Important Takeaways:
- U.S. senator warns scheme ‘represents a grave violation of religious liberty as protected under the First Amendment’
- In a day when the federal government sends grandmothers to jail for advocating for the lives of the unborn, insists it can coerce Christian companies to pay for abortion and promote an LGBT ideology that is out of mainstream, and more, a federal bureaucracy’s blast against religious freedom shouldn’t, perhaps, be a surprise.
- It is the U.S. Department of Energy that has begun tracking employees’ beliefs through a plan to monitor employment accommodations.
- And Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is objecting.
- He wrote Ann Dunkin, a DOE official, to “express my strong opposition to the Department of Energy’s recent notice regarding the establishment of a new system of records…”
- He warned the agenda “represents a grave violation of religious liberty as protected under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”
- …its policy that requires the agency “to collect and store detailed information regarding requests for religious exemptions to various mandates,” the report said.
- The DOE has claimed its accumulation of information about employees’ beliefs is needed to “collect, maintain, and disseminate records on employees and applicants for employment who seek and receive medical and non-medical accommodations.”
- The report said Lankford has concerns that “collecting detailed records on an individual’s sincerely held religious beliefs and practices — alongside other personal and sensitive information — poses a significant threat to the privacy and religious freedoms of federal employees.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Pastor Jack Hibbs lists 5 things Christians will go to war over in 2024
- In part one of the series, preached last month, Hibbs explained that his message was centered on “the war of 2024,” emphasizing that Christians “are on a mission and we are in a war.”
- “I’m not talking about bombs, guns and missiles,” he clarified. “I’m talking about an all-out war on everything, from the spiritual realm, which is invisible, but certainly to the physical world, in which things manifest.”
- “And this year of 2024 will be unlike any other year previously lived in your lifetime.”
- Hibbs believes that, first of all, the war “will be against the truth,”… “When you tell somebody the actual truth, they don’t believe it,” he said. “It’s not that they’re being mean about it; it’s that ‘why should I believe that because I’ve just heard 10 other things.’”
- The second thing that the war of 2024 will be centered on, according to Hibbs, will be a war “against the facts,” with the pastor defining facts as “the reporting of what is observed.”
- “you are going to see deception fly like you’ve never seen it fly before. It’s going to be supersonic.”
- The third thing that the war of 2024 will include is a war “against the faith,”… against the Christian faith specifically.
- The fourth aspect of the war of 2024, according to Hibbs, is the war “against the Church,” noting that “the war has always been against the Church” and that “God loves His Church, we love each other, but the world is against us.”
- The fifth and final aspect of the war of 2024 that Hibbs spoke about was that it would be “a war against marriage,”… the cheapening of marriage in modern society
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Important Takeaways:
- Young Americans are losing faith in democracy — educators must act now
- In December 2021, a study of young people conducted by Harvard’s Institute of Politics showed that 52 percent “believe that the country’s democracy is either ‘in trouble’ or ‘a failed democracy.’” Just 7 percent said that democracy in the United States is “healthy.” Another poll, also conducted two years ago, found that “Not only do younger Americans express greater skepticism about American democracy, their doubts extend to feelings about being American and whether the US serves as a moral example in the world.”
- Younger Americans, it turns out, “express far less pride in their nationality than older Americans…. (S)eniors are more than twice as likely as young adults to say they are extremely proud to be American (23 percent vs. 55 percent).”
- A more recent study of the civic outlook of younger voters notes that “Young adults are dissatisfied with our political system (57%), and most have no or little trust in government institutions (52%).” Fewer than half (48%) plan to vote in the next general election, compared to about two-thirds of the general public.”
- But the erosion of support for democracy among young people is not just an American problem. As Freedom House, a democracy advocacy group, puts it, “Democratic backsliding has become a global trend. Amid this environment comes a rash of statistics suggesting that the world’s young people are increasingly disengaged from political life: they’re voting less, rejecting party membership, and telling researchers that their country’s leaders aren’t working in their interests.”
- A September 2023 survey of people in 30 countries found that 86 percent of its respondents “prefer to live in a democratic state and only 20% believe authoritarian regimes are more capable of delivering ‘what citizens want.’
- Back in this country, 55 percent of young people currently believe that “the country is heading in the wrong direction, with 16 percent saying it’s on the right track and the rest (28%) saying they’re not sure.”
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Important Takeaways:
- The survey asked people if they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in a long list of prominent institutions, and these were the results…
- Small business: 65 percent
- The military: 60 percent
- The police: 43 percent
- The medical system: 34 percent
- The church or organized religion: 32 percent
- The U.S. Supreme Court: 27 percent
- Banks: 26 percent
- The public schools: 26 percent
- The presidency: 26 percent
- Large technology companies: 26 percent
- Organized labor: 25 percent
- Newspapers: 18 percent
- The criminal justice system: 17 percent
- Television news: 14 percent
- Big business: 14 percent
- Congress: 8 percent
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Deuteronomy 28:43-53 43 “Foreigners who live in your land will gain more and more power, while you gradually lose yours. 44 They will have money to lend you, but you will have none to lend them. In the end they will be your rulers. 45 “All these disasters will come on you, and they will be with you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and keep all the laws that he gave you. 46 They will be the evidence of God’s judgment on you and your descendants forever. 47 The Lord blessed you in every way, but you would not serve him with glad and joyful hearts. 48 So then, you will serve the enemies that the Lord is going to send against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, and naked – in need of everything. The Lord will oppress you harshly until you are destroyed. 49 The Lord will bring against you a nation from the ends of the earth, a nation whose language you do not know. They will swoop down on you like an eagle. 50 They will be ruthless and show no mercy to anyone, young or old. 51 They will eat your livestock and your crops, and you will starve to death. They will not leave you any grain, wine, olive oil, cattle, or sheep; and you will die. 52 They will attack every town in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and the high, fortified walls in which you trust will fall. 53 “When your enemies are besieging your towns, you will become so desperate for food that you will even eat the children that the Lord your God has given you.
