Is It true That ‘Bush Lied’?

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Is It true That ‘Bush Lied’?

Is It True That "Bush Lied"?

Christian Post Report – For a sizable portion of America, the War of Iraq was not simply wrong because it is a war. It was wrong because we were misled into it, with President George W. Bush lying about weapons of mass destruction to get us there.
Or did he?

New York Times journalist Judith Miller argues differently. She was one of the journalists who was given information about WMDs in Iraq in the early 2000s.

In a video posted to Facebook by the conservative media outlet PragerU, Miller argues that the leftwing narrative of Bush lying is untrue.

“President Bush didn’t lie us into it,” stated Miller, “the false narrative that he did is itself a lie and deserves to be at last retired.”

While noting that there were many mistakes about the Iraq War and its buildup, Miller stated there is a difference between bad intelligence information and willful deception.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/bush-lie-iraq-wmd-pulitzer-prize-judith-miller-nyt-159024/#8I2c24OEiMfxJVOf.99

Source : Christian Post

‘God Save the Queen’ Reigns Supreme as Plan to Scrap National Anthem at Sporting Events Fails

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‘God Save the Queen’ Reigns Supreme as Plan to Scrap National Anthem at Sporting Events Fails

Wayne Rooney (Photo: Reuters/Phil Noble)

Christian Post Report – Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, February 2, 2016.

The U.K.’s national anthem “God Save the Queen” will continue playing at British sporting events, despite a push by the Labour Party to change the song to something more “English.”

Last week, Labour MP Toby Perkins introduced a bill to Parliament that called for England to come up with its own national anthem, just as Whales and Scotland have done.

The bill argued that it was “time for England to have its own national anthem, to enable us to establish our English identity and support our role in the United Kingdom.”

Perkins asserted that “God Save the Queen” was more representative of the U.K. as a whole, not England exclusively.

England, just like Wales and Scotland, should have its own designated national anthem to differentiate it from other home nations when playing in the same match, Perkins argued.

The proposal ran out of time on the parliament floor last week, with members of the Rugby Football Union and Football Association speaking out against a change to the national anthem.

As The Guardian reports, one member of the RFU said there is not enough sentiment within his group to have the anthem changed.

“There is no appetite to change the national anthem before England matches,” he said.

Perkins had proposed that instead of “God Save the Queen,” which was adopted in 1745, English sporting teams instead sing “Jerusalem,” an English hymn based on a poem by William Blake.

As The Daily Mail reports, the bill was unlikely to pass as the RFU and the FA have close links to the Royal family. Prince William is president of the FA and his brother, Harry, is vice-patron of the RFU.

Along with negative responses from the two major sporting groups, the bill only gathered 2,000 signatures in a recent online petition, which fails to meet the number required for the House to consider the legislation.

Although the bill failed last week, Perkins shared a tweet vowing to continue his fight to have the anthem changed.

“Sadly the government have ‘talked out’ bill previous to mine, so no time to debate #EnglishNationalAnthem today but fight will go on,” Perkins said.

The MP told The Times that he doesn’t find his legislation to be hostile toward England’s monarchy.

“It is not hostile to the monarchy in any way,” he said. “I’m sure the monarchy is as aware as the rest of us that the issues of Britishness are quite sensitive.”

“If England is being seen by the other home nations as having procured what is the British national anthem that is potentially very damaging,” Perkins added.

The Labour Party MP first launched his campaign to change the anthem in January, with several of his fellow party MP’s breaking out in an impromptu rendition of “Jerusalem” in front of the House of Commons.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said in 2012 that he believes it should be up to individual sporting groups to decide whether to use “God Save the Queen” or a different anthem.

The British leader added at the time that he would personally choose “Jerusalem” as the best replacement for the current song.

