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COVER STORY
Afflicting the Comfortable
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron have teamed up to equip pew-warming Christians for personal evangelism
By Matthew Green
FEATURES
What America Believes About Hell
Pastors and theologians speak out on the consequences of watering down our beliefs on eternal punishment.
By Ken Walker
The Power of Rebuke
From her new book, My Spiritual Inheritance, best-selling author Juanita Bynum challenges pastors: dare to restore the lost art of correction to your church.
Conversation: R.T. Kendall and Oral Roberts
Listen in as renowned pastor R.T. Kendall talks with patriarch of the faith Oral Roberts about the importance of preaching the second coming of Christ.
The gift of the teacher has run upon hard times in the charismatic/Pentecostal community. This is the contention of R. T. Kendall, a contributor to Ministries Today. Having launched a year-long emphasis on the fivefold ministries, our March/April issue explores the place of teaching in the church today. Look for articles on heresy, the character of a teacher and the necessity of the Word and the Spirit. In addition to thematic articles, don't miss award-winning columns by Jack Hayford and Ted Haggard, ministry resources and up-to-date information on the trends and news that shape your world.
COMMENTARY
5 Reasons You Should See 'The Passion'
Last week I had the privilege of viewing an advance screening of Mel Gibson's new film The Passion of the Christ. While I signed a confidentiality agreement promising not to divulge the contents of the film, it wouldn't hurt to speak in general terms and share five reasons why I think Christian leaders should embrace Gibson's portrayal of the greatest story ever told. MORE>>
NEWS &
CULTURE
Who's Your Neighbor?
As one church growth expert has noted, the "melting-pot" is now a "salad bowl." Far from becoming more homogenized, America is increasingly a nation of diverse cultures and religions-each striving for distinctiveness and recognition. The Christian leader would benefit from studying the religious demographics of his or her sphere of ministry. In its recent study, "Faith Communities Today," the Hartford Institute for Religion Research has done a lot of the work for you. Read the report at http://fact.hartsem.edu.
CURRICULUM
The Big 10-Kids Style
The Ten Commandments have never been so much fun-and it couldn't have happened at a better time. They're the foundation of Western civilization and the cornerstone of God's biblical expectations of humanity. They're the Ten Commandments, and most believers-both adults and children-can't quote them in order. In an unprecedented partnership of three publishing companies, a new versatile curriculum has been developed to effectively teach the Ten Commandments. In an effort to help teach the Ten Commandments, Tyndale Publishing House, Focus on the Family and CharismaLife have joined to offer Tyndale's K10C (Kids' Ten Commandments) curriculum to churches. The kit includes two videos, featuring animated segments of all 10 commandments, a leader's guide which includes crafts and games, an activity book, music CD, music-video DVD, a game board with tokens and an attractive carrier to hold all the K10C components. For more information about K10C, call 1-800-451-4598 or visit www.charismalife.com.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE
MONTH
Preserved for What?
It is an age-old question. People for centuries from every corner of the world have grappled with it through philosophy, religion and rituals. Man has sought for immortality. On the third floor of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, is a body of a deceased woman lying in a glass box. She is an Egyptian mummy named Sheret Mehyet; but everybody calls her "Sheri" for short. Sheri was the daughter of an Egyptian priest. She lived some 27 hundred years ago during the days of King Hezekiah of Judah and Isaiah the prophet. The Egyptians believed that the spirit could only inhabit a complete body after death. So embalming became a highly developed art. Sheri is a mute testimony to the skills of Egypt's ancient morticians. After almost three thousand years, her teeth, tongue, eyelids, and other body parts are still intact. But despite their cosmetic skill, those ancient embalmers were as powerless before death as we are. They could dress it up a bit, but they couldn't prevent it. -- from A Minister's Treasury of Funeral & Memorial Messages, by Jim Henry (Broadman & Holman)
