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Pope Francis, Mary Is Not My Mother, and I Am Not an Orphan

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Pope Francis has been a breath of fresh air for many Catholics seeking greater liberty and a growing concern for conservative Christians who take issue with his comments about homosexuality and other cultural issues.

But the pontiff’s latest statement is sparking an uproar from believers around the world. Pope Francis sent a tweet Tuesday that absolutely violates the truth of Scripture:

“The Christian who does not feel that the Virgin Mary is his or her mother is an orphan,” Pope Francis tweeted. As of the time I wrote this column it had been retweeted about 4,000 times and many of the responses were unkind.

Some suggested the pontiff is “completely bonkers,” while others asked if he had been inhaling too much incense, and yet another told the Argentine Jesuit to stick with the “peace is good” stuff. It gets worse from there, but it’s not appropriate to attack the man for his unscriptural tweet. It’s more appropriate to share the truth.

Mary the Mother to the World?

First, let’s explore how the pope expanded on his exaltation of Mary. During his weekly address in Rome, the pope positioned the Roman Catholic Church as a “mother” to the world and encouraged Catholics to follow Mary as an example of godly motherhood.

“In our catecheses, we have often noted that we do not become a Christian on our own, but by being born and nurtured in the faith in the midst of the people of God, that is the church. She is a true mother who gives us life in Christ, and in the communion of the Holy Spirit, brings us into a common life with our brothers and sisters,” the pope said.

“The model of motherhood for the church is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who in the fullness of time conceived through the Holy Spirit and gave birth to the Son of God. Her motherhood continues through the church, who brings forth sons and daughters through baptism, whom she nourishes through the Word of God.”

What About Romans 8:14-15?

So, let’s start dispelling this error with Scripture. Romans 8:14-17 shines light on the issue of orphans in Christ—there are no orphans in Christ:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

… READ MORE

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and author of several books, including The Making of a Prophet and The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

The former Israeli President Shimon Peres Proposes ‘UN for Religions’ to Vatican

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The former Israeli President Shimon Peres Proposes ‘UN for Religions’ to Vatican

Former Israeli President Shimon Peres emerged from a Vatican City audience with Pope Francis Thursday after proposing a kind of United Nations for religions, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Peres, 91, who was the world’s oldest head of state until his term ended six weeks ago, met with Francis amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

He used the talks to highlight human rights abuses from Hamas and to discuss the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe.

But the main topic of conversation was Peres’s idea to create a UN-like organization he called “the United Religions.”

“In the past, most of the wars in the world were motivated by the idea of nationhood,” Peres said. “But today, wars are incited using religion as an excuse.”

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi confirmed to reporters that Peres had pitched his idea for “the United Religions” but said Francis did not commit to it.

Original Photo by worthy news

Free Farshid! Action Urged to free Iran Pastor

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Free Farshid! Action Urged to free Iran Pastor

Iranian Christian Pastor Farshid Fathi is spending his 35th birthday in an Iranian prison.

He was arrested in December of 2010 simply for his faith in Christ and was later sentenced to six years imprisonment in February of 2012.

For reasons unknown, Farshid was recently moved to one of Iran’s most brutal prisons, Rajai Shahr.

His situation has become precarious since the move and Elam Ministries reports he is having trouble sleeping for fear of being attacked by fellow inmates.

Rajai Shahr is where fellow Christian prisoner Saeed Abedini is also incarcerated.

David Yeghnazar with Elam Ministries spoke with CBN News from the United Kingdom about Pastor Farshid’s situation and renewed efforts to see him released.

Original Photo by CBN

President George W. Bush’s chilling warning on Iraq in 2007

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President George W. Bush’s chilling warning on Iraq in 2007

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdRpg2l2rC0[/youtube]

Remember this? Chillingly prophetic words from then-President George W. Bush in 2007

on criticism of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq

Hear it again in another Press Conference

President George W. Bush’s warning on Iraq

Biden:”We will follow ISIS to the gates of Hell

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Biden:”We will follow ISIS to the gates of Hell

Hampshire on Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden issued a warning to the Muslim terrorist group that the United States would “follow them to the gates of Hell.”

