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Always exercise safe web
surfing. Content found on external websites may change without
Sight's knowledge. Sight provides these links as a service
and is not responsible for the content of external linked
sites. If you find material on a linked site inappropriate,
please email editor@sightmagazine.com.au.
30th July, 2008
Jubilee Centre
www.jubilee-centre.org
This is quite simply one of the best websites I have come across in many years, especially for those looking to see how their faith can interact in an intelligent way with the world around them. The Jubilee Centre is a UK based Christian think-tank which seeks to explore a Biblical vision for society. Its understanding is based on the conviction that “the Bible describes a coherent vision for society that has enduring relevance for…the world in the twenty-first century.” The core of the Jubilee Centre’s vision is a concern for right relationships. They “seek to study, disseminate and apply this vision in order to provide a positive response to the challenges faced by individuals, communities and our politicians". The wide range of challenges they seek to respond to include worldviews & culture, the environment, finance & the economy, Christianity & religion, lifestyle issues, sex and families, and science & technology. Many of the resources the site offers are free, and they range from papers on all the topics mentioned above, as well as books (including book reviews), reports, Bible studies, audio visual materials, and tools for church leaders. This is a site that manages to keep in balance the fine balance between personal faith issues and the Christian concern for social justice. As the Reverend Dr Chris Wright says, “Biblical scholars often fail to connect with the modern world. Social reformers often fail to take the Bible seriously. The Jubilee Centre has a fine track record in avoiding both dangers.” If you are a thinking Christian who seeks to tease out how we can respond biblically to the issues of the world, you cannot go past the Jubilee Centre.
- NILS VON KALM
PREVIOUS
CASTING THE NET...
24th May, 2008
Muddy River Media
www.muddyrivermedia.org
The idea began when Mark Fogarty, a full time youth pastor, felt God calling him to a ministry of helping small churches to use new media on a limited budget. He started Muddy River Media, a non-profit mission society that exists to consistently provide free, quality media resources for churches, and it does it by providing them for download on the internet. The most interesting content on the site is the growing array of videos that can be used in church, studies, children's ministries or outreach events, some packaged complete with printable leader's guides. Other free resources include photos, illustrations, motion backgrounds and countdown timers. Mark and any other future Muddy River Media workers are supported in a similar way to traditional missionaries being funded by local churches and sponsors, but instead of heading overseas these people spend their time and equipment creating media resources for churches to use for free. And if you think that just because they're free the production values will be low, you'd be mistaken. These media are produced by professionals and released purely for the purpose of resourcing churches and helping the cause of the Gospel. You have to complete a free sign up to the site to get the full downloads but even without that you can see previews that are very impressive and entertaining.
- JAMES CROOK
17th April, 2008
KIVA
www.kiva.org
At the risk of sounding like a telemarketer, let me ask you this important question: do you have money that you could afford to invest right now? Unlike every investment opportunity I've ever been called about, this one isn't going to give you huge monetary returns and will certainly not see you retiring early. Instead, your investment will help others lift themselves out of poverty. KIVA is a unique website that lets you invest as little as $US25 to help people from the Third World start up micro-businesses to support themselves and their families. The site matches willing lenders with local groups that support microbusiness enterprises, and runs a system that allows lenders to give as much or as little as they like towards specific projects. For example, $US500 might let a Sudanese woman buy firewood to resell, and if five rich westerners (like you and me) each loan her $US100 she can repay them within a year and make an income she otherwise wouldn't have. Most entrepreneurs on the site request under $US1000 and the loans are usually repaid within 6 to 12 months. Once repaid, the lender can withdraw the loan or re-loan it to another project. Since these are loans, not donations, there is an expectation that the money will be repaid but there's no interest charged and there is always a chance you'll lose your money, so it's not going to make you rich. Although surprisingly, Kiva's repayment rate is an amazing 99.9 per cent - itself only slightly above the 97 per cent rate for microloans wordwide. The best thing about the site is browsing the list of entrepreneurs as you choose who to partner with. Kiva provides a description of each project and a short bio of the people involved so you know you're helping someone personally. It's a great concept and I encourage you to at least have a look at the site and see if you can add to the $US27,000,000 plus that is currently being lent. Your rewards might not be earthly riches, but you'll be helping someone who's in far greater need.
- JAMES CROOK
22nd October, 2007
We Can Be
www.wecan.be
This website has been put together with the inspiration of Dave Andrews, author of Can You Hear the Heartbeat? and Christi-Anarchy among other books. It takes a radical look at the Beatitudes, those beautiful and confronting words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. I was recently reminded that, while I know how many commandments there are, I had no idea how many Beatitudes there are. This site takes a radical look at each one and shows them in a light that I believe many people would not have seen before. The title of this site is taken from the words of Mahatma Gandhi who said that we need to be the change we want to see in the world. Dave Andrews reminds us that in the Beatitudes we have the framework to be that change. He shows how they cover every aspect of life, from purity of heart to a passion for justice. The one that grabbed me the most was the fact that 'blessed are the meek' does not actually refer to humility as I always thought. The word 'meek' in Jesus' day actually referred to a rage at injustice. The site then shows that another Beatitude reflects the desire for mercy, and that justice and mercy are inseparable. Many of us who are passionate about justice issues find it easy to neglect our own relationship with God. This is where being pure in heart comes in - desiring an integrity that puts God first in all things. Blessed are the pure in heart - that's what I want as well as justice in this world. It was Gandhi who said that the Sermon on the Mount was the greatest message he had ever heard - this coming from someone who rejected Christianity, mainly because of Christians. Gandhi also said that everyone knows what the Sermon on the Mount means except Christians. Unfortunately, he is right in too many cases. No one who really lived out the Beatitudes could ever justify a preemptive strike on Iraq, nor ignore the plight of our poor neighbours in our own backyard here in Australia and in the rest of the world, nor be indifferent to the way they relate to people in their everyday lives. As Dave Andrews said recently, imagine the revolution that would occur in our lives if, instead of reciting the creeds in church every Sunday, we recited the Beatitudes instead. This website is a big help in getting us started.
