ISIS ‘Burned Alive’ 20-Y-O Girl After She Refused ‘Extreme Sex Act,’ Forces Sex Slaves to Become Prostitutes, UN Rep Says

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ISIS ‘Burned Alive’ 20-Y-O Girl After She Refused ‘Extreme Sex Act,’ Forces Sex Slaves to Become Prostitutes, UN Rep Says

Iraq (Photo: Reuters/Stringer)

Christian Post Report – Displaced Sunni women fleeing the violence in Ramadi, carry bags as they walk on the outskirts of Baghdad, May 24, 2015. Iraqi forces recaptured territory from advancing Islamic State militants near the recently-fallen city of Ramadi on Sunday, while in Syria the government said the Islamists had killed hundreds of people since capturing the town of Palmyra.

Islamic State militants have allegedly burned a 20-year-old women alive because she refused to perform what a United Nations official deemed was an “extreme sex act.” The same official also disclosed that ISIS is forcing some sex slaves to be prostitutes.

As The Christian Post previously reported, Zainab Bangura, the U.N.’s special representative on sexual crimes in war, recently conducted interviews with displaced ISIS victims in Iraq and Syria, as she toured through five Middle East countries compiling information on ISIS’ sex crimes.

Bangura, who also visited Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, recently spoke with the Middle East Eye and provided more shocking details of the horrors that women and children face at the hands of ISIS’ systemic sex trafficking operations.

“They commit rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution and other acts of extreme brutality,” Bangura asserted. “We heard one case of a 20-year-old girl who was burned alive because she refused to perform an extreme sex act. We learned of many other sadistic sexual acts. We struggled to understand the mentality of people who commit such crimes.”

ISIS (Photo: Reuters/Asmaa Waguih)

Ilham, a Yazidi woman, folds the curtain of the tent where she lives in a refugee camp near Duhok, February 26, 2015. Reuters photographer Asmaa Waguih: Ilham was kidnapped by Islamic State in August last year and was transported to Tal Afar along with other girls and women. She was raped several times by one of the militants. When Ilham tried to escape, some people she asked for help handed her back to the militants. She managed to get away a few weeks later. At refugee camps in northern Iraq I met and photographed Yazidi women who had survived being kidnapped by Islamic State. I needed government approval to visit some of the camps. The camp officials wanted to protect the women and were wary of the fact that I had a camera. It took a while for the women to get used to me. But when they did, they were happy to share their stories, to tell me what had happened to them. It is very difficult for women living in a quiet, conservative area to admit they have faced sexual violence. In some cases, I heard from camp officials that a woman had been raped, but when I met her she would speak of the brutality of the militants and then mention knowing that some women had even been raped. In general, escapees would try to find a time when the militants were busy working and then seek help. Sometimes people would agree to hide them and then find cars to take them to other areas. At other times they would return the women to Islamic State. Some had managed to escape in groups. Others had family members still being held by the insurgents. It’s a disastrous situation for these families’ and it’s not over yet.

Through the course of Bangura’s investigation, she has gained an understanding of how ISIS processes religious minority women and girls through its sex slave operation. After capturing the women and girls, Bangura said militants check them to see if they are virgins and examine the women for the features before shipping them off to be sold in sex slave markets.

“After attacking a village, IS splits women from men and executes boys and men aged 14 and over. The women and mothers are separated; girls are stripped naked, tested for virginity and examined for breast size and prettiness,” she said. “The youngest, and those considered the prettiest virgins fetch higher prices and are sent to Raqqa, the IS stronghold.”

In a media briefing earlier this month, Bangura stated that ISIS even strips girls naked and puts them on display for sale in sex slave “bazaars.”

In her interview with Middle East Eye, she further explained the pecking order in which the ISIS chain of command gets to pick which girls they get to buy, take home, rape and beat.

“There is a hierarchy: sheikhs get first choice, then emirs, then fighters. They often take three or four girls each and keep them for a month or so, until they grow tired of a girl, when she goes back to market,” Bangura said. “At slave auctions, buyers haggle fiercely, driving down prices by disparaging girls as flat-chested or unattractive.”

As virgins are valued more in ISIS sex slave markets, Bangura told the media briefing that one enslaved woman, who was bought and sold by over 20 different ISIS fighters, was forced to undergo virginity restoration surgery each time she was give to another ISIS fighter. She also mentioned how another sex slave was sold over 22 times.

