Watergate figure Chuck Colson reportedly near death – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

Watergate figure Chuck Colson reportedly near death – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

"Washington (CNN) – Chuck Colson, the convicted Watergate figure turned evangelist, is near death after suffering a brain hemorrhage earlier this month, his media representatives said Wednesday. ..."

There are many people who claim to "find God" in prison but not so many who maintain their ministry nearly 40 years after their release from prison.  Chuck Colson has ministered to inmates over the years and has been a force for good in our nation's penal system.

As I read the comments on this piece, I was shocked at the depth of hate expressed by what seems to me to be a large proportion of the commentators.  These comments are split between persons expressing personal hate toward Colson, and persons expressing general hate toward religion. I can only hope that these comments do not represent a random sampling of public opinion (and being self-selected, most assuredly do not).

Survey reveals diversity of beliefs among evangelicals | Christian News on Christian Today

Survey reveals diversity of beliefs among evangelicals | Christian News on Christian Today:

"Contrary to the commonly held assumption that evangelicals hold largely uniform beliefs, a new survey has revealed some interesting areas of disagreement and even uncertainty. ..."

There are some surprises here, most notably in some of the social issues. Things are not always as the new media have led us to believe.

Deep and wide: Growing via evangelism?

Deep and wide: Growing via evangelism?:

"STONY POINT, N.Y. — Mainline Protestant denominations have been shrinking for the past 40 years because they’ve scaled back what they did so well for decades before: birthing babies. Growth surged during the baby boom of the 1950s, but when that faded so did membership.

In order to reverse that trend the other historic way — growing the church through evangelization — about 75 Presbyterians gathered 30 miles northwest of New York City Nov. 10-12 for the “Grow the Church Deep and Wide: Evangelism Consultation” at Stony Point Center. ..."

"The proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of humankind" may be the first of the six Great Ends of the Church, but it has been one that has caused discomfort in more than a couple of the Presbyterian churches I have joined over the years. Many years ago the church where I currently hold membership dropped the traditional 'Evangelism Committee' and replaced it with the 'Outreach Committee' for reasons that are somewhat unclear to me, although the consensus is that the 'E' word carried too much baggage.

Jack Haberer's article in The Outlook gives a bit of the history of the problem and how it is being met today.

Missionary Myths | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Missionary Myths | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction:

"A team from two churches and one parachurch ministry has caught a vision for missions. Members travel regularly to Bangladesh to train pastors, minister to orphaned girls, and plant churches. The needs and opportunities in the South Asian nation of 153 million people, 99 percent of whom are Muslim or Hindu, are seemingly endless. According to the Operation World prayer guide, Christians there face discrimination from extremist Muslim groups. Compounding their difficulties is that despite the country's rapid economic growth, per-capita GDP stands at an anemic $1,300—or $3.56 a day.

When team members share their passion for Bangladesh with American Christians, they hear an all-too-typical response: 'We have enough poor people in our nation to take care of without you going to some other country.' In fact, many Westerners wonder whether we still need to send missionaries at all. ..."

Stan Guthrie does a good job of countering the various myths and misconceptions of carrying out mission in the world today. He makes the case that the Great Commission remains as compelling in the 21st century as it was to the original missionaries of the first century.

Presbyterian Outlook: Reclaiming Evangelism

Presbyterian Outlook: Reclaiming Evangelism:

"On April 5, the Presbytery of the James hosted a conference on evangelism. I found it a thought-provoking experience.

Evangelism is a word that makes a lot of Presbyterians squirm. We have a big need for evangelism, however, whether we like the word or not. As a denomination, we are losing members. So we must think how we can reclaim evangelism. It is our lifeblood as well as the core mission of the church.

Conference attendees offered many definitions of evangelism. One struck me by its simplicity and clarity. Evangelism, this person said, is “telling good news joyfully.” Only four words. Yet each conveys an essential ingredient in authentic evangelism. ..."

The "E" word makes people squirm. It made me squirm many years ago until I came to realize what "good news" meant. What good is the Good News if you keep it to yourself?

The first of the Great Ends of the Church is "the proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of humankind" and such activities are part of a healthy, vibrant, and faithful church.

You may have to register to read the full Outlook article, but it is free, and worth taking the time.

