BREAKING NEWS [unchangeable and thousands of years old and as true today as when first written and handed down to man by God]! — There can be no such an individual that practices the sin and abomination of homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgenderism and also be a true Christian, a true born anew disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, to not only believe but to obey His Word. Not possible to be a practicing homosexual or bisexual person, or an individual believing they are a gender opposite their birth gender, or one of the newly created over 60, 70 new genders created by evil — and also be a true child of God. Submitting, humbling oneself, being faithful to one partner in marriage consisting of a man and a woman.

Anything else, everything else is sexual immorality, sexual perversion, sexual deviancy, sexual abnormality, and in rebellion to God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the inerrant infallible unchanging Word of God.

No matter what any denomination may attempt to declare in changing the Word of God, ignoring the Word of God, corrupting the Word of God to suit the lusts and demands of willful, sinful, fallen man and woman. No matter what a government may declare, what the media may report, or what anyone thinks or says or writes if they are in opposition to the clear and concise Word of God on the matter of human sexuality.

If in doubt? If vainly, FOOLISHLY imagining yourself greater than God? I strongly urge you to get ahold of a Holy Bible and tend to keen reading, study, and meditation — deep, deep pondering and thinking on its contents. In context. Not adding anything, not omitting anything. And God’s Word is not like a restaurant menu. You cannot pick and choose those things you like and appeal to you and reject everything else.

If also thinking, “Well, what happens across the pond with the Church of England has no effect on me or where I go to church…”

Best think again.

This apostasy, this spiritual cancer, this spiritual death is spreading faster and with more intensity than a California wildfire in July.

The Evil One and his legions of minions and ministers never sleep, never stop, never take a moment off. They only increase their intensity and lies all the more as they know their time is swiftly coming to an end and they desire to destroy and take as many to the depths of hell with them as they can.

Do not be in that number.

Do not remain silent or fearful if truly transformed and born anew by the Supernatural power of the Spirit of God and a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, a true child of God no longer enslaved to sin and Satan, no longer darkness in darkness, no longer in rebellion against God and His Son, His Word — learn the Holy Bible. Hold it in your heart. Trust in the Lord. And do not be afraid to speak the truth contained in God’s Word calling on the Holy Spirit, faithfully, for help.

Read on…

Ken Pullen, Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

“Going, Going, Gone?” The Church of England and the Sexual Perversion Sexual Immorality Sexual Deviancy Rebellion — Parts 1 & 2

23 & 27 of October 2023

By Lisa Nolland

Reprinted from Christian Today [in the U.K.]

Much has been written about the latest development in the Church of England (CoE). I speak of the prayers of blessing for same-sex couples to create a more ‘inclusive’ church.

On 9 October, we read the House of Bishops were pressing ahead, regardless of the opposition. This was countered by 11 brave dissenting bishops a couple of days later. C of E General Synod members have since received papers on the implementation of Prayers of Love and Faith ahead of Synod meeting from 13 to 15 November. Only God knows how this will end.

I will not rehearse the various legal, theological, biblical and moral argument – you can find more of these at Anglican Mainstream and Anglican Futures.

Here, I would like to take my reader across the English border, to see how a similar situation has unfolded in the beautiful country of Wales. Though there are differences, the similarities are profound.

Sobering news from the “progressive” Church in Wales

Earlier this month I received below from a Church in Wales [C in W] clergy, presently still in post. He writes:

“The C in W has been taking a revisionist position for a number of years and this has resulted in a haemorrhaging of good, Bible-believing orthodox clergy…

For the Evangelicals, 2016 marked the beginning of the end with the ‘Pastoral Letter’ from the bishops which commended some prayers for use with same-sex couples to ‘bless’ their relationships.

The Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales [EFCW] responded, challenging the bishops on their move away from the biblical and historical position on marriage. The bishops were unmoved, but their tone was conciliatory.

However, this was to change.

By September 2021 the Bill for the Blessing of Same Sex marriages went before the Governing Body and the tone of the bishops had significantly changed.

The meeting … was engineered to bring about the result the bishops wanted, which was approval of the Bill. It was passed by a very slim margin.

At this point a number of clergy resigned their positions, some retired, some moved to England and some started new churches which later joined the Anglican Convocation in Europe (ACE).

Although a meeting was held with the EFCW Executive in November 2021, it was clear that the tone had changed and that any opposition to the revisionist agenda would be firmly rejected.

In some dioceses there has been a quiet campaign to get rid of any remaining orthodox clergy.

This has included blocking appointments of orthodox clergy alongside the ‘buying off’ of others (the offering of resources, position, profile in return for silence) and ‘suggestions’ that involvement with EFCW and Anglican Essentials Wales (AEW) hinders the cause of the orthodox and should be avoided.

At the same time some orthodox believers have changed their minds on the subject.

Clergy (including myself) found themselves removed from committees and responsibilities outside of their parishes.

There are now very few orthodox clergy, either Catholic or Evangelical, left in the Church in Wales and life feels like a struggle…

Evangelical leaders face difficult conversations all the time from the leadership and feel very much under attack.

