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https://www.faithwire.com/2023/03/17/rick-warren-shifts-perspective-on-church-leadership-what-changed-my-mind-was-scripture/
Rick Warren Shifts Perspective on Church Leadership: ‘What Changed My Mind Was Scripture’
By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

March 17, 2023
Two years after three women were ordained as pastors at Saddleback Church, Southern California preacher Rick Warren is explaining his shift in perspective on female leadership.

Warren, who recently stepped down from his senior pastor role at Saddleback, has faced a lot of criticism for his decision to allow female leadership within the church. In fact, earlier this year, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to oust the Lake Forest congregation — its second-largest member church — because a woman is on the pastoral staff.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


The best-selling author briefly explained his change of heart in a column for Premier Christianity.

“Most people think that if you change your mind on the issue of women in church leadership, you must be caving in to culture,” he wrote. “You must be becoming a liberal. You must not believe the Bible anymore.”

Warren, 69, said “none of those things” are true of him. Rather, he explained, it was his study of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) and the recounting of the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21) that led to his shift in perspective.

He wrote:

There are four verbs in the Great Commission: go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. Men and women are to do all four things. Women are to go, women are to make disciples. Women are to baptize and women are to teach. You can’t say: “Well, the first two are for men and women, but the second two are only for men.” The Great Commission was given to every person; not just men and not just ordained people.

“The Purpose Driven Life” author furthermore explained that, on the Day of Pentecost, as it’s recounted in the New Testament book of Acts, “women were in the Upper Room” and both men and women received the Holy Spirit.

“It was so different from the Old Testament, where only ordained men from the tribe of Levi got to be priests, that Peter explained it as the coming of the prophecy in the book of Joel,” he wrote, referring to Joel 2:28-32, in which it is written, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (NIV).

He added, “Now everybody gets the Holy Spirit: sons and daughters, young and old, men and women. Nobody gets left out.”

Warren also noted women were the first to tell of Jesus’ coming and His resurrection. God used the Prophet Anna, who spent her days and nights worshipping in the temple, to tell all who were seeking redemption that a Savior was coming (Luke 2:25-38). And upon His resurrection, Jesus chose to first reveal Himself to Mary Magdalene, one of His earliest followers. As the first evangelist, Mary Magdalene was tasked with sharing the Good News with Jesus’ disciples, a group of men (John 20:11-18).

“These are verses everybody else wants to ignore,” Warren wrote, “but they are the verses that changed my mind on the subject of women leaders.”

As for the SBC, messengers voted to boot Saddleback during a February meeting without public discussion. The denominational leadership deemed the church “not in friendly cooperation with the convention,” terminology used to remove a church from SBC membership.

The motion brought forward by the SBC’s executive committee stated Saddleback “has a faith and practice that does not closely identify with the convention’s adopted statement of faith, as demonstrated by the church having a female teaching pastor functioning in the office of pastor,” a reference to Stacie Wood, the wife of lead Pastor Andy Wood and a teaching pastor in her own right.

Saddleback leaders have not indicated whether the church plans to appeal the SBC’s decision during the next annual meeting in New Orleans in June.

“We love and have always valued our relationship with the SBC and its faithful churches,” church elders said in a statement. “We will engage and respond through the proper channels at the appropriate time in hopes to serve other like-minded Bible believing SBC churches. Meanwhile, we remain focused on following God’s leadership to love and serve our church family and the communities around our campuses.”

As for Andy Wood, he told The Associated Press in 2022 that Scripture “teaches that men and women were given spiritual gifts by God” and that “the church should be a place where both men and women can exercise those spiritual gifts.”

“My wife has the spiritual gift of teaching and she is really good,” he explained. “People often tell me she’s better than me when it comes to preaching, and I’m really glad to hear that.”

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

https://www.faithwire.com/2023/03/14/i-need-god-actor-russell-brand-delivers-candid-admission-about-the-lord-spirituality/?utm_source=cbn&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news-eu-faithwire&utm_content=20230314-6391106&inid=4b58f7c0-7f5b-eb11-b823-005056af0da1
I Need God’: Actor Russell Brand Delivers Candid Admission About the Lord, ‘Spirituality’

Comedian Russell Brand (AP Photo/Tim Ireland
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

2 hours ago
Actor Russell Brand recently delivered some intriguing comments about his personal journey of spirituality and his need for God.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


“As much as I might enjoy the feeling of privilege and luxury… I remember what reality is,” Brand told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. “I remember that my wellness is contingent upon spiritual connection, upon certain values and principles, and they … involve sacrifice and self-scrutiny about my own conduct and behavior, which often falls short, and I’m working on improving myself.”

“The Rock of Ages” star also discussed his need for God as he navigates the ups and downs of the world around him.

“Like many desperate people, I need spirituality,” Brand said. “I need God, or I cannot cope in this world. I need to believe in the best in people.”

Watch Brand speak with Carlson:


The “Tucker Carlson Today” conversation also dove into the actor’s take on culture today, as he lamented “atrophying and corrupt systems delivering yet more misery to people,” and the need for people to explore what’s going on in their hearts.

“I think it’s increasingly necessary that we find new ways of framing the conversation and looking into our hearts when we’re speaking,” he said. “Are we being kind? Are we being loving? Are we being the best that we can be? On whose behalf are we speaking? And what is my intention, moment to moment? Am I doing this for self-glorification?”

Brand, who has overcome addiction, said he believes it’s possible for people to change their ways, saying he’s truly living today in concert with his beliefs and values.

“I never felt like I’m in alignment with my beliefs and principles in the way that I do right now,” he said. “I believe in truth and freedom and the ability to express yourself.”

As CBN’s Faithwire has extensively reported, Brand has long discussed God and has seemingly been on a journey of discovery and understanding. In a 2017 episode of his podcast, “Under the Skin,” he asked former atheist Alister McGrath and Christian apologist: “Is there any point in God?”

It seems Brand has now found that point.

This past December, he also celebrated the 20th anniversary of his sobriety, expressing gratitude to those who helped him along the way.

“Because what I have been taught and shown is that it is impossible for a person like me to not drink and use drugs unless I have sufficient ongoing support from people that understand what it’s like to feel that drugs or alcohol, or, you know, certain behaviors are necessary in order to feel OK,” he said at the time.

Brand has also famously spoken out against porn.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

https://www.faithwire.com/2023/03/07/revival-is-in-the-air-jesus-revolution-director-blown-away-by-real-on-set-baptisms-spiritual-power-hes-never-felt-before/
‘Revival Is in the Air’: ‘Jesus Revolution’ Director ‘Blown Away’ by Real On-Set Baptisms, ‘Spiritual Power’ He’s Never Felt Before
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

8 hours ago
“Jesus Revolution” director Jon Erwin has been blown away by the public’s overwhelming reaction to his hit film, with the feature raking in more than $30 million at the box office over the past two weeks.

But it’s the near-prophetic timeline for the movie’s release that has truly left him stunned. Erwin said he’s wanted to make the movie since 2015, but, due to other projects and the COVID-19 pandemic, couldn’t get it done and released until this year.

“Jesus Revolution” tells preacher and Harvest Crusade founder Greg Laurie’s personal story of coming to faith amid the Jesus Movement, a time of massive spiritual revival in the 1960s and ’70s.

“I started really studying this last revival in America and I felt gripped, like, ‘Why can’t my generation experience something like this?'” he told CBN’s Faithwire. “The late ’60s was just a very similar time [to today] of despair — cultural despair — and division. And then that’s when God really broke through.”

