I have been asked repeatedly about our connection with the Church of God (COG) in Aylmer. When the questions first started to come I had never spoken to Henry Hildebrandt and knew very little about his church. In the weeks and months that followed I spoke with Henry on separate occasions and in person. At that initial meeting with Henry I asked him a series of pointed questions. I was concerned. I was glad his church was open, but I had heard rumors of heresy and cultish behaviour and wanted to hear it from him. Ordinarily I might have dismissed a group like his outright. But the COG Aylmer was one of the very few churches in Ontario that remained open through the lockdowns, and I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. So, I asked him about his view of Scripture, his view of salvation, his understanding of the person and work of Christ and so on. And I came away mostly satisfied. There were clear differences between us, but on th...
Dear brothers and sisters, greetings in the name of King Jesus. I am writing to you (as I have written to my own Session) because I believe that we - the Church in North America - have let the Lord down. Like Peter we have made big promises, but in a moment of trial we have in this way denied Him. We have compromised and we have sinned. I don't say that lightly. Many better men than me hold an entirely different position. Still, I believe our decision to submit to the government is wrong. I believe it’s seriously wrong. I believe one day we will look back on this with sorrow at how easily we gave in to the pressures of government and society. I know it’s well intended but still wrong. As you know churches almost everywhere (including our own) have closed. Gathering together for worship has been replaced almost everywhere by live-streaming, so that there is no more ‘meaningful’ gathering of believers for the preachin...
Not very long ago we were told by Christian leaders that it would be wrong to gather for worship even while wearing masks because the civil authorities had forbidden us from gathering in groups of more than 5. It was - we were told - a matter of Christian obedience pure and simple. Since then we have seen some interesting (and worrying) developments. The government has allowed us to gather in larger groups and many (though certainly not most) churches have begun to do so. However, the authorities have told us that while we may gather we may not sing, and more recently they have told us we must wear masks. So, how have churches responded to these developments? Many churches have decided to play it safe. I will call them ‘group A’. Worried about the virus they have decided to resume worship in the fall or even later. Eventually they will begin meeting again, but they are in no rush to do so. They have told their congregations ...
Amen. My church tonight prayed for you gentlemen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting this together. We're often praying for you brethren.
ReplyDeleteIn Christ,
Neil van der Wel
Satan has taken control of most of the churches now.
ReplyDelete