WEB EVANGELISM BULLETIN
. . . learning from each other
W-E-B Issue 128 ~ January (ii) 06
Twice a month ISSN 471-0323
News this time...
BLOG GUIDE AVAILABLE FOR INSERT
OUTREACH SITE LOOKS AT LIFE ISSUES
LOOKING AT BOOKS
DAN VINCI CODE
TIPS
RIGHTNOW ENABLING WORLD MISSION
ON WRITING WELL
TAILEND
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced" - James Baldwin
"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought" - Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi
BLOG GUIDE AVAILABLE FOR INSERT
The new guide page about using blogs for evangelism can now be inserted into any other
website very easily by copy/pasting a few lines of javascript. If you don't want to have a
new page of content on your site, well - please just link to it normally.
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blogging.php
Syndication code here:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blogging-syndicate.php
It is probably easier to create a blog than any other sort of website. No technical knowledge is needed at all! Please tell us about any blogs you know of, which are designed to be accessible to non-Christians.
OUTREACH SITE LOOKS AT LIFE ISSUES
John Montesi writes about his new site Lifeseeker:
"In short I:
- thought the web a great medium to spread the most important message in history
- tried to use whatever abilities I have to spread the Good News
- figured there's plenty of trash on the web so I thought might contribute something that
could potentially give life
- have learnt some of the answers to life and thought to share them with others that might
be looking for them. Hopefully planting seeds and eventually contributing to people
spending eternity with the Father
- want people to be free
- was inspired by the Web Evangelism Bulletin to put my thoughts into action"
http://www.lifeseeker.info/
LOOKING AT BOOKS
Here are two very different books in that rare category: jargon/preachiness-free and truly accessible to non-Christians as well as Christians.
God's Blogs - Insights from HIS site
Lanny Donoho
ISBN 1-59052-535-3
Multnomah mpbooks.com
Donoho has produced a unique concept - what a blog would look like if God wrote it. A difficult concept to get right and accurately portray the father-heart of God for people. In this reviewer's opinion, he has got it right, producing a book that anyone who understands the concept of 'blog' will relate to.
C. S. Lewis's Case for Christ
Art Lindsley
ISBN 0-8308-3285-8
Inter-Varsity Press USA www.ivpress.com
In complete contrast to 'God's Blogs', Lindsley has produced a book which is not yet
another about Lewis. Rather, it is a representation of Lewis's apologetics arguments for
our century and worldview. It uses a valuable journalistic device - weaving each chapter
around a fictional bookshop discussion group studying Lewis's books.
Each book has insights for Christians to use as we encounter non-Christians, and each will make an ideal loan or gift to an inquirer.
If you want books ABOUT evangelism, for Christians, check:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/books.php
This listing represents a range of what we feel are the very best available. One of the
books, 'I Hate Witnessing' by Dick Innes also has a related 70-minute talk by the author,
which you can download in MP3 format. It makes a valuable feature for a small study group,
probably best in two separate weekly segments. Two chapters of the book are online, and
can be inserted into your own website with some Javascript code.
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/books.php#hatewitness
DAN VINCI CODE
The forthcoming release of this Tom Hanks film represents both an attack on, and an
opportunity for, evangelical faith. It behoves all Christians to understand the story-line
of the book and film, and know how to offer a sensitive and positive rebuttal, and indeed
use the story as a starting point for conversations, websites, blogs, youth talks, and
much more.
Facing the Challenge is one of several ministries who are building a range of
apologetic pages on Da Vinci:
http://www.facingthechallenge.org/
TIPS
TOOLTIPS. The Internet Evangelism Day site is using 'Sweet Titles' to style browser
tooltips (those popup boxes when you hover a link). This is a CSS/Javascript solution
which automatically styles all tooltips into something much better than the default
browser appearance. A similar solution is also available from Cute Titles. Unlike previous
tooltip style scripts, you do NOT have to make any changes to the coding for your
individual links. Styled tooltips can also be applied to forms, acronym tags (great for
including hoverable word definitions), graphics and other page elements.
IE Day: http://www.internetevangelismday.com/index.php
Sweet Titles: http://www.dustindiaz.com/sweet-titles-updated/
Cute Titles: http://www.jpofy.com/cuteTitles/cuteTitles.htm
STYLED XML PAGES. A standard RSS feed page is just a jumble of code if someone views it
in a browser. But style and design can be added, to create something which also looks good
too:
http://www.web-evangelism.com/resources/bullfeed.xml
RIGHTNOW ENABLING WORLD MISSION
Rightnow's mission is to connect passionate 20 and 30-somethings to specific ministry
opportunities to impact God's kingdom in the U.S. and around the world. The site includes
full-length video presentations.
http://rightnow.org/
ON WRITING WELL
Web writers need the gifts of a journalist rather than a preacher. Take some tips from
the professionals:
http://www.journalism.org/resources/tools/writing/lessons/online.asp
We need to avoid jargon when writing for non-Christians:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/jargon.php
Sermon Spice offer a 1-minute video clip on avoiding jargon in witness - great for
sermons, youth talks, seminars, etc.
http://www.sermonspice.com/sspreview/vs_realchristiansofgeniu.wmv
And there is a compelling need for Christian journalists in the secular media. The worldview of an entire nation is formed to a considerable extent by a relatively small number of newspaper and broadcasting journalists.
If you are still at the point of making career choices, or even a career change,
consider whether God is calling you into journalism. A useful introduction to the subject
is this new book:
Newspaper Journalism
Susan Pape & Sue Featherstone
ISBN 0-7619-4329-3
Sage Publications (London, California, New Delhi)
It asks 'What is news?' and goes on to explain how to write it, types of specialist news
that a journalist will cover, looking at language, interview techniques, and the
journalist in society.
You can find many other titles by searching on 'journalism' at Amazon, or in your local library.
TAILEND ô¿ô
How to start your day with a positive outlook.
1. Open a new file in your PC.
2. Name it "Housework."
3. Send it to the RECYCLE BIN.
4. Empty the RECYCLE BIN.
5. Your PC will ask you, "Are you sure you want to delete Housework permanently?"
6. Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly...
7. Feel better?
[ via www.cybersalt.org/ ]
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