Nepal Quake Collapses Churches on Worshippers During Service; Bodies Still Not Recovered

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Nepal Quake Collapses Churches on Worshippers During Service; Bodies Still Not Recovered
NepalChurch The Christian Post

Nepal Army looking for bodies at Baton of Salvation Church in Kathmandu

Christian Post Report – KATHMANDU, Nepal – Bodies of Christian worshippers are still buried under the debris of their church buildings, which collapsed when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal last Saturday. Hundreds of Christians are among thousands who are dead.

Nepal Army is helping clear debris from destroyed buildings, a task that is expected to take weeks, if not months, as hundreds of thousands of structures have collapsed across Nepal and more than 6,000 bodies have been recovered.

Some of these bodies are of Christian worshippers who were attending services when the earthquake struck around noon on April 25.

Among the worst-hit is Kathmandu Valley, where about 400 churches, including house churches, meet for worship.

At least two churches in Kathmandu, the national capital, are known to have collapsed with believers and pastors in the buildings. Local Christian volunteers are surveying to find out the extent of damage to Christian buildings and lives.

At least 26 Christians, incluidng Pastor Neema Sherpa and his wife, died when the seven-storey building they were holding a worship service in collapsed. The Kanan Church had rented this building in Sukedhara, Kathmandu.

The Baton of Salvation Church in Buddha Park, Kathmandu, was also completely damaged. At least 15 bodies, including that of Pastor Elia Ghale and his son, had been pulled out, and armymen were trying to look for more.

A church in Kapan village near Kathmandu also collapsed and killed 80 believers. Another church in Sitapaila village near Kathmandu was also destroyed, leaving 70 dead.

A church in Lamosangu village in Sindhupalanchowk district collapsed with about 100 believers, and all are feared dead.

Another church in Ree village in Dhading district was fully damaged while over 150 believers were worshipping.

Saturday is a holiday in Nepal, and not Sunday, and therefore churches prefer to meet for worship on Saturdays.

Some of the worst affected areas that remain cut off – Dhading, Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts – have many churches, too.

About 2 percent of Nepal’s 28 million people are Christian, according to the government census.

A team, comprising about two-dozen workers from around the world, of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse is on the ground in Kathmandu to help all earthquake victims.

“The people of Nepal have experienced an incredible tragedy and are in desperate need of clean water, shelter and medical care,” said Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham in a statement. “We intend to do everything we can to help and support them both physically and emotionally in the days and weeks ahead.”

An airlift of 60 tons of relief supplies, including plastic sheeting for emergency shelter, blankets, tents, clean water, hygiene items and cooking kits, is being coordinated by the relief team and is expected to arrive in the country on Saturday, the group said.

Additional emergency materials have been procured and are being arranged for delivery in Kathmandu via ground transportation trucks, it said. “These materials will help 15,000 households in need. Food distributions of rice, lentils and salt are also being coordinated for Friday and Saturday in two hard-hit districts northeast of Kathmandu.”

Many other international Christian organizations are working towards relief and rehabilitation in Nepal.

Source : Christian Post

Ne-Yo Joins Kirk Franklin in Defending Trap Gospel Music Made Popular by Erica Campbell: ‘God Says Make A Joyful Noise’

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  • Ne-Yo
    (Photo: REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)
    Singer Ne-Yo arrives at the 42nd American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California November 23, 2014.

Shaffer Chimere Smith, known commonly as singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, is a secular music artist who believes in the new “trap gospel” sound hitting airwaves and defended it in a recent interview.

Christian Post Report – Ne-Yo referenced God saying “make a joyful noise,” which can be found in Psalm 98:4 and Psalm 100:1, when explaining his thoughts on trap gospel to HipHollywood recently.

“God said make a joyful noise,” the singer said. “He didn’t say make a trap noise, make a gospel noise, make a country noise, he said make a noise. So it’s all good.”

Erica Campbell helped usher in the “trap gospel” sound with her single “I Luh God” recently. Trap gospel is a fusion of God centered lyrics over a trap music beat. Trap rap “is defined by the content of its lyrics, but it also comes with a trademark sound: booming 808-style sub-bass kick drums, twitchy sixty-fourth-note hi-hats, dive-­bombing tom fills, and chilly cinematic strings,” according to a Chicago Reader report.

