Mark Driscoll Comforted by Scripture: ‘Do Not Repay Evil for Evil’ as He Prepares Launch of New Church

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Mark Driscoll Comforted by Scripture: ‘Do Not Repay Evil for Evil’ as He Prepares Launch of New Church

Christian Post Report – Pastor Mark Driscoll prays for leaders in ministry and for attendees of Pastor Perry Noble’s The Most Excellent Way to Lead Conference, March 3, 2016, Anderson, South Carolina.

After nearly two tumultuous years at the center of an ongoing scandal that includes allegations of plagiarism, fostering an abusive work environment, and most recently racketeerig, embattled pastor Mark Driscoll is relying on Scripture to maintain his perspective on life as he prepares for the launch of a new church.

In an email to The Christian Post Tuesday, Driscoll shared a Scripture that has helped him throughout his present ordeal.

“This Scripture has been a great help to me,” he wrote, citing 1 Peter 3:8-11, which includes the passages: “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit … ”

Although he resigned from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, which he helped found in 1996, Driscoll recently told South Carolina-based NewSpring Church pastor Perry Noble that he still counts himself as blessed. During an interview at Noble’s The Most Excellent Way to Lead Conference in early March, Driscoll said, “If I lose everything and I have Jesus and Grace (his wife) and those kids, there is not a man more blessed than me. I absolutely believe that.”

Without the responsibilities of managing a megachurch, Driscoll told the NewSpring pastor that, presently, his life is relatively simple. “I don’t have a core group, I haven’t had a meeting, I don’t have a sound system … I don’t have an assistant. Literally it’s pretty simple,” he said. “I take the kids to school, and then I talk to a microphone, put out a podcast, and then I take them to baseball, and it’s good. I like that.”

That said, Driscoll still feels the call to ministry. ” … We feel as a family that God’s called us to start a church … it’s a family ministry and we named it The Trinity Church.”

On Feb. 1 Driscoll announced via his website and Twitter that he was planting a new congregation, The Trinity Church, in Phoenix, Arizona — although news of his new church broke a month earlier after the Articles of Incorporation document for The Trinity Church was discovered.

Although Driscoll’s new church has not officially launched, it recently announced that it would hold its first gathering on Easter Sunday. The Easter proceedings will take place at Scottsdale’s Glass and Garden Drive-In Church, a facility that the church is renting, according to Trinity’s website.

A statement on the site read in part, “Even though it’s last minute, as the ink on our rental contract is still wet, we look forward to meeting you at our modest open house and prayer meeting. Pastor Mark will be sharing our church vision as we begin gathering our launch team.”

The website explained that Driscoll spent months praying for a church facility with 1,000 or more seats that was situated along the 101 Freeway. With the Glass and Garden Drive-In Church, ” … Pastor Mark believes that God has supernaturally provided.”

Despite his recent troubles, Driscoll’s efforts to start a new church have received support from many fellow clergymen — Noble being one of the most vocal. The Christian Post previously reported how the NewSpring pastor has taken on Driscoll’s critics who feel that he isn’t ready to lead another congregation.

Noble once said, “Here’s a man who messed up, made some mistakes, admitted it, apologized, said he was sorry — he’s starting over … Who made you the judge on whether or not he’s ready?”

Source : Christian Post

Rapper’s Exchange With Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias Causes Worldwide Discussion

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Rapper’s Exchange With Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias Causes Worldwide Discussion

Da Truth and Ravi Zacharias (Photo:Twitter/Ravi Zacharias)

Christian Post Report – Rapper Da’ Truth and Christian Apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias collaborate on new song “Religion,” March 16, 2016.

Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Da’ Truth took to Twitter with a cryptic message revealing some lyrics to his new song “Religion,” which features Christian apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias, triggering a worldwide discussion.

Da’ Truth shared about the idea of truth, God and religion. He tweeted some of the lyrics to his new song from the upcoming album, It’s Complicated,and thousands, even listeners from NGEN radio and>Jam The Hype, shared concerns and questions on whether or not the artist was second-guessing his faith.

