An Irish personal evangelistic site. I'm not representing a particular church, but it's broadly evangelical in tone. My aim is to cover topics I've encountered in discussions I've had over the years, mainly here in Ireland..
Sometimes, when someone from an Irish evangelical church talks of when they became a Christian, people are puzzled. Isn’t everyone in Ireland a Christian by default? Such a question doesn’t make much sense in modern Ireland. Firstly, there is much more religious diversity than there was when I was asked that question frequently 45 years … Continue reading Isn’t Everyone a Christian?
I make much mention of my background and experiences at various points in this blog, so I thought it might be useful to present a brief outline of the years coming up to my conversion. As I mention elsewhere, I grew up a Roman Catholic in Cork, Ireland. I don’t remember a lot before my … Continue reading Conversion Chronology
I mentioned in my last post, that I started attending Cork Baptist Church in the autumn of 1980. Unlike the Pentecostal and charismatic groups in Cork at the time, Cork Baptist Church had been there for hundreds of years. It goes all the way back to 1640. But, unlike other Protestant churches in the city, … Continue reading Hymns: 1981 Memories
I date my conversion to Sunday August 17th, 1980, about a month after I bought Saved, by Bob Dylan, in Pat Egan’s record store in Patrick Street Cork. I initially attended The Upper Room, which at that time was in a street off Camden Quay in Cork, above some sort of a fruit warehouse. I … Continue reading Hymns: 1980 Memories
In this series, I’m remembering hymns from different eras of my life, starting with childhood. I was a Roman Catholic up to 1980, when I turned 18. In this post, I’ll look back at hymns that we sang at Mass, back in the 1960s and 70s, and some I was familiar with outside of church. … Continue reading Hymns: Childhood Memories
Romans 8:18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Ultimately, if you commit your life to Christ, all your problems will be solved. You won’t have problems in heaven. For unbelievers, this is no comfort at all. Firstly, they don’t necessarily believe in heaven, … Continue reading Will Jesus solve all my problems?
As a young Catholic child, I remember hearing about the creation story and Adam and Eve. But shortly after, even as a very young child, I was told in school that it wasn’t literally true. What was important was the spiritual lessons based on it. I was aware that some older people were sceptical of … Continue reading What about Adam and Eve?
From an evangelical perspective, the true Catholic church consists of all true believers everywhere and throughout history. We’ll all be in heaven together, regardless of the denomination. In that sense, we’re already one in Christ. Throughout the New Testament, you do see many verses encouraging unity, even among those who have different views, but you … Continue reading What do you think of ecumenism?
In my discussions with evangelicals, all those years ago, I often raised this question. Very often, people told me that it’s not about what church you’re in. It’s about having a personal relationship with Jesus. But when I dug deeper, it was clear that most of them felt better for having left the Catholic Church. … Continue reading Could you not have remained a Catholic?
For some, the Bible is associated with Protestantism and particularly with evangelicals. Many mainstream Protestants have lost faith in the Bible. It’s seen as a mishmash of legends. Evangelicals, by contrast, see it all as inspired by the Holy Spirit, even down to the very words. In my experience as a Catholic, the Bible always … Continue reading Why do you emphasize the Bible so much?
