A problem of biblical proportion is munching its way across East Africa. The UN warns of regional famine as desert locusts devour and destroy, moving in swarms the size of major cities. What are desert locusts?

“I’m 35 years old and I’ve never heard of any invasion like [this]. It’s new to all of us; it has never occurred [here] for the past 25 years,” Compassion International’s Girum Getachew tells MNN. Getachew serves as Public Relations Specialist for Compassion Ethiopia.

“In one kilometer square [of a locust swarm] you find 150 million individual locusts, and it destroys what 35,000 people can eat per day.”

Compassion and its local church partners are meeting needs in Christ’s Name. Learn more here.

If not contained, desert locusts can quickly spread to South Sudan and Uganda in the weeks to come. As explained here, the outbreak primarily affects Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya right now. According to the World Food Program, the upcoming rainy season would prompt another breeding cycle and the crisis could spread even further.

Between 13 and 25 million people in the region already suffer from severe food shortages. Now, locusts are destroying any vegetation left standing. The laws of supply and demand lead to drastic price increases on basic food items, putting a strain on struggling families.

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Katey Hearth

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In a first since the Reformation era, Protestants are set to receive communion during a Catholic mass at a historic Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, John Calvin’s adopted home.

The historic Swiss church, Saint-Pierre Reformed Protestant church, will hold a Catholic mass on Feb. 29, leap day, and Protestants have been invited to attend and take part, including in receiving communion.

Although open communion is forbidden by Catholic doctrine, the practice is reportedly common in Geneva, according to Protest Info, a Swiss Protestant news outlet.

The church became the home of French Protestant Reformer John Calvin, whose famous triangular chair continues to be kept beside the pulpit.

“The decision to invite Fr. Desthieux to say mass in Saint-Pierre began as informal talks followed by an ecumenical service in the cathedral, which then “matured” into a discussion and a council vote, said Parish Council President Daniel Pilly,” LifeSite reported.

Pilly told Protest Info that he faced no opposition to the idea.

“The idea appealed because it corresponds to our desire to make the cathedral a meeting place for all Geneva Christians. A space that transcends confessional boundaries,” he said.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Brandon Showalter

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

It’s true – time really does fly.

Eight years ago, I wrote an article entitled “The Tragedy of the Dumb Church”, which struck a nerve with a lot of people. It was circulated widely on the web and also resulted in invitations to speak on some nationally syndicated radio shows.

In the article, I talked about how a friend of mine, who has a real heart for grounding youth in the faith, contacted all our community churches about conducting free-of-charge apologetics training for their young people. His gracious offer was sadly met with a talk-to-the-hand response from every local church.

Now it’s my turn.

Because I continue to see data suggesting that many people leave the church or consider it irrelevant because it fails to answer the tough questions that are thrown at it, I contacted the mega-church I go to about starting up an apologetics ministry. Because I’m formally trained in apologetics and theology, I offered to spearhead it and help train a volunteer staff who could serve as a group ready to answer people inside or outside the church who struggle with questions about Christianity.

I spoke with five(!) campus and ‘connection’ pastors about it, and also offered to teach formal culturally relevant classes at the church where these issues could be openly discussed. This time, I was the one who got the shrug-of-the-shoulders response or simply ghosted on email.

That experience got me thinking – could it be that between the last time I wrote on this subject and now, things have gotten worse on this front for the church?

The fact is, it’s ugly out there and getting worse.

Data from the Barna group has identified a number of disturbing trends that should cause all Christians concern. Gen Z teens are much less likely to assert religious identity than generations before them with a rise in espoused atheism also being witnessed. Almost half of practicing Christian Millennials (47%) believe that evangelism is wrong, and my bet is that their lack of confidence in not being able to answer hard questions from their unbelieving friends plays a role in this.

Who can blame them? In the worldview ring, the opposing corner of Christianity has an impressive array of challengers that is certainly intimidating.

First up is the current post-truth culture. Postmodernism was one thing, but dealing with a secular mood that acknowledges something is true and yet rejects it because it goes against their personal preferences or interferes with their social/political activism is an entirely different beast.

Then we have scientism, which is the default fall back foundation for those who reject spirituality. Scientism is critical to and for the non-religious in order to, as Richard Lewontin puts it, “not allow a divine foot in the door.”

For some, scientism devolves into something more antagonistic – something I call hatetheism. Think of it as atheism with healthy doses of snideness, contempt, and a willingness to do anything needed to make religious faith appear idiotic and even dangerous. For example, Victor Stenger does just this when he says, “Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.”

Last but not the least is the relatively new voice of apatheism. On its opposition to Christianity, authors Paul Rowan Brian and Ben Sixsmith state: “The greatest threat to Christianity is found not in the arguments of the atheist but in the assumptions of the apathetic. The danger is not a hostile reception of belief in God but an incurious indifference to the idea.”

Against these seemingly-powerful opponents to Christianity, who can blame Gen Z and others for being bullied into silence and inaction?

SOURCE: Christian Post, Robin Schumacher

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

Censorship. It’s everywhere.

