The ‘Thought For The Day’ interlude on BBC Radio Ulster is an opportunity for the airing of fluffy, sentimental, quasi-religious ramblings by fluffy, sentimental, quasi-religious ramblers (which is probably as much as you can expect from such!).
While none at ‘Protestant Revival’ make a habit of listening to it, we were contacted by a reader drawing our attention to the drivel spouted by ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes (pictured, top), the recently retired Presbyterian ‘minister’ who provided the ‘Thought For The Day’ last Tuesday, 31st July. If you are so minded, you will be able to find it on the BBC iPlayer for the next few weeks.
In her soppy soliloquy, ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes becomes the second Presbyterian ‘minister’ of which we are aware who is endorsing the well-known Contemporary Christian Musician Vicky Beeching, who ‘came out’ as a lesbian four years ago.
‘Rev’ Liz Hughes, of course, joins the august company of the crowd-surfer Rev John Dickinson, minister in Carnmoney Presbyterian Church, who repeatedly tweeted his admiration of Vicky Beeching back in June.
Vicky Beeching, a self-avowed “LGBT campaigner” (pictorial evidence from her Twitter page, below), has written a book about her experiences as a “gay Christian”, and ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes was keen to use her moment in the sun to highlight this blasphemous claptrap.
Hundreds of thousands of people listen to BBC Radio Ulster and a supposed ‘minister’ of the gospel, rather than using this opportunity of sharing the gospel message of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone with the masses, decided to give air time to the blasphemous notions of man (or indeed, woman).
Of course, it should be noted that were anyone to actually share the truth of the gospel in their ‘Thought For The Day’ segment, they’d be highly unlikely to be asked to do so again.
In her opening remarks, ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes describes how, when Vicky Beeching was growing up, she had a “feeling that her natural orientation was a source of shame and confusion and embarrassment.”
Firstly, God says there is nothing natural about such an orientation. In fact, the Holy Spirit, moving through Paul, tells us in Romans 1:26-27: “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”
So the Bible clearly says that this is “against nature” and that homosexual men are guilty of “leaving the natural use of the women”.
It really is clear cut, isn’t it?
Only not so for Vicky Beeching, and by implication, also for ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes.
Speaking in her ‘Thought For The Day’ segment, ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes said: “I found her book a most compelling read, not only because of her honesty with regard to her own personal journey, but also her setting out of a very different theological perspective and a very different understanding of the Bible texts.
“Although she does not share the traditional church viewpoint, she speaks out of a deep respect for the Scriptures.”
How can one whose life is devoted, as an LGBT campaigner, to advocating that which is utterly repugnant to God’s Word “speak out of a deep respect for the Scriptures”?
Vicky Beeching is as those described in Isaiah 29:13. It says: “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”
This is a passage Jesus reiterated in Matthew 15:7-9: “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
The fact that Vicky Beeching offers a “very different theological perspective and a very different understanding of the Bible texts” is hardly surprising, seeing as she has consciously chosen to reject God’s Word as it plainly is.
One would imagine the text from Romans is one such text for which she would seek to offer “a very different understanding of”, but the message is crystal clear.
And is not the notion of “gay Christians” merely a commandment of men? It is most certainly not a commandment of God.
In fact, homosexuals are to be saved out of their sinful state, not encouraged to wallow in it.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
“Abusers of themselves with mankind” were saved in the church in Corinth. Did they remain “abusers of themselves with mankind” once they were saved? No, the word “were” is inserted there, as the Holy Ghost says that such vileness was in the past tense for them.
Christians must publicly repudiate sin, such as homosexuality. Christians must ever seek to be more Christ-like, growing in grace, not to be “entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).
‘Rev’ Liz Hughes then refers to a story in the book of how Vicky Beeching and her grandfather, who had been a missionary, could not agree on her decision to ignore God’s Word.
