Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit Loses 111 Sites Due to Allegations Made Against Bill Hybels

(Photo: Willow Creek Association)Pastor Bill Hybels, founder of Willow Creek Community Church, addresses thousands at the 2011 Willow Creek Leadership Summit in South Barrington, Ill., on Thursday, August 11.

The Willow Creek Association revealed Friday that their annual Global Leadership Summit set for Aug. 9–10 has suffered a loss of 111 host sites as a direct result of the sexual misconduct allegations that led to the resignation of Willow Creek Community Church founder Bill Hybels earlier this year.

“Certainly, Bill Hybels played a strong role in The Global Leadership Summit and the allegations made against him, as well as his resulting resignation from Willow Creek and the WCA, has had an impact on participation,” the WCA said in a statement to The Christian Post Friday evening.

“The Global Leadership Summit has lost 111 host sites as a direct result of the allegations made against Bill Hybels. Attendance will be impacted by the loss of host sites and the allegations against Bill Hybels. The 2018 global goal was 445,000, but it is way too early to know by how much this goal will be impacted,” the organization added.

(Photo: Willow Creek Association)Thousands flocked to Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., for the 2012 Global Leadership Summit….

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Chris Pratt Accidentally Gives Away a Free Trip on Live TV, Then Offers to Pay for It

Chris Pratt Accidentally Gives Away a Free Trip on Live TV, Then Offers to Pay for It



It takes a big person to admit they made a mistake. And when actor Chris Pratt gave away a trip by mistake on Live TV, the lovable nice guy stepped up in a big way!


Actor Chris Pratt is no stranger to television. For years he played the goofy character of Andy Dwyer on the popular TV sitcom, Parks and Recreation. But when he made a guest co-host appearance in 2016 on Live TV, the friendly guy made a pretty big “boo boo.”


The blunder came during the Travel Trivia segment of the early morning show, Live With Kelly. Sitting opposite of Kelly Ripa, Chris asked the show’s caller, Melissa, a movie trivia question.


Melissa had 20 seconds to answer. And if she got it right, she’d win a $5,700 trip to Mexico.


Melissa’s first try at answering the question was incorrect. And that should have been it. But Chris couldn’t stand it and quickly chimed in with a second chance.


“We’re gonna be wishy-washy and give you a second guess,” he said, surprising Kelly Ripa and the show’s producers.


As Kelly cuts her eyes at Chris, you can tell this move was completely unprompted.


And when Melissa then answers the question correctly on her impromptu second try, Kelly covers her face in disbelief.


Completely oblivious to his snafu, Chris cheered excitedly saying, “You won!” But then he realizes he may have overstepped his bounds.


“Did I break…

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These Nutrient-Rich Foods May Help You Manage Anxiety, Depression

(Photo: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook)Whole Foods grocery store worker Adam Pacheco (L) stacks vegetables while customers shop in the produce section at the Whole Foods grocery story in Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 8, 2012.

Researchers are looking into a possible link between what people eat and their mental health, and a new study set to be released next month might shed light on what types of food could help people who suffer from anxiety and depression.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal reveals that the World Journal of Psychiatry will publish a study in August titled “Antidepressant Foods: An Evidence-based Nutrient Profiling System for Depression.” 

The study is authored by Dr. Drew Ramsey, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University in New York City, and Dr. Laura LaChance from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada.

Within the study, Dr. Ramsey and Dr. LaChance provide a nutrient-profile scale which lists the types of nutrients that can help with “the prevention and treatment of depressive disorders.”

The study identifies 12 nutrients in total and they are: iron, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, potassium, selenium and vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B6, B9 (folate), B12, C and zinc.

Those nutrients can commonly be found in bivalves, different types of organ meats and wild salmon. They are also abundant in beans, leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Writer and mental health campaigner Rachel Kelly, together with nutritional therapist Alice Macintosh, have also identified other types of food that can help improve a person’s…

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Christian North Korean Defector Speaks Out Against Persecution and Indifference

Christian North Korean Defector Speaks Out Against Persecution and Indifference



A Christian woman, who defected from North Korea, said the world cannot “just sit and keep watching” as North Korea persecutes Christians and others.


