Hate is not a crime – it is a sin – a sin of thought, which may manifest itself in speech and behaviour. Christian societies do not criminalise hate but teach and encourage self-policing by naming and shaming sin. Secularism has no such ability so it calls in the help of criminal sanctions to force …
Who will hold the no-deal option?
Following Theresa May's second failure to secure her negotiated Withdrawal Agreement through the House of Commons, by another massive vote, the question arises – who will hold the no-deal option, feared both by a majority in the House of Commons and by the European Union (EU)? The answer may surprise you. In spite of Theresa …
Pastors and teachers
Scripture makes a distinction between pastors and teachers. "He gave ... apostles ... prophets ... evangelists ... pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints." Eph 4:11 The apostle Paul distinguishes pastors and teachers. Pastors are shepherds and preachers are teachers. Some preachers call themselves pastor, such as Pastor Jack Glass, but a preacher …
The Independent Group contradicts UK independence from Europe
Conviction politics is alive and well. The Independent Group is a new alliance in the House of Commons of MPs against Brexit and the issues it has highlighted who have felt compelled to leave their current political parties. The issue is, What conviction? Conviction may be sincere, but one can be sincerely wrong, with wrong …
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Starlight and Time
Tonight I attended a public showing of The Starlight Travel Dilemma, in 'The Heavens Declare' series produced by Awesome Science Media. This was the third in a three-part series upholding the biblical teaching on God's creation of the world against the evolutionary hypothesis so current in secular teaching. Scientists are fascinated by astrophysics and the …
Why we need Christian voices in public life
A "Christian Voice" is a Christian articulating a Christian perspective on issues. It is not enough to have a Christian perspective, but one needs to articulate it. The Scottish National Party measures everything in terms of Scotland, the feminists in terms of gender, the homosexuals in terms of sexuality, the Greens in terms of the …
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Misreading public confession
The predictable media storm has erupted around the notable example of public confession by Liam Neeson that he once felt that he wanted to kill a black man and that he harboured the intent for about a week almost 40 years ago. The reaction on social and main stream media is predictable. The public opening …
View from the Pew
In the 1980s I edited View from Farr and in the 1990s Auldcastle View. The past two decades have given me another perspective and so I am beginning a new series in my blog called View from the Pew. It is specifically aimed at preachers, preaching and congregations. The reason for this is that whereas …
Reunions and Partings
The One Show on BBC 1 tonight draws attention to reunions and partings. I was watching this programme because the results of the BBC programme 20th-century Icons are announced on it. The finalists were clarified in tonight's programme and I have updated my blogpost. However, the same show had a marvellous story about the reunion …
When did BBC Question Time last change your mind?
Does the BBC flagship programme Question Time change anyone's mind? The standard of debate on BBC Question Time is poor and getting worse. We were told years ago that we needed female politicians who would bring civilised debate to male-dominated politics. I never believed it and I have seen no evidence that it has done …
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Donald's Thoughts 