The last enemy As the weeks have rolled on since Easter, with its glad remembrance of the Saviour's triumph over death, ET's editors have been forcibly reminded of the reality of that last great enemy. An unprecedented number of death notices have been e-mailed in to us and now appear as tributes and obituaries on…
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Albanian conference In March, for the third time, we joined Grace Church in Tirana for a joint Fjala and Shepherd's Conference. 'Fjala' means 'the Word' in Albanian. Joining Stuart Olyott from the UK were two speakers from the USA - Scott Ardavanis, who gave three expositions of 1 Thessalonians 1, and Richard Hamlet.…
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Summer reading Summer reading is important to the book trade because publishers know people like to take a book on holiday. Perhaps the latest thriller or a beginner's guide to a new hobby will make it into the travel case. Or maybe this will be an opportunity to finally finish the book that has been…
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A tribute to Jim Gough (1942–2009) Shelby and I met Jim and Eileen Gough two years ago in England. Our hearts were immediately welded together in the sweet fellowship of the gospel. The Lord took our friend home to glory this early May. Jim Gough was a cherished friend and faithful servant of God.…
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Poverty is killing children More than 25,000 young children die each day across the world, yet most of these deaths are preventable. In some countries, such as Sierra Leone, Niger and Angola, one child in four dies before their fifth birthday. In a country such as Vietnam, a child from the poorest 20 per cent…
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Dr James Hudson Taylor III (1929-2009) James Hudson Taylor III, mission statesman and great-grandson of the founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International), died on 20 March in Hong Kong. He was 79. James was born in 1929 in Kaifeng, where his parents were missionaries of the Free Methodist Church. When 12, he…
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The 1857 Day of Humiliation The 1857 Day of Humiliation — Spurgeon’s sermons The Great Exhibition of 1851 saw Victorian Britain at the pinnacle of self-confidence. The brain-child of Albert, the Prince Consort, it proved a stunning success. Six million people flocked to see the accumulated wonders of British technology and…
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Charles Darwin, the man Who was this man who, by his book, changed so much of the world's thinking - not just in biology but in allied sciences, sociology, politics, economics and even religion? His biographers describe him as sensitive and mild-mannered, but his ideas have caused heated battles between his supporters…
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TV review Darwin's dangerous idea Andrew Marr BBC TV (Broadcast March 2009) Some readers will recall that Andrew Marr nominated Charles Darwin as his 'Greatest Briton' in a BBC series several years ago. He claimed then that '[Darwin] is destined to be the prophet and guide of the next few hundred…
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Sorrow for Philippines pastor Three children of a pastor were burned to death in an accidental house fire in the Philippines. Pastor Ogie was leading a Bible study one night when his wife, Gina, stepped out of the house to visit a friend, leaving the four children as they slept. However, as they have no…
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Scarborough's spiritual desert It may be a bustling town, but Scarborough is spiritually starving, with many empty and disused church buildings in its busy streets. With its population of 50,000, Scarborough is the largest holiday town on Yorkshire's east coast, but despite this huge harvest field, it has no reformed evangelical church. In years gone…
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Tory murder gaffe A senior Tory MP joked about murdering Carrie Prejean, 21, this year's Miss California, on the BBC comedy show Have I got news for you. Alan Duncan MP, shadow leader of the House of Commons, appeared on the programme on Friday 24 April. In a sequence about Carrie Prejean, the MP…
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Court rejects pyre plea A Hindu seeking the legal right to be cremated on an open-air funeral pyre has lost his appeal in London's High Court. The 70-year-old from Newcastle-upon-Tyne was trying to overturn a 2006 decision by Newcastle City Council, which ruled that the traditional Hindu religious practice of funeral pyre burning was…
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Adult TV a risk to children Children who view TV programmes aimed at adults are more likely to engage in sexual activity earlier in life, researchers have found. A study has concluded that the younger children were exposed to TV shows with adult content, the sooner they became sexually active during adolescence. Children who…
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Whatever happened to church faithfulness? 'On one occasion, [Michael] Faraday lectured to a distinguished panel of scientists. The Prince of Wales (after Edward VII) was present. For an hour Faraday held his audience spellbound as he demonstrated the nature and properties of the magnet'. 'His lecture closed with a demonstration that brought the house…
