Headline: Christian Churches need a clear roadmap on Irish Unity debate
Religious commentator Dr John Coulter urges the Christian Churches in Ireland to get a clear roadmap as the debate on Irish Unity gathers momentum.
As the celebrations and commemorations to mark the centenary of the founding of Northern Ireland gain pace amid the increasing relaxation of the pandemic restrictions, the various Christian Churches across the island need to step up to the mark and enter the debate on Irish Unity. After all, the four main Christian denominations – the Catholic Church, Church of Ireland, mainstream Presbyterianism and Methodism – are all organised on an all-island basis. Even the fundamentalist denomination – the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, founded by the late Rev Ian Paisley in 1951 – has a number of congregations based in Southern Ireland. The Elim pentecostal movement, which has numerous churches across the Emerald Isle, was founded in Monaghan in 1915 during the era of the Great War. The Orange Order – which is the largest of the Protestant Loyal Orders – boasted its governing body as being the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Irish Freemasonry is also organised on an all-island basis. While the overwhelming majority of these ‘all-island’ organisations will claim their structures existed pre-partition in the 1920s, this should not be taken as an excuse to abstain from the Irish Unity debate. The main contribution which the Churches can make is to ensure that any debate on Irish Unity or the future of the Union is done in a calm and respectful manner. In short, the Churches must put on a united front as a soothing influence, ensuring that its clerics do not indulge in inflammatory rhetoric. In the past, some clerics have been accused of allegedly making sermons and speeches with contentious statements. It has even been suggested that people have acted on the content of these words and have ended up with a jail term. There is much talk about Northern Ireland’s future direction, of a shared island, of a new Ireland. What is the Christian Churches’ vision for this island over the next century? In a seemingly increasingly pluralist and secular society, how will the Christian Churches find a meaningful role in the community? Could the various Christian denominations unite to produce a roadmap for the faith as Northern Ireland enters its second century? Or would such discussions typically descend into theological wrangling over dress codes in church, the translation of the Bible which should be used, the role of women in the Church and other side issues? There is a real fear among some sections of the Christian community that the recent vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly on so-called ‘gay conversion therapy’ could be the thin edge of the wedge to stop Christians praying for people who face challenges, not just concerning their sexual orientation, but over many other issues in life. Could the ridiculous situation emerge whereby some Christian who prays for someone suffering from cancer or COPD is jailed for making that prayer? Perhaps the real issue at stake in the Irish Unity debate is whether the Christian Churches will have the freedom to actually practice their faith, let alone express that faith in public. The Churches need to ensure Christianity does not see the emergence of the so-called ‘sermon police’, whereby the content of sermons preached in places of worship – even if they are not live-streamed – are closely monitored in terms of ‘causing offence’. While those Christians who classify themselves as liberal in their theology may not be at risk, certainly those believers who classify themselves as evangelicals or fundamentalists and take a strong theological Salvationist position could find themselves being hauled before the courts. And its not just inside places of worship whereby the Christian Churches could find their content closely monitored. Open air ministry has always been a key tool for communicating the Gospel. Would the activities of such evangelical outreaches also be intensely monitored for so-called ‘offensive material’? For example, when my late dad was in full-time ministry during the Seventies, our family summer holidays were spent in Portballintrae, and our time there normally coincided with the annual beach mission by the Christian organisation, CSSM (Children’s Special Service Mission). We would gather on the beach in front of the former Beach Hotel in the village and enjoy Bible readings, choruses, games and a wee sermon. But all it would take would be one person to lodge a complaint with the police that he or she was ‘offended’ by the evangelical content of the beach evangelists and the service could be brought to a rapid conclusion. The Churches cannot afford to bury their heads in the historical sand and pass the buck by stating that the future development of Ireland belongs solely to the politicians and parties. If the Churches want to have a relevant voice in the so-called new Ireland, they may need to shout a bit louder, but they will need to do so with a united platform. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning around 10.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at http://radio.garden/listen/sunshine-104-9fm/tBZsuX1o
Headline: Promotion of Praise will be solution to any post-Covid empty pews crisis.
With places of worship finally opening as the latest lockdown restrictions ease, Religious commentator Dr John Coulter maintains how Christians approach praise and worship could hold the key to getting many worshippers back into the actual buildings.
