All Premier Christianity articles in December 2013
View all stories from this issue.
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Archive contentA Problem Shared: Struggles in Sunday School
A group of parents with special needs children have started to attend our church, which I am delighted about. However, the Sunday children’s groups have struggled to accommodate them. The children shout and talk throughout services, which is upsetting older worshippers in particular. How do we resolve the situation without offending or rejecting these new members?
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Archive contentMalcolm’s X-Factor
Martin Saunders enters the enigmatic world of Malcolm Gladwell, and discovers a man returning unexpectedly not just to the Bible, but also to his Christian roots.
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Archive contentGive like you mean it
As consumption goes up at Christmas, so too does our charitable giving. Is this spike a good thing? Christmas is the season of giving: time, money, brown paper packages tied up with string. It’s as if we supercharge our benevolence for one month of the year and it takes us the other 11 to recover (and plan) for the next.
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Regular ColumnistsJeff Lucas: Strange Fire
The charismatic/pentecostal movement includes around 500 million people worldwide – about 25% of the total number of professing Christians. That’s a lot of people. And according to one man, John MacArthur, they are guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
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Archive news
A fresh face for Fresh Expressions
Canon Phil Potter has been named as the next archbishops’ missioner and leader of the Fresh Expressions team.
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Archive contentRob Parsons: Some of us have spent our whole lives trying to sing somebody else’s song
I’m not sure what made me do it. One minute I was at a wedding reception sitting quietly at a table, the next I was on stage in front of a karaoke machine belting out ‘Suspicious Minds’.
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Archive contentLiving with death
It’s the one thing we can guarantee will happen to all of us, but is it possible to prepare for it ? Long before she was bedridden, she was driving along a highway through a construction site. Carefully following the detours and the mile-by-mile cautionary signs, she came to the last one that said, “End of Construction. Thank you for your patience.” She arrived home, chuckling…“When I die,” she said, “I want that engraved on my stone.”
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Archive newsJohn MacArthur denounces charismatic movement
American pastor says charismatics aren’t true Christians The prominent Christian author and pastor John MacArthur has attacked the charismatic movement at his recent Strange Fire conference at the Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California.
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Archive contentChristmas starts with Christ (and carols)
Just 12% of adults know the nativity story, and 51% of people say the birth of Jesus is irrelevant to their Christmas.
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Magazine FeaturesFirst Words: Carols, cold weather, cold turkey, crackers, Noddy Holder...
A strange sense of displacement, perhaps, as you pack up and spend a few days elsewhere. A punctuation mark to signify the end of the year.
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Archive contentTwo Views: Should we give Santa the boot?
Is teaching children about Santa bad for their faith? Ruth Mawhinney chairs the debate.
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Archive contentBible Stories Uncensored: Samson the Thug (and Pimp)
Should we tell children about the murkier acts of Samson, such as using prostitutes and pimping out his wife? On a family holiday some years ago, we found ourselves driving through a very rough part of a town and I started to dread what my daughters might be seeing.
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Archive contentThe making of The Bible
This December, Channel 5 will be screening 10 hours of biblical stories and expecting huge audiences. But will the series that drew millions of viewers in America have the same success here?
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Archive news
Resource launched for same-sex attracted Christians
A new website designed to help Christians who are same-sex attracted live out their faith was launched last month.
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Archive news
Christian schools work attacked by NSS
Schools exploited by evangelical Christian groups, say secularists.
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InterviewsQ&A: Kate Adie
Acclaimed journalist Kate Adie talks about her latest book and her experience of war and religion.
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Archive contentWhy I Am A Christian: Ayo Adedoyin
I became a Christian back in 1996. I grew up in a Christian family and went to church. When I went to school I drifted away. But from time to time I would feel a tug on my heart pulling me back. I guess at the right time I just really felt a desire to draw close to God.
