"We have men created in the image of God and we have women created in the image of God. Nothing else! There is no X -- unspecified or Y -- undisclosed, only male and female created in the image of God. Human beings, male and female, are God's masterpiece. Everything else that staggers our imagination and wows our heart and mind, everything else in creation that fills our eyes with astonishment, everything else is secondary to God's creation of male and female in his own image. You just can't read Genesis chapter one and be in any doubt about that!"

The bishop said the distinction is exceedingly relevant for our present day. "We are living in a cultural moment in which there is increasing confusion about the significance of God's created order and about whether Christians should think about being male or female as something that is given and fixed, or as something that is to a substantial degree malleable and self-chosen."

"Being male or female is part of God's created design in His image. There are males and there are females and there is nothing else. Scientific research and discovery with its ability to look at DNA only confirms what we find in the Bible, male and female he created them."

"But bishop," you might say, "You do not understand my situation, or that of my son or daughter, my nephew or my niece!" I would say to you: when we believe the Bible to be the Word of God written, we give the Bible precedence to determine and interpret the details of our lives and if our life's experience contradicts the Bible, we must give the Bible interpretive authority. This is what it means to be a Bible believing follower of Christ.

"Many people today believe that human beings have all crawled their way through the primordial slime, up through the food chain to become homo sapiens and that we are just animals like other creatures that run around in the woods. And as a result, there is nothing special about our humanity; so if we want to identify as male, that is our choice and if we want to identity as female, that too, is our choice."

"The resulting chaos of this type of foolishness is on display across our nation. A profound deconstruction of our biological sex, which undermines the fundamental order established by God Himself, reflecting the very essence of who He is and who we were created to be, is taking place within every arena of society. When God's order is deconstructed and redefined, the consequences for sexuality, gender, marriage, family and society are profound. And when this deconstruction is aided by those who profess to follow Christ, it is a scandal."

The New Zealand born bishop said there is a lot of noise today about our freedom to determine for ourselves what sex we want for ourselves, or for our children. Many health care professionals who are pushing "gender affirming care," emotionally tell parents that their children will be suicidal if they do not pursue identity reassignment.

"And yet, I say, point people to Jesus. Take your pain to him. Entrust yourself and your children to Christ."

Dobbs praised the work of his diocese, saying that over these past years, the diocese had influenced politicians. "We have heightened the place of mission and evangelism and established missionary work in Haiti and Ghana. We have done the hard work and articulated why this diocese upholds the historic position of Christendom and ordains men and women to serve as deacons and men only to serve as priests and bishops."

On the issue of unity, and the faux "two integrities" touted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dobbs said, "our unity is in Christ and His word. Bishop J.C. Ryle (a 19th century hero of mine) wrote, unity without the gospel is a worthless unity; it is the very unity of hell." Dobbs said attempting unity through the liturgy, the vestments we wear, the canticles we sing and being "nice" won't cut it, he said.

EDUCATION

Teach your children to have confidence in the Bible, said Dobbs. "Pray with your children and grandchildren. Teach them about being created in God's image. If you remain silent, secular schools and the media will fill the hush with erroneous, false and damaging propaganda which will distort the truth and beauty of God's created order. Even our children in Christian schools, or homeschool, are vulnerable to the firehose of lies spewing out of their smartphones and children's television programming."

The bishop blasted the public education system. "Elementary school children in our public schools are being exposed to books such as, I am Jazz, the story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for trans kids everywhere. Amazon calls Jennings' book "an essential tool for parents and teachers to share with children whether those kids identify as trans or not." Other titles such as Calvin: time to be me and Born Ready: the story of a boy named Penelope are both promoted as books to engage the minds of our 5- and 6-year-olds."

The bishop encouraged his hearers to purchase and read Imago Dei written by Ryan McKenzie, which beautifully explores the many ways we reflect God's image and are His representatives here on earth, as well as God made boys and girls - helping children understand the gift of gender, by Marty Machowski.

