Bahamas: on the front line
CBN news
Date posted: 1 Oct 2019
North Carolina-based global humanitarian organisation Operation Blessing sent a relief team on 4 September to Nassau, Bahamas, to bring emergency aid after Hurricane Dorian’s devastation.
Dorian ripped through the Bahamas destroying or severely damaging over 13,000 homes. The death toll is still unknown.
Somalia: wife divorced after husband finds Bible
Morning Star News
Date posted: 1 Oct 2019
A woman was divorced by her Muslim hus-band after he discovered she owned a Bible, it was reported in August.
The husband of the 32-year-old mother of two children discovered that his wife was a Christian and owned a Bible. He demanded that she reveal who had given it to her.
Modern Foxe
Chris Sugden
Date posted: 1 Oct 2019
Book Review
HATED WITHOUT A REASON:
The remarkable story of Christian persecution
over the centuries
Read review
Margaret Weston 1929–2019
Julia Cameron
Date posted: 1 Oct 2019
Generations of Christian Union members
will remember Margaret Weston with affec-tion and gratitude. Her husband, Canon
Keith Weston, was a widely-loved speaker
in CUs and Margaret often travelled with
him, making herself available to talk with
students.
From 1964 to 1985, Keith was Rector of St
Ebbe’s Church, Oxford. Margaret exercised a
pastoral ministry among
its
students, as
among members of the parish. The rectory
was then amid some of the most deprived
housing in the county.
Free Church of Scotland: the next generation
Free Church of Scotland
Date posted: 1 Oct 2019
The Free Church of Scotland will facili-tate a focused outreach initiative called ‘Generation19’ which aims to encourage local churches to reach out to their com-munities with the gospel.
In 2017 a census of Scottish churches was carried out by Brierley Consultancy which indicated a sharp decline in church attendance and engagement. The report showed that ‘some 390,000 people regularly attended church, being 7.2% of the Scottish population, down from 17% in 1984.’ This decline was the equivalent of ‘losing ten congregations per month’.
history
Reformers and mission II
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Aug 2018
Last month we begin to think about the argument that the Reformers had no missionary vision or passion.
This month we continue to ponder this important theme by looking at John Calvin’s thinking about the missionary advance of the church.
history
Rule Britannia?
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Sep 2019
Remembering the life of H M Gwatkin and the British Empire
The name of Henry Melvill Gwatkin (1844–1916) has long been a familiar one through his standard examination of the Arian heresy, Studies of Arianism (1882), which remains a classical study of this ancient heresy.
The joy of repentance
Wallace Benn
Date posted: 1 Sep 2019
Former area Bishop of Lewes, Wallace Benn, reminds us of the delight to be found in turning back to God
When the Lord Jesus began his ministry he proclaimed: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’ (Mark 1:15). Repentance is central to the Christian message and cannot therefore be downplayed or abandoned.
Uganda: moral leadership in church and society
Chris Sugden
Date posted: 1 Sep 2019
Theologians from Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda gathered as the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion Theological Resource Network.
They met in Kampala, Uganda from 10-13 June to consider developing moral leadership in church and society. They also studied Paul’s emphasis on nurturing character in young leaders based on the biblical gospel of Jesus.
20 schemes: a season of summer fruit
20schemes
Date posted: 1 Sep 2019
A lot has happened with 20schemes over the course of this summer, from holiday clubs to conferences to new partnerships. God is always at work in all things, but over the past few months 20schemes have seen Him do many big things.
On 20 June, the church-planting network hosted ‘Sing Scotland’ with Keith & Kristyn Getty and John Piper. The day began with a day conference where over 300 Christians from across the UK gathered. Topics focused on how we sing corporately and the preaching of God’s word.
history
Reformers & missions III
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Sep 2018
Calvin is insistent that believers must actively employ
their strength to bring God’s
salvation to others.
In his sermon on Deuteronomy 33.18-19
Calvin can thus argue that it is not enough to
be involved in God’s service. Christians need
to be drawing others to serve and adore God.
Specifically, how does God use the strength
of Christians? Calvin’s answer is that it is by
their words and by their deeds.
Prioritising mission
Andrew Marsay
Date posted: 1 Jul 2017
Dear Editor,
John M’s article,
‘Mixing mission’ (en
May), highlights concerns about churches
no longer prioritising missions as they used
to. While this concern is understandable, the
power of the plea is diminished because no
biblical analysis of the problem is offered.
From darkness to light: the rise of the Iranian church
Afshin Ziafat
Date posted: 1 Aug 2019
Robert Bruce, a Scottish missionary to Iranian Muslims in the late-19th century, wrote home to his supporters: ‘I am not reaping the harvest; I scarcely claim to be sowing the seed; I am hardly ploughing the soil; but I am gathering out the stones. That, too, is missionary work; let it be supported by loving sympathy and fervent prayer.’
