The former executive director of the Allegheny County Democratic Party in Pennsylvania says he was forced out because of an old Facebook post that showed a picture of him and his wife with the words, “I stand for the flag, I kneel at the cross.”

But he says he has no regrets. 

“I’m not ashamed of my patriotism, not one bit. I fought for this country. I think I have a right to have a voice and be patriotic,” the former executive director, Mark Salvas, told KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. 

Salvas is a veteran of the Gulf War.

“I was asked by the chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Party to resign my position due to the controversy that was taking place on social media, and I did,” Salvas told KDKA. “It’s never easy when people you have never met accuse you of things and call you names, and you’ve never met them.”

He posted the comments on Facebook in part as a reaction to the NFL keeling controversy. Players, he said, should be able to kneel.

“That’s part of what the flag stands for. It gives them the right to do that,” Salvas said.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Ed Gainey said Salvas’ post offended many Democrats.

“To put that up on Facebook was, to me, insensitive, also to African Americans, who, as you know, have backed the Democratic Party for quite a long time, and everybody knows that it was insensitive,” Gainey…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there will be “painful blows” against the terrorist organization Hamas if the group does not stop its aggressive riots and protests.

“We are close to a different kind of action. Action which will include very painful blows, if Hamas is smart, it will cease its fire and violent outbursts – now,” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the prime minister called an emergency cabinet meeting after attacks against Israel.

“Israel views very seriously the attacks against it along the fence, in the Gaza border region and in Beersheba, everywhere. I said at the opening of the cabinet meeting this week that if these attacks do not stop, we will stop them.

“I want to say today: Israel will act with great strength.”

The protests started at the end of March and each day, the protestors plan different events. Friday’s are the main day.

“Where an average of about 18,000 rioters gather in six different locations trying to violently get across into Israel becoming more and more violent,” said IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus. “We see a clear escalation in violence in the weapons that they use.”

Last Friday, Palestinians used IEDs to blast a hole in a border fence. Some 20 Palestinians were able to get through the fence. In response, Israeli soldiers opened…

First Baptist Church in Gainesville, Georgia, told its congregants Monday that its longtime pastor, Bill Coates, stepped down after being accused of having an “inappropriate relationship” with a former female staff member.

Church leaders sent out an email Monday, explaining that Coates’ retirement as pastor in August came after an allegation was made that Coates engaged in a form of sexual misconduct.

The 63-year-old Coates pastored FBC, a member of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, for over two decades. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is a member of the congregation.

“Dr. Bill Coates retired from the position of pastor of First Baptist Church on August 19, 2018. He voluntarily retired after learning of a report having been made in which he was accused of sexual misconduct by an adult female former member of the church staff,” the church statement reads. “Dr. Coates no longer has any affiliation with the ministries of the First Baptist Church.”

First Baptist Church Executive Pastor Kent Murphey told The Gainesville Times that Coates’ alleged misconduct with the former female church staff member occured around 2005 or 2006.

The church’s statement did not offer any denial of the…

As Anne Graham Lotz begins the next step in her cancer treatment this week, she reminds her followers that she does not fear death.

In a blog post penned by Lotz on Tuesday, the daughter of the late Billy Graham informed her readers that she would be beginning chemotherapy treatment. Lotz wrote, “My cancer journey continues as I begin chemotherapy this week.”

“My heart aches for the multitude of people who have also dealt with this deadly disease. Yet I am praising God for His keeping power and for your prayers that I know are sustaining me in a constant state of peace, joy, and expectancy of blessings along the way,” she continued. 

The evangelist then goes on to say, “I have been told that my prognosis is excellent. But to be honest, even if it wasn’t, I can truthfully say I have no fear of death. None at all.”

Lotz goes on to share a story about her great-nephew Jac who wrote a class report about the evangelist. When asked to write a report about someone who has greatly impacted his spiritual life, Jac’s wrote that his great-aunt, Anne Graham Lotz, had taught him not to be afraid of death through her children’s book Heaven, God’s Promise for Me. 

Seeing this report served as a reminder to Lotz that she too had no need to fear death. 

Lotz said her perspective on death is “the same as the apostle Paul when he declared, ‘For me, to…

Evangelist Anne Graham Lotz has said that she has “no fear of death” as she begins chemotherapy in her fight against cancer.

“My cancer journey continues as I begin chemotherapy this week. My heart aches for the multitude of people who have also dealt with this deadly disease. Yet I am praising God for His keeping power and for your prayers that I know are sustaining me in a constant state of peace, joy, and expectancy of blessings along the way,” Lotz wrote on her website on Tuesday.

“I have been told that my prognosis is excellent. But to be honest, even if it wasn’t, I can truthfully say I have no fear of death. None at all,” she added.

“My perspective is the same as the Apostle Paul when he declared, For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21) As my brother-in-law, Dr. Denton Lotz, stated when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the same time I was diagnosed with breast cancer, we are in a win-win situation.”

As inspiration for her state of mind she shared Hebrews 2:14–15, which also talks about not fearing death.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, He (Jesus) too shared in their humanity so that by His death He…

The Disciples of Christ has reported a decline in membership for the year 2017, over a quarter of a million fewer members than it did a decade ago.

For the 2017 calendar year, the mainline Protestant denomination, which is also called the Christian Church, reported 411,140 members and 139,936 average worship attendance.

By contrast, according to the Association of Religion Data Archives, in 2007 the Disciples of Christ reported approximately 689,500 members, representing a loss of nearly 280,000 members in 10 years.

The 2017 numbers are also about half of the reported numbers for the theologically liberal denomination in 2000, when according to ARDA they had approximately 820,000 members.

Cherilyn Williams, spokesperson for the theologically liberal denomination, told The Christian Post on Tuesday that the current numbers are “skewed from previous years” due to their recent decision to “quit adding in estimates for congregations that do not report, which includes some of our newer communities.”

“Losses in membership and attendance can lead to…