Redemption Church Pastor Ron Carpenter Jr. said he was promised a retirement package of $6.25 million to be made in annual payouts of $250,000 for 25 years in a failed transition agreement with fellow megachurch pastor John Gray of Relentless Church, court documents filed in South Carolina on Friday reveal.

The documents were filed in an ongoing eviction case between Carpenter and Gray over payments for the Relentless Church campus, owned by Carpenter.

Gray was given until the end of 2019 to take his church elsewhere amid allegations that he had been “shady” and “dishonest” in executing the controversial transition agreement with the Carpenters after they passed the reins of their Redemption Church campus to him in 2018. Gray had rebranded it as Relentless Church.

Carpenter and his wife Hope then moved to San Jose, California, to officially become the new pastors of the 14,000-member Jubilee Christian Center, which they renamed Redemption.

According to a copy of the transition agreement cited by Greenville News, Gray was to take the role of senior pastor and then change the name of the church allowing Carpenter to take the “Redemption” name with him.

The agreement said the church’s board agreed to pay Carpenter an annual payment of $250,000 for 25 years as part of a $6.25 million retirement package. It also noted that Redemption Church also had a mortgage obligation of more than $12 million.

Redemption Church argued that Relentless Church failed to make mortgage payments to lenders, failed to pay Redemption when a lease agreement was made and failed to vacate the property as a tenant in default.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leonardo Blair

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In the aftermath of the blaze that razed his home and left him as the sole survivor early Saturday, fire officials in Mississippi say the lifeless bodies of five of Jake Presley’s six children were found huddled together in one room while the bodies of his wife and another child were found in another bedroom.

“They say you’re not supposed to question God, but how can you have anything like this happen and not ask why,” family friend Lynn Lee, who is a member at Raymond Road Baptist Church where the entire family were members, said as the congregation grieved Sunday in a WAPT report.

Fire Chief Jeff Blackledge told The New York Times that firefighters responded to a call around 12:30 a.m. and found the Presley family home on Old Vicksburg Road in Clinton engulfed in flames.

“At the time, they didn’t know how many people were inside the house, if anybody,” Chief Blackledge said.

They later discovered that inside the home were Jake’s wife, Brittany, 33, and their six children identified by city officials as: Lane, 13; Lawson, 12; Grayson, 6; Malcom, 4; Felicity, 1; and Landon Brookshire, 15.

Allen Short, a neighbor, told WLBT3 that Jake Presley tried desperately to save his family but the attempt only left him with second-degree burns and smoke inhalation for which he is currently being treated in hospital.

Short also raised concern that burglar bars on the family home may have been a factor in the family’s inability to escape the fire.

“I’d seen the dad and he told me, he didn’t think nobody else had gotten out. And, of course, with the burglary bars being on the house, I don’t know if that was a big factor in him trying to get them out and everything. It’s just — it’s just devastating,” said Short.

“[Jake Presley’s] hair was singed and he had a big cut on his arm where he busted one of the windows trying to get in there to him. And just couldn’t get to them,” he said.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leonardo Blair

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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders stated at a forum in New Hampshire that he believes it is “absolutely essential” for a Democrat to be pro-choice on abortion.

Speaking at the “Our Rights, Our Courts” forum in Concord on Saturday, the senator from Vermont was asked by MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle if he believed it was possible to be pro-life and a Democrat.

While acknowledging the existence of a few pro-life Democrats in Congress, Sanders nevertheless concluded, “By this time in history, I think when we talk about what a Democrat is, I think being pro-choice is an essential part of that.”

In response, Princeton University Professor Robert P. George took to Twitter to denounce Sanders‘ comments, believing that the candidate was “officially excommunicating pro-life Democrats.”

“So: if you’re pro-life you are unacceptable, unwanted, an intruder. Time to go elsewhere,” said George.

Nevertheless, George also commended Sanders for showing “superiority to his competitors in terms of honesty and forthrightness.”

“His answer was direct and clear. No oiliness. Sanders is a man of principle–I only wish he had the right principles,” he added.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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ABOVE: NASA scientist Dr. Holly Gilbert appeared on Monday afternoon’s edition of CBN’s Newswatch to help us understand how the sun affects our lives here on earth. Newswatch is seen weekdays on the CBN News Channel.  For a programming schedule, click here.  

ANALYSIS

NASA and the European Space Agency launched a new mission to the center of our solar system — the Sun — Sunday night from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The joint mission will produce high-resolution photos of areas of the sun never seen before. It will provide the first pictures of the sun’s poles, and NASA scientists tell CBN News it will help us to understand how the Sun affects our lives here on Earth and better forecast space weather.

“The sun’s magnetic field drives all that activity and really creates the different cycles. Every 11 years the sun gets more and more active and then it gets less active. So, a lot of sunspots, a lot of solar storms. In order for us to understand and model this stuff, we need to see the entire sun,” Dr. Holly Gilbert said. 

The solar orbiter will come within 26 million miles of the Sun – inside the orbit of Mercury – at its closest approach.

