A Pennsylvania National Guard facility refused to allow a Christian scouting group to go on a tour at their station because of their Christian faith.

According to Fox News, Trail Life USA Troop PA-2717 was denied the opportunity to tour the Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard facility – which regularly holds tours for Boy Scouts of America troops – because of their religious affiliation.

Fox News reports that the troop was originally granted permission back in February to tour the facility. Then in April, a staff sergeant contacted to Troop master and explicitly told him that the tour was no longer permissible because of the scouting group’s religious foundation.

Reportedly, this prompted Trail Life USA – a Christian scouting group created as an alternative to the Boy Scouts – to contact First Liberty Institute and the Independence Law Center. Both law groups specialize in religious liberty cases.

“Fort Indiantown Gap’s denial of access to the base facilities, which are open to other civic, fraternal, and youth organizations and for youth activities, constitutes viewpoint discrimination,” the law firms wrote to the National Guard in a joint letter.

The groups also noted in the letter that the decision was also blatantly “discriminatory and unconstitutional.”

According to a statement on Trail Life USA’s website, chairman of…

Palestinian officials believe they have discovered a new baptismal font in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

According to the Associated Press, the head of a Palestinian presidential committee Ziad al-Bandak noted that the Church of the Nativity – known as the place traditionally believed to be where Jesus was born – is currently undergoing extensive renovations and restoration.

Reportedly, the font, which is believed to be from the 5^thor 6^thcentury was covered by another water receptacle and was discovered during the renovation process.

“Another circular baptismal font was discovered hidden inside the existing octagonal baptismal font,” al-Bandak said, before calling the discovery “magnificent,” the Times of Israel reports.

Al-Bandak also noted that he was unsure of why it was covered, but that it appeared to have been built one to two hundred years after the church, which is believed to have been erected in the 4^thCentury.

He said, “Nobody knows why it has been covered and put in this place and never written in any historical book about it, either in the Church or in the historical books. This is for sure a baptism font from the 6th, maybe 6th or 5th century,” CBN News reports.

Al-Bandak has shared that international experts will be examining the newly discovered baptismal font. He believes the discovery of the receptible will…

Fulani radicals killed more than a dozen people, including three children in West Africa’s Middle Belt on Monday.

According to the Christian Post, radicals burned down hundreds of homes in the area and killed 13 people, some of whom were Christians, many of whom were living in Christian villages.

In one village in Kaduna, residents told reporters that about 200 armed Fulani herdsmen invaded their village.

Of the 13 total killed, four were Christians, including an 8-year-old, 9-year-old and a 17-year-old.

“They were all buried today after a brief prayer at the grave site,” resident Thomas John told Morning Star News.

A resident of Kikoba estimated that some 90 homes had belonged in Christians in the village.

In another village, a church of the Evangelical Church Winning All denomination and a Catholic church were both burned down.

The publicity secretary for the Miango Development Association, Lawrence Zongo, said all farms in the area were also destroyed.

“Presently, all the villagers are displaced,” he said.

Public relations officer for the Kaduna Police Command Yakubu Sabo said the attacks happened about 2:45 p.m. Monday.

 “Teams of policemen quickly moved to the area, evacuated the dead bodies to the hospital and ensured that the situation was brought under control,” Sabo said.

Sabo added that the…

Correctional officers in a county Illinois jail are marveling at the change they see in their inmates after a church stepped in with services.

“We have a quieter atmosphere,” Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson told WLFI-TV. “In times past, you would hear banging, kicking, yelling, screaming, but now it’s very quiet. They get along well, they treat staff better, so we have less incidents. It just complements the other things going on in our jail.”

First Church in Wheatfield, Illinois, started their prison ministry with their pastor John Hill, who worked with the jail on an addiction recovery house for men. When that initiative yielded successful results, Williamson invited the church into the jail.

Every Thursday, Faithful volunteers visit for a weekly service with chairs, sound equipment and doughnuts in hand.

Anthony Gann, an inmate arrested for drug use, has seen the powerful positive effects of the services. “It’s awesome to get to have that real church experience while we are in here doing our time,” he said. “Some of the best guys I know are in here.”

In only three months, the jail has noticed a big change. “The corrections officers have talked about how the entire culture of the jail has shifted,” Hill said. “The inmates are caring for one another and actually thinking about life beyond bars.”

In a video First Church shared on Facebook, nine…