EvangelismUK

Hope 08 media links

Fritha Wheela in the latest Hope 08 e newsleter says they have new links and information for local Hope 08 initiatives and people who want and need advice about contacting their local media. See:

http://www.hope08.com/Group/Group.aspx?id=78452

New web radio station

Saffron Planet is a radio station on the web which hosts conversations which might have been heard in the pub between Christians. In the same way in which you might eaves drop on what they are saying, Christians are brought together in the studio to discuss topics of the day for others to hear. An interesting approach to evangelism explored on:

www.saffronplanet.net

Gospel sent by blue-tooth?

A device that can send Bible text and Gospel messages to anyone within 100 yards, won an award at the Christian Resources Exhibition recently. The Gabriel Communicator, said the Church Times on Friday, can 'send evangelistic text messages to unsuspecting passers-by'. Good source of information is the original CRE notification:

http://www.creonline.co.uk/news/1078.htm

Web design tool from Internet Evangelism Day

Tony Whittaker from 'Internet Evangelism Day' has pointed me to their web design tool which can help local churches become much more effective in sharing the gospel through their websites. Self assessment questions will help local web managers reflect on their content and see new possibilities:

http://ied.gospelcom.net/church-site-design.php

New film coming to HopeInfo

Gareth Squire has announced that the HopeInfo website will have another new film for enquirers responding to Hope08 events, advertised on websites and through CPO materials like T shirts. The film should go live May 2nd, ready for Bank Holiday projects, and has been brought to us by Christian Enquiry Agency and Church Army. Set in the street and asking the question 'When?' it will be another thought provoking offering on:

www.hopeinfo.co.uk

The Passion feedback to BBC

Andrew Graystone from the Churches Media Council is happy to collate single sentence comments from church leaders about The Passion. BBC executives want to know what views of people are and this is an efficient way of providing a lot of quotes. If you can offer any comment please email:

andrew@churchesmediacouncil.org.uk

He will send in the report by the end of next week.

BBC drama The Passion update

Althugh some Christians have questioned the theological and Biblical accuracies of the BBC drama of the last week in the life of Jesus, most of the comments heard have been very positive. Below Andrew Graystone records some of the press coverage after the first episode which illustrates that. He also reports 4.1million viewers, which I think is probably as good as you might hope when up against Dancing On Ice.

The BBC Message Board: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thepassion/ has some interesting debate which is more positive and engaging than I was expecting to see. Do encourage people to add comments.

Life 4 Seekers is a RC website from CASE and have produced: http://www.life4seekers.co.uk/the-passion/ which invites people to cast their burdens on Jesus. They also have on offer a book with 100 questions and answers about The Passion.

ReJesus: http://www.rejesus.co.uk/passion/index.html have some excellent interviews with cast and crew as well as their usual full website about Jesus which works on behalf of all the churches and comes out top for ‘Jesus’ in a Google search. Their traffic is up 20% this week.

Bible Society: http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/l3.php?id=384 have the Educational rights to The Passion and are busy working on schools materials which will accompany the visuals. This will be a major resource for church and school alike. You can register interest now.

Images at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbcone/ are from the BBC

Theos report that a new survey revealed a surprising statistic 57% of the population believe that Jesus was raised from the dead:

http://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/Over_half_of_Britons_believe_Jesus_rose_from_the_dead.aspx?ArticleID=1917&PageID=14&RefPageID=14

Christian Today has posted reflections I have written on the two episodes so far, plus a general article on: http://www.christiantoday.com/special/BBC_The_Passion.htm. I'll write reflections on Good Friday and Easter Sunday too.

Gareth Squire from Christian Enquiry Agency and ReJesus.co.uk is the main guest on Premier radio this Sunday morning.

The BBC have decided to repeat The Passion on Sunday afternoon …….

Andrew Graystone wrote: Reviews of last night’s episode of The Passion have been generally good.  Here are a few extracts…

• Daily Express - Page 15 - Hickey - Fresh from plaudits which are already pouring in for his portrayal of Jesus in BBC 1's new drama The Passion which began last night, actor Joseph Mawle is preparing to star in a new play with a similarly Biblical theme at Islington's Almeida Theatre.
• The Times - T 2 Page 19  - Greatest Story Told Again - Joseph Mawle, the hard of hearing actor from Soundproof, plays him as meek, mild and hangdog, as self-questioning as Hamlet. That had to be wrong.  If He did not believe He was 100 per cent He was right how could He have persuaded everyone else?  I longed for the panache of Dennis Potter, who took a grip of this story in his 1969 Play For Today: Son Of Man and made Jesus a political revolutionary.  But the proof of the Passion will undoubtedly be its crucifixion scene.
• The Independent - Extra Page 22 - Last Weekend's TV - Don't Pass Over This Easter Treat - If you believe Christ is your redeemer I can't so far see anything in The Passion that would have affronted that faith.  And if you don't, it's account of the politics of a week that was crucial in world history proved surprisingly gripping.
• The Guardian - G2 Page 31 - The Easter story goes real-time in the BBC's down and dirty new adaptation - and it's brilliant.  There's a vitality and realness about the whole thing that you rarely find with this story.  A passion, you could even say, in another sense of the word.
• The Guardian - G2 - Page 31 - picture - You could watch The Passion and totally forget that this story was central to a major world religion.  And that's good.
• Daily Telegraph - Page 30 - The Weekend On Television - A faithful retelling? - The programme provided exactly the kind of intelligent and engaging drama you'd expect from a series written by Frank Deasy and produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark.
• Daily Star - Mike Ward On Telly - I must confess the whole thing goes way over my head.  Try as I might during last night's opening episode, I couldn't see beyond a load of identical-looking beardy blokes in bits of old sack.
• Daily Express - Page 51 - Television Express - Gritty take on Easter epic - A lavish enterprise with the production values of a feature film and a cast of known faces from the small screen who fit remarkably well into grimy biblical garb, it is clearly a serious attempt to set the Passion story in a convincing historical context, aiming at believers and not-believers alike.

The audience for episode 1 was 4.1 million.

BBC drama The Passion

This is from my own news email sent to colleagues in the network of the Churches Coordinating Group for Evangelisation.

Please pass this on to your networks today … it would be fabulous if local Christians were able to print and display the poster pdf in their windows this Holy Week http://www.christianity.org.uk/downloads/the_passion_rejesus_poster_A4.pdf

It would also be fantastic if we get a good response to the excellent website material produced, with exclusive interviews with actors on  http://www.rejesus.co.uk/passion/index.html

Even better it would be brilliant if Christians everywhere made sensible comments on the BBC message board http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thepassion/ as the producers want to hear from people discussing the Jesus of our faith. It is an amazing invitation for a public discussion.

I am writing short articles after each episode reflecting on our own Christian journey in Holy Week on www.christiantoday.com. If you want copy do email me jim.currin (at) cte.org.uk.

The BBC have announced that episodes 1,2 and 3 will be re shown on Sunday afternoon after the Eastenders omnibus edition.

Schedule for The Passion

Andrew Graystone reports that the BBC have this afternoon released the schedule for the forthcomg drama The Passion on the final week in the life of Jesus. He is posting the times and synopsis of what each of the four episodes will cover on:

http://www.churchesmediacouncil.org.uk/passion/

BBC Passion web live with interviews

Andrew Graystone reports that the BBC have now gone live with their dedicated website for The Passion. Video interviews with producers and actors, information about the production, together with background material on the Gospel text, including prophecy references from OT scripture, all well worth exploring on:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thepassion/