This is the archive for the popular Casting the Net web review column.

Bible.com Online World
This is a website run by ministers Bud and Betty Miller, a grey-haired American couple who are self-professed "cyberspace evangelists". Although very conservative in its ideology, it nonetheless provides a handy resource if you browse through it discerningly. The Bible text itself is not available online, but there are Bible studies, Bible answers and Bible interpretations, and you can order Bibles, Bible covers, music, books and other Bible paraphernalia - or of course you could just make a donation. If you look under Bible Answers you'll find nearly 100 free (but very conservative) studies on "What the Bible has to say about..."

Laughing Bird
Ever searched for Christian resources on the net and found yourself buried in Americanisms? This grass-roots site run by Nathan Nettleton, Pastor of South Yarra Community Baptist Church is the answer. It has resources for Australian churches including seasonal material and passages of the Bible translated into modern Australian English. The translations are the real attraction. They are based on The Message, but use Australian idioms rather than American, and are designed to be read out loud. The site itself is a bit hard to navigate, but it's worth the effort.

Rapture Me
Oh my gosh! This site takes religious fanaticism to the next level. Rapture Me is a large site devoted to the rapture, with articles and speculation on when it will happen and why. It is very detailed, very weird, very serious and makes for interesting reading. I found the most fascinating part the "rapture index" which rates 45 end-of-the-world-is-nigh signs each week in a Dow Jones style. At the time of writing, the rapture index is at 171 - super heavy prophetic activity - which translates to a 76.8 per cent chance of the rapture coming this week. Goodbye everyone.

Christianity Works
Rhema listeners might recognise Christianity Works as the web ministry of Back to the Bible Asia Pacific. It's a large site, well-designed and updated regularly. It has a section for the unchurched but most of the content is aimed at Christians. There are Bible studies to download, articles, prayer requests, and guest speakers (including Michael Frost) to listen to online. It's all professional quality, and it's all free, although there are plenty of ways to "partner with us" if you want to. It's not often you find an Australian Christian site of this quality, so it's definitely worth a look.

John9.com
John9 is a site for children and young teens encouraging them to give money to restore sight to the blind in third world countries. It has some funky graphics, a dance soundtrack and simple animation. However, the reason I'm reviewing John9 is because they were giving out miniature CDROMs at a Christian event I was at recently. The mini CD is about half the diameter of a normal CD - not much bigger than a business card, and far above a card on the coolness scale. It will work in most computer CD drives, and loads a copy of the website. The content is still average, but A+ for marketing, guys.

I am with you always
Larry Van Pelt woke in the middle of a December night in 1987 with an impression from the Lord to draw some "special pictures". The results of the next ten years are displayed on this website. Each picture is a pencil drawing of a person, often a tradesman, doing something perfectly normal with Jesus at their side. Among the vocations Our Lord has a part in are carpet layer, bank teller, truck driver, insurance agent and dental assistant. The point is that Jesus is with us at all times. The drawings are serious and quite good - although it still made me laugh to see Jesus, who looks like a hippy in white robes, help extract a tooth.