Naghmeh Abedini to Pray Outside White House for Husband’s Release, Urges Obama to Do More

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Naghmeh Abedini to Pray Outside White House for Husband’s Release, Urges Obama to Do More

Christian Post reports –

Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of American pastor Saeed Abedini, is set to pray outside the White House on Thursday to mark the two-year anniversary of her husband’s imprisonment in Iran for his faith, and to urge President Barack Obama to do more to help.

Abedini will also bring attention to the plight of persecuted Christians around the world, while prayer vigils in 493 cities in over 33 countries will mark the two-year anniversary of her husband’s imprisonment.

A press release stated that the pastor’s plight “remains urgent as he faces physical torture, malnourishment, death threats and psychological abuse at the hands of the Iranian regime and fellow inmates, including those affiliated with the Islamic State.”

Abedini was imprisoned in September 2012 after traveling to Iran to work on a children’s orphanage. He was then sentenced to eight years in prison for threatening national security, according to Iranian authorities.

Several international campaigns have rallied behind Naghmeh and the couple’s two young children in their fight to see Abedini released.

Obama has also spoken over the phone with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to ask for Abedini’s release; and several American politicians have written letters and urged the same, but campaigners believe more can be done to press the issue.

Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, which represents Naghmeh, said last week that “pastor Saeed has become the face of the persecuted Christian church worldwide, [and is] one of many Christians around the world who face imprisonment, beatings and even death for their faith.”

Sekulow added, “As the world’s eye turns to violence against Christians in the Middle East, we raise a united voice in urging Iran to free pastor Saeed and grant him clemency. It’s time for Saeed to come home.”

The ACLJ has also released threats made against Abedini’s life while in Rajai Shahr prison, most notably plans from ISIS members who have said they’re planning to kill the pastor.

Naghmeh, who has shared her testimony several times while campaigning for her husband’s release, told persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern in April that she believes God “counted our family worthy enough to send Saeed to a dark place that he would be able to share with people who are in complete despair.”

She said that while in prison the pastor has seen “so many give their hearts to Christ.”

“This has been very hard, but spiritually it is the best time in my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Naghmeh further reflected about the ordeal.

“My new reality forced me out of my self-consumed life. I realized I had a right to speak out for those who are being silenced, to speak for the Christians, for the Jews, for the Baha’i, and other fellow human beings who are being imprisoned simply because of their beliefs.”

The Beheard project website lists the cities who will be holding prayer vigils for Abedini on Thursday.

Source & Original Content by – Christian Post

New book by cardinals set to clash with Pope

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New book by cardinals set to clash with Pope

Five conservative cardinals are preparing to publish a book in which they reject moves to allow divorcees to take communion or remarry.

Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church is set to be released next month.

In its introduction, Father Robert Dodaro says: “The authors were united in maintaining firmly that the New Testament shows us Christ who unambiguously prohibits divorce and subsequent remarriage on the basis of God’s original plan for matrimony.”

Pope Francis recently indicated that he would welcome changes in this area.

Last weekend, he married 20 couples at the Vatican, including one bride who was single mother and several who had previously been married.

The issue of marriage is due to be discussed next month when bishops meet at the Vatican.

Church law currently prohibits any remarried divorcees taking Communion during mass.

 

Source & Original Content by : Premier Christianity

ISIS Announces New Grand Theft Auto-Like Video Game Designed to Inspire Kids to Wage War Against West

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ISIS Announces New Grand Theft Auto-Like Video Game Designed to Inspire Kids to Wage War Against West

Christian Post report – The media wing of the Islamic State terrorist organization has announced the creation of a new Grand Theft Auto-like video game where players can participate in Jihad against U.S. and Iraqi forces.

Using the game as a propaganda tool, the ISIS media wing says the game is designed to “raise the morale of the mujahedin and to train children and youth how to battle the West and to strike terror into the hearts of those who oppose the Islamic State.”

Not only is the game supposed to inspire young jihadists to join the Islamic State, but it also includes “all of the organization’s military tactics against its opponents,” The Islamic State’s media wing stated.

However, only a trailer of the video game has been released. It is still uncertain as to whether the actual video game exists.

