June 22, 2006

The Debate Over Parliamentary Format and Liberty University

Webcasting around the world from the desert metropolis of Phoenix, Arizona. This is the dividing line. The Apostle Peter commanded Christians to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us.

Yet to give that answer with gentleness and reverence. Our host is dr. James white director of Alpha Omega ministries and an elder at the Phoenix reformed Baptist Church. This is a live program and we invite your participation.

If you'd like to talk with dr. White call now at 602 973 460 to or toll-free across the United States. It's 1 877 7 5 3 3 3 4 1. And now with today's topic here is James white.

Hey good afternoon. Welcome to the dividing line. It has been an interesting day so far. I Had plans for today. There was stuff. I needed to get researched and there was stuff. I needed to get written and I didn't get any of it done.

I can't believe that it is 4 o 'clock in the afternoon, but it is and What has taken my time? Well, if you go to my blog right now, you will see that within the past two minutes. I posted a new document on my blog on the website and You will see that it is the third in the canner correspondence files.

Canner three dot PDF. I actually Put out a PDF and it looks semi decent. It's not quite as good as what was typeset for me before but I put all of the stuff from the other side in Blue in I did the PDF.

Yes Open office can export it in PDF and it looks it looks pretty good. So I'm fairly impressed. I'm very very happy anyway the the link is there and Some of you have been wondering what this status has been in regards To the situation with the debate October 16th.

I had written to dr O'Donnell the head of debate at Liberty University and I had written last week and I had asked since it had been a full month Since we had begun attempting to contact. Dr. O'Donnell.

That.

He.

Contact us that he get back to us. And what'd you do knock something over in there? Good. All right. Great. That's I get the studio audience is not behaving well today folks and it can be somewhat, you know Distracting when they started doing it.

Anyway We hadn't heard anything back and You know, honestly if if dr O'Donnell was sent off to the deepest darkest African nation someplace and was far away from the Internet I can understand that and I left that as a possibility.

But that didn't seem overly likely. Instead it looked like we were facing another situation as we had faced before. Where a month would go by and and no one would respond to anything that you had said even though you would drop Reminders and you know, are you are you all out there?

There's some issues on the table here and of course response I was best you're just not that important to us. You know, this is way down the road and you're not important to us and we'll we'll respond to at our own you know, we're in a big University here, you know, we're in the big time and and We get lots of email and and things like that.

So finally I called dr. O'Donnell's office on Monday I believe and When I start talking about calling and talking to folks in the phone all of a sudden we start getting responses that's how I ended the month-long silence before and So I called left a message and the day after we had asked that someone respond.

We finally did get a response from dr. O'Donnell. That's part of that correspondence file. And of course his big thing is how unprofessional I am and how mean spirits and have poisoned the atmosphere and so on and so forth and of course, I respond to those things and Demonstrate they're untrue.

But yet as it may I I asked for details Concerning this parliamentary this long table parliamentary form of debate now, it's not that there are not books John Meany's books on parliamentary debate are out there.

The point is you've got to be using the same Standards the same material that the other guys are using. Okay, and so I Have every reason to ask the individual Who is going to be moderating for the rule book?

He's going to be using Since parliamentary debate is going to involve asking interrogatives. What is the what kind of interrogatives can be asked? How often can they be asked? These are all basic things that we need to know and we need to have Reference sources that we can hold everyone to a fair standard, right?

I mean, what's what's unusual about any of this absolutely nothing except that we don't get a response for a month and So you can read the response there basically he said the rule book I will use is fairness to which I said that's very nice, but I'd like something a little more substantive that I can study and So when I responded I responded last evening.

When I came in this morning rich starts talking to me about Eric and Cantor's response. I'm going I don't have a response from Eric and Cantor. So he sent it over to me somehow even though it was addressed directly to me.

It wasn't sent to me. It was sent to to others. It was sent to Tom Askew. It was sent to Rich Pierce. It wasn't sent to me and So I got it and Here's here's here's what's that dear James my goodness It takes something for email to call me in the summer just to draw my attention to an email.

I will do this quickly. Number one. The debate which you demanded we agreed to was settled in February. Number two. We provide the format the issue for resolution and even the location. Number three. All you have to do is show up.

