The Gulf Crisis
By the time the Magazine is in the hands of readers the 15th January deadline set by the United Nations for the Iraqis to withdraw from Kuwait will have passed and the outcome will be known. At this stage we can only hope that war will yet be averted. It is a truly mysterious revolution of the wheels of Divine providence that has brought so many of the nation of the world to be gathered together, with their weapons of war, and in an area so steeped in Biblical history. Whatever be the outcome in the Gulf crisis we are encouraged to believe that the Lord reigns and that finally the kingdoms of this world are to become “the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ”. Then shall they learn war no more.
Capital Punishment
For the second time in the life of this Parliament MP’s have decided, after a full-scale debate and free vote, not to re-introduce capital punishment. The fact that one of their own number — the late Ian Gow — was recently brutally murdered by the IRA appears to have had little effect on the majority of members’ thinking on the matter. The new Home Secretary, Mr Kenneth Baker, takes a different view from his predecessors and he voted for the status quo. The new Prime Minister’s views differ from those of his predecessor, Mrs Thatcher, and he also, was, sadly, found entering the no-hanging lobby. All honour to those MP’s who spoke strongly in favour of the re-introduction of capital punishment but we wish their arguments had been based more on what the Bible has to say on the matter and less on statistics and the deterrence factor. The Rev. Ian Paisley stated the Biblical position in a very able and forthright manner and is to be commended for doing so in that particular forum. We have always maintained that, supremely, capital punishment for murder should be on the statute book because God, the great Lawgiver and final Judge of men’s actions, has plainly stated His mind on the matter: “Whoso shedeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” The majority of our Members of Parliament would seem to regard themselves as being more humane and wiser than God.
— J. McL.