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.

Recent celebrity deaths

There are times when it seems there are more celebrity deaths than unusual. We seem to be in such a time, although I suppose it's who you know. Most of the deaths are people of a good age. Some have been from Covid-19. I am thinking of people like Kenny Rogers, the country singer, in March. I remember buying his record Ruby as a child and miming to it with friends in a school concert.
Then there was singer and composer Bill Withers and Bob Andy of Bob and Marcia reggae fame. Bill Martin was not a name I thought I knew but martin and Coulter wrote Puppet on a String and Congratulations and much else. Also Eddie Large as he was known, the comedian. I'm sure he was hilarious although I had a fruitless search on youtube looking for evidence. Also Honor Blackman, the actress.
More recently, Tim Brooke Taylor has died. He used to live around the corner I'm told. The Goodies show was purportedly based in Cricklewood and I've often seen Bill Oddie round here. Brooke-Taylor, a very witty man was one of the writers of the famous four Yorkshiremen sketch. There was also Stirling Moss who I grew up to have the highest respect for. To give you an idea, the back of one of the tabloids had "F1's Ali and Pele". The obituary in The Times suggests he was a rather immature man but a great racing driver. Then there was Peter Bonetti, the Chelsea goalkeeper and a massive hero of mine as a child. More obscurely, the Dutch pianist Louis van Dijk has died. I am aware of him from his collabarations with Thijs van Leer from time to time.
These are the celebrities but many others are dying too such as veteran preachers and other men of God. Derek Prime, John J Murray and Norman Wells I trust you know about. All very sobering.

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