According to religious freedom charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), believers at Praise the Lord Church in the Tamil Nadu region were praying together last weekend when six men aged between 21 and 38 disrupted their meeting and threatened the church pastor.
The men who have been identified as part of the Nationalist group Hindu Munanni, assaulted members of the congregation after threatening to kill them if they continued to pray.
One churchgoer’s hand was fractured and an elderly woman sustained head injuries in the incident and Bibles from the church were also destroyed by the attackers.
The church’s lead pastor, Philip Rangasamy has claimed this is the second violent intrusion they have had from the Hindu extremist group in the past three months.
Nehemiah Christie, Director of Legislation & Regulations of the Synod of Pentecostal Churches in Tamil Nadu, said: “It is heart-rending to see that the government has ignored repeated calls from human rights activists about the rising religious intolerance in the state.
“The church has been conducting prayer services for the last 13 years.”
CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said “We urge the state and central governments to prosecute those who incite hatred and perpetrate violence against religious minorities.
“The freedom to assemble and pray is a fundamental right of every Indian citizen, which is…
Pete Buttigieg Says He ‘Can’t Imagine’ God Would Be a Republican, then Argues ‘God Doesn’t Belong to a Political Party’
South Bend Mayor and 2020 Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said that politicians should not use God as a weapon, but then argued that God could not possibly be a Republican.
The Blaze reported that in an interview on Tuesday, Craig Melvin of “The Today Show” asked Buttigieg: “you also spend a fair amount of time talking about your faith… why?”
“It’s important to me,” Buttigieg responded. “I think it’s also important that we stop seeing religion used as a kind of cudgel as if God belonged to a political party.”
A second later, adding: “If he did, I can’t imagine it would be the one that sent the current president into the White House.”
Although he did not say that God would be a Democrat, he argued that God would not be a Republican, as that is the party that sent President Donald Trump to the White House.
Buttigieg, who has been extremely vocal about his Episcopalian faith, has attacked Vice President Mike Pence time and time again over his views on LGBT issues, leading him to also attack his faith.
“How would (Pence) allow himself to become the cheerleader…
Azeem Wazir is due to be sent back to his homeland on Friday and is currently being held at Colnbrook detention centre.
He attends a Catholic church in Bristol and works as a caretaker at Woodlands Church in the city – where he also lives in a community house with the pastor.
Mr Wazir came to the UK in 2015, leaving behind his family in Lahore because he had been targeted by Islamic extremists and feared for his life.
Dave Mitchell, senior pastor at Woodlands church told Premier that Azeem is a “kind” and “warm” man who was kept in detention when he went to a regular signing on at a police station and wasn’t allowed to leave.
Mr Mitchell told Premier Christian Radio’s News Hour: “He’s been part of a wonderful Catholic Church in Bristol, but then he’s come to live with me in my community house and we’ve become really close. And so, you know, every day someone’s gone up from Bristol to the detention centre to see him since he was arrested last week.
“Like anybody who’s got a pending appeal for right of asylum, he was signing on the police station and showed up to sign and was just not allowed to leave and later that evening whisked up to Heathrow, so didn’t have any clothes or made any preparations and then there’s just kind of a week’s notice – ‘You’re going to be on a plane back to Pakistan'”.
To listen to the full interview with Dave Mitchell, who Azeem Wazir lives with, click here:
When non UK-citizens are seeking asylum or appealing an asylum…
Fire at Historic Church Building on Easter Stuns, but Does Not Stop, Worshipers in India
NEW DELHI, May 8, 2019 (Morning Star News) – It was a different kind of Easter celebration this year for Pastor Anil Juit of Maranatha Full Gospel Church in eastern India.
Opening the door of the historic church building in Arrah, in Bihar state’s Bhojpur District, on Easter Sunday (April 21), he found a gaping hole in the back wall, and everything inside had been gathered up and burned in a heap, he said.
The mats the congregation usually sat on for services were charred in the ash heap. Pastor Juit and the 70 members of the congregation were shocked but remained for Easter worship.
As he made his way out at the end of the service, Pastor Juit noticed that someone had written “Jai Sri Ram [Hail, lord Ram]” on the outside wall of the church building.
