“Easter, Christian Culture and Heritage”
On Thursday, March 21, there was a debate by MPs on the topic of “Easter, Christian Culture and Heritage”. The debate had been requested by Mr Nick
Fletcher, Conservative MP for Don Valley, and was held in Westminster Hall, which is an alternative debating chamber for MPs. In Westminster Hall debates, a government minister always gives the final speech, and no votes may be taken on the debate topic.
Although a debate on the subject of Easter would not normally draw the attention of Free Presbyterians, the vocalising of Christian sentiments among parliamentarians was refreshing. In opening the debate Mr Fletcher said, “The Christian way of life has enabled us to live a life of freedom in this country. When God is removed from our lives, then man is reduced to his base nature, which is worse than we imagine; it is not good . . . if the teachings of a Christian life are further eroded, then each generation will fall further away from our God”. He went on to say, “If we turn our back upon God, He will give us up to ourselves, and I think that in many places in society He may already have done so. We become filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil and greed. With all the benefits of the vanities of this world, how many people in the UK are struggling with their mental health? If we continue on this trajectory, we will rapidly see the end of what many believe was British culture, a Christian culture.”
Sir John Hayes, Conservative, interjected to say, “We hear people speaking not of truth, but of their truth, as though truth can be negotiated. But truth cannot be negotiated; it is an absolute and is embodied in the message of Christianity.”
Mr Fletcher concluded by saying, “I am a sinner and Jesus died on the cross for me. I want this nation to fix its eyes on the living God and not fashionable ideologies. The angels are ready to sing for every sinner that repents and believes in our Lord, and if the Government embraces this, God will not turn His back on us.”
In her concluding remarks, Felicity Buchan, an Under Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, quoted John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”, saying she had learned the verse at school. (She attended Fraserburgh Academy in the 1980s. Sadly it is unlikely that Scripture verses are memorised in schools today; another example of the slippage down the ladder of secularism.)
Seeing so many MPs publicly professing the Christian faith, one is reminded of the Lord saying to Elijah, “Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (1 Ki 19:18). One can only pray that amongst those MPs there are true followers of Christ who will be strengthened to take a stand as Daniel did in Babylon.
Sadly, there is also much to discourage; it was reported that on March 14 that the Islamic call to prayer, the “adhan”, was made in the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons. The prayer in Arabic repeats, “Allahu akbar” (Allah is great) six times, and, “I testify that there is no god but Allah” three times, and, “I testify that Muhammad is Allah’s prophet” twice. It proclaims Islam’s superiority over all other religions. On March 21, the “adhan” was made in Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland. These events did not take place in a private meeting of Muslims who had gathered for worship, but with people from across different faith communities. What a provocation to the Lord Jesus! As Mr Fletcher said in the debate, “If we turn our back upon God, He will give us up to ourselves, and I think that in many places in society, He may already have done so”. FRD
Death Penalty for Murder
There are many reasons why the death penalty should be reintroduced: it honours God through obedience; it emphasises the importance of human life; it helps bring home to murderers the enormity of what they have done; it gives some measure of relief to the family of the victim, and to society at large; and it acts as a deterrent. In the absence of the death penalty, the guilt of the murder lies on the whole nation: “So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it” (Num 35:33). DWBS
Glasgow University Rector Calls for Expansion of Gaza War
A few months before being elected the Rector of Glasgow University, Dr Abu-Sittah provocatively called for the war in Gaza to expand and become regional, something that many fear may lead to World War III. He said, “A regional war will force the entire system – the Americans, their Israeli and Arab collaborators, and their subordinates like the WHO, the World Bank, the IMF, and the Red Cross . . . You will not be able to negotiate with these subordinates unless the Americans have to deal with a regional war.”
Dr Ghassan S Abu-Sittah is a British-Palestinian Professor of Surgery. He treated victims of the London bombings, has provided medical assistance in Gaza several times and in other war zones.
In March 2024, the UK Lawyers for Israel sent an open letter to Glasgow University, which included a series of Abu-Sittah’s social media comments. The letter noted that he had reposted “an image in honour of Nasser Abu Hamid, a leader of the terror group, Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the day after he died, depicting him holding a machine gun and dripping with blood.” (It should, however, be noted that Dr Abu Sitta commented to the Jewish Chronicle: “I vehemently oppose terrorism and civilian casualties on all sides. As a surgeon, my vocation is preserving life and I repeat my calls for a sustainable ceasefire and lasting peace.”)
On 26 March 2024, the Glasgow University student body elected Dr Abu-Sittah their Rector, winning 80% of the vote. As Rector, Dr Abu-Sittah will represent students at the highest level of university decision-making for the next three years. How exceedingly solemn it is to think of one of Scotland’s oldest and most prestigious universities having for the next three years a rector who is calling for the war in Gaza to become a regional war. Also, how solemn to think of such a considerable proportion of those who voted in Glasgow University supporting such a person!
May we pray that the Lord will be pleased to convert Dr Abu-Sittah and his family. And not only them but also many of the students at our universities, so that they may all, by His grace, be of a wholly different spirit. May they be made new creatures in Christ Jesus, and may Dr Abu-Sittah, as a truly converted man (with all his evident abilities), be instrumental in the wondrous and mysterious workings of God’s providence to advance His kingdom among the Palestinian people. May this be our earnest prayer! DPR