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Christian
media needs constructive criticism
Madrid,
July 13th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
Manuel López and Pedro
Tarquis participated in a ‘Baptist Forum’ organised by the First
Baptist Church
in Madrid, and
the two ACPress journalists emphasised the need for the Christian
press to exercise healthy self-criticism.
Tarquis, Chairman of the Evangelical Alliance’s Media Commission,
said Christian media should follow the principle of ‘the way,
the truth and the life’. Ethical and theological limits should
be defined, as well as the material with which one constructs
the ‘way’. Inevitably, institutional interests will stand behind
any Christian media outlet, but as far as possible this should
be a secondary concern. A plurality of ideas is the ideal scenario,
rather than slavishly following one, narrow line.
Creativity and humour also play their part, as Tarquis observed
that “we’ve forgotten how to laugh”. Other errors he identified
were the tendencies to say what the evangelical community expects
us to say, or simply to state what is politically correct. This
doesn’t upset anybody, but neither does it help people to think
through issues, or inform in any depth. We should surprise people
though only by stating the truth. “The Church lives out a message,
it does not sell a product, so the truth is paramount. The Bible
is an example in this.” He added that Christian journalism should
avoid sermon-style, though there is a place for devotional material.
While concrete events are objective, the way the news is interpreted
and presented is not, and the Christian media needs to realise
there are different ways of presenting the news. Therefore,
self-criticism is vital, while at the same time respecting others.
The media outlet should exist to serve the truth, not the other
way round. However, Tarquis said “perfect peace only exists
in graveyards” and the media should get involved with real life,
touching on all the issues which affect human beings.
Manuel López, Media Advisor to Madrid Evangelical Council, said
the term ‘criticism’ has positive connotations as well as negative
ones. He contrasted what he called ‘farmers’ and ‘hunters’;
those who sow, work and cultivate, with those - including some
missionaries! - who do not know how to communicate adequately
within the culture in which they are operating.
Source: eMision. Editing:
ACPress.net
Messianic Jews on the rise
Madrid,
July 13th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
They keep the Law, pray
in synagogues, follow Hebrew liturgy, practise circumcision,
wear the tallit, the kipah and the tefillim, keep the Sabbath
and Old Testament rules for fasting, but also celebrate Pentecost
and pray the Lord’s Prayer in Hebrew. They are ‘Messianic Jews’,
people of Jewish descent who recognise Jesus Christ as their
personal Lord and Saviour, and as the Messiah of Scripture.
They believe in the New as well as the Old Testament and have
a personal faith in Jesus, and are a growing force worldwide.
In Spain,
it is as yet a very small group, but growing. Rabbi Mijael Sofer
says: “We are a young, small but growing community. There are
about 20 of us in Madrid.
We meet in private homes or small meeting-places, as (Christians)
used to do in the beginning. Our short-term aim is to register
as a religious association, but we are too small for the government
to consider financing us.”
Halfway between orthodox Judaism and Christianity, the Messianic
Jewish movement has about half a million followers worldwide.
Strongest in the United States,
there are Spanish groups in the Canary Islands,
Zaragoza, Asturias,
Estepona, Seville,
Granada and Madrid.
Sofer says anti-Semitism is not yet dead in Spain,
and that after centuries of difficulties “the threats are (still)
constant.” Belief in the Messiah did not save them from the
Holocaust. Groups complained to the Nazis that they believed
in Jesus, but what counted for the Third Reich was not religion,
but race. All leading Messianic Jews in Germany
in the 1930s died.
As to the ecumenical designs of the new Catholic Pope, Benedict
XVI, Sofer is reticent, wary of the Vatican’s
attempts to ‘convert’ them. He says he shares faith with those
who submit to God’s Word, but not those who seek to impose their
ideas on others. “What they want is to have us under the umbrella
of the Catholic Church and for us to recognise the Pope, but
this is impossible. There are huge differences in doctrine,
practice, ways of understanding life...” Not a few Protestants
should heed this message. True unity is in Jesus the Messiah.
Source: LA RAZÓN. Editing:
ACPress.net
Pastor nominated for book
prize with work on Darwinism and faith
Seville,
July 13th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
A book by an evangelical
pastor in Seville,
Antonio Cruz, has been nominated as one of five finalists for
the Evangelical Christian Publications Association’s (ECPA)
Gold Medallion. The book, ‘Darwin
did not kill God’, deals with the issue of science and faith.
