Prayer News | Where Christians Pray Through the News

Prayer List: Covid-19 Global Menace

Cases of Covid-19, the Wuhan Coronoavirus, have been reported in more than 200 nations and more than 80,000 people have died. – Stats from Wikipedia

Orders to stay at home are preventing normal funeral services for the victims. Some families and friends of the deceased are experiencing deep depression.

Severe economic problems are also on the horizon for the unemployed.

Prayer List

  • Pray for the Holy Spirit to comfort the families and friends of people that have died from Covid-19.
  • Pray for a rapid recovery for those who are sick.
  • Pray for safety for doctors, nurses and family members caring for the sick.
  • Pray for financial needs to be met for people financially struggling after losing a job or receiving fewer work hours.
  • Pray for the spiritual needs of people to also be met.
  • Pray for opportunities to share God’s love and hope to people that are depressed from these circumstances.

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Assemblies of God News

  • newSevenfold Blessings
    Entrepreneurial church-involved couple adopts a vanload of children.
    - 2 hours ago 16 Sep 21, 2:00pm -
  • newThis Week in AG History -- Sept. 13, 1941
    Wherever they went, missionaries Melvin and Lois Hodges were strong proponents of developing indigenous churches around the world.
    - 4 hours ago 16 Sep 21, 12:00pm -
  • new“Why” or “No Matter What”
    We could operate by constantly asking “Why?” or move forward driven by the determination to fulfill God's plan no matter what.
    - 24 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 4:00pm -
  • 'Your Daughters Will Prophesy'
    Missionary Raegan Glugosh shares her testimony -- how God prepared her to minister and brought her to a position of leadership.
    - 1 day ago 15 Sep 21, 12:00pm -
  • Reluctant Missionary to the North
    Mexican Josue Martinez finds his ministry niche to Mexicans — living in Arkansas.
    - 1 day ago 15 Sep 21, 12:00pm -

Baptist Press

  • newFIRST-PERSON: 5 things I’ve learned about children’s ministry and volunteers
    Children’s Ministry is difficult in a lot of ways. It’s not even working with kids that makes it so challenging. Instead, having enough people ready and able to serve is the most difficult part.
    - 19 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 9:19pm -
  • newKentucky pastor arrested for sex abuse; charges dropped
    CLAIBORNE COUNTY, Tenn. (BP) – Rape charges have been dropped against a southeast Kentucky pastor, according to the Claibourne County Assistant District Attorney.
    - 19 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 8:38pm -
  • newGeorgia Baptist Mission Board announces layoffs amid continual CP decrease
    DULUTH, Ga. (BP) – Another round of layoffs along with other budget cuts are part of an ongoing effort “to right-size our organization so that we will be able to continue to live within our means,” Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director Thomas Hammond told Baptist Press today.
    - 19 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 8:35pm -
  • newLitton talks crises, stewardship of suffering at SWBTS
    FORT WORTH (BP) – In a conversation during chapel at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Tuesday (Sept. 14), Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton addressed topics ranging from God’s work through suffering, racial reconciliation, the crisis facing the SBC Executive Committee and the accusations of plagiarism that have dogged him since early in his presidency.
    - 19 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 8:32pm -
  • newBaptists celebrate 150 years of ministry in Brazil
    SANTA BÁRBARA D’OESTE, Brazil (BP) – Baptist work in Brazil has grown from a small group of people 150 years ago to 15,000 congregations and 3.5 million people today.
    - 21 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 6:42pm -

Christian Headlines

Christian Newswire

  • newNew Book Reimagines Holistic Pro-Life Care, Calls & Equips Churches and Readers to Better Help Those Faced with an Unplanned Pregnancy
    Authors Brittany Smith & Natasha Smith Embark on Two-Week Book Tour to Mardel Christian Bookstores in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas"Women would rather go to God with an abortion than face their church with an unplanned pregnancy. It's time for us to do better when it comes to loving and caring for these women." -- Brittany Smith and Natasha Smith, Save the StorksNEWS PROVIDED BYICON Media GroupSept. 16, 2021COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 16, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ --&nbs Source: Icon Media Group
    - 31 mins ago 16 Sep 21, 3:29pm -
  • newPlight of Children: Tens of Thousands Rescued from Human Trafficking, Unsanitary Conditions, Poverty, and Dehumanization
    NEWS PROVIDED BYTeresa Tomeo CommunicationsSept. 16, 2021MEDIA ADVISORY, Sept. 16, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- International speaker and author Kevin Wells is on a mission to bring awareness of the plight of children facing a future of poverty, human trafficking, and dehumanization across the world. He resigned from his job as a sports writer to now bring light to how people of all faiths can help children worldwide. "What we are now witnessing in Afghanistan is tragic and hopefully op Source: Teresa Tomeo Commmunications
    - 5 hours ago 16 Sep 21, 11:00am -
  • newBiola University Dedicates 22,000 Square Feet to Arts and Media
    NEWS PROVIDED BYBiola UniversitySept. 15, 2021LA MIRADA, Calif., Sept. 15, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Biola University's Bardwell Hall has been newly renovated into a brand-new, state-of-the-art creative space for the Department of Art. Featuring individual studio spaces and outdoor exhibition areas to computer labs and galleries, there is no shortage of ways for students to engage with Biola's vibrant art community. Biola will dedicate Bardwell Hall as the new home of the Department Source: Biola University
    - 17 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 11:22pm -
  • newAttorney Sidney Powell: Future of the Republic Depends on Investigations of Elections
    NEWS PROVIDED BYTruth & Liberty CoalitionSept. 15, 2021WOODLAND PARK, Colo., Sept. 15, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Though the Democrat candidate for president currently resides in the White House, investigations continue into what exactly happened in the 2020 election."I'm still looking for the truth," said attorney Sidney Powell. "We're finding more of it every day."Powell joined the Truth & Liberty Coalition livecast with Andrew Wommack, founder of Truth & Liberty Coalit Source: perini & associates
    - 18 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 10:12pm -
  • newAmerican Christian Donors Provide Ambulance to Israeli First Responders
    NEWS PROVIDED BYJones LiterarySept. 15, 2021JERUSALEM, Sept. 15, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Officials with Magen David AdomIsrael's paramedic organization and Red Crosssay that a generous gift of over $100,000 from American Christian donors in recent weeks will allow the organization to purchase a new ambulance that could stay in service for up to a decade and service over 10,000 patients.MDA has been working to replenish its fleet of ambulances (provided almost exclusively by d Source: Jones Literary
    - 19 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 9:05pm -