It’s quite bleak, but a few of us are remaining for the moment. Should the Archbishop’s stated plan to bring in Same Sex Marriage by 2026 come to fruition, more clergy will leave.”

Lessons from the progressive Church in Wales

I was struck by three things in particular:

First, note how the bishops shifted the goalposts from ‘liberal’, all welcome and included, to “progressive”, orthodox-views-no-longer-wanted. Theological cleansing comes to mind.

Second, note how a few evangelicals have managed to prosper under this punitive progressive regime – a sort of “If you can’t beat them, join them”. They are likely the ones who have “changed their minds on the subject”.

One thinks of Jesus’ clear warning: ‘Whoever is ashamed of me and my words [which are very clear in terms of sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy issues], the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels’ (Luke 9).

But perhaps, the new reality is that Jesus’ views here are actually irrelevant. Mostly, they are not challenged – after all, we love Jesus, don’t we? They are simply ignored as we get on with life.

Third, it is encouraging how orthodox Anglican entities are emerging. More power to those who are going forward, unencumbered by a “post real Jesus” (in key ways), increasingly totalitarian church hierarchy.

Evangelicals in the Church of England: any different?

I believe there are many similarities between evangelicals both churches. Thankfully there is some good pushback in the C of E, but I am aware of the many areas where ‘the line’ is no longer holding.

Sadly, clergy are often the last to find out. As former lesbian Rosaria Butterfield insightfully observed, their jobs “put them out of reach of the very people they think they know”.

Moreover, clergy and other leaders who used to be willing to preach and teach on these matters now stay eerily silent, or if they do comment, say very little. Others sit on the fence, deflect, dodge, ignore.

Why the silence?

There are various reasons for it, in my view. Temperament, calling, experience and environment (local, regional, national, international) all play their part.

I am reminded of C.S. Lewis’ observation, “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are”.

However, I believe a key reason for this silence is the refusal and/or inability to respond to spurious but powerful ubiquitous sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy myths – innate, fixed sexual orientation; gay suicidality; harmful change-allowing therapies, etc.

Moreover, homosexual has become the new black, and who wants to be seen as a “racist”, or be seen in the company of “racists”? The propaganda war waged on this front has been spectacularly successful.

Also, personal knowledge of someone in the sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy community – especially if it is a son or daughter – is often the means by which Evangelical parents are led to ‘see the light’.

Many acutely feel the pain, grief and despair of a beloved child whose attractions refuse to shift, leaving them saddled with unasked-for, unwanted feelings. Many practicing sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy truly are victims, and that in a variety of ways. Who would want to make things worse for them?

Perhaps the progressives in both Churches are not so wrong after all. How can any keep holding to Jesus’ words in real time, confronted by real people in pain? I will consider the answer to that question in Part II.

PART II

In Part 1, I described the current situation in the increasingly totalitarian Church in Wales, and noted the similarities between the Church in Wales and the Church of England. I ended with the dilemma of support for needy sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy communities, and wondered if progressives might be right after all.

Much better help

Though few appear aware, there are powerful, orthodox-friendly responses to sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy challenges which give those who identify as such much better help and support than progressives ever could.

Organisations like Core Issues Trust and the IFTCC [The International Federation for Therapy and Counselling Choice] are doing this now. See for instance the IFTCC’s magisterial Declaration and its 2021 Hungary conference, “Supporting and Counselling those Leaving sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy Identities and Behaviours”.

These resources offer cutting-edge, life-giving insights from different therapies, areas of research, and pastoral care in the context of important cultural, social and legal developments, while underpinning freedom and the right to choose how best to live one’s life.

But a key issue here is that no one is “born homosexual”, nor is homosexuality innate, stable or inherently permanent. People can and do change. This is possible because sexuality is fluid.

As the IFTCC Declaration states, “Across the world, robust studies have established that sexual fluidity can happen in both directions, that change to or towards heterosexual attraction is common, and this is not limited to the ‘mostly-heterosexual’ … SSA [Same Sex Attraction] is not a mirror image of OSA [Opposite Sex Attraction]. For the respective populations involved, OSA is overwhelmingly fixed. SSA is overwhelmingly fluid and most often comes with opposite-sex attraction too. Persons with both-sex attractions commonly experience fluidity in sexual attraction feelings and behaviour.”

In fact, the approaches of entities like CIT and the IFTCC are thoroughly biblical, pastoral, psychologically informed and sophisticated. Everyone’s story is different, and there are no silver bullets, but many are able to resolve their issues and move into a happier, healthier life through this avenue. Appropriate counselling has played a major role in helping individuals along their chosen path of personal development.

Reintegrative Therapy and SOCE/SAFE-T

Popular psychological approaches which are now offered include Reintegrative Therapy and SOCE [Sexual Orientation Change Efforts]. And to note, former SOCE practitioners have a new title which more accurately defines what is involved: SAFE-T [Sexual Attraction Fluidity Exploration in Therapy].