As more and more radicalized foreign fighters are joining ISIS from nations all over the world, Bangura said that means more fighters are coming with the expectation of receiving a sex slave or jihadi bride, thus continuing to fuel the market.

“To understand this, we must examine the concept of jihad al-nikah, or sexual jihad — whereby women’s bodies are used as part of supporting the IS campaign,” Bangura stated. “There are tens of thousands of men who expect that they will ‘get’ women to ‘marry.’ A woman’s contribution is to marry them and cater for them in many ways, including sexually. IS men may have a wife, as well as several slaves. We heard few stories of wives who helped the slaves to escape.”

Source : Christian Post

Irish Archbishop Calls Passing of Gay Marriage in Ireland a ‘Social Revolution,’ Says Church Has ‘Big Challenge’ Ahead

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Irish Archbishop Calls Passing of Gay Marriage in Ireland a ‘Social Revolution,’ Says Church Has ‘Big Challenge’ Ahead

Ireland (Photo: Reuters/Cathal McNaughton)

Christian Post Report – Children wave rainbow flags as they stand with their same-sex marriage supporting parents at Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2015. Irish voters appear to have voted heavily in favor of allowing same-sex marriage in a historic referendum in the traditionally Catholic country, government ministers and opponents of the bill said on Saturday.

Diarmuid Martin, the archbishop of Dublin, Ireland, believes the Catholic Church needs to reestablish itself as a moral authority in Ireland after the passing of same-sex marriage by popular vote last week.

Martin spoke with broadcaster RTE about the Catholic Church needing to reconnect with young people after a referendum found 62 percent of people were in favor of changing Ireland’s constitution to allow gays and lesbians to marry.

“We [the church] have to stop and have a reality check, not move into denial of the realities. We won’t begin again with a sense of renewal, with a sense of denial,” said Martin.

He also elaborated on the point of view of gays and lesbians who are now celebrating.

“I appreciate how gay and lesbian men and women feel on this day,” he continued. “That they feel this is something that is enriching the way they live. I think it is a social revolution.”

The archbishop admittedly voted no to the changing of the constitution, however, he does believe “gay rights” should be respected without changing the definition of marriage.

Martin also said he feels the church has lost its influence with the younger generation.

“I ask myself, most of these young people who voted yes are products of our Catholic school system for 12 years? I’m saying there’s a big challenge there to see how we get across the message of the church,” he said.

Around 84 percent of people in Ireland identify as Catholic. However, its influence in society and politics has dwindled along with church attendance since the early 1990s.

Last Friday, over 1.9 million people voted whether or not to amend Ireland’s constitution which originally defined marriage as being between one man and one woman. Voters were asked if they agreed with the statement: “Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.”

The victory for same-sex marriage comes just 22 years after homosexual acts were decriminalized in the country.

The referendum prompted many young people to vote for the first time. However, the older generation was not as quick to embrace the change.

“You can give gays their rights without redefining the whole institution of marriage. What they’re asking for is too much,” said 61-year-old voter Bridget Ryan to The Associated Press.

Ireland (Photo: Reuters/Cathal McNaughton)

A nun votes in central Dublin as Ireland holds a referendum on gay marriage, May 22, 2015.

Source : Christian Post

Australian PM Tony Abbott Says Australia Will Not Hold Gay Marriage Referendum, Despite Pressure From Lesbian Sister and His Family

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Australian PM Tony Abbott Says Australia Will Not Hold Gay Marriage Referendum, Despite Pressure From Lesbian Sister and His Family

<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks at a joint news conference with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak during an official visit in Putrajaya September 6, 2014.” title=”<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks at a joint news conference with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak during an official visit in Putrajaya September 6, 2014.” name=”jpg” src=”http://images.christianpost.com/full/83931/australian-prime-minister-tony-abbott-speaks-at-a-joint-news-conference-with-his-malaysian-counterpart-najib-razak-during-an-official-visit-in-putrajaya-september-6-2014.jpg” class=”imgPhoto” width=”550″ height=”450″ /> <small class=(Photo: Reuters/Olivia Harris)

Christian Post Report – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks at a joint news conference with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak during an official visit in Putrajaya September 6, 2014.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that his country will not follow in the footsteps of Ireland and hold a referendum on legalizing same-sex marriage, despite pressure from other politicians, including his own lesbian sister and fellow politician Christine Forster. Abbott added that he’s probably the last person in his family to uphold traditional marriage.

