Worship Songs.

 Top Christian worship songs of 2021.

• Anugrah Kumar  | Tue 5 Apr 2022.

  After reviewing 2.7 million songs churches sang and 91,000 sermons delivered in 2021 amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the church technology company Faithlife has published its annual report revealing top worship songs and sermon trends of the last year. CT.

Birdie.

 

Accept His Instruction.

 

Amazon: Buy!

 Climate at a Glance for Teachers and Students: Facts on 30 Prominent Climate Topics

by Anthony Watts, James Taylor, et al. | 19 Apr 2022.

NATO? - Oh Dear, Keir!

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1602842/keir-starmer-news-labour-party-nato-policy-russia-invasion-ukraine

Heresy Alert.

 https://answersingenesis.org/culture/tiktok-pastor-says-jesus-not-only-way/

Eritrea.

'We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.' (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)  20 years ago, the Eritrean government effectively outlawed most of the Christian denominations in the country.    Since that time thousands of people have been detained indefinitely without charge or trial, facing torture and death – simply for belonging to an ‘illegal’ religious group. Even permitted faith groups have suffered repression, as illustrated by the recent death of the legitimate leader of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Patriarch Antonios, after 16 years in detention.      Twenty years later, the repression continues. But while the Church in Eritrea may have been struck down, it has not been destroyed.    In a world that expects speedy results, and where the news cycle quickly moves on, join us as we continue to stand with our Eritrean friends in annual prayer and protest:    ‘Struck Down But Not Destroyed’ online event, 19 May, 7-8pm (UK)    In 2003 we held a protest vigil marking the first anniversary of the closure of churches in Eritrea, and we have held one every year since.     Join CSW, Church in Chains (Ireland), the Eritrean Orthodox Church in the UK, Human Rights Concern-Eritrea and Release Eritrea online to mark the 20th anniversary of the closure of most religious communities in the country.   Date: Thursday 19 May Time: 7-8pm, GMT  Location: Live on Zoom   Eritrea needs your prayers and action more than ever.     The Eritrean regime, which is deemed to have committed crimes against humanity since 1991, exported its repression to Tigray in Ethiopia in November 2020, where it has committed the most appalling violations against local people, destroyed two Eritrean refugee camps, and forced thousands of refugees to return to the horrors they’d fled.    Many Eritrean soldiers died in the early part of this war, including young and barely trained conscripts who were forced to fight on the frontlines.  This hasn’t deterred the regime from launching another mass round up and forcibly conscripting more citizens, including minors, to fight in Ethiopia, and possibly even further afield.      20 years is too long. Let’s continue to make our voices heard.     CSW Events Team    P.S. We’ll let you know how you can take action for the people of Eritrea nearer to the event, but for now sign up here.

No, Martyn. Christ Is OFF The Cross. It Is Empty.

 The case for Christ on the cross.

• Martyn Whittock  | Fri 15 Apr 2022 7:23 BST

  Maybe there is a season when we evangelicals should replace our empty crosses with a crucifix and meditate more on the shocking cost of salvation. Visually, a crucifix could help us do this, suggests Martyn Whittock. CT.

Birdie.

 

Metallica and A Cult.

 Until it Sleeps and The God That Failed.

Both songs cover the same ground and were written by the band’s founder, James Hetfield. Hetfield’s mother died of cancer when he was only 16. Both of Hetfield’s parents were Christian Science devotees so they refused medical treatments for the mother’s disease, to which she ultimately succumbed.

The anger and hurt caused by his parent’s decision to not seek medical attention, and what he saw as God’s failure to intervene, is captured in part of Hetfield’s song The God that Failed:

Pride you took, pride you feel
Pride that you felt when you'd kneel
Not the word, not the love
Not what you thought from above

I see faith in your eyes
Never you hear the discouraging lies
I hear faith in your cries
Broken is the promise, betrayal
The healing hand held back by the deepened nail
Follow the God that failed

The awfulness of this outcome is two-fold: the death of a loved one that could have likely been prevented and the rejection of God by Hetfield who was a secondary victim of Christian Science lies.

Christian Science is neither

Thankfully, you don’t hear much from Christian Science adherents these days. Founded in the late 1800s by Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Science exhibits the classic characteristics of every Christian-themed cult.

