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Angela, a First African, Tells Her Story in Jamestown, but Her Faith Is a Mystery
JAMESTOWN, Va. (RNS) — Wearing a yellow headwrap, gray skirt and soiled apron, a woman who says she is “called by the name of Angela” stood by the James River and told her story, one of faith and courage, darkness and hope.
“Every day, I rise,” said interpreter Valarie Holmes in late March on her first day portraying an enslaved woman forcibly brought to Virginia 400 years ago. “And then I ask: ‘Great Spirit, speak to me and give order to my thoughts, my words, my hands, my feet this day.’”
A group of dozens of visitors to Historic Jamestowne, the preserved site of the first permanent English settlement in the U.S., listened on the windswept banks of the river as Holmes spoke, including snippets of faith in her story.
The presentation is just one of many ways Americans are commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of “taken people,” as Holmes calls the first documented Africans who arrived against their will in Virginia.
About 12.5 million Africans were transported and sold during the trans-Atlantic slave trade from the 16th to the 19th centuries. More than 300,000 were shipped to the U.S., historians estimate. The 1860 U.S. Census recorded a U.S. slave population of close to 4 million. The Emancipation Proclamation officially freed some Southern slaves in 1863 but many blacks remained enslaved until 1865.
Archaeologists…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
Inmate who became a Christian in prison wins rights to Sunday worship
Freddie O’Neil, is serving a ten year sentence for rape and is currently an inmate at the John Howard Centre in London.
After being transferred to the psychiatric centre in 2018, Mr O’Neil filed a complaint about the lack of Christian services available to inmates.
Mr O’Neil claimed his numerous requests were not taken seriously by the NHS Trust which runs the centre, after which he sought legal action with the Christian Legal Centre (CLC).
A pre-action letter was sent to the East London Foundation Trust (ELFT) stating that, as a Christian, the patient needed to attend Sunday Christian services each week and receive Holy Communion.
CLC had been informed that no such service was available, which was in contrast to the Friday prayers being organised for Muslim inpatients each week.
In refusing the patient these services, CLC claimed the John Howard Centre was not only discriminating against Christian patients on the grounds of religion, but also breaching a number of its legal obligations including the right to freely exercise their religious faith through worship and observance.
Following a year-long legal battle, O’Neil said he knew he needed to take a stand, not only for his own spiritual needs but for those of his fellow inmates saying: “I am a damaged person, a convicted criminal, but the only true redemption I have found in my life is hope in Jesus Christ. I…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Rape, Murder Pro-Life Activist
A Kansas man has confessed to threatening to rape and murder a pro-life activist.
According to the Christian Post, Christopher M. Thompson, 22, of Wichita, Kansas, pleaded guilty to issuing the threats to a member of the national pro-life organization, Operation Rescue.
In a statement, the Department of Justice’s U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas, noted that Thompson “admitted making three phone calls to Operation Rescue in one day containing threats against the group’s employees.”
The statement also revealed that Thompson could face “up to 20 years in federal prison” for his crimes, along with a $250,000 fine.
During the abusive phone calls, Thompson said that he planned to rape the Operation Rescue employee’s daughters and her entire family. He also asserted that he knew where she lived, and warned that he had stalked her and her daughters.
“[Thompson] knowingly and willfully did transmit in interstate and foreign commerce a communication containing a threat to injure the person of another. That is, defendant made a telephone call threatening: to rape another’s daughters; defendant had followed the daughters around town; and, another to be afraid for his or her life,” read count one of the indictment.
In a statement, Operation Rescue’s president, Troy Newman, noted that he was “grateful” for the FBI’s “quick…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
Treasurer forgiven for stealing church funds
80 year old Roger Ladbury, embezzled £96,000 whilst overseeing the accounts of Britford Church and the Chalke Valley Team Council during 2008 and 2017.
Following an investigation launched by Wiltshire Police and the Diocese two years ago, Mr Ladbury has confessed to the wrongful actions and has been issued with a police caution.
Under the conditions that he repay all of money he took, write a letter of apology to church members and hear the reports of victims to his crime, Mr Ladbury will not receive a prison sentence.
Revd Catherine Blundell, rector of the Chalke Valley Churches, said that while a Conditional Caution is unusual in a situation like this, under legal guidance and after much prayer, it had been accepted.
She said: “A conditional caution allows Roger to face the consequences of his actions, but avoids a lengthy court case or a possible prison sentence for an elderly man. This, we feel, allows us to demonstrate clear Christian values in the resolution of this matter.”
She went on to say: “Now that the money has been repaid and Roger has confessed and apologised, we hope that as Churches we can move on from this.
