October 27, 2020 (Morning Star News) – The flogging an underground Christian in Iran received and the harsh prison sentence upheld for the pastor of a legally recognized church reflect the growing dangers of Christian faith in the country.

Mohammad Reza (Youhan) Omidi on Oct. 14 received 80 lashes for drinking Communion wine. Alcohol is forbidden only for Muslims in Iran, but since Iranian law does not recognize Omidi’s conversion from Islam to Christianity, he was sentenced to the lashes in September 2016.

Omidi was summoned on Oct. 10 for the punishment to his home city of Rasht – where his house-church involvement first led to his arrest in 2012 – from his internal exile in an area 1,000 kilometers south, according to London-based advocacy group Article18. Two of his fellow house-church members, Mohammad Ali (Yasser) Mossayebzadeh and Zaman (Saheb) Fadaee, have also been sentenced to flogging.

Omidi continues serving his two years of internal exile for house-church activities, which authorities termed, “acting against national security.” For that charge Omidi also served two years in prison, reduced from the original sentence of 10 years, and he was released on Aug. 18, according to advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

He had also been flogged seven years ago, being one of four men sentenced on Oct. 6, 2013 to 80 lashes for drinking Communion…

Christian Rocker Oz Fox recently suffered a massive seizure that has made it difficult for him to currently play the guitar, The Christian Post reports.

However, this hasn’t shaken the Christian rocker’s faith. Instead, he is “thankful to have breath,” and “[knows] God has [him] in his arms.”

In a Facebook update on his health, the rocker share, “At this time, I’m at home on 1500 mg of Keppra, an anti-seizure medication that calms my brain down and keeps me subdued. It’s hard to do anything physical right now.”

He also stated that he is happy to be taken care of by his wife, Annie Lobert, who founded a Christian outreach ministry titled “Hookers For Jesus,” an organization that works to reach out to sex-trafficking victims.

According to their website, Hookers For Jesus does ministry work that “is based on the simple act of love of ‘fishing’ for people who are looking for a way out of the dark waters they are drowning in of sex trafficking.”

“Please lift up my wife. She is carrying a lot now. I love her so much. I don’t know what I’d do without her,” Fox stated in the update. “I have some visits at UCLA coming up so please keep that lifted up for us. I really want all this resolved so I can get back to what God has called me to do. Thanks for all your love and support,” he continued.

Oz Fox is the lead guitarist and a vocalist for the Christian metal band…

A Christian business owner and ordained minister won a major religious liberty victory Friday when an Ohio county agreed not to force her to perform same-sex weddings under a controversial non-discrimination law.

The law in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

Kristi Stokes, an ordained Christian minister and the owner of the business Covenant Weddings, filed a federal lawsuit in July, claiming the law would force her to officiate weddings and compose wedding homilies for same-sex couples in violation of her beliefs. The suit said Stokes “gladly works with people regardless of who they are, including LGBT individuals,” but “cannot officiate or bless every marital union.”

On Oct. 23, the county agreed in a court judgment that Stokes would not be forced to perform same-sex weddings. Stokes’ business is not impacted by the law because it does “not have a physical storefront,” the judgment read.

But even if the business was “considered a place of public accommodation,” the county’s law “does not mandate or force Kristi Stokes, or any other minister, to officiate or solemnize weddings against their sincerely held religious beliefs,” the judgment said. The law also “does not mandate or force” Stokes “to author specific…

By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post Reporter Follow | Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Bernard C. Yates, longtime leader of the Zion Hope Primitive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, who was also a two-term national president for the Primitive Baptist Convention USA, has died, his family announced. He was 64.

In a statement from his family posted to the church’s Facebook page, Yate’s family confirmed that he died on Saturday.  

“God has spoken. Elder Dr. Bernard Cecil Yates made his transition to be with the Lord on October 24, 2020. We honor and celebrate the life of our husband, father, grandfather, pastor and friend. Please allow our immediate family time to be with one another,” the family said in their statement that also cited Jude 24-25.

Persons close to the family told the Pensacola News Journal that Yates died at home from cardiac arrest.

While his immediately family continues to grieve privately, the pastor’s nephew, Marcus Yates, noted in a statement on Facebook that his uncle lived an exemplary life.

“I’ve been looking for sage words, but, this time, they don’t want to come. Our hearts are broken. But we know a Savior who mends…

Paula-White Cain, the spiritual advisor to President Trump and the president of Paula White Ministries, is making the case for why she believes Christians should give President Trump a second term.

White-Cain’s case for Trump is part of a new series by Ed Stetzer for Christianity Today that will offer cases on both sides of the political spectrum as Christians make their votes in the 2020 election.

White-Cain starts her article by explaining that she has personally known the president for over 19 years.

“I’ve seen him firsthand as a father, a husband, a leader, a businessman and now the President of the United States of America,” she wrote.

“I also recognize most people have secondhand information that mischaracterizes the man I know. Therefore, I will talk about the “good fruit” (or what we call in politics – “policy”) that has come from this “good tree” – President Trump.”

In making her case to Christian voters, White-Cain highlighted Trump’s first term policies and accomplishments.

She argued that President Trump has delivered on his promise to appoint originalist judges to the Supreme Court “who would protect our religious freedoms and not legislate from the bench.” In Trump’s first term, he has appointed over 200 judges along with 3 Supreme Court justices.