It was later revealed with the release of his new videofor “Religion” that Da’ Truth wasn’t confused about his Christian beliefs but instead was only sharing lyrics from his single that features counter-arguments of his skepticism by internationally respected Christian apologist and author Dr. Ravi Zacharias.

The real-life discussion between the multi-talented artist and Zacharias explored the complexities of religion, which is also the theme of the new album.

“Yes, I wanted to reveal my single, but more than that, I wanted to share REAL thoughts and concerns that I have struggled with throughout my life,” explains Da’ Truth in a statement released to The Christian Post. “Is there one true religion? Is it arrogant to be exclusive? Can we be certain that Christianity is the only religion that God acknowledges as true? Many people, Christians included, struggle with these questions, and I want them to know they aren’t alone. Through this song and my entire album, I want to provide a soundtrack that articulates some of the internal twists and turns that people experience concerning exclusivity in religion and ultimately start a discussion among each other and together we can resolve the one that has to be true.”

The two unlikely collaborators both have tweeted pictures of themselves together and are noticeably excited to share the new song with the world. Sharing in their enthusiasm fans on social media have also flooded their pictures and video with feedback.

Da Truth(Photo: Twitter/truthonduty)Key album art work for Da Truth’s album “It’s Complicated,” 2016.

In the song, Da’ Truth reveals that his Christian upbringing as a pastor’s kid still led to a period in which he began to question God and the idea of religion. While he arrived at the conclusion that there is “only one true God,” he knows that others face the same question every day, but may not feel comfortable addressing them.

Zacharias has been known to tackle some of life’s toughest questions when it comes to faith and religion. The minister likewise boldly spoke out on the track.

 “The popular aphorism that ‘All religions are fundamentally the same and only superficially different’ simply is not true, yet this idea continues to be advanced in society. In reality, all religions are, at best, superficially similar but fundamentally different,” Zacharias said.

This topic is just the beginning of what the Pennsylvania emcee has in store with the upcoming tracks of his highly-anticipated forthcoming album release. For more information on Da’ Truth, visit TruthOnDuty.com

Source : Christian Post

Tyler Perry Shares Deep Love for Jesus and His Hope ‘The Passion’ Will Spark Revival in America (Interview)

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Tyler Perry Shares Deep Love for Jesus and His Hope ‘The Passion’ Will Spark Revival in America (Interview)

Tyler Perry (Photo: Reuters/David McNew)

Christian Post Report – Host and narrator in New Orleans, Louisiana, Tyler Perry of “The Passion”, speaks during the Fox Network presentation at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, California, January 15, 2016.

Film producer and actor Tyler Perry gets candid about how much Jesus Christ really means to him as he gears up to narrate “The Passion” live on FOX for Palm Sunday.

“The Passion” is a musical event that tells the 2,000-year-old story of Jesus Christ’s life on Earth. The production, set in the present day, will follow the account of Jesus as He presides over the Last Supper, and then is betrayed by Judas, put on trial by Pontius Pilate, convicted, crucified and resurrected.

“What I love about this show is that the death and resurrection is being told in modern day times so a lot of people can understand it, and understand that this really happened,” Perry told The Christian Post.

“There’s so many young people, kids and millennials, who have no faith. They don’t believe in anything, and I feel that a lot of them are getting away from the God of our mothers and fathers and grandfathers and grandmothers,” Perry explained.

In a Facebook post last week, Perry revealed that he was shocked to find out how many people in the United States are not aware of the story of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

“So just to remind us all in this country that there is a Christ, there is a God. There was a death, there was a resurrection for all, and the compassion and the love that He had was for everyone, not just some, but for everyone! That’s what the resurrection and the crucifixion was all about — the love for everyone. So I think that’s just as important today as it’s been forever, and it needed to be said and shared in a special way,” he told CP.

