ME SSE NGER

The

Published by Westminster Presbyterian Church

Volume 169 Autumn Edition 2016

Brookton Family Festival

Turn to page 21

CONTENTS
1. editorial 3, 4
2. how scotland lost its hold of the bible

5-8

3. creation study report - part 4

9-13

4. from class warfare to sex warfare

14-17

5. ministry through babies 18

6. serving the lord in jordan

19

7. monto queensland 20
8. brookton family festival 2016

21, 22

9. mission minded people welcome

23

10. wpc 21st national assembly

24, 25

11. catechism 26
12. channeling 27
13. helpful books on homosexuality

28

CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS, ETC.

AIMS
To uphold the teachings of Scripture as summed up in the
Westminster Confession of Faith.
To assist the WPC churches in their congregational life
and witness.
To foster a spirit of unity amongst WPC churches.

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THE MESSENGER COMMITTEE
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The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 2

editorial

A tongue in cheek look at how to write

a bestselling devotional book
By Clem White

If I wanted to write a bestselling

devotional book guess what I would do.
I would get in close touch with Jesus and
listen to Him speaking to me. I would
then write down His words and publish
them in my very special devotional book.
All the other authors of devotional books
would be left high and dry. Why?
Because they are only ordinary Christians
who simply rely on the Holy Spirit and
on their own intellect when writing their
devotional books.
At the same time I would have to admit
to myself that this is a rather tricky thing
to do. Why? Because when people read
my book they will accept what they read
as the absolute truth from Jesus. This is a
good idea because if any of my
devotional thoughts are unbiblical I wont
be criticised because they come straight
from Jesus. What a brilliant idea!
Actually this is not an original idea. It
comes from a book written by two
anonymous women back in the mid 1930s
titled God Calling. They would sit down
and let their minds go completely blank
then write down whatever flashed across
their minds. Shades of Buddhism,
channelling *, the occult? To the two
women these thoughts were Gods orders
of the day for them.

While this method of connecting with God

seemed a good idea to people of a
mystical way of thinking such as the
Oxford Group, it was condemned by the
Vatican in the 1950s and by Protestant
authorities as a false form of guidance.
They believed it was not only open to
abuse but also unbiblical. Well, that wasnt
exactly what I wanted to hear.
And then when I look into the Westminster
Confession of Faith (WCF) I find myself
in further trouble. It tells me in chapter 1:
section 6, The whole counsel of God
concerning all things necessary for his
own glory, mans salvation, faith and life,
is either expressly set down in Scripture,
or by good and necessary consequence
may be deduced from Scripture; unto
which nothing at any time is to be added,
whether by new revelation of the Spirit or
tradition of men
Wow! That means that I dont need to get
special revelations from Jesus. Its all there
in the Bible. But what really scares me is
that in Galatians 1:8-9 Im warned of my
condemnation if I claim to have special
knowledge over and above what the Bible
teaches about God and the gospel.
Well, this seems to throw a spanner in the
works. But I will still go ahead with this
book because it will help others get on the
same high spiritual plane as me. It might
even make me rich and famous. So its
worth the risk.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 3

Then I will hope that other Christians

dont get nasty and keep on criticising
my method of listening to Jesus. Some of
these pesky critical Christians think that
you only need the Bible to get in touch
with Jesus. They quote a verse like 2
Timothy 3:16, All scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness so the man of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good
work.
They also think that Romans 10:6-7
tells us that God is already so close to us
we dont need any special ways, apart
from the Bible, of seeking His presence.
They make it sound so simple and easy
to understand. All you have to do is to
listen to God as He speaks to you through
His Word and then speak to Him in your
prayers; sounds too easy to me!

*Please turn to Page 27 for an explanation

of channeling.
N.B.
1.If you are interested in knowing more
about the dangers of Sarah Youngs
devotional writings you could use Google.
2. The Presbytery of WA is discussing its
view of Jesus Calling and the Presbytery
of Queensland has moved the following
motion; Presbytery were agreed we

need to be diligent in warning people

about the need to respect the
sufficiency of Scripture, of which this
book teaches contrary.

But if I do get criticised Ill scatter some

verses of Scripture around in my book and
people will think it is all very spiritual.
Another trick I have up my sleeve is to
change what I said in earlier editions to
something different in later editions. Then
if things get really bad Ill just duck for
cover and not answer emails or phone
calls.
However, much to my consternation,
someone has beaten me to write such a
book. Sarah Young appears to have used
these methods to publish Jesus Calling
which over the last 12 years has become a
top best seller.

Source Image:
https://thespiritedathlete.files.wordpress.
com/2012/11/jesus-calling.jpg

O well, you win some you lose some!

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 4

how scotland lost its hold of the bible

Ian Hamish Murray is a British pastor and
author. He was educated in the Isle of Man at
King William College and at the University of
Durham before entering ministry in 1955.
Extracts from How Scotland Lost its Hold of
the Bible Part 3 (used with permission of
the author).
In Parts 1 and 2 we read how the Free Church
of Scotland was formed in 1843 out of
dissatisfaction with the states interference in
the church. Those who formed this new church
were people of prayer, faith and of missionary
zeal. But 40 years later it was from this church
that the dangerous New Apologetics entered
the scene. The New Apologetics maintained
that the substance of Scripture can be
maintained without defending it in every part.
scripture is infallible, these teachers said,
but not everywhere infallible. Certain church
leaders protested against this view but they did
not prevail. This teaching white anted trust in
the Bible not only the church in Scotland but
in other parts of the world and on the mission
fields.
Please read on...

things of the Spirit of God: for they are

foolishness unto him: neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned
(1 Cor. 2:14). To receive spiritual truth a man
has first to be born of the Spirit. Only then
does he have the Spirit of truth, whom
the world cannot receive, because it neither
sees him nor knows him (John 14:17).
What the Bible reveals about God and
ourselves is the last thing that the
non-Christian wants to believe. He does not
wish to believe it is true.
Do I want to be told not only that I do wrong,
but that I am wrong at the centre of my being?
that my heart is deceitful and desperately
wicked?

What is the controversy over Scripture

really about?
It is common for those who oppose
evangelicals to present this controversy as
being for or against what they call the
traditionalist view of the Bible. But that
representation ignores the real issue. The
fundamental objection is not so much what the
Bible teaches about its inspiration; it is about
what it teaches about God, man, and the way
of salvation. It teaches that since the fall of
man, the human mind is enmity to God, it is
not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be (Rom 8:7). Why do ye not understand
my speech? Jesus asked unbelievers,
even because ye cannot hear my word (John
8:43). The natural man receiveth not the

Do I want to hear that there is none righteous,

no, not one? and that to live for self, and not
my holy Creator, deserves his righteous
anger and condemnation?
Do I like learning that I cannot save myself,
and that if God does not deliver me I am lost in
hell forever? Is the natural man pleased to hear
that Christ alone must save, and that it is only
by repentance and faith in him that any will
reach heaven?

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 5

No! We are all offended. We have no heart for

it. It contradicts my good opinion of myself.
The natural man does not want Christ. When
Lord Rochester came to repentance towards
the end of his profligate life he is reported
to have said to Gilbert Burnet: It is not reason,
but a bad life which is the great argument
against the Bible.
So, to the question, What has to be done to
make the Bible acceptable to modern men and
women?, the true answer is very different
from the one which the New Apologetic
proposed.
Much more than one doctrine (biblical
inerrancy) needs to be laid aside. Leave out all
that humbles man, take out the supernatural,
suppress Gods word on what sin deserves do
this, and the church and the world can live in
peace.
The New Apologetic proposed to save the
substance, only leaving aside the incidental: in
the outcome it did nothing of the kind.
Where it was accepted it left churches with the
debris of many Christs and a message often
the opposite of the truth. The gospel was no
longer God being reconciled by the death of
his Son, but God, the Father of all men,
helping us to make ourselves better, and the
world better. By grace are ye saved not of
works, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-9)
disappeared.
The Christian ethic, and following the
example of Christ, became the message not
the offence of what Christ has done to deliver
sinners from the wrath to come, but the
congenial message of what we can decide for
ourselves. This is no misrepresentation.
Wherever the rule of Scripture is set aside this
is the way human nature always goes. It has
been true in every country, whatever the date.
But there is another question: Was this
consequence intended by those who in the
nineteenth century undermined the
trustworthiness of Scripture? Was the present
state of the churches and the country what they
planned?

