Why Mark Wahlberg Chose Church on a Saturday Night in New York City

Why Mark Wahlberg Chose Church on a Saturday Night in New York City



Superstar actor Mark Wahlberg recently visited New York City, but instead of going to a Broadway play in his free time, the actor chose to go to church.


In an interview with The Christian Post, Wahlberg said he prefers going to church on a Saturday night, to seeing a Broadway show.


“That’s what it’s all about. You know, for me, it’s just the way I love to start my day, finish my day,” Wahlberg told the Christian news outlet.


“I’ve been very blessed and very fortunate. And it’s because of the focus that I put on my faith and on my family that have allowed me to accomplish so many things. Also, with the failure and disappointment and loss, life is not easy,” he added. 


Wahlberg is preparing for the release of his new film “Instant Family” which tells the story of a couple who decides to foster 3 kids, including one troubled teen, becoming parents overnight.


The films story is based on the real-life events of Sean Anders – the film’s director – and his wife. 


While talking about the film Wahlberg said, “Just like this movie, this couple brings in three beautiful kids. And there is this kind of honeymoon period. And then there’s this very difficult time when reality sets in. But ultimately, they fall madly in love with each other. And they want to fight for these kids.”


He stressed, “There’s nothing more important than faith and family.”


Though “Instant…

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Humanists more ‘at ease’ discussing death than Christians, poll finds

Co-op Funeralcare found that while 75 per cent of humanists “were most at ease discussing death” with their family, 66 per cent of Christians and Agnostics were happy to.

Rev George Pitcher, a journalist and author, told Premier he understands why Christians may fear death.

 

“It’s difficult to talk about [death] in relation to our children certainly and I think when it comes to life insurance and those sorts of arrangements those are things that we might tend to avoid,” he explained.

“But I think, as with any other of the major issue in our lives – and our deaths must be one of the most major issues that we face in our lives – we probably address it prayerfully and in doing so with the help of God’s grace, we’ll find a way through it.”

Hindus scored lowest with only 49 per cent being relatively comfortable to discuss their death compared with 52 per cent of Muslims.

Rev Pitcher said his experience painted a different picture to the study’s message.

He added: “My anecdotal evidence as a priest in the Church of England is that people of faith are invariably relaxed about their mortality when the time comes.

“I think I’d want to know what kind of questions the Co-op were asking in their survey.

“Those of us with faith consider death rather more complicated as an issue than a simple termination of an organism so I imagine that we might reply in rather more complex ways to…

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U.S. Baptist Missionary and Father of 8 Killed in Cameroon

U.S. Baptist Missionary and Father of 8 Killed in Cameroon



A 44-year-old Baptist missionary was shot and killed in the war-torn nation of Cameroon Tuesday, about two weeks after he, his wife and their eight children arrived there.


Charles Wesco was shot in the head while traveling in a region where the military has been fighting separatists, according to Reuters.


His wife, Stephanie Wesco, had posted on Twitter after he was shot, “I’m sharing what is worse than a nightmare. My precious husband was shot in the head on our way to town today. He is fighting for his life. Please pray.”


Hours later, she posted an update, announcing his death. 


“My Precious husband, Charles, is now with the Savior he adored and faithfully served for many years,” she wrote. “His life focus was seeking to cause others to love Jesus and serve him. My prayer is that somehow someway Jesus will be glorified through my Precious Charles’ death and that God will not let his death have been in vain. He is receiving the Martyrs crown from his Lord. My heart is broken. I want to wake up from a horrific nightmare. Please pray for us.”


The Wescos were sent to Cameroon through First Light Baptist Mission in Oshkosh, Wis. His brother, Timothy Wesco, is pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Elkhart, Ind. He’s also a state representative. 


“He loved the Lord. He loved family,” Timothy Wesco said. “The Lord giveth. The Lord taketh away. Blessed be…

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‘I’m back to how I was’, says Sir Cliff Richard after BBC privacy case win

The Christian entertainer also echoed his call for a change in the law which would ensure people accused of sex offences stay anonymous unless they are charged.

The Daily Express newspaper quoted the 78 year old as saying during the Pride of Britain Awards: “I’ve just relaxed. I’m back to how I was.”

 

Sir Cliff (pictured below with friend and broadcaster, Gloria Hunniford) sued the BBC for its live coverage of a raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire four years ago by police investigating an alleged historic sex offence.

The performer, who always denied any wrongdoing, was never arrested or charged. He described the last four years of his life as “murderous”.

In July, the High Court awarded Sir Cliff more than £200,000 in damages after ruling that the corporation had infringed upon his privacy in a “serious and sensationalist way”

Steve Parsons/PA Wire

 

He is also entitled to recover further sums for the financial impact he has suffered, the sum of which will be decided at a later date.

Sir Cliff has met with the MP Nigel Evans and DJ Paul Gambaccini – two men wrongly accused of sex offences to campaign for a change in the law.

