Christians give their reaction to US embassy move to Jerusalem

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Christians give their reaction to US embassy move to Jerusalem

President Donald Trump declared before Christmas that he would move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. 

It was a controversial decision as many Palestinians consider the eastern part of Jerusalem to be their capital of a future Palestinian state, and America’s decision showed that they recognised the city as Israel’s alone. 

Nigel Varndell is from Embrace the Middle East, a Christian charity providing aid in Gaza, he explained: “Palestinians have always believed that Jerusalem should be the capital of a future Palestinian state as well as the capital of an Israeli state, so by the United States moving its embassy, they feel betrayed – they feel as though the US have taken the Israeli side and really rejected any attempts for the Palestinians to have a future capital in Jerusalem.”

“They feel in effect that they’re being rejected in the peace process and that the US can’t really act as an honest broker in the peace negotiations anymore – in fact that they [the negotiations] are probably dead after this.”

However, Reverend Doctor Petra Heldt from the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Jerusalem told Premier’s News Hour that people in Israel were overjoyed with the embassy move: “In Israel there is great joy in the streets of Jerusalem…there is dancing, people go to the western wall, they pray there, they thank for this movement,…

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College Student Wins Right to Talk about Jesus and the Bible in Graduation Speech

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College Student Wins Right to Talk about Jesus and the Bible in Graduation Speech


College Student Wins Right to Talk about Jesus and the Bible in Graduation Speech


A Colorado Mesa University student has succeeded in her fight to be allowed to mention Jesus and the Bible in her graduation speech.


Relevant Magazine reports that student Karissa Erickson gave the speech last Friday at her school’s graduation ceremony. Although the university has a rule prohibiting religious content in school-related speeches, Erickson, with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, appealed this rule and won.


The university had initially told Erickson that “speeches should be free of any one religious slant.” However, upon hearing of Erickson’s case, the ADF sent a letter to university officials, seeking to appeal the rule.


The school decided to grant Erickson’s request, as expressed through ADF’s letter, although some school officials still said Erickson could face “repercussion” if she chose to keep the references to Jesus and the Bible in her speech.


ADF lawyer Travis Barham commented on the school’s decision:


“We applaud the university for quickly recognizing that the First Amendment protects a graduating student’s right to mention her faith in her own speech and has never required universities to purge ceremonies of all things religious. America’s Founding Fathers regularly opened public ceremonies with prayer, and federal appeals courts have consistently ruled that universities can do the same at their…

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Theologians Warn Andy Stanley’s Message to ‘Unhitch’ Old Testament Is Heresy

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Theologians Warn Andy Stanley’s Message to ‘Unhitch’ Old Testament Is Heresy

(Screenshot: Northpoint.org)Pastor Andy Stanley preaches at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, on Feb. 26, 2017.

Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley’s recent message in which he urged Christians to “unhitch” their faith from the Old Testament continues to draw flak, with some calling it heresy.

Both Kevin DeYoung of Christ Covenant Church and Wesley Hill of Trinity School for Ministry are calling Stanley out for what they contend is heretical teaching — namely, Marcionism — that stems from the early church days.

“[Mo]st of the 39-minute talk can really only be described as an elaborate and educated flirtation with the old Christian heresy of Marcionism—the belief that the Old Testament is not authoritative in matters of Christian doctrine and morals,” Hill stated, referring to Stanley’s sermon from April.

DeYoung, a Reformed pastor in North Carolina, called Marcionism “the evergreen heresy” that still resonates with people today largely because it cuts out “a God full of wrath and justice” and leaves “a God of goodness and nothing else.”

Stanley, who leads North Point Community Church in Georgia, preached a sermon series called “Aftermath” last month. The series was aimed at appealing to individuals who left Christianity over something they…

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Invisible War: Myanmar’s Kachin Christian Minority is Slowly Being Crushed by Military-led Genocide

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Invisible War: Myanmar’s Kachin Christian Minority is Slowly Being Crushed by Military-led Genocide

114-year-old Supna Hkawn Bu is carried on her grandson’s back to safety. (Photograph: Zau Ring Hpra)

While global attention is fixed on the Rohingya crisis, another ethnic minority is at risk of being crushed by the military

When Tang Seng heard gunshots close to his village in Myanmar, he had a choice: carry his grandmother away from the fighting on his back or run for help. She asked him to kill her and leave her there but he refused.

Tang Seng walked out of his village carrying Supna Hkawn Bu to a makeshift camp for the displaced, where they remain with their family. She has had to flee from conflict five times in her life and didn’t speak for two days when they first arrived.

War in Myanmar is synonymous with the Rohingya crisis but Tang Seng and his grandmother are not Rohingya refugees. They are from the country’s north, in the state of Kachin, where another brutal but far less well publicised conflict is playing out between the largely Christian minority group and government militias.

The forgotten war

For centuries, the Kachin, who number about 1,600,000, lived in relative peace in the northern Myanmar mountains near the border with China. After Myanmar gained independence from the British in 1948, they were promised equality and self determination. However, conflict broke out after the military seized control in 1962 and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) was formed to defend Kachin land.

When Aung San Suu Kyi came to power in 2016, it was hoped she would put a stop to the fighting. But, as with the Rohingya crisis to the south, the situation has worsened.

Aung San…

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Turkish President visits Theresa May amidst criticism of Christian persecution and human rights abuses

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Turkish President visits Theresa May amidst criticism of Christian persecution and human rights abuses

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on a three-day visit and is facing criticism for his oppression of the Kurds and clamping down on freedom of speech with writers and artists. 

Protest groups gathered outside Downing Street, including organisations supporting journalists such as Reporters Without Borders, the Cartoonists Rights Network International and the Index on Censorship.

