“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein,” Jeremiah 6:16.
When I was converted and became a Free Presbyterian, some 61 years ago, this text was frequently quoted from the pulpit of Ravenhill Free Presbyterian Church by the minister, Rev Ian Paisley.
When I began preaching a short time after that, I frequently used this text to explain what was happening in the ‘Ecumenical Churches’!
That which many back then refused to believe was taking place, is now all too clear. On the day that the King Charles III, titular ‘head’ of the Church of England, joined Pope Leo XIV in reading out a prayer in the Vatican, written for them, and laughably called ‘praying’, the ‘end game’, the final objective of the reunion of the Church of England and the popish system draws near!
Of course, travelling in close harmony with these two falsely called ‘Christian’ bodies, are the other three denominations here in Ireland.
The charlatanism of these so-called “Protestant’ religious bodies is seen in that they claim to follow the creeds and confessions drawn up by their faithful forebears, despite having wickedly and with contempt trodden over such statements of their professed allegiance to the Word of God for decades now!
But the creeping plague of modernistic and liberal heresy has been infecting many groups, who back in 1960s, were faithful to the Word of God.
I. IT MUST BE STATED THAT AMONGST THOSE TODAY, WHO ARE SHOWING THE FIRST SIGNS OF THIS INFECTION, IS OUR OWN FREE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH!
From the beginning of this century at least, there have been indications that some within our ranks wish to step aside from “the old paths” and embrace innovations of doctrinal thought and practice, outside that which is contained in the Word of God and set forth in the statement of THE DISTINCTIVES OF THE FREE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ULSTER!
First Evidence
The first very clear abandonment of truths long held was the entering into a political alliance by Free Presbyterians with the murderous organisation of Sinn Fein. Sadly, this tragic casting aside of the teaching of God’s Word on such matters was led by Dr Ian Paisley, who at the time he took that fatal step, was Moderator of our church. He did resign from that position in January 2008 when it was made clear to him by the Presbytery that his holding of the position of First Minister in the Stormont Assembly, in conjunction with notorious IRA man, Martin McGuinness, was not acceptable.
Shortly thereafter, he was removed from being First Minister. by his party, the Democratic Unionist Party. This was closely followed by his removal from the leadership of his party also.
There are those who see this as an evidence of the offensiveness to the God of heaven that his decision to enter a ‘power-sharing agreement’ with Sinn Fein/IRA was!
Sadly, Free Presbyterians continued to support the DUP, despite it becoming known that it had been the means of making payments to a number of sodomite organisations. Since 2008, the DUP has become more and more enmeshed in the corruptions of modern society, with such perversity becoming very evident within its ranks — and still Free Presbyterians support it!
Recently, the willingness of the DUP to participate in that which is wrong and try by various devious means to conceal their evil actions was seen in the ‘Mervyn Storey – Education Authority and its views on transgenderism’ saga!.
Rather than rehearse all of that which is mounted on ‘The Burning Bush’ about that, may I commend this article:
One Final Word . . . . .
Further Proof
But the sin involving Free Presbyterians and the political union of the DUP with Sinn Fein, is not the only evidence of the ‘infection’ I have been speaking of.
Back in 2007, I wrote a number of articles in which I sought to show that the compromise by the DUP with that which was contrary to God’s Law, would impact upon the Free Presbyterian Church through those Free Presbyterians in the DUP who continued to support the wrong-doing of joining in the sin of entering an unscriptural pact with Sinn Fein/IRA.
Some of what I said may be found on the following page of ‘The Burning Bush’.
One of the things I said was that the act of setting aside the truth of the Bible regarding ungodly associations would have its impact upon many in the Free Presbyterian Church.
When I was part of a Free Presbyterian delegation that met with Dr Paisley and other prominent members of the DUP in November 2006, I put the following verse to Dr Paisley:
“And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD,” 2 Chronicles 19:2.
Sadly, Dr Paisley’s response to that verse was not what I would have expected from the man I had known for over 40 years at that time and with whom I had spent time in Crumlin Road jail on two occasions and who visited me on another occasion I found myself jailed.
I wrote in 2007, that sadly many, not so versed in the Bible’s teaching on separation and its command in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”, would take Dr Paisley’s setting aside the principles that before had governed his life and which he had urged upon the church, as an indication that likewise they too could abandon the path of separation from worldliness!
Within a short time that was proved all too true!
Dancing
In recent years we have seen innovations and changes to the standards of behaviour that was once considered ‘sacrosanct’ by all in the Free Presbyterian Church!