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Source : Christian Post

‘Chrisley Knows Best’ Reality Star Chase Chrisley Removing Bible Tattoo in Exchange for Range Rover

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‘Chrisley Knows Best’ Reality Star Chase Chrisley Removing Bible Tattoo in Exchange for Range Rover

Christian Post Report – Reality star Chase Chrisley of USA Network’s “Chrisley Knows Best” has said that he will remove his new Bible-inspired tattoo in exchange for a Range Rover from his father.

The 19-year-old told a TMZ photographer at Los Angeles International Airport this week that he made a deal with his father, Todd Chrisley, to have a Bible verse tattoo removed from his side in exchange for the new expensive SUV.

“[My dad] just doesn’t like tattoos. He was raised in a different time and I mean, I respect him, and he offered me a Range Rover to take it off so I was like ‘alright,'” the teenager says in the TMZ clip.

Chrisley then clarifies that the real reason he got the tattoo removed was he “saw how disappointed my parents were.”

“I wasn’t doing it to spite them by any means […] I had meaning behind why I wanted to get it,” the 19-year-old added.

Chase and his father are two of the stars of USA’s “Chrisley Knows Best,” which follows millionaire Todd Chrisley as he and his wife, Julie, raise their children near Atlanta, Georgia.

Chase has been outspoken about his beliefs before, sharing on Twitter in 2012 that “God is good” as well as other religious messages.

Todd Chrisley has also shared Christian tweets online. When recently asked why he opposes tattoos, Todd told a fan on Twitter: “[…] it’s the way I was raised and if God intended for you to mark your body he would have sent you here with a handful of crayons.”

Chrisley tells the camera that he has 13 treatments scheduled to have the ink removed, and he is only on his third.

“I’m done with tattoos […] unless [my dad’s] offering me a Phantom for the next one,” the reality star jokes, referencing the luxury vehicle by Rolls-Royce estimated around $420,000.

In a preview for an upcoming episode of “Chrisley Knows Best,” father Todd discovers his 19-year-old son’s new tattoo after Chase tries to hide it.

The teenager tells the camera that evidently, one of his friends in his “inner circle” clued his dad in on his new ink.

A preview for the episode shows Todd Chrisley lifting up his son’s shirt to find a large tattoo featuring the Bible verse John 3:16, which states “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV).”

Todd, 46, is evidently livid, telling the camera: “We’ve got one child failing Bible and another one who has gone and branded himself with it. Both of those things are heartbreaking to me.”

Chase added to Bravo TV this week that his father has been attending the 13 tattoo removal sessions with him.

“He loves to see that. It’s like the ultimate family bonding experience,” Chase joked to the media outlet, saying “I’m sitting there with this laser destroying my side and he’s just getting a kick out of it.”

“That was the worst pain I ever gone through in my entire life,” he added.

Source : Christian Post

Billy Graham: Christians Should Ignore Mockery of Non-Believers

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Billy Graham: Christians Should Ignore Mockery of Non-Believers

Christian Post Report – US evangelist Billy Graham preaches the Gospel to thousands of believers during tonight’s meeting at Bercy’s Stadium in Paris as part of a worldwide crusade, September 20, 1986.

Christians should not allow themselves to become discouraged by the words of those who have not found Jesus, the Rev. Billy Graham says, advising believers to ignore the mockery that comes from secular society.

Responding to a question posted to the Kansas City Star by a woman who asked what she should do when her husband mocks her faith, Graham writes: “such behavior should be off-limits in any marriage, regardless of the reason.”

Graham adds that the woman should not be discouraged by negative language, saying that ultimately, people who criticize religion have an argument with God and no one else.

“When we put our faith in Christ, he adopts us into his family, and nothing will ever change his love for us, even the mockery of those who think we’re foolish for believing in Christ,” the evangelical leader says.

The 97-year-old preacher then uses the example of Jesus’ experience here on Earth, saying that while naysayers attempted to tear Him down, they never succeeded.

“Remember too that people often did their best to embarrass Jesus and tear him down, but they didn’t succeed, nor should they with you,” Graham explains, referencing Luke 20:20 when Jesus’ enemies sent spies to have Him arrested.

