| Headlines for Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 |
Israel Invaded by Demonstrators
Israel was invaded Sunday. This time, however, the invaders weren’t armed forces. Nonetheless, they did not come in peace, and their attempt to enter Israel was no less an act of war than the invasions of 1967 and 1973, and the rockets that jihadists regularly shoot into Israel from Gaza. Thousands of Palestinian Arabs tried to enter the country from Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and Judea and Samaria. Their declared intention – announced weeks ago on Facebook – was to return to the lands from which they had been expelled in 1948. The Facebook page made clear the sinister... MORE | Stephen Hawking: Afterlife is a Fairytale,
There's No Heaven
Stephen Hawking, the famed British cosmologist and bestselling author, asserted that there is no heaven and dismissed the idea of an afterlife in a recent interview. Hawking, who is no stranger to challenging religious beliefs, told U.K.-based The Guardian Today in an interview posted Sunday that he is not afraid of death having faced the possibility of an early death for the last 49 years. Hawking was diagnosed with an incurable motor neuron disease at the age of 21 that has progressively worsened, leaving him now nearly completely paralyzed. “I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail,” explained the scientist about his view on death. “There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” MORE |
Atheist Richard Dawkins Accused of Cowardice for Refusing
To Debate the Existence of God
Richard Dawkins has made his name as the scourge of organised religion who branded the Roman Catholic Church “evil” and once called the Pope “a leering old villain in a frock”. But he now stands accused of “cowardice” after refusing four invitations to debate the existence of God with a renowned Christian philosopher. A war of words has broken out between the best selling author of The God Delusion, and his critics, who see his refusal to take on the American academic, William Lane Craig, as a “glaring” failure and a sign that he may be losing his nerve. Prof Dawkins maintains that Prof Craig is not a figure worthy of his attention and has reportedly said that such a contest would “look good” on his opponent’s CV but not on his own. An emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, Prof Dawkins last year supported a plan to charge Pope Benedict XVI with crimes against humanity for his alleged involvement in the cover-up of sex abuse by Catholic priests. MORE |  |
DAVID CLOUD: What Is an
Independent Baptist?
It is doubtless true that if you had 100 Independent Baptist preachers write an answer to this question, you would get 100 different answers! I would say first that the Independent Baptist movement is large. There are thou- sands of Independent Baptist churches. There are more in North America than anywhere else, but they are located throughout the world. Yet there is no way to know exact- ly how many Independent Baptist churches exist, because they have no headquarters and no centralized statistics are kept. There are loose associations of churches, such as the Southwide Baptist Fellowship and various... MORE | 
Osama bin Laden is dead. The Middle East is in chaos. And radical Islam is floundering. For a time after 9/11, bin Laden was riding high. Destroying 16 acres in Manhattan and hitting the Pentagon won al-Qaeda even more admir- ation from the Arab Street, hidden cash donations from sympathetic petrol- sheiks, and bribe and hush money from triangulating Middle East dictatorships. But now bin Laden and most of his henchmen of a decade ago are dead, like the bloodthirsty Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed by American forces in Iraq. Or they were captured, like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Pakistan. Or they are in hiding, like Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the blowhard al-Qaeda information minister. What caused al-Qaeda's steady decline? There are a lot of reasons. MORE |
Mike Huckabee: Decision Not to Run Was 'Spiritual'
Former Arkansas Gov. and Fox News talk show host Mike Huckabee said his decision not to enter the 2012 Republican race for the White House is largely spiritual. He told his viewers while he believes he would make a good president, he does not feel led to seek his party's nomination. | Jury Selection Completed in NH Church Rape Case
A jury was chosen Monday for the trial of a man charged with raping a 15-year-old fellow church member who was forced to stand before the congregation and apologize for getting pregnant. A hearing on legal issues in the case of 52-year-old Ernest Willis of Gilford was set for Tuesday in Superior Court in Concord. | New Blood Test Tells You How Long You'll Live
A blood test that can show how fast someone is aging – and offers the possibility of estimating how long they have left to live – is to go on sale to the general public in Britain later this year. | CP Op-Ed: Is It All Going Down on May 21?
...It would be nice if Harold Camping was written off as yet another Bible math junkie with way too much time on his hands, but unfortunately the billboards and pamphlets have way too many people camping out on Harold’s prediction. | China Cuts Holdings of US Treasurys For 5th Month
China, the biggest buyer of U.S. securities, trimmed its holdings for a fifth straight month. The Treasury Department said Monday that China cut its holdings by $9.2 billion to $1.14 trillion. | White Americans See Anti-White Bias on the Rise
Both white and black Americans perceive significant progress in the fight against anti-black bias, but white Americans believe the progress has come at their expense, a new survey finds. | Faith & Freedom Coalition Mobilizes Christian Base
The Faith & Freedom Coalition is already making an impact in this year's race for the White House. A main goal of the group is to get Christians to the polls. | What Role Will Islam Play in End-Times Prophecy?