Important Takeaways:
- Franklin Graham at Christian media convention: Every ‘demon from hell’ has been ‘turned loose’ in society
- In his keynote address at the opening session of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention here on Monday night, Rev. Franklin Graham minced no words regarding faith in today’s society.
- He told all those gathered, “There’s a storm coming, and we’ve all got to be prepared.”
- Graham also said that “every demon from hell” has been “turned loose” in our culture today.
- “The world has deteriorated so quickly,” he said from the stage. “We cannot be deceived and we can’t be fooled. We need to get ready and be prepared.”
- [He] began his remarks by commenting on data protection, referencing those who run faith-based businesses.
- “Who owns the [data] cloud?” he said. “Amazon.”
- “We’re living in a cancel culture, and [big corporations] want to destroy Christian organizations,” he also said. “They want us to shut our mouths. They don’t want to hear from us.”
- Graham urged Christian organizations to prepare to defend themselves against the growing cancel culture in business, insurance, banking and technology, and challenged them to continue sharing the hope of Jesus Christ in the face of increasingly difficult circumstances.
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1Peter 4:12-14 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Important Takeaways:
- NFL Legend Deion Sanders Targeted by Atheists: ‘A Football Coach…Not a Pastor’
- Atheist activists have set their sights on NFL legend-turned-coach Deion Sanders, targeting Sanders’ purported intermingling of “football games and events with Christianity.”
- The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) accused Sanders of “inappropriate and unconstitutional actions.”… after purported complaints from Colorado residents over the handling of faith and football.
- As CBN’s Faithwire has extensively reported, Sanders’ Christian faith is something he frequently discusses. In fact, he recently glorified God during an introductory press conference Dec. 4 commemorating his new head coaching position with the University of Colorado.
- Rather than leading with self-accolades, Sanders praised the Lord.
- “Wow. Don’t you ever tell me what God ain’t. Don’t you ever tell me His limits,” Sanders said. “Don’t you ever tell me what you’re up against and what you can’t do.”
- “Out of all the persons in the world, God chose me,” Sanders said. “For that, I thank Him; for that, I love Him; for that, I magnify Him; for that, I glorify Him; for that, I praise Him; for that, I owe Him. Each and every day, I’m trying to please Him.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Faith Was Foundational for Queen Elizabeth II: ‘I Have Drawn Great Comfort in Difficult Times from Christ’s Words’
- Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96 in her Scottish estate, Balmoral Castle, Thursday. She ruled for 70-years, longer than any other monarch, and saw 15 Prime Ministers lead Britain during her reign.
- Great Britain will observe 10 days of mourning as the constitutional monarchy begins its formal process and transfer of power to her eldest son, King Charles III.
- Thursday, a double rainbow appeared in the sky over Buckingham Palace, shortly before the announcement of the Queen’s death – news that broke the hearts of many Brits.
- In The Queen’s Christmas Message from 2000, she said, “For me, the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life… I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.”
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Matthew 5:10 ““Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Important Takeaways:
- Christians Face Increasing Intolerance? Poll Reveals Americans’ Stunning Take on Faith and Religious Liberty
- According to Lifeway: nearly six-in-10 (59%) say religious tolerance for Christians in the U.S. is on the decline.
- Notably, the majority of people in every religious group — Catholics (59%), Protestants (69%), and those of other religious beliefs (52%) — agree that Christians face ramped-up intolerance.
- The survey results come as Christianity continues to decline, with the Pew Research Center finding that 63% of Americans identify as Christians, down from 78% in 2007.
- At the same time, the growth of the “nones” — those individuals who are either atheist, agnostic, or unaffiliated — continues to swell, expanding from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2021.
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- The Founders Meant to Keep Government Out of the Church, Not God Out of the Government
- These days the phrase “wall of separation between church and state” has come to mean keeping God or His believers from having a big effect on government and public life.
- But that’s far, far from what the Founding Fathers were thinking of when they were separating church and state.
- They were afraid of what so many of the Old World countries had: a religion established by the state as its one true religion, that would tyrannically rule over the faith and conscience of every citizen.
- Not only did the First Amendment say, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” but it also said, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
- “What they wanted was the freedom that we have in the Bible: the rights of conscience,” Barton said. “And they didn’t want the state telling us how we could or couldn’t practice our faith.”
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Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Important Takeaways:
- I understand fear. In prison I was separated from my loved ones by force.
- Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples that they would encounter persecution and hardship, and He repeatedly admonished them not to fear… I think Jesus’ emphasis is not so much “do not feel fear” but rather “do not act out of fear.” The danger is that the person who surrenders to fear may compromise his faith, fall away and even deny Jesus.
- First, we need to nurture a straight-up fear of God as judge.
- We rightly emphasize the love of God, but we don’t like to talk about hell and judgment. Yet Jesus talked about it quite a bit, and He did this because there are terrible consequences to denying Him, to compromising our faith. Jesus said it very clearly and bluntly: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
- Second, we need to nurture a right perspective-—to develop eternal eyes… For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
- Third, we need to nurture a desire for Heaven… “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12).
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