A national newspaper recently highlighted the moral failures of some of the 22 members of Tony Blair's cabinet. While several are good family men with nothing to blemish their records, it is not so simple with others. Of these, two are married to divorcees and one co-habits with his female partner. Four have remarried following divorce or the dissolution of their previous marriages. At least two of these have conducted extra-marital affairs that have eventually become public knowledge. One was recently revealed to have been an unmarried teenage mother. Two others had their marriages dissolved but have not remarried. In one of these cases the man's wife left him for another man now also a member of the cabinet.
Ron Davies, whose resignation prompted this article, remarried six weeks after divorce from his first wife in 1981 and appears to be guilty of other forms of immorality. Four members have never married. Of these, one is openly homosexual and another has subsequently been `outed', to obvious embarrassment but not shame, as also being guilty of homosexual activity. A third has also been accused of such things.
Clearly the present government, while realising that the promotion of family values is necessary for the nation's good, leaves something to be desired as far as their own family values are concerned. It was the same with the previous government which, while calling us back to basics, was repeatedly revealed to be deficient in this very area.
With the apparent come-back of the immoral Baptist Bill Clinton, in America, it is all rather depressing for those who long to see biblical morality upheld. But is the situation new? Were the Emperors of Paul's day any better? In the history of this nation there have not been many upright monarchs or politicians. Many were notorious for immorality. The only difference today is that such knowledge is a little easier to come by. In the Scriptures Paul tells us (1 Timothy 5:24) The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.
Obvious good deeds
He goes on to say In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. As we come to the end of the century we inevitably look back over the years, especially the more recent ones, and reflect on progress made. As Reformed Baptists we have to be honest and say we have reasons to be disappointed but we also have reasons to be cheerful. It is slightly invidious, I recognise, but let me highlight examples of obvious good deeds. No doubt there are many more, hidden from most at present, but one day to be revealed.
1. On a world-wide scale
Last month saw the official retirement of Philip Grist as Grace Baptist Mission literature co-ordinator. The idea of the work is to provide serious Christians, especially pastors and student pastors, with good solid teaching in a form they can easily understand even if their English (or other language) is limited. The idea had its origin with John Appleby when still in India and he pioneered this work following his return. Of course, there are many elements in such a project. There is the Banner of Truth which, with others, began to reprint good Reformed literature in the 1950s. There are those who simplify these texts or write the simple commentaries. There is Grace Publications Trust, an arm of Grace Assembly, and GBM who publish the books. There is Evangelical Press and the literature co-ordinators who distribute the books. There are missionaries and nationals who pass on the books. There are those who translate into other languages for those who have no English. What an impact these books are having. What an impact they will continue to have as we enter the new century.
2. On a national level
I will take the work in Kenya as an example here because I know it best. The work of Brian Ellis in the Philippines is similar. Andrew Swanson's work in the Middle East would be a slightly different example. When Keith Underhill came to Aberystwyth University in the 1960s he was not a Christian. Through the witness of a room-mate he was converted and began to sit under the Reformed ministry of Geoff Thomas. He went first as a school teacher to Kenya, then after theological training in America, where he met his wife Priscilla, returned to plant a church in Nairobi. Some 20 and more years later membership of the church is still only 40 but what has happened is that a Reformed movement of an appreciable size is underway and each year increases in impact so that, without seeking it, a little Reformed Baptist `denomination' is forming around Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi. The seminary, the pastors' conference, the work of associated pastors and fellow missionaries all combine to give great hope for the future.
3. On a local level
To take one more example, consider the fact that 20 years ago the Soho area was as bad as ever it was but with no permanent evangelical testimony there. Now, though small and struggling, Immanuel Community Church is there, is known and is maintaining a regular witness to the residents and tourists in that needy area. It was Keith Davies, a former editor of Grace, and others who had the vision and it is especially through Michael Toogood's valiant efforts that not only was a church planted in Soho but another in Covent Garden, under Mike Mellor. It is hoped to begin a new work shortly in Holborn.
These are no mean achievements. They stand as beacons. They assure us that where there are men of vision, men willing to work hard, men of Reformed conviction who look to God and an army of men and women who pray earnestly to the Lord, great things can be achieved. Let us take heart from these examples and play our part also for the sake of Christ's Kingdom.
This article first appeared in Grace Magazine
