Discovery: Bones of ‘Last Missionary Martyr’ to Japan in 17th Century Found

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Discovery: Bones of ‘Last Missionary Martyr’ to Japan in 17th Century Found
Japanese flag (Photo: Reuters/Toru Hanai)

A Japanese flag flutters atop the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo May 22, 2015.

Christian Post Report – Japanese authorities have reportedly discovered the remains of a 17th century Italian Catholic priest, known as the “last missionary martyr” to Japan for his efforts to advance Christianity in one of the least Christian nations in the world.

“It is the first time we’ve found a near match of the bones of a foreign missionary,” said Waseda University professor Akio Tanigawa. “This is an extremely important discovery for the history of Christianity in Japan.”

Although the remains of Jesuit priest Giovanni Battista Sidotti were discovered back in April 2014 during excavation at the site of Krishitan Yashiki, they were not identified as belonging to the missionary until DNA matches were confirmed on Monday, the Japan Times reported.

As Vatican Radio explains, Sidotti was born in Sicily in 1668, and was inspired by stories of Christian martyrs to travel and work as a missionary in Japan during the Edo Period, when Christianity was outlawed as a Western influence.

Sidotti attempted to disguise himself as a samurai after he arrived in Japan in 1708, but was soon discovered and apprehended by Japanese officials at the time. He shared with the Japanese information about the geography and history of Europe, however, and even convinced them to begin deporting Catholic missionaries, instead of putting them to death.

“Yet Fr. Giovanni Sidotti attempted to convert his guards to Catholicism and was thrown in a pit where he died of starvation, passing into legend until 150 years ago when a book about his life was found,” the report explained.

Author Tomoko Furui, who has written about the life of Sidotti, said the discovery is very important.

“I want people in Japan and Italy to know about the meaning of Sidotti’s courage to come to Japan during that time,” Furui said.

Officials at Bunkyo Ward, an education and residential center, said now that officials are confident about the identification, plans can be made to transport the remains to Italy.

“If there is a request to have his remains returned to Italy, we would like to discuss how to deal with this,” a Bunkyo Ward official said.

Christianity remains a distinct minority in Japan, according to the CIA Factbook, making up only 1.5 percent of 126 million plus population, the majority of which practices Shintoism and Buddhism.

The Vatican has recognized the sacrifice of several Christian martyrs to Japan, including Takayama Ukon, a 16th century Christian samurai who was martyred for his faith in 1615.

Earlier this year Ukon became the first native Japanese martyr to be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, with regional superior of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in Japan, Fr Mario Bianchin, calling it “fantastic news that brings great joy to the Church in Japan.”

Source : Christian Post

Billy Graham: God Cannot Save Those Who Turn Their Backs to Him

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Billy Graham: God Cannot Save Those Who Turn Their Backs to Him
The Rev. Billy Graham (Photo: Reuters/Robert Padgett)

Evangelist Billy Graham speaks at the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 31, 2007.

Christian Post Report – God cannot save anyone who hardens their heart to His message, although He will always welcome those who return to Him, the Rev. Billy Graham said in a blog post this week.

In response to a question posted in the “My Answers” portion of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s website, the 97-year-old evangelical leader said that although God will always welcome believers with open arms, no matter how far they’ve strayed, He cannot save those who have refused to listen to His message.

Graham points specifically to the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, when one of two criminals being crucified with Jesus repented of his sins and asked for forgiveness. The other criminal refused up until his death to have faith in God.

While the repentant criminal was granted eternal life, the other was not.

“God welcomes anyone — absolutely anyone — who sincerely turns to Him in repentance and faith, even at the last minute,” the evangelical leader writes.

However, “[…] God cannot save someone who refuses to be saved — and when a person repeatedly turns his or her back on Christ, their heart grows more and more hardened toward God.”

“As a result it becomes easier and easier for them to resist God’s call, and they are in danger of refusing to turn from their stubborn unbelief,” the pastor continues.

Ultimately, only God has the power to truly change the hearts of stubborn non-believers, Graham writes.

