Little town of Bethlehem sets Christmas record

Bethlehem enjoyed its highest number of Christmas pilgrims in over ten years, according to the Israeli military.

Well over 100,000 people from around the globe gathered in the town famous for being the birthplace of Jesus, which is double the number of visitors from last year.

“This is the first year that Bethlehem has hosted so many people,” said Bethlehem city official George Saade to Agence France-Presse.

This marks the third straight year in a row that Bethlehem has seen record-high tourists during the holiday. Thousands of pilgrims waited in line to view the dimly lit grotto said to be the birthplace of baby Jesus.

Included among these visitors were about 500 Christians from Gaza Strip who were granted a rare holiday entry permit by Israel. There are about 3,500 Christians out of Gaza’s 1.5 million population.

The Middle East’s senior Catholic cleric Fuad Twal traveled to Bethlehem from Jerusalem and held a midnight mass at St. Catherine’s Church, next to the Church of the Nativity. Twal called for peace and reconciliation between Israel and Palestinians.

“Our hope for Christmas is that Jerusalem not only becomes the capital of two nations, but also a model for the world, of harmony and coexistence of the three monotheistic religions,” said Twal.

Interview with Dr. Dion Forster

This week’s book featured in our review section was the excellent ‘Transform Your Work Life’ by Dr. Dion Forster and Graham Power. Dion is an ordained minister in the Methodist church, and currently serves as a consultant and spiritual adviser / Chaplain to the Global Day of Prayer and Unashamedly Ethical movements and their founder, Graham Power.

‘So What’ caught up with Dion to find out more about him and his latest book.

SW: Dion, please tell us a little bit about yourself and how this book in particular came to be.

Dion: OK, I'm a husband and father of two.  I am a Methodist minister who came to work in a 'corporate' setting after many years in pastoral ministry.  This book came about as a result of two primary influences.  First, my co-author (Graham Power) is a deeply committed Christian businessman.  Graham owns the largest privately owned Construction, Civil Engineering and Property Development company in South Africa.  He came to know Christ in 1999 at the Church where I was a minister, and from that time we started asking what it means to be a Christian who serves Jesus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  We developed a slogan - 'While every person is called to full time ministry, not every person is called pastoral ministry'.  The second reason for the book was that whenever Graham and I were asked to speak at events and gatherings people often wanted some 'teaching' or 'training' to help them to develop their own calling and ministry in their work life.  So, in 2009 Struik Christian Books approached me to start writing it.

The book itself is a mixture of testimony (what has happened in Graham's life, and the lives of other Christians at work), teaching (so we try to explain how and why we do things, relate them back to the Bible and what we believe as Christians), and then some practical encouragements and examples (this is mainly to help the reader to try a few simple things that will get them started on their journey as a 'minister in the Marketplace').

The actual book was written between October and January of 2009-2010.  It was then edited, published and launched in May 2010.  

SW: Why do you think this topic is so important for Christians to hear?

Dion: I think that the message of this book is critical for Christians!  

First, it is important because the 9-5 window (where we spend our working hours) is one of the least reached places for the Gospel of Christ, and it is right under our noses!  God has such a strong desire to bless and love people in every place, for every hour of their week.  Sadly we have tended to think that our faith only has to do with particular times (Church services, Bible studies etc.) and particular places (our Church building, or a Christian meeting).  Paul told is that 'Whatever our task' we should 'work at it as if you're working for Christ and not for people' (Col 3.23-24).

Second, the message of this book helps us to realise that God's intention is that we should find blessing and fulfillment in every part of our lives.  Far too many people see work as a curse!  They dread going to work. The message of this book helps us to see how work can be a great blessing, in fact more than just blessing it can be a powerful, life changing, calling.

SW: What role does writing play in your busy life?  Has it always been an essential part of your calling, or is just something that developed out of the blue?

Dion: I spend a great deal of my time writing.  God has called me to be a teacher and preacher.  Because of that calling I will make use of any means that I have in order to speak of His goodness, and to encourage people to find their place within God's loving will.  I write for a number of different 'audiences', so to speak.  I have an active blog for which I try to write a couple of posts a week.  I have been doing this for years and I am grateful that I get between a few hundred and a few thousand visitors a day.  My two blogs are rated in the top 5 blogs in 'religion' in South Africa by the Mail & Guardian's amatomu.com aggregator.

I also write more 'formal' pieces.  I have published 7 books (most of them are academic books which were written as a result of theological research), and I still hold academic posts at the Universities of Pretoria and Stellenbosch.  As a result I write scholarly articles for publication in academic journals.

