Australia: Churches Vandalized by Gay Marriage Supporters ahead of Legalization Vote
Several churches in Australia were vandalised by same-sex marriage supporters. Such conflicts have become increasingly frequent in Australia as the country is in the midst of deciding whether or not to legalize same-sex marriage.
According to The Christian Institute, two churches in Melbourne were graffitied. Those who perpetrated the vandalism called those who hold to a traditional view of marriage “bigots” who should be “crucified.” The perpetrators also drew swastikas on the churches.
In addition to this vandalism, a woman who supports a traditional view of marriage received death threats and another Christian woman lost her job because she expressed her opposition to changing the definition of marriage.
Australia is currently holding a referendum on whether same-sex marriage should be legalized. Australian residents are participating in a mail-in survey on the issue which needs to be completed by Nov. 7, 2017, after which time support for changing the definition of marriage to legally include same-sex couples will be weighed.
Pastor David O’Brien, Senior Pastor of Waverly Baptist Church, one of the churches which was vandalized, said the incident was “disturbing and concerning.”
Monica Doumit of the Coalition for Marriage (Australia) added that “One thing that this process has revealed is that, despite the rhetoric, ‘Yes’ campaigners do not actually believe in a tolerant society, where people are allowed to ‘live and let live’. Rather, they will target those who disagree for abuse, for boycott, or for some other type of punishment.”
Members of the Los Padres Hot Shot crew walk atop a hill during the Wilson Fire near Mount Wilson in the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
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Charles and Sara Rippey met in grade school in Wisconsin and were together ever since. They attended the University of Wisconsin and married in 1942, before Charles served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
The couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last year. Charles was 100 years old; Sara was 98 and had suffered a stroke. They lived together in their home in Napa, California.
Last week, they died together.
After wildfires ravaged their community, one of their sons discovered their bodies. Charles fought through the intense heat and smoke and almost made it to his wife’s side. His son found their remains near each other.
“My father certainly wouldn’t have left her,” he told reporters. Only metal and porcelain survive in the charred remains of their home—coffee cups on a low sill, a porcelain tea set, and two metal chairs side-by-side.
The Rippeys are making headlines because their lifelong commitment to each other strikes a chord in our souls. We sense somehow that what they had is what we want. We know that there is more to life than what a fire can consume.
Richard Simmons III is founder and executive director of The Center for Executive Leadership. In The True Measure of a Man, he notes that we have shifted from a production economy to a consumer economy. As a result, we measure ourselves not by what we do but by what we own. Our work is a means to our wealth.
And in a culture driven by social media and instant celebrity, we measure ourselves by how others measure us. Simmons quotes professor Christopher Lasch, who observed that people “would rather be envied for their material success than respected for their character.”
Marcus Aurelius noted that “the true worth of a man is to be measured by the objects he pursues.” What “objects” should we pursue?
Remember Paul’s answer: “I count everything as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8). Paul the Pharisee knew about God. Paul the Jesus-follower knew God.
How intimately do you know God today?
According to Jesus, there are only two priorities that matter: loving God and loving others (Matt. 22:37, 39). When we understand how deeply and passionately we are loved by our Father, we are freed from the need to justify our lives and impress our culture. We are freed to love the One who loves us and to love everyone he loves.
And we find a life purpose no fire can destroy.
In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is fired from his job and takes his own life. His older son explains why: “He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong.” His younger son protests, “Don’t say that!” The older son answers, “He never knew who he was.”
Do you know who you are? More importantly, do you know whose you are?
Jim Denison, Ph.D.,is founder of the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, a non-sectarian “think tank” designed to engage contemporary issues with biblical truth. Join over 100,000 who read Dr. Denison’s daily Cultural Commentary:denisonforum.org/subscribe. For more information on the Denison Forum, visitdenisonforum.org. To connect with Dr. Denison in social media, visit twitter.com/jimdenison or facebook.com/denisonforum.
