After Being Held for Two Years in Turkey, Pastor Brunson is Released

After Being Held for Two Years in Turkey, Pastor Brunson is Released



The United States has brokered a deal with Turkey for the release of North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson, after almost two years of him being held in a Turkish jail. 


According to NBC News, the White House reached a deal with the Turkish authorities that will allow for Brunson to return to the U.S. in the next several days.


Under the agreement made between senior White House officials and the Turkish government, Brunson should be released after specific charges are dropped against him at his next court hearing on Friday. 


The pastor was being held on charges of conspiring to overthrow the Turkish government and being a part of a terrorist group. 


Though specific details of the deal have not been released, a source told NBC that in exchange for Brunson, the U.S. has committed to easing economic pressure on Turkey.


When Brunson was moved out of the Turkish prison and placed under house arrest in July, many people were hopeful that Brunson would be returned to the U.S. soon after.


Now, after several months under house arrest, the Turkish government has decided to release the pastor. According to Fox News, on October 12, Brunson stood before a Turkish court for a final hearing and it was decided that the pastor would be released and sentenced to time served.


The exact date of his return to the U.S. is not yet known, but President Trump has voiced on Twitter…

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Christian pastor Andrew Brunson released and allowed to leave Turkey

Pastor Andrew Brunson, 50, has been in some form of detention, prison or house arrest since October 2016, accused of links to a failed coup in the country which attempted to overthrow the government. 

The North Carolina church leader was among hundreds of others; academics, civil servants and journalist, arrested around the same time. 

It was decided on Friday that he should be convicted of terror charges but that his imprisonment will be over. 

On Friday, the court near the western city of Izmir sentenced Andrew Brunson to three years and one month in prison for the conviction, but since the evangelical pastor has already spent two years in detention he will not serve more time.

Brunson had rejected the espionage and terror-related charges and strongly maintained his innocence.

Lawyer Ismail Cem Halavurt said Brunson is expected to leave Turkey for the United States.

 

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Christian Parents Must Not Abandon Their LGBT Children, Says ERLC’s Andrew Walker

(Screenshot: live.erlc.com)Andrew T. Walker, director of research and senior fellow in Christian ethics at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, speaking at ERLC’s annual conference in Grapevine, Texas, on Oct. 11, 2018.

Christian families must not forsake family members who identify as LGBT, says Andrew T. Walker, director of research and senior fellow in Christian ethics at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.

“Do not abandon them. I do not know how this poisonous thinking infected evangelicalism, but in my role at the ERLC I’ve heard from parents who have a gay or lesbian or transgender child who think that because their child is identifying as one of those categories, it means they have to abandon them and banish them away,” said Walker at the ERLC’s annual national conference in Grapevine, Texas, on Thursday.

“If you have that attitude toward others, you should crucify it. If you have that attitude yourself about your child, you need to crucify it. Here’s why: because there is nothing, I repeat, nothing that can nullify the relationship between a parent and a child.”

Walker also denounced how so many issues on transgenderism are “politicized,” noting that it’s not just a “culture war”…

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Princess Eugenie and Jack’s wedding begins at ‘church big enough for their friends’

The ninth in line to the throne was given away by her father, Prince Andrew who said his daughter’s wedding has more guests than Harry and Meghan’s – because she has so many friends.

He also told ITV that the Queen was certain about holding the nuptials at Windsor.

 

In a pre-recorded interview with Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, the father of the bride said that he was “not intimately involved in the planning”.

And he said: “All the approval goes through the Queen anyway. It was what I was told, where it was going to take place.

Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

 

“The Queen very firmly said: ‘No, St George’s is where you are going to have the wedding.’

“So I said: ‘Aye, aye ma’am’, turn to the right, salute and carry on.”

Matt Crossick/PA Wire

 

Robbie Williams, Ellie Goulding and Kate Moss are among 850 guests who will be witnessing the wedding between the Queen’s granddaughter and tequila brand ambassador Jack Brooksbank.