Watch Erwin discuss revival, “Jesus Revolution,” and the powerful experiences he had on set:
“Jesus Revolution” director Jon Erwin has been blown away by the public’s overwhelming reaction to his hit film, with the feature raking in more than $30 million at the box office over the past two weeks.

But it’s the near-prophetic timeline for the movie’s release that has truly left him stunned. Erwin said he’s wanted to make the movie since 2015, but, due to other projects and the COVID-19 pandemic, couldn’t get it done and released until this year.

“Jesus Revolution” tells preacher and Harvest Crusade founder Greg Laurie’s personal story of coming to faith amid the Jesus Movement, a time of massive spiritual revival in the 1960s and ’70s.

“I started really studying this last revival in America and I felt gripped, like, ‘Why can’t my generation experience something like this?'” he told CBN’s Faithwire. “The late ’60s was just a very similar time [to today] of despair — cultural despair — and division. And then that’s when God really broke through.”

Watch Erwin discuss revival, “Jesus Revolution,” and the powerful experiences he had on set:


Erwin said he was dreaming of making the movie while working on his other projects like “I Can Only Imagine,” “I Still Believe,” and “American Underdog.” Despite waiting until 2023 to release “Jesus Revolution,” Erwin now sees how God’s perfectly timed plans were afoot.

The movie’s release came as Super Bowl commercials pointed fans to Jesus, “The Chosen” reached a fever pitch, and as revivals have been breaking out at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, among other locations.

“It was just an amazing symphony of timing,” he said, noting how he personally went to witness and experience the Asbury revival for himself and was deeply moved. “I remember Greg Laurie called me and said, ‘What did it feel like?’ And I said, ‘It felt exactly like the movie.'”

Erwin continued, “The timing of the release, it just continues to blow my mind.”

VERY IMPORTANT CHRISTIAN CONCERN


https://www.faithwire.com/2023/03/03/there-is-a-god-actress-roma-downey-delivers-powerful-message-about-faith-blasts-unkindness-in-culture/?
‘There Is a God’: Actress Roma Downey Delivers Powerful Message About Faith, Blasts ‘Unkindness’ in Culture

Mark Burnett, left, and Roma Downey pose for photographers upon arrival at the World premiere of the film 'House of Gucci' in London Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

March 3, 2023
Actress Roma Downey has spent decades inspiring audiences through movies, TV shows, and books.

Downey, who starred in the hit show “Touched By An Angel” and brought the world “The Bible” series, among a plethora of other successful projects, is now out with a new devotional, “Be an Angel: Devotions to Inspire and Encourage Love and Light Along the Way.”

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


“The legacy of my work for the last 25, 30 years that I have been in this space … in a faith and family space, where my interest is in telling stories of hope, stories that uplift, stories that connect,” Downey recently told CBN’s Faithwire. “The message remains the same. There is a God, He loves us, He wants to be part of our lives.”

The actress and author emphasized the importance of kind acts and hopes her new devotional helps people focus their hearts and minds on what matters most, coalescing to “change the world together one small step at a time.”

“Be An Angel” was written, in part, after Downey noticed so much “discouragement” and negativity in the world, and wanted to offer an alternative.

“Every time you turn the news on, there’s discouragement,” she said. “We see so much division, not just in our country, but in our world — so much unkindness.”

Downey said she’s often shocked to witness how this negativity plays out on social media and other venues and wanted to take a “strong stance on goodness and kindness” and help encourage people to “pay it forward” with acts of love for one another.

“I always say this, but we need to make more noise for the good guys and be reminded and be comforted that there is so much goodness in the world,” she said. “It just doesn’t make the headlines.”


In her own life, Downey said she starts each day with “prayer and gratitude,” regardless of the ups or downs she’s facing. She said embracing these sentiments and handing everything over to the Lord holds power to help her navigate every day and, when needed, to get fresh starts.

“Whatever problems I think I might have, I still have so much to be grateful for,” she said. “And I find, when I just come into prayer, into that communion with the Lord and I just say, ‘God, thank you for this day and whatever the day may bring me, strengthen me, prepare me and let me be an angel — and that everybody would know that I love you, God, because of the way I love my life’ … each day brings an opportunity for us to start again.”

Watch the full interview for more.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

CUFI
https://www.cufi.org.uk/news/how-israel-is-leading-the-world-in-turkey-rescue-efforts/
How Israel is leading the world in Turkey rescue efforts
Feb 10, 2023 | News

How Israel is leading the world in Turkey rescue efforts
Israel has sent 450 rescue workers to Turkey, the world’s second largest delegation just behind Turkey’s close ally Azerbaijan, in a special operation named ‘Olive Branches’. As of Friday, Israeli teams rescued 18 people people from the rubble.

In the southeastern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, Israeli medical staff are providing care at an abandoned hospital restored by the Israeli military. Around 140 Israeli doctors and nurses, as well as other medical experts, are using specialist equipment sent from Israel in addition to the existing facilities left behind when the earthquake struck.

Meanwhile, in addition to the 450 aid workers, the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, part of Unit 9900, is using sate-of-the-art satellite intelligence to help search and rescue teams in the field to pinpoint locations of the destruction sites from decoded satellite images.

Israel was one of the first nations to arrive in Turkey since Monday’s devastating earthquake, drawing the attention of international media, including this bulletin on Sky News.



On Friday, 100 hours after the quake, Israeli military search and rescue teams pulled a 10-year-old boy out of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, bringing the total number of Turkish civilians rescued by Israel to 18.

“The rescue teams provided the boy with lifesaving medical treatment during the rescue and afterward transferred him to a hospital for further medical treatment,” the IDF said.


On Thursday, Israeli teams saved a 7-year-old girl from a collapsed building in the same city. The girl’s uncle gifted one of the Israeli rescuers an old coin as a token of gratitude.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel also plans to send aid to Syria, including tents, medication, and blankets despite the country considering Israel enemy and the two nations not having diplomatic ties. But Syrian sources vigorously denied requesting aid from Israel


David Saranga, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official, said Friday morning that a ” large-scale aid shipment” would be delivered to Turkey in the near future, including tens of thousands of blankets, sleeping bags, coats, and winter equipment.

“Israel will also send large water purification systems that provide drinking water to thousands of people a day,” Saranga added.

srael Nitzan
@IsraelNitzan
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🧵Update on #Israel Operation “Olive Branches” in #Turkey

A 450-member humanitarian delegation from is currently on the ground. @IsraelMFA @IDF @IsraelMOH @MoDIsrael

@IDF search & rescue teams have rescued 17 people from the ruins so far.

#TurkeyEarthquake

PRAY: ‘Miracle Baby’ Discovered in Syrian Rubble With Umbilical Cord Still Attached After Deadly 7.8 Earthquake

A rescuer carries a baby girl after pulling her from the rubble caused by an earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey in the town of Jinderis, Syria, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Residents in the northwest Syrian town discovered the crying infant whose mother gave birth to her while buried underneath the rubble of a five-story apartment building levelled by this week's devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor say. (Via AP)
SHARE https://www.faithwire.com/2023/02/08/pray-miracle-baby-discovered-in-syrian-rubble-with-umbilical-cord-still-attached-after-deadly-7-8-earthquake/?

https://www.faithwire.com/2023/02/07/i-was-being-used-by-the-devil-worlds-bestselling-new-age-author-left-it-all-behind-for-christ/
‘I Was Being Used by the Devil’: World’s Bestselling New Age Author Left It All Behind For Christ

Photo by pawel szvmanski on Unsplash

By Billy Hallowell
Editor

6 hours ago
Once upon a time, Doreen Virtue was one of the most well-known figures in the New Age movement. She was a successful author and purveyor of “angel cards,” an occultic tool, until she had a stunning awakening in 2017 that imploded her worldview and led her to embrace Christ.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


Now, Virtue is warning people not to buy her old oracle cards and products, to flee the New Age, not to pray to angels, and to cling to Jesus.

