Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.You will recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7/15-16)
SPECIAL REPORT: Jesus Army workers facing large pensions gap because church did not pay their National Insurance
By Paul Lynch
Northampton Chronicle and Echo
8th August 2019
Ian and Jeannie Johnson are calling for National Insurance contributions
to be paid back to former Jesus Army members.
Dozens of former Jesus Army (JA) residents who toiled day and night to look after one of the organisation’s many communal houses are facing having to take reduced pensions – as their elders chose not to pay their National Insurance.
In May, the Christian sect formed in Bugbrooke announced plans to disband following a wave of abuse allegations – exclusively revealed to be more than 100-strong by this newspaper back in 2017.
Preacher Noel Stanton set up the religious sect throughout the 1970s.
A group of ex-members known as the Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association are leading an effort to see those abused sexually, physically, financially and spiritually compensated by the church.
But among those making claims against the church are people who looked after the communal Jesus Army houses around the country – many of which were in Northampton.
The church made part of its revenue through a number of business ventures – such as a large potato farm in Nether Heyford and a building services contractor. Several ex-members who worked on the farm as children have described the work as ‘slave labour’ as they did not actually receive a wage, it was ploughed into the common purse.
The so-called employees had their National Insurance contributions paid by the church elders.
New Creation Farm in Nether Heyford, where many of the Jesus Army members lived in a secluded community.
But the Chronicle & Echo has now learned that dozens of members who maintained the church’s many communal houses did not have those contributions paid for a number of years – as they were not originally classed as having a job.
Often their daily life involved long, strenuous hours catering for up to 30 housemates at a time. In the 1980s it was agreed that they should, in fact, be classed as workers.
But for many there had already been a significant gap in their National Insurance contributions.
Ian Johnson founded the JA’s Goodness Foods bakery in Daventry only to leave during the 1980s out of principle. His wife Jeannie was among those affected.
The entire Jesus Army estate is said to be worth close to 60 million.
“For people, we know this has had a dramatic effect,” he said.
“One person I know is 70 and has had to get an extra job because of the shortage in their pension. My wife should have been paid another five years’ worth of contributions. That would have been at about £1,000 a year. That’s a lot of money.
“I know of at least four people this is affecting and there could be dozens more.”
Mr Johnson, 70, who now runs a successful lettings business on Crete, has urged the Jesus Army to fill in the National Insurance payment gaps for the communal house workers.
“People that lived in the communes were basically being looked after as if they lived in a hotel.”
These workers should have been classed as employees.”
Mr Johnson is calling on the Jesus Army to make up the pension shortfall as part of the ongoing redress scheme but he says the organisation is yet to give him firm answers on whether this will be the case.
There are currently more than 100 claims being made against the religious sect – papers seen by the Chronicle and Echo show its asset value to be about £58 million.
The Jesus Army still owns 55 properties, according to the leaked papers. Many of the properties are communal houses – though there are currently only 200 people believed to still be living in them.
The Jesus Army Battlecentre in London is listed as being worth £13 million ‘dependant on planning caveats’.
Mr Johnson believes the Jesus Army – a registered charity aimed at helping the needy – has a moral duty to compensate the commune workers.
“People who lived in the communes were basically being looked after as if they lived in a hotel,” he said. “These workers should have been classed as employees.”
A spokesman for the Jesus Army said the redress scheme would “soon be open to sympathetically deal with the claims of people who consider that they had a bad experience in connection with the church.”
He said that extended to “people with money concerns” such as those whose National Insurance contributions were not paid.
The Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association is working with the church to compensate victims of abuse. A spokeswoman said: “We have heard, and are still hearing, many stories like Ian’s.
"We are pushing hard for restitution of financial harm to be included alongside a redress scheme being set up in conjunction with the JFCT (Jesus Fellowship Community Trust).
"As part of this involvement, we are putting pressure on the JFCT to do the right thing, morally, regarding financial redress for adults.
“Whilst working with the redress scheme we are also working with solicitors to bring group civil actions.”
Contact jfsurvivors@gmail.com for more information.
