By Michael Lane


The message of the Gospel is intended to prick our conscience and tug at our emotions, but sometimes our intellect gets in the way.  Friends and family can tell someone a hundred times that they need to repent, but if that person cannot accept that Jesus rose from the dead or that he ever lived at all, they will not look beyond their objections and reach out to accept salvation.  Christianity is a complicated faith, and answers are sometimes hard to come by.  Where can people turn when they legitimately want to know, "Was Jesus really the Son of God," or "Does Hell really exist?"

Many Christian resources focus on the need to repent and the gift of salvation without ever explaining why we need Jesus or why He had to die for our sins.  People are sometimes expected to accept these issues without explanation, and all too often when they pose tough questions, they are discouraged from probing too deeply and encouraged to just have faith.  But the truth is that there are answers to all of these questions.  The evidence for Jesus Christ is compelling and conclusive.  Asking the tough questions is not a sign that we lack faith, and once we find out just how much Christianity actually makes sense, our faith can only be strengthened. 

With these ideas in mind, Delve Christian Ministries Inc based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, set out last year to create a website where people would be welcome to ask the tough questions and where they could find full, complete and satisfying answers.  The website, 12 months in the making, is called Delve into Jesus - http://delveintojesus.com.

Hard Questions, Thoughtful Answers
We worked very hard to set the right tone since we know that the people asking these questions are intelligent and honest, but have real, legitimate concerns about the parts of Christianity they find confusing or difficult.  We've done our best to present the evidence for Christianity in the most straightforward and honest way possible without any exaggeration, promotion or propaganda.  We've simply laid out the evidence and asked people to make their own decision about Jesus Christ based on an honest contemplation of the facts.

Our articles cover topics such as the historical evidence for Jesus, arguments for the existence of God and the "tough" issues in Christianity such as sin, hell and evil.  There is also an introduction to Christianity for those who have never heard the message of the Gospel.  In addition to the articles, there is a place where visitors can ask us anything about Christianity and our staff and members will work to provide an answer.

If our visitors do make a decision for Christ, we've also packed the site with resources so they will have somewhere to begin their journey.  Delve Into Jesus has devotionals to help improve your relationship with Jesus, reflections on Christian living, testimonials from our members about what God is doing in their lives and a list of resources such as inspirational books and helpful websites.  Finally, we have a place where visitors can post prayer requests and ask other members to join them in prayer.

Let's Work Together
We realize more than ever how challenging it is to create and maintain a website.  Delve Christian Ministries would like to offer our help to other Christian ministries making the transition to the Internet.  We have an incredible technical staff that is experienced in all the latest web and database technologies.  If there is any organization out there which needs support, advice, guidance or any kind of technical assistance, especially with Microsoft technologies, please let us know.  We would be happy to share whatever experience or knowledge we have to offer, so please don't hesitate to ask.  We recognize that apologetics is just one of many areas where there is a need today, and we would love to be of assistance to those of you who are responding to those other needs.

And of course, we need your help too.  We would ask you to keep us in mind and spread the word about what Delve Into Jesus has to offer.  If, in your professional or personal capacity, you know someone who is struggling with intellectual objections about Christ, please send them to our site.  We have business cards with the name and address of the site, and would be delighted to send you some.  If you have any apologetic articles that you've written which you think would be a good fit for the site, we would encourage you to share those with us.  Finally, if you have some spare time, we would ask you to consider becoming a member of the site to offer some of your experience and guidance to those who are searching.  The site has been designed to be a community where people share, encourage and grow together.  Every day, people are coming to the site to ask questions, express their concerns or reach out for help.  Our staff and members respond to each request with respect, compassion and understanding, typically within 24 hours.  We do our best to offer whatever information, support or encouragement we can but sometimes the need is overwhelming and we would love to have you become part of that effort.  

What's Next? 
What's next for Delve Christian Ministries?  We've already started work on Facts About Jesus, which will launch sometime in 2008.  We look forward, God willing, to telling you all about it next year.

The Evangelical Alliance (UK) has launched its new Alliance Notice Board.  From prayer initiatives to Christian holidays, organizers say the Alliance Notice Board will be an inexpensive channel for churches and organizations to tell the Alliance's members and other site visitors about events, services or products they are promoting.

Dr. Krish Kandiah, the Evangelical Alliance's Churches in Mission Executive Director, says "The online Alliance Notice Board is a fantastic resource for people to find out what's happening in the Christian world and how they can get involved.  "It's a great tool to meet our members' spiritual and practical needs," he added.

The Evangelical Alliance, formed in 1846, is the largest body serving evangelical Christians in the UK.  Its membership includes denominations, churches, organizations and individuals.  The mission of the Evangelical Alliance is to unite evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news for spiritual and social transformation.
 

A new laity Catholic website was launched this month.  Ana Kelly, ActiveParishioner.com president and former Associate Director at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), says the website is designed "to bridge the gap that can exist between the Catholic faith and everyday life."
 
"When I worked at the Bishops' Conference," said Kelly, "I received many requests (from) . . . people wanted to know how to make better sense of specific events in their lives from a faith perspective.  I realized that there was no central location for Catholics to find the many wonderful resources that exist.  ActiveParishioner.com fills that need by serving as a one-stop shop for finding excellent Catholic resources."
 
Visitors can pray online, accessing daily Mass readings and daily meditations and read  Catholic news from the U.S. and around the world.

Active Parishioner