Unintended consequences
I know no reason to believe that it was. The
teachers of the New Apologetic were the
unconscious instrument in a great
deception, and the author of that deception
was one whose existence they did not seem to
recognize.
The scholars who undermined Scripture
excluded a vital part of Scripture from their
thinking: they had nothing to say about angels
or demons; nothing about Satans revolt
against God; nothing about Christs words,
then cometh the devil, and taketh away the
word out of their hearts, lest they should
believe and be saved (Luke 8:12); nothing
about the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2).
These omissions changed the mind-set of
Protestantism as they continue to do at the
present day. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, I am
certain that one of the main causes of the ill
state of the Church today is the fact that the
devil is being forgotten.
Ignorance of history plays a part in this
forgetfulness. The attacks on the Bible,
although taking different forms, have
throughout the ages similar characteristics
because they originate from the same source.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 6

Certainly, there are variations at the human

level, yet even at that level there are
characteristics of the what Adam Farrar listed
as the three great truths the very
foundation of the Christian religion are the
very truths most absent wherever the authority
of Scripture is set aside: the doctrine of the
reality of the vicarious atonement of Christ
provided by the passion of our blessed Lord;
the supernatural and miraculous character of
the religious revelation in the book of God;
and the direct operation of the Holy Ghost in
converting and communing with the human
soul. Lacking the first of these, Christianity
appears to him to be a religion without a
system of redemption; lacking the second, a
doctrine without authority; lacking the third, a
system of ethics without spiritual power.
Critical History, p. xv. Biblical truth is not
time-bound. Paul explains the persecution of
Jews by Christians by what was true in the
time of Abraham: As then he that was born
after the flesh persecuted him that was born
after the Spirit, even so it is now (Gal. 4:29).
Robertson Smith confessed to believing in
neither angels nor demons. Even James
Denney did not believe in the demonic (D. M.
Lloyd-Jones, The Christian Warfare
(Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1976), p. 292.)
which ought to be discerned. Satans
fingerprints are on the page.

Consider two of those characteristics in the

period we have been discussing:
1. Satan ever prompts and supports the
idolizing of men. Given his objective, which
is the overthrow of biblical belief, it could not
be better done. Elevating men, acclaiming their
brilliant gifts, admiring their amazing
scholarship, this is his strategy. The last thing
he wants is men of contrite spirit who see the
need to tremble at Gods word (Isa. 66:2).
Rather he still tempts with the promise, You
shall be as gods(Gen. 3:5), and appeals to the
pride which belongs to our fallen nature.
John Owen, in dealing with The Nature and
Causes of Apostasy, puts pride first in the list
of causes. The Free Church of Scotland came
to see itself at the forefront of the evangelical
world; she led in preaching, in foreign
missions, and now wanted to lead in
theological scholarship. The best way to do
that seemed to be to send its brightest students
to Germany where prestige for theological
learning was second to none. But the apostolic
warnings were forgotten: Thou standest by
faith. Be not high minded, but fear (Rom.
11:20); Try the spirits whether they are of
God: because many false prophets are gone out
into the world (1 John 4:1).
So great was the ability of the German teachers
that there was no need of any warnings. They
were praised, applauded, and their disciples
brought back to Scotland the habit of
praising one another as they took up
positions in theological colleges. They, too,
were heralded and flattered.
If they had asked for endorsements for their
books they would have had them in
abundance. Certainly they were gifted men,
and the idolizing of men commonly comes
from a blinding admiration of gifts.
Yet Satan has intellectual gifts far above any
to be found in man. Where pride is evident
we can be sure he has found entrance. It is the
devil who wants men idolized and regarded as
celebrities.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 7

Speaking of the history of the Free Church of

Scotland, Principal John Macleod has written:
It was so much of the irony of history that a
Church which had prided itself on the place
that it gave to the Reformed Faith so soon
became the home of that revolutionary
movement in Theology which has transformed
the whole aspect of the religious life of
Scotland. The other churches, too, were
feeling the changed spirit of the age. But it was
reserved for the younger ministers of the Free
Church to take the lead in the abandonment of
the Faith of their fathers. I have written more
fully of this decline in A Scottish Christian
Heritage (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2006),
chap. 11.
2. Satan works by the underhand, the subtle,
the evasive, and the devious.

question whether to hold ones mind open on

the infallibility of Scripture (as Rainy
professed to be doing), would not lead to doubt
over the whole system of doctrine which
had been built on that foundation. Dr Rainy
replied that the effect of the removing of the
old basis would produce a species of
land-slide in many minds with respect to
evangelical beliefs. No such admission was
made by him in public. Rainys biographer
only disclosed this conversation in 1910,
adding that Rainy believed that, from the
land-slide, the evangelical doctrines would
re-emerge. How that would happen, without
the foundation on which those truths stood,
was not explained. Yet the idea that criticism
of Scripture would advance Christianity was
still believed in 1910 and for many years after.

His chief weapon is what Scripture calls, the

deceivableness of unrighteousness
(2 Thess. 2:10). It is a way of working which is
the opposite of the openness and
straightforwardness of Christianity. Luke
says of the gospel history, this thing was not
done in a corner. The truth has nothing to
hide; but error is like a serpent which prefers
the dark.
This element was to be found in the years
when the Free Church was embracing the new
teaching. The undermining of Scripture at first
went on slowly; it was introduced quietly in
the theological colleges before it was ever read
or heard in the church at large. I do not mean
that its teachers were all intentional deceivers,
but from the outset the openness to be
expected of Christians was lacking. For
example, Marcus Dods was not alone in
expressing the fear that in fifty years only
some little rag of faith may be left.
There is a record of a conversation between
Robert Rainy, the leader of the Free Church,
and Professor D. S. Cairns, in the Aberdeen
home of the latter in 1892. Cairns put the

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The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 8

RESUME OF THE REPORT OF THE CREATION STUDY

COMMITTEE (CSC) OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
IN AMERICA (PCA) PART 4
By Clem White
Clem is the pastor of Calvary Presbyterian
Church, Brookton, WA.
In the previous issue of The Messenger we
printed extracts from the CSCs findings about
the Calendar-Day, the Day-Age, and the
Framework interpretations of Genesis 1-3.
The complete report may be found on
www.pcahistory.org/creation/report.htm1
The following are the CSCs findings about the
original intent of those who wrote the
Westminster Standards.
Original Intent of the Westminster
Assembly
The Westminster Confession of Faith 4:1 says,
It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of his
eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the
beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the
world, and all things therein, whether visible or
invisible, in the space of six days; and all very
good.
What did the Westminster Assembly mean by
the phrase in the space of six days?
Without casting a shadow over the good
intentions of anyone, we would remind the
Church that these are not ideal circumstances
for an unbiased, balanced interpretation. This
study has arisen in theological controversy
which frequently in history has been the matrix
for theological definition. The interpretation of
this phrase has received more attention in the
last three years than in the previous threehundred-fifty. No doubt, more light will be
shed on the phrase as research continues. In the
meantime we should all exercise mutual love
and due caution in drawing conclusions.
The Committee agrees on a number of facts
bearing on the original intent of the Assembly.
These are listed as follows:
The doctrine of creation is of integral
importance to the theology of the Standards.