Around 250 journalists and media workers are in jail in Turkey as well as the Christian pastor Andrew Brunson, who is being detained on suspicion on being involved in the 2016 coup against the President. 

Turkey is ranked 31 on the most dangerous countries to be a Christian by charity Open Doors. 

Matthew Reece is from the advocacy team at Open Doors and explained why President Erdogan’s country is a difficult place, particularly for converted Christians: “If you, for instance, are from a Muslim background and convert to Christianity, you can be in danger from your family, from your community. Many of the converts in Turkey remain in secret; meet together in secret, worship together in secret because it is dangerous.”

“However there are some indigenous Christian communities in Turkey too and they do face some levels of persecution from those around them – they sometimes have difficulties with their church buildings and do sometimes experience what we call a squeeze – some pressure on…

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Black Pastor Opposes Megachurch Campus Coming to His Neighborhood

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Black Pastor Opposes Megachurch Campus Coming to His Neighborhood

The nation’s second largest church, Birmingham-based Church of the Highlands, recently announced plans to plant a campus in Birmingham’s inner city to help fight crime.… Read More

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Mitt Romney Calls Robert Jeffress a ‘Bigot’ for Comments on Jews, Mormons, Muslims and Hell

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Mitt Romney Calls Robert Jeffress a ‘Bigot’ for Comments on Jews, Mormons, Muslims and Hell

(Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar)U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (L) and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney emerge after their meeting at the main clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 19, 2016.

Former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney has condemned First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress for his past comments on Jews, Mormons, Muslims, and Hell, arguing that he is a “religious bigot” who should not be delivering a prayer at the new American embassy in Jerusalem.

Jeffress and a number of major evangelical pastors have hit back against Romney, however, positioning that Jesus Christ being the only way for salvation is a view in line with Christian belief.

“Robert Jeffress says ‘you can’t be saved by being a Jew,’ and ‘Mormonism is a heresy from the pit of hell.’ He’s said the same about Islam. Such a religious bigot should not be giving the prayer that opens the United States Embassy in Jerusalem,” Romney, who is also a Utah Senate candidate and a Mormon, tweeted on Sunday.

His comments refer to U.S. President Donald Trump inviting Jeffress to deliver a prayer at the opening of U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. The moving of the embassy itself is a controversial move that has been hailed by a number of evangelicals,…

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Now Meghan Markle’s Father Says He Wants to Come to His Daughter’s Wedding Despite Being ‘Back in Hospital’ With a Heart Condition and Claims: ‘I’d Like to Be a Part of History’

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Now Meghan Markle’s Father Says He Wants to Come to His Daughter’s Wedding Despite Being ‘Back in Hospital’ With a Heart Condition and Claims: ‘I’d Like to Be a Part of History’

Meghan Markle’s father has today changed his mind and said he does now want to attend her wedding to Prince Harry – if doctors will allow him to fly to England.

Thomas Markle astonishingly pulled out of the royal wedding yesterday, saying he didn’t want to embarrass his daughter any further after the Mail on Sunday revealed he had staged paparazzi photos for money.

But today he appears to have backtracked on his decision after the bride-to-be pleaded with him to walk her down the aisle.

The 73-year-old told TMZ that Meghan tried calling him on Monday, but he wasn’t near his phone. She later sent a text saying she loved him and was concerned about his health.

Mr Markle said: ‘I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle.

‘Of course I’d walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment. I’d like to be a part of history.’

However, Mr Markle said his attendance depends on if doctors will allow him to make the trip across the pond after suffering a heart attack a week ago.

Mr Markle also revealed that Meghan held no hard feelings against him for setting up paparazzi photos for money.

When asked what the Queen thought about his money grab, Mr Markle laughed and said: ‘I don’t think the queen is thinking about what I’m doing.’

Mr Markle said although he doesn’t believe faking the ‘hammy’ photos was that serious, he admitted it was a ‘stupid’ decision.

Mr Markle made the shock announcement on Tuesday afternoon.

He revealed he was back in hospital with chest pains, and doctors are performing a…

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Bodies of 20 Christians beheaded by Islamic State flown home

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Bodies of 20 Christians beheaded by Islamic State flown home

The bodies of 20 Christians slain by Islamic State in Libya more than three years ago have finally been flown home for burial.

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No More Trans Fats in 5 Years? WHO Calls for Elimination of Trans Fatty Acids in All Food by 2023

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No More Trans Fats in 5 Years? WHO Calls for Elimination of Trans Fatty Acids in All Food by 2023

The World Health Organization wants to get rid of trans fat from the global food supply altogether, and it wants it gone in five years. To that end, the agency has revealed a plan that would remove the substance by 2023.

The step by step plan that WHO has just unveiled could spell a big difference in the world’s health by that time, as the agency estimates that getting rid of trans fat would prevent 500,000 deaths per year from diseases linked to cholesterol and cardiovascular conditions.

Pixabay/davidzThe World Health Organization called for the elimination of artificial trans fats from all foods, and has outlined a step by step plan to achieve this goal by 2023, about five years from now.

The agency made the announcement on Monday, May 14, as they launched an initiative called REPLACE that will be the goal for all countries looking to get rid of artificial trans fats from their food supply, as CNN reported.

Artificial trans fats, as trans fatty acids are commonly referred to, are usually made from hydrogenated vegetable oil and similar fats. Hydrogenated fats are basically vegetable oil which has an extra hydrogen atom attached to its molecules using industrial processes, resulting in a substance that hardens into solid fat at lower temperatures, as the FDA described them.

It is also the substance commonly associated with higher levels of “Bad” cholesterol in the blood, also known as LDL cholesterol, that tends to clump up in arteries and increase the risk of developing heart disease.

Due to its longer shelf life and other characteristics, hydrogenated oil is commonly added to baked goods,…

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