The trailer shows scenes from multiple ISIS encounters with opposition forces. The trailer includes multiple scenes where an ISIS sniper guns down police officers or opposing troops. Throughout the video, whenever a sniper kills his target, he cries out “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “God is Greater”. In one of the last scenes of the trailer, an ISIS sniper shoots an enemy troop right in the head as he kneels down to tend to an injured comrade.

Another scene shows a drive-by assault where an Islamic State car pulls alongside of a police car. Then, the ISIS passenger rapid fires his uzi killing the driver. Although the scene was separated in the trailer, the second part of the altercation shows the militant dragging the police officer in the passenger seat out of the car onto the ground. The militant then backs up two steps and empties his entire magazine of bullets into the belly of the officer at close range to ensure his death.

The trailer also includes multiple scenes where ISIS militants take out their opposition’s entire convoy of cargo trucks and police vehicles using explosives.

A large shootout scene occurs when the terrorists blow up their opposition’s lead combat jeep. Afterwards, the rest of the opposing troops in the jeeps that followed get out and start firing at the militants. Despite being outnumbered and the opposition forces receiving reinforcements, the militants killed the backup respondents one-by-one as they pulled up. Of course, ISIS seemingly wins the battle.

Although the Islamic State’s media wing’s announcement claims that the opposing forces in the game are U.S. and Iraqi troops, the trailer does not make it clear who ISIS is fighting.

Although the video game might seem like a barbaric way to get kids to join a militant movement, Jay Caspian Kang of The New Yorker writes that for the past decade the U.S. Army has used the online multiplayer video game series entitled “America’s Army” as a recruiting technique. Kang writes the game has been credited with a spike in enlistment.

But unlike the Islamic State video game trailer, “America’s Army” does not allow for random acts of violence and is designed to be an instructive game that uses military and team tactics.

The Islamic State video game is only the latest in the line of ISIS’ entertainment recruitment techniques. On Tuesday, the Islamic State released a high-quality movie trailer called “Flames of War”. The trailer is believed to be a response to President Barack Obama’s vow to take down ISIS.

The 52-second trailer, which was produced by the Al Hayat Media Center, shows American troops marching, followed by series of explosions and a glimpse of the White House. While the trailer shows a clip of a rocket blowing up an American tank, it dubs the voice of Obama vowing to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS.

ISIS has also released a magazine which which pledges attacks against Israel and the U.S.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhbX0Kt9s_I[/youtube]

Source & Original Content by : Christian Post

Christian Country Music Star Dies Aged 77

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Christian Country Music Star Dies Aged 77

Singer George Hamilton IV has died after suffering a heart attack.

Following brief beginnings in pop music, touring with the likes of Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers, Hamilton found fame through country music and regularly topped the charts.

During the 1960s and ’70s he scored 40 hits.

Born in North Carolina, Hamilton took his music across the world, becoming the first country musician to perform in the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia.

Later in his career he switched his focus to gospel music.

During the ’80s he appeared alongside Billy Graham on his Mission England tour, sharing his faith with tens of thousands.

Produced in 2010, his most recent album, entitled Old Fashioned Hymns and Gospel Songs for Those Who Miss Them, is a collection of gospel songs featuring a number of guest artists.

Premier presenter Rev Cindy Kent tweeted: “So sad to hear of the death of George Hamilton 1V. A lovely, godly man and credit to the country music scene. He will be missed.”

Hamilton leaves behind his wife Tinky, two sons George V and Peyton, and daughter Mary.

8 Things Pastors Do When Their Churches Are in a Slump

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The meaning of “slump” is more evident in sports. When a baseball player, for example, is in a slump, we surmise that he is not hitting as well as he was earlier in the season.

For churches, however, there is no clear definition. Indeed, some leaders wonder if it is even right to say that a church can get in a slump. Still, some pastors say they church is in a slump if they are not connecting as well with members as they once were. Others declare a slump if attendance or offering numbers are down. Still others have a more subjective sense of a slump that defies a clean or clear explanation.

But many pastors will tell you about times when their churches were in a slump. Some will admit that the slump is present tense. So I asked a number of pastors how they react when this reality hits them. What do they do to lead their churches out of this perceived slump?

The pastors shared with me eight consistent responses. I list them in the order of frequency that I have heard them.

1. They sought the advice of a leader outside their specific church. Sometimes that person was the pastor of another church. On other occasions it was a denominational leader or a church consultant.

