Ukraine orphans: ‘A dramatic and terrifying escape’
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Apr 2022
The Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) is a supporter of the Grace Shelter, an orphanage run by Grace Church (Baptist) in Odessa, a port on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, since 2004.
Fifty-three children, aged from about three to 18, and their ‘orphan parents’ lived there. The site also hosted a ‘transition house’, which provided a number of small apartments for young adults for a couple of years whilst learning to become independent.
Jewish openness prompts new outreach
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Jan 2022
International Mission
to
Jewish People
(IMJP) is to step up its efforts to reach and
share the gospel with Jewish people living
in London, the result of a discernible new
openness among some to hear and receive
the good news.
One
such person was Simon, a young
Jewish punk rock singer. Befriended by an
IMJP missionary, he revealed how tough he
was finding lockdown. The missionary talked
about the hope he had in Jesus, Simon accepted
a copy of John’s Gospel and the two are now
having regular one-to-one Bible studies.
Jerusalem: Jewish people told of Jesus
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Mar 2022
International Mission to Jewish People (IMJP) is organising evangelistic coach tours in order to reach Jewish Holocaust survivors with the gospel.
An increased openness among Jewish people to hear about Jesus as Messiah means that hundreds of Jewish people are now regularly joining IMJP’s Bible tours, where they visit sites in the Holy Land which have a particular significance in the story, life, and claims of Jesus.
Exclusive: persecuted Finn speaks out
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Mar 2022
As this edition of Evangelicals Now went to press, the trials of Finnish Christians Päivi Räsänen MP and Bishop Juhana Pohjola, of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, had started.
Both are accused of agitation against an ethnic group, specifically Räsänen’s ‘insulting’ of homosexuals on a radio programme and in a booklet published in 2004 by Pohjola.
Russia: a new spiritual awakening
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Mar 2022
Evangelicals Now is regularly privileged to come across much faithful gospel witness by often small and (humanly-speaking) under-resourced evangelical ministries in sometimes far-flung areas of the world. The GoodWORD Partnership (GWP), founded by Blair Carlson in Minneapolis in 2005, is one of those.
Blair coaches national church leaders in local evangelism, guiding them with their outreach, including preparation and follow-up within local churches. He has just returned from Russia and Poland, where GWP helped lead a major evangelism training conference, the Forum for Evangelism in Russia, which is now in its fifth year. Blair spoke to Evangelicals Now afterwards:
Evangelism Now: ten key truths outlined
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Nov 2021
‘Evangelism
in a time of crisis’ was the
theme of the 2021 Evangelism Conference,
entitled ‘Evangelism Now’, held at All Soul’s
Langham Place.
Rico Tice set out the three key principles
of evangelism: it must be based on God’s
sovereignty; the gospel must be presented
with both integrity and truth; there must be
no deception in how we operate.
Vietnamese evangelicals find favour
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Oct 2021
Evangelical Christians and the Vietnamese Government appear to have learnt from past mistakes – and their joint response to a recent coronavirus outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City has highlighted the benefits of prompt co-operation.
After some students at the Evangelical Church of Vietnam South’s Institute of Bible and Theology developed coughs and fevers last summer, church authorities immediately called the government health department. Tests revealed that 290 of the 306 students and staff on the campus had Covid-19. The authorities immediately quarantined the campus and sent in a medical team. Two Christian doctors and five volunteers of a Christian student fellowship also entered the campus to serve the sick. The 15 who needed hospital treatment included the Dean of Students, pastor Nguyen An Thai, and his wife.
British Christians helping Afghan refugees
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Oct 2021
As UK Christians consider how they might help the sudden influx of refugees from Afghanistan, one church leader with extensive experience of mission to Muslims has warned that the overwhelming majority of evangelical churches will not see any asylum seekers placed anywhere near them by the government.
Stephen Kneale (photo left) of Oldham Bethel Church says: ‘Most of these asylum seekers are open to Christianity. We already welcome many Afghani refugees who are, typically, very receptive to a gospel that is demonstrably different to what they left behind. Dozens of those we have witnessed to have put their faith in Christ.
Final blows to Zacharias organisation
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Sep 2021
Two new developments in the past few days
appear to hasten the final demise of Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM).
Firstly, a number of donors in the USA
have filed a complaint in a Georgia federal
court,
claiming
that
the
organisation
covered up
its founder’s abusive conduct.
They allege
they were misled
to believe
that
their donations were being used
to
promote
‘Christian evangelism, apologetic
defence of Christianity, and humanitarian
efforts.’ However,
the donors claim
they
were misinformed as they were told there
was no evidence of abuse; instead ‘Zacharias
was a prolific sexual predator who used his
ministry and RZIM
funds
to perpetrate
sexual and spiritual abuse against women’.
Joel Edwards dies aged 70
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Aug 2021
Joel Edwards has died from cancer aged 70. The first black man to lead the Evangelical Alliance (EA), he leaves behind an inspiring legacy of unity in diversity, social engagement and Christ-centred service.
After serving as a probation officer and as a pastor in east London, Joel became the General Secretary of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, where he worked to show the transforming power of Christ in communities, bring predominantly black churches together, and build bridges between the organisation and UK churches.
May the course be with you
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 May 2011
Over the past ten years Christianity Explored has become a tried and trusted, often highly informal, method of sharing the gospel.
It works by introducing people to the real Jesus from the pages of the Bible, exploring who Jesus is, why he came and what it means to follow him.