Mainstream media daily silences opposition. Social media giants suppress content and suspend accounts at alarming rates. But the form of free speech suppression that goes largely unnoticed is very public. We’re surrounded by it. Our roadways are adorned with billboards selling services, products and worldviews.

When it comes to abortion, outdoor advertising companies are increasingly promoting pro-abortion lies while banning pro-life truths.

Ten years ago, the organization my wife and I founded — The Radiance Foundation  — was the first to launch public ad campaigns that confronted the leading killer in the black community. Abortion outnumbers the top fifteen causes of death combined yet is celebrated by the Left as “healthcare.” Our TooManyAborted.com billboard campaigns (“Black Children Are An Endangered Species”, “Black and Beautiful”, and “Fatherhood Begins in the Womb”) highlighted the fact that more black babies were being aborted than born alive by an industry birthed in eugenic racism and elitism. We highlighted sources of help (pregnancy centers, maternity homes, fatherhood mentoring programs) and exposed the unaltered DNA of Planned Parenthood. We caused a media firestorm. It was surreal. Pro-abortion activists tried, in vain, to tear down our billboards or have CBS Outdoor (now Outfront) remove them. They failed.

Then, the outdoor advertising companies became the activists.

In 2018, Outfront and ClearChannel refused to allow our latest WhatAbortionReallyIs.com messaging which included text-only billboards that individually stated: “Abortion is Lost Fatherhood”, “Abortion is Regret”, “Abortion is Fake Health”, “Abortion is Systemic Racism” and “Abortion is Fake Feminism”. Outfront Vice President, Patrick J. Smith, wrote in an email: “These are not going to be approved. We find them to be in the nature of attack ads and to be unnecessarily provocative and insensitive.”

These are the same folks that put up PETA billboards and pornographic strip club ads. But ok.

Our campaign was in response to Outfront’s approved pro-abortion billboards aimed at the black community in Dallas declaring: “Abortion is Self-Care.”

In another Outfront billboard, featuring African-American abortionist Monica McLemore, pregnancy care centers were bogusly attacked for their “abortion deception” (aka medically accurate information about what abortion is and how it impacts mother, father and child).

In Cleveland, Lamar Advertising allowed Preterm — Ohio’s largest abortion business — to place 9 of 16 outrageous pro-abortion billboards in predominantly black neighborhoods. The abortion-peddling signs falsely claimed: “Abortion is a family value”, “Abortion is sacred”, “Abortion is a blessing”, “Abortion is safer than childbirth” and “Abortion is necessary”.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Ryan Bomberger

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Bible teacher and author Priscilla Shirer announced that the surgery she recently underwent to remove a node from her left lung was “curative” and praised the Lord for His faithfulness.

“I am recovering well from the surgery,” Shirer announced in an Instagram post over the weekend. “My breathing is still pretty labored so I am working on my lung capacity and getting a little breath back here. But doing really good and recovering well.”

“The surgery was curative, praise the Lord, so I don’t have anything else to do in that regard other than recover.”

The Going Beyond Ministries founder said her family has been extremely grateful for the outpouring of support they’ve received following the death of her mother, Lois Evans, wife of well-known pastor Tony Evans.

Lois Evans died of cancer Dec. 30, 2019. Shirer is one of the Evans’ four children.

“Many of you know that we’ve lost quite a few family members recently, the most recent of which was our sweet mom,” Shirer said.

Just popping in to say hello 👋🏽 I want to express HUGE thanks to every Bible study group, young Prince/Princess Warrior or individual who has been connected to our ministry through books, Bible studies or even movies who has prayed for me & my family, sent a card or gift or posted a comment of encouragement. Please know that I have personally received every single one. You cannot imagine how much of a blessing it has been. 💜 With all my heart….Thank you.

A post shared by @ priscillashirer on Feb 14, 2020 at 2:36pm PST

“Thanks for continuing to pray for us, for our family, as we recover from everything that has gone on,” the “War Room” actress concluded. “Every card you’ve sent, every gift you’ve sent, I’ve read them all, gotten them all, and I’m really grateful. Thank you all so, so much.”

Shirer’s initial announcement about the surgery said the issue was one her doctors had been monitoring. In January, she revealed that three years ago doctors discovered a small nodule in her left lung.

“Several pulmonary specialists and I have watched it meticulously since then. This past summer, it was clear that something surgical needed to be done as the nodule had begun to grow and show signs of dangerous irregularities,” she said.

At the time, Shirer said the past few months had been filled with “difficulty” for her family.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

On Monday, Americans will celebrate Presidents’ Day honoring the birthdays of the country’s two greatest presidents: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington, the aristocratic southern plantation owner, and Lincoln, the log cabin-born mid-western self-made man. They came from starkly different backgrounds and life experiences, and yet they literally shaped America into the nation it ultimately has become. No other presidents have been as formative and inspiring in molding both the American national character and its form of government, not to mention the presidential office itself.

George Washington was indeed the father of the country. He guided the newborn nation successfully through its formative crisis, the Revolution. Overwhelmingly popular as a national hero, having led the Continental Army to victory over the modern world’s first superpower, Great Britain, Washington rejected offers to become a monarch, and refusing to shackle Americans with the prerogatives of European monarchy.