It’s a remarkable turnaround that came after Virtue studied the Bible and, after decades in the New Age movement, saw the true evils of the occult. She’s now trying to undo the impact of her past work.

“I’m devastated that some people may be in hell now because they were following my work,” Virtue said on the “Ex-Psychic Saved” podcast. “It’s heartbreaking every day to realize my old work’s out there and what I did.”

But Virtue relies on the Lord, telling host Jenn Nizza she’s grateful God opened her eyes and heart to the Gospel and saved her “while there was still time.”

“It’s a miracle,” she said.

Listen to Virtue tell her story on the “Ex-Psychic Saved Podcast”:

https://www.faithwire.com/2023/01/26/we-are-stunned-machete-attacks-at-churches-in-spain-leave-one-dead-four-wounded/?
‘We Are Stunned’: Machete Attacks at Churches in Spain Leave One Dead, Four Wounded
Nono Rico/Europa Press via AP
By Tré Goins-Phillips Editor
5 hours ago
Authorities in Spain are looking into what they deemed a potential “terrorist” attack after a man wielding a machete assaulted several people in two churches, leaving at least one dead and four others injured.

The suspect, who was arrested and is in police custody, attacked clergy members at two different churches — San Isidro and Nuestra Senora de La Palma — about 300 yards from each other, according to Reuters.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast
The attacks unfolded in Algeciras, Spain, around 7 p.m. Wednesday, when the alleged attacker, whose name has not been disclosed, assaulted a priest, who is seriously wounded, The Guardian reported.

At that point, the assailant left San Isidro and continued his attack in Neustra Senora de La Palma, where he fatally attacked the church’s sexton, who oversaw maintenance of the church building. The slain church official was identified as Diego Valencia and the wounded priest is Antonio Rodríguez.

Three others were reportedly injured in the rampage. A judge on Spain’s national court has opened an investigation into the possible act of terrorism.
Residents gather after a minute of silence for a church sacristan who was killed Wednesday in Algeciras, southern Spain, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Juan Carlos Toro)
Francisco García, secretary of Spain’s Episcopal Conference, said news of the attack caused “great pain.” He added, “These are sad moments of suffering. We are united by the pain of families of the victims and for the diocese of Cádiz.”

Members of the Algeciras town hall declared a day of mourning in the wake of the violent assault.

Mayor José Landaluce said, “We are all stunned by these acts, which have filled us with pain. Algeciras has always been a city where concord and tolerance reign, despite incidents like this that create an image that does not correspond to reality.”

Please be in prayer for Valencia’s loved ones and for the healing of those injured by the attacker.
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Iranians Meet Jesus in Dreams, Experience Radical Transformation

The founder of a ministry devoted to serving the Iranian underground church said many people in the restrictive nation have encountered Jesus through dreams and visions — a phenomenon that’s potentially foreign to Western cultures.

READ MORE 
https://www.faithwire.com/2023/01/17/iranians-meet-jesus-in-dreams-experience-radical-transformation-i-saw-a-vision-of-a-man-with-a-white-robe/?
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"Finally, a Church That Is Acting Like a Church"
Iowa Diocese Bans Congregants From Using 'Preferred Pronouns,' Restrooms of Their Choice

One Catholic diocese in Iowa is taking a clear stance against the modern-day sexual revolution, insisting congregants use the locker rooms and bathrooms that correspond with their biological sexes and barring them from employing “preferred pronouns” in church-linked activities.

READ MORE https://www.faithwire.com/2023/01/17/finally-a-church-that-is-acting-like-a-church-iowa-diocese-bans-congregants-from-using-preferred-pronouns-restrooms-of-their-choice/

https://www.faithwire.com/2023/01/10/kevin-sorbos-left-behind-rise-of-the-antichrist-takes-new-look-at-end-times-the-bible-predicted-all-these-things/?
It's Almost Here
Kevin Sorbo's 'Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist' Takes New Look at End Times: 'The Bible ... Predicted All These Things'

Actor Kevin Sorbo is preparing for a new theatrical adventure, as he takes on the iconic role of Rayford Steele in the new movie “Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plDFhw0Ed68&t=1s

https://www.faithwire.com/2023/01/06/there-will-be-massacres-armenian-christians-face-dire-circumstances-amid-nagorno-karabakh-blockade/
‘There Will Be Massacres’: Armenian Christians Face Dire Circumstances Amid Nagorno-Karabakh Blockade
FILE - Ethnic Armenian soldiers walk along the road near the border between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, Nov. 8, 2020. Judges at the United Nations’ top court ordered Azerbaijan on Tuesday Dec. 7, 2021, to protect all the prisoners it captured during the country's war last year with neighboring Armenia, to prevent incitement of racial hatred against Armenians and to punish vandalism of Armenian cultural heritage. (AP Photo/File)

By Billy Hallowell
Editor
“There is no time to wait and to allow the next genocide because this is genocide.”

That’s how Dr. Biayna Sukhudyan describes the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a small, landlocked region between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast

https://www.faithwire.com/2023/01/05/6-things-the-bible-tells-us-god-absolutely-hates-and-why-it-matters/?
6 Things the Bible Tells Us God Absolutely Hates — and Why It Matters
Photo: Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
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By Billy Hallowell
Editor
With a new year upon us, some people might be going through the typical process of reassessing patterns and behaviors, using January to reboot, goal-set, and get their lives in more palatable order.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


While many believers looking to improve personality traits are prone to focus on the fruit of the spirit detailed in Galatians, a section of Proverbs 6 is an amalgam of jolting, convicting, and eye-opening, and it shouldn’t be ignored.

These verses serve as a Scriptural gut-check worthy of being reflected upon by every believer in any and all seasons. Rather than offering a set of positive parameters, Proverbs 6:16-19 details the “six things the Lord hates.”

That bold and blatant language makes it clear these sentiments and actions are items to totally avoid in our lives. Here’s what these verses proclaim:

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

Let’s briefly look at each of these to explore why God might loathe these characteristics:

Haughty Eyes
Haughty eyes refers to a “proud look.” This is when someone is looking down on others or overtaken by pride. It’s no secret in Scripture the Lord isn’t a big fan of pride, as He calls His people to humility.

Beyond that, every man, woman, and child is made in the image of God.

So, having “haughty” or prideful eyes is something the Lord detests. With that in mind, it’s never a bad time to do a self-assessment to be sure you’re living with humility and avoiding arrogance, especially regarding your interactions with others.

A Lying Tongue
This one seems pretty straightforward: The Lord truly dislikes lying, as He calls His followers to truth in all areas. Spouting mistruths is a violation of trust and creates a disconnect not only between people but also between offenders’ hearts and the Lord.

It’s no surprise why God hates “a lying tongue,” as Scripture repeatedly speaks of the power and pertinence of truth.

Hands That Shed Innocent Blood
Yet another non-surprise here, but the Lord is no fan of murder or harm, with this verse specifically noting He hates the shedding of “innocent blood.”

We see this spelled out throughout Scripture; the provision against murder is even mentioned in the Ten Commandments.

While this isn’t an area most people need to check themselves on, per se, in the new year, it’s certainly worth assessing, to a much letter degree, how we treat other human beings created in God’s image.