- NILS VON KALM
10th October, 2007
Christsites
www.christsites.com
Christsites is a funky new search engine that allows you to search through Christian websites to find what you’re looking for on the internet. It lists thousands of sites in a broad range of categories including Arts & Media, Church Resources, Kids, Shopping and Computers. While most of the sites are based around Christian themes, they do allow sites owned by Christians to be listed under certain categories - for example web design businesses that might create Christian websites. Searching by key words works if you know exactly what you’re looking for, but the power of this search engine is in the categories. Want a book on youth ministry? There’s a page full of places you can check out in the “Books” category. Want some ideas to blow the socks off your congregation this Sunday? Try “Sermons” - there’s over 400 sites listed for you to look through. If you find the numbers a bit daunting, check out the awards pages. Christsites rates and awards some of the listings to try and help you choose which ones to look through. There’s even a Christian News category, and yes, Sight Magazine is listed!
- JAMES CROOK
24th September, 2007
Your Christian Space
www.yourchristianspace.com
The contemporary internet is a place for getting together, a true global playground that allows individuals to build friendships across boundaries of distance. It’s in this environment that countless social networking websites are springing up, connecting people with all sorts of similar interests. Your Christian Space is one of these. This site allows people to sign up and create their own profile page, then make friends and connect to others from around the world. So what makes it any different to the largest social site on the internet, MySpace? The users here are Christians, of course. Millions of MySpace users are too, but on Your Christian Space they dominate, with forums dedicated to Christian topics, quizzes to test your Bible knowledge and a prayer request page. So if you feel like creating a blog or reaching some new friends, Your Christian Space might be a good way to go. At least you know you’ll have one thing in common with the other people there: Jesus.
- JAMES CROOK
28th July, 2007
E-Sword
www.e-sword.net
At its most basic E-Sword is a tool to help you study the Bible, but this resource is so full of features that you’ll be studying in a way you never have before. And it’s free! When you run the software you’ll find a myriad of functions that enable you to read and search many different Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, graphics and devotionals. You can show several of these texts onscreen at once, linking each one to your favourite translation to create a custom study guide or parallel Bible. The power that you have to control your study space is amazing, and while the base installation comes with only one Bible text, there are over 30 translations and 15 commentaries plus many more add-on texts available for free download from the E-Sword website. It also includes Hebrew and Greek texts for in-depth study and over 30 translations into other modern languages. Some of the popular modern translations like the Amplified Bible or The Message are available but attract a small fee to download due to licensing restrictions, most seem about $20 which is still very reasonable compared to other study software available. And even if you only use the free tools there is enough here to keep you going for the rest of your life!
- JAMES CROOK
13th July, 2007
The Big Switch
www.thebigswitch.org.au
This website, launched this month, is basically a one-stop shop for any climate-change related information you could want to know. The Big Switch itself is a fast-growing coalition of Australian organisations, businesses and community groups whose goal is to raise awareness about climate change solutions by informing the general public about simple lifestyle choices that we can make to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. This is easily the best website of its type that I have seen. In order to better inform the public, the creators of The Big Switch sent every one of our 150 federal politicians in Australia a survey asking them whether they support key climate change solutions. On the website you can look up any one of our federal MPs to see where they stand. The website also has information about local climate groups that people can join to take action, as well as ways of lobbying and getting in touch with your MP and others to raise awareness of this hot topic (so to speak!). As well as this, the website has a vast amount of options for people to take to reduce their own greenhouse emissions, and has a pledge that anyone can sign to commit themselves to reducing their own contribution to climate change. There is so much more on this website to check out, including links, news, discussion forums, books, and movies. If you want to know what you can do to preserve the planet that God loves so much by combating climate change, this site is the best that I have seen.
- NILS VON KALM
7th May, 2007
PeoplePray
www.peoplepray.com
PeoplePray
bills itself as part of the "Intercession Superhighway",
allowing people to leave prayer requests online. Log in to
create your own prayer list - a handy reminder if you like
to intercede while you're on the internet - and later write
what answers were received. You can also pray for other people's
concerns (kept anonymous), comment on other people's prayers,
take part in community prayers and sign up for alerts to have
important prayer concerns emailed to you daily. A blog and
podcast complete the community focus of this site. While the
idea of putting prayer requests online isn't particularly
new, PeoplePray is using professional, sophisticated web technology
to provide a service far above what you'd be able to find
elsewhere. It's based in the US, but the community aspect
of this site also assures that you'll find a listening ear
and possible prayer partners from around the globe.
- JAMES CROOK
9th
February, 2007
The
Amazing Change
www.theamazingchange.com
Created
to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the abolition of
the British slave trade (and the new film celebrating the
life of abolitionist William Wilberforce, Amazing Grace),
this website is all about continuing the struggle to bring
a complete end to modern day slavery. To that end, the site
contains a wealth of information about the historical struggle
to end what was a horrific trade - including a multitude of
facts about the life of William Wilberforce (played by Ioan
Gruffudd in the film) and the creator of the hymn Amazing
Grace, John Newton - as well as information about the
modern day Amazing Change campaign which aims to bring about
an end to the fact that as many as 27 million people living
as slaves around the world. There’s links to a plethora
of resources to explore the issue and a petition to be signed
which will be presented to world leaders (it’s up to
more than 37,000 signatures although sadly this appears to
only be open to US citizens) as well as practical tips on
how you can become part of the abolitionist movement, including
creating a Clapham Circle with your friends in which you meet
to discuss the issue of modern slavery. The website also has
a link to a website about Amazing Grace Sunday - to be held
on 18th February in the US and 25th March in the UK - when
churches will join in singing the hymn Amazing Grace
and pray for the end of slavery “once and for all”
(see www.amazinggracesunday.com
for more on this). All in all, a site to help you get active
in what remains a global struggle. Be inspired!
-
DAVID ADAMS
14th
November, 2006
MyChurch
www.mychurch.org
If you’re into things webbie, one of the buzzwords that
you hear being talked about is “web 2.0”. Simply,
this is the concept of 2nd-generation “social networking”
sites that allow users to interact with each other and form
communities over the web. It was only a matter of time before
Christians would have a proper go at site like this to help
facilitate their own communities, and mychurch.org is it.
