NBC Anchor endorses letter denigrating those who believe in ‘fairy tales’ such as Noah’s ark: What persecution teaches us about our faith

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NBC Anchor endorses letter denigrating those who believe in ‘fairy tales’ such as Noah’s ark: What persecution teaches us about our faith

I need to begin with a disclaimer: this will be a positive article written to encourage Christians that we can face any circumstance we encounter this year with optimistic, joyful faith in our Father’s power and provision.

However, to get there, I need to explain why this topic is on my mind today. 

“It’s Time We Dealt With Your Religious Intolerance” 

On last Sunday’s Meet the Press, NBC News anchor Chuck Todd read and endorsed a letter claiming that supporters of Donald Trump “want to be lied to” since they believe in “fairy tales” such as Noah’s ark. 

Leaving the politics of this claim aside, let’s note that Jews believe in Noah’s ark because it is described as an historical event in the Torah (Genesis 6–9). Jesus (Matthew 24:37–39) and Peter (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5) believed in its historicity as well. And Muslims find it in the Qur’an (29:14–15). 

A recent article in Medium goes further in denigrating biblical faith. In “Dear Christians, It’s Time We Dealt With Your Religious Intolerance,” the writer laments that his Nigerian grandfather was chased from his village by Christian converts because he refused to convert to Christianity. He also notes that Christian missionaries imposed upon his father a new name, age, language, and clothing they deemed more appropriate to the faith. 

He points to John Allen Chau, the Christian who broke numerous laws and was then killed while attempting to share the gospel with an unreached people group off the coast of India. The author’s conclusion is that any religion that believes others need to accept its message or face damnation is egotistical, intrusive, invasive, and intolerant. He is convinced that we should oppose such religions as vehemently as he does. 

Of course, sins committed in the name of a religion or ideology are not necessarily the fault of that religion or ideology. As a Christian, I strongly believe that the writer’s…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

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Six Ways Comparisons Hurt Church Revitalization – Revitalize and Replant Episode #126

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Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.

Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.

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

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‘Lack of Brains Hinders Research’ and other confusing headlines: A countercultural but vital resolution for the new year

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‘Lack of Brains Hinders Research’ and other confusing headlines: A countercultural but vital resolution for the new year

We’ve all seen confusing newspaper headlines. Some of my favorites are: 

  • “Kids Make Nutritious Snacks”
  • “Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant”
  • “Complaints About NBA Referees Growing Ugly”
  • “2 Sisters Reunited after 18 Years at Checkout Counter”
  • “Hospitals Are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors”
  • “Lack of Brains Hinders Research.”

Now we’ve stepped into a day that is confusing as well. Today is the first day of the new decade. 

Or is it? 

Is this the beginning or the end of the decade? 

Most of the world follows the Gregorian calendar, which started with the year 1. As a result, decades should logically end with years that end with a 0. In other words, the next new decade would begin on January 1, 2021. Or so the US Naval Observatory and the Farmers’ Almanac insist. 

Making things more complicated: In 731 AD, a monk known as the Venerable Bede established that the years before Christ’s birth were to be known as “BC.” However, he didn’t include a year zero in his calculations. As a result, the year before 1 AD was 1 BC. Thus, the first decade was completed with the year 10 AD. 

Here’s the problem: People commonly think of decades as aligning with the years that denote them. It would be strange for the “Eighties” to include 1990. And psychologists point to a phenomenon called “round number bias” by which we prefer to start new decades on an even-numbered year. 

The times are so confusing we’re even confused about the times. But there’s a simple resolution we can keep beginning today that will make a transforming difference in our lives across the year to come. 

A surprising survey 

Writing for the New York Times, Tim Herrera praises the value of solitude. He notes that it helps regulate our emotions, conveying a calming effect that prepares us to better engage with other people. Solitude also replenishes us in vital ways: it helps us discover new ideas and interests, improves…

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10 Steps to Become a Better Leader in 2020

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By Chuck Lawless 

I want to be the best leader I can be. I know I’m not there yet, and I still have much room to grow. So, as I write this post, I write as a student more than a teacher. Here are some steps I’m taking to improve as a leader in 2020. 