A survey conducted by LifeWay Research in 2016, revealed that 36% of Protestant pastors in the US believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. {1} The pre-tribulation rapture theory is also popular in the UK and is a dominant belief amongst Pentecostal and Charismatic groups. Some teachers insist that differences about the timing of the rapture are not a reason for Christians to separate. In one respect I agree. Those Christians who believe that the post trib/pre wrath rapture is the biblical model should do everything possible not to alienate those who have been indoctrinated by the pre-trib error. My problem is not with the rank and file, but rather with those teachers who aggressively promote the pre-trib rapture knowing its inherent weaknesses. While these teachers keep banging on about the pre-trib rapture and abusing those of us who believe differently, I feel that the subject will necessarily be a cause of division.
The pre-tribulation rapture theory is so deeply flawed and dangerous that it absolutely necessitates a strong challenge. (Jeremiah 23:16; Proverbs 13:12). The history of pre-trib stands on very shaky ground. (Matthew 7:26-27). The theory was popularised by false teacher and cult leader John Nelson Darby in the 19th century. Prior to Darby, the pre-trib rapture view was completely unknown, although I have heard its proponents falsely claim otherwise. The men who further popularised the pre-trib rapture in the late 1990's, were to put it mildly, of very dubious character. Tim LaHaye (Left Behind), Chuck Missler, Jerry Falwell, Paul Crouch, etc. were staunch supporters of cult leader Sun Myung Moon (Moonies) and were financially/politically compromised.{2}
Broadcaster Jan Markell (Olive Tree Ministries) aggressively promotes the pre-tribulation rapture. Jan refers to those of us who reject this view in favour of the pre-wrath or the post-tribulation rapture "naysayers". {3} I fear for people like Jan. (Matthew 12:36). Many who reject the pre-wrath/post tribulation rapture have not studied the scriptures objectively to see if these things are so. (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). I do appeal to Jan and friends to revisit this subject and to reconsider their position.
The Old Testament "prophets of doom" were also categorised in equivalent terms as "naysayers". They spoke the truth, although they met a great deal of derision and persecution. Those who tickle itching ears give the people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3; Isaiah 30:10).
Hananiah the false prophet is a striking case in point:
In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 28:1-4).
Hananiah's prophecy was appealing, even to Jeremiah in some sense. However, in reality it was nothing more than a pipe dream:
Jeremiah: "Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true. Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” (Jeremiah 28:6-9)
Problematically, the test of whether a prophecy comes to pass (or not) will come too late for those who have been deceived by the pre-trib error. The consequences of false pre-trib rapture expectations will be enormous! The great tribulation will begin suddenly at the mid point of the 70th week of Daniel, when the Antichrist takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4). At this late stage, it appears that many will have put all their hope in escaping persecution and will fall away. Many Christians will not be sufficiently "rooted in Him" to understand or endure the unparalleled persecution of the Antichrist. (Matthew 24:21; Colossians 2:6-7; Revelation 14:12).
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. (Matthew 13:5-6).
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. (Matthew 13:20-21). And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. (Matthew 24:10).
The Generation That Will Not Pass Away – JD Farag, Amir Tsarfati, Jack Hibbs, Billy Crone and Eric Barger - 5th July 2019.
In the above video below, Jan has compiled excerpts from longer interviews during her Understanding the Times Conference 2018. I have picked up on a couple of points as follows:
JD Farag's Poor Theology. (11:00) - The pre-tribulation rapture permeates the entire teaching of Jan and her friends, and in the process it distorts the teaching of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 5:9). Both Jan and JD equate the pre-trib rapture with the "blessed hope". The context of Titus 2:13 describes the blessed hope as "the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." The blessed hope is intimately bound up with the glorious appearing i.e. the second coming of the Lord, when he will slay the lawless one with the breath of his mouth. (2 Thessalonians 2:8). To add further confusion, Jan and JD dismiss the biblical distinction between tribulation (thlipsis) and wrath (orge) and treat them as synonyms. In doing so, they continue to advance the seven year tribulation fallacy and the pre-trib rapture. These persistent errors have been corrected many times by competent bible scholars over the years. Wilful ignorance and poor theology are inexcusable in those who presume to hold positions of authority within the church. But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1).
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (James 3:1).