“We do not want this one act to define us because as Churches we reach out into the communities we serve with generosity and love”
The Diocese of Salisbury has reassured people who give to the churches involved that they have ‘thoroughly…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Extremists cut off women’s ears in Cameroon attack
The Islamic extremists targeted the women of Gagalari, in Yagoua Diocese during the night, kidnapping them from their homes and cutting off their ears, according to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
ACN’s source said: “They arrived during the night, entered the houses one by one and kidnapped the women. Only the women.
“They took them to the outskirts and amputated one ear of each of the victims.
“Then they released them threatening them and telling them that they would return, that this is the first [such] intervention, but others will follow. It is terrifying.”
Armed forces then took the victims 160 miles away from the village, to receive medical care.
According to local news reports, Boko Haram fighters drove away members of the Vigilance Committee who tried to stop them.
The source said: “It was no use in this repulsive surprise attack. The women were dragged out of their homes before the eyes of their children.”
Two other villages in the area were reportedly attacked by Boko Haram in the days leading up to the Gagalari raid in which three members of a local Vigilance Committee were killed.
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Should Pastors Announce Their Upcoming Vacation?
Podcast Episode #559
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Pastoral vacations can lead to some disagreements between church members—mainly on whether or not the church should know it’s coming. Today we discuss both sides of the issue.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- When church members know that a pastor is out of town and won’t be preaching, attendance usually drops.
- When a pastor is on vacation, leaders and members should step up to help with pastoral care needs within the church.
- Announcing you will be on vacation sometimes can leave your home vulnerable to burglaries.
- Some churches require the pastor to announce vacations publicly prior to taking them.
The six perspectives we discuss are:
- Yes: It is a matter of integrity.
- No: It will affect attendance negatively.
- Yes: Members and leaders will pick up the slack.
- No: It is not safe to announce your home will be vacant.
- Yes: It can be a reason for prayer.
- No: Pastors can “announce” it after they return from vacation.
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
Episode Sponsors
The mission at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The school offers more than 40 different degree programs, including the new Master of Arts in Church Revitalization in partnership with Church Answers and the Revitalization Network. This 37-hour degree is designed to…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.
Church of England abuse victim helpline set up
The line (0800 80 20 20) will be run by the NSPCC and can be used to provide information or raise concerns about potential abuse, whether relating to children, adults or seeking to whistle blow about poor safeguarding practice.
Guidance has been published for the Church’s second Past Cases Review (PCR2), which looks into how previous claims have been handled.
A report into the original review into past cases of abuse (PCR) in 2007-2009 found that there had been short fallings in the process and final result, particularly in implementing the recommendations in 7 dioceses.
In 2015 concerns were expressed to the newly appointed National Safeguarding Adviser about how well the PCR had been conducted. Consequently, in consultation with the National Safeguarding Steering Group, he commissioned an independent assessment of the adequacy of the PCR.
This new review must be completed by 2020 and will include documents that were not found at the previous review.
The objectives state that: “Any file that could contain information regarding a concern, allegation or conviction in relation to abusive behaviour by a living member of the clergy or church officer, (whether still in that position or not) will have been identified, read and analysed by independent safeguarding professionals.”
Bishop Mark Sowerby, chair of the PCR2 Management Board said: “It is the aspiration of the…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Mario Lopez criticized for transgender remarks: A Christian response to cultural backlash
Note from Dr. Denison: While my wife and I are on vacation, our oldest son, Ryan, is writing The Daily Article. Ryan is an MDiv graduate of Truett Seminary and currently completing his PhD in Church History at B. H. Carroll Theological Institute. He has written The Daily Article in my absence in the past and was the co-author of our latest publication, How Does God See America? I am honored to share this ministry with him.
Mario Lopez first became famous for his role as A.C. Slater on the show Saved by the Bell. He has since carved out a solid career as the co-host of Access Hollywood and is a go-to for many people on understanding Hollywood trends as a result.
However, after comments he made in June on The Candace Owens Show resurfaced, Lopez has been in the news for a very different reason.
While on the show, Owens brought up the trend among many celebrities to allow their children to pick their own gender.
Lopez responded: “Look, I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids . . . But at the same time . . . if you’re three years old and you’re saying you’re feeling a certain way, or you think you’re a boy or a girl, whatever the case may be, I just think it’s dangerous as a parent to make that determination then.”
He went on to say, “I think parents need to allow their kids to be kids, but at the same time, you got to be the adult in the situation. . . . I think the formative years is when you start having those discussions and really start making these declarations.”
LGBTQ+ backlash
As one might expect, many in the LGBTQ+ community were quick to decry the Access Hollywood host’s comments.
Queer Eye co-host Karamo Brown spoke for many in that community when he remarked that he was “disappointed” by what he’d read. Brown said that, while he disagreed with those who thought Lopez should lose his job for the remarks, the host “should be given the opportunity to learn why his…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.