As the various Christian denominations unveil when their flocks can return to face to face meetings – under social distancing restrictions – the biggest challenge for all places of worship is how they can fully attract back their pre-pandemic fellowships. Without doubt, the March 2020 original lockdown forced many places of worship to adopt the skills of digital evangelism as Sunday services, prayer meetings and Bible studies went online. While the various lockdowns since March 2020 posed serious challenges to the activities of numerous church-based organisations, such as Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade, church bowling clubs, meetings of the various women’s groups, youth clubs and youth fellowships, it also sparked a phenomenon known as ‘church hopping’. Ironically, for some Christians, the prospect of watching services online whilst not having to dress up in their ‘Sunday best’ appealed to many folks! Numerous Christians, during anecdotal conversational evidence, say how they enjoyed watching such services from the comforts of their bedrooms, studies, sitting rooms and kitchens – often still dressed in their dressing gowns and pyjamas! Okay, many Christians also voiced concerns about not being able to mix socially with their fellow believers as the concept of actual face to face fellowship is a vital component of their personal spiritual journeys. Pre-Covid, numerous churches and mission halls would also have a festive time either before or after the service whereby worshippers could meet and chat together over a cup of tea and a traybake. All those social gatherings have been put on hold as a result of the pandemic. Indeed, even when churches return to face to face worship, the pre or post-service festivities may still not get the green light under the restrictions. In reality, it could even be well into 2022 when churches are again able to host their tea and sandwiches events. There’s also the influence of ‘church hopping’ whereby worshippers from one church tune into the online output of other churches, not just in their own denominations, but in others – then decide they like the presentation of that other church and ‘defect’ to that denomination or place of worship. Some churches have already begun the preparation process of trying to encourage their flocks back to face to face activities by organising either Sunday drive-in services in the their church carparks, or socially distanced prayer meetings inside the actual buildings. While many youth organisations and activities are still on hold, many churches have been organising online video ministries for the young folk of their regions. But is there the danger that even with the churches and mission halls fully open for socially distanced activities, that will not be enough to persuade worshippers back to the buildings, especially if many churches and halls continue with their online evangelism by live-streaming their events. Could a social situation arise whereby folk are more interested in visiting loved ones and friends, watching films at the cinema, going for trips to the seaside, even playing a sport on Sundays rather than attending worship? Faced with these dilemmas, the main thrust of trying to persuade an increasingly significant number of worshippers to return to the buildings is to give a high role to the praise bands and worship teams. In the 1970s and 1980s, many people followed specific preachers around the country, especially those popular evangelists based in the north east Ulster Bible Belt. With the new millennium unfolding and the rise in the number of more expressive Pentecostal places of worship, many folk based their decisions on where to worship because of the praise times at those churches. In short, the more expressive the worship, the more the folk enjoyed the spiritual services – ‘happy-clappy’ became the order of the day! Could this same observation be used as a lever to encourage more people to attend the actual buildings once the restrictions are eased even more by the Stormont Executive? While the more Pentecostal expressive churches would certainly be fully in favour of this strategy, with their enthusiastic adoption of musical genres, such as Hill Song, what about the more traditional churches who still adhere strictly to the ‘Auld Tyme Religion’ where the piano or church organ are the only accompanying instruments? Like it or not, many churches who adopt the more traditional form and hymns and psalms in their worship may have to go more ‘upbeat’ in terms of their choice of Christian praise, the instruments they permit, the artists they invite to their churches, and especially the introduction of praise bands made up of members of the flock. It could be a case of ‘go with the flow’ in terms of the development of Christian music and genres, or watch their places of worship slide into numerical and financial decline – even close their doors for good. The praise time in churches can also be structures as a means to ‘thank God’ for mercies during the pandemic. In an increasingly secular society, the Christian Churches will have to ‘box clever’ of they want to compete with the attractions of the pluralist world for the hearts, minds – and souls – of he population. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning around 10.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at http://radio.garden/listen/sunshine-104-9fm/tBZsuX1o
Headline: Name, shame and fine churches which ignore virus restrictions
Religious commentator Dr John Coulter maintains that tough Puritanical measures should be taken against places of worship which blatantly ignore the Stormont Executive’s blueprint for exiting lockdown.
The time has come for the police and courts to make an example out of places of worship which deliberately ignore the lockdown restrictions put in place by the Stormont Executive. At first glance, my opening paragraph could suggest I was an atheist, agnostic, secularist even a so-called ‘back slider (a person who once was a born again believer, but has turned their back on the Salvationist Christian faith). But I am none of the above. I am a born again believer who maintains that this Covid 19 virus and its variants are deadly killers and the Christian denominations and Christian places of worship need to step up to the mark and give constructive leadership to contain and ultimately defeat this virus. Of course, I want to see a return to a society whereby our places of worship are fully open for face to face functions, such as Sunday services, prayer meetings and Bible studies – but only if it is medically safe to do so. Fellowship and human interactions are important parts of the Christian journey, but as it states in Scripture – our bodies are temples unto the Lord. Practically, that means we Christians have a moral, civic and Biblical duty and responsibility to look after those earthly bodies – and that means protecting them from the virus. As Christians, we are to the fore in warning about the dangers to our bodies from alcohol, smoking, drug and gambling abuse. That list should also include pandemic abuse – where Christians think they can ignore the medical advice of the health service professionals and live whatever lifestyle they want. Such Christians can be dumped in the same category as some fundamentalist fanatics in the United States who practice their faith using deadly snakes. There’s a good Ulster phrase for such Christians who ignore the pandemic guidelines and recommendations – ‘buck eejits’! Initially, when I came across examples of alleged breaches of the pandemic restrictions by some places of worship, I simply dismissed such allegations as merely that wee church trying to grab of media publicity for itself. These guidelines from the Stormont Executive are not there to curtail freedom of