Many ‘provincial’ newspapers have articles written by one who calls himself ‘The Rambler’. The name suits the style of the writer in that it is usually a series of collections of tales and stories and anecdotes of folk and their experiences, which would not normally make the headlines or generate a great deal of media interest, but which prove of interest to a dedicated readership who love nostalgia!
The Belfast Newsletter has a ‘Rambler’ but I don’t really think that there are many who, for any reason at all, find his articles of interest.
I am referring to one, John Coulter!
He has been paid to produce, yet again, the greatest mishmash of opinionated balderdash that ever came forth from a ‘Biro’!
His latest article is entitled: ‘Could we Christians be to blame for falling numbers in the pews?’ It is dated 14th May 2025.
As is often the case, no matter what topic he claims he is writing about, it is the Bible-believer that he targets!
This article is a series of conjured up scenarios that have little basis in truth. He paints a picture of the ‘Fundamentalist’ in the darkest hues.
He loves to misapply the Word of God and quotes those whose philosophy is anti-Bible!
In this latest ‘schoolboyish’ attempt at writing, he says: “Some of the most powerful lobbies in many places of worship are judgemental church gossips, especially in militant fundamentalist denominations. They love to pour out their bile on what you are doing wrong, but have these gossips ever stopped to think of the harm they are doing to the Christian faith?”
As ever, the ‘militant fundamentalist denominations’ are squeezed in , under any old pretext, in order to do them down! He goes on to say: “Physically, when you point the finger at someone over something, there are three fingers pointing back at you! Are the judgemental church gossips and militant fundamentalists who like to point out my faults as a journalist for the opinions or challenges I express actually saying they are themselves sinless?”
As one who has frequently condemned the piffle this man produces as an ‘opinion’, I challenge him to point out where I have ever made myself out to be ‘sinless’. I have given my testimony in many places over the last 61 years and a number of recordings of it appear on my ’Burning Bush’ website.
There is not even the hint of a claim of ‘sinlessness’ on my part but rather a ready acknowledgement of the utter unworthiness of this ‘converted sinner’ who became the subject of ‘free unmerited favour’!
This slander is based upon the false premise that to protest against sin and error in the ‘Christendom’ is a very wrong thing and contrary to the teaching of Christ.
Such an assertion bears weighty evidence of the ignorance of this most foolish man, John Coulter, of the Word of God and the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ!
He ventures forth into Bible ‘exposition with these words: “But maybe we Christians should begin with ourselves before we start blaming others. After all, if we call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ, then we should heed His words, especially those spoken in the New Testament text of St Matthew Chapter 7 and verse 3: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considers (sic) not the team (sic — he cannot even quote from the Bible) that is in thine own eye?” (King James Version)
Basically, Christ is telling us Christians to start sorting ourselves out before we start judging others. For many folk, the only image of the Christian faith is us Christians and how we live our lives. Such folk can make judgement calls on the validity of the Christian faith in how they see other Christians live out their faith.”
The basic thought that he is here propounding is that to voice criticism of wrong-doing must be linked to a hypocritical blindness to one’s own sin.
If that were so, how blind and hypocritical were the apostles who wrote the epistles!
Consider these verses.
“But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. . . . But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” Galatians 2:11, 14.
“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear,” 1 Timothy 5:20.
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry,” 2 Timothy 4:2-5. It is to be noted in these words that ‘reproving, rebuking and exhorting’ are all very much part of a faithful preacher making “full proof” of his ministry!
“For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth,” Titus 1:10-14.
I could add many more such clear exhortations that indicate that publicly condemning sin is an essential part of the Christian ministry and it is only resented by those in rebellion against God’s Word!
I do wish to point out that from the very start of His ministry, the Saviour was engaged in rebuking sin. He rebukes James and John for sin, Luke 9:51-56. He famously rebukes Peter, Mark 8:31-33.
No, John Coulter resents the witness of ‘Fundamentalists’ and their rebuking of ‘Ecumenical Apostasy’, which is responsible for the opening of the doors of his church, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, to moral perversity and theological heresy and advancing the wicked cause of ‘reunion with Rome’, over the last 70 years and more.
He ever refers to his father being a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Yes, he was a minister of that church and remained so as it slid deeper and deeper into the mire of moral and spiritual depravity, quite contrary to the ordination oath he swore before God!
The continuing ‘Ecumenical Apostasy’ of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland was recently seen in the fraternal greetings its leadership sent to the Vatican on the death of its last incumbent and the ‘smoke-announced’ arrival of his replacement.
Both these men, and their predecessors for centuries past, have been rightly identified as ‘that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God,’ (Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 25, Section 6).
Such a declaration the father of John Coulter solemnly swore to believe and teach at his ordination. It is not likely you will find John Coulter coming out and denouncing this latest act of treachery by his church leaders!!
Unlike Paul, who told Peter “to the face” his sin and wrong doing, John Coulter refers to unnamed individuals whom he claims acted improperly and hypocritically. Now who is criticising, JC?
Why not name them and thus give them the opportunity of either denying what he says or defending their actions?
No, Mr Coulter will not do that for he is quite at home accusing others of the very sins he very publicly is guilty of himself.
The verse he refers to in Matthew 7:3, is very obviously one he has never applied to himself.
He needs a little sorting out of himself before he decries the Scriptural witness of others.
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
17th May 2025