Christian Post

Christian Research Network

Christian Sentinel

  • newMy Moriel Memories Part III – by Jackie Alnor
    I’m looking through you, where did you go I thought I knew you, what did I know You don’t look different, but you have changed…The post My Moriel Memories Part III – by Jackie Alnor appeared first on The Christian Sentinel.
    - 18 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 10:06pm -
  • My Moriel Memories – Part II – by Jackie Alnor
    . . . there remains a pattern of behavior in the leadership of Moriel, a public ministry, of which there appears to have been no change in practice or policy. The post My Moriel Memories – Part II – by Jackie Alnor appeared first on The Christian Sentinel.
    - 3 days ago 13 Sep 21, 4:43pm -
  • “My Moriel Memories” – Part 1 by Jackie Alnor
    To those of us who know Jacob Prasch well, we could see a visible change in his countenance as the bitterness over his demotion in the church took hold and exiled him to the fringe.The post “My Moriel Memories” – Part 1 by Jackie Alnor appeared first on The Christian Sentinel.
    - 7 days ago 9 Sep 21, 8:38pm -
  • Important censored information we’ve all seen — rolled into one little animated presentation
    https://rumble.com/vld7mp-what-you-need-to-know-before-taking-the-j-a-b.html [THE FOLLOWING IS THE OPINION OF AN ANONYMOUS RESEARCHER WHO HAS FOLLOWED THE ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE SAGA  AND SEEN THIS UNFOLD AS PRESENTED –…The post Important censored information we’ve all seen — rolled into one little animated presentation appeared first on The Christian Sentinel.
    - 29 days ago 18 Aug 21, 6:57pm -
  • GREAT AWAKENING OR DEEP SLEEP? by Jackie Alnor
    We are in the time of a global great apostasy – the entire Western Civilization that was founded upon biblical principles has now, to coin a phrase by the late Francis Schaeffer, morphed into “a post-Christian world.”The post GREAT AWAKENING OR DEEP SLEEP? by Jackie Alnor appeared first on The Christian Sentinel.
    - 63 days ago 15 Jul 21, 7:21pm -