“He has flipped three of the Circuit Courts and given us a supermajority…

Clayton Kershaw finally had won a World Series title, but he was still having trouble believing it.

The eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young winner is considered one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball history, yet in 13 seasons had not claimed a World Series title, falling just short in 2017 and 2018 when his Los Angeles Dodgers won the pennant but lost in the final round. That is, until Tuesday.

The Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to win the 2020 World Series in six games for their first championship since 1988.

“I just keep saying it over and over again – World Series champs, World Series champs. It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Kershaw, who was the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 5.

Kershaw, an outspoken Christian, frequently expressed gratitude during the post-game news conference.

“I’m just so, so very thankful to be a part of this group of guys. And so very thankful that we get to be on the team that is bringing back a World Series to the Dodgers fans after 32 years,” he said.

After the game, his teammates built up his legacy, saying he is one of the league’s best-ever pitchers. Kershaw, though, brushed aside questions about his legacy.

“I don’t care about any of that, man. We won the World Series. I don’t care about legacy,” he said. “… All that other stuff is just pointless. It doesn’t matter.”

Kershaw has…

A new rewritten Bible with each word listed alphabetically for each book of the Bible was just released by a group of creatives called Sideline Collective, The Christian Post reports.

The project is called “Bible The.”

According to the project’s website, “Each book is completely reorganized from A-Z.” 

The group claims that “this distills each text down to its lowest common denominator. It highlights the importance people tend to place on the order of said words – and their meaning – and allows for new and interesting interpretations of the written word, in much the same way as an abstract painting might.”

Reportedly, the project is meant to show how people focus a little too much on word order rather than trying to decipher the meaning of the words and what the Bible is actually saying.

“Starting with the first book in the series – ‘Bible The’ – the entire King James Bible, is reorganized and reprinted in alphabetical order. The result is a reductionist interpretation of the text that reveals some fascinating observations,” the project’s website says.

The group claims that the Bible has “likely unconscious and cultural” biases that may have changed how we were supposed to read it.

By listing off the number of times certain words were used, the group concluded that the Bible may have cultural biases toward…

Hillsong Church is launching an Atlanta, Georgia campus that will be led by husband and wife Sam and Toni Collier.

According to The Christian Post, the Colliers will be the first Black lead pastors of a Hillsong church. They also have a daughter, Dylan.

“We want to start a movement that not only changes Atlanta, but changes the world,” Sam Collier, founder of A Greater Story Ministries, told The Christian Post. “Just like God did with Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta nearly 60 years ago, there was a model that was built that went on to impact the entire world. We want to be a model of unity and understanding and bring about revival.”

Hillsong Atlanta will work to “reach and influence the world by building a large Christ-centered, Bible-based church, changing mindsets and empowering people to lead and impact in every sphere of life.”

“Hillsong Atlanta is the marrying of many different worlds, racially, and even politically, to represent the fullness of God,” he said. “What better place to launch a church with this vision than in the birthplace of civil rights?” 

Collier is the author of A Greater Story and previously worked at Andy Stanley’s Atlanta church, North Point Community Church.

“When I discussed church planting with Andy, he told me, “Sam, I think you want to build a different type of church, and that’s OK. God does His…

Covington County Sheriff’s Office in Collins, Mississippi celebrated the baptism of seventeen inmates last week, according to NBC 12.

“We hope this is a new start and will change the lives of these and many more,” a Facebook post from the office said.

Attached to the post were two pictures of four women in pink jumpsuits and thirteen men in striped jumpsuits who were baptized.

Hundreds of well-wishers congratulated the inmates on their decision.

“It’s wonderful that you all have chosen a new way. Our Lord Jesus Christ will always be there to comfort & take care of you. However, when he answers your prayers, it may not always be what you had in mind. But trust in Him for he is the only Way,” said one.

“God moves no matter the location or situation!” said another.

Several family members and friends celebrated inmates by name.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, former inmate Alfio made an 11-foot cross that the Hollywood Impact Studios’ prison ministry can use to further their evangelism in the Los Angeles County prison system.

“We have to appreciate the sacrifice,” Alfio said, according to Christian Headlines. The large cross is intended to “[spell] out the pain Jesus went through.”

Alfio, who was arrested more than 50 times, said he realized that he needed to “pick a side and I picked Jesus Christ. He said, ‘Follow me and it’ll be…

On Sunday, Pope Francis announced that Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C. will be America’s first Black Cardinal.

Gregory, who was alive during the Civil Rights Era, thanked Pope Francis in a statement obtained by The Christian Post. “With a very grateful and humble heart, I thank Pope Francis for this appointment which will allow me to work more closely with him in caring for Christ’s Church,” he said Sunday.

Gregory, who is now 72 years old, made headlines when he spoke against Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd. “Many of us remember similar incidents in our history that accompanied the Civil Rights Movement, where we repeatedly saw Black Americans viciously brutalized by police on television and in newspaper photos. The horror of George Floyd’s death, like all acts of racism, hurts all of us in the Body of Christ since we are each made in the image and likeness of God, and deserve the dignity that comes with that existence,” he said in a statement on the Archbishop of Washington website.

The archbishop was also highly critical of President Trump, stating he thought Catholics were being “manipulated” by the President in a way that “violates our religious principles.” One of these principles includes the need to “defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we disagree.”

In total, there are roughly 72 million Catholics in America. Of that, some…