The Briefing #338—November, 2006

Couldn't Help Noticing

• Chocolate and chips
• The Pope and his quote
• Muslims should learn English?
• A rude awakening
• Worshipping with contentment
• Overcomers Outreach
• If it wasn't so sad ...
• September 11: In case we had forgotten

• WordWatch: Mansions—Kel Richards ponders the architecture of heaven.

Bookshelf

• Review: Everything You Wanted to Know About the Bible—Jodie McNeill introduces us to a helpful and readable introduction to the Bible for 21st-century people.

Prosperity Now!

• A different Jesus—Andrew Heard argues that the real problem with the prosperity gospel lies in its representation of Christ.
• Is it God's will for you to be sick?—Does God want us to be sick or doesn't he: yes or no? John Chapman argues that neither answer is satisfactory.
• What is the best life now?—Simon Flinders takes a look at what Joel Osteen and Brian Houston, two prosperity preachers, have to say.
• On the dangers of Christian shorthand: ‘Suffering now, glory later’—In the fourth part of our series on the dangers of Christian shorthand, Christopher Ash takes a look at why the phrase ‘suffering now, glory later’ falls short of the mark.

Pastor's Brief

• What's so special about preaching?—David Jackman asks, “Is preaching really so special?”

Bible Brief

• 1 Samuel 16-31—20 daily Bible readings by Simon Roberts.

Epilogue

• Practical repentance—Elspeth Pitt thinks about how we teach repentance to new Christians and non-Christians seeking to know more about Christianity.