Word To World Radio


	Evangelicals, Ecumenicals Mark 'New Beginning for Common Mission' At the opening of the Edinburgh 2010 conference, leaders of various ecumenical and evangelical movements stood side by side and reaffirmed their commitment to witnessing to Christ as one.The international director of the World Evangelical Alliance, Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, addressed some 300 leaders from across the Christian denominations and traditions, saying that it would be “foolish” to think that all the issues that have traditionally divided the different streams of the church would be resolved during the four-day conference. Nevertheless, he appealed to delegates to listen to one another with “love and respect” and to “build bridges rather than create chasms” during the conference.He went on to say, “This conference’s theme is ‘Witnessing to Christ today.’ We are not talking about some vaguely theistic or humanist agenda, but bearing glad witness to Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity. There is no authentic Christian mission that does not bear witness to him in word and deed and character, both individually and corporately. And there is no authentic church that does not have a passionate commitment to mission, reflecting the heart of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the World Missionary Conference held in the Scottish capital in 1910, Edinburgh 2010 is taking place this week with participants gathering largely from the Protestant mission movement in North America and northern Europe as well as representatives of all mainline churches and traditions, including Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Pentecostal, and Christian leaders from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, said the prayer of those who gathered in 1910 – the prayer of Jesus in John 17 “that the church may be one” – was the same prayer for leaders gathered in Edinburgh today."Mission and unity belong together," he said. "To be one in Christ is to witness together to Christ. We have a foundation going deeper than ourselves, our institutions or our traditions. We have a call which goes wider than our plans." Apologist Says Most Christians Cannot Explain their Faith According to renowned apologist Josh McDowell, the faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny.Research has shown that pastors’ inability to present biblical truth comprehensibly and relevantly has led to children from Christian families leaving the church, thus presenting concern among the Christian community. Statistically, the age at which nearly all such children leave church in the United States,has decreased to 18 years. Research has also shown that not even the children of many successful ministers are spared. McDowell’s comments were made at a recent networking dinner among various men’s ministries organized recently by Men-in-Covenant (MiC), a men’s ministry of the Covenant Evangelical Free Church.He recalled speaking with the pastor of one of the largest U.S. churches, a man known for his expository preaching. The pastor confided in McDowell and said that their church was losing its youth right after high school graduation. Throughout his 50 years of ministry, McDowell has asked several thousand pastors and leaders how they could be certain Jesus Christ said “I am the truth” and not one of many truths or a truth.“Not one person has ever given me an intelligent, biblically-based answer,” said the author of The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict.During the past six years, McDowell asked hundreds of Christians and leaders why they see themselves as Christians. Once again no one was able to give him an "intelligent" answer.In the past 17 years, he has asked over 4,000 pastors, leaders and parents why they believe the Bible is true. A mere six “came close to giving an intelligent answer,” McDowell noted.“If anything is based upon truth, it’s the Christian faith,” he said. “Christians who do not know why they have faith or believe have a very difficult time expressing themselves to others. "The saddest thing is people come to me and say, ‘What’s the answer?’" “I say, ‘There’s no answer… There are hundreds of answers.’" Most Christians, even some pastors, don’t even know one. On the other hand, the apologist said he could give 50 reasons for his belief that the Bible is true.Asked why the Bible is true and historically reliable, Christians replied that it was what they had been taught by their church or parents.A common response that most Christians gave to both questions was that it is “what I believe.”McDowell responded: “That’s voodoo thinking. Where did we ever get that crazy idea that something is true just because we believe it? “If that is true, then there will never be heresy. Everybody would be right.” On one occasion, thirteen youth pastors at a large convention were unable to reasonably answer the apologist’s question. Finally one young person stood up, walked toward him and told him he knew the answer.The young man promptly held up his Bible and said, “Because I believe it.” McDowell said, “Young man, do you know the difference between you, me and the majority of Christians in the world? To you, it is true because you believe it. For me, I believe it because it is true.” Another response the apologist received was: Because I have faith. He commented, “Where did we ever get the crazy idea that faith makes something true? That’s idiotic. That’s so unbiblical you can call it heresy. God doesn’t use faith to create truth. He uses truth through the Holy Spirit to create faith.” The apologist stressed that Christians are called to explain their faith when asked; they are set free by the faith in the truth, he expressed, referring to John 8:32.Yet others say Christianity is true because Jesus changed their lives. McDowell argues that not even this will stand up to intellectual scrutiny,. “Lies change lives; cults change lives,” he said. “To make such an appeal is “not the essence of Christianity.” McDowell said: “We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our neighbors, we owe it to the lost, to tell them not just what we believe but