Ultimately, Christians should pray for those who are critical of religion, that they may some day find God.

“Pray for your husband, that he will face his pride and realize his need for Christ. Pray too that God will help you to be the best wife you can possibly be, and that Christ’s love and peace will shine through your life,” the religious leader says, adding that “often our strongest witness for Christ comes not from what we say, but by the life we live.”

Graham also spoke about negative words on the “My Answers” portion of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s website this week, answering the question “why is my aunt so critical of others?”

The religious leader acknowledges that while he isn’t a “psychologist,” he has “noticed that people like this are often very insecure, and are constantly seeking to build themselves up. One way they do this is by tearing other people down. But in reality they end up tearing themselves down also, because no one wants to be their friend.”

Graham adds that a judgmental attitude can hurt one’s relationship with others, as well as their relationship with themselves and God.

“[B]eing judgmental and constantly criticizing others is also wrong in the eyes of God. Setting ourselves above others is an act of pride — and pride is a sin. A judgmental attitude also blinds us to our own faults,” Graham says.

Graham concludes his message by saying that critical, judgmental people should pray to God that they may see their faults, and fellow Christians should pray for an opportunity to address such faults as well.

“Pray for your aunt, that she will realize what she’s doing and begin to change — with God’s help. Ask God also to give you an opportunity to confront her about her attitude — lovingly, but directly — and to point her to Christ and His unchanging love for her,” Graham writes.

Source : Christian Post

Christians, Muslims Unite Against Extremism as Nigeria’s President Calls Islamic Radicalism a ‘Tragic Paradox’

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Christians, Muslims Unite Against Extremism as Nigeria’s President Calls Islamic Radicalism a ‘Tragic Paradox’

Christian Post Report – Signs with radical Islam statements in this undated photo.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim, said at a major peace conference that the teachings of Islam forbid extremism in all forms, making the wave of radical Islamic attacks worldwide a “tragic paradox.”

“The tragic paradox of the global insurgency situation is that most of the atrocities committed by various insurgents all over the world today, are being carried out mainly by people who pretend to be Muslims, yet most of the victims and casualties are equally Muslims,” Buhari said Thursday at the opening of the International Islamic Conference on Peace and Nation Building in Abuja, according to Nigeria’s Daily Trust.

“To underscore their cruelty and godlessness, they particularly target the most vulnerable members of the society: children, women and the elderly.”

Buhari added that any group that preachers lawlessness and extremism is ‘irreligious and unacceptable’ to Islam, and urged religious leaders to stand up and oppose false teachings that motivate violent insurgents.

“No religion approves of such heinous crimes against humanity; definitely not Islam nor Christianity, the two to which most Nigerians belong. This is a tragedy which all normal people must rise up against,” Buhari added.

“Islam does not permit lawlessness. It frowns at extremism even in normal acts of worship. The emergence of any group advocating the contrary is therefore irreligious and unacceptable.”

While Nigeria’s population, divided roughly between Christians and Muslims, has for years coexisted peacefully, radical Islamic groups have risen up, carrying out massacres against Christians and attempting to tear the country apart.

The Islamic State-aligned Boko Haram has captured much of international news with its suicide bombings, mass shootings and kidnappings of thousands of women and children across Nigeria, but Christian farmers have also been killed by the thousands at the hands of radical Islamic Fulani herdsmen.

Close to 500 Christians were recently killed in the space of one month alone by Fulani herdsmen, prompting Buhari to order an investigation, and express his “deep shock” at the level of violence that has been committed.

Persecution watchdog groups, including International Christian Concern, have urged the Nigerien government to do more to protect citizens against violent threats to life and property, and to recognize the religious targeting that is happening in the country, rather than to attempt to explain it away through the lens of resource wars and historical tribal tensions.

In his speech on Thursday, Buhari called on all religious, community and political leaders to steer their followers away from corruption and crime, and instead teach them to be more tolerant of one another and to recognize the religious freedom rights of others.

The Nigerian President admitted that his country has suffered from neglect and corruption for years, but he vowed to do everything possible to protect the lives of his citizens and to ensure even development across the nation.

