I'd like to address the controversy over Alistair Begg. I came across an interview with him....a few months old I believe....that is really extraordinary in many ways. It was a Russian Christian journalist crew....the questions asked by a young Christian journalist whose name is Margarita Kolomiytsev. The only reason that I know her name is that it was in the credits at the end of the interview. I tried to research this ministry in Russia....because the interview was so beautiful....and I was successful....but it was all in Russian! It's a long interview....but moves fast because of the profound questions and equally profound answers by Alistair Begg.....and because of the camera work and choreography of the interview. You can easily view this by Googling....Alistair Begg: On Ministry, friendship, wars. and Donald Trump.
So let me get down to it. Alistair made comments in a Q&A on his radio program a few months ago that he calls a "storm in a tea cup"....but is more than that. A grandmother was concerned because she received a 'wedding' invitation from a grandchild who was going to marry a transgender person. What should she do? Alistair Begg told her to go to the wedding....and lightheartedly added...."and take a gift!" In the following days and weeks the controversy exploded across the Internet.....one major Christian radio group cancelled Alistair Begg's....Truth For Life....192 stations I believe....and then after a conversation with John MacArthur it was thought best if he withdrew from the upcoming Shepherd's Conference....and Alistair Begg did so.First of all Pastor Begg was wrong in his advice. He made a mistake. He thought that he was showing love.....but that was not love....it was confusion. He made a second mistake in that when questioned on this whole thing he said that he was not ready to repent....because he did not need to repent. The abruptness of that comment showed that this thing was going too fast....and he did not have patience or humility with it. This interview with the Russian journalist....if you choose to watch it....will give you understanding on Alistair Begg.....and it is all good. We conservatives fight all the time against what has become known as....'victimhood'....but we need to make sure that we do not apply that to Alistair....compassion and love and prayer yes....'restore him Lord'....should be our urgent prayer....'for Thy glory alone'....but we cannot accept his hypothesis here. Our defense is always to be of the gospel of Jesus Christ....even at times over His faithful ministers who fail us.
So let's next look at us....those of us....all of us....who are correct on this issue....but maybe in need of correction ourselves. This is God's handiwork....this whole thing....and although it may seem to spike downward.....good will come of it. We need 100% compassion in everything....and we are lacking in that in many areas.....most revolving around what Donald Trump has done to us. Alistair Begg needs 100% defense of the gospel and vigilance to go along with it. He missed out on this here....but if we do not at least hear him on compassion....then we also will be missing out.
John MacArthur himself has made some very serious mistakes in the past few years....also because of Donald Trump's influence on us. I have forty years of mistakes. We must learn from them.....MacArthur....Begg....certainly me....and even you. This whole thing needs prayer for all concerned....and that God might use this to strengthen us in ways that would be a total surprise to us. We should thank Him in advance for His glorious and mysterious ways in guiding us!
