‘Churches face shutdown and Christians threatened with arrest’ in Ukraine

Laws recently introduced in the rebel-held Luhansk region affectively outlaw Protestant Christianity, the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group has warned.

The organisation alleges that officials in the territory, which has been controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, have imposed a re-registration process for churches.

 

Ukraine’s Institute for Religious Freedom reports that evangelical Christian communities have been barred from re-registration, meaning they are breaking the law if they do not cease to operate.

The Christian ministry Ellel Ministries, which trains church leaders across eastern Europe said it was monitoring the situation and liaising with colleagues in the country.

Staff member, Richard Jones (whose real name has been protected for security reasons), told Premier the legislation forms part of a pro-Russian agenda endorsed by Moscow.

Mr Jones said: “Russia is encouraging this kind of thing to happen, to make sure that there is a completely pro-Russian area surrounding the Russian Federation.”

Qypchak

 

“They make it impossible for any churches to re-register which means, of course, the churches can no longer operate even in their own buildings.

Human rights advocates claim all non-Russian Orthodox churches are facing persecution in Luhansk and neighbouring Donetsk, which is also in the hands of…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس

Sudan Releases 13 Christians Arrested in Darfur after Torture, Threats

Sudan Releases 13 Christians Arrested in Darfur after Torture, Threats



JUBASouth Sudan, October 23, 2018 (Morning Star News) – After torturing them and threatening to charge them with serious crimes, authorities in Sudan have released 13 Christians arrested in the Darfur Region, sources said. 


Personnel from Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) released 12 of the Christians by Sunday (Oct. 21) and freed church leader Tajaldin Idriss Yousif on Monday, all without charges, but they threatened to charge the native Darfur evangelist and others with apostasy, public disturbance and crimes against the state, sources said.


“All of them were said to be tortured by NISS and are in bad shape,” a source said. “One of them is said to be in critical condition owing to torture. He is said to have been vomiting and bleeding. He was rushed to a hospital, but he was not attended to by the physicians in that hospital.”  


The 13 Christians from four different house churches were worshipping together on Oct. 10 in Nyala, capital of South Darfur state in western Sudan’s Darfur Region, when NISS officers disrupted the service and arrested them, sources said.


NISS authorities did not give any reason for the arrests, but sources said they are targeting converts from Islam from Darfur and, in south-eastern Sudan, South Kordofan state. Three of the Christians were said to be from the Nuba Mountains area in the country’s…

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

Vatican prepares to open debate on married men joining priesthood

Pope Francis has convened a meeting of South American bishops next year focusing on the plight of the church in the Amazon.

During that synod, the question of ordaining married men of proven virtue – so-called “viri probati” – is expected to figure on the agenda.

 

This week, a two-hour documentary on Italian television is likely to contribute to the conversation.

The Choice: Priests And Love profiles more than a dozen men in four European countries who are either living secretly with women, have created their own unsanctioned church communities where married priests preside at Mass, or left the Catholic priesthood altogether to marry.

The documentary makes the case that many of these men would gladly return to the priesthood and offer their pastoral services.

Their plight has found a sympathetic ear in Francis, who has long expressed a willingness to consider “viri probati” to address pastoral needs in the Amazon. He has also expressed sympathy for priests who have made the anguished choice to leave.

 

Vocatio, an Italian association of these “married priests”, wrote to Francis earlier this month pledging their solidarity as he copes with the global fallout of the sex abuse scandal, and once again offering their services in ministry.

“We would like you to take into consideration – without prejudice or pretence – the…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس

Christians Struggle With Urge to Play the Lottery as Studies Show It Harms the Poor

REUTERS/Andrew KellyA ticket is seen ahead of the Mega Millions lottery draw which reached a jackpot of 5 Million in Manhattan, New York, U.S., July 1, 2016.

As the Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday and Wednesday’s Powerball haul soared to a combined $2.22 billion over the weekend, Christians remained deeply divided over whether they should participate in the gamble even as studies show lotteries disproportionately attract those who can least afford it.

“Lord, please help the saints to resist the devil and not play the lottery! Lord that’s a lot of money lol. ‘Loose Here!'” Pastor DeMarlon J. Nixon of Freedom Temple Pentecostal Church in Texas quipped in a tweet on Sunday.

Pastor Chad Brown of Chad Brown Ministries says he believes Christians should go ahead and purchase a lottery ticket if that’s what they desire because many churches participate in games of chance outside of lotteries.

“Should believers buy a mega millions ticket ($2)? My answer is YES!! If that’s what they want to do,” Brown said in a Facebook post on Friday.

“You can’t be against the lottery, but your youth department is doing a RAFFLE! Same thing pastor. SAME THING! You can’t be against the lottery and you have a prize of $500 for whoever brings the most people on family and friends day. IJS,” he continued.

NewSpring Church founder Perry Noble, who revealed on his blog that he bought 10 lottery tickets in January 2016 in a bid to win a $1.3 billion jackpot, also shared his perspective on gambling.

“Is gambling bad? Yep…but sex can be as well!! Do we get rid of that too?” he asked.

“I’ve heard the heartbreaking…

… Read More

Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

قالب وردپرس

Powerful Category 3 Hurricane Willa Approaches Mexico

Powerful Category 3 Hurricane Willa Approaches Mexico



Mexico is bracing itself for impact as a category 3 hurricane, Hurricane Willa, approaches.


Willa is expected to make landfall on Tuesday and is posing serious threats of damage. 


According to ABC News, the category 3 storm has winds of about 125 mph and is currently about 120 miles south-southwest of Mazatlan.


The outlet reports that Willa will likely hit several islands off of Mexico on Tuesday morning before making landfall in Mexico Tuesday afternoon.


