news in brief
Mixed views
In a report published in mid-November, two thirds of GPs were shown to be in favour of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) dropping its opposition to assisted dying.
The survey found that 38% of 689 GP respondents favoured the adoption of a neutral stance on assisted dying by the RCGP, while 31% said the college should go even further and support a change in the law to allow doctors to help terminally ill patients to die in the UK. The article notes that the RCGP is currently opposed to a change in the law on assisted dying.
GBM: more new missionaries at annual meetings
EN
Date posted: 1 Dec 2013
This year was
the
turn of
the Renewal
Centre in Solihull to play host to the Grace
Baptist Mission (GBM) annual meetings.
On October 26, the venue was full with
750 or more Christians from across the country. The theme was ‘A heart for mission’. One
of the highlights of the day was the introduction of new missionaries who have come into
the work.
Mission - quo vadis?
Thorsten Prill
Date posted: 1 Aug 2012
In June 2005 Jonathan Stephen, principal of the Wales Evangelical School of Theology, published an article entitled ‘The Current Crisis in Evangelicalism’ in EN.
Stephen looked at a number of postmodern heresies which posed a severe threat to Bible-centred Christianity. Among these heresies in contemporary evangelicalism identified were Open Theism, the New Perspective on Paul, and the Emerging Church, as well as the rejection of the doctrine of penal substitution. Seven years on, these postmodern theologies have undoubtedly gained influence. However, they no longer pose a threat to evangelical churches in Europe and North America alone. There is another group in the evangelical constituency that is also affected: mission organisations and their partners overseas.
Guy Longley 1924 – 2013 Barbara Longley 1924 – 2013
Ray Porter
Date posted: 1 Jan 2014
‘In life they were loved and gracious and in death they were not parted’ (2 Samuel 1.23) could be applied to Guy and Barbara Longley, who died within 24 hours of each other on November 7 and 8.
They met as members of the last group of CIM missionaries to go into China in 1949. Guy was from Broadstairs in Kent and his three brothers also served as missionaries. Barbara (née Beck) was a nurse from Ontario, Canada. They married in Hong Kong in 1951.
GFA: the Great Omission
Gospel For Asia
Date posted: 1 Jan 2014
Most Christians are familiar with Jesus’ command, the Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations.
But with the average Christian giving less to mission than the cost of a coffee, once a month, it appears that the church is omitting the commission, it was concluded in December by Gospel for Asia.
news in brief
Algeria: repeated attacks
The pastor of a church in southern Algeria
reported on November 12 a fresh attack on
his church – the third of its kind – which he
says proves that some Algerians are against
the presence of churches in their country
The attackers
threw a
tyre
inside
the
building and then tried to smash the gate
into the building. They dispersed when the
police arrived, but none were arrested.
Moment or movement?
Susie Leafe
Date posted: 1 Feb 2014
In my youth we enjoyed the old game of seeing how many people we could squeeze into a Mini.
Little did I know how useful those skills would be when trying to organise ReNew, a new conference for conservative evangelical Anglican leaders that took place last November.
4 million hits
www.easyenglish.info
Date posted: 1 Feb 2014
A website which offers the Bible in easy-to-read English clocked up 4 million visitors
from more than 200 countries during 2013.
The EasyEnglish version and commentaries use a vocabulary of just 1,200 words
and are for those who have learned English as
a second language. For those who have a
greater knowledge of English there is another level using 2,800 words. Both levels follow simple forms of grammar.
HOPE launch in London
1,000 people from across London crowded
into Central Hall, Westminster, on October
14 for the Crossing London Hope 2014
Vision Night of
inspiration, music and
Christian worship and praise.
There were
thought-provoking
ideas
about the future of Christian mission
in
London, and news of some exciting initiatives coming up in the next 12 months as
Crossing London partners with many other
groups, organisations and churches, to try to
see the capital and its people renewed by the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
Keswick to reach non Christians
John Risbridger
Date posted: 1 Dec 2013
As the Convention encourages Christians to bring their unbelieving friends, we speak to John Risbridger, Keswick’s Chairman
EN: You took over as Chairman of the Keswick Convention in May 2012. Now you are established in the role, what is your vision for Keswick over the next 5-10 years?
JR: The team of trustees are all still committed to the same things Keswick has valued for decades. Our vision remains the spiritual renewal of God’s people for his mission in the world. So we want to provide high-quality Bible teaching that draws evangelical Christians from across a wide background of different churches to worship and grow together and to encourage a strong commitment to mission in all its forms, both in the UK and across the world.
Cornwall: walkers return
Andrew Chapple
Date posted: 1 Dec 2013
The black and white of the St. Piran county flag was the colour of the month through September.
Walk Cornwall 2 did three weeks of evangelistic mission in the far west county, all under the auspices of Through Faith Missions, utilising local leadership.
GAFCON: largest since Lambeth
Chris Sugden
Date posted: 1 Dec 2013
GAFCON 2013, which met at the Conference Centre and Cathedral at All Saints Nairobi, can legitimately claim to be the largest worldwide gathering of Anglicans since Lambeth 1998 which was attended by all Anglican bishops and their wives.