Source : Christian Post

Billy Graham: People Hate Jesus Because Evil Exists in the World

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Billy Graham: People Hate Jesus Because Evil Exists in the World

Billy Graham (Photo:Bill Graham Evangelical Association)

Christian Post Report – Evangelist Billy Graham

People opposed Jesus during his time on Earth for a variety of reasons, all stemming from evil, the Rev. Billy Graham says in response to a questioner who asked why people plotted to have our Savior killed.

The renowned pastor explains on the “My Answers” section of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s website that Jesus was not loved by all 2,000 years ago or even today.

People opposed Jesus for various reasons, Graham explains, including Jesus’ call to end oppression, pride and greed, or Jesus’ claim to be the son of God.

Graham notes that while some “didn’t want to change” or “repent,” others didn’t want to believe Jesus’ identity. All of these sentiments stem from evil and Satan’s influence on human hearts.

“Behind it all, however, was the stark reality of human evil — evil that comes ultimately from Satan, the enemy of our souls,” Graham writes.

“Satan rejoiced when Jesus’ enemies nailed Him to the cross; Satan thought he had won. But he hadn’t — because three days later Jesus Christ conquered death, and Hell, and sin, and Satan by His resurrection from the dead.”

The Baptist minister then asks Christians to reflect on which side they would have been on. Would they have demanded that Jesus be nailed to the cross? Or would they have followed Him to the end and believed in His resurrection?

Graham concludes his advice column by referencing 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.”

The 97-year-old evangelical leader has spoken on the importance of maintaining faith in God despite naysayers and daily doubts.

In a December 2013 post, Graham encourages Christians to avoid letting their “doubts crowd out Jesus.”

The preacher says that while some may wish to witness a greater presence from God in their daily lives, that presence is already there.

“Yes, you wish God would speak to you so you could know for sure that He exists. But He has already spoken to you — and to the whole human race! Do you want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus Christ, and when you do, you’ll discover not only that God exists, but also that He loves you and wants you to come to know Him personally,” Graham explains, adding that Christians will feel God’s presence once they “turn to God in repentance and faith, and turn your life over to Jesus.”

“Don’t let your doubts crowd out Jesus, but let Jesus crowd out your doubts. And He will, as you come — like the shepherds on that first Christmas — and humble yourself before Him,” Graham adds.

In an August post, the preacher calls on Christians to not wallow in their religious doubts, but rather offer them to the Lord and allow Him to nurture their faith.

“What will you do with your doubts? Will you let them take root and grow in your heart and mind? Will you even take pride in displaying them (as some people do)? Or will you turn them over to God and ask Him to help you grow stronger in your faith?” Graham questions.

Ultimately, the evangelical preacher encourages Christians not to “stand still in your faith.”

“Instead, make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and then learn to walk with Him every day. Build your life on the foundation of God’s Word, the Bible, and seek His help in prayer and in fellowship with other believers,” Graham says.

Source : Christian Post

Greg Laurie’s Harvest America Draws Record-Setting 350,000, Over 25,000 Faith Commitments

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Greg Laurie’s Harvest America Draws Record-Setting 350,000, Over 25,000 Faith Commitments

GL Screenshot

Christian Post Report – Pastor Greg Laurie sharing the Gospel with 100,000 people Harvest America 2016 at Texas AT&T stadium

Pastor Greg Laurie’s Harvest America 2016 Gospel proclamation was the largest one-day live evangelistic event ever held in the United States, event spokespeople say.

Hosted last Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys, Harvest America drew record crowds, brimming with 82,000 attendees and an even larger audience of more than 180,000 viewers via the event’s remote venues situated across all 50 states. An additional 90,000 viewers watched the proceedings via webcast at harvestamerica.com, bringing the number of cumulative participants to a whopping 350,000, according to spokespeople.

As a result of the Gospel event, thousands committed their lives to Christ. At the stadium, 6,300 made faith committments and another 18,000 came to Christ throughout host locations. An additional 1,000 webcast viewers say they, too, made faith commitments, bringing the total number of those who committed their lives to Christ to over 25,000.