For many years, Iran was one of the most difficult regions of the world to reach with the gospel. In 1979, with the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the ruling monarch Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was overthrown. In his place an Islamic Republic was birthed, led by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Sharia law became the law of the land, and Muslim clerics became the heads of state.
ACNA: a call to faithfulness
Charles Raven
Date posted: 1 Aug 2019
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) returned to Plano, Texas, 17-19 June to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its formation under the leadership of Archbishop Bob Duncan.
The Assembly theme was ‘Discipleship: Renewing Our Call to the Great Commission’ with cross-cultural mission and church planting very much to the fore. Over 1,100 attended, including ten Anglican Primates, Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi of Jos, Nigeria and General Secretary of GAFCON, and representatives from some 23 countries.
Remembering Frances Whitehead
Julia Cameron
Date posted: 1 Aug 2019
Frances Whitehead brought unusual energy and passion to her role as John Stott’s secretary – ‘a most understated job title’, as Hugh Palmer made clear in his opening remarks at her thanksgiving service in All Souls, Langham Place.
It is widely agreed that the reach and extent of John Stott’s ministry was doubled by Frances. Days were long and full. She handled an enormous correspondence, typed Stott’s books from longhand, and oversaw the infrastructure of each of his endeavours until it could be handed on. Their partnership was unequalled; and they would become known around the world as ‘Uncle John’ and ‘Auntie Frances’.
The extraordinary Jesus Christ for ordinary people
Association of Grace Baptist Churches (South East)
Date posted: 1 Aug 2019
Didcot is England’s most normal town. Statisticians reached that conclusion after crunching the numbers in 2017.
With a working-class population connected with the railway and power station, a sizable benefits class in social housing, alongside large numbers of nuclear scientists and biotech research labs, and huge new housing developments that are more affordable than Reading and Oxford, Didcot is an interesting microcosm of English life. It is set to double in size by 2035 as a ‘Garden Town’ with 10,000 homes being built. It is also home to the Baptist Union headquarters, but, given its rapid growth, not overwhelmed with churches, particularly on the new estates.
news in brief
Shaping up UK’s response
The Bishop of Truro’s final report published
on
8
July
on worldwide Christian
persecution, made recommendations
for
religious literacy training in the UK Foreign
Office. It also said mechanisms are needed
to facilitate immediate responses to atrocity
crimes, including genocide.
Jeremy Hunt said he would adopt all 22
recommendations
from
the report noting
that Christians are
the most persecuted group in the world.
LCM: love that crosses the divide
Graham Miller
Date posted: 1 Jun 2019
Despite the anger and vitriol that fills the front pages of our tabloids, there is good news on the streets of London…
Let me tell you about my friend Ilyas Ayoub, who works in one of the most diverse parts of our capital – Forest Gate in East London. Ilyas works at a mission centre, sandwiched between a temple and a mosque, where he partners with local churches to love the community and by sharing the gospel message.
Field of dreams
Student sport mission field
Mike Harris
Date posted: 1 Oct 2018
All over the country, freshers are starting their first year at university.
Anyone who has been a student knows the challenge of trying to live for Jesus in those early weeks where everyone is grappling for a sense of belonging, an identity, image, reputation and a group of friends.
Reaching London’s Lost
Co-Mission
Date posted: 1 May 2019
In January, Co-Mission, a network of local churches in London, launched a film We Plant Churches to Reach the Lost.
Through a series of testimonies the film explains why the network does what it does. Co-mission seeks to follow Christ’s command in Matthew 28:19: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’
From truth to fear and intimidation
Christian Concern
Date posted: 1 Jul 2019
A vicar and Oxford biology graduate resigned from the Church of England and from his role as a school governor in May. This occurred after transgender ideology, endorsed by his diocese and taught in the CofE school where he was a governor, silenced him as a scientist and a Christian.
During a training session on transgender issues run by Mermaids, John Parker was told by the headteacher: ‘This is training, John, it’s not your time to share your view-point.’ This followed his request to raise some different perspectives. The training session was recorded, and the audio clearly demonstrates that his request was shut down by the headteacher.
news in brief
Algeria: ‘God is sovereign’
Authorities closed another church building and its Bible school on 22 May.
Citing a law that requires authorisation for non-Muslim places of worship, gen-darmes locked the doors of the evangelical church building in Boudjima. Pastor Youcef Ourahmane said that the permit has been applied for, but the government commit-tee that approves them has never met. Ourahmane said they are praying for the authorities whilst recognising that ‘God is sovereign and is in control of this situation and all circumstances’.
‘They ate together with glad and sincere hearts.’ Why don’t we?
New homes are being built near us, as in many places up and down the country. I can see them from our bedroom window.
I can only dream of living in one of these places – they’re completely out of my price bracket, but still, I couldn’t help but have a nose around the show home. I got ready for this exciting excursion by looking up the details online. After all, if you can’t afford something, it’s reassuring to know how much you can’t afford it.