Truly interactive, this site is designed as a way for Christians
to connect with each other. Your local church can set up a
page allowing members to talk, vote and share with each other
using tools like church blogs, sermon audio files, photo galleries,
online church bulletins, even classifieds. It’s not
designed purely for Christians, either. As the site itself
says, “a church community thrives between Sundays, and
is most effective when our social networks are engaged”,
so you can now share your church with other people you meet
online through myspace, msn or other social forums. Like many
other 2.0 sites, the design of this site has been carefully
crafted to be simple, clean and friendly, so although there’s
currently only four Australian churches listed among the numerous
US communities, that should change very quickly.
- JAMES
CROOK
14th
October, 2006
Reverend
Fun
www.reverendfun.com
Phew!
It's been a long time since my last web review - I've had
lots of work on and I haven't had as much time for fun as
I'd like to. So I thought that this time I'd review a site
that always gives me a chuckle - Reverend Fun. This site has
a daily cartoon, and although it's only one panel, it's usually
religious and always clean and is still very funny. Characters
range from Adam and Eve to the disciples to the ubiquitously
uncool youth pastor, and you can rate the cartoons out of
five laughs and share them with your friends by email. The
site is part of the Gospelcom alliance, an American missions
group with a relatively large internet ministry, and the site
doesn't say who the particular artist behind the works is
- but it does say that as long as you follow the rules you're
allowed to republish the cartoons in your newsletter or on
your own website, free of charge. What a bonus! The single-panel
format also means you get at least one laugh every day without
wasting too much of your boss's time, but be warned: the archives
of cartoons go back to November 1997, and with a new drawing
almost every day, that's a lot of back-reading to get through!
- JAMES
CROOK
13th
July , 2006
Global Rich List
www.globalrichlist.com
How Rich Are You? No, this website is not another small business
"opportunity". Instead it's an ingenious idea to
compare your income with everyone else, on a global scale.
Created by the London-based company Poke, you enter your income
on this site (in $US) and it will give you a ranking on where
you stand in the world. It's a real eye-opener - I rank in
the top 12 per cent in the world, and trust me, I didn't previously
consider myself well-paid. In our culture we are encouraged
to compare ourselves to the richest of the rich - making ourselves
feel poor in comparison - but when half the world's population
earns less than $US850 per year it really opens your eyes
to the fact that even an average, working-class individual
like myself has plenty to give to the many that are far less
fortunate. Essentially, that's what this site is: a powerful
encouragement to donate to overseas charity work. As well
as the ranking system the site has some facts and statistics
about world poverty, and links to organisations that take
donations online. So go to it: rank yourself, thank God you're
so rich, and redistribute some of that wealth.
- JAMES CROOK
20th
June, 2006
The
Bible Site
www.thebiblesite.org
A while ago I did a review on the Hunger Site [www.thehungersite.com]
which feeds people in third-world countries by using the revenue
raised by people visiting their website. Clever. The Bible
Site works on the same premise but is run by Open Doors, a
mission that ministers to persecuted Christians across the
globe. Open Doors is responsible for distributing millions
of Bibles and training over 30,000 pastors in Africa, Asia,
Latin America and the Middle East. By visiting the Bible Site
and clicking the "donate Bibles" button you raise
money to go towards buying Bibles for persecuted countries
and helping Open Doors continue their fantastic efforts. You
can also, of course, make a monetary donation yourself - details
are provided on the website - and there's plenty of information
on Open Doors and what they're doing worldwide to get you
excited and inspired.
- JAMES
CROOK
30th
March, 2006
Follow
the Rabbi
www.followtherabbi.com
Fascinating. That's what I've found the Follow the Rabbi website
to be. Absolutely fascinating. The people who run it point
out that Jesus lived, talked and worshipped as a Jew, and
that in order to know Jesus more intimately and understand
Christianity better we must immerse ourselves in the culture
He was part of. "We must learn to 'think Hebrew' - in
the way that the original writers of the Text thought."
One way they educate people about the Jewish culture is by
conducting tours of Israel. The group leaders explain Biblical
links as they visit places of historical interest. The website
also delivers information and teaching through hundreds of
'Datafiles' and 'Faith Lessons' on different aspects of history
and theology. These pages are each self-contained lessons
that vary in delivery style and might include written Bible
studies, photos, downloadable audio teaching or even videos
taken on past tours. But although the style is not always
the same, the purpose is showing the Jewish culture, land
and people of which Jesus was a part. They fulfil this goal
admirably, with each lesson short but enlightening and lively.
Topics covered are diverse, from the significance of the Ark
of the Covenant through to geographical locations like Mount
Carmel, "God's Vineyard". For instance, did you
know that first-century Galileans not only flavoured their
food with salt but mixed it with manure to burn in their stoves?
Gives a whole new perspective on being the 'salt of the earth'.
Bookmark this page and keep coming back regularly, there's
enough here for quite a few evenings of 'thinking Hebrew'.
- JAMES CROOK
17th
March, 2006
Jesus
Decoded
www.jesusdecoded.com
Like millions of other people around the world I've read The
Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and found it an interesting
story. Besides its central adventure narrative the book also
contains a great deal of information on alternative claims
about Jesus' life and death and portions of Christian history
since. Some people have used this to make attacks on Christian
beliefs and the church. The website Jesus Decoded is a response
to these claims and the immense interest in what we might
call 'Christian conspiracy theories' that has subsequently
developed. It is organised and creative, listing each of the
claims made in the book and arguing against them individually,
often with factual proof supporting its position. The authors
of the site are obviously academics who value good research
and have come across many of the arguments before in some
form. As the site says about the theories: "Some are
merely distortions of hypotheses advanced by serious scholars
who do serious research. Others, however, are inaccurate or
false". The site also includes interesting spin-off pieces,
with articles like 'The Real Leonardo' and 'What do you say
to a Da Vinci Code Believer?' proving an interesting read
and extending some of the ideas presented throughout the main
part of the site. While Jesus Decoded seems at times to be
overly defensive in its position, the information it offers
is enlightening for both Christians and others.
