Christian Philanthropy Article Library

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Jay Link, Stewardship Ministries February 22, 2011

Are you putting more effort into preparing the legal documents related to your children's inheritance than you are into actually preparing your children to receive it? Here, Jay Link of Stewardship Ministries offers four biblically based "Maturity Markers" to help parents identify areas in their heirs' lives that may need strengthened before they are ready to be entrusted with an inheritance.

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Polling Evangelicals: Cut Aid to World's Poor

Tobin Grant, Christianitytoday.com February 22, 2011

Decisions being made by the House of Representatives to make deep cuts in the Federal budget in areas related to environmental agencies, education, and foreign aid seem to reflect the preferences of most American evangelicals, according to a recent survey. Yet, some evangelicals believe such cuts that would affect the poorest of the world's poor are not just immoral, but unbiblical.

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Young Life Africa: Climbing for Change

February 22, 2011

Want to experience the adventure of a lifetime while helping to impact young people across Africa for Christ? Team up with Young Life and fellow Gathering participants to climb the tallest freestanding mountain in the world this summer - Mt. Kilimanjaro! Climbers will secure pledges for each foot they climb and 100%25 of what they raise will help underwrite the cost of YL Outreach Camps in more than 10 African Countries.

Click here for more information on the trip

Click here to download the trip's brochure

Click here to learn more about Young Life Africa

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Author of Bonhoeffer to Speak at 2011 Gathering Conference

February 22, 2011

Eric Metaxas, author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, will be speaking at the 2011 Gathering Conference. Metaxas's biography of the pastor-theologian who was hanged for conspiring to kill Hitler, has appeared on numerous "Best of 2010" lists and is described by Publisher's Weekly as "a powerful contribution to biography, history, and theology." Metaxas is also the New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace.

Click to read an interview with Eric Metaxas on Bonhoeffer

Visit Eric Metaxas's Website

Preview or purchase Bonhoeffer at Amazon.com

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Gabe Lyons and Tim Keller Discuss Opportunities and Obstacles in a Post-Christian World

February 22, 2011

Originally a live webcast from the recent "Q" conference, this video features Gabe Lyons and Tim Keller discussing new opportunities and obstacles that are arising for Christians in today's post-Christian world. Both of these leaders propose solutions and perspectives on how to mobilize Christians for the sake of the gospel and approach the church and the world in a fresh way.

View the webcast here

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Brice Johnson Reflects on Gathering Trip to Cambodia

Brice Johnson, Gathering Participant February 8, 2011

Excerpts from Brice Johnson's Cambodia Site Visit Report

In November of 2010 a group of Gathering participants traveled to Cambodia to investigate the sex trafficking issue there and to visit some organizations who are trying to do something about this very complex problem. Here are a few excerpts from a report by one of the participants, Brice Johnson, a recent college graduate. You can download a pdf of his entire report, with pictures, by clicking above under "Related Links."

"So much of my experience in Cambodia was like that. I'd step into a torture museum, or smile at a girl who I was told used to be a prostitute, or make origami with a boy who was sexually abused by an older family member and wonder how I could feel so emotionally bankrupt. I should be feeling more right now. I suppose I cannot expect myself to hate prostitution, abuse, or slavery with the anger of a former victim, but I pray that someday I will hate indifference in that manner."

"Every single organization we met with was quick to point out that they dealt solely with one facet of an incredibly complex problem. They usually chased this qualifier with more details on the problem of human trafficking in Cambodia which invariably led me to a more nuanced though no more hopeful understanding of the issue. I couldn't help but wonder how many children and teens slipped through the cracks between the mission statements and mottos of the other ministries."

"All the good intentions in the world can't change the fact that while you read this, prostitutes are taking drugs just to make it through another night of relentless sex, children are being ushered into back rooms of abuse by those they trust, and no culture on earth has ever truly done what Helen of Chab Dai said needs to be done: eradicate the demand for human trafficking."

"I am still not an expert on human trafficking prevention and nine days is hardly enough time to fully understand the complex culture I visited. My main battle over the course of the trip was one against cynicism and despair, my natural dispositions. So often, I can't believe personal growth or positive societal transformation is possible because I never see it happen. That's not entirely fair though, because so much of my insulated lifestyle is designed to prevent any kind of unplanned change. I heard a quote once that said something like, "Unless you have recently attended a funeral, you are insane." I believe the author meant that unless you continually come into contact with the harsh realities of life, that people suffer, people die, and that you will die, you cannot operate as a rational human being."

"Getting out of my city and situation in the States helped me to dodge my own defenses and remember that while horrible things happen all over the world, amazing people fight them with the help and direction of an amazing God. If you feel insane in the modern cynical materialist sort of way, consider fleeing the country. Cambodia's probably warm this time of year. Or try really engaging in the problems that surround us in this country. In either case, it's hard to stay complacent around real tragedy, and it's hard to stay cynical next to true redemption."

Click to read Brice Johnson's full report regarding his trip to Cambodia to investigate the sex trafficking issue

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