Number four. The reason this has been so difficult is because you didn't like it and could not manipulate it. Number five. If you do not have the ability to prepare for this debate fine I care not how many debates you have had.

This is a debate to which we agreed back out and admit failure or simply come To debate neither email nor I have any plans to allow you to manipulate this debate to your advantage. This is level ground, so I assume this will be new for you.

Number six. Further simply sending an email does not require a response. I receive spam daily. Your voluminous emails do not demand response. I receive countless letters and emails every day. Whether I respond or not is entirely within my purview and fitting the demands of my schedule if you have the ability to respond to Your email list daily.

Wonderful that is not my concern. Number seven. Finally since you have chosen ironically by your own free will to publish everything in this exchange I treat your emails like a gossip column only written to draw the attention of your cadre.

Number a. The debate is October 16th, not June not July. I have absolutely no reason to engage in your meanderings four months prior to the debate. It is simply one item on one date on my calendar. This is not the Council of Constance.

I will not be drawn into some delusional drama. It is just a debate. Come to it or don't I have a full-time job and a Family Liberty University has become the largest Christian University in the world under the direction of our chancellor.

We have much to do and very little time the important things shall be done first and there was the I'm sorry in any case. I assure you the email. And I will go to a library read up on this debate style and shall be prepared signed Ergon canner.

So.

Boy if you read it all at once it's even worse than when you cut it up and respond to it.

I.

Have I have responded to that and You can read that on the on the website. I just quoted one little segment of it the segment I after going through each one of the points and pointing out. You know, for example when he talked about the spam and my voluminous emails do not demand response.

I said yes. We have seen how much respect you have shown in this situation. Dr. You sent me a dozen emails in one day. If I may remind you I replied to every single one. I do not like in your correspondence to spam I allow the reader to determine what it says when you make this kind of statement.

Besides it is one thing to take a day or two to respond. You went silent for a month. Let's keep the facts in sight. Shall we. Thankfully those facts are in the public domain where they belong and.

So.

Then when he said that he an emir would go to a library and read up on this debate style I said classic you admit you have never used this format either. Amazing and it truly seems that you have no idea how this demonstrates that you are manipulating the format the very thing You have falsely accused me of doing.

So if this is the kind of argumentation, we're gonna be looking at it's not give that difficult of debate. So anyway, the part that I quoted at the end of my email goes like this. Okay, evidently you are saying the following one.

This is our house. We will do it. We please number two. We choose the format tough if you don't like it. Tough if nobody uses it in theological debates tough. It doesn't allow for meaningful and extensive cross-examination like you do with others.

We don't want that. Anyways, number three we choose the thesis statement. We will not answer your questions about it. We will not respond to the fact that it could just as easily be used by universalist tough.

We like ambiguity live with it. By the way, the ambiguity part there was dr O'Donnell actually says in his letter that that we could never come to agreement on a thesis statement. That's good for the debate.

The ambiguity is good for the debate and I'm just like wow. That's not how maybe In all these debates I've done that that wasn't that wasn't something that really had come up that we needed ambiguous thesis statements the the better thesis statements the clear ones seemed to be Better for debates.

But anyway number four we would rather behave like this in private, please. Remember, they're the ones constantly complaining that the world is watching this and I don't have any problem with everybody.

Reading what I've said and how I've behaved. I wonder why the other side does hmm. And number five if you don't like it go away. Otherwise show up. It's not important to us. We are part of the biggest University around and you are no more important than spam anyway so that is that's the summary that I posted on my blog along with the issue of indicating that the That the thesis statement only makes sense when translated into Tongan that was the.

So.

There you go, it's it's right there. I have contact I've mentioned to them. This is you know, I said, all right. If that's how you want to do it. Out in the open. Here's the things we need to understand.

Response. First of all, we will show up but we will not be alone. We will have what I might call a backup moderator on the front row. He will have expertise in parliamentary debate. He will have a timer.

He will make sure the time frames are being kept fairly for both sides. And if there are any questions concerning moderatorial action I will call upon him for input as long as fairness takes place. No one will even need to know he is there.

I think that's absolutely necessary. Number two. Rich Pierce will be forwarding you to you information on the contract regarding the videotaping of this debate. This material was drawn up by our attorneys after the Barry Lynn debate wherein he attempted to suppress the distribution of the videotape of our debate on homosexuality through legal means.