- JAMES
CROOK
22nd
February , 2006
Bible
Gateway
www.biblegateway.com
I have reviewed online Bibles before, but there's a few reasons
that Bible Gateway caught my eye as perhaps the best of the
bunch. For starters it's the most complete, with 19 different
translations you can choose from including NIV, the Message
and the Amplified Bible, plus many more in languages other
than English. The entire text of each version is searchable
by keyword (making this site the ultimate concordance) or
you can easily lookup specific verses by typing them into
the "passage lookup" box. Every chapter is available
as RealAudio, with a gentle southern US voice reading the
parts I have listened to. There is also a Bible Commentary
available to view alongside each verse, and although it is
old-fashioned it still contains some interesting thoughts.
As well as the searchable media there are additional resources
available to help you study and understand the Bible, these
include audio bible, commentaries, ebooks, dictionaries, study
tools and reading plans, all of which seem well thought out
and accessible. The whole site is easy to navigate and understand
and provides a great resource for those wanting to read or
study the Bible.
- JAMES
CROOK
28th
January, 2006
Christianity
Works
www.christianityworks.com
This site is produced by Good News Broadcasting and it's one
of the best Australian examples I've seen of making good use
of the audio and video capabilities of the web. When you first
load the site you're welcomed by a friendly Berni Dymet walking
on to the side of the screen and talking about the site. He
explains the purpose of Christianity Works and highlights
some features of the website. The main attraction is that
you can listen online to the Christianity Works radio programs,
or sign up to their podcast to get the latest episodes delivered
automatically as soon as they are released. There's also streaming
television from the Australian Christian Channel if you've
got fast broadband, as well as the usual fare of Bible studies,
forums, a prayer room and information on the group's other
programs. The interface for this site is clean and hi-tech,
especially in the opening pages, and you can tell that a lot
has been invested in making a site that looks and feels classy.
Unfortunately, you really need broadband to view it properly
- even before you get to the streaming audio and video programs
- but, if you do have it, it's definitely worth a look.
- JAMES
CROOK
20th
December, 2005
The Tithing Tree
www.thetithingtree.org.au
"Creating
a simpler, more humanitarian Christmas." That's the motto
of this website that aims to inspire Australians to use some
of their Christmas spending to help make the world a better
place. Each year it gathers together information on about
20 small charity organisations from around the world, including
orphanages, medical foundations, environmental causes and
animal welfare groups. Each page has a rundown of the charity
showing what they do and where your money goes and includes
a link to their own website or other way of donating. The
other part of The Tithing Tree is pages of inspirational ideas,
including how to make giving part of your Christmas tradition,
what to say when your husband thinks the kids might miss out,
and testimonials from people who have given in the past. The
Tithing Tree itself is also a great example of generosity
as it doesn't take any sort of fee or percentage of the gifts
given - the people who maintain it are doing so as their own
tithe. As a bonus it's open all year, so you can continue
your giving and check back for updates any time.
- JAMES
CROOK
2nd
November, 2005
John Wesley's Journal
www.johnwesley.blogspot.com
John Wesley is writing a blog. Wesley, who lived from 1703
to 1791, who was an English preacher, theologian, author and
hymn-writer and the founder of the Methodist church, is writing
a blog. Well, more correctly, he wrote it in 1737 - long before
the phrase 'web log' had been thought of - as a journal of
his travels and experiences. It is now being published on
the internet in the same timeframe as it was written, day-by-day
showing the thoughts and experiences of one of the world's
most influential Christian figures. Wesley is a logical and
thoughtful writer, and his journal covers both the mundane
and the inspirational, and is heavy with advice on Christian
living. Much of it seems very harsh from a 21st Century point
of view, the parts about how to deal with kids seem especially
conservative considering he had none himself, but it is interesting
to read nonetheless.
- JAMES
CROOK
31st
August, 2005
Think Christian
www.thinkchristian.net
I like people that aren't afraid to debate issues with those
who think differently to them. I even find the occasional
heated argument exhilarating. Working through opposing ideas
is an important way of discovering the truth in any given
situation. This is the reason that I love Think Christian,
a website that discusses Christ, culture and the ways that
faith plays out in everyday life. The site is bloglike in
style, with several contributors writing short articles on
issues they think are relevant and many people joining in
the discussion through the open comments section. Nothing
is off-limits as the largely American community presents a
range of views and arguments on topics they find challenging
or interesting. Even within one day the topics discussed can
vary widely, from US foreign policy to the importance of personal
relationship with Jesus to abortion. Think Christian's motto
includes the line: "We want to exercise our faith in
every aspect of our lives: heart, soul, and mind" and
judging by the amount of activity generated by every topic
raised, there's a lot of exercising going on. Visit this site
for interesting reading and be encouraged by the variety of
views presented by your Christian siblings.
- JAMES
CROOK
9th
August, 2005
Christian Freebies
www.christianfreebies.com
Everybody loves a freebie, and this site knows Christians
are no exception. The makers are dedicated to tracking down
every free giveaway on the web that has a Christian theme
and collating the information into categories with links.
The selection is broad, with freebies varying from cross-stitch
patterns to web hosting to magazine subscriptions to bumper
stickers. Getting the goods is also relatively easy - the
site emails you the website addresses for the relevent sign
up pages when you order a product. So what's the catch? As
far as I can see, most of the sites providing the free products
are funded by legitimate outreach organisations that want
to give away as much Chrisitan paraphenalia as possible. They
require signup to their sites, including your email address,
but most have privacy policies in which they claim they won't
hassle you. The only problem is potentially losing track of
all your free orders - you get at least two confirmation emails
from each place, and with the amount of free stuff available
here you could be ordering all night!