The storm is expected to produce a deadly storm surge of up to 18 inches between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, areas which according to ABC News, have already seen heavy rainfall and flooding.


Willa is expected to lose its tropical circulation as it makes its way inland, but it will maintain its tropical moisture dropping heavy rains on Texas, Wednesday. Heavy rains from the storm are posing flash flood threats to Mexico, Texas and the western Florida Panhandle, which is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael earlier this month. 


Some places are expected to see as much as 4 inches of rain.


ABC News warns that remnants of Willa will move along the Gulf Coast and combine with a powerful jet stream later this week. This could possibly lead to the formation of another storm in the Northeast heading into the weekend.



Photo courtesy: Pexels/Pixabay


Video courtesy: ABC News

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

Christian Parents Blaming Sex Assault Victims, Defending Their Unrepentant Children: College Pastor

(Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)People participate in a protest march for survivors of sexual assault and their supporters in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 12, 2017.

Christian parents sometimes not only attempt to justify the sexual assault carried out by their children, but also blame the victim, a college pastor and Presbyterian minister has said.

Moses Y. Lee, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and director of campus ministry OneU DC, who is studying at Westminster Theological Seminary, shared of such experiences in an article for The Gospel Coalition on Monday:

“During my past six years serving as a college pastor, some of my most disturbing conversations have been with unrepentant sexual assault perpetrators and their defensive Christian parents. In their attempts to justify their actions, too often I would hear from the perpetrators (and their parents), ‘Have you seen her Instagram account? Do you know what she’s like at parties? But she made the first move. Well, she asked for it. She has a history.’ And so on,” Lee wrote.

“With more than 20 percent of female undergraduate students experiencing some form of sexual assault or misconduct, these tendencies to blame the victim have led some to demand action or even walk away…

… Read More

—-

Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

قالب وردپرس

‘We have lost a modern saint’, tributes paid to Eugene Peterson

The Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes described Mr Peterson as a “great teacher” in a tweet.

Speaking to Premier Bishop Paul shared his reaction to the pastor’s death.

 

“In many ways it was expected I know that he was suffering the illnesses of old age,” he said.

“But it is still a shock when a man who has been so significant in the world church passes away.”

The Presbyterian pastor began receiving hospice care last week after his medical team informed his family his care would be “primarily palliative”.

Christian writer and speaker Sheridan Voysey told Premier the pastor left a lesson for Christians to learn by the way he handled his own death.

He said: “He gave us a model of dying well.

“If you read the reports from his family about his last few days of life, here we have a man who walked with God and then in his very last days he was almost joyful – he just couldn’t wait for what was about to happen next.

“We have lost a modern-day saint.”

The paraphrased Message Bible was published in segments from 1993 to 2002.

Justin Brierley presenter of the Unbelievable apologetics show on Premier said it’s hard to calculate the impact of The Message.

He explained: “It’s been used by rock-stars like Bono, it’s been used by people like my wife in ministry in her church.

“It’s always provided an immensely fascinating and fresh way of looking at scripture and he himself is a remarkable…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس

Migrant Caravan Grows to 7,200, Makes Its Way Toward U.S.

Migrant Caravan Grows to 7,200, Makes Its Way Toward U.S.



Some 7,200 migrants from Guatemala and Honduras are heading to the U.S. border, according to reports.


Early in the week, about 1,500 additional migrants joined the group, staying the night in Tapachula, Mexico. They were about 1,100 miles from McAllen, Texas.


In response to the traveling group, President Donald Trump said there are “criminals and unknown Middle Easterners” among the migrants.


Reporters, however, have said there is no evidence of his claim. Still, Trump said he has alerted Border Patrol and the military.


“Every time you see a Caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our Country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change our pathetic Immigration Laws! Remember the Midterms! So unfair to those who come in legally,” Trump tweeted Monday morning.


“Sadly, it looks like Mexico’s Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States,” Trump tweeted Monday. “Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I…

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

What’s Postconservative Evangelical? Theology Unfinished, ‘Inerrancy’ Not Dogmatic: Roger Olson

(Screenshot: YouTube/cityhilltv)Roger E. Olson, professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, speaking at City Hill Church in Federal Way, WA, on October 31, 2013.

An evangelical theologian has explained the meaning of “postconservative evangelical,” noting that the task of aligning doctrine with Scripture remains unfinished and “biblical inerrancy” is not elevated to dogma-status.

“Not many theologians I know want this label slapped on them,” Roger E. Olson, professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, admitted in a blog on Monday.

“Postconservative evangelical theology is evangelical theology that does not consider the constructive task of theology finished. Conservative evangelical theology is evangelical theology that considers the constructive task of theology finished. These theologians are primarily interested in the critical task of theology — discovering heresy and exposing it. They are also interested, of course, in translating older versions of ‘the received evangelical tradition’ into contemporary idiom,” he goes on to explain.

“Postconservative evangelical theology does not elevate ‘biblical inerrancy’ to the…

… Read More

—-

Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

قالب وردپرس

New Bishop of Bristol introduced to House of Lords

The Rt Rev Vivienne Faull was flanked by supporters, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, and the Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, as she swore the oath of allegiance to the Queen.

The former Dean of York became the Diocese of Bristol’s 57th bishop in July and is the first woman in the role.

Her appointment followed the retirement of the Rt Rev Mike Hill last year.

She was also the first woman to lead a Church of England Cathedral as Provost and then Dean of Leicester in 2000.

The 63-year-old, who was brought up on the Wirral, is married to a hospital consultant.

As Bishop of Bristol, she is one of the 26 senior members of the Church of England, known as the Lords Spiritual, entitled to sit on the red benches of the unelected house. Others include the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس