Some photographs from that time of contending for the Gospel
The protest took place at the installation of Richard Hanson as Bishop of Clogher, on March 17th, 1970.
The protest brought about the ejecting of us from of a local Orange Hall, Andrews Wood hall, where I was conducting a Gospel mission. The mission continued however, and by the end of April a Free Presbyterian hall had been erected and some months later that year, Clogher valley Free Presbyterian Church was constituted in the hall.
Despite the efforts of local ecumenists and their roping in of some Tyrone County Council officials to aid them, their demand that the hall be taken down and removed, failed.
It can be seen that a hall had been erected and was in use for regular services by June. Many years ago, the hall was replaced by a beautiful permanent building.
The Gospel outreach in the Spring of 1970 in Clogher Valley was the first of a number of missions undertaken by Lisbellaw Free Presbyterian Church that resulted in a permanent Gospel witness in the area.
AN ANSWER TO FOUR LECTURES DELIVERED IN ENNISKILLEN CATHEDRAL BY THE BISHOP OF CLOGHER RICHARD HANSON
by
REV. IVAN FOSTER
Minister of Lisbellaw Free Presbyterian Church
Published as a booklet in 1970
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Ecumenism in the Clogher diocese received a shot in the arm (which could yet prove fatal) with the ascension of Dr. Richard Hanson to the Bishop’s throne. Members of the Church of Ireland in the diocese, while involved in the Romanising ecumenical movement by virtue of their Church affiliation, were in the great majority opposed to ecumenism. Such was their personal experience of the Roman Catholic Church that the fawning overtures of Romanism – reinforced by the tidbits of so-called reforms within its fold – did not fool or deceive them. This plain dislike for the principles of ecumenism stunted its growth and hindered its spread. To some extent the advent of Dr. Hanson changed that. He did something that no other ecumenical cleric in the diocese had done before. He came right out into the open with his ecumenism. I say this not to the praise of his courage, but rather I believe that a combination of pride and misjudgement resulted in the unveiling of the Bishop’s ecumenism.
The pride and arrogance of the Bishop will be demonstrated later. Suffice it now to say that he came to his diocese confident in his scholarship and ability to “convert” the people to ecumenism. Therefore he threw caution to the wind. Coupled with this conceit there was misjudgement. The Bishop had been accustomed to the ecumenical, Romanistic atmosphere of England, where “Protestants” freely accept and indeed look forward to reunion with the Roman Antichrist. He was not quite aware of the depth to which Protestant convictions are rooted in Ulstermen. He thought that a bold attack would bring the best results. Consequently he came to Clogher as an open and avowed ecumenist. His fellow ecumenical prophets, who, with more cunning concealed their true nature by a pretence of Protestantism with Judas-like stealth, could, I am sure, have warned the poor Bishop of his folly.
The Bishop’s plan to “convert” his diocese began immediately with the appearance of two priests as representatives of the R. C. Church at his enthronement. This event, coupled with the protest made by Free Presbyterian churches, brought home to local Protestants that ecumenism in the shape of Hanson had arrived on their doorstep.
Since that date the Bishop has sought to enforce the new form of Communion service upon his diocese. This has been greatly resented in many places. An example of the Bishop’s arrogant determination to force the new form of Communion service upon the people was seen in one of the parish churches near Lisbellaw. The congregation were against the new form of service because they felt it was ‘too like the Mass’. In the absence of the minister, who was ill, the Bishop conducted the Communion service according to the new form. The sight of the Bishop in his neo-popish garb angered and disgusted the people, but of course the opinions of the people mean nothing to Pope Richard I of Clogher. The yoke was now beginning to bear down upon the shoulders of Church of Ireland Protestants. Along with his endeavour to force a few changes Dr. Hanson sought to educate his people in the tenets of ecumenism. Perhaps that last sentence should be worded differently. It was not so much a matter of EDUCATION of the people in the principles of ecumenism as an attempt to ERADICATE from their minds every semblance of Protestantism.
In his attempt to do this the Bishop has proved that behind every “love your fellow-man”, “let’s be like Jesus” ecumenist there is a Bible-hating, Christ-attacking, God-dishonouring modernist. The four lectures that the Bishop gave in the Cathedral in Enniskillen reek to God’s heaven with the sulphurous fumes of Satan-inspired falsehoods. The title of his lectures hints at the purpose of his life changing Christianity. These lectures were an attempt to prove that Christianity has and is changing. It is a game but a vain attempt. Game because he tries every deceitful trick invented by Bible-haters. False reasoning, vain assumptions, devious deductions and lies are all hurled in this attack. The slimy trail of the serpent marks its every line. Vain because he absolutely fails in his attempt. As Luther said of the reasoning of Erasmus “… my heart went out to you for having defiled your lovely brilliant flow of Language with such vile stuff. I thought it outrageous to carry material of so low a quality in the trappings of such rare eloquence; it is like using gold and silver dishes to carry garden rubbish or dung” (The Bondage of the Will’, by Martin Luther, 1525).
Part 2 will follow next Saturday DV.