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"Take
Heed" Ministries
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Cecil Andrews, 29 Edengrove Park, Ballynahinch, BT24 8AZ, Northern Ireland Telephone/Fax 028 9756 5511. E-MAIL - takeheed@aol.com WEBSITE - http://www.takeheed.net Quick Links - Home - Assorted Articles - Audio/Video - Ministry Newsletters - Words of Wisdom |
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RESPONSES TO Christian
Unity & Rev Allen Sleith |
After the publication of my letter in the
Belfast Telegraph of 24 Janaury 2004 the following two letters were published
the next Saturday –
IT is good to see the religious ideology of Cecil Andrews being challenged by ministers within the Reformed tradition (Writeback, January 24). No one is trying to force Cecil Andrews, or anyone else who thinks as he does, into taking any part in what they view as "sinful, false, ecumenical fellowship".
Other Christians, however, who do seek to worship God together have sometimes had to run the gauntlet of baying protesters outside such places as St Anne's Cathedral. I remember going into the cathedral for a church unity service to jibes of "Pope-head" and other jeers and howls from quite a large group of people. I wondered how these "Christians" would feel if they had to walk into their service of worship in the midst of such an ugly and intimidating atmosphere.
Mr Andrews and others such as him do not accept me and my fellow Catholics as Christians. Nevertheless, I and my fellow Catholics regard him and others who hold his views, as brothers and sisters in Christ.
For me, personally, it is simply irrelevant at this stage how people like Mr Andrews judge me and other Catholic Christians. He is entitled to his views. The rest of us, Catholic and Protestant, must simply get on with the business of being Christians together - loving and serving the Lord and working together to change our society.
There are far more things that unite Christians of the various traditions than divide them. Certainly, it is good and important for Christians to debate together charitably the areas of difference. However, it is also essential to strive together against such evils as poverty, hunger, injustice, racism and sectarianism - to name but some areas of common concern.
Mr Andrews referred to the great and final separation that will occur at the Last Judgment. Our Lord's criteria for separating people, one from another, is the very practical business of how we have shown love while we are in the world.
As Christians, we are called to separate ourselves - not from one another - but from the spirit of evil that is evident so much in the world. That evil spirit makes people hate one another and blinds us to the truth that all human beings, equally, are created in God's image and likeness.
‘FATHER’
PATRICK McCAFFERTY,
CECIL
ANDREWS (Writeback, January 24) claims that Christian unity already exists
among those who are "truly born again". I have been recently perusing
the guestbooks of two "born again Christian" websites based in the
north of
There is a proliferation of "born again" groups - many of them making claim and counter-claim against one another. They are all very fragmented and divided.This could not possibly be what Jesus prays for in John 17.
As a Catholic on-looker, it seems to me that one thing that unites many of these fundamentalist groups is their anti-Catholicism.
SEAN
DEVLIN,
Alf
McCreary, the religious affairs correspondent of the Belfast Telegraph also
wrote the following in his ‘Perspectives’ feature of
‘…there
remains a controversial brand of churchmanship here which claims that its adherents
have the only true faith, and that they alone know the way to Heaven. This
exclusivity gives religion a bad name.
Those
who walk the path of separation quote selectively from the Scriptures but like
latter-day Scribes and Pharisees they are long on the law and short on
tolerance, understanding and simple Christian charity. In fact they are people
whose exclusivity entraps them in holy huddles which have little or no
attraction for the modern age.
The
salvation of the Churches lies with outreach and co-operation, and in finding a
common allegiance and witness to the same God they worship. Their future is not
in retreating behind the doctrinal barricades, quoting the letter of Scripture
but missing the spirit, and assuming that they are the only people fit to tread
the path to heaven.
Boy
will they get some surprise on the day of reckoning.’
Reference was also made in another
‘religion-related’ Belfast Telegraph article of
Cecil Andrews – ‘Take Heed’
Ministries –
Dear Editor,
Patrick McCafferty [writeback 31
January] urges 'Christians to debate together charitably the areas of
difference'. Our ministry organised 5 public debates to air the 'areas
of difference' between Roman Catholicism and Christianity of what he
referred to as 'the Reformed tradition' and he very willingly and
helpfully participated in 3 of the debates. He knows that I would not
condone any insulting 'jibes' and when acting as chairman I made
my position very clear on this at the outset of the debates.
Patrick speaks of 'things that unite' but he should be fully
aware, in the wake of these debates, that there is no soul-saving agreement
between the Roman Catholic 'gospel' and the Christian 'gospel' and
therefore any pretence of 'unity' as being 'Christians together' would
be a mere sham. Patrick states that he 'accepts' me but that I 'reject'
him - this demonstrates that he doesn't really understand my beliefs but that I
do actually understand his beliefs. Those of 'the Reformed tradition' who
are 'separatists' are simply holding to their Biblical convictions.
Others whom Patrick views as challenging my 'ideology' should in
honesty, and to use Stormont Assembly parlance, 're-designate their
tradition'.
Sean Devlin speaks of visiting 'born again Christian' web sites
and concludes that their uniting factor is 'anti Catholicism'.
Speaking only for 'Take Heed' we highlight unscriptural error from many
sources, not just Roman Catholic and linked web sites actually focus on errors
that have no connection to Roman Catholicism.
Alf McCreary in 'Perspectives' identifies 'separatists' as
holding to 'a controversial brand of churchmanship', of 'giving
religion a bad name', of 'quoting selectively from the
Scriptures', of being 'long on the law and short on tolerance,
understanding and simple Christian charity' of being 'entrapped in
holy huddles' of having 'no attraction for the modern age' of
'retreating behind doctrinal barricades' and of being in for 'some
surprise on the day of reckoning'.
Let me quote from God's Word, 'selectively' yes but also
relevantly - just as the Lord Himself did when being challenged for His
teachings. Jesus said to His followers "And ye shall be hated of all
men for my name's sake" [Luke
Finally there was the recent remembrance of the Holocaust and Rwandan
atrocities. 'Separatist' Christians likewise remember the
murder of their fellow 'separatist' Christians over the
past 2000 years and have the comfort that God knows all about these terrible
events and we are certainly not going to 'unite' with any
group identified [see Revelation 17] as and still 'inextricably
linked' to the perpetrators of those crimes against God's people.
Cecil Andrews
'Take Heed' Ministries
Ballynahinch