TobyMac Establishes Foundation in Honor of His Late Son

TobyMac Establishes Foundation in Honor of His Late Son



In the wake of his 21-year-old son’s death, recording artist TobyMac has created the Truett Foster Foundation to help other aspiring creatives pursue their dreams.


“Truett Foster Mckeehan had an untamable grand personality and dreams to match. Since the age of 12, he knew he wanted to make music. Dreams are so important to kids growing up. Too many kids do not have the financial ability to pursue their dreams. We want to use this fund to help kids do just that. Get an education, to pursue music, to get the chance to live their dream. Truett would have loved that,” the foundation’s website explains.


Scholarship recipients will come from The Global Orphan Project with the help of TobyMac and his wife, Amanda.


Earlier this month, the Grammy-award winning artist announced the unexpected death of his son in their home. TobyMac was on tour in Canada when he heard the news and traveled back home to be with his wife and four other children. The remainder of the tour has been canceled.


Similar to his father, Mckeehan was a musician and had released songs and videos under his stage names of Shiloh, truDog, and TRU. Though not a Christian artist, he also collaborated with his dad on a few songs as well. A few days prior to his death, the aspiring artist performed his first live show at the Factory in Franklin, Tennessee.


“As I stood in the audience and watch my son bring joy to a…

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

Controversial Sex Education Discussing Gender Identity, Orientation Approved in Austin, Texas

Controversial Sex Education Discussing Gender Identity, Orientation Approved in Austin, Texas



Earlier this week in Texas, the Austin Independent School District unanimously agreed to introduce a new, controversial sex education curriculum that discusses gender identity and sexual orientation, according to KXAN.


Students in grades three through eight will receive the new curriculum as early as May 2020 that discusses how kids can find an adult they trust, options if they get pregnant, and healthy dating boundaries. Seventh graders will also learn how to use a condom.


“Some say that since the age of consent is 17, kids should only learn about abstinence until sex is legal,” said Susanne Kerns of Informed Parents of Austin, a group advocating for inclusive policies. “I would argue that we can warn kids about the risks of driving before the legal age while still teaching them to wear their seatbelt.”


The curriculum ran through many revisions and allowed parents to give feedback throughout the year. But the final version has still given many parents concern.


“(The curriculum) encourages minor children to engage in vaginal, oral, and anal sexual activity through the comprehensive sex ed they’re voting on,” said Carol Ayala, the director of Concerned Parents of Texas.


Parent MJ Alvarado isn’t opposed to sex education but wishes the curriculum wasn’t as specific.


“I’m concerned because the curriculum is very…

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

Former NFL Player Shares How God Helped Him Through the Loss of His Wife and Child

Former NFL Player Shares How God Helped Him Through the Loss of His Wife and Child



Former NFL player Tommie Harris says his faith has helped him cope with the loss of his wife and child.


Harris told Fox and Friends that it is a “miracle” that he was able to continue his life after losing his wife, Ashley and later, losing his child. 


“I look at a miracle every day when I look in the mirror and see that I’m not in a straitjacket or [have] lost my mind for what I’ve been through,” he said in the interview. “I’m a walking testimony. God moves every day through me, encourages me, inspires me to help someone else beyond myself.”


His wife, Ashley, was 28 when she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2012, Faithwire reports.


“We [were] married for 41 days,” Harris said. “I was on a plane … never knowing that when we land, I would get a phone call that said my wife stopped breathing on the table and I needed to hurry up and get to Oklahoma.”


“I had to pull a cord at 28 [years old], having millions of dollars, and nothing could help me at that moment. I lost all purpose for finances, for everything,” he said, referring to the decision to take her off life support. “That was the biggest time I believe my faith was tested, and I remember pulling the cord and I told God to let His will be done in my life.”


Four years after his wife’s death, Harris had a child with another woman, who died at 4 months old…

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

Richard Dawkins admits a world with no God would be immoral

Speaking to The Times, Dawkins said he fears the removal of religion would be a bad idea for society because it would give people “license to do really bad things.”

He likened the importance of a higher power informing our morality to the presence of surveillance cameras to prevent shoplifting, warning people would feel free to commit crimes if the need to obey the “divine spy camera in the sky, reading their every thought” was removed.