Jack Hibbs' Dishonesty. (29:00) - Both Jan Markell and Jack Hibbs claim that those who are premillennial and post-trib have a "problem" with Israel. Hibbs: "I can tell you right now without meeting them, they have an issue with Israel.." This piece of misinformation is easily debunked. There are a number of significant premillennialists who teach that God will work simultaneously with Israel and the church during the 70th week of Daniel. Two examples are cited below:
As a pastor, Jack Hibbs should know the importance of telling the truth. (Ephesians 4:25; Proverbs 12:17). The integrity of a teacher comes into serious question when he is blatantly dishonest with the facts.
Going back to JD Farag. In a previous video with Jan Markell in 2017 "What on Earth is Happening? - he made the insane accusation that anyone who attacks the pre-trib rapture is "satanic". (7:00).
Whether deliberately or not I cannot say, but JD uses the Nazi technique adopted by Adolph Hitler: "..people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it." {4} Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. (Isaiah 5:20).
..while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13).
That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. (Isaiah 30:9-11,15). Recommended Links:
Jesus Army sex scandal: The dark secrets of life in a commune
By Jon Ironmonger BBC News
19th July 2019
Noel Stanton, founder of the sect, preached about sins of the flesh
Hundreds of former members of the Jesus Army are seeking damages for alleged abuse inside the religious sect.
Ex-members have told the BBC how children suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse on a "prolific scale", with most claims relating to incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Baptist sect is to close but is the subject of a renewed police inquiry.
The Jesus Army has apologised to anyone "who experienced harm in the past" and urged victims to contact police.
Ten people from the Jesus Fellowship Church - later known as the Jesus Army - have been convicted for various sex offences.
'Beaten with rods'
Launched in the manse of a small chapel in Northamptonshire in 1969, the Jesus Army grew quickly in wealth and number.
At its peak the JFC had more than 2,000 members, hundreds of whom lived together in close-knit communal houses throughout central England.
It offered homeless or vulnerable people and god-fearing families the promise of "new creation" through a devout, all-encompassing way of life.
Residents submitted to an intense regime of work and worship. All of their income was given to a common purse and everything was shared - from underwear to parenting.
Children could be disciplined by any adult, while youngsters and newcomers were assigned to a male "shepherd" to oversee their spiritual development.
Image copyright British Museum Image caption The Jesus Army's brightly coloured buses took members to find new recruits
By the age of 12 or 13, children were often separated from their parents.
Ex-members say it was typical for adults to enter their bedrooms while they undressed, or watch them take a bath.
The BBC has heard that children as young as three who misbehaved could be stripped from the waist, told to bend over and hold their ankles, and beaten with a rod.
Rape, bullying, brainwashing
Community members lived under the unchallenged authority of the movement's creator, Noel Stanton.
He was a firebrand who preached daily about sins of the flesh, and cursed wayward members as "backsliders" who were going to hell.
Mr Stanton founded the JFC on a huge enterprise of shops, businesses and two large farms, generating millions of pounds in annual turnover.
After his death in 2009, the church handed allegations of sexual offences against Stanton and others to Northamptonshire Police.
The BBC can now reveal that 43 people who were active in the church have been linked to reports of historic sexual and physical abuse.
It is understood further claims have come to light such as rapes, bullying, brainwashing, forced labour, financial bondage and "barbaric beatings" of young boys by groups of men.
Detectives have launched a new "comprehensive" inquiry into historic abuse by the church and evidence of a cover-up by five former leaders.
However, a survivors' group has raised concerns about the level of compensation being proposed by the church. It is now preparing group legal action involving hundreds of claimants.
A spokesman for the JFC insisted a formal redress scheme was being developed "to provide money and counselling" to "those who had suffered poor treatment in the past".
It said the scheme had been set up with external stakeholders to ensure everyone was dealt with in a "transparent and even-handed way"
Rose's story
Image caption New Creation Hall in Northamptonshire was the birthplace of the JFC
"I don't remember ever feeling safe as a child, I think people thought God would protect their children," says Rose, which is not her real name.
She is one of a number of alleged victims who have told the BBC about their experiences inside the Jesus Army.
Rose was a baby when her family moved to a commune in the 1980s.
She says the intense regime made it a frightening place to grow up, with "loud and scary exorcisms" taking place at every meeting.