2. They refocused on the vision of the church. A number of pastors indicated that the church had “lost its way.” So they spent time reminding the congregation of the vision of the church. Of course, this approach presumes the church has a clearly articulated vision (I’ll cover that in my Wednesday blogpost).

3. They led the church to more outwardly focused ministries. Some church slumps were the result of the congregation becoming too inwardly focused. One pastor led his church to “adopt” an elementary school in the area. The members became motivated and enthused as they did whatever the principal and other leaders of the school told them the school needed.

4. They sought a trusted confidant to evaluate their leadership. This reaction is similar to number one. In this case, however, the problem was specifically perceived to be the leadership of the pastor.

5. They spent more time in prayer. I suspect this and the next response were actually more frequent. Many pastors sought the face of God more intensely and more frequently for guidance out of the slump.

6. They became more consistent in their time reading the Bible. Many pastors get into the trap of reading the Bible only to prepare sermons or lessons. I know. I’ve been there as a pastor. But pastors need the consistent nourishment of the Word of God beyond the time they spend studying it for sermons or lessons.

7. They became more intentional about connecting with their members. One pastor made a commitment to hand write one letter a day to a church member, write two emails a day to a member, and make one phone call a day to a member. The purpose of each piece of communication was brief encouragement and gratitude. It took him less than 30 minutes to do all of them, and he was consistent in it four days a week. In one year’s time, he connected with 800 members.

8. They set aside time on the calendar during the week to dream. Pastors are on call 24/7. Life can become hectic and frustrating. One pastor sets aside two hours a month to go to a private room to dream about the future of the church. The time is a fixture on his calendar. Sometimes he prays. Sometimes he reads about God’s work at other churches. And sometimes he writes ideas and thoughts. The process invigorates him, and he can thus lead the church with greater enthusiasm and clarity himself.

These responses to a slump could really apply to any Christian leader. In this case, I listened to pastors.

 

Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Source : The Christian Post

Big Churches, Big Bucks: Southern Senior Pastors take top Salaries

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Big Churches, Big Bucks: Southern Senior Pastors take top Salaries
Big churches, big bucks: Southern senior pastors take top salaries
(Photo: Leadership Network)

 

RNS – Large churches in the South tend to pay their senior pastors the highest salaries, a newsurvey finds.

That’s one of the conclusions on churches and finances released Tuesday (Sept. 9) by Leadership Network, a Dallas-based church think tank, and the Vanderbloemen Search Group, a Houston-based executive search firm for churches and ministries. A total of 727 churches in the U.S. and Canada with attendance ranging from 1,000 to more than 30,000 answered questions, more than double the number of congregations featured in previous studies.

The survey found that 14 percent of large churches have a financial bonus structure for their top leader. And one in five of the big congregations find ways to collect their money other than passing the proverbial offering plate.

Warren Bird, research director at Leadership Network, said pastors have long held a lofty place of authority in the South, and that may be why they are paid more in that region.

Northeastern churches are the second-highest paying, followed by the West and the Midwest. The lowest-paying region is Canada.

The higher pastor salaries in the South contrast with lower-than-average wages for the region. The Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reports average annual wages of workers in all the states in the Deep South — Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina — are lower than the U.S. annual wage of $49,804.

Although researchers agreed not to divulge specific salaries of particular pastors or the identity of participating churches, they were able to determine trends in these congregations that reflect about one-quarter of the nation’s Protestant worshippers. For example:

  • The larger the church, the more the senior pastor is likely to be paid.
  •  The second-in-command at many churches earns about 70 percent of the salary of the top executive.
  • Three-quarters of the churches gave pay raises between 1 and 5 percent and the most common raise was 3 percent for 2014.

“Bigger means more employees, more volunteers, more moving parts and a greater scope of leadership required,” Bird said. “That reality usually leads to more compensation across a host of organizations.”

In fact, the common pay raise also reflects a wider social trend. Towers Watson, a Virginia-based professional services company, released a separate survey Monday (Sept. 8) that found that U.S. employers plan to give their professional employees an average pay raise of 3 percent in 2015.

… Read More Here

Vatican and CofE head to battle on the Cricket Pitch

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Vatican and CofE head to battle on the Cricket Pitch

After a blessing from Pope Francis, the Vatican’s St Peter’s XI is ready to take on the Church of England.