Eddy claimed she fell on a sidewalk and was near death, when – two days later – she asked for a Bible, read Matthew 9:2, and miraculously rose on the third day of her injury. The doctrines of the cult are spelled out in Eddy’s work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, in which she stated: “I should blush to write of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures as I have, were it of human origin, and I apart from God, were its author.”

A primary teaching of Christian Science is that sickness and death are an illusion, never mind the fact that its founder suffered from various illnesses, wore glasses and false teeth, and ultimately died. Moreover, as all cults do, it presents a false Christ – one who was a mere human that reflected the “divine Christ”, who was not crucified, and whose blood does not cleanse anyone from sin.

Instead, Eddy believed people must use Jesus’ metaphysical principles to save themselves. Consequently, those adhering to those beliefs – like Hetfield’s mother – not only endanger themselves physically by their practice, but they risk their eternal lives as well.

Spotting a false prophet

When it comes to painting a picture of what false prophets liked Eddy spiritually look like, no one does it better than Jesus’ half-brother Jude:

“These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude 12-13).

By being “hidden reefs,” false prophets cause shipwrecks of people’s faith like Metallica’s Hetfield. Fake teachers also prove to be a disappointment just like clouds that promise rain to those who desperately need it but fail to produce.  

Instead of being “like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither” (Ps. 1:3), a false prophet is double trouble being “without fruit” themselves, thus spiritually dead and consequently producing no spiritual fruit in others.

Being “wild waves,” fake teachers are untamed, and sooner or later their deeds come to light, much like waves that cast their foam and scum up onto the seashore. As Isaiah wrote: “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked” (Is. 57:20-21).

Lastly, Jude says they are like “wandering stars.”  An unpredictable star provides no trusted guidance or navigation to travelers and instead, it leads people astray. Like Jesus said: “If a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matt. 15:14). 

Unlike the enemy who is behind all false teaching, Scripture tells us that God never misleads anyone nor fails in whatever He intends: “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (Is. 46:10). While God never fails, conversely, fake gods, counterfeit Christs, and the false teachers who proclaim them can do nothing else but.

The lesson for you and me is simple but incredibly important – don’t be someone that follows the god who fails. CP.

Robin Schumacher is an accomplished software executive and Christian apologist who has written many articles, authored and contributed to several Christian books, appeared on nationally syndicated radio programs, and presented at apologetic events. He holds a BS in Business, Master's in Christian apologetics and a Ph.D. in New Testament. His latest book is, A Confident Faith: Winning people to Christ with the apologetics of the Apostle Paul.

Our Patterns.

 

Imports Fall From EU and Exports More or Less Hold Up. Brilliant!

The Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics and Political Science found the 'shocking fall' (25%) in what they claim is the most comprehensive study yet into the effects of Brexit on trade between the UK and EU. It did find, however, that exports to the bloc avoided such a dramatic fall, with a smaller and temporary drop.

Blogger: BTW, the LSE really don't like the first part of this equation. The rest of us really should.  

Short Video Exposing 'The Climate Change Scam.'

 https://youtu.be/JX7u7bQO8JE

Excellent Plan.

Brexit LIVE: UK to unlock 'tens of billions' in major 'big bang' escape from EU chokehold.

BREXIT Britain has launched a consultation that could unlock 'tens of billions' of pounds in infrastructure and replace EU legislation.

By FRANCESCA EDWARDS

07:36, Thu, Apr 28, 2022  | UPDATED: 11:12, Thu, Apr 28, 2022 . Express.

The consultation by Chancellor Rishi Sunak was announced this morning with the hope of making it easier to invest in long-term infrastructure and attract new insurers.

It will replace the EU's Solvency II rules and aim to unlock what Boris Johnson calls an "investment Big Bang".

Financial services minister, John Glen said: "Our reforms will unlock tens of billions of pounds of investment in the UK economy, spur innovation in the market while protecting policyholders – and will cement the UK’s position as a global hub for financial services."

In That Case - MOST CHRISTIANS WOULD BE WRONG!

• 

  Pastors and churchgoers differ over whose job they think it is to 'go and make disciples'

  Leonardo Blair  | Mon 25 Apr 2022.