The event’s organizers are working with volunteers from local churches in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and from the remote host locations to help connect the new converts with a church and to encourage them in Bible study, prayer and in sharing their experience.

harvest america 2016 (Courtesy of Harvest America)

Greg Laurie and grandchildren at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the eve of Harvest America 2016 on Saturday, March 5, 2016.

“We pray that each and every one of these individuals gets connected with a local church and begins growing in their faith, sharing what has happened to them with others in their circles of influence,” said Laurie, senior pastor of California-based Harvest Christian Fellowship. “That is our prayer for the ultimate impact of this event, because that is how true revival begins.”

The California pastor previously told The Christian Post that he encourages Christians to get over any fears of evangelism that they may have and to take full advantage of their own opportunities to spread the Gospel.

With his Harvest America Gospel message: “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” which focused on Nicodemus and The Samaritan Woman, Laurie told CP he intended to reach the religious as well as those who were unfamiliar with biblical truths. Based on the results, his message was well communicated.

Famed evangelist and author Rev. Billy Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, credits Laurie as “one of the greatest communicators of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our generation,” as well as his own personal friend, according to the Harvest America website.

Cumulative turnout at this year’s Harvest America surpassed Graham’s record of 255,000 at Texas Stadium, over a four day period, more than a decade ago in 2002, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Follow me on Twitter: @kevindonporter

Source : Christian Post

Iraqi President: Christians Are ‘Original Members’ of Country

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Iraqi President: Christians Are ‘Original Members’ of Country

Iraq Christians REUTERS / Ahmed Jadallah

Christian Post Report – Displaced Iraq Christians who fled from Islamic State militants in Mosul, pray at a school acting as a refugee camp in Erbil September 6, 2014.

The president of Iraq said this week that Christians are the “original” members of his nation.

During his first visit to Egypt, Iraqi president Fouad Masum, who is of Kurdish descent, told Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II that Christians are an integral part of Iraqi heritage.

The Fides News Agency reported on the meeting between Masum and Tawadros II, saying that the two leaders agreed that “Christians are ‘original members’ of Iraq, as evidenced by the ancient monasteries scattered throughout the country.”

 “[…] jihadi groups, such as Daesh (also known as ISIS, IS or ISIL), have raged not only against them but also against Muslim populations, as evidenced by Muslim victims – even Sunni – and the Islamic Caliphate mosques destroyed in Mosul,” the news agency reported, saying that Masum believes Iraqi Christians have been “threatened by sectarian rifts and engaged in conflict with the self-styled Islamic State that have settled in Mosul since June 2014.”

The two countries also discussed how to make Iraq a stable region in the Middle East, with Masum thanking Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his continued support in fighting the country’s terrorist groups, including the Islamic State.

Iraq’s presidential media group released a statement saying “Masum highlighted the importance of benefiting from the Egyptian expertise in industry, agriculture and tourism, as well as the development of cultural and academic relations between the two countries,” adding that “Iraq will pass all obstacles to build a united and progressive democratic state.”

The meeting came as the U.S. State Department is nearing a deadline to decide whether to label what is happening to the Christian population in Iraq and Syria as a “genocide.” Last year, Congress gave the U.S. State Department a deadline of March 16 to decide to describe these atrocities as such.

The Knights of Columbus and the In Defense of Christians issued an extensive report this week that they say includes definitive evidence proving there is a genocide in the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said last week at a House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on Capitol Hill that “fact-gathering” needs to happen before the U.S. can label the Middle East situation as a genocide.

“It does require a lot of fact-gathering,” the Secretary of State said, as reported by Fox News. “I mean you have to get the facts from the ground, more than just anecdotal.”

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has also been hesitant to use the word genocide, saying during a press conference in February that the label may pose legal issues for the U.S.