Source : Christian Post

Willow Creek Fires Tullian Tchvidjian After He Confesses to Another Affair

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Willow Creek Fires Tullian Tchvidjian After He Confesses to Another Affair

Christian Post Report – Billy Graham’s grandson, Tullian Tchividjian, 43.

Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, Florida, confirmed Thursday that they have fired Tullian Tchvidjian, 43, grandson of evangelical icon Billy Graham, after he revealed a previously unconfessed affair he had with another woman.

“When we heard the disclosures he made just a few days ago, the session acted within hours to end his employment at the church,” Willow Creek’s Senior Pastor Kevin Labby told The Christian Post in an interview Thursday morning.

“The disclosures that he made involved the fact that he had a previously unconfessed inappropriate relationship with another woman. He didn’t share specifics with us. He said the person, that’s worth saying … there were no specifics,” Labby continued. “The session did not feel that specifics were necessary for our purposes right now in making a decision about whether to keep him on staff. So they’ve terminated his position but they have not distanced themselves from caring for Tullian and calling him to repentance.”

Tchividjian landed a job at Willow Creek Church last September, some two months after he resigned from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida due to an extramarital affair. During that period he filed for divorce from his now ex-wife, Kim, and was deposed of pastoral credentials by the South Florida Presbytery.

In a statement to The Washington Post last June, Tchividjian said he began his previously confessed affair after he discovered Kim was cheating on him.

“As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself,” he wrote.

Tullian Tchividjian, Kim Tchividjian (Photo: Family Photo)

Tullian Tchividjian (r) and his estranged wife Kim Tchividjian (l) are getting a divorce.

His recent confession, according to Labby, contradicts that narrative. The Willow Creek senior pastor indicates that Tchividjian’s newly confessed affair occurred prior to discovering Kim’s infidelity.

When asked what prompted Tchividjian’s confession, Labby said new rumors, which he is not at liberty to discuss, had come to light. Church elders, he said, were also blindsided by the breach of trust that they had placed in Tchividjian.

“I don’t have details on them but it must be pretty strong rumors to prompt a disclosure like that,” Labby said.

“The feeling of the elders was that Tullian had a long period of time to share that with the church and for one reason or another he elected not to. I can’t really comment on what motivated him to not come out with that, but one thing that led him to come out with the confession was the knowledge that there were rumors swirling in Florida where he was previously ministering,” Labby continued.

“The session felt that all that we were trying and attempting to do for Tullian had to be predicated on trust. And we understand confession comes over time, people build relationships, they gradually feel more comfortable. But the session was concerned that this was not shared with them and created a kind of faulty understanding in the situation and therefore compromised how we could minister to him,” he added. “He is no longer an employee but our desire to care for him continues. How he avails himself to that is just really his choice but we would love to continue to walk with him.”

Kevin Labby (Photo: Facebook)

Kevin Labby, senior pastor of Willow Creek Church in Winter Springs, Florida.

In an email statement to CP Thursday, Tchividjian, who was recently made a grandfather by his oldest son, said his understanding of confession is that it is an ongoing process and thanked Willow Creek, which he said has offered to help him find a new job. He said the church also asked him to make Willow Creek his home.

“The process of repentance is progressive and painful. It involves ongoing confession, not just of what’s going on in my life at the present but what’s happened in my life in the past,” he explained.

“The elders of Willow Creek asked me to continue to make Willow Creek my home church and have offered to help me find a job in the Orlando area. I am unbelievably grateful for these men and this church and especially my pastor and dear friend, Kevin Labby. These people have been nothing but helpful and supportive of my healing process since I arrived. They remain so today. I am praying earnestly about what God would have me to do and remain wholeheartedly committed to the painful process of ongoing repentance that God began last summer. I am so sorry for how my sinful and selfish choices have hurt so many, especially my family. I kindly ask you to pray that God would bring real healing across the board,” he wrote.