- JAMES
CROOK
21st
July, 2005
Wired Jesus Podcast
www.wiredjesus.com
A podcast is essentially an audio file that can be downloaded
and saved for listening to later either on your computer or
using a portable audio device. These audio files contain anything
from music selections to the author's thoughts to recorded
samples, or - more commonly - everything mixed together with
a funky soundtrack. This freedom of content and relative ease
of production makes the genre the audio equivalent of blogging
with an end product that sounds like a pre-recorded radio
broadcast. The practice of making and listening to podcasts
is becoming popular as digital portable audio players become
affordable and downloading files from the internet becomes
faster, and, like blogs, the quality varies from professional
to very amateur. Tom Lyberg records the Wired Jesus Podcast
weekly, sharing his thoughts on life in a postmodern, hitech
world, and I am pleased to say that his work is of a high
quality. Tom talks about current events and the spiritual
principles he sees behind them, introduces a song or two and
leaves the listener with something to think about. His messages
and his music, while being fairly conservative as far as their
Christian content, are squarely aimed at young people grappling
with a changing world and are challenging and interesting.
Each podcast on this site goes for 15 to 20 minutes and new
ones are released weekly. Read the accompanying blog and listen
to the "wired wanderings of a postmodern pilgrim".
- JAMES
CROOK
12th
July, 2005
Christian Mystics
www.christianmystics.com
Many people who are a part of contemporary Western churches
might consider the term 'Christian mystic' to be an oxymoron,
but in reality mysticism has a long and varied history within
Christian belief. This site is dedicated to exploring mysticism
in both its historical and contemporary forms, defining it
as "the direct intuition or experience of God".
The content is well-written and plentiful, with mountains
of articles and essays on elements of mysticism as well as
insights into the lives of traditional Christian mystics of
the past. Names that pop up as authors and subjects include
St. Francis, Brother Lawrence, St. John of the Cross, C.S.
Lewis and even St. Paul. Everything you want to know is covered:
from the historical context of mystic practices to the theory
behind them and including practical exercises to try yourself.
Whether you meditate regularly or only have a passing interest,
the breadth of knowledge at this site makes it the perfect
place to explore further.
- JAMES
CROOK
19th
May, 2005
Infinity
Church
www.infinitychurch.com
The
pixelated photo on the front page of this site shows a pretty,
20-something woman sitting in front of an expensive laptop,
smiling as she goes to type something. Does this image represent
the ideals of Infinity Church? To an extent, yes - this church
is based online, meaning that the congregation participates
by using the internet. However, it is not simply an online
community. Most of the meaty stuff is provided in the form
of short audio sermons and is aimed at being used by small
groups that meet and use the recording, study notes and other
resources to reach their friends "when and where it's
convenient". The website also has questions and answers
about how to worship, build relationships and learn about
God, with the focus on quality rather than quantity of information.
Each week there is a new sermon to listen to, put together
by the couple who run the site, Edward and Leanne Leclerc.
They started Infinity in 2001 as a traditional church, but
they soon found that the people they met were not interested
in coming to a church running in a traditional way. This online
version is the result.
- JAMES
CROOK
11th
May, 2005
God
Speak
www.godspeak.info
I've got a lot of respect for the people at Bible Society
in Australia. They reach people with the most basic, and most
important, information about God that they can: the Bible.
They are also very good at making their presentations relevant
to the social group they are addressing, and nowhere is this
more apparent than in their youth products. The website God
Speak is one of these publications, squarely aiming Bible
literacy at young people - and in my opinion it succeeds.
With a pumping introduction and pixel-perfect, organic graphics,
it provides information in terms and style that youth relate
to without being condescending or corny. That's hard to pull
off. The articles are intelligent but use language anyone
can understand. The questions and answers address real teen
problems without descending to trite Christian cliches. Testimonies
are provided by sports heroes and musicians talking frankly
about Biblical values and what they mean. The forums, while
only moderately active, are visited by young people asking
real questions and debating topics they care about. And lets
face it, that's what these sort of sites should be aiming
to do: authentically engage with one of the most individualistic
generations ever. Thankyou once again, Bible Society. Love
your work.
- JAMES
CROOK
2nd
May, 2005
Stand
Today
www.standtoday.org
Stand Today is a group that takes a stand for the persecuted
church. The site has striking interviews and photos that reveal
the persecuted church, and how other Christians are helping.
Did you know there are an estimated 200 million persecuted
Christians worldwide? There is plenty of info available here
to download and present to your church, friends or homegroup,
to get people motivated. However, this site is less concerned
with information or statistics, and is more geared to providing
ways to get involved and contact other like-minded people.
You can sign online petitions, learn how to write letters
and phone appropriate embassies, and get help to start your
own group. If you're a US resident, you can even organise
for Stand Today's director to come and speak at your church.
They are currently campaigning to attract volunteers, and
hope to gain one million in the near future. Maybe you should
consider joining?
- JAMES
CROOK
7th
April, 2005
ReJesus
www.rejesus.co.uk
In design circles London is known as a centre of urban grunge
innovation and sophisticated fashions that reflect the inner-city
lives of their creators. ReJesus is a Christian website created
by such designers - it's funk meets faith, London-style. The
flashy graphics aren't there to hide a lack of intelligent
information though - on the contrary, this site provides a
large amount of content broken down into sections: The Story
(Jesus' life), Encounters (followers today), Spirituality
(prayer and meditation), Expressions (Jesus imagined) and
Community (have your say). You can view the Jesus video online,
read about famous figures from the Christian past, view the
art gallery, read poetry or sink your teeth into some deep
theological problems in the forums. I especially admire the
Expressions section filled with art and poetry as a serious
and necessary contribution to Christian art on the web. In
fact, the whole site's content is creatively made and delivered
and updated regularly, producing an authentic community feeling
that is hard to find. One of the best sites I've reviewed.
- JAMES
CROOK
10th
March, 2005
Truth
or Fiction?
http://www.truthorfiction.com
Everyone knows the internet is not the most trustworthy source
of information, but sometimes it can be hard to separate the
authentic from the dross. I get several emails a week from
well-meaning people passing on 'true' stories that to my cynical
mind seem implausible. Recent photos that claim to have been
taken during the tsunami in Asia are another example - they
depict a giant wave curling over a small village and have
been created using digital manipulation, but many people seem
to believe they are real. Stories like these are known as
'e-rumours' because of their questionable integrity. So how
do we tell what is real and what is not? Truth or Fiction
is a website that helps to hone your scam-sensors. They investigate
e-rumours and rate them either truth, fiction or unproven.
