An interactive satellite television program called Signal is giving a voice to persecuted Christians in Iran.

“For quite some time before we started producing and broadcasting the program, we were always trying to find a unique approach for the Christians, especially those residing inside the country, for being their voice,” said Reza Jafari, host of the show, to The Christian Post.

“Most of the Christian TV programs [available on Satellite TV in Iran] are either teaching programs or theological programs that are sort of like a monologue.”

So Jafari, who converted to Christianity in 2003, wanted to introduce a new way to encourage Christians living in the Middle East and created a platform a year and a half ago to allow Christians to share their testimonies through “Signal.”

The program broadcasts to 25 countries across the Middle East and North Africa on its Farsi-speaking channel, SAT-7 PARS. Jafari and his co-host Niloufar Raisi talk to believers through Skype calls, pre-recorded interviews, or live calls. Many of these Christians are Muslim converts outside of Iran or believers who still live in the country.

“One outstanding story and testimony of someone that we had on the show was a pre-recorded testimony from an Afghan convert,” Jafari shared. “He was part of a Taliban militia group in Afghanistan. His job was to murder people or go to war. His story and journey of transformation that he was sharing in our program was really inspiring.

“Whether it comes out in a very simple way or with simple words, it is inspiring for us. A lot of times when I talk with my colleagues or with the producer of the program, I call these people—like Muslim converts that decided to follow Jesus—I call them silent heroes. Because knowing all the consequences and yet deciding to follow Christ and staying inside the country and staying firm in their faith, it’s inspiring.”

Source: Christian Headlines

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The former pastor of a Houston church allegedly stole more than $200,000 from his congregation, according to a report.

Toddrick Deshaun Johnson, 36, has been charged with theft and using deception to secure an executive document relating to stolen parishioner funds from Paradise Missionary Baptist Church, according to court documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Johnson, who was hired in 2017, forged the church president’s signature in financial documents and then stashed $201,552 into a secret account, board members alleged in court papers.

The hidden funds went undiscovered until a financial audit in 2018, the newspaper reports.

Johnson then left the church when he was confronted about the missing money and is “no longer returning calls,” court documents show.

SOURCE: New York Post, Joshua Rhett Miller

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The ability for a human being to not believe the truth about something can be breathtaking.

Atheists and skeptics of Christianity consistently say that the reason they don’t believe in God is because there is no evidence for Him. If there were just good evidence for God and for the historicity of Jesus, atheists say that would make all the difference in the world – they’d immediately believe.

But is that all there really is to it?

Deborah Lipstadt might have a thing or two to say about that. Dr. Lipstadt, who is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, may not be a Christian or have a dog in the fight of atheism vs. Christianity, but she knows a thing or two about the ability of people to turn a blind eye to evidence when it’s offered to them. Lipstadt is the author of Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory, and someone who has spent years studying the ability of people to reject truth.

While most people think that it’s only individuals like Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who cast doubt on whether the Holocaust occurred, Lipstadt discovered that the Holocaust’s historical validity is questioned by a far greater number of people than might be believed. Moreover, she found such denial has not only continued to gain adherents, but it has become a broad, international movement with organized chapters, supposed “independent” research centers (with cleverly disguised names), and various publications that promote a revisionist view of WWII history.

But what about all the evidence that clearly supports the historicity of the Holocaust? Lipstadt writes: “The attempt to deny the Holocaust enlists a basic strategy of distortion. Truth is mixed with absolute lies, confusing readers who are unfamiliar with the tactics of the deniers. Half-truths and story segments, which conveniently avoid critical information, leave the listener with a distorted impression of what really happened. The abundance of documents and testimonies that confirm the Holocaust are dismissed as contrived, coerced, or forgeries and falsehoods.”[1]

Now, don’t get me wrong. When I reference Lipstadt’s findings, I’m not attempting to equate atheists with Holocaust deniers. Instead, what I’m trying to get across is the fact that, when it comes to a person choosing to believe or not believe something, there is more to the story.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Robin Schumacher

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Surrounded by tragedy and destruction, many Christians in the areas hit hardest by the violent Tennessee tornadoes did what they always do on Sunday mornings.

They went to church.

Although steadfast in their weekly routines, some filed into services with heavier hearts, grieving the members of their congregations who died in the storm and would never show up again for a Sunday service.

“Peace is not found in the absence of tragedy. Peace is found in the presence of the Lord,” said John Nichols, the teaching minister at Collegeside Church of Christ in Cookeville, Tennessee. Two of Collegeside’s members died in the storm.

