Dialogue Veritas

In Rennes, France, two campus ministries (CCC and IVCF) are partnering to sponsorship a 3-night event called Dialogue Veritas. Each night they will explore and address one or two critical questions for the 21st century student. Here is their line-up:

“Why believe in God if it is only to be disappointed?”
“What’s the purpose of life?”
“What is there after death?”
“Hasn’t science weakened the existence of God?”
“Why are there so much suffering and inequality in the world?”

Sounds pretty interesting. Is anyone here asking these same questions? Can you respond to each issue?

State of Play

Nick Pollard on Film is a helpful resource for exploring film and the messages contained therein. Here is Pollard on State of Play.

I suspect what caught my attention with this one is that I have a brother who is a journalist (and a very good one, I should add!) The power of personal connections.

Look forward to seeing this one.

Thoughts on Pollard or on journalism?

Why We Need Earthquakes

Dinesh D'Souza on theodicy, quick read. The best of all "feasible worlds", for us at least?

"Why I Believe Again"

Always being interested in spiritual journeys, I found A. N. Wilson's particularly fascinating. He has written it in an article "Why I Believe Again" for the New Stateman (a U.K. publication.) It is particularly insightful in relating the inner thoughts and journey of one converted to atheism. But alas, atheism offers so little in life, that Wilson has journeyed back to faith. Remarkable story, really.

There are themes that remind me of G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy - the experience (and evidential power) of language, love and music.

What do you think? What does Wilson's journey suggest regarding the modern atheistic resurgence?

Christian America?

Interesting culture discussion about the "End of American Christianity" with Tim Keller and Jon Meacham on Morning Joe--a Good Friday Special.

John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge respond in the Wall Street Journal to the Newsweek discussion with "God Still isn't Dead."

For a balancing perspective on the subject, check "Post-Christian or Polarized" -- a blog post of GetReligion.org.

The polarizing of America... What are the implications for witness in the 21st century?

Spurgeon - The Essence of the Gospel

...for this is the essence of the gospel, that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures - died the substitute for us criminals, rose the representative of us pardoned sinners - died that our sins might die, and lives again that our souls may live.

C. H. Spurgeon
"The Messages of the Stone and Angels"

Native Student - Changed Life Story

Over the last few years, we have watched God use the efforts of C.C.C. to contextualize ministry to ethnic student audiences. There has been profound growth of these ministries. At CCC winter conferences this year, almost a third of the students were of ethnic or international background. Exciting!

Nations, the contextualized ministry to Native Americans, is one example. Here is the changed life story of Native--Nick Ross-Dick.