Stormy Daniels: The question no one is asking

Anderson Cooper’s 60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels drew the highest ratings for the show in ten years. Reaction was divided afterward, with some commentators criticizing her as “not credible” and others using the interview to disparage President Trump.

In the coverage I have seen, attention has been focused on money paid to her by Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer and on whether she had an affair with Mr. Trump, a claim he “vehemently” denies.

Here’s the question no one seems to be asking: Should they have had an affair?

“Whatever consenting people choose to do”

The alleged affair would have been between a married man and a porn star who was herself married at the time. I’m old enough to remember when pornography was widely understood to be immoral in all its forms. Sexual relations were to be reserved for heterosexual marriage.

If two married people, one a porn star, were alleged to have had an affair, the immorality of such an act would have been a major part of the story. But as they say, that was then and this is now.

The legalization of birth control in 1960 made sexual relations less likely to result in unwanted pregnancy. Roe v. Wade gave women the legal right to terminate such a pregnancy. The popularity of relativistic ethics has caused many to reject the notion of objective morality or absolute truth.

“Whatever consenting people choose to do” is the moral standard of our day. This mantra is applied to same-sex marriage, LGBTQ rights, and all manner of sexual behavior.

For instance, a former American Idol contestant returned to the competition last Sunday night as a drag queen, to the support and affirmation of the judges. Sixty-six religious leaders from a variety of denominations recently signed a letter advocating for abortion on demand. Actor and singer Ricky Martin told a reporter that he wants to “normalize” same-sex and open sexual relationships, claiming that they are “good for the world.”

Why…

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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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Angry mob derails church plans

It is understood an application to build the place of worship in El Toud near Luxor was abandoned after an angry mob targeted a site visit by local planning officials last week.

Crowds gathered in the village on Wednesday morning – chanting and throwing stones – as they voiced opposition to the plans.

Sami Farid, a Christian living in El Toud, told World Watch Monitor: “Many Muslim villagers gathered in front of the ‘house church’ and threw stones at it.

 

“They also pelted the Copt [Coptic Christian] homes next to the church.

“They shouted ‘Allahu akbar’ [Allah is the greatest], and chanted slogans against the church.

“Then they blocked access to the street leading to the church.”

The situation did not de-escalate until one Christian denied to the visiting officials that they wanted to construct a new church building.

During a village meeting the following day, some Muslims also demanded that anyone trying to build a church in El Toud should be forced out of the area and their homes set on fire.

Home to around 500 Coptic Christians, believers in El Toud have been meeting since 2007 in the home of a church member.

The premise, which is used by a growing Christian population, is not officially recognised. Congregations seeking a church licence have experienced major difficulties.

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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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MFM Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional Tuesday, 27 March 2018 – The Holy Spirit

TOPIC: The Holy Spirit (Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries Tuesday, 27 March 2018) FIRE SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:1-4 MEMORY VERSE: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly…

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Five Reasons for Decreased Church Giving

Podcast Episode #418

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Even though the economy has rebounded some churches still struggle financially—and some members struggle with giving faithfully. Today we cover the five reasons giving often decreases.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

  • The healthiest church giving generation we know of was the builder generation. They are passing away, and their giving is not being replaced.
  • Giving goes down as attendance goes down.
  • Millennials give to organizations that are able to convey a distinct purpose and that follow through on that purpose.
  • Giving is a spiritual discipline and pastors shouldn’t avoid preaching on it.
  • You shouldn’t give on leftovers. You should give on the first fruits.

The five reasons we cover are:

  1. Lower attendance.
  2. Generational shifts.
  3. Giving to purposes rather than organizations.
  4. Little teaching on giving.
  5. Not as much discretionary income among churchgoers.

Episode Sponsors

Our friends at Vanderbloemen Search Group help churches and ministries build great teams by finding their key staff, but did you know they have a ton of resources around team building? Their newest addition is The Culture Tool, a free comprehensive staff engagement survey to help you build, run, and keep a great team. It’s brand new and still in beta, so check out TheCultureTool.com to be on the cutting edge of this new tool that will help you improve your church staff culture.

Visit

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

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TREM’s Devotional 27 March 2018 by Dr. Mike Okonkwo – Your Sins Are Forgiven

Topic: Your Sins Are Forgiven [TREM’s Daily Tuesday March 27, 2018] “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” Colossians 2:13 Jesus Christ, through…

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DCLM Daily Manna 27 March, 2018 by Pastor Kumuyi – Heaven-Made Sayings

Topic: Heaven-Made Sayings [DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday March 27, 2018] Text: Proverbs 13:1-17 (KJV) Key Verse: “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches” (Proverbs 13:7). MESSAGE: Solomon wrote…

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Kim Jong Un Reportedly Makes Surprise Visit to China in First Trip Outside North Korea

Kim Jong Un made a surprise visit to Beijing on his first known trip outside North Korea since taking power in 2011, three people with knowledge of the visit said.

Further details of his trip, including how long Kim would stay and who he would meet, were not immediately available. The people asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information.

Speculation about a possible visit by a high-ranking North Korean official circulated around the Chinese capital Monday, after Japan’s Kyodo News reported that a special train may have carried Kim through the northeastern border city of Dandong. Nippon TV showed footage of a train arriving Monday in Beijing that looked similar to one used by Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, to visit the country shortly before his death in 2011.

The unannounced visit is the latest in series of diplomatic power plays in Asia as U.S. President Donald Trump’s battle to lower the U.S. trade deficit becomes entangled with his effort to get Kim to give up his nuclear weapons. Chinese President Xi Jinping has found himself preparing for a trade war with Trump even after supporting progressive rounds of United Nations sanctions against the Kim regime.

The U.S. appears to have had no advance knowledge of Kim’s visit. White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters on Monday that he couldn’t confirm reports of the trip and “we don’t know if they’re necessarily true.” A State Department spokesman, Julia Mason, responded to questions about the report with a single sentence: “We’d refer you to the Chinese.”

“What…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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Teens’ Open Heavens 27th March 2018 – Finishing The Race

Topic: Finishing The Race [Teens’ Open Heavens 27th, March 2018] Memorise: I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: – 2 Timothy 4:7 Read: 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (KJV) 7 I have fought…

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Baptist Theologian on Whether God Speaks to People Through Dreams

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A prominent Baptist theologian has offered advice on how Christians can discern if God is speaking to them in dreams.

Roger E. Olson, professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, shared a past personal experience in which he said God spoke to him and encouraged him to expose an influential pastor who was living a double-life.

Olson said he has encountered many stories of people saying God spoke to them in dreams over his years of teaching Christian theology at four universities, and has spoken with African church leaders who attest that millions of believers around the world have had such experiences.

“Apparently, from what I am told, this phenomenon is almost universally believed as real and even normal by Christians in Africa,” he wrote on his blog recently.

“The influential African Christian leader, the leader of thousands of churches even outside of Africa, throughout the world, strongly affirmed his belief in the reality of this form of continuing personal revelation — while emphasizing that it can be a source of confusion and needs pastoral care and discernment,” he added, without naming the leader.

Olson noted that the Bible supports many instances of God speaking to…

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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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