US Prisoners in North Korea Urge US Official to Secure Their Release

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US Prisoners in North Korea Urge US Official to Secure Their Release

North Korea on Monday allowed The Associated Press and CNN to speak to three detained Americans, including Christians Kenneth Bae and Jeffery Fowle. All three said there’s hope only if a high-ranking U.S. representative visits for negotiations. Bae complained of deteriorating health.

“The only hope that I have is to have someone from the U.S. comes,” Bae was quoted as saying in the interview that was conducted in the presence of regime officials. “But so far, the latest I’ve heard is that there has been no response yet. So I believe that officials here are waiting for that.”

Fowle, 56, and the other prisoner, Mathew Miller, who is 24 years old, said their trial is expected within a month. Both were arrested in April.

Bae, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, is in a labor camp, where he was moved from a hospital in January amid grave concerns about his health. Bae, who was arrested in the city of Rajin on Nov. 3, 2012, continues to be the longest-serving American detainee in North Korea since the end of the war in 1953.

Bae said he has lost weight and has a severe back pain besides a sleep disorder. He is also suffering from diabetes, an enlarged heart and liver problems, according to his family.

“Within a month I could be sharing a jail cell with Ken Bae,” Fowle said, adding he hasn’t spoken to his family for three weeks. “I’m desperate to get back to them.”

Fowle, from Miamisburg, Ohio, is accused of leaving a Bible at a club, and Miller allegedly ripped up his tourist visa at the airport and shouted that he wanted asylum in April.

Fowle said he had “no complaints” about his treatment. “It’s been very good so far, and I hope and pray that it continues, while I’m here two more days or two more decades.”

The White House responded by saying their release will be a “top priority… Read More

Source and Original Content by Christian Post

Israeli Christian Child Officially Registered as ‘Aramean’

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Israeli Christian Child Officially Registered as ‘Aramean’

Yaakov Khalloul, a two-year-old Christian child from the Galilee, made history on Monday when he became the first person in Israel’s modern history to be officially registered as an Aramean.

To date, all Christians in Israel have been registered with population authorities as Arabs, given that for most, their mother tongue is Arabic. But last month, outgoing Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar issued a directive permitting local Christians to now be voluntarily registered according to a more ancient ancestry.

“We are not Arabs. We are simply Christians who speak Arabic,” noted Father Gabriel Naddaf in an interview with Israeli media last year. The Nazareth-based priest who has been actively encouraging young Christians to join the Israeli army, noted that Aramean Christians were living in this region long before the Arab Muslim conquest.

That sentiment was echoed earlier this year by Knesset Member and coalition chairman Yariv Levin (Likud) when he proposed the first bit of legislation recognizing a separate and distinct Christian minority in Israel.

“This is a historic and important step that can help to balance the State of Israel and to further connect us and the Christians, and I’m careful not to call them Arabs, because they are not Arabs,” said Levin.

Young Yaakov Khalloul’s father, Shadi Khalloul (pictured), whom Israel Today has featured in many stories, has long been at the forefront of the movement to revive the ancient Aramean identity, culture and language.

In remarks to the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv, Khalloul was overjoyed by finally being able to register his own children according to their true heritage.

“Finally, after 1,400 years of the Middle East being occupied and controlled by different forces, the Jews come along and recognize us, the Aramean people, who are even now being persecuted by Islamist forces (ISIS) in Iraq and elsewhere,” said Khalloul. “Here, at the hands of the Jews, we receive justice.”

Source and Original Content by Israel Today

US College Students Embrace Evangelism Challenge

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US College Students Embrace Evangelism Challenge

College students across the United States were joined by believers of all ages as they participated in Engage24, a one-on-one evangelism initiative that challenged Christians to share the Gospel with at least one person in a 24-hour time period.

hen the development of Engage24 began in 2011, Brian Frye, the national collegiate strategist for the North American Mission Board, and his team believed that encouraging college students to share their faith required a creative approach.

“Instead of focusing on the end result, we decided to, first, focus on the process,” Frye said of the Oct. 14 effort. “Instead of only concentrating on how many people came to Christ on one particular day, we wanted to see how many college students would share their faith on that particular day. And if we did that first, then we could ultimately accomplish the goal of seeing people come to Christ.”

One-on-one evangelism has had a personal, life-changing impact on one particular student at the University of Texas at Arlington. A Cambodian with Buddhist roots, Putti Sok came to Christ after a fellow student shared the Gospel with her. Seeing how one-on-one evangelism changed her life, she is now on staff with Baptist Campus Ministry at the university and leads their campus’s Engage24 movement.

