Author: Gordon Govier

Is sure isn’t anything like "L.A. Law." When Richard Martin goes to work, he’s not defending Hollywood stars going through their "nth" divorce. And his clients don’t usually dress in Italian shirts and hand-tailored suits. Switch channels to "Hill Street Blues" reruns and you’ll see a truer picture of Martin’s clients in his work as a Wisconsin appellate public defender.From early on in life, Martin knew he wanted to go into law. Fired by his deep interest in politics (he hails from the Washington DC area), the legal path seemed logical to him. And after you meet Martin, you’re not…

Jonathan Merritt was headed for medical school upon graduating from Liberty University in 2004, until, in the "clearest word I had ever gotten," he heard God’s call to write. The writing life wasn’t an immediate success; he says he received hundreds of rejections while attending Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Finally, after almost three years of trying, he got his first assignment. Today Merritt publishes articles in places like Relevant magazine and USA Today, and makes appearances on NPR and ABC World News. A book, Green Like God, will appear in the spring.

Da Vinci Code fans may thrill to dark conspiracies surrounding the secret history of early Christianity, but how many know about the real scholarly debate surrounding the young church? Even without a sleuthing Harvard "symboligist" involved, scholars have found plenty of intrigue in how early Christianity grew."How did the Mediterranean world become predominantly Christian?" asks historian Adam Schor of Long Island University, in Brookville, N.Y., in the current Journal of Religious History. "Generations of scholars have approached it, but each new theoretical angle seems to reopen basic questions."

ST. LOUIS (BP)–The narratives of Albert "El Hombre" Pujols and Stan "The Man" Musial continue to be woven together in St. Louis Cardinals history with the Nov. 24 announcement that Pujols had matched Musial with his third National League Most Valuable Player award.Pujols, 29, is one of America’s more prominent Christian athletes. He and his wife Deidre run the Pujols Family Foundation, which seeks to honor God by strengthening families.

MAYFIELD, Ky. (BP)–The American holiday of Thanksgiving possesses a long history of taking place during times of adversity. As we pause to thank God for our blessings on Thanksgiving Day, we also should remember our fellow Americans who are facing over 10 percent unemployment and many others who are enduring underemployment.

The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, is undeniably inspirational. But Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the Christian couple at the center of the film that opens Friday, hope the story of how they adopted a homeless black teenager who eventually became a first-round NFL draft pick does more than make people cry.

Zondervan President and CEO Moe Gerkins apologized on behalf of the company for publishing Deadly Viper: A Kung Fu Survival Guide for Life and Leadership, a book that uses Chinese characters and images for illustrations. Gerkins said the company will remove the book and curriculum from stores permanently, according to an email to North Park Theological Seminary professor Soong-Chan Rah.Rah called for an apology on November 3 on his blog because of what he perceived as insensitivity to Asian culture and to the Asian-American community.

On November 11, during a 9:00am class of first-year students, led by Allen Hood and Wes Hall at International House of Prayer University (IHOPU), the Spirit moved in their midst with physical healings, deliverance, and a spirit of joy. That class, on November 11, continued for more than 15 hours. The word spread quickly, and nearly 2,000 people spontaneously gathered in the auditorium from all over the Kansas City area, as deliverance and physical healings increased. The meeting continued well past midnight. Recognizing that the Spirit was moving, the leadership of IHOPU canceled all classes for the next few days…

COMMENTARYEvangelicalism has become a global phenomenon. In the past year I have visited the Middle East, India, Africa, Latin America, and Europe as the guest of churches and ministries. In each place, evangelicals exude life and energy. While staid churches change slowly, evangelicals tend to be light on their feet, adapting quickly to cultural trends.The Jesus movement, the house-church movement, seeker-friendly churches, emergent churches—evangelicals have spawned all of these. In their wake, worship bands have replaced organs and choirs, PowerPoint slides and movie clips now enliven sermons, and espresso bars keep congregants awake. If a technique doesn’t work, find one…

WASHINGTON – Unlike in the United States, there is little controversy among evangelicals around the world on whether climate change is real, said an evangelical representative at a press briefing on Capitol Hill.“They know it is real,” said Deborah Fikes, executive advisor of the World Evangelical Alliance – a global alliance of churches in 128 nations and over 100 international organizations. But in the United States, many evangelicals deny climate change is real because they are “self-absorbed” and “lack [the] spiritual will” to change their lifestyle to help solve a problem that is life threatening, she said.