Officials of Warren, Michigan have given in to the virulent anti-Christian Freedom from Religion Foundation and are permitting the group to put up a display in city hall near a “prayer station.”
Anti-Christianist Douglas Marshall, a member of the activist group, demanded the Downtown Development Authority permit him to run a “reason station” where he would promote “free thought.”
The Mayor initially denied the request saying the goal of the anti-Christianist was to disrupt the actions of the prayer station.
“To my way of thinking, your group is strictly an anti-religion group intending to deprive all organized religions of their constitutional freedoms or at least discourage the practice of religion,” Mayor Jim Fouts wrote. “The City of Warren cannot allow this.”
The FFRF claimed they had nothing to do with it as they rushed into court to file a federal lawsuit with the ACLU and the anti-Christian group Separation of Church and State.
The FFRF and Douglas Marshall have sued the city previously in what the Mayor said were attempts to disrupt religious groups from being able to have city displays.
John Paul Jackson is now face to face with his Savior.
The news was posted on John Paul’s Facebook page Wednesday afternoon. His condition had been degrading through the weekend and urgent prayer requests had been sent out Monday because of falling oxygen levels.
Jackson was diagnosed with cancer in May 2014 when doctors found a large growth in his leg that they identified as an aggressive form of cancer. The tumor was described as “nerf football sized” and weighed 12 pounds when it was removed through surgery.
At the time, Jackson praised God for allowing his sciatic nerve to be saved and that he would be able to walk again. He also said he would be fighting through prayer.
“I am pursuing the kingdom of God and equipping people to do the same as vigorously as I am able. I refuse to allow the enemy a stronghold in my thoughts. God is great and all-powerful,” Jackson said in 2014. “I believe He will take me through this battle. In the process, God will gain a great victory and His name will be glorified.”
Jackson was internationally known for his prophetic gifting and dream interpretation. His The Streams Institute for Spiritual Developments has trained thousands to understand and use their revelatory gifts for the benefit of the Kingdom of God.
The mother of a Missouri teen believed to have died in a lake says that God brought her child back from the dead.
John Smith, 14, was playing with two friends on frozen Lake Sainte Louise when they fell through the ice. While the other two boys were rescued, the initial rescuers couldn’t find Smith. It took 15 minutes for rescuers to find his body.
Doctors at St. Joseph Hospital performed CPR for almost half an hour without success. After being clinically dead for 45 minutes, the doctors called Smith’s mother into the room to break the bad news.
Dr. Ken Sutterer said that when Joyce Smith came into the room, she refused to accept that her son was dead and began loudly praying.
“I don’t remember what all I said,” Joyce Smith said. “But I remember, ‘Holy God, please send your Holy Spirit to save my son. I want my son, please save him.’”
Within minutes, hospital personnel were stunned. John’s pulse returned. He was rushed to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center where doctors were concerned that he would have permanent brain damage due to being without oxygen for at least 45 minutes.
Within 48 hours, Smith opened his eyes and responded perfectly to doctor’s questions.
“It’s a bonafide miracle,” said Dr. Jeremy Garrett, who tested Smith’s brain function.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has invited the other 49 U.S. governors to attend the national prayer gathering he is holding in Baton Rouge Saturday.
The letter states that America is in need and that it’s time for the governors to come together for an “apolitical” gathering to worship. Jindal says it’s time for America’s leaders and worshippers to call on “our great Creator to intervene on behalf of our people and nation.”
“There will only be one name lifted up that day — Jesus,” Jindal wrote. “There will be no politicians giving speeches and no preachers pontificating.”
Jindal focused the letter’s call on 2 Chronicles 7:14.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Jindal has called in previous videos and letters for Americans to turn back to God, repent and ask Him to guide the leaders of this nation. Jindal hosted a similar event in 2011 that was attended by Florida Governor Rick Scott and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.
After Duke University reversed a decision to allow Muslims to broadcast their call to prayer from a bell tower, it’s been revealed that Muslims at UCLA have been broadcasting their call at UCLA.
The Islamic Student Association at UCLA broadcast the call to prayer near the Sunset Boulevard athletic field according to the video posted on YouTube. The students told their prayer inside the John Wooden Center.
“I bear witness that there is none worthy of being worshiped except Allah,” the common Muslim chant, known as the adhan, declares. “I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. … Allah is most great.”
Christian activists say while the Duke situation gained national attention, incidents like UCLA have been happening under-the-radar for years.
“The call to prayer is something that is blasted over loudspeakers in Muslim majority countries and Muslim enclaves around Detroit,” wrote Carol Brown of American Thinker, a blog that discusses the important issues of the United States. “We’ve already heard enough ‘Allahu Akbar’ for a lifetime.”