While some may be weary of the new sound fusing gospel and trap music, veteran gospel music artist, writer and producer Kirk Franklin came to Campbell’s defense when appearing on NPR recently.

“I just commend her efforts, man. I think that trying to make a message that’s old as many millennia and try to make it culturally relevant, it’s always a tough job,” he said. “I always try to remember the heart of the person doing it and I am very, very good friends with Erica. She has a great heart for God, she has a great heart for ministry and I just believe that the heart always wins.”

Franklin previously told The Christian Post that he believes gospel music should be in tune with the culture of the world instead of focusing solely on the church.

“People don’t live at church, they live in the real world. So music has to reflect that how people live, what they’re doing as they go through their trials in life,” he told CP. “So I just hope and pray that we’re always able to tap into that and be that voice for people.”

Source : Christian Post

Christian UFC Fighter Jon ‘Bones’ Jones Suspended Indefinitely After Fleeing From Hit And Run Scene, UFC Fighter Michael ‘Mayday’ Tells Jones Give Jesus Burdens

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  • Jon 'Bones' Jones
    (Photo: Twitter/Jon Jones)
    Jon Jones is the youngest UFC title holder in the history of the sport.

Jon “Bones” Jones, the Christian UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, was suspended indefinitely from the league Wednesday and stripped of his title after his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run accident, but the bantamweight division UFC fighter Michael “Mayday” McDonald wants the troubled athlete to know there is still hope in Jesus Christ.

Jones, 27, was arrested after fleeing the scene when his Buick SUV allegedly ran a red light and hit a car belonging to a pregnant woman, causing her to collide with a third car on Sunday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The fighter who USA Today gave its top rank placement initially fled the scene, while the pregnant woman broke her arm, according to MMA Junkie reports.

According to a police report obtained by CNN, Jones fled the scene but returned to get some cash from his SUV before hopping a fence and running away. Albuquerque police officials reportedly found a marijuana pipe, marijuana and lists “drugs or medication” as a factor contributing to Jones making an illegal turn that caused the accident.

After car rental papers were found with Jones’ information, a warrant was issued for his arrest and he was eventually taken into police custody. UFC President Dana White took to “FOX Sports Live” to announce that Jones, with a record of 21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC, would be suspended from the league indefinitely and stripped of his championship title.

Reebok also issued a statement, dropping its endorsement with Jones, ESPN reports. However, UFC fighter Michael “Mayday” McDonald, took to Twitter to share an important message with his fellow Christian athlete.

McDonald tweeted that he knew how Jones felt to feel empty despite his success, and recalled a time when he hit rock bottom. However, he has found solace in God and a church program called Celebrate Recovery for the past six years.

After detailing his own struggles and path that led him to surredender his life to Jesus Christ, McDonald shared a special message with Jones.

“Jon, if you read this, Jesus is the only one who can fill these empty areas of your heart, brother… I’ve been where you are,” he tweeted. “I’ve felt the emptiness while you have the world at your disposal… and I’ve felt the confusion of not knowing why I was still unhappy when I had everything I ever wanted…”

And McDonald offered Jones another perspective.

“Jesus is the only one who will ever be able to fill your heart. He put you where you are, brother… He can make this journey bearable,” McDonald wrote. ” You just gotta surrender to him, brother. Jesus is strong enough take all your burdens… no matter how much you accomplish, no matter how many records you break, and no matter how many men you walk through… you will always be empty until you allow God to fill the areas of your heart that you look to MMA for.”

Jones, who describes himself as a “proud Christian” on Twitter, wrote a message to his fans Tuesday.

“Got a lot of soul searching to do,” he tweeted. “Sorry to everyone I’ve let down.”

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Crucifies 3 Brothers in Libya After One Was Accused of Supporting Gov’t

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ISIS Crucifies 3 Brothers in Libya After One Was Accused of Supporting Gov’t
ISIS Crucifies (Photo: Screengrab/JustPaste.It)

A masked ISIS militant reads the charges facing the two men tied to a cross, who were later shot in the back of the head for banditry, Mosul, Iraq.