Christianity Today

  • Died: Marilyn Laszlo, Bible Translator Who Inspired Missionaries to ‘Come By Here’
    The passionate storyteller spent nearly a quarter century developing written language and Scripture for a Papua New Guinea village.Marilyn Laszlo always considered herself a “Hoosier farmgirl.” The 88-year-old died last week just a few miles from her family’s nine-acre property outside Valparaiso, Indiana. But the news of her death was felt most deeply in a village on the other side of the world.A missionary and Bible translator known for her bold faith and powerful storytelling, Laszlo spent 24 years living in the Hauna Village in Papua New Guinea. There, she formulated a written language and translated the Bible for the once-unreached Sepik Iwam people, starting by carving words into banana leaves.When she passed away from Alzheimer’s on September 9, village leaders launched a five-day mourning ritual called a “house cry” in Laszlo’s honor, covering themselves in mud, grieving, and planning commemorations for a woman who changed their community forever.The ministry efforts she began in Hauna more than 50 years ago—including a church, school, and clinic—continue to this day. They have turned the riverside village into a hub for the region. Up until the COVID-19 outbreak, Lazslo’s sister and ministry partner Shirley Killosky taught and served in Hauna full time.“Marilyn’s legacy is still touching lives in Hauna Village and across the world,” said John Chesnut, president and CEO of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Laszlo was sent to Hauna through Wycliffe in 1967 and later served as a speaker for the ministry, before launching her organization, Laszlo Mission League, in 2003. “Praise God that this faithful servant is now in the presence of her Savior.”Laszlo’s story of persistence in the face of a challenging mission field was retold in documentaries, memoirs, ...Continue reading...
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  • ‘Political Evangelicals’? More Trump Supporters Adopt the Label
    Surveys show evangelical identity holding steady over the last presidency, but with more complicated partisan connotations for the church.Despite tense polarization, there was no mass exodus from evangelicalism by white evangelicals who disliked Donald Trump nor by evangelicals of color during the four years of his presidency, Pew Research Center found.According to analysis released Wednesday, more Americans started identifying as born-again or evangelical Protestants between 2016 and 2020 than stopped calling themselves evangelicals. The boost came almost entirely from white Trump supporters.Among those who didn’t consider themselves evangelicals when the former president was elected, nearly 1 in 6 had begun identifying as evangelicals by 2020. Just 1 percent of white Americans who did not favor Trump made the same switch.The findings complicate an already fraught discussion around the future of the evangelicalism and the political baggage the label carries in the United States.“Evangelicalism is not collapsing, despite the enthusiastic predictions of its detractors. However, what it is becoming I think is worthy of more conversation,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. “There are significant implications to the fact that significant numbers of white Trump supporters now identify as evangelical or born again. We don’t know why, and correlation does not always mean causation, but there is more to study here.”In the past two presidential elections, white evangelical Protestants made up a core voting bloc for Trump, as they did for previous Republican candidates, including Mitt Romney, John McCain, and George W. Bush. But “just 30% of non-White voters who identify as born-again or evangelical Protestants (including just 12% of Black evangelical voters) reported casting a ballot ...Continue reading...
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  • Evangelical Colleges Join Effort to Promote Faith in the Vaccine
    A campaign to educate campuses about COVID-19 vaccination shifts from persuading the hesitant to making it easier for the willing.Last week, as President Joe Biden was announcing a new vaccine mandate for large workplaces, students at more than 100 Christian colleges were trying to persuade their communities to get the shot voluntarily.Since those between the ages of 18 and 29 are among the least likely to be hospitalized or to suffer serious illness or death due to COVID-19, swaths of young people didn’t get the shot as soon as it became available earlier in the year.Dozens of evangelical schools belonging to the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) have joined an interfaith effort called Faith in the Vaccine, designed to recruit students and faculty to help inform their communities about vaccination and recognize the role religious identity might play in people’s hesitation.“This was not about hounding people into getting the vaccine or shaming them if they were hesitant,” said Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith Youth Corps (IFYC), which launched the effort last spring and has disbursed $4 million to fund the campaign so far. “It was very much about engaging with great respect and sensitivity … and helping them kind of talk their own way into vaccination.”Nearly 50 CCCU member schools signed up for the program. IFYC, along with medical professionals from the Rush University Medical School, trained campus ambassadors in conversational tactics and medical information about the vaccines.But what started out as a campaign to promote education around vaccination within these faith communities has shifted to efforts to actually get shots in arms. The Faith in the Vaccine ambassadors, according to IFYC, have helped promote or host hundreds of clinics and events across the country, accounting for ...Continue reading...
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  • Religious Exemption Requests Spike as Employers Mandate Vaccine
    Some white evangelicals, the faith group most likely to refuse to get the shot, join thousands in citing “sincerely held” religious beliefs. About 3,000 Los Angeles Police Department employees are citing religious objections to try to get out of the required COVID-19 vaccination. In Washington state, hundreds of state workers are seeking similar exemptions. And an Arkansas hospital has been swamped with so many such requests from employees that it is apparently calling their bluff.Religious objections, once used sparingly around the country to get exempted from various required vaccines, are becoming a much more widely used loophole against the COVID-19 shot.And it is only likely to grow following President Joe Biden’s sweeping new vaccine mandates covering more than 100 million Americans, including executive branch employees and workers at businesses with more than 100 people on the payroll.The administration acknowledges that some small minority of Americans will use—and some may seek to exploit—religious exemptions. But it said it believes even marginal improvements in vaccination levels will save lives.It’s not clear yet how many federal employees have requested a religious exemption. The Labor Department has said an accommodation can be denied if it causes an undue burden.In the states, mask and vaccine requirements vary, but most offer exemptions for certain medical conditions or religious or philosophical objections. The use of such exemptions, particularly by parents on behalf of their schoolchildren, has been growing over the past decade.The allowance was enshrined in the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which says employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees who object to work requirements because of “sincerely held” religious beliefs.A religious belief does not have be recognized by an organized religion, ...Continue reading...
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  • Died: David Yonggi Cho, Founder of the World’s Largest Megachurch
    The Korean Pentecostal promoted cell groups and gifts of the Holy Spirit for church growth.David Yonggi Cho, the Korean Pentecostal who founded the world’s largest megachurch, died on Tuesday at the age of 85.Cho and his mother-in-law started a church in Seoul in 1958 in a tent pieced together from bits of US Army tents. Yoido Full Gospel Church, affiliated with the Assemblies of God, grew to a weekly attendance of about 800,000 people in seven Sunday services, with hundreds of licensed ministers and thousands of laypersons leading weekly small groups of 10 to 15 people.Cho popularized the idea of cell groups, arguing they are key to discipleship and to fostering the intimate connections that tie individuals to a large and growing church. He also promoted Pentecostal practices of prayer and healing as essential to dynamic church growth.“I myself was devoted to praying with a do-or-die desperateness,” Cho told the journal Church Growth. “When we apply God’s word in our lives and experience God’s dispensation, we are empowered by God. Christians who believe in Jesus receive the Holy Spirit. … One only finds empty pews in many European churches. What caused it? The reason is that European churches have betrayed the Holy Spirit.”Billy Watson, president of Oral Roberts University, called Cho “one of the great leaders of the Spirit-Empowered movement” and predicted his legacy would impact Christians for generations.Cho was born on February 14, 1936, in the rural county of Ulju. His father owned a glove and sock manufacturing company, but it went bankrupt during Cho’s childhood, forcing him to make his own way in the world.He learned English from hanging around American military bases, and by the age of 15 began to work for the troops as a translator.Continue reading...
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Forum 18 News Service