Cruz, a biologist by background, discusses Darwinism in accessible
language for the layman, and argues for the existence of God
in a society in which chaos and disorder are seen in those who
deny Christian belief on the basis of naturalism. Cruz engages
with the intense debate as to what ‘evolution’ and ‘creation’
mean, and shows how science today is having to accept the existence
of an ‘intelligence’ to explain the complex design and working
of the universe, as well as that of living beings.
Cruz admits to being pleased with the nomination for the Medallion,
which he has already won once for a book about Christians in
the global village. He is currently writing a book entitled
‘God the Creator’, which will look at the universe from the
vantage-point of science, philosophy and theology, to see if
it has something to tell us about the identity of the creator.
He also hopes to publish a series of sermons on the topic for
pastors and Christian workers.
Source: Lidia Ruiz Galafate.
Editing: ACPress.net
Singer says he is a better
musician since his conversion
Tenerife, July 13th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
The Dominican singer-songwriter,
Juan Luis Guerra, who began his European tour in Tenerife
recently, says “my conversion to the Lord has made me a better
man, musician and poet.”
At a press conference he was talking about his latest album
‘For you’, and said that “It is the Lord who is speaking, not
me.” Guerra explained that after his conversion, “the Lord inspired
the latest songs I have written, but in fact the music I made
was for the church which I attend. It was they who persuaded
me, after 2 years’ insisting, to record a new LP, which I did.”
He told journalists that he became a Christian after he had
become successful, sold thousands of records and made a fortune.
“Neither the success nor the fortune made me happy nor filled
my heart. I felt an emptiness in my heart which the things of
the world failed to fill, until some people called at my door
and told me they could give me peace; which they did. I opened
my heart and not only did they give me peace but also joy and
eternal life.” He is preparing “the most romantic record I have
ever made”, and this will not include Christian lyrics, but
his current tour does include four songs from his latest album,
the songs of which are based on Bible texts.
Juan Luis Guerra supports a Trust which helps needy children
in the Dominican Republic,
the country of his birth. After performing 4 concerts in Spain,
he travels on to Denmark,
Holland and Italy.
As to his view of Latin America generally,
he thinks things have improved slightly and that immigration
has fallen, though he continues to sing his song “Looking for
a dream visa”, about those of his countrymen who move to the
USA.
Source: AGENCIAS. Editing:
ACPress.net
Commitment and community
the keys to keeping the young in church
Madrid,
July 13th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
A university report says
that in a short time there will be more irreligious than religious
people in Spain.
The difference between the two has fallen from 16 points to
just 3 since 1975. The increasing rate of secularisation is
especially notable in young people, particularly in the transition
from 14 to 15 years of age. However, the number of people who
practise their religion is still far in advance of countries
like France,
where only 5% do so. The report’s author, Miró i Ardèvol, says
it is part of a wider crisis among young people, a sense of
disconnection.
He suggests religious organisations should try and re-create
these links through youth groups and the like, by developing
a genuine sense of community. He criticises parishes which merely
offer catechism and little else, whereas groups like Opus Dei
have forged committed groups of youngsters. “Only those parishes
which develop very specific strategies for living in a global
community obtain results. The most dynamic ones are those which
offer a living community, while those which merely offer religious
services are dying out.”
Another trend is the replacement of religious belief with different
types of superstition. Almost a third of 18-24-year-olds believe
in spirits, whilst 58% believe in God. In the 25-34-year-old
age bracket, only 25% believe in spirits and 61% believe in
God.
Source: ABC. Editing: ACPress.net
A.C.Press:
The News Agency of the AEE (Spanish Evangelical Alliance)
Digital magazine at the website: www.ACPress.net
Telephone: 91 747 14 89; Fax: 91 747 59 24; E-mail: noticias@ACPress.net.
Postal address: Apartado 59198, 28080 Madrid, Spain.
Co-ordinator of A.C.Press News: Jonathan Dawson, E-mail: jdawson@acpress.net
A.C.Press is part of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance, whose
E-mail is: oficina@AEEsp.net (www.AEEsp.net)
The Alliance is a forum for fellowship, reflection and the
development of Christian thought, produces various publications,
and is involved in the struggle for religious liberty. It
is also part of the European and World Evangelical Alliances.
A.C.Press news items may be reproduced as long as their source
is mentioned (ACPress News)
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