Kevin Stacy, collegiate projects specialist for NAMB, noted it can be difficult to track the results of Engage24 and see how many college students shared the Gospel during that day.

“Hearing success stories like Putti’s is so encouraging because we get a glimpse of the impact that this movement is having on campuses across the country,” he said.

Stacy, who also serves on the Baptist College Network Committee that helps lead Engage24, said they rely heavily on Twitter to track results and read reports from students who had the opportunity to share the Gospel during the day.

Along with the University of Texas at Arlington, schools such as the University of South Florida, the University of Arkansas, the University of Georgia, Texas Christian University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the University of California Riverside and others partnered with their Baptist Campus Ministry groups and accepted the Engage24 challenge…Read More

Source and Original Content by Baptist Press

Tennessee Church Gives New Vehicle To Homeless Man

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Tennessee Church Gives New Vehicle To Homeless Man

Stacey Tuell has part of his life back.

The homeless man lived in his car until it was illegally towed last summer. Last week, a Mount Juliet church stepped forward to offer a replacement.

“I know it’s just a car, but I feel like a normal person again,” Tuell said.

Tuell suffered a slow slide into homelessness after a string of misfortunes, some of his own making.

He was laid off his job as a welder about two years ago, then hit a rocky patch in his marriage. He moved out of the home where his wife and daughter still live. He couldn’t find a job. He racked up a string of misdemeanor offenses, from driving on a suspended license to possession of drug paraphernalia. He began living in his Pontiac Sunfire.

Police arrested Tuell — just as he was heading to his car — for failing to appear in court on a misdemeanor offense last summer.

Two hours later, they towed his car. It was legally parked.

A local pastor who had befriended Tuell found a volunteer lawyer who took his case to court. A judge found the car had been illegally towed and ordered it released. The lawyer, William Hunt, and Tuell went straight to the towing lot with the judge’s order in hand. But by then, it was too late. The car — and all his possessions, including a wedding band, a watch, family photographs and all his clothes — were gone.

Members of The Glade Church in Mount Juliet were among the first who stepped forward after reading about Tuell’s plight in The Tennessean last week.

The church has an “automotive ministry” — a group of about 40 men who volunteer every Monday night to tinker with used cars to get them into good working condition. Tuell’s new car, a 1998 white Ford Expedition, is the 54th they have given away since 2009…Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN 1

Christian Group Mounts Petition Drive Against Television Comedy ‘Black Jesus’

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Christian Group Mounts Petition Drive Against Television Comedy ‘Black Jesus’

An African-American Baptist convention born out of the 1960s struggle for civil rights has denounced the television comedy “Black Jesus” and is mobilizing members to join a petition drive asking network officials to take the program off the air.

The Progressive National Baptist Convention, formed in the early 1960s and the denominational home of Martin Luther King, denounced the program that airs on Adult Swim — a Turner Broadcasting System-owned cable network that shares channel space with the Cartoon Network — as “nothing short of blasphemous.”

“’Black Jesus’ undermines the faith of the African-American community when our faith in Jesus is the only consistent source of empowerment that has brought us through centuries of enslavement, dehumanization and depersonalization,” says a description of the Washington-based PNBC’s Cancel Black Jesus Campaign.

“We cannot ignore those indignities that stare us in the face and undermine our faith,” the petition says. “It was only through our faith that we found meaning in life and the strength and courage to face life’s challenges.”

“Black Jesus,” which just completed its first season, features Jesus Christ living in modern-day Compton, Calif., a Los Angeles County slum known for gang violence, sex and drug dealing and home to famous rap artists including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre.

As portrayed by actor Gerald “Slink” Johnson, creator Aaron McGruder’s Jesus is on a mission to spread love and kindness to a small group of followers. The show has received generally favorable reviews, but a plot line that includes growing marijuana in a community garden sparked controversy even before the series premiere Aug. 7… Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN 1

Mark Driscoll Speaks for First Time After Mars Hill

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Mark Driscoll Speaks for First Time After Mars Hill

Mark Driscoll is back. Sort of.

Days after stepping down as head of Seattle’s Mars Hill megachurch, Driscoll spoke briefly Monday (Oct. 20) at the Gateway Conference in suburban Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. Initially, he and conference organizers agreed that he would not give a formal address at the conference.

But Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church near Dallas, said Driscoll requested to come to the conference as an attendee. “That was big of him to just come and be ministered to,” Morris said.

“We could crucify him, but since someone’s already been crucified for him … ” Morris said, his voice trailing off. “It’s very sad that in the church, we’re the only army that shoots at our wounded. And I’d like you to stop it.”