“Only God can change our hearts, and only God can break through the barriers your neighbor has built,” Graham writes, encouraging Christians to pray for nonbelievers so that “God will break through [their] barriers and draw [them] to Jesus.”

“Pray too that God will help you be an example to him of the hope and new life we have because of Christ,” Graham adds.

The Baptist minister has spoken on the topic of nonbelievers before, writing in an October 2015 post that Christians should show compassion and love towards their atheist friends and neighbors.

Graham writes that because God loves all of His children, so should we, and we should pray that non-believers find Christ.

“The most important thing you can do is pray for your [atheist] friend. Right now he has hardened his heart against God, and logic alone won’t change him (although you should be prepared to challenge his ideas if God gives you an opportunity). But God can change him, and you should pray that He will,” Graham writes.

He also encourages Christians to pray to God that they may “be an example to [atheists] of a life that has been changed by Jesus Christ.”

“Does [your atheist friend] see Christ’s love and joy and peace in you?” Graham questions. “Right now he wants to run his own life — but that is a dead-end road. Ask God to use you to show him there is another way— the way of Christ.”

Source : Christian Post

Megachurch Pastor: Why the Number 7 Is Important in the Bible

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Megachurch Pastor: Why the Number 7 Is Important in the Bible
Pastor Chris Hahn of Southland Christian Church discusses the importance of rest in his "Plus Seven" series. (Photo: Screenshot/Southland Christian Church)

Pastor Chris Hahn of Southland Christian Church discusses the importance of rest in his “Plus Seven” series.

Christian Post Report – The number 7 appears throughout the Bible – 735 times to be exact and over 50 times just in the book of Revelation. But what significance does this number have and what should Christians take away from its use in the Bible?

Pastor Chris Hahn of the Kentucky megachurch Southland Christian Church, kicked off his new sermon series “Plus Seven” this past weekend, through which he will explain the meaning behind the number 7 in the Bible as it pertains to believers’ time, relationship and money.

On Sunday for part one of the series, Hahn preached about the significance of “Seven Days,” and explained he chose this sermon series topic because the number 7 “always represents completeness, wholeness, and perfection” in the Bible.

Hahn talked about the wholeness of time – a holy balance between work and rest in God – as prescribed by the Bible through a 7 day period as seen in Genesis 1-2, which records that God worked six days and rested on the seventh.

This “cycle of work and rest is whole […] it’s a perfect rhythm,” Hahn said. “My walk as a follower of Jesus is healthy when my rhythm of work and Sabbath is consistent.”

Although God has gifted Christians with the Sabbath, or day of rest, they often times don’t accept such a gift, instead overworking themselves.

Such behavior throws people off of their rhythm, Hahn explained, and ultimately causes us to be “an overworked [and] under-rested people.”

Keeping the Sabbath was an important practice explained in Genesis, and it was reiterated in the Ten Commandments, with the fourth one calling on Christians to remember the Sabbath day.

This mention shows the importance of rest, Hahn stressed, saying it made the “top ten list” along with the commandments against murder and adultery.

Along with keeping our balance of work and rest, the Sabbath serves as an important day for us to re-center our heart and mind on God.

Hahn explained that the day serves as a “block of time during the week to steer yourself toward God.”

“The point of Sabbath is not restriction, but rather refreshment,” the pastor said. “Good work and good rest lead to a good walk with God.”

This does not necessarily mean that Christians need to sit around all day doing nothing, but rather they can find activities that allow them to look inward and contemplate their relationship with God, such as gardening.

Not only does observing the Sabbath help you in your daily rhythm, relationships, and faith, it also prepares you for life beyond this life, Hahn said. “Sabbath rest – it just might be a glimpse of heaven.”

Ultimately, Hahn acknowledged that with the reality of daily life, taking a whole day to relax and focus on God can be a challenge and seem unrealistic.

Building a Sabbath into our busy schedules takes discipline and dedication, the pastor continued. To maintain this discipline, Hahn encouraged people to start slowly, gradually drawing themselves into this rhythm of work and rest.

