March 2008 column

March 2008 Column
(c) 2008 El Paso Scene

Welcome to ElPasoFishNet, a new column in El Paso Scene that seeks to serve the local community of Christ-followers.
The fish symbol was a code with which early believers in Christ identified themselves to each other. The Greek word for fish (ichthys) served as an acronym for the first letters of “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.”
So why is El Paso Scene running a faith-based column? Two main reasons: There isn’t a column anywhere else to serve this readership; and two, that’s what I wanted to write about and I own the newspaper!
My specific interest is not to evangelize people or even to share my own beliefs, but to help local believers (that’s the “Fish” part) to network (hence “FishNet”) with each other and the world. By the way, Jud Burgess of Substance (designofsubstance.com) designed the logo.
Two related resources, a website (ElPasoFishNet.com) and blog (elpasofishnet.blogspot.com). Both are under development but I will try to get some content posted soon.
My purpose also is not to draw people to any particular established church; I am currently on a church “sabbatical,” as I call it. But I have had lots of experience in that area. Over the past 22 years, I’ve been active in about four different churches in El Paso. One of those churches even started in my own back yard. I also helped launch Singles in the Son, an interdenominational singles ministry that began in 1989 and lasted for many years.
For this first column, I want to share some resources on the web that I have found useful.

1. biblegateway.com: Every verse of the Bible, in also every major translation and language, is just a few keystrokes away by typing in the chapter and verse or searching via keywords. The website also is a valuable portal for other Bible research sites and more.

2. discipleshiplibrary.com. This is another great resource for Bible study, offering countless audio messages by well-known Bible teachers such as J. Vernon McGee and Ray Stedman. The content is conservative, but well-researched.

3. marshill.org: Mars Hill is a relatively new church based outside of Grand Rapids, Mich. The main pastor is Rob Bell, author of “Velvet Elvis.” Mars Hill is a leading example of the “cyberchurch,” churches that reach out through the internet with sermon downloads and podcasts.

4. Speaking of Faith (http://
speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/): This public radio program (not broadcast locally) started three years ago and is by far the best “secular” coverage of faith issue I have seen or heard on public airwaves. Host Krista Tippett covers topics from modern physics to Islamic fundamentalism with in-depth interviews of religious leaders, authors and others. You can subscribe to a podcast for current shows, download any past show and even listen to the uncut interview.

4. iTunes U: I learned about “iTunes University” a few months ago and since then have “audited” about five classes offered by Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) — one of more than three dozen universities and colleges providing free classes and lectures on itunes. Itunes U is available to anyone with itunes software — just click on the iTunes Store than click on iTunes U. Other faith-related resources include Stanford’s Religion and Spirituality series and Berkeley’s “Man, God and Society in Western Literature.”

5. As you might have noticed, most of the sites listed above offer downloadable audio programs. I do a lot of iPod listening as I bicycle the roads of the Upper Valley. All the above sites provide free downloads. If you want to spend a few bucks, shop for audiobooks at christianaudio.com. My favorite “pay-per-hear” site is donaldmillerwords.com. Miller is the author of “Blue Like Jazz” and other books, and his take on different aspects of faith is well worth the $3.95 price per talk.
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Speaking of websites, I was curious about how well local churches are represent on the web. Some websites offer a directory of local churches, which essentially are Yellow Pages-type listings. Examples include thechurchfinder.com and nowtrygod.com. Of course, almost every denomination offers a directory of its churches in whatever city you want to look for.
Specialized directories include the Willow Creek Association site, willowcreek.com. Willow Creek is the Chicago-area megachurch led by Bill Hybels. The three El Paso members are St. Clement’s, St. Mark’s Methodist and Cielo Vista Church.
On some church-finder sites, churches must either pay or go through some special process to be listed. For example, if you go to usachurches.org, one El Paso church popped up – Christian Joy Center. On flockfinder.com, the only local referral was Metropolitan Community Church of El Paso, which mainly serves the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Community.
The local church site that came up most often on my various Google searches and also had the best overall content was Church of St. Clement (stclements.com). What particularly impressed me was the prayer request form link at the top of the home page.

If you have a favorite website, comments or questions to share with ElPasoFishNet, send me an email at limbird@gmail.com. Keep checking the website and blog for additional content as well.

Randy Limbird is editor
and publisher of El Paso Scene.