| Headlines for Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 |
MARK TOOLEY: Bin Laden’s Death Discomfits Religious Left
From the safety of his London palace, the Church of England’s Archbishop of Canterbury is questioning whether the U.S. Navy Seals’ killing of Osama Bin Laden exemplified “justice.” “The killing of an unarmed man is always going to leave a very uncomfortable feeling because it doesn’t look as if justice is seen to be done,” Rowan Williams told a press conference at Lambeth Palace. “I don’t know full details any more than anyone else does. But I do believe that in such circumstances when we are faced with someone who was... MORE | CHRISTIAN POST: How God Is Using Death in the Middle East to Bring Life to End-Times Fulfillment
There appears to be a significant "death" theme surfacing in the Middle East. First, there was the beginning of the deaths of Middle East regimes. There was Tunisia; then there was Egypt. Both of these regimes died, but we are not yet sure what will replace them. Tunisia is struggling to become democratic, while the young dissidents who propelled the revolution in Egypt also sought democracy, but who knows if that will be the initial government there. Hopefully, in the near future, we can add the Bashar al-Assad regime of Syria to the list of the departed. The amazing persistence of the Syrian dissidents, the infighting of Assad clans, and "targeted sanctions" against the Assad regime are all key signals that the Assad Syrian regime is on the way out. MORE | | | |
ALBERT MOHLER: The Trial that Still Must Come — The Death of Osama bin Laden and the Limits of Human Justice
Osama bin Laden is dead. President Obama spoke with clarity and resolution when he addressed the American people last week: “Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.” ...The death of bin Laden was fully justified as an act of war, but not as an act of justice..there are two troubling aspects that linger. The first is the open celebration in the streets. While we should all be glad that this significant threat is now removed, death in itself is never to be celebrated. Such celebration points to the danger of revenge as a powerful human emotion. Revenge has no place among those who honor justice. Retributive justice is sober justice. The reason for this is simple — God is capable of... MORE |  | | | |
HERMAN CAIN: Let's Get Real!
"Fellow patriots of this exceptional nation, the United States of America, we need real economic growth. We need a real energy independence plan. We need real national security clarity. But most of all, we need real leadership, and not more political position-ship. God bless you, and God is blessing America." That was my 30-second closing statement at the South Carolina Republican Presidential debate on May 5, 2011. Since we were only allowed 30 seconds to close, I was forced to severely narrow my usual seven critical issues down to three, which I consider co-critical No. 1 issues that we must solve for the survival of this nation. We must solve all of the issues, which I discuss in Common Sense Solutions at HermanCain.com, and we can solve them. But they all start with robust economic growth, energy policy and clear foreign policies. MORE | PRACTICAL SHEPHERDING: What About the Preacher Who Argues With His Wife Before Church On Sunday Morning?
... There are significant implications for the pastor and his wife who have a conflict that goes unresolved leading into the Sunday morning service. Ours started on a Saturday night. In a rare moment in our marriage, the hurt and frustration went unresolved and carried over into Sunday morning. We drove to church still struggling. We both chose not to go to Sunday school...The problem was I was suppose to preach in one hour. What is a pastor to do in that moment? MORE | | | |
Jesus in the Rice Fields: China's Countryside Revival
Christianity is thriving in China. Even though sharing the gospel is illegal in the communist country, that hasn't stopped Christians from boldly proclaiming their faith. CBN News recently joined one Chinese couple who are traveling the vast countryside to share the good news about Jesus Christ with their countrymen. Duan Huilai said the images captured on his home video camera... MORE | Chinese House Churches Petition for Religious Freedom
House churches in China are employing new methods to push the government to peace- fully resolve tensions between the Commun- ist Party and the largest unregistered church in Beijing. Despite the pressure traditionally put on unregistered "house churches," clergy from dozens of these churches are petitioning China's legislature to guarantee the religious freedom of Shouwang Church. MORE | Air Force Academy Creates Chapel for False Religions
A former Navy chaplain who was forced out of service for praying in Jesus' name while in uniform is outraged that the military is going out of its way to accommodate the spiritual needs of pagans and atheists, who complain there is "too much Jesus" at military acade- mies...The center is geared toward earth- centered movements like Wicca, paganism, the New Age and Druids. MORE | | | | | WATCHER'S LAMP: Blood Taken from Pope John Paul To Be Used by Catholic Church as a Relic
Blood taken from Pope John Paul II during his final hospital stay will be used as the official relic for veneration after he is beati- fied. The Vatican made the announcement yesterday, ending speculation over what relic would be presented during Sunday's beatifi- cation. In a statement, the Vatican said four small vials of blood had been taken from John Paul during his final days... MORE |  | R.W.GLENN: Full of the Spirit or Full of Yourself?
