A few days ago, a friend sent my an article explaining the grim fate of traditional Christianity in Great Britain, as seen through the eyes of “Rev. Peter Sanlon, a young vicar in the Evangelical wing of the Church of England.”
Sanlon argues that “What British Christians are living with today, American Christians will almost certainly be living with tomorrow,” and adds that being, “Christians in the West today is a lot like passengers on the Titanic - refusing to believe that the ship is sinking.”
But the Christian ship is fast taking on water, as it dilutes its message and core beliefs in an effort to attract, or merely conform to the secular norms of the day. The mantra of, “We must be more inclusive,” are like gaping holes in sides of the Christian Titanic. “The iceberg that has ripped open the Church is composed of not frozen water, but three things. Radical sexual gender ideologies, Islam and governments’ totalitarian instincts.”
He sees the folly in compromise of ones values and core beliefs, while many insist that it will do no harm to give a little. Or even compromise by omission, as in: “… one Church of England bishop told me that he ‘personally believed the Bible’s teaching on sexuality – but I can’t say so in public for fear of upsetting people.’” Yet it is we that believe in those teachings who are mocked like so many Chicken Littles when we posit the “slippery slope” argument.
But the slippery slope has been occurring right under our noses. He recalls that decades ago Christians in England were thought to be ignorant due to there “unscientific” beliefs. Now they/we are thought to be evil, and must be silenced because of our non-conformist views of “radical sexual ideologies, Islam and further government control of life’s details.”
Sanlon states that, “The UK has turned deeply and aggressively against public expressions of Christian faith because the mainline Churches have so compromised that they are no longer willing to teach things that run counter to the culture’s deeply held views.”
On the inability to accept the secular tidal wave he says than many in the Church instead opt for “being quiet, winsome or striking a political deal. In reality, the only quarter that will be given is that which is necessary to beguile as many as possible into complacency.”
This, I believe, is the slow roll of radical egalitarianism. Everyone is the same, everyone is equal, all beliefs are equally reasonable, therefore MUST be accepted as such. Views outside mandated norms will not only not be accepted, but punished.
His defining of Britain’s PREVENT strategy – “a government project to address ‘extremist’ beliefs,” can already be seen in America. Sanlon says that the definition of extremism is very vague. Anti-abortion law claims that abortions are illegal, except in the case of the life or “health” of the mother. But “health” is left virtually and purposely undefined, so as to potentially include a hang nail or migraine. The same can be said of new gun control legislation. Who determines mental capacity prior to confiscating a citizens’ weapon(s)?
That was, of course, rhetorical, as we all know it to be the new messiah – the national government, who determines all things. As he points out: “Last week the head of Scotland Yard said that courts should remove children from extremist parents. That’s a terrifying thought given how unclear the government seems to be about what extremism is.” They wouldn’t include extremist Christians, would they? Of course not.
The fact is that “there are currently a number of clergy in the Church of England undergoing disciplinary procedures against them for upholding plain Biblical teaching in areas that the culture finds offensive. Bishops have told clergy that unless they submit to the situation they will face discipline.”
The spread of radical secularism must be halted and soon, or sure enough, traditional Christianity will be relegated to no more than cult status. And Christians will have no one to blame but ourselves.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke.
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