  While a majority of pastors agree that every disciple of Jesus Christ is mandated in Scripture to "go and make disciples" as part of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20, most Christians believe this mandate only applies to some disciples, not all, a new study from Barna shows. CT.

How Are The Mighty Fallen.

Archbishop resigns from Anglican Church of Canada over sexual misconduct.

• Kathryn Post  | Thu 21 Apr 2022 

  Mark MacDonald was national Indigenous Anglican archbishop of the ACC and is known for his climate justice advocacy. CT.

Birdie.

 

HOLD To The Teaching!

 

Horror.

Possible mass grave with up to 9,000 bodies discovered near Mariupol, Ukraine.

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor| Sunday, April 24, 2022

Journalists gather as bodies are exhumed from a mass-grave in the grounds of the St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints church in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv on April 13, 2022. - The European Commission President visited the mass grave in Bucha on April 8, where Russian forces are accused by Ukraine's allies of carrying out atrocities against civilians. | SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Satellite imagery has revealed what looks like a mass grave outside the port city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, which might be 20 times larger than another mass grave that was discovered earlier this month in Bucha and could contain as many as 9,000 bodies, according to officials from Mariupol, which has witnessed the worst fighting since Russia’s invasion.

The Mariupol City Council has posted satellite images on Telegram that point on the mass gravesite located just 12 miles west of Mariupol, which is now largely controlled by Russian troops along the northwestern edge of Manhush and is believed to contain as many as 9,000 bodies, NPR reported.

Hmm.

 

Against a Background of Secularism.

 https://www.christianpost.com/voices/the-hope-of-america.html

Climate at a Glance: Islands and Sea Level Rise?

Climate at a Glance: Islands and Sea Level Rise

Climate activists often claim Pacific islands are sinking under rising seas and spawning climate refugees. Objective and published scientific evidence debunks claims that climate change is causing small islands to disappear under rising seas.

In fact, new studies have shown most islands to be growing in size, not shrinking!

Learn More 

NHS: An Organisation Riddled With: PC; Bureaucracy; Self-Satisfaction and Abundant Sacred Cows.

By Georgia Gilholy

Wednesday, 27 Apr, 2022
8:31 am

The opinions in Politics.co.uk's Comment section are those of the author.

A major new comparison of global health systems places the UK second to bottom 

across a series of major health care outcomes, including life expectancy and survival5

 rates from cancer, strokes and heart attacks.

The first ever ‘International Health Care Outcomes Index’ published today by the Civitas 

think tank calls into question Sajid Javid’s plans to rebuild our ailing health system.

This independent evaluation ranks the UK health system against 18 other comparable 

countries by looking at health spending and 16 major health care outcomes. The report has

 been compiled by former Centre for Policy Studies director Tim Knox based on data available

 from the OECD.

All the other countries studied – apart from America – provide universal access to healthcare

 and deliver better outcomes for patients, according to the figures.

With public confidence in the NHS plummeting, Knox is calling for a more “honest” debate

 about the future of our health system.

Across 16 major health care outcomes the UK comes bottom of the league four times – more than

 any other country – and is in the bottom three for 8 out of 16 measures. No other comparable 

country has such a poor record.

The charts and tables are based on a straightforward ranking of health care outcomes enabling a 

direct comparison of the UK’s health system with its international rivals. The report finds the UK 

constantly “bumping along the bottom” and firmly “in the relegation zone”, says the report.

According to the ‘International Health Care Outcomes Index’ the UK is 10th out of 19 comparable

 countries for spending on its health system as a percentage of GDP. Putting the UK mid-table.

In 2019 the UK ranked 17th out of 19 comparable countries for life expectancy.

For strokes and heart attacks the UK has the worst survival rates of comparable countries

Across 5 different types of cancer measured by the OECD the NHS comes 16th out of 18 comparable

 countries.

For treatable diseases the UK is second to bottom – 15th out of 16. If we matched the average of 

other countries, we would save over 6,500 lives every year or 17 a day.

The only thing the UK tops the charts on is helping diabetics avoid limb amputation.

Tim Knox said: “This index compares our health care outcomes with those in similar countries.

 It’s impartial and based on an established methodology and comparable data that is available

 to anyone, anywhere.

