Girl power is alive and well at the University of Western Sydney. The employment of a part-time female AFES staff worker has led to a 500 per cent increase in the number of students attending Bankstown campus Bible studies.

The Crossfire youth work at St Pauls, Castle Hill, has six good reasons for celebrating this month – Amelia, Elise, Kelsy, Aaron, Simon and Ashlea.

May 2005 Letters to the Editor

It is the Spirit of God that blesses God’s church with growth, Bishop of North Sydney Dr Glenn Davies told his clergy recently, but Christians can still benefit from the acknowledgement and warning in the book of Revelation that churches can both grow and decline.

The Northern Region has had a diverse range of new rectors beginning ministry in recent months.

For most of my life in ministry I have regarded bishops and archdeacons as something akin to headache tablets. They are very useful when you need them, but otherwise leave them in the cupboard and shut the door! Get on with the real ministry – at the parish! At the coalface, one can largely ignore ‘the hierarchy’, especially archdeacons. (What on earth do they do anyway?)

The Rev Ross Nicholson says he will miss the people of St Stephen’s, Willoughby, where he has been rector for the past seven years.

Vietnamese ministry is growing in Sydney. From teenagers choosing to teach Sunday school to the cooperation amongst Vietnamese pastors across denominations, JOSEPH SMITH saw exciting things happening at Regents Park.

A CMS missionary to the Northern Territory has warned that up to 80 Aboriginal theology students will unable to study at the Nungalinya Bible College because of government cuts to travel and accommodation allowances.

Homosexuality could be the trigger for a 21st century reformation, according to US evangelical preacher and writer Don Carson.

Billy Graham’s son drew 90,000 people to massive evangelistic events in Victoria and Tasmania in March and caught churches by surprise, writes MADELEINE COLLINS.

The head of one of the world’s fastest growing churches believes the conversion of 10 per cent of Sydney, or 400,000 people, can be easily achieved through prayer.

Sydney Morning Herald journalist Chris McGillion said he finds the politics of Sydney Diocese ‘fascinating’, and first became interested in writing about it in 2002 after receiving a letter from Archbishop Peter Jensen.

As many as half of Australia’s churchgoers within Protestant congregations cite their mother as a positive influence on their conversion, according to new research from the National Church Life Survey.

Residents in Mark Latham’s former electorate of Werriwa who voted for Family First in the recent by-election may have cost the Christian Democrats votes, but the party’s NSW State Director Phil Lamb sees a rosy future for the party.

Sydney Anglicans fear religious freedom of speech will be stifled in NSW if new legislation is enacted that has come before the parliament.

Prison chaplains like the Rev Mark Jenkins are forced to be tough. But serving in a life-threatening warzone is on a different scale altogether.

Christ is Lord! So why are we so scared to share our faith? asks JOHN DICKSON

How a German-born scientist helped steal the Sabbath from Sydney’s Christians.

The idea of the conflict between science and religion is pervasive in our society, particularly in popular literature. This article examines the mythical origins of the conflict metaphor and its employment by the airport novelist of the moment, Dan Brown.

Evangelicals can’t welcome all of the new Pope’s ‘conservative’ agenda says Margaret Rodgers.

It appears the earth is not only getting warmer, but smaller, drier and darker. And if you believe the TV the consequences will be apocalyptic. Climate change has become serious enough for the Anglican Church to act. Last month, the worldwide Anglican Communion held its inaugural Anglican Communion Environmental Network meeting in Canberra to develop some practical guidelines to help churches tackle the issue.

The hardest lesson many ministers learn is that, ultimately, there is nothing you can do to get another person to commit. Commitment requires freedom of choice. Commitment is very personal. Efforts to force commitment will, at best, foster involvement.

In 2005 Stuart Robinson will uncover new ideas for outreach. This month we head to the village community of Lane Cove and investigate how St Andrew’s is reaching both schools and retirement complexes.

The gap between the church and the classroom seems bigger each day. Thousands of teenagers go through life with little or no contact with church-based youth ministries.

Our love will not make people Christians, but as we reach out to others our love will be blessed by God says Archbishop Jensen.

Domestic issues are often the sub-plot for television thrillers – in Mediumthey’re the main event. Sure, suburban mum Alison Dubois has suddenly been given a vision of an imminent murder and the district attorney is out of town – but she still has two kids to get to school.

The first film ever to be made in the tiny kingdom of Bhutan, Travellers and Magicians is a road movie set against the glorious ranges of this Himalayan country.

Like many, I’m a sucker for a good conspiracy theory and Michael Crichton’s latest novel, State of Fear, is a tantalising morsel to feed our natural suspicion. Unfortunately what might have been a tasty snack was seriously overcooked by the author. Instead of satisfying, it really just leaves us feeling bloated and repentant.

Christian Jihad is a lesson in humility. From the Crusades, to the Spanish Inquisition to murderous anti-abortionists, the history of Christianity runs deep with blood.

This is not the first time I’ve written in Southern Cross about Hillsong’s material and this album continues with more of the same. If this is next generation worship, it is a generation that is not rebelling from its parents. Musicianship and production quality are again excellent, and it follows the usual pattern – up-tempo stuff first, progressively becoming more reflective, with one or two faster songs in the middle.

Solo artists have always been a staple of the Christian music scene, but a lot of this genre that comes to Southern Cross for review leaves much to be desired. As a result, the play button is often approached with some trepidation – especially if it’s an artist’s first release.