The discussion of the length of creation days

held by the Assembly was not in the context
of the variety of interpretations of Genesis 1
available today.
Throughout the ages of its history, the church
has wrestled with the theological implications
of the existence of light before Day 4.
This may have given rise to the statement of
William Perkins, of great influence on that
generation of Puritanism, who wrote, six
distinct days, or six distinct spaces of time.
Throughout pre-Reformation history
Augustines instantaneous creation view was
treated with respect, and, while not adopted by
a majority, was never considered heretical.
John Calvin employed the phrase the space
of six days (sex dierum spatium) in order to
counter Augustines instantaneous creation
view. The Westminster Assembly by adopting
this phrase excluded Augustines instantaneous
creation view.
The influence of the Irish Articles of 1615
and their primary author James Ussher on
the Assembly was very important. The first
confessional use of the space of six days is
found in the Irish Articles.
The Confession of Faith 4:1, Larger
Catechism 15, and Shorter Catechism 9 use
the phrase in the space of six days without
further specification.
At least five divines affirmed the Calendar
Day view, possibly more. No evidence has
been found of any view other than the
Calendar Day in the writings of individual
divines.
Among Calendar Day advocates among the
divines, there were differences on other related
matters, e.g., the length of the first day, the
time of year of the creation of Adam, the time
of the fall of Adam, and the time of the fall of
the angels.
In interpreting the Standards, as in
interpreting Scripture, historical and literary
context must be observed as the most
important indication of meaning. Thus, as we

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 9

seek to understand the original intent of the

Westminster Confession and Catechisms
regarding creation, it is imperative that we
consider the historical time in which those
documents were prepared. They were
composed by the Westminster Assembly,
which met between 1643 and 1649. (The task
of drafting Chapter 4 of the Confession was
assigned July 16, 1645. The Assembly debated
and concluded this chapter on November
18-20, 1645.)

is first used, and why the Westminster divines

used it. The first known appearance of the
phrase is in Calvins Commentary on Genesis,
in a passage in which he is directly
contradicting a figurative view of the creation
days, in particular, Augustines instantaneous
creation view. It was included in the Irish
Articles, authored by Archbishop James Ussher, then Professor of Divinity at Dublin. The
articles were adopted by the Church of Ireland
in 1615. Usshers language reflects

Psalm 95:6 (ESV)

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Three Interpretations of the Original Intent
of the Westminster Standards
As we considered these facts, three
interpretations have presented themselves. To
some of us, the evidence leads to the
conclusion that the Assembly meant six
calendar days. To others of us, the evidence
is not strong enough to conclude that the
Assembly wished to exclude any view other
than the instantaneous view of Augustine. To
yet others of us, the evidence suggests that
the Assembly intended to express no more
and no less than what Scripture expresses in
the phrase in six days (Exodus 20:11). A
summary of the three interpretations is given
below.
A. First Interpretation of Intent
To begin with one must consider the context
in which this phrase in the space of six days

Calvins concern to exclude the Augustinian

instantaneous creation view. Ussher held to six
calendar days of creation, along with his young
earth view that is reflected in his chronology.
It is natural to infer from this that the Irish
Articles specified the Six Calendar Day view.
This is of particular significance, for as Philip
Schaff says these articles were the chief
source of the latter (Westminster Confession).
To use a phrase from an officially recognized
Confession of the Irish Church in any other
sense than that which it meant in that
Confession is improbable. It was a phrase that
had a particular meaning by the time of the
Westminster Assembly. The reason for their
use of the phrase lies in just that fact. It was a
succinct way of describing the six days of
creation of Genesis 1, with the understanding
that those days were normal, calendar days.
The significance of this, together with the

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 10

findings of the Rev. David Hall regarding the

meaning of the phrase in the space of six
days essentially settles the issue of what the
Westminster Divines intended by this phrase.
Hall finds a number of the Divines specifically
referring to six calendar days. Within such
variation as existed among the Divines no
evidence is provided of support for views such
as Day-Age, Framework, Analogical, etc. The
original intent of the Westminster Confession
and Catechisms by the phrase in the space of
six days is clearly the affirmation that creation
took place in six calendar days.
That this was the interpretation of the Church
of the 17th century is clear from the early
commentaries on the Standards. Vincent
affirms six calendar days, as does Thomas
Ridgeley in his Commentary on the Larger
Catechism, published in 1731.
B. Second Interpretation of Intent
Other committee members interpret the facts
differently. The second interpretation is that
the intent of the Westminster Assembly was to
express duration of time in the creation days
without being specific as to the exact nature
or length of those days. The evidence is not
strong enough to conclude that the Assembly
wished to exclude any view other than the
instantaneous view of Augustine. Their view is
as follows:
As we seek to understand the teaching of the
original intent of the Westminster
Confession and Catechisms regarding creation,
it is imperative that we consider (1) the
historical time in which those documents were
prepared, as well as (2) the function of the
phrase in the space of six days in the
teaching of the Confession.
1. What is required of us at this time is to seek
to understand clearly the context in which the
phrase in the space of six days is first used,
and why the Westminster divines used it. The
first appearance of the phrase is in Calvins
Commentary on Genesis. It also appears in
the influential Elizabethan Puritan William
Perkinss Exposition of ...the Creede, where he

refers to the work of creation being done in

six distinct days, which he also paraphrases
as six distinct spaces of time. The Irish
Articles of 1615, produced by Archbishop
James Ussher, who was much admired by the
Westminster divines, says in Article 18: In the
beginning of time, when no creature had any
being, God, by his word alone, in the space of
six days, created all things, and afterwards, by
his providence, doth continue, propagate, and
order them according to his own will. Clearly
there is a tradition in Reformed circles prior to
the Westminster Assembly to use this phrase,
which is no more or less specific regarding
the nature and length of the days in the Irish
Articles than in the Westminster Confession.
What is also clear is that this phrase is
employed, at the very least, to distance ones
position from a view of instantaneous creation
such as Augustine had advocated (and as was
still being propagated at the time of the
Westminster Assembly, as evidenced by
the popular Religio Medici by Sir Thomas
Browne, published in 1643). What is not so
clear is whether the phrase required six
24-hour days. All of the relevant sources
(including the Westminster divines whose
writings on this subject are available)
understand the sun, moon, and stars to be
created only on the fourth day one of the
facts from Genesis 1 that moved Augustine to
his speculations about the creative days and to
a preference for instantaneous creation. This
caused Calvin to ponder about the light created
on the first day:
Further, it is certain, from the context, that
the light was so created as to be interchanged
with darkness. But it may be asked, whether
light and darkness succeeded each other in
turn through the whole circuit of the world;
or whether the darkness occupied one half of
the circle, while light shone in the other. There
is, however, no doubt that the order of their
succession was alternate, but whether it was
everywhere day at the same time, and
everywhere night also, I would rather leave
undecided; nor is it very necessary to be
known.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 11

This same sort of reticence about the nature

of the days before the creation of the sun may
explain Perkinss paraphrasing of six distinct
days with the expression six distinct spaces
of time. Whatever the nature and duration of
the first three days, they were not solar days
(that is, not in the sense of days determined by
a 24-hour rotation of the earth in relation to the
sun).
It has not been demonstrated that a majority
of the Westminster divines intended for the
phrase in the space of six days to mean six
24-hour days. At least five prominent members
of the Assembly did so: John White, John Ley,
John Lightfoot, George Walker, and William
Twisse. Evidence that has been offered for up
to twenty-one divines holding to such a view
includes: the mere use of the expression in six
days, but this begs the question of the nature
of the days; agreement with James Usshers
chronology for the age of the earth since the
creation of Adam, but this is based on the
genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 and does not
depend on the creative days being 24-hours; or
the endorsement of certain works by members
of the Assembly, but mere endorsement does
not prove agreement to every statement in a
book.

Ah, Lord God! It is you who have

made the heavens and the earth by
your great power and by your
outstretched arm!
Nothing is too hard for you.
Jeremiah 32:17

Among the five Westminster divines who

clearly hold to six 24-hour days, some held
to other specific points that the Assembly did
not endorse. Lightfoot declared that creation
must have been on the autumnal equinox, but
Walker said it must be on the vernal equinox.
Lightfoot also has Adam created at around 9
a.m. on the sixth day and Eve tempted around
noon, with the fall of the human race occurring
on the sixth day. Such speculations were not
adopted by the Assembly.
2. How does the phrase in the space of six
days function within the teaching of the
Confession? The Assembly placed great
emphasis on the doctrine of creation in the
systematic teaching of the Standards. Like the
sufficiency of Scripture, the decrees of God,
and Gods covenant with man, the doctrine of
creation by the Triune God is integral, part of
the fabric of the document. However, the more
specific question of the length of the creation
is mentioned only once, briefly. The length of
creation does not hold the same integral place
in the Confession as the broader doctrine of
creation.
Moreover, the Assembly as a body chose not
to specify the length of the days, whatever
individual commissioners may have believed.
It is well known that the Assembly was not
shy to define its positions in detail, but it never
did so on this matter. In the final analysis it is
what they wrote, not what they thought, that
is determinative of meaning. It is not a sound
principle of interpretation to take the
statements of individuals as defining the intent
of a deliberative body.
Moreover, the Assembly did not require the
more specific views of the influential Lightfoot
in its statement on the creation days. This is
because the Assembly was seeking to
confess the faith common to all. On October
20, 1645, unimpeachable supralapsarian
Calvinist George Gillespie, contrary to his own
specific opinion, urged reserve on the
Assembly in its statement on the decree of
God. Strong words had been proposed.
Gillespie stated, When that word is left out,
is it not a truth, and so everyone may enjoy his