“Referendums are held in this country when there is a proposal to change our constitution and I don’t think anyone is suggesting the constitution needs to be changed in this respect,” Abbott said following the referendum in Ireland, the Irish Times reported on Monday.

“It’s up to members of parliament who are eager for change to decide whether they want to bring it forward.”

Australia permits gay couples to enter civil unions, but not marriage, a position which Abbott has defended.

On Saturday, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage by way of public referendum, when 62 percent of the population who voted chose to change the nation’s constitution to include same-sex couples in the definition of marriage.

Australian ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja suggested on Sunday that Australia should follow suit, even though he does not support gay marriage.

“If you are going to make such a fundamental change it should go to a referendum. I think there is a reasonable argument for that,” Seselja told the ABC on Sunday.

Forster, a Liberal Party politician, has said that she will attempt to change her brother’s mind and allow the issue to go to a referendum.

“I’d like something more from the current prime minister, who happens to be my brother,” Forster told Sky News.

“I absolutely will be lobbying my brother, and I hope the party room makes enough noise about this.”

Bills looking to legalize same-sex marriage have failed in the Australian parliament in recent years, with the high court striking down such proposals in December 2013.

Abbot, who is a Roman Catholic, admitted that he’s probably the last person in his family to uphold the traditional definition of marriage.

“Inside the Abbott family I’m probably the last holdout for the traditional position, so look, it is a serious issue,” he said.

“I don’t know if and when it’s going to come before our parliament again. It came before our parliament in the last term and was dealt with fairly decisively,” the PM added about future gay marriage legislation.

Source : Christian Post

Iraq Hits Back Against US Claim It Has ‘No Will to Fight’ ISIS, Launches Major Operations to Liberate Captured Provinces

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Iraq Hits Back Against US Claim It Has ‘No Will to Fight’ ISIS, Launches Major Operations to Liberate Captured Provinces

Members of Iraqi special-operations forces prepare for an Islamic State attack in June. The militant group launched a massive attack on the provincial capital Ramadi in May, 2015. (Photo: Reuters/Stringer)

Christian Post Report – Members of Iraqi special-operations forces prepare for an Islamic State attack in June. The militant group launched a massive attack on the provincial capital Ramadi, May 2015.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has hit back against accusations by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter that his country has “no will” to fight terror group ISIS, which prompted Vice President Joe Biden to call al-Abadi and speak about the issue. The Iraqi army has meanwhile launched a major military offensive to liberate the captured Anbar and Salaheddin provinces.

Abadi responded to Carter’s accusations over the weekend by stating through a spokesman that the U.S. defense secretary had been given “incorrect information,” and said that it’s not right to “judge the whole army based on one incident.”

Iraqi forces lost the battle for the key city of Ramadi earlier this month, giving ISIS its most significant victory in the country since the U.S. and its international allies began airstrike operations against the terror group last year.

Biden has since recognized “the enormous sacrifice and bravery” that Iraqi forces have shown in defense of their country, The Guardian noted, and praised the Iraqi government for mobilizing additional troops for counter-attack operations.

CNN reported that Iraqi forces will be aiming to take back Ramadi, which is Anbar’s capital, and located only 70 miles from Baghdad. In Salaheddin, the army will look to cut a supply route into Anbar, and liberate Baiji city and an oil refinery, both of which are under ISIS’ control.

Iraq’s state television channel, Iraqiya TV, stated on Tuesday: “Defense Minister: Vast operations are underway, coordinated between our Armed Forces and the heroic forces of al-Hashd al-Shaabi to liberate Ramadi from Daesh [ISIS].

Officials have not shared details on how many troops are involved, however, or given any timeline for when ground forces will engage the Islamic militants in combat.

The U.N. has said that over 55,000 people have fled Ramadi since ISIS captured the city. The jihadist group has reportedly carried out many atrocities in the city, including mass executions of people and families deemed to have been supporting the government.

CNN counter-terrorism analyst Philip Mudd offered that the government combining forces with Shiite militia groups may be enough to help it achieve initial victories.