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China: House Church Leader, Daughter, and Grandson Arrested for Sharing Faith in Public
China continues its crackdown on Christians. In the most recent report of persecution, a Chinese house church pastor, her daughter, and her grandson were arrested for expressing and sharing their faith in public.
According to ChristianityToday.com, Xu Shizhen, along with her daughter and grandson, was singing and dancing in worship and preaching about her faith in a public park in Xianning, Hubei province.
A month after expressing and sharing her faith in the park, Xu, her daughter Xu Yuqing, and her three-year-old grandson Xu Shouwang were arrested. Their exact whereabouts following the arrest are unknown.
Xu had previously had a run-in with authorities when her house church was seized by officials and placed under the supervision of China’s state-run Three-Self Patriotic Movement church.
China’s government under President Xi Jinping recently added new religious regulations which restrict religious expression to an even greater extent.
“The new religion regulations are sweeping in scope and, if fully enforced, could mean major changes for China’s unregistered church, not only in its worship and meeting practices, but also engagement in areas such as Christian education, media, and interaction with the global church,” wrote ChinaSource president Brent Fulton.
Join us in praying for Xu, her daughter, and young grandson.
(Screenshot: The Village Church)Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Texas, talks about Christian unity and division.
Christians need to stop vilifying one another and start uniting more as they face more hostility in U.S. culture, a megachurch pastor urged.
Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Texas and president of the Acts 29 Network, recently made a video appeal to Christians, lamenting that “there’s quite a bit of division among the brothers and sisters that make up the Christian church.”
“As we move into a world where there’s far more hostility and marginalization, I think that we’re going to have to make a real concerted effort to walk in greater unity, to be more gracious to one another, to not vilify one another or paint characterizations of one another that are inconsistent with who we really are,” said Chandler, a well-known evangelical speaker who has been leading The Village Church since 2002.
In the past, especially in the southern part of the country, the organized church enjoyed “favor with the cultural elites,” attending church was the norm and those who did not attend church were not trusted, the Texas pastor noted.
“But that day, if it is not dead where you are right now watching this video, it is certainly dying,” he stated.
Many Christian leaders have commented on the growing hostility toward the church in the U.S. Last month, a panel that included Southern Baptist Russell Moore and former Obama administration official Joshua DuBois agreed that there has been a shift in attitudes compared to just two decades ago, where Christian beliefs are now being deemed unacceptable in society.
Amid such a shift, Christians need to do better in coming together around core beliefs rather than allowing secondary issues to divide them, Chandler stressed.
Core beliefs, what Chandler called the “closed hand of theology,” include the Trinity, the atoning work of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Essentially, “to believe these things means you’re a Christian,” he said.
But Christians are allowing such secondary issues as continuation of spiritual gifts or women in ministry to rise to the level of core beliefs when debating with one another, Chandler pointed out.
“I think the posture we need to have with one another is if we agree on the closed hand, then we need to be in open dialogue and friendly dialogue with one another about … why we’re seeing what we’re seeing and do as much as we can to walk in unity with one another,” he said.
“My appeal … would be as best you can let’s make the most important thing, that 1 Corinthians 15 passage from the apostle Paul about what’s of utmost importance, let’s let that be the closed handed part here and then let’s begin to have dialogue around these secondary issues that tend to divide us.”
In his final plea, Chandler urged: “Please, please, please be careful of what you carpet bomb on social media, what you decide is something that makes someone or doesn’t make someone a Christian that’s really outside of how the Bible does it. And let’s learn to be more generous with one another.”
“I took more medicine than I should have,” he said, according to People. “I took Coricidin Cough and Cold because I know it can make you feel good. A lot of times I can’t sleep at night. So, I took some.”
Phelps told a 911 operator: “I have blood all over me and there’s a bloody knife on the bed, and I think I did it. I can’t believe this,” according to an ABC affiliate.
