25 Gordon Terrace
AYR
KA8 0EX
22 May 1997
The Editor
The Herald
195 Albion Street
GLASGOW
G1 1QP
Dear Sir,
Please allow me to correct a false impression that may have been
given in the article Banned worshipper labels church a cult, The Herald, 22 May 1997.
The article states, "Mr Paul Mansbacher said he would now
leave the faith …." giving the impression that I have
renounced my Christian faith. This is not the case. I continue
to hold to true Christianity which takes the Bible as the basis
of its faith and practice.
The facts are these. After learning that my petition would not be received by the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, I went to the door of the Assembly building, and, in the presence
of witnesses, read out the following text: "And whosoever
shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out
of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet" (Matthew
10:14). I then proceeded to remove my shoes and bang the dust
off them against the door post. This was followed by reading
out a message to those faithful few believers who yet remain in
the Kirk: "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins,
and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).
I have shaken the dust off my feet of the Free Kirk, but I most
certainly have not renounced the Christian faith. Rather it is
the case that the Kirk, by its actions, has renounced the faith.
These actions include permitting Professor Donald Macleod and
others to break their ordination vows without censure, and proceeding
in various ways against those who would bring this and other matters
into the light, thus acting unjustly. This is contrary to: "And
what doth the LORD, require of thee, but to do justly, and to
have mercy, and to walk humbly with thy god" (Micah 6:8).
The Free Kirk is no longer adhering to its Subordinate Standards
and Practice. It has become a personality cult around
Professor Macleod. The true church follows the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yours faithfully
Paul Mansbacher.