SHORT STUFF

In India, many people like to watch television programs and series based on Hinduism. One program, called "Shri Krishna", dramatizes the adventures of the warrior-god Krishna. About 135 million people watch the show every Sunday morning at 9:00, about 50 million more that the next most popular show, which is also based on the Hindu pantheon. The television viewing trend mirrors the upsurge in Hindu nationalism in the country, exemplified by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which now leads the country.--

Trans World Radio marked 20 years of ministry in India in June. TWR receives more than 800,000 letters a year from listeners in India, and one new local church per week is formed as a result of the broadcasts. Since private Christian broadcasts are not permitted in India, TWR broadcasts from a 400,000 watt AM station on Sri Lanka. Indian programming is also carried on TWR's 100,000-watt short wave station in Guam, a 250,000-watt short wave station in Siberia and a 200,000-watt short wave station in Tashkent. Broadcasts in 41 languages are recorded in six studios around the country and feature Bible studies, health programs, children and youth programs and music programs.--

Four per cent of young people and 12% of adults (25 million) use the Internet for religious or spiritual experiences, producing what is called "cyberfaith". Younger adults were more likely to turn to the Internet for religion. Overall, 17% of those aged 18-32 use the Net this way, compared to 11% of those aged 33-51, 8% of those aged 52-70 and just 4% of those aged 71 or older. Non-Christians were as likely as Christians to seek spiritual input through the Internet (10% versus 14%). The research was done through a survey conducted by the Barna Research Group.--

Religion is currently one of the least common uses of the Internet by teens. The most common uses include finding information (93%), checking out new music or video releases (56%), participating in a chat room or other online discussion (51%), making new friends (34%), playing video games (33%) and keeping up existing relationships (28%) Only 7% of teens use the Internet to buy products. Researched by the Barna Research Group, the survey also found that teens with the lowest grades are least likely to use the Internet to get information.--

Gospel music is no longer the fastest growing genre, according to the Recording Industry of America. While Gospel climbed from 4.3% to 4.5% of the total recorded music industry in 1997, rap music grew from 8.9% to 10.1%. Gospel still maintained its lead over classical and jazz (2.8% each). Rock music remains the most popular genre, with 32.5% of the total market. Gospel music was a $549 million US industry in 1997.--

"The Big Picture", a five-part video series produced by The Total TV Network, received a Telly award for outstanding video production. Past winners include National Geographic Society, Walt Disney, Columbia Pictures and ESPN. Made for Sunday schools and home Bible studies, "The Big Picture" has become the number one video-integrated Bible study program in the world. The video features Canadian author Phil Callaway. Callaway is editor of Prairie Bible Institute's Servant magazine. "The Big Picture" can be purchased by phoning 403-443-2086.--

Information on using the Internet for evangelism is available through a new how-to guide at http://www.brigada.org/today/articles/Web-evangelism.html. The guide covers learning more about the Internet, how Web evangelism differs from the printed page, principles of writing testimonies, Web pages in other languages, how to use "search engines", witnessing in "newsgroups" and "chat rooms" and many links to related Web pages.--

Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards held in Nashville, Tenn. was awarded posthumously to Gospel musician Rich Mullins, who died in a car accident in 1997. Mullins was also celebrated at the 1998 Cornerstone Music Festival in Bushnell, Ill. Mullins's final album, The Jesus Record was spotlighted by his friends during the evening. The album, a two-CD set, includes artists Rick Elias, Phil Keaggy, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.--

Mennonite Brethren Herald was one of the Canadian publications used to provide the words that make up the recently published The Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Five editors on a two million dollar project read a vast array of Canadian sources, looking for particularly Canadian words and usages. The result is a 1,728 page dictionary with over 2,000 distinctly Canadian words and meanings, covering all of Canada. It also has extensive encyclopedic entries including short biographies of over 800 Canadians. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary is currently being shared with editors working on the Oxford English Dictionary, the 20-volume historical dictionary of English. In about two years, a continuously updated version of the OED will be available on-line so users won't have to wait until 2010 for the next print version.--

Third Way Café, a Web site that has a Mennonite/Anabaptist perspective, but is not an institutional site, is designed as a place for people to linger, mull over, chat, meet people and challenge a person's faith through the following headings: Another Way features stories and thoughts on family, values and spirituality; Beyond the News carries interviews and stories on current social themes such as capital punishment; Ottawa Comment is a place for Canadian political issues from a Christian perspective; Washington Comment deals with issues facing the American people; Who are the Mennonites gives history, beliefs, lifestyle and connections, and includes answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" as well as providing information on the nearest Mennonite church; and Photo Gallery collects images and comments from Mennonites around the globe. Connect at www.thirdway.com.--

With, the magazine for radical Christian youth, received an Award of Excellence from the Evangelical Press Association at its annual awards banquet in May. With uses youth culture's music, movies, relationships and family to talk about church values. Co-edited by Carol Duerksen and Eddy Hall, With's circulation includes teens in the General Conference Mennonite Church, the Mennonite Church, the Church of the Brethren and the MB Church.--

Christian Blind Mission International has launched a new audio daily devotional series on its Web site in Real Audio©. Each day, a five-minute inspirational talk by ministers and Christian workers from the Toronto area is on-line. Since 1986, CBMI has offered Christian literature on cassette tape for blind and print disabled individuals in Canada. CBMI's Talking Book Library currently has 1,300 titles all recorded by volunteer readers. The library sends out about 1,600 talking books each month, and for the past seven years has offered the daily devotional series, "Closer Walk" on cassette tape to blind Canadians. Connect at www.cbmi-can.org.--

DIDAX Inc. of Chantilly, Va., Internet builder of the Christian Community Network, has reached its year-end target of 100,000 members in June, a 1480% growth rate during the previous year. The site, http://www.christcom.net, features e-mail, chat rooms, discussion groups and an events database.--

CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) Magazine celebrated its 20th anniversary with a special July issue in which it named what it considered to be the top 100 Christian albums. Music critics and radio programmers were consulted to name their favourite albums. The top ten were:

EPNS

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