In a slow week for news the theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking has made headlines by stating in his latest book that he now sees no necessity for God in the creation of the universe. (He also said that ‘philosophy is dead’ which suggests that when it comes to promoting books even the best scientists recognise the commercial value of a controversial statement.) His view raises issues for Christians; so let me respond to them.

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I follow football because I like it as a game.

Whether we like it or not, football, almost more than anything else, defines who we are as nation. The heart of England now beats at Wembley rather than Westminster Abbey. In a Britain crisscrossed by many social and cultural gulfs, football is something that can act as a vital bridge between otherwise alienated individuals and communities. It is one of the few neutral subjects (along with our weather) that one can use to open up a conversation with a total stranger!

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Why is church coffee so often bad?

Not all church coffee is bad, but the issue that poor church coffee raises is deeper and more troubling. It is that much of what we do as churches can often be described as substandard, second best, mediocre or weak.

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Terry and Juanita Baker

Chairman and Trustee – Philo Trust

As a Trust we want to thank and bless all of you who so faithfully give to Philo Trust to support J.John’s ministry. Without your faithful support this ministry could not operate which would mean many people would not hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, and many Christians would not be equipped, resourced and helped in their daily walk with the Lord. Every pound, euro or dollar that is sown into Philo Trust is used wisely and we so appreciate your continued help to resource us so that we can resource others.

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By Robert K. Johnston and Catherine M. Barsotti

“When times are hard, people often go to the movies to escape,” or so the adage goes. The urge to escape is not the only reason people have been watching movies this past year: with life uncertain and the economy in shambles, people have also turned to our culture’s stories to find glimmers of hope amidst life’s pain and suffering.

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As the rumbling underfoot from aftershocks gives way to the rumbling overhead of thunderstorms, new challenges emerge for a beleaguered Haiti.

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Cumbria Tragedy

Few events have grabbed public attention in the UK recently more than the appalling random and brutal shootings in Cumbria in which Derrick Bird killed twelve people and wounded another eleven before turning his gun on himself. These tragic events have shocked and perplexed us; the papers have been full of analysis in which the word evil has been unusually prominent. No attempt to deal with these events can avoid this aspect and I offer some comments of my own.

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Why should Christians be involved in politics?

Some Christians argue that it is not our business to be involved in politics. First, because we have other matters on which to concentrate: getting people to heaven is more important than trying to straighten out a fallen world. Second, because politics is so corrupt that we must keep a distance, lest we become contaminated. A third argument is that God is sovereign, so he can be trusted to take care of politics.

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The awakening of the religious in politics?

Alistair Campbell famously informed us that British politicians ‘do not do God’. At this election time a related question ought to be asked: ‘Do the religious do politics?’ The answer, it seems, is that they do and increasingly so – something that ought to give the political parties pause for thought. Particular interest ought to be focused on that substantial sector that I belong to – the Evangelicals.

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What will life be like for the church in 2020?

I was asked by Charisma Magazine in the USA to respond to the question: What will life be like for the church in 2020? I thought you might be interested in seeing my reply below.

Heading towards financial, moral and social bankruptcy it is hard to be optimistic about the future of Britain. Yet amid the gloom, I see rays of encouragement and hope. My predictions?

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By Robert K. Johnston and Catherine M. Barsotti

Pixar’s tenth movie, Up, co-directed by Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, WALL-E) and Bob Peterson (Ratatouille, Finding Nemo) continues this studio’s string of unlikely heroes. This time, a grumpy 78-year-old balloon salesman, Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), who is filled with grief over the death of his soul mate and wife Ellie, is cast in the role. Certainly a strange lead character for a “children’s” movie – but then, Pixar’s animated movies have always been for the whole family. Here is an intergenerational film that can provoke great discussion.

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“New York City... a city for Christ.” We pray these words nearly every Sunday at C3 Church Manhattan. This may not be the first thing people think of when they consider New York, a city more often graced with nicknames like ‘Gotham’, ‘the Big Apple’ or ‘the city that never sleeps’. But across this incredible and diverse city, live great people who believe that this city - which serves as headquarters for finance, fashion and media - can also be a city where people experience the great love of Jesus in a whole new way.

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For the past ten years J.John has taught the Ten Commandments in towns and cities across the UK, teaching god’s truths to nearly one million people and seeing the power of god transform, heal and restore people in life-changing ways.

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Here is J.John’s contribution to Premier’s Thought of the Day, which were recorded at Premier in January 2010. This goes out each weekday morning in their Breakfast Show.

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A funny thing happened at ‘An Evening with J.John and Friends’ in Luton. I was reunited face to face with the man who led me to the Lord. I finished the evening not only listening and thanking God for all that has transpired over 30 years of fruitful service, but also sharing my testimony of how, in February 1985, I was confronted by the claims of the gospel and responded to Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

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Where is God? God and the Haiti Earthquake

Where is God? That question is an understandable reaction to the appalling earthquake in Haiti where on January 10, 2010 around 200,000 people died in under a minute. A second question follows upon it: how can anyone believe – or even want to believe – in a God who can crumble houses onto families, topple hospitals onto patients and collapse schools on children? Here we face the old challenge of the sceptic: if, as we Christians claim, God is both all-powerful and good then why did this happen? Surely, they say, only one of two conclusions is possible and neither leaves the idea of the Christian God intact. Either we must conclude that God couldn't stop the earthquake happening, in which case he isn't all-powerful or he wouldn't stop it happening, in which case he isn't good.

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Nas and Sheila Shaikh were born into Islamic families and brought up in the Islamic faith. Their testimony of how they followed Jesus is below.

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What, in the briefest terms, is the parable of the Prodigal all about? The answer is that it is a celebration of grace. If we define grace as ‘unconditional kindness given to an undeserving recipient at an uncomfortable cost’, we see that the parable illustrates all three aspects. We see in the younger son someone who is utterly undeserving. We see in the father, both in the gift of unconditional kindness and in the way he humiliates himself to bring the rebellious son back into the family, something of the uncomfortable cost of grace. These clearly show aspects of how God – Father, Son and Spirit – sacrificially pours out his love on us.

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By Chris Shin

According to World Vision, one of the world’s largest international Christian humanitarian organisations, South Korea is the only nation which has transformed itself from a receiving country to a giving country. Likewise, after the first missionary who arrived in the most unreached land of Korea in 1804, South Korea has transformed itself into a country that sent over 17,000 missionaries worldwide in 2008 alone.

CGNTV was launched by Onnuri Community Church in Seoul, Korea in 2005 to aid the Korean missionaries scattered around the world to deliver the gospel. Since then, God has been pouring out his abundant blessings on CGNTV to be a channel of the Gospel for the people who need the Lord. CGNTV is now operating 5 satellites covering most of the world and providing viewers with wholesome and spiritual programmes in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese and Thai.

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By Dr Chris Walley

The brilliance and variety of Jesus’ teaching poses a challenge to Christian communicators. Faced with the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount or the Parables, we are forced to say ‘how on earth do we follow that?’ Writers and speakers must steer a course between two perils. The first is to expound Jesus’ lively and compelling words with worthy but wearying commentary: that is unhelpful. The second – the very opposite – is to seek ear-tickling novelty at the expense of truth: that is unhealthy.

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