...It appears that a large percentage of Bible prophecy teachers communicate that Islam will play some kind of significant role.... | J ROBERTSON: Theological Importance of the Second Coming
The glorious Second Coming impacts our worldview in numerous ways. First, the Second Coming exalts the victory of Christ in redemption. |
| 16 Dead In Israeli-Palestinian Violence On Border
Israeli troops clashed with Arab protesters along three hostile borders, including the frontier with Syria, leaving 16 people dead and dozens more wounded in an unprecedented wave of demon- strations marking a Palestinian day of mourning for their defeat at Israel's hands in 1948. | Iran, Hezbollah Condemn Israel's 'Crimes'
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah were among those condemning Israel's response to the observance of the 'Nakba' -- or catastrophe -- on Sunday, the Arab reference to the establishment of the modern State of Israel. | Violence Erupts Again as Christians Protest in Egypt
Christian protesters who were calling for government protection in Egypt were attacked over the weekend. The attacks came just a day after Egypt's military government had vowed to tighten security amid growing fears among the country's small Christian popula- tion. Just a week earlier, two churches were burned and.... | Israel Files U.N. Complaint against Syria, Lebanon
Israel's U.N. delegation filed an official complaint with the U.N. Security Council against Syria and Lebanon. | Young Boy Says Prayer Helped Him Beat Cancer
A 10-year-old boy is crediting the power of prayer for surviving brain cancer, after doctors gave him a 10-15% chance of living. | High-Tech Robots Bring Bible History to Life
The words "high-tech" and "ancient artifacts" don't usually go together but at the new "Passages" Bible exhibit, which debuts Monday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, high-tech robots are combined with ancient Bible manuscripts to help bring the story of translation and preservation of the Bible to life. | Evangelist Billy Graham Back Home After Hospital Stay
Billy Graham has returned to his home in Montreat, N.C., after being treated for pneumonia at a hospital. | Okla. Church Votes to Leave ELCA
An Edmond, Okla., church voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to cut ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America over the denomination's liberal direction. | Scientists Find Genetic Link to Depression
Scientists say they have discovered the first solid evidence that variations in some peoples' genes may cause depression.... |
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| Headlines for Monday, May 16th, 2011 |
AM THINKER: American Christians
and the 2012 Election
...Christians in America generally will support a conservative ticket. They are, as well, the largest and most generous segment of American life that altruistically and regularly support the needy as a matter of committed life style. Here is what will solidly consolidate the vote of Christians in America for a presidential candidate: No doctrinaire sentiments whether on matters of personal faith or on public policy issues -- social or economic -- whether Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Evangelical. Positive, direct, , profession of faith if the.... MORE | BUSINESS WEEK: Medicare, Social Security Funds Expiring Sooner Than Expected, U.S. Says
Medicare, the U.S. health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, and the Social Security trust for the disabled and retirees are running out of money sooner than the government had projected. While Medicare won’t have sufficient funds to pay full benefits starting in 2024, five years earlier than last year’s estimate, Social Security’s cash to pay full benefits runs short in 2036, a year sooner than the 2010 projection, the U.S. government said today in an annual report. Both forecasts were affected by a slower-than-anticipated economic recovery, the government said. The estimates for funding add urgency to talks between Democrats and Republicans on ways to cut spending to reduce the U.S. budget deficit. MORE |
Communist China has earned praise in the past few years for a perceived thaw in its strict opposition to religious observance—particularly Christianity. A visitor to China will see Christian churches out in the open; a printing facility in Nanjing is the largest Bible publisher in the world. There is the appearance, at least, of a faith that is free and tolerated. This helps explain some of the shock over a series of brutal crackdowns that have come as startling departures. Over Easter, Chinese authorities escalated their campaign against a Protestant “house church,” Shouwang, detaining dozens of believers and placing hundreds more under house arrest for the “crime” of worshipping in a public square. And late last month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its annual report, which flagged several incidents of horrific abuses of Christians in China—including “disappearances,” beatings, the destruction of churches, and forced “re-education through labor.” MORE |  |
