Watching the web
Stephen Doggett
Date posted: 1 Oct 2004
Web Review
'God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm', sung William Cowper. Check out Puritan and other Reformed poetry on Fire and Ice at http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry.htm
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Not less than everything
Valerie Griffiths
Date posted: 1 Aug 2004
China - a new world for women
Imagine what it must have been like for the women of China. Crippled, oppressed, unable to leave the house.
A mere 200 years ago women in China spent most of their lives confined to their homes - the result of the thousand-year custom of foot binding. It crippled millions of women, making walking painful, if not impossible.
Ten tips for reaching Hindus
H L Richard
Date posted: 1 Sep 2004
Friendship evangelism is usually easy to initiate with Hindus. Most Hindus esteem religion in general and are free and open to speak about it. A sincere, non-judgmental interest in all aspects of Indian life will provide a good basis for friendship. Personal interaction with Hindus will lead to a more certain grasp of the essence of Hinduism than reading many books.
A consistently Christ-like life is the most important factor in sharing the gospel with Hindus. The suggestions that follow should help to break down misunderstandings and help to build a positive witness for Christ. But learning and applying these points can never be a substitute for a transparent life of peace and joy in discipleship to Jesus Christ.
Left Behind
David Field
Date posted: 1 Sep 2004
David Field reflects on the astonishingly popular series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
The energetic and expectant people of God are filled with hope.
Legally speaking
Mark Jones
Date posted: 1 Sep 2004
Lawyers, it must be said, do not have the best reputation as a profession. To some the concept of a Christian lawyer may appear an oxymoron. There are a large number of Christians who practise law (and I would like to plug here the sterling work of the Lawyers Christian Fellowship), but fewer who undertake Christian legal work.
I have now been a solicitor in private practice for eight years. During that time I have represented many global corporations and households - and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. I would have described myself at the time as a lawyer who happened to be a Christian. I certainly worked hard, as if working to please God rather than men, but my actual service was directed towards the firm that employed me and the clients who wished to use my services.
Shrek 2
John Benton
Date posted: 1 Sep 2004
None Review
It's cool to be ugly? SHREK 2 Cert. U Dreamworks When the original Shrek animation came out three years ago it broke new ground. Not only was the animation terrific, the story turned the normal fairytale on its head. Here the ogre Shrek (who was not too bad a guy) got the girl Princess Fiona (who turned out to be somewhat ogre-ish herself).
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The Third Degree
Ben Carswell
Date posted: 1 Sep 2004
As I sat in an Edinburgh pub, waiting to meet my friend Ruth, I pondered on our friendship. We'd met in my first week at university, when we were placed in a project group together and our friendship had continued throughout university.
We had endured some of the typical highs and lows of a university friendship - the highs usually occurring at the end of the final exam before the summer, and the lows when we received the resulting grades! On numerous occasions as we'd talked, our conversations had been about spiritual issues, and when the Christian Union held their mission week, Ruth attended several events. However, all this had occurred without her ever seemingly showing any genuine interest for herself. Since leaving university, my friendship with Ruth had continued, albeit at a distance, and generally by email and the occasional phone call. I was visiting Edinburgh and had suggested we meet up, as we'd not seen each other properly for almost two years.
The Third Degree
UCCF
Date posted: 1 Jul 2004
While you might be kicking your heels waiting for your fortnight in the sun, most students are already two months into their summer break. The encouraging news is that many Christian students are giving weeks or months this summer to be part of what God is doing worldwide.
Why so many people reject Christ (and one idea for winning them back)
Alan Sharp
Date posted: 1 Aug 2004
What will make your next-door neighbours consider the claims of Christ?
Traditionally, one style of evangelism has been popular. This is a style used by Paul: reason (dialogue), telling the story of Jesus and his bringing salvation for us. For a number of reasons, particularly related to the impressions that the bad lifestyles of some Christians are making on non-Christians, I believe it's important that we now investigate using another style of evangelism as well.
Watching the web
Stephen Doggett
Date posted: 1 Aug 2004
Web Review
This month I have been trawling around in cyberspace and here are four websites I found interesting.
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It began with prayer
Liam Beadle
Date posted: 1 May 2004
'God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord' (1 Corinthians 1.9, ESV).
2004 sees the celebration of the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union's 125th anniversary. On May 8, DV, we shall be welcoming J.I. Packer and Andrew Goddard to encourage and challenge us from God's Word in a celebration to be held in St. Aldate's main building. It is our hope that former members of the OICCU will be keen to join us.
Lessons from the Cambodian church
Julia Cameron
Date posted: 1 Jun 2004
The church in Cambodia went through cruel persecution 50 years after it was founded. Don Cormack's unique account of this period is in his book 'Killing Fields, Living Fields'. It has become one of the most 'talked about' books around.
We in the West have much to learn from the lives of Christians in that south east Asian land. Here Julia Cameron talks with Don Cormack.
The Third Degree
UCCF
Date posted: 1 Jun 2004
Serb and Croat, Israeli and Palestinian students were among the 2,000 who spent Easter morning sharing in communion, praising God, and celebrating salvation through Jesus Christ.
It felt like a small taster of heaven. There may not have been palm branches, but we were each given a daffodil, which we waved as we sang together 'Up from the grave he arose'. The sea of bright yellow, intermingled with national flags from Sweden to Spain, Germany to Georgia, demonstrated our unity in Jesus. Political, economic and social divides were put aside as our Lord was praised.
Welcome one another
William Philip
Date posted: 1 Jul 2004
A disturbing centrifugal force, seen in the enduring propensity for division among evangelical churches, has been powerfully at work among us for many generations, with devastating effects for the gospel of Christ.
Post-Reformation church history, particularly in the UK and the USA, is littered with evidence of disagreements, splits and rupture among congregations and church groupings, and it is quite staggering how often this has been over truly minor and secondary matters.
defending our faith
Evangelicals and the Incarnation
Chris Sinkinson
Date posted: 1 May 2004
THE WORD BECAME FLESH
Evangelicals and the Incarnation
Edited by David Peterson. Paternoster. 208 pages. ?14.99
ISBN 1 84227 209 8
The background to the book lies over a century ago in an 1889 conference called Lux Mundi. This was a watershed in the Church of England that crystallised what we now call liberal Anglicanism.
Where are you taking your holiday?
Andrew Bradley
Date posted: 1 Apr 2004
The evenings begin to draw out and, for many, thoughts turn to the warm and sunny days of summer and holidays.
Such thoughts help to speed the grey winter days, helped by the TV travel programmes which offer us tempting vistas of what next summer could have in store if we book early for that bargain villa holiday in Spain, that self-catering gem in Greece or that idyllic week flotilla-sailing in the Caribbean! Add the weekend supplements and those visits to the travel agent resulting in a pile of brochures that help whet our appetites for that perfect week away next summer.
The Third Degree
UCCF
Date posted: 1 May 2004
Evangelism was obviously top of the agenda of Christian Unions last term: over 50 mission weeks took place across the country, tens of thousands of copies of John's Gospel were given out, many students put their trust in Christ, and enquirer courses were well attended.
A month or so later, has evangelism slowed down? Have students done their bit, storing up their evangelistic zeal for next year's drive?