“Short term, they may win,” said Mudd, a former CIA counter-terrorism official. “The long-term solution for Iraq may not be a unified state if the only message they (Sunnis in Anbar province) get is either join ISIS, which will behead you, or support the government, which brings in rival Shiite militias to oust the Sunnis. It’s a very difficult political situation.”

ISIS has continued amassing foreign troops, and throughout the past year has gained experience in capturing and holding large cities.

“Long term, I think there have to be pretty basic questions about how a Shiite-led government that’s supported by Iran brings in Sunnis to participate in government,” he said.

Source : Christian Post

Pope Francis Says the Devil Is Keeping Evangelicals and Catholics Divided: ‘We Are One; It Is He Who’s Persecuting Christians Today’

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Pope Francis Says the Devil Is Keeping Evangelicals and Catholics Divided: ‘We Are One; It Is He Who’s Persecuting Christians Today’

<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Pope Francis kneels as he leads the Christmas night mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican December 24, 2014.” title=”<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Pope Francis kneels as he leads the Christmas night mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican December 24, 2014.” name=”jpg” src=”http://images.christianpost.com/full/79526/pope-francis-kneels-as-he-leads-the-christmas-night-mass-in-saint-peters-basilica-at-the-vatican-december-24-2014.jpg” class=”imgPhoto” width=”550″ height=”450″ /> <small class=(Photo: REUTERS/Max Rossi)

Christian Post Report – Pope Francis kneels as he leads the Christmas night mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican December 24, 2014.

Pope Francis has said that it’s the devil himself who keeps evangelicals, Catholics, and Christians from other denominations divided, and rejected the notion that it’s heretical to believe that all Christians are one.

“Division is the work of the ‘Father of Lies,’ ‘the Father of Discord,’ who does everything possible to keep us divided,” Francis said in a video message to a gathering sponsored by the John 17 Movement, according to Catholic Herald.

“I feel like saying something that may sound controversial, or even heretical, perhaps,” he added. “But there is someone who ‘knows’ that, despite our differences, we are one. It is he who is persecuting us. It is he who is persecuting Christians today, he who is anointing us with (the blood of) martyrdom.”

Francis added that the devil “knows that Christians are disciples of Christ, that they are one, that they are brothers! He doesn’t care if they are Evangelicals or Orthodox, Lutherans, Catholics or Apostolic … he doesn’t care! They are Christians.”

The Roman Catholic Church leader insisted that “division is a wound in the body of the church of Christ. And we do not want this wound to remain open,” he said, urging for Christians to seek unity together and pray for one another.

The video was shared with the John 17 Movement in Phoenix, inspired by the passage in the Bible in which Jesus prays for the unity of his disciples.

The movement says on its official website that its vision is for Christians to respond to the final prayer of Jesus.

“On the eve of His death, He pleaded: “Father, may all who believe in me be one so the world will know you sent me.” This final plea stands as the most authoritative strategic direction for followers of Jesus,” the movement says.

“As we respond, the church — in all her rich diversity — will emerge as the attractive “city on a hill” potently demonstrating the authenticity of Jesus’ claims.”

Francis has made the call for Christian unity one of the main missions of his papacy, and has reached out to Christians from different denominations on a number of occasions.

In July 2014 he became the first pope to make an official visit to a Pentecostal church, when he spoke at the Evangelical Church of Reconciliation in the southern city of Caserta, Italy.

“Someone will be surprised: ‘The pope went to visit the evangelicals?’ But he went to see his brothers,” the pope told the 350 or so worshipers at the church, and offered his apologies for the past persecution of Pentecostals at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church.

Source : Christian Post

Forgiving Hurts We Don’t Deserve

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Forgiving Hurts We Don’t Deserve

Christian Post Report – Colossians 3:12-14

It is truly amazing how some people attempt to justify an angry, unforgiving heart. They may think, God knows what that person did to me, so He understands why I feel this way. Well, He certainly understands, but that doesn’t mean He approves.

  • Dr. Charles F. Stanley
    (Photo: In Touch Ministries)
    Dr. Charles F. Stanley (File).

Jesus faced appalling betrayal and abandonment, so He knows human emotions inside and out. Yet the Lord does not agree that we should feel justified about an unforgiving attitude. The Savior had a God-centered view of forgiveness that withstood the vilest torture. This is something we should thank God for every morning. Why? Because we are the ones who betray the Lord daily.