“They should know we will follow them to the gates of Hell until they are brought to justice,” he declared, elevating his voice. “Because hell is where they will reside. Hell is where they will reside.”

Biden began by denouncing the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff, who had been missing in Syria since last year.

“What these barbarians replicated with Steven what they did with [journalist James] Foley, they somehow think that it’s going to lessen U.S. resolve, frighten us and intimated us,” he said. “If they think the American people can be intimidated, they don’t know us very well.”

“We came back after 9/11. We dusted ourselves off and we made sure that Osama bin Laden would never, ever again threaten the American people,” Biden continued. “We came back Boston strong, blaming no one but resolve to be certain that this didn’t happen again.”

“The American people are so much stronger, so much more resolved than any enemy can fully understand,” he said. “As a nation, we’re united, and when people harm Americans, we don’t retreat. We don’t forget.”

As previously reported, the video surrounding Sotloff’s beheading, entitled Second Message to America, was posted to social media sites on Tuesday and was later confirmed to be authentic.

“I’m back, Obama,” states the masked executioner standing by Sotloff’s side, who is believed to be the same ISIS fighter who beheaded Foley last month, “and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State.”

“We take this opportunity to warn those governments who’ve entered this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone,” he states. “Just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.”

Sotloff, who has been missing for the past year, also speaks in the video, making statements that are believed to have been

mandated by his captors. His executioner stands with a knife in his hand.

“I’m sure you know exactly who I am by now and why I am appearing,” he states. “Obama, your foreign policy of intervention in Iraq was supposed to be for preservation of American lives and interests. So why is it that I am paying the price of your interference with my life?”

ISIS specifically seeks to establish an Islamic State in the areas that it conquers, placing the regions under Islamic rule.

Earlier this month, VICE News released a video documentary showing Abu Mosa, a spokesman for ISIS threatening to retaliate if the U.S. interferes with its establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

“I say to America that the Islamic Caliphate has been established,” he said. “Don’t be cowards and attack us with drones. Instead send your soldiers, the ones we humiliated in Iraq.”

Original Photo by daily mail

“We will humiliate them everywhere, Allah willing, and we will raise the flag of Allah in the White House,” Mosa declared.
– See more at: http://www.mychristiandaily.com/index.php/uk/162-world/usa-canada/news-item-1-usa-canada/11883-biden-s-warning-to-isis-we-will-follow-them-to-the-gates-of-hell#sthash.DbnSmZzq.dpuf

Pope Francis Twitted – I pray every day for all who are suffering in Iraq. Please join me.

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Pope Francis Twitted – I pray every day for all who are suffering in Iraq. Please join me.

What to do concerning ISIS? A Christian’s anguish

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What to do concerning ISIS? A Christian’s anguish

When I think about ISIS and what our response as a nation should be to their reign of terror my soul is in anguish.

Why the anguish? Does ISIS not completely devalue human life and are they not committed to the utter destruction and mass enslavement of all people who refuse to surrender allegiance to them? Does this not warrant the use of military action to stop them?

The reason I am in anguish is because I take seriously the nonviolent life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth who I strive to follow. In the temptation narrative Jesus renounces the option of wielding power as a means of accomplishing God’s will.

In his conflict with the religious and political powers of his day, Jesus chooses the way of suffering every time instead of the way of violence. At the time of his arrest he tells his disciples, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matt. 26:52).

Jesus dies powerless and mocked, absorbing the animosity of his tormentors without wishing them harm.

Less we think this was somehow unique to Jesus, he instructed any would-be follower to renounce all violence by taking up his or her cross and getting in line behind him (Matt. 16:24).