worship. This is Northern Ireland, not North Korea. These restrictions are in place to combat a virus which has claimed thousands of lives, not just across the British Isles, but right across the globe. Put bluntly, this virus does not respect religious beliefs, denominations, or frequency of services and prayer meetings. This is not a case as in the Old Testament whereby a Christian Church or mission hall can spray lamb’s blood across the entrance of the building and the virus will pass by, ignoring everyone who is contained in the place of worship. The virus does not respect walls, be they walls of a pub, club, shop, factory, school, college – or even a church. There are – tragically – many examples, even in Northern Ireland, of born again believers either contracting the virus, and even dying from it. Schools, places of work and shops are implementing the Stormont Executive restrictions and lockdowns; they are playing their part in combating the virus, so why not the Christian Churches? Many places of worship have adapted very effectively to digital evangelism and throughout the lockdowns, continue to broadcast their Sunday services, prayer meetings and Bible studies online. Some churches are so well organised, they have hosted drive-in worship on Sundays. Unfortunately, what will be remembered about the Churches’ role in the pandemic are those very few places of worship which have chosen to ignore the guidelines, have breached lockdown restrictions – and even preach against the vaccines. Every religion throughout the globe has its so-called ‘lunatic fringe’, and Christianity is no exception. We’ve already had to listen to ultra fundamentalists tell us that the pandemic is a punishment from God Himself (even though many born again believers have died from the virus!), or that the vaccinations are made from aborted babies (sending pro-life fanatics into a right tizzy!) But what happens if a church brings together folk in a building in spite of lockdown and the restrictions – and folk contract the virus and even die from it? How is that setting a good example of a Christian lifestyle? How is that honouring our bodies as temples unto the Lord? My honest comment – for a church to breach the guidelines, restrictions or lockdown is idiotic behaviour and the full force of the law and police should come crashing down upon that place of worship like the walls of Jericho in the Old Testament. That church should be named and shamed in the media and in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and slapped with a £10,000 fine with the cash going to help care homes in their individual battles to protect residents and staff. I have no sympathy for any church which blatantly breaches the guidelines to combat the virus by deliberately keeping their doors open for worship, or even preaches against the vaccinations, and then makes prayer appeals for folk in their flocks who have contracted the virus by attending such events. What perception of the Christian faith does it give when businesses have shut up shop literally for months, and then those business owners see so-called Christian places of worship ‘doing their own thing’ and opening against the guidelines? In the meantime, perhaps we Christians need to ‘police’ ourselves by contacting those places of worship which have breached, or are thinking of breaching, the guidelines and tell them to ‘catch themselves on’. As a born again believer, how can I recommend the Christian way of life and a Christian lifestyle to the community if some places of worship decide to give a two-fingered salute to the Stormont Executive by ignoring the guidelines? As Easter nears, we remember how Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Any so-called place of worship which calls itself Christian, yet defies the pandemic guidelines is a modern day Judas. And we all know how his betrayal played out for him in the long run. Try justifying your ‘go it alone’ stance to the families who have lost loved ones to the virus. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning around 10.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com
Headline: New lockdown plan creates ‘Grand National’ style race against the pandemic!
Political and Religious Commentator Dr John Coulter casts his eye over the Northern Ireland lockdown exit strategy.
And they’re off! That’s a famous phrase horse racing commentators often utter at the start of the annual prestigious Grand National. But that’s also the impression which the Stormont power-sharing Executive’s new blueprint for exiting lockdown in Northern Ireland has given the various sectors of the community. The blueprint – unveiled in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday afternoon – does not include dates, unlike its English counterpart, but focuses on nine areas across social and business settings. Each of these nine sections will have five steps out of lockdown with progression led by health data rather than Executive dates – a potential permutation of 45 scenarios. The plan was already approved by Executive Ministers on the Tuesday morning before being brought before the floor of the Assembly. During the debate, it was interesting to note that many MLAs tried to get the deputy First Minister to unveil precise dates on when the various steps will be implemented – but it was a case of ‘no deal’! There will also be a rolling review of the plan every four weeks, with the next review scheduled for 18 March – the day after the traditional Saint Patrick’s Day ‘celebrations’ across the island of Ireland and beyond. Clearly, the Executive does not want Northern Ireland to move out of lockdown too quickly and takes the approach of keeping the R-number relating to the virus and its variants as low as possible. It is understood that by taking a data-led approach rather than a date-detailed route, the Executive will be able to avoid imposing a fourth lockdown in Northern Ireland later this year. However, the political carrot the Executive has created is to create a Grand National-style race among Northern Ireland’s various sectors as to who and which can cross the finish line first in the battle to combat and contain the pandemic. Put bluntly, will the schools be fully opened ahead of the pubs and retail traders? Will the restaurants be able to serve meals before the Christian Churches can serve communion? At first glance, the lockdown exit strategy sounds like a complicated and confusing procedure with no definite dates and numerous sectors and pathways. However, as with previous lockdowns, the key to lifting or easing the restrictions will rest with the community and the public themselves. Clearly, the race is to see which sector has the most discipline over its clientele. The more discipline a sector can provide, the further along the five steps that pathway can take. Indeed, by having the first review on 18 March, the Executive is trying to ensure the community does not breach the regulations and the R-rate climbs radically as a result of St Patrick’s Day commemorations in terms of private parties. Perhaps, too, by not having descriptive dates set by the Executive for ending lockdown, the Assembly is placing more responsibility for exiting the restrictions on the public. It is effectively giving the entire community a meaningful say in containing the pandemic. By adopting this Grand National horse race style approach, the Executive is practically implementing a ‘carrot and stick’ strategy to the various sectors – obey the rules and your progress to the finish line and you won’t be held back by other sectors if they are taking their five steps at a slower pace. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning around 10.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com
Headline: How young is too young to get ‘saved’?