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 12

own sense. Unlike the studied ambiguity of

modern creedal statements that allow unbelief,
such reserve was motivated by the desire to
establish unity on the most important matters
of biblical truth in the three kingdoms
(England, Scotland, and Ireland). And in its
first chapter the Assembly confessed that
sincere Christians will not agree on everything
in Scripture.
It would appear that the question of the length
of the creation days was not of paramount
importance to the Assembly. No evidence has
been produced that the Assembly intended
to exclude any view but the instantaneous
creation view. Even granting that no long-day
view has been found among the members of
the Assembly, some of us believe that in light
of these contextual considerations it goes
beyond the evidence to claim that the phrase
in the space of six days excludes any view
other than instantaneous creation.
C. Third Interpretation of Intent
A third position held by some members of the
Committee is that although there is evidence
that certain individual members of the
Westminster Assembly held to a creation week
of six calendar days, the best evidence of intent
is the language of the constitutional

documents themselves. This position holds that

the confessional language in the space of six
days is substantially equivalent to Scripture,
and that the clear expressed intention of the
Westminster Assembly is thus to be no more or
less explicit than Scripture itself.
Under this analysisthat the constitutional
language was intended to be substantially
equivalent to Scripturethe matter under
debate is no longer a Constitutional issue,
because if a candidate were to take exception
to the language in the space of six days then
he would be deemed to have taken exception
to the language of Scripture itself, such as
Exodus 20:11: [f]or in six days the LORD
made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and
all that is in them. . . If an examining court
allows latitude in the interpretation of Genesis
1 and related passages regarding the length
of creation days, that same latitude should be
allowed for the candidates interpretation of
the phrase in the space of six days contained
in the Standards, and no exception should be
noted. If, on the other hand, an examining
court does not grant latitude in the
interpretation of Genesis 1 and related
passages, no exception should be allowed,
because the PCA obviously does not permit
exception to the language of Scripture.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 13

FROM CLASS WARFARE TO SEX WARFARE

By Noel Weeks
Noel Weeks is an elder at Macarthur Christian
Reformed Church. He was formerly Head of
the Department of Archaeology, Classics and
Ancient History and Senior Lecturer in Ancient
History at the University of Sydney. In
retirement he continues his research and
writing in Ancient Near Eastern History.
Recently there has been some publicity to
the fact that the program in schools, aimed to
destroy opposition to homosexuality, is being
promoted by Marxists. A logical question is
why a philosophy originally dealing with class
differences is now being used to campaign in
favour of homosexuality. Understanding this
development goes a long way to explaining
what is happening in our culture. Unless
Christians understand what is happening, they
could experience a very rude awakening.

The contradiction is that anybody who

supports the capitalists is treated as evil and
punished. The workers are oppressed and
it is evil to support oppression. Hence any
Christian who rejects Marxism because of its
materialism must be supporting an evil cause.
It is crucial to realise that this logic, although
illogical, is basic to Marxism.
The other fundamental contradiction is that
Marxism was supposed to be a working class
movement but it was always dominated by
intellectuals, almost all of whom had middle or
upper class origins. The excuse given for this
contradiction is that these intellectuals were
people who could see the direction of history
and sided with the workers, who were going to
win anyway.

Original Marxism
Basically Marx said that all of human history
could be explained as a struggle. In the modern
period that struggle was between the
Capitalists (bosses) and the workers
(proletariat). Marx was insistent that his
philosophy was strictly materialist. Religion
was no more than a froth generated by
Capitalists in an attempt to hide and justify
the oppression of the Proletariat. Therefore
anybody who objected to Marxism on religious
grounds was siding with the Capitalists.
There are several contradictions in Marxism.
One is that the struggle between the
Capitalists and the workers, along with the
eventual victory of the workers, is supposed to
be propelled by blind historical forces. In that
sense it is determined. If one is forced to be a
Capitalist by forces beyond ones control, then
one cannot be blamed for being a Capitalist.

The Crisis of Marxism

According to Marx the conflict of Capitalists
and Proletariat was to intensify, forcing all into
one of the two camps. The workers, more and
more conscious of their oppression, would rise
and overthrow the Capitalists throughout the
industrialised world. It did not happen. Living

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 14

standards for the working class rose and

workers became increasingly involved in
commercial life, owning shares, making
investments and so on. What is worse, the
working class in Germany supported the rise
of Hitler.
If the intellectuals, who had become Marxists,
faced these facts they would be forced to admit
that the greatest modern materialist economic
and political philosophy was false.
Communists within Russia, where a form of
Marxism had seized power, did not have the
same problem of explaining failure. Hence
two Marxisms resulted. One adhered closer to
original Marxism. Since many Communists
parties were directed and financed from
Moscow, this was often what was heard as
Marxism. Their problem was that it became
more and more obvious that Russian
Communism was more evil and oppressive
than the Capitalists ever were.
However another group, sometimes called
Western Marxism, tried to create a form of
Marxism which could survive the failure of
the original. Marxs prediction of the certain
triumph of Marxism was first to be abandoned.
Victory of their new Marxism could come
only out of an ideological struggle. What was
not abandoned was the idea of mankind split
into two groups, one of which was oppressed
and one of which was the oppressor.
The Thesis of Western Marxism
The failure of the workers to join the Marxists
and rise had to be explained. The most
influential attempt came from an institute
established in Frankfurt, called the Institut fr
Sozialforschung (commonly called the
Frankfurt School), which, when the Nazis
came to power, transferred to New York,
because all its prominent members were of
Jewish descent. Prominent in this study was
Erich Fromm, who was influenced by

Freudianism. The conclusion reached was that

various factors had combined to bring about
ready acceptance of authority by the average
German worker, which is why the authoritarian
Hitler and his movement, was so welcome in
Germany. The factors facilitating
authoritarianism included Christianity and
the traditional patriarchal family structure. In
short, to support Christianity or male
headship of the family was to be on the side of
the Nazis. A side benefit of this approach was
to give Western Marxists a way to deal with
the embarrassment of Stalinism in that it could
be called another unfortunate manifestation
of authoritarianism. Fromm and this study
became very influential among students of
psychology. Authority in the family, especially
that of the father, was therefore tainted. Note
that the original Marxist position still comes
through, even in this modified version: religion
is a fraud created to support evil structures.
When the Christian objects that the family was
created by God, he is then dismissed as an evil
supporter of an evil structure. The logic of
dogmatic materialism must make Christianity
evil.
What about the American working class and
the fabled American values of freedom and
choice? The answer of members of The
Frankfurt School, in refuge in New York, was,
in effect, that Americans and many others had
been bought off with the material profits of
Capitalism. This of course, was a concession
that Marxist prophecy of the growing crisis of
Capitalism had been disproved by events.
Once again the Marxist answer created a
contradiction. If Capitalism was so powerful
that it could seduce the workers into acting and
believing against their best (Marxist) interests,
how was it that some (the Western Marxists)
could resist the seduction of Capitalism?
Especially how was it that they could do so
from within the privileged position, funded
by Capitalism, of a university? (The Frankfurt

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 15

School, forced into exile by the Nazis, had

become attached to the Sociology Department
of Columbia University in New York.)
University professors complaining about
oppression are a living contradiction.
If the working class were now so well off that
they would not rise against their oppressors,
who could now be the oppressed who needed
Marxist liberation? The finding of new groups
to play the role of victims and the acceptance
by the general public of the victim role
ascribed to them is one of the great proofs of
the influence of Western Marxism.
Marx had argued that the crisis of Capitalism
had forced Western countries to colonise
the world, so that the riches stolen from the
colonies could make up for economic decline
at home. (Later careful economic studies tend
to show that the British Empire cost Britain
more than it gained.) Given this, Marxists were
always ready to see political movements in the
colonial and post-colonial world, especially
where those movements were influenced by
Marxism, as in Indo-China and Cuba, as
movements of the oppressed.
It must always be kept in mind that, to
materialists, religion is a fraud. Where a
movement in the Third World has religious
connections or inspiration, those are not real.
The real has to be material and economic.
Hence the American Republican administration ignored warnings about Islamic reaction
to the invasion of Iraq. Its offer of political
freedom and economic improvement would
have to be more influential than religion. The
present Democratic administration proceeded
on the same premise when it set about to
destroy governments in Libya, Syria and
Egypt. The present embarrassment of the Left
in identifying strong movements with Islam is
partly because it means that religion is a real
force and the Lefts materialist ideology says it
cannot be.

