Slipstream - the leaders' podcast

Subscribe here. Slipstream is a new podcast for younger and emerging leaders, featuring guests like Terry Virgo, Shane Claiborne, Bishop Tom Wright, and many others. Read more...

David Couchman

David Couchman is the lead author for the 'Facing the Challenge' series of courses.

Challenging Times

David Couchman's blog on living in today's world in the light of the Bible

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David Couchman has a respected Bible teaching ministry, and many of his sermons can be found on this web site.

He has also led seminars at national events such as the Christian Resources Exhibition, Keswick Convention, and the FIEC Conference.

More about David...

Listen to Phil Prior interviewing David about Focus's vision

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Mike Frost's UK tour 3-11 October 2008

76 days to go.

Mike Frost is a missional church leader from Australia well known around the world as an inspiring and provocative speaker on how to face the challenge of our times. In October, he'll be visiting the UK. Read more...

Go here to watch a Youtube video about his visit

Details of dates, venues, and ticketing

FREE OFFER 'Meals with Jesus' course

The meals Jesus eats with different people play a vital role in the unfolding story of Luke's Gospel. This new course from Focus Radio explores the meals people have with Jesus in Luke's Gospel, and what they mean for us today. Read more... (You will need to register on this site to download this free course.)

Contact us

Contact us

Facing the Challenge: More resources for Session 4 - Cross-cultural 'missionaries'

Web articles

Web sites can appear, disappear, and change their addresses - specially on less well-established sites. If you cannot find the article you want, try looking for the title of the article using a search engine, e.g. Google.com.

'Learning the Language' - not all it's cracked up to be?

In this session we say that we need to 'learn the language' of the people around us - especially young people. How valid is this? One recent participant in the course took issue with us. Read more...

The Engel Scale

For a more detailed explanation of the Engel scale (discussed in the background briefing to this session), including the opportunity to read an on-line version of James Engel & Wilbert Norton's classic 'What's Gone Wrong with the Harvest?' go here.

Books:

Blind Alley Beliefs David Cook, IVP 1996 (second edition) This book gives an overview of half a dozen contemporary worldviews - postmodernism, existentialism, humanism, Marxism, scientific materialism and anarchism. For each, Cook tests the worldview against three key questions: Is it self-consistent? Does it correspond to what we know? Does it work? He also shows how the message of the Bible stands up when tested against the same questions. David Cook is the former director of the Whitefield Institute in Oxford, and has been a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4's 'The Moral Maze'. Order from the UK

Hollywood Worldviews Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment by Brian Godawa InterVarsity Press, ISBN 00-8308-2321-2 Godawa gives an insider's view of movie making, while looking at this area of modern culture with the open eyes of one who appreciates the arts, especially the art of storytelling through movies.  Read more... Order from the UK Order from the USA

Preaching to a Postmodern World by Graham Johnston, InterVarsity 2001 This is an excellent book on contemporary communication. It sets out to answer the question how we can adapt our methods to be more effective at reaching people today, without watering down our message to suit the convenience of postmodern listeners. It will be invaluable to anyone who is involved in communicating the message of the Bible on a regular basis - preachers, junior church leaders, home group leaders, Christian union leaders, teachers, and writers. Graham Johnston is senior pastor of Subiaco Church of Christ, Western Australia, and an adjunct lecturer in homiletics at Perth Bible College. Read more... Order from the UK Order from the USA

The Universe Next Door James W Sire, IVP 1988 (Third Edition) Described as 'A Basic Worldview Catalog', this book encourages us to think in terms of worldviews. It compares Christian Theism, Deism, Naturalism, Nihilism, Existentialism, Eastern Pantheism, the New Age and Postmodernism (new in the third edition). Dr James Sire is senior editor at InterVarsity Press USA. Order from the UK Order from the USA