  • RUSSIA: Suspended sentence, though she did "nothing apart from study Koran"
    After a trial lasting more than six months, Naberezhnyye Chelny City Court in Tatarstan handed 63-year-old Nakiya Sharifullina a two-year suspended sentence on 31 August on "extremism" charges to punish her for meeting with others to study the works of Muslim theologian Said Nursi. The case followed police raids on the homes of 20 women in March 2020. Sharifullina, who has "a number of serious illnesses", denied any guilt and insisted she had done "nothing apart from study the Koran", her lawyer Ruslan Nagiyev noted. He has lodged an appeal. Seven Jehovah's Witnesses have been given prison terms on extremism-related charges since late June.
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  • KAZAKHSTAN: Fines, bans for offering religious materials for sale
    So far in 2021, courts have fined 26 people and given 2 verbal reprimands for offering for sale religious literature or other religious objects, such as icons, vinyl records and Koran stands, without state permission. Almost all the fines were of three weeks' average wage. Anti-extremism police identified two people in Oskemen offering icons for sale online, who were both fined. Nurgali Kabylov, Head of the Expertise (Censorship) Department of the Information and Social Development Ministry's Religious Affairs Committee, refused to explain why the state imposes compulsory prior censorship on all religious literature and items in defiance of its international human rights commitments.
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  • BELARUS: Administrative, criminal charges for evicted Church's outdoor worship?
    At a meeting in Parliament and two letters, officials warned New Life Pentecostal Church that continuing to meet for worship in the car park of their seized church in Minsk could lead to administrative or criminal prosecution (maximum punishment four years' imprisonment). The Church vows to continue its worship. "The authorities may initiate criminal charges as they told us at the Council of the Republic meeting," Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko told Forum 18. "This is possible, given that they have gone as far as throwing us out of the building without compensation and imposing debts." City and state religious affairs officials refused to discuss the threats.
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  • RUSSIA: Post-sentence: Curfews, regular registration, movement restrictions, job bans
    Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslims jailed on "extremism"-related charges for exercising freedom of religion or belief face years of restrictions once the sentence ends. With sudimost (the state of being a convicted person with an active criminal record), they risk harsher punishment if prosecuted again. Courts can impose post-sentence restrictions on freedom and administrative supervision, entailing curfews, movement restrictions, and regular registration with police or probation authorities. Individuals are barred from certain jobs. Many have bank accounts blocked for years. Jehovah's Witnesses have also been banned from leading or participating in religious organisations. Those fined or given suspended sentences face shorter restrictions.
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  • KAZAKHSTAN: New controls on religious meetings: delayed, abandoned or imminent?
    The Information and Social Development Ministry is proposing various amendments to the Religion Law and the Administrative Code. One Religion Law amendment would impose new bureaucratic procedures on state-registered religious communities wanting to hold religious meetings away from state-registered places of worship. This would affect any religious community which does not own its own building, as well as communities that want to hold a pilgrimage or other event away from their place of worship. The Prime Minister's Office ordered the Religion Law amendments be removed from the proposed Law on Social Control, but the provision remains in draft amendments from July, seen by Forum 18.
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Get Religion