“Oh, my God! She didn’t deserve this. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe this,” Phelps said. “I’m so scared.”
Phelps allegedly murdered Lauren in September. An autopsy reveals Lauren had 24 stab wounds and 20 cuts to her head and neck, 13 stab wounds and 11 cuts to her torso, 16 cuts and one stab wound on her right arm and 35 cuts and three stab wounds to her left arm.
People reports a friend says Phelps was studying to be a pastor, and had attended Clear Creek Baptist Bible College. His wife, Lauren Hugelmaier, was a prolific youth and children’s ministry volunteer.
Hugelmaier and Phelps initially met in middle school, but found each other on Instagram in recent years.
Several people have donated and offered words of encouragement on a YouCaring page set up to help Hugelmaier’s family.
“Our prayers are with you and your family. Your Scentsy family will always remember you. We love you,” one person posted.
Another writes: “I only knew Lauren for a few months but she was an incredible person. No one deserves to endure what she went through, a true tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.”
Jessilyn Justice is the director of online news for Charisma. Born and raised in a pastor’s family in Alabama, she attended Lee University and the Washington Journalism Center. She’s passionate about sharing God’s goodness through storytelling. Tell her what you think of this story on Twitter @jessilynjustice.
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Study: Kids Who Read the Bible More Likely to Practice Faith as Adults
A recent study has revealed that kids who read the Bible growing up are more likely to continue in the faith as adults.
The study, called “Nothing Less: Engaging Kids in a Lifetime of Faith,” was conducted by LifeWay Research. It found that the biggest factor in predicting whether or not a child would continue in the faith as an adult after being raised in a Christian home was based on whether or not the child read the Bible regularly growing up.
Other factors which influenced whether or not a child grew up to be a practicing Christian were whether or not they spent time in prayer, whether or not they served in church, whether or not they listened to Christian music, and whether or not they participated in mission trips or projects.
Researchers surveyed 2,000 Protestant and nondenominational churchgoers for the study. The goal of the study was to learn what parents can do to encourage their children in the faith so that they will remain faithful as adults.
“Churchgoing parents want to pass on their faith to their kids—and to see their children make that faith their own,” said Scott McConnell, the executive director of LifeWay Research. “But they don’t always know how best to make that happen.”
LifeWay hopes the survey can help parents narrow in on what is most important for instilling a lasting faith in their kids.
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LGBT Activists Take Issue with Christian Nominee to Texas District Court
More than 35 LGBT advocacy groups are asking senators to turn down President Donald Trump’s judicial nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas because he has a “brazen contempt for LGBT people.”
According to a letter signed by 36 local and national LGBT groups, nominee Jeff Mateer “has spent his professional life denigrating and vilifying LGBT people and their families.”
Mateer has not responded to the letter’s accusations, which pointed to his past comments on the LGBT community.
Mateer, who was nominated in early September, said in a 2015 speech that transgender children were evidence of “how Satan’s plan is working and the destruction that’s going on.” He also said in the speech that same-sex marriage would lead the way to “people marrying their pets.”
In other speeches, Mateer said that there is no “right to homosexuality” and that he was disappointed that states were banning “conversion therapy.”
Conversion therapy, which tries to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, has since been banned in eight states. It has also been deemed unscientific by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
The letter said that Mateer’s statements show “a level of cruelty and ideological fervor that (is) incompatible with judicial service.”
(Photo: Reuters/John Gress)A parishioner cries as he signs a song of worship in the 7,000-seat Willow Creek Community church during a Sunday service in South Barrington, Illinois, November 20, 2005.
A majority of churchgoing Protestant parents say their adult children are still Christians, but half of them don’t practice the tenets of the faith, a survey has found.
The Nashville-based LifeWay Research has listed the top 10 spiritual activities that aid children in their Christian walk, and found that the biggest predictor of spiritual health for young adults is whether they read the Bible regularly in their youth.
