Franklin Graham, the son of the late Billy Graham, says the political divide in the U.S., including the impeachment proceedings into President Donald Trump, may be a result of “demonic power.”

In an interview with author and radio show host Eric Metaxas, Graham talked about the current state of politics in the country, the Washinton Examiner reports.

“Well, I believe it’s almost a demonic power that is trying,” Graham started to say before Metaxas interrupted, saying “I would disagree. It’s not almost demonic. You know and I know, at the heart, it’s a spiritual battle.”

Metaxas called the situation in the country “bizarre,” where people “exist to undermine the president of the United States. It’s just a bizarre time for most Americans.”

Much of the political turmoil has stemmed from Trump’s presidency, but Graham said Trump’s administration has actually been successful.

“If you look at what the president, just for our country, regardless of whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, unemployment is at the lowest in 70 years. More African Americans are working, more Latinos are working, more Asians are working, more everybody is working. We have an economy that is just screaming forward. It’s incredible.”

Previously, Graham has been criticized for supporting Trump, but Graham told Metaxas that he believes Trump is a…

A Christian wedding photographer filed a suit last week against a Louisville, Ky., ordinance that would force her to photograph same-sex weddings and that even prevents her from posting her religious beliefs on her website.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the suit in federal court on behalf of Chelsey Nelson, who owns a studio, Chelsey Nelson Photography, that specializes in photographing, editing and blogging about weddings. 

The Louisville ordinance makes it unlawful “for a person to deny an individual the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodation, … on the ground of … sexual orientation,” according to the suit.

The lawsuit says the Louisville ordinance violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech and free exercise of religion, as well as the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of due process. The suit also says the ordinance violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause because it would force her to participate “in religious exercises” that aren’t consistent with her beliefs. Further, the suit says the law violates the Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act. 

Nelson is a Christian whose religious beliefs “shape her business, her art, and her creativity,” the suit says.

“Chelsey believes that God…

(RNS) — Three faith-based groups that assist with refugee resettlement are suing the federal government, arguing a recent executive order granting state and local officials the authority to block refugee resettlement violates federal law and inhibits their ability to practice their faith.

HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), Church World Service, and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service filed the suit on Thursday (Nov. 21) challenging an executive order signed by Donald Trump in September stating that the federal government should resettle refugees “only in those jurisdictions in which both the State and local governments” have consented to accept them in writing.

The complaint filed by the faith groups alleges the order violates existing law that leaves decision-making power about where to place refugees with the federal government and does not allow state and local governments veto power. The complaint also points to problematic ambiguities in the order, saying it doesn’t clarify which local authorities would need to sign off to allow refugees in their area and that it could inhibit the reunification of refugee families.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call this week, HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield called the order — which is entitled “Enhancing State and Local Involvement in Refugee Resettlement — “a lie.”

“This…

A new survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League shows that approximately a quarter of the European population holds negative attitudes toward the Jewish community.

The ADL surveyed some 9,000 adults from 18 countries in Europe, Canada, South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil between the months of April and June of this year.

The shocking figures showed that there was a distinct increase in anti-Semitic beliefs among people in Central and Eastern Europe. According to the Times of Israel, Argentina saw a 6 percent hike in anti-Semitic attitudes, Poland an 11% increase, Russia 8%, Brazil and South Africa 9%, and Ukraine an astonishing 14%.

All in all, roughly 25% of Europeans gave anti-Semitic reactions to most of the 11 assertions that made up the survey.

The statements included “Jews have too much power in the business world,” “Jews are more loyal to Israel than to [this country/to the countries they live in]” “Jews have too much power in international financial markets” and “Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.”

Those involved in the administration of the survey were profoundly troubled by the results.

“It is deeply concerning that approximately one in four Europeans harbor the types of anti-Semitic beliefs that have endured since before the Holocaust,” said ADL’s CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt. “These findings…

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 22, 2019 (Morning Star News) – A Christian father of four in Uganda was discharged from a hospital on Monday (Nov. 18), eight days after Muslim relatives poisoned his food for leaving Islam, sources said.

Ronald Rajab Nayekuliza, 48, had eaten food tainted with pesticide at a memorial for his deceased father in Kakola village, Namutumba District in eastern Uganda on Nov. 10, he told Morning Star News.

His wife said the poisoning struck fear in the Christian community.

“The members of the church are gripped with fear and failed to attend church service on Sunday, Nov. 18,” she told Morning Star News, requesting her name be withheld. “We need prayers so that God may guide us as we face uncertainty of tomorrow within a hostile environment of Muslim relatives.”

Nayekuliza said he had felt compelled to attend the gathering even though his brothers had killed six of his piglets two days before, part of increased opposition this year.

Six months after putting his faith in Christ in 2017, Nayekuliza had donated a small portion of land inherited from his Muslim father, who died in 2009, for construction of a church building. His four brothers began building a mosque nearby.

Since 2018 villagers have been throwing stones at the church building during Sunday worship services, Nayekuliza said.

Earlier this year, his older brother, Anus…