1Sep19 AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR
A book outlining the history of evangelical Christianity in Australia has won the 2019 Australian Christian Book of the Year award. The Fountain of Public Prosperity: Evangelical Christians in Australian History 1740–1914 was written by Stuart Piggin and Robert D. Linder. The award, which recognises and encourages excellence in Australian Christian writing, is organised by Sparklit and was announced in Melbourne this month. It carries a $3000 prize.

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Eternity News reports on recently retired church planting veteran David Jones who has a drop-everything-and-pray approach to congregational prayer. A congregational prayer meeting was a key to success in all five churches he planted and the two he revitalised – from inner city London, where he worked for 12 years, to 20 years of parish ministry in Tasmania and, finally, at Ann St Presbyterian Church in Brisbane. Jones endorses “kingdom-centred” congregational prayer; that is, “focused praying for conversions” and for “the advance of God’s kingdom in the world”.

FILMMAKERS SPEAK OUT
 Satan “loves” to cast doubt on a Christian's identity in Christ because he knows it’s the “core of everything we do,” filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick said ahead of the release of their new film Overcomer. “Satan loves to convince people that they’re the opposite of what Ephesians 1, 2 and 3 say they are,” Alex Kendrick told The Christian Post. “But Scripture says, 'No, you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.’”