“There are lawyers considering whether or not that term can be properly applied in this scenario. What is clear and what is undeniable and what the president has now said twice in the last 24 hours is that we know that there are religious minorities in Iraq and in Syria, including Christians, that are being targeted by ISIL terrorists because of their religion and that attack on religious minorities is an attack on all people of faith and it is important for all of us to stand up and speak out about it,” Earnest told reporters on February 4.

“This is an open question and one that continues to be considered by administration lawyers,” Earnest added.

Source : Christian Post

Anglican Leader Justin Welby Says It’s Not Racist to Be Fearful of Refugees

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Anglican Leader Justin Welby Says It’s Not Racist to Be Fearful of Refugees

Christian Post Report – An activist walks past a car taking part in a convoy of around 140 vehicles leaving for Hungary from Vienna, September 6, 2015, to distribute aid to migrants and to collect refugees to bring back to Austria. People taking part run the risk of violating laws on human trafficking, police said, but officers were there at the meeting point outside a football stadium just to provide security and guide traffic.

Anglican leader and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who has spoken out strongly for the need to help refugees fleeing war and violence, says it’s wrong to label people fearful of the mass migration of refugees as “racist.”

“There is a tendency to say ‘those people are racist,’ which is just outrageous, absolutely outrageous,” Welby told The House magazine during an interview at the House of Lords.

“Fear is a valid emotion at a time of such colossal crisis. This is one of the greatest movements of people in human history. Just enormous. And to be anxious about that is very reasonable,” he added.

Welby said people are concerned about a number of different areas and how they will be affected by the coming refugees — from housing to jobs to health services.

“There is a genuine fear. And it is really important that that fear is listened to and addressed. There have to be resources put in place that address those fears,” he said.

Migrants (Photo: Reuters/Ina Fassbender)

Wellwishers wave to migrants arriving at the main railway station in Dortmund, Germany September 6, 2015. Austria and Germany threw open their borders to thousands of exhausted migrants on Saturday, bussed to the Hungarian border by a right-wing government that had tried to stop them but was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers reaching Europe’s frontiers.

Welby has been an outspoken advocate for helping the refugees, and has reminded Christians that Jesus Christ Himself was a refugee fleeing war and persecution.

“As a Christian who leads the Church of England, it is something he feels absolutely passionate about,” a spokeswoman for Welby said in September.

“As the archbishop has said, Jesus was a refugee, and there are refugees here who are desperate for sanctuary from war-torn places and the archbishop is completely torn about their situation and wants to make a difference,” he added.

There have been different responses by the European countries in the wake of the millions of refugees from Syria and the surrounding region seeking resettlement, with nations such as Germany welcoming in over a million migrants.

Border countries such as Greece have seen their economy struggle trying to accommodate the massive flow of people seeking passage, and earlier this week several other countries, namely Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia, all restricted their borders in an attempt to stem the flow of migrants.

The U.K. government has promised to resettle 20,000 refugees by 2020, something which Welby has repeatedly said is not enough.

“A problem of this scale can only be dealt with by a response on an equally grand scale right across Europe, and we have to play our part,” Welby said in the interview.

“We have to be careful. I’m aware of the complexity. The government is rightly concerned about effectively subsidising people smuggling. That is quite proper, that could make everything worse,” he continued.

Migrants (Photo: Reuters/Ognen Teofilovski)

Migrants hold banners as Macedonian policeman stands guard at the border with Greece near Gevgelija, Macedonia, November 20, 2015. Balkan countries have begun filtering the flow of migrants to Europe, granting passage to those fleeing conflict in the Middle East and Afghanistan but turning back others from Africa and Asia, the United Nations and Reuters witnesses said on Thursday.

Source : Christian Post

Is It OK for a Christian Doctor to Help a Patient Die?

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Is It OK for a Christian Doctor to Help a Patient Die?

Christian Post Report – Pastor John Piper speaks on “The Plundering of Your Property and the Power of Hope” at Passion City Church, Atlanta Georgia, January 18, 2015.