Pope Removes Restrictions On Use of Old Latin Mass - washingtonpost.com

Pope Removes Restrictions On Use of Old Latin Mass - washingtonpost.com:

"VATICAN CITY, July 7 -- Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday removed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass, reviving a rite that was all but swept away by the liberalizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

The decision, a victory for traditional, conservative Roman Catholics, came over the objections of liberal-minded Catholics and angered Jews because the Tridentine Mass contains a prayer for their conversion.

Benedict, who stressed that he was not negating Vatican II, issued a document authorizing parish priests to celebrate the Tridentine rite if a "stable group of faithful" requests it. Under Vatican II rules, the local bishop must approve such requests -- an obstacle that supporters of the rite said had greatly limited its availability.

"What earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred and great for us, too," Benedict wrote. ..."

Hmmm. We don't complain when some of the Anabaptist groups insist on using German in their worship. Why should we be concerned if some Catholics want to use the Latin mass? It does not seem likely that very many people will be really wanting the Tridentine Mass, in view of the fact that an entire generation (or more) of Catholics have grown since Vatican II. And I see by the entire article that no one will be forced into the Latin rites; this is strictly a choice of the individual or individuals who request it.

Does anybody know if Catholic seminaries even teach the Tridentine Mass?

As for the bit about converting Jews -- Perhaps we 21st century Preotestants wouldn't make it part of our "mission statement", but if we really believe the Good News, then why not tell it to the whole world? I don't recall any exceptions being established in either of the "Great Commission" passages....

A Mission of Understanding - washingtonpost.com

A Mission of Understanding - washingtonpost.com:

"Danny Leydorf's world was about to be turned upside down, and he couldn't wait.

The extroverted teenager had shined at the mostly evangelical Annapolis Area Christian School since kindergarten, but now he wanted to test his faith in a more diverse world. With hopes of becoming a lawyer or politician, he badly wanted to understand people who didn't think like him.

"I feel like I exist to be interacting," the lanky, towheaded 19-year-old said eagerly one day last summer, shortly after his graduation, "and part of that is just getting out there."

So he'd deliberately picked a large, secular college: the University of Maryland. But the week before he was to leave, the wider world dealt him a blow.

"I hate evangelical Christians," read the Facebook.com profile of his roommate-to-be, who had seemed so perfect on the phone. He loved politics and "The Simpsons," like Leydorf, and they even had the same views about how to set up the room. Could it still work? ..."

Here is an informative, fairly well written (and a bit rambling in spots), article on how a young man went from a private Christian school to a state university. He had deliberately sought out opportunities to engage with people whose world views differed from his own, including an internship with Charles Schumer (D New York), whose politics had little in common with his own. This was while he was still in high school. In college, he sought out public forums and debates to learn what people of different backgrounds thought.

Much of this article goes into the background of the evangelical movement, and the different ways in which believers approach engagement with the world around them. The author of this article, Michelle Boorstein, seems to have done her homework, correctly pointing out that the American evangelical movement began as a response to the separatism advocated by American fundamentalists in the 20th century, This movement, known as neo-evangelicalism, is associated with such people and institutions as Billy Graham, Christianity Today magazine, and Wheaton College.

Washington Post: In a Tech-Savvy World, the Word of God Goes Mobile

Washington Post: In a Tech-Savvy World, the Word of God Goes Mobile

"The latest cellphone technology brings new meaning to the notion of hearing God's call.

Media-savvy ministries are adapting their message for a new generation of phones, which have memories capable of holding entire books and playing videos and music.

The result: missionaries in Asia beaming testimonials onto a two-inch screen; a three-day, 100,000-person crusade boiled down to a two-minute video sermon; a Christian punk ring tone. ..."

This article goes on to point out that the cell phone has become an ubiquitous part of people's day to day lives -- they go everywhere with their owners. Other issues of etiquette are raised -- for example, is reading your Bible on your cellphone during church acceptable?

The overall conclusions of this article are that this could be a powerful tool in evangelism and spiritual development. I guess I have my reservations. I have carried a cell phone for over ten years, but I still prefer face-to -face conversations, and text messaging never quite has caught on with me. And watching videos on my Motorola Razr, even with its larger screen, just doesn't quite fire my rocket.