The CIS Mission Board of Directors has approved Colin Campbell, chaplain with the “War on Cancer” in Charlottesville, as a special ministry project. The decision was ratified at a regular board meeting in October, 2008. [read more]

For over 30 years Dr. Bray has used the YWAM Prayer and Planning Diary as a way to stay on track with his personal piety and as a prayer guide for the whole team. "Next to the Bible, this is the most life-changing devotional book I have ever used," says Dr. Bray. "It takes you right into the heart of Jesus for the lost world-it is like walking with God. Plus it helps you plan your daily apostolic action." [read more]

THE volunteers who serve at the CIS Mission Book Table Ministry are offering two free gift books this season as part of their 2008 holiday ministry to needy students, supporters and the whole body of Christ. [read more]

A Step Beyond - AMAZING GRACE OF FREEDOM
Book Review: The Amazing Grace of Freedom by Ted Baehr, Susan Wales and Ken Wales

By Russell B. Pulliam, Associate Editor, Indianapolis Star
Special to ASSIST News Service
Russell B. Pulliam

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (ANS) -- EDITOR'S NOTE: Russell B. Pulliam is the Associate Editor of the Indianapolis Star and the Director of the Pulliam Journalism Fellowship. He offered this review of AMAZING GRACE OF FREEDOM.

Two hundred years after the British battle against the slave trade, William Wilberforce is getting some due recognition in the United States.

In this book, Ted Baehr has assembled a superb team of historians and social commentators to go a step beyond the traditional biographies. He and his colleagues provide the broader context in which slavery was abolished. Great Britain shifted from a cruel and decadent society to a new emphasis on Christian virtues.

Cover of Amazing Grace of Freedom
In the process, Wilberforce and his friends, often known as the Clapham Sect, steered England away from the horrors of the French Revolution toward a true reformation. Their crusade for social justice paved the way for more faith-based reforms in the 19th century, including the expansion of the right to vote and public education for children instead of work in the mines and factories.

Like the members of the Clapham Sect, Baehr's contributors are a diverse crowd, including the politically conservative D. James Kennedy and the more liberal historian Richard Pierard. That diversity is characteristic of Wilberforce, who pursued Biblical principles so effectively that he still transcends political parties and appeals to the left, right and middle of the political spectrum. Susan Wales offers a short essay on Mrs. Wilberforce, with excellent insight into how their marriage and family set a new standard for family life.

Special features include short biographies of key figures such as William Pitt and Charles Fox, who were not part of the Clapham Sect but played important roles in the government of the time. Another helpful feature is the review of the impact of Wilberforce on people today, such as Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson.

Today we take for granted so much of what Wilberforce and his friends established for us, such as our responsibility for our neighbors. But God tells us to forget none of His benefits. With that command in mind, Ted Baehr and his team have done excellent work in helping us remember the benefits that have been handed down through the generations from William Wilberforce.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Russell B. Pulliam is the Associate Editor of the Indianapolis Star and the Director of the Pulliam Journalism Fellowship
307 N. Pennsylvania St.
P.O. Box 145
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1045
Russell.Pulliam@indystar.com
Pulliam Fellowship web site:
www.indystar.com/pjf