Labby, who previously listed Tchividjian among some of the influential voices in his life, said prior to Tchividjian coming to Willow Creek six months ago they were merely passing acquaintances. Since then, however, they have developed a friendship. But that friendship wasn’t strong enough to keep Labby and a number of other members on the board of the Liberate Network, which was started by Tchividjian in 2011.

In an announcement last month, the Liberate board said they had relaunched the ministry “whose mission was to connect God’s inexhaustible grace to an exhausted world through books, conferences, television, radio, social media, and a variety of other mediums.” It was suspended last year after Tchividjian’s troubles began.

Source : Christian Post

Hillsong Church Launches 24-Hour Ministry Network ‘Hillsong Channel’ This Summer

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Hillsong Church Launches 24-Hour Ministry Network ‘Hillsong Channel’ This Summer

Hillsong (Photo: Courtesy/GraceHillMedia)

Christian Post Report – The film “Hillsong – Let Hope Rise” premiered nationwide on May 29, 2015.

Hillsong Church, a world leader in Christian worship music, is teaming-up with the world’s largest Christian television network to launch its own television channel this summer.

In a partnership with the Trinity Broadcasting Network, Hillsong Church will launch the Hillsong Channel, a 24-hour network that will offer viewers worship and ministry from internationally recognized pastors and teachers, according to a statement from TBN.

In a message to his Hills Campus congregation in Sydney, Australia — Hillsong Church’s original campus and hub — Senior Pastor Brian Houston expressed his exhilaration about with the forthcoming network.

“It’s very scary, but very exciting,” he told congregants in late February. “God miraculously is providing for it.” Houston explained that Hillsong will take over the existing Church Channel, but that it will be rebranded as the Hillsong Channel to “look very much like us.”

The channel currently reaches 60 million homes in the U.S. and Hillsong will have a full-time studio based in Orange County, Californa, a “significant space,” from which to operate the network, he explained. The church will also have access to studios in cities around the world, including New York, Los Angeles, London and Madrid.

“We’re going to be well ready for June when we start a literally full-time, supernatural, miraculous — stand in awe and be amazed — type opportunity.”

The forthcoming network promises to bring viewers dynamic worship groups, singers, and songwriters, including Hillsong United, Young and Free, Reuben Morgan, and Joel Houston, to name a few. It will also feature international conferences and life-changing teaching.

Headquartered in Sydney, Hillsong Church has an ever-expanding footprint of churches that circle the globe, with three U.S. sites — in and around New York City, Los Angeles and most recentlyin Phoenix, Arizona.

The new Phoenix site, Hillsong Church Phoenix, is the former City of Grace Church co-pastored by Terry and Judith Crist, and is comprised of three campuses located in Scottsdale, Mesa and Phoenix. The Crists assumed the roles of Hillsong Phoenix’s lead pastors.

Hillsong Church’s reach extends across 14 countries and five continents, and it boasts an average weekly attendance worldwide near 100,000, according to it’s <a ” href=”http://hillsong.com/”>website

The Christian Post has reported that Hillsong Church is known to be frequented by many celebrities, including the likes of Justin Bieber, actress Vanessa Hudgens and model Hailey Baldwin, daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin. The church’s laid-back atmosphere and high-energy worship services are likely draws for younger crowds.

Hillsong Church was founded in 1983 in Sydney, Australia by Senior Pastor Brian Houston and his wife, Senior Pastor Bobbie.

Follow me on Twitter: @kevindonporter

Source : Christian Post

Singer Christon Gray on Breaking Christian Music Industry Mold in ‘The Glory Album’ (Interview)

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Singer Christon Gray on Breaking Christian Music Industry Mold in ‘The Glory Album’ (Interview)

Christon Gray (Photo: Fo Yo Soul/RCA Inspiration)

Christian Post Report – Christon Gray is a Christian rapper, singer and producer who released ‘The Glory Album’ on March 11, 2016.

If Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean could fuse their musical abilities for a Christian audience, it would probably sound something like Christian Gray.

