Sir, There seems to be a shortage of joy in the church if recent correspondence is a reliable guide.<\/p>\n
The gospel teaches the promise of forgiveness of sins and eternal life for those who truly repent and receive God\u2019s grace through Christ.<\/p>\n
I understood that living in God\u2019s kingdom starts in the here and now with the assurance of heaven hereafter. That assurance should be evidenced by widespread joy and confident proclamation of such
\ngood news. Recent letters on the question of praying for the dead have not indicated widespread assurance of salvation. It is not surprising then that when I talk with people outside the church they have little idea of the distinctive message of the Christian gospel.<\/p>\n
We must have confidence in what Christ has achieved and promised \u201d\u201d it has the power to redeem individuals and change the world.<\/p>\n
–J Longstaff, of Woodford Green in Essex in a letter to the editor to this week\u2019s Church of England Newspaper, page 10
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sir, There seems to be a shortage of joy in the church if recent correspondence is a reliable guide. The gospel teaches the promise of forgiveness of sins and eternal life for those who truly repent and receive God\u2019s grace…<\/span><\/p>\n