01: Most of the new charismatic Christian networks and denominations active in the U.S. are home-grown.
So the establishment of Christian Outreach Centres in the U.S. imported from Australia is something of a novelty. The Brisbane -based group has 10 newly affiliated congregations in the U.S., reversing a “trend in which several church groups from America–such as the Assemblies of God–have traversed the Pacific to launch congregations in Australia.”
Most of the approximately 600 congregations affiliated with the COC are in Asia and Australia. U.S. congregations have chosen to affiliate with the COC because of the group’s strong evangelistic and training programs, as well as its emphasis on miracles.
(Source: Charisma, June)
02: Evangelical leaders have put into motion several programs to combat the anti-intellectualism that has “limited the evangelical movement,” according to one observer.
At a conference of the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities, representing some 30 denominations and related groups, last February, evangelical leaders planned a three-fold initiative that attempts to bridge the gap between the campus and the local parish. The initiative includes the formation of small campus-based groups embracing Christian intellectuals and the maintenance of a data base and other means of communication.
Colleges and participating congregational leaders are planning new courses offering overviews on Christian thought for religious studies students not bound for the ministry. The evangelical InterVarsity Press is also planning to produce a 27-volume series of exegetical work from the first eight centuries of Christianity.
(Source: Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 28)
— By Erling Jorstad