As with Harry and Meghan’s wedding, 1,200 members of the public have been given tickets to hear a broadcast relay of the ceremony from outside the chapel doors.

The senior cleric who will marry the couple, David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, said it had been a pleasure to work with princess Eugenie and her fiance in the run-up to their wedding service which will be a mix of “traditional and…

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Pope Francis Accepts Cardinal Wuerl’s Resignation

Pope Francis Accepts Cardinal Wuerl’s Resignation



On Friday, Pope Francis accepted Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s resignation after he was accused of aiding in the cover-up of two sexual abuse scandals.


In a letter released by Wuerl’s office, the Pope reluctantly accepted the cardinal’s resignation, noting that he was a longtime ally to the pope and suggesting that Wuerl became a scapegoat amid sexual abuse allegations.


Wuerl’s resignation makes him the most prominent figure in the church to resign amid the Catholic church sex abuse scandal after his predecessor as Washington archbishop, Theodore McCarrick. 


McCarrick was forced to resign in 2018 from the College of Cardinals after being accused of sexually assaulting at least two minors and adult seminarians.


The Vatican released a statement Friday to announce Francis’ acceptance of Wuerl’s resignation, but noted that the pope has not named a replacement for the cardinal and as such has asked Wuerl to stay on until a new archbishop can be found.


This decision came after months of Wuerl insisting that he had no knowledge of the sexual abuses by clergy. Nonetheless, many people in the Catholic community lost faith in Wuerl’s leadership and soon the cardinal reached the conclusion that he could no longer lead the archdiocese.


“The Holy Father’s decision to provide new leadership to the Archdiocese can allow all of the faithful, clergy, religious and lay, to focus on…

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Church leaders unite in call to keep Pakistani family in Scotland

Somer, 15, and Areeb Umeed Bakhsh, 13, face being returned from Glasgow to Pakistan, where their family fears for their safety.

A letter written by Rt Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of theChurch of Scotland, asking Sajid Javid to intervene has been signed by Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh Leo Cushley and Bishop Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.

 

John Cross, Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland, Rev Dr David Easton, chair of the Synod of the Methodist Church in Scotland, and 13 former Church of Scotland moderators have also added their names to the appeal.

They want Mr Javid to re-examine the family’s case and “recognise the Pakistan-wide threat they face”.

The boys’ father is said to have received death threats from Islamic extremists due to his Christian faith and the family fled Faisalabad in 2012.

Mrs Brown wrote: “As you will be aware, the blasphemy laws in Pakistan are such that even without substantive evidence, accusations can be made against those not of the Muslim faith.

“Petty disagreements between neighbours, for example, can result in people of another faith being accused under the law and lead to their imprisonment or being pursued with the intent to kill.

“This is precisely the reason why this faithful Christian family find themselves in Scotland.”

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Should a Church Pursue Legacy Giving?

Podcast Episode #475

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Legacy giving, or inherited funds, is something that churches often do not pursue. Today we discuss why that’s often a mistake and how to do so.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

  • There is a fear in churches that members will give less if they know about large amounts of endowment money sitting in the bank.
  • Most pastors don’t think of fundraising for the church as part of their responsibility.
  • If you don’t ask for legacy gifts for the church, some other group or institution will do so and the church will be left out.
  • Legacy gifts are often based on relationships. You have to have a relationship before making the ask.

3 reasons why some church leaders don’t pursue legacy giving

  1. Reason #1: fear it will hurt budget giving.
  2. Reason #2: lack of knowledge about legacy giving
  3. Reason #3: discomfort with asking for legacy giving

3 reasons to pursue it:

  1. Reason #1: Many churches could use it.
  2. Reason #2: It does not have to be used for budget giving
  3. Reason #3: Churches should be a primary recipient of the largest transfer of wealth in history.

