NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BNc) —

Tidwell will assume the role of editor from Anderson, who will retire as editor in September. Anderson will continue as publisher.

Greg is the minister with the Fishinger and Kenney congregation in Columbus, Oh. He studied journalism and public relations at Ohio State University and was awarded the M.A. from Vanderbilt University.

Tidwell will become the seventeenth editor of the 156-year-old magazine beginning with the October issue.

Founded in 1855 by Tolbert Fanning and William Lipscomb, the Gospel Advocate has been edited by such men as David Lipscomb, J.C. McQuiddy, B.C. Goodpasture, Ira North, Guy N. Woods, and F. Furman Kearley.

The announcement appeared yesterday on Greg’s LinkedIn profile.

Greg was also a columnist for Forthright Magazine, writing Outlines of Faith from 2002-2005.

by Rick Kelley, minister, Prestonsburg, Ky. church

VIENNA, W.V. (BNc) – A brotherhood center for apologetics has released a book on second- and third-century apologists by Dr. Everett Ferguson.

The Warren Christian Apologetics Center (WCAC) released the book Thinking-Living-Dying: Early Apologists Speak To The 21st Century, July 15.

The book contains what second and third century writers “believed and defended regarding Christian living, moral questions, and intellectual challenges to Christian faith.”

According to WCAC, this is an offering of “unique apologetics material, not previously published.”

Dr. Ferguson presented the material as the First Annual Spring Apologetics Lectures May 12.

Next year’s lectures will be Thursday, May 10, 2012. The focus will be on ethics, featuring Dr. Rolland Pack of Freed-Hardeman University.

Promoting its goals of “affirming and defending the Christian worldview while challenging the growing global influence of atheistic thought,” WCAC also released Sufficient Evidence, a bi-annual journal, earlier this year. According to Research Coordinator W. Terry Varner, “750 copies of the initial printing have been depleted,” but it is now enjoying its second printing, and subscriptions are available.

The Warren Center hosts the annual “An Evening of Values” each second Thursday of March which focuses on the biblical roots of America’s greatness.

They also bring the vision of WCAC to local churches through “In God We Trust,” an intense seminar series on foundational truths.

WCAC was designated as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization last summer.

VILONIA, Ark. (BNc) — A new publication serves churches in central Arkansas. The Gospel Opportunities ministry has begun a new publication, Central Arkansas Encourager (CAE), for the churches in the region.

Published every other month, CAE includes articles by local writers, and each issue covers a specific topic. Two issues have been printed this year, “Jesus Is Lord” and “The Church of the Bible.”

The publication also includes a pull-out sheet listing upcoming events for congregations of the Lord’s church in central Arkansas.

“For many years the Arkansas Christian Herald filled the niche in our brotherhood, keeping us informed of upcoming events in the area. We hope that the Central Arkansas Encourager will be able to fill the void left when the ACH ceased publication,” said editor Robert Swain.

The paper is intended to be used by Christians and non-Christians, and writers have included local preachers, teachers, members, and even teens.

“We hope that the Encourager will help readers to be strengthened and grow spiritually through the articles provided by area preachers, teachers and Christians. We ask for your prayers for the success of this new endeavor,” Swain said.

Anyone wishing to receive the CAE by email may write to Michal Swain.  Paper subscriptions may be purchased for a small fee to cover printing and mailing. For more information, please write to CAE at P.O. Box 1030, Vilonia, AR 72173.

The Gospel Opportunities ministry is made up of team members Barbara Oliver, Robert and Michal Swain.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BNc) –

One of the distributors for Think magazine, published by Focus Press, sent the publishers an agreement from the bookstore chain last week.

Focus Press has been publishing the magazine for 5 1/2 years.

The announcement comes on the heels of the magazine being picked up by all of the Chapters bookstores in Canada, helping Think to reach an international market, said founder Brad Harrub.

One of its goals has been to get solid Christian material into secular bookstores, competing alongside worldly magazines.

While many publishers are registering decreased numbers of distribution, Think continues a growth trend, indicating that there is a strong market for solid Christian material.

“Focus Press now has its sights on other retail outlets such as grocery stores, airport bookstores, and even Wal-Mart, Brad said.

For more information about Focus Press and Think magazine visit the publisher’s website.

