Help from evangelicals without the evangelising – New York Times
How a church came to gain the trust of a suspicious local school:  “‘What was their agenda? Were they trying to proselytize? Were they some kind of far-out group that takes advantage of people? Were they hard-core people trying to show the love of Jesus and nothing else?’” Read the full article here.

Don’t waste your vote – Every Thought Captive
Disillusioned with the election? Some helpful advice for making the most of your vote as a Christian. Read more here.

God: an illusion, or just invisible? – Centre for Public Christianity
At a time when people demand scientific proof of God, Richard Schumack suggests God wants to be sought in others ways. “Why should the existence and nature of God be immediately obvious on human scientific terms?… What if God deliberately revealed only enough evidence of his existence for the interested observer to pursue, but not enough to pander to the demands of a sceptic? Read the full piece here.

When helping helps – Mundane Faithfulness
A guide to the kind of help offer people at times of physical suffering, based on personal experience. The challenging thoughts of a cancer sufferer. Read her reflections here.

Why there’s no magic formula for ministering to millenials – Think Christian
Bethany Keeley-Jonker, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts at Trinity Christian College and author and blogger Rachel Held Evans present two perspectives on how to stem the tide of ‘millennials’ from leaving the organised church.

Rachel argues that young people are looking for authenticity rather than bigger and better worship bands, and one as concerned with social justice and showing Jesus’ love as it is with living lives of holiness. Bethany offers a counter-argument, suggesting that there are many protestant churches that tick the boxes Rachel suggests will attract young people back to the church, but those churches aren’t “busting at the seams with twentysomethings”. She suggests that authenticity is truly found in the celebration of diversity within the church and getting better at “bearing with one another”.