331 bishops and archbishops and 1,358 delegates, including over 300 women, met together, among whom 120 were from England, Ireland and Wales.
CHURCH — BORN AGAIN!
Malcolm MacGregor
Date posted: 1 Dec 2013
A church plant that almost failed has taken off and goes independent in January.
Billy, Justine, Gill, Emma, Gary, John, Maggie, Amy are just a few of the many who have come to faith over the past six years at Shepherd Drive Baptist Church on the Chantry and Pinewood estates in Ipswich. If you have never been to the ‘far east’, Ipswich is a historic sea port on the river Orwell with a couple of large marinas full of posh yachts. Now just over an hour from Liverpool Street station in the City of London, it is also a rapidly growing commuter town.
Making a mark for God
Situated at a key point on this expanding housing development, the church is starting to make a real mark for God among the many young families who live round about. It was, however, back in the 1970s that a Christian nurse living on the estate first felt a burden to reach the local children with the gospel. In due time this led to a church plant, which, in spite of sincere efforts and a good building, never really impacted the area as it might have. After a closure of around three years, the fellowship was re-launched in 2007 with a specific aim of reaching the un-churched.
Young historians
Mary Stolarski
Date posted: 1 Jan 2014
Book Review
ANSELM OF CANTERBURY:
Christian biographies for young readers
Read review
CAR: contingency plan
World Watch Monitor
Date posted: 1 Jan 2014
Consensus is emerging to begin
‘contingency planning’ to send a UN peacekeeping
force
to
the
lawless Central African
Republic (CAR), the UN’s No.2 official said
in mid-November.
‘The country
in the heart of Africa
is
descending into complete chaos before our
eyes and requires a capable security force on
the ground’, UN Deputy Secretary General
Jan Eliasson told the UN Security Council.
The occupation: ‘must be robust and prevent
what has
the high potential
to result
in
widespread atrocities’.
India: strategies to face persecution
Vinay Samuel & Chris Sugden
Date posted: 1 Jan 2014
Thirty
lawyers, media personnel, pastors
and agency workers from Christian denominations across India met at the Centre for
Religious Freedom in Delhi from November
25–29
to prepare
resources
to enable
Christians of all churches in India to meet
the
likelihood of
further persecution
in
months to come.
Persecution may be stepped up because
Hindu nationalist politicians may win power
in the current local and upcoming national
elections and even form the Government if
only in coalition with others.
A remarkable Chinese leader
Tony Lambert
Date posted: 1 Jan 2014
Tony Lambert reflects on the life of Pastor Samuel Lamb who went to be with the Lord in recent months
Pastor Samuel Lamb died in Guangzhou (Canton) in south China in early August 2013.
A hard pill to swallow
Lee Gatiss
Date posted: 1 Jan 2014
The Church of England has now entered
another turbulent period of debate over
sexuality, which threatens to tear it apart
from the inside.
The Pilling Report on Human Sexuality
came out at the end of November and will
be discussed by the House of Bishops in
January. It contains worrying evidence and
worrying recommendations.
Rico’s recommendation
Pod Bhogal
Date posted: 1 Oct 2013
Evangelist Rico Tice suggests one resource which will help churches involved with A Passion For Life 2014
Pod Bhogal talks to Rico Tice, author of the Christianity Explored course about the importance of one-to-one personal work in evangelism, Seeker Bible studies and Uncover, UCCF’s latest gospel project which is now being adopted by local churches.
UK TRAINS THE WORLD!
Dr. Jonny Woodrow
Date posted: 1 Oct 2013
Over the last six years, a training ministry initially developed for a local church in the north of England now has a truly global impact.
The Porterbrook Network started in 2007 when church planters Steve Timmis and Tim Chester started work on a course that would equip Christians for mission and ministry in everyday life. It needed to appeal to busy Christians who couldn’t take a day a week for training. They wanted something that connected biblical theology to both heart change and mission. A key aim was to help men and women see mission as something to which they could contribute.
The result was Porterbrook Learning. It centred on biblical theology, character development and sound doctrine, as well as equipping people to speak the gospel into everyday life. It gave Christians a renewed vision for the centrality of the local church in mission, and trained people for evangelism and cultural engagement.
Man on a mission
In May, the FIEC announced Andy Paterson as their new Director of Mission. EN asked him about his vision for this new role.
EN: Director of Mission is an unusual title for the FIEC. What does it mean?
Exmouth extends
Lee Emerson
Date posted: 1 Dec 2013
Scott Drive Church, Exmouth, officially
opened
its new building extension on
September 21.
But the church’s real agenda is to see God’s
kingdom extended
in
this
seaside
town.
Founded in 1966 by a retired minister who
saw the need for an independent church with
strong biblical foundations, years of valiant
effort by many did not seem to be bearing
fruit until recently. Then God blessed the
congregation with
increased numbers and
several conversions.