 | WASHINGTON TIMES: Israel’s Increasing Vulnerability
Although Osama bin Laden’s death has demonstrated America’s re-solve to vindicate our national security, the world is still far from safe. In the Middle East, optimistic predictions that authoritarian regimes would fall like dominoes, ushering in new democracies and greater prospects for peace, are rapidly disappearing. Not only have democratic hopes faltered, but long-time foundations of regional stability are crumbling, to our detriment and that of our friends. While Israel has been a bystander to the Arab world’s recent turmoil, events are conspiring against it. Early, unrealistic expectations about “democracy now” increasingly resemble experiments with Israel’s security, experiments gone badly wrong. Implacable enemies, notably Iran, are strengthening their positions by exploiting the turmoil. Israel’s security environment has steadily darkened as Palestinian leaders fritter away two decades of opportunity to engage in direct, face-to-face negotiations. MORE |
It is hard to believe, but it appears that in the wake of the Palestinian unity deal that brings Hamas, the genocidal, al-Qaida-aligned, local franchise of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, into a partnership with Fatah, US President Barack Obama has decided to open a new round of pressure on Israel to give away its land and national rights to the Palestinians. It is hard to believe that this is the case. But apparently it is. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is in Washington next week, and before the premier has a chance to give his scheduled address to a joint session of Congress, Obama will give a new speech to the Arab world. In that speech, Obama will praise the populist movements that have risen up... MORE | TIM CHALLIES: Pain In Childbearing
It is an interesting question to ask: What does Genesis 3:16 mean when it says that, as a consequence for her sin, the woman would now have pain in childbearing? (“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”) On one level the answer is very clear, but I think we do well to see that there is more to it than what is most obvious...People were to multiply by childbearing. But now, after the woman listened to the serpent and led her husband into sin, something else, something far more sinister, would multiply alongside those children. MORE |
Huckabee Says He Won't Run for President
A prominent social conservative, Huckabee ranks high in national popularity polls. Had he run, he would have been a serious contender for the GOP nod. | Why Is the World Expecting Israel to Make Peace With Hamas?
...The Israelis are expected to break bread with the people who still threaten to wipe them off the face of the earth and regularly fire rockets into towns and cities. | AMERICAN THINKER: Happy 63rd Birthday, Israel
This week, Israel celebrates its 63rd birthday. Sixty-three years ago, May 14, 1948, was the rebirth of one of the oldest cultures and nations in history, the State of Israel. | Pakistan's Parliament Decides to Review Ties with U.S.
...Pakistan’s parliament passed a resolution condemning the U.S. unilateral action in violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, and called for revisiting and reviewing Pakistan’s relationship with the U.S. | ACLU Wants Religious Symbols Covered for NJ HS Graduation
The ACLU is saying religious symbols on a building that has hosted the graduating class of Neptune High School in Ocean Grove, N.J., for the past 6 decades, in ceremonies that often have religious undertones, makes the ceremony unconstitutional... | SECOND ECLECTIC: Amish Technology
...Until recently, I believed that the Amish had simply decided one day in the 19th century to cease all progress—to draw the line and go no further. The line seemed arbitrary to me. But while their appearance and lifestyle appears to be a 19th-century agrarian one, I was more or less completely wrong about everything else. | Global Disaster Impact Rises in 2010
The global impact of natural disasters took a turn for the worse in 2010 with an uptick in fatalities and economic damage, according to a report released Tuesday. | Thousands Rally for Egypt Unity After Church Attacks
Thousands of people rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday calling for national unity, after attacks on Egyptian churches, and for solidarity with the Palestinians. | Who's Behind Egypt's Sectarian Violence?