At what age can a person become spiritually aware of the need for Salvation? That’s the hot topic which religious commentator Dr John Coulter poses in his Straight and Narrow column.
The Jesuits order is credited with the maxim ‘give me a boy until he is seven and we will give you the man.’ The underlying issue from this supposedly Jesuit-inspired maxim is that very young children can be influenced and indoctrinated into a religious faith, hopefully for life. Looking at this maxim from a Biblical point of view, the deep theological question can be posed – at what age can a person become Spiritually aware of the doctrine of Salvation and the need to be ‘saved’ or ‘born again’? It does not necessarily follow that the more born again believers a family circle has, the earlier in life a member of that family can become so Spiritually aware that they accept Christ as their Saviour under the doctrine of Salvation. Take my own spiritual journey. Both my parents and grand parents were born again believers – my dad a staunchly evangelical Presbyterian minister, and my grandparents heavily involved with the work of the equally staunchly evangelical Faith Mission movement. Reading the Bible together as a family and hearing the Gospel message preached on a weekly basis are part of my upbringing. Add in Sunday school and catechism exams and it could be suggested we were ‘steeped’ in the born again Christian ethos. Perhaps it was because I learned to be rebellious at an early age that I chose to ignore the constant preaching of the Gospel. It was not until the age of 12 that I realised spiritually that I needed to be ‘born again’. Prior to this spiritual awakening at 12, the only two main interests in my life were Arsenal Football Club and building Airfix model planes and tanks. My Christian journey since 12 has been very challenging. Christians I have encountered since becoming a born again believer since 1972 have fallen into two categories – a source of inspiration, or a source of persecution. An important part of a born again believer’s spiritual journey is publicly telling how you became ‘saved’, known as giving your ‘testimony’, in which believers usually compare and contrast their lives before and after becoming ‘saved’. Having listened to many wonderful testimonies over the years, I have become fascinated with the age at which people reach an understanding spiritually about the need to become born again believers. It always amazes me especially when a person tells of how they became a born again believer during their primary school years. I recall, as a mid primary school aged boy, my late grandmother telling me how an eight-year-old relative had become ‘saved’ and I constantly asked what accident they had been in! Clearly my primary school concept of ‘saved’ was not a spiritual understanding. After becoming a born again believer myself at 12, I still had no doubt that my relative’s conversion at the age of eight was genuine. Likewise, a Christian friend – who, like myself, had grown up in a staunchly Christian home – told in their testimony how they had become ‘saved’ at the age of three. Given the influence of Godly parents, family and the Holy Spirit, I have no doubt that a spiritual awakening of the need for Salvation can occur at a young age. The sincerity of her testimony totally convinced me that her conversion was genuine and not a bid to show off that she was some kind of theological prodigy. However, it is when folk labour too much on the age at which they became ‘saved’, almost in a boastful manner, rather than laying an emphasis in their testimony on the difference which becoming a born again Christian that I become a little suspicious – even to the point of judgmental. This situation arose in the Eighties when I was invited to a testimony evening in an Orange hall where three young male evangelists in their twenties were holding a mission. The first evangelist recalled how he became a born again believer at the age of five. However, the second evangelist noted how he could go better than that and had become a born again believer at the age of four. Ironically, the final evangelist said he could go even better than his two colleagues and told the meeting he became ‘saved’ at the age of three! While each of the three evangelists talked about the difference which becoming a believer had made in their lives, I simply wondered if the testimony night as part of the mission had become nothing more than an unofficial competition to see which of the evangelists could outdo the other! Myself, like some others that evening, left that Orange hall pondering the competition between the evangelists rather than their Gospel messages. I am not doubting the genuine nature of their conversions, but I will merely describe it using that well-known Christian observation – the Lord moves in mysterious ways! Perhaps I was wrongly comparing the evangelist who became a born again believer at the age of three to my own spiritual understanding of the Christian faith at three. For me at three, I was then a member of the nursery Sunday school creche at Westbourne Presbyterian Church on east Belfast’s Newtownards Road where my dad was assistant minister to the Rev David Alderdice, the father of my lifelong chum John, who was later to become Lord Alderdice, the former leader of the Alliance Party and Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. At three, looking back, my spiritual life was about ensuring I behaved myself in creche so that I would get a prize – and sweets! I probably could not even spell the word ‘Salvation’, let alone comprehend the need to be born again. So the key issue I want my fellow believers to understand – by all means you can state the age you become a born again believer, but no matter how young or old you had this spiritual Salvationalist experience of becoming saved, in your testimonies, you need to emphasise what God had achieved in your lives, rather than dwell on your past sins. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning around 10.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com