We have wronged Jesus in ways no one has ever wronged us. We’ve denied Him His rightful place in our lives. We have doubted His Word, ignored His instructions, and left Him out of our day-to-day lives. We’ve sinned against Him and shamed Him by sinning against others.

What is Jesus’ response to this abuse? “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Now, do you really believe He will justify your unforgiveness under any circumstances? No, He won’t.

When you look to God to excuse your unforgiving heart, you’ll hear Him answer, “Look at the cross.” There, you’ll discover the price that was paid for your own forgiveness. Colossians 3:13 spells out our solemn responsibility: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (NIV, emphasis added). Just as we have been forgiven, so we must now become forgivers.

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2015
All Rights Reserved.

Source : Christian Post

Ohio ‘Cowboy Pastor’ Rides Bull During Service Inside Sanctuary; Says He’s Using Gifts to Attract New Believers

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Ohio ‘Cowboy Pastor’ Rides Bull During Service Inside Sanctuary; Says He’s Using Gifts to Attract New Believers

Pastor Riding Bull (Photo: Screengrab/ ABC)

Christian Post Report – Pastor Lawrence Bishop II riding a bull inside the sanctuary at Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio.

One Ohio pastor certainly is obeying Jesus when He warns against burying talents in the Gospel of Matthew.

Pastor Lawrence Bishop II, 48, of Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, is an experienced bull rider and is known as the “Cowboy Pastor” for turning his church into a rodeo by frequently wrestling and riding bulls during service, a practice he uses to attract new believers.

“You know, the Bible said to compel them to come in, and so that’s what we’re doing,” Bishop told ABC’s “Nightline.” “It didn’t say how to compel them. It just said compel them to come in, so … this is a tool.”

During a recent service at least 300 people responded to an alter call asking new believers to come forward and be baptized.

“The Bible says to be ‘Wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove,'” Bishop continued. “It also said, ‘He that winneth souls is wise.’ So these bulls are going to attract people that otherwise would never set foot in a church house.”

Bishop was a professional bull rider before taking over the church for his father. He put a bull riding ring inside the sanctuary and his own mother “thought he was crazy” for doing it.

“I don’t have very many talents other than riding stuff that bucks or play[ing] music,” he added. “So I’ve used both to spread the Gospel … to try to bring people to Jesus.”

Solid Rock was founded by Bishop’s father, Lawrence Bishop Sr., and his wife, Darlene, decades ago. The couple worked as horse ranchers before starting the church. Their LB Ranch is one of the country’s foremost breeders of American quarter horses.

Darlene Bishop described Solid Rock as a “fun” place that people “love to come to.” It has around 3,000 members and is racially mixed with half of the congregation being African-American.

Bull riding as a means of evangelism is not a new phenomenon. In 2009, The Christian Post reported on a Texas outreach ministry that uses rodeo as a means of reaching the lost.

The Cowboy Church of Ellis County, founded in 2000, bills itself as an “outreach to team ropers, barrel racers, working cowboys, and others who love western culture and enjoy rural life.”

The church started with 300 people attending its first service and has grown to over 1,700 members.

Like Bishop, others around the country have said that bull riding attracts people to attend church services, including Wyoming horse whisperer Grant Golliher.

“We use an out-of-the-box method to get people to come, because people have so many walls up with church,” Golliher told CP in 2009.


ABC News Videos | ABC Entertainment News

Source : Christian Post

‘Noble’ Review: Film Shows How God Uses Imperfect People to Achieve Great Purposes

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‘Noble’ Review: Film Shows How God Uses Imperfect People to Achieve Great Purposes

"Noble" (Photo: Courtesy of Destiny Films)

Christian Post Report – Irish actress Deirdre O’Kane portraying children’s activist Christina Noble in “Noble.”

“Noble” tells the story of Irish children’s rights activist Christina Noble and jumps around to different parts of her life including childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, and adulthood to reveal the journey that led to her groundbreaking work in Vietnam where she provided healthcare, education and protection for more than 700,000 children and their families.

The film features three different actresses portraying Noble with Deirdre O’Kane playing the elder Noble, and does a wonderful job of communicating the no nonsense attitude developed by her younger self who never seemed to catch a break.