In the recent Muslim-Christian riots, some see pro-Mubarak forces trying to derail the revolution, while others see the hand of creep- ing Islamic fundamentalism. Either way, it's a reminder that Egypt's problems aren't going away by themselves | Evangelical Publisher Zondervan Appoints New CEO
Zondervan has appointed Scott Macdonald as the new president and CEO of the evangelical publishing company. |
| Israel-Palestinian Violence Erupts on Three Borders
Violence erupted on Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday, leaving at least eight dead and dozens wounded, as Palestinians marked what they term "the catastrophe" of Israel's founding in 1948. Israeli troops shot at protesters in three separate locations to prevent crowds from crossing Israeli frontier lines in the deadliest such confrontation in years. | New Zealand Schools Arrange 'Secret' Abortions
A MOTHER is angry her 16-year-old daughter had a secret abortion arranged by a school counsellor. Helen, not her real name, found out about the termination four days after it had happened. "I was horrified. Horrified that she'd had to go through that on her own, and horrified her friends and counsellors had felt that she shouldn't talk to us," she said. She had suspected something was wrong, but her daughter insisted her tears were over everyday dramas. | Chinese Christians Standing Up to Government
Several of China's house churches are taking historic action by petitioning the Communist government. | Kansas Joins 5 States in Banning Abortion Coverage
Kansas lawmakers passed legislation Friday morning, banning gen- eral state health insurance from covering abortion and preventing future Obamacare funds from going to Planned Parenthood. | AM THINKER: Martial Virtues and the Survival of Civilization
...Cops are sent into harm's way in the worst neighborhoods and witness horrific crimes, but we want them to always be politically correct, obey ludicrous rules of engagement that hamstring... | Wilkerson Remembered as Dear Friend, Giving Servant
Thousands gathered to remember their pastor, spiritual father, counselor and friend, Rev. David Wilkerson, during a memorial service at his Times Square Church. | Pakistan's 'Blasphemy' Laws Pose Growing Threat
Pakistan’s notorious “blasphemy” laws can put even children at risk, and Christians say the days when they could teach their off- spring pat answers to protect them from accusations of disparaging Islam or its prophet seem to have passed. | With Heavy Heart, Christians Leave Baghdad
Bassam Anis was for a long time an optimist, but persistent attacks against his Christian community convinced him that his home country, Iraq, no longer offered him solace. On April 30, he fled. | The Man Behind Lady Gaga's 'Get Out of Hell Free Card'
When Lady Gaga received a “Get Out of Hell Free Card” outside of her concert last month little did she – or anyone else for that matter – know that providence was at hand. |
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| THIS WEEK'S MOST IMPORTANT NEWS ITEMS |
50 Things Every American Should Know About the Collapse Of the Economy
Right now, we are witnessing a truly historic collapse of the economy, and yet most Americans do not understand what is going on. One of the biggest reasons why the American people do not understand what is happening to the economy is because our politicians and the mainstream media are not telling the truth. Barack Obama and Ben Bernanke keep repeating the phrase "economic recov- ery," and this is really confusing for most Americans because things sure don't seem to be getting much better where they live. There are millionsof Americans that are sitting at home on their couches right now wondering why they lost their jobs and why nobody will hire them. MORE |
.......| RECENTLY ADDED CLASSIC SERMONS |
 ...Spring is a miracle of beauty. She is associated in all our minds with the beautiful. The poets have been singing about Spring for a thousand years. Indeed there is a peculiar style of poetry which is known everywhere as Spring poetry. To be sure, all the seasons of the year are beautiful, but Spring has a beauty which is unique. She has a different beauty from that of Autumn, or Summer. There is a delicacy of tint and a subtlety of shadow and a freshness of loveliness in Spring which we find in no other season of the year. There is a certain sparkle and jubilancy and rush of life in Spring which the other seasons do not know. Where does all this beauty come from? It comes from God, and therefore God must be an artist, God is a lover of the beautiful and the creator of it Do you ever think of God as an artist? Do you ever pray to Him as to an artist? One of the reasons why we do not love Him more is because we have such narrow notions of Him... Spring is likewise a miracle of power. In none of the battles of the Great War were such tremendous forces exhibited as are exhibited in the Spring. The earth dies every winter. For months it lies stiff and cold. When it is in this condition it is impossible to bring it back to life again...it is not possible for us to kindle fires enough to create Spring in December. MORE |  |
 Some people think the need for a revival is a sign of decadence in a church. This is not always so. In the New Testa- ment, in the Old Testament, in Christian history, revivals have been a part of God’s plan for the advancement of the kingdom. This is natural. This is spiritual. This is psychological. It is impossible for a farmer to be always harvesting. The same is true of the Lord’s work. We cannot have a perennial revival. It is impossible to have a perpetual harvest, physical or spiritual. We are so constituted that it is impossible for us to be always on the heights. We would go mad with the strain. We could not endure it. The flesh is still with us. What many people call revivals are not revivals at all. You have heard of revivals with supposedly great singing, great preaching—and with few noticeable results. Such meetings are not revivals. They may be extended seasons of singing and preaching, but that is all. A revival is a revival. You do not have to be told you were born. You know it. The same is true of a revival. You will know it. You will witness it when it comes. Mere preaching is not enough. We want something that will make people know there is a God in heaven, that the Bible is His Word, that the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ. A real revival shakes, breaks, melts, molds, and causes the power of God to flow over the hearts of people. We want a revival. God will give it. MORE |  |
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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. The articles found here represent a window into what is being written about religion and Christianity, not necessarily the editor's personal views. Please read with these points in mind. |
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