The pastor concluded his sermon by calling on all members of the church to challenge themselves to carve out a block of time for themselves in the next seven days to rest and reconnect with God. When they do this, they will “begin to discover what it feels like to live in wholeness.”

Source : Christian Post

Moses’ Life Teaches Believers That Conflict Is Part of God’s Plan, Says Elevation Church Pastor

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Moses’ Life Teaches Believers That Conflict Is Part of God’s Plan, Says Elevation Church Pastor

Elevation Church (Photo: Elevation Church)

Christian Post Report – Thousands worship at the Code Orange Revival, Jan. 17, 2012. The revival took place at Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., Jan.11-22.

Although Christians struggle with many different internal conflicts in their life, they must look to the story of Moses to find that often times “the conflict is the resolution,” Pastor Jonathan Josephs of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, said during a sermon Sunday.

Josephs, who serves as a campus pastor at the church, which was listed as one of the largest evangelical churches in the United States by Outreach magazine back in 2013, spoke on the topic of reconciling internal conflicts during his message titled “Conflict Resolution.”

Every person struggles with their identity, Josephs says, because everyone plays different roles in their life: the role of a father, the role of a pastor, the role of an employee, the role of a husband, etc.

Josephs describes this struggle as the “third word,” or trying to put the perfect noun to define yourself after the phrase “I am.”

“I’ve got all these different third words and sometimes it’s hard for me to reconcile how they all fit together,” the pastor told the congregation.

What Christians fail to realize, he adds, is even though they may be constantly struggling to piece their internal conflicts together, these quarrels can actually work together to serve God’s plan.

Josephs points specifically to the story of Moses, who was born a Hebrew but was sent in a basket down the river to live as a prince in Egypt. Moses struggles with this internal conflict, and further complicates his life when he murders an Egyptian and hides him in the sand.

Moses then attempts to flee his past by hiding in the wilderness, where he encounters the burning bush. It is there that God tells Moses He will lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and Moses changes his perspective, realizing that all of his past experiences prepared him for this opportunity.

“I feel like God sent me here tonight to tell you that when you begin to embrace all the pieces that God has placed into your life — all the titles, all the third words, and you bring it before God, He’ll show you the purpose He has for you,” Josephs says. “The conflict you feel, God’s preparing all along to be the resolution, not only for you but for other people too.”

The pastor went on to say that he has now realized all of his previous experiences, which seemed to be conflicting, can actually work together to make him better in all of his roles. For example, as he grows as a husband, he’s becoming a better pastor.

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made. It wasn’t by mistake. It had to happen,” the pastor says.

Going back to the concept of “the third word,” Josephs says Christians should focus more on the “I am” rather than the noun, quoting Moses when he tells God: “I am here.”

Josephs concludes his sermon by calling on all Christians to come before God and tell Him “I am here,” so they may sooner see how their internal conflict is actually a part of God’s plan.

Source : Christian Post

Billy Graham Reveals Why Some Christians Lose Their Faith

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Billy Graham Reveals Why Some Christians Lose Their Faith

The Rev. Billy Graham (Photo: Reuters/Robert Padgett)

Christian Post Report – Evangelist Billy Graham speaks at the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 31, 2007.

While some Christian children “lose their faith” and turn away from God and the church, they must realize their faith needs time and effort to grow, the Rev. Billy Graham said Tuesday.

In response to a question regarding lost faith in The Kansas City Star, the 97-year-old evangelical leader says that while there are many reasons why a young Christian might turn away from God, one of the main causes is they don’t realize their relationship with Him needs to grow.

“Like the seed in one of Jesus’ parables, a plant with no roots eventually withers and dies — and the same is true of faith,” Graham writes.

Young people also turn away from their faith because they lack commitment, or they get distracted with other values and friend groups, ultimately making the decision that there is no room for God in their adult life.

Even though children may lack commitment, this doesn’t mean they don’t understand the meaning behind it.

“Children may not understand everything — but they can understand that God loves them, and Jesus Christ came into the world to offer them the gift of eternal life,” Graham writes. “Moreover, they can understand that they need to commit their lives to Jesus by inviting Him to come into their lives. Faith and commitment go hand in hand.”

