“Christian nurse to sue mental health clinic over course that dubbed Bible ‘racist’” so read the headlines in today’s ‘Daily Express’.
The article states: “A NHS mental health clinic is facing legal action after running a course which branded the Bible and all white people ‘racist’.
Amy Gallagher is planning to sue the Portman Clinic in North London, part of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, after she felt some of its courses contained religious and racial discrimination. Ms Gallagher – a Christian nurse – undertook the course during clinical training in psychotherapy.
The Christian nurse is currently trying to crowdfund £50,000 to pay for the legal action against the clinic.
“On what I’ve experienced, what they describe as anti-racism is racism. What they describe as tolerance is intolerance.
She began the Portman Clinic’s Forensic Psychodynamic Psychotherapy course in September 2020 with the aim of finishing clinical training that would qualify her to set up a psychotherapy practice.”
Any Christian who dares to term the presently accepted evil practices linked to the LGBT community, as morally perverted and sin is immediately termed as someone given over to prejudice and hatred of those guilty of this wicked practice.
That is just not true of the genuine Bible-believer.
We hate the sin just as society generally hates the crimes of murder and robbery! But hating the ‘sin’ is not the same as hating the sinner!
Paul the Apostle wrote of sodomy and its confederate wickedness: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” Romans 1:18-28.
I have underlined the particularly relevant verses.
Now the same man who wrote these verses wrote also the following verses.
“ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God,” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
These words were written to Christians in the Church at Corinth. It is clear that amongst the membership of that church were those who WERE ONCE “effeminate, . . . abusers of themselves with mankind”.
These are terms which today equate with ‘sodomy’!
Therefore we must note that the man who condemned the wickedness of sodomy in Romans chapter 1 is the same man who readily embraces those who were converted from such wickedness as fellow Christians. He gives a very full ‘theological’ definition of their conversion. “Ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”.
I must stress that the man who was God’s means of bringing these poor moral derelicts to a saving knowledge of Christ was the writer of the Epistle to the Romans! Paul was the man who, under God, brought the church in Corinth into being. Here is the account of that glorious event in Acts.
“ After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth . . . . . And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks . . . . . “And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook [his] raiment, and said unto them, Your blood [be] upon your own heads; I [am] clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain [man’s] house, named Justus, [one] that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue . . . . Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued [there] a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them,” Acts 18:1, 4, 6-7, 9-11.
Thus it was during this time of Paul’s preaching amongst them that the conversions he writes of in Corinthians 6:9-11 took place.
This took place about AD 54. some 5 years later, in AD 59 (Usher’s Chronology), Paul was compelled to write to the Corinthians because of the errors that had broken out there. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them [which are of the house] of Chloe, that there are contentions among you,” 1 Corinthians 1:10-11.
The point that I wish to stress is that it is possible to denounce moral depravity (as Paul did in Romans chapter 1 under divine inspiration) and yet have a true and genuine concern of heart for such as those whose ways he so stoutly condemned. What he says of HIS converts in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 shows this to be so.
The charge so commonly laid against the Christian by those who hate the gospel and wish to bring public detestation upon those who preach against today’s perversions, is utterly bereft of any substance.
It is every bit as false as the charges brought against the Lord Jesus in His day and against His apostles on so many occasions.
The response of Paul to his accusers in Acts 24 are worthy of note for they can, in essence be repeated by Christians still.
“Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself: because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and [toward] men,” verses 10-16.
Sadly, such abuse is but the lot of any, in every age, who seek to follow the Lord Jesus and proclaim His Word to mankind!
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
24th January 2022.