Christian Leader Says Britain is in Danger of Losing Religious Freedom

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Christian Leader Says Britain is in Danger of Losing Religious Freedom

The chief executive of CARE has warned that Britain is in danger of “sleepwalking into losing religious freedoms”.

In a speech entitled “Can society be Christian?”, Nola Leach told listeners at the Out of the Silent Church conference in Dundee: “Only 50 years ago liberals supported an ‘alternative culture’, but today they abhor any alternative to their credo. Once a dominant force in Western culture, religion is demoted to at best an irrelevance and at worse an offence against the prevailing culture.”

She said that “A philosophy of human rights is emerging without the need for a religious, let alone Christian foundation”, adding: “What is clear is that a hierarchy of rights is emerging where religious freedom is trumped again and again.”

In a reference to the Government’s legitimisation of same-sex marriage and the increasing calls for legalising assisted dying, she said: “There is a direct challenge to God’s design for marriage and sexuality and there is an assault on the sanctity of life from beginning to end of life.”

She said it was vitally important that Christians spoke up for their beliefs, arguing: “As Jesus is the way, the truth and the life we have a great responsibility, we dare not be silent about this message that the world needs to know.

“It is not about winning – It is about living the truth so others can see it and when they see it they desire it. Even if the laws of the land are against us and all we stand for, we still have the authority to preach the gospel…Read More

Source and Original Content by Christian Today

Pentatonix Performs ; Mary, Did You Know

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Pentatonix Performs ; Mary, Did You Know

Pentatonix is sending chills down everyone’s spine with their beautiful rendition of “Mary Did You Know.” Their arrangement on this already beautiful song is putting everyone in the Christmas spirit with their unique style a cappella style. This song was originally written in 1984 by Mark Lowry and has been redone by many artists. No doubt, this version will become a favorite of many!

Source and Original Content by Faithtap

Pebble Smartwatch Understands 80 Languages

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Pebble Smartwatch Understands 80 Languages

Pebble is now rolling out a firmware update for its smartwatch alongside the launch of updated apps for both Android and iOS.

Announcing the news, Pebble on Thursday in a blog post said, “Today, we’ve got love to share on three fronts: Firmware, Android, and iOS.”

The new firmware version 2.8 update brings full character support for 80 languages. This should remove the “unknown character” boxes for most users, the company says.

“Over 98% of Pebblers in the world can now fully receive messages and alerts in their native language. Today’s update paves the way for more languages to come in the future, as Pebble steadily lands in more countries around the world,” Pebble said. Apart from support for new languages, the firmware update also brings bug fixes and stability improvements…Read More

pebble_smartwatch_special_char_support

Source and Original Content by NDTV

Pope Confers Sainthood on Six Individuals

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Pope Confers Sainthood on Six Individuals

Pope Francis conferred sainthood on two Indians and four Italians on Sunday, praising their “creative” commitment to helping the poor.

Francis added to the roster of Catholic saints a Keralan mystic nun, an Indian priest and social reformer, the former Bishop of Vicenza, and three members of the Franciscan order.

“They responded with extraordinary creativity to the commandment of love of God and neighbor,” Pope Francis told crowds in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

“Their preference for the smallest and poorest was the reflection and measure of their unconditional love of God,” said Francis, who chose his own papal name after the saint of Assisi, who symbolizes austerity and love for the poor.

Portraits of the newly sanctified hung from St Peter’s Basilica, in front of which 5,000 Keralan Catholics and two local government ministers joined the crowd, according to the Union of Catholic Asian News.

Carmelite nun Sister Eufrasia was sanctified with Kuriakose Elias Chavara, who founded the sisterhood she belonged to.

Eufrasia, canonized six years after India’s first female saint, was born to an aristocratic family in 1877 and took a vow of chastity aged nine.

Chavara founded two Carmelite congregations in India in the 19th century, and decreed that every church should have its own school.

Applause rang out on Sunday when Francis said the Italian saints – who between them founded refuges for pilgrims, street urchins and the sick – could inspire citizens today.