  • Was this a story? Why? Mississippi governor talks about heaven and Southern anti-vax trends
    Here’s a complex question that is worthy of serious research by journalists: Are people who believe in heaven less likely to feel the need to get vaccinated against COVID-19?Now, lots of people believe in eternal life and the vast majority of them believe — no matter what their level of faith or practice — that they are headed straight to heaven when they die. Belief in hell? That’s another matter.Ah. But who, according to most media stereotypes, are the folks who REALLY believe in heaven? In particular, what kind of person would let that belief affect their actions in the real world (which means issues of political policy and public health)?Obviously, we’re talking about those dang White evangelical Protestants. Right?That brings us to a recent headline at The Daily Memphian (“the primary daily online publication for intelligent, in-depth journalism in the Memphis community”) that caught the eye of some GetReligion readers. The emails I received made it clear that some people were mad about this story for different reasons. Hold that thought.First, the headline: “Miss. Gov.: South’s response to COVID impacted by belief in ‘eternal life’.” Then, here is the overture: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves believes religion has a lot to do with the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During a … fundraiser at the Eads home of Shelby County Election Commission Chairman Brent Taylor, Reeves spoke to several dozen Republicans. “I’m often asked by some of my friends on the other side of the aisle about COVID … and why does it seem like folks in Mississippi and maybe in the Mid-South are a little less scared, shall we say,” Reeves said. “When you believe in eternal life — when you believe that living on this earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don’t have to be so scared of things,” he said, but added: “Now, God also tells us to take necessary precautions. And we all have opportunities and abilities to do that and we should all do that.
    - 15 days ago 1 Sep 21, 5:30pm -
  • Everything the media will cover about Afghanistan is bound up with a rigid form of Islam
    Two weeks ago, the Religion Guy looked at the future of world Islam and the media after Afghanistan's Taliban takeover. Herewith a look backward with a bit of historical and cultural perspective for writers covering this turbulent and tormented land.As University of Washington political scientist Anthony Gill commented in the Wall Street Journal, "Despite the seeming irrelevance of religion in the secular West, policy-makers and military strategists would do well to understand its power elsewhere in the world." In the case of Afghanistan, one good source for that is "Holy Wars: The Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism" (Routledge, 1989, reissued 2014) by British journalist Dilip Hiro, a native of Pakistan.A big theme emerges: Anything and everything that has occurred and will occur is bound up with an especially rigid form of Islam that dominates Afghan culture. In rural villages across the countryside, where most live, mullahs with rudimentary schooling are part of the influential elite establishment.Time and again over the past century, monarchs tried to tame the clergy and impose a somewhat flexible form of Islam only to be defeated by populist rancor. Among the issues: whether to educate girls, child marriage, modern dress vs. the veil and burqa, whether women can leave their houses without male chaperones or hold down jobs, women voting, alcohol prohibition, polygamy rules and whether to permit banks when the religion bans charging of interest.Hiro writes that Afghanistan was "a landlocked society which clung to medieval Islam and tenaciously resisted modernization well into the last quarter of the 20th Century." The media have well and amply surveyed the following eruptions since a 1973 military coup abolished the monarchy.Soviet troops invaded to prop up a Marxist regime and produced the militant Muslim movement (1979). U.S.-aided Mujahideen forces won Soviet withdrawal (1989). The Taliban emerged from the resulting confusion to impose harsh theocracy (1996). Western powers and Afghan allies expelled Taliban rulers for harboring the 9/11 plotters (2001). The Taliban rapidly regain power (August, 2021).
    - 15 days ago 1 Sep 21, 12:45pm -
  • Reporting on faith-based investment guru Cathie Wood? Do your homework (better)
    Investments aren’t my specialty at all, but I was lured to a New York Times business story recently that was headlined: “God, Money, YOLO: How Cathie Wood Found Her Flock.” (YOLO means “you only live once.”)Hmm, I thought, an article about Christian investing? After all, this woman manages some $85 billion in assets. A superstar in the world of investing, she is known for her risky moves and appeal to the Reddit/Millennial crowd.So, after 20 paragraphs describing the CEO of Ark Invest, we finally got to the God part.It happened in the 21st paragraph, just after a mention about Wood speaking to business and religious groups about her late-career decision to start her own investment shop. It began, she says, with a head-on encounter with the Holy Spirit. On a gorgeous day in August 2012, Ms. Wood — a fund manager struggling through a rough quarter at AllianceBernstein — was struck by the silence inside her stately home in Wilton, Conn. Her three children were gone, off to camp and other activities for the summer. She was facing two full weeks alone in the nearly 6,000-square-foot house she bought with her ex-husband in the 1990s. Then she felt it. “Wham,” Ms. Wood said last year on the “Jesus Calling” podcast, which is centered on the devotional writings of the best-selling Christian author Sarah Young. “I really feel like that was the Holy Spirit just saying to me, ‘OK, this is the plan.’”“Jesus Calling,” for those of you who’ve lived on Pluto for the past few decades and have never heard of it, is one of the most successful devotional aids of all time. Thirty million units of this book -– and associated products –- have sold since 2004, when the one-time reclusive missionary to Australia (now living near Nashville) first published a devotional with words allegedly from Jesus himself.Its fans claim that its words are what Jesus would sound like today if living in the 21st century. Its detractors call it theologically shallow and New Agey.
    - 16 days ago 31 Aug 21, 3:59pm -
  • Rabbit hole warning for journalists: When is a 'Catholic priest' not a 'Catholic priest'?
    There are few religion-beat rabbit holes deeper and more twisted than the world of alternative and splinter Catholic churches and the bishops and priests who lead them.Be careful out there, folks. Long ago, I spent days chasing the “apostolic succession” claims of a U.S. Postal Service carrier in a Denver suburb who was a mail-order archbishop in one of the hundreds of “Old Catholic” flocks linked to various schisms after Vatican I or II. Some alternative Catholic of these flocks are conservative and some are liberal. Some have actual parishes. To tip your toe into these troubled waters, click here.Religion-beat professionals are aware that not all people — men and women — who say they are Catholic priests are actually Roman Catholic priests. As Mollie “GetReligionista emerita” Hemingway said more than a decade ago, just because someone says that he or she plays shortstop for the New York Yankees doesn’t mean that this claim is true. Someone in the House of Steinbrenner gets to make that call.I say this because of the small, but educational, waves of social-media chatter the other day about the testimony of Father Gabriel Lavery at an Ohio legislature hearing linked to a bill that would prohibit vaccine mandates.Eyebrows were raised when Lavery, during a discussion of the current pope’s support for COVID-19 vaccines, said that he doesn’t recognize Pope Francis as pope because “you have to be a Catholic to be the pope.”There’s a sound bite for you. As scribes at The Pillar noted: In another clip, the priest said of Francis that “there are many clergy, bishops around the world who have simply have looked at the obvious, that his teachings on many things contradict Catholic teaching, and it’s a simple basic principle of Catholic theology — you can’t be the head of the Church if you don’t profess the Catholic faith.” The priest’s remarks have attracted attention, and have been covered in some press reports with little mention of his ecclesiastical status. In some accounts, he has been identified as a parish pastor.As I noted earlier, religion-beat professionals know to ask questions about clergy folks of this kind — who play essential roles, for example, in the history of ordination claims in the the Womenpriests, WomenPriests or Women Priests movement. General-assignment reporters covering these events often quote what the activists are saying about their credentials and that is that.
    - 17 days ago 30 Aug 21, 3:59pm -
  • Plug-In: Is Afghanistan a religion story? If so, it may be the year's biggest religion story
    A few weeks ago, realizing how quickly 2021 was racing toward 2022, I made a mental note of the year’s top religion stories so far.On my quick list: Christian nationalism at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Battles over pandemic-era worship restrictions. Faith’s role in vaccine hesitancy. The biggest Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in many years. The Communion drama between President Joe Biden and U.S. Catholic bishops. Jewish connections to the Florida condo collapse.Nowhere in my mind: Afghanistan.But now — especially after the suicide bombings in Kabul on Thursday — it’s looking as if news (much of it tied to religion) in that war-torn nation will dominate headlines for weeks and even months.As I noted last week, it’s impossible to keep up with all the rapid-fire developments, but these stories delve into compelling religion angles:• Stranded at the airport (by Mindy Belz, World)• Taliban follow strict Islamic creed that doesn’t change with the times, scholars say (by Mark A. Kellner, Washington Times)• Taliban’s religious ideology has roots in colonial India (by Sohel Rana and Sumit Ganguly, ReligionUnplugged.com)• Who is ISIS-K, the group officials blame for the Kabul airport bombings? (by Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)• Desperate Afghan Christians turned away at airport, aid groups say (by Alejandro Bermudez, Shannon Mullen and Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency)• Kabul airport attacks strand Afghan contacts of Christian humanitarians (by Cheryl Mann Bacon, Christian Chronicle)
    - 17 days ago 30 Aug 21, 1:00pm -