While the 29-year-old Ohio native doesn’t subscribe to any particular comparisons, he once believed that his style of rapping, singing, writing and producing music wouldn’t fit into the confines of the Christian music industry.

“I’ve always been interested to go the mainstream route simply because the messages that I present I felt would be more accepted, or at least not as taboo in the mainstream market,” Gray told The Christian Post. “It’s not that I wanted the applause from a mainstream market, it’s just that sonically it doesn’t fit into gospel, contemporary Christian music or even a Christian hip-hop demographic.”

Gray’s desires came to fruition when multiple mainstream record labels expressed their interest in him. After gospel music powerhouse Kirk Franklin presented a deal with his RCA backed Fo Yo Soul record label, Gray realized he didn’t have to definitively choose one genre of music.

“Signing with Kirk made me realize I had the access to someone that has the autonomy to change that. Kirk is known for going against the grain,” he said about signing to Franklin’s label last June. “I think he does it because he can’t help it … he’s called to do it. The fact that he trusts God, I think we’re in good company.”

Now that his first project on Fo Yo Soul/RCA titled, The Glory Album is in stores, Gray hopes it does more than just showcase his dual talent for singing and rapping.

“I want [people] to be able to take away that Christon is all of these things and that they also find a bit of themselves in the music, answers to some life questions,” he said. “If nothing else the relief of knowing that someone else has the same questions. There’s definitely a wide range of emotional things that I’m looking to accomplish spiritually as well as musically.”

Most rappers don’t lead worship at their church, but Gray isn’t most rappers. He used to write rhymes to classical music and croons with a velvety voice that landed him on the top 5 Billboard R&B albums charts with his 2014 solo debut School of Roses.

Before signing with Franklin’s Fo Yo Soul Recordings/ RCA last June, Gray developed a strong following that heard him rap with The Elevationists for eight years and create music for fellow Christian rapper Lecrae’s Reach Records.

Now, Gray has been granted a whole new platform, such as the opportunity to be featured as ESPN’s music artists of the month in March, in which his music is paired with sports highlight reels.

Still, he realizes that the stakes are higher for him with The Glory Album.

“This may be my last opportunity to give a first impression of who Christon is both as a person as far as my musical influence and style. It’s a much more diverse project, a lot more musicality,” he told CP. “We go in a lot more different directions but you get heavy doses of everything.”

There is no topic off limits for Gray on his new offering that manages to intertwine topics like faith, racism and marital troubles effortlessly. Still, balancing his career and family life have been anything but easy for Gray.

“I think I balance it by failing and trying to get it right. I’ve just been blessed with a wonderful family unit who sticks with me during that process,” he revealed to CP. “I think a lot of times artists find themselves in that place where they have to choose between the two — if they’re going to be an artist or if they’re going to be a husband, father or both. For me, trying to do all three is something that is only being achieved through the grace of God.”

For good measure, he added, “I’m not saying that to be deep. I’m saying that because Christon can’t do it by himself.”

Gray grew up in a Christian household and serves as a church worship leader. While faith is an important theme in both The Glory Album and his career, the musician proves that you don’t need an over the top testimony to feel the power of Jesus Christ.

“I think that I’ve had very natural sort of experience with a supernatural God. I don’t have a fluffy story,” Gray said. “I wasn’t on the brink of death, smoking, drinking or caught up in a lot of things that make up a lot of the more interesting testimonies. But I think for me, I realized what I was taught as a child was true.”

Essentially, those lessons dealt with finding true peace in God alone.

“When I tried to find strength, joy or peace in myself, what I was looking for were found immediately in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Whether that was healing from a heartbreak or realizing that affirmations from Him were much more important than that from any human being,” he recalled. “It’s been a natural transition following Jesus and I don’t see myself going anywhere else other than Him. Who else am I going to follow?”

Gray credits his family, friends and team for keeping him grounded and creating great music. However, it is that relationship with God that is preparing the artist for facing challenges that come with being a part of a tough industry.