Christian Post Report – Islamic State militants in the group’s Libyan outpost of Derna have publicly crucified three brothers belonging to a local prominent family after one of the brothers was accused of supporting the Libyan government, which under ISIS’ Sharia law is equivalent to the executable offense of apostasy.

According to the Libya Herald, a photo circulated last week purporting to show three members of the Harir Al-Mansouri family being crucified near the group’s Islamic court in the Mediterranean coastal town of Derna, after they refused to turn over their brother, whom the group accused of supporting the Libyan National Army.

The report adds that as many as eight members of the family, including two sisters, were killed when the militant group began a 12-hour bombardment on the family’s home when they refused to surrender their brother. The public crucifixion was supposed to serve as a warning to the town’s residents to not challenge the sovereignty and authority of ISIS.

“They were possibly dead at the time,” the report indicated. “Islamic ‘crucifixion’ is a punishment used by some fundamentalists against those accused of warring against Islam, in which the dead bodies of those executed are left exposed for a number of days as a warning to others. It has been used by Islamists in Syria.”

An unnamed anti-ISIS activist, who has sources within the militant group, told Newsweek that the dead bodies of the men were left out for public view for about five hours.

“The took them and crucified them near the court,” the activist explains. “They were kept for five hours and then some of the elders came and took them to bury them. For the first time, I was thinking that I was not in Libya, it’s like you are in Syria or Iraq.”

The activist also explained that one of the Harir sisters named Faiza was thought to have killed the ISIS military operations leader in Derna. She was reportedly injured in the clash with the militant group and later received medical help at a hospital where ISIS found and killed her.

The activist also told Newsweek that ISIS militants in Derna plan on forcing the town’s residents to join the group as a way to increase membership within the military ranks. He explained that ISIS has advertised an upcoming religious lecture in the town entitled “The Start and The End” and it is believed that after the lecture, the group will begin forcefully making Derna residents join the group or risk being executed as apostates.

“The situation is really, really bad nowadays, They are going to ask all people to declare their allegiance to the caliphate and if they don’t do it, they will punish them,” the activist asserted. “A friend of mine who is working with ISIS said that they will force people to go to ISIS and declare because they want help in the war.”

The activist further explained that many residents in the town have already made up their minds that they will not be joining the militant group.

“The people have already decided on this part. They will not go. They will not participate and they will keep themselves in their houses,” he said. “[ISIS] will kill them [if they don’t pledge.] If you don’t join them it’s like apostasy, you will not be a believer.”

The activist sees the public crucifixion of the three Harir family members tying in with the upcoming effort by ISIS to force residents to join the group.

“If [ISIS] are to do that, it’s that they think they have showed that there is no choice. They probably feel that the grip of terror that they have is enough now to have people scared and have people come in and pledge allegiance to the Islamic State,” the activist argued. “It sends a clear message that if you do not pledge allegiance to ISIS you are not just endangering yourself, you’re endangering your own family. It thinks people have no choice, the people that did not pledge allegiance to IS before, they will have to do it.”

A Libyan Army commander announced on Monday that ISIS killed five journalists working for a Libyan TV station, who went missing in August, in the eastern city of Bayda.

“We are deeply shocked by this brutal slaughter,” International Federation of Journalists President Jim Boumelha was quoted by Yahoo News as saying. “ISIS aims to horrify but we can only feel great sorrow and further resolve to see the killers held accountable.”

ISIS Training Newborns, Young Children To Kill

ISIS Training Newborns, Young Children To Kill

Source : Christian Post

Prisoners Prayed, Sang ‘Amazing Grace’ During Executions in Indonesia

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Prisoners Prayed, Sang ‘Amazing Grace’ During Executions in Indonesia
Indonesian Prisoners (Photo: Reuters/Nyiimas Laula)

The body of Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte, who was executed earlier, arrives at a funeral home in Jakarta, Indonesia April 29, 2015.