The team – made up of English, Indian and Sri Lankan clergy – had mixed results in their warm-up games.

They comfortably beat a team of armed forces chaplains before going down to St Peter’s Cricket Club, Brighton.

Their five-match tour continued with a win over an authors XI before a final loss to a team put together by the Queen at Windsor Castle.

The Church of England team captain, Rev Jez Barnes from St Stephen’s in Twickenham, is quietly confident.

He said: “The Vatican team have been playing together for a year; we’re more of a scratch side.

“We’ve had to put our team together on the hoof, but we’ve got a great bunch of guys on our team.”

The game, which has the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis, was organised to raise money for a joint Catholic and Anglican campaign against modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

It takes places on Friday 19th September at Kent County Cricket Club in Canterbury.

 

Source : Premier Christianity News

Is Speaking in Tongues From God or the Devil?

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Is Speaking in Tongues From God or the Devil?

We think it will be a good read if you read this from our  partner – Chrisma News

Without a doubt, speaking in tongues is the most controversial spiritual gift mentioned in the New Testament. Is it from God or the devil? Should believers ignore it, oppose it, or embrace it? There are many legitimate questions regarding the gift of tongues that deserve a thoughtful, biblical response. Let’s tackle five of them.

1. Is speaking in tongues from God or the devil?

The most important thing you need to know about speaking in tongues is what Jesus said about it, and He did not mince His words in Mark 16:17: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues.” Jesus declared that tongues is a supernatural sign that can and should accompany everyone who believes in Him. God does not give His children any bad gifts, so we shouldn’t fear or ridicule the gift of tongues.

2. Are people making it up when they speak in tongues?

The gift of tongues is a known or heavenly language unknown to the speaker that enables him or her to communicate directly with God. Paul said in 1 Cor. 13:1, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels…” When you receive the gift of tongues, in a split second the Holy Spirit downloads a language into your spirit without you ever having to learn it.

In 2006, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania took brain images of five people while they spoke in tongues. Their research was published in The New York Times. The leader of the study team was Dr. Andrew Newberg, who arrived at this conclusion:

“We noticed a number of changes that occurred functionally in the brain. Our finding of decreased activity in the frontal lobes during the practice of speaking in tongues is fascinating because these subjects truly believe that the spirit of God is moving through them and controlling them to speak. …Our brain-imaging research shows us that these subjects are not in control of the usual language centers during this activity, which is consistent with their description of a lack of intentional control while speaking in tongues.”

When they prayed in tongues, their frontal lobes, the willful part of the brain we use to think and control what we do, were quiet. The language center of their brains—the part we use to speak in our native language—were quiet as well. The people were not in a trance; they were fully aware of what was happening. The researchers were unable to pinpoint which part of the brain was controlling this behavior of speaking in tongues. Dr. Newberg went on to say, “The amazing thing was how the images supported people’s interpretation of what was happening. … The way they describe it, and what they believe, is that God is talking through them.”

Speaking in tongues is clearly not a fabricated language, as these scientists have confirmed. It is a spiritual language given to us by God to communicate with Him.

3. Is speaking in tongues a fringe gift that only a few people receive?

The gift of tongues was the most common spiritual gift in the New Testament church. The Bible tells us in Acts 2:4 that all of the original 120 disciples at Pentecost spoke in tongues in the Upper Room: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” We don’t know if they all received the gift of faith or healing or discernment, but we know for a fact that all of them received the gift of tongues.

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Rick Joyner Issues Warning: ISIS Coming to America as the ‘Gate of Hell’ Has Opened

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Rick Joyner Issues Warning: ISIS Coming to America as the ‘Gate of Hell’ Has Opened

On Prophetic Perspectives, Rick Joyner shares the troubling dream he had Thursday night about ISIS’s plans in America and how martial law may save us.

Joyner shares what ISIS in America may look like, what that may mean for you and your family, how to prepare, how this crisis can be avoided, how to pray for our national leaders, and how to remain in peace during this troubling time.

Click here to watch the video.

Everything Works well when we Pray, and Continue to Pray …

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Everything Works well when we Pray, and Continue to Pray …

Everything works well when we pray, and continue to Pray …

Good Things Come To Those Who Pray!

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