why do we believe it.” Ban on Human-Animal Hybrids Okayed by Ohio Senate In a 24-8 vote on last Wednesday, Ohio’s state Senate decided to pass legislation prohibiting “the creation, transportation, or receipt of a human-animal hybrid, the transfer of a nonhuman embryo into a human womb, and the transfer of a human embryo into a nonhuman womb.”The latest version of the bill, called S.B. 243, does not ban human cloning as an earlier bill. Nevertheless, it was considered by pro-family and Christian groups as “vital legislation” amid “outrageous” advancements in science. The OCA said it worked for the past seven years with members of the Ohio Legislature to ban embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and in recent years, animal-human hybrid, for this and other reasons,.In addition, for the past three years, the OCA has worked with State Senator Steve Buehrer (R-Delta) and other members of the Ohio Senate to introduce S.B. 243, which – until recently – also banned human cloning. Despite stripping down the original bill to help it move forward in the Senate, and to broaden its appeal, the OCA still commended the sponsors of the final legislation for having at least some of the original ban passed. The group said, “[a]ll who believe that human life, including nascent human life, is a unique and precious gift from our Creator have an obligation to support efforts to ban it.” OCA President Chris Long said in a statement: “Science has advanced to the point where DNA from animals and humans can be intermixed in scientific laboratory experimentation. This is simply outrageous.”Following Wednesday’s vote, the bill, which was first introduced on March 12, 2010, now moves to the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives for further consideration. Salvation Army Extends Ministry to 121 Countries As one of the most recognized Christian nonprofits, the Salvation Army has recently extended its reach to 121 nations. The most recent nation to be added to the list of countries where the organization is offering social services, the United Arab Emirates, makes number 121. Work officially commenced in the Middle Eastern country on Tuesday. According to an announcement, "The Salvation Army is developing relationships with members of the government, diplomatic and legal communities in the U.A.E. Together with the formation of an advisory board, these steps will help ensure that The Salvation Army becomes part of daily life in the Middle East."Less than two years ago, the evangelical organization began working in neighboring Kuwait. Majors Mike and Teresa Hawley, along with Lieutenants Robert and Glenis Viera, from the U.S. began exploring the idea of extending the Army's ministry into the United Arab Emirates in 2009. The organizers secured rented premises for regular meetings in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, and the organization’s legal presence is growing as it works in cooperation with other churches.The evangelical group was officially recognized in Sierra Leone early this year, and the West African country's first 25 Salvation Army soldiers were enrolled in May. Francs Kargbo, one of the new soldiers said, “I was only a Christian by birth and not in practice, but the coming of this great Army of God has created the thirst for the Word of God in my life.” Founded in 1865, the Salvation Army has its international headquarters is in London. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. Bible Society launches Luke’s Gospel in Patois The Bible Society of the West Indies has undertaken the effort to translate the Word of God into the language of Jamaican Patois. The term “Patois” is used to refer to any language that is spoken with a different dialect, slang, pidgin or creole language. Jamaican Patois is essentially English but with such strong accents that is considered a different language. The Bible Society’s decision to launch the Gospel of Luke in this language has been hailed as a “quantum leap” for the language’s five million speakers in Jamaica and worldwide. During a Pentecost Day service at Christian Life City in Hackney, London, the audio format of the Gospel of Luke was launched, ahead of its launch in Jamaica in August, where it will be made available as a CD. General Secretary of the Bible Society of the West Indies, Rev. Courtney Stewart, said the Patois translation had left Jamaica in a “state of excitement and celebration.”“Jamaican Patois has always been regarded as the language to communicate music and folklore but it’s never been used to translate anything serious,” he said. “So this is of great significance. It’s history in the making.” Twenty-two year old fashion stylist, Tanesha Westcarr, who was present at the London launch, said after hearing an excerpt, “I loved it. I definitely will be listening again and again. Repetition is important because fait comes by hearing and it’s something that positively represents Jamaican people.” A full translation of the New Testament in Patois is hoped to be published by the Bible Society of the West Indies in August of 2012, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence. It has been 17 years since the translation was started, and it has brought together Bible Society language consultants and linguistics at the University of the West Indies, who have checked scripts and conducted field tests. Some traditionalist opposes the translation of the New Testament into Patois because they believe that it distorts the message. Stewart, however believes that having a portion of the Bible in Patois allows the word of God to be communicated at a deeper level and gives Jamaicans a greater sense of self-worth. “It is a quantum leap for our language,” he said. “Patois has always been considered bad, broken English, that’s regulated to those from a poorer economic background. He continues, “The impact of this effort by Bible Society of the West Indies goes far beyond Bible translation, as it has implications for Jamaican culture, the perception we have of ourselves, our educational system, linguistics, tourism and other areas. It means God’s Word will reach people in a way that has previously not been the case.”