It gives full and unhindered freedom to both sides to distribute the unedited video and audio of the debate as they see fit without any claims by the other side. Number three. Which Pierce and others will wish to speak to those at Liberty who will be involved in the audio and video? production to ensure Redundancy and backup measures to make sure the recording is not accidentally lost or erased or damaged or anything else.

We may well need to arrange for a backup recording procedure using our own personnel just to be sure. Number four use whatever incoherent thesis statement you wish I will be debating the topic quote God seeks to save every person equally without distinction and quote.

This is what you believe. This is where we differ and unlike your proposed statement this one makes sense. You may spend all the very brief time you have explaining your thesis thesis statement. Knock yourself out.

And Number five we will let anyone and everyone know we wanted cross-examination. We're in the text of Scripture could be closely examined. The canners did not. We wanted a minimum of three hours. The canners wanted to as They did not think you could sit still for three hours.

This correspondence and accompanying documentation Will remain available for any and all to read and judge for themselves. And then I closed with this statement. I assure you dr. Canner We will be more than ready for October 16th.

But it seems we have a different reason for looking forward to that date. Brushing up on an obtuse and unusual debate format is not the issue a good debater can adjust to a less-than-useful Situation.

The reason will be this. We will have the opportunity as brief as it is by your choice To talk about the freedom of the king of the universe to rule over his creation that night. We will be able to talk about a perfect Savior a powerful Savior who never fails who is worthy of our worship.

We will get to contrast a presentation that is solidly rooted in the exegesis of the text with the inspired and an errant Word of God. With that which is based upon emotional appeals straw men and the revision of history itself.

And we will get to trust the Spirit of God to make his truths come alive in the hearts of young men and women and Maybe a few old folks like us. For we will challenge those folks to make that night a starting point.

Nothing more a starting point from which they must move in their study of God's Word. We will challenge them not to be content with man's shallow traditions. We will challenge them to struggle hard with God's truth.

Trusting the Holy Spirit did not reveal anything in the word in vain. We will challenge them to not accept the whitewashing of entire texts like Romans 8 through 9 or John 6 and we can trust God's Spirit.

To light a flame in the hearts of his people. That's why we will look forward to that evening. So once again, I present this to the people of God as a minister who stands before those people I have been open and honest and seeking to carry out my ministry to their benefit in this situation.

And I will do so despite the roadblocks you have forced upon us. Please be looking for mr. Pierce's correspondence on the videotaping recording issues. His email will not be spam and should not be treated as spam and should be responded to in a timely fashion.

Thank you, and we will see you on the 16th of October. Well, I confess I have Never experienced anything like this in my life. This will be number 60. I believe of the debates that I have done. That's a five dozen of them and No, no, no, no, no, no, no open it and bring it in here.

Please. I just saw I saw something arrived and it looked way too light to be the book I'm hoping to receive but it may be something else. So I want to see it while we're on the air. This is a live program folks, and it's not meant to be overly stuffy.

Anyway, I five dozen of these debates it's a lot of them and Some of them there was some pretty nasty pre debate stuff, especially with Bob's and Janice. There is some pretty nasty post debate stuff with Art Sippo, but if they don't Art Sippo is Art Sippo.

I think what bothers most people about this is Is the fact that we're talking about? One of these one of these men teaches at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary one of the largest. Well, probably the largest Evangelical seminary in the United States and the other is the newly minted president of Liberty Theological Seminary and the Dean of Students at Liberty University.

And.

As often as there have been times that you've you've wondered about some of the things that take place. You still just can't help but go, you know, these these folks should be behaving differently. Oh.

Not what I was looking for but that's nice too boy, those are hot man, whatever you do folks do not ship much out. To Phoenix, Arizona that can melt during the summer. Okay I just we just opened up a package from UPS and what do you think these things?

It's probably about a hundred and hundred five hundred six degrees because they've inside it said that truck may be even hotter anyway. And I think that's what bothers people it bothers people that that folks in that situation will behave in in this fashion it just it shouldn't be this way and You know, dr. O'Donnell's right.

There should be no reason for me to have ever had to post this material in public. It this this should have been able to be done with just a small number of emails and it was done and it was set. And it was ready to go.