"I remember very strongly as a child a man manifesting next to me, shouting, screaming, retching and being sick on the floor," she says.
Fervent sessions of worship were held in the evenings with songs, prayer and speaking in tongues, while most weekends were spent on recruitment drives in towns and cities. Followers donned military-style uniforms and drove rainbow-coloured buses.
Rose explained that one of the main teachings was "there is nothing good in you as a person".
"Everything in you was the result of sin, and I developed a complete self-loathing because of that message," she says.
Rose said children were regularly "disciplined" by adults, including homeless people and drug addicts picked up off the streets.
"There was something about public discipline... being whacked in front of a whole congregation of people, that was very humiliating."
Rose says that when she was 12 years old an older man in her commune began to groom and molest her "every weekend".
She says he used to touch her leg under the dinner table or fondle her breasts while handing her money to get an ice cream.
Image caption The Jesus Centre, former home of the group, in Northampton
"At the time, I didn't know what was going on," she says. "I hadn't thought or talked about my body and he used that to molest me and continued to do it every weekend."
She knew the situation was "weird and uncomfortable" but felt "he must have had a reason for doing it".
When she was 15 years old, she says another prominent figure in the church led her behind a building and forced her to perform a sex act on him.
"I knew something had happened that was wrong and felt a lot of shame," Rose says, but added that "women were there to serve. We were always subordinate."
It was typical for women to be seen as temptresses who corrupted male members, former members said.
So when her abuser told the church what had happened, Rose says she was blamed for it.
She is now hoping to receive compensation from the church's redress scheme, and is considering going to the police about her alleged abusers.
Ben's story
Image caption Ben says he was sexually assaulted at the age of six
Ben, whose name we have changed, was born into the community in the 1980s.
When he was six years old he says he found himself alone in the grounds of his commune with a male worshipper who undressed and sexually assaulted him.
"My dad's mum used to say how happy and smiley I was, but [after he was abused] I don't remember anyone ever saying that again," he says.
"The memories afterwards are all isolation. I withdrew into myself as a child and I had no friends in particular."
Ben became distanced from his family and left the church when he was 17 years old.
Recently he discovered his siblings had suffered similar experiences, including one of his brothers who he says was raped during much of his teenage life.
"I believe that at least five of us have been abused in one way or another," he says.
"I have anger for the church. I have anger because of what they did to my family. Whether they chose to ignore it, or give it to God, they're still culpable for letting it happen."
"There are still some beautiful people in the church with the best intentions," Ben adds. "But everything's been overshadowed by what happened in the houses."
Ben has been speaking to police about pursuing a criminal investigation against his abuser, but says so far there has been little progress.
Philippa's story
Philippa Muller, far right, during her time in the Jesus Army
Philippa Muller's family moved from Surrey to the birthplace of the JFC community, New Creation Hall, in Northamptonshire, when she was seven years old.
Her father worked in the local tax office and handed over every penny of his earnings to the church's communal purse.
Philippa's mother, like most of the other women, was a "servant" and spent her time cooking and cleaning to ensure the men of the house could do their "godly work".
Image caption
Philippa began living with the Jesus Army when she was seven
Women were encouraged to claim benefits and give them to the church.
"I grew up with a very negative imprint as to what it was to be a woman," Philippa says.
Young people were urged to recant their sins - real or imagined. They were taught about demonic manifestations and were present during exorcisms.
Philippa became increasingly isolated. "You couldn't just go to have a coffee with someone, or go to the cinema. That was all forbidden.
"We weren't allowed to socialise. We didn't have TVs. Things were censored... bits from the papers were cut out."
One of Philippa's close friends fled the church after she was assaulted by a male elder.
Philippa became a key witness in the court case - in which the elder was convicted - but says she was "persecuted" by the church community which treated her as a traitor and liar.
She left the church shortly afterwards.
Now on the brink of closure, the Jesus Army is understood to have accrued assets worth £50m. But it leaves a harrowing legacy - and an unsettled future for Philippa and its many other victims.
As expected, Marco Quintana (DevoreTruth) parrots Jacob Prasch's faulty view of the Restrainer of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:5-8. The error comes at the end of Quintana's rather tedious teaching, during the final ten minutes or so.