A Heart That Devises Wicked Schemes
In the era of “scam likely” calls gone wild, schemes seem to be everywhere. And with a culture that obsessively focuses on the self, it’s no surprise we’re seeing technology fuel new and “innovative” forms of scheming.

Just as there’s nothing new under the sun, the Lord also never changes. Proverbs makes it clear God hates a heart bent on tricking and harming others with “wicked” scams and tricks.

Being smart and decisive is one thing, but wickedly scheming is another.

Feet That Are Quick to Rush Into Evil
As Christians, we’re called to seek goodness, live it out, and love God and others in all we do. No one is perfect, and mistakes will be made, but the Bible is clear that a persistent quest to “rush into evil” isn’t something the Lord values.

In fact, God hates it when we are quick to seek out what is wrong and immoral over what’s right and holy. And yet culture sometimes pushes us to do just that, inverting good and evil and incentivizing us when we find ourselves enraptured by the latter.

The best shield is wisdom which can only come from the Lord.

Where are you getting your cues from? If there’s an area of struggle or a facet of your life in which your feet too quickly rush into evil, turn to prayer, the Bible, and faith to find a path forward.

A False Witness Who Pours Out Lies and a Person Who Stirs Up Conflict in the Community
Finally, there’s the person who lies, bears false witness, and stirs up conflict. We all know one of these people, though we likely struggle to see ourselves as guilty of any of these things, even if and when we are. Sometimes jealousy and resentment, when left untamed, can spark these actions.

Other times, people are deeply in need of the Gospel and heart transformation, living their lives in constant quarrel with everyone around them. Either way, these qualities of division and hatred — actions that separate and hurt people — run counter to the biblical call to love God and love others.

Such acts not only hurt people but also harm the individuals perpetuating them.

Are you a person who sometimes stirs up conflict? Do you have pride and anger issues that secretly cause you to seethe and perhaps pour out lies — or cunningly create rifts between others?

These are hard questions to affirm, though an assessment is a must.

So, as we head into 2023, let’s pray over and ponder what God hates, what He calls us to, and how we can ensure we’re in line with His will.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

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‘Did We Win?’: Damar Hamlin Able to Communicate as Doctors Offer Very Encouraging Update
6 Things the Bible Tells Us God Absolutely Hates — and Why It Matters
Good Samaritan Reportedly Stops Alleged NYC Subway Rape Attempt, Ushers 18-Year-Old Victim to Safety
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Fox News' Pete Hegseth: As a Father, 'The Only Thing That Matters Is Introducing' My Kids 'to Jesus Christ'

Pete Hegseth, anchor of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” is known for boldly sharing his perspective on myriad cultural and political issues. But that’s not what matters most to him.
More https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/29/fox-news-pete-hegseth-as-a-father-the-only-thing-that-matters-is-introducing-them-to-jesus-christ/?



Anti-Christian Riots Surge Across 20 Villages in India: 'Increasingly Dangerous Climate'
Christian persecution continues to climb in India as radical Hindu nationalists attack believers for refusing to re-convert to Hinduism, a persecution watchdog reports.
more https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/29/anti-christian-riots-surge-across-20-villages-in-india-increasingly-dangerous-climate/?


Zambian Christians Hear Bible in Native Tongue for First Time

Most of us can’t imagine not having a Bible in the language we speak. But that’s the reality for millions. It’s pushing Bible translators to find new and faster ways to get scripture to every corner of the world.
READ MORE https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/29/good-news-worth-repeating-zambian-christians-here-bible-in-native-tongue-for-first-time/?

Biden Admin's Rachel Levine Demands Tech Companies Censor 'Misinformation' About 'Gender-Affirming Care' for Minors
A recently resurfaced video of U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine shows the doctor, who identifies as a transgender woman, calling on big tech companies to censor “misinformation” about “gender-affirming care” for minors.
MORE https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/29/biden-admins-rachel-levine-demands-tech-companies-censor-misinformation-about-gender-affirming-care-for-minors/?

‘God Gave Us a Strategy’: Digital Evangelist Celebrates Bringing 1 Million Young People to Christ, Shares Powerful Method
https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/30/god-gave-us-a-strategy-digital-evangelist-celebrates-bringing-1-million-young-people-to-christ-shares-powerful-method/?

Taliban Horror: Expert Explains ‘Medieval Ideology,’ Sounds Alarm After Extremist Afghan Officials Ban Women From Attending Universities

A Taliban fighter stands guard in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022. Recent Taliban rulings on Afghan women include bans on university education and working for NGOs, sparking protests in major cities. Security in the capital Kabul has intensified in recent days, with more checkpoints, armed vehicles, and Taliban special forces on the streets. Authorities have not given a reason for the tougher security. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Norooz
https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/30/taliban-horror-expert-explains-medieval-ideology-sounds-alarm-after-extremist-afghan-officials-ban-women-from-attending-universities/?utm_source=cbn&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news-eu-faithwire&utm_content=20221230-5844289&inid=4b58f7c0-7f5b-eb11-b823-005056af0da1

Actor and Filmmaker Shares Powerful Biblical Message God Sent Him About Fame and Success
Alex Kendrick, one-half of the Kendrick brothers filmmaking team behind popular movies like “Fireproof,” “Courageous,” “War Room,” and “Lifemark,” believes glorifying God and clinging to eternal truths should always take precedence over worldly accolades.
https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/16/scripture-was-jumping-out-at-me-actor-and-filmmaker-shares-powerful-biblical-message-god-sent-him-about-fame-and-success/


‘We Have a Sovereign God’: Country Singer Granger Smith Reflects on Tragic Death of 3-Year-Old Son
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
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By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor
December 21, 2022
Three years ago, a parent’s worst nightmare became a reality for country singer Granger Smith. In 2019, he and his wife lost their 3-year-old son River in a horrific drowning accident. Now he’s reflecting on the hopefulness of “a sovereign God” in the midst of intense and, at times, overwhelming grief.

Smith told People in 2020 he knew there would come a day when he would forgive himself for the tragic death of his son, but quickly added, “I’m not there yet.” Now, in a recent conversation with CBN’s Faithwire, the “Backroad Song” singer said he would like to talk to that guy — the man he was just three years ago — because he’s processed much of his grief in the days, weeks, and months since then.
https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/21/we-have-a-sovereign-god-country-singer-granger-smith-reflects-on-tragic-death-of-3-year-old-son/

Always Winter, but Never Christmas’: What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?

By Billy Hallowell
Editor
December 22, 2022
What if Christ had never been born? This provocative question is one most people likely give little attention to during a season when Jesus’ birth is a celebratory focal point.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast

But it’s a curiosity Dr. Jerry Newcombe, executive director of the Providence Forum, has unpacked over the years. Newcombe’s new film — aptly titled “What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?” — further explores how Christ’s birth transformed the world.

“There’s so many different ways in which Christ, through the church, has changed and impacted civilization,” he told CBN’s Faithwire. “There’s a reason that history is divided [by] ‘before Christ’ and ‘Anno Domini,’ in the year of the Lord.”

Newcombe said Jesus “unlocked the forces of charity” and taught His followers to teach others the precepts of the Christian faith. He argued there’s barely a sector of society left untouched by Jesus’ coming, discussing education, charity organizations like the Salvation Army, and other sectors.

“The link between Christianity and education for the masses is very strong,” Newcombe said. “It was the Christian Church during the late Middle Ages that invented the phenomenon of the university.”

