Revelation TV : Award Winning Christian TV (0:45:00 mark)
Viewer Question: "Hi Tim and Sarah, we know we have a loving God, a forgiving God. I have wondered why King David's infant son with Bathsheba had to die when he was a few weeks old due to their sin of adultery.. and David arranging the death of Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. It seems so sad and harsh, an innocent little life."
Sarah Tun: "..I don't have the conflict. I just see with Uriah, the adultery and all that, that child could not live. That could not happen, it just could not happen because of the unrighteousness.."
Tim Vince: "I will give you an illustration from recent times. Cecil Parkinson, who was the Chair of the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher. He was committing adultery with Sarah Keays.. That child was disabled and died young. There is something that happens, certainly in the case of David and Cecil Parkinson's tragic story, but it doesn't have good life chances, a child born in that situation."
Sarah Tun: "It's not the child's fault, it's not God's responsibility, it's the outcome of unrighteousness. That's how I see it." Actually, God afflicted King David's child! (2 Samuel 12:15). Sarah Tun shrugged as if she were indifferent. She continued.. "It's the cost as well. Jesus said, 'Count the cost when you are going to follow me', and also Jesus paid the huge, huge price for all of us. That child, that was the cost of the unrighteousness."
Sarah Tun makes an incomprehensible connection between "counting the cost of discipleship" and the "cost of bearing a disabled child due to unrighteousness". Many children are born into adulterous relationships and are perfectly healthy. On the other hand, disabled children are born to couples who have not committed sexual sin. Vince and Tun not only talk nonsense, but they also talk dangerous nonsense and hate speech. Their brutal comments on the 5th of November (and also Vince on a previous programme) are likely to have caused pain to parents of disabled children and to disabled people. This "spiritual" version of victim-blaming is callous and is based on gross ignorance.
It is ironic that Howard Conder himself is in an adulterous marriage and is guilty of gross unrighteousness. As far as I know, the children resulting from Howard and Leslie's adulterous marriage were not born disabled. The hypocrisy of these people is staggering.
David's unique position as king of Israel is a critical factor to be considered in any discussion about the death of his son. The death of the child was to be a public example to all Israel. (v12). This was the first visible chastisement inflicted on David; other far-reaching judgements were to follow.
Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his house.And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died. (2 Samuel 12:9-18).
Conder and his guests seem to delight in discussions pointing out the sins of unbelievers. They should limit their judgements to those within the church, but if they did that, they would have to condemn themselves. Unbelievers need to hear the gospel!
For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?
I am reminded of Glenn Hoddle, who faced significant backlash and was dismissed as England manager in 1999 after making controversial comments suggesting that disabled people were suffering due to "sins from past lives". Although Hoddle claims to be a "born-again Christian", his belief in reincarnation is incompatible with biblical Christianity. Similarly, the beliefs of Howard Conder, Tim Vince and Sarah Tun are alien to biblical Christianity. Vince is ecumenical and Conder platforms false NAR teachers. I have no information about Sarah Tun, but her disgusting comments about disabled people speaks volumes.
Mark and avoid Revelation TV. (Romans 16:17).
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