A British theater chain has rejected a three-minute World War I tribute with a Bible theme, deeming it too religious for the moviegoing public.

Empire Cinemas, an independent theater chain with more than 120 screens at 14 locations in the United Kingdom, doesn’t run religious or political ads even if they are tied to current events, according to The Guardian newspaper. The three-minute short film by the Bible Society was to be run leading up to Armistice Day, Nov. 11. It showed black and white footage of British soldiers in World War I. The film noted that all soldiers were given Bibles.    

“Over 9 million men and women from across Britain and the Commonwealth served in World War One. All British soldiers were given a Bible as part of their kit,” the words on the screen read. “To many it was a source of hope for eternal peace”

The short film then switched to the modern day and showed U.K. citizens quoting Revelation 21:1-7. 

It concluded with words on the screen: “The Bible. Still giving peace and hope today.”

The Bible Society hired advertising company Pearl & Dean to distribute the film. Pearl & Dean told the British Society in an email that exhibitors “get veto over any sort of religious or political ad. I am sorry to deliver this news, but unfortunately they do get final say.”

Paul Woolley of the Bible Society…

The tragic shooting on Wednesday in Thousand Oaks, California, took the lives of 12 unsuspecting people. One of the victims was 27-year-old Telemachus Orfanos, a survivor of last year’s Las Vegas shooting. 

Orfanos’ mother, Susan, spoke out in a recent interview with ABC 13 saying, “My son was in Las Vegas with a lot of his friends and he came home. He didn’t come home last night, and I don’t want prayers. I don’t want thoughts. I want gun control, and I hope to God nobody sends me anymore prayers. I want gun control. No more guns,” pleaded the grieving mother. 

According to USA Today, the horrific events occurred after 28-year-old David Long entered the Borderline Bar and Grill, set off a smoke device, and open fired into the crowd.

Orfanos, who served two-and-a-half years in the navy, was a survivor of the 2017 Route 91 music festival shooting in which 58 individuals were killed and nearly 500 were left wounded. 

The victim’s father, Marc Orfanos, addressed the heartbreaking irony, stating: “It is particularly ironic that after surviving the worst mass shooting in modern history, he went on to be killed in his hometown.” 

Pastor Shawn Thorton of Cavalry Community Church in Westlake Village informed ABC 2 that 20 to 30 members were visiting Borderline Bar and Grill when the massacre took place. He also stated…

The director of Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald says two characters in the upcoming film are gay and in love, although they aren’t open about it. 

The Fantastic Beasts series is a prequel to the Harry Potter films, which were based on books by J.K. Rowling. Rowling said in 2007 that the book character Albus Dumbledore is gay, even though there were no hints of that in any of the seven novels. She also said he had fallen in love with the wizard Grindelwald as a teenager. Dumbledore is head of the Hogwarts wizarding school.

“This part of this huge narrative that [J.K. Rowling] is creating doesn’t focus on his sexuality, but we’re not airbrushing or hiding it,” director David Yates told Empire magazine. “…The story [of the romantic relationship] isn’t there in this particular movie, but it’s clear in what you see … that he is gay.”

Yates added, “A couple of scenes we shot are very sensual moments of him and the young Grindelwald.”

The movie is rated PG-13. Fantastic Beasts 2is the second installment in a planned five-movie series. 

Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Jeff Spicer/Stringer

A bishop of The Episcopal Church whose diocese is based in the capital of New York has announced that his churches will not perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Earlier this year, the Episcopal Church General Convention passed a resolution allowing for congregations to perform gay weddings even in dioceses where leadership objects. The new policy is scheduled to take effect on the first Sunday of Advent, Dec. 2.

This stood in contrast to a resolution passed by the General Convention in 2015 that allowed bishops opposed to same-sex marriage to maintain a ban on such unions within their diocese.

Bishop William Love of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany released a lengthy pastoral letter on Saturday officially stating that the gay marriage rites approved earlier this year “shall not be used anywhere in the Diocese of Albany by diocesan clergy (canonically resident or licensed).”

“Jesus is calling the Church to follow His example. He is calling the Church to have the courage to speak His Truth in love about homosexual behavior – even though it isn’t politically correct,” stated Bishop Love.

“Sexual relations between two men or two women was…

Rick Warren, pastor at the 22,000-member Saddleback Church in southern California, was hospitalized late last week. News of his situation became public when a conference where his wife, Kay, was scheduled to speak shared an update about her cancellation on Facebook. 

The organizers of the “Illuminate” conference in Northern Ireland told those scheduled to attend that, “Today, as our speaker, Kay Warren, was in the air just a few hours from arrival, she received unexpected news of a family medical emergency. He is in surgery as this update is released. He is expected to fully recover, but of course, Kay is immediately returning to the United States to be with her family.” 

Later, she commented on the conference’s Facebook post and updated them on his condition. She said, “Hello dear friends – just an update on Rick. He is much better today! The surgery went even better than expected and he will be released in a few days. Things were quite serious for a day but he is strong and tough and he is on the road to recovery!”

Saturday night the church sent an email from Warren to the congregation with an explanation of his condition. It read:

By now you may have heard that I needed an emergency surgery early Thursday morning. At about 7 pm on Wednesday evening while at home by myself, I suddenly doubled over in an attack of excruciating abdominal pain. Kay (his wife)…