This basic understanding of commitment equips children with the ability to grow in their faith, but they must make an active effort to do so.

Children must also keep their faith as a central part of their life despite distractions and potentially harmful influence from friends.

Sometimes, young Christians “… simply get too busy or preoccupied with other things. Or they get in with a group of people who never think about God, and they give in to the pressure of the crowd.”

“Still others conclude that faith simply has no place in an intelligent adult’s life,” the Baptist minister says.

Graham concludes his message by encouraging adults to pray for children, that they might maintain their commitment to God throughout their lives.

The evangelical leader has addressed the topic of leaving the church before, writing in an April 2008 post that no matter how long you’ve been away from the church, God loves you and will always welcome you back.

God “yearns for you to leave the dead-end road you’re on and come back to Him. He knows the price you’ve paid for leaving Him out of your life and going your own way — and He doesn’t want you to have to pay it any longer,” Graham wrote. “This is why He is willing to forgive you, if you will only turn back to Him in repentance and faith.”

“After all, Jesus Christ has already paid the price for your forgiveness — the price of His own blood, which He shed on the cross for you,” the evangelical pastor continued. “Satan will try to convince you that you have gone too far — but it isn’t true.”

Graham then cited Isaiah 55:7, which reads: “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

Source : Christian Post

Adrienne Bailon Breaks Silence on Romance With Gospel Singer Israel Houghton

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Adrienne Bailon Breaks Silence on Romance With Gospel Singer Israel Houghton

Adrienne Bailon (Photo: Reuters/Fred Prouser)

Christian Post Report – Adrienne Bailon, one of the members of the pop music group “The Cheetah Girls”, poses as she arrives for the world premiere of the animated film “Wall-E”in Los Angeles, California, June 21, 2008.

Mainstream entertainer Adrienne Bailon has finally broken her silence after it was recently reported by celebrity news sites and confirmed by Israel Houghton, multi-Grammy Award winning gospel singer, that they were dating after he recently finalized his divorce to his former wife of over 20 years.

Bailon, 32, had stayed mum as photos of her in a bikini on the beach in Mexico with Houghton, who is also the worship leader at Lakewood Church (currently on indefinite leave), circulated, sparking allegations that they were dating just a month after the gospel singer had publicly announced in February that his marriage was legally over. But during a recent episode of “The Real,” Bailon addressed her new relationship for the first time.

“Yes I am dating, his name is Israel Houghton as some of you guys may know. I think I’m more than anything grateful that I have a platform like this, where I can be with my girls. The show is called ‘The Real,’ it is a place where we can speak about the truth,” the TV personality and “The Real” co-host said. “With that being said, the man pictured here is not married. Praise God.”

Bailon continued, “He had actually put out a statement. He is single, number one. The other thing people were saying was that I was the cause of the divorce, which I think any divorce is obviously a sad thing. People have to go through it, [it] takes time to get through that sort of thing, and I think no one put that time together. I think people see an announcement was made at the top of the year and then they see these photos and then they think well let’s put this together but this is why I’m grateful for things like this because it allows you to set the facts straight and God forbid the facts get in the way of a really juicy story. I’m going to say the truth and the truth of the matter is he isn’t married. He obviously is divorced.”

Houghton addressed his divorce in an open letter posted on Facebook in February, where he publicly repented of his wrong doing. “It is with a collective heavy heart that we announce that after over 20 years of marriage and a long separation, Meleasa and I are officially divorced,” he wrote.

“Several years ago I failed and sinned in my marriage,” he confessed. “Though this is new to many, it is not new to us as we have been working through this for over 5 years. Although we tried, the challenges in our relationship have proven too much to overcome.”

Bailon was pegged as the reason for 44-year-old Houghton’s divorce when the beach photos surfaced, but the actress maintained that she didn’t even know him at the time of his personal failure, and said that the public blaming her for a marriage ending was “obviously hurtful.”