| Headline: Are we now in the era of the Citizen Preachers? Citizen Journalism began with blogging, so in a post pandemic society, will the Christian Churches be faced with competition from so-called Citizen Preachers? Religious commentator Dr John Coulter explores this debate in his latest Straight and Narrow column. Ever since the launch of blogs, there has always been a rivalry between those writers who call themselves citizen journalists and journalists from the mainstream media. A sweeping generalisation in terms of definitions and differences between citizen and mainstream journalists comes down to the issue of formal media training. Mainstream journalists by and large have completed a recognised journalism qualification, which includes a very healthy dose of media law and journalism ethics. Citizen journalists, on the other hand, simply wake up one morning, decide they are ‘journalists’ and begin blogging, vlogging, or sharing their opinions through other digital formats, online outlets, and especially social media. Many citizen journalists do not complete a recognised journalism qualification before they begin sharing those opinions, hence the risk they could stray easily into dangerous legal and ethical territory. In short, how many citizen journalists have actually taken the time to study the so-called ‘journalists’ Bible’ – McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists – and read the Editors’ Code of Practice before churning out their opinions? Now apply this observation to Christian evangelism. With the Christian Churches either shut during a full lockdown, or having to contend with limited opening restrictions, Christianity has witnessed not only a boom in digital evangelism, but also a return of the so-called street preachers. The key question is – how many of these so-called street evangelists have proper theological training, or is it simply a case of grab a Bible, loud hailer and start preaching the Gospel? These citizen preachers would argue that with the churches in virtual lockdown with only drive-in services allowed, how else are they to spread the message of the Gospel? Likewise, they can say – what’s wrong with sharing their testimonies with the public as to how they became born again believers? These are both very relevant arguments. How many of us born again believers would be prepared to walk the streets shouting about the message of Salvation and sharing our own individual testimonies? These citizen preachers have demonstrated a clear courage of their Christian convictions which they wish to communicate with others and are simply obeying the command of Christ Himself when He asked us to go into all the world and preach His Gospel. However, in an increasingly secular society, what impression of the Christian faith as these citizen preachers giving? Again, such citizen preachers will point to the number of people they have prayed with and for in the streets, the number of people they have talked to about the final destination of their eternal souls, and how they have communicated with numerous people classified as the so-called ‘unchurched’, namely folk who do not take anything to do with the Christian faith, let alone religion as a whole. Citizen preachers also point to the verbal abuse which many of them have to endure in sharing their faith publicly. Such preachers also point to occasions when they have been both talked to by the police about the message they are communicating in public, or had to call the police to protect them from folk annoyed at the content of their Christian messages. The emergence of such citizen preachers should be a wake up call not just to qualified clergy, but also the Christian denominations and places of worship – you need to be ready for a massive evangelical crusade once the lockdown restrictions are fully lifted, otherwise you will lose the outreach battle to this new brand of dedicated citizen preachers. Such citizen preachers, like their citizen journalist counterparts, will not be content with using the actual streets to communicate their interpretations of the Salvationist message and their testimonies, but will also take careful note of the vast online congregations which have been developing because of the pandemic. Like citizen journalists, citizen preachers will start using the internet and especially social media to spread their message. And they will also want to take their messages inside the churches themselves once the actual buildings are re-opened for public worship. Again, just as social media has fallen victim to internet trolls, could some of these citizen preachers become troll preachers, specialising in condemning anyone who does not agree either with their theology or expressions of that theology? Many so-called traditionalist churches can find the overtly expressive nature of the citizen preachers distracting to say the least, intimidatory at worst. Indeed, if such citizen preachers are given a platform inside places of worship, is there the danger that it could lead to serious splits in churches – traditionalists in one camp; citizen preachers and their fans in another? On paper, the solution appears deceptively simple – reach an accommodation between the citizen preachers and the traditionalists. Unfortunately in reality, there is a perception that rather than concession or compromise, the militancy of the emerging generation of pro-active citizen preachers is – ‘its our way or no way!’ In short, will Christianity see a new realignment taking place in Ireland not seen since the days (in Protestantism) since the formation of the fundamentalist Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster by Rev Ian Paisley in 1951, or (in Catholicism) of the Vatican Two recommendations from the Second Vatican Council in Rome from 1962-65. Traditionalists also fear that the emergence of citizen preachers is further evidence that contentious spiritual events, such as the Toronto Blessing and the Florida Outpouring, have returned to theologically and practically haunt mainstream Christianity as many citizen preachers would aspire to the so-called Pandemic Fire theological position which has been spawned by the Covid 19 religious challenges. Only the lifting of the full lockdown restrictions and a resumption of face to face services in places of worship will dictate the outcome of this debate. One thing is already certain – the citizen preachers have traditionalists firmly on the back foot for the time being. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning around 10.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com  ReplyForward |
Headline: Are you a real church, or just playing church?
What will be the workable vision for the Christian Church in the so-called ‘new normal’ when lockdown is over and many Covid restrictions are eased? Religious commentator Dr John Coulter maintains Christianity will have to really get its act in gear in terms of pro-active evangelism. This is the theme of his latest Straight and Narrow column.