Does that mean there would never be a

movement of the oppressed in the West?
Herbert Marcuse attempted to find the
oppressed in every American family.
According to Freud, civilization could develop
only if humanity restrained its strong sexual
impulses and directed energy into cultural and
economic pursuits. While Marcuse allowed
some validity to this, he argued that sexual
restraint, or prohibition outside the bounds of
monogamous heterosexual marriage, was a
form of oppression. Hence a new oppressed
group had been found and their oppressors
were those who supported Christian sexual
morality.

Paradoxically the Western Marxist movement

found some unlikely allies in the 1960s.
Wars and threats of war tend to induce social
conservatism. Non-Christians under threat,
or recovering from major dramas, tend to be
religious or moralistic (there are no atheists in
fox-holes!). Society immediately after World
War II was somewhat socially conservative.
Divorce and sexual promiscuity were frowned
upon. The generation that had known the Great
Depression, and rationing in wartime, was
generally frugal with money. However, this
social and moral conservatism lacked any real
foundation. Liberalism had ripped the
authority from the Bible and the church.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 16

Catholicism survived on tradition alone. The

generation, which grew up in that era, was
taught a morality that their parents had no
basis for believing, and probably secretly
resented. As the younger generation were
faced with the hypocrisy of racism against
Blacks, of being drafted to fight the unpopular
Vietnam War, and the teaching of their
professors, who often held Marxist, or similar
beliefs, they revolted. Pampered university
students became the new oppressed class, but
perhaps, given the real social roots of
Marxism, that is not surprising. There was
common ground in the rejection of traditional
sexual morality and the work-before-youspend ethos of their parents.
The movements, which came out of this
unlikely union, adopted some very typical
Marxist features. The New Feminism in which
women were seen as the oppressed class is an
example. The logic of materialism meant once
again that one could not oppose the movement,
particularly for religious reasons, without
being branded as siding with the evil
misogynists. Notice that, as with the way
original Marxism saw Capitalists and
Proletariat, one is not allowed to see divisions
within the group. Just as all Capitalists had to
be evil, so did all males, unless they applauded
the New Feminism. Of course no women could
be evil. It is the same logic that has to treat
Islam as a group and insists that no true
Muslim could be a terrorist. Of course this
group treatment is inherently dangerous. If all
Muslims are the same, and some are clearly
terrorists, then all must be terrorists. The same
applies to the way we see women. (The most
effective anti-racist and anti-misogynist
strategy is to refuse to tar all with the one
brush.)
The sexual liberation espoused by the cultural
revolution of the 1960s was heavily
heterosexual. However, having argued that all
must be free to indulge their desires, it was
left with no reason to oppose non-heterosexual

desires. Marxism has always been a utopian

movement: when the oppressed achieve their
victory the brave new world will have arrived.
Once the sexually oppressed and remember
in Marcuses version these are especially those
who do not conform to traditional heterosexual
morality are triumphant, then true freedom
with all its blessings for all will be here.
Remember that the contradiction, posed by
Stalinism and Pol Pot and many other Marxist
butchers, has been explained away.
It follows that to be opposed to homosexuality
is to be part of the oppressors. Notice here
again, the Marxist logic. Marcuse was quite
consistent in that he opposed freedom of
speech for those who disagreed with his
version of Marxism. Materialism means that
there are only oppressors and oppressed.
Notice also the continuing contradiction that
something may be determined, yet still treated
as evil. If some can claim to be genetically
determined to homosexuality, then on equally
flimsy grounds, one might claim to be genetically determined to hate homosexuals.
However, the logic of determinism and guilt
is always applied inconsistently. To be against
the proclaimed new victims is automatically to
be guilty.
The church cannot hope to remain silent and
to be left in peace. The Word of God means
that we cannot accept homosexuality. In the
modern materialist world, the logic of
Marxism still applies. Whoever plays the role
of the Proletariat may not be criticised.
Freedom of speech was originally won on
the basis of biblical truth. It cannot exist in
a Marxist world. We must be prepared to
question the system at its root. The ability to
do so does not ensure that we will be heard.
Only God can bring that about. However, it is
important that Gods people are made aware
that the issue is not a matter of whether we
are loving and kind to people in their sin, but
rather, a worldview that denies the possibility
of any religious or ethical truth.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 17

MINISTRY THROUGH BABIES

Margaret Richards is serving in
missions in Tanna with her husband, Tom.

I am glad that my own precious babies are

growing up now and I no longer feel that
early dilemma. But I am also very grateful
for these new babies in the community
who have helped me get to know their
Mums and families.
I pray that our relationships with people
that we live with here will grow deeper
and that these babies and their families
will grow to love God, our Heavenly
Father.

Here is a picture of newborn Jeremiah with my

(Margarets) good friend Lesbet. Jeremiah is
one of four new babies born in the last year
amongst our friends.

Find out more about the Richards at

www.talkingabouttanna.com

PRAY E R N O T E S

So many things about babies are the same

wherever you go: they cry, need feeds,
nappies, cuddles, they are all born the
same way. They grow so lovely and
chubby and smiley and love to play with
pieces of washed coral and roll unripe
lemons.

Please pray for Margaret and our kids as they

complete school together

All mums are interested in babies and they

always lead to conversations. I think that
these four swakaku and their brothers
and sisters have helped to make many of
the relationships I have here.

Give thanks for the people who gave their time

and money to help with rebuilding the college
last year, and pray that God continues to provide
for this work.

One of the ways babies are treated

differently here, Ive noticed, is that its
often not the Mum who is holding the
baby. Babies are passed around a lot and
even taken on long walks far away. Much
more than in my home culture, babies
are looked after by other members of the
family and community. In our earlier years
here this was a big challenge for me in a
place where I didnt know people well. It
usually felt offensive to say no. But on the
other hand in a new country with so many
unknowns I felt I needed to be sure of my
childrens safety.

Please pray for Tom that he teaches faithfully and

effectively.
Please pray for Tom that he can support mission
work and former students in ministry this year.

Please pray that we all grow in holiness and that

we remain encouraged in our work.
Please pray for current students - especially
that their time at college will enable them to
serve Jesus here in the Southern Islands of
Vanuatu and beyond, and pray that God will help
them to settle into study and college life.
Please pray for pastors to catch the vision for
mentoring graduating students and that together
we can establish a formal ministry apprenticeship
program.
Pray for the four babies born amongst our
friends, especially that they come to know Jesus
as their Lord and saviour.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 18

SERVING THE LORD IN JORDAN

Peter and Damaris are members of All
Nations WPC, Perth
Peter and Damaris thank God for the safe
birth of Joshua. After Peter recovers from
an operation on his neck they both hope to
head back to Australia.
Peter writes, Please pray for our travels,
as we visit friends and churches in Perth
and as we plan the next stage of our
ministry. Please let us know if you would
like us to come to your church / home
group / etc
Peter, Damaris & Joshua

To contact Peter and Damaris please use:

peter.damaris.rowlands@gmail.com
or skype: peter.james.rowlands

The

Great
commission
is not an

option
to be considered;
It is a

command
to be obeyed.
~ Hudson Taylor
The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 19

MONTO QUEENSLAND
Bob Burnett
is a long standing WPC pastor in
Queensland and is now a pastor at
large.

Burnett, pastor of GPCM, has made

a couple of flying visits to bring the
Sunday message.