Hundreds of stories have been investigated and are split into
categories for easy browsing. While not a Christian site as
such, many of the stories refer to Christian material, and
all of them make interesting reading. Don't be gullible any
longer.
- JAMES
CROOK
25th
January, 2005
God's
Generals
http://www.godsgenerals.org
Explore the lives of famous Christians from the past in a
format that runs like a pop music video, complete with pumping
dance-music soundtrack. Some of the people I've heard of -
Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake - many of the others I have
not, but I still found their stories amazing. This is Christian
history from a pentecostal perspective, made palatable for
people who aren't historians, and it is interesting and powerfully
motivating. God's Generals features important leaders,
preachers and healers from the pentecostal movement, and promises
you will "find out why they succeeded, and why some failed".
The reader is provided with the main thrust of each person's
ministry with links to further discussion, as well as photographs,
artifacts and fantastic facts. The information provided is
simple to understand, the only annoyance is that you have
to sign up for a free membership to reach some of the more
detailed information.
- JAMES
CROOK
14th
December, 2004
All
About Science
www.allaboutscience.org
Science
is the human endeavour to discover truths about the world
around us. Some scientists believe the study of the world
reveals that there is no God, others believe that the overwhelming
evidence supports the existence of a Creator. All About
Science presents a Christian creationist view of science
with clarity and intelligence. The site is organised well
and is very user-friendly - which is good because although
the scientific content is simplified enough to be understandable,
it can still be heavy going at times. Intellectual discussion
of several theories including evolution, relativity and thermodynamics
lead the reader through a series of partner sites - All
About Philosophy, All About Creation and others
- between them covering an extraordinary amount of persuasive
Christian thinking. At the end of it all the reader cannot
help but reach the undeniable conclusion that God exists,
and links are provided to take the next step to relationship
with Him as well. A perfect example of good net evangelism.
- JAMES
CROOK
11th
November, 2004
Internet
for Christians
http://ifc.gospelcom.net/
The
internet is big. So big that it can be hard to find your way
to the good stuff without guidance. Internet for Christians
provides that guidance. It is designed to be set as your home
page and looked at regularly, so it has several categories
that are updated daily with news, reviews and links to interesting
and noteworthy sites or articles. Topics covered range from
overtly Christian themes like 'Spiritual Growth' and 'Ministry'
to the more mundane (but perhaps more interesting) 'Entertainment'
and 'Society', but even at this end of the spectrum you can
be guaranteed they won't be linking to anything unwholesome.
One gripe might be that the links are very US-centric, but
a great layout that is easy to understand helps users to pick
items that are relevant, and quality editing ensures that
there is no rubbish among them. Definitely worth checking
out.
- JAMES
CROOK
29th
October, 2004
Blogs4God
www.blogs4god.com
It is impossible to talk about websites without eventually
mentioning the increasingly popular 'blog'. Short for 'web
logs', blogs are an easy, free way to have your say and to
self-publish whatever you like in what amounts to an online
column. The most popular format is the personal journal covering
everyday events in the blogger's life. Other common topics
include reflections on life, news, current events, technical
developments or short essays on whatever the blogger thinks
is important. There are even meta-blogs, which blog about
what other bloggers are saying. Needless to day, there are
many bloggers out there that are Christian and the website
Blogs4God brings together a semi-definitive list
of them with a short description of each. Blogs are sorted
into the categories of Apologia, Church Polity, Journals,
Metablogs, Ministries, Pundits, techBlogs and Zines, and there
are hundreds listed in each category so there should be plenty
to keep you occupied. Be warned - reading blogs can be addictive.
Image:
Daniel Vineyard (iStockphoto.com)
14th
September, 2004

PraiseMoves
www.praisemoves.com
Lately
I've noticed myself growing a small pot-belly - one of the
repercussions of a computer-based lifestyle. A friend of mine
is into yoga, but I've heard that it's based on Eastern religious
practices so I'm a bit nervous getting involved in it. What
to do? Well, Laurette Willis has founded PraiseMoves, the
'Christian Alternative to Yoga', to help people like me. PraiseMoves
sounds a lot like yoga with the Bible thrown in, claiming
"Deep Stretching, Gentle Movement and Strong Scripture
combine for Weight Loss, Stress Relief, Flexibility and Strength",
but of course it doesn't include any of the Eastern meditative
practices of traditional yoga. Instead of spiritually hazardous
poses like 'vrksasana' (tree) or 'marjarasana' (cat cow) Willis
has created moves like 'the Angel' which involves standing
on one leg with your arms stretched out superman-style, and
'the Lord's Prayer' that calls for arms extended in a Y above
your head. You can learn PraiseMoves by buying the book or
video/dvd available at this site, so if you want to get involved
in some "Fitness for His Witness" this is definitely
the place to come!
22nd
August, 2004
Lark
News
www.larknews.com
At first glance this site seems to be exactly what its tagline
claims: "A good source for Christian news" - until
you read the headlines of some of the stories. "Christians
planning to be offended by next Eminem album", "Teen
no longer called to chores" and "VeggieTales Exclusive:
Where are they now?". Each link leads to a well-written,
humourous article that gently pokes fun at part of contemporary
Christianity. There are spoof ads too, for things like the
"Holy Spirit Explosion Conference - and Monster Truck
Rally" and "Baptist Beer", and you can even
read your "personal prophetic word" or sign up for
Lark Personals. Each issue contains about 15 stories, and
a complete new issue is posted every month.
13th
August, 2004
Narnia
www.narnia.com
In June this year Walt Disney Studios began producing The
Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,
a feature film planned for release late in 2005 based on the
classic book by C.S. Lewis. Like the recent Lord of the
Rings movies, it will be filmed and produced in New Zealand
with a cast of international actors and will be directed by
Shrek's Andrew Adamson. For those of us that grew
up reading the Narnia series this movie will be a great way
to see our beloved characters on the big screen and is sure
to provide ample opportunities to talk about the deeper meaning
behind the story. If you want to brush up on your Narnian
lore, this beautiful and enchanting site is for you. It has
a bit of info on the movie, but that section is understandably
light this early on. There is also a section devoted to the
books, and another inviting you to "Explore Narnia".
