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Home » Publications » Free Presbyterian Magazine » 1963 » August 1963 » THE BISHOP OF WOOLWICH’S HERETICAL BOOK

THE BISHOP OF WOOLWICH’S HERETICAL BOOK

We, the Synod of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, convened at Inverness on the 22nd day of May, 1963, deplore the views expressed by the Bishop of Woolwich in his book, entitled Honest to God, recently published, as these views are contrary to the Word of God and the subordinate standards of every church which claims to be Christian. The following statements are particularly offensive and directly opposed to the revelation which God has given of His wonderful love in working out salvation for poor, lost, and ruined man: “The whole scheme of a supernatural Being coming down from heaven to save mankind from sin . . . is frankly incredible to man come of age.” “The full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world supposed to have been made on Calvary requires, I believe, for most men more demythologising even than the Resurrection.” These statements, along with many others in the book, are anti-Christian, and show in the clearest possible light the enmity of the carnal mind against God, and, in their very nature, and coming from a church dignitary who was sworn at his ordination to uphold the doctrines of the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England, tend to undermine the authority of the Bible in the minds of many, and manifest a glaring forgetfulness of his accountability to God. The Synod would take this opportunity of warning young and old against such pernicious dogmas as are freely vented in this book, and would lovingly and faithfully admonish them to treat all teaching that is contrary to the Bible with the horror which these teachings so very richly deserve, always bearing in mind that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Timothy iii: 16, 17). It would be well for the Bishop of Woolwich and all others who may be of the same mind with him to remember the inspired warning that “if any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation xxii: 18, 19).

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caleb.hembd@gmail.com

Moderator of Synod

Rev K D Macleod BSc
11 Auldcastle Road
Inverness, IV2 3PZ
United Kingdom
E-mail: kdmacleod@gmail.com

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Rev Keith M Watkins
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G3 6LE, UK.
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