“May the example of the four Italian saints help the dear Italian people to rekindle the spirit of collaboration and harmony for the public good, and to look to the future with hope,” Francis said, after a month punctuated by protests and strikes across the country.

The Italian saints were Giovanni Antonio Farina, Bishop of Vicenza in the late 1800s; missionary Ludovico da Casoria, and fellow Franciscans Nicola da Longobardiand Amato Ronconi.

The often decades-long process of considering a person for sainthood must normally wait until they have been dead for five years, and have been credited with bringing about two miracles.

A pope can bypass the five-year rule, as Francis’s predecessor Benedict did for John Paul II, who had in turn started the process of sanctifying Mother Teresa of Calcutta within five years after her death in 1997.

Source and Original Content by Christian Today

Indian Pastors Taught How to Help Save the Unborn from Abortion

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Indian Pastors Taught How to Help Save the Unborn from Abortion

Have you ever used an ultrasound to share the Gospel? Life Matters Worldwide educates national believers about pro-life issues and equips them with resources like ultrasound machines so they can reach out to women with unplanned pregnancies. By starting conversations with women about life and its value, doors open to share the message of Christ.

Bob Foust recently visited India with Life Matters to teach 200 pastors about the process.

“There are, around the world, 55 million abortions a year. India ranks about 4th on that list of abortions per capita,” Foust shares. “If the Church is ‘geared up’ and ready to reach [women] at that point, I believe [it] can be a great, great opportunity.”

A report issued last year reveals a woman dies every two hours in India because she had an unsafe abortion.

“There’s a very low esteem of life. Many abortions are provided there in India, both legal and illegal,” notes Foust.

“They’re going to be affected by abortion in the Church, just like we are in the U.S.”

Realizing this fact, national pastors wanted to know how they can encourage people in their communities to choose life.

“The pastors wanted to get fortified and know exactly what the Scripture teaches on the matter,” Foust says. He taught pastors about the biblical theology behind pro-life movements and how to develop sermons focusing on this subject. For many, it was their first time even hearing about an option called “pro-life…Read More

Source and Original Content by Christian News Network

DropBox : South Korean Pastor Who Saves Abandoned Babies

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DropBox : South Korean Pastor Who Saves Abandoned Babies

A documentary about a South Korean pastor who is credited with saving countless abandoned babies who might have otherwise have died abandoned on the streets is set to open in theaters nationwide early next Spring.

“The Dropbox” tells the story of Lee Jong-rak, who in 2009, constructed a “heated bin lodged in a wall that allows mothers to deposit their children without being seen.” The effort to save South Korea’s “unwanted” children sprung out of Jong-rak’s own experience as his son, Eun-man, was born with cerebral palsy, leaving him bedridden. The pastor sold his house to pay the medical bills, and Jong-rak and his wife and daughter practically lived at the hospital for the next decade.

But it was during this time that Jong-rak became a testimony of love to those around him.

“[A]s Lee preached and sang songs in the hallways, he soon developed a reputation as ‘a lover of the unlovable,’” an outline on the film’s website reads. “Pastor Lee became known throughout the hospital for his unceasing love for ‘the boy on his back.’”

One woman who witnessed Jong-rak’s great love for his son then asked him to adopt her disabled daughter, and so he did. He bought another home and began taking in other children from the hospital. Soon, word began to spread that Jong-rak was caring for the children of South Korea, and he awoke one day to find a baby abandoned on his doorstep.

But because the mother had left the infant out in the cold where she could have frozen to death, Jong-rak decided to build a heated dropbox with an in-home buzzer alert in case other mothers sought to bring their babies to his doorstep. Within just a few days, more babies began to come.