  1. Develop a “leadership development” team. Enlist 2-3 people you respect, who know you well, and who will speak truth into your life – and ask them to evaluate your leadership at least twice a year (my preference is once per quarter). Listen non-defensively, and learn from them. 
  1. Reach out to leaders you respect. Some will be inaccessible, but you never know until you ask. Take the risk – send an email or make a phone call. Ask at least this simple question: “What three things have you learned that make you a better leader?”
  1. Read biographies or autobiographies of great leaders. You can learn much from historical leaders. I look for books that are (a) brief, because I’m busy, and (b) focused, because I want to learn about leadership. Do a Google search for “best leadership biographies” to find some options.
  1. Spend time with your co-workers. Isolation does not make a good leader. In fact, it’s dangerous. The quality time you spend with your co-workers will build them up and strengthen your team.
  1. Record and review one of your presentations. Regardless of your role, I assume that you preach a message, teach a class, lead a meeting, or spend some time in front of folks you lead. Video-record it, and review it with someone you…

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

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Chinese Pastor Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Preaching Gospel

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Chinese Pastor Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Preaching Gospel


Chinese Pastor Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Preaching Gospel

A Chinese pastor on Monday was sentenced to nine years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations,” although his only crime was to preach the gospel in an unregistered church, supporters say.

The sentencing of Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church was only the latest example in China’s crackdown on unregistered churches. 

Churches within China must register either with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (if they’re Protestant) or the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. Because such congregations face extreme regulations, millions of Christians in the country worship at underground congregations.

Early Rain was not registered. Wang was arrested in 2018.

His attorney, Si Weijiang, told the Washington Post that the incitement charge “involves preaching and is an issue of speech, which has … inflicted no social harm.” The illegal business charge related to him printing Christian books,” Si said.

A court in Sichuan, which is in southwest China, handed down the sentence.

China Aid, which monitors religious freedom in the country, criticized China for the arrest and sentence. 

“This is a pure case of unjust religious persecution against a peaceful preacher of a Chinese reformed church,” ChinaAid founder and president Dr. Bob Fu said. “This grave sentence demonstrates Xi’s regime is determined to be the enemy of universal…

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

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Christmas Celebrations Mark Progress of Religious Freedom in Sudan

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Christmas Celebrations Mark Progress of Religious Freedom in Sudan


Christmas Celebrations Mark Progress of Religious Freedom in Sudan

NAIROBI, Kenya, December 30, 2019 (Morning Star News) – In stark contrast to his predecessor, Sudan’s new minister of religious affairs last week attended a long-persecuted church’s Christmas service.

Following the Sudanese government’s announcement of Christmas as a public holiday for the first time in eight years, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasr al-Din Mufreh accompanied senior government officials at the Christmas Day service of Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church – a congregation the previous Islamist government had harassed for years.

At a press conference after visiting several churches in Khartoum on Christmas Day, the Muslim leader sent a strong signal of religious coexistence to Christians in a country where they suffered for their faith under former President Omar al-Bashir.

“I tender my apology for the oppression and the harm enforced on you physically by [the prior government’s] bulldozing your church buildings, arresting and falsely imprisoning your church leaders and raiding your property,” Mufreh said, according to Radio Dabanga.

Sudan had suspended Christmas as a holiday following the secession of South Sudan in 2011. The government-run Sudan TV on Christmas Day broadcast Christmas services of various churches in Khartoum, including the Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church, whose members had been subject to arrests on false charges and whose property had been…

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

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Tony Evans’ Wife, Lois, Dies at 70: “We Are What We Are Because of Her”

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Tony Evans’ Wife, Lois, Dies at 70: “We Are What We Are Because of Her”


Tony Evans’ Wife, Lois, Dies at 70: “We Are What We Are Because of Her”

Lois Evans, a speaker and teacher and the wife of pastor and author Tony Evans, passed away Monday, nine months after it was revealed her gallbladder cancer – a rare condition in the U.S. – had returned. She was 70.

“Just before the sun came up this morning, the love of my life, Lois Irene Evans, transitioned from earth and watched her first sunrise from heaven,” Tony Evans wrote Monday in a note posted on multiple social media accounts. “I had the privilege of holding her hand as she was lulled into eternity. Our four children surrounded her as well. As she slipped away, we told her how much we love her, how proud we are of her, and how thankful we are for the life she has lived.

