BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP)–A change in topic has been announced for the next Secret Church gathering and simulcast led by David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala.
The new topic will be “Family, Marriage, Sex, and the Gospel” for the Nov. 4 event instead of the previously announced “Heaven, Hell, and the End of the World.”
Platt, author of the books “Radical” and “Radical Together,” stated in a Disciple-Making International ministry news release: “Due to a variety of factors in our church, in our culture, and in my own life, I have decided to change the Secret Church topic for this November. This is obviously not because ‘Heaven, Hell, and the End of the World’ is an insignificant topic. The end times are an eternally important topic, and we will undoubtedly address this topic in a future Secret Church. But for November’s Secret Church, I have decided to examine a biblical theology of family, marriage, and sex.”
The news release relayed a summary of what Platt will explore in the new topic: “Manhood. Womanhood. Marriage. Parenting. Singleness. Sex. Divorce. Homosexuality. Same-sex marriage. Polygamy. Pornography. Adoption. Abortion. Cultures around the world perceive each of these issues differently. So how does God’s Word address them? During Secret Church on November 4, 2011, we will explore how the gospel uniquely affects our understanding of family, marriage, sex, and a host of related (and controversial) issues that are ultimately foundational for the display of the glory of God in our lives, in the church, and in the world.”
The Secret Church session and simulcast will be from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, Nov. 4. For information about the simulcast in cooperation with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, visit http://www2.lifeway.com/secretchurch/?CID=RDR-SecretChurch. For ticket information to attend Secret Church at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, visit http://www.disciplemakingintl.org/secretchurch.
LifeWay’s inaugural simulcast of a Secret Church event, on Good Friday of this year, drew more than 50,000 participants at 1,300 churches and other venues in 42 states and 11 countries.
NEW HOPE’S ‘RED INK’ NAMED TOP NOVEL — “Red Ink” by Kathi Macias from New Hope Publishers has been named Novel of the Year in the 2011 Golden Scroll Book Awards.
The awards are sponsored by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, a professional organization of 250 women active in publishing, TV/radio ministry and/or speaking engagements, and AWSA’s parent ministry, Right To The Heart, based in Longmont, Colo.
According to a news release from New Hope, the trade books division of WMU (Woman’s Missionary Union), Red Ink is “the riveting story of Zhen-Li and her incarceration and separation from her family in a Chinese prison. There she continues to minister to other prisoners and even to her sinister guards.”
Red Ink, Macias noted in the news release, “was inspired by the true life of Li Ying, currently serving a 15-year prison term in China for the crime of printing/distributing non-state-approved Christian literature, particularly to children. Not only do I dedicate this book to her, but the award as well. I pray this book/award will heighten recognition of persecuted Christians around the world, and reaffirm our commitment as believers to pray for and support them in any way we can.”
Red Ink is the third novel in New Hope’s “Extreme Devotion” series focusing on the persecuted church around the world. The other titles are “No Greater Love” based in South Africa and “More than Conquerors” based in Mexico.
“We read numerous testimonies of the impact that Kathi Macias makes in the lives of her readers,” Andrea Mullins, New Hope’s publisher, said in the news release. “Kathi weaves a story that has powerful imagery and kingdom value in helping us understand and respond to the persecution of believers around the world.”
Macias’ next New Hope novel, “Deliver Me from Evil,” slated for release in September, is the first in her new “Freedom” series which will explore the issue of human trafficking. In all, Macias has written more than 30 books for various publishers.
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Compiled by Baptist Press editor Art Toalston.