Worship also looked a bit different on the first Sunday after seven tornadoes touched down in Tennessee.

Congregations whose churches were in the path of the twisters gathered outside in the crisp, morning air against a backdrop of their wrecked buildings while others assembled inside borrowed spaces so they could still pray and sing together.

Rev. Jacques Boyd preached under a big white tent in North Nashville as Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church’s badly damaged house of worship and Christian center stood behind him. The church dubbed it “worship in the rubble.”

“For 135 years we have always had a place to call home,” said Boyd, preaching.

“But my question for you, Mount Bethel, now that the brick and mortar is gone: Do you still love God? Now that the brick and mortar is gone, do you still love this community? Now that the brick and mortar is gone, can you still give God praise?”

They did and they could. Those inside the crowded tent responded to each of the pastor’s questions with a chorus of yeses and applause.

Even contractors who were busily trying to replace downed power lines paused and took off their hard hats as Boyd led the congregation in prayer on the sunny, windy morning.

It was a display of resilience and faith replicated across Tennessee on Sunday morning.

SOURCE: USA Today; Nashville Tennessean, Holly Meyer, Sandy Mazza, and Travis Dorman

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As more coronavirus cases pop up in Georgia, many churches are changing their services to keep people healthy. Some churches are stopping communion and some are eliminating hand-holding.

“We put hand sanitizer at every exit of our sanctuary,” said Pastor Jamal Bryant. “We ought to feel safe in the house of God,” he said.

New Birth Church is one of many houses of worship eliminating hugging, communion and even handshakes to stop the potential spread of the coronavirus.

“The church must be a safe haven, not just for inspiration but for information,” said Bryant of educating people on precautionary measures rather than stoking fear among the community.

Just days ago, the Archdiocese of Atlanta offered an advisory on communion policies to churches in an effort to keep people safe.

Those attending Sunday service said they don’t mind the change, and they appreciated the church’s message to stay calm.

“WE’RE NOT ACTUALLY GIVING HUGS” Have you noticed your church making changes to protect your health? The New Birth church in Stonecrest eliminating handshakes and hugging and has hand sanitizer at every entrance because of the coronavirus. @FOX5Atlanta pic.twitter.com/64Cd9xmleC

— Alexa Liacko FOX 5 (@AlexaLiackoFOX5) March 8, 2020

“We need faith in areas where fear will kick in,” Bryant said.

“It does make you a little concerned, but you just keep praying that God is going to come through, and it won’t hit us, ” said worshipper Delaina Holmes.

SOURCE: FOX5, Alexa Liacko

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A California-based apologist who oversees a conference that has about 3,000 regular attendees recently addressed the reasons for why churches might object to apologetics ministries. 

“I’ve had to convince a lot of pastors that showing up for an apologetics class, having an apologetics series for their student ministry is an incredibly valuable thing,” said Dena Davidson, campus life director of Thrive School who oversees the Thrive Apologetics Conference at Bayside Church.

“I do think there are a lot of pastors out there who are maybe a little bit jaded about, ‘Ah, apologetics doesn’t work. No one becomes a Christian because their questions get answered.’ And so I have had to face a little bit of that, for sure.”

Davidson was interviewed by Mikel Del Rosario of Dallas Theological Seminary on an episode of “The Table” podcast. She explained that she at her own church, she has been met with support for her ministry.

“I actually work in a church where it was our senior pastor who knew that we needed to have an apologetics presence on our campuses. And so he was the one who actually approached me and said, “Hey. I have this vision to do an apologetics conference. You’re doing something with apologetics. Can you run it?’” recalled Davidson.

“And I had no idea what I was saying yes to. I just thought that was so cool that my senior pastor was A, talking to me, and B, asking me to put on something that I love so much for the rest of the church.”

While she “did not have to convince that senior pastor that this ministry was valuable,” she has met some resistance from other churches. She cited two big reasons for churches resisting apologetics ministry, the first being a bad experience.

“I listen to their story about they may have seen someone use apologetics to try to argue people into the kingdom, or people use apologetics to actually tear people down,” she explained.

“After listening to their story, I just, in love, present a different option. And I say, ‘That sounds like really bad apologetics. But just because someone has done apologetics poorly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. It means that we need to do it better.’”

The second reason churches might be hesitant to do apologetics, according to Davidson, was that “it’s a lot of work.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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