Many Christian Churches found themselves pushed well outside their traditional comfort zones with numerous places of worship have to embrace digital evangelism. For many, this was a new challenge probably since the days when freezing cold buildings were converted into warm buildings with oil-fired central heating. Pre-Covid, digital evangelism was viewed as a form of outreach which probably came well down the priorities of many churches. Live-streaming Sunday worship was only seen as a method of ensuring that the sick, elderly and disabled – even night workers – could remain in touch with the wider fellowship. In soccer terms, the pandemic promoted digital evangelism – especially during the lockdowns when the buildings were physically closed – from the relegation zone to top of the league. Prior to the coronavirus lockdowns, many Christian Churches – particularly the mainstream denominations in Ireland – were facing slides in their Sunday worship attendances in terms of physical ‘bums on seats’. However, during the lockdowns, many churches also saw interest in their online services, Bible studies and prayer meetings rocket substantially. Some clerics who looked over their flocks on a Sabbath morning and saw only around 100 in the pews, now witnessed online congregations numbering in the thousands. Even when supposedly normal face to face worship gets the green light from the Stormont Executive, the pitfall which churches must not tumble into is to retreat once more into their comfort zones, cosy corners, and holy huddles. The secular society will switch into top gear to make up for the financial losses during the pandemic. There will be considerably more attractions to rival church activities than ever before. Put bluntly, the Church cannot simply slip back into plodding along as it did pre-Covid. Now is the chance for the Christian faith to organise a vision which will see a spiritual revival or reawakening sweep across Ireland in a way not seen since the famous 1859 Revival, which began in north east Ulster, and which saw tens of thousands of people become ‘born again believers’. If the Church is to have effective meaning and a relevant message for at least the remainder of this decade, it must get out and about among the people. In short, we need to see a return of the old fashioned tent missions as part of an overall campaign of pro-active and positive evangelism. Already, the so-called street preachers are first out of the starting blocks in terms of their vision of evangelism – even during the pandemic – as they tour the streets of towns and cities with their unique brand of megaphone evangelism. Just as these street evangelists have a very expressive form of preaching, so too, the Churches will have to come up with a vision which gets them noticed in the community. The days of the ‘back seat’ Christians who tootle along from week to week are over. If the Churches want to effectively retain many of the thousands of people who were involved in the lockdown online congregations, Christians will have to get out and begin an evangelical outreach which in the past was known as ‘door to door evangelism’. What the Churches cannot afford to do is sit back on their laurels and hope that those thousands will retain that initial interest sparked during the first March 2020 lockdown and automatically start attending Sunday worship. Just as the Jesus Christ of the New Testament instructed his followers to go out into the highways and byways to find people, that tactic must be at the central core of the new evangelical vision. This is taken from the advice given in St Luke Gospel Chapter 14, verses 22 to 24. “Sir, the servant replied, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ So the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will taste my banquet.” Perhaps Covid 19 has forced the Christian Church to face the bitter medicine that previous campaigns of simply ‘please come to church’ is no longer a relevant tactic. If the Churches cannot persuade people to join them for worship, they will have to adopt a very pro-active vision and go out physically into the community and find their flocks. With places of worship being closed during the pandemic, are folk filling their time other than listening to online services. Would many people be happy and content simply to continue listening online after the churches are reopened for face to face events, even if they are doing so with limited restrictions? Given the work with youth clubs and youth fellowships, Bible classes, Sunday school and uniformed organisations, such as the Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Brigade, there should be little difficulty in persuading young people back to the various activities. The real challenge will be the adult population, especially among the post 18 plus age range. Likewise, for many elderly folk, attending church was a major part of their upbringing. However, whilst there is a strong chance, too, many of these elderly loyal worshippers can be encouraged to resume church attending, what about the massive amount of so-called ‘unchurched’ for whom terms such as God and Christ are merely swear words. The challenge for the Christian Church is not about changing its message or watering down its theology – it is about how it will communicate that message, especially the Salvationist message, to a society which will already be bombarded with attractive messages from the secular world and commercialism. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning after 9.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com
Headline: Maybe Churches should celebrate Easter all year round?
While commercialism has consistently dominated traditional Christian festivals, perhaps the Churches should respond by making the Easter message an all year round celebration. Religious commentator Dr John Coulter makes this appeal to the faithful in his latest Straight And Narrow column.
