LYNDA BRYANS: ‘SPIRITUALLY SUSPECT’ Over quite a period of time now, the Belfast Telegraph Religious Affairs correspondent, ALF McCREARY, has published the results of a set of questions he has posed to well-known figures who would have usually some religious ‘attachments. On rare occasions some have featured sound biblical Christians, but as I said, they are ‘rare’. On Saturday 8th May, 2021 the person whose responses to his questions were published was LYNDA BRYANS, described as ‘a former Ulster Television presenter and currently a television and radio broadcaster and journalism lecturer’. I had some personal interaction with LYNDA in the late 1990’s and in 2000. At that time, she was happily married to fellow-broadcaster Mike Nesbitt (sadly they have in the last year separated because of his infidelity) and whilst LYNDA professed to being a Christian, he described himself as ‘an agnostic waiting to be convinced’. At that time, Billy Patterson of the Irish Home Mission was preaching at a mission in Carr Baptist Church and so I sent audio cassettes of those sermons to LYNDA (c/o UTV) and said perhaps Mike might like to listen. On Monday, 25th September 2000, I went to ‘observe’ a talk given by Nicky Gumbel in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast. Nicky is the main ‘ALPHA-COURSE’ man and he was there that night to ‘extol its virtues’. My report on the meeting and my analysis of his talk can be viewed on this link - https://www.takeheed.info/an-alpha-assessment-nicky-gumbels-gospel/ During the course of the meeting LYNDA was invited onto the stage and spoke favourably of the impact of the Alpha Course in her life. At the close of the meeting, I saw that LYNDA was seated not too far from me and so I went over and introduced myself to her. I was warmly received and she expressed her appreciation for the tapes that I had sent. Later her husband, Mike Nesbitt, entered the ‘field’ of politics as a member of the Ulster Unionist Party and in due time became leader of it. In June 2014, following some of his public pronouncements about ‘we Christians’ I wrote to him firstly to clarify that he was no longer ‘an agnostic waiting to be convinced’, secondly to graciously challenge his views that ‘we Christians’ included Roman Catholics (as he had clearly inferred) and thirdly to challenge his support for the location of a ‘Mosque’ to be sought out. In his reply to me Mike wrote ‘My religious/spiritual journey has changed slightly since the days of agnosticism waiting to be converted to the position of being a struggling Christian, progress of sorts, I hope’. For me that was not a convincing ‘testimony’ to having become a Christian – for one thing, when a person is truly ‘converted’ their life does not change ‘slightly’ it changes radically – “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2nd Corinthians 5:17). In March 2017 I also wrote to Mike on the subject of so-called ‘Same-Sex- Marriage’ to outline what a true Christian assessment of that should be in the light of what God’s Word says on ‘marriage’. On Monday, 5th August 2019 the Irish News reported on the ‘Belfast Pride’ parade that had taken place on Saturday, 3rd August 2019 and they included the following photograph and caption in their report – Ulster Unionist members including MLAs Mike Nesbitt and Doug Beattie and former MP Danny Kinahan pictured during Saturday's Pride parade in Belfast Mike Nesbitt is in the centre of the back row (wearing glasses) and the recently elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Doug Beattie, is on the right of the back row (also wearing glasses). At the time, I wondered to myself how Mike’s wife, LYNDA, a professing Christian, reacted to his participation in this shameful, ungodly event. I thought she would have had grave reservations about it – how wrong I was as the answers that she gave in the Belfast Telegraph will clearly demonstrate. I propose now to list in one column the questions posed. Then in a second column I will give LYNDA’s answers and then in a third column I will post my observations on her answers. Question: Lynda’s answer: Cecil’s observations: 1. Can you tell us I am a TV and radio broadcaster A visit to the website LYNDA referenced was certainly eye-opening. It was something about and I lecture on journalism at chock-full of items that are overtly NEW AGE, MARIAN-APPARITION friendly, your background? Belfast Met Film and Television (including details of a ‘retreat’ to MEDJUGORJE) and OCCULT, such as ‘New School. I have two grown-up Earth Meditations’ that was available during June where you could have sons, Peter and Chris and I live in entered ‘the new earth doorway of Gemini. The Twin Self … Gemini is our Belfast. I co-host an online breath, to breathe, to unite the voices of our twin self … what message do you monthly faith-based chat show, need to hear from the silent twin waiting in your light or waiting in your called ‘Spiritual Answers to shadow. The silent voice has to be heard and unify a new way of Human Questions, with Roisin communication with Self, Spirit, & God.’ Seeking spiritual truth by such Campbell of ‘Rainbow methods is an open-door into the world of the OCCULT and draws people away Lighthouse’. People can access from the only source of spiritual truth, God’s Word. NO faithful Christian this at should be ‘yoked’ with such a website in the light of 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18. www.rainbowlighthouse.net 2. How and when did I grew up in Saintfield and went to ‘Commitment’ has crept more and more into Christian vocabulary over recent you come to faith? a Presbyterian Church, which decades and in many ways has been used to circumvent the saving biblical was our family tradition. I also requirement of ‘conversion’. In 2015 I penned an article on this issue and it went to Sunday School at a local can be viewed on https://www.takeheed.info/pdf/2015/March/Commitment-is- gospel hall, but it wasn’t until my not-Conversion.pdf I mention the term ‘Decisional Regeneration’ (another late teenage years that I made a deception) in the article and this link goes to the text of a very helpful booklet commitment to faith. My Sunday so-named - https://www.semperreformanda.com/doctrine-2/decisional- School teacher, Winifred Gregg, regeneration-by-james-adams/ The fact that LYNDA testifies to ‘commitment’ had a huge influence on me and and not ‘conversion’, that she is comfortable to ‘partner’ with a lady heavily my faith. She lived out the promoting Roman Catholicism and ‘Occult-type’ healing - these would all Christian life daily. We are still in resonate with the ‘spirit of Alpha’ but not with the Spirit of Truth who inspired touch occasionally. the Holy Scriptures. I think LYNDA would do well to prayerfully ponder long and hard 2nd Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith; prove (test) your own selves”. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates” (except you fail the test). Those are very challenging words for every professing Christian. 3. Does this faith play a My faith is definitely not just for LYNDA refers to ‘faith’ and to ‘God’ – the question to be faced is this – are they real part in your life, Sundays – it’s based on a full- the ‘faith’ and the ‘God’ which the Bible speaks of and reveals. I think the or is it only for time relationship. In fact, answer to that question will become more evident as we progress through Sundays? throughout this past year, which LYNDA’s answers to other questions that were put to her. Again, another has been very challenging for sobering verse for all professing Christians, including LYNDA, to prayerfully many reasons, I feel my faith has ponder is Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall deepened like never before. I enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which wander off the path occasionally, is in heaven”. God’s will for His children here on earth is that they should live but I always realise I can’t do life lives of obedience to His commands – the Lord Himself said in John 14:15 “If without God. you love me, keep my commandments” 4. Have you ever had a I haven’t had a crisis of faith, but Many professing Christians talk about ‘feeling the presence of God’ – it is a crisis of faith, or a there have been times when I constant ‘mantra’ in many professing Christian circles. Whilst I was truly sorry gnawing doubt about have not been able to feel the to read of LYNDA’s period of depression I think Christians need to realise that your faith? presence of God in my life. When our ‘awareness’ of God in our life should not be dictated by our ‘feelings’. I had clinical depression many Those who veer towards that thinking run the risk of going down a ‘mystical- years ago, this was probably the experience’ avenue which might in part explain LYNDA’s willingness to worst time. ‘partner’ with Roisin Campbell on ‘Spiritual Answers to Human Questions’. This article is very helpful in this context - https://sukofamily.org/can-you-feel- gods-presence/ It features comments by John MacArthur, some of which the author of the article accepts, but questions others.