The Way to Heaven is not by "being good", or by "going to church". Too often the church gets in the way, instead of helping you to find the Way. The Way to Heaven is not religion, philosophy or "living a good life". Jesus said to the ecclesiastical lawyers: “Woe unto you, lawyers! for you …
Category: Apologetics
Reformation from blind faith
The 16th-century European Reformation was a reformation from the blind faith expected by Roman Catholicism. Blind faith is believing something because someone else has said it, rather than examining the evidence for oneself. It is encouraged by dogmaticians, who regularly use "proof by assertion" to "establish" their point. Instead of believing what the Roman Catholic …
Prepare to meet thy God
Today the Scottish Parliament will debate an Assisted Dying Bill promoted by Liam McArthur, a Lib Dem MSP. It is the first of several parliamentary stages, which can be viewed here. The debate can be viewed live and retrospectively. The death culture – from birthdays to manmade deathdays. Why are people so ready to rush …
Church courts or helpers?
In Presbyterianism it is common to hear of church assemblies being described as church courts. Why? This terminology promotes legalistic thinking, and this is too commonly found in dealing with cases of conscience or cases of discipline. This legal thinking needs to be balanced with the biblical teaching about office-bearers in the Church of Christ: …
Politics teaching about false religion
Many people want nothing to do with religion, but politics will introduce them to religion whether they want it or not. Do they recognize this, and can they recognize the difference between false and true religion? Today's cataclysmic results in the English Council elections showed not only that Reform UK is breaking the two-party dominance …
Roman Jesuitism
This morning, the world's media focussed on the Roman Catholic funeral mass, known as a Requiem Mass, for Francis, the recently deceased and the first former-Jesuit to become pope in Rome. Roman Jesuitism was much in evidence to those who could recognize it. Presiding Roman cardinal Giovanni Battista Re read a homily saying that the …
What is a Christian Voice?
I have often said that we need a Christian Voice in public life. However, my experience is that very few people know what this means, including Christians. I am 70 years old today and I have been involved latterly in Christian politics for almost 20 years. Many Christians in the UK do not know what Christian …
What does secularism have to offer?
Secularism is a worldview that wishes and aims to abolish religion from public life and, if it can succeed, from private life also. Richard Dawkins wants to stop religious people having the "privilege of access to the levers of power and to the megaphones of influence". He has also called teaching Christianity to one's own …
The price of losing Christian values
There is a saying: "You won't miss the water till the well runs dry." Britain's wells are running dry. The caring professions are running dry, which many now view simply as jobs without a sense of vocation. Speaking truth is running dry in politics and public life Isa 59:14. Christian conscience is seeping away from …
There is no post-Christian era
A good New Year to my readers. We sometime hear people saying that we live in a post-Christian era. There is no such thing – Jesus Christ continues to reign over the Earth from His throne in heaven Ps 110:1. He continues to advance His kingdom and He taught His Church to pray: "Thy kingdom …