Scotland’s oldest sports shop has opened for the first time on a Sunday in its 100-year history, with its owner blaming “an Americanised culture” for the move. Greaves Sports began a seven-day operation from January 3 at its store in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street.
Euan Murray wraps his arms around his 18st body and shivers. The Northampton Saints and Scotland tighthead prop is a mountain of a man, but he looks vulnerable when facing the subject of his religious choices. This Sunday, as Scotland take on France at Murrayfield in their first match of the Six Nations, the 29-year‑old will not be on the pitch.
ONE of the new faces of the BBC's football coverage refuses to work on a Sunday because he is a devout Christian. Dan Walker insists on observing the Lord's Day even though there are top-flight matches almost every Sunday this season. Here 32-year-old Dan - who fronts magazine show Football Focus this Saturday at 12.15pm on BBC1 - explains why he WON'T be covering those games.
The Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh has been closed to visitors on the Christian Lord’s day from the beginning of February 2008. It receives thousands of people a week but only about 400 on the Lord’s day and this has led to the decision to close it off to tourists. It is estimated that the closure will save around £100,000 every year. This action by the Scottish government highlights once again that money and not conviction or principle rules the way our secular society is run.
Around 500 spectators applauded, cheered, whistled and whooped as the MV Isle of Lewis let go her mooring ropes and slipped off her berth in Stornoway harbour at precisely 2.30pm today.
A group from the Free Church Continuing, sang Psalm 46 - God is our refuge and our strength - as passengers boarded and vehicles drove onboard.
Lord’s Day Observance Society Annual Rally
A large crowd gathered in Stornoway Primary School for the annual Rally of the lewis and Harris branch of the Lord’s Day Observance Society (LDOS).
The meeting was chaired by branch chairman, Rev Dr Iain D Campbell, who spoke about the ways in which the Sabbath was being undermined in the island at present. The Sabbath had served Lewis well, he said, but Lewis was not serving the Sabbath well. Attempts to secularise everything were not being driven by a need for things that are not there at the moment, but simply with the philosophy of those who once asked ‘When will the Sabbath be gone?’
Dr Campbell spoke about those who regard the LDOS as a ‘one issue’ society. It was true, he said, that the defence of the Lord’s Day was the aim of the society, but that this served the wider interest of developing a Christian worldview, in which all the commandments of God would be acknowledged and upheld.
Dr Campbell referred to the orchestrated campaign to open the sports centre on the Lord’s Day, and the inevitable pressure that there will be to have our young people involved in Sunday sports tournaments and competitions. He said that the Branch supported the Council in its respect for local traditions.
He also spoke of the application for drinking licenses in the Golf Club on Sunday, and the irony of campaigning for seven day licensing when everyone was aware of the public health and social problems caused by alcoholism. The answer to these issues was a return to biblical principles of health and morality.
The Chairman also appealed to the churches to appoint representatives to meet as a branch committee, in order that the branch could genuinely represent the views of the Christian public.
Dr Campbell then introduced the main speaker for the evening, Rev Ian Hamilton, minister of Cambridge Presbyterian Church. He spoke on the topic of ‘The spirit and practice of Sabbath keeping’ – the danger to avoid, the mindset to cultivate, and the practice to pursue. His talk was comprehensive and wide-ranging, and appreciated by all who were present. It is available for listening to or downloading at www.lewisldos.blogspot.com.
A bookstall of Day One Publications was also available. In closing, the chairman paid public tribute to John Roberts, the General Secretary of Day One (incorporating the LDOS nationally), who is retiring this year. He also intimated that next year’s rally is due to be held on Friday 6 May 2011, when the speaker is to be Rev Kenneth Stewart, Glasgow.