Watch Newcombe break it all down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZJKRsTWbYk&t=1s
He said that hospitals also owe their creation and formation to the Christian faith. Plus, music and the arts have benefited richly from the Christian tradition, with the economy and government following as other arenas in which Christ’s teachings have had a transformative impact.

“It’s really important to realize that so many things get back to Jesus Christ,” he said. “[Jesus] said, ‘I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.’ And, boy, is that true.”

Even science — an arena some assume is devoid of the divine — has benefitted from Christianity.

“It’s only in the last 150 years or so with the widespread acceptance of Darwinism that anybody’s even viewed faith and science as being in conflict, which they’re ultimately not,” he said.

Newcombe lamented culture’s drift away from God, especially in light of how people and institutions have benefited from the faith.

“I feel like this culture has benefited enormously because of Jesus Christ,” he said. “It continues to do so, and yet we have forgotten God, and that’s why all the bad things have happened to us.”

Imagining the world without Jesus’ birth, Newcombe said, is essentially impossible, as He has touched, moved, and infused so much with His life, teachings, and the Gospel narrative.

“Remember this statement from C.S. Lewis,” Newcombe said. “If Jesus had never come, to paraphrase him, ‘It would be always winter, but never Christmas.'”

Watch “What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?” for more on Jesus’ impact.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

https://www.israelunwired.com/major-changes-are-coming-to-israel/?
MAJOR CHANGES ARE COMING TO ISRAEL
written by Micha Gefen December 15, 2022 373 views
With a few days left for Bibi Netanyahu to reach a final coalition agreement, the Knesset is passing a series of “controversial” legislation to allow for the assembly of the coalition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9ueQ9z4Qd4&t=2s
From the “Deri Law” to the “Ben Gvir Law” a big shift in how the Israeli government is set to function is on one hand moving the country a sense of stability most citizens have sought after and yet on the other making the opposition angry.

One of the most important changes is the law making the Minister of National Security, which will be Itamar Ben Gvir in complete control of police and security policy, which is far different than it is now. Presently, it is the police commissioner which decides on public security policy.

Although the police commissioner has fought against Ben Gvir’s changes, it appears many rank and file policemen are quietly cheering on the incoming Public Security Minister.
BIBI NETANYAHUCOALITIONKNESSET

https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/09/more-than-18000-world-cup-fans-embrace-jesus-after-pro-soccer-player-turned-pastor-ignites-gospel-campaign/
More Than 18,000 World Cup Fans Embrace Jesus After Pro-Soccer Player-Turned-Pastor Ignites Gospel Campaign
Brazil's Gabriel Jesus, right, and Cameroon's Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, left, fight for the ball during the World Cup group G soccer match between Cameroon and Brazil, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo
By Billy Hallowell Editor
December 9, 2022
A former professional soccer player-turned-pastor is on a digital mission to reach World Cup fans with the Gospel.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast
Jesse Bradley, a preacher at Grace Community Church in Auburn, Washington, told CBN’s Faithwire he’s seen thousands of soccer fans embrace Christ since launching his effort.

“We’re able to create content where we share the Gospel. I share my story, and people are making decisions to follow Jesus,” he said. “We’re reaching millions of people. We’re seeing over 18,000 already make first-time decisions.”

But it’s not limited to simply counting decisions made. The effort also has a discipleship element, with Bradley partnering with Global Media Outreach, a company leveraging technology to spread the Gospel, to ensure people are connected to a Christian community.

“They … follow up, and we help those people find a church,” he said. “So, it’s not just decisions; it’s disciples.”

Bradley said the stunning results from the campaign are indicative of a “massive hunger across the world now for God, for hope, for faith, for Jesus.” He said the interest levels are high.

That’s why Bradley and his team are telling his story and using his testimony to bridge interest in soccer and Jesus in unique ways.

Watch him explain the ministry outreach and his testimony:

“We all know there’s something much more significant than soccer that we need,” he said. “And I discovered it myself later in life, but our souls are content, and we have joy in peace when we discover relationship with [God].”

Bradley’s digital campaign relies on creating content that “leads to conversations and even conversions,” delivering these messages to mobile phones, among other personal locations.

The less-than-60-second videos speak about the World Cup before going into Bradley’s story.

He was once a professional soccer goalkeeper who had a tragedy, which creates interest in the viewers. Bradley shared with CBN’s Faithwire how he reached his childhood dreams of playing soccer in Scotland and Africa, but a medication he was prescribed to prevent malaria nearly killed him.

“I literally was fighting for my life for a year,” he said, noting he faced psychological effects in addition to serious physical ailments. “And in the middle of the pain, God birthed a new purpose and passion.”

Bradley entered the ministry and hasn’t looked back.

“Stories are powerful; everyone has a significant story,” Bradley said. “You have a powerful story, and when you share it, we learn more about God, we appreciate God, we see how God works … and how He transforms our lives.”

He continued, “We really go from the secular to the spiritual and then to the Gospel in Jesus.”

As for the massive reaction to the Gospel message, Bradley is deeply encouraged.

“It’s so fulfilling,” he said. “I’ve been in ministry now for two decades, and we’ve never seen more fruit than we have in the last two years.”

Find out more about Bradley and his testimony here.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

"May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you."  

— Psalm 25:21 (ESV)


"Christians Are Being Killed"

Critics Outraged at Biden Admin as Horrific Murder and Terror Rage in Nigeria

Religious freedom advocates are “outraged” and confounded after the Biden administration again declined to add Nigeria to the U.S. Department of State’s Countries of Particular Concern list, a designation targeting nations restricting or complicit in religious freedom violations.

READ MORE https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/07/christians-are-being-killed-critics-outraged-at-biden-admin-as-horrific-murder-and-terror-rage-in-nigeria/

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity International (CSI), has been among those urging the State Department to reclassify Nigeria as a nation violating residents’ religious liberty — but to no avail.

Veldkamp told CBN’s Faithwire the Biden administration’s decision to ignore international outcry over the matter is stunning, particularly in light of the deadly assaults unfolding against Christians in Nigeria daily.

“It’s not an exaggeration,” he said. “Every week, Christians are being killed in this country.”

Watch Veldkamp explain the horrors unfolding in Nigeria:


Veldkamp shared how the release of the current Countries of Particular Concern was dropped on Friday afternoon, noting this is how “Washington kills news” by releasing it heading into a weekend when fewer people pay attention.

Tragically, Veldkamp said he had spent the days before the release speaking with priests in Nigeria who witnessed and experienced the unthinkable.

“Earlier in the week, I had talked to two different priests from two different states in Nigeria,” he said. “One is in the middle of the country, and one is in the deep south of the country. One priest… had just visited a village where 20 Christians were killed the week before. He met a father who saw four of his children killed in front of his eyes.”

This same priest met another mother and father who lost one of their children and saw homes being burned to the ground. One of those interview subjects somberly said, “I stood on the ashes of human beings.”

The second priest came from the deep south of Nigeria, where Christians had been, until recently, “relatively safe,” according to Veldkamp.

But that priest recently witnessed a massive attack on his village by the Fulani ethnic group, leaving around 12 dead. The faith leader had reportedly warned authorities but to no avail.

“They knew the attack was coming, and they tried to alert the army, and they tried to get the army to come and protect them,” Veldkamp. “But the army wasn’t listening, and by the time the 12 people had been killed, they didn’t realize it because the killers used machetes instead of guns. They just went into people’s houses at night and just butchered them silently.”

Regarding the Nigerian government, Veldkamp said it seems there’s at least “tacit cooperation” in allowing the killing of Christian populations to progress. The U.S. decision to leave Nigeria off the list, Veldkamp believes, is a “way to get favor with the Nigerian government.”