“People may feel free to do bad things because they feel God is no longer watching them,” he said.

 

The Oxford University fellow recalled an experiment that had been set up in a University coffee shop by his former pupil, Melissa Bateson, at the University of Newcastle which allowed students to pay for their hot drinks via an “honesty box”.

The price list was displayed on the wall and was decorated with either floral imagery or a pair of staring eyes depending on the week.

Melissa published her findings in a paper, saying: “people paid nearly three times as much for their drinks when eyes were displayed.”

Dawkins concluded that “whether irrational or not, it does, unfortunately, seem plausible that, if somebody sincerely believes God is watching his every move, he might be more likely to be good.”

“I must say I hate that idea,” he added, “I want to believe that humans are better than that. I’d like to believe I’m honest whether anyone…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس

Christian Artist Appeals Decision Forcing Her to Promote Same-Sex Marriage

Christian Artist Appeals Decision Forcing Her to Promote Same-Sex Marriage



Attorneys representing a Christian website designer and graphic artist filed an appeal Friday against a Colorado law that could force her to promote messages about same-sex marriage that conflict with her religious beliefs.


The case dates back to 2016 when Alliance Defending Freedom sued the state over its application of an anti-discrimination law – the same law involving Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips, whose case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Phillips won


The latest case involves web designer and graphic artist Lorie Smith and her studio, 303 Creative. Although Smith serves all customers, including LGBT ones, she says her faith prevents her from designing websites or graphics promoting same-sex marriage. 


A district court ruled against Smith. ADF appealed Friday to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. 


“Creative professionals should be free to peacefully live and work according to their faith without fear of coercion, discrimination, or intimidation by the state,” said ADF senior counsel Kate Anderson. “Just because a multimedia artist creates expression that communicates one viewpoint doesn’t mean the government can require her to express all viewpoints, especially when that forced expression violates her religious convictions.”


Smith’s business website acknowledges her faith.


“As a Christian who believes…

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

Christian charity pays tribute to bosses following fatal car crash

Miranda Harris, a co-founder, died alongside the International CEO Chris Naylor and his wife Susanna on Monday.

Peter Harris is still alive and receiving treatment in hospital.

 

A Rocha’s director of conservation, Andy Lester told Premier’s News Hour the organisation and its partners are still coming to terms with the news:

“When it’s really sudden and unexpected like this, it’s a tragic loss for very, very many people around the world. There are people from Chile through to Peru, New Zealand and across the UK and the states who are reeling this afternoon.

“It’s still very raw and it’s very recent, so many people are grieving today and will be for some considerable time.”

He went on to pay tribute to his friends saying: “When I was 16 years old, I first visited the A Rocha field study centre in Portugal as a completely directionless teenager and it was thanks to Peter and Miranda that I am speaking to you today because they brought in a deep passion for conservation for the natural world and for tying it together with the evangelical faith that gave me a sense of direction and purpose in life as a teenager and has enabled me to continue that work through what I’m doing and I know I’m not alone.

“I know there are many people out there who both found a passion for the planet but also a Christian faith through the two of them as leaders.

Lester praised them for their service to A Rocha and their environmental…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس

Tony Evans Says Chemo, Radiation Are ‘No Longer Options’ for Wife, Asks for Prayer

Tony Evans Says Chemo, Radiation Are ‘No Longer Options’ for Wife, Asks for Prayer



In a heartbreaking Instagram post earlier this week, Dr. Tony Evans shared that chemotherapy is no longer working for his wife’s cancer.


“Even though chemotherapy and radiation are no longer options, we still have total confidence in God’s ability to supernaturally intervene and do what man is unable to do,” Evans said in a letter posted to Instagram. “Our prayers are full of faith, hope, and expectancy. We would appreciate you praying with that same spirit. While we wait on our miracle, Lois is continuing with natural therapies, supplemental treatments and is surrounded 24/7 with the love of her nuclear and extended family as well as the support of our church and national ministry.”



Lois spent all of last week in the hospital with intense pain. Thankfully, the doctors were able to manage it and released her for home care.


Church members have surrounded their family’s home with prayer, setting up a 24-hour rotation to constantly pray for healing.


