Church of Ireland Canons Mark Harvey and Henry Blair cosy up with Rome at ‘New Wine’ Conference

There really is what might be called, in footballing terms, a “star-studded line-up” of ecumenists and easy-believist preachers due to descend on Sligo next month for the ‘New Wine’ Conference.

Numerous characters well grounded in compromise with Rome are prominent on the guest list.

Earlier this month we focused on two of the Lead Pastors in the Emmanuel Church in the Craigavon area who are listed as speakers at the event, Philip Emerson and Dave Wylie. They are following in the well-trodden ecumenical footsteps of Alain Emerson, the other Lead Pastor in that church.

Of course, at least three Romanists are on the speaker list, including a Roman Catholic bishop and a representative of Clonard Monastery in west Belfast.

And among the other figures taking part in this shameful ecumenical compromise are two Canons in the Church of Ireland.

One of these is Canon Henry Blair of Magheraculmoney Parish Church in County Fermanagh.

Canon Henry Blair took part in an ecumenical Easter service this year, and he was recently promoted by his Diocese of Clogher to the Chapter of Clogher Cathedral, where a woman (1 Timothy 2:12), ‘Reverend’ Olivia Downey, was last month installed as Rector (or should that be Wrecker?!).

The other is Canon Mark Harvey, Rector of Shankill Parish Church in Lurgan.

Canon Mark Harvey is also no stranger to ecumenical compromise, having invited the former British Ambassador to the Pope himself, Roman Catholic layman Francis Campbell to speak at a meeting to celebrate the God-defying Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

And now they will further entwine themselves with Rome at this ‘New Wine’ Conference, which will run from 8-13 July.

These men are brazenly defying God’s Word, and doing so repeatedly, as we have already demonstrated.

Ephesians 5:11 commands us: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Rather than speaking alongside Rome at this ‘New Wine’ Conference, Canon Henry Blair and Canon Mark Harvey should be speaking out against Rome.

What a dreadful betrayal of their Protestant heritage!

Indeed, Canon Mark Harvey’s betrayal of Biblical Protestantism, which is true Christianity, goes much deeper.

He is a Canon at Down Cathedral and was installed at the same time as two ecumenical canons, one of them a Methodist minister, a Rev John Alderdice (that name seems to be a byword for God-defiance – see here) and the other, most disgracefully, a Romanist Benedictine monk called ‘Brother’ Eric Loisel, based at Holy Cross Monastery in Rostrevor, County Down.

Our photograph at the top of this article shows a smiling Canon Mark Harvey pictured between ‘Brother’ Loisel and Rev John Alderdice at their installation as canons.

This service took place on 23 April, 2015 and, according to the Down Cathedral’s website report, saw ‘Holy Communion’ take place, though it was a service clearly much polluted, even just by the presence of a Romanist who can not eat justly of the Lord’s Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:27,29 says: “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

These men, so highly lifted up within their church, yet so much at odds with God’s precepts, are as those senior figures within the children of Israel who approached Ezekiel, claiming they wished to hear God’s Word.

Ezekiel 14:1-6: “Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”

God will not be “enquired of” by them because they have put the stumblingblock of their iniquitous collusion with Rome before themselves.

However, there is hope for all those who reject God through their ecumenical compromise.

When God pronounces His judgements, He very often shews forth His mercy too, and this passage in Ezekiel is no different.

Verse 11 of the chapter sees God showing why He will act against the polluters of true worship in the land – it is so He can bring the children of Israel closer to Himself.

It says: “That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God.”

If you are involved with a church involved in ecumenical compromise or perhaps take part in it yourself, we would urge you to follow the Scriptural command to withdraw yourself from among it and “touch not the unclean thing” (1 Corinthians 6:17).

And if you are as yet unsaved, it is our hope and prayer that you will turn in faith to Christ, and call upon Him for forgiveness of your sins.

God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

He says in Ezekiel 18:23: “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?”

Therefore, won’t you listen to His urging and take His promise to the penitent?

Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”