“It is evident from the slogan that this is the work of some Hindu radicals,” he told Morning Star News, adding that he suspected the damage was done the previous night.
The church has used the once-vacant building of the Holy Saviour Church of Arrah for its services for five years with permission from the district superintendent of the Methodist Church in India, he said.
Local media portrayed the burning as part of a robbery, which he refuted.
“Nothing was stolen from inside the church, but a burnt heap of Bibles, religious books, drums, tambourine, banners, mats, etc. was…
The US based musician, who won two Grammy Awards back in 2013, explained what we can expect from his new music.
“I’m always in pursuit of reverence,” he said. “I never feel like I quite get there but I do keep trying because I think it’s so important.
“When you’re writing a song, recording an album, leading worship, you have to think about Revelation chapter four and five, the throne room.
“Am I aiming as much as I can to match this up with that? There’s a God who’s in the centre of everything he’s as holy his you could ever fathom. Let’s try and aim high with our songs.”
Redman’s last album, Glory Days, was released in 2017.
His new album will his 16th.
Redman was speaking to Premier ahead of the Thy Kingdom Come Trafalgar Square prayer and worship event for Pentecost.
Thousands are expected to gather at the London landmark on June 9.
Two in Custody after Colorado School Shooting Leaves 1 Dead, 8 Injured
Two students walked into the STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado on Tuesday and opened fire killing one and injuring eight others.
According to the Associated Press, an 18-year-old and a juvenile – both students at the STEM School – walked into the kindergarten through 12thgrade science, technology, engineering and math charter school and engaged students in two separate classrooms.
According to CBN News, at first, seventh-grader Sophia Marks was not sure what was going on. She said, “At the moment no one really knew what was going on, so I didn’t know they were bullets.” She continued, “I just kind of saw like flashes and we heard bangs.”
Reportedly, authorities were immediately notified of the shooting and nearby deputies were able to respond quickly. After a struggle with the suspects, authorities were able to apprehend the two shooters.
In a news conference on Tuesday, Douglas County Undersheriff Holly Nicholson-Kluth noted that officers could still hear gunfire as they were arriving on the scene.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock added, “I have to believe that the quick response of the officers that got inside that school helped save lives.”
Authorities have released the name of the 18-year-old suspect and have confirmed that neither of the two shooters were previously known to them.
Readers have sent text messages to me many times, asking me on what to do to have a successful marriage and family life. My reply to every such one today is that you are the sole builder and the architect of your family. If your family life turns out to be successful, you have played a part in its success, even though God is the ultimate builder. For every house is built by some man; but he that built all things is God. (Hebrews 3:4). If your family life is not successful, God is not to blame either, because He always keeps His own side of the covenant. Before your family can be built successfully, you have responsibilities to accept and fulfill.
It is a well-known fact that the quality of any establishment is largely dependent on the quality of its leadership. This is also applicable to the family. Today, we will look at, the main Secret of a True Family Man, in our quest for a successful family.
A true family man is a man of many parts. He must be a good leader that takes decisions, guarantee the welfare of the home, makes provisions for his family members physically and financially. Besides, he is a spiritual beacon: that is the priest of the home, interceding for each member of the family regularly. However, in this week’s series, I will be sharing with you one secret upon which all others hinge, which is love. The secret of the love he has for his family is a major motivation that moves him to fulfill all of his other responsibilities.
The man must be a loving leader and not a taskmaster. Love is a necessary ingredient that a man must possess for effective leadership. The instruction to love your own wife is a scriptural commandment for the man even as Christ loves the church: Husbands love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). Husbands are mandated to love there wife sacrificially, limitlessly and unconditionally and this has to be expressed. Love is not love until it expressed. Express your love to your wife in words and indeed.
Love is not only just a feeling of affection, it is a force that causes one to give and give all the time, not only when the woman does good, but also when she appears to be wrong in some aspects.
Wherever love is present it can be seen, it can be read, it can be heard and it can be felt. It cannot be hidden. There can’t be effective leadership without love. However, anyone who draws people to himself, who is touched by their feelings, and shows concern for them is always an effective leader. As a man, if you want to be in control of your home, you need to use the weapon of love. Love and control are two sides of the same coin. Where there is love, selfishness does not exist!
