Alf McCreary began as a journalist in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ the same year as I was converted to Christ and became a Christian — 1964.
He was 24 years old while I was coming 21!
The very month he began his career in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’, September, I met my dear Ann, who was to become my wife in 1968 and who laboured alongside me in the gospel for 56 years.
Thankfully, the parallel ended in September 1964. McCreary became a chief spokesman for all that was ‘Ecumenical’ and anti-Bible and I laboured to do the very opposite!
He has been reported as being an elder in the apostate Presbyterian Church in Ireland. As such he may have signed the Westminster Confession of Faith as a profession of what he believed and would uphold. Irrespective of whether he did or did not, all that is stated in that Confession he set himself against.
O’Neillism
He was a prominent defender of the ecumenically inspired policies of the late, unlamented, Terence O’Neill, (1914-1990). O’Neill was the Ulster Unionist prime minister in Northern Ireland from 1963-1969.
It was during his premiership that the IRA terrorist campaign had its beginnings.
McCreary blames Dr Ian Paisley’s opposition to Ecumenism, theologically and politically, for the commencement of ‘the troubles’, as they became known.
Real Cause
The true cause of that ‘rebellion’ was the compromising toward and appeasement of the increasingly militant Irish Republicanism, that O’Neill embarked upon. In such O’Neill was vociferously supported by McCreary and his fellow pro-ecumenical media ‘scribes’!
He arrogantly and pompously, indeed, profanely, claims to have kept the faith and is sanctimoniously pictured advertising his recently published book called by that name.
Christians are commanded by “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ”, to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”, (Jude 1, 3). Paul claimed at the end of his days of labour and of his approaching martyrdom, that he had “kept the faith,” (2 Timothy 4:7).
We state categorically that the ‘Faith’ that McCreary claims to have kept, was most definitely not the ‘Faith’ spoken of by Jude or Paul and to which there are numerous references in the Word of God! Paul defined the ‘Faith’ while on trial before king Agrippa.
“Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles,” Acts 26:22-23.
The ‘Faith’ at that time, was that set forth in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. To that was added later the inspired writings of the apostles, known to us as the New Testament!
Indeed, being an upholder of ‘Ecumenism’, as McCreary freely acknowledges, indeed proudly boasts of, he identifies himself with the latter-day apostasy (1 Timothy 3:1-5) which, of course, entails a complete abandoning of the truth of God and the embracing of that which has “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” and from which we are commanded to “ turn away,” (2 Timothy 3:5).
It is in keeping with McCreary’s life and labours for him to claim of himself, that which he most certainly was not. He was not ‘a presbyterian elder’. He was not a ‘keeper’ of the faith but he was in both cases, as far removed from what he claimed for himself as was possible!
Alf McCreary was the embodiment of the false religion that has progressively been replacing that which the three main denominations in Northern Ireland professed in the past to believe and proclaim.
The Church of Ireland has its professed allegiance to the ‘39 Articles of Religion’, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland formerly embraced the ‘Westminster Standards’ and the Methodist Church in Ireland declared its standards to be the ‘Works of John Wesley’.
None of the denominations believe those historic documents, with their setting forth, to a greater or lesser degree, cardinal doctrines of the Word of God.
Today, the denominations of which McCreary is so proud, have been infiltrated by and in many instances, have publicly endorsed, the perversions of sodomy, lesbianism, transgenderism and many other varieties of corruptions and digressions from God’s truth!
When McCreary refers to Dr Paisley in the manner in which he does, he is referring back to when in 50s, 60s, 70s and early 80s, he was the voice of ‘Old Time Protestantism’ in Ulster.
I just wonder does McCreary direct any vitriol toward Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and the many others who publicly advocated murder and mayhem and the party to which they belonged — Sinn Fein? A party, it must be stated, which has maintained its alliance with the murder campaign which saw many Protestants and Roman Catholics savagely murdered. This it has done with its annual wreath-laying and eulogies over the graves of terrorists who met their death while engaged in murder. Those of both communities, who were in the security forces, were invariably murdered from ambush, usually while off duty.
I wonder does ‘Alfie’ have any harsh words for them in his boasting of ‘keeping the faith’!
Frightened
In the headline in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ article advertising his book, McCreary is quoted as saying: ‘Paisley turned NI the wrong way… I covered his rallies and some were quite frightening’.
His claim of being ‘frightened’ at Dr Paisley’s rallies did not keep him from constantly speaking ill of him! His alleged ‘fear’ did not curtail his denigrating of Dr Paisley and Free Presbyterians in general.
Future
I would wish to inform Alf McCreary that on the basis of all he has publicly espoused and advocated by way of his personal religious views, I sincerely believe that he will face a future ‘rally’, a bringing together of men and women, this time by the Lord.
It will be truly ‘frightening’ for those thus gathered.
John the apostle writes of it.
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire,” Revelation 20:11-15.
The make-up of this multitude is further described in the next chapter of the Book of the Revelation.
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone,” Revelation 21:8.
Leading this list are the ‘fearful and the unbelieving’!
What Dr Paisley preached back in the 60s and 70s was frightening to Alf McCreary. Furthermore, he has spent his life writing that which clearly indicates that he does not believe the religion of the Bible. He is an ‘unbeliever’. He believes that which is acceptable to his own views but does not believe and submit unconditionally to the truth of God set forth in Holy Scripture!
That is a truly ‘frightening’ position to adopt, the full consequences of which are beyond our comprehension as mortals!
An earlier article, March 2024, on the ecumenical modernism of Alf McCreary
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
Wednesday, 4th September 2024