|PIC1|The 22nd Christian Resources Exhibition (CRE) kicked off today at the Sandown Park Exhibition Centre, where thousands gathered under one roof to further explore and appreciate Christianity and its various resources.

In addition to seminars and exhibits, the sixth annual Christian Book Awards 2006 ceremony was held at the event, presented by former first minister of Northern Ireland and Nobel Prize winner David Trimble.

Author Andrew White’s Iraq, Searching for Hope won the General Category, while Taming the Tiger by Tony Anthony and Angela Little won in the Biography category, and It’s a Boy by Alexa Tewkesbury and Steve Legg in the Children’s Category.

Taming the Tigeris about the life of a champion Kung-fu fighter and his conversion, and was written specifically for a secular audience by Tony Anthony and Angela Little.

|PIC2|Alexa Tewkesbury and Steve Legg’s book It’s a Boy, an imaginative re-telling of the Christmas Story. It has been widely distributed to primary schools, and was prompted by Legg’s discovery that many children thought Jesus was named after a swearword.

Diana Home, Chairperson of CBPT, said of the awards: “It’s important we encourage good Christian writing, and these awards regularly showcase excellent books.”

The three honoured winning authors were rewarded with cheques for £500 and will be given £300-worth of books to donate to a library of their choice.

The Christian Book Awards is promoted by ‘Speaking Volumes,’ an initiative of Christian Book Promotion Trust which aims to help churches donate Christian books into public and school libraries.

|AD|Following the Awards ceremony, a ‘chat show’ was hosted by Trevor Hames, in which David Trimble was joined by Jonathan Aitken, the former Conservative Cabinet minister and Privy Councillor.

Recalling his early years, Jonathan Aitken said: “I suppose you could call me a half-Christian at that time, which I now know is about as useful as being half-pregnant.” He had, he added, found the House of Commons to be not only a powerful, but also a surprisingly prayerful place. Looking back, following his fall from grace, he added: “I realise God had been whispering to me for most of my life, and I discovered eventually that, if you don’t listen to his whispers, you eventually have to endure his shouts”.

Asked for his reply to those who still ask “Is Jonathan Aitken really converted?” he said: “Historically almost all high-profile converts have had buckets of doubt poured over them – from St Paul to Charles Colson (he has recently written a biography of the former Nixon aide).

“I am not trying to earn Brownie points for myself by convincing a wider audience. The only audience that matters is an audience of one – and God knows the truth.”

The CRE event brings together some 340 suppliers, charities and missions under one roof. Dozens of seminars and presentations will help churches and individuals to be more effective in their ministry. More than 11000 people visited the show in 2005.