North Korean Delegate Says More Human Rights Violations Took Place in US Than in Communist Regime While Disrupting UN Event Showcasing Testimonies of Defectors

The United Nations (Photo: Reuters/Carlo Allegri)

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in Manhattan.

NEW YORK — A representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea disrupted the United Nations’ “Human Rights in the DPRK” event with an anti-U.S. rant in an attempt to discredit the North Korean defectors’ testimonies on Thursday, April 30.

Organized by the United States and South Korea, the special event at the United Nations headquarters in New York City was moderated by award-winning author Barbara Demick and featured the testimonies of three North Korean defectors who shed light on the atrocities they endured before gaining asylum in various other countries. Following Joseph Kim’s opening description of early life in North Korea, including losing his father to starvation and his own narrow escape from the same fate, a diplomat from North Korea’s U.N. mission interjected with a tirade directed at both the defectors and the U.S.

The Christian Post attended the event which took place at 10:30 a.m. on April 30, 2015 in Conference Room 3 of the U.N. and witnessed the interruption first hand.

Speaking mostly in Korean, Jay Jo, the delegate from the Kim Jong Un-led nation attempted to speak over the panel of defectors, denouncing their accounts of human rights abuses in the DPRK. At one point, the DPRK delegate suggested that more human rights violations took place in the U.S. rather than in North Korea. Minutes into the interruption, the diplomat was silenced with threats of forced removal by U.N. security.

Shortly after resuming the event with the testimony of a second defector, the DPRK delegate and his companion stormed out of the conference room. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power later apologized for the North Korean’s interruption, deeming his statements “totally self-discrediting.”

Power also closed the “Human Rights in the DPRK” event with three themes from the defectors’ stories; starvation, torture, and forced repatriation.

“These are just a few stories of millions,” Power noted before urging the public to view the situation in North Korea as a not only a human rights issue, but also an issue of international peace and security.

“We must ensure that their voices, and the voices of other defectors, are amplified, here at the U.N., at the Security Council and well beyond,” the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. added. “We must not be satisfied with telling the stories, but we have to collectively continue to ramp up the pressure on this regime so that this system, the system built to strip people of their most basic rights and dignity, comes to an end, and the perpetrators behind the kind of terror and forced starvation that we’ve heard about, are brought finally to account.”

For more from the U.N.’s “Human Rights in the DPRK” event, stay tuned to The Christian Post.

Source : Christian Post

American Idol XIV Finalist Tyanna Jones Details Finding Her Own Relationship With God, Struggles With Anxiety (Exclusive)

Tyanna Jones (Photo: Michael Becker / FOX. )

Tyanna Jones performs on “American Idol XIV” Wednesday, April 15

Christian Post Report – She had her doubts about surviving the competition created to find the best voices in the country, but at just 16, Tyanna Jones is officially leaving the “American Idol” competition with a renewed sense of faith.

Jones was handpicked out of thousands of hopefuls to sing her way to the top five contestants in the competition. Still, there can only be one winner of “American Idol XIV” and the Jacksonville, Florida, native knew that at any point she could be the next one to go.

One day before learning she was eliminated from the competition, Jones spoke to The Christian Post about her faith helping her get through the competition.

“There [are] times when I really don’t know what’s going on. I never [know] when I’m going to make it through,” Jones told The Christian Post. “Sometimes you’re more sure of yourself than other times but I would hate my performance so much that I would be like ‘I’m going home.’ Then I’d just pray and ask God to deal with me and help me and reveal to me and a comfort would come upon me and I would remember how blessed I already am.”

The 16-year-old honed both her faith and voice in the same place, church. At just six years old, she asked her mother if she could sing in front of their church since the matriarch was supposed to do so, but was not feeling well.

“I think it’s kind of like the typical started singing at a young age at a choir in church and from then on I kind of realized that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Jones said.

Even though the budding singer was raised in and around the church, there comes a time when people have to get to know God for themselves aside from what they are conditioned to believe. Jones recalls a time when she really began an intimate relationship with God, after struggling with some anxiety.

“I think what really showed me [God] was personal reasons that I had struggled with like anxiety and being paranoid about things, suffering with things that I shouldn’t be suffering with. Things that people my age shouldn’t be worried about, I was struggling with,” Jones admitted. “And one day I just got on my knees and prayed and like really, really, really, prayed and asked for forgiveness for the things that I had done that I know I should not have done. Just really crying out to God and asking Him for forgiveness, that’s when it really became really reassuring to me that there is a God who wants to help me.”