Air travel is proving helpful in providing

face-to-face ministry to a new church in
Queenslands North Burnett region. Monto
Reformed Christian Fellowship, which
was meeting as a house church in the town
of Monto for a couple of years, went
public in May 2015, with help from
Westminster Presbyterian Church.
On February 6 this year, they voted to
officially affiliate with WPC as a
preaching point of Grace Presbyterian
Church Morayfield.
While GPCM pastor-at-large Bob Burnett
has been driving to Monto (a five hour
drive) at least monthly to preach and
celebrate the Lords Supper. Darren

Al Baigrie, one of the teaching elders at

GPCM, owns a share in a light aircraft,
and he and a pilot friend, Ian, fly Darren
out of Caboolture airfield on a Sunday
morning and land at Monto less than two
hours later. Monto is about 450km by road
from Caboolture.
Al also participates in the church services,
leading the Lords Supper, and on
February 27 elder Hilary Jasch travelled
with them to deliver the welcome to
WPC and GPCM address.
MRCF meets in Mulgildie Hall, 10km
south of Monto, and when they have no
guest preacher, they rely on downloads of
sermons by R.C. Sproul and others.
Attendance at MRCF ranges from 20 to 30.

Darren and Al before take-off at Caboolture Airfield,

with Darren being farewelled by his son Matthew.

Al and Ian in the cockpit of the

Cessna.

Darren preaching at Monto.

Al Baigrie leading the Lords Supper at Monto.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 20

BROOKTON FAMILY FESTIVAL 2016

By Richard Bailey
BFF team leader and pastor of Canning
Vale Community Church
Over the past five years the mid weeks of
January have found a mixed group of high
schoolers, uni students, and a few adults
in Brookton, WA for the Brookton Family
Festival (BFF). For six days a team made
up largely of WPC volunteers present a
variety of ministry programs to the
community (and the larger area of Pingelly
and York). After five years of good work,
the BFF is now well received by the
community. It is an anticipated event for
the children and churches.

participate in directly such as; music,

drama, crafts, storytelling, Bible memory,
recreation, youth nights, quiz night, family
night, and the caf. It takes a lot of effort
to pull this off and everyone works hard.
The basic program outline and ideas are
given to the different ministry areas. They
take and develop their own ideas. For
example: the theme for this years BFF
was The Olympics, Running the Race. Our
drama team took that idea and wrote a
very creative skit that presented the gospel
over four days.

The Quiz Night

Face Painting

Preparation for the BFF begins ten months

in advance. The team leaders meet to
discuss and critique the past BFF and pick
dates for the next event. Then, a couple of
months later, the potential team gathers. At
this meeting new members are recruited
and changes to the elements and events at
the BFF are discussed.
The theme for the upcoming BFF is
presented. Team members then decide
what area of the program they want to

BFF is sponsored by Scripture Union

Ministries (SU) along with the various
churches that participate. All members are
screened by Scripture Union and Working
With Children cards are required. This
is actually a big help as BFF is able to
come under the legal sponsorship of SU.
The costs are covered by churches and
individuals and the WPC/WA Presbytery.
Special thanks go to Janice Marsh from
BCWPC for leading the BFF team, and to
Marilyn Hind for cooking us some very
good meals!

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 21

This years BFF was a success in a

number of ways. The programs and events
ran well. There was very good
participation from the community. The
BFF is a known event now and the parents
look forward to it and are not hesitant to
bring their children. We had the best turn
out of adults to the quiz night that we have
ever had. Some new teenagers came along
to the youth events and the weather was
actually cool! We were concerned that our
water games might have to be cancelled!

Water Games

Sunday Morning Combined Service

Note, last year the temperature got up to

43 degrees!
We (all) are privileged to be used of the
Lord for His kingdom work in Brookton.
In one of our devotionals we discussed
that Brookton is not an insignificant rural
town in the eyes of the Lord. He cares
about the people of Brookton and the Holy
Spirit is at work there. The BFF has, is,
and will continue to bear fruit as the Good
News changes lives in WA.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 22

MISSION MINDED PEOPLE WELCOME

News from Kelmscott WPC
We are moving! Around Easter Kelmscott
WPC will move to a location in the
centre of Armadale: cnr of William St and
Church Ave (38 William St). Presently we
are negotiating with the city council and
doing minor works with a view to using
the lower level of the building for the short
term.
This move brings many challenges and
opportunities for a small congregation in
the south-east corridor of the city of Perth.
The region has high unemployment and
social issues. In the past we have run a
food outlet for families registered for
government financial assistance. We
expect that this will have an increased
impact in our new location, adjacent to
Centrelink. In the past this has opened up
numerous opportunities to talk about Jesus
to needy people. We pray for more of
those opportunities.
Numerous Doctors surgeries are around
even across the road in a house which
the cricketer Rod Marsh grew up in! We
will be worshipping and serving our Lord
together in the service-focused quarter of
the Armadale city centre. We feel there is a
strong need for a gospel focussed ministry
in the area to shine a light for biblical truth

Basic building work almost completed downstairs.

to be proclaimed, and souls saved.

Many Aussies are suspicious of the
church due to so much bad publicity in
the media. New people rarely simply walk
in the door. It takes relationships and true
hospitality with Christians living out the
love of Christ to their neighbour. When the
neighbourhood is needy, as this area is, we
reach out to help them. We hope to host
several different ways of touching lives of
those around us.
This is a diverse multi-cultural place with
many new Australians. The mission-field
is right here. We do not have the resources
to do all that needs to be done. Please pray
for wisdom in using limited resources
wisely as we seek to introduce many
people to Jesus Christ as the friend who
sticks closer than a brother and Lord and
Saviour.

If you would like to join us in a

mission to a very needy part of
Perth, we would welcome you.
Please refer to contact details in the
Church Directory

View from intersection of Church Ave and William St

Armadale of the new WPC building.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 23

Westminster Presbyterian Church

21st National Assembly

16 May - 18 May 2016
Join us!
Your brothers in Christ in Western Australia invite you to this important time of fellowship in the
Gospel, reviewing our past actions and planning for future ministry to extend Gods kingdom in
Australia and beyond. The WPCs 21st National Assembly 2016 is hosted by WPC Bull Creek. The
meetings to conduct the National Assembly business will start 9:00 am on Monday 16 May and
run until 2:30 pm on Wednesday 18 May. We encourage interstate visitors to arrive in Perth by
Sunday 15 May. Transportation to and from Perth airport can be easily arranged; just let the Clerk know
your arrival time and flight number.
For those who can attend, WPC Bull Creek will also host the National Assembly opening
combined service of worship at Bull Creek on Sunday 15th May at 6:30 pm, followed by a time of
fellowship over a light supper for those Commissioners who arrive on Sunday. We are praying
and working now to enable this to be a fruitful assembly.

All are welcome!

We welcome Commissioners, endorsed by their respective presbyteries, to attend and participate on the
floor of Synod. We also welcome WPC members, adherents and visitors to attend the Synod. Take
advantage of this opportunity to meet the Commissioners and to observe this national assembly of
elders. Your presence will encourage the Commissioners as they participate in this important assembly
of our church.

Our meeting venue is superb!

WPC Bull Creek
32 Bull Creek Drive
Bull Creek, WA 6149
Phone: (08) 9332 6300
Lunch, morning and afternoon tea will be provided at WPC Bull Creek each day for the Commissioners,
spouses and day visitors.
Dinner will be provided Monday and Tuesday. Sundays supper following the opening worship will be
provided for those Commissioners who attend the opening worship service on Sunday evening 15th May.
Commissioner registration fee:

$70.00 (all 3 days)

Commissioners wife:

$25.00 (all 3 days)

Day visitors (no dinner included):

$20.00 per day

Please pay electronically:

Bank: Westpac
Name: Westminster Presbyterian Church
BSB: 036 043
Account No: 96 3282
Ref: First initial_Last name_NA2016

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 24

Our Accommodation is excellent!

Various families of WPC WA churches have offered to host the Commissioners and their wives.
AAA Rating: Four Stars (each home is hosting with Christ-honouring love & hospitality)
Accommodation Costs:
Absolutely free!
All host families will include breakfast
Rooms with facilities for the disabled are available upon request.

WA Church hospitality!
We ask that each WA Commissioner offer to host (or ask church congregation members to host) an
interstate Commissioner to facilitate fellowship with our interstate brethren.

Social Program!
There are plenty of things to see and do in Perth. A group of WA women will organize a program for
wives who attend with their husbands.

Please Register Early!

