Saturday, May 19, 2012

THE CHRISTIAN POST: Saturday May 19, 2012 Iyyar 27, 5772

hillsong church chris tomlin
(Photo: Hillsong Church)

First-Grader Can Perform Chris Tomlin Song After Idaho School Reverses Ban

By Alex Murashko

An Idaho first-grader's plan to perform a song by worship singer Chris Tomlin using sign language for a talent show is back on track after the school's principal originally banned the entry, deeming the song "too religious."

Pelosi Calls Chaplain 'Conscience Clause' a 'Fraud'

By Paul Stanley

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi blasted a Republican proposal that would protect military chaplains from performing same-sex marriages, saying the provision in unnecessary.

US

sebelius faith-based

Sebelius Talks Separation of Church and State at Georgetown Ceremony

By Stoyan Zaimov

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressed Georgetown University graduates at an awards ceremony Friday despite opposition from conservative Catholics over her invitation.

A group of influential black ministers – some of whom are connected with the fifth largest denomination in the U.S. – gathered Thursday in one of the nation's most famous civil rights cities to ask President Obama to reverse his stance on same-sex marriage.

A bill that would ban Sharia law in Kansas has passed both houses of the legislature and awaits the signature of the governor.

In an article published in the May issue of Decision Magazine, evangelist Franklin Graham says there is no room for compromise in the upcoming presidential election, especially on the topics of abortion and same-sex marriage.

Church & Ministries

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie Sunday Sermon Filmed in Jerusalem Traces Disciple

By Alex Murashko

Evangelist Greg Laurie can be seen tracing the steps of the disciple Peter in his sermon filmed last week in Jerusalem to be shown to his church in Southern California and webcast to a global online audience during two worship services Sunday.

Bobby Schuller, the son of former pastor Robert A. Schuller, spoke to Lawrence Wilkes of The Crystal Cathedral's "Hour of Power" television program to discuss life after leaving the famous ministry founded by his grandfather, and the challenges he faced starting his own church from the ground up.

Anti-bullying expert Paul Coughlin plans to teach the community leaders of values-based and faith-based organizations how to bring justice, mercy and compassion into the "theater of bullying" during a half-day seminar on Saturday.

A Texas congregation is considering a vote to break away from Presbyterian Church (USA) due to the denomination's growing acceptance of homosexuality.

Anger Behind Convict's Strong Showing Against Obama, Biden Says

A convicted felon won 40 percent of votes in last ...

Pat Robertson Says The Episcopal Church Is Becoming 'Apostate'

Controversial televangelist Pat Robertson ...

Crystal Cathedral Considers Relocating to Nearby Catholic Church

Crystal Cathedral's newly minted president said ...

Annular Solar Eclipse to Hit Northern California This Weekend

For the first time since 1994, Northern ...

Court Declares NY Town's Prayer Practice Unconstitutional

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that a New York State town government's practice of opening nearly every meeting with a Christian prayer over the past 11 years is unconstitutional.

Joel Osteen Speaks Out on Ala. Immigration Law

Texas megachurch pastor Joel Osteen has spoken ...

More Blogs

Sex: We Still Need to Talk About It

In the wake of President Obama’s public support ...

Prayer: You're (Probably) Doing It Wrong.

Prayer is a Conversation So often it seems that ...

Have Pastors Made President Obama More Important Than God's Word?

It is now apparent that a significant number of ...

Gay Marriage: Culture War or Ambush?

When President Obama recently completed his ...

Entertainment

Lady Gaga

'Godless' Lady Gaga Not Welcomed by Christians in Philippines

By Katherine Weber

Christians in the Philippines are speaking out against upcoming concerts by Lady Gaga, arguing that the singer has a negative influence on young Filipinos because her attitude promotes "godlessness."

Prominent Detroit Minister and Grammy Award-winning singer the Rev. Marvin Winans has expressed disappointment after being beaten and robbed by several young men this week, saying young people, if not raised right, will have no sense of honor and respect.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. weighed in on the same-sex marriage debate recently, opposing rival fighter Manny Pacquiao's views on the traditional definition of marriage.

World

Sudan

UN Makes Urgent Appeal for South Sudan Food Aid

By Ivana Kvesic

The United Nations launched an urgent appeal on Tuesday calling for emergency assistance for the millions of Southern Sudanese who are facing staggering levels of food insecurity.

