If this is the first time you have picked up a copy of Nucleus, then welcome! However, we must warn you that the format of this special issue is considerably different from normal. To mark the millennium we have compiled numerous soundbites from the past decade of Nucleus articles, and present them to you here under eight broad categories: Truth and the Bible, Testimonies, Christianity and Medicine, Medical Ethics, Medicine and the Christian Mind, Christian Lifestyle, Evangelism and Medical Mission. Each excerpt is referenced, and the articles can be found in full via the Nucleus back-issues page on the CMF website. For more information about the wealth of information on this site, and the web addresses of other organisations of Christian and medical relevance, turn to Fishing the Net.

Have you, or any of your colleagues ever asked: 'why bother with Jesus Christ?' This is a crucial question. If there is no point in bothering with Jesus Christ, there is no point in bothering with Christianity. In Why bother with Jesus Christ? we present a brief, but reasoned account of why Jesus is worth investigating. In The challenge of the new millennium CMF Student Secretary Peter Saunders looks to the past to consider the impact Jesus has had on medicine, and then considers the role of Christian medics today and in the future.

In case you were wondering by now, Nucleus is the quarterly student journal of the Christian Medical Fellowship, with a readership of 4,000 in 40 countries worldwide. It is produced by an editorial committee of medical students, for medical students, and is sent to student members of CMF and subscribers. Membership is available to all medical students in the UK, who are able to sign the statement of belief. For a joining form or to subscribe, simply contact Sandra Hartley at students@cmf.org.uk, or by post at Christian Medical Fellowship, 6 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1HL. However, for the time being, we hope that you enjoy this special issue. Perhaps you will follow the Bereans' example, and turn to the Bible to assess the truth of what you read. Happy contemplation!

'Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true' (Acts 17:11)