Loving as much as Jesus loves the church is the standard. Jesus loved the church when it had no comeliness. While we were yet sinners, Christ laid down his life for us (His Church) (I John.3:16). A true family man, therefore, does not wait for his wife to be perfect before he loves her but is unconditionally steadfast in the demonstration of his love for her and for his entire family. Whenever your wife is going wrong, lovingly call her back to order. Love sees danger afar off and warns the loved one of that danger by loving control methods.
God’s Word says: Love thinketh no evil. (1 Corinthians 13:5). Therefore, always resist any evil thought in you concerning your wife or other family members in the mighty name of Jesus. Next, ensure that you express your love verbally. If you can’t tell your wife you love her, who else do you want to tell? I hear it from my husband continually and it creates in me both the ability to submit and a reassuring commitment to make our home a delight always.
A true family man speaks good and godly words to his wife and children. When he calls his wife a virtuous woman, she longs to live up to that title. As he calls his children gifted and intelligent, they work hard not to disappoint his expectation. He disciplines them when necessary, with a heart full of love and compassion. He interacts (plays) with them, communicates with them, asks them relevant questions, allows them to ask him questions, and answers their questions. He is a good listener and he is always there for his family when they need him. Don’t be too busy to spend time with your family. I heard the daughter of one of the governors say on television that her father still finds time to come to their room and play with them. That gave me a lot of respect for that Governor. In spite of his very busy schedule, he still finds time for his daughters.
Husband, if you really love your wife you will treat her just like yourself. That is a major secret of family success. A pinch of salt looks so little, but when it is absent in any soup, it is very obvious. Similarly, no matter how great every other thing looks in a home when love is missing, it is going to be glaring to the whole world. These are the things that make a home sweet. Dear family man, there is no secret anywhere; obedience to these divine instructions will give you enviable results in your family life.
True love can’t be expressed without knowing the origin of love. God himself is love a man once said: “any man who doesn’t love God can’t know how to love aright”. Loving God first is the way to love, but you can’t claim to love God without accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savoir, and becoming his child. Jesus is the expression of God’s love for humanity. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
You can be His child by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you have not asked Jesus to come into your life or may have neglected your initial love for Him, then you should say this prayer in faith: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today, teach me to love even as you loved us. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.
Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21). With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored)
Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.
The organisers of Standing Together hope the meeting will build on the success of the group’s rally against the social issues last month, where almost 1,000 Christians gathered in Trafalgar Square.
The event was organised by the Ascension Trust, alongside the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, London City Mission and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
Rev Les Isaac, founder of Street Pastors and CEO of the Ascension Trust told the large crowd: “God does not want spectators in his Church.
“All of us are challenged to put our hands to the plough and do something.
“We need to volunteer. We need to give our time, skill, energy, and intellect free of charge to our community.”
Richard Reddie, Director of Justice and Inclusion at Churches Together in Britain and Ireland said in a statement that it was important to build on the momentum from the last rally.
“The Standing Together Rally on 6th April was a fantastic event that told the country that the Church was serious about addressing violent crime,” he said.
While Americans were grieving yet another school shooting, stocks fell significantly on fears of a trade war with China. The market plunged Monday morning on news that the US would escalate tariffs against Chinese imports. Then it rebounded on hopes that trade talks would eventually succeed amid news that a Chinese delegation is coming to Washington this week. Then it fell again yesterday.
My purpose today is not to masquerade as an economist in explaining the function and results of tariffs or the larger financial issues at stake. Rather, it is to discuss with you an underlying factor in the US–China relationship that is crucial for our souls and God’s global kingdom.
According to Pillsbury, China’s President Xi Jinping dreams of “a resurgent China that would reclaim its rightful place atop the global hierarchy. This has been a Communist Party ambition since Mao took power in 1949, the date commonly understood by China’s leaders as the beginning of the Hundred-Year Marathon.”
China’s goal is “to compete with and surpass the United States as the world’s leading economic power.” If current trends persist, “by 2050, China’s economy will be much larger than America’s—perhaps three times larger, according to some projections.”
Why does this matter?
In this new world, “China will be able to outspend America militarily. It will be able to exert…
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