Although the 'look' of Nucleus has changed a great deal, its aims have not. We hope that the information presented will not only be read and understood, but will also be used. We still stand by this quote from the first edition:

Information is useless and sterile unless it serves some purpose or provokes a response... We hope that this new journal-cum-newsletter will help in some way... but for that to happen you must not only read it, but use it. (1)

We hope that this new look to Nucleus will help us to achieve that goal; that you have information not only to read, but to use.

The biggest change is that each issue will have an overarching theme. this issue we are focusing on worldview. not every article will relate to the theme, but we'll begin each issue with articles that aim to tackle the theme in some detail.

The rest of the journal will be divided into three further sections - regular features, be inspired and culture. there will be a recognisable pattern of articles in each issue, from a variety of authors. Of course there will still be other items like 'Heroes + Heretics', and some one-off articles.

We hope that the new structure will be easier to read and make Nucleus easier to use. Many of the articles will be shorter, and we hope that this will encourage you to think about writing for Nucleus as well. please email nucleus@cmf.org.uk if you are interested.

Worldview

We've chosen to start our themed editions by looking at worldview. When we understand someone's worldview, we don't just know their opinions on particular questions, we also see the assumptions and foundations from which those answers come. If we do that, we are able to engage much more constructively with them, will better understand why they believe what they do, and where their questions about our beliefs might come from.

But perhaps most importantly, we'll better be able to better empathise; to do a 'thought exercise' and try to think as they might think. through doing this, we are likely to treat their viewpoint far more graciously and sympathetically, even if we still profoundly disagree. If we manage even a little of this, our conversation is much more likely to be 'full of grace, seasoned with salt' (colossians 4:6); when we don't, we can 'talk past' people, with the effect on the hearer being sodium overload rather than gentle seasoning!

How different 2016's public discourse might have been if some of the underlying assumptions behind people's opinions had been more clearly understood. Might we have avoided the junior doctors' strike? Might social media focus have been on the issue instead of attacking the messenger? Might the church be able to handle difficult issues like sexuality more sensitively if we get better at this?

So 'using' this issue of Nucleus is about really learning to get behind the reasons for what people say, and to better understand and genuinely discuss. grace in how we speak will point to Jesus as much as the actual words we say.

Reference

1. Why communicate? Nucleus 1971; October:1