News Briefs: October 28, 1996

—Celebrated author and Catholic theologian Henri J. M. Nouwen,64, died September 21 of a heart attack in Hilversum, Netherlands. After teaching at Yale, Harvard, and Notre Dame, Nouwen left the academic world in 1985 to work with the developmentally disabled at L’Arche Daybreak Community in Toronto. His books included The Wounded Healer and Our Greatest Gift.

—Nashville-based CCM Communications, which publishes CCM Magazine, Worship Leader, and Youth Worker Journal, has purchased the recently downsized women’s bimonthly magazine Aspirefrom Thomas Nelson, Inc. Jeanette Thomason, former editor of Virtue, is the new editor in chief.

—The board of directors of World Relief Canada has hired Doug Stiller as president and voted to continue operations. In May, then-president Robert Henry and eight staffers were dismissed in a budget-balancing move. Stiller, a former business executive and pastor, says World Relief Canada hopes to expand internationally from its current involvement in 22 countries.

—The Worldwide Church of God has launched the media-related Plain Truth Ministries Worldwide (PTM). Plain Truth magazine, at one point a primary force in spreading the doctrines of founder Herbert W. Armstrong, will be the flagship of PTM. PTM also will be publishing pamphlets, producing videos, and, in 1997, launching a radio program. Plain Truth has gone from free distribution to paid subscriptions, with a projected circulation of 100,000.

—After a barrage of complaints about being excluded last year, religiously affiliated schools have been included in this fall’s Money magazine annual ranking of “best values” colleges. Christian schools making the top 100 list include Hanover (Ind.) College (11); Grove City (Pa.) College (12); Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas (16); Trinity University in San Antonio (20); Samford University in Birmingham (26); McPherson (Kans.) College (30); Centre College in Danville, Kentucky (33); and Wheaton (Ill.) College (34).

Last Updated: October 10, 1996