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast


Episode Sponsors

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Archbishop of Washington resigns over Catholic Church abuse

The Vatican announced it on Friday. The Cardinal, 77, has been under scrutiny because of his handling of historic sexual abuse allegations during his time as the bishop of Pittsburgh between 1988 and 2006.

A grand jury report into the Catholic church said there were more than 300 ‘predator priests’ who could have abused 1000 children across six dioceses, including the diocese of Pittsburgh and Fr Ernest Paone. 

It says: “despite Wuerl’s summary of the serious and criminal nature of the problem to the Vatican, Diocesan records revealed that Wuerl granted Paone’s request to be reassigned again on October 22, 1991.”

It continues: “Wuerl noted that Paone has most recently served on a high school faculty in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Wuerl’ s continued approval permitted Paone to enjoy all the faculties of the Diocese. On November 20, 1991, Zubik wrote to Paone to confirm that Wuerl had approved his new assignment.”

Before it was published, he said the report “will be a reminder of the grave failings that the church must acknowledge and for which it must seek forgiveness.”

He was accused of covering up his predecessor and faced increasing pressure to step down.

The Archdiocese of Washington previously defended Wuerl, sending detailed explanations of his actions to clergy and pushing back against accusations that he failed to appropriately deal with paedophile…

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Hurricane Michael: Finding hope in disaster

Last weekend, Michael was a tropical storm in the Atlantic Ocean. It was barely a hurricane Tuesday morning, with winds of ninety miles per hour. As the Associated Press reports, “a little over a day later, it had transformed into a monster.” Its wind speed increased 72 percent in less than thirty-three hours.

“Storms are known to do this, but normally we see this happening when it’s away from land,” according to a University of Florida climatologist. “What’s unusual is that it’s happening so close to land.”

The Atlantic now ranks it as “among the most ferocious land-falling hurricanes in American history.” The Washington Post agreed, describing Michael as “one of the most intense hurricanes to ever hit the United States.” It moved toward Georgia and Alabama by evening, becoming the first Category 3 storm to hit Georgia since 1898.

We have developed the most advanced meteorological technology known to humanity. Hurricane experts use satellites, buoys, and aircraft flown into the developing storm. They combine data from various predictive models.

But our best scientific instruments are no match for nature. This week’s devastation is another reminder that our world is more unpredictable and ungovernable than we wish to admit.

It is human nature to believe in the permanence of the present and to assume an even better future. But there’s only one way to face tomorrow with guaranteed hope.

Why did the religious authorities reject Jesus?

Have you ever wondered how the religious authorities could reject the teachings of the Son of God? Or how such astute theological minds could miss the truth of his revelation, while Galilean fishermen and common crowds heard him with grateful appreciation?

The answer is that we cannot fully understand God’s word until we choose to obey it.

Psalm 112:1 assures us: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!” “Greatly delights” translates Hebrew…

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Who is the Dean of Windsor, David Conner, who’s preaching at the royal wedding?

The Dean of Windsor also conducted Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May, although it was the Archbishop of Canterbury who married them and Bishop Michael Curry who delivered the address.

The reading just before his address is Colossians 3:12-16, which urges Christians do clothe themselves with compassion, bear with one another and be quick to forgive. Following his short talk, the congregation will sign the hymn ‘Immortal, Invisible’. 

Rt Rev Conner was the former Bishop to the Armed Forces but has been the Dean of Windsor since 1998, his role there also makes him one of the domestic chaplains to the Queen.

Previously, he studied at Oxford and he was the vicar at Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge and then became a suffragan Bishop in the Diocese of Norwich, consecrated by Lord George Carey, the then Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 2010 he was on the New Years Honours list and awarded Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).

Like Westminster Abbey, Windsor chapel is known as a Royal Peculiar, with the Dean of Windsor responsible only to the sovereign. 

The church – a place of worship for the Queen and her family – is often at the heart of royal events, with the Windsors gathering there each year for Easter services, and in the past for occasions such as the service to mark the Duke of Edinburgh’s 90th birthday.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories…

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