Christian Post Report – Eight prisoners in Indonesia reformed by Christianity sang and prayed as they walked to their executions Wednesday morning, witnesses said.

The eight prisoners included two Australians (Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan); four Africans (Raheem Agbaje Salami, Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise, Okwudili Oyatanze, and Martin Anderson); and one each from Brazil (Rodrigo Gularte); and Indonesia (Zainal Abidin bin Mgs Mahmud Badarudin), who were convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, a country with harsh penalties for smuggling, including life in prison and the death penalty.

“When they were being put on the cross for execution, they were singing on the crosses and we were in a tent not too far away from the execution place trying to support them,” Father Charlie Burrows told News Corp Australia

And as the executions began, pastor Christie Buckingham’s husband, Rob, told an Australian radio station that the prisoners began to sing hymns and pray. As the executioners opened fire, the prisoners began singing “Amazing Grace,” which provided inspiration to those gathered to mourn the losses and seeming injustice.

“She told me the eight of them walked out onto the killing field singing songs of praise.” They conducted themselves with “dignity and strength until the end,” Buckingham said.

The case brought international criticism and prayers for the prisoners to be released. One prisoner was seemingly spared, but it was later revealed that her execution will be carried out at another time. Indonesian Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo explained why the executions were necessary.

“We are fighting a war against horrible drug crimes that threaten our nation’s survival. I would like to say that an execution is not a pleasant thing. It is not a fun job. But we must do it in order to save the nation from the danger of drugs. We are not making enemies of countries from where those executed came. What we are fighting against is drug-related crimes,” Prasetyo told the AFP.

Yet the executions have caused strife with the countries where the executed were from, as well as the larger international community. Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan and Foreign Minister Aminu Wali pleaded for their four citizens to be granted pardon. Australia recalled its ambassador, and the European Union expressed its “dismay” with the decision to carry out the execution and asked for a moratorium of all further executions.

“They asked for mercy, but there was none,” the families of Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran said in a statement.

The remaining prisoner, a Filipino woman named Mary Jane Veloso, has attorneys preparing to present a case that she is a victim of human trafficking who had no choice but to participate in drug trafficking. Veloso was due to be executed along with the seven others but was spared at the last moment, much to the delight of the public. However, she still faces the real possibility of being executed should her attorneys not be able to make the case.

“Everything will depend on the outcome of the investigation and its conclusion, which will help determine and identify those responsible in drug trafficking and human smuggling. If we are able to file charges and convict them and establish that Mary Jane is a victim, that’s the time we could request again for clemency,” foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose said at a news conference.

“We are currently reviewing the postponement and we will take every possible step to get her death sentence canceled by the president,” attorney Agus Salim said at a conference in Jakarta.

Source : Christian Post

North Korean Delegate Says More Human Rights Violations Took Place in US Than in Communist Regime While Disrupting UN Event Showcasing Testimonies of Defectors

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North Korean Delegate Says More Human Rights Violations Took Place in US Than in Communist Regime While Disrupting UN Event Showcasing Testimonies of Defectors
The United Nations (Photo: Reuters/Carlo Allegri)

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in Manhattan.

NEW YORK — A representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea disrupted the United Nations’ “Human Rights in the DPRK” event with an anti-U.S. rant in an attempt to discredit the North Korean defectors’ testimonies on Thursday, April 30.

Organized by the United States and South Korea, the special event at the United Nations headquarters in New York City was moderated by award-winning author Barbara Demick and featured the testimonies of three North Korean defectors who shed light on the atrocities they endured before gaining asylum in various other countries. Following Joseph Kim’s opening description of early life in North Korea, including losing his father to starvation and his own narrow escape from the same fate, a diplomat from North Korea’s U.N. mission interjected with a tirade directed at both the defectors and the U.S.

The Christian Post attended the event which took place at 10:30 a.m. on April 30, 2015 in Conference Room 3 of the U.N. and witnessed the interruption first hand.

Speaking mostly in Korean, Jay Jo, the delegate from the Kim Jong Un-led nation attempted to speak over the panel of defectors, denouncing their accounts of human rights abuses in the DPRK. At one point, the DPRK delegate suggested that more human rights violations took place in the U.S. rather than in North Korea. Minutes into the interruption, the diplomat was silenced with threats of forced removal by U.N. security.