The high school student doesn’t believe her age played much of a factor during her time on “American Idol XIV.” However, she does recognize that there were differences between she and her competition.

“The only thing that set me apart from other contestants is I go to school. Some other contestants were going to school but they stopped because of this competition,” Jones told CP. “The only thing I would say [set me apart] is my lack of experience going into this competition. I didn’t sing at the little restaurants and the little cafes on the side of the road or anything and I didn’t play any instruments but I don’t think that has anything to do with the competition.”

Despite what she may consider a lack of experience, Jones has received a great deal of support from her hometown. Her Westside High School in Jacksonville, Florida, is recognizing her accomplishments by honoring the singer with an event called “Tyanna Jones Day” that will include a pep rally, according to The Florida Times-Union reports.

Gregory Bostic, principal at Westside High, spoke about plans that his school had to honor their budding singer.

“We will keep the signs up in the halls for the rest of the year because Tyanna will always be our American Idol,” Bostic told The Florida Times-Union.

While Jones will return to Jacksonville a different teenager than when she left, she is happy to return to her family.

“I think what [was] most challenging for me [was] being apart from my family. I think that’s the main thing that actually when I sit down and think about it, I just really, really, really miss them,” Jones told CP. “Missing my family, going to church with my church family and being around them … I missed that a lot.”

Although her time on the singing competition has ended, Jones making it to the top five has still qualified her to embark on the nationwide American Idol Live Tour which will give her the opportunity to perform for fans this summer. With a great deal of support and God on her side, Jones is looking forward to the path that her singing career will lead her on.

“I see myself beyond what I’m doing right now. People will say ‘you’re such a star you’ve come so far,'” Jones told CP. “And it’s true but I’m not close to being what God has in store for me. So I’m just patiently waiting.”

Source : Christian Post

Amy Grant, Bill Gaither, Brandon Heath and More to Celebrate Hall of Fame Inductees Bebe and Cece Winans at GMA Honors May 5

Brandon Heath (Photo: AP Images / Mark Humphrey)

Brandon Heath performs the song ‘Give Me Your Eyes’ at the Dove awards in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, April 23, 2009. The song won the award for song of the year. The Dove awards honor Christian and gospel music.

The Gospel Music Association announced a star-studded lineup of presenters and performers such as Amy Grant and Brandon Heath who will help celebrate this year’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees at the GMA Honors on May 5.

Hosted by Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton, the second annual GMA Honors will recognize today’s trailblazers in gospel music while also inducting influential individuals and organizations into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Presenters and performers will also include President and CEO of Capitol Christian Music Group Bill Hearn, Founder and Senior Pastor of Christian Cultural Center Dr. A.R. Bernard, and six-time Grammy Award winning singer Bill Gaither. Bishop Joseph Walker III of Mt. Zion Church and “American Idol” star Chris August are also set to appear at the GMA Honors alongside Melinda Doolittle, Point of Grace, The Martins and Steve Green.

As previously announced, this year’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees include BeBe and CeCe Winans, Mark Lowry, Roland Lundy and Twila Paris. Furthermore, the GMA Honors at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena will recognize Bishop Paul S. Morton, the founding bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, as well as The Bridge, which was founded by Candy Christmas, and Passion founded by Louie and Shelby Giglio. Lastly, Porter’s Call is also being recognized, along with its founder Al Andrews.

The GMA Honors will take place on Tuesday, May 5 at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena. The awards show will air on JUCE TV on Friday, June 5 at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET and Saturday, June 6 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET. For more information, visit the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame website here.

Source : Christian Post

Russell Moore Calls on Church to Embrace ‘Refugees of the Sexual Revolution’

Russell moore (Photo: The Christian Post/Sonny Hong)

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, speaks at the 2014 SBC Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on Wednesday, June 11, 2014.

Christian Post Report – Speaking to the largest Latino Christian organization in the world Tuesday, Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said that the sexual revolution will fail and the Church must be prepared to embrace those “refugees of the sexual revolution.”

Moore stressed the importance of using the right tone to defend the truth of the gospel.

“The sexual revolution cannot keep its promises. We will have an entire generation of people asking ‘is there more to life than this?’ Just as Jesus says that there is a thirst for more than water, we must be the people who can speak to those who are the refugees of the sexual revolution.

“The people that can’t speak to them are the people that are shouting at them and the people who have given up on the Gospel.”