While Solar Orbiter won’t venture close enough to penetrate the sun’s corona, or crown-like outer atmosphere, like Parker, it will maneuver into a unique out-of-plane orbit that will take it over both poles, never photographed before. Together with powerful ground observatories, the sun-staring space duo will be like an orchestra, according to Gunther Hasinger, the European Space Agency’s science director.

“Every instrument plays a different tune, but together they play the symphony of the sun,” Hasinger said.

Full science operations will begin in late 2021, with the first close solar encounter in 2022 and more every six months.

The scientists’ endeavor will help them predict space weather, which can disrupt communications on earth.  Plus, their observations on the star in our solar system will help shed light on other stars near us. 

More than a dozen spacecraft have been launched to study the Sun over the past 30 years. Technology advances have allowed the latest spacecraft to get even closer. 

In an interview on Monday’s edition of CBN’s Newswatch, Gilbert said this mission will help scientists understanding the cycles of the sun.

“The sun’s magnetic field drives all of that activity and really creates the different cycles,” Gilbert said. “Every 11 years the sun gets more and more active and then it gets less active. So there are a lot of sunspots, a lot of solar storms. In order for us to be able to forecast and understand and model this stuff, we need to see the entire sun. So the Solar Orbiter will provide the entire image of the sun, giving us that information that we can use to then form our models and then forecast space weather.”

Follow the Solar Orbiter’s mission. 

There are more than 100 verses mentioning the sun in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.  From the Sun’s creation in the book of Genesis, “And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars,” in Gen. 1:16 to its ultimate end in Acts 2: 20 when Jesus returns: “The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.”

Even though the Beatles released their song “Here Comes The Sun” in 1969, the book of Ecclesiastes has reminded readers about the Sun millennia before that.

“Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.” — Ecclesiastes 11:7

The book of Psalms praises the sun as a work of God. 

 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” –Psalm 19:1-6

“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”— Psalm 113:3

The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth wrote about the Sun.

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.” — 1 Corinthians 15:41 

He also reminded Christians there who exactly was the “light.”

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 4:6 

In Matthew 5:45, Jesus tells the multitude that God caused “the sun to rise on the evil and on the good.”

“So that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous,” — Matthew 5:45. 

In John 8, Jesus also reminds his disciples that he is the light of the world.  

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” — John 8:12

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This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading Episode #74. Where I read three chapters of the Holy Bible in the King James Version a day with my family as a part of our family devotions, to encourage you to read the Holy Bible in a year’s time. We are using a modified version of the Five Day Bible Reading Plan. It is modified because we read the Bible everyday and not just five days a week. The benefit of using the Five Day Bible Reading Plan is: you can read the entire Bible in a chronological reading plan that helps the Bible make sense. Today we are reading Leviticus 16, Psalm 37 and Acts 1.

Soren Kierkegaard said, “When you read God’s Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, “It is talking to me, and about me.”

Oswald Chambers said, “Am I learning how to use my Bible? The way to become complete for the Master’s service is to be well soaked in the Bible; some of us only exploit certain passages. Our Lord wants to give us continuous instruction out of His Word; continuous instruction turns hearers into disciples.”

Leviticus 16
1 And the Lord spake unto Mo’-ses after the death of the two sons of Aa’-ron, when they offered before the Lord, and died;

2 And the Lord said unto Mo’-ses, Speak unto Aa’-ron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

3 Thus shall Aa’-ron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.

4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Is’-ra-el two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

6 And Aa’-ron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

8 And Aa’-ron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.

9 And Aa’-ron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

11 And Aa’-ron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:

12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:

14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Is’-ra-el, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Is’-ra-el.

18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.

19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Is’-ra-el.

20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

21 And Aa’-ron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Is’-ra-el, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

23 And Aa’-ron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:

24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.

25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.

26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.

27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.

28 And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.

29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:

33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Is’-ra-el for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Mo’-ses.

Psalm 37
Psalm of Da’-vid.
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Acts 1
1 The former treatise have I made, O The-oph’-i-lus, of all that Je’-sus began both to do and teach,

2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Je-ru’-sa-lem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Is’-ra-el?

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Je-ru’-sa-lem, and in all Ju-dae’-a, and in Sa-mar’-i-a, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

11 Which also said, Ye men of Gal-i-lee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Je’-sus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

12 Then returned they unto Je-ru’-sa-lem from the mount called Ol-i-vet, which is from Je-ru’-sa-lem a sabbath day’s journey.

13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and An’-drew, Phil’-ip, and Thom’-as, Bar-thol-o-mew, and Matthew, James the son of Al-phae’-us, and Si’-mon Ze-lo’-tes, and Ju’-das the brother of James.

14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mar’-y the mother of Je’-sus, and with his brethren.

15 And in those days Pe’-ter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of Da’-vid spake before concerning Ju’-das, which was guide to them that took Je’-sus.

17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Je-ru’-sa-lem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, A-cel-da-ma, that is to say, The field of blood.