Is it ever OK for a Christian doctor to help a patient die?

Pastor and theologian John Piper tackled the controversial question in a podcast this week on his website DesiringGod.org, outlining seven principles to help guide Christian doctors on the matter.

1. Christian Conviction Should Control Behavior, Not Laws

“We submit to laws as Christians, but not if they contradict clear biblical convictions,” Piper said. He added that no law regarding physician-assisted suicide should be the guide for what a Christian doctor is willing to do.

2. God Wants Us to Obey Him Even If We Can’t See All the Good Fruit That Will Come

Piper explained that while God usually provides some of the reasons for His commands, oftentimes the reasons are to be revealed years, or even decades, after a believer’s act of obedience.

“Sometimes God commands us to do something and only much later do we or the world discover how many good effects come from obeying God and/or would have come if we had obeyed God.”

3. Both the Old and New Testament Command Christians Not to Murder

Piper clarified that not committing murder is “not to take the life of an innocent person who doesn’t deserve to be put to death (see Romans 13:9, for example).”

The pastor explained that the commandment not to shed innocent blood is found 19 times in the Bible and sums it all up as, “Don’t take the life of a person who doesn’t deserve to have his life taken away.”

4. Human Life Is the Gift of God

The pastor said, ” … He [God] owns it [life] and may do with it as he pleases, take it any time He pleases without wronging anyone, and this is His unique perogative.”

Piper cited Deuteronomy 32:39 “See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”

He added that human life is a miracle that only God can create, and that only He has the right to take it. “As far as medical things are concerned, I think it is clear that God’s rights are at stake here and we dare not intrude on what He alone has the right to do.”

5. Physicians Historically Have Been Life-givers and Life-Sustainers, Not Life-Takers

The theologian quoted the centuries-old Hippocratic oath, saying doctors have pledged not to use their “remarkable gifting” to take life. Piper noted the passage, “Nor shall any man’s entreaty prevail upon me to administer poison to anyone. Neither will I counsel any man to do so.”

6. Doctors Have a Right to Minimize the Pain of Those Who Suffer

“Human suffering is horrible beyond words in some cases,” Piper said. “And it is right and loving for physicians to use whatever medicines they have at their disposal, if the patient wants it, to minimize the pain of their patients.”

7. Suffering Is Not Viewed in the Bible as the Worst Thing

Piper explained that God sometimes uses suffering for “good and wise and loving purposes and, therefore, suffering never becomes such an evil so great that it justifies disobedience to one of the commands of God, like the command not to take innocent life.”

Having made those seven points, Piper admitted that there are portions of this debate that aren’t so clear cut. “The line between taking life and not unduly sustaining life is not always clear. … Yes, I am admitting that. I am saying that there are times when death should be allowed to run its course or to arrive naturally without any extraordinary efforts to keep a person alive. Clearly death comes to all of us. God wills that it come. Discerning that time is not easy in these modern, remarkably wonderful medical days in which we live. ”

The pastor went on to say, “my conclusion is that we do not have the right to help a patient take his own life or the right to take it ourselves. The laws that put such things into our hands are bad laws and should not constrain Christian physicians to act against their convictions even if they have to lose their job in the process. The ambiguities of end of life decisions regarding what is fitting life support and what blocks a timely, natural death, those decisions remain very, very difficult.”

Source : Christian Post

McDonalds Ad Featuring Son Coming Out as Gay Blasted for ‘Polluting Young Minds’ by Religious Groups

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McDonalds Ad Featuring Son Coming Out as Gay Blasted for ‘Polluting Young Minds’ by Religious Groups

Christian Post Report – A minute-and-a-half McDonalds ad features a boy coming out to his father by writing, “I like boys” on a McCafe coffee cup and sliding it across the table, released March 4, 2016.

A McDonald’s ad in Taiwan featuring a son coming out as gay to his father is being criticized by religious groups in the country for “polluting young minds.”