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Banner Conference 2009 A few days before the conference, I was on a plane flicking through their in-flight magazine. I found little of interest until my eye registered a picture that seemed right out of context. It was the profile of John Calvin! What was Calvin doing in such a setting? It was an…
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Web retailing Internet retailers are failing to ensure young people cannot buy age-restricted goods. Charities and children's groups have called for legislation to force retailers to do more to protect children after a survey found blatant breaches of safeguards. Trading standards officers from Greenwich Council conducted a survey on a number of web…
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Israeli injustice More than a year has passed since the attempted murder of teenager Ami Ortiz, the son of a Messianic Jewish pastor in Ariel. The speed of Ami's recovery has been astonishing, almost miraculous; but what is more astonishing is that the police have not arrested a single person for the attack against…
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ETI in Sierra Leone On my most recent visit to Sierra Leone, taking Pastors’ Conferences for PTI (Pastor Training International) I met Samuel Suluku. He is a young man that my home church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Swansea, are privileged to support by paying for copies of Evangelical Times International (ETI) to be sent…
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Sir Marcus Loane Sir Marcus Loane, KBE, DD, MA, died in Sydney on 14 April after a brief illness. He was 97. Born in Tasmania, he grew up in Sydney and was educated at The King's School, Parramatta, Sydney University, and Moore Theological College. He taught at Moore for many years. After war…
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Sharing your Christian faith with Muslims (2) Islam is a familiar presence in most Western countries today and, like Christians, Muslims carry a responsibility to share their faith. There are now some 3,000,000 Muslims and over 200 mosques in the UK, while 2,000,000 copies of Muslim newspapers are published here daily. All…
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Pierre Courthial (1914-2009) Pierre Courthial, who was a pastor in the Reformed Church of France and the founder and honorary dean of the Reformed Seminary in Aix-en-Provence, passed into the presence of the Lord in Paris on 23 April. A memorial service was held, on Saturday 2 May, in the Eglise de l'Annonciation, Passy, where…
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Ladette culture The percentage of women who binge drink has doubled since the 1990s, with 15 per cent of women now bingeing on alcohol each week. Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Oxford Brookes University found that average alcohol consumption had risen for both men and women since the mid-1990s. The studies…
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The local church in practice In previous articles I have argued that the local church is to be a reflection of the bride of Christ that she will become in glory. She is to be full of life, righteous, evangelistic, and above all Christ-centred. But I want to end this short series on the local church…
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Atheists target schools An atheist group is planning to recruit school children to teach them how to damage religious activity in schools. Children will be encouraged to undermine the role of Christian assemblies and the way religious education is taught. They will also be trained to lobby local authorities about these issues. The National Federation…
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Kirk votes on gay minister The Church of Scotland is preparing to debate the appointment of an openly gay minister. According to BBC Scotland, there is a possibility of a mass walkout by members if the General Assembly does not overturn the decision to appoint the Rev. Scott Rennie as minister of Queen's Cross…
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Serving seniors 'What can I do to serve the Lord?' It is a question often asked by older people who still want to serve God. Sunday school teaching and leadership positions may have been taken over by younger members of the congregation. Out of loving concern, they may say, 'You have worked hard in the…
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Open-air outreach How are the unchurched millions in Britain going to hear the good news of Jesus Christ? The Open-Air Mission (OAM) has found that city centres provide a wonderful opportunity for presenting the gospel message clearly and simply. It has been fruitful to work alongside local churches and experience has proved that people will…
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BNP seeks Christian support Christian groups including British Messianic Jews are dismayed that the British National Party (BNP) appears to be trying a new tactic of supporting Israel in the run-up to European Elections. The strategy seems to be that by supporting Israel the party will win sympathy from those who are also concerned…