The two first worked together on the 2013 flick produced by Houghton, “I’m in Love with a Church Girl.” During promotional tours for the film, Bailon said she was a fan of Houghton’s music.

Bailon ended her relationship with ex-fiance Lenny Santiago back in September 2015, and Houghton announced his legal split from his former wife, Meleasa, of 20 years, in late February of this year.

Source : Christian Post

Susan Sarandon Claims Supernatural Experience With Rosary Beads But Left Catholic Church

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Susan Sarandon Claims Supernatural Experience With Rosary Beads But Left Catholic Church

Susan Sarandon(Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)Actress Susan Sarandon, nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for “You Don’t Know Jack,” arrives at the 17th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California, January 30, 2011.

Christian Post Report – Susan Sarandon claims to have had a supernatural experience with her rosary beads.

The 69-year-old actress, who received a Catholic School education that includes the Catholic University of America, no longer practices the faith. Still, she can recall experiencing some powerful things while rooting herself in Catholicism.

When speaking to Interview magazine, Sarandon spoke about once seeing her rosary beads glow as a child.

“I had these rosary beads that I would sleep with every night, and I just wanted the blessed Virgin to be on my side,” she told Interview. “Then one night I looked down and my rosary beads were glowing. And I realized that I did not want to see the blessed Virgin. I was terrified.”

While Sarandon is no longer a member of the Catholic Church, she has maintained a connection in her adult life. She received the lead actress Oscar for her portrayal of a nun named Sister Helen Prejean in the 1996 film “Dead Man Walking.”

She told Interview that it was interesting for her to connect with the nun despite not agreeing with the Catholic faith she was raised in.

“That’s why it was so interesting to find myself back with Sister Helen [in ‘Dead Man Walking’], this new breed of nuns who were making a difference in the community,” she said.

When the movie first appeared on the big screen two decades ago, Sarandon spoke about her connection with Sister Helen, whose real-life story of befriending a death row convict inspired “Dead Man Walking.”

“She was the antithesis of most of the nuns I knew when I was growing up,” Sarandon told St. Anthony Messenger in 1996. “Helen was so full of life, such a great storyteller, so life-embracing. It was clear to me that her faith was a practical one.”

Last year, the actress served as an executive producer for the documentary “Radical Grace.” In a Variety report, Sarandon spoke about her decision to help bring awareness to the “Nuns on the Bus Tour” documented in the film, which highlights nuns fighting for women’s equality and economic inequality.

“This film comes at a major crossroads in the Catholic church, and the nuns are everything that’s right with the institution,” Sarandon said in a Variety report. “They stand with the marginalized, and won’t be bullied by a hierarchy that still doesn’t treat them as equals.”

She went on to express her connection with the members of the Catholic community despite differences in beliefs.

“I was raised Catholic…,” Sarandon said. “I feel a deep connection to the women featured in ‘Radical Grace,’ and this film will hopefully build a movement toward a more inclusive and just church, and world.”

Source : Christian Post

Wycliffe Associates Plans Secret Session to Help Christians Risking Their Lives to Translate the Bible

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Wycliffe Associates Plans Secret Session to Help Christians Risking Their Lives to Translate the Bible

Egyptian Coptic Christian (Photo: Reuters/Stringer)

Christian Post Report – The father of Saber attends Sunday service in the Virgin Mary Church at Samalout Diocese in Al-Our village, in Minya governorate, south of Cairo, May 3, 2015. Saber was amongst a group of 21 Copts killed by Islamic State militants in Libya this year. Copts have long complained of discrimination under successive Egyptian leaders and Sisi’s actions suggested he would deliver on promises of being an inclusive president who could unite the country after years of political turmoil. However, striking out at extremists abroad might prove easier than reining in radicals at home. Orthodox Copts, the Middle East’s biggest Christian community, are a test of Sisi’s commitment to tolerance, a theme he often stresses in calling for an ideological assault on Islamist militants threatening Egypt’s security.

Wycliffe Associates, a ministry focused on Bible-translation work that recently suffered a terror attack on one of its officers where four workers were killed, has announced that it is scheduling a training session for Bible translators working in the most dangerous places for Christians on Earth.

