WATCH: Ancient End-Times Bible Prophecy Rapidly Unfolding

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WATCH: Ancient End-Times Bible Prophecy Rapidly Unfolding

Charisma News reports  –   As world events unfold, CBN Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell’s book, Destination Jerusalem, aims to put today’s events in perspective.

Mitchell chronicles firsthand the meteoric rise of the Islamic State (ISIS), the growing persecution of Christians, the minimal response by the West and much of the Church, as well as the part Jerusalem plays in the scenario.

As prophecy unfolds before our eyes, Dateline Jerusalem points to how Christians can prepare for the days ahead.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-tiKfQqf-w[/youtube]

– credit : youtube/CBN

Albama Pastor opposes Church gun ban bill

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Albama Pastor opposes Church gun ban bill

Christian Today report- An Albertville, Alabama pastor has come out in opposition to a House bill that would see gun control laws extending their reach into the state’s churches.

The bill, which is sponsored by Democrats Thomas Jackson and Darrio Melton, will prohibit guns inside churches without permission. The two Congressmen believe churchgoers should be spared from worrying about guns being brought into any church service that they attend.

However, the bill is not receiving support from some of the church groups it purports to protect.

According to WAAY 31, Pastor Matt Brooks aired opposition to the bill. Brooks, who serves in the Lifepoint Church, said that that “(e)ach individual church should be responsible for determining (whether or not to allows guns inside churches) themselves.”

“I don’t think we need State government to determine whether or not we can have guns in a church or not,” Brooks concluded.

In addition, Brooks revealed to WAAY that he has gun carrying security personnel inside the church during services.

“I hope it never comes to a situation where we have to use our weapons, we never want to take lives from anybody. But we do want to be able to protect our congregation,” he explained on the decision of having armed guards inside his sanctuary.

Brooks is not alone in his opposition of the gun ban. Local representatives Kerry Rich and Will Ainsworth also oppose it and say it “has no chance of passing.”

WAAY 31 said that that they were able to contact advocates of gun control in the United States. Though they declined to appear on camera, they told WAAY 31 that it could “help with public safety.”

The gun control debate is currently raging across the United States in the aftermath of several shooting incidents in the country. Last year, the LA Times reported that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation noted a rise in mass shootings in the country from 2000 to 2013.

The frequency rose from an average of 6.4 incidents in the first seven years to 16.4 in the last seven years, the FBI said.

Source: Christian Today

Muslim Religious Tolerance rally interrupted by protesters

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Muslim Religious Tolerance rally interrupted by protesters

Christian Today report- A largely Muslim group rallying for religious tolerance in Texas was met by a small but vocal group of protesters on Thursday.

The Texas Muslim Capitol Day event was repeatedly interrupted by people proclaiming themselves to be Christians and demanding that Muslims leave the country and go to the Middle East.

The rally got off to a rough start, with the opening speaker being bum rushed at the podium.

“I proclaim the name of the Lord Jesus Christ over the capitol of Texas,” a Christian activist from Michigan said, according to Reuters. “I stand against Islam.”

Ruth Nasrullah of the Houston branch of the Council of American-Islamic Relations – who was to provide the opening remarks – was shocked.

“As soon as I got to the lectern, that woman came and grabbed the microphone out of my hands. It made us feel a little unsafe,” she admitted.

As the group of about 600 sang the national anthem and began with the programme, the protesters shouted “Go home. You ain’t going to be happy here,” and other intolerant messages.

Reports indicate that there are about half a million Muslims in Texas. Republican state Representative Molly White issued a message to those that wished to visit her office.

“Ask representatives from the Muslim community to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws. We will see how long they stay in my office,” she wrote on her Facebook message.

Some Islamic activist organisations have reported an increase in anti-Muslim activity since the attack at Charlie Hebdo in Paris earlier this month.

“This reinforces that rhetoric and propaganda about Muslims is really gaining traction,” Nasrullah said of the Austin protestors.