In Eph 5:18 we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. And I would argue that you can't be full of the Spirit when you're full of yourself. There's no room for your ego and the Spirit of Christ. It's one or the other. But the question is this: how do we empty our- selves of ourselves? You might think that by ferreting out your pride and striving for humility , you'll achieve the self-emptiness in which the Holy Spirit thrives. MORE |
Navy Chaplains to Perform Gay ‘Marriages’ in Naval Chapels
Anticipating the elimination of the military ban on homosexuality, the Office of the Chief of Navy Chaplains has decided that same-sex couples in the Navy will be able to get married in Navy chapels. | WSJ Report: Housing Crash is Getting Worse
If you thought the housing crisis was bad, think again. It’s worse. New data just out from Zillow, the real-estate information comp- any, show house prices are falling at their fastest rate since... | Tuscaloosa Mayor: Prayer Helping After Tornado
The mayor of Tuscaloosa, Ala., says prayer has helped carry him through the aftermath of the tornado that devastated his city on April 27. | Essential Christianity: Don't Take Revenge
"Live at peace with everyone, do not take revenge" was the entreaty that Apostle Paul made to Christians 2,000 years ago. It's the same plea that evangelical pastor Alistair Begg made to the church on Sunday. | Military Urged to Change Limit on Home School Recruits
The Home School Legal Defense Association is urging U.S. military officials to adjust the Armed Forces recruiting policy so that more home schoolers can enlist. | Overlooking the Most Essential Element of an Effective Sermon
...the first element we must discuss regarding truly effective sermons – sermons riddled with spiritual life for the dead, spiritual help for the troubled, spiritual strength for the weary – is the necessary role of the Holy Spirit in preaching. | KEN SILVA: ON THE FEAR OF GOD
...It pains me to share this with you, but anyone who loves Jesus and His Church, and has any amount of discernment can’t help but see the drift into a New Downgrade. | ROBIN PHILLIPS: Solzhenitsyn Among the Postmoderns
I recently wrote an article about Solzhenitsyn's approach to post- modernism. Although Solzhenitsyn is best remembered for his books attacking communism, what is generally less appreciated is that he was also a fierce critic of postmodernism. |
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 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 |  |
///////| Headlines for Monday, May 9th, 2011 |
 | USA TODAY: American Pulpits Address bin Laden Death
The killing of Osama bin Laden, a man who was America's face of evil for nearly a decade, left Christians, Jews and Muslims relieved, proud or even jubilant. For their religious leaders, it was sometimes hard to know just what to say about that.There is at least some dissonance between the values they preach and the triumphant response on the streets of New York and Washington to the death of a human being — even one responsible for thousands of killings in those areas and around the world. The Rev. Bill Kelly, priest at Saint Mary of the Assumption in Dedham, Mass., near Boston, said he was taken aback by the celebrations because he detected bloodlust. Christians should rejoice that justice was done, but not that another human being was destroyed, he said. At the same time, Kelly said, the emotional reaction is understandable. "This is 10 years of pent-up anger, hurt, frustration...," he said. MORE | | | |
WND: Obama Adviser Says American Freedom, Equality Are Just 'Myths'
President Obama's faith adviser, Eboo Patel, blasted what he called the "myths" of America – describing them as beliefs that the country is "a land of freedom and equality and justice." Patel explained how he used the "faith-based movement" to channel his rage at America "in a direction far more compassionate and far more merciful." Patel, a Muslim activist from Chicago, further implied that had he grown up in the 1960s, he may have joined the terrorist group led by William Ayers. MORE | Half of Americans Believe U.S. Christians Persecuted
