Did You Know? 3.0

An updated version of "Did You Know?" (3.0) has been released. This excellent video helps you grasp the magnitude of change that is occurring through globalization and the technology that fuels the information age.



What difference does this make?

The James Ossuary -- WOW or WHAT?

Okay, this is intriguing. It is the case of the "James Ossuary" -- an ancient (or not so ancient...or, wait, yes ancient) ossuary (that is, receptacle for holding the bones of the dead) that had the inscription "James, Son of Joseph, Brother of Jesus" inscribed upon it.

First, there was great interest in the astounding archaeological find. WOW! The implications.

Then it was declared to be a Fraud by the Israeli Antiquities Authority. Bummer. But even fraudulent cases make good stories. Right?

But now, get this. It is the IAA that appears to have been playing loose with the evidence. They have been embarrassed in the court case over the ossuary.

So now we are back to "WOW, this is an astounding piece of evidence!" And we've added the drama around it of, "HMMM... Someone doesn't want this evidence to be recognized for what it is." Any correlation to Matthew 28:11-15?

One must extend kudos to the Israeli court system that won't accept scientific hanky panky with the facts.

Freethinkers & Faithfulness: An Improbable Friendship

Just read an encouraging article, "Freethought & Faithfulness: An Improbable Friendship" from the Rocktown Weekly and Andrew Jenner. Jenner chronicles the amiable and constructive interaction between Campus Crusade for Christ believers and the Freethinkers of JMU.

Christian believers have been viewed as intolerant and combative. This is evidence that it doesn't have to be that way.

Way to go all you freethinking & believing Duke Dawgs!

The Spiritual Spectrum

I just received a request for a graph I've used in illustrating the spiritual spectrum of our audiences. These are general categories that expand and contract dependent on audience we are reaching out to.


The general explanation is that while we are doing outreach...

• We’ll discover Christians – some who are Connected to a community of believers and growing. Some who are Unconnected.
• We’ll discover Seekers – who are searching for God in their spiritual journey.
• There are individuals who are Open – they are not actively seeking God, but they are generally open, if approached appropriately, if in a safe environment.
• The greatest majority may be the Indifferent. For them it is just not on their radar screen, they aren’t thinking much about it, because it seems irrelevant to how they live.
• Another group is the Resistant . Their resistance is rooted in world-views and beliefs that conflict with the gospel.
• Finally, there are the Hostile. Their hostility could flow out of strong beliefs that conflict with the gospel, but often it flows emotional issues like bad experiences in their past.

All of them need others to enter into their journeys and help them along. But before we can help show them the way to Jesus (the Guide) or get beyond their obstacles (the Builder), or encourage them to keep following Christ (the Mentor), we have to discover where they are at.