“There is no place on Earth where God’s Word is more urgently needed,” Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post Tuesday. “This is a place of terror, oppression, violence, death, and heartache. To be a Christian is to be a target. Yet the few Christians living there are pleading for Bibles to share secretly with the many, many people around them who are hungry for the truth.”

Wycliffe Associates said that four of its workers were killed at an office in the Middle East in March, but did not reveal the exact location due to the dangers associated with the work.

Two of the workers, killed by suspected Islamic radicals, reportedly died by gunshots, while the two other victims were beaten to death after laying on top of the lead translator to save his life.

“The remaining translation team has decided to re-double their efforts to translate, publish, and print God’s Word for these eight language communities,” Wycliffe Associates affirmed, following the attack.

The group has scheduled the first Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation training session at an undisclosed location in order to help Bible translators working in areas that are under terrorist control and where Christians are being routed out.

The training sessions will use new translation strategies that could significantly shorten the time needed to translate the Gospel for the mother-tongue speakers in the region, with portions of the Bible available in weeks or months rather than years.

Smith told Fox News last month that despite the danger that comes with the work, the nonprofit will continue to operate abroad, rather than in the safety of its Orlando headquarters.

“Yes, there is a tremendous cost. But as Tertullian, an early Church father, said — the blood of martyrs are the seeds of the church,” Smith said.

In order to help translators in hostile regions, Wycliffe Associates Scriptures for New Frontiers Fund also said it will be providing computer tablets with software, other technology and equipment, shelter, meals, and basic day-to-day support.

“God’s Word will be placed in the hands — and the hearts — of people in multiple nations, nations I can’t name because the risk is so great,” Smith added. “Our response to the terror and tragedy is to flood the area with God’s Word, in the language of the local people.”

The goal is to facilitate MAST teams starting in projects in at least 500 additional languages in 2016, the group noted.

Source : Christian Post

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Character Groot Inspired by Jesus?

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‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Character Groot Inspired by Jesus?

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Photo: James Gunn/Facebook)

Christian Post Report – ‘Guardians of The Galaxy’ Writer/Director James Gunn showcases deleted scene with

Groot, a walking and talking tree character from the 2014 blockbuster hit “Guardians of the Galaxy,” was inspired by Jesus Christ.

The film’s writer and director James Gunn took to his Facebook to reveal a screenshot of Groot acting as Jesus in a recreated image of Leonardo da Vinci’s famed “The Last Supper” painting. Groot is pictured surrounded by twelve other characters from the film, before sacrificing himself for his friends in the movie.

Although the scene was not included in the final cut of the film nor any extra scenes for the DVD release, Gunn decided to reveal it to fans.

“Groot’s Last Supper. This was a shot from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 that got cut from the movie and was never finished,” Gunn told fans. “The great artists over at Framestore finished a frame and just gave it to me as a gift. Thanks, guys!”

Gunn, who often responds to his fans’ questions and comments on social media, pointed out that Groot seemed to form a cross when he died after one viewer noted the tree character’s ability to do so.

“If you watch the end of the movie you’ll see that as well,” Gunn commented. “An Easter egg no one has seemed to notice (no not the one I’ve been talking about).”

While some questioned if his deleted last supper scene was taken out because it could be deemed as blasphemous, Gunn assured people that was not the case.

“This scene wasn’t cut because anyone thought it was blasphemous, it was just a slow moment in the wrong place in the film,” he wrote.

While Gunn and his cast are working on “Guardians of the Galaxy 2,” scheduled for a May 2017 release, the film’s main character Star-Lord, played by Christian Pratt, has been vocal about his own Christian faith over the years.

Since 2014, Pratt’s fame has skyrocketed with leading roles in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “The Lego Movie.” Before the fame, the actor, who has also appeared in “Zero Dark Thirty” and the television comedy “Parks and Recreation,” had a godly encounter when he was living in Hawaii.

Pratt, 36, recalled not being old enough to drink alcohol at the time, and admitted that he and his friend got somebody to buy them alcohol before a man stopped to evangelize to them.

