Dear en,
I thought the article on judgment on the UK (December en) was very apposite, especially the comments under the section ‘closed minds’ about ‘ordinary English [maybe British?] people finding it so difficult even to contemplate a serious conversation about the gospel.’ This has certainly been my experience over the last few years, both meeting people on the doorstep in our church outreach and talking to several of those who come week-by-week (or sometimes less frequently) to church services, and yet who seem to have absolutely no conception of the spiritual life. No matter how clear the presentation of gospel truth, they seem totally impervious to it!
Another Scripture that could be adduced in this respect is John 12.37-50. John comments that those listening to Jesus ‘still would not believe in him’. Quoting Isaiah, he then says ‘For this reason they could not believe’. It does seem to me that part of the judgment we are witnessing is that among some parts of our population we have moved from the state where people refuse to believe in the gospel to one where they are unable to believe.
