Sir: As one who was a pupil, student and free school teacher in Sweden for many years, I find Civitas’ overview of the Swedish situation (issue 7743) out-of date, misrepresentative and unrealistic. The 1992 Reform Bill that Civitas mentions was open to abuses without legal control so it was re-reformed in 1994. Subsequent governments have not been able to make new laws fast enough to cope with the ever changing free school scene. This has caused Sweden’s leading newspapers Aftonblad and Dagens Nyheter as also Sveriges Radio to protest that the system is rotten and many politicians demand drastic closures. The free competition Civitas praises is an illusion. The local community may support a Montessouri school or… Full Article
Letters
Sir: In allaying Mr Relf’s fears regarding my research expressed in his April 5th article, I shall keep to the evidence he provides. Bishop Neill, though no authority on this period, confirms the persecuting nature of the times. The Cromwellian definition of ‘malignants, delinquents and scandalous ministers’ was that they refused to accept the disestablishing and disbanding of the Episcopal Church of England and therefore were ousted. Remarks re the Triers, of whom two were Baptists, are neutral to the debate as the ungodly men mentioned referred to all parties. Nevertheless, the Triers placed party-line ministers in livings forced from their legal occupants. Plundered property was auctioned off. Alexander’s words… Full Article
E. T. Clifford on Doddridge
Aug 22
Sir: In his recent ET article defending saintly Doddridge against adverse criticism, Dr. Clifford ended by stating, “Even more at odds with the facts, Dr George Ella asserts that Doddridge’s Calvinism was ‘higher’ than Dr John Gill’s!” This is incorrect. My original ET article (Feb. 1995), including Doddridge’s balanced analysis of Calvinism, which I share, was radically shortened in the American version. Nevertheless, this version still shows clearly that I look upon Doddridge as being ‘higher’ in his Calvinism than Gill on one of the Five Points only, namely election and reprobation. Concerning allied points, I affirmed that Doddridge disagreed with Gill on justification, but not radically so, and that he… Full Article
Sir, J.R. Brogan writes (Aug, 10/17), “There may be other readers who, like Dr. Ella, cannot see why ‘Rev. 18:1-4 cannot be lightly dismissed as irrelevant today’”. Those new to the debate will thus be led to believe that I lightly dismiss this Scriptural exhortation and find it irrelevant to the European problem. Mr. Brogan’s reference was to words that I wrote and meant and had a timely relevancy which I hoped could not be dismissed. I actually said: “Why Mr Brogan refers to Rev. 18:1-4, BSE, floods, disasters and the foot and mouth disease in a letter arguing that Britain should cut the ropes which anchor them to Europe is beyond me. The Scripture verse refers to ‘all nations’ and I can assure him that… Full Article
Sir: Iain Murray’s excellent, necessarily selective, overview of evangelicalism’s ups and downs (Issues 455-6) reveals the need of more pan-European study of the growth of Liberalism. Schleiermacher, of Moravian background and heart, was very much influenced by British Latidudinarians from whom he gained his love of Natural Law as opposed to revealed law. British Methodism helped give him his emphasis on free-will and the religion of the heart. Schleiermacher combined these views in combating dead orthodoxy and state-controlled religion, affirming the necessity of personal, subjective reconciliation with God. This Liberal-Arminian ‘British Religion’ was seen as a patriotic bulwark against the tyranny of legalism under… Full Article
Sir: Kenneth Harris’ recommendation of Rutherford’s insistence on justification in time contradicts the Anglican Reformers who spoke of a three-fold manifestation of justification i.e. from eternity, in the conscience and at glorification. So, too, Presbyterian Reformers such as Witsius outlined justification in nine stages from eternity into time. Our Reformers accounted the elect just before God in union with Christ from eternity by having Christ’s righteousness first imputed to them and then made conscious in them through God-given faith. This Tyndale taught in Pathway to the Holy Scriptures and Prologue to Romans. The Anglican Homily on Justification stresses that “justification is the office of God alone, and is not… Full Article
Queen Elizabeth II’s Role in the Church of England Dear Sir, Archbishop Rowan warns against self-deception regarding the supreme government of the Church of England, seemingly unaware himself that there are no ecclesiastical, political or constitutional grounds for assuming Elizabeth II to be that church’s Supreme Governor. At the Elizabethan Settlement, Cox, Sandys, Grindal etc. persuaded Elizabeth I to drop the title of Supreme Head formerly held by her father and half-sister. Instead, she was advised to adopt the title of Supreme Governor of the Realm. This title was later confirmed, not by the Queen herself, nor by Convocation, which was not consulted, but by Parliament who in April, 1559 decreed… Full Article
Exaggerated Claims concerning Andrew Fuller and False Information Regarding ‘High-Calvinists’ Dear Sir, 1795-1835 was a time of widespread revival with Anglican Robert Hawker preaching to thousands, Independent William Huntington equalled his efforts and Baptist William Gadsby founding 45-50 churches filled with new converts. The PBs were not inactive in this time but Mr Cook confuses Gill’s orthodoxy with Fuller’s. Gill had one of the largest Particular Baptist congregations in Britain, outnumbering Fullers by far. Contemporary evangelical magazines objecting to Fullerism’s ‘gangerous’ effect on church growth were legion. However, in 1814, Fuller claimed that his churches had shrunk greatly to an average of… Full Article
On ‘Youing’ God
Aug 21
Dear Sir: Re Canon Pulford’s timely letter concerning ‘youing’ God . Having being brought up to pray Biblically and as one trained in linguistics, I look upon the modern arbitrary trend in English-speaking countries with great disdain. My past employment brought me into contact with some dozen languages other than English, none of which show such lack of taste in addressing God. Words usually become redundant according to three processes. The first is when two words are synonymous and one is gradually preferred to the other. Thus, in English, we have ‘welkin’ and ‘clouds’ to describe the same phenomenon and now merely use ‘clouds’. The second linguistic ‘law’ is when a word with many meanings… Full Article
Contra Amyraldianism
Aug 21
Sir, It is a swashbuckling challenge to turn my old frigate’s bows to Captain Clifford’s well-aimed broadside and I was as exhilarated by his action as I was frustrated by his strategy. Was this going to be my Sea of Trouble? I mused. I have pursued Captain Clifford for some years through Amyraldianism’s frothy waters, but have never engaged him until now. I still cannot follow his most evasive strategy in zig-zagging between the shallow Mere of Moïse and the deep Five Calvinian Coves, always expertly trimming his sails to suit the prevailing wind. I fear he could easily scupper me if I had not my Biblical compass and historical charts on board. It would appear that the sprightly tar’s present strategy is… Full Article