Shortly after resuming the event with the testimony of a second defector, the DPRK delegate and his companion stormed out of the conference room. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power later apologized for the North Korean’s interruption, deeming his statements “totally self-discrediting.”

Power also closed the “Human Rights in the DPRK” event with three themes from the defectors’ stories; starvation, torture, and forced repatriation.

“These are just a few stories of millions,” Power noted before urging the public to view the situation in North Korea as a not only a human rights issue, but also an issue of international peace and security.

“We must ensure that their voices, and the voices of other defectors, are amplified, here at the U.N., at the Security Council and well beyond,” the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. added. “We must not be satisfied with telling the stories, but we have to collectively continue to ramp up the pressure on this regime so that this system, the system built to strip people of their most basic rights and dignity, comes to an end, and the perpetrators behind the kind of terror and forced starvation that we’ve heard about, are brought finally to account.”

For more from the U.N.’s “Human Rights in the DPRK” event, stay tuned to The Christian Post.

Source : Christian Post

American Idol XIV Finalist Tyanna Jones Details Finding Her Own Relationship With God, Struggles With Anxiety (Exclusive)

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American Idol XIV Finalist Tyanna Jones Details Finding Her Own Relationship With God, Struggles With Anxiety (Exclusive)
Tyanna Jones (Photo: Michael Becker / FOX. )

Tyanna Jones performs on “American Idol XIV” Wednesday, April 15

Christian Post Report – She had her doubts about surviving the competition created to find the best voices in the country, but at just 16, Tyanna Jones is officially leaving the “American Idol” competition with a renewed sense of faith.

Jones was handpicked out of thousands of hopefuls to sing her way to the top five contestants in the competition. Still, there can only be one winner of “American Idol XIV” and the Jacksonville, Florida, native knew that at any point she could be the next one to go.

One day before learning she was eliminated from the competition, Jones spoke to The Christian Post about her faith helping her get through the competition.

“There [are] times when I really don’t know what’s going on. I never [know] when I’m going to make it through,” Jones told The Christian Post. “Sometimes you’re more sure of yourself than other times but I would hate my performance so much that I would be like ‘I’m going home.’ Then I’d just pray and ask God to deal with me and help me and reveal to me and a comfort would come upon me and I would remember how blessed I already am.”

The 16-year-old honed both her faith and voice in the same place, church. At just six years old, she asked her mother if she could sing in front of their church since the matriarch was supposed to do so, but was not feeling well.

“I think it’s kind of like the typical started singing at a young age at a choir in church and from then on I kind of realized that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Jones said.

Even though the budding singer was raised in and around the church, there comes a time when people have to get to know God for themselves aside from what they are conditioned to believe. Jones recalls a time when she really began an intimate relationship with God, after struggling with some anxiety.

“I think what really showed me [God] was personal reasons that I had struggled with like anxiety and being paranoid about things, suffering with things that I shouldn’t be suffering with. Things that people my age shouldn’t be worried about, I was struggling with,” Jones admitted. “And one day I just got on my knees and prayed and like really, really, really, prayed and asked for forgiveness for the things that I had done that I know I should not have done. Just really crying out to God and asking Him for forgiveness, that’s when it really became really reassuring to me that there is a God who wants to help me.”

The high school student doesn’t believe her age played much of a factor during her time on “American Idol XIV.” However, she does recognize that there were differences between she and her competition.

“The only thing that set me apart from other contestants is I go to school. Some other contestants were going to school but they stopped because of this competition,” Jones told CP. “The only thing I would say [set me apart] is my lack of experience going into this competition. I didn’t sing at the little restaurants and the little cafes on the side of the road or anything and I didn’t play any instruments but I don’t think that has anything to do with the competition.”

Despite what she may consider a lack of experience, Jones has received a great deal of support from her hometown. Her Westside High School in Jacksonville, Florida, is recognizing her accomplishments by honoring the singer with an event called “Tyanna Jones Day” that will include a pep rally, according to The Florida Times-Union reports.