The view that identifies the Holy Spirit as the Restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 originated with John Nelson Darby and is predominantly a pre-tribulation rapture assertion. Prior to Darby, this view was completely unknown. Paul does not specifically identify the Restrainer due to the fact that he had previously identified him to the Thessalonian church.
The Restrainer is referred to both in the neuter (what verse 6) and masculine gender (he verse 7). Colin Nicholl's ground breaking research and journal article "Michael, The Restrainer Removed (2 Thess. 2:6-7)" {2000} is a vital resource on this subject:
Alan Kurschner: "Nicholl believes the best explanation is recognizing the Greek can use the neuter gender to refer to a person while the emphasis is on an exceptional quality of the individual (e.g., 1 Cor 11:5; 1 Cor 1:27–28; Gal 3:22; John 3:6; 17:24; 1 John 5:1–4; Matt 12:6). Thus, the neuter in verse 6 refers to Michael with a focus on his restraining ministry, while the masculine in verse 7 refers to Michael himself." {1}
THE PROBLEM
The view of Jacob Prasch and his parrot Marco Quintana is completely illogical. According to Prasch, lawlessness is restrained during the entirety of 70th week of Daniel.
The passage in 2 Thessalonians 2 indicates that certain things must happen before the Restrainer ceases to restrain. The rebellion (apostasy) must occur first, and then the Antichrist will take his seat in the temple of God proclaiming himself to be God. This happens at the mid point of the week. The man who is destined to become the Antichrist will be preparing to fulfil his vile destiny prior to the mid point of the 70th week, but not until the then will he become possessed by Satan, set up the abomination of desolation and be revealed. (Daniel 7:25; 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Hence it is the mid point of the 70th week that the Restrainer is taken out of the way.. not during the entire 70th week as Prasch teaches! {2} This leaves us with a proverbial "elephant in the room" that Prasch has never bothered to address.
Quintana also parrots Prasch's now infamous Intra-Seal "Pentecost is reversed" argument. John 14 gives us the reason for Jesus departure: I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2-4). The scriptures do notindicate that Jesus' return necessitates a reversal of Pentecost and the departure of the Holy Spirit. Intra-Seal is pseudo theology; Prasch's own heinous concoction that is easily and completely debunked by the scriptures.
A more likely answer to the question of the Restrainer lies in the book of Daniel, in a parallel verse to Matthew 24:15-22; Daniel 12:1; Zechariah 13. Although I would not be dogmatic about his identity, it appears that Michael stops restraining half way through the 70th week when the abomination of desolation occurs: Daniel 7:25; Revelation 12:7-10, 12-14; Jude 1:9. Alan Kurschner (Eschatos Ministries) submits six reasons why he believes that Michael is the likely candidate for the Restrainer:
1. Contemporary Jewish literature during Paul’s time viewed the characteristics of Michael having eschatological pre-eminence as the chief opponent of Satan and Restrainer of God’s people.
2. Michael is viewed as a celestial restrainer of God’s people in Daniel 10–12, the passage serving as the source for Paul’s exposition in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–8.
3. Daniel’s use of the Hebrew term Ężmd comports with the ceasing activity of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7.
4. The Greek term parerchomai in Daniel 12:1 of the Septuagint (LXX) means, 'to pass by,' which corresponds with the ceasing of restraint in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7.
5. Early Rabbinic interpretation of Daniel 12:1 perceived Michael as 'passing aside' or 'withdrawing' just after Antichrist’s establishment near or at the temple mount (Dan 11:45), and just before the eschatological unequaled tribulation against God’s people (Dan 12:1).
6. Revelation 12:7–17 supports viewing Michael as the Restrainer because it links the cessation of Michael’s war against the dragon with the unprecedented persecution of God’s people, which is consistent with 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 and Daniel 11:45–12:1. {3}
Although I favour the pre-wrath view that Michael is the Restrainer, I believe that any attempt to identify the Restrainer unequivocally is purely speculative and goes beyond what is written.
..that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. (1 Corinthians 4:6)
Marco Quintana of Devore Truth takes a faulty shot at defining Adoptionism.