Source: Christian Today

Japanese Journalist Allegedly Beheaded by ISIS

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Japanese Journalist Allegedly Beheaded by ISIS

Christian Today report- Islamic State militants released a video on Saturday which purported to show the beheading of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, who the al Qaeda offshoot had been holding hostage.

Japan condemned the Islamist group and said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet would meet in response to the video, which showed a hooded man standing over Goto with a knife held to his throat, followed by footage of a body with a head placed on it.

The release of the video came exactly a week after footage purportedly showing the beheaded body of another Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa.

“I cannot help feeling strong indignation that an inhuman and despicable act of terrorism like this has been committed again,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, adding the video appeared to show Goto. “We resolutely condemn this.”

A White House spokeswoman said the United States was working to confirm the authenticity of the latest video and “strongly condemns” the militant group’s actions.

Addressing Abe, the militant in the video said: “Because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin.”

The militant had the same British accent as the man featured in previous Islamic State videos showing beheadings. Goto wore an orange jumpsuit like Islamic State captives in past footage.

The landscape in the video showed a hill and land covered in scrub, and appeared different to the desert setting of previous videos.

There was no mention in the one-minute video of another Islamic State captive, Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh who was seized after his jet crashed in northeast Syria in December during a bombing mission against Islamic State.

An audio message purportedly from Goto earlier this week said Kasaesbeh would be killed if Jordandid not free Iraqi Sajida al-Rishawi, in jail for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack that killed 60 people in the Jordanian capital Amman.

Abe’s government had put high priority on seeking the release of Goto, a veteran war correspondent captured by the militants in late October when he went to Syria seeking Yukawa’s release.

The Islamic State threats to kill their Japanese hostages came after Abe announced $200 million in non-military aid for countries contending with Islamic State. His government has rejected any suggestion it acted rashly and stressed the assistance was humanitarian.

U.S. President Barack Obama said in a written statement: “We stand today in solidarity with Prime Minister Abe and the Japanese people in denouncing this barbaric act. We applaud Japan’s steadfast commitment to advancing peace and prosperity in the Middle East and globally, including its generous assistance for innocent people affected by the conflicts in the region.”

Source: Christian Today

American Idol alum Phil Stacey encourages Christians to share the message of God

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American Idol alum Phil Stacey encourages Christians to share the message of God

Christian Today report- American Idol alum Phil Stacey wants the faithful to share the message of God and he is leading by example.

Stacey, who is best known for being one of Idol’s Season 6 finalists, has joined forces with the Reach Beyond ministry to record a single in an effort to motivate Christians to do their part in spreading the Gospel and embodying the message of Christ in their own lives.

Reach Beyond and its ministries are targeted towards reaching those who are as yet unreached and untouched by the Word of God.

“I was thrilled when Reach Beyond approached me about recording this song. My heart has always been in tune with global missions, and I hope the personal and potent message of this song inspires people to tell others about Jesus – whether it’s in their immediate communities or in a country thousands of miles from home,” Stacey said.

Reach Beyond, which is also the title of the single, was a collaboration between Stacey and Christian recording artist and Dove award winner Chris August, who wrote the music.  Ty Stakes penned the lyrics.

On his website, Stacey shared the lyrics to a portion of the song which encapsulated the essence of becoming Gospel ambassadors for the faithful:

You reach beyond every limit crossing time and space,

You reach beyond majestic beauty to this broken place,

You reach beyond heaven’s glory to hang upon a cross,

You reach beyond every border counting all as lost,

You reach, you reach beyond… You reach beyond to us.

The Reach Beyond single is available on iTunes, as well as Spotify, Amazon, Google and other music providers.

The proceeds from the sale of the single will fund the ministries of Reach Beyond, which range from communication programmes to spreading the gospel, building water wells in Ghana, running health clinics in Ecuador, and working on Ebola prevention in Africa.

Source: Christian Today

Banning Christian University Grads From Practicing Law due to Homosexuality Views is not Legal, Rules Canadian Court

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Banning Christian University Grads From Practicing Law due to Homosexuality Views is not Legal, Rules Canadian Court

Christian Post report- A Canadian province’s highest court has ruled that a Christian academic institute’s lawyers can’t be banned from practicing law due to the university’s views on homosexuality.

The Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Trinity Western University students could join the bar, overruling a decision last year by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.

Justice Jamie S. Campbell, author of the opinion, concluded that the society’s “resolution and regulation infringe on the freedom of religion of TWU and its students in a way that cannot be justified.”

“For many people in a secular society religious freedom is worse than inconsequential. It actually gets in the way. It’s the dead hand of the superstitious past reaching out to restrain more important secular values like equality from becoming real equality,” wrote Campbell.

“The discomforting truth is that religions with views that many Canadians find incomprehensible or offensive abound in a liberal and multicultural society. The law protects them and must carve out a place not only where they can exist but flourish.”

Based in British Columbia and established in 1962, TWU was founded as an evangelical Christian liberal arts academic institution.

As part of its Christian identity, TWU has a “community covenant” for its students and faculty that, among other obligations, states that community members will “voluntarily abstain” from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.”

“The university’s mission, core values, curriculum and community life are formed by a firm commitment to the person and work of Jesus Christ as declared in the Bible,” reads the covenant.

“The community covenant is a solemn pledge in which members place themselves under obligations on the part of the institution to its members, the members to the institution, and the members to one another.”

Other actions that the covenant calls for its community to abstain from include “gossip, slander, vulgar/obscene language, stealing, misusing or destroying property belonging to others, drunkenness, under-age consumption of alcohol, and the use or possession of illegal drugs.”

Last April, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society council voted 10 to 9 to prohibit TWU students from joining the bar, reported the Chronicle Herald.

“The bar society’s policy was that Trinity Western must either exempt law students from the mandatory vow or change the covenant so it is not discriminatory in order for graduates to be allowed to practise in Nova Scotia,” noted McLeod.

Last May, TWU filed lawsuits against the Nova Scotia Barrister Society, as well as other legal challenges in response to efforts against the university’s official recognition.

“The B.C. university announced Tuesday it is launching lawsuits in Ontario and Nova Scotia, where the provincial bar associations have voted not to accredit graduates of the law school, which is set to open in 2016,” reported CBC News.

“It will also apply to be added to a lawsuit in B.C., where Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby is suing the provincial government over its decision to approve the law school.”

At the center of each of these legal actions, according to CBC, was TWU’s position calling for no sexual conduct outside of heterosexual marriage.

The Nova Scotia lawsuit was brought before the province’s Supreme Court in December, with arguments being heard over a span of a few days.

Regarding the recent Campbell decision, TWU spokesperson Guy Saffold stated that it was “an exceptionally important decision.”

“It affirms that protection of religious freedom is and must continue to be central value in Canada’s pluralist society,” continued Saffold.

“This decision is important not only to TWU’s effort to launch a School of Law … but also, we believe it sets an extremely valuable precedent in protection of freedoms for all religious communities and people of faith in Canada.”

NSBS President Tilly Pillay said that the legal organization would review the Campbell decision before deciding what to do next.

“We appreciate that Justice Campbell dealt with this matter very quickly and comprehensively,” said Pillay in a statement.

“We are analyzing the decision and will review it with our legal counsel before we can determine what the next steps might be. There is much to consider.”

Source: Christian Post

 

The inspirational teacher who never failed

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The inspirational teacher who never failed

Catholic Herald report-  Having blogged recently about My Battle with Hitler, the memoirs of the Catholic philosopher, Dietrich von Hildebrand, I was curious to read Memoirs of a Happy Failure by his widow, Alice von Hildebrand. Why this intriguing title? Because, as the author explains in her book, as a teacher of philosophy at Hunter College, New York, for nearly four decades, she was a “failure” as far as the faculty of this very secular college was concerned. For years von Hildebrand was given only the uncongenial evening classes to teach, was passed over for promotion, was refused tenure, only paid by the hour and even had scheduled courses changed without consultation – for no other reason than professional jealousy at her popularity in the classroom (enrolment for her courses was nearly always full) and disapproval of her Catholic faith.