But, at the core all of the writing has the same intention - to tell of the wonders of God and His loving will.  I simply vary the style and length based on the audience that I am trying to engage.

SW: Since the book was published, what has the general response from the public been?  Has it achieved all you hoped it would?

Dion: The response to the book has been far beyond what I have expected!  We are truly thankful to God that this little book has done so well.  In truth it is not a 'groundbreaking' text, it is just a sincere collection of stories, some practical teaching, and some examples.  It has sold thousands of copies in Southern Africa, it was translated into Arabic (for sale in Egypt), Bahasa for sale in Indonesia, and Mandarin for sale in Taiwan and China, and Portuguese for sale in Brazil.  We have been invited to do 'Transform your work life' workshops all across South Africa and to speak at hundreds of Churches, business, and events as a result of people who have read the book.  This year we were in Hong Kong twice to speak about the message of the book, Malaysia once, and Graham was even invited to speak at a conference in Hawaii last  month.  We have also had the opportunity to visit Kenya, and we were invited to do two sessions on 'Transform your work life' as part of the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization that met in Cape Town in October.

In 2011 we will be in the USA in March and June, and back to South East Asia in April and May (Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia).

We've had the privilege of many persons doing interviews, such as this one, that have blessed us and helped us to spread the message of finding blessing in the world of work!  We have done lots of radio and television interviews.

All of the proceeds from the sales of the book go towards our Unashamedly Ethical campaign (discussed in Chapter 12 of the book).  So, it is a great blessing that the message is spreading so well, and that we are able to support Unashamedly Ethical in part through the royalties from the sales of the book.

SW: Do you have any writing projects you are currently working on?  Without giving too much away, can you give us a general idea what to look forward to?

Dion: Yes, I am working on another project.  I have a book that will be published by Cambridge Scholars Press in the United Kingdom that is more of an academic text bringing together some of the work I did in my doctoral research - it deals with some of the more technical aspects of cognitive neuroscience and the formation of identity through relationships and faith.

I have also been approached to write a short book of encouragement for parents whose children have serious or terminal illnesses.  I am praying about that at the moment.  I'm a little cautious to say anything about this since my own experience with my little girl Courtney is still a little too emotional and I am not sure that I can add any concrete value in this area.  But, it may be that I start working on that topic towards the middle of next year.

[Dion's book is for sale at Christian Republic on special for R88. Also on Kalahari.net for R95 and then in Wordsworth books, Exclusive books and CUM books (for between R100 - R115)].

Christian Republic: http://www.christianrepublic.co.za/catalogue/Transform-Your-Work-Life.htm
Kalahari.net: http://www.kalahari.net/books/Transform-Your-Work-Life/34923/37717631.aspx

‘Transform Your Work Life’ is published by Struik Christian Books.

(Image is of Dion with his wife Megan).

15th Century Ethiopian Christ icon discovered

A 15th century Ethiopian icon of the infant Christ child sitting on his mother's knee was discovered after it was cleaned by a British charity (see accompanying image).

The central panel of the triptych had over the centuries become blackened with the sprinkling of perfume that the monks use as they worship. The monks at the Monastery of St Stephen on an island in Lake Hayq in the north of the African country believe the icon, known as The One Who Listens, to be miraculous.

It is certainly a piece of remarkable beauty and is now visible in its original coloured glory, showing a pale-faced Jesus with black curly hair and rosy cheeks. His hand has three digits raised and two down as if blessing the person looking at him. He has a halo and is wearing a gown and is perched on his mother's knee and she too has a halo.

The British charity The Ethiopian Heritage Fund sent experts to preserve the painting that had previously been covered with varnish.

Blair Priday from the charity, said: "This icon is one of the most celebrated in Ethiopia and because of its veneration, over time, the central panel had become blackened and was later painted over with thick layers of varnish as protection.

"The faces of the mother and child were barely visible. The varnish was carefully removed so it regained the original luminosity. The icon's repair was undertaken by Laurie Morocco, a foremost icon restore, who camped in the monastery's grounds while he did the work.

"In the mid 15th century a new technique of painting on wood with an undercoating of Gesso was introduced resulting in a much more luminous effect. When the varnish was removed by Laurie, one of the glories of Ethiopian art was visible once more.