We had the case of a minister dancing at a wedding and ministerial brethren coming out and defending that action, despite the ordination oath taken by all ministers and elders.
“Will you publicly expose and oppose the immorality and social vices of this present evil world, such as drinking, dancing, gambling, and by example live righteously, soberly and godly before all men?”
One of the stated distinctives of the Free Presbyterian Church, according to its Book of Order is that it is, “Sanctified in Behaviour, requiring its members to lead godly lives in obedience to the Scriptures which call on God’s people to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Testimonies of holiness and righteousness are vital to the life
and witness of Christ’s Church in a world increasingly plagued by the pleasure crazes of this generation, such as drinking (as defined in 5.6c), dancing, and gambling.”
The truth is that I very much doubt if any action would have been taken regarding the incident had it not been highlighted in the ‘The Burning Bush’!
Is this the shameful state the Free Presbyterian Church has descended into!!!
FP minister’s dancing defended by another FP minister
Sadly, there were other indications of a drift away from the doctrinal position that the Free Presbyterian Church was led of the Lord to adopt.
One of them was the total failure to act against Free Presbyterian members, elders and ordained men who supported the ungodly social and political programme of the Democratic Unionist Party.
Joint missions with those in the Apostasy
In recent times Free Presbyterian ministers have conducted joint evangelistic missions with minister within the apostasy! These ministers may well be evangelical, but they refuse the command of God, which the Free Presbyterian Church has always professed to be the very mainstay of their reason for separating from the ecumenical and apostate Presbyterian Church in Ireland , back in 1951.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty,” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.
Were there to be any converts in such missions, which denomination would they be counselled to attend? We could well see them being urged to attend a congregation in the apostasy and that would mean a Free Presbyterian minister would be in total violation of the declared stand of our church and of another vow he took at his ordination!
Book of Order
The Book of Order declares that the position of the Free Presbyterian Church is:
“Separatist in Practice, believing in the Biblical doctrine of separation in the area of ecclesiastical and personal fellowship. In accordance with this, the Free Presbyterian Church has no association with the modern Ecumenical or Charismatic movements, nor will it fellowship with any church which has departed from the fundamental doctrines of the Word of God.”
Surely holding a mission with a member of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is in total variance with the above declaration. But still our Presbytery here in Ulster has sanctioned such behaviour, in defiance of our stated position.
The minister engaged in such joint endeavours is in personal infringement of that part of his ordination oath which is stated in the Book of Order:
QUESTIONS FOR ORDINATION & INSTALLATION OF MINISTERS
“Will you maintain with all the strength God shall give you the position on Biblical separation from apostasy as taken by the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster in 1951 at the time of its secession from the Presbyterian Church in Ireland?”
To respond to that question in the affirmative and then join in common cause in a mission with a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is clearly a violation of this oath.
Yet such unprincipled behaviour is sanctioned by our Presbytery!
Another issue has been the adoption of modern ‘contemporary, so-called Christian hymns’ in a number of our congregations. When this was exposed, it resulted in the shameful and totally unjustified casting out of Rev David DiCanio of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America. He was charged with “contumacy” (stubborn refusal to obey the Presbytery’s call for him to repent). Rev. DiCanio replied by stating that his stance was unchanged, and that he believed he had not done any wrong but had acted in accordance with the professed position of the church. For this he was officially put out of the his church and the missionary cause he had pioneered in Liberia. The action of the church in America was endorsed and approved of by a majority in the Ulster Presbytery.
That action, if not repented of and rectified, will ever be a black stain on both Presbyteries and a day is coming when all guilty of the wrong will have to give an account before the Lord Jesus, the great King and only Head of the Church.
There has always been waywardness and straying within the body of the church. That is sadly evident from the writings of the apostles in the New Testament. Here is but one example.
“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person,” 1 Corinthians 5:11-13.
But as is seen here, it is the duty of the faithful church to exercise discipline and so preserve the purity and the witness of the church.
Sadly, I believe that has not happened, as it should, in the Free Presbyterian Church of late. There has been a turning of a ‘blind eye’ by those whose duty it is to guard against the wolves.
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you,” Hebrews 13:17.
As the believer must personally engage in combat against the attempts of the world, the flesh and the devil, to gain a victory over us so, the collective church must battle to preserve itself from being conformed to the world.
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience,” Colossians 3:1-6.
(To be continued)
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
Saturday 25th October 2025