Many groups are wondering about the accommodation to Muslims that is not permitted to other religions on campuses. Several groups pointed out that UCLA has been a very anti-Christian campus with students who have taken bold anti-Christian actions.
A day after making national headlines for allowing Muslims to broadcast a call to prayer declaring Allah to be the only God, Duke University reversed course and said they will not allow the broadcast to take place.
The University said their plan met with “unintended backlash.”
“The idea was conceived with the best of intentions and the greatest of intentions to create unity,” Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, told WNCN. “It turned out to have the opposite effect and it was actually creating divisiveness that was neither intended nor valuable.”
The University will allow members of the Muslim community to gather outside the chapel before moving to its regular location in the chapel basement.
Many Christian leaders spoke out against Duke’s proposed action, including Rev. Franklin Graham.
“First of all, this chapel was given by donors, Methodists, from across this state and other areas, so that there would be a Christian chapel on the campus so that the students would have a place to worship the God of the Bible,” Graham said. “What I have the problem is using the chapel that was built to be a house of worship — to worship Jesus Christ as the Son of God — that they’re using this now so that they can put loud speakers and use it as a minaret.”
Duke, a private school founded by Methodists and Quakers, has a divinity school connected to the United Methodist Church.
Duke University will start broadcasting the Muslim Call To Prayer declaring “Allah Is Great” from their bell tower.
“Members of the Duke Muslim Students Association will chant a weekly call-to-prayer from the Duke Chapel bell tower beginning Friday, Jan. 16,” Duke Today outlined in a report on Tuesday. “The chant, called the ‘adhan,’ announces the start of the group’s jummah prayer service, which takes place in the chapel basement each Friday at 1 p.m.”
The university said that while the adhan is usually played five times a day for Muslims to pray, they’re doing it only once a week for the Friday high prayers.
“I bear witness that there is none worthy of being worshiped except Allah,” the adhan declares. “I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. … Allah is most great.”
University officials said the broadcasting of the Muslim prayer demonstrates the University’s diversity.
Local Christian leaders are asking Duke why they don’t permit Christians to recite the Lord’s Prayer from the university bell tower once a week.
The family of seven-time Grammy Award winning gospel singer Andrae Crouch is calling on his friends and Christians around the world to pray after a downturn in his health.
Sandra Crouch released a statement Monday confirming that Andrae has been hospitalized because of issues connected to ongoing health problems.
“On Saturday, Jan. 3, my brother, Andrae Crouch, was taken to the hospital so that medical staff could more directly address some serious health complications that had arisen,” Crouch’s sister said, according to USA Today. “At this time, Andrae is being attended by a medical team, and we are so grateful for their wonderful care.”
The latest hospitalization comes after a previous incident at the beginning of December that lead to the postponement of a tribute tour.
“We are also so grateful for the many thousands of people around the world who are praying for Andrae right now,” she said. “We ask for your continued prayer – that Andrae will respond positively to the medical attention being given to him at this time, and that he will fully recover from this current health complication.”
There are so many things I could speak of that I am thankful for that it’s hard to zero in on just a few, but I will try for the purpose of this writing. To tell of them all would be a book of which the volume is far too large for a blog like this.
But just to frame what I’m about to say, it’s important to remember how essential it is to have a thankful heart – a heart that is grateful for all things. This is more than just a cliché. This is a principal for living an overcoming life in the Kingdom of God. Being thankful comes against any prideful attitude that may hinder our spiritual growth. Thankfulness presupposes humility, which is in direct contrast to pride. And we all know that it was pride that got satan kicked out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15)! Continue reading →
A Christian teenager has sued his school after he was prohibited from praying, singing and discussing religious topics with classmates during the school’s “free period.”
Chase Windebank, a senior at Pine Creek High School, has been leading a group for the last three years that meets during what the school calls the “seminar” period. On Mondays and Wednesdays students can participate in a variety of activities and students with passing grades may also do so on Fridays.
“During the free time, students are permitted to engage in a virtually unlimited variety of activities, including gathering with other students inside or outside; reading; sending text messages to their friends; playing games on their phone; visiting the bathrooms; getting a snack; visiting teachers; and conducting official meetings of school clubs,” states Alliance Defending Freedom.
The school claims that because the “Seminar” is considered class time, they’re now banning Christian students from meeting. The school has not backed down despite it being shown that their actions are violations of the Constitution.
“Public schools should encourage the free exchange of ideas. Instead, this school implemented an ill-conceived ban that singles out religious speech for censorship during free time,” remarked ADF Senior Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco.