ID the Future (Podcast)

  • Michael Denton Discusses The Miracle of the Cell
    New research keeps unveiling ever more ways in which this fine tuning exists, from the cosmos to the atoms of the periodic table, even to the subatomic level of quantum tunneling.
    - 12 Oct 20, 9:31pm -
  • Michael Denton: Remarkable Coincidences in Photosynthesis
    On this episode of ID the Future from the vault, we listen in on a few minutes from a lecture given by Australian biochemist Michael Denton, author of the brand new book The Miracle of the Cell. In this segment, Denton explains the “remarkable set of coincidences” that makes the creation of oxygen through photosynthesis possible. From the specific energy of visible light to the unique properties of water, this degree of fine tuning for life shouts intelligent design. For more on how the cosmos is designed for life, watch Discovery Institute’s documentary Priviledged Species, featuring Michael Denton.
    - 9 Oct 20, 7:16pm -
  • Dr. Michael Denton on Evidence of Fine-Tuning in the Universe
    On this episode of ID the Future from the vault, Casey Luskin sits down with Dr. Michael Denton, a Senior Fellow of the CSC who holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Denton is the author of Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, which has been credited with influencing both Phillip Johnson and Michael Behe, as well as Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal Purpose in the Universe, which elaborates on the evidence of design in nature.
    - 7 Oct 20, 11:29pm -
  • The Demise of the Artifact Hypothesis
    Paleoentomologist Günter Bechly makes the case that recent findings have put the nails in the coffin of this “artifact hypothesis.” He goes on to argue that these findings are “not just a tiny problem but a fatal problem” for modern Darwinism.
    - 5 Oct 20, 7:28pm -
  • Scott Turner on Purpose in Nature, Part 2
    On this episode of ID the Future from the vault, Rob Crowther continues his conversation with J. Scott Turner, biologist at the State University of New York (SUNY), visiting scholar at Cambridge University, and author of the new book Purpose and Desire: What Makes Something “Alive” and Why Modern Darwinism Has Failed to Explain It. Turner critiques evolutionary biology’s bias toward mechanistic and gene-centric thinking, and contemporary biology’s failure to come to grips with the evidence of purpose and intentionality at many levels of biology. Viewing the brain as a computer, for example, obscures many things about the brain and the mind that exceed computers, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
    - 2 Oct 20, 8:55pm -

International Missions Board

Julie Roys Report

  • newPastor Offers to Sign COVID Vaccine Exemption if You Donate to His Church
    An Oklahoma pastor and political candidate says thousands of people have downloaded a COVID-19 vaccine exemption form he’s provided. It’s meant to be signed by one’s pastor. But if another pastor won’t sign it, he says, he will — on certain conditions.People must like the church’s social media page and give at least a dollar to the church. Then they’ll be his church members.“If your pastor’s not willing to, then I will sign it for you, but in order for it to carry some weight you would need to become a member of the church,” said pastor Jackson Lahmeyer of Sheridan Church in Tulsa. 
    - 45 mins ago 16 Sep 21, 3:15pm -
  • newBoy Scouts Reach $1.9 Billion Settlement Related to Sex Abuse Charges
    One of the primary insurers of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced Tuesday that it has reached a tentative settlement agreement with the organization and with attorneys representing tens of thousands of men who say they were molested decades ago by scoutmasters and others.Under the agreement, insurance company The Hartford will pay $787 million into a fund to be established for the men, the company said in a news release. In exchange for the payment, the Boy Scouts organization and its local councils have agreed to release The Hartford from further liability regarding sexual abuse claims. 
    - 20 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 8:00pm -
  • newThe Gospel of Sherri Tenpenny: COVID-19 Misinformation Meets Christian Nationalism
    Testifying to Ohio state legislators in June, an osteopathic doctor from Cleveland suggested that COVID-19 vaccines could “magnetize” people’s bodies, or, alternatively, allow them to “interface” with cellphone towers.“They can put a key on their forehead and it sticks,” Dr. Sherri Tenpenny said during her testimony before members of the Ohio House of Representatives considering a proposed ban on vaccine mandates.Medical professionals, of course, have spelled out that the coronavirus vaccines don’t do anything of the sort, and video of Tenpenny’s remarks — shared widely on social media — quickly became a case study in how conspiracy theories and misinformation have spread during the pandemic. 
    - 23 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 5:00pm -
  • RZIM Donors Fight to Get Records Showing if Their Money Financed Abuse
    Donors to Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) say their money financed Ravi Zacharias’ predatory sexual misconduct. And they’re asking a Georgia court to force RZIM to turn over years of financial records to prove it.Ravi Zacharias, who died in 2020, was known worldwide as a Christian apologist. However, his pattern of abusive and predatory behavior since at least the mid-2000s came to light starting in 2017. A third-party investigation is reportedly underway examining how RZIM’s culture, policies and practices permitted Zacharias’s misconduct to go on for so long. 
    - 1 day ago 15 Sep 21, 2:30pm -
  • Twitter Permanently Bans Greg Locke, Pro-Trump, Anti-Vax Pastor
    A Tennessee pastor known for controversial stands on COVID-19 and the 2020 election has been banned from the social media giant Twitter.“Twitter just permanently suspended my account. Welcome to America,” Greg Locke said in a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon.Pastor of the independent Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, just east of Nashville, Locke was a relatively unknown figure until he discovered the power of social media in the wake of the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationally.  
    - 2 days ago 15 Sep 21, 12:20am -

