Pope Francis was No. 4 on Forbes’ list of World’s Most Powerful People.
Vladimir Putin, Russian president, was first on the list, followed by American President Barack Obama and Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Pope Francis was elected by the papal enclave in February 2013 after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
Watch the Video of Some of the Other Prominent Personalities who made Forbes List:
Source and Original Content by Charisma News
Christian singer Dolly Parton made headlines recently when she embraced the LGBT crowd and suggested she’s not in a position to judge—and that “if people want to pass judgment, they are already sinning.”
Parton, a country music icon, said she’s “struggled” in her life to be appreciated and understood and had to “go against” all kinds of people through the years just to be herself. As she sees it, “The sin of judging is just as bad as any other sin they might say someone else is committing. I try to love everybody.”
Creationist Ken Ham was quick to point out the irony in Parton’s statement: “By the way, in saying this, Dolly Parton herself was being judgmental against Christians.” Then he asked a pointed question: Are Christians sinning when they judge homosexual behavior to be sin? The answer is a resounding no.
If idolatry and adultery are called sin, then why can’t we call homosexuality a sin? If stealing and greed and drunkenness are called sin, then why can’t we call homosexuality a sin? If slandering and swindling are considered sin, they why not homosexuality? 1 Corinthians 6:10 lists all of these lifestyles as serious enough to keep one from inheriting the kingdom of God… Read More
Source and Original Content by Charisma News
Leading British evangelist Canon J John has warned that the cultural climate for Christians in Britain has changed from support to opposition.
“For far too long in this country we have needed to do nothing to survive because we had the wind behind us,” he says in a blog on the Huffington Post. Now, this has reversed.
“We need to realise that we are very much in opposition. The wind — and it may soon be a very chill one — blows in our faces.”
He was responding to a Huffington Post poll this week that showed that more than half of Britons believe that religion does more harm than good and less than a quarter believe faith is a force for good.
Even one in five of those who claimed to be “very religious” said religion was harmful to society. A quarter said atheists were more likely to be moral individuals than religious people.
Fewer than one in ten said they were very religious and more than six in ten were not religious at all.
Canon John, director of the Philo Trust, said there were two possible responses to the findings. “The first is to turn inwards, to slip into the ‘encircle-the-wagons’ mode, worship behind closed doors and, in comfortable privacy, bury our beliefs. That may preserve our faith but what will be preserved is not an authentic Christianity. The second response is to accept the challenge, turn outwards and go out boldly to confront our culture. To do that will not be comfortable, but it will be authentic. We Christians in Britain need to be prepared to live more wisely, think more deeply and, just maybe, die more willingly for what we believe.”
Source and Original Content by Christian Today
Somewhat out the blue, Amazon is flogging a new gadget called Echo – which is a cross between ice maiden Siri and wireless speaker system Sonos, and will save you having to using your fingers ever again.
The Echo is a voice-activated 9-inch-high cylinder that connects to your Wi-Fi and will answer spoken questions, play music, and generally hang out in your home listening to everything you say. And processing it in the cloud. All day.
If the promotional video is to be believed, the Echo sounds a lot like Apple’s voice-controlled personal assistant Siri, and it can be programmed to respond a particular name – in the video’s case, Alexa. The lengthy vid featuring a family with two kids shows them using it for everything from telling them the time and how to spell words to playing music and news programs.
http://youtu.be/KkOCeAtKHIc
It will be available “in the coming weeks” according to Amazon, and will cost $199, reduced to $99 for Amazon Prime members. Somewhat confusingly you have to click on a button to request an invite to be allowed to buy one.
The tagline of “always ready, connected and fast, just ask” outlines both its unique appeal and its most creepy element: in order to be useful, the device is constantly connected to the internet and constantly monitoring what you are saying (much like today’s smart TVs and Google Now.)
According to Amazon, each Echo is “connected to the cloud so it’s always getting smarter”. Like a small black version of HAL 9000 in your own home.
Of course, it’s impossible to judge the success of this thing until you are able to test out: how accurate it is, how well it is able to hear your voice, and the audio quality. It took Apple some time to get Siri right.
The idea of yelling: “ECHO – WHAT TIME IS IT?!!!” and barely being able to hear the response “Grandmaster Flash is an American hip-hop artist…” is not appealing.
The Echo has two speakers – a 2-inch tweeter and a 2.5-inch woofer – with a “reflex port” to provide bass without distortion. It has Bluetooth so you can use it to stream music from Pandora, Spotify etc
Below’s a diagram of things Amazon suggests you ask an Echo to do for you, with a few more added by us. Just one or two. ®
A Pennsylvania nun who was physically and sexually assaulted last December forgave her attacker and prayed for him ahead of his sentencing on Wednesday.
The 86-year-old victim did not appear in the Beaver County court, but her written statement was read by another sister.
The Sisters of St Joseph of Baden nun was walking through the parking lot of St. Titus Church in Aliquippa on December 13 at 11:30am, trying to put newspapers in a recycling bin.
Andrew Bullock, 19, approached her, and asked if she needed help. He then exposed himself, grabbed her by the throat, and choked her on the ground. Bullock raped her and punched her in the face, breaking her jaw.
Police matched his shoes with footprints found in the snow at the scene, and he admitted to the crimes.
Despite being a victim of a horrific crime, the elderly nun’s statement was one of compassion and hope for the young man.
“You, Andrew, are my brother, and you, like me, are a beloved child of our heavenly Father God,” she wrote. “And our Father asks of his children to love one another and forgive one another. And, this I do, Andrew, by God’s merciful grace.
“My profound and permanent prayer for you, Andrew, is that you wholeheartedly take advantage of the educational, uplifting, socially positive opportunities that may be available during your prison time,” she continued.
