THEY WHO SEEK SHALL

ALWAYS FIND

Metropolitan Archbishop Leslie Hamlett writes:

Many folk are deeply concerned by the wave of immorality and lawlessness which is engulfing society, and would do something about if they could.

They see marriage becoming increasingly de-valued as increasingly couples live together as 'partners', when it fact they are living in sin. And now, our government wants such couples who cannot make the commitment of marriage to be able to adopt children. How on earth, we may ask, can they make the commitment to care for such children when they cannot make the commitment of marriage? Even worse, homosexual couples are also to be eligible to adopt... !!!

One could go on and on! 50% of marriages end in divorce; 33% of all births are illegitimate; boys of 16 can be legally sodomised; youth are running wild with little or no respect for either persons or the law; teenage pregnancies are increasing and at the same time our children are taught in school 'to enjoy their sexuality'. And this is to say nothing of the 6 million children who have been killed by abortion since abortion was made lawful. Euthanasia, under the guise of mercy, is just around the corner. Television is awash with perversion and filth.

Where is it all going to end? The moral conscience of the nation is dead. Concerned individuals appear powerless, so they just throw up their hands in despair. And who can blame them!

Many have diagnosed the problem as the failure of the churches for failing to give moral guidance. They are so right. Folk have looked to the churches for help, but in vain. The mainline churches (Anglican. Methodist etc., and now to some extent the RC Church) which once gave definite moral guidance now seem to go the way of the world. In their desire to be politically correct, and fear of causing offence, they put themselves on the wrong side of almost every moral argument. They appear to have lost confidence in their message, so little wonder there is an exodus of their membership, who have lost confidence in them.

And then, to make matters worse, the 'churches' in their desire to recover their membership are for ever about 're-inventing' Christianity, with new, 'modernised' liturgies to go with it. Some even compromise that most fundamental of Christian truths - the bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead. Sin, even when it is recognised as such, does not deserve God's punishment, and as for the fact of hell, well, hell is an unmentionable word. In short, by and large, the 'churches' have ceased to preach that salvation is found in Christ alone. The Ten Commandments which our Creator has given for our well-being are treated as 'ten suggestion'. Is it any wonder that their congregations are asleep and fail to recognise that a great deal of the fault for the perilous state of our country lies with their 'churches' which they continue to support.

We need the Church to speak out, loudly and clearly, giving that moral guidance so desperately needed. The Church needs to preach that God will punish those who sin, and that the nation stands in dire peril. This Church does just that.

This Church, the Holy Catholic Church - Western Rite, is a manifestation of the original Church, the Church Christ founded for all times and places and whose Faith and Moral teaching is unchangeable. It is the Church you have never known or heard of before now. But it is the same Church that made Christians in this land for almost the first thousand years of Christianity.

It is known, and always has been known as 'The Holy Catholic Church'. In fact, in general, terms, it was the only Christian Church during the whole of the first millennium. There was no church known as the 'Roman Catholic Church' during that period. (Although we share a great deal with the RC Church as it used to be, we should not be confused with it)

If YOU are in fact really concerned about today's moral landslide, there is something YOU can do. Yes, you can enquire and then, God willing, join this Church, to help make its voice louder. It is in truth the Church of your ancestors, which never changes.

As a first step, you must recognise your need, and then resort to prayer. For they who seek shall always find. We have the Saviour's Word for that!

'Unreformed' - the magazine of the International Church