But read the correspondence for yourself and you'll see why. You'll be able to see why it had to be exposed for what was actually taking place. What's actually going on? And so that is the current situation.

Why the Debate Still Matters

Eight seven seven seven five three three three four one. Let me address a concern. Immediately and if you want to call in that's great. The lines are open at eight seven seven seven five three three three four one.

Let me let me address a an honest and and good concern one that I do understand and that is. Should we even bother? Should we even bother let's face it. This is an important topic and I don't like the idea of Dealing with folks that treat it in such a cavalier fashion.

There's no there's no two ways about that and if this was going to be Almost anywhere else than where it's going to be. I don't think I would bother with it. It is clear to me I mean when when Ergen Kanner Can stand in front of the congregation and say that God hit Esau because of what Esau did when he can turn the text of the Bible completely on its head.

Right after it said not because of anything they had done good or bad even before they were born. It was said when you can completely miss a text like that. Just just show no Exegetical capacity at all like that then generally I would probably go, you know.

Been there done that got the t-shirt. No real reason to go back over this again. He's not going to be presenting anything that has not been refuted a thousand times before no question and given the behavior the the the Moderator Starting off by how unprofessional of you and you've poisoned the atmosphere and all the rest of stuff not a word to the canners.

The fact the canners can't even call us Christians. Can't won't answer questions all the all the the documentation of the of the straw men and the misrepresentations everything else. None of that gets mentioned, but if we dare let the the people know What's going on?

Well, you know how you've poisoned the atmosphere. All of that would probably be enough to make me go this is absolutely ridiculous. There's no reason to do any of this. So why go through with it? Well First of all, I cannot guarantee that the people who've heard about it would ever Hear both sides, even though we've put everything out.

Hey, we're a small little ministry and I've got a small little website and and How do I know the people who've heard about it would ever get an opportunity to actually read the documentation to know as to what?

Actually took place but beyond that beyond that particular situation is the reality that no matter what we think of the long table parliamentary form We're still going to have an equal amount of time short amount of time.

Yeah, but an equal amount of time and Folks I have seen the proclamation of the perfection.

Of.

Christ the Lord. Christ the powerful Savior. Christ the perfect Savior Christ. Not the the the milk toast Jesus at the door, but the powerful King. I've seen The proclamation of that truth from the Word of God from John 6 John 8 John 10 John 17 from from the book of Hebrews.

He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw nigh unto God by him. I have seen that proclamation. When it is finally presented, it's it's all the human tradition. It's gotten out of the way. I've seen it change people and I can trust the Holy Spirit of God.

I can trust the Spirit of God to to make that come alive in the hearts and minds of people. I don't have to worry about about using some kind of you know Emotional peels and all the rest of stuff. I can simply trust the Spirit of God to do that and so there's going to be a large group of people there and I know Tom Askew and Tom Askew knows me and the people who know us know how we are going to behave and They know that we are not going to be.

We are not going to be behaving in such a fashion as to Detract from our message we are going to be there and we're going to be focused as much time as we're given or as little. We are going to be focused and I will allow that presentation to contrast itself to whatever else takes place to whatever else happens and Hope that the Lord opens opportunities of discussion.

So.

That's the situation. Eight seven seven seven five three three three four one. That's why I am pressing forward with it. I fully understand that. Let's. Let's start taking our phone calls and let's start with.

Stephen hi Stephen. How you doing? I'm doing well. Dr. Whiting yourself doing well. Well, listen, I just wanted to Encourage you somewhat that you're going with this with this thing with the cameras I was as I was listening to you talk earlier.

I was wondering what you know, why bother but I Understand why and why you need to do it.

Hello. Yes. Well, yeah, I do too and I fully you know. They're gonna be people who are gonna disagree and I fully understand that I I know Tom has said he's been very disappointed in all of this and I I fully understand that as well I I would not fault anyone.

Anyone else for saying you know what? This is this is no, I'm not not interested in this and I'm not gonna be involved as I fully understand that but but I I I Think that the Lord can do something with this given the context given the audience.

Given the fact that we've tried to be wide open about this and people can examine this stuff I I want to press forward and I'm willing to do so and even though we're gonna be walking into a very uncomfortable situation Still I want to see this take place.

So well, I'd like to ask you.