“One of the mothers told me that she had poison to kill both herself and her baby,” Jong-rak says in the trailer for “The Dropbox.” “So I told her, ‘Don’t do that. Come here with your baby…Read More

Source and Original Content by Christian News Network

Ferguson Grand Jury Update: Jury Convenes to make Decision

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Ferguson Grand Jury Update: Jury Convenes to make Decision

A grand jury decision on whether or not to indict white police officer Darren Wilson for shooting to death 18-year-old African-American Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, is not likely until at least Monday, according to media reports, even as layers of emergency plans have been set up and President Obama has called for calm.

Brown, who had allegedly stolen cigars from a convenience store, was shot dead by the officer moments later while responding to a 911 call on Aug. 9. The incident sparked protests, riots, looting and violent clashes with police.

While the decision was expected by Sunday, reports quote “sources” as saying that the grand jury will not reconvene until at least Monday, as it is still gathering information about the incident. The delay has caused frustration among residents.

“I just think this is crazy,” CNN quotes Brandon Turner, 25, as saying. “A young man was killed on the street in broad daylight. I am surprised it has taken so long. I’ve got a lot of clients and they’re all in shock.”

Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forté also tweeted Saturday, “Grand jury did not convene today. Expected to convene next week. Will continue to update as info becomes available.”

Police claim the officer did not know Brown was a suspect when he stopped him and his friend. The two were walking down the middle of the street blocking traffic, and when the officer encountered them he saw the cigars in Brown’s hands, police say.

The officer allegedly received injuries to his face during the encounter with Brown. Brown’s friend, Johnson, earlier said that the officer pointed a gun at Brown and said, “I’ll shoot.” The officer fired shots after Brown held his hands up.

Last week, the FBI and other federal agencies sent teams of agents and officers to Ferguson ahead of the grand jury decision, according to NBC News. The Department of Homeland Security also sent Federal Protection Service personnel to protect federal buildings and facilities.

If the jury doesn’t indict the officer, “there’s going to be no Ferguson” and it’s “going to be worse than before,” 15-year-old city resident Kim Randel told NBC.

Gun sales have also increased significantly in recent weeks, according to Reuters…Read More

Source and Original Content by Christian Post

Church Members Given $500 to do aid Others

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Church Members Given $500 to do aid Others

On a very memorable Sunday, Pastor Laura Truax surprised her congregation with a bold announcement. She was about to hand out money to everyone.

LaSalle Street Church had received a tidy $1.6 million from a real estate deal, the pastor said, and $160,000 — a typical 10 percent tithe — would be divided among some 320 regular attendees. Each would get a $500 check to do something positive.

LaSalle, a non-denominational church, has long been involved in social causes, from feeding homeless families to buying an ambulance for a medical clinic in Niger.

Not surprisingly, many donations will reach far-flung places, including a school in the Himalayas and an irrigation project in Tanzania. Closer to home, some checks are helping needy friends.

Church members, Truax says, are doing just what she’d envisioned when she distributed the checks in September.

“I hoped that they would recognize the power they had to bless others and change somebody’s life,” she says. “… And that has largely happened.”

Jeliner Jordan remembers being young and in debt.

More than 40 years ago, she was a divorced mother of three who couldn’t stretch her seamstress earnings far enough to support her kids. She took out a loan of about $4,000 to attend a business college, expecting it would lead to better opportunities — and it did.

But she never forgot the pressure of making payments, then falling behind before eventually settling her debt.

Aware that her granddaughter, Deitra Galloway, was saddled with college loans, Jordan knew what she’d do with part of her church money: She gave Galloway $300, figuring it might cover a month’s payment. She was shocked when her granddaughter revealed her school debt was in the many thousands.

A grateful Galloway, 26, used the money instead to help pay a loan on her used car. It was just another example of her grandmother’s generosity, which included taking her to Paris when she was in college. “I always thought she was rich because she would do these things for me and it never seemed like money was an obstacle,” she says.

Far from it. Jordan, now 71, is a meticulous planner who watches every dollar.

“She’s a great role model,” Galloway says.

Jordan, who had a long career in the insurance industry but still enjoys sewing, divided her remaining money between a local arts program and a nearby elementary school.

