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Weekend Update
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THE BEAUTY OF
A LIFE OF SERVICE
...When the ice has melted upon
the plain it is only when it finds its way into the river and flows forth
freely to do the work which the live water has to do that it really attains
to its freedom. Only then is it really liberated from the bondage in which
it was held while it was fastened in the chains of winter. The same freed
ice waits until it so finds its freedom, and when man is set free simply
into the enjoyment of his own life, simply into the realization of his
own existence, he has not attain- ed the purposes of his freedom, he has
not come to the purposes of his life. READ
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John
Newton: From Disgrace
To
Amazing Grace
by Jonathan Aitken
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A
Patriot's History of
the
United States
by Michael Allen &
Larry Schweikart
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A
History of the
American
People
by Paul Johnson
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Be advised
that some of the viewpoints espoused on this page may not be held by the
editor. News For Christians is a news digest, pulling links from
all over the web. We do not endorse all sites linked or agree with
the views of those sites.
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more links, click
here.
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Washington
Post: Meet President Obama's 'Spiritual Cabinet'
Near
the end of a bumpy first year in office, President Obama readied for a
Christmas vacation in Hawaii, but before he left, he called on a group
of five ministers for a spiritual recharge. Like previous prayer
calls, this one was more personal than political. "He certainly does
not ask us how we would run the country and what issue to pursue or not
pursue," said Bishop Charles Blake of the LA-based Church of God in Christ,
who was on the call. MORE |
Focus
Denies Dobson 'Pushed Out' of Radio
Focus
on the Family denied allegations by a high-profile ally that its founder,
Dr. James Dobson, was "pushed" out of his 33-year-old radio program as
part of the ministry's alleged effort to become more acceptable to mainstream
society. Rev. Ken Hutcherson, a well-known pro-life and traditional-marriage
advocate in the Pacific Northwest, asserted in a WND column that the Colorado
Springs-based ministry has a "new focus; an image change designed to make
them accepted and well-liked rather than standing for righteousness in
an unrighteous society." Hutcherson – senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church
in Kirkland, Wash., and a former NFL linebacker – said as far...
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ACLU Lawsuit
Challenges Bible Belt Traditions
An
attorney says a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
against a North Mississippi school district is an attempt to try and keep
officials there from recognizing traditional morality. MORE |
Disney Disregards
Ex-Homosexuals
The
Walt Disney Company has declined a motion to add former homosexuals to
its sexual orientation and non-discrimination policy and diversity training,
a measure that would have meant protections for those who have left that
lifestyle. Greg Quinlan, director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and
Gays (PFOX), presented the... MORE |
Survey Tracks
Trends in Evangelical, Oldline Congregations
Nearly
two-thirds of U.S. congregations said they feel at least a little competition
from nearby churches, a new survey shows. Oldline Protestant churches were
most likely to say competition with nearby congregations is an obstacle
to attracting new people, according to a national survey called American
Congregations 2008, which was released Friday. MORE |
Some
Skip Islamic Prayer in Virginia House
By
the invitation of a Virginia lawmaker, a controversial Muslim cleric delivered
the opening prayer on Thursday at the start of the House of Delegates'
session. "I'm going to be somewhere else saying the Lord's Prayer," Delegate
John Cox (R-Ashland) told CBN News. "It's not something that I feel like
I can condone as an individual." MORE |
Jews
Tell the World: 'Let All Non-Muslims
Pray On Temple
Mount'
A
Temple Mount activist organization here has declared next Tuesday "International
Temple Mount Awareness Day" and is calling on the world community to express
solidarity with the rights of non-Muslims to pray on the site. "The
Temple Mount is the holiest spot in the world, yet the majority of the
world's population is barred from any outward peaceful expression of prayer
while atop the site," Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international
department of the Temple Institute, told WND. "We call on Jews and Gentiles
around the world to mark March 16th as a day of solidarity with the Temple
Mount and the prophetic vision of 'a house of prayer for all nations,'
he said.
The
Temple Institute is a group that works to restore a... MORE |
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Censored Jesus
Poster Case May Go to Supreme Court
A
legal group on Thursday filed a petition requesting the U.S. Supreme Court
to review the case of a kindergarten student’s poster that was censored
by a school because it contained the image of Jesus. MORE |
U.S. Rights Report
Criticizes China Over Missing Christians
The
United States accused China of various human rights abuses in its new State
Department report, including the disappearance of several Christian leaders.