Gregory Bostic, principal at Westside High, spoke about plans that his school had to honor their budding singer.

“We will keep the signs up in the halls for the rest of the year because Tyanna will always be our American Idol,” Bostic told The Florida Times-Union.

While Jones will return to Jacksonville a different teenager than when she left, she is happy to return to her family.

“I think what [was] most challenging for me [was] being apart from my family. I think that’s the main thing that actually when I sit down and think about it, I just really, really, really miss them,” Jones told CP. “Missing my family, going to church with my church family and being around them … I missed that a lot.”

Although her time on the singing competition has ended, Jones making it to the top five has still qualified her to embark on the nationwide American Idol Live Tour which will give her the opportunity to perform for fans this summer. With a great deal of support and God on her side, Jones is looking forward to the path that her singing career will lead her on.

“I see myself beyond what I’m doing right now. People will say ‘you’re such a star you’ve come so far,'” Jones told CP. “And it’s true but I’m not close to being what God has in store for me. So I’m just patiently waiting.”

Source : Christian Post

Amy Grant, Bill Gaither, Brandon Heath and More to Celebrate Hall of Fame Inductees Bebe and Cece Winans at GMA Honors May 5

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Amy Grant, Bill Gaither, Brandon Heath and More to Celebrate Hall of Fame Inductees Bebe and Cece Winans at GMA Honors May 5
Brandon Heath (Photo: AP Images / Mark Humphrey)

Brandon Heath performs the song ‘Give Me Your Eyes’ at the Dove awards in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, April 23, 2009. The song won the award for song of the year. The Dove awards honor Christian and gospel music.

The Gospel Music Association announced a star-studded lineup of presenters and performers such as Amy Grant and Brandon Heath who will help celebrate this year’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees at the GMA Honors on May 5.

Hosted by Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton, the second annual GMA Honors will recognize today’s trailblazers in gospel music while also inducting influential individuals and organizations into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Presenters and performers will also include President and CEO of Capitol Christian Music Group Bill Hearn, Founder and Senior Pastor of Christian Cultural Center Dr. A.R. Bernard, and six-time Grammy Award winning singer Bill Gaither. Bishop Joseph Walker III of Mt. Zion Church and “American Idol” star Chris August are also set to appear at the GMA Honors alongside Melinda Doolittle, Point of Grace, The Martins and Steve Green.

As previously announced, this year’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees include BeBe and CeCe Winans, Mark Lowry, Roland Lundy and Twila Paris. Furthermore, the GMA Honors at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena will recognize Bishop Paul S. Morton, the founding bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, as well as The Bridge, which was founded by Candy Christmas, and Passion founded by Louie and Shelby Giglio. Lastly, Porter’s Call is also being recognized, along with its founder Al Andrews.

The GMA Honors will take place on Tuesday, May 5 at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena. The awards show will air on JUCE TV on Friday, June 5 at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET and Saturday, June 6 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET. For more information, visit the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame website here.

Source : Christian Post

Russell Moore Calls on Church to Embrace ‘Refugees of the Sexual Revolution’

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Russell Moore Calls on Church to Embrace ‘Refugees of the Sexual Revolution’
Russell moore (Photo: The Christian Post/Sonny Hong)

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, speaks at the 2014 SBC Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on Wednesday, June 11, 2014.

Christian Post Report – Speaking to the largest Latino Christian organization in the world Tuesday, Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said that the sexual revolution will fail and the Church must be prepared to embrace those “refugees of the sexual revolution.”

Moore stressed the importance of using the right tone to defend the truth of the gospel.

“The sexual revolution cannot keep its promises. We will have an entire generation of people asking ‘is there more to life than this?’ Just as Jesus says that there is a thirst for more than water, we must be the people who can speak to those who are the refugees of the sexual revolution.

“The people that can’t speak to them are the people that are shouting at them and the people who have given up on the Gospel.”

  • Russell Moore
    (Photo: screengrab, NHCLC)
    Russell Moore (left), president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, speaking at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s convention with an English to Spanish translator (right), Houston, Texas, April 28, 2015.

