A newly unveiled handwritten letter from 1982 shows President Ronald Reagan quoting Scripture, pointing to Old Testament prophecy and using apologetics while pleading with his dying, atheist father-in-law to accept Christ. 

“We have been promised that all we have to do is ask God in Jesus name to help when we have done all we can – when we’ve come to the end of our strength and abilities and we’ll have that help,” Reagan wrote Aug. 7, 1982, as his father-in-law, Loyal Davis, was near death. “We only have to trust and have faith in his infinite goodness and mercy.”

The letter was uncovered by Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty, who is writing a biography about Reagan’s wife, the former Nancy Davis. The letter was not part of the presidential records in the Ronald Reagan Library but was found “in a cardboard box of Nancy Reagan’s personal effects,” Tumulty wrote.

Loyal Davis, a neurosurgeon, previously had said he didn’t believe in the divinity of Christ, the virgin birth, or heaven and hell. 

The letter from Reagan was written two years into his first term. 

“I know of your feeling – your doubt but could I just impose on you a little longer? Some seven hundred years before the birth of Christ the ancient Jewish prophets predicted the coming of a Messiah,” Reagan wrote. “They said he would be born in a lowly…

In an interview with Tracy Smith from CBS Sunday Morning, Carrie Underwood opened up about her three miscarriages in 2017. 

Smith was covering Underwood’s new album Cry Pretty when she asked the country singer what she meant by the title track speaking to “a lot of the things that have happened in the past year.” 

In 2017, Underwood took a hard fall while walking her dogs, landing on her face. As a result of the fall, the singer said she had to get between 40 and 50 stitches, but this was only the beginning of her trials that year. With tears in her eyes, Underwood told the reporter, “2017 just wasn’t how I imagined it.”

The reporter inquired asking the singer to elaborate. Underwood responded saying that she planned for 2017 to be the year where she worked on new music and had another baby.

“We got pregnant early 2017, and it didn’t work out,” Underwood said, holding back tears. “It happens. And that was the thing in the beginning — it was like, ‘Okay, God, we know this just wasn’t your timing, and that is all right. We will bounce back and figure a way through it.’

“Got pregnant again in the spring, and it didn’t work out. Got pregnant again early 2018 — didn’t work out. So, at that point, it was just kind of like, ‘Okay, what’s the deal? What is all of this?’”

Smith then asked Underwood if there was ever a…

Coca-Cola is considering the manufacturing and selling of a beverage containing CBD, the non-intoxicating component in marijuana that remains illegal to sell under federal law.

The news first was reported Monday by Bloomberg News.

“We are closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world,” Coca-Cola spokesman Kent Landers told Bloomberg in an email. “The space is evolving quickly. No decisions have been made at this time.”

Coca-Cola is in talks with Aurora Cannabis Inc., a Canadian cannabis company, Bloomberg said.

“There is so much happening in this area right now and we think it has incredible potential,” Aurora spokesperson Heather MacGregor told CNN “Stories like this are further validation of the massive global potential of the cannabis industry.”

The drinks might be marketed as easing inflammation, pain and cramping, according to Bloomberg.

Dietary products that contain CBD cannot be sold under federal law, although the FDA earlier this year approved a drug for epilepsy that contains CBD. 

Kris Krane, president of 4Front and an expert on marijuana products, said it’s unlikely Coca-Cola would sell the drink until federal law changes.

“I can’t imagine they’re doing it just for the 35 million people in Canada, they clearly have an eye on the US market,” Krane told…

George Mason, a prominent and longtime senior pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, challenged white Christians on Sunday to help seek justice for Botham Shem Jean, the black man who was shot dead in his home by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger.

“It’s been a hard week in Dallas. The fatal shooting of a young an impressive professional man named Botham Jean by an off-duty police officer, Amber Guyger, is a tragedy that has rocked the soul of this city,” Mason told his congregation Sunday.

“This police officer shot an unarmed citizen in his own home. The victim was black, the officer white. Even if race didn’t factor into the event initially, nonetheless, the preferential treatment of the officer by the criminal justice system reminds us that justice in the city and in this country is still not colorblind — whether you are white or black or brown or blue,” he continued. “And then the smear campaign of the dead man’s character started immediately after his funeral, which is a long and nasty practice used against people of color to gain sympathy for the defendant. Lord have mercy.”