“If what matters most to patients is the outcome of the treatment that they will receive, then 

these findings should be of concern to all, not least as the least well-off are those who have no 

alternative to the NHS.

“Our uncritical worship of the NHS means that it is difficult to ask questions of our health 

service and how it ranks against those of other nations. This index is meant to challenge our 

preconceptions.”

Blogger: you know what the response would be. (To be said in a whiney voice) "But we need more 

taxpayers' money!''

There Is Some Pretty Tough Teaching At The Moment On This Blog So NEVER FORGET ...

Hell was my destination. But God the Son loves us so much that he paid the price for all of our sin HIMSELF at Calvary.

His blood washed me of all my sin for all time but this was based solely on my repentance.

Learning, knowing and enacting these truths is the ONLY way to heaven. Religion will not do it for you and neither will good works!

It Ain't Just The Putins of This World Who Are Hell-Bound ...

 ...

Every single human being is gonna be right there with him!

EVERY one!

The only exceptions are those who accept and honour Jesus's FREE gift of salvation.

'Salvation' is a meaningless word to so many. They do not realise they need it.

People DO - and I'm telling YOU!

For Every School Teacher Who Poisons The Minds of Little Children Against The Gospel! - Something To Ponder.

Birdie.

Malaria and Mosquito-Borne Diseases.

 

Climate at a Glance: Malaria and Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Claims that warming temperature will cause more malaria cases and deaths are contradicted by real-world evidence. As the Earth warms, malaria cases and deaths are declining in all areas of the world. If global warming causes more malaria cases, we certainly should have witnessed more malaria cases and deaths by now.

Learn More

Eritrea.

Struck down but not destroyed: 20 years of prayer and protest for Eritrea

20 years ago the Eritrean government outlawed most churches in Eritrea. Since that time thousands of people have been detained without charge or trial, and faced torture and death – all for belonging to an ‘illegal’ religious group. Even permitted groups have suffered repression.  The Church in Eritrea may have been struck down, but it is not destroyed. On 19 May we’ll be holding our annual prayer and protest vigil, as we have every year since 2003. We’re looking for those who will continue to stand alongside our Eritrean friends, two decades later.  Will you join us online to mark 20 years of oppression of the Church in Eritrea?  Register for ‘Struck down but not destroyed’ on 19 May 7-8pm

Join in protest for Humanist Mubarak, sentenced to 24 years in Nigeria

The president of the Nigerian Humanist Society, Mubarak Bala, was sentenced earlier this month to 24 years in prison for merely expressing his beliefs in a Facebook post.    It's no coincidence that this happened in Kano state, where Professor Tarfa also received an unjust sentence – both cases are part of a wider campaign against those who don't follow the majority religion. Since his arrest in 2020 Mr Bala endured a lengthy period of pre-trial incommunicado detention without being formally charged, was separated from his wife and young son, and has had limited access to his lawyer.   This Thursday Humanists UK has organised a protest to mark the second anniversary of Mubarak's initial arrest. Join us to stand in solidarity against this unjust and excessive sentence: When: Thursday 28 April, 4-6pm Where: The Nigerian High Commission, 9 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BX   Please also pray that, along with Professor Tarfa’s case, justice will be done on appeal, and that Nigeria’s blasphemy laws would be repealed.

Six years, and still no justice: your gift helps us advocate for survivors...

Easter: a time of joy, and a celebration of freedom.  But, for many, it’s marred with fear, painful memories, or the risk they’ll be attacked while they worship. For many Christians in Pakistan, for example, Easter brings back painful memories of Easter Sunday in 2016, and the moment when hundreds of Christians who had gathered in Lahore’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, were targeted by suicide bombers.  At least 72 people were killed in the blast. Many more were injured. For those who survived, their lives were changed forever.  Six years have passed, but the Christian community in Pakistan are still awaiting justice. We want to secure justice for the survivors of this horrific attack. We want to see the perpetrators held to account, and ensure that attacks such as this one don’t happen again – in Pakistan or anywhere else.  Will you give £11, or whatever you can,  to support our advocacy for faith communities in Pakistan, and around the world? Thank you so much.