What do you think it is with Baptist in particular and I'm a Baptist who and where I am? There's not a lot of Calvinistic Baptist churches, but. What what do you think it is that they just seem to have abandoned their traditional roots.

Well, I I think a couple things first of all one one knock on a lot of Baptists and it's a it's a fair knock is that we don't see ourselves as we really are in history and. So we we don't see ourselves as standing in any kind of meaningful history.

And so if church history ended basically 50 years ago. Then all we know is what we can sort of briefly look back over our history and see. And for a lot of them It's been the revivalism the Phineas. Um the things like that and and they think that's what defines what it means to be a Baptist and they don't realize.

They've never they've never read the 1689. They don't they don't real they don't read Spurgeon and things like that. And so Unfortunately, if you don't have a deep root at that point You're going to be blown about by every not only wind of doctrine.

But by wind of culture and things like that. And I think it's one of the reasons that we see what we see in a lot of situations.

Well, I think it's sort of just share with you. I I was saved in the Baptist Church In 1968, but it was not until five years ago that I knew there was a 1689 Baptist Confession. Oh, yeah, and that was basically through your ministry.

I mean, I'd heard of the doctrines of grace before that but Actually what had happened. I was doing some research on the King James only controversy I would read your book and I began listening to your program.

It is boy that guy ever Calvinistic and Was basically I think I listened to about three or four programs and I had to admit that that what you were saying was correct with in the Word of God and I mean it's It's made a big difference in my own life as far as my evangelism is concerned and other things as well.

Well, you realize Steven that we we trapped you that that is a mean Calvinist trap and that the only reason I wrote the King James only controversy was to trap people like you and Turn you into Calvinist.

So I just just so you know, you've exposed me at that point and It's a joke.

I think that We need more Ministries like you on the internet and on on radio as well. And I'm looking forward to seeing you when you come up to Toronto in September.

Well, I'm still going up to Toronto, even though I'm going to be going straight to Toronto now instead of going through through Fort Worth. I was going to be speaking at an apologetics conference at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and In fact only I think three days ago had been told to to get my tickets and I was we had worked it out.

So that would fly from Phoenix to Fort Worth I'd speak there on a Wednesday on Mormonism Jehovah's Witnesses and others and then I was gonna fly from Fort Worth Via, I think Charlotte up to Toronto and I'm speaking up there and then fly back from Toronto.

But Just a couple of hours ago. I'm not even two hours ago I think I received a phone call and was disinvited from speaking at the apologetics conference and It it had seemed rather odd to me. Because the night after I'm speaking emir canner is speaking on Islam and he is a teacher there and I had always found that a little bit different a little bit odd.

It's gonna be a little bit unusual. But I didn't have any problem with it. I had been scheduled to speak here for probably at least a year now and Around that period of time. I would say it's been one of the longer-standing commitments I had and So I was just disinvited and I asked if you know, could I ask why.

Well We've just decided to go another direction and I said is dr. Canner still speaking? Yes. He's still speaking. And so I went on the website and I have been replaced by a discussion of the word faith movement.

I'm not sure how that's a real big change in direction, but I have been disinvited from from speaking there.

So I'll ask you also Are you still planning on doing something on Islam up here as well? Because last time I spoke, yeah. You said you were no.

I was gonna try to find some way of doing something on a Monday with was Shabir Ali. But that is during Ramadan. And so I was going to do something on the deity of Christ, but since then Shabir has agreed to debate that subject in Scotland.

And in fact, we right now are working on arranging three debates For Scotland for next year. One the deity of Christ one on whether the Old Testament prophesies Jesus Christ Believe it or not. He's he's the one who asked that he's come to conclusion that it does not.

And then one and whether the Old Testament speaks of Muhammad and so there will be three debates that we'll do in that context and. So since he has agreed to do the debate on the deity of Christ and no, we won't be doing that I'll just be speaking at the conference there for soul scripture of ministries.

Well, that's great and listen.

I I'm just you know, so grateful that you've been able to you know. Keep going up because I think I would have given up and discussed on those guys. It bothers me that a person of dr. Kanner stature is behaving like a child.

Well, I just put it out there and let folks see for themselves and go from there. Hey, thanks. That was. We'll see you in September.

Okay. Thank you. God bless.

Eight seven seven seven five three three three four one. What's the Muslim population Scotland you'd be surprised. Universities in Scotland. UK. There's there's more folks up there than you might imagine and there's fairly active Islamic university student associations up there.