Life News

  • newMore Babies Will be Saved From Abortion in Texas, Hearing on Biden Demand to Block Ban Delayed Two Weeks
    Unborn babies in Texas will continue to be saved from abortion for now, despite the Biden administration’s efforts to stop the life-saving new heartbeat law. On Wednesday, a federal judge scheduled a hearing for Oct. 1 to consider the U.S. Department of Justice’s emergency request to block the Texas law, The Epoch Times reports. The two […]The post More Babies Will be Saved From Abortion in Texas, Hearing on Biden Demand to Block Ban Delayed Two Weeks appeared first on LifeNews.com.
    - 34 mins ago 16 Sep 21, 3:26pm -
  • newPortland Protests Texas Abortion Ban By Spending $200,000 to Kill More Babies in Abortions
    Portland, Oregon is one of the most liberal cities in America — so much so that its mayor allowed Antifa and other domestic terrorists to take over portions of the city, threatening residents and closing down businesses. Not only does Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler not care about his own city’s residents, he doesn’t care about […]The post Portland Protests Texas Abortion Ban By Spending $200,000 to Kill More Babies in Abortions appeared first on LifeNews.com.
    - 1 hour ago 16 Sep 21, 2:49pm -
  • newLeaked Document Shows Joe Biden Taking Orders From Planned Parenthood
    The Biden administration hurriedly pushed through a new pro-abortion rule to benefit Planned Parenthood and other abortion groups at the expense of American taxpayers, according to a document leaked to The Federalist this week. The leak involves the Biden administration’s plans to eliminate a measure that protects taxpayers from being forced to secretly fund the killing of […]The post Leaked Document Shows Joe Biden Taking Orders From Planned Parenthood appeared first on LifeNews.com.
    - 2 hours ago 16 Sep 21, 1:55pm -
  • newMSNBC Host Joy Reid Says Republicans “Love COVID So Much” They Want People to Die
    In what may have been her ugliest rant ever, MSNBC’s The ReidOut host Joy Reid told tens of millions of Republicans, conservatives, and right-leaning Americans on Wednesday that we “love Covid so much” that we “want it everywhere” to murder as many people as possible, “drink” COVID “in a Kool-Aid cup,” have it “injected into” our […]The post MSNBC Host Joy Reid Says Republicans “Love COVID So Much” They Want People to Die appeared first on LifeNews.com.
    - 3 hours ago 16 Sep 21, 1:25pm -
  • newMan Who Stabbed Pregnant Woman Won’t be Prosecuted for Killing Her Unborn Baby
    A man who stabbed a pregnant woman multiple times in Belgium will not be prosecuted for the death of her unborn baby. On Monday, in the Belgian province of Liège, a man, named only as Aslan, stabbed a woman numerous times in the face and neck after an argument broke out. The mother is currently […]The post Man Who Stabbed Pregnant Woman Won’t be Prosecuted for Killing Her Unborn Baby appeared first on LifeNews.com.
    - 17 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 11:14pm -

Mennonite Central Committee

  • The great Mwenezi cook-off
    All of Joseph Gudo’s hard work was summed up in one small plate of food.
    - 8 days ago 8 Sep 21, 4:00am -
  • 'Thank you for not leaving us alone'
    Boxes of canned meat and relief kits from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) brought joy and relief to recipients who are struggling to recover from the Aug. 14 earthquake that devastated the southern peninsula of Haiti.
    - 14 days ago 2 Sep 21, 4:00am -
  • Canning meat for the world
    Header photo: Volunteers from local churches work together to can meat at the MCC Material Resources Center in North Newton, Kansas, in November 2020. (MCC photo/Heidi Huber)
    - 17 days ago 30 Aug 21, 4:00am -
  • Crisis in Afghanistan
    On August 15, 2021, Afghanistan once again came under Taliban rule. The situation is causing uncertainty about the country's economic and social future. 
    - 20 days ago 27 Aug 21, 4:00am -
  • Haiti Earthquake 2021 | Video
    We invite you to watch this message of gratitude from MCC in Haiti, Raquel Conde Guevara, to donors supporting our response to the August 2021 earthquake. MCC is working with Haitian partner organizations to evaluate the best way to respond.
    - 21 days ago 26 Aug 21, 4:00am -

