, when it comes to ‘Power To Change’ is there ‘ecumenical co-operation’? – Mr Cave apparently says ‘No’. Firstly, in support of my assertion that it is ‘ecumenical’ can I ask
‘Toronto Blessing’ Pastor & Wife to visit Belfast
According to an advert in the Belfast Telegraph [April 20] a series of meetings are to be held in Belfast from Saturday 4 May until Monday 6 May. These meetings are being organised by the ecumenical, extreme charismatic, Christian Fellowship Church, Belfast which is pastored by Paul Reid.
The guest speakers at these meetings will be John and Carol Arnott who head up the ‘Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship’. It was here that the so-called ‘Toronto Blessing’ was spawned in 1994 and Mr Arnott oversaw all that happened there. Subsequently he was at the centre of the claimed ‘gold tooth-filling’ miracles which were exposed on National television in July 1999.
The ‘leaven’ in ‘Power To Change’
The latest ploy to involve ‘Evangelical Catholics’ as full ‘partners’ and ‘participants’ in mainstream so-called Evangelical Mission efforts is being progressively launched over the next months through a series of video presentations and talks in various locations around Northern Ireland.
The name given to the initiative is ‘POWER TO CHANGE’ – It was first used in Canada and is now being imported here.
It stems from Campus Crusade for Christ whose founder Bill Bright was one of the ‘evangelical’ signers of the ‘Evangelicals and Catholics Together’ document in USA in 1994 and who a few years later accepted the Templeton prize [million dollars] for progress in religion – he accepted it in a Roman Catholic chapel in Rome in the presence of Cardinal Edward Cassidy who was involved in an advisory capacity for Rome in the drafting of the ‘Evangelicals and Catholics Together’ document. Other recipients of the Templeton prize have included ecumenists Billy Graham and Charles Colson and the well known [now deceased] Roman Catholic nun Mother Teresa.
CREATION CONTROVERSY
If ever a visit was providentially ordered then it was that of Roger Oakland. As you will know from the leaflet enclosure with our March newsletter Roger was here from 10-24 March and during that time he delivered 21 talks. The feedback has been positive and encouraging as the following extract from one email will demonstrate.
Dear Mr Andrews
Just a short email to say how much I was blessed with the visit of Roger Oakland to the WORD Bible class last Saturday night. It was good to learn more about creation and to watch out for false teaching that can happen so easily…Thanks again and keep up the good work
PMcW
A close encounter with a ‘raelian’
Towards the end of August [2001] I received a letter from a brother in Christ who is on my mailing list and in the letter he informed me
‘Last Friday night I was giving out Gospel leaflets at Shaftesbury Square. A foreign-looking gentleman gave me a leaflet in exchange for the one I had given him. I have enclosed a copy of the leaflet produced by the INTERNATIONAL RAELIAN MOVEMENT. I must admit I have never heard of this cult which sadly believes in science fiction as you will see…If you have any information or thoughts on how I should approach this cult I would appreciate it’
9/11 – Who is on the Lord Side?
The events of 11 September 2001 will be forever engraved in the memories of all those old enough to have viewed and ‘taken in’ what was unfolding before their eyes through [in particular] the medium of television. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre twin towers and the Pentagon were acts of barbarism spawned from the hearts of evil men who are or were ignorant of the only true God. Our Lord Jesus Christ identified the ‘command centre’ for such foul deeds when he said in Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders etc” and He identified what it means to be in a relationship with the one, true God when He said in John 17:3 “And this is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent”.
Clouds of Concern over New Horizon
The brochure for the annual festival known as ‘New Horizon’, which is to be held at the University of Ulster, Coleraine should be a source of great concern to all Christians who are aware of the recent assaults made upon sound, biblical, evangelical Christianity. These assaults have come in various ‘guises’ – posing as ‘new moves of God’ [‘Toronto’ and ‘Pensacola’], ‘God breaking down the barriers’, and showing ‘the pathway to peace’ [accelerating ecumenism]’ ‘another great commission for the Church’ [the need for ‘Christians’ to unite to fight growing secularism – the ‘gospel’ according to Charles Colson and ‘Father’ Richard Neuhaus – co-authors of the March 1994 Evangelicals and Catholics Together agreement] and ‘Christians can not only be in the world but also of the world’ [Christian ‘night clubs’ for example].