Teaching children about God
Everyday Ministry
Wouldn’t it be great if someone said to you as a parent, “Do this, this and this and you will have mature, well adjusted children who are Christians as well!”? One of the things we long for as parents, is to know that if we do something, then we will be assured of the correct response by our children. Unfortunately, children aren’t like that, not even in the same family. Not only is this true in regard to their behaviour, but particularly so in their responses to our teaching about God. We long to see our children as Christians, taking the claims of Jesus for themselves, living godly lives and calling on God as their Father in Heaven. But we cannot orchestrate this development.
The end of quiet times
Life
To be an evangelical Christian is to be a Bible reader. Our piety insists on personal, family and public Bible reading, even if the statistics suggest that our commitment to reading Scripture may be a part of evangelical mythology.1 Anyone who has the gall to ask “Do we really need to read the Bible?” deserves to be ex-communicated as a heretic and infidel and is certainly not a fit person to hold a publican’s license!
Evangelizing Roman Catholics
Everyday Ministry
Jacko, a conscientious Christian, boarded his morning train to Uni and spotted Patrick (a Roman Catholic) sitting at the end of the carriage. It was Patrick’s book, peeping out of his backpack, which gave him away: an immaculate Jerusalem Bible, its pristine pages devoid of sweat from foraging fingers.
Should we write ‘Christian’ fiction?
Review
Wisdom Hunter
By Randall Arthur
I like computers. Eight years ago I bought one on which to write talks and to catalogue books and articles. Four computers later, I have disks full of talks, and have finally begun to catalogue my library. Like many computer users, I have tried out a few of the thousands and thousands of public domain or ‘shareware’ programs that are available for computer users. Basically, these programs are written by people with various degrees of expertise who then circulate their program in the public domain. If you like what they’ve done and would like to use it on a regular basis, you pay a reasonable registration fee and receive a manual and any upgrades that might be forthcoming.
Experiencing God
Thought
Experiencing confusion
Thought
There is something of a crisis among many Christians today over the question of ‘experience’. If not a crisis, there is at least much confusion and uncertainty—a fascination and a longing—perhaps even a vacuum. This goes back some time.
The welcoming church
Everyday Ministry
A welcoming God
The gospel is about a God who takes the initiative to welcome us (see Luke 15). As his representatives, and those who enjoy the benefits of having been welcomed by him, we now welcome in the same way. Welcoming must therefore be an initiative; it must be sacrificial; it must be a high priority; and it must be an obvious distinctive of our identity and mission. Welcoming is not optional.
What to pray (Prayer Part IV)
Life
It was, as they say in the classics, a dark and stormy night. My wife gently nudged me, and then after a time, not-so-gently nudged me again. It was 4 a.m., and water was dripping onto our bed. In the dark and cold, I tried to move the bed.
How can we pray? (Prayer Part III)
Life
Most books on prayer (the Bible excluded) give plenty of advice about how, when and where to pray. The Bible’s lack of detail on the matter is revealing, but perhaps rather frustrating for 20th Century would-be pray-ers. We are rather interested in details, and are keen to listen to anyone who has a new theory or technique that we think might boost our flagging spirits.
Why we don’t pray (Prayer Part II)
Life
It was 6:54 am. Peter checked to make sure he had everything. It was all there: the bonded leather, cross-reference, chain-reference, words of Christ in green, NIV Eco-Bible; the notepad with personal prayer points arranged by day and subject; his church prayer diary; his missionary prayer diary; his worldwide student ministry prayer diary; his lectionary edition of An Anglican Prayer Book; and in case all else failed, the Jesus Person Pocket-Book of Life-Changing Bible Promises.
Why do we pray? (Prayer Part I)
Life
Martin Luther and the justification of God
Thought
In his rediscovery of a God-centred gospel, Martin Luther very much a man for the 20th Century. Robert Doyle explains why.
The living God who hears
Life
Social scientists tell us that most Australians believe in a god—a god who is behind it all. But unfortunately, this god doesn’t seem able to do anything in the 20th century. He or ‘it’ may have got the show started, and he may even be there at the final curtain to see if people have paid for their seats. But during the performance, he remains hidden in the wings, strangely silent.