Mason said he attended Jean’s memorial service last Thursday and was touched by Jean’s faith. The…

Co-host Michael Che angered some viewers during the 70^th Primetime Emmy Awards a line that seemed to mock Christians. The Saturday Night Live star’s comments came during a comedy set with his co-host Colin Jost, who is also on the cast of SNL. 

Jost joked about the low viewership numbers for the event, welcoming the “thousands of you here in the audience tonight and the hundreds of you watching at home.”

Then Che said, “My mother is not watching.” Then he set up his joke explaining, “She said she doesn’t watch white award shows because you guys don’t thank Jesus enough.” After sparse, polite laughter from the audience, Che continued, “That’s true. The only white people that thank Jesus are Republicans and ex-crackheads.”

Che’s joke received tepid laughter from the audience and the ire of some of social media. One Twitter user said, “Colin Just [sic] and Michael Che’s opening monologue bombed harder than I ever could have dreamed.”  Another pointed out that the jokes about Christians have gotten old. “What great family entertainment that gets everyone around the TV to laugh… It’s not even outrageous, it’s just boring at this point.” 

Malachi O’Brien, President of OneCry, pointed out that many people praise God other than Republicans and former drug-addicts, saying, “All people were made to have a…

Dave Stone, senior pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, has announced that he plans to step down from the more than 22,000-member church after some 12 years at the helm.

“This is a process that has been in the works for a number of years,” Stone told his congregation on Saturday. “My wife, Beth, and I decided on this timing about five years ago. We felt that 2019 would be the wisest time for the transition to take place.”

He noted that the church’s current teaching pastor, Kyle Idleman, whom he described as someone who lives consistently as a man of God, will replace him as lead pastor.

“Kyle’s imprint can be seen throughout this church. He’s a prayer warrior, and he is more generous than you will ever know. He loves Jesus, his wife, his kids, and his church. We are going to be so blessed to have him at the helm,” Stone said.

“Kyle is uniquely gifted for this role. He’s been an elder here for 12 years. He’s doctrinally solid. His integrity, his humility, and his preaching and teaching and writing are exceptional,” he added.

Stone, who expects to hand off his senior pastor responsibilities to Idleman over the next…

Russia is claiming that Syria shot down one of its military planes and Israel is to blame for the 15 killed on the plane.

Russia’s defense ministry said Israeli jets were attacking Syria, when Syria responded and hit the Russian airplane. 

“The Il-20, which has a much bigger reflective surface than the F-16, was struck down by an S-200 rocket,” spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. “We retain the right to an appropriate response,” he added, without giving details on whether that response could include military action.

The Israel Defense Force, meanwhile, said on Twitter that Syria is “fully responsible” for the attack.

Russia says the IlyushinII-20 plane was heading to a Russian airbase near the city of Latakia when it “disappeared” during an attack by four Israeli jets near Syrian facilities in the area.

In a statement, Russia said Israel’s “irresponsible actions” led to the downed plane and deaths. Russia said the country was only given about a minute’s warning ahead of the attack.

“The Israeli planes deliberately created a dangerous situation for surface ships and aircraft in the area,” a defense ministry spokesman said, adding that Israel had used “the Russian airplane as a cover.”

“As a result of the irresponsible actions by the Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen have died,” the spokesman said.

According to the BBC, Russian’s…

A modern Christianity professor and author who opposes universalism admitted that he was “startled” by how many people came out supporting the belief following Rob Bell’s 2011 book, Love Wins.

Michael McClymond, the author of The Devil’s Redemption: A New History and Interpretation of Christian Universalism, said in an interview with The Gospel Coalition posted last week that ever since he was a student he has been engaged with biblical studies on the topic of salvation.

“Several years ago what really surprised me was not Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins (2011), with its well-worn and hackneyed arguments. Instead, I was startled by the multitude of people I thereafter encountered holding that universalism was biblical and evangelical teaching,” said McClymond, who teaches at Saint Louis University in Missouri.

Bell is the founder and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, and has attracted significant controversy over his questioning of the traditional understanding of eternal punishment.

Although he is often associated with the term by critics, Bell has in the past insisted that he is not a universalist.