Christian Faculty and Staff Fellowship meets February 13

Radio is alive and well. So February 13 is World Radio Day. How many of us catch up on entertainment and news via radio? Check out your local Christian radio stations. They range from music to talk and span denominations. Did you know the largest religious radio and television network is right here in Alabama? Overall, Christian radio has been experiencing significant growth. 

Oh, and don't forget to get that Valentine card for your sweetheart. You're welcome. 

Come to the Christian Faculty Network lunch meeting on Wednesday, February 13 at 11:45 AM (done by 12:45 PM). We meet at the Baptist Campus Ministries building (University Boulevard and 4th Avenue). 

Plan on the best meal deal in town: You can get lunch there for $1 thanks to the generosity of local churches. Don't forget to thank the church workers for what they do for the students. 

Many thanks to Blake for facilitating the discussion on Chapter 3. Leroy Hurt will facilitate the discussion on Chapter 4. Our book for this term: Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul by J.P. Moreland (NavPress, 2012). The title is linked to Amazon. Make sure to get the 2012 version.

• It's an updated version of the book from 1997. If you have the 1997 edition, you'll find Chapters 7-9 are different. The other chapters have few changes. It's OK to use your older copy, however, because there is some good material in those older chapters. We won't include those chapters in the final exam!
• We will have a few spare books for those unable to get their own copy.
• Moreland makes the case for the intellectual appeal and rigor of Christianity. It has a cultural, worldview, and apologetics outlook and is relevant to us who want to be salt and light in the groves of academe. The book can be a basis for other readings we would do. 

Click here to get outlines of the book chapters. 

Here is an interesting article about connecting new believers in Iran via technology.

• Key point: "As we apply technology to the discipleship process, we need to harness its usefulness thoughtfully to this specific purpose, while maintaining clear eyes to its shortcomings—all within a desire to deepen relationships rather than further isolation."
• Problem statement: "Today Maryam and Hamid [names are made up] have a growing number of new believers meeting regularly in their home—but they have no immediate access to a mature believer nearby who can disciple them."
• Using technology: "Discipleship works person-to-person on location in real time over a length of time. There is no substitute for presence as we grow together into Christlikeness. However, that commitment does not preclude using technology to foster and strengthen spiritual growth for people like Maryam and Hamid whom we encounter. In fact, technology can be uniquely useful in this context, drawing together—albeit virtually—those who are otherwise isolated."
• The rest of the article is an assessment of how technology can be used to disciple Christians in closed areas. 

Today in our faith's history.

• 1859 Jonathan Blanchard left his president role at Knox College to become president of Illinois Institute, a struggling college founded just outside Chicago. The school was renamed Wheaton College after a community leader, William Wheaton, donated pastureland for the Institute's use.
• 1951 Lloyd C. Douglas, author of Magnificent Obsession, The Robe, and The Big Fisherman, among other works, died. The movies made from those books were considered part of the tradition of religious-themed movies like Ben Hur and Quo Vadis.