The usefulness of Christians is paramount. It is not enough to listen to sermons and to worship God, but God expects us to be useful. "Faith without works is dead." James 2:20,26 I suggest that prayer without works is dead also Ex 14:15, Act 9:6-11. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount – Matthew, Chapter 5 Immediately …
Category: Church reform
Old heads on young shoulders
There are many adages from a by-gone era that need to be resurrected for the benefit of today's youth. One is that "you cannot put an old head on young shoulders". The cult of youth and the pandering to youth and their opinions, on the principle that they are the leaders of tomorrow, has a …
How does God speak to us?
God is speaking to us all the time in a variety of ways, but we are not good at listening. The Bible is not the only way God speaks to us. Each morning we awaken to consciousness, noticing the world around us. We have come into a visual reality from an unconscious or dreamlike one. …
A Christian funeral and burial
Yesterday my wife and I attended a funeral in a small community on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. The usual practice there is to conduct family worship and then the minister gives a short address at the local cemetery after the burial. The hearty singing of the praises of God from the Scottish …
Disestablishment and the Church of England
This video at the New Culture Forum's spring conference 2022 shows some of the current problems in the Church of England. Some of us have known a much longer list for a much longer time. However, one proposed 'solution' was to disestablish the Church of England, which was compared to privatising a national institution. The …
The usefulness of Bible exegesis
This is the second blogpost in my current series on Bible exegesis for beginners. You may want to begin at the beginning. The first blogpost was to help you load an essential Bible tool on to your computer, which you can consult at anytime even when you are not on the internet. I plan to …
Bible Exegesis for Beginners
A Happy New Year to all my readers. Last New Year I posted Do you know the Doorman? This is a very important question and your answer is even more important. January is the door to the New Year and Jesus Christ is the Door to heaven and a new life. We learn from Him …
Don’t preach to me
Very many people object to being preached at. Indeed! Good training should teach preachers not to preach at people, nor beyond people, nor above people's heads, nor beating around the bush, but to people in a manner designed to engage their attention. However, many people do not want even this. So they cannot complain if …
Impoverished conversation and free speech
Misunderstanding is common in conversation, but what really impoverishes speech nowadays is the subjects that are off-limits. Political correctness has made everyone aware that some topics are off-limits and even particular words have now been banned. Free speech is under attack but let us notice that it began long ago with the supposed rule for …
Critique of the Church of England ‘at its best’
One may assume that the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip was the Church of England putting on its best display. The splendour and pageantry of the day, organised by the Duke while alive, easily eclipsed the offerings from the official ecclesiastics. Since I have often said that the national churches are failing …
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Donald's Thoughts 