Those who read my blogs will know there is a small army of unlikely heroes I admire who engage with the culture and often express views that powerful people deem as unacceptable and thus pay the price.

I have been a chess enthusiast ever since as a boy I was taught the game by some neighbouring boys and I have been playing chess on and off (over the board and latterly online) ever since, although these days it is more off than on but I am often up for a game when the circumstances allow.

One of the many intriguing people I regularly follow as I watch on the wall in order to help understand the confusing, vast array of earth-shattering events is Russell Brand. So that I can cut to the chase and focus on talking about the chap and his work now, you can get an extensive, more than scathing account of his life, career etc. especially his early days, from this Wikipedia article (see here).

What have Israel, Anti-Zionism, Anti-Semitism, Truth and Unity got to do with each other and why does tackling this question, I continue to struggle to find the answer to, matter? For my thoughts, read on:

I am a reluctant Baptist for I dislike being associated with any denomination, but for the past ten years I have been a member of a Baptist church that is part of the Grace Baptist set-up (as opposed to the Baptist Union / Baptist Together one, which most Baptist churches in my city belong to) and there are other Baptists too.

When I became a Christian, aged 15, I came under the influence of the Plymouth Brethren (Open section; not too tight, not too progressive). They were a lot into the Bible, and notably end time prophecy, including the Book of Revelation, with a particular angle of relating the prophecies in the Book to current world events.

When I “googled” the word Idolatry, my first hit was “extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone” and that it “is at the root of all sin because sin seeks to steal glory from God, to whom alone it is due, and take it for the sinner”. Let’s run with this as far as this article goes.

What on earth has Telegram, Greenbelt and Christian unity got to do with one another, one may well ask. To find the answer, at least from my sharing of my own personal perspective, then read on …

Just four days ago I posted my “Anthony Norris Groves (1795-1853) – Father of faith missions” article based on a book I had been reading by Robert Dann titled Anthony Norris Groves (1795-1853) – Father of faith missions that had dug deep telling us about the life and times of the man (ANG).

I first came across the Archers in my boyhood and I have been a regular follower, with few breaks, of the world’s longest running soap opera since the late 1970’s. I recently had an experience as a result of posting on the Facebook page that brings together fellow Archer’s followers and it provided a salutary lesson I want to share.