WHITE HOUSE, Tenn. (BNc) – I have before me the Concordance to the Ndebele Bible, written by Foy Short, long-time missionary to Zimbabwe. The Ndebele language is spoken by people in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Short, who recently turned 90, is the compiler and principle editor of the concordance, which he has been working on for the past ten years. He was quick to point out that it would not have been possible without those who financially supported the effort and those who assisted with the typesetting, editing, proofing, and suggestions of words that should be included. Short’s son Harold expedited the work tremendously with his computer programing expertise, and several others played essential roles. But without Short seeing the need and setting out to do something about it, it most certainly would not have happened.

When asked why this project was started, Short said, “A Zimbabwe preacher’s simple question caused the work on it to begin. The question was, ‘Where in the Bible can I find the verse that speaks of predestination? I have been reading my Bible for two months, but have failed to find the verse.’ This preacher should be honoured because his question caused the concordance to be prepared.”

Short was raised in Africa by missionary parents. He and Margaret (who grew up in Alabama but totally displaced her southern accent with a British one) reared their four children and spent most of their lives there. Short grew up speaking the Ndebele tongue as well as several other African languages.

Short pointed out that this was not an exhaustive concordance.

“To make a complete concordance with every word that is in the Bible would require a book of more than 5,000 pages. Such a book would be too expensive and too big to be useful to most readers. We have included the words we thought the more likely to be used by readers in their study of the Bible.”

Short explained that the concordance of 378 pages contains 4,062 word stems with 18,800 references. An index of personal names includes 404 persons with 1,543 references. An index of place names has 202 places with 867 references.

What a marvelous and useful instrument this will be for preachers, teachers and other diligent students of the Bible in southern Africa.

Editor’s Note: Loy Mitchell supplied the following information: Foy Short’s parents came to Zimbabwe in 1921 when Foy was less than a year old. His parents worked in Zimbabwe and Zambia (Southern and Northern Rhodesia). Foy went to ACC and worked for a time in Zambia, but most of his life was spent in the Bulawayo area where they speak Ndebele.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (BNc) – In recent years East Tennessee School of Preaching and Missions (ETSPM) published a small booklet-sized magazine called Journey. Though we’ve received positive comments about it, the most common remark we’ve heard has been, “What happened to Journey?” Alas, it was never published regularly.

That problem has been corrected and a “new and improved” quarterly, “The Journal of ETSPM,” now takes its place. The Fall 2010 (Sept.) issue is heading to both our USPS and email lists.

This issue focuses on “The Restoration Plea” and contains the following articles:

• Restoration: The Plea…Jody Apple
• Is Restoration Biblical?…David Pharr
• The Restoration Plea as Seen by Others…Edwin Jones
• The Seed Principle & Restoration…Avon Malone
• Rejecting Restoration: Where Do You Go Next?…William Woodson
• Restoration of Biblical Authority…Jody Apple

The article by William Woodson, “Rejecting Restoration: Where Do You Go Next?,” was one of the last things he wrote before his death. His influence among “our people,” a favorite expression of his for the Lord’s church, will be greatly missed.

Future issues will appear in Winter (Dec.), Spring (Mar.) and Summer (June). December’s topic will focus on “Calvinism.”

PDF copies of both The Messenger and The Journal of ETSPM will be archived online. To receive these two periodicals, one monthly (The Messenger) and the other quarterly (The Journal of ETSPM), go to the signup page.

There is no subscription charge for either of these periodicals.

Direct links to the archives are as follows: The Messenger and The Journal of ETSPM.

Feel free to circulate this message via your own lists, church bulletins, etc.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians has been a special area of interest for me in my studies, so when I got the opportunity to review a new book focusing on the biblical and historical information we have regarding the church at Ephesus, I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed.

In Deceiving Winds, Bruce Morton has assembled a wonderful study not only on the textual information found in the New Testament, but also on the social, historical and archaeological background that brings depth to the picture of ancient Ephesus. In a world where the church is constantly dogged by temptations to digress doctrinally and “go along to get along,” we should well heed the warning and example found in the scriptures regarding the church at Ephesus. By so doing, the church in present times can navigate these dangerous waters and remain pleasing to the Lord.

Morton, who serves as a deacon with the East Fifth Street Church of Christ in Katy, Texas, writes with a concern and passion that indicates his love for the Lord’s church. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn., a master’s degree from Harding University in Searcy, Ark., and has also studied medieval religion at Gettysburg Theological Seminary. His education has well prepared to write a work such as this, and his extensive research is evident throughout the 304 pages of Deceiving Winds.

Upon receiving the book, I was struck by the exceptional work that went into the design and printing of Deceiving Winds. But while it is a handsome publishing effort aesthetically, the real gems are found throughout the well-organized exposition. The book’s organization is a little unique in that half of the book consists of the thirteen main chapters, and the other half presents various notes, appendices, maps and photos, and a substantial bibliography.

