Religious minorities displaced in Iraq and Syria will have more help after President Donald Trump signed the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act.

The act is being praised by human rights activists and religious leaders, saying the bill will help Christians and other religious minorities facing violence and persecution in Iraq and Syria.

“We hope that this will mean that we will now begin a time of sustained and clear help to our struggling minorities and also that we will see a focus on true justice and accountability for what has happened,” Bashar Warda, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil, Iraq, whose archdiocese is responsible for aiding thousands of Christians displaced in Kurdistan, told The Christian Post.

Under the act, the government can fund nonprofits, charities and non-governmental groups, such as faith-based groups. The act also directs the government to address humanitarian needs in those areas.

Trump signed the act this weeks surrounded by religious leaders in the Oval Office.

Said Warda: “I said to him ‘Mr. President, we need to implement this bill as soon as possible and I know you can do it because you are a man who gets things done.’ He answered me directly ‘We will.’”

The bill had passed unanimously through the Senate in October and unanimously through the House in November.

According to…

A Tennessee youth leader was arrested last week after a 16-year-old boy told police that they had had sex at least 10 times. The youth leader is being charged with of aggravated statutory rape and soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to the Christian Post, Courtney Bingham, 35, served as a youth leader at Bethany Baptist Church in Loudon, TN where she met the boy and was later arrested. 

According to local news station WVLT, the local police were informed on the illegal relationship on December 3 and made the arrest the following day. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that the boy’s father reported the relationship to the sheriff’s office.

Reportedly, Bingham had had sex with the teen in her home and sent him several “pornographic” photos of herself. 

WVLT reports that Bingham did admit to police to having the sexual relationship with the boy but recalled that they had sex no more than four times. 

In a statement released by the sheriff’s department, Sgt. Jason Smith urged the seriousness of the case saying, “It’s very serious. You’re dealing with somebody that’s 35 years old and has sent pornographic images of herself with inappropriate comments to a juvenile. Not only that, was also having sexual intercourse with him as a member of a self-described youth leader of the church.”

He continued, “So being in a position of an…

When Chip and Joanna Gaines decided to walk away from their wildly popular HGTV show Fixer Upper, the news left fans shocked and disappointed. But it made a lot more sense when Joanna announced she was pregnant. But Baby Crew’s arrival is only part of the story. And now, Chip Gaines is opening up about the real reason Fixer Upper ended.

Part of what makes Chip and Joanna Gaines so loveable is how, no matter how popular they get, they remain down-to-earth, normal folks. Fame has a way of chancing people. But despite their celeb status, they don’t act differently. They just act like Chip and Jo.

In fact, it’s their genuine passion and raw talent for home renovation and design that got them “discovered.” The couple never set out seeking the limelight.

“We came into this whole thing sort of shock and awe,” Chip explained when the couple appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “And we had never had any inspiration to be on television. We didn’t know anything about the business.”

And while becoming a TV star sounds like a dream come true to most, the Gaines family soon found it can be equal parts burden and blessing. And now, Chip Gaines is opening up more about their decision to leave HGTV.

The Real Reason Fixer Upper Ended

Certainly, the success Chip and Joanna Gaines experienced on HGTV is something they’ll always…

An evangelical team has won the right to distribute Christian literature and share their faith at an Alaskan fair after being banned from the 2017 event.

The father-daughter tandem of David Grisham and Tina Watson reached a settlement with the city of Anchorage that permits them to pass out literature at the public park used by the Forest Fair in Girdwood, Alaska. When they tried handing out literature in 2017, they were surrounded by volunteers and threatened with arrest, according to KTUU-TV.

“On July 8, 2017, my dad, my nephew Airric, and I drove to the park to share the Gospel with Fair attendees, intending to pass out tracts and visit with people,” Watson said in a sworn statement. “We didn’t bring any signs, and I didn’t plan to preach.” 

The Center for Religious Expression represented Grisham and Watson in a lawsuit against the city. 

“Virtually any other topic could be discussed in the public park, but Grisham’s and Watson’s evangelism was considered a crime,” the Center said in a news release.

The city agreed to a settlement on Dec. 3. A judge then approved it.

“The court order ensures that Grisham and Watson maintain their right to share their faith at events free and open to the public,” said Center for Religious Expression chief counsel Nate Kellum.  “Finally, Grisham and Watson have freedom at the Girdwood Forest…

On Monday, a Detroit pastor was charged with the murder of a transgender woman which authorities are calling a hate crime. Police have determined that the victims gender identity played a role in why they were killed.

The 46-year-old Sterling Heights resident, Albert Weathers, was charged Monday for the fatal shooting of Kelly Stough, 36. According to Fox 2 Detroit, Stough was found dead on the street in the early morning hours, Friday.

Evidence to support the claims that Stough was killed because of her gender identity has not been revealed, but Fox News reports that evidence will be presented in court. 

Michigan’s next attorney general, Dana Nessel, commented on the Stough’s murder noting that this case reflects the “excessive brutality” a member of the transgender community in Detroit was forced to face.

Nessel is the president of Fair Michigan, a group dedicated to protecting all members of the LGBTQ+ community in the state.

Weathers, who pastored a Michigan church between 1997 and 1999 is being held in jail with a bond set at $1 million. The former pastor is being charged with murder in the first degree and is expected to be back in court later this month.

Photo courtesy: Pexels

An atheist group has launched a series of holiday-themed “Winter Solstice” billboards in Atlanta to underscore what it sees as the “real reason for the season.”

The two digital billboards sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation show a snowy forest with the message: “At This Season of the Winter’s Solstice May Reason Prevail.” It then includes the group’s web address: FFRF.org.

According to a news release, one digital billboard is located on Interstate 75, the other on Spring Road. 

“FFRF points out that the real reason for the season is the Winter Solstice, taking place on Dec. 21 this year — the shortest, darkest day of the year,” the news release says. “The Winter Solstice has been celebrated for millennia in the Northern Hemisphere because it signals the rebirth of the sun and the continuation of life.”

A third billboard went up on Peachtree Independent Boulevard. It reads: “Supernatural Belief — The Enemy of Humanity.”

The three billboards are part of “a year-long media campaign” in Atlanta, according to FFRF.

It is possible Christ was born during springtime, and not on Dec. 25. As Crosswalk.com explained in an article, “the traditional date of December 25 goes back as far as A.D. 273.” 

“Two pagan festivals honoring the sun were also celebrated on that day and it is possible that December 25 was chosen to…