Moore’s message was delivered to the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s convention, a three-day event in Houston, Texas.

Recalling the story of the Samaritan woman at the well from John’s Gospel, Moore stressed the importance of authentic Gospel repentance and forgiveness. Moore focused much of his remarks rebutting the claim that the Church will be left behind if it does not adapt to cultural norms and pressures on human sexuality.

“Some people are saying in order to reach the culture around us,” said Moore, “we have to stop talking about what God teaches about marriage and sexuality.

“They tell us if we do not give up what the Scripture teaches on marriage, we will not grow and we will not flourish in the years to come.”

Moore continued to defend the biblical and traditional view of marriage, saying, “If we hold to what the Scripture teaches, that marriage is between one man and one woman, and that marriage pictures the union of Christ and His Church, they will tell us that we are on the wrong side of history.

“But the Christian Church started on the wrong side of history. In the first century the right side of history was the Roman Empire. The right side or the wrong side of history isn’t what’s important, what matters is who is at the right hand of the Father, he declared.”

The theme of NHCLC’s three-day event is “From Survive to Thrive.” Other conference speakers include former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

Source : Christian Post

Christian Boy Was Set on Fire and Killed by Pakistani Muslims for His Faith in Jesus, Watchdog Group Confirms

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Christian Boy Was Set on Fire and Killed by Pakistani Muslims for His Faith in Jesus, Watchdog Group Confirms
Nouman Masih (Photo: British Pakistani Christian Association)

Noman Masih died on April 15, 2015, in Pakistan due to burns suffered from an attack by two Muslim men five days prior.

Noman Masih, the 14-year-old Pakistani boy who was burned alive by a group of Muslim youths earlier in April and died from his injuries was targeted because he admitted that he was a Christian, watchdog group International Christian Concern has said.

The group shared Masih’s own words from his hospital bed: “I have neither enemies, nor a dispute with anybody in the area I live. My tailor master asked me to go to the nearest market for some work and, on my way, [a] few men stopped me, asking my name and religion. I gave them my name and identified my religion as Christian. It was Friday prayers time and not many people [were] on the road.”

The boy added: “Suddenly they started beating and abusing me. I tried to rescue myself, however, [I] couldn’t. One of them threw kerosene oil and [the] other set me on fire. With the help of the locals around I managed to stop the fire, however, [I became] unconscious.”

Masih suffered burns to 55 percent of his body, and despite the hospital’s efforts he died from his injuries on Wednesday, April 15.

Christians are often targeted by lynch mobs in Pakistan, but also by the government’s anti-blasphemy laws, which are designed to protect Islam but are often used by Muslims as a way to falsely accuse and arrest religious minorities.

Asif Masih, the boy’s uncle, added in the ICC report that Christians have little hope in the South-Asian country.

“Being Christian [means] being persecuted daily in this country. This is no longer a country for human being[s] or for liv[ing] a dignified life. There is no protection and no rule of law,” he said.

Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the The British Pakistani Christian Association, told The Chritian Post following Masih’s death that the boy had issued “Christian forgiveness” to his attackers before he died.

“He just said that he forgave them. That’s more like a Christian forgiveness, but he didn’t want his attackers to prevail and enact their crimes on anybody else. He was just being very magnanimous in a Christian way saying, ‘I have forgiven them but I want them to go through the justice system,'” Chowdhry told CP.

“You can imagine what it was like for him to have kerosene poured on him and being set alight,” Chowdhry continued. “He was very vocal in the fact that he didn’t want that to happen to anyone else, especially at the moment when Christians are under some very extreme tension.”

Ataurehman Saman, a human rights defender and publications coordinator at the National Commission for Justice and Peace, added that the incident “speaks volumes about the lofty claims and statements of the officials regarding [the] protection of minorities in Pakistan.”

Saman added that it “reflects the prevailing hatred for religious minorities that has been allowed to flourish in the society by design, through media, [hateful] sermons and textbooks.”

He warned that other such attacks on Christians are likely to occur if the government does not take “affirmative, positive, productive and concrete steps to tailor the torn fabric of our society.”

Source : Christian Post

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