So declared a headline in the ‘Belfast Newsletter’, 19th November 2025.
If it were true, and it most certainly is not, it would denote a most spectacular change of policy on the part of the DUP.
The DUP has for many years now been actively pursuing a raft of policies which are very much opposed to the Word of God.
It promotes and endorses the perversion of ’sodomy’ and associated perversions. It has been the means of funding sodomite organisations. It has defied the Word of God in its uniting with Sinn Fein in an ‘egomaniacal’ power-sharing deal.
The ‘Newsletter’ article declares that the ‘DUP has said it will “stand up” for the Christian ethos of schools.’
The ‘ethos’ of the state schools is not Christian by any means but it has long been ‘ecumenical and modernistic’ and Bible-denying!
The teaching of what the Bible says is not on the state school agenda. It cannot be, since there is a denial of the divine creation of the world and instead children are taught that ‘Evolution’ rather than ‘Creationism’ is the true source of the universe!
If the ‘falsehood’ that is passed off as ‘Christianity’ in the state schools was done away with, it would be no bad thing. At least one less lie would be in the curriculum.
However, for the Christian it means that the situation that prevails within the state system of education is still far removed from the ‘classroom’ in which the Lord would have Christians place their offspring! (more…)
Church ‘welcomes investigation’ and confirms they ‘will co-operate fully’
(We will see how welcome are the findings!! — BB Editor’s comment)
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck
The Belfast Telegraph reported that Northern Ireland police are carrying on a criminal investigation after the Presbyterian Church in Ireland was found to have failed to “safeguard” persons in its care.
Rev. Trevor Gribben resigned last week as the church’s moderator due to “serious and significant failings” in safeguarding from 2009 through 2022.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck announced the criminal investigation at a Belfast press conference. In addition, police are working with other legal entities to address the failures which have come to light.
PSNI is looking at ways to protect and safeguard those who were affected by the church’s failure.
PSNI is also investigating whether criminal offenses were committed by church agents who had a duty to safeguard persons under their care or responsibility.
Beck assured the victims and witnesses that they would be heard and supported by the police, and that perpetrators will be “held to account.”
He urged people with information to contact PSNI.
A church spokesperson stated it supports the investigation and will cooperate with it.
Because of the investigation, the spokesperson stated that no further comment could be made at this time.
The submission of Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) to Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah 22: 25 – 26. ‘And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die’. Illustration by William Hole 1846 – 1917
“And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; and he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; and changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life,” 2 Kings 25:27-30.
I read these verses on Wednesday November 12th, as apart of my daily readings. They brought back memories of my days in the Theological Hall of the Free Presbyterian Church. It was in my first year of study that Dr S B Cooke, who lectured in Homiletics, set these verses as a text for his class. That was in 1965.
I have preached on these verses a number of times in different places over the subsequent 60 years. However, I freely acknowledge that much of what I have said would have originated with what Dr Cooke set forth that day in the class, convened in the prayer room of Ravenhill Free Presbyterian Church.
I have visited Dr Cooke in the nursing home in Kilkeel where he and his dear wife, Agnes, reside at present. He has been to me a good and faithful tutor, mentor, counsellor and friend.
First Meeting
When I first met him I was a recent convert to Christ and a very commonplace theological student in need of much instruction! My acquaintance with Dr Cooke was therefore that of a student with a very experienced and honoured preacher of the Gospel.
However, that changed somewhat in 1966. On June 6th of that year there was a Free Presbyterian protest outside the annual General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, in Belfast. It was prompted chiefly by the Presbyterian Church’s very active involvement in the modernistic and ecumenical apostasy flourishing back then.
But the protest was also against the presence of the representative of Éamon de Valera, President of the Republic of Ireland being an invited guest at the Assembly.
De Valera was a commandant of the Irish Volunteers in the Easter Rebellion of 1916 and prominent leader of the later IRA terrorism campaign. In 1966 we of the Free Presbyterian Church believed that it was gravely improper and unscriptural to honour such an unrepentant terrorist and a persecutor of the many Protestants in Ireland who had suffered under him and his terrorist allies, for the previous 50 years!
Court Case
That protest resulted in a court case and charges of ‘unlawful assembly’ being levelled against a number of protesters, including Dr Ian Paisley who led the protest, Rev John Wylie, a senior Free Presbyterian minister and myself, a second year theological student and licentiate minister.
We were found guilty and sentenced to being ‘bound over’ for a period of 2 years, which entailed us giving an undertaking to the court not to engage in any like behaviour during the two-year period. We were also fined, some £40, if I recall correctly.
Committed
Since we, as Free Presbyterian ministers, were quite committed by our ordination oath to continuing such protests against the modernism and ecumenism of the three mainline churches here in Northern Ireland, we refused to sign the ‘rule of bail’.
Consequently, we were committed to Crumlin Road Jail. Dr Paisley was arrested on his way to his Wednesday prayer meeting on July 20th. Rev John Wylie was arrested the next day, Thursday 21st, while on holiday with his wife in Newcastle, and lodged in jail. I was arrested outside Sandown Road Free Presbyterian Church, late on Thursday evening and because it was deemed too late for me to be committed to Crumlin Road jail, I spent the first night of my sentence in Musgrave Street RUC barracks, amidst the drunks arrested that evening! I joined the other two jail birds earlier the next day.
Blessed Stirring
As a result of the stirring that took place in Northern Ireland under God, I solemnly believe, there sprang up a tremendous interest in the message and witness of the Free Presbyterian Church. (more…)