He told the Express: “I’ve had mail – there is a whole army of people who have been accused who are innocent. Some of them have spent time in prison.

“Changing the law is going to take a fight.”

Stay up to date with…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Nancy Pelosi Vows Action on LGBT Issues if Democrats Retake the House

Nancy Pelosi Vows Action on LGBT Issues if Democrats Retake the House



With the midterm elections less than a week away, Nancy Pelosi is making big promises to the LGBT community about the Democratic agenda if they retake the House of Representatives. 


Pelosi recently told the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard that the Equality Act will be one of her top priorities. The Equality Act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of classes protected by the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which already includes race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The law also bans gender discrimination in shops, healthcare, loans, housing, and jury discrimination.


The most controversial aspect of the bill prevents employers and retailers from withholding services based on the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. RFRA, introduced by late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, approved by all but three Senators, and signed by President Bill Clinton, protected religious Americans from government intrusion into their religious practices. 


A recent spate of Supreme Court cases protected not only individuals but also businesses. This summer the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop after they were fined for not baking a cake for a same-sex wedding. The court found that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission was hostile to the owner’s religious beliefs. Hobby Lobby won a victory before the court in 2014 it ruled they…

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Theresa May calls for abolition of Pakistan death penalty but fails to welcome release of Asia Bibi

Tory MP Fiona Bruce asked whether she welcomed her acquittal by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.

 

May responded in the Commons by instead saying: “The news out of Pakistan will be very welcome to her family and to all of those who have campaigned for her release.”

Christian mother Asia Bibi was released after spending eight years on death row after being accused of blasphemy.

After numerous delays, judges finally ruled there was insufficient evidence for her conviction.

 

Theresa May did however speak out against Pakistan’s use of the death penalty.

She said: “Our longstanding position on the death penalty is well known. We call for its abolition globally.”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

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Does Trump Encourage White Supremacists? Faith Groups Divided in Survey


WASHINGTON (RNS) — A new survey shows a sharp racial and religious divide over whether the actions of President Trump are encouraging white supremacist organizations.


Three-quarters of black Protestants say Trump’s behavior and decisions are emboldening white supremacists while slightly more than a quarter of white evangelicals agree with that view. Overall, more than half of Americans — 54 percent — say this is the case.


The findings, released Monday (Oct. 29), are part of Public Religion Research Institute’s 2018 American Values Survey, which addressed U.S. views on issues such as the presidency, the #MeToo movement, immigration and police brutality.


The survey comes days after a massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue by a gunman with apparent anti-immigrant animus and a racially motivated shooting in which a white gunman killed two black people at a Kroger supermarket in Jeffersontown, Ky., after trying unsuccessfully to enter a predominantly black church.


Meanwhile, the Defense Department readies for a migrant caravan’s approach toward the U.S.- Mexico border that Trump has called an “invasion.”


PRRI found that majorities of the religiously unaffiliated (69 percent), Hispanic Catholics (68 percent), non-Christians (64 percent) and Hispanic Protestants (63 percent) say the president is encouraging white supremacists, compared with fewer than half of white mainline Protestants and white Catholics (43 percent each). Evangelicals — and, to a lesser degree, white Catholics — also voted for Trump by wide margins in 2016 and many continue to…

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Mike Pence criticised for asking ‘Christian rabbi’ to pray for synagogue shooting victims

Rabbi Loren Jacobs is from the Messianic congregation Shema Yisrael where elements of Judaism and Jewish tradition are combined with Christianity – including holding the belief that Jesus is the Messiah.

After Mike Pence – who is a Christian, called Jacobs to the stage, the rabbi said: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, God and father of my lord and savior Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, and my God and father, too.”

 

On Saturday, Robert Gregory Bowers killed eight men and three women inside the Tree of Life Synagogue during worship services before a tactical police team tracked him down and shot him.

Thousands of people have taken to Twitter to criticise Pence’s selection of Jacobs to pray.

One user tweeted: “I agree with this thread 100% – the messaging is sinister and intentional. Trump has been sending anti-Semitic coded messages since Day 1 of his campaign.”

Another person commented: “It’s like saying a Buddhist Imam or Hindu priest… bizarre.”

However, some social media users have highlighted the complexity of discrediting so called Christian…

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Five Ways a Congregation Can Prevent Short Term Pastoral Tenure

Five Ways a Congregation Can Prevent Short Term Pastoral Tenure

  1. Form a liaison advocacy group
  2. Start an intercessory prayer ministry for the pastor
  3. Get quarterly updates for the first three years
  4. Form an advocacy group for the pastor’s family
  5. Be transparent and truthful on the front end

Some highlights from today’s Rainer Report:

  • Simply put, pastoral tenure is too short.
  • It always helps a pastor to know church members are regularly praying for the pastor.
  • Pastors’ spouses often receive undue criticism that leads pastors to want to leave a church.
  • Pastor search committees need to be transparent and truthful. “We are ready for change” is often not true.

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.

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7 Inspirational Hymns to Celebrate Reformation Day

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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