He even told his disciples to love their enemies by praying for them and doing good to them (Matt. 5:38-48). In his letter to the Romans, Paul echoes basically this same teaching (Rom. 12:14-21).

Not all Christians have taken or do take Jesus’ teaching on love of enemies seriously. Church historian and religion professor Charles Marsh researched some of the sermons delivered by influential evangelical ministers during the lead-up to the first Iraq war.

He discovered that many, such as Franklin Graham, Paul Crouch (Founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network), Jack Graham (then president of the Southern Baptist Convention) and popular Baptist preacher Charles Stanley, to name a few, fully endorsed the war effort.

In one sermon Stanley admonished, “We should offer to serve the war effort in any way possible.”

He quoted Paul in Romans 13:1 about being subject to governmental powers, but completely ignored Paul’s instruction to not repay evil for evil, refuse retaliation and do good to our enemies in Romans 14.

And he totally dismissed Jesus’ teaching on nonviolence and love of enemies in Matthew 5, claiming that Jesus was speaking to us as individuals, as if that somehow justified completely rejecting it.

Marsh observed that Stanley expressed “no anguish, no dark night of struggle,” no “hint of apprehension, or words of caution, about the certain violence inflicted on civilians.”

For the first three centuries the vast majority of Christians rejected all expressions of violence and refused to take up arms under any condition.

The reason: They sought to be faithful to the life and teachings of their Lord and his alternative kingdom. That all changed when Constantine wed church and empire, and made Christianity the official religion of Rome.

Since then the majority of Christians have endorsed violence or sought to justify it under certain conditions and circumstances. Many have simply ignored, dismissed or rationalized Jesus’ life and teaching as if they did not matter.

Father George Zabelka was the chaplain who administered Catholic mass to the bomber pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki in 1945 resulting in the mass destruction of civilians. Later he came to repent of his complicity in the destruction.

In an interview with Sojourners, he described the Christian ethos of the times:

“I’ll tell you that the operational moral atmosphere in the church [the church at-large/the majority of Christians] in relation to mass bombing of enemy civilians was totally indifferent, silent and corrupt at best – at worst it was religiously supportive ….”

There have always been pockets of resistance to violence from peace-loving people, and from Christian communities that have born prophetic witness to both state and church, but for the most part Christendom has a sad history of acquiescing to violence.

I struggle with Jesus’ teaching and do not claim to renounce violence in all circumstances as Jesus commanded. I cannot fault Dietrich Bonhoeffer for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler, for I probably would have done the same.

I suspect I would employ any means available, including violence, to save family and friends from death by violence (if an intruder invaded my home, for example), and so I struggle with the question of what to do about ISIS.

Do we, as a nation, have a moral obligation to our sisters and brothers in that part of the world to protect them from genocidal destruction?

By the way, I wish our president and national leaders would frame the question as a moral obligation to humanity, though I don’t expect them to.

They tend to frame the question the way empires frame the question: What must we do to protect national interests and our own people?

A follower of Jesus must frame the question in terms of the dignity and value of all human lives, not just American lives. Anything less is not Christian.

Is violence ever justified? According to Jesus it is not. Hence, my anguish of soul. I am a Christian minister, but I am not yet willing to follow Jesus all the way to the cross.

Original photo by my christian daily

Amazon Launch Fire TV box launches in the UK

CM Editor

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Amazon Launch Fire TV box launches in the UK

Amazon writes , Fire TV box will launch in the UK on 23 October for £79, Amazon announced.

Dear Customers,

We are excited to bring you Amazon Fire TV.

Fire TV is a tiny box that plugs into your HDTV for easy and instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Demand 5, Spotify, Sky News, Curzon Home Cinema, YouTube, low-cost video rentals and much more. With access to thousands of TV episodes and movies, plus your favourite subscriptions and streaming services, you can watch what you want, when you want. If you’re a Prime member, enjoy unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows, including exclusives like Vikings, Extant, Ripper Street, and Alpha House.