  • Russell Moore
    (Photo: screengrab, NHCLC)
    Russell Moore (left), president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, speaking at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s convention with an English to Spanish translator (right), Houston, Texas, April 28, 2015.

Moore’s message was delivered to the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s convention, a three-day event in Houston, Texas.

Recalling the story of the Samaritan woman at the well from John’s Gospel, Moore stressed the importance of authentic Gospel repentance and forgiveness. Moore focused much of his remarks rebutting the claim that the Church will be left behind if it does not adapt to cultural norms and pressures on human sexuality.

“Some people are saying in order to reach the culture around us,” said Moore, “we have to stop talking about what God teaches about marriage and sexuality.

“They tell us if we do not give up what the Scripture teaches on marriage, we will not grow and we will not flourish in the years to come.”

Moore continued to defend the biblical and traditional view of marriage, saying, “If we hold to what the Scripture teaches, that marriage is between one man and one woman, and that marriage pictures the union of Christ and His Church, they will tell us that we are on the wrong side of history.

“But the Christian Church started on the wrong side of history. In the first century the right side of history was the Roman Empire. The right side or the wrong side of history isn’t what’s important, what matters is who is at the right hand of the Father, he declared.”

The theme of NHCLC’s three-day event is “From Survive to Thrive.” Other conference speakers include former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

Source : Christian Post

Christian Boy Was Set on Fire and Killed by Pakistani Muslims for His Faith in Jesus, Watchdog Group Confirms

Nouman Masih (Photo: British Pakistani Christian Association)

Noman Masih died on April 15, 2015, in Pakistan due to burns suffered from an attack by two Muslim men five days prior.

Noman Masih, the 14-year-old Pakistani boy who was burned alive by a group of Muslim youths earlier in April and died from his injuries was targeted because he admitted that he was a Christian, watchdog group International Christian Concern has said.

The group shared Masih’s own words from his hospital bed: “I have neither enemies, nor a dispute with anybody in the area I live. My tailor master asked me to go to the nearest market for some work and, on my way, [a] few men stopped me, asking my name and religion. I gave them my name and identified my religion as Christian. It was Friday prayers time and not many people [were] on the road.”

The boy added: “Suddenly they started beating and abusing me. I tried to rescue myself, however, [I] couldn’t. One of them threw kerosene oil and [the] other set me on fire. With the help of the locals around I managed to stop the fire, however, [I became] unconscious.”

Masih suffered burns to 55 percent of his body, and despite the hospital’s efforts he died from his injuries on Wednesday, April 15.

Christians are often targeted by lynch mobs in Pakistan, but also by the government’s anti-blasphemy laws, which are designed to protect Islam but are often used by Muslims as a way to falsely accuse and arrest religious minorities.

Asif Masih, the boy’s uncle, added in the ICC report that Christians have little hope in the South-Asian country.

“Being Christian [means] being persecuted daily in this country. This is no longer a country for human being[s] or for liv[ing] a dignified life. There is no protection and no rule of law,” he said.

Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the The British Pakistani Christian Association, told The Chritian Post following Masih’s death that the boy had issued “Christian forgiveness” to his attackers before he died.

“He just said that he forgave them. That’s more like a Christian forgiveness, but he didn’t want his attackers to prevail and enact their crimes on anybody else. He was just being very magnanimous in a Christian way saying, ‘I have forgiven them but I want them to go through the justice system,'” Chowdhry told CP.

“You can imagine what it was like for him to have kerosene poured on him and being set alight,” Chowdhry continued. “He was very vocal in the fact that he didn’t want that to happen to anyone else, especially at the moment when Christians are under some very extreme tension.”

Ataurehman Saman, a human rights defender and publications coordinator at the National Commission for Justice and Peace, added that the incident “speaks volumes about the lofty claims and statements of the officials regarding [the] protection of minorities in Pakistan.”

Saman added that it “reflects the prevailing hatred for religious minorities that has been allowed to flourish in the society by design, through media, [hateful] sermons and textbooks.”

He warned that other such attacks on Christians are likely to occur if the government does not take “affirmative, positive, productive and concrete steps to tailor the torn fabric of our society.”

Source : Christian Post

Egypt Sentences 71 People to Life in Prison for Burning Christian Church

Undated file photo of Egyptian prisoners. (Photo: Reuters)

Undated file photo of Egyptian prisoners.

Christian Post Report – An Egyptian court has handed out life in prison sentences to 71 people for burning a Christian church in in the Giza province village of Kafr Hakim in 2013.