“Churchgoing parents want to pass on their faith to their kids — and to see their children make that faith their own,” said Scott McConnell, LifeWay’s executive director. “But they don’t always know how best to make that happen.”
The researchers queried parents on 40 factors that could affect a child’s moral and spiritual development, such as whether the family prayed, or if the parents are divorced, and asked parents to describe their adult children using eight observable factors, counting for one point each.
The factors included: Identifies as a Christian; Shares his or her faith with unbelievers; Is involved in church; Reads the Bible regularly; Serves in a church; Teaches others at church; Serves in the community; Supports local or foreign missions.
“Eighty-five percent identify as Christians, according to their parents, giving them at least 1 point on the 8-point spiritual health scale,” LifeWay explained of the results.
“But only 3 percent had a score of 8, the highest possible. Two-thirds had a score of 2 or less. Half had a score of 0 or 1, meaning they either don’t identify as Christians (11 percent) or they identify as Christians but have none of the other spiritual practices (39 percent).”
Parents said that the top factor that determined the spiritual health of their adult children is whether they regulary read the Bible growing up.
The study, sponsored by LifeWay Kids, used a sample of 2,000 Protestant and nondenominational Christians who have a child between the ages of 18 and 30 and who attend religious services at least once a month.
Conducted between Sept. 22 and Oct. 5, 2016, it has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. The parents gave observations of a total of 3,472 adult children.
What is more, the survey included a top 10 list of spiritual activities that helped Protestant children growing up, ranking them in order of most helpful:
Regularly attended Sunday school or small group; attended Vacation Bible School; attended youth group/youth worship as a teen; participated in church social activities; regularly attended children’s worship/church; attended church camps; regularly served at church; participated in church mission trips or projects; regularly read the Bible; regularly spent time in prayer.
Other surveys, such as one from Gallup in May, found that Americans’ trust in the Bible is declining, however.
The poll found that fewer than one in four, or 24 percent in total, said the Bible is “the actual Word of God, and is to be taken literally, word for word.”
As many as 26 percent argued, however, that the Bible is “a book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.”
The most popular belief, held by 47 percent of respondents, was that the Bible is “inspired by God, not all to be taken literally.”
Despite the fact that a revised deal was later agreed upon between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – known as FARC, Colombian priest Fr John Jairo Montoya said the success of the agreement has been limited.
He said many Colombians are uncertain about how the principles of the agreement will be interpreted and implemented.
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
Fr Montoya explained: “Some people don’t trust the result of this peace agreement, which shows us that our society is very divided about this peace accord. It’s very sad but it’s our reality.”
There are however positive signs of calm in the country following the National Liberation Army (ELN) – which is Colombia’s largest active rebel group – agreeing to a temporary ceasefire with the authorities – for the first time in more than 50 years.
The temporary ceasefire agreed on 1st October between the ELN and the Colombian army is seen as the most important step taken since peace talks between the two sides began in neighbouring Ecuador in February.
Fr Montoya acknowledged that the ceasefire is an important step in the peace process, but said in order for peace to reign, social inequalities need to be addressed.
He told Premier: “The economic and social rights are the forgotten issues during the war in Colombia. Now is a time to improve our economic, social, environmental rights.
“I think the peace process and the improvements of this peace agreement must affect these desires that people have – improve their rights, their rights to education, their rights of health, living expenses. I think when we turn out this case of war in Colombia, we can create better conditions for economic and social rights in Colombia.”
Officials from the Catholic Church, UN monitors, government and rebel representatives have been sent to the country to observe conditions on the ground.
The next round of talks is set to take place in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito on 23rd October.
Fr Montoya told Premier the South African nation needs our prayers.
He said: “Pray for Colombia. Pray for the victims. This war left behind more than 2,000 victims, which is awful.
“Pray people can recover from this painful moment in Colombia… pray we can achieve peace in Colombia.”
Listen to Fr John Jairo Montoya speaking with Premier’s Eno Adeogun
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