The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Stairway to Heaven



Evangelism has been the theme today (Saturday). In the morning three or four of us went out with a tract into Golders Green. By the time we headed out the early rain had passed and some people at least were willing to take a tract. We also had a book table but there was not too much interest – it needs perking up.
Then tonight I travelled down to Sidcup in Kent where I was the speaker at an evangelistic meal in Days Lane Baptist Church. I have known the pastor Scotsman Stuart Pendrich for many years through the Westminster Fellowship, Banner and preaching in Trafalgar Square. The real connection, however, is the Barns family who were with us for many years but have latterly moved to Sidcup in order to accommodate their large family.
South and North London are quite different and so are the two churches in some ways (size, make up, some few theological issues) so I felt a little out of touch but they are friendly people and I was warmly welcomed. I spoke at a houseparty for them a few years ago. A group has left since then but they still seem a very good number.
Days Lane has excellent facilities and they put on quite a meal, paid for partly by a ticketing system. Around a hundred, including plenty of outsiders, were present with little room for more. The evening (a three course meal and coffee followed by a talk) was conducted efficiently without too many frills and was an excellent opportunity. I sat with Stuart on one side and a charming 8 year old girl on the other who was there with her mother (the father is unwell). I was opposite an Ulster man and his wife. His testimony was to a godly start in the Bible belt, the ensnarement of alcohol and then 21 years of sobriety.
I spoke on a stairway to heaven, using the Led Zeppelin number as a starting point. It also formed the basis of the tract we used this morning. It was mainly material that I had prepared some years ago and had stumbled across again recently. I very simply spoke of the fact of heaven, its desirability, our inability to get there by ourselves, the need to look to God and the fact that Jesus is the stairway to heaven. One hopes it will have its impact by the grace of God.
I am preaching in the meetings in Days Lane tomorrow too, God willing. It is teir 72nd anniversary. We have an LTS student preaching in Childs Hill.

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