Driscoll’s resignation came in the wake of accusations of plagiarism, bullying and an oversized ego that alienated some of his most devoted followers. Conference attendees gave Driscoll a standing ovation as Morris handed him the microphone.

“What do you want me to do?” Driscoll asked, teasing about the dangers of giving “a microphone to a preacher who’s been gone for a while.”

Driscoll spoke for three minutes, telling the crowd that he’s praying for Jesus to show him “blind spots” where he could grow.

“There are a lot of things I could say that would make me feel better. I don’t know if it would make me look better, but I don’t think it would make Jesus look better,” he said.

Driscoll asked the crowd for prayer for his family of five children, ages 8 to 17. “I’ve cried a lot lately,” he said. “It’s been a rough season for the family… Read More

Source and Original Content by BCNN 1

J. Moss Speaks On Tragic House Fire Incident

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J. Moss Speaks On Tragic House Fire Incident

Grammy Award Winning producer and Stellar Award Winning artist J Moss speaks on the recent loss of his family home due to fire.

“It’s hard to take losing everything that you own in a matter of minutes,” said J Moss.

On last Tuesday evening at approximately 4:30 PM, fire started in the basement of the Moss family suburban West Bloomfield home and quickly spread to each floor. Currently, the cause of the fire is believed to be due to electrical issues. Fortunately, J Moss’ wife and two sons had not arrived home from school at the time. The following day after walking through the home and seeing the devastation, J Moss was just thankful that he was able to escape the fire without any injury.

“Many people just assumed that it was just maybe a kitchen fire in a couple of rooms, but no everything is gone. This is when the only thing you have is your faith and you see if you believe what you sing about,” says Moss.

Many family, friends, and Moss supporters have been sending their love and prayer to the family.

“Everyone has been awesome,” says Moss.

Source and Original Content by Praised.com

Hollywood Actor,Shia LaBeouf Finds God While Filming Movie

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Hollywood Actor,Shia LaBeouf Finds God While Filming Movie

Actor Shia LaBeouf claims to have “found God” during the making of his latest film, Second World War epic Fury.

Known as much for his off-screen bad-boy persona as much as for his on-screen charisma in films like the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon, former Disney child star LaBeouf says that he was influenced by co-star Brad Pitt and director David Ayer in his spiritual awakening.

He told Interview magazine: “I found God doing Fury. I became a Christian man … in a very real way. I could have just said the prayers that were on the page. But it was a real thing that really saved me.

“I had good people around me who helped me. [Brad Pitt] was really instrumental in guiding my head through this. Brad comes from a hyper-religious, very deeply Christian, Bible Belt life, and he rejected it and moved toward an unnamed spirituality. Whereas [David Ayer] is a full subscriber to Christianity. But these two diametrically opposed positions both lead to the same spot, and I really looked up to both men.”

LaBeouf, 28, has a Jewish mother and Pentecostal father, who are divorced. He has previously identified himself as Jewish, writing in I am Jewish, compiled in honour of slain journalist Daniel Pearl: “I am what you would call a claimer Jew. See, I claim to be Jewish because it is beneficial to be Jewish … How? I have a personal relationship with God that happens to work within the confines of Judaism … Really, I feel cocky when I say I am Jewish, not bad cocky, but good cocky. Because what I am really saying is that I am one of the few chosen ones out there. I made it; God chose me and I take pride in that.”

He has also said: “Religion is funny. If it gives people hope, it makes sense. But it never made sense to me.”

In Fury, LaBeouf plays a Christian soldier whose faith helps him to cope with the shocking violence he sees all around him, while Pitt – in real life a pacifist – plays a tank commander who believes that violence is necessary and takes to it with relish.

His own life has seen plenty of drama. He was fired from a Broadway play and briefly imprisoned after spitting at a policeman, and has been treated for drug and alcohol abuse.

Source and Original Content by Christian Today

North Korea Releases Detained American Christian

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North Korea Releases Detained American Christian

An American citizen who was detained by the North Korean authorities after leaving a Bible in his hotel room has been freed.

Jeffrey Fowle was arrested at the airport in April and was held behind bars until his release this week.

CNN reports that he was picked up by an American government plane on Tuesday and is already on his way back to the US.

It was not clear from the report how the release came about, but a senior State Department official confirmed to CNN that the North Korean authorities had indeed let him go.

Last month Fowle told the network that he was due to go on trial soon and had pleaded with the US for help to secure his release.

He also claimed that his treatment had been “very good so far”.

“And I hope and pray that it continues, while I’m here two more days or two more decades,” he said.