"St Stephen's was a very important monastery and seat of learning, and although it was raided and lost some of its relics, many remained including a beautiful cross, manuscripts and this icon. This ancient seat of learning now has a museum where these incredible treasures are displayed in a small museum within the monastery

"We could not have carried out the work without the support of the Bureau of Culture and the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Church and our expert advisor Jacques Mercier."

eBook of new NIV translation available

A digital eBook of the new NIV Bible translation has been launched by Zondervan, marking the first time a new translation has gone digital before publication.

This hard copy publication will be available in just over a month.

The new and updated NIV Bible will replace the popular 1984 NIV Bible, has a publication date of March 2011 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the King James Version.

The new NIV eBook Bible features crisp fonts, quicker page turns, and a navigation system that allows users to easily jump between footnotes and text.

"With the updated NIV complete and consumers enthusiastically awaiting its arrival, we wanted to make it available as soon as possible," said Moe Girkins, president and CEO of Zondervan.

The company will also partner with Biblica for a Christmas promotion aimed at donating up to 30,000 Bibles to India.

During the Christmas Buy one, Give One campaign, Zondervan will donate a New Testament of a Hindi translation based on the new NIV for every digital eBook sold.

Zondervan said that throughout next year it plans to release more digital products based on the new NIV, including more eBooks and apps.

Interview with Condoleezza Rice about faith and foreign policy

Condoleezza Rice worked as the secretary of state under the Presidency of George W. Bush, and much like her boss, she was often criticised for a sometimes puzzling mix of public service and Christian faith.

Rice has always been very upfront about her Christian faith which she says was shaped and formed in the furnace of growing up experiencing racial tensions and as a daughter of a Presbyterian minister. In an interview with Sarah Pulliam Bailey, the online editor of Christianity Today, Rice explains a little about exactly how faith did impact her role as a public servant.

Bailey: Did the racial tensions you experienced as a child have any impact on your faith?

Rice: The church was so much the center of our lives in Birmingham, the center on Sunday, the center on Tuesday, the center on Thursday. I don't know that any of us could have gotten through that period without tremendous faith.

Bailey: Before you worked in government, did you feel like God was directing you toward public service?

Rice: I don't think somehow intellectually that God said, Okay, you're going to quit piano and become a Soviet specialist. It's a combination of circumstances and making choices, but I've always tried to seek guidance. I think I've been much more capable of dealing with ambiguity and what might come in the future as a result of faith.

Bailey: In the past you said you worry about the government trying to legislate morality, and you know that evangelicals care very much about the issue of abortion.

Rice: I'm generally pretty libertarian in these matters, because Americans are quite good, actually, at finding a way to deal with these extremely divisive and difficult moral issues. And it's not that I'm a relativist. It's not that I believe everybody has their own morality. But I do understand that there are different ways of thinking about how these issues are going to play out in people's lives, and I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt in governing their own lives. Sometimes when things are out of whack the government has no choice but to step in. But I'm wary of the government stepping in to too many issues.

Bailey: Was there a time when you came to a place on that issue, where your faith informed your position on abortion?

Rice: I'm still coming to terms with it. I don't like the government involved in these really hard moral decisions. While I don't think the country is ready for legislation to overturn Roe v. Wade, certainly I cannot imagine why one would be in favor of partial birth abortion. I also can't imagine why one would take these decisions out of the hands of the family. We all understand that this is not something to be taken lightly.

Bailey: Same-sex marriage is another issue that has captured the country's attention in recent years.

Rice: I have lots of respect for people on both sides of this divide, because there are really hard issues. I don't ever want anybody to be denied rights within our country. I happen to think marriage is between a man and a woman. That's tradition, and I believe that that's the right answer. But perhaps we will decide that there needs to be some way for people to express their desire to live together through civil union. I think the country, if we can keep the volume down, will come to good answers.

Bailey: When Hillary Clinton talks about her faith, she says, "I don't wear it on my sleeve." How do you talk about faith as a public figure?

Rice: There are very few people who don't know that I'm Christian. I don't have any desire to hide it or to say you don't need to know that about me. I also recognize that it's not something that one talks about in every sentence that you utter, because then people start to mischaracterize and start to caricature those of us who are Christian. You really want to know me? You need to know that I'm a devout Christian. But I'm not going to lecture you about it on a daily basis.

Bailey: You said you had theological debates with your father: "We exchanged views on everything from the teachings of Paul, about which my father had some reservations, to the horrors of Revelation." Do you still wrestle with some of the Bible's teachings and its theological implications?