20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Je’-sus went in and out among us,

22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

23 And they appointed two, Jo’-seph called Bar’-sa-bas, who was surnamed Jus’-tus, and Matth-i’-as.

24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Ju’-das by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matth-i’-as; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

________

PRAY
________

When I was a teenager I wanted to get wisdom and knowledge, so I set out the read the big family Bible that many families had in those days. But I couldn’t get past Genesis 2 before I got bored with reading the Bible. I found out later in life that you have to believe on Christ and get saved before you can understand the Bible. So here is how I became a Christian and how you can too:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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A Pakistan high court has handed down a ruling based on Islamic “sharia” law that says men in Pakistan can marry underage girls as long as they have had their first menstrual cycle. 

International Christian Concern (ICC), a Christian persecution watchdog group, reports the ruling handed down by a two-judge panel is in direct opposition to the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act which forbids marriage below the age of 18.

The ruling came during the latest court hearing into the kidnapping, forced conversion and marriage of Huma Younus, a 14-year-old Christian girl.

As CBN News reported, Younus was kidnapped by three men from her home in Karachi last October. The men waited on her parents to leave the house before forcibly taking the young girl. She was reportedly taken to Dera Gazi Khan, a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan, more than 370 miles from her home. 

Since then, the girl’s parents have been doing everything they can to recover their daughter. 

Younus’ parents received documents from the abductors a few days after she was taken, including papers showing her alleged conversion to Islam and a marriage certificate. The girl’s mother Nagina said the papers are fake because the date on documents was the same as the day when her daughter was abducted.

In an effort to rescue their daughter, the family argued the marriage to a man named Jabbar was invalid under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act. The Christian couple supplied the court with baptismal and school documents proving Huma is 14, according to the ICC. She was born on May 22, 2005, the Independent Catholic News reports.

The law in question was passed almost six years ago in an effort to stop forced marriages to minors in the province. The practice is prevalent among Hindus and Christian girls, according to various media outlets. 

During the court hearing, judges Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Irshad Ali Shah ruled that the marriage between Huma and Jabbar is valid because she has already had her first period.

“Once again, justice has been defeated and, once again, our state has shown itself unable to treat Christians as Pakistani citizens,” Nagheena Younus, Huma’s mother, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Huma’s parents have vowed to take her case to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. 

“On February 3rd we went to the Sindh High Court but our little girl was not in the courtroom. If we do not get justice, we will address the case to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. We believe that the government and the judges are delaying the decision because our girl is 14 years old. They want to wait for her to turn 18 and then close the case,” she explained. 

Tabassum Yousaf, Younus’ lawyer, told the ACN they hoped the law could have been applied for the first time in Huma’s case.

“But evidently in Pakistan these laws are formulated and approved only to improve the image of the country in front of the international community, ask for development funds, and freely trade Pakistani products on the European market,” he said. 

Another hearing in the case has been scheduled for March 4. 

In an email to CBN News, ICC President Jeff King responded to the court’s ruling.

“Pakistan’s High Court decision to rule in favor of underage marriage is wrong on so many levels. In the last few years, the world has been awakened to the disastrous practice and effects of child marriage (child brides) through various organizations and brave female voices throughout the world,” King wrote. “I’ve yet to see these campaigners, though, touch on one aspect of the practice that allows Christians around the world to have their daughters kidnapped, often never to be seen again. That is the issue of forced marriage and forced conversion in Muslim countries.”

King explained that young Christian women are frequently targeted by Muslim men. 

“In the most fundamentalist Muslim countries (ie. Pakistan, Egypt, and others), where Christians are a minority, young Christian girls are routinely targeted by Muslim men,” he noted. “It usually starts with a young Christian girl being approached by a Muslim boy or man with a request to date or marry. If these requests are ignored, she will start to hear how she’s too pretty to be a Christian and other statements that represent a more dangerous level of harassment.”

The ICC president adds that the family usually knows the perpetrator. 

“Usually, and often tragically, the next step is that she will be kidnapped, drugged, beaten, and raped multiple times, and often the family knows who is responsible,” King continued. “In a fundamentalist, shame-based culture, the girl’s prospects for marriage, and a decent life, are permanently ruined. She is left feeling incredibly useless and ashamed. Then, she will be presented with an offer to save her dignity by being married to her rapist. If she refuses, she will be raped and beaten repeatedly.” 

King says Pakistani law enforcement officials are of little help to parents.

“When the parents inquire of the police and try to get them to do something, they will be presented with a statement from their daughter saying that she has become a Muslim,” he continued. “If the Christian parents continue to fight, they’re often slapped around and threatened with arrest. If the parents are especially brave, the daughter is often then dragged in front of them in a drugged state (with her torturer and rapist in the room) to say that she is a Muslim and doesn’t wish to come home – never making eye contact with her parents.”

King pointed out to CBN News that none of this is a rare occurrence, unfortunately.

“So it is with tremendous sadness that we receive the news that Pakistan’s High Court has allowed this practice to continue. Even more tragically, it means that for 14-year-old Huma, whose case the trial was based on, will not be returned to her parents and is probably lost to them forever,” he concluded.

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