Almost half of Americans believe that Christians in the United States are being persecuted by homosexual "marriage" advocates who take legal action against them over their religious beliefs, and almost one in three Democrats believes such treatment is "necessary," according to the alarming results of a new poll... The scientific telephone survey was conducted April 19-21 and has a margin of error of 3.23 percentage points. It found that 49.2 percent of all respondents consider the legal activism against Christians and their beliefs regarding homosexuality to be "persecution." ...More than two of three Republicans called it "persecution of Christians," along with 45 percent of independents. Even 33% of Democrats had he same answer. But 31% of Democrats, as well as 12% of Republicans and 24% of independents, said, "Such tactics are necessary." MORE | | | |
AARON BLUMER: Why Harold Camping is Wrong About
May 21st Being 'Rapture Day'
Last year Harold Camping of Family Radio caught the attention of national media by displaying a series of billboard ads declaring that Christ would return on May 21, 2011. Apparently, a significant number of Christians believe his interpretation of the Bible. Many others have reacted with scorn...Harold Camping does not really know the day. May 21, 2011, is still a possibility, but not for any of the reasons Camping and his followers have claimed. Here’s why. Camping et. al. build their case for a May 21 rapture on two pillars. The first is that the faithful can know—indeed, will know—the date of Christ’s return...The second pillar of Camping’s case for May 21 gets pretty technical. The short version is that calculations based on this and that indicate that May 21, 2011, is the day. MORE |  | | | |
AP: FRAUD AMONG THE FAITHFUL
Economic struggles are common today -- and churches are not immune. The sin of fraud is rearing its ugly head among those entrusted with handling the finances. In Sullivan IN, a third man has been sentenced to prison by an Indiana judge for his role in a scheme through which prosecutors say investors were bilked out of $6 million they thought was going toward church construction projects. Jonathan Reeves has been sentenced to eight years in prison on his guilty pleas in a Sullivan County court to 10 felony counts of securities fraud. His father, Vaughn Reeves, was sentenced in December to 54 years in prison for the scheme involving the family's shuttered Sullivan-based church-bond company, Alanar. MORE | As Muslim Population Booms, Are We Seeing Last of Europe as We Know It?
We are living through the self-extinction of the European civilization that shaped the age we live in. In his new bestselling book “Civilization,” renowned Harvard historian Niall Ferguson writes: “If the Muslim population of the UK were to continue growing at an annual rate of 6.7%, its share of the total UK population would rise to 8% in 2020, to 15% in 2030 and to 28% in 2040, finally passing 50%in 2050.” Ferguson is not alone in using the term.... MORE | | | |
 | In Tornado-Ravaged Bible Belt, Churches Mobilize To Help
The call for help came the morning after a killer tornado pulverized a section of Birmingham 10 days ago. Gordon Smelley and his "chainsaw gang" of 11 from the First Baptist Church in Clanton, Alabama started their trailer and headed out. "I don't have a lot of money to give, but I can give a few hours work to help people the best way I can," said Smelley, 72, a retired electrician for the Alabama Power Company. Calls like the one to Smelley were repeated across the ravaged Deep South of the United States, dubbed the "Bible Belt" for its strong religious tradition. Churches led the cleanup and comfort after dozens of tornadoes left more than 300 people dead and some communities little more than piles of rubble. These are not naive, disorganized do-gooders. They are professional volunteers with first class equipment and meticulous training. MORE | | | |
Summer War in the Middle East?