In the human rights report, issued Thursday, the U.S. State Department
specifically mentioned the disappearance of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng,
who often represented Chinese house church Christians in court, and underground
Catholic bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding... MORE |
Nigerian Women
Carry Bibles, Protest Massacre
Thousands
of Nigerian women dressed in black and carrying Bibles, wooden crosses,
pictures of victims, and branches symbolizing peace marched in a central
Nigerian state on Thursday to protest the massacre of about 500 villagers,
who were mostly women and children. MORE |
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Update
for Friday, March 12th, 2010
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Appeals Court
Says 'Under God' Is Constitutional
A
federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the use of the words "under
God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency,
rejecting arguments on Thursday that the phrases violate the separation
of church and state. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected
two legal challenges by Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow, who claimed
the references to God disrespect his religious beliefs. MORE |
More Americans
Think Global Warming Is Exaggerated
A
strikingly higher percentage of Americans believe that the threat posed
by global warming is exaggerated, a new Gallup survey found. Nearly half
of the public (48 percent) think that the seriousness of global warming
is generally exaggerated, up from 41 percent in 2009 and 31 percent in
1997, when Gallup first asked the question. Gallup noted that the percentage
of Americans who believe global warming is overblown is the highest on
record. MORE |
Pakistan’s 'Blasphemy'
Laws Claim 3 More Christians
A
Christian couple was sentenced to 25 years in prison for violating Pakistan’s
widely condemned “blasphemy” laws last week, and another Christian convicted
without basis under the same statutes the previous week received the same
sentence. MORE |
Mississippi School
Axes Prom After Lesbian Date Request
A
northern Mississippi school district decided Wednesday not to host a high
school prom after a lesbian student demanded she be able to attend with
her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. Instead, the school board met and issued
a statement announcing it wouldn't host the event at Itawamba County Agricultural
High School in Fulton, "due to the distractions to the educational process
caused by recent events." MORE |
American Thinker:
Obama Aims to Impose a Solution on Israel
President
Obama intends to impose a solution on Israel. During the lead up to his
election victory, he surrounded himself with a host of vehemently anti-Israel
advisors including Lee Hamilton, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Samantha Power, Susan
Rice and Gen Jones, many of whom advocated imposing a solution on Israel..
MORE |
Chuck Missler:
NATO Is Not Dead Yet
NATO
appears to be in trouble. Europe lacks full commitment to the organization
and its military is underfunded. Last week, the US Defense Secretary lamented
over NATO's deterioration and fueled the fires of those who argue that
NATO has long outlasted its usefulness. MORE |
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Update
for Thursday, March 11th, 2010
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Workers For Christian
Organization Murdered in Pakistan
A
World Vision office in Pakistan was attacked by gunmen on Wednesday, leaving
at least five staff members dead. The international humanitarian
organization said the attack was unprovoked. Initial reports say the militants
detonated grenades and opened fire on the office, which is located in the
Mansehra District of Pakistan, north of the capital, Islamabad. The office
received no threatening letters prior to the attack. MORE |
Time:
Protestants Flirting with Catholic Devotion
Had
the Rev. Brian Maguire hit on the idea 30 years ago, he might have found
himself facing some very annoyed congregants. Four hundred and fifty years
ago, someone professing similar notions might even have been hanged. The
35-year-old pastor's brainstorm concerned a scheduling conflict on the
day of the Annunciation. The holiday, which celebrates Mary's learning
from the angel Gabriel that she will give birth to the Messiah, always
falls on March 25, precisely nine months before Christmas. But this year
the 25th is also Good Friday, when Christians somberly recall that same
Messiah's Crucifixion. Roman Catholicism, which traditionally observes
both dates, has rules for this eventuality: Catholics worldwide will mark
the ... MORE |
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TX Planned Parenthood
Holds Gala to Raise Money for Abortion ‘Super Center’
Planned
Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas is holding a gala next month
to raise money for its new abortion clinic, which will be specially equipped
for performing late-term abortions. MORE |
Catholic
Chief Exorcist Says Devil Is In the Vatican
Sex
abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church are proof that that "the Devil
is at work inside the Vatican", according to the Holy See's chief exorcist.
Father Gabriele Amorth, 85, who has been the Vatican's chief exorcist for
25 years and says he has dealt with 70,000 cases of demonic possession,
said that the consequences of satanic infiltration included power struggles
at the Vatican as well as "cardinals who do not believe in Jesus, and bishops
who are linked to the Demon." MORE |
Christians Counter
Global Atheist Convention
Atheists
and humanists are preparing for what they say will be the biggest gathering
of freethinkers in Australia's history. The 2010 Global Atheist Convention
is sold out, with some 2,500 people expected to attend the March 12-14
event at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center. Some Christians
are countering the event with creationist seminars and book giveaways.
MORE |
Christian College
Professor Encourages 'Gay Identity'
A
conservative activist is asking a Christian college in Pennsylvania whether
it supports the "sexual identity therapy" of one of its professors who
is unwilling to discourage some of his clients from remaining in the homosexual
lifestyle. Dr. Warren Throckmorton of Grove City College was once a spokesperson
for the... MORE |
Southern Baptists
Embrace Great Commission Resurgence Report
Following
the release of a report that directs the country's largest Protestant denomination
in a new direction, Southern Baptists have expressed new energy and anticipation
for the future. "Our denomination has much room for improvement,
but I am more excited today about Southern Baptists than I have ever been,"
said Chuck Lawless, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism
at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. MORE |
Church Bells
Will Chime Amid Legal Clatter In Phoenix
Church
bells will toll in Phoenix now that a court order has been secured and
the city's noise ordinance has been silenced. "What had happened is the
city of Phoenix had sentenced Bishop Rick Painter to jail for simply playing
church bells at his church, Christ the King Cathedral," explains Erik Stanley,
attorney with the Alliance... MORE |
AFA Appoints
New Chairman, VPs
Several
leadership changes are now official at a prominent pro-family organization.