CNN reported that the people were part of a mob that chanted for Egypt to become an “Islamic State” as they torched and looted The Virgin Mary Church in 2013, following anti-government unrest. Christians were heavily targeted in Egypt following the fall of former President Mohammed Morsi, which later led to the Muslim Brotherhood being outlawed.

Reports said that 52 out of the 73 defendants were tried in absentia, with 21 already in prison. Two minors were additionally given 10 years in prison and fined the equivalent of $1,300.

Reuters noted that the verdict can be appealed.

Hany El-Sayed, a defense lawyer for some of the defendants, said: “There is no proof against the defendants … even the church’s priest said he didn’t see any of the defendants after the incident.”

Morsi himself was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for carrying out unlawful arrests and torture during his time in power. It was the first verdict Morsi has received since he was brought down from power, and is one of several trials he is facing.

Morsi could have received the death penalty for the more serious charge of inciting the killing of protesters, but was cleared by the court.

Retired Field Marshall Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who won the presidential elections in 2014, has been hailed by some Christians for protecting them and helping bring an end to the violence that swept the nation in 2013.

“Many Christians, and even Muslims, think that Sisi saved them from the Islamic groups and he is the hero and savior that we are all waiting for. In Egypt you have to choose from two choices: Military or Islamist. So, if I am Christian, for sure I’ll choose the military even if I don’t like them,” Mahmoud Farouk, executive director of the Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies, said at the time.

There has been a serious clampdown on Muslim Brotherhood members during Sisi’s reign, and the group has been forced to go underground. Thousands of people have been jailed for participating in the group, while hundreds of others have received death sentences for taking part in the bloodshed during the 2013 unrest.

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Indoctrinates In The Cradle

ISIS Indoctrinates In The Cradle

 A photo believed to have been taken by ISIS members of a baby lying beside a gun, a hand grenade, and an ISIS birth certificate has been released online. The photo’s caption warns that the child will grow up to be a threat, pointing to the vast youth indoctrination program that the terror group is running in the region.
“By showing the birth certificate, and the fact that the group are indoctrinating babies, I think ISIS are indicating they will be around for a long time,” a terrorism expert at the Australian National University told Daily Mail Australia.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-photo-of-baby-lying-beside-gun-and-hand-grenade-released-caption-warns-child-will-grow-into-a-threat-138293/#2Iygm4z6SgRlpvoh.99

Source : Christian Post

‘A.D. – The Bible Continues’ Returns Sunday with Increased Violence, Persecution of Early Christians

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett Preview 'A.D. - The Bible Continues' Episode 5

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett Preview ‘A.D. – The Bible Continues’ Episode 5

After four episodes, “A.D. – The Bible Continues” is returning to NBC this Sunday with a brand new fifth installment revealing more about the early church, including extreme brutality against Christians.

The latest episode of “A.D.” will follow Claudia (Joanne Whalley) who struggles with her husband Pontius Pilate’s (Vincent Regan) brutal methods and must decide the fate of 10 women’s lives. Furthermore, Sunday’s episode will see Peter and John arrested again, but the pair survive trial thanks to the aged priest Gamaliel. Also, in a violent turn of events, a young Christian, Stephen, is stoned to death for his cries against the Temple.

Offering a recap of the season so far, series co-creators Roma Downey and Mark Burnett pointed to the death and resurrection of Jesus as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then, the famed husband-and-wife team offered a glimpse at what viewers can expect this Sunday.

“Now, full of the Holy Spirit, Peter, John and the rest of the disciples share their new faith, which is beginning to sweep over Judaea,” Downey previewed.

Chiming in during the clip, Burnett added, “In each episode of ‘A.D.,’ the apostles and their followers are met with increasingly brutal resistance and widespread persecutions to destroy them and of course the message itself.”

“A.D. – The Bible Continues” episode 5 will air on NBC this Sunday, May 3 at 9 p.m. E.T. The encore of last week’s Episode 4 will air directly before the new installment.

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  • “A.D. – The Bible Continues.”
    (Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal MediaVillage)
    A photo from episode 5 of NBC’s “A.D. – The Bible Continues.”
  • "A.D. - The Bible Continues"
    (Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal MediaVillage)
    A photo from episode 5 of NBC’s “A.D. – The Bible Continues.”
  • Stephen in "A.D. - The Bible Continues"
    (Photo: Courtesy of NBCUniversal MediaVillage)
    A photo from episode 5 of NBC’s “A.D. – The Bible Continues.”