Spring has come to the Middle East - not the Arab spring, unfortunately - and it is time for the annual billion-dollar question: will there be a big summer war? Indeed, it is a question worth multiple billions of dollars, as it has been codified into an elaborate ritual featur- ing ever-shifting alliances, incidents, threats, ever-accelerating arms procurement, and large speculation on the markets. MORE |  | London Serves as Islamic Hub for Radicalizing Muslims
Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza, two preachers who lived off state benefits after claiming asylum, are identified by the American auth- orities as the key recruiters responsible for sending dozens of extremists from through- out the world to Pakistan and Afghanistan via London mosques. The leaked WikiLeaks documents illustrate how Britain... MORE | | | | | DAVID BAUDER: Preaching Worth Listening To
Different versions of fundamentalism are characterized by different visions of preach- ing. Fundamentalists do not agree among themselves about what makes good preach- ing. To some, good preaching is primarily evangelism. To others it is primarily exhort- ation. To still others it is primarily explan- ation of the biblical text. Some envision preaching primarily as oratory, some see it as entertainment, some exposition. MORE | FORMER NAVY SEAL: Bin Laden, Combat & the Christian
Ten years ago I was an active duty Navy SEAL deployed to the Middle East; today I am the senior pastor of Valley Baptist Church contemplating the death of Osama Bin Laden. Every now and again I have these moments where my two worlds sort of collide. Today is one of them. The Internet is a fury of news... The chatter has inspired me to blog on a topic that is near and dear to my heart -- The Christian and Combat. MORE |  |
Egypt: Muslim Mob Attacks Christians...Churches Burned
Egypt's military rulers have reacted swiftly to attempts to burn down a pair of churches in a Cairo slum during sectarian riots that killed 10 people by referring 190 people to military trial. | Air Force Academy Welcomes 'Earth-Centered' Religions
Religious groups such as New Age, paganism, Wicca, and Druids now have a chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy. | New Fears of Overdue 'Mega' Earthquake in US Northwest
The north-west coast of the U.S. could be devastated by a huge movement of undersea plates known as a ‘megathrust’ earthquake, scientists say. | AM THINKER: May Christians Preach Near a Philly Mosque?
Law enforcement scrutiny, detainment by police, and a court date to answer trumped-up charges: these are the consequences of preaching Christianity to Muslims not only throughout much of the Islamic world, but sometimes even in America as well. | AM THINKER: Playing Politics with Islamic Terrorism
If ever we needed proof that politics is a land of make believe, the recent killing of Osama bin Laden is it...In truth, the reign of Al Qaeda hasn't been ended. In fact, this terrorist organization... | AM THINKER: Slouching Toward Palestine
In September, probably with very little prodding, the U.N. General Assembly will take up the issue of membership for "Palestine." | Joyce Meyer's Ex-Bodyguard Convicted of Murder
Christopher Coleman, the former security chief for televangelist Joyce Meyer, was found guilty this week of murdering his family. Jurors also determined that he is eligible for the death penalty. |
| Church Mission Trip to Costa Rica Ends In Tragedy
Kai Lamar wanted nothing more than to serve God and help others, so his family had no reservations about him traveling from the U.S. to Costa Rica to take part in a religious mission there. | NY TIMES: David Barton, Christian Advisor to Conservatives
....a former school principal and an ordained minister, has steadily built a reputation as a guiding spirit of the religious right... | Southeast Asia Open to 'New Concept' -- The Gospel
After receiving training from Global Outreach International, a missionary to Southeast Asia is heading back to the mission field. | CHRIS CASTALDO: The Hemorrhaging of the Catholic Church
Sometimes churches bleed, and in America this is occurring most acutely in the Roman Catholic Church where one out of every ten Americans is an ex-Catholic. | Lady Gaga's 'Judas,' Anything But a Religious Statement?
Will pop sensation Lady Gaga be stoned for her latest “Judas” music video? Not before she stones herself, she says. | Did bin Laden's Burial at Sea Follow Muslim Law?
Was bin Laden's burial religiously appropriate? And what's in store for bin Laden's afterlife? An expert weighs in | Sioux City Church Files For Bankruptcy
A Sioux City, Iowa, church that faced a sale of its assets at auction has filed for bankruptcy. | Muslim Scholars Pulled From Delta Plane In Memphis
Two Muslim scholars headed to a conference on American fears of Islam were pulled from a morning flight on Friday, and were later told that the pilot had refused to fly with them aboard. |
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