There are serious consequences of losing a sense of family within the church. . . We assume that the nuclear family can meet this need, and yet some of the loneliest, most isolated people in our communities are married with children, often so frenetically busy with child rearing and/or caring for aging parents that they … Continue reading The church as the most important family
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The half-converted farmer
There was a farmer in our neighbourhood who lived a simple life. He had no need of electricity, running water or a lawn mower. He didn’t need a wife either though we heard that there had once been a lady of the house. Perhaps the rustic simplicity of the homestead soon lost its charm. This rustic … Continue reading The half-converted farmer
Mr. Average Canadian
This was first published four years ago. In 1926 Stephen Leacock tried to describe the average Canadian man of his day. Eighty-nine years have passed and Mister Average Canadian of that day is long dead and buried. Therefore, I will take it upon myself to describe his modern counterpart, according to census statistics. In 2015 … Continue reading Mr. Average Canadian
Simplicity of the church
It was a fine summer day in 1627 and I was strolling through Plimoth Plantation when deacon Samuel Fuller fell in step beside me. "The church officials back in England are saying that we have no business calling ourselves a church here in Massachusetts, because we have no minister," he said. "But a church is … Continue reading Simplicity of the church
The need for fellowship
I recently read something written by a young lady whose parents are very conservative Christians. She spoke of how difficult it had been to find a church where she could feel at home because she didn’t want to get into anything that felt like the way she had grown up. I feel compassion for her, … Continue reading The need for fellowship
Fifty years ago
It is 50 years since the Jesus people movement began in California. It followed close on the heels of the Summer of Love, that brief period in time when disillusioned young people believed they had found the solution to all the world’s problems. “All you need is love” by the Beatles was their theme. They … Continue reading Fifty years ago
The threefold purpose of the church
As I read the New Testament, the evidence accumulates that there is a threefold purpose for the existence of the church. Each of these purposes is connected to, and dependent upon, the other two. Perhaps we could call this a three-legged stool and whenever one of the legs is shorter than the others it creates … Continue reading The threefold purpose of the church
Duty of separation of the Christian
That the Christian is commanded to separate himself from the Antichrist, is said and proved by the Old and the New Testament: For the Lord says, Isaiah fifty-two: Depart ye, depart ye; get out of here, do not touch anything unclean, get out of it; purify yourself, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. … Continue reading Duty of separation of the Christian
What are the works of the Antichrist?
The first work of Antichrist is to banish the truth and turn it into a lie, an error, and a heresy. The second work of the Antichrist is to hide the lie under the guise of truth, and to prove it and confirm it by the name of faith and by miracles, to mix falsehood … Continue reading What are the works of the Antichrist?
Do people make a church?
A church leader once told me "We have never seen it happen that a church would begin to drift away from the truth and then recover itself. When you see a church begin to drift, it's time to get out and start over again." I have observed a lot of getting out and starting again … Continue reading Do people make a church?
Flatlander Faith 