Noble’s alcoholic father couldn’t take care of her family so she was sent to a school run by nuns when she was a child. During her teenage years she’s gang raped and left pregnant. She delivers the child and the baby was ripped away from her by the nuns who were supposed to be looking out for her. A relationship with an abusive adulterous husband followed, but all these experiences led Noble to make sure other children didn’t have to suffer a similar fate.

After conversations with God and a recurring dream, Noble is led to Vietnam to change the lives of many.

Director/writer Stephen Bradley tells Noble’s story in a way that directly relates her experiences to the work that she does. It starts rather slow and gradually builds to the grand accomplishments of this woman. When Noble finally receives support for the centers she opens up in Vietnam, it feels like a giant payoff for the hardships the audience suffers through with her during the film.

The film avoids unnecessary gratuitousness, but at the same time shows the rough neck nature and attitude of Noble, who has been described by O’Kane in interviews as a “smoking, swearing answer to Mother Theresa.” Her journey from hopeful little girl to fearless activist is paced extremely well and “Noble” works as a great example of how experiences shape the character of a person.

“Penny Dreadful’s” Sarah Green’s portrayal of Noble as a teenager and young adult is honest and impactful. The actress does a great job of portraying a feisty girl who takes her bumps but is resilient despite the hell that has become her life. The three girls playing Noble, which also include child actress Gloria Cramer Curtis, take up most of the screen time, but all three complement each other well.

“Noble” takes a risk by taking time to build toward Noble’s work as an activist, which could end up losing some impatient viewers, but if you stick with it, this film delivers. One of the other downsides to it is that it focuses more on her life growing up than what she accomplishes for children in Vietnam. It would be nice to see a sequel that shows us more of the work she has done.

Faith plays a significant but small role in “Noble.” She’s a Catholic who’s not afraid to make demands to God. Her relationship with her maker seems honest and relatable. It also fits her journey as she’s someone who has lead a life that is anything but conventional. She talks to God and he answers by giving her a calling and sustaining her through all the turmoil in her life.

Lastly, “Noble” does a great job of showing that God uses imperfect people for great purposes.

Source : Christian Post

Christian Charity ‘Homes for Hope’ Seeks to Build 25 Homes for the Poor in 48 Hours Over Memorial Day Weekend

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Christian Charity ‘Homes for Hope’ Seeks to Build 25 Homes for the Poor in 48 Hours Over Memorial Day Weekend

Homes for Hope (Photo: YWAM San Diego/Baja)

Christian Post Report – Volunteers gather for a “Homes for Hope” project.

A California-based Christian youth charity is seeking to build 25 homes for the poor in Mexico over the span of only two days.

Known as “Homes for Hope,” the San Diego chapter of Youth With a Mission’s project, will focus on building 25 homes in Mexico during Memorial Day weekend.

Sean Lambert, founder and president of YWAM/San Diego, told The Christian Post that the largest number of houses his charity has ever built in two days before this project was 13.

“We knew building 25 homes in a 48-hour window was going to be challenging, but all along the way, God just seemed to bless the idea,” said Lambert.

“We have 440 volunteers signed up to build along with a 150 of our full-time staff coordinating everything. It’s a massive effort but it’s really fun and a joy to see it all come together.”

Homes for Hope (Photo: YWAM San Diego/Baja)

Volunteers raising wall for a house as part of a “Homes for Hope” project.

Lambert and his wife founded YWAM back in 1990 and since then the organization boasts of building over 5,000 houses for the less fortunate in 19 countries.

For their Memorial Day weekend project, YWAM has among its volunteers several notable Olympic athletes, businessmen, and authors.

Individuals participating in the house building in Mexico this weekend include author and management expert Ken Blanchard, author and business management specialist Patrick Lencioni, Olympian Shawn Johnson, and Major League Baseball’s Garret Anderson.

Lambert told CP that he believes the reason many noteworthy people are taking part is because over the years “we have found that people are looking for a way to give back that involves more than just writing a check.”

“Every Home of Hope funded is built by the group that raises the money for the house to built. There is such amazing energy and joy in the Homes of Hope program, it’s very contagious,” said Lambert.

