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Thursday 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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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 |
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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. "And during that speech, when he mentioned that
marriage is between a man and a woman according to his Christian beliefs,
the professor called him this horrible name, refused to let him finish
the assignment, and told other students in the class, 'If you're offended,
you can leave,'" Hacker explains. 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 acceleration in its vehicles and asked the automaker
for more records on the safety issues. The House Energy and Commerce Committee
wrote in a letter to Toyota executive Jim Lentz that there is "an absence
of documents" showing that the manufacturer has thoroughly investigated
the possibility of unintended acceleration. MORE |
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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. Even the head of the nation's
top homosexual activist group, Ben Summeriskill of Stonewell, is concerned
about the implications for churches, according to the Christian Institute.
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. "Protecting the streets
is second nature to these law enforcement officers," says the movie website.
"Raising their children? That will take courage." 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. According to a brief
statement released by The Village Church in Highland Village, from where
he was dispatched to plant Providence Church five years ago, Keldie had
long suffered from insomnia and developed an addiction to prescription
sleeping pills. MORE |
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Update
for Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
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Westboro Baptist
Ch: Justices to Hear Case Over Protests at Military Funerals
A
small Kansas church that has gained nationwide attention for protesting
loudly at funerals of U.S. service members will receive a Supreme Court
hearing over free speech rights. The justices Monday accepted an appeal
from the father of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq over efforts to keep members
of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church from demonstrating near memorial
services and burials. The Marine's family won a $5 million judgment
from the protesters, which lower courts overturned. MORE |
ABC News:
Economists Warn Another Financial Crisis On the Way
Even
as many Americans still struggle to recover from the country's worst economic
downturn since the Great Depression, another crisis – one that will be
even worse than the current one – is looming, according to a new report
from a group of leading economists, financiers, and former federal regulators.
MORE |
Cardinals Ask
Pope To Proclaim Mary Mother of Humanity & Co-Redemptrix
Five
cardinals have invited every cardinal and bishop in the world to join them
in petitioning Pope Benedict XVI to solemnly proclaim the Mother of Jesus
as the "Spiritual Mother of humanity” as an ecumenical service of clarification
to other religious traditions and to proclaim the full Christian truth
about Mary. An English copy of the letter which the five cardinals
sent to all the world's cardinals and bishops in various languages on January
1, as well as a Latin “votum” or petition and its English translation has
been released by His Eminence, Luis Cardinal Aponte Martínez, Fatima
Symposium cardinal co-patron, with permission for publication. MORE |
CBN:
Pat Robertson Comments About Chile Quake 'Completely False'
The
Christian Broadcasting Network released a statement Friday defending its
founder after comments attributed to Pat Robertson regarding the earthquake
in Chile began circulating on the World Wide Web. “The story currently
circulating on the Internet is completely false and was posted by someone
as a joke,” the network stated. “However, some very ill informed bloggers
are now reporting it as if it were true.” MORE |
Sectarian Violence
Leaves Hundreds Dead in Nigeria
As
many as 500 people may have been killed in attacks on Sunday on two predominantly
Christian villages near the Nigerian city of Jos. The worst hit was the
village of Dogo Nahawa, where Muslims reportedly set fire to homes before
killing villagers as they attempted to flee. MORE |
Group
Outside Boulder Church Protests Barring of Child From Catholic School
A
crowd holding signs protesting the treatment of a student with lesbian
parents exchanged smiles and waves with parishioners walking into a Boulder
church for Sunday Mass. Before Mass started, church members citing their
Catholic hospitality crossed the street to offer donuts and fresh coffee
to the group of about 30 protesters. Despite the friendly gestures, protest
signs underscored why demonstrators were there. "Teach acceptance. Celebrate
all of God's children," read one banner. Last week, a standing policy
of the... MORE |
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Supreme Court
Refuses to Review 10 Commandments Ruling
The
U.S. Supreme Court has refused to take up the case of a privately-funded
Ten Commandments display that sits on the lawn of a county courthouse in
Oklahoma. With the high court having denied the petition to review the
decision of a federal appeals court, Haskell County is now legally obligated
to remove the eight-foot tall and three-foot wide monument, which lists
the Commandments on front and the Mayflower Compact on back. MORE |
Prayer 'Settlement'
Doesn't Set Well With Tennessee Community
A
school board in Tennessee has settled a lawsuit with the ACLU which had
claimed the school district promoted religion. But some local citizens
believe the settlement goes too far. Under terms of the agreement between
the Cheatham County School Board and the American Civil Liberties Union,
school officials will no longer "promote, advance, endorse, participate
in, or cause prayers during or in conjunction with school events for any
school within the school district." MORE |
Huckabee Urges
Christians to Engage in 'Rotting' Realms of Culture
There
are many believers who would view the decision of a pastor to enter into
politics as a move away from that which is Christian to that which is secular.
And while such a view may be correct, former pastor and governor Mike Huckabee
makes it clear that it’s not just “evil” people who go into “evil” places.
“Being a light in the midst of darkness – where everyone happens to be
– I believe, is what God calls each of us to be,” he said during a Q&A
at the 2010 convention of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) this
past week. MORE |
Tens of Thousands
Protest Abortion Law in Spain
Tens
of thousands of people took to the streets of multiple cities in Spain
on Sunday to protest a new law that would allow abortion on demand. Carrying
banners and balloons and chanting, “No to abortion! Yes to life!,” pro-lifers
demonstrated against the law that would allow a woman to have an abortion
up to 14 weeks into her pregnancy. MORE |
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