Marco Quintana: "Some people try to say again, the Sonship, Adoptionism - that Jesus just became the Son at his birth, or Jesus became the Son at the incarnation, or Jesus became the Son at baptismal. Baptismal Sonship Incarnational Sonship, same error. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He has always been with the Father, He has revealed to us the Father.. Jesus is not the Son of God only at the incarnation .. Jesus is the eternal Son of God.." (from 23:00)
We cannot reasonably slap the label "adoptionist" onto those who believe in the eternal pre-existence of Jesus Christ as the Word before the incarnation. (John 1:1,14). The Temporal Sonship/Incarnational Sonship view is based on the premise that the Eternal Word became the Son of God at His birth.
Marco Quintana has ventured into something of a grey area that has been debated by Christians since the early church. Adoptionism is the heretical doctrine that before his "adoption" Jesus was a mere man. The adoptionist heresy was re-hatched by Elipandus, Archbishop of Toledo, in Spain late in the eighth century and Felix, bishop of Urgel (Seo de Urgel). They asserted that at the time of his birth Jesus was purely human and only became the divine Son of God by adoption when he was baptized. Spanish advocates predicated the term adoptivus of Christ only in respect to his humanity; once the divine Son "emptied himself" of divinity and "took the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7), Christ's human nature was "adopted" as divine. Problematically, Elipando's assertion appears to suggest that Christ's human nature existed separately from His divine personhood. In the twelfth century, Peter Abelard, in France, taught another variation of the heresy ~ Neo-adoptionism. {1}
The case against eternal Sonship by Walter Martin:
(a) “The doctrine of ‘eternal generation’ or the eternal Sonship of Christ which springs from the Roman Catholic doctrine first conceived by Origen in A.D. 230, is a theory which opened the door theologically to the Arian and Sabellian heresies which today still plague the Christian Church in the realms of Christology.
(b) The Scripture nowhere calls Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God, and He is never called Son at all prior to the incarnation, except in prophetic passages in the Old Testament.
(c) The term ‘Son’ itself is a functional term, as is the term ‘Father’ and has no meaning apart from time. The term ‘Father’ incidentally never carries the descriptive adjective ‘eternal’ in Scripture; as a matter of fact, only the Spirit is called eternal (‘the eternal Spirit’—Hebrews 9:14), emphasizing the fact that the words Father and Son are purely functional as previously stated.
(d) Many heresies have seized upon the confusion created by the illogical ‘eternal Sonship’ or ‘eternal generation’ theory of Roman Catholic theology, unfortunately carried over to some aspects of Protestant theology.
(e) Finally, there cannot be any such thing as eternal Sonship, for there is a logical contradiction of terminology due to the fact that the word ‘Son’ predicates time and the involvement of creativity. Christ, the Scripture tells us as the Logos, is timeless, ‘. . . the Word was in the beginning’ not the Son!” (p. 103 My page reference is to the fifteenth printing, January 1974 edition. The same material can be found in the current edition (October 2003) on page 139.)
The case for eternal Sonship by D.A. Carson: “It is not that this eternal Word became the Son by means of the incarnation, so that it is appropriate to speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit only after the incarnation, whereas before the incarnation it would be more appropriate to speak of the Father, the Word, and the Sprit. No, for as we have seen in Hebrews, the Son is the one by whom God made the universe. In John 3:17, we are told, ‘God did not send his Son into the word to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’ It is fanciful to suppose this means that God sent into the world someone who became the Son after he arrived. ‘The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. . . . He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. . . . For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him’; indeed, ‘all things have been created through him and for him’ (Col. 1:15-19), making him not only God’s agent in creation but creation’s master and goal. In these and numerous other passages (e.g., Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 14:9; 17:1-8; 1 John 5:20), Jesus is not the Son of God by virtue of being the ultimate Israel, nor is he the Son of God by virtue of being the Messiah, the ultimate Davidic king, nor is he the Son of God by virtue of being a perfect human being. Rather, he is the Son of God from eternity, simultaneously distinguishable from his heavenly Father yet one with him, the perfect Revealer of the living God.” {2}
Augustine of Hippo vigorously advocated the theory of Eternal Sonship. Augustine's view gradually met universal acceptance in the West and the doctrine was subsequently incorporated into the Nicene Creed in 325 AD.