This option opens a flash site that has beautiful artwork,
quizzes, games and info on the lands, the characters and the
history of Narnia. And it's not just for kids - it will capture
the imagination of adults just as easily.
29th
July, 2004
Asylum
Seeker Project
www.asp.hothammission.org.au
"How
would you survive in our community without permission to work?
You are not eligible for any benefits or Centrelink? You have
no family in Australia? No friends? How do you find accommodation?
How do you catch a tram, train or bus? Buy food? What about
soap, toothpaste, a razor?" Of around 8,000 asylum seekers
lawfully living in Australian communities on bridging visas,
many are not entitled to Medicare or welfare payments and
are not allowed to work. Denied these sources of income they
are among the poorest people in Australia and often have issues
with homelessness, health, nutrition, isolation and depression.
Some have family or friends to help them, but a significant
number have no support. Denied government help, it is left
up to the church and community groups to provide these people
with food, clothing, housing and medical attention. The Asylum
Seeker Project at Hotham Mission in Melbourne has spent seven
years providing housing and basic living assistance. They
also advocate and lobby on behalf of their clients, and help
tie people in with local communities. At the Asylum Seeker
Project website you can learn more about what they do, sign
up to help or make a donation.
15th
July, 2004
Brio
www.briomag.com
I don't normally read e-zines aimed at 15-year-old girls,
but I came across this one while searching for an article
on Christian snowboarder Matt Hammer. The 'Real Life' section
of Brio contains interviews and biographies of many sports
stars and others, albeit most of them women. There is also
a surprisingly rounded array of other sections that teen girls
will love covering health & beauty, entertainment, relationships,
spiritual health, quizzes and a fiction fix. Sounds a bit
like Dolly? It is. But the aim of this website is
"teaching, entertaining and challenging teen girls toward
a healthy self-concept and closer relationship with Jesus
Christ". The creators do seem to go deeper: 'Daily Soul
Food' provides a short devotional every day, and 'Brio Missions'
organises groups to go to places like Panama. 'Brio &
Beyond' asks those tough questions that teen girls face as
they get older, like 'What’s Your Marriage Criteria?'
and 'Going Deeper: Would Jesus Read His Horoscope?'. Now,
I'll probably never look at this site again, but that doesn't
mean I don't like it. It is reaching a group of girls at a
critical age with language and a look they can understand,
and I think there should be more of it!
30th
June, 2004
Ministry Blue - search engine
www.ministryblue.com
Ministry Blue is essentially a search engine dedicated to
cataloguing links to Australian Christian resources. The obvious
categories are present: churches, missions, resources and
Christian groups, but there are also more obscure listings
like multimedia and office supplies, camping, business, education
and performing arts. Visually, this site is shocking, but
as far as content goes it can be handy if you want to find
resources specific to Australia. If you want to go to Bible
College, it can direct you to 15 found in Victoria, or if
you want to buy a second-hand data projector, they can sell
you one. Having said that, the lists it does have are not
comprehensive so don't expect to be able to find everything
you want. For instance, Ocean Grove Baptist Church isn't listed,
although over 40 other Baptist churches in Victoria are. Give
it time to grow and this site might develop into a Christian
search engine that Australia needs.
23rd
June, 2004
Christians Online
www.christiansonline.com.au
Finding it hard to meet people who share your Christian values?
Do you want to meet Christian singles or friends online? Although
this site offers much more, the tone is set by these two questions,
prominently asked at the top welcome of the page. Other services
offered include job listings, marriage and parenting advice,
devotionals, world news and a page of clean jokes, most of
them about religion, some of which are funny. You can also
shop for books or CDs or sign up for Christian travel tours.
The purpose is to build an online Christian community, aimed
at the 20-something generation who are comfortable making
friends with other people on a website. Its clean design will
appeal to this market, and although the content makes me cringe
at times by being a little too introvertedly focused on all
things labelled "Christian", if that's what you're
into this site will meet your every need.
9th
June, 2004
Online Labyrinth
http://www.embody.co.uk/labyrinth/online.html
I was lucky enough to attend a fascinating labyrinth service
at Easter this year (pictured right), and it got me interested
in the history of the labyrinth as a worship tool. They have
a long history; many of the European cathedrals built in the
Middle Ages have labyrinths laid into the floor, and they
are also experiencing somewhat of a revival with many churches
(like the one I visited at Easter) making them for special
occasions. In England, Youth For Christ has a mobile labyrinth
with 11 contemplative stations that they take to different
churches around that country, and which they have also brought
to the web in a very interesting way at this site. The music
is calming, the design is flashy and a great example of multimedia
usage, the download times are a little long but definitely
worth it. So remove your shoes, take a deep breath, and head
to the 'Online Labyrinth' for a fascinating online spiritual
experience!
5th
May, 2004
YouthPastor.com
http://www.youthpastor.com
It's late in the afternoon and you haven't prepared anything
for youth group this evening. Don't worry, YouthPastor.com
has everything you need! This site has saved my skin on more
than one occasion, with lessons, games, event and fundraising
ideas and talk outlines all available for download. The majority
of the resources are posted by youth leaders or pastors who
also use the site, so you can usually trust that they have
been tested with real, live young people and are going to
make the grade. There is also a large section that keeps up
with the latest Christian music trends, indexed topically
so you can easily choose music to match your study. Handy.
If you're just starting out, check out the long list of youth
group names from around the world to give you some ideas.
28th
April, 2004
Real Live Preacher
http://www.reallivepreacher.com
It takes a lot to make me cry over written words. Love in
the time of Cholera by Marquez did it, and the Adbusters magazine
regularly makes me weep with its depictions of human hopelessness.
But this site is different - it makes me weep with joy. Real
Live Preacher is a beautifully-written weblog by a pastor
of a small southern US church. Even the ordinary weblog fare
of jokes and happenstance becomes honey in the hands of this
Preacher, and a high percentage of his posts are short stories
or poems that so perfectly explain what God is about that
he has earned a spot in my "daily-visit" bookmarks.
