Two major evangelical Christian leaders have accepted invitations from Pope Francis to take part in a worldwide “interfaith conference on marriage and family.”
In addition to Catholics and Christians, the “Complementarity of Man and Woman” conference will feature leaders from Judiasm, Islam, Hinduism and multiple other faiths.
Moore, a driving force in the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote on his website that he is attending because he will take the true gospel of Christ anywhere that he’s invited and he hopes to be able to reaffirm the true definition of marriage.
“I hope that this gathering of religious leaders can stand in solidarity on the common grace, creational mandate of marriage and family as necessary for human flourishing and social good,” Moore wrote. “I also hope that we can learn from one another about where these matters stand around the world.”
Warren and others who have reached out to the Catholic Church have received criticism that they are ignoring the truth of the Gospel the conflicts with parts of Roman Catholic teachings.
Every day for eight years, the President of the United States spent time reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God.
That’s the message that President George W. Bush told a group of 200 civic and business leaders in Dallas on Sunday.
“I read the Bible every day during my presidency,” said Bush. “The easiest time to be faithful is during a time of crisis. The hardest time for faith is when all is well. Faith informed my principles and decisions, but not my tactics. It would give me strength, but I didn’t use my faith to make decisions. Freedom is a faith informed principle.”
The President spoke with Hobby Lobby president Steve Green at an event to raise funds for the Museum of the Bible that is scheduled to open in Washington, D.C. in 2017.
President Bush praised the museum.
“The museum is a great idea. It’s very important that the Museum of the Bible invites and makes people of all faiths feel comfortable. It will be an important part of our capital,” he said.
Every week when it’s time to write a blog, I search the Lord’s heart for a timely word. Let’s face it, we don’t know how much longer any of this will continue as we know it. The world is changing and the days – every one of them – are getting shorter. We have an opportunity to do or say something that will make a difference in people’s lives and I’m determined not to miss it.
First, I want to ask you if you know that you are saved and on your way to heaven? Until you are right with God, nothing else matters! What good would it do to survive the soon-coming troubles in the world if you then spent eternity apart from God? There is no greater hell than to face an eternity where evil is unrestrained and there is only wickedness constantly. Continue reading →
Two Christian pastors and a deacon will be spending the next six years in some of Iran’s most desolate prisons because of their Christian faith.
Pastors Benham Irani and Matthias Haghnejad along with deacon Silas Rabbani will be taken to prisons as far away from family and friends as the Iranian government can take them after convictions on trumped-up charges to justify the government’s campaign of hate against Christians.
“We are deeply concerned by the six-year sentences given to pastors [Benham] Irani and [Matthias] Haghnejad and deacon Silas Rabbani, and the fact that they will serve these sentences so far from their families and home towns,” said Christian Solidarity Worldwide Chief Operating Officer Andy Dipper.
“We are particularly appalled by the extra six years given to pastor Irani, who has already endured ill-treatment whilst in prison and now faces nearly a decade in prison on trumped-up charges. We urge the Iranian government to release without delay every person who is imprisoned for their faith. Their incarceration contravenes international covenants guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief, to which Iran is party.”
The government claims the Christian men were taking “action against the state” and “action against the order” along with Pastor Irani being accused of “spreading corruption on Earth.” He could have received the death penalty on the last charge.
A new study from Barna Group says that unchurched Americans are more hostile toward evangelism than ever in the country’s history.
The survey says that since 1993, the number of unchurched Americans who would be open to attending church if invited by a friend was down from 65 percent to 47 percent.
The study showed that most people open to visiting church did so because of personal invitations from friends they knew well. Advertising and impersonal contacts such as cold phone calls were shown to have more negative than positive impact on those who do not attend church.
“The gap between the churched and the churchless is growing, and it appears that Christian communities of faith will struggle more than ever to engage church outsiders in their neighborhood, town or city,” Barna Group President David Kinnaman told the Christian Post.
He said that secular society has taken aggressive steps to make Christians seem “increasingly alien and difficult to understand.”
Young Christians across the nation participated in the outreach called “Bring Your Bible To School Day.”
The event, sponsored by Focus on the Family and Day of Dialogue, is “designed to empower Christian students who have a heart for sharing Christ’s love and express a Biblical perspective on current-day issues with peers.”
Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family, said the event was aimed to encourage students to engage their peers on matters of faith.