As a lecturer in philosophy, the author was always very careful never to bring her personal faith into the classroom. Yet it regularly happened that some students, sometimes of no faith background, at other times lapsed from their faith, would decide to become Catholics after listening to her lectures. Thus von Hildebrand was accused by her colleagues of unprofessional behaviour and of trying to “convert” her students. As this wasn’t true, the author could only conjecture that her “uncompromising devotion to truth, a passionate desire to share with others what I myself have received, and an absolute refusal to compromise for the sake of worldly advantages” had somehow communicated itself to them. They knew they were in the presence of a teacher of integrity, who not only had a passion for objective truth as it arose in philosophical discussions, but someone who also had a pastoral concern for them as individuals. Teaching for von Hildebrand was not a career or a job – it was a vocation: a desire to help her students to discover what was good, true and beautiful in the realm of philosophical ideas.

Relegated for years to teaching evening classes, she writes that “I devoted my love and care to grooming the ‘miserable garden’ to which I had been assigned.” Looking back she comments, “It is amazing what one can endure when one has a sense of mission.” At the end of her book she makes an appeal for teachers “who courageously stand up for the objectivity of truth. There are things which do not change, which have an absolute and transcendent validity, and which every person has the right to know.”

Such a courageously uncompromising attitude does not go down well in an age of relativism, when everyone’s views are seen as valid as everyone else’s and when the put-down to any argument goes, “That’s just your opinion.” What is surprising is the revelation in the book that the collapse of a common core of values was obviously widespread in the US as early as the 1950s. My final reflection: if that was the case in the 1950s, as Alice von Hildebrand describes, how much harder it is for Catholic teachers today – in Catholic schools as well as secular ones.

Source: Catholic Herald

Trash: Review

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Trash: Review

Christian Today report- At its core Trash is a film that redefines what it means to be family. Think a cross between Slumdog Millionaire, National Treasure and Homeward Bound. This movie is an adventure centered around three boys who live and work at a garbage dump in Rio de Janeiro. While picking through the trash Rafael (Rickson Tevez) finds a wallet with some cash and seemingly ordinary objects. When the police come searching for it the boys realize they have something of real value. The excitement begins as the police try to catch them before they discover what it leads to.

Amid a plethora of films being pumped out of Hollywood with flat, predictable characters, director Stephen Daldry truly brings a breath of fresh air. Each character goes through their own journey and no one is left the same in the end. The themes running through this movie are primal to the human experience. You will find yourself feeling more connected to these characters from a garbage dump in Brazil than you do your own neighbor.

Characters/Acting: 9/10

Rooney Mara instantly steals our heart from the moment she appears on screen in her brief yet captivating performance.

Martin Sheen plays the not-so-perfect Father Juilliard. His character hits the right amount of having human flaws while still being a man of God and loving his community.

Rickson Tevez, our main star, is absolutely dynamic as Raphael. His character shows purity of heart and a willingness to sacrifice everything just “because it is right.” Raphael reminds us all that the greatest act of love is to lay down one’s life for a friend.

The other two boys Rato (Gabriel Weinstein) and Gardo (Eduardo Luis) give the film so much more depth with their radiant performances. The characters throughout will not leave you wanting for authenticity.

Story: 7/10

Trash is a brilliant adventure film. It will grip teens and adults alike. That said, there are moments when you absolutely want to cry but at that threshold of tears, the story takes its foot off the gas and leaves you wishing they had taken it a bit further. It was funny, suspenseful, sad, hopeful, depressing, and encouraging.

Cinematography/Editing: 7/10

We start the film seeing breathtaking shots of Rio then are taken right down into the trash. Shot almost entirely from ground level, the cinematography helps us feel what it is like as a kid running around the streets. The editing was nicely done and allowed the audience to focus on the story and characters without being distracted by over use of effects.

Overall: 7/10

Trash a film I encourage all to see. The message is one that needs to told over and over again, although it eventually begins to feel a bit preachy. Instead of letting the audience discover what that message was, that work was done for them by a voice over at the end. Not knowing when to simply allow the characters’ journey to show the message, nor when to push moments to their full emotional capacity are the only negative aspects to this otherwise tremendously inspiring film.