He spoke to CNN along with two other Americans being held behind bars in North Korea, Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae.

Bae is a Christian who formerly ran tours in North Korea. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in 2012 after being found guilty of trying to overthrow the North Korean government.

Miller was sentenced to six years of hard labour in September for committing “acts hostile to the DPRK”. It was reported that upon entering North Korea on April 10, he tore up his tourist visa and requested political asylum.

Fowle, from Ohio, spoke previously about his desire to get back to his wife and three children.

In a statement in August, they pleaded on his behalf with the government of the DPRK and offered a “heartfelt apology”.

“Jeff has apologised publicly for his actions and Jeffrey’s family petitions the government of the DPRK for mercy toward Jeffrey and asks for his release,” they said.

Source and Original Content by Christian Today

Religious Faithfuls Divided Over Supporting Hong Kong Protests

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Religious Faithfuls Divided Over Supporting Hong Kong Protests

When Wu Chi Wai attended seminary in then-British colony Hong Kong in 1980, he took part in passionate discussions about universal suffrage, the ideals of a one-man-one-vote system, and the opportunities for democracy to take root in Hong Kong. More than 30 years later, those ideals are still dreams for the university students at Pastor Wu’s church.

Starting Sept. 26 tens of thousands of dreamers, both young and old, inundated the island’s main throughways to protest Beijing’s tightening control over the region. Police response varied throughout the weeks-long protests, yet standoffs between police in riot gear and protesters shielding themselves with umbrellas gave the protests the name “The Umbrella Revolution.”

Amid the undulating crowd, Wu and about 50 other pastors and seminary students took shifts standing with a 20-foot-tall white cross. They offer prayer, spiritual counsel, and advice to the protesters “to demonstrate God’s presence among them.” Groups of Christians holding signs saying “Lord give us peace” gathered to read the Bible and sing hymns. Some churches opened their doors as support centers, allowing protesters–regardless of their political persuasions–a place to pray, rest, and use bathrooms.

Christians make up about one-fifth of Hong Kong’s population and play a significant role in the democracy movement, yet churches remain divided about how to respond to the restive political climate.

While the communist regime in mainland China ostentatiously quashed Christianity in the late 1940s, Christianity flourished in Hong Kong under British rule. Churches and missionaries provided much-needed education and social services to a stream of refugees fleeing from mainland China. Even today Christian groups run about half of all public schools.

In 1997 Britain handed Hong Kong over to China, raising fears among Hong Kong Christians that Beijing would clamp down on their freedoms. But instead the Chinese government allowed Christians to continue meeting, evangelizing, and serving the community. With tensions eased, Beijing presented Hong Kong pastors an offer many couldn’t refuse: access to mainland China’s expansive mission field through a partnership with the government-sanctioned Three-Self church.

Francis Yip, a professor at Chung Chi Divinity School of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), said before the handover Christians didn’t know how they could evangelize on the mainland: “But the success of the befriending policy of the Communist Party toward the evangelical church means that they now have … opportunities to do their work in China.” Hong Kong pastors have developed relationships with Three-Self church pastors, met with officials, trained pastors, and even built a harmony theme park in Northeast China.

In return for access, those pastors stopped criticizing the central government, kept politics out of the pulpit, and overall became pro-establishment. They enjoyed a high level of religious freedom and didn’t want to rock the boat and lose access to what Yip calls “the great opportunity of spreading the gospel in mainland China.”

Some Christians saw worrisome changes after the 1997 handover, especially related to church-run schools. Yip said the government required schools to establish management boards to keep them independent from their sponsoring bodies, and limited to 60 percent the number of board members who could come from the church.

Last year tensions between Hong Kong and China ramped up again. China-backed companies strong-armed newspapers that spoke out against the government. Pro-democracy journalists faced knife attacks. In June, Beijing released a white paper reminding Hong Kong that the central government has “comprehensive jurisdiction” over Hong Kong, and that the “high degree of autonomy enjoyed by Hong Kong is subject to the central government’s authorization.” On July 1, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, whose leadership includes Rev. Chu Yiu-Ming and outspoken Christian Benny Tai, staged a peaceful sit-in to commemorate the 17th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover. Half a million people jammed the roads, and police arrested 500 protesters who refused to leave.

The precipitating event of the current protests occurred on August 31, when China announced that a committee filled with Beijing loyalists would determine how many and which names appear on the 2017 ballot for chief executive. While some pragmatic Hong Kong residents resigned themselves to that development, Occupy Central saw the move as the beginning of a long fight… Read More

Source and Original Content by Christian Headlines

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