And a number of the debates I've seen for example between Shabir Ali and Jay Smith been taking place because those Muslim student associations were able to do that. We're hoping to sort of utilize that kind of Help to get our debates set up as well.

Eight seven seven seven five three three three four one is the phone number. Phone lines are open for your comments on this subject. And others lots of stuff going on before we take our break. The Anglicans are at it and the Episcopalians are at it.

And we'll be talking about that when we come back as well. And your phone calls. Eight seven seven seven five three three three four one.

What is dr. Norman Geisler warning the Christian community about in his book chosen, but free a new cult. Secularism. False prophecy scenarios. No, dr. Geisler is sounding the alarm about a system of beliefs commonly called Calvinism.

He insists that this belief system is theologically inconsistent. Philosophically insufficient and morally repugnant. In his book the potter's freedom James White replies to dr. Geisler, but the potter's freedom is much more than just a reply.

It is a defense of the very principles upon which the Protestant Reformation was founded. Indeed it is a defense of the very gospel itself in a style that both scholars and laymen alike can appreciate.

James White masterfully counters the evidence against so-called extreme Calvinism. Defines what the reformed faith actually is and concludes that the gospel preached by the reformers is the very one taught in the pages of scripture.

The potter's freedom a defense of the Reformation and a rebuttal to Norman Geisler's chosen. But free you'll find it in the reformed theology section of our bookstore at a omen Org. This portion of the dividing line has been made possible by the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church.

The Apostle Paul spoke of the importance of solemnly testifying of the gospel of the grace of God. The proclamation of God's truth is the most important element of his worship in his church. The elders and people of the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church invite you to worship with them this coming Lord's Day.

The morning Bible study begins at 9 30 a .m. And the worship service is at 10 45. Evening services are at 6 30 p .m. On Sunday and the Wednesday night prayer meeting is at 7. The Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church is located at 3805 North 12th Street in Phoenix.

You can call for further information at 602 to 6 grace. If you're unable to attend you can still participate with your computer and real audio at PR BC org where the ministry extends around the world through the archives of sermons and Bible study lessons available 24 hours a day under the guise of tolerance.

Modern culture grants alternative lifestyle status to homosexuality. Even more disturbing some within the church attempt to revise and distort Christian teaching on this behavior in their book the same-sex Controversy.

James White and Jeff Neal write for all who want to better understand the Bible's teaching on the subject. Explaining and defending the foundational Bible passages that deal with homosexuality including Genesis Leviticus and Romans.

Expanding on these scriptures they refute the revisionist arguments including the claim that Christians today need not adhere to the law in a straightforward and loving manner. They appeal to those caught up in a homosexual lifestyle to repent and to return to God's plan for his people.

The same-sex controversy. Defending and clarifying the Bible's message about homosexuality. Get your copy in the bookstore at a omen or how the pilgrims progress. It's not an easy way. It's a journey.

And.

Anglican and Episcopal Schism Over Homosexuality

Welcome back to the dividing line. Eight seven seven seven five three three three four one. Just today this the date line on this is is how can this oh? I see what well could it be. Well, this is times online, and yeah, I guess it could be eight hours.

Yeah, it could be tomorrow. Yeah, this is dated dated tomorrow.

23rd.

American churches shown door as gay row deepens. The Anglican Church moved closer to schism yesterday when members of its central administrative council formally asked the churches of Canada and the u .s. to go.

Unconvinced by the justifications offered by both churches on Tuesday for their actions in ordaining an openly homosexual bishop and authorizing same-sex blessings. Members of the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Nottingham Asked them to leave the council and its central finance and standing committees.

Although the motion invites the churches to withdraw voluntarily to mount an effect to a punishing expulsion. The debate was held behind closed doors at Nottingham University yesterday and the motion passed 30 to 28.

By secret ballot with four abstentions who it was close. The Anglican Consultative Council is one of the four instruments of unity of the worldwide Anglican Church, but is the only one that has a legal constitution Based in Britain.

It is in effect the central administrative body of the Anglican Communion worldwide the primates of the Anglican Church meeting in Dramontene in Ireland in February had also asked the US and Canadian churches to withdraw from this week's meeting in Nottingham.