Walking through Belfast one sunny June day in 2019, I noticed one hotel advertising its Christmas Day menu and taking bookings. Even in September, the traditional movie channels screening the wall to wall Christmas films are in full swing. Christmas is getting earlier! Commercialism has enabled Christmas to soundly defeat Hallowe’en in the festive battles. The same is true for Easter 2021 in spite of the challenges of the Covid pandemic – before December 2020 had ended, the festive Easter eggs were already on the shelves. This poses a huge challenge for the Christian Churches – when should they combat the rivalry from commercialism and start their Easter celebrations? Here’s some revolutionary theological thinking for the Church – make the Easter message of the Cross an all year round celebration. Granted, many churches, places of worship and mission halls will host regular Gospel services throughout the calendar year where they will emphasise the Salvationist message of Christ’s death on the Cross at Calvary. These same Christian outlets will also stress how that Salvationist message of Christ’s Crucifixion is captured in many Gospel songs and hymns. Good Friday and Easter Sunday is purely associated with the traditional Easter festive holidays, but why not make every occasion an Easter celebration of the symbolic meaning of the Cross? If the commercial world can make the Christmas period a six-month campaign beginning in June, why can’t the Churches make the Easter message a 12-month evangelical celebration? Indeed, in some European countries, such as Germany, there are Christmas shops which operate daily right throughout the entire year. Even in some churches, the Christmas message of Christ’s birth doesn’t get mentioned until a few days before the 25th December with a traditional Nativity play. If atheists and secularists can pump out their messages 24/7, why can’t the Churches get their acts in gear and tell the Salvationist message week in, week out. While the coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns have presented enormous challenges to the Christian Churches, forcing many of them to embrace the digital revolution, the virus has also sparked a huge interest in the Christian faith with many places of worship reporting a rocketing increase in folk tuning in to their online services. As more people get the vaccination, and hopefully as restrictions are relaxed for places of worship, the new normal challenge will be how the Churches convert their vast online audiences to actual ‘bums on seats’ congregations. Likewise, while the online services should never been seen as a replacement or substitute for actual face to face worship in buildings, the Churches will have to consider their visions as to how they will communicate the Gospel message – particularly the Salvationist message of the New Testament’s St John 3:16 – in the so-called ‘new normal’. Even before the pandemic struck, many churches did live stream their Sunday services to facilitate members of their flocks who – whether for illness or work challenges – could not physically attend those traditional Sunday services. However, the Churches quite rightly point out that online services work hand in glove with face to face worship. The purely online services, prayer meetings and Bible studies are a necessity to cope with closed buildings and even drive-in services as society bids to combat and contain Covid 19. Another attribute which the Churches will have to consider are new evangelical methods if restrictions continue for several months to come. Ironically, the closure of places of worship saw a rebirth of the traditional street corner evangelist as preachers took to the streets of towns and cities in Northern Ireland with their unique interpretations of the Gospel message. The key question the Churches will have to address – how popular are the street preachers becoming, or are they generally detracting from the Christian faith with their ‘in your face’ style of communication? The street preachers will maintain their Christian witness is one of hope; that they are actually the ones who are making the Easter message of ‘Jesus Saves’ the all year round strategy. However, many Christian traditionalists are worried that if this type of very expressive evangelism comes into places of worship it will only split congregations and fellowships in the same way the past Toronto Blessing and Florida Outpouring expressions divided Christians and churches. Whatever strategy the Churches embark upon to communicate the Salvationist message of Easter, they will certainly need to have their visions in place practically and ready to rumble just as soon as the formal lockdowns end. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning after 9.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com
Headline: Put up or shut up! The new normal in church behaviour.
How will churches maintain discipline inside the buildings when face to face worship resumes? That’s the thorny question which contentious religious commentator Dr John Coulter explores in his latest Straight and Narrow column.
Lockdown and the restrictions around the pandemic have placed huge strains on places of worship as with businesses, the health service and education. While many Christian Churches were already providing an online facility for their flocks pre-Covid, the initial lockdown of March 2020 forced even more churches to consider the use of online evangelism with buildings physically closed. But at some stage in the future, the churches will reopen for worship, prayer meetings and Bible studies albeit with some restrictions on social distancing and numbers still in place. While the obvious challenge is how churches retain their digital congregations and encourage people to once more attend their places of worship, the issue of church discipline may well come to the fore. Ironically, the development of online evangelism allowed many people to ‘shop about’ when it came to the issue of digital evangelism. From the comforts of their homes, living rooms and even bedrooms, people in lockdown could ‘visit’ churches they did not normally attend to ‘tap into’ services and Bible studies. ‘Church hopping’ as it became known, whereby folk from one church would digitally visit the services of another church in the same or different denomination, became a regular occurrence during the lockdown and even when restrictions were in place between lockdowns. Pre-Covid, many churches may have operated strict codes of behaviour relating to dress code, the role of women, translations of the Bible used, who is and who isn’t allowed to have communion, and the types of praise used. During lockdown, it was not uncommon on Sundays for people to sit in their pyjamas in their homes and watch the online services. When churches are allowed to reopen for formal face to face worship, how strict will they be in implementing any pre-Covid dress codes? Practically, if a place of worship had a rule that women must have their heads covered in church, what would happen if women turned up at that church in the ‘new normal’ with no hats? Would they be turned away or told to wear scarves or hats? Similarly, if menfolk were expected to wear their ‘Sunday bests’ to worship, what happens if a person arrived at the church wearing a tracksuit, or casual wear such as jeans and a soccer shirt? Would they be turned away, or ordered to sit at the back of the church? In short, church discipline will become an issue which many churches will have to seriously address when the so-called ‘new normal’ arrives on their vestibules. Then there’s the attitude of people to the behaviour of folk during the services once face to face worship returns. This would tend to affect the more pentecostal churches than mainstream Christian denominations, such as Catholicism, the Church of Ireland, Presbyterianism and Methodism. In the 1990s, some churches faced the impact of the so-called Toronto Blessing style of expressive worship. This made a comeback about a decade ago, then known as the Florida Outpouring. Now this militant expressive worship is again gaining some support known as the Pandemic Fire. Many pentecostal churches already have fairly expressive worship sessions with folk raising and waving their hands, swaying during the praise time, and shouting out the occasional ‘Amen’ or ‘Hallelujah’. But if the past experiences of the Florida Outpouring are taken as a benchmark, then the shouting and yelling becomes constant throughout a service. While some militant fundamentalists revel in this sort of modern Pandemic Fire outbursts, many traditionalists see such behaviour by the Pandemic Fire supporters as highly disruptive and disrespectful. Likewise, the Pandemic Fire enthusiasts would take the view that the Christian Church needs a spiritual awakening and their shouting is proof the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives and during the services. The Pandemic Fire brigade (forgive the pun!) are adamant that organised religion has been a millstone around the necks of evangelism and such yelling and shouting is liberating the Holy Spirit in churches. A number of Pandemic Fire evangelists have revamped the ethos of the street preachers and can be seen in town and city centres with their loud hailers and microphones preaching their version of the Gospel of Salvation. It is certainly a very expressive form of evangelism and has sparked a lot of debate about its effectiveness. Its supporters would maintain they are reaching people who would never darken the doors of a church. Its critics say such preachers are merely courting publicity and confrontation. The real crunch in terms of church discipline comes if Pandemic Fire supporters bring their expressive form of worship into the actual buildings when they formally reopen for face to face activities. As with the Toronto Blessing and Florida Outpouring, could the new Pandemic Fire lead to confrontations between traditionalists and Fire sympathisers? Could we even witness a radical realigning of churches as a result of such activity? Whatever the outcome, when churches resume face to face contact, they will certainly need to re-evaluate what is and what isn’t appropriate behaviour in places of worship. Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning after 9.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com
Headline: Will the real Christian Church please stand up!