However, it is recounted that Vicky Beeching remembered a quote from the hardly to be much admired Billy Graham, whose shameful compromise with Rome you can get a flavour of by clicking here.
He apparently said: “It is God’s job to judge, the Holy Spirit’s job to convict and my job to love”.
That comment is a very neat encapsulation of the deceptive “Judge not” brigade, who think nobody has a right to say anything is wrong.
This is, of course, a deliberate distortion of God’s message as we are always to use righteous judgment in setting what we see in front of us in the light of God’s Word.
John 7:24 says: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
And what of God’s Law and His Judgments?
Psalm 19:7-11: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.”
God’s commandments are pure? Is, in the light of God’s Word, homosexuality?
God’s judgments are “true and righteous altogether”.
How do we know God’s judgments and therefore “judge righteous judgment”? By reading His Word and abiding to it. We have clearly demonstrated that homosexuality is contrary to God’s Word, therefore it is right to say it is so and to endorse such vileness is to reject God.
‘Rev’ Liz Hughes says Vicky Beeching and her grandfather agree that he can still love her despite her “lifestyle” and of course that is quite proper. But to love someone does not mean to condone their sinful actions.
How many of us have family members who are unsaved? How many of us have friends who are not saved? There would be very few who do not. Does that mean we hate them or stop loving them? Of course not. But because we love someone doesn’t mean we tolerate their sin.
After all, John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world” that he sent Jesus to die on the cross. Does that mean God will admit anyone to heaven who doesn’t believe on Him? Of course not. Nahum 1:3 tells us the Lord “will not at all acquit the wicked”.
In case we think that our family member or friend isn’t “wicked”, we ought to bear in mind that we are all wicked. Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Psalm 14:3 says: “…there is none that doeth good, no, not one”.
Of course, someone reading this who might seek to excuse the comments of ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes might say she is just repeating what is said in Vicky Beeching’s book.
However, she concludes with her own opinion, saying: “I do believe that we all need to listen to each other’s stories, and to learn from those who love Jesus deeply but have in the past felt cruelly excluded from the church family they want to love as well.”
The phrase “cruelly excluded” shows ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes’ position of moving towards LGBT affirmation in the church.
She believes it is cruel to exclude sodomites from full communion and believes it is proper to just ignore fundamental theological differences in the name of unity.
This is blasphemous nonsense.
We are to separate from such works of darkness and “touch not the unclean thing” (2 Corinthians 6:17).
And what of ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes herself?
Well, she has made a career out of rejection of God’s Word. After all, the Bible clearly states she ought not to hold the position she claims.
1 Timothy 2:12 clearly states this: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
She was one of the Presbyterian figures who signed an open letter in protest at the Presbyterian Church’s decision to prevent sodomite couples from having children in their care baptised and to limit full communion to heterosexuals.
Indeed, she came perilously close to being named Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland back in 2014, coming up just one vote short.
This was a source of regret for that old ecumenist, the Belfast Telegraph columnist and religious affairs correspondent, Alf McCreary, of whom you can read more by clicking here.
She was the ‘minister’ of Whitehouse Presbyterian Church in north Belfast for the last 17 years of her career, the church which Alf McCreary attends.
When she retired late last year, he lamented her failure to reach the top rung of the Presbyterian ladder thus: “This would have been an historic choice, but the Church had the opportunity to rectify this when she stood again the next year.
“Sadly, however, the members of the male-dominated Presbyteries did not elect her, much to the regret of many clergy and laity who felt that she was an ideal candidate.
“As well as all of this, the ‘Rev’ Hughes and Whitehouse were in the vanguard of ecumenism and mission in the Newtownabbey area.”
So ‘Rev’ Liz Hughes was at the forefront of compromise with the Papacy, she was in a position as a ‘minister’ which the Bible rejects, she wants full communion for sodomites and endorses the blasphemous notion of a “Christian” LGBT campaigner.
What a frightening combination of facts.
Isaiah 30:1: “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord , that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:”
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