Minister's Message
August 2025

Dear Friends,

A comment I read in a social media exchange railed against Christians who have double standards—hypocrites. According to the writer, Christians who fall into this category don't swear, aren't pro-LGBT, and don't drink or take drugs. But apparently, these self-righteous individuals, whoever they're supposed to be, have no qualms when it comes to usury; they exploit others and rent out their property for profit. They get divorced and even marry up to three times.

In the writer's worldview, such Christians can even be into a third marriage, treat people badly, get rich off the backs of the poor, and hold grudges. On the other hand, according to the writer, those with dyed hair, tattoos, and a tendency to vape who show compassion to everyone, are met with this response: Well, he says (ironically), 'you're probably just some kind of liberal, in which case God is going to torment you in hell for all eternity'.

Recently, I listened to a man who, in the same vein, talked about all his achievements in the world, and indeed they were impressive. He'd been a Methodist but now enjoyed drinking wine. He spoke disparagingly of a long-dead preacher who didn't drink and was ‘boring.’ Perhaps he was boring, but the truth is, that preacher galvanised members of the community to break with the Church of England and create a successful Independent Chapel. In those days, temperance — abstention from alcohol — was an important part of the Methodist and wider Christian ethos. The ravages of alcohol in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were all too obvious. Today, that attitude of abstention has long since disappeared and is rather condescendingly seen as boring and unnecessarily severe. Nobody these days wants to be reminded of the values that actually made the church strong and gave it moral stature. Hypocrisy is a great sin, but indulging in addictive practices, including nicotine and alcohol, while virtue-signalling one's care and compassion doesn't, in the cold light of reality, cut it.

In a way, I'm presenting an old argument, one that Paul had with his own church in Corinth on matters of personal conduct. We should remember that as Christians, we serve a God who is holy. It would serve us well to remember Paul's pronouncement:

Some of you say, "We can do whatever we want to!" But I tell you not everything may be good or helpful. (1 Corinthians 10:23)

My best wishes as always,
Bob.