What constitutes an example of a genuine Christian Church, or because of Christ’s perfection, we Christians can never live up to the example of our Saviour? Contentious Religious Commentator, Dr John Coulter, sparks a debate on the issue.
The Covid pandemic has brought out the best and worst in our Christian faith. The worst has been the – thankfully – very few churches which have refused to adhere to the restrictions to combat the spread of the virus. There have also been the theological eejits who have maintained the virus was God’s punishment on society because of lifestyles, or that a vaccine was made from aborted babies. Then again, we have witnessed many, many examples of Christians, and non-Christians alike, demonstrating the ethos of the parable of the Good Samaritan as detailed in the New Testament Gospel of Luke chapter 10. Perhaps one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is to force the Christian Church to show the true ethos of Christ in our everyday living. In this column, I will require the input of the readers; you just need to answer a simple question – which is the real Christian Church? We have two examples for you to select from; both call themselves Christian Churches. At Church A, you will find plenty of speakers who will talk about the caring aspect of the Christian faith. Church A will boast how if you are in a time of need, that church will be there to support you. Then a situation arises – gossip begins to spread about the private life of one of the young born again believers at the church. The judgemental church gossips cannot produce any documentary evidence to substantiate their gossip. The young believer is ‘stood down’ from all positions in the church (still no documentation is produced!). The gossips of the church have won the day; the young Christian gives up his faith and leaves the country, unable to cope with the torrent of verbal condemnation from the gossips. Church B also calls itself a Christian Church. A number of single females associated with the church find themselves pregnant. However, they are not banished, but the church worshippers realise there is a situation and rally round the women to support them through their pregnancies and when their babies are born. There are no sermons of condemnation from the Church B leadership about the sins of having babies ‘out of wedlock’. So again, here’s the crucial question – which is the real Christian Church? Is it Church A which allowed the gossips to rule the roost, or Church B which rallied around the single mums? In short, which church demonstrated the true ethos of Christ’s parable, The Good Samaritan? Then again, too, put yourself in both churches – what would you do? Would you join in with the gossiping condemnation of Church A, or would you recognise the reality of the situation and do your Christian best to assist the situation as in Church B? Perhaps, too, this debate is not about the works of the Good Samaritan, but an argument over the need to preach moral ethics in churches? In this respect, Church A might argue that it acted correctly and removed the young born again person from any position before it became a public scandal and embarrassed the image of Church A in the community. Likewise, the finger of blame could be pointed by judgemental gossips at Church B for not chastising the women for daring to get pregnant ‘out of wedlock’! That was a position taken by hardline fundamentalists, mostly in rural communities in the 1970s. So in terms of moral ethics, is Church A more ethical than Church B? Similarly, if we take Church A’s ‘code of conduct’, driving people from the church it believes to have ‘sinned’, where does this persecution end? Is Church A more interested in its reputation in the community than in practising the Gospel and example of Christ Himself? Whilst not a Biblical proverb, there is a secular saying which states: “What goes around, comes around!” What happens when gossip begins circulating about the private lives of the gossips themselves in Church A? Could the actions of the gossips in Church A against the young former believer be seen as a church turning in on itself? Put bluntly, which church would you wish to be a member of – the gossiping Church A, or the supportive Church B? Once you readers have answered this question, here’s another – what should be the vision of the Christian Church in a post-Covid society? In practice, how do we Christians preach about the benefits of the Christian lifestyle without coming across as militant judgmental gossips or fundamentalists? Again returning to our two examples – which church, A or B – is truly following the example set by Christ Himself in the New Testament? Perhaps the answer is for we Christians to spend more time in our personal devotions before passing judgment on the actions of others? Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulterListen to commentator Dr John Coulter’s programme, Call In Coulter, every Saturday morning after 9.15 am on Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. Listen online at www.thisissunshine.com