Morton addresses many of the main themes found in the letter to the Ephesians, but he also draws on information throughout the New Testament. He covers topics such as the relationship between the Christian and materialism, the supremacy of God, our true identity as Christians, living as children of light, vocal-only music in the church, marriage and family issues, and the role of women in the church. Utilizing 1 Timothy and Acts 20, Morton also discusses the role of elders in the Ephesian church and the nature of the church itself.

With all of these topics, the author brings the biblical material from ancient record to contemporary application. As Morton writes, “The early Christians in Ephesus and Asia faced a daunting task. They had to unravel themselves from a culture that wove together civics, religion, medical arts, relationships, financial matters, and entertainment into a single piece of cloth” (p. 28). This astute observation shows the difficulties the early Christians faced in such a setting, but it also points out that contemporary Christians are in a similar setting. Morton’s book helps us to see that the same challenges the Ephesian Christians faced must be confronted by Christians today, and the answers are the same as they were nearly 2000 years ago.

Deceiving Winds is a must-read for anyone interested in early church history and background. But more than that, it will also make a good Bible class study, since it is broken down into thirteen chapters. The subject matter is highly relevant, since it deals with the contemporary issues of feminism, the dangers of wealth and materialism, instrumental music, human philosophy and mysticism, and even touches upon the “emerging church” movement. Since these issues have relation to what was happening in ancient Ephesus, we can find good counsel through the scriptures to help us navigate these troubled waters.

Overall, Morton has brought us a well-crafted, usefully-organized, and thoroughly-researched work that will help each Christian fight the spiritual battles that are before us. Therefore, I highly recommend this work for your library or Bible class.

Bruce Morton, Deceiving Winds: Christians Navigating the Storm of Mysticism, Leadership Struggles and Sensational Worship (Nashville, TN: 21^st Century Christian, 2009), 304 pp.

Don’t forget to stop by and meet Barbara A. Oliver, who will be staffing a booth for BNc’s Forthright Press in the Lectureship Exhibit area.

The Lectureship runs from Sunday, Feb. 7 to Friday, Feb. 12. The theme for the 74th annual Bible lectureship is: Perfecting God’s People, Christ and Culture in Corinthians.

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (BNc) –

Ten thousand copies of the New Testament in the New King James Version have been printed in South India at a cost of only sixty cents each, he wrote in his Bulletin Briefs in Sept.

In spite of the low price, the little Testament (3.9″ x 5.4″) is well made, being stitched at the spine with perfect binding. It is in clear type on good quality paper.

“At times I have priced similar sized New Testaments in bookstores and found them selling for about $6.00,” he said.

The primary aim in India is to distribute them to English medium schools.

“But we would like to ship them to any English-speaking country to use for evangelism and distribution in prisons,” Waldron wrote.

In India the copies are free, but churches that want to use them in their own countries are asked to pay the printing cost plus shipping.

The shipping even in large quantities is another 60 cents, so they can be shipped to the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, etc. for $1.20 each.

A sample copy may be requested without charge.

Multiple copies, at $1.20 each, may be ordered from:

KNOW YOUR BIBLE
1824 Roane State Hwy — Box 171
Harriman, TN 37748

The Apocalipsis de Juan (Revelation of John) is a word-for-word analysis from the ancient Greek text of Revelation directly into Spanish by Enrique Martorell.

Brother Martorell is originally from Spain and currently preaches for the Hispanic church in Hope, Ark.

He serves as professor for preaching schools in several countries through videoconferencing for the Institutos del Pais y de Suramerica based in Lubbock, Tex. He is a popular speaker throughout the Spanish-speaking countries of North, South and Central America and in Europe.

When completed, the Greek of the New Testament series will be a 15-volume commentary set.

The first volume on the gospel of John was published in the winter of 2007. The third volume on the letters of John and Jude will be published this spring.

The final volume of the series is planned for the fall of 2013.

Gospel Opportunities Evangelism is a Spanish-language ministry of Robert and Michal Swain.

Copies of the Gospel of John and Revelation commentaries, or pre-orders of other volumes, can be purchased from Gospel Opportunities, P.O. Box 1030, Vilonia, AR 72173.

Spanish-language orders can be made by phone (901) 517-7274 or email, Barbara@GoEvangelism.org.

English orders may be made by calling (501) 733-0682 or emailing Michal@GoEvangelism.org.

Each volume sells for $10.00 plus shipping and handling.