“We are what we are because of her,” he added.

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

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ISIS-Affiliated Group Executes 11 Nigerian Christians

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ISIS-Affiliated Group Executes 11 Nigerian Christians


ISIS-Affiliated Group Executes 11 Nigerian Christians

A group affiliated with the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a vicious mass execution that claimed the lives of eleven Christian aid workers.

The killings were carried out as a retaliation against the killing of leader Bakr al-Baghdadi, who blew himself up after being cornered during a raid by U.S. special forces at the end of October.

The militant group known as the Islamic State in West Africa Province released a gruesome minute-long video of the shooting of one man followed by the beheading of 10 others.

“This message is to the Christians in the world,” a man featured in the video explains, as reported by the New York Times. “Those who you see in front of us are Christians, and we will shed their blood as revenge for the two dignified sheikhs, the caliph of the Muslims, and the spokesman for the Islamic State, Sheikh Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, may Allah accept them.”

The murders, which took place the day after Christmas, were strategically planned in order to distress the Christian community, according to experts.

Several reports indicate that the men were taken hostage in Maiduguri and Damaturu in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno, which has been the epicenter of an increase in Islamic militia-led violence over recent years.

In response to the killings, President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted that Nigerians should “under no circumstance, let the terrorists divide us by turning…

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

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Actor Tom Selleck Credits God for Guiding Him Throughout Life

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Actor Tom Selleck Credits God for Guiding Him Throughout Life


Actor Tom Selleck Credits God for Guiding Him Throughout Life

Actor Tom Selleck told BeliefNet that his success is because of his faith in Jesus. 

According to CBN News, Selleck said God has guided him over the years.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps,” he said. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”

Selleck had originally planned to work for United Airlines after college. His acting work started when he appeared in a few commercials. Twentieth Century Fox even offered him an acting contract, but he said God called him to serve in the U.S. Army.

He served in the California National Guard in the 160th infantry regiment from 1967 to 1973.

“I am a veteran, I’m proud of it. I was a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard, Vietnam era. We’re all brothers and sisters in that sense.”

After his time in the army, he went to Hollywood to begin acting again. He soon landed the lead role of Magnum, P.I.

The show ran from 1980 to 1988. It consistently ranked in the top 20 of U.S. television shows during its first five years, according to Nielsen Ratings.

“As good as this business has been to me, that’s not what life is about,” he said. “Life is about more important things. You know, we’ve all struggled as we get successful in this business to balance that, I certainly have.”

Selleck also volunteers with the National Guard to promote recruitment and support. He is also the…

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

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How to keep our New Year’s resolutions: Seven science-based strategies and three biblical principles

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How to keep our New Year’s resolutions: Seven science-based strategies and three biblical principles

We can blame—or thank—the Babylonians. Four thousand years ago, they began a twelve-day religious festival known as Akitu, in which they focused on celebrating the coming of the new year.

During this festival, they made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return objects they had borrowed. If they kept these promises, their gods would favor them, or so they believed. If they did not, they would face the gods’ wrath. 

From the ancient Babylonians, we inherited the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. Though without the fear of divine judgment, I presume. 

Seven science-based strategies 

Researchers say about 60 percent of us make resolutions each new year. That’s a remarkable figure. It’s higher than the percentage of Americans who vote in presidential elections or the percentage of Americans ages eighteen and older who are married. 

However, researchers report that only about 8 percent of us are successful at keeping the resolutions we make. How can we do better? Here are seven science-based strategies: 

  • Pick a theme for your year based on what changes would make you happiest, then develop habits during the year to fulfill it.
  • Enhance habits by identifying what motivates them and finding better ways to meet that underlying need.
  • Begin forming a habit by working on it for only two minutes, then gradually increase your commitment.
  • Identify a positive, intrinsic reward (such as renewed energy or a feeling of peace) to reinforce positive actions and habits.
  • Modify your environment—post reminders of your plans, remove temptations, and spend time with people who share your goals.
  • Make a recovery plan for dealing with temptations and failures.
  • Celebrate often since such behavior reinforces good habits and encourages the brain to seek more opportunities to engage in them.

All good advice. But since we are fallen people, we are still likely to fall. Let’s end the year by considering three biblical resolutions…

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