Dear brothers and sisters,

Before the Lord gave the land of Canaan to the nation of Israel, he issued a stern warning regarding the nations that inhabited it: ‘you shall make no covenant with them’ (Deut. 7:2). Co-existing with these nations under a negotiated agreement would spare them the difficulties of a battle, but it would inevitably lead to a constant temptation to commit idolatry. Those nations served other gods. If the Israelites lived with them, they would be lured by their practices, turn astray from the Lord, and ultimately be judged. This is precisely what happened.

This is an important lesson for us today in our Protestant National Churches. Our leaders demand that we accept the terms of a false peace with Pluralism: a peace where all ‘forms of piety’ are equally valid, even if such ‘piety’ celebrates immorality, does not trust in Jesus as a saviour, and has no interest in giving glory to God. There are many who serve another god in our Churches. We cannot afford to be a passive, conservative-leaning faction. We must claim our Churches for the Gospel or be excommunicated in the attempt. Our unity is only found in the unchanging confession that Jesus is the Lord—and he is with us today! 

This year, we have made our first attempts to gain influence in the leadership of our Churches. Some of our members in the Church of England got elected for Deanery Synod. An elder from the Church of Scotland joined our movement and gained his congregation for our cause. Unfortunately, our efforts in Saxony to send representatives to the synod were not successful, but we learnt from this experience. Apart from this, our relations with our partner organisations in Germany have grown stronger, and we’re preparing for a nationwide campaign to defend our 95 theses in all EKD regional synods.

Finally, I’d like to ask your support in prayer for the following issues:

• For an impactful Echoing Wittenberg conference in Katwijk, the Netherlands, on Reformation Day. You’re most welcome to join us! Pray specially for strength and health for our speakers Rev. Dan Beesley (Church of England) and Rev. Jan van den Berg (PKN).
• That Christian counsellors in the EU will not be intimidated by the approved resolution to ban so-called ‘conversion therapies’, which includes genuine Biblical counselling that leads to repentance. Pray for an effective resistance against this measure.

See you, hopefully, on Reformation Day!

Jorge,

From Crossbearer