“It’s our prayer that this show serves as a catalyst for furthering the gospel and encourages you to be bold in your faith,” Downey noted during this week’s preview.

After each episode of “A.D.,” fans can tune into NBC’s first-ever digital talk show, “Beyond A.D,” hosted by Jason Kennedy. New guests are featured each week to discuss the television series, but this Sunday will see Pastor John Gray of Lakewood Church, comedian Ron G and the Christian rock band The City Harmonic join the show.

Source : Christian Post

A Subtle Snare

And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
— 2 Corinthians 11:14

Christian Post Report – When I was a kid, I collected snakes. I am not really sure why, but I used to be fascinated by them. I had all kinds. I would read books about snakes. I would go out looking for them and bring them home. And I was bitten by snakes many times. I discovered that you never really know what a snake is thinking. Snakes aren’t expressive creatures; they are cold-blooded reptiles.

  • Greg Laurie
    (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)
    Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014.

Snakes are nothing like dogs. You know where you are with a dog at any given moment. When a dog looks at you with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging, you know he is a friendly dog. But if the dog shows his teeth and the hair on his back is standing up, then you know he isn’t happy. You always know where you stand with a dog.

But you never know with a snake. A snake has the same expression all the time. A snake will suddenly bite you, and you won’t even see it coming.

In Genesis we’re told that “the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made” (3:1). Notice that he didn’t show up and say, “Hi, I’m the Devil. Maybe you have heard of me? I hate God, I hate you, and I want to destroy you. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. I have some ideas.”

The Bible does say that Satan was a serpent, but it doesn’t say that he slithered. He slithered after he was cursed (see Genesis 3:14). We don’t know what he looked like, but there was something fascinating, interesting, and appealing about him. He was somehow attractive, and sin is always attractive.

The Devil may be wicked, but he isn’t stupid. He comes with subtlety.

Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000

Used with Permission

Source : Christian Post

Infant Boy Miraculously Rescued From Nepal Earthquake Rubble After 22 Hours of Being Buried Alive

Rishi Khanal (Photo: Reuters)

Rishi Khanal who was pulled out from a collapsed residential building following the April 25, 2015 earthquake, speaks to a security guard at a hospital in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

Christian Post Report – A 4-month-old baby was rescued from a destroyed building in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on Wednesday, after being buried alive nearly 22 hours after the earthquake hit the country, while a 28-year-old man who had given up hope of being found was also rescued after surviving 80 hours under rubble.

The baby boy, named Sonit Awal, was reported to be in stable condition, miraculously without any internal injuries. His rescue has brought hope and good news to the area flattened by a 7.8 point earthquake that has killed over 5,000 people and could possibly have killed close to 10,000.

“I had some hope but by yesterday I’d given up,” Rishi Khanal, the adult man who was also rescued, told the The Associated Press. “My nails went all white and my lips cracked. I was sure no one was coming for me. I was certain I was going to die. There was no sound going out, or coming in. I kept banging against the rubble and finally someone responded and came to help. I hadn’t eaten or had anything to drink so I drank my own urine.”

Khanal was also rescued by a Nepali-French search and rescue team. He had been trapped in the room of an apartment building with three dead bodies and no access to food or water. Rescuers were surprised to find Khanal, given that he was on the second floor and had five floors collapse upon him when the earthquake hit. He managed to keep yelling for help, and officials were able to pull him from the destruction after five hours’ work.

“It seems he survived by sheer willpower,” Dr. Akhilesh Shrestha, the doctor who treated Khanal, said.

Now, after undergoing surgery to amputate his leg, Khanal is resting comfortably in a hospital in Nepal. Reports state that the hospitals are woefully full of people who survived the earthquake, which affected areas in India, Tibet, and Bangladesh.

nepal quake (Photo: Reuters/Navesh Chitrakar)

A man runs past damaged houses as aftershocks of an earthquake are felt a day after the earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal April 26, 2015. Rescuers dug with their bare hands and bodies piled up in Nepal on Sunday after the earthquake devastated the heavily crowded Kathmandu valley, killing at least 1,900, and triggered a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.

Stories such as those of Awal and Khanal bring good news to an area suffering from a shortage of basic supplies. It’s extremely rare for people to survive in such harsh condition, and now doctors are concerned that there could be an outbreak of disease in the wake of finding so many dead bodies and having a shortage of clean water.

“In the next few days or weeks, I am sure that there will be an outbreak of epidemics,” Guna Raj, who works for an NGO specializing in providing santitation, told Reuters.

Source : Christian Post