Fire TV has voice search that actually works. The old way of searching with a TV remote—scrolling and clicking one letter at a time on an alphabet grid—is painful. With Fire TV you simply speak the title, actor or genre into the remote and you’re done.

Fire TV may be tiny on the outside, but it has huge hardware specs on the inside. It has a powerful quad-core processor, dedicated GPU, 2 GB of memory, and dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi. With a fast, fluid interface, high definition 1080p video, and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound, Fire TV looks—and sounds—amazing. We also added an exclusive new feature called ASAP that predicts what movies and TV episodes you’ll want to watch and gets them ready to stream instantly. No one likes waiting for videos to buffer.

As a bonus, we also added games. There are over three hundred titles to explore on Fire TV including blockbuster games likeMinecraft, The Walking Dead, Monsters University and Amazon exclusive Sev Zero, as well as great free games. To enhance gaming even further, we’re also introducing our newAmazon Fire Game Controller—a dedicated wireless game controller designed to take you deeper into the action, with even more titles to enjoy.

Our customers in the US are loving both Fire TV and Fire Game Controller, and we are thrilled to now introduce them to the UK.

— The Amazon Fire TV Team.

P.S. We think everyone will love Fire TV, but it’s especially great for Prime members, who can enjoy instant, unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video. As a thank you to both new and existing Prime members, we’re excited to offer Fire TV for just £49, for five days only.

Original Announcement by Amazon.co.uk

Phil Robertson takes on ISIS: Convert Them or Kill Them

CM Editor

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Phil Robertson takes on ISIS: Convert Them or Kill Them

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joYbJ7pS9rc[/youtube]

Full Interview by FOX News

FULL INTERVIEW on Fox News ‘Hannity’ 9/2/2014- Phil Robertson on ISIS: ‘Convert Them or Kill Them’

Phil Robertson Tells Sean Hannity How He’d Combat ISIS: ‘Convert Them or Kill Them’. ‘Those who hate me love death’ Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson cites The Bible to explain the rise of radical Islam “Convert them or kill them”. Islamic State. Phil Robertson on his new book “Unphiltered: The Way I See It”

ROBERTSON: Worldwide, planet-wide, Biblically speaking, two groups of people, the children of God, and the whole world is under the control of the evil one. That’s First John 5:19. The evil one works in those who are disobedient. Galatians 3, they are prisoners of sin. Second Timothy 2, the Bible says they’ve been taken captive by Satan to do his will.

Listen, let me show you one. I’ve got the old — hey, America, Declaration of Independence, it’s my book marker. Don’t forget that. Listen to this, Sean. Solomon, one of the wisest men on earth if not the wisest, he’s speaking of wisdom, “Whoever finds me, wisdom finds light. Watch and receives favor from the lord. But whoever fails to find me,” this is the God of the Bible, “harms himself.” Now, listen to this on this ISIS thing, “All who hate me love death.”

So you scratch your head and you say, well, why is it that when we’re not even over there in the Middle East, why do they continue to slaughter each other when we’re not even on the premises? They can’t blame us. We left Iraq. You said what happened in Egypt and Syria, you say in Libya. They just slaughter each other. You say, what? “All who hate me love death,” Sean.

HANNITY: What is the answer? I think the only answer is, I think they are at war with us.

ROBERTSON: Yes.

HANNITY: Whether we like it or not, I think most people would rather live in peace. Most Americans, just leave us alone, we’ll leave you alone. They’re not going to leave us alone. They’re not going to leave Israel alone. So that leaves us with two options — do nothing and get ready for the next attack. And then we’ll have a report that says, they’re at war with us, we weren’t at war with them.

ROBERTSON: In this case you either have to convert them, which I think would be next to impossible. I’m not giving up on them, but I’m just saying, either convert them or kill them. One or the other.

