The post Seeds of Destiny 20 July 2019 Devotional – The Reward Of Hosting God’s Presence appeared first on Flatimes.
Ex-members of Jesus Army seek damages for alleged abuse
Many ex-members disclosed accounts of historical abuse in 2013, after the Jesus Fellowship – formerly known as the Jesus Army invited people to share their personal experiences.
Historic allegations were passed on to police and ten people have since been convicted for various sex offences.
An investigation by the BBC has found that a total of 43 people in the church have been linked to reports of historic sexual and physical abuse, including rapes, bullying, brainwashing, forced labour, financial bondage and beatings.
Members also allege the church decreed that children could be disciplined by any adult, and that many were separated from their parents by the age of twelve or thirteen.
Most of the claims relate to incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.
The church voted to shut down as a national body and revoke it’s constitution earlier this year as a result of the various abuse allegations.
The Jesus Army has apologised to anyone “who experienced harm in the past” and has urged victims to contact police.
At its peak, in the early 2000s, the evangelical group is believed to have had more than 2,500 members living in communes in Northamptonshire and various other areas of the country.
In a statement posted on the church website, an apology was given for the “faults and failures” which have had a profound impact on many people’s lives.
It said: “We are deeply sorry for, and…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Rhapsody of Realities 20 July 2019 — God In Human Flesh
The post Rhapsody of Realities 20 July 2019 — God In Human Flesh appeared first on Flatimes.
Christian Book Distributors Drops CBD Initials to Avoid Cannabis Confusion
(RNS) — A popular Christian bookseller is changing its name after a deluge of requests for cannabis-related products.
For years, Peabody, Massachusetts-based Christian Book Distributors has been known by the initials CBD.
The bookseller announced last month it will now go by “Christianbook” to avoid confusion with cannabidiol, an increasingly popular cannabis-derived product that shares its initials.
“The problem is the other CBD is just so popular at this point in time that it just kind of overwhelms our brand,” Christianbook President and CEO Ray Hendrickson told The New York Times.
The “other CBD” does not get users high. But it has exploded in popularity over the past year, appearing in everything from oils and lotions to beers and lollipops and claiming to relieve anxiety and pain, among other things.
Drugstores Walgreens and CVS have said they will carry CBD products in some states. Even some Christians are exploring its use: A website called God’s Greenery publishes posts about CBD, how Christians can view it morally and what Scripture might have to say about it.
Meantime, Christianbook has sold books and other Christian resources for four decades.
What started as two teenage brothers selling Christian books from a catalog out of their parents’ house eventually grew to the world’s largest seller of Christian products, according…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
Christians should be ‘awestruck’ by God’s universe
Apollo 11 was an unprecedented mission, meaning there was always the possibility that astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would not make it back from the moon’s surface.
A speech was prepared for then-US president Richard Nixon, penned by White House speechwriter Bill Safire on 18th July, 1969.
Fortunately, the mission was a success, meaning it never had to be read.
“Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace,” the speech said.
Rev Dr Rodney Holder is an expert in Cosmology and Theology and told Premier why Christians shouldn’t feel conflicted with having an interest in space.
He explained: “You’ve only got to read your Bibles, you know, ‘when I look at the heavens, the moon and the stars, what is man that you’re mindful of him?’
“The psalmist was awestruck and I think so jolly well should we be at God’s universe.
“And when we are studying science, when we’re uncovering the laws of nature and seeing the ever vaster size of it all, then one is even more awestruck than one might otherwise have been. It adds to God’s glory for me and my appreciation of God’s glory by doing this kind of study.”
Meanwhile, members of the public have shared their personal memories of the Apollo 11 moon landings.
Britons have revealed touching stories, from a woman in labour who delayed going to hospital, to a man who…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
Christian Widow Driven from Home in Central Uganda
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 18, 2019 (Morning Star News) – A widow in central Uganda has fled her homestead after receiving Islamist threats when she arranged for a pastor to bury the body of her husband, sources said.
Local leaders on July 11 gave Sharifa Kasozi Nakamate, of Kirinda in Wakiso District, one day to recant her Christian faith or leave her homestead, she said.
After the burial of her husband, Hajji Salimu Kasozi, who died on June 15 at age 65, she began receiving threatening text messages from the clan leader, she said.
“It is now clear to the clan that you and your deceased husband abandoned Islam, since Hajji was buried by Christians,” clan leader Musa Hamisi told her in one text message, according to Nakamate. “We are giving you a few days to recant the Christian faith or face the wrath of being an apostate.”
Among the hard-line Muslims who gave the 49-year-old Nakamate the ultimatum was her son, 29-year-old Alamanzan Basudde, she said.
“I realized my life was now in danger, so I sought refuge at the church,” she told Morning Star News.
She has since relocated to another area, where the church rented a place for her to live and conduct a small business. The church, unidentified for security reasons, has reported the threat to the local council of Kirinda.
“We know it will be very difficult for Nakamate to return to her house,” the church pastor told…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
Christian purity author separates from wife
Joshua Harris, writer of the popular Christian book ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’ posted on Instagram that he and his wife Shannon Bonne have decided to separate after over 20 years of marriage.
The pair have not revealed whether they plan to officially divorce in the future, but Pastor Harris has said they will continue their lives together as friends.
In a joint statement, they said: “We’re writing to share the news that we are separating and will continue our life together as friends.
“We hope to create a generous and supportive future for each other and for our three amazing children in the years ahead.
“In recent years, some significant changes have taken place in both of us. It is with sincere love for one another and understanding of our unique story as a couple that we are moving forward with this decision.”
Following the success of ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’, which Mr Harris wrote in 1997, he released another book on dating, ‘Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship’.
His books encourage Christians to be intentional in pursuing marriage and avoid traditional dating in the pursuit of purity. He also warned of the dangers of emotional and physical connections with someone you do not intend to marry.
The author has since spoken out to apologise for the two publications, after re-evaluating the pressure their ideals had placed on his own marriage and upon learning of the harm it had caused to other people’s relationships.
Harris ended his Instagram post…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