“I think the U.S. government knows that the struggle of the 21st century will be a struggle for control of Africa between the United States and China,” he said. “China is making major inroads into Africa, and the U.S. wants to stop that, and, in order to stop it, they’re trying to get allies like the Nigerian government on their side.”

The Trump administration had previously placed Nigeria on the list in 2020, before the Biden administration removed it.

“Nigeria was put on this list by [then-]President [Donald] Trump in 2020 and, almost certainly, the Nigerian government told their counterparts in the U.S. government, ‘This is our price. We want off of this list if you want our cooperation. This is what we want from you,'” Veldkamp said. “There’s absolutely no credible reason to keep Nigeria off the list.”

It seems Veldkamp isn’t alone in his latter assertion, as the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released a statement expressing “outrage” over Nigeria’s omission from the list.

“The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) finds it inexplicable that the U.S. Department of State did not include Nigeria or India in its latest designations of ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ (CPCs) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), turning a blind eye to both countries’ particularly severe religious freedom violations,” the statement read.

CBN’s Faithwire has extensively covered Christians’ plight in Nigeria — a situation that has increasingly drawn attention internationally since a Christian college student was stoned earlier this year.

In recent months, atrocities have continued. Last month, dozens of Christians were kidnapped. And a Christian woman was reportedly murdered in August while cleaning her church.

Lyop Dalyop was purportedly sweeping and cleaning Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) on Aug. 27 in the Plateau state when she was shot and killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Separately, in July, a Nigerian pastor and his sons were attacked in the Adamawa state, an area known for Islamic extremism. And an attack on a church on Pentecost Sunday in Nigeria in early June killed at least 50 people, with militants using guns and bombs.

These instances only cover a small portion of the horrors Christians have faced.

Open Doors USA’s 2022 World Watch List ranks Nigeria as the seventh most dangerous place in the world to live as a Christian.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

 Will The Christ Child Come?

Halfwalf through December we were doing the regular evening things when there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a small package with a beautiful ceramic lamb inside. We looked at the calendar and realized that the 12 days of Christmas were beginning!! We, waiting excitedly for the next night's surprise and only then, with the gift of a matching shepherd, did we realized that the lamb was part of a nativity set.

Each night we grew more excited to see what piece we would receive. Each was exquisitely beautiful. The kids kept trying to catch the givers as we slowing built the scene at the manager and began to focus on Christ's birth.

On Christmas Eve, all the pieces were in place, but the baby Jesus. My 12 year-old son really wanted to catch our benefactors and began to devise all kinds of ways to trap them. He ate his dinner in the mini-van watching and waiting, but no one came.
Finally we called him in to go through our family's Christmas Eve traditions. But before the kids went to bed we checked the front step - No Baby Jesus! We began to worry that my son had scared them off. My husband suggested that maybe they dropped the Jesus and there wouldn't be anything coming. Somehow something was missing that Christmas Eve.

There was a feeling that things weren't complete. The kids went to bed and I put out Christmas, but before I went to bed I again checked to see if the Jesus had come-no, the doorstep was empty. In our family the kids can open their stockings when they want to, but they have to wait to open any presents until Dad wakes up. So one by one they woke up very early and I also woke up to watch them.
Even before they opened their stockings, each child checked to see if perhaps during the night the baby Jesus had come. Missing that piece of the set seemed to have an odd effect. At least it changed my focus. I knew there were presents under the tree for me and I was excited to watch the children open their gifts, but first on my mind was the feeling of waiting for the ceramic Christ Child.

We had opened just about all of the presents when one of the children found one more for me buried deep beneath the limbs of the tree. He handed me a small package from my former visiting teaching companion. This sister was somewhat less active in the church. I had learned over time they didn't have much for Christmas, so that their focus was the children. It sounded like she didn't get many gifts to open, so I had always given her a small package - new dish towels, the next year's lesson manual - not much, but something for her to open. I was touched when at Church on the day before Christmas, she had given me this small package, saying it was just a token of her love and appreciation.

As I took off the bow, I remembered my friendship with her and was filled with gratitude for knowing her and for her kindness and sacrifice in this year giving me a gift. But as the paper fell away, I began to tremble and cry. There in the small brown box was the baby Jesus. He had come!

I realized on that Christmas Day that Christ will come into our lives in ways that we don't expect. The spirit of Christ comes into our hearts as we serve one another. We had waited and watched for him to come, expecting the dramatic "knock at the door and scurrying of feet" but he came in a small, simple package that represented service, friendship, gratitude, and love.

This experience taught me that the beginning of the true spirit of Christmas comes as we open our hearts and actively focus on the Savior. But we will most likely find him in the small and simple acts of love, friendship and service that we give to each other. This Christmas I want to feel again the joy of knowing that Christ is in our home. I want to focus on loving and serving. More than that I want to open my heart to him all year that I may see him again, Remember the reason for the season!
 
……Gaye Willis by way of The Daily Encourager (thedailyencourager@harrisburgonline.org) and Christian Voices’ (christianvoices@att.net)

   
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.....Bob Karger - Founder and Editor/Publisher of 'Christian Voices' (christianvoices@att.net) 
 

‘Stop Killing Christians’: Biden Admin Hit With Massive Petition Over ‘Puzzling’ Handling of Persecution in Nigeria
https://www.faithwire.com/2022/11/14/stop-killing-christians-biden-admin-hit-with-massive-petition-over-puzzling-handling-of-persecution-in-nigeria/
People gather at the scene of an explosion in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Thursday Dec. 23, 2021. An unconfirmed number of persons were killed on Thursday by bomb explosions carried out by extremist rebels in northeast Nigeria, according to witnesses. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola)
By Billy Hallowell
Editor
November 14, 2022
With Christian persecution raging in Nigeria, more than 33,000 people have signed a petition imploring President Joe Biden to reinstate the African nation to an important persecution watchlist.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


The Biden administration removed Nigeria last year from the U.S. State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern list, sparking rebuke and concern from persecution watchdogs.

The Goal of the Petition
Revelation Media and Alliance Defending Freedom have organized a new petition calling on the White House to return Nigeria to that list.

The document, delivered Friday to the White House, comes as the State Department prepares to release its annual designations, The Christian Post reported.

“Last year, President Biden removed Nigeria from a religious persecution watch list,” a petition description reads. “In the same year, Islamic terrorists, militants, and other extremists killed 4,650 Christians in Nigeria! It is not right for America to leave these Christians behind. We must stop the killing.”

The petition calls Nigeria “one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a Christian” and calls for the immediate reinstatement of Nigeria to the Countries of Particular Concern list.

“We cannot remain silent while our brothers and sisters are being persecuted and martyred for their faith,” the petition continues. “The killings must stop. The torture must stop.”

A Tragic Murder
As Faithwire previously reported, persecution in Nigeria burst onto the international scene last May, after a Muslim mob reportedly fatally stoned Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a 25-year-old Christian college student.

Yakubu’s horrific death reverberated throughout Nigeria and shocked religious freedom advocates. Yakubu, a Shehu Shagari College of Education student in Sokoto, Nigeria, was brutally murdered May 12, and the violent attack was purportedly filmed and shared on social media.

She was killed over comments made on WhatsApp, a messaging app.

“She was in a WhatsApp group that was dedicated to studies at her school,” Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity International (CSI), explained. “Someone asked her in this group how she got such a good score on a test, and she replied, ‘Jesus.’”