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Pakistan's misery Thousands of civilians are being displaced from the Swat Valley region in Pakistan. The Pakistani army has recently engaged Taliban Islamists and claims to have killed scores of militants in fierce fighting. Pakistan has urged residents of the Swat Valley to leave, while its warplanes have pounded the Taliban-held valley and surrounding…
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Papal syncretism An estimated 20,000 people filled a Jordanian sports stadium as the Pope celebrated the first open-air mass of his Middle East tour. Pope Benedict XVI urged Middle East Catholics to persevere in their faith despite hardships threatening the existence of their ancient communities. Earlier, the Pope visited a mosque in an attempt…
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Ministering to the poor in Cubao, Philippines It’s Thursday night again and time for the Drop-in Centre. It’s strange remembering back to when we started more than five years ago. Tonight I’m on the gate checking who comes in and whether they are allowed to attend. Plenty of people from the slums,…
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The Reformed Faith in St Lucia St Lucia today is dominated by the Catholic Church, but Baptist work started during the mid-1940s with missionaries from Baptist Mid-Missions of North Carolina, USA. Several churches were established, including First Baptist Church in the main city Castries, Grace Baptist Church in the community of Bexon, and…
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Rev. Timothy Tow (1920-2009) Rev. Dr Timothy Tow was taken to be with the Lord on 20 April. He was born in Swatow in South China, and was deeply influenced by Dr John Sung during a 1935 revival in Singapore, and by Dr Carl McIntire. In 1950, after ordination in Geneva, he seceded…
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Can the UN ban criticism of Islam? The British Government hasn't had much time for it. The Bush White House gave up on it in disgust. President Obama's administration has recently resumed America's observer status, but is not a member. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is controversial across the West, not least because it…
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Expenses scandal Parliament's moral authority has slumped to its 'lowest ebb in living memory', according to former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey. He told The News of the World that leaked reports about MPs' expenses had shaken trust in politics. He said the revelations had exposed the 'clawing greed' at the heart of Westminster's 'culture…
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The forces of counter-reformation Guest Column Martin Luther concluded his famous book On the bondage of the will with these words, addressed to his antagonist, Erasmus: 'I give you great praise, and proclaim it - you alone in pre-eminent distinction from all others, have entered upon the thing itself; that is, the grand turning point…
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Islam & the church Nearly 200 people attended the 18th Annual Meeting of Evangelical Library West in Bath to hear Dr Patrick Sookhdeo of the Barnabas Fund speak on 'Islam, the church and the future of Britain' at Widcombe Baptist Church, Bath. Emphasising the Christian duty to love all people, Dr Sookhdeo urged…
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Rev. James Philip Editor's note: In May's ET we published the obituary of James Philip. We have since received this further tribute from Rev. John W. Keddie, of Struan, Isle of Skye. One of the foremost Scottish preachers of the twentieth century, Rev. James Philip, has passed to his eternal reward. It was through his ministry…
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St Lucia – a tropical gem St Lucia is the sort of island that travellers to the Caribbean dream about – a small, lush tropical gem still relatively unknown. One of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located midway down the Eastern Caribbean chain between Martinique and St Vincent, and…
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David Jebson (1926-2009) How do you reach millions of people in the UK every week with a gospel tract? This was the motivation behind David Jebson's Thought for the week, which was published in several of the free UK newspapers. David was born in 1926, the eldest son of a devout Methodist family living in…
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Reaching children Do you have a burden for the souls of children … the ones that don't go to your church, youth club or Sunday school? An unusual opportunity exists to reach them with the Bible message. But the window may be closing fast. Many youngsters have little idea about what the Bible says…
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Christian teacher persecuted A Christian teacher has been suspended from a senior post for complaining that a staff training day was used to promote homosexual rights. Kwabena Peat, 54, left a compulsory training session with several other Christian colleagues at the north London school after the speaker, Sue Sanders, invited by the school headteacher,…
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The great Shepherd 'May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus…
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