“I think the music industry and the entertainment industry as a whole is something you can’t predict for an individual’s journey, but you can see a definite need for preparation and consistency. I think the challenge is to maintain what I’ve prepared for and maintain who I am,” he said. “In my alone time having a relationship with Jesus Christ is very helpful because I’m able to give over my burdens with these challenges and essentially allow him to work through me.”

The artist trusts God will help him even through failure because, “it’s His grace that keeps me going.”

For more information about Christon Gray or his new album, visit www.christongray.com.

Source : Christian Post

Norwegian Christian Family Fast, Await Court Ruling on Custody of 5 Children Seized From Home Over Spankings

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Norwegian Christian Family Fast, Await Court Ruling on Custody of 5 Children Seized From Home Over Spankings

The Bodnariu family (Photo: Facebook/Norway, Return the children to Bodnariu Family)

Christian Post Report – The Bodnariu family.

The Romanian Pentecostal parents who had their five children were seized from their custody by the Norwegian government last November are in the midst of a 40-day fast while they await a court ruling that will decide whether or not they will regain custody of their children.

Ruth and Marius Bodnariu, whose five children were taken from them by Norwegian child services on Nov. 16, appeared in court Monday and Tuesday and pleaded their case for why their children should be taken out of foster care and allowed to return home.

“We are at the end of the court procedures that took place on March 14 and 15. We are grateful to all of you for fasting and praying and for your support!” An official statement posted on the family’s website by Pastor Cristian Ionescu, vice president of the Romanian Pentecostal Union in the United States and Canada, states.

“We continue to pray and fast as scheduled for 40 days before April 16!” the statement continued. “We also continue the mailing campaign, writing to public institutions as well as to dignitaries in local and state leadership positions, all over the world.”

The family’s online statement explains that although no ruling date has been set as of yet, they expect that a decision will come as soon as early April.

“We will post an official statement as soon as we will have a decision from the court!” The statement reads. “As we are close to the holidays, it is possible that a decision will not be made until the first week of April.”

The Bodnariu family, which lives in Naustdal, Norway, has become the subject of numerous international protests against Norway’s Barnevernet (child protection services agency) after their two daughters and three sons were removed from parental custody when one of the daughters told her school principal that her parents spank her and her siblings as a form of discipline, which is an illegal act under Norwegian law.

Many advocates, including a Texas-based lawyer with inside knowledge about the situation, have claimed that there was religious animus behind the Barnevernet’s decision to remove the children from the home, stating that officials took issue with the family’s belief that “God punishes sin.”

“Documents and minutes of meetings have emerged since the abduction showing that as early as Oct. 13, 2015, more than a month before the children were taken into custody, the officials at Naustdal municipality disapproved of the parenting style of the Bodnariu parents; believing it, after questioning the children, to be based on the Bible,” wrote lawyer Peter Costea, the the president of the Alliance for Romania’s Families, in an analysis.

“They plainly state that Barnevernet ‘is worried that this is a way of upbringing which is justified by the Bible,'” Costea continued. “The authorities pivoted their contemplated removal of the children on the ‘attitude’ the parents ‘have to their own faith and way of upbringing when it comes to religion.'”

Meanwhile, other prominent Norwegian Christian leaders who support the spanking law say that it is ridiculous to insinuate that the children were removed by the agency because of the family’s Christian faith.

“Every ethnic religious group may worship and raise their children according to their beliefs, as long as they don’t violate Norwegian law,” Andreas Hegertun, the spokesman for the Norwegian Pentecostal Movement, told The Christian Post in February.

“In practice this means as long as they don’t use violence. I have never heard of anyone getting in trouble with the government for any other reason than violence, serious neglect or addictions. In this matter we, as churches, strongly agree with our government that violence toward children is not accepted.”

An online petition was launched by Ionescu in support of the Bodnariu family in its quest to regain custody of its children. The petition has been signed by nearly 60,000 people across the globe.

They are just a normal Christian family trying to raise their children in the knowledge of God!” The petition argues. “There is no documented or otherwise abuse of any kind in this family!”

Follow Samuel Smith on Twitter: @IamSamSmith

Source : Christian Post

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