IF God has any purpose for Ripon it is for it to be a truly Christian capital and centre in North Yorkshire. Why otherwise would he plant the first stone-built church building in England here? But 1,336 years later we still have no unity here of the whole church of the Lord Jesus Christ – the church in Ripon is a collection of bits and pieces that enjoy their differences. How dare they?

It is now October. At the end of this month comes the evening before All Saints’ Day. People do not understand the spiritual damage that can be done to those of all ages who insist on celebrating Hallowe’en. The devil seeks all ways of getting his evil spirits into or close to anybody who shows signs of turning to God, and there are plenty of ways that we can let them in, and not realise that we have done so.

By all means let all in Ripon celebrate All Saints’ Day on November 1, to uphold the name of Jesus Christ and in that name expel the total multiplicity of spirits that are not of God, from this city and community of ours.