Rice: Sure. The Bible is at the core of our faith, and it's the core of my faith. Yet I can remember particularly wrestling with the relationship between the God of retribution, anger, and judgment in the Old Testament and the God of redemption and grace in the New Testament. Since I'm a Christian, the birth of Jesus Christ explains that link. We all struggle with some of the representations of women in the Bible, and yet I know and find remarkable that at the beginning of the faith, Christ's resurrection, it's women who are chosen to tell the first story.

Bailey: How does your understanding of religion help you deal with the interplay between religion and foreign policy?

Rice: It helps to have both a historical and theological understanding of the children of Abraham and the relationships between Muslims, Jews, and Christians. I personally think that Israel is remarkable. It would not exist but for the toughness of the people and the grace of God. Yet Jerusalem is a place where the great religions don't so much come together; they clash there. You suddenly realize the extent to which man will go to use God for his own purposes rather than the other way around. That for me is the most terrifying thing about the combination of religion and politics, because that is really when man is trying to use God for his own purposes. That's why I don't see any conflict with being Christian and wanting to see a Jewish state, being Christian and believing there can be a Palestinian state, because the state is the state. When you start to try to infuse it with God's purpose you almost always get in trouble.

Bailey: How do you distinguish between someone who's trying to use God for his purposes and when the person feels like God is speaking to him or her?

Rice: I'm always careful with people who assume God is speaking through them. It proves out over time, because essentially if God is speaking through you to put other people down I rather doubt it. That's not the God I know. And if God is speaking through you to hold yourself above others or your own kind above others then I doubt it.

North Sudan may tighten Sharia law

According to the Sudan News Agency, the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has stated that his government will tighten the application of Islamic law, or sharia, in northern Sudan if southern Sudan votes for independence next month.

"If the separation of the South unfortunately happens, the constitution will be amended and sharia will become the main source of legislation," al-Bashir said.

The enforcement of Sharia in northern Sudan was relaxed after the 2005 peace treaty ended more than 20 years of civil war - a war that pitted the northern government of Arab Muslims against blacks in southern Sudan who practice Christianity and animist religions.

Al-Bashir said recently that the separation of the South would be akin to "cutting-off a part of the nation's body but not the end of the world."

The vote is scheduled to happen January 9.

On Friday, al-Bashir sought to allay Northern fears about losing access to the Southern oil as he said that greater quantities of oil could in fact be found in the North, and also that the North would be willing to give up its share of oil revenues if the South voted for unity in the referendum.

The Nativity Story and social media

Every year churches and schools tell the Nativity story in various ways from plays to poems to songs. Now Excentric, a Portugal-based digital marketing company has hit on a brand new way of telling the story ... by using social media.

"The Digital Story of the Nativity" tells the familiar biblical story through Google searches, e-mails, tweets, Facebook "Likes" and Foursquare "check-ins," and has gone viral in the short period it has been up.

It all began a few weeks ago when Miguel Figueiredo, the president of Excentric, challenged his creative team to illustrate to traditional companies just how they could harness social media.

"This is something very powerful for brands. In Portugal, there is a lot of step back to this. People are afraid to do this sort of thing. So we decided to do this for our sake," Figueiredo told CNN.com.

It took the team around five weeks to go the first conception of the idea to the completion of the video. Its highlights include:

• Mary shopping online for a donkey, and Joseph acquiring a cow in FarmVille
• The three kings checking into the manger on Foursquare
• The wise men shopping on Amazon for gold, frankincense and myrrh
• Untold numbers of Facebook "Likes" after a status update announcing Jesus' birth

In just over a week, the Portuguese version of the video has 1.5 million page views, while the two English language versions have a combined for more than 1.4 million hits.

Figueiredo said the aim was to show his clients in Portugal exactly how social media tools can work and how seamlessly they can blend in with one's own story.

"We took the story that everyone knows and (our clients) could follow it to learn, especially for people who are pretty far from the usage of (social media) tools, and take them step-by-step through the benefits of each of these platforms," he said.

"We also chose a date where people start thinking about Christmas and sending post cards but they are not actually doing it yet. So we took that time when people are very sensitive to receive these type of things, so they think, 'Oh what a great idea for me to send as my own Christmas cards,' " Figueiredo added.

"The story for us is very familiar, even all the details. Of course we involved the people who are more connected to the religion on a more daily basis and they were very participative in the creative process," he said.

Excentric doesn’t normally focus on religious material, and doesn’t intend to repeat this sort of work.

"We are certainly not proposing turning religious stories into marketing tools. We picked this particular story for this video precisely because we are not promoting any commercial brand for the main audience," Figueriedo said.

(You can watch the video on Youtube by searching for ‘nativity story social media’).