Ji Hyeona spoke at the U.S. State Department’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom event at the Harry S. Truman Building this week. She told her story of abuse and torture while trying to escape North Korea.


“Since I first escaped from North Korea in 1998, I have since escaped from the North a total of four times and got repatriated to the North three times until I finally came to South Korea in 2007,” Ji said, “In between, I fell victim to human trafficking and I was also subjected to abortion violently forced on me even with no anesthesia because the North Korean regime couldn’t accept what they call ‘mixed love.'”


She said she was repatriated three times and interrogated about her beliefs. 


“Just like Peter denied Jesus three times, I lied each of those times that I got repatriated and got interrogated,” she said.


Ji first tried to escape with her family in 1998. Her father was arrested and she never saw him again. She was then arrested and sent back to North Korea.


That same year, Ji was arrested for trying to leave North Korea. She was sent to North Korea’s Jeungsan Camp No. 11 and held at the camp for more than a year.


Then, in 2000, she escaped a third time, but was…

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Judge backs Christian market trader caught up in tract row

A judge also awarded Steve Loha damages after he was forced to close his watch and mobile phone stall in Chichester market immediately, following a single complaint.

The businessman, who was supported in his case by the Christian Legal Centre, said he was “absolutely pleased, delighted that we had a victory”, adding “of course, it’s all praise to God”.

Mr Loha’s permit to operate on the market was pulled in May 2017 after one customer – a Chichester District Council member of staff – complained about religious material.

 

Mr Loha, who had spent 15 years running his stall two days per-week on the market, said he was later told by managers of the market that the tract was “extremely homophobic and unacceptable”.

The material was defended by his legal team who said it is “undoubtedly stark” in challenging homosexuality and “not particularly comfortable to read” but “the fundamental message of the tract is true”.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, commented: “This decision makes a welcome change from a worrying trend we have seen in many recent judgments which sought to justify removal of Christians from their jobs and livelihoods for purely ideological reasons.

“In this case, however, the judge had the courage to uphold the rule of law.”

Video: Christian Legal Cente

 

A judge highlighted how, under criminal law, “hostility based on sexual…

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Transgender Madness: Surgeon Performs Mastectomies on 14-Year-Old Girls

Transgender Madness: Surgeon Performs Mastectomies on 14-Year-Old Girls



A Toronto plastic surgeon who calls himself a “leader in the LGBT community” says he has performed mastectomies on girls as young as 14 who identity as boys.


LifeSiteNews.com interviewed the doctor, Marc DuPéré, who said he performed surgeries to remove the breasts of two 14-year-old girls in the past five years who considered themselves transgender. He has conducted mastectomies on girls ages 15 and 16, too. The surgery costs around $9,000.


“Parents should encourage questioning with their children to understand ‘their story,’” he told the website.


In an online forum with a patient, DuPéré was asked the youngest age he would perform a mastectomy. He responded “14 and older” and said it’s helpful if the child is 16-18 or older.


“As long as it is clear your child is firm about the decision to transition and with my consultation with him and yourself, I would be happy to help,” the post read. 


One controversy – as noted by LifeSiteNews – is that a child may grow to regret the decision to have surgery. Michelle Cretella, president of the American College of Pediatricians, says it’s not uncommon for children who experience gender confusion to stop having those feelings.


“There are at least 6,500 genetic differences between men and women,” Cretella says in an online video. “Hormones and surgery cannot, and do not, change…

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Megachurch Pastor Adam Hamilton Says Christians Can Support Gay Marriage and Not Be Heretical

(Photo: Reverend Ben Anderson David Hensley)LGBT activists and allies outside of Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. In 2014, Oak Lawn affiliated with Reconciling Ministries Network, a pro-LGBT advocacy group seeking to change the UMC’s stance on homosexuality and gay marriage.

United Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton stated at a Texas gathering that Christians can support gay marriage and not be at odds with orthodoxy.