Follow the "Preacher's Stories" link to get the
best of the best.
21st
April, 2004
The Hunger Site
http://www.thehungersite.com
How do websites make money? Well, one of the ways is through
advertising on the site. Every time the page is loaded and
a viewer sees an ad, the website owner gets paid a small amount.
How can we use this concept to raise money for the poor? The
Hunger Site has the answer. The main page has a button at
the centre which, when clicked, donates money to feeding the
poor through the established charities Mercy Corps and America's
Second Harvest. The donation is paid for by the advertisers
on the site - there are quite a few - so it costs the viewer
nothing. Each click equates to one cup of food, and the site
has become so popular that on an average day donations exceed
five metric tons! In fact, the site has worked so well since
its inception in 1999 that there is now a series of related
sites you can visit to raise money for your other favourite
charities: the Breast Cancer Site, Child Health Site, Rainforest
Site and even an Animal Rescue Site. Now you can solve all
of the world's problems with a click of the mouse, and all
for free!
10th March, 2004
Jonah
Games
http://www.jonahmovie.com/html/arcade/
Anyone who has been in the same room as a Christian child
and a television in the last ten years will know how popular
the VeggieTales series is. Jonah is the latest movie
adventure from Big Ideas' vivacious vegetables. At this colourful
website you can find info on the movie, read interviews with
the cast members, download preview trailers, send e-cards,
and - most importantly - play Jonah-based games for
hours on end. A young friend I visited recently tore herself
away from the screen only long enough to assure me they are
"the funnest"! While this site is obviously commercial,
the under-12 age bracket will find it very entertaining, and
it is somewhere you can safely let your kids spend the afternoon
surfing. Who knows, they might even learn something!
11th
February, 2004
Christian
Classics Ethereal Library
www.ccel.org
I was recently introduced to a large sub-culture that exists
in our society, by a colleague at work who has been experimenting
with it for a couple of years. People indulge themselves as
they practise in the car, in bed, or as we do, in the office.
Yes, I have been listening to audio books. This interest led
me to find the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, where
you can freely download classic Christian literature read
aloud and recorded into mp3 format. This will play on your
computer, or can be burnt to CD and played in any CD player.
The selection includes Brother Lawrence, John Wesley, G.K.
Chesterton, John Bunyan, and even an unlikely 35-hour-long
recording of the entire novel "Anna Karenina" by
Leo Tolstoy (downloadable in 28 parts). Unfortunately, the
quality is not the best: a female voice that sounds like it's
coming through a tin-can telephone monotonously reads all
the samples I listened to. Bearable for relatively short works
like Brother Lawrence's "Practise the presence of God",
but I think I'll leave Tolstoy for a printed edition.
11th
December, 2003
Blue
Letter Bible
www.blueletterbible.org
This is the best Bible reference I have ever seen, online
or off. It contains the text for 12 Bible translations including
NASB, RSV and even the Latin Vulgate. You can search for words
or phrases (easier and more flexible than a concordance) and
you can also look up over 15 commentaries to help you get
a grasp of what it all means. As well as all these you can
download devotionals, audio and video commentaries and sermons,
images, hymns, maps and other study tools. Got a toughy? Try
the theological FAQ section. In all, this megasite delivers
over 3,560,000 links onsite to over 165,000 pages, and it
does it in an organised and easy-to-use fashion. Got to love
it.
11th
December, 2003
All About God
www.allaboutgod.com
All About God calls itself "the Christian Community for
seekers, skeptics and believers". What does that mean?
Well, it means this site has info on all the issues that seekers
or new Christians are likely to ask about. It starts with
questions like "Is God Real?" and "Is the Bible
True?" and then continues through to deeper topics which
include "Situational Ethics" and "the Human
Genome Project". The answers are short with plenty
of Bible references, and they cover all the questions that
anyone might ever have about Christianity. The design is slick
enough to appeal to seasoned web surfers and the articles
are categorised to make them easy to find. Aimed more at youth
than adults, this site will be worth a look if you've got
a teenage friend asking difficult questions.
Streaming
Faith
www.streamingfaith.tv
It was only a matter of time before televangelists made it
into the new medium in a big way. "Cybervangelists"
could be their new title. Streaming Faith is their home. This
site has a program covering hundreds of television and radio
shows that are available online in streaming form. This means
that if you've got a fast enough internet connection you can
tune in through your web browser for preaching, teaching,
fundraising and even music videos, the same as if you were
receiving their television or radio broadcasts. All the content
is American and you've got to sign up for a free "Faith
Pass" before you can access some channels, and even then
you shouldn't attempt to watch streaming video without a cable
internet connection (radio audio works alright). If you can
overcome these hurdles this is definitely worth a visit.
Alternative
Worship.org
www.alternativeworship.org
If you've ever thought "Gee, I wish church was different"
here's a place where you can feel right at home with your
outrageous ideas. This site is the ultimate source of information
to get your soul swinging and your brain thinking differently.
The idea is to have worship in a way that you enjoy, and that
means re-inventing the experience of worship in totally new
and exciting ways relevant to the culture that you happen
to live in (without changing the gospel message). There are
literally hundreds of well-written articles on alternate worship
theory here, submitted by theologians and other people involved.
The site also contains many practical ideas and links to alternative
'churches' and other related websites. While the content is
fairly intellectual it is designed and organised beautifully
and there are plenty of photos and introductory articles to
help get you get up to speed.
Smallfire
www.btinternet.com/~smallritual/smallfire
Smallfire is a pictorial archive of Alternative worship events.
You'll see photos of different worship spaces filled with
games, labyrinths, data projectors, Christian symbols, gold,
coffee, laptops, televisions, sound equipment and lots and
lots of candles. Most of all, you'll see the enormous range
of ways in which people around the world are worshipping God.
Some of the photos seem to bear no relation to the traditional
church as we know it - some appear to be of the interior of
garages, others are pub lounges - but they all have people
enjoying themselves and the presence of God. This is a great
place to get ideas, but don't expect explanations of what
those people are doing sitting around the gold-plated beer
barrels - it's pretty much photos only, and some of them are
quite cryptic.
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