East Belfast Mission facilitates ecumenical festival headlined by Jesuit priest

2 John 1:9-11: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

The ungodly, ecumenical quasi political, quasi religious event that is the Four Corners Festival took place in the opening part of February, with lots of ever so worthy events taking place, organised by lots of ever so worthy people.

Chief among these events and people was the keynote visit of a Jesuit priest, called ‘Father’ Gregory Boyle, to speak at the Skainos Centre on the Newtownards Road in the overwhelmingly Protestant east Belfast area.

Indeed, that geographical area also gives its name to the organisation which owns the Skainos Centre – the East Belfast Mission (EBM).

Readers of ‘Protestant Revival’ may well be familiar with the East Belfast Mission as we highlighted this grouping, itself an offshoot of the Methodist Church, very recently.

One of its key figures is Rev Andrew Irvine, who outrageously addressed a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service in a Romanist chapel in Lurgan, County Armagh back in January.

This is a quote from Skainos’ own website, which says: “Skainos gathers under one roof all aspects of the work undertaken by EBM including homelessness services, employability, social economy projects, youth work, family work, community development and peace building as well as a vibrant worshipping community.”

So we have confirmation that Skainos is an East Belfast Mission ran centre.

And this means that the Skainos Centre, and therefore the East Belfast Mission and Methodist Church, is complicit in not only hosting an ungodly ecumenical event, but one at which a Jesuit priest was the star attraction.

Let us not forget who the Jesuits are.

They are the Romanist order set up in response to the Protestant Reformation, with the sole purpose of reaffirming the supremacy of the Papacy in suppressing the rise of Protestantism, and that by any means necessary.

Untold millions of Christians, Muslims and Jews were killed throughout the centuries long Inquisition led by this Romanist order.

This is an organisation whose founding aim was the snuffing out of the gospel light so gloriously unveiled and spread abroad by God through the likes of Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox.

Yet here we have the East Belfast Mission facilitating a representative of this wretched order, officially called the ‘Society of Jesus’ (look out for the initials SJ after a priests’ name to indicate one), spreading his deceits. The current Pope, in fact, is a Jesuit.

What a wretched situation this is.

Sadly, this is far from the first instance of the promotion of Jesuits and Jesuitry we have highlighted on this page.

Last February, we featured a God-defying Lenten prayer service in St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, always a hub of ecumenical folly, at which Jesuit priest ‘Father’ Tom Leyden was the speaker. The prayer service was held in the Ignatian tradition, referring to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, which you can read about by clicking here.

And in November, we brought to light the absolutely disgraceful promotion and glorification of Ignatius of Loyola by Emmanuel Church leader Alain Emerson. You can read his truly heretical comments by clicking here.

Now here we have again more people who would claim to be servants of God allowing Jesuits into their premises to propagate their lies.

In addition to Rev Andrew Irvine, another prominent minister who is responsible for what goes on at Skainos is Rev Brian Anderson (pictured, top).

He is currently the President of the Irish Council of Churches, which gives you a clear indication of his ecumenical stance.

Both Rev Brian Anderson and Rev Andrew Irvine are culpable in allowing this proponent of Rome’s deceptions to take the stage in the building belonging to the East Belfast Mission.

Rev Brian Anderson is the Superintendent of the East Belfast Mission and Rev Andrew Irvine (pictured, below) is the Chief Executive.

Why do they allow a Jesuit priest to have a platform in their building?

Why do they allow such a God-dishonouring spectacle as the Four Corners Festival to be held in their building?

Do they believe the Roman Catholic Church leads people to salvation?

Do they believe there is merit in the Romanist teachings of prayer to Mary and long-dead so-called ‘Saints’? Or the fictitious venue of purgatory? Or the Mass? Or Rome’s outright denial of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone?

What do they actually believe?

To allow your premises to be used for the promotion of ecumenism and especially for a meeting pandering to a Jesuit, is a violation of God’s command to “be ye separate” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

And to reject God’s Word and disobey His commands is a foolish and dangerous thing.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2 highlights this. It says: “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

There can be no doubt this is a diminishing of God’s commandment which God in this passage advises them to follow, “that ye might live”.

Death follows the rejection of God’s commandments.

This is a battle we must all wage in our own lives, to remain in obedience to God.

Further down the same chapter in Deuteronomy 4:9 we are told: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons”.

Let us be determined not to throw off the commandments of God.

Sadly, this is what has happened in much of the professing church of Christ in the past century. Sons and sons’ sons have not been instructed as they ought to have been, making way for all manner of Christ rejection to be front and centre of so many churches.

And this attitude of disobedience has created the sorry state in religious affairs which allows the like of a Jesuit priest to be welcomed in with open arms by two of the most senior figures of the Methodist Church to an event organised by a Presbyterian minister.

We as true believers are partly responsible for allowing these who bring dishonour to the name of Christ to engage in their wicked acts.

Have we been active enough in our opposition to these individuals?

Have we just tutted about it privately to those we know are in agreement with us?

Have we just turned our heads the other way so as not to look upon what is being done by those children of disobedience?

As the people of God, we need to “earnestly contend for the faith” in any which way we can and send a message out loud and clear to the compromiser, ecumenist and apostate that we will not sit back and allow them to drag our land down with their rejection of the true gospel of Christ and drag poor, blinded sinners to hell by refusing to “declare all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

Let us be bold like Elijah who, when faced by that old reprobate Ahab, who had the cheek to accuse God’s servant of being a troublemaker, straightly told Ahab the right way of things.

1 Kings 18:17-18: “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.”

Elijah told Ahab that his rejection of God had brought the trouble upon Israel and it is Ulster’s deepening apostasy, led by the architects of ecumenical deceit in our land, which has brought such trouble to our doorstep.

We have had plenty of warnings, but still the people of God slumber in failing to speak against it as they should.

Isaiah 9:13-16: “For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts. Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”

We can bemoan sin but do nothing about it. This was the stance of Eli when confronted with the wickedness of his sons, Hophni and Phinehas.

1 Samuel 2:23-24: “And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.”

That was as far as Eli went, he took no action against them and he was punished.

1 Samuel 2:29-30, 34-35 says: “Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.”

Let us not be afraid to take our stand in this day of apostasy, and let us openly challenge any who would seek to denigrate the cause of Christ, whether they come in grand clerical garb, carry the prefix ‘Rev’ to their name or claim to be acting for God when it is obvious they are doing no such thing.

Even as the words of verse 30 of 1 Samuel 2 tell us, “them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”.