Addressing urgent global challenges –because of your support!​

Throughout 2021 – as the world continued to grapple with the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic - CSW’s teams mobilised urgent advocacy interventions for the global challenges and crises which emerged.  New urgent challenges emerged which needed to be addressed: military coups brought unrest in Myanmar/Burma and Sudan, peaceful calls for freedom and basic rights in Cuba were met with a harsh crackdown on citizens, atrocity crimes and grave human rights crises unfolded in Tigray, and Nigeria was a nation in crisis.  Our team moved quickly to implement advocacy interventions in the face of urgent global challenges, while maintaining unwavering and persistent advocacy for those whose stories did not feature in media headlines and whose plight often goes unnoticed. Working with local partners, affiliate offices across the world, and with your support, we continued to raise our voices and work for justice. Find out the difference our work made in 2021…

Lidl and Aldi - A Truly Brilliant Endorsement For Capitalism (And Germans, too!)

 I thank the German firms of Aldi and Lidl for cutting my family's weekly shopping bills.

Not only are they cheaper - but they have really fettled the big four supermarkets and forced them to give better value too.

Since the 90s - I have saved thousands - well over £20k with a highly conservative guesstimate.

I Would Often Disagree With This Lady But She Is Right On The Mark Here!

Rishi Sunak has lost all moral credibility over his personal tax affairs.

By Cat Jenkins, Church Action for Tax Justice.

The chancellor can’t increase the tax burden of ordinary working people while 

benefiting personally from tax loopholes, says Cat Jenkins 

It’s hard to overstate how badly the Government has handled revelations 

about the personal tax affairs of 

Rishi Sunak and his family.

In case you’ve missed it, this is a furore that’s blown up just as the Government 

has increased taxes on workers – especially the less-well-paid – against

 a backdrop of truly frightening cost of living increases. MPs on all sides 

have criticised the move, recognising how difficult life is about to become 

for many of their constituents. Read more:

https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/rishi-sunak-has-lost-all-moral-credibility-over-his-personal-tax-affairs/12851.article

Birdies.

 

God's Wrath.

 

Yay For Baron Tweedsmuir.

Important lessons from a neglected Christian writer.

Martin Davie   23 April 2022 

(Photo: Unsplash/@helloimnik)

If asked to list important lay Christian writers from the twentieth century, people tend to list names such as GK Chesterton, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. One name that will probably not figure is John Buchan. Yet this omission is unfortunate, because Buchan was one of the twentieth century's most prolific and widely read British Christian authors, and, more importantly, he is an author whose works still have much to teach Christians today.

Buchan is best remembered today as the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps, but there was far more to his life than the writing of this single book. Born in Scotland in 1875 in relatively humble circumstances as the son of a minister in the Free Church of Scotland, Buchan was a journalist, historian, biographer, novelist, poet, historian, lawyer, and politician who died in office as the Governor General of Canada in 1940.

As his most recent biographer, his granddaughter Ursula Buchan, explains in her book Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps – A Biography of John Buchan, Buchan was a devout Christian whose 'Christian faith was the foundation of his understanding of the cosmos and the motivation for his way of living.'

Because his Christian faith shaped the way Buchan saw the world, it is also reflected in his writings and, the result is, as I have noted, that his works have important lessons to teach Christians today.

Today the proponents of 'critical theory' argue that right and wrong are invented by groups with political power in order to support their dominance over others. Buchan, however, stands in the Christian tradition of moral realism. In his writings he teaches us that right and wrong, good and evil, are not mere human political inventions, but have objective existence, and that human beings have to take the right side in the battle between them.

Today it is widely believed that the course of history is either a complete accident, or wholly determined by human activity. Buchan teaches us, on the other hand, that what happens in history is the result of the providential action of God. However, this does not mean that human beings have no role to play. Their role is to trust God and work with his providential activity by performing the tasks he gives them to do.

As the American Walter Blenkiron puts it in Buchan's novel Greenmantle, 'I believe in an all-wise and beneficent Providence, but you have got to trust him and give him a chance.' It is not a question of either God's activity or human activity, but of God's activity and human activity as the proper response to this.

For Buchan, the shape of this proper response is determined by the moral teaching found in the Bible and the mainstream Christian tradition, and everyone has the choice to either behave in a way that is in line with this teaching, or to fail to do so. CT.