“I pray that one day both of us can look back upon what happened and understand even more truly, that, as Scripture says: ‘All things work together unto good for those who love God.’ Learn to love God ever more, Andrew, for He certainly loves you and yearns for you to have a healthy, holy and happy life.”
Bullock was sentenced to 18 1/2 to 37 years in prison.
Source and Original Content by Christian Today
More than 50 MPs have written to the Pakistani government calling for an urgent review of the Asia Bibi case. Mrs Bibi, an illiterate Christian farm worker from Punjab, has spent five years in prison after been accused of blaspheming Mohammed during an argument with neighbours over a well.
Last month the Pakistani high court upheld the death penalty imposed on the mother of five, despite widespread protests from around the world. In a joint letter, written by Conservative MP Rehman Chishti, a Muslim, the 54 British MPs say that a miscarriage of justice has taken place, and call on the Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif and the chief justice, Nasir-Ul-Mulk, to consider this case as a matter of urgency. If the sentence were carried out, Mrs Bibi would become the first woman in Pakistan’s history to be executed for blasphemy.
She now faces further delays seeking an appeal to the supreme court. Mr Chishti, the MP for Gillingham, has raised the case of Asia Bibi in Parliament on several occasions. Last month he also asked the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to take up the case with the Pakistani government. Mr Cameron told the House of Commons that “we have been pushing the Pakistan government to amend the blasphemy laws, and I will be speaking to the Prime Minister.” The case involving 43-year-old Mrs Bibi has gained worldwide attention, highlighting Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws, which critics say are often used in local disputes or to settle grudges.
Two Pakistani politicians, the Muslim Salmaan Tasser and Christian Shabhaz Bhatti, were murdered for standing up for Mrs Bibi. Canada has offered her asylum, a group in America has raised a petition of 200,000 signatures calling for an end to US aid, and a French journalist has ghost written her memoirs.
Source and Original Content by Catholic Herald
Bible believers tuning in to the next Bible-based blockbuster likely will find that it falls into their comfort zone.
That’s because the production team behind the 12-episode NBC event series A.D., set to premiere next Easter Sunday, April 5, is known for their Christian faith and have a track record of producing Bible-based material that is both faithful and respectful to its source.
Plus, the miniseries by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey will be a follow-up to their highly rated and well-received The Bible miniseries. A.D. chronicles the aftermath of Jesus’ crucifixion as the tiny band of followers fight for survival while they try to spread the Word to the world. But they have hope and soon they have power: the amazing miracle of the Resurrection, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit upon them.
Burnett and Roma Downey have assembled the cast for the miniseries, according to deadline.com. In addition to her later work, Downey is remembered for her starring role on the television drama Touched By an Angel… Read More
Source and Original Content by Charisma News
A Grammy-nominated gospel music star is asking a judge for the chance to see his children again.
James Fortune was arrested last month in Stafford on suspicion of aggravated assault family violence. Court documents indicate he has not been allowed to see his four children as a condition of his release on bond, which he posted the day after his arrest.
According to a motion filed by Fortune’s attorney the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is investigating now to ensure his children were not being harmed or neglected. That same document indicates his wife, Cheryl is the “complaining witness.” It’s unclear what the extent of her alleged injuries might have been. Fortune’s attorney tells Eyewitness News that another report that she had suffered broken bones is not accurate…Read More
Source and Original Content BCNN1
Seen Any Angels Lately?
Angels are spiritual messengers, they appear in every major religious tradition. Whatever your personal belief, angels are available to help you if you tune in to their energy and ask them for assistance. I invite you now to open your mind and heart to the invisible world where the angels live.
As a photographer and spiritual energy healer, I am both familiar and comfortable with angels. Human beings have dense physical bodies, but we also inhabit an invisible world of energy and spirit. One way to experience the energy of this invisible world is through works of art, music, meditation prayer……
Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to encounter angels in situations some people would call coincidences or miracles. In my work as a healer, I am often assisted by angels and healing guides. Each energetic connection I have with a person is the result of an angel working through me—sometimes directly, by giving me energy or support; other times indirectly, by sending their healing vibrations.
My first experience with angels occurred at age fifteen as I stood at the bedside of my dying grandmother. I listened in awe while she matter-of-factly described the angels she saw floating on the ceiling of the hospital room. “The angels are here, see them?” she said, pointing upward. I was thrilled that she assumed I could see them too.
Angels often manifest in order to help us make the transition between life and death. It is common for the dying to communicate with them. Children, too, often interact with angels; since they have recently arrived from the spiritual world, the veil separating them from angelic domains is thin, allowing easy passage from one realm to the other. With maturity, however, societal influences inhibit their ability to leave the physical realm. Fortunately, adult communication with the spiritual world is now gaining acceptability.
Angels have protected me for years. Once, while a close friend was driving us down an icy road, he asked me to seek angelic protection. I began to visualize a large angel in white standing on the hood of the car—a technique I often employ when traveling by car or airplane. Ten minutes later, we hit a patch of ice. The car spun across the highway into oncoming traffic, then careened onto the grassy shoulder. The first words my friend spoke were, “Thank your angels, we could have been killed…Read More
Source and Original Content by Angels of New York Book
Be alerted to Breaking Christian News and Stories as it happens. The Christian Mail (TCM) was Founded in 2014 as Mail information service to Christians. TCM then first went online on March 14, 2014, operating as a blog (but designed like a Christian News website), showcasing selected Christian News from Christian News Networks from around the world (News Channels) to Christians.
Contact us: Chat with Us online
© 2022 The Christian Mail. All Rights Reserved.