Most historians believe Washington’s greatest gift to his country was to impose upon himself a voluntary two-term limit on presidential service, surrendering political power and retiring to private life in Mount Vernon. This extraordinary, virtually unprecedented, voluntary surrender of political power bequeathed our country the tradition of the restraint of executive power in the federal government that has served America so well for more than two centuries. King George III is reported to have said when he heard that Washington had stepped away from power after only two terms, “Then Washington is truly a great man.”

Almost all Americans would agree. He helped us forge a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Abraham Lincoln became president in the midst of the nation’s second great crisis —the split over slavery that descended into a horribly bloody civil war, American against American, for four terrible and destructive years. The entirety of Lincoln’s presidency was filled with preparation for war, war itself, and its bitter aftermath, made yet more bitter by perhaps the worse individual calamity to ever befall the American people —Lincoln’s assassination. In the midst of the terrible bloodletting that was America’s Civil War, Lincoln struggled for answers to provide greater meaning and purpose that would justify the agonizing suffering, tormenting the nation, North and South. Elton Trueblood meaningfully described Lincoln as the “theologian of American anguish.”

Lincoln had been a spiritual skeptic in his youth, but increasingly became a man of deep faith as he walked through the fiery crucible of the Civil War where Americans were killing their fellow Americans in horrifyingly heartbreaking numbers. Lincoln declared, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Richard Land

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The 2020 census is underway, and I suspect one of the most interesting findings will be related to millennials and marriage. If the trends bear out, we will soon know precisely how much the idea of marriage has declined among the generation of young adults born in the 1980s and early 1990s. These men and women are now in their 30s. Previous generations of adults would have prioritized marriage by this age, but not today.

For instance, compared to the generations that preceded them, millennials are more likely to live together before marriage. They are also marrying later in life. The average marriage age has inched upward for years. In 1960, men and women got married in their early 20s. Now that age is much closer to 30.

Multiple factors drive these statistics, from changing gender dynamics to economic trends. But one of the most obvious is staring us in the face: A high percentage of millennials are children of divorce. This taught them to be suspicious of marriage as an institution. They’ve experienced the pain of their parents’ failures, and that makes them anxious about marriage.

In fact, all of us know someone whose marriage has ended. Right now, the lifelong probability that a marriage ends in divorce is just shy of 50 percent.

Imagine if this frequency of failure didn’t apply to relationships but to flights of commercial airlines. What if nearly half of all commercial flights ended in catastrophe? What if the news was filled with stories about air disasters, passenger deaths and horrific injuries?

We’d all know someone who perished in an airline crash — and none of us would want to fly. The idea that fifty percent of planes might crash would certainly extinguish our enthusiasm, even for a potentially wonderful vacation to paradise.

This is the reality with young people and marriage. People like me can talk all we want about how wonderful marriage is, but the bad news is staring them in the face. No wonder they are cynical about their own chances of success!

That’s a shame, because God didn’t create marriages to fail. He intended marriage to be beneficial for men and women — but only when governed by His guidelines. I call these the Four Laws of Love. Honoring these laws is the solution to the marriage problem in today’s society. Even young adults who have soured on marriage can find fulfillment in this relationship that’s so central to our civilization.

The Four Laws of Love are contained in a short passage of scripture. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:24-25 NKJV)

SOURCE: Christian Post, Jimmy Evans

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Hindu extremists in Andhra Pradesh, India, brutally beat an elderly pastor and verbally abused his wife amid escalating tension over the presence of a Christian church in their community. 

Morning Star News reports that Pastor Eswara Rao Appalabattula was attacked by a group of Hindu extremists after he pleaded with them to stop building a wall meant to block people from attending worship services at his home in L.B. Patnam village, Andhra Pradesh.

“They wanted to build a wall right in front of the church and ban us from using the path,” Appalabattula told Morning Star News. “I pleaded with them to not do so. But the group of at least six neighbors, both male and female, punched me in my stomach several times and pushed me to the floor.”

They picked up a wooden pole and started beating his hands repeatedly with it, he said. Doctors later told him his hand had been fractured.

“I was lying there on the floor screaming for help,” he said. “My wife came running and begged them to stop beating me — it was traumatic.”

That same month, a Hindu priest led a group of extremists to the pastor’s home, where they threatened to kill his wife, Karuna Appalabattula, as she was doing chores outside.

“I did not go to fight with them but I was panicked,” Karuna Appalabattula told Morning Star News. “I did not know what to do. I asked them, ‘What is this you are doing? Why are you after us?’”

The Hindu priest picked up a large log of wood and came running toward her, she said.

“He kept screaming that he would kill me,” she said. “I was crying for help. But their priest abused me in extremely foul language. They called me names they would never use for a mother, wife, sister or any female member of their families. He called me a Christian prostitute and warned me that he would kill my husband.”

When the pastor informed a police official of the abuse his family had endured, he was told to resolve the matter himself.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett

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