HOW IS IT THE CHURCHES DO NOT PREACH THE BRITISH ISRAEL MESSAGE?
Australia
In their desire to retain the faith once for all delivered to the saints, earnest souls sometimes ask: ‘How is it the Churches do not preach the British Israel message’? My answer is: ‘If the Churches approved of any new movement of the Spirit of God in its initial stages there would be reason to question its truth. Speaking as a minister of, and lover of, the Church, I know it has been the unhappy fate of Official religion to oppose new Spiritual movements at their beginning and, subsequently, to endorse and accept them. It would be unjust to my readers to make such a sweeping statement without supporting evidence. The informed reader will require nothing more than the following reminders:
In the days’ of His flesh, the question was asked concerning our Lord, ‘Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?’ (John 7:48). That, of course, was intended to be a crushing reproof to the foolish people who believed. But ‘the common people heard him gladly’ (Mark 12:37). As to which were right, the rulers or the common people, history leaves no room for doubt.
In the fourteenth century, Wycliffe was ostracized and compelled to resort to his ‘poor preachers’ to spread his message. Today he is honored as ‘The morning star of the Reformation’.
In the sixteenth century, because he gave the people the Bible in the mother tongue, Tyndale was persecuted, hounded out of England, caught at Brussels and murdered. Today – what?
In the seventeenth century Bunyan was imprisoned for many years for preaching the Word of God. Today all the world read his books, the Churches sing his hymns, and the Church which persecuted him has erected a magnificent stained glass window to show how much he is honored and loved.
In the eighteenth century, John Wesley vitalized England by his message, but was driven out of the Church which he loved. Is it necessary to say what the judgment today is?
In the same century, Robert Raikes started the Sunday School Movement, against which the Assembly of the Church of Scotland warned its congregations.
In the nineteenth century William Booth started the Salvation Army. He was greeted with rotten eggs. But the Church of England copied his example and started the Church Army.
In 1874 arose the Keswick Movement, of which the Revd. Prebendary Webb-Peplow writes as follows: He was asked to meet a number of Evangelical clergymen to explain what it was all about. He told them that it was a movement for the deepening of spiritual life, and for teaching that God’s grace is sufficient to enable us to overcome all sin. Whereon, the chairman, a prominent Evangelical, exclaimed, ‘Heresy, blasphemous heresy.’ Today it is an honour to be on the Keswick platform.
In the light of the above, need we be surprised that British Israelites find themselves cold shouldered, and their faith condemned ? They comfort themselves with the reflection that by standing among the officially condemned they are in a noble succession whose failures have proved most brilliant successes.
While recognizing that the Church must be cautious, and perhaps conservative, I must remind its leaders of their duty to examine before pronouncing judgment. The wise words of Gamaliel apply to today: ‘Take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men ………for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it: lest haply ye be found even to fight against God’ (Acts 5:35-39).