"Tell these truths diligently to your children and grandchildren, your nieces and nephews. Talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise. Have confidence in the Bible."

FREEDOM AND CULTURE

Dobbs praised one of the foundational bedrocks of America - freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is guaranteed in the First Amendment. It is worth defending, he said.

As theologian Michael Horton has said, "The church in America has become so identified with its secular culture that it is difficult to tell them apart. Wanting to retain our last vestiges of power, popularity, and privilege, our churches and Christian movements often seek to grab the headlines. We try to build a kingdom through press releases, crowded stadiums, programs, and "relevant" communication. Like news celebrities, we pander to particular constituencies in order to gain a larger share of the market, instead of simply keeping to our script, proclaiming Christ and him crucified."

"Lines of demarcation have been drawn and the noise of this demarcation in our nation is formidable. It attempts to distract and divide the followers of Jesus from the gospel mission we are commissioned by our Lord to fulfil. This demarcation is not only visible at the Mall of America, it is sharply in focus in seminaries and on college campuses across our country."

THE ANGLICAN CRISIS

Dobbs said the last 100 years have seen an extraordinary dismantling in the church, of the apostolic faith. "For many, there is a crisis of confidence in the Bible."

"This present-day crisis has gripped the Anglican Church at its core: the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury. In February, a majority of the bishops of the Church of England voted to welcome proposals to support church blessings of same sex civil marriages in "Prayers of 'Love and Faith." In many places, these new prayers ask our Lord to bless sin -- something God will never do. In supporting the use of these prayers, these bishops are cloaking specific sexual activity--which the Bible says will result in eternal separation from God and presenting this behavior to the church as holy, precious and worthy of the name of Christ."

The actions of these bishops can never be justified!

"I believe that when bishops act in this way, they are shepherds of the worst kind, described by the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel as those who have disregarded the weak, the sick and those who have strayed. Jesus spoke of such bishops as false prophets dressed up as sheep. He named them as "ravenous wolves". Through their actions, the bishops of the Church of England who voted to support the "Prayers of Love and Faith" are misleading many in the Church to walk apart from Christ."

The Archbishop of Canterbury said, "What we have in this... decision... is, at its heart, the chance to publicly witness to Christ in the most difficult, distinctive and radical way."

"I say, what the Archbishop of Canterbury and his supporting bishops have done is to lead the Church of England into apostasy, which is surely the greatest betrayal possible of their sacred office and ministry and an even greater betrayal of Christ and His Word."

Citing the Rev. Dr. Lee Gatiss, Director of Church Society, "There are two religions in The Church of England and global Anglicanism vying for supremacy, two fundamentally opposed conceptions of God. One is the God of the Bible, as traditionally understood by believers throughout the centuries and all over the world. The other is a flexible God who changes depending on the spirit of the age, and whose character and demands on us alter to suit our preferences and desires. One made us in His image; the other is made and constantly remade in ours."

Speaking about these new prayers in the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury said, "Each of us will answer to God at the judgement for our decisions on this matter. We are personally responsible. I am supporting these resources, not I think because I am controlled by culture but because of scripture, tradition and reason evidenced in the vast work done over the last six years so ably by so many."

"I say that when reason and tradition, no matter how relevant and beautiful they may be, are placed on a level footing with Scripture, the church will always totter and demise is inevitable. According to one data analyst, if current trends continue, the Church of England will cease to exist around 2060, as the last Anglicans die out. The English church's very own Richard Hooker wrote, 'what Scripture doth plainly deliver, to that the first place both of credit and obedience is due.'"

"Global Anglican Christianity is in very good heart! There is a bright light shining in the Anglican Communion today. This light is not coming from Canterbury or York; it is blazing intensely from GAFCON, the global family of authentic Anglicans who are standing together to restore confidence in the Bible across the Anglican Communion through courageous men, women and young people who are standing shoulder to shoulder with us in this diocese--we are not alone! Christians like us with an unshakeable belief that when you believe and receive God's Word written, it is well, it is well with my soul!"

END