But back to SOCE. According to Rev. Dr. Paul Sullins, a Research Professor of Sociology at The Catholic University of America, “A minor fraction of SOCE participants achieve opposite-sex attraction; a fraction more functional heterosexual function; a major fraction reduction in same-sex attraction; and even more, better management or disposition of conflicts between what they believe about sexual morality and how they behave. As far as change goes, SOCE or not, more people desist from homosexuality than persist in it over a lifetime.”

Negatives

Though the complaint is made that such therapies do not automatically work for everyone, all therapies and projects for human betterment – regardless of issues or therapeutic interventions etc – are of limited value.

There is no “one size fits all”, from AA and drug rehabilitation programmes to Slimming World and Anti-Smoking Campaigns. This does not mean we rubbish them but it does mean that we recognise their limitations.

So why has the bar been placed at such a high level in this one particular sphere? How is this fair?

Even the church – perhaps especially the church! – has vast numbers of “ex’s” over the millenia and up to now for whom Christianity apparently did not “work”. They have gone on to reject Christ and influence others to do the same.

How do we respond? Do we agree with them and fold up shop, as it were, or challenge their claims by unpacking where things went wrong, and encourage them to “try again”, perhaps in a different way?

C.S. Lewis’ journey from belief to rejection to a proper, better way of believing comes to mind.

Symptom, not cause

One of the key principles here is that same-sex attraction is a symptom, not the fundamental problem or problems. Until those are addressed, same-sex attraction will remain a dominant, often unwanted but invisible, controlling feature.

Former homosexual, Dr. Floyd Godfrey, notes, “Homosexuality is the sexualisation of legitimate, emotional needs and wounds.” He unpacks this more in his powerful autobiographical work, A Young Man’s Journey: Healing for Young Men with Unwanted Homosexual Feelings.

Another former homosexual, counsellor Christopher Doyle notes that such attractions “will remain until the individual discovers the meaning of them and fulfils them in legitimate, non-sexual ways”.

Former homosexual rights activist, James Parker, walks us through his tragic young life of abandonment, abuse and misery. His “coming out” homosexual life not only did not help his overall welfare, but seriously compounded his problems.

In fact, James completely embraced his “gayness” with Steve, his “Mr. Right” along with 200-plus outside male sexual partners, and that during a relatively short period of time. However, he explains that this “out and proud” life did not begin to give him what he needed or even actually wanted.

A thriving Christian ex-sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy world

James is part of a thriving global ex-sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy world which includes X-Out Loud; TrueLove.is; Desert Stream and the CHANGED Movement whose slogan is “We left the sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy Community because we wanted to”.

Jesus has our whole life in focus, not simply the parts we are most aware of. It is misdirected to focus inordinately on transformation primarily within our sexuality. A healthy approach for people who experience same-sex attraction and gender confusion is to pursue self-understanding in light of a biblical standard for human identity. This process seeks fellowship with the Holy Spirit to examine our past and gain closure for past traumas, but puts most effort on becoming more like Jesus by focusing on Him.

Sadly, however, such groups are mostly unknown, as they receive very little airtime within the Evangelical world, and that for a whole host of reasons, one of which is the assertions advanced by ‘authorities’ who consciously or subconsciously misunderstand and misrepresent what is involved to the wider public.

How is that fair?

The penny is starting to drop

We are now (finally!) starting to realise the nature of proper help for transgender youngsters. It is therapy which enables them to get beneath the powerful desires to change their sex (as if that actually happens!) by social transitioning, hormones and surgery. Capitulating to their desperate cries of trans affirmation is neither loving nor even effective, at least in the long run.

In fact, for many de-transitioners, they now have double the trouble, as the initial problems were never dealt with, but now their bodies have been irreversibly altered and damaged as well.

A word to the clergy

Unless a miracle has happened, your congregation is in an invisible civil war in terms of these matters. Those who still have managed to maintain an orthodox sexual ethic (somehow) need help to maintain it.

Remember Rosaria Butterfield’s caution from Part 1 about how your position puts you out of reach of the very people you think you know?

One of the most effective sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy strategies (from Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen’s brilliant After the Ball) has been to “come out, come out, wherever you are!” And, it has worked to perfection in creating heterosexual allies.

Heterosexuals who personally know sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy folk – and I mentioned the particular pressure on parents of sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy children in Part 1 – have a far harder time ‘holding the line’ in general. They know and like their lovely gay mates, many of whom have obviously been through the wars and carry the scars. Why would anyone want to make things even more difficult for them? And isn’t that what biblical Christianity does?

Most heterosexuals know only what the BBC want them to know about these lifestyles and communities. The realities are often very different and far darker, but it is the kiss of death professionally to expose them: who wants that?

Also, they tend to be ignorant of the whole ex-sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy realm; they do not realize that other, better options, even exist.

In my third and final installment, ‘Going, Going, Gone?’: Our Young and the sexual immorality/sexual perversion and deviancy, I will look at other clobber claims used by progressives and especially effective with youngsters.

Dr Lisa Nolland is CEO of the Marriage Sex and Culture Group, London.