Details on who is attending are extremely important to us; we need to know as soon as possible. Host
families will be waiting to be paired with a Commissioner (or two). As there are limited hotels available in
the Bull Creek area (Perths southern end), please do plan to stay with a host family or a WA
Commissioner. Please book well before Friday 15 April. Accommodation bookings after Friday 15
April will be the responsibility of the people who live life on the edge.

Bookings and Enquires:

N. A. Coordinator:
Email:
Mobile:
WPC Bull Creek:

Sook Yee Lau

NAPerth2016@gmail.com
0431 988 723
(08) 9332 6300 (only for messages or to speak with the Clerk)

Please book your accommodation

by Friday 15 April 2016.
In the Masters Service,

Mark Vivian
National Assembly Clerk

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 25

WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM

WITH THE SCRIPTURE PROOF

Q. 79. Which is the tenth

commandment?
A. The tenth commandment is: You shall
not covet your neighbours house. You
shall not covet your neighbours wife,
or his manservant or maidservant, his
ox or his donkey, or anything which
belongs to your neighbour.
[a] Ex 20:17

[a] Heb 13:5

[b] Rom 12:15
[c] 2 Tim 1:5
[d] 1 Cor 13:4-6
[e] Phil 2:4
Q. 78. What is forbidden in the tenth
commandment?
A. The tenth commandment forbids all
discontent with our own state, envying
or grieving at the good of our
Q. 80. What is required of the tenth
neighbour, and all ungoverned longings
commandment?
and desires for things that belong to
A. The tenth commandment requires full
him.
contentment with our own condition, [a] 1 Cor 10:10
and a right and charitable attitude to
[b] Gal 5:26
our neighbour and all that is his.
[c] Col 3:5
Try making a foldable chatterbox to help learn the 10 commandments and what they mean.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 26

CHANNELING
By Sandra Wilson
Sandra is a member of WPC Kelmscott
The practices and beliefs of those involved in channeling are wide ranging and may
involve the use of tools such as tarot cards and Ouija boards. All involved are basically
attempting to gain spiritual enlightenment without God. Many are seeking to know the
future.
God clearly states in His Word: Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you
will be defiled by them. I am the LORD. Lev 19:31 (NIV)
Some dictionary definitions:
the act or practice of serving as a medium though which a spirit guide purportedly

communicates with living persons

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
Copyright 2011
professedly entering a meditative or trancelike state to convey messages from a
spiritual guide

Random House Kernerman Websters College Dictionary, 2010
the process by which a person becomes a conduit for a deceased person, as someone
from an ancient culture, who imparts information about a previous life Websters New
World College Dictionary Copyright 2010
is the practice of certain peopleknown as mediumsto purportedly mediate
communication between spirits of the dead and living human beings
Wikipedia via: Gilmore, Mernie (October 31, 2005). A spiritual connection.
The Express (London).
For more information about channeling, and a Christian
response to the occult, take a look at:
www.allabouttheoccult.org

Source Image: http://www.blurryphotos.org/

wp-content/uploads/2012/12/channeling.jpg

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 27

HELPFUL BOOKS ON HOMOSEXUALITY

By Simon van Bruchem
Pastor of All Nations Presbyterian Church
There is a lot of confusion among Christians as to
what the Bible says about homosexuality,
and also how we can helpfully relate to our family
and friends who identify as homosexual. The
following provides a brief outline of some books
that are available for those who want to explore
further and be well-informed. They are all pretty
short and aimed at a general audience, and I have
found all of them worth reading in different ways.
Kevin DeYoung, What does the Bible really
teach about homosexuality?
I have appreciated everything Kevin DeYoung has
published, and this is no exception. He pastors
the University Reformed Church in Michigan. He
spends significant time in each of the major Biblical
texts on the topic before wading into a range of
objections people have to the traditional Biblical
position. Although it is simply and winsomely put
there is depth to his treatment of the Biblical
material and its context. It communicates grace well
while holding firm to the traditional viewpoint on
homosexuality.
Sam Allberry, Is God anti-gay?
Sam Allberry is a Christian leader from the UK who
has grappled with this issue personally, having
struggled with unwanted same-sex attraction
throughout his life. This book is more practical than
the previous one and is one you could potentially
give to friends who are not believers who struggle
in this area. He communicates the Biblical
viewpoint well, but the real value here is his
sidebars on practical issues. He has discussions, for
example, on whether Christians should attend samesex marriages, what is sin and what is not, and how
to reach out to friends in the homosexual world.
This is also the shortest book of the lot.
Steve Morrison, Born this way: making sense of
science, the Bible and same-sex attraction
The author of this book is a pastor from Sydney
who has put to page what he had previously
preached in his pulpit. This is a book of two halves.
The first half deals with the current thinking in
scientific circles about homosexuality, something I
didnt know much about before reading it. It is
enlightening, especially as we only hear
catch-phrases in the media and very little real
science. The second half winsomely expresses the

Biblical viewpoint on the issue and he is careful to

point out that this is where the authority lies, not the
science. Overall engaging and helpful.
Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, The Secret
Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: an English
Professors journey into Christian faith
Rosaria is a real gift to the Christian church. She
was converted out of a background of lesbian
activism and scholarship to trust in Jesus. This book
outlines her testimony and more and is most helpful
in thinking through these issues. The man who spent
most time witnessing to her invested much time,
love and hospitality into helping her. Her story is
worth reading. I learnt that those in the homosexual
world often have a very poor opinion of Christians
(and often with good cause too), and they often have
strong communities that function as communities
better than many churches. It reinforced my
thinking that our main need is the gospel, and other
issues come second to this.I do need to say that this
book in some ways frustrated me. Not her testimony
part, that was most helpful. But she spends much
time speaking of adoption, home-schooling, and
exclusive psalm-singing in church, which was not
what I read the book for. She has strong views on all
of these things. But despite this somewhat unusual
focus of the second half, it is worth reading.
Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Openness
Unhindered: Further thoughts of an unlikely
convert on sexual identity and union with Christ
Rosarias second book I found far more helpful,
filling in the things I wanted to know from her first
book. This is less autobiography and more topical
dealing with issues around sexuality. I found it
immensely helpful. It helped me to understand the
language of gay from an English perspective. It
reinforced to me that all people are sinners, and all
people are sexual sinners (think of Jesus teaching
on lust in Matthew 5 for example); all of us need
Jesus to forgive our sexual sin. The importance of
hospitality was emphasized and the need to
creatively connect with unbelievers. This is well
worth reading to better understand the homosexual
world and a Christian view of this world. Any of
these books will help you explore this issue. Lets
pray that Christians can make a positive impact on
the homosexual world with the gospel.

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 28

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
BELCONNEN WPC
Meets:
61 Templeton Street,

(cnr Rowan St.) COOK, ACT 2614
Time:
9.30am and 6.30pm (every Sunday)
Address: 61 Templeton Street,

COOK, ACT 2614
Office Ph: (02) 6251 7727
Fax:
(02) 6251 7737
Email:
pastor@wpc-belconnen.org.au
Contact: Revd Geoff Findlay
Phone:
0435 557 117
QUEENSLAND CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH PACIFIC PARADISE
Meets:
North Shore Community Centre,

David Low Way,

PACIFIC PARADISE
Time:
9.30am
Postal:
119 Glenview Rd,

GLENVIEW QLD 4553
Contact: Revd Dan Bosshard
Mob:
0439 708 092
Email:
danbosshard@bigpond.com
GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH BUDERIM
Meets:
2-4 Toral Dr, Sippy Downs,

SUNSHINE COAST, QLD
Times:
Every Sunday at 7.45am,

9.30am & 6.00pm
Postal:
P.O. Box 7292, Sippy Downs

Qld 4556
Phone:
(07) 5445 8933
Email:
office@gracechurchbuderim.com.au
Contact 1: Pastor Clint Lombard

0478 578 152

pastorclint@gracechurchbuderim.com.au
Contact 2: Pastor Rick Zylstra

0407 725 899

pastorclint@gracechurchbuderim.com.au
Web site: www.gracechurchbuderim.com.au
GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(REDBANK WPC)
Meets:
School Road, REDBANK PLAINS
Time:
9.30am
Postal:
P.O. Box 347, GOODNA,

QLD 4300
Contact: Revd David Smith
Phone:
(07) 3495 7051
Email:
david@gracecc.com.au

GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,

MORAYFIELD QLD
Meets:
10am
Venue:
Morayfield Community Centre


298 Morayfield Road,

MORAYFIELD QLD (next to Bunnings)
Contact: Pr Darren Burnett (07) 5442 2586
Mob:
0452 273 117
Email:
darrenburnett2013@gmail.com
Web site: www.gpcm.net.au
PRESBYTERY OF QUEENSLAND
Moderator: TE Clint Lombard
Clerk:
TE David Smith
Treasurer: TE Allan Templeton
Postal:
PO BOX 347

GOODNA QLD 4300

AUSTRALIA
Telephone: (07) 3371 2512
Email:
david@gracecc.com.au
WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
QUEENSLAND
Principal: Revd Terry Clarke

10 Hollings Close, KURABY,
QUEENSLAND 4112
Postal:
PO Box 346, BUDERIM, QLD 4556
Telephone: (07) 5445 8501
Email:
information@@sctc.org.au
Web:
www.sctc.org.au
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
ALL NATIONS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Meets:
The Beaufort Centre, 74-82 Beaufort
Street (2nd Floor), PERTH.
Time:
10.00am
Email:
churchoffice@allnations.org.au
Web site: www.allnations.org.au
Telephone: (08) 9228 4951
Fax
(08) 9228 4956
Postal:
PO Box 8693, Perth BC WA 6849
Contact: Revd Simon van Bruchem
Email:
simon_vb@optusnet.com.au
BROOKTON (CALVARY PRESBYTERIAN)
Meets:
Richardson St., BROOKTON
Time:
10.30am.
Postal:
PO Box 99, BROOKTON, WA 6306
Contact: Revd Clem White (08) 9535 3301
Email:
candpwhite@bigpond.com OR elder
Arthur Slater 0473 251 681

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 29

BULL CREEK WPC

Meets:
32 Bull Creek Drive, BULL CREEK
Times:
9.30am, 6.30pm.
Postal:
32 Bull Creek Drive,
BULL CREEK WA 6149
Email:
admin@wpcbc.net
Telephone: (08) 9332 6300
Contact: Revd Mark Vivian

(08) 9455 3919
Email:
mark.vivian@wpcbc.net
Contact: Revd Craig Newill

(08) 6161 0525
Email:
craig.newill@wpcbc.net
Website: www.wpcbc.net
Bull Creek WPC Indonesian Services
Time:
4.00pm
Meets:
32 Bull Creek Drive,

BULL CREEK, WA 6149
Contact: Revd Paulus Surya

(08) 6465 8763

0412 441 341
Contact: Revd Erick Kartawijaya

(08) 9332 8514

0422 218 493
CANNING VALE COMMUNITY CHURCH
(CANNING VALE WPC)
Meets:
Canning Vale Community Centre, Cnr
Waratah Blvd. and Eucalyptus Blvd.,
CANNING VALE
Time: 10.30am
Postal:
PO Box 5153, CANNING VALE SOUTH,
WA 6155
Telephone: (08) 9256 4776
Contact: Revd Alex Nathan
Email:
alexandernathan@iinet.net.au
KELMSCOTT WPC
Meets:
38 William Street ARMADALE
Times:
10.00am
Contact: Revd Anton Noppers 0400 894 458
Email:
wpckelmscott@gmail.com

Email:

tonywalker1@hotmail.com.au

MURDOCH THREE CROSSES CHURCH

Morning: 10am Mandala Hall, Mandala Crescent,
Bateman at 10am
Evening: 6pm Murdoch University, Murdoch
Postal:
9 Johansen Promenade MURDOCH WA
6150
Contact: Revd Matthew Waldron
Mob:
0438 021 286
Email:
mattwaldron@bigpond.com
Website: www.threecrosseschurch.com
PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Moderator: Elder Steve Heathcote
Email:
steveheathcote@amnet.net.au
Phone:
08 9458 5449
Clerk:
Revd Ray Wilson
Postal:
105 Regency Drv, Thornlie, 6108
Email:
halcyon@iinet.net.au
Phone:
0421 903 446
OTHER CONTACTS
TRINITY THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
Postal add: PO Box 115, Leederville, Perth,
WA 6902
Add:
Level 2, 632-634 Newcastle Street,
Leederville, WA 6007
Telephone: +61 8 9228 9067
Email:
reception@ttc.wa.edu.au
Website: www.ttc.wa.edu.au
PROVIDENCE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
Pastor Christopher Seah
Mob:
+65 9139 4654
Meets:
350 Alexandra Road, Level 3

(Next to Princess House)
SINGAPORE 159946.
Time:
9.30am

Bible Study/Sunday School: 11.30am

MAIDA VALE WPC

Meets:
4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAIDA VALE
Times:
10.00am and 6.00pm
Postal:
4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAIDA VALE,
WA 6057
Telephone: (08) 9454 7401
Fax:
(08) 9454 4307
Contact: Revd Roger Palmer
Email:
wpcmv@myoffice.net.au

Postal:

MANDURAH WPC
Meets:
The Nellie Reagan Hall, Peel St,
MANDURAH
Time:
10.00am
Postal:
PO Box 5875 Mandurah, WA 6210
Contact: Rev Tony Walker
Telephone: (08) 9534 4145

GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

PO Box 31-210, Ilam, Christchurch 8444,
NEW ZEALAND
Contact: Trevor Webb
Email:
webbt@paradise.net.nz

c/o Apt Block 1D, Pine Grove,

#08-15, Singapore 593001
Email:
provrpc@gmail.com
Website: http:www.providencerpc.org
GRACE THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

c/- 30A Montilla Place, Manurewa,
Auckland, 2102 New Zealand
Contact: Revd Andrew Young

EASTGATE BIBLE CHURCH

The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 30

Meets:

Philharmonic Socy Building

7 Matthews Street, Toowoomba Qld
Time:
10am
Contact: Pr Owen Nugent
Mob:
0412 124 928
Email:
admin@eastgatebiblechurch.net
Web site: www.eastgatebiblechurch.net
HORIZON REFORMED CHRISTIAN
FELLOWSHIP
Address: 22 Padbury Way, Sorrento
Meets:
Sundays at 9:30am
Website: www.horizonrcf.com
Contact: Neil Evans 0405421971
HARBOUR CITY CHURCH
Address: 220 Miller Street

North Sydney, 2060 NSW
Time:
10.30 am
Contact: Revd Jim Jung
Website
www.HarbourCityChurch.com
Phone: 0430423986
Email: jamesjung@gmail.com
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF WPC

Moderator:
Vice-Moderator:
Treasurer:

Clerk:

Steve Heathcote
Simon van Bruchem
Anton Noppers
(08) 9498 3306
Mark Vivian
(Email: mark.vivian@wpcbc.net)

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF

MYANMAR
Meets:
Mingaladon, Yangon, Myanmar &
Hosanna Bible College, Yangon.
Australian
Contact: Rev. Julian Bull.
Mob:
0435 245919
Email:
julianbull@optusnet.com.au
Web site: www.eastgatebiblechurch.net
Mustard Seed Organisation Australia Inc.
Contact: Mrs. Johanna Sanders
Email:
johanna.sanders@bigpond.com
Mob:
08 9354 7454

Please note: While every care is taken to ensure the information on these pages is accurate, it
is the responsibility of each church or organisation to inform the editor of any changes.

ROMANS 15:2 (ESV)

LET EACH OF US PLEASE HIS NEIGHBOR FOR HIS GOOD,
TO BUILD HIM UP.

Opinions expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of WPC,
the editor or the committee. Submitted articles are welcome.
You can help make your denominational journal a success by subscribing and
contributing to it. We cordially invite you to do both.
The Messenger Autumn 2016 Page 31

Principal Dr. Terry Clarke

Location:

Mailing address:

Sunshine Coast
Theological College
2-4 Toral Drive
Buderim, QLD 4556
Australia

Sunshine Coast
Theological College
P.O. Box 346
Buderim, QLD 4556
Australia

General Information:
information@sctc.org.au
Library:
library@sctc.org.au
Registrar:
registrar@sctc.org.au
Telephone
(07) 5445 8501

Please feel free to contact us and schedule a visit

at http://www.sctc.org.au/