Eternal existence as against eternal generation does have some scriptures in its favour.
The angel Gabriel said of Mary's miraculously conceived child: He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.. (Luke 1:32, 35). For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? (Hebrews 1:5). Begotten is suggestive of a beginning. Clearly Jesus Christ has no beginning and is not a created being like the angels.
I do not label anyone a heretic who questions the doctrine of eternal generation in favour of eternal existence. The scriptures are not conclusive either way and it would be a mistake to rely on the arguments of dubious individuals like Origen and Augustine. (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Anton Bosch was targeted by Jacob Prasch for this alleged error.
Anton Bosch's Statement of Faith below does not deny the eternal pre-existence of Jesus Christ:
We Believe: God • That there is but one God, a personal conscious Being, Creator of all things seen and unseen, eternal (without beginning or end) as three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost. • That the Word became flesh, and was born of the virgin Mary, He is the only begotten Son of God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: Who lived a sinless life, was crucified, died, and rose again. We hold that Jesus will return soon to establish His kingdom.{3}
Anton Bosch: "I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is eternal (co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit). He is without beginning and end. 'Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.' (John 8:58) I reject the idea that Jesus was 'begotten', was 'generated' or 'came forth' in eternity past since it diminishes the fact of his eternality and therefore His deity and is born out of Arianism." {4} Anton Bosch: "Just to be clear, the majority today seem to prefer the eternal sonship view (that Jesus always was the Son and the Father always was the Father). I hold to "Incarnational Sonship" (He only became the Son at Bethlehem). Neither view denies His deity nor His eternal co-existence with the Father and Spirit and is not even remotely a basis for division. (video 10/20/18 afternoon)" {5}
Marco Quintana's video is, in my view, a veiled attack on Prasch's previous victims, Amir Tsarfati being the latest - for an error that he corrected two years ago. {6} I do not endorse the ministry of Amir Tsarfati, mainly due to his pre-tribulation rapture position and his questionable associations. However, I do believe he has been targeted unfairly on this occasion.
There are those who would cause unnecessary divisions within the Body of Christ, albeit under the pretext of upholding "truth". Prasch and his little band of accusers are very quick to label anyone "heretic" on a mere whim, with the covert intention of slandering them. (2 Timothy 3:3; Jude 1:19; Revelation 12:10). Marco Quintana's argument might have been delivered by Prasch himself, it has his fingerprints all over it.
An unidentified 17-year old Scottish student was thrown out of a social education lesson by his teacher recently for voicing his opinion that there are only two genders. The student has now been suspended from his secondary school in Aberdeenshire for three weeks. The teenager claims that he spoke out in protest at the "dangerous" views being forced onto pupils.
The young man was ordered to leave his classroom after arguing that only two genders exist – male and female – a position that his teacher claimed was "against policy" and "not inclusive". A secretly filmed video clip of him being reprimanded by his teacher has gone viral on YouTube.
The definition of an "inclusive school" apparently means that only one opinion is “acceptable in the school”.
"British Christians who believe in (and dare to articulate) the natural order of ‘male and female’ are going to have a tough time over the coming years. Oppression may begin with a student being excluded from class; it will soon progress to an official state orthodoxy and mandatory compliance on pain of dismissal from one’s job, or summary arrest and trial for transgressing the laws of ‘hate’. Who would have thought that the matter of male and female, the nature of marriage, and the truth about the human person would become the foundation of Christian persecution? https://archbishopcranmer.com/teacher-throws-student-out-of-class-for-insisting-there-are-two-sexes/
Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. (Genesis 5:2 cf. Matthew 19:4).
Leaders of the Jesus Army - the Northampton-based religious sect variously described as a 'cult' since its launch 50 years ago - have voted to disband the church in the wake of an abuse scandal.
The news comes five years since the launch of Operation Lifeboat, a police operation looking into historical sex abuse at the 1969-formed Baptist movement.