HANNITY: That’s going —

ROBERTSON: Maybe that time has come and gone, so I think that with this ideology that we’re faced with, this is like street gangs, street thugs on steroids. You think about it, most of the wars we’ve fought, they were not asymmetrical like this one. This one, it’s not a country with a standing army, and we line up and do battle with a certain amount of rules that they violate. But you say this is more like worldwide gang warfare, but this gang is well-armed and well-organized. I think, my opinion, we’re going to have to deal with this group way more harshly than we have up to this point.

HANNITY: Because they’re so harsh. I know they’re going to be people that are always looking to jump on you and say, “Convert them or kill them.” And they’re going to say, “There goes Phil Robertson again.” I know the media. I know they how act.

ROBERTSON: I’d much rather have a Bible study with all of them and show them the error of their ways and point them to Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of having your sins removed and being raised from the dead. I would rather preach the gospel of Jesus to them. However, if it’s a gun fight and a gun fight alone, if that is what they’re looking for, me, personally I am prepared for either one.

COMPLETE INTERVIEW. Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson sat down with Sean Hannity tonight, and right off the bat they jumped right into ISIS. And Robertson shared his thoughts on how to deal with the terrorist group: “either convert them or kill them.”

Robertson spoke of how the Bible talks of evil in the world, and wondered why terrorists are still so angry at the United States even though the U.S. has left the Middle East. Hannity said it’s obvious that “they’re at war with us.”

Robertson said, “You either have to convert them, which I think would be next to impossible… either convert them or kill them.”

Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson cites The Bible to explain the rise of radical Islam “Convert them or kill them”. Phil Robertson on his new book “Unphiltered: The Way I See It” Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson cites The Bible to explain the rise of radical Islam “Convert them or kill them”. Phil Robertson on his new book “Unphiltered: The Way I See It” Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson cites The Bible to explain the rise of radical Islam “Convert them or kill them”. Phil Robertson on his new book “Unphiltered: The Way I See It” Fox News’ Sean Hannity Treats Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson Like He’s An Expert On ISIS

Interview & Post originally from FOX News You Tube page

Later after this interview, Andrew Hess, Senior Editor of ChurchLeaders.com, wrote this about the Interview

Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the famous family featured on A&E’s hit television show, Duck Dynasty, recently talked with Sean Hannity about how to handle the ISIS problem. Robertson came with Bible in hand and verses ready.

In response to Hannity’s questions about ISIS, Robertson said:

“In this case you either have to convert them, which I think would be next to impossible. I’m not giving up on them, but I’m just saying, either convert them or kill them. One or the other.”

Later in the coversation, Phil said:

“I’d much rather have a Bible study with all of them and show them the error of their ways and point them to Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of having your sins removed and being raised from the dead. I would rather preach the gospel of Jesus to them. However, if it’s a gun fight and a gun fight alone, if that is what they’re looking for, me, personally I am prepared for either one.”

Convert or die is not a new evangelistic strategy, but it is a bad one. Perhaps Phil is taking his cue from the 11th and 12th century Crusaders, the “Christian” armies from Western Europe that went to war against Muslim forces in the Holy Land, responding to Pope Urban II’s plea for war.

But is that how we should think and pray about ISIS? Are they beyond all hope as Phil suggests?

Is Phil missing the Gospel’s mighty power to save? Salvation can come to the worst of sinners as it came to the Apostle Paul and the immoral idolators in Corinth (1 Cor. 6:9-11) and even the imperial guard in Rome (Phil. 1:12-13), all of whom came to real faith through Paul’s ministry. It seems Paul was very slow to call anyone out of reach. The Christian faith is always optimistically looking to what Christ might do to bring glory to Himself in saving even the worst of sinners. Such were many of us.

Phil, and many of us, must remember that members of ISIS are not beyond the reach of the Gospel. Before we angrily call for their death, we might humbly tremble at the eternal punishment which awaits all those who don’t come to Christ. What members of ISIS need more than anything is to fear the one who can throw body and soul into hell. They need to have their eyes opened to the beautiful, forgiving heart of Jesus Christ. They are blind and need their eyes to see. They are deaf and need ears to hear.