This reportedly angered Muslims in the group, who reacted negatively. Yakubu then purportedly left a voice message saying the Holy Spirit would protect her and that the WhatsApp group’s purpose was for schooling, not “religious nonsense,” as Veldkamp explained.

The Christian student’s horrific murder followed these interactions.

The Countries of Particular Concern List
In light of this event and many others, Veldkamp has been speaking out after Nigeria’s removal from the Countries of Particular Concern list.

“The U.S. has a pretty large infrastructure dedicated to religious freedom,” he said earlier this year. “If [Deborah’s] own government is not going to take this seriously and our government is not going to take this seriously, I’m really pessimistic about the chances for anything changing for the better in Nigeria.”

Other experts have been equally perplexed about why Nigeria was removed from the list as persecution intensifies inside the African nation.

“We’re puzzled by this,” David Curry, CEO of Open Doors USA, told CBN’s Faithwire earlier this year of the designation change. “Because nothing has gotten better in Nigeria. It continues to get worse.”


Curry said removing the designation, which pinpoints nations with severe religious freedom violations, could cause calamity and persecution.

“To take Nigeria off the Countries of Particular Concern list for no apparent reason seems purely political, and, unfortunately, Deborah and others will lose their life because that pressure was eased,” he said. “I would say the Nigerian government has done nothing to resolve this problem.”

Curry continued, “They do not sufficiently protect these civilian soft spots like churches … because the government of Nigeria has done nothing, we should raise the pressure on them and put them on the Countries of Particular Concern.”

He said the U.S. did list Nigeria for one year before removing the designation and the Biden administration did not offer a concrete explanation for the removal, factors adding to the confounding situation.

Curry said the label helps put — and keep — pressure on governments to “either curb extremism” within their borders or halt government-inflicted persecution.

In Nigeria, it seems the former is the biggest problem, with officials too often ignoring or looking past deadly extremism. Curry said the government has disregarded extremists’ diabolical actions since at least 2012.

“The entire north of the country of Nigeria operates under shariah law,” Curry said. “There are extremist groups [like Boko Haram]. The ideology is the same. They target Christians because of their faith … they’ll attack entire villages.”

Extremism in the North
Despite Christianity being vibrant in many parts of the country, the northern region has experienced consistent extremist attacks that seems to be worsening. In addition to Yakubu’s death, other anti-Christian atrocities have recently unfolded in Nigeria.

A pastor was abducted, his wife was injured, and a Christian security guard was killed in a tragic September attack, purportedly carried out by Fulani herdsmen, members of a predominately Muslim group known to target Christians.

A separate Sept. 7 assault by suspected Fulani herdsmen also left three Christian women shot and injured. And a group of Christians — including a pastor’s son — were also kidnapped Sept. 4.

As Faithwire previously reported, a Christian woman was reportedly murdered in August while cleaning her church. Lyop Dalyop was purportedly sweeping and cleaning Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) on Aug. 27 in the Plateau state, when she was shot and killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Separately, in July, a Nigerian pastor and his sons were attacked in the Adamawa state, an area known for Islamic extremism. And an attack on a church on Pentecost Sunday in Nigeria in early June killed at least 50 people, with militants using guns and bombs.

These instances only cover a small portion of the horrors Christians have faced.

Open Doors USA’s 2022 World Watch List ranks Nigeria as the seventh most dangerous place in the world to live as a Christian.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

https://www.faithwire.com/2022/11/15/parents-beware-tiktok-reportedly-has-major-child-pornography-problem/?
Parents Beware: TikTok Reportedly Has Major Child Pornography Problem
By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor
1 hour ago
TikTok has a major problem with child pornography.
An extensive report from Forbes chronicles a terrifying reality: child pornography — legally known as child sexual abuse material — is easy to come by on TikTok, the short-form video sharing app with one billion monthly active users, making it the sixth most popular social media platform in the world.
To most, Forbes writer Alexandra Levine reported, the posts tied to the criminal handles “typically read like advertisements and come from seemingly innocuous accounts.”
Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast

“But often,” she continued, “they’re portals to illegal child sexual abuse material quite literally hidden in plain sight — posted in private accounts using a setting that makes it visible only to the person logged in.”

The CSAM-filled account holders purportedly share illicit content using “post-in-private” settings, meaning the one accessing the photos and videos has to have the account’s login information or use specified phrases, bypassing algorithms that might otherwise result in violations of the app’s terms of use.

Seara Adair, a survivor of child sexual abuse and an advocate for children’s safety, told Forbes she has reached out to TikTok employees, but to no avail. She has tried to alert them to this trend, explaining she believes users have discovered ways to bypass computer-operated and monitored algorithms by posting black-screen videos that only last a few seconds and contain brief instructions for predators.

“There’s quite literally accounts that are full of child abuse and exploitation material on their platform,” she told the outlet. “Not only does it happen on their platform, but quite often, it leads to other platforms — where it becomes even more dangerous.”

Adair said she has seen videos depicting “a child completely naked and doing indecent things.”

For her part, Levine corroborated Adair’s comments, reporting it was relatively simple to access “post-in-private” accounts without any hurdles, while others just required potential predators to contribute their own images before gaining access to the account information. Some account users were reportedly recruiting girls as young as 13 years old.

The issue is hardly unique to TikTok, according to Haley McNamara, director of the International Centre on Sexual Exploitation. She told Forbes all social media platforms are plagued with CSAM.

“There is this trend of either closed spaces or semi-closed spaces that become easy avenues for networking of child abusers, people wanting to trade child sexual abuse materials,” she said. “Those kinds of spaces have also historically been used for grooming and even selling or advertising people for sex trafficking.”

In a statement to Forbes, TikTok spokesperson Mahsau Cullinane said the social media behemoth has “zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material and this abhorrent behavior, which is strictly prohibited on our platform.” The representative further noted that every video posted to TikTok — both publicly and privately — goes through the apps artificial intelligence-operated content moderation and additional human review, on an as-needed basis.

“When we become aware of any content, we immediately remove it, ban accounts, and make reports to [the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children],” said Cullinane.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

"Religion Is Good for You"
https://www.faithwire.com/2022/11/09/religion-is-good-for-you-researchers-
Researcher's Stunning Data on Power of Prayer, Faith
A researcher who studies young people has found something stunning: those who pray and have a connection with God are more likely to flourish regarding happiness and mental health.

By Billy Hallowell
Editor

November 9, 2022
A researcher who studies young people has found something stunning: those who pray and have a connection with God are more likely to flourish regarding happiness and mental health.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast
Dr. Josh Packard, executive director of Springtide Research Institute, told CBN’s Faithwire about his extensive research into 13-to-25-year-olds, noting studies have long found “religion is good for you.”
“Faith and spirituality are good for you,” Packard said. “If you’re a person who believes in some kind of higher power and has a connection to that higher power, you’re generally flourishing more than your peers.”

He continued, “Those who pray more tend to be flourishing more in all areas, including their mental health.”

Packard’s comments are particularly stunning when America faces an “epidemic of mental health [crises] among young people.” Meanwhile, there’s also a massive rise in the proportion of “nones” who no longer affiliate with a specific faith or religion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nUmueTfg3c&t=7s


Data pointing to increased wellness among the faithful is particularly pertinent in the midst of these dynamics, pointing to a potential solution to cultural conundrums.

https://www.faithwire.com/2022/11/02/witchcraft-killed-my-dad-ex-witchs-horrific-journey-out-of-terror-to-christ/?
‘Witchcraft Killed My Dad’: Ex-Witch’s Horrific Journey Out of Terror to Christ
Photo by Vitaliy Shevchenko on Unsplash
By Billy Hallowell
Editor
4 hours ago
Julie Lopez says she was walking in “darkness” until her father’s horrific suicide snapped her and her family out of generations of witchcraft and into relationships with Jesus.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


“I basically come from five generations of [witchcraft],” she recently told CBN’s Faithwire. “I think it actually goes [further back], but … it ends in me. I cut that generational course.”