Egypt's Coptic Christians fear they could face further persecution should an Islamist candidate win next week's presidential elections, and one of the major issues on their agenda is a controversial law that puts heavy restrictions on building and maintaining Christian houses of worship.

Churches are being asked to pray during the 70-day Olympic Games torch relay when it gets underway in England this Saturday.

A court in an underdeveloped southwestern province of Iran has sentenced four men to death by hanging for committing "sodomy," according to a recent report by the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA).

Interview With Serena Miller, Author of 'An Uncommon Grace'

Serena Miller is the author of "An Uncommon ...

Manny Pacquiao Denies Anti-Gay Bible Reference After Flurry of Criticism

World champion boxer Manny Pacquiao has denied ...

Too Much Skin? Christian Minister Talks Lust, Modesty, Fashion

With summer fashions seemingly getting skimpier every season, some men may be finding it increasingly challenging to control wandering eyes and lustful thoughts -- at least that's what one minister has confessed.

Stephen Colbert Argues Christ Never Condemned Gay Marriage

Comedy Central's mock-news host Stephen Colbert ...

'Imagine No Religion' Canadian Atheist Convention Sells Out

A Canadian atheist conference with speakers from across the world was sold out of tickets some time before registration closed.

Church of Ireland Upholds Marriage as Between One Man and One Woman

The General Synod of the Church of Ireland has ...

Islamist Website Offers $100,000 Bounty to Kill Iranian Rapper

An Islamist website is offering a $100,000 reward ...

Thousands Deported From Sudan While Violence Continues

The government of Sudan, a mostly-Muslim East ...

Samaritan's Purse Calls Christians to Pray for Peace in Sudan

Refugee pastors are asking Christians to pray for ...

49 Decapitated Bodies Found on Mexico Highway

Mexican authorities found 49 bodies, with their ...

Tech & Biz

laptop, facebook, twitter

Twitter Users Swarm Website With Requests for God's Help

By Katherine Weber

Today, users of the Twittersphere have been offering up their weaknesses to God by using the hash tag "#ThingsWeAskGod2helpUsWith," which pushed the theme to the social platform's "Top Ten World Trends" list Friday for several hours.

Bloomberg is one of the many news sources reporting on the next-generation iPhone and how it will feature a larger display.

Samsung and Google could be taking a cue from Apple's new ads that feature celebrities since the company is reportedly creating its own commercial that features Hollywood megastar George Clooney.

Facebook users can now walk the in the footsteps of Jesus during his time on Earth with the new online game titled "Journey of Jesus: The Calling."

Relentlessly Relational

By Greg Stier

We should long to see everyone in our circle of influence (and outside of it for that matter) receive the forgiveness, life and hope of Jesus. We should be relentlessly relational with our classmates, co-workers, teammates, neighbors, family members and friends. We should be relentlessly relational with strangers.

OPINIONS

Would Jesus Approve of Same-Sex Marriage?

By Jerry Newcombe

jesus painting by da vinci

It was one thing for President Obama to call for the legalization of same-sex marriage. But it was quite another to say that it's Jesus who causes him to embrace this position. Today people sometimes say that Jesus never condemned homosexuality.

LIVING

8 Things to Keep in Mind in Regards to Conflict at Work/Church

By Perry Noble

Perry Noble

Email DOES NOT WORK! It often drags out the conflict way longer that it should be. It can easily be misinterpreted, thus causing new conflicts.

U.S.

Should Tithing Count as 'Charitable Giving?'

By Nicola Menzie

tithe

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was recently criticized for counting money given to his Mormon church and affiliated charities as charitable giving. The issue has sparked the question is it "charitable giving" when the faithful donate or tithe to their churches if it is not directly aiding the poor or doing similar work?

MISSIONS

North American Mission from Judsons to Global Christianity

By Todd M. Johnson

Burmese refugee

It might be tempting, on this 200th commissioning anniversary of the first ordained American foreign missionaries, to directly attribute the current status of global Christianity to their courageous obedience to the Great Commission. Even limiting the scope of their influence to Burma, the commendable work of these missionaries would produce a very incomplete explanation for the growth of Christianity around the world from 1812 to 2012.

Why Every Christian Is a Disciple

By Dan Delzell

Dan Delzell

There is plenty of talk these days about which term or terms to use when defining those who belong to Christ. I know it can be tempting to want to define "disciple" differently than you define "Christian."