Last week, it was announced that Rev. Don Wildmon, founder of the Mississippi-based
American Family Association, resigned as chairman of the board after battling
an extended illness. During a special meeting of the ministry's board of
directors... MORE |
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Update
for Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
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9th Haiti Volunteer
Freed; Returns to U.S.
The
ninth of ten American volunteers who were jailed in Haiti on child abduction
charges was freed and landed in Miami Monday night. Charisa Coulter, 24,
was released by Haitian judge Bernard Saint-Vil who ruled that there was
no evidence to support charges of kidnapping and criminal association against
her. Now only Laura Silsby, the leader of the American Christian team,
remains in the Port-au-Prince jail. MORE |
USA Today:
Top Home-School Texts Dismiss Evolution for Creationism
Home-school
mom Susan Mule wishes she hadn't taken a friend's advice and tried a textbook
from a popular Christian publisher for her 10-year-old's biology lessons.
Mule's precocious daughter Elizabeth excels at science and has been studying
tarantulas since she was 5. But she watched Elizabeth's excitement turn
to confusion when they reached the evolution section of the book from Apologia
Educational Ministries, which disputed Charles Darwin's theory. "I thought
she was going to have a coronary," Mule said of her daughter...
MORE |
Christian Student's
Speech Deemed 'Hateful Propaganda' By College
A
Christian student in the Los Angeles Community College District is carrying
his free-speech case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Jonathan
Lopez had an assignment in a public speaking class and was required to
give an informative speech on any topic. Lopez chose to speak about
his Christian beliefs. MORE |
Christians Expelled,
Forced to Abandon 33 Foster Kids in Morocco
Christian
volunteers and foster parents at a Moroccan orphanage were forced to abandon
dozens of children on Monday after they were accused of proselytizing.
Moroccan authorities raided Village of Hope and said they were expelling
the 20 workers and parents. The 33 children who were being cared for cried
out "hysterically" for their foster parents as they were left behind. MORE |
Halt
to Church Services In Public Housing Questioned
Questions
are being raised about halting church services for a public housing apartment
complex in Dallas. Lake Highland United Methodist Church has provided church
services at Audelia Manor for 14 years, serving a largely elderly group
of residents. But last week the Dallas Housing Authority ordered the church
to stop over separation of church and state issues. MORE |
Poll: Young Adults
Turn Toward GOP
Young
adults between 18 and 29 are anxious about being able to pay for their
educational, housing and health care needs. Those are findings from a new
poll that suggests many worry they will never be better off than their
parents. The poll by Harvard's Institute of Politics found that six out
of 10 of those surveyed worry they may not... MORE |
Pope's Brother:
I Ignored Physical Abuse Reports
The
pope's brother said in a newspaper interview published Tuesday that he
slapped pupils as punishment after he took over a renowned German boys'
choir in the 1960s. He also said he was aware of allegations of physical
abuse at an elementary school linked to the choir but did nothing about
it. MORE |
Will Toyota Bail
On the USA?
A
scholar and New York Times bestselling author believes Japanese auto giant
Toyota might abandon the U.S. for greener pastures in light of the shrinking
auto market in America and the government's investigations into its recall
problems. Last week, a House committee questioned how rigorously Toyota
tested for sudden... MORE |
England:
Clergy May Be Forced to Conduct Same Sex Weddings
British
lawmakers have tentatively approved a bill to allow churches to host same-sex
marriages, prompting warnings that the measure would be one step from forcing
clergy to perform the homosexual ceremonies. MORE |
Sherwood Baptist's
Next Film Focuses On Fatherhood
The
script for the latest movie from Sherwood Baptist Church, the Georgia-based
church that produced Fireproof, has been written and is being revised.
The new film Courageous focuses on four police officers who excel at their
jobs but find fatherhood a daunting challenge. MORE |
Lutheran Head
Rejects Claims of Scripture Abandonment
The
head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America returned to Web stage
on Sunday to take questions from a divided denomination. Much like at the
first online town hall forum in December, many of the questions at Sunday's
live event focused on the recent legislative decision to allow practicing
homosexuals to be ordained. MORE |
Texas Pastor
Died of Accidental Overdose
Family
and friends will gather Tuesday afternoon to mourn the loss of a Frisco,
Texas, pastor who died of an accidental overdose. Barry Keldie, founding
pastor of Providence Church, died Friday. He was 31.
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