Source: Christian Today

BBC to cut the post of its Head of Religion

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BBC to cut the post of its Head of Religion

Christian Today report- The BBC is to axe the post of its head of religion as part of a move to streamline commissioning and cut costs.

The commissioning role of Aaqil Ahmed is one of four jobs that will go under a restructuring that will also see three new jobs created, including the post of head of science, business, history and religion.

Mr Ahmed, who is also head of religion and ethics which includes in-house programmes such as Songs of Praise and which he will continue to do, has been invited to apply for the new commissioning post.

The BBC in-house journal Ariel reported that Ahmed – the man behind The Ottomans – splits his time between commissioning and his role as head of religion and ethics.

Emma Swain, the controller of factual commissioning, said the changes were necessary because of savings targets in television and the fact that there will be fewer hours commissioned overall.

In an email to staff, she said: “I want to shape a factual commissioning team with fewer leaders, clearer distinction between roles, greater alignment with channels and external stakeholders and greater flexibility.”

Bishop of Bradford Nick Baines said on his blog that the restructuring is aimed both at saving money and to prepare for the closure of BBC3.

He writes: “This might all make perfect sense and be a rational and productive structural change within the BBC. But, in the absence of more detail, it also raises important questions.”

He asks who will take overall responsibility in the BBC for the range, quantity and quality of the religious coverage, and warns it could be left as a sort of “fill in” content. He asks: “Why is there no BBC news religion editor to complement the science, economics, business, political, financial, arts and sports editors?”

Bishop Baines argues that it is impossible to understand politics, economics, military and humanitarian events without understanding religion so it should be prioritised as needing expert interpretation in the public and broadcast sphere.

The cuts are expected to save about £700 million by 2017.

Father Christopher Jamison, former Abbot of Worth who was involved in BBC television’s The Monastery, welcomed the move. He told The Tablet that it could mean a wider variety of voices being heard.

Mr Ahmed has been an outspoken critic of religious illiteracy in modern Britain. He believes programmes such as Songs of Praise should remain exclusively Christian and opposes moves for atheists to do Thought For the Day. He has a record of broadening the corporation’s coverage to do more on other faiths besides Christianity and recently commissioned a three-part series for BBC4 on the teachings of Buddha, Confucius and Socrates.

Source: Christian Today

Newly Appointed Archbishops will no longer receive Pallinum in Rome, says Pope Francis

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Newly Appointed Archbishops will no longer receive Pallinum in Rome, says Pope Francis

Catholic Herald report- Metropolitan archbishops will no longer receive the pallium at a formal ceremony in Rome following a decision by Pope Francis.

The Pope has decided that each newly-appointed metropolitan archbishops should be formally vested at a cermony held in their own archdiocese, by the Apostolic Nuncio, replacing the tradition of the pontiff presenting the pallium on the Feast of St Peter and St Paul in Rome.

Mgr Guido Marini, the master of liturgical cermonies, wrote in a letter to new archbishops that Pope Francis thought this new initiative would “greatly favour the participation of the local Church.”

Despite this change, Pope Francis has still invited each new archbishop to join him in Rome on June 29 this year to concelebrate at Mass on the Feast of St Peter and St Paul.

The Pope will also bless each pallium, and present the vestment to the archbishops who are present, privately after the Mass.

The wearing of the pallium dates back to the fourth century predating the miter and the crosier as episcopal symbols. The pallium is a white woolen strip, worn around the neck, which symbolises the bond between an archbishop and his Pope.

Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool said the Vatican’s decision to stop hosting the pallium ceremony “makes sense”.

Archbishop McMahon, who received the pallium at the Vatican in June 2014, said: “Pope Francis has said that he doesn’t want ‘airport bishops’; he places a great emphasis on the local church. It makes sense to have a celebration in the Archdiocese with the people, rather than a selected few flying to the ceremony in Rome.”

Source: Catholic Herald

 

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