THEOLOGY

Can People Who Have Never Heard of Jesus Be Saved?

By Lillian Kwon

cross

Pastors confronted with questions and some dissent over the idea that no one can be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ are reaffirming what they assert is a hard yet clear truth.

OPINION

Ghoulish 'Art:' The Body Worlds Exhibit

By Eric Metaxas

body worlds

Why should we care about how human corpses are treated? Your answer depends on your worldview.

THEOLOGY

What the Bible Really Still Says About Homosexuality

By Kevin DeYoung

bible

It is simply not true that Paul, or Jesus for that matter, never considered homosexuality an ethical matter. Paul thought the prohibition against homosexuality in the Old Testament was still relevant and the sin was still serious.

COLUMN

The Christian's Ultimate Graduation

By Lane Palmer

Students attend a 2009 graduation ceremony at Notre Dame.

I remember watching each of my friends as they crossed the stage to receive their diploma and being smacked with the reality that I had blown chance after chance after chance to share the love of Christ and the gospel of salvation with them.

OPINION

Playing the Stooge: Georgetown and Kathleen Sebelius

By Eric Metaxas

Georgetown University

How has the nation's oldest Catholic University responded to the HHS mandate? I almost don't want to tell you.

DANGEROUS CALLING

Ministry: Kingdom of Self or Kingdom of God?

By Paul Tripp

Paul tripp

It took God employing pastoral hardship for me to embrace the inescapable reality that everything I did in ministry was done in allegiance to, and in pursuit of, either the kingdom of self or the kingdom of God. This truth is best exegeted for us in Matthew 6:19-34. I'm convinced that this passage is an elaborate unpacking of the thoughts, desires, and actions of the kingdom of self.

EVENTS

Chuck Colson Honored as 'Champion' of Christian Faith at Memorial Service

By Katherine T. Phan

Patty Colson, Chuck Colson Memorial

The impact that evangelical leader and Prison Fellowship Ministries founder Charles W. "Chuck" Colson left on the lives of his family, friends and the Christian world was celebrated during a public memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday.

SERIES

How Should the Church Love a Gay Couple? (Part 2)

By Jeff Schapiro

new york gay marriage

Behind the church's debate over homosexuality, behind the theology and the politics, lies a community of people who need Jesus Christ. Regardless of a church's stance on homosexuality, understanding gay couples and how they view the church may provide some key insights into how this group of people can be better reached with the Gospel.

COLUMN

Helping Someone Escape Sin Is Not Judgmental

By Dan Delzell

stress

Do you ever get the feeling these days that if you tried to help someone you love escape from sin, you might be accused of judging that person? You are not alone if you feel this way.

FAMILY

The Greatest Untapped Evangelistic Opportunity Before the Modern Church

By Scott Brown

Come What May

There are many mission fields, but family presents what may be the greatest untapped evangelistic opportunity before the church today. What is at stake is the salvation of millions of children under the evangelistic and discipleship ministry of fathers and mothers in the home. This is not the only mission field, to be sure, but it is perhaps the most neglected mission field before the church in our time.

INTERVIEW

Jonathan Haidt on Social Conservatives, New Atheists and Civility in Politics

By Napp Nazworth

Jonathan Haidt

In his new book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Religion and Politics, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychology professor at University of Virginia, argues that our intuitions come before our reasoning and our reasoning is usually a post-hoc justification for those intuitions. As a result, humans do a horrible job at understanding those with whom they disagree.

COUNSELING CORNER

How to Answer Arguments in Favor of Abortion

By June Hunt

June Hunt

Imagine it's your first night hosting a national call-in counseling broadcast. The program is live, your calls aren't screened and no topic is taboo. The theme music plays ... the producer counts down the seconds ... "three, two, one, you're on!" Then, you hear these exact words: "I was attacked two months ago, and I am pregnant through rape."

CP BLOG

Are You A Disciple or a Christian?

By John Dillard

jesus

Did you know that the term Christian is only used three times in the New Testament? I didn't. Never really thought about it until I heard someone refer to it the other day. So I decided to check it out and sure enough they were right. Guess what else?

CONNECT

Get Free Breaking News Alerts!

Daily News

Weekly News

Preview:  Daily » | Weekly »