Matthew Shardlake had seen it all – burnings, hangings, beheadings and torture – all in the name of religion. He had witnessed these gruesome, hellish, barbaric acts committed by Protestant on Catholic, Catholic on Protestant – and even Protestant against those of their own brand who disagreed with the ruling elite on matters of conscience.
Matthew had started out as a young man with a strong faith – but now, much older and wiser, that was all but dead. Continue Reading
This morning I passed one of our neighbours working on his house. We chatted for a while and he told me that he was fixing a small misalignment on a window that had been bothering him for some time – and he could not get on with anything else till it was sorted. No one else would have noticed – but for him it had become an issue. Continue Reading
When we are confronted by future circumstances or events that we know, beyond all reasonable doubt, will take place, the wise will make preparations and only the foolish will bury their head in the sand and pretend the certain will never happen. Yet this is what millions of people do. Continue Reading
All of us, I suspect, have known people we have respected, admired and considered as living on a much higher spiritual level than us. I can recall several – men and women who appeared to have great spiritual gifts – who were perhaps great preachers, leaders or charismatic personalities. Continue Reading
Can a true Christian be a member of the Church of Scotland – given that, in recently years, droves of evangelicals have left a denomination they no longer consider to stand for biblical truth? Continue Reading