1946 - 2006

SIXTY YEARS AND STILL CONTENDING!

This year, the Evangelical Protestant Society celebrates its Diamond Jubilee. As we reflect upon sixty years of faithful evangelical and Protestant witness, we are reminded that, "except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain" (Psalm 127:1). We praise Almighty God for His guidance, presence and help as we, and others before us, have sought to build, maintain and develop the work of EPS. To God be all the glory! There have been many changes over those sixty years. In 1946, our nation had emerged from the darkness of war, and, as it did so, it gave thanks to God for deliverance from Nazi tyranny and for the preservation of civil and religious liberty. People in general had, at the very least, a respect for the Bible and Biblical standards, and, despite the development of false ecumenism and theological liberalism, the Gospel was still preached in many churches across the United Kingdom. How things have changed almost beyond recognition! The nation and, sad to say, in more recent years our own Province, have largely abandoned God and His Word and all around us there is open rebellion against Christianity. This is reflected in the Government's secular "human rights" agenda which actually threatens the civil and religious liberty of evangelical Christians. As a result of the nefarious impact of years of false ecumenism, many Protestant churches have compromised with Rome and some have degenerated into apostasy. Writing in the Gospel Magazine in July 2000, Edward Malcolm rightly said that today the Protestant churches "actively seek to reverse the Reformation, and to be the opposite of what their founding fathers intended", and, tragically, large swathes of England and Wales in particular are now bereft of a faithful Gospel witness. Some evangelical Protestant churches appear to have been affected by the changing climate. They continue to preach the Gospel, and are happy to be regarded as "evangelical" and "reformed", but they seem slightly embarrassed to be known as "Protestant". As a result, the cutting edge is lost and there is a reluctance to engage in controversy or in battle with the Church of Rome. Conscious of the confused and compromised state of Protestantism, Rome has grown in confidence and influence across the land. If ever there was a need for a clear uncompromising evangelical Protestant voice it is today, and sixty years on, we rejoice that the EPS is still alive and well. It has not all been plain sailing of course and, as with all other organisations, we have had our good times and our bad, but the Lord has been with us through them all. As recently as 2001, the Society stood at the crossroads. Due to declining levels of income and other problems, we were reluctantly forced to make our full-time Secretary redundant and to give serious consideration to the future of EPS itself. We felt strongly, however, that the EPS had a unique and vital role to play and, after much prayer and discussion, we determined to press on. We are really glad that we did so, for today the EPS is stronger than ever. Although we have no full-time staff, Wallace Thompson fulfils the role of secretary and editor of the Ulster Bulwark on a part-time consultancy basis. The Council, which was strengthened a few years ago by the addition of Rev Dr Eric Culbertson and Rev Stephen Dickinson, meets regularly and has been blessed by a tremendous spirit of unity and friendship. It is a truly ecumenical Council comprising of members of the Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, Free Presbyterian, Evangelical Presbyterian and Congregational Reformed churches. The Society is now a well-known and respected voice on evangelical Protestant issues, and several Council members contribute regularly to a range of discussions on the radio and in the newspapers. We respond to various Government consultation papers in areas which impact upon our faith, heritage and moral values. We aim to maximise Protestant unity and avoid unnecessary divisions between brethren on minor or secondary issues. We are also keen to develop closer relations with evangelical Protestants on the UK mainland, and the EPS is at the centre of discussions on the formation of the new UK-wide pressure-group called the British Protestant Coalition. The Ulster Bulwark remains our priority with several thousand copies distributed each quarter across the United Kingdom and beyond. No subscription is required for the magazine, and the Society has always relied on gifts from its supporters. We would place on record once again our deep gratitude to all our loyal friends and supporters who regularly make donations. Your generosity is very much appreciated, and without it, we could not maintain our witness. If, however, the role of EPS is to be further developed and enhanced to meet the demands of the 21st century, we really need to increase our income and so, as we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we would make a special appeal to all our readers to give as generously as they can to our annual Thanksgiving Appeal. Many of our most faithful supporters are senior citizens and, each year, some of these dear friends are called home to Glory. It is imperative that others stand in the gap, and we would especially encourage young people to join with us and help us to take the work forward into another decade as we seek to promote and defend historic Biblical Protestantism.