Despite the uncertainty, Evans and his family are clinging to hope and God’s sovereignty. “When you allow God to lead you through a trial, you get to see Him for yourself,” the pastor and speaker said.


“We know God is still on the throne, and our faith is in Him and in His Word, and His love for us has not wavered in the least.”


As Christian Headlines previously reported, the…

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

Is anyone telling the truth in today’s news? How to detect media bias

Politicians
frequently rail against the news media, but rarely has the criticism been as
harsh as it is today. President Donald Trump has made little effort to conceal
his contempt for the press, calling unfavorable stories “fake news” and the
mainstream media “the enemy of the people.”

Research reveals that most Americans’ trust in the news media has declined, and conservatives and evangelicals show a marked lack of trust. But it would be a mistake to attribute the recent drop to any one institution, individual or event. “The conservative skepticism of the media runs deep,” CNN’s S.E. Cupp wrote. “Believe me, President Donald Trump didn’t invent it.”

Digital
innovations have revolutionized the way the media distributes and people
consume the news, often with unforeseen consequences.

“This has created confusion for users who are looking at
‘news’ on their phones — often sharing it blindly with their networks without
knowing the source or where it came
from,” said Jennifer Preston, Knight Foundation vice president for
journalism. “It has also destroyed the traditional business model that has long
supported the production of local journalism and news, leaving many people with
fewer reliable local sources. At the same time, it has produced myriad
opportunities for engagement — in fact, digital and mobile technologies are
essential to engagement in the 21st century.”

The
better you understand how the media landscape has changed, the better equipped
you will be to separate the wheat from the chaff in this information age.

Growing public mistrust in the news

Fifty years ago, many medium-sized towns had two newspapers, one in the morning and one in the evening, as their main sources of local news. There were three major television networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, with local affiliates, plus radio stations up and down the dial. For beautiful pictures or perspective on the news, people read weekly magazines…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

قالب وردپرس

New chaplain to speaker of the House of Commons announced

The chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons provides pastoral care for MPs and staff at Westminster and the role includes being Priest in Charge of St Mary at Hill in the City of London.

The Speaker’s chaplain’s responsibilities also include leading daily prayers in the Chamber, conducting a weekly service in the chapel and presiding over weddings and baptisms of members.

Rev Hillas currently works at St Paul’s Cathedral as Canon and Pastor, responsible for the Cathedral’s pastoral work, overseeing the welfare of all staff St Paul’s and visitors.

 

 

She will be the 80th chaplain to the speaker and the second woman after Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin who was selected to become the next Bishop of Dover; Hudson-Wilkin will be installed on 30th November.

Before joining St Paul’s Cathedral, Tricia was vicar of St Barnabas in Northolt.

Born in Kuala Lumpur, she trained as a senior social worker, before her ordination in 2002.

The Dean of St Paul’s, David Ison, said she is: “a warm, intelligent, perceptive and creative colleague.

“She has challenged and stretched St Paul’s to be more inclusive of others, and I’m sure she will do a great job as Chaplain in Parliament in the midst of the great variety of people and issues she will encounter there. We will miss her and her contributions very much indeed; we wish her well, and will be praying for her in her new ministry.”

The Bishop…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس

church minister near Grenfell says report is hugely important for victims

The report by the Grenfell Tower inquiry states that the fire was started by an electrical fault in a fridge-freezer, through no fault of the owner.

The material in the building aided the fire to spread and for smoke on the outside of the building to re-enter the building and block the stairways, which were the only way to get out.

Rev Mike Long, the minister of Notting Hill Methodist Church, three minutes away from the tower, told Premier Christian Radio the recommendations are important to those who’ve lost family members: “I think they’re vital. If ever there’s going to be in a sense of healing and peace, there needs to be some kind of common understanding of truth and justice as well.

 

 

“For many people who are so closely connected, sadly, to this disaster, it’s impossible to forget and there’s this kind of aching, burning sense of frustration or longing to know what could have happened – the knowledge that, for instance, so many lives could have been saved, had key decisions been made differently on the night is very, very hard to bear for those who’ve lost loved ones.”

Speaking about how it has affected the community two years on he explained: “I think it shapes all our ministries in the local community because the community continues to be so affected by it. That’s not always of course on the surface but we know this is going to be a very long process.

“Also…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس