Gospel.com Blog

Recently, comments about Islam made by the Pope caused a tremendous stir in the Muslim world. What was the Pope trying to say–was his controversial statement a slip of the tongue, or an important part of his argument? How do Christians communities living in predominately Muslim lands respond to the statement? A new column at Arab Vision analyzes the Pope’s comments and the impact they’ve had on religious dialogue throughout the world.

WorldMap.org’s impressive Global Status of Evangelical Christianity map (previously mentioned here) is now available as a large wall map. See the official press release for more information and the WorldMap site to pick one up. One of these wall posters was making the rounds at the Gospelcon conference last week, and it was indeed impressive–lots of information and detail packed into the map.

Several months ago, we mentioned COMIX35′s animation contest–an open call for evangelistic animations for use on websites and mobile devices. The contest deadline has been extended to November 1, and some important changes have been made to the contest guidelines to make it easier to enter the contest, particularly for overseas artists. Here’s the scoop from COMIX35:

The deadline for COMIX35′s Animations for Web & Mobile Devices Competition has been extended to Wednesday 1 November 2006. There are also some changes to make it easier for people to enter, particularly from overseas. These include acceptance of previously-created animations, Web Animation entries of any length, electronic submission of animations, and no more exclusivity required on submitted animations. A complete list of the changes may be found at the top of the Competition pages. There are cash awards for both the Web & Mobile Device categories.

That means there’s still time to enter the competition, and if you weren’t able to do so earlier, check again–the guidelines have been loosened a bit. You’ve got a bit over a month before the deadline–good luck!

This year’s Gospelcon conference took place last week–if you missed it, check out the Gospelcon blog for a number of workshop recaps and observations from the conference. The workshop roundups should give you a good idea of the ministry aims of Gospel Communications and the Gospelcom Ministry Alliance. Planning is already underway for next year’s Gospelcon; keep an eye on the conference blog for details!

Puerto Cabezas is isolated, with little trade or contact with the outside world, and separated from the country’s capital by miles of bandit-infested, nearly impassible terrain. But when Salvador Sarmiento opened up a radio ministry there, he found that in at least one respect, the town was like any other–in need of hope:

Sitting in a chair, swatting off mosquitoes at the end of the day, Pastor Sarmiento ticks off the hardships that exist in this hot, isolated and fast-growing town.

“We have drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, rape, crime, drug trafficking, thievery, prostitution, marital infidelity, poverty, unemployment” he said. “But most of all, our people have spiritual needs.”

Read the story of Sarmiento’s work among the Miskito Indians of Nicaragua, where the unlikely ministry of a Christian radio station has brought hope and the Gospel to one of the most isolated corners of Latin America.

Why did Jesus famously tell the rich young ruler that he had to give up his wealth to attain eternal life? Isn’t salvation granted through faith, not through our actions?

In a recent Discipleship Journal article, Bill Gillham suggests that Jesus had a different lesson in mind for his audience. Is the moral of the story that you can’t have money and get to heaven… or was Jesus actually teaching his audience about the futility of seeking salvation through mere obedience to God’s law?

Pastoral burnout is a topic we’ve noted several times here at the Buzz, and if the number of articles about it are any indication, it remains a serious problem. But a piece by Dave Kraft at the Navigators website looks at the issue from a different angle, and asks church leaders “How healthy are you?”

He’s not just talking about spiritual health–he’s challenging leaders and ministers to consider whether the everyday lifestyle they lead contributes to their ministry… or is just setting them up for a physical and emotional crash. Are you leading a well-paced, focused life–or are you exhausting yourself with a brutal ministry schedule and an ever-increasing burden of stress? Read Kraft’s advice for healthy leadership and see if it applies to your own ministry.

The October issue of the Middle East Christian Outreach’s Crossroads magazine is out and online. Notable articles include a piece on the progress of the church in the Middle East and another about the relevance of a mission agency’s website. Give it a read!

A recent church-planting conference in Mexico City drew over 600 attendees, according to an article at the Bible League. The conference brought together people involved in the Bible League’s massive church-planting campaign in Mexico; since 1995, over 3000 churches have been established throughout the country. Read the full article for more about the conference and its role in ongoing evangelism and discipleship efforts in Mexico.

Five years ago today, terrorist struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing thousands. In the aftermath of the attacks, people around the world wanted to know: where was God in the midst of the death and evil? Within hours of the attacks, online Christian ministries were putting resources on the internet to help people work through the spiritual side of the 9/11 crisis.

At the Gospel Communications Communique blog, we’ve gathered together some of those resources, which remain as relevant today as they were five years ago. James at ThinkChristian has also compiled a list of online 9/11 resources. If the 9/11 attacks shook your faith or made you wonder how God could allow such evil to take place, have a look through these resources and see if they can help answer your questions.