“We believe truth rises to the surface when honest conversations and a free exchange of ideas are allowed to happen,” Cushman told The Christian Post.“It equips the next generation of Christian leaders with confidence that the Gospel of Christ speaks into even the most sensitive cultural issues.”
The event is also designed to show teachers and other staff at the schools that students do not leave their religious freedom at the school house door.
“Federal courts have repeatedly upheld the rights of students to bring their Bibles to school, to distribute Bibles at school, and to discuss the Bible at school during non-instructional time,” the legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) explained in a legal memo surrounding today’s observance.
“Christian students don’t abandon their constitutionally protected freedoms at the schoolhouse gate,” ADF Senior Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco told Christian Post. “Their freedom to express their beliefs includes the right to bring their Bible to school, to read it during their free time, and to engage in other activities as part of ‘Bring Your Bible to School Day.’”
Hannah Welton is the drummer for the band 3RDEYEGIRL and is touring the world with Prince, one of the biggest musicians in history.
She’s also a very devout, open Christian in an industry where Christians are not usually made welcome.
“I’m never scared to talk about my Jesus, I will say though that there is a time and a place,” Welton told The Christian Post. “And you kind of have to be sensitive about faith and religion and how often you bring it up because you never want to come across like you’re trying to shove it down people’s throats.”
“Everything I do, whether it’s music or dance or writing poetry, I do for God and for His purpose and for His will in my life,” she said. “Same as [my husband] Joshua. Literally every decision is made with prayerful consideration. God impacts everything in my life.”
Welton received negative reaction from the social media world last week when she said that scantily clad pop stars are sending the wrong message to the young women who follow them.
“I do really want to clarify that I am never bashing or slamming other artists. My problem with what is being seen and what is happening in the industry goes far beyond the individual people,” she explained. “I’m thinking about the message being received from the little kids that are idolizing these people. I’m thinking more about the spiritual aspect of it rather than the people. My intention is never to degrade people. Everybody has a hustle. Everybody works hard and I would never bash another artist for doing what they love.”
She says the time on the road has given her multiple opportunities to share the gospel with her bandmates and with Prince himself.
We’ve had some amazing guests these last couple of years, and without fail, they are all telling us that prophetic events are leading us rapidly into the Times of Trouble. Jim and I know this by the Spirit, but we always look for a consensus from those we trust. We are not lone rangers, although sometimes we feel like we’re not getting through to as many as we want to.
It’s a time to take our heads out of the sand! The bottom line is that it’s time to face everything for what it’s worth – which is reality. We need to be able to say, “This is what’s happening – this is what’s going on. So therefore, we have responsibility for not just ourselves but others as well – to help them during these incredible times of crisis.” We are going to live through some very difficult times, and some of us may die for what we believe in. Some may live through it all and live to tell people that all may come to know the Lord as Savior. Continue reading →
I love the beauty for ashes verses in the Bible. Isaiah 61 reads like my own personal memoirs from God:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me”…oh yes, it is! He has given me His Spirit!
“Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor” …oh yes, He has! I preach whenever I get a chance that God has a better life for you to live, God has a better plan and He will show you that you don’t have to be poor in spirit; you don’t have to grieve over past sin and past hurts your entire life.
“He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted” …oh yes, He has! I love to tell people that God is not mad at them! He does not hold sin against you when you are brokenhearted over it yourself! He wants to heal your heart, and heal your spirit. He wants you to come full-circle and back around to what He intended for your life from the start. Continue reading →
An Iranian pastor who has been imprisoned for his faith is now facing the death penalty after he’s been charged with “spreading corruption on Earth.” The charge has never been issued in the past and is not on the legal books in Iran.
Pastor Behnam Irani, who had been sentenced to six years in prison for being a Christian in 2011 and for leading a 300 member evangelical congregation in a suburb of the capital Tehran.
The pastor has been held in solitary confinement according to Iranian officials. Somehow, he has been beaten by other prisoners according to jailers and is suffering from internal bleeding and other injuries. Advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide has confirmed the injuries.
“The charges leveled against Pastor Irani and other Christians are tantamount to an indictment of Christianity itself and mark a renewed escalation in Iran’s campaign against Persian Christians under the Rouhani presidency,” CSW Head Mervyn Thomas said in a statement.
CSW reported that five other Christians were arrested last week because of their faith and have been held in secret locations.