In recent years, the UMC has had intense debate over the denomination’s official stance against homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

Speaking at a conference organized by the group Uniting Methodists held last week at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, Hamilton spoke about the authority of Scripture regarding the church body’s debate over LGBT issues.

He argued that both sides of the debate within the UMC held high opinions of Scripture and that the differences were over interpretation instead.

Hamilton took issue with the idea that Christians accepting same-sex marriage means that they have rejected “the historic essentials of the Christian faith.”

“So orthodoxy now means that I hold a particular view of same-gender marriage and/or a particular view of Scripture that gets me to a particular view of same-gender marriage,”

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Nigerian priest’s killers sentenced to death

Fr John Adey was from the Diocese of Otukpo and Parish Priest of Catholic Church, Okpoga, when he was kidnapped by four gunmen in 2016.

He was killed and his body was discovered in a nearby farm.

 

According to local reports, after the four kidnappers were arrested, two later died in custody. It is not clear what the circumstances surrounding their deaths were.

Reacting to the surviving killers being found guilty and sentenced to death, Assistant Commissioners of Police Abba Kyari, who led the Intelligence Response Team that arrested the kidnappers, celebrated the sentencing.

Writing on a Facebook post, Kyari said: “Glory be to God Almighty, the kidnappers and killers of Rev Fr John Adeyi of Otukpo Diocese Benue State, whom we arrested in 2016 after a serious manhunt in Bauchi, Benue and
Enugu states have been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging by the High Court in Makurdi, Benue State.

“Justice has been delivered to the kidnappers and killers of the innocent man.”

The family of Fr Adey also praised the judgement and said in a statement: “It is gratifying… to know that the culprits did not go unpunished. May the soul of Fr Adeyi continue to rest in perfect peace with his creator.”

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New York Church Looking to Set Guinness World Record for Most People Playing Hopscotch

(Photo: Unsplash/Jon Tyson)A hopscotch course drawn on a playground

A church in Rochester, New York, is looking to etch its name into the record books by having people come together for a huge game of hopscotch.

The Asbury First United Methodist Church is putting together their “Block Party on East” event.

Among the items on the agenda for the event is attempting to set a new Guinness World Record for having the most people participate in a game of hopscotch.

Currently, that aforementioned hopscotch-based world record belongs to the Satilla Elementary School in Douglas, Georgia.

According to Guinness World Records, that feat was accomplished by the school on April 17, 2015, when 621 people participated in the game of hopscotch and they played on multiple courses.

The Asbury First United Methodist Church is looking to blow past that world record by having 650 participants join in on their world record attempt.

The church will try to set the new world record on Aug. 9 and the attempt will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Aside from luring in potential participants with a chance to immortalize themselves in the record books, the Rochester church will also have live music and food trucks on-site.

People interested in joining in on the world record attempt can register via the Eventbrite…

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Christian charity to start 40 aid projects in Syria

The 40 projects will offer emergency relief and spiritual support top people in the capital Damascus, Aleppo and other major centres.

Father Andrzej Halemba, ACN’s Middle East projects coordinator, said the programme prioritised young people.

 

He said: “After six years of war, tension is very high. Youth have lived for years in an environment of war. In a few years’ time, there will be a dreadful situation for this generation if we don’t look after them now.”

In Damascus, ACN will pay for school fees for 1,270 students and in Aleppo and the charity will organise a retreat and summer camp for young people.

ACN

 Basic food and sanitary items such as toothbrushes and washing powder will also be distributed to the neediest families. Another project will also repair 97 homes.

Church leaders have said the crisis has been made worse by the West’s economic sanctions against Syria.

ACN

Archbishop Joseph Tobji standing in the bomb-damaged Maronite Cathedral in Aleppo’s Old City due for repair by ACN

 

Archbishop Joseph Tobji of Aleppo claimed the embargos are “killing the Syrian people in the same way the weapons are”.

He  warned that migration had reduced Syria’s Christian population to a third of its pre-2011 total, with estimates now indicating it is now…

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