The short video features a young man revealing to his father that he is gay in a McDonalds restaurant by writing “I like boys” on a McCafe coffee cup. The father considers the revelation, and then writes “I accept that you like boys” on the cup, to the young man’s relief.

Several conservative groups in the country, which is predominantly Buddhist and Taoist, have blasted McDonalds, however, calling for a boycott on the fast food chain for promoting LGBT propaganda.

“Because McDonald’s is frequented by many children, it is especially important to oppose the promotion of same-sex behavior,” said Chang Shou-yi of the Alliance of Taiwan Religious Groups for the Protection of Family, according to Fox News.

Chang added that the ad, which has been viewed over 1.7 million times as of Friday morning, is “polluting young minds.”

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Taiwan, though some cities have began registering gay couple unions this year.

McDonalds has explained that the purpose of the ad was “to show the spirit of open dialogue between family members,” and that “different voices can be accepted in society.”

A Similar controversy broke out in the U.S. in 2014 when Burger King introduced a limited-edition gay pride Whopper with a rainbow wrapper in support fo the LGBT movement, which prompted Christian conservative groups to speak out.

“Even though this promotion was at just one location, as a chain, Burger King is promoting homosexual behavior as healthy and something to have pride in,” said American Family Association President Tim Wildmon at the time. “We believe that promoting and encouraging unhealthy behavior will drive families away.”

Other Christians, such as Alan Noble, co-founder and editor of Christ & Pop Culture, argued that Burger King is simply trying to ride a public trend for profit.

“By boycotting Burger King for this lame promotion, evangelicals are validating it as a legitimate political and social statement instead of a cheap and tactless co-opting of the LGBT movement for profit,” Noble wrote back then.

“Most of all, focusing on silly faux-political/moral ‘stands’ like Burger King’s only distracts us from richer and more edifying work.

Source : Christian Post

Ruth Graham and the Legacy of Evangelical Women

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Ruth Graham and the Legacy of Evangelical Women
Christian Post Report – Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, said that she is honored to call herself an “evangelical feminist,” sharing that she was raised in a strong evangelical home where women were well respected.

“If ‘evangelical feminism,’ means women who know what they believe, who are strong in their convictions, who are bold in their actions, who are courageous to stand up and speak out for Jesus Christ while being godly wives and mothers, then I celebrate them today,” Lotz wrote on Tuesday, which was International Women’s Day.

“And I would be honored to be counted in their number,” she added.

Observed around the world, IWD has been recognized since the early 1990s, and focuses on celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Lotz admitted that she was not sure what “evangelical feminism” meant when she first heard about it years ago, but now offers a definition of the term on her website:

“An evangelical feminist is a woman who is a strong, bold, free-spirited leader inside and outside of her home, unashamed of her faith in God, His Word, His Son, and His Gospel. With that definition, I would identify myself as an evangelical feminist.

Source : Christian Post

How America Learned to Love Liars

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How America Learned to Love Liars

Christian Post Report – Since the serpent, Satan, lied to Eve about the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:4-5), mankind has played fast and loose with the truth. But as Sir Walter Scott once so eloquently stated, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

There was a time, however, in American history when a “man’s word was considered his bond.”

But as Dr. Laura Schlessinger wrote a few years ago in her book about the Ten Commandments, we’ve moved far from that philosophy of life today “to a society in which ‘people are more accepting than ever before of exaggerations, falsifications, fabrications, misstatements, misrepresentations, gloss-overs, quibbles, concoctions, equivocations, shuffles, prevarications, trims and truth colored and varnished.’ That acceptance has surely changed the moral landscape of this nation in everything from the disappearance of common social courtesies to the prevalence of vulgar and vicious radio and television programming, from disrespect for traditional sexual and marital mores to the ever-growing cynicism about the potential of goodness to survive anywhere.”

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Source : Christian Post

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