The Power of Initiative
May 17, 2013 by Brian C. StillerLying south of China and its assorted neighbors of Thailand, Vietnam and Burma, Malaysia is strung out on a peninsula lying where the China and Andaman Seas connect. It is spectacular in scenery, rich in soil and fertility and complex in religion and politics. Here philanthropists and business men a
The German television network ZDF will commemorate Good Friday by showing a documentary on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East
May 17, 2013 by Thomas SchirrmacherOn Good Friday, 2013, ZDF will use the peak viewing time of 7.30 pm, 29 March, to present a 45-minute documentary on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, emphasizing the situation in Syria and Egypt. (The program will also air at 4.30 the following morning.) The author and director of t
A Chinese Pastor got Right
May 10, 2013 by Brian C. StillerAs I travel from country to country, meeting leaders, pastors, people from all walks of life, I’m intrigued by the health and energy of the witness of the Gospel. I’ve heard much about Thailand from missionaries over the years. However in a recent visit one question kept surfacing. Speaking with pas
Abdicating well
Apr 30, 2013 by Joel EdwardsIt's hard to convert the word "abdication" into something positive. When Edward VIII abdicated the throne of England to marry the twice-divorced American socialite, Mrs Simpson in 1936, he didn't help matters much. But there seems to have been a spate of unusual and positive abdications in recent t
Pope Francis, further reflections
Apr 17, 2013 by Thomas SchirrmacherAfter my participation at the inauguration of the Pope and my short conversation with the Pope the following day (which was carried live on Italian television and was also broadcast by Phoenix in German), I was interviewed by several media outlets. I also gave some exclusive statements which were re
A Prison Epistle
Apr 16, 2013 by Joel EdwardsFifty years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr wrote his famous ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’. It was a considered and poignant response to a number of white clergy who thought that his civil rights actions against segregation in America, was anti Christian.
Countdown to 2015
Apr 5, 2013 by Joel EdwardsToday (5 April 2013) marks the 1000 days countdown to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - those 8 promises which the world made in September 2000 to halve extreme poverty by 2015. These promises ignited the work we are doing as Micah Challenge - gathering Christians across 40 nations to
The Ambassador for Human Rights of the World Evangelical Alliance Calls for Help for Fleeing Syrian Christians
Mar 27, 2013 by Thomas Schirrmacher(Bonner Querschnitte No. 250, 27.03.2013) The Ambassador for Human Rights of the World Evangelical Alliance, Thomas Schirrmacher, has challenged the media, governments, and churches to take a serious interest in the fate of the Christians being chased from their homes in Syria. He noted, “I know th
Rush Hour Mystery
Mar 26, 2013 by Joel EdwardsIn case you haven't noticed it's Easter. The fact is that an increasing number of people have become distanced from its message and significance. And in our increasingly secular and multi-choice communities, Christians cannot afford to make the mistake of assuming that people know what it's all ab
Reminding those who debunk pluralism, what it really is
Mar 20, 2013 by Brian C. StillerWhen we dismiss pluralism as nothing more than moral relativism, we make a huge mistake. Failing to understand what it is – a forum for debate, influence and decision making – we forgo its ability to influence and lose opportunities for witness. Pluralism does not mean a mishmash of beliefs. It is t