As John Knox once prayed over a spiritually corrupt Scotland, “Give Me Scotland, or I Die!” Perhaps Christians today should be zealously pleading with God to glorify Himself by adopting children for Himself even out of ISIS.

How do you think Christians should pray for members of ISIS?

Free Farshid! Action Urged to Release Iran Pastor

CM Editor

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Free Farshid! Action Urged to Release Iran Pastor

Iranian Christian Pastor Farshid Fathi is spending his 35th birthday in an Iranian prison.

He was arrested in December of 2010 simply for his faith in Christ and was later sentenced to six years imprisonment in February of 2012.

For reasons unknown, Farshid was recently moved to one of Iran’s most brutal prisons, Rajai Shahr.

His situation has become precarious since the move and Elam Ministries reports he is having trouble sleeping for fear of being attacked by fellow inmates.

Rajai Shahr is where fellow Christian prisoner Saeed Abedini is also incarcerated.

David Yeghnazar with Elam Ministries spoke with CBN News from the United Kingdom about Pastor Farshid’s situation and renewed efforts to see him released.

Join the social media campaign and petition:

1. Sign the petition here for his release

2. Tweet birthday messages and images for Farshid to Iran’s Supreme Leader (@Khamenei_ir) and Iran’s state television (@PressTV): this will show Iran that Farshid is known and loved around the world. Remember to include #HappyBirthdayFarshidFathi in your tweet!

3. Share the petition and the #HappyBirthdayFarshidFathi campaign with your friends and family.

More on Pastor Farshid

Pastor Farshid Fathi Malayeri, an evangelical church leader who was sentenced to six years in prison in March 2012, had his sentence confirmed following an unsuccessful appeal hearing in Tehran at the end of June.

Pastor Farshid was arrested on 26 December 2010 during raids that targeted a large number of house-church Christians, many of whom were released after making exorbitant bail payments. Pastor Farshid remained in prison, however, where he was held in solitary confinement for over 100 days.

Pastor Farshid’s trial was postponed several times by the judicial authorities but eventually, after 14 months in detention, he was tried on 5 March 2012 by a Revolutionary Court in Evin Prison in Tehran. Judge Salavati convicted him of being the chief agent of foreign organisations in Iran and of administrating funds for foreign organisations, for which Pastor Farshid was sentenced to six years in prison. Both the verdict and sentence were upheld on appeal, and he will serve the remainder of his sentence in Evin Prison.

There are concerns over the lack of due process in the case: Pastor Farshid’s lawyer was deprived of full access to his client’s case until a few days prior to the initial court hearing; and despite the fact that the pastor’s family relinquished the title deeds of their home as bail, he was not released. On one occasion he was told to pack his belongings and was led out to the prison gate, before suddenly being returned to his cell.

Andrew Johnston, Advocacy Director at Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said, “Pastor Fathi Malayeri’s illegal detention in the 14 months prior to his case coming to trial, his lengthy stay in solitary confinement, and the lack of due process in his case are wholly illegal and unacceptable. Moreover, as in recent cases involving Christians, the charges against the pastor were couched in political language when in reality he was arrested merely on account of his faith. The ongoing harassment and imprisonment of Christians, Baha’is and other minorities by the regime contravenes international covenants to which Iran is a signatory, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of religion.”

Sam Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries commented, “Farshid is a man after God’s own heart and God will be faithful to him. I am convinced that the greater the persecution, the more the church will grow in Iran. Such injustice will only cause more Iranians to want to know the Jesus that people like Farshid proclaim. Farshid has become a shining beacon for Christ in Evin prison, so much so that the son of an Iranian Ayatollah has commented on Farshid’s sweet nature… remarking on how beloved Farshid is amongst the inmates.”

Pastor Farshid and his wife Leila have two children, Rosana and Bardia. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Elam Ministries)