Lopez, who is now a Christian working to help others discover the Lord’s voice, explained what practicing witchcraft looked like for her and her family.

“Witchcraft is, basically, when you are controlling and manipulating people … through rituals and through things,” she said, noting that there are different types of practices.
While some believe they are practicing “white magic” — a supposedly “good” tradition — she said there’s no such thing as safe or appropriate magic. This white magic often takes the form of healing rituals and other such methods.

The opposite, which is black magic, looks quite different.
Watch Lopez discuss her incredible journey out of witchcraft:


“Black witchcraft [is] more about manipulating people, sacrifices, and doing certain things to have our way,” Lopez said. “Witchcraft is always going to try to make you think that you have the power.”

She likened this dynamic to what New Age practices promise people: Control to declare and “manifest” things into existence. Lopez said witchcraft makes people feel they’re the only ones with power.

Lopez’s foray into the occult started when she was a toddler, as she recalls being very young when she was first involved in a ritual she didn’t quite understand. As she grew up, she had dreams that scared her as well as visions — and when she was 12, her training in witchcraft officially began.

“I was introduced to this concept of, ‘You need to be careful with the things that you declare. You need to start declaring positive things. You can change your atmosphere,'” she said. “It was apparently all good, [but] as I always say, it doesn’t matter if it’s white or black witchcraft; what is important is: who is the source? Who is guiding this experience?”

Lopez now believes it was demons guiding her, regardless of the type of magic she was pursuing.

Her family used both white and black witchcraft, with Lopez being introduced to the latter around age 15. Much of the activity she engaged in was with the help of a so-called spirit guide, which she also now believes was demonic, though it didn’t present that way.

“They don’t come to you as demons … they come to you as … angels and they proclaim that they’re angels of light,” Lopez said. “And so you think, ‘Oh, wow, I have an angel.’ Or they come as people, so they don’t project as demons, because, if people that were involved in witchcraft will see them as actually what they are, they will run from it.”

Lopez described making time in the evenings to spend with her spirit guide; she said she would invoke him until she could interact with him.

“I used to just feel his presence coming in the room,” she said.

Over time, Lopez began to cut herself, which eventually turned to suicidal inclinations. The intensity of the spiritual anguish led her to feel as though she should ultimately become the sacrifice, she said.

“I went like really deep, really dark … they were asking me to do bigger things, and, by that point, it was like, ‘Cut yourself.’ And I was just cutting myself,” she said. “I was kind of trying to cut myself to give them blood and wanted my life to be like a sacrifice for this. So, I, I felt at some point — I never shared this — but, ‘At some point, I have to be the sacrifice. I have to die. I need to do it.'”

Tragically, death eventually did strike the family. Lopez faced the ultimate horror when her father committed suicide. She believes the witchcraft led to his death — and to the familial chaos that followed.

“After my dad committed suicide, because of all the witchcraft and everything that we were doing, my family got destroyed,” she said. “Each one of us took a different route.”

Her mother, terribly rocked by all that unfolded, pledged to stop doing witchcraft. She repented, clung to the Bible, and changed her life. Another relative reportedly resorted to drugs, as chaos and pain ensued.

But Lopez initially struggled. She was angry and confused, though she eventually started attending church and learned there was another way to live.

She became emotional discussing one of the first times she attended a service.

“I was excited and I didn’t even know why,” she said. “It was like I knew that I was going to encounter something that [would] change my life. Every time that I tell the story, I feel like crying because it was so special. … It was a small church, but as soon as I entered into that place, it was like an atmosphere that I never felt in my life.”

Lopez said she suddenly experienced the “feeling of freedom” and found the love of Jesus. While she struggled with spiritual warfare throughout the process, she said she was eventually freed of her ties to the demonic, which still tormented her for a time after her conversion to Christianity.

“I went through a process of deliverance from this thing,” she said.

Despite being a Christian for over 10 years, Lopez didn’t start sharing her experience until last year. For a long time, she said she felt her story was “too dark,” and she felt shame and embarrassment, but God changed her heart and prompted her to speak out.

“It wasn’t until last year that the Lord told me, ‘You need to [start] sharing in your testimony,'” Lopez said. “And when I shared it for the first time, I saw the impact that it had on other people.”

Today, Lopez said she and her family are “restored” and “set free.”

Find out more about her story here.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

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https://www.faithwire.com/2022/10/31/pastors-halloween-night-plan-to-spark-spiritual-awakening-people-are-hungry-for-god/?
Pastor’s Halloween Night Plan to Spark Spiritual Awakening: ‘People Are Hungry For God
By Billy Hallowell
Editor
8 hours ago
A California pastor is on a mission to inspire Christians to turn their attention to what matters most.

Shane Idleman, pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, is planning to hold a church service Halloween night — and then every evening thereafter for the next week.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast


“Rend the Heavens” is an event Idleman and his church started last year in an effort to spiritually break through the chaos and consternation tearing apart contemporary culture.

“It’s where we meet every quarter or so for the whole week,” Idleman told CBN’s Faithwire. “We just meet for two to three-hour church services. We understand that desperate times call for desperate measures.”

The preacher said it’s time for the broader Christian church to “start being the church again,” imploring people to take part in prayer, revival, and fasting — actions he said America desperately needs.

“That’s the only thing that’s going to really change our nation, so we launched it on Halloween a year ago,” Idleman said of “Rend the Heavens.” “We’re gonna launch it on Halloween again.”

Watch Idleman’s powerful explanation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_WRn2K1mko&t=196s

Last year, he said people showed up for the event, which he called deeply powerful.

“[People are] hungry for more of God … Obviously, Halloween is more of a dark holiday and it’s our response to come and worship the King of Kings,” Idleman said, noting his church is in the Los Angeles area, one of the “darkest spots in our nation.” “We’re bringing the light, so it’s encouraging.”

“Rend the Heavens” is an idea birthed from Isaiah 64, where the prophet calls out to the Lord, imploring Him to “rend the heavens” and come down to visit His people again. Before creating the event, Idleman said he found himself wondering why he and his church couldn’t make the same ask.

“I was thinking, ‘Hey, if the prophet can cry that, why can’t we cry that?'” he said. “The only hope for our nation right now is another spiritual [revival]. People are talking about a red wave in 2022, but we need the crimson blood of Jesus Christ right now.”

Idleman said revival is the motivation behind “Rend the Heavens,” an effort to bring believers together each night to “seek the heart of God” and not to simply rush through a church service. He said “deep humility and repentance” is what our culture and world require.

The preacher said last year’s events were phenomenal, with the services having a positive impact on those who participated.

“There’s a desperation, there’s an urgency, there’s an appetite — those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Idleman said. “We saw people set free, marriages restored, addictions broken, and it’s pretty amazing.”

In a culture of anger and furor, Idleman said the answer is always Jesus. Rather than taking our frustration out in the wrong places or giving up, he called people to pray, go to church, and seek the Lord.

“Here’s how I fight my battles: with my face on that altar,” he said. “And that’s really what we’re supposed to do with anger — take it to the Lord and then let him propel us and make a difference.”

Find out more about “Rend the Heavens” here.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***