The Jesus Army - which runs the large Jesus Centre church in Northampton town centre - has voted to disband in the wake of multiple historic abuse claims. In 2017, The Chronicle & Echo revealed there had been some 150 reports made of either sexual physical, religious or financial abuse at the church and that at least 40 people were pursuing legal action against it. On Sunday, with the reputation of the Jesus Army 'badly damaged' and membership declining rapidly, its leadership voted to revoke the church's constitution.
In a statement released this morning, its spokesman Laurence Cooper, said: "The NLT (National Leadership Team) and the members of the JFC (Jesus Fellowship Church) recognise that, over a sustained period of time, there have been faults and failures in the Church that have had a profound impact on many people’s lives.
"We are deeply sorry for, and appalled by the abuse that has taken place within Jesus Fellowship Church and the New Creation Christian Community (NCCC) and offer our heartfelt sympathy and unreserved apology to all those affected."
Several of the abuse claims related to a summer school that was run in Cornhill Manor, on the edge of Pattishall.
"Children and vulnerable people were entitled to expect full protection from harm. We acknowledge the pain many of those people continue to feel. As things have become clearer to us, we are grieved and deeply troubled."
The Jesus Army was formed in Bugbrooke in 1969 by firebrand Baptist minister Noel Stanton.
Over the decades it swelled to some 3,500 members - a proportion of whom were encouraged to live in communal houses, such as the New Creation Farm in Nether Heyford.
Several of the abuse claims stemmed from people who had lived, worked and ploughed personal finances into the communes, where members had to adhere to a strict set of rules. Children were often beaten for 'minor transgressions', a former member told the Chron.
Many of the abuse claims related to the church founder Noel Stanton, who died in 2009.
In 2004, the church took over the former art deco theatre in the Upper Mounts, renaming it the Jesus Centre.
But in 2017, the church's de-facto leader Mick Haines conceded that his predecessor Noel Stanton had a 'flawed character'. The Chron later revealed that many of the abuse claims related to Mr Stanton himself - who died in 2009.
Congregations that were part of the JFC will now become 'fully independent', according to today's statement. "They will not be affiliated to a national church organisation and will be led by people who are appointed by their own members," said Mr Cooper.
New Creation Farm, a working farm in Nether Heyford, also housed a number of communal houses.
"Some have already appointed interim leadership teams, comprising women and men who are part of the congregation. These local congregations will be responsible for every aspect of their function including finance, staffing, and safeguarding."
In 2013, the JFC invited people to make disclosures about their experiences of the church - with many coming forward to reveal they had been a victim of "pastoral abuse and bullying as well as financial, physical and sexual abuse," Mr Cooper continued.
"This information was passed to the police, who launched Operation Lifeboat, examining non-recent abuse in the JFC. As a result, a number of criminal cases were successfully prosecuted through the courts.
"The reputation of the Church has been badly damaged and the confidence of members of the Church was profoundly shaken. Alongside this, declining membership and the consequent slowdown in giving means that the national Church no longer has the resources to continue as it was.
"Following the disclosures process, the current National Leadership Team decided that they did not have the capacity or the desire to continue leading the JFC.
"Taking into account the scope of the problems they were facing, they did not believe anyone else could, or should, try and lead the organisation. The National Leadership Team, therefore, recommended to the members that the national JFC be dissolved - and that has now been approved by the members.
The church has now formed a redress scheme for those affected by the abuse under the Jesus Fellowship Community Trust.
Mr Cooper continued: "While the trustees have a legal obligation to provide for the welfare of current members of the Community Trust, they want to provide help and compensation for those who suffered abuse or poor treatment in the past. They are seeking to provide resources to help former and current members towards closure from the mistakes and painful experiences of the past.
"A working party - including victims and their representatives - is leading the development of this redress scheme. While we cannot undo the harm done, we hope that this can be of some help to those who feel they can engage with the scheme.
"We are committed to working with the Police and Social Services to ensure that all allegations of abuse that come to our attention are dealt with appropriately and encourage anyone with concerns to report them." Anyone with safeguarding issues or concerns, whether non-recent or current, should report them to the Jesus Fellowship Safeguarding Department: safeguarding@jesus.org.uk.
If you do not feel comfortable approaching someone from the Jesus Fellowship Church then you can contact the police directly or the Safeguarding Helpline run by a support organisation independent of the church and the community trust on 0303 003 11 11.
