Protestant Truth Society

The 'No Popery' activities of the PTS in the early Twentieth Century. (Press Association 'Protestant Truth Society Protest - "No Popery" Demonstration', Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12858, 30 July 1910, Page 2. Retrieved from Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand, 21 April 2012.)

The Protestant Truth Society (PTS) was founded by John Kensit 1889, to 'take a stand against the growing influence of Romanism within church and nation.' It was and remains a strongly Protestant organisation dedicated to combatting what it claims is the influence of the Catholic Church in public life and pursuing moral conservative campaigns to defend the institutions of the family and heterosexuality.

The Society gives the following account of its position today:

Today, our world is very different from that of 1889. Britain no longer 'rules the waves', and she no longer has an Empire, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Political, social and technological change is continual, but the needs of men's hearts are still the same, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is still the only hope for a weary, sin-sick world.

Romanism is still at variance with the gospel, but so are false religion, irreligion, atheism and all those philosophies and ideologies which set themselves against the truth as it is in Jesus, and enslave the hearts and minds of men and women.

In 1898 the first band of Wickliffe Preachers was appointed. In 1905 the Kensit Memorial Bible College was established in Finchley, to train the Wickliffe Preachers in their work of 'declaring the gospel and defending the faith.'

As of 2012 the PTS is based in Fleet Street, London.

History

1914

On the decision of the British government ot open diplomatical relations with the Vatican in 1914, many Protestant organsations complained and protested including the PTS. In a letter to the King on December 23, 1914 via the Home Secretary (Rt Hon Sir Reginald McKenna):

from the President and Secretary of The Protestant Truth Society: "We your Majesty's most loyal subjects". They suggested that the appointment of Sir Henry Howard to the Holy See had offended the United Kingdom electorate, the overseas Dominions, the Italian nation, the anti-clerical element of France, the Czarist Russians, and European politics in general.

In short, "it is altogether inconsistent with national welfare to•parley with the system of Romanism; all nations coquetting with Romanism as a political power have suffered grievous upheavals; the political intrigues of Romanism may be charged as an underlying cause of the present War."

The principal charge, as to the last point, was that the Vatican courted Germany and Austria as the best hope for Catholicism in contemporary European politics.

"The declared hope by Romish Ecclesiastics (is) that a European conflict would open the way for Austria to restore again the Temporal Power of the Pope." So it goes on; until it comes to an end with an invocation of some not unfamiliar words from the economist, Adam Smith: "The Church of Rome is the most formidable combination that ever was formed against the authority and security of civil government as well as against the liberty, reason and happiness of mankind."

2010

On the visit of the Pope to the UK in 2010 the PTS was amongst those groups (also including Christian Watch) which mounted a protest. In a leaflet also sponsored by other Protestant groups (Association of the Continuing Church Trust, British Council of Protestant Christian Churches, Christian Watch, Church Society, Protestant Alliance, Protestant Reformation Society, Spirit of ’88, Trinitarian Bible Society, United Protestant Council) they claimed:

We reject the Pope’s pretensions to power over governments and churches. The Pope does not owe his present status as monarch of the Vatican City State to God but to a treaty with Mussolini. We reject his blasphemous claim to infallibility. God alone is infallible. The recent scandalous revelations over child abuse demonstrate the corruption of the papacy.

The protest was held on Friday 17th September 2010 in front of The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EE. The Society noted 'Appropriate scriptural placards will be provided'.

People

• Jeremy Brooks, Director of Ministry

Name of Director	Role	Date of Birth	Date of Appointment	Date of resignation	Stated occupation
George Roy Rae	Secretary	None given	01/08/2004	N/A	Not stated
Richard George Richard Barnes	Director	22/12/1948	13/02/2006	N/A	Chartered Accountant
Duncan Rodney Lecington Boyd	Director	18/06/1963	10/11/2003	N/A	Barrister Businessman
Michael De Semlyen	Director	19/02/1938	10/10/2005	12 June 2002	Distributor
Edwin Kenneth Lloyd	Director	18/02/1920	10/10/1995	N/A	Retired
Rev Edward John Malcolm	Director	18/07/1966	13/11/2000	N/A	Clergyman
Kevin McGrane	Director	11/05/1960	12/09/2011	N/A	Chartered Engineer
William Leeroy Smith	Director	24/04/1939	16/04/2007	N/A	Retired
Rev Dominic Francis Stockford	Director	24/08/1962	16/04/2007	N/A	Minister Of Religion
Rev Walter John Cook	Secretary	Not stated	01/09/1994	31/05/1996	Not stated
Rev Samuel Richard McKay	Secretary	Not stated	01/06/1996	31/07/2004	Director
Alexander John Roberts	Secretary	Not stated	Pre 28/01/1992	31/08/1994	Not stated
Allan Harold Leslie Bowhill	Director	05/08/1943	Pre 28/01/1992	20/07/1995	Clerk In Holy Orders
Rev Maurice Gerald Bowler	Director	05/08/1925	Pre 28/01/1992	11/03/2002	Minister Of Religion
Rev Robert David Browne	Director	06/09/1905	Pre 28/01/1992	08/05/1996	Minister Of Religion - Retired
Rev George Roland Burrows	Director	16/01/1949	14/10/1992	14/11/2011	Minister Of Religion
Rev Brian Garrard	Director	24/03/1946	10/06/1996	06/05/1998	Minister Of Religion
Harold Gordon Haynes Hill	Director	05/12/1915	Pre 28/01/1992	11/11/2002	Clerk In Holy Orders - Retired
Canon Stanley Holbrooke-Jones	Director	18/10/1927	08/11/1999	09/11/2009	Retired Clergyman
Rev Peter William Howe	Director	30/09/1934	Pre 28/01/1992	13/04/1992	Minister Of Religion
Alfred Latimer Kensit	Director	24/05/1909	Pre 28/01/1992	05/08/1992	Company Secretary-Retired
Rev Frank Walter Martin	Director	18/09/1913	Pre 28/01/1992	15/07/1992	Clerk In Holy Orders - Retired
Gordon John Murray	Director	18/03/1933	09/11/1998	13/08/2010	Christian Minister
Francis Dermot Nash	Director	21/05/1935	17/01/2002	08/11/2010	Retired
Ronald Pearce	Director	29/04/1922	13/04/1992	10/12/2001	Retired Insurance Manager
Rev Andrew Robert Price	Director	20/09/1960	12/02/2001	15/09/2003	Minister Of Gospel
David Cyril Relf	Director	07/12/1922	Pre 28/01/1992	15/09/2003	Retired Solicitor
Alexander John Roberts	Director	01/09/1927	12/09/1994	14/11/2005	Minister Of Religion
Major Andrew J H Rutherfoord	Director	22/02/1916	Pre 28/01/1992	11/09/1995	Retired Army Officer
Rev Iain Stewart	Director	06/11/1931	11/11/1996	11/03/2002	Minister Of Religion
Rev Donald Fredrick Strong	Director	18/01/1918	Pre 28/01/1992	02/02/2000	Clerk In Holy Orders - Retired
Rev John Edwin Foster Tredennick	Director	15/11/1906	Pre 28/01/1992	04/09/1995	Clerk In Holy Orders - Retired

Resources

• Guy Davies An Interview with Jeremy Brooks Banner of Truth, Circa 2008.

Affiliations

Keep Marriage Special an 'expressly Christian pro-marriage campaign', which 'originated with both the Protestant Truth Society and Church Society' in January 2012.

Contact

The Society is registered at Companies House as the Protestant Truth Society (Incorporated), company number 00166825

184 Fleet Street

EC4A 2HJ

London

Telephone: 020 7405 4960