'Christianity' - for the masses

A couple of years ago, when I was unemployed, I went to Spring Harvest as a steward for the first time in years-maybe 6 or 7. Which was great fun, and I would definitely recommend it. I've done it every year since, and will do it again. However, this time, it seemed different-I don't know how much because it has changed, and how much because I have. Which is certainly the case.

I have been to New Wine more often than Spring Harvest, and I think of them as being much the same, except in the way they're put together structurally-until this time. I remember a while back flicking through a list of Christian events with descriptions, and it described NW as a worship event, and SH as 'broad church', which puzzled me. In my experience, they were basically the same; but this time, I could see quite a difference in SH. Both have changed over time, they both have become more outward focussed; but SH seems to be interested in more of life than NW-possibly just because it has a physically bigger site, so it can have more seminars. This would mean that could have many seminars that are similar to those at NW, but also more than that. but the main difference is probably in attitude. That year the theme of SH was 'Different Eyes', and one thing I can remember is that there was a presentation about sexuality by a Christian woman in a relationship with a woman-I can't imagine that ever being done at NW.

Anyway, at SH, we were giving out copies of Christianity magazine with a subscription offer-see here for a free sample if you want to know more. And I took one. God wanted me to subscribe to it, so I did. And I have to say I thoroughly enjoy it-which is one reason why I still subscribe 2 years on. In a way, it could be described as 'broad church' in the same way that SH is, in that they have articles on all sorts of things from all sorts of people from many different perspectives. It seems as if the idea is that they want to appeal to as many people as possible in order to introduce them to something new-which definitely works with me. There's stuff to make me think, to make me feel, and just to inform me about stuff that's going on-in Christianity, and 'outside', as it were. I find it very interesting because there's always something unexpected, and it definitely covers things that I know little about. Every time I read it, I am reminded how little I know about what is going on, and how much more there is that I can't even imagine. How much God is doing that I can't even imagine. Which isn't really surprising, as He said He can and would do that. So Him doing it is just backing up what He said. And finding out about it is fantastic. Why don't you have a look at some of the things He is doing?