“This guy came by and was like, ‘What are you doing tonight?’ I was like, ‘Oh, I dunno. I was just gonna wait out here, my friends are gonna buy me a bottle of Carlo Rossi and a sixer of Milwaukee’s Best Ice,” Pratt recalled to Esquire magazine. “So he’s like, ‘Will you fornicate tonight?’ I was like, ‘I hope so.’ ‘And drugs and drinking?’ It’s like, ‘Most likely, yeah. Probably all three of those things. I mean, at least two of them, possibly all three.'”

However, the man had a message for Pratt.

“He was like, ‘I stopped because Jesus told me to stop and talk to you. He said to tell you you’re destined for great things,'” Pratt recalled. “My friends came out, and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go with this guy.’ I gave my soul to Jesus within, like, two days. I was stuffing envelopes for his organization, Jews for Jesus. I’m not even sure, at that age — I was nineteen years old — I knew what Jewish was.”

Four weeks later, the actor was discovered, which he believes was a part of his destiny.

“I do believe in destiny…,” he told Esquire. “But I didn’t walk into 7-Eleven, buy a scratch ticket, scratch it off, and star in Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Source : Christian Post

Melissa Joan Hart Compares Criticism From ‘God’s Not Dead 2’ to ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’

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Melissa Joan Hart Compares Criticism From ‘God’s Not Dead 2’ to ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’

Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe (Photo: Grace Hill Media)

Christian Post Report – Melissa Joan Hart plays teacher Grace Wesley, while Jesse Metcalfe portrays her lawyer Tom Endler defending her Christian faith in “God’s Not Dead 2,” which hits theaters April 1, 2016.

For almost a decade, Melissa Joan Hart played a witch on television, which drew the ire of some Christians. Now that she is portraying a very different role, that of a devout Christian teacher in the film “God’s Not Dead 2,” people still have something to complain about, says the 39-year-old actress. This time, however, her critics seem to be the opposite crowd.

“For the longest time, while I played a witch on television [on ‘Sabrina, The Teenage Witch’], the Christian community attacked me for popularizing the magic aspects on that secular TV show,” Hart told the Chicago Sun Times. “Now it’s the opposite. I’m getting grief for playing the good Christian woman who is being persecuted by the outside world!”

In the film that is currently in theaters, Hart portrays a Christian teacher name Grace Wesley whose career is on the line after her decision to answer one student’s question about the teachings of Jesus Christ sounding similar to those of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

“What makes nonviolence so radical is its unwavering commitment to a non violent approach,” Wesley tells a classroom full of students.

After a student questioned if this was similar to Jesus preaching to love our enemies, the teacher agreed.

“You have heard it said love your neighbor and hate your enemy,” Hart told her classroom, repeating Matthew 5:43. “But I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

The exchange prompted a student to text his parents, which resulted in Wesley being reprimanded by her principal and co-workers. However the stakes are raised higher when an anti-God civil liberties group tries to make her an example in an attempt to remove people’s religious liberties by convincing the student’s parents to sue the teacher.

Hart explained why she felt called to the film.

“Today, there are a lot of Christians being persecuted for their faith far beyond the freedoms this country was founded on,” Hart told the Sun Times. “In the past, mainstream Christians were members of what we could call the big powerhouse religion at the time — and may have been doing a fair amount of persecuting minority religions. But now those Christians feel their faith is something that is trampled on or ignored. Now the tables have turned.”

In a CBN Europe report, the actress admitted that she struggled with the idea of doing the film.

“[I] felt a little bit of resistance to go and do this movie away from my family. I promised them I would be home,” she said. “I had just finished six years of Melissa and Joey. This was my time to be home and be a mom. Now, I was feeling like I was picking up and leaving again.”

Still, Hart enjoyed taking on the controversial role.

“I’m not someone to shy away from controversy. I actually enjoy taking it head on,” she told CBN. “What we are trying to do here is to break down any boundaries and really show Christ’s mission of bringing love and tolerance to the world.”

Source : Christian Post

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