“It’s not possible to give without receiving,” she says. “And what I received immediately is joy…Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN1

Christians Worshippers Form Human Barrier to Stop Demolition of Church

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Christians Worshippers Form Human Barrier to Stop Demolition of Church

As churchwomen wailed and young men shouted that they were prepared to die to prevent further demolition, hundreds of Christians in North Khartoum blocked authorities’ attempts to destroy buildings on their compound this week.

After a bulldozer accompanied by security personnel and police knocked down a wall of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church’s (SPEC) Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church and some houses on Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 17-18), the Christians formed a human barrier to face down further demolition attempts on Wednesday and Thursday (Nov. 19-20), sources said.

One of the homes destroyed in the compound belonged to Nile Theological College; a Christian doctor had rented it, and he lost all his belongings, sources said.

The bulldozer, accompanied by National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) personnel and police, carried out the demolitions based on a court order demanding that church leaders surrender the premises to Muslim businessman Khalid Mustafa. A church committee of members that the Sudanese government interposed made a secret agreement with Mustafa to sell him church property as part of Sudan’s campaign to do away with Christianity in the country, church leaders said.

“The government recently installed some committee to the running of the church, and these are the same people who want to sell the church for business purposes,” pastor Daud Fadul told Morning Star News.

Church members strongly condemned the “government puppet committee” supporting the government agenda to do away with Christianity.

“This is a case of serious persecution of the church in Sudan,” elder Daud Bashir Gadalah told Morning Star News. “We appeal to the international community of the Christian body to stand with us and to advocate for our case. The forces of evil cannot prevail against the church of Christ.”

After Monday’s demolitions, church leaders on Tuesday (Nov. 18) filed a court complaint. They were told they would have to wait until Dec. 4 to have their grievances heard.

The next day authorities destroyed the home of pastor Hafiz Fasaha at the SPEC church compound after ordering personnel inside to leave the premises, church leaders said. Authorities told the Christians a Muslim businessman owned the land and that they had a court order calling for the use of force to take over the property.

The Christians stood helpless as they watched the building destroyed before their eyes.

“We are surprised that our government is determined to take all lands that belong to the church,” said a church member who requested anonymity.

Two other structures housing church youth were destroyed while the young people and the pastor were away, sources said. Pastor Fasaha has not been seen since the demolition, they said.

Church leaders were upset over thousands of dollars in damages to window panes, steel doors, refrigerators, students’ certificates, books, mobiles phones, wardrobes and other valuables…Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN1

Extremists Attempting to Start ‘Religious War’ in Kenya

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Extremists Attempting to Start ‘Religious War’ in Kenya

The killing of several Christians on a bus in Kenya by Al-Shabab terrorists is an attempt to start a religious war, a senior member of the Kenyan government has said.

Earlier on Saturday morning a bus taking people to the capital Nairobi for the Christmas period was stopped by the Muslim extremists.

The militants ordered passengers to read a passage from the Koran and shot dead the 28 that could not.

A number of Muslims pled with the gunmen not to kill Christians but they too were shot.

Other Muslims were freed.

Senior adviser to President Uhuru Kenyatta, Abdikadir Mohammed, said: “The aim is to create conflict between the Muslims and the non-Muslims in this country.”

He told the BBC it was an attempt to create ‘a religious war, religious strife, in Kenya’.
What is Al Shabab?

– Formed in 2006 in Somalia

– Means “The Youth” in Arabic

– Between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters

– In 2012 it pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda

– Behind Nairobi’s Westgate shopping centre attack

Survivors have said the driver tried to accelerate away from the scene but his vehicle got trapped in mud.

Kenyan authorities have pledged to track down the fighters and bring them to justice.

Local media reported that the country’s military had destroyed an Al-Shabab camp and killed ‘many’.

Mr Mohammed added: “We have had a lot of the Muslim leaders come out today [Saturday] and strongly condemn this and call on Kenyans of all faiths and creeds to stand together against these heinous crimes and criminals.”

Source and Original Content by Premier Christian News

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