I knocked on the door which was ajar. My friend was not at home and yet a pan was boiling on the hob, the radio was on, and the house gave every appearance of being occupied. The lines from Larry Norman’s I wish we’d all been ready‘the Son has come and you’ve been left behind’, …
Published in Christian Today 25th July 2016 ‘Burn In Hell!’ screamed the tabloid headline as it vented the frustration and wrath of ‘the people’ against a particularly evil individual. It’s strange that despite the lack of teaching about hell in the Church, the idea of hell continues in popular culture. I’m not sure when I …
Published in Christian Today 7th July 2016 Have you noticed that every time a celebrity dies (which seems to be occurring at an alarming rate this year – or am I just getting old?) that inevitably the remarks follow about them being in heaven, looking down, playing their guitar etc. For a generation that is …
Published in Christian Today 21st June 2016 Isn’t it great to be free! Especially free to be creative. Doesn’t religion shackle creativity? Isn’t it just better to be ourselves and express ourselves? So runs the somewhat narrow and simplistic narrative of some of our culture. Does Christianity really stifle music and the arts? I …
Published in Christian Today 10 June 2016 The Hitler challenge: Wasn’t he a Christian? Adolf Hitler: Was he really a Christian? I confess. In last week’s column I sinned, at least against the internet gods. I mentioned Adolf Hitler, thus triggering Godwin’s Law, which states that the minute anyone mentions Hitler in an argument they have …
It’s time for democracy to make itself felt David Robertson | Published in The Scotsman 08 June 2016 IT’S time to Establish a challenge to the power and influence of those who hold the reins of power, says David Robertson Last month I had the privilege of being a guest of the …
Published in Christian Today 01 June 2016 The word ‘freedom’ is one of the great buzzwords of our culture. In the words of the rock band Queen, we all want to “break free”. Whether it’s Mel Gibson shouting “Freedom” as he is hung, drawn and quartered, or Martin Luther King crying “Free at last, free at last, …
Published in Christian Today 20 May 2016 While the Church is one of the greatest ‘apologias’ for the gospel, it is also often the weakest link. How many people say they cannot believe the gospel because they see those who say they believe acting in a way that is contrary to their profession of faith? In …
Published in Christian Today 09 May 2016 The bookstore in Glasgow was packed. The talk on science and the Christian faith went well. The time came for questions. The bookstore manager was desperate to be first – “What do you think about homosexuality?”. “Why are you asking me that?” I replied. “This is a discussion …
Published in Christian Today 22 April 2016 So we have been talking about Jesus, the beginnings of the Church and its history, but what about today? Church was fine in the 19th Century and, in a kind of English country village way, in the 20th. But apart from a few redneck areas in the US, Northern Ireland, …