“CEO Dave Lindsey of Defender Direct (Indianapolis, Indiana,) has collectively brought over 5,000 employees, spouses, and children through the Homes of Hope program since 2007. … CEO Dave Stone from First Rate Inc. (Arlington, Texas,) has built 53 times.”

The home themselves will be modest in their décor, made with a concrete foundation and wooden frame along with expert supervisors present. Typically 15 to 20 volunteers build one of these houses.

Lambert explained to CP about the theme of “sufficiency” undergirding the style and manner of homes scheduled to be built this weekend.

“They consist of three windows and a door, with a sheetrocked interior, two bedrooms and a living room/kitchen area,” said Lambert.

“Jesus Himself grew up in sufficiency. It’s God’s heart that everyone has the basics of food, water, shelter, healthcare, and clothing. A Home of Hope provides a very sufficient and beautiful small home for the family to live in.”

Source : Christian Post

Catholic Ireland Set to Become First Country to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage Through Referendum

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Catholic Ireland Set to Become First Country to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage Through Referendum

gay marriage religious freedom (Photo: Reuters/Cathal McNaughton)

Christian Post Report – Daniel McArthur (C) general manager of Ashers bakery involved in a “gay cake” legal dispute speaks to the media outside Laganside court in Belfast. March 26, 2015. Ashers refused to make a cake bearing a pro-gay marriage slogan on it which was to be given to Andrew Muir, Northern Ireland’s first openly gay mayor. The bakers refused to make the cake on the grounds that it contradicted their religious beliefs according to local media.

Ireland, a traditionally Catholic country, appears to have become the first country to legalize gay marriage through a popular vote Saturday, as both government ministers and opponents of the proposed constitutional amendment said hours after the counting of votes began Saturday.

“I think it’s won,” Equality Minister Aodhan O. Riordain, who was at the main count center in Dublin, told Reuters as final results are expected later in the day. “The numbers of people who turned out to vote is unprecedented. This has really touched a nerve in Ireland today.”

David Quinn, director of the Catholic think tank Iona Institute, which opposes same-sex marriage, agreed with the likely victory of gay marriage supporters. He tweeted: “Congratulations to the Yes side. Well done.”

“It’s disappointing,” John Murray of the Iona Institute was quoted as saying.

About 84 percent of people in Ireland identify themselves as Catholic, and the Catholic Church remains opposed to the legalization of gay marriage.

However, the Catholic Church has lost its influence over society and politics, experts say. Attendance at mass in Catholic churches in the country has also been declining, especially since the early 1990s due to sexual abuse scandals.

An alliance of evangelical Catholics and Protestants distributed over 90,000 pamphlets against same-sex marriage in the last week, saying it undermines the Catholic faith.

“This is a big placard from the people of Ireland to the rest of the world saying this is the way forward,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted David Norris, who began a campaign for “gay rights” in the late 1970s, as saying.

On Friday, more than 3.2 million people voted on the question whether they would like to amend the 78-year-old constitution to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, 22 years after homosexual acts were decriminalized in the country although only a third of the country backed it at the time.

The Fine Gael-Labour government initiated the historic referendum to amend the constitution, which originally defined marriage as only between man and woman.

The Irish voters were asked whether they agreed with the statement: “Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.”

At least 68,000 voters registered in the last weeks of the campaign, and turnout was strong mainly in the traditionally liberal Greater Dublin compared to other parts of the country, according to The Guardian.

Many younger voters turned up at polling stations for the first time.

Five years ago, the government enacted a law providing for civil partnership but the legal recognition was without a constitutional protection.

“The loudest voice in the No campaign has been the Iona Institute, a powerful Catholic lobbying group, allegedly funded by American conservatives who promote ‘the place of marriage and religion in society,'” Ben Kelly of Attitude Magazine wrote in the U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper.

“From the birth of the Irish Republic, the Church ruled the moral life of the country. It dictated what was right and wrong, who was godly, and who was a sinner,” Kelly wrote. “It reigned supreme not just at mass on Sundays, but in schools, boarding houses, hospitals, asylums — even the local dances. And though it preached the love of God, it was the fear of God that it practiced.”

The referendum outcome has left particularly the older generation unhappy. “You can give the gays their rights without redefining the whole institution of marriage. What they’re asking for is too much,” Bridget Ryan, a 61-year-old voter, told The Associated Press.

Source : Christian Post

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