MinistryWatch

Religion News Service

  • newSome abortion foes question tactical wisdom of new Texas ban
    The wariness relates in part to the law’s most novel feature, which some critics view as an invitation to vigilantes: It provides no enforcement role for public officials and instead authorizes private citizens to sue anyone they deem to be assisting in an abortion.The post Some abortion foes question tactical wisdom of new Texas ban appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 1 hour ago 16 Sep 21, 2:56pm -
  • newAs COVID-19 vaccine mandates rise, religious exemptions grow
    An estimated 2,600 Los Angeles Police Department employees are citing religious objections to try to get out of the required COVID-19 vaccination. In Washington state, thousands of state workers are seeking similar exemptions. And in Arkansas, a hospital has been swamped with so many such requests from employees that it is apparently calling their bluff. […]The post As COVID-19 vaccine mandates rise, religious exemptions grow appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 1 hour ago 16 Sep 21, 2:44pm -
  • newCommittee wants to file own plan in Boy Scouts bankruptcy
    DOVER, Del. (AP) — A committee charged with representing tens of thousands of alleged victims of child sex abuse in the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy asked the judge on Wednesday to terminate the BSA’s exclusive rights to file a reorganization plan, so that it can file its own. The committee’s court filing came hours […]The post Committee wants to file own plan in Boy Scouts bankruptcy appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 1 hour ago 16 Sep 21, 2:37pm -
  • newUnderneath all the makeup, who was the real Tammy Faye?
    (The Conversation) — The subject of a new biopic, Tammy Faye was a televangelist icon. But she also represented another side of the evangelical coin – one that was big-hearted, vulnerable and accepting.The post Underneath all the makeup, who was the real Tammy Faye? appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 1 hour ago 16 Sep 21, 2:32pm -
  • new‘Imagine’ at 50: Why John Lennon’s ode to humanism still resonates
    (The Conversation) — The former Beatle’s classic 1971 song is taken by many as an atheistic anthem.The post ‘Imagine’ at 50: Why John Lennon’s ode to humanism still resonates appeared first on Religion News Service.
    - 2 hours ago 16 Sep 21, 2:28pm -

Trinity Foundation

  • NDAfree – Opposing the Practice of Churches and Ministries Silencing Victims
    During an episode of Leah Remini’s TV series about Scientology, a chilling strategy from L. Ron Hubbard is displayed onscreen. “Dominance of others is a control system. We are not looking for pleasant control–we are looking for effective control.” Sometimes, there is little difference between Scientology and churches that claim to be Christian. Pastors and […]
    - 38 days ago 9 Aug 21, 6:18pm -
  • Blowback: Joel Osteen’s Lifestyle Target of Twitter Criticism
    Don’t believe every criticism of televangelists on social media. After a series of tweets and memes claiming that televangelist Joel Osteen drove a Ferarri spread rapidly accross Twitter in mid-July, Trinity Foundation attempted to verify the car ownership but found no evidence of Osteen owning a Ferrari. Snopes, the fact checker, came to the same […]
    - 38 days ago 9 Aug 21, 5:47pm -
  • Informants Wanted: Online Questionnaire for Victims of Religious Fraud
      Trinity Foundation has created an online questionnaire for informants to report religious financial fraud. If you have witnessed religious fraud, theft or financial excess, please let us know about it. Tips play an important role in solving crimes and exposing bad behavior. According to attorney Stephen Martin Kohn, author of The New Whistleblower’s Handbook, […]
    - 38 days ago 9 Aug 21, 5:29pm -
  • Calculating the Cost of Ministry-Owned Aircraft Flights
    Let’s take a look at one of the most expensive days so far in 2021 for church, ministry and Christian university aircraft trips. We tracked eight aircraft on March 19, 2021. It is possible that more than $100,000 could have been saved by flying commercial rather than using privately-owned aircraft.   List of aircraft owners: […]
    - 62 days ago 16 Jul 21, 9:02pm -
  • Seeking Your Assistance
    Trinity Foundation has compiled a database of more than 50 church, ministry and Christian university aircraft, but have been unable to identify aircraft that several televangelists are using. If you know the N-numbers of such aircraft, please contact us.  Thank you for supporting our work. Confidential informants are always welcome.  
    - 65 days ago 13 Jul 21, 9:39pm -

United Methodist News Service

  • newLeading Sierra Leone after tragedy
    Interim Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr. reflects on the past year leading the Sierra Leone Conference and shares his hopes for the future.
    - 2 hours ago 16 Sep 21, 2:11pm -
  • newSupporting Wesleyan evangelism amid pandemic
    In this time of global pandemic, World Methodist Evangelism continues its 50 years of work equipping people to share Christ’s love across continents.
    - 23 hours ago 15 Sep 21, 4:58pm -
  • A call to examine United Methodist real estate
    As more houses of worship close or seek to redevelop their property, individual congregations must collect and assess data to determine their future.
    - 1 day ago 15 Sep 21, 2:20pm -
  • Reyes, jurist for nation and church, dies
    Justice Ruben T. Reyes served on both the Supreme Court of the Philippines and the top court of The United Methodist Church.
    - 2 days ago 14 Sep 21, 7:07pm -
  • Celebrating Asbury’s impact on 2 shores
    The 250th anniversary of Francis Asbury’s crossing of the Atlantic from England to America is being celebrated jointly by the Methodist Church of Britain and The United Methodist Church.
    - 2 days ago 14 Sep 21, 5:57pm -

The World And Everything In It (Podcast)

  • new9.16.21 Veterans and PTSD, food assistance, and no earthly significance
    Josh Schumacher reports on how veterans already struggling with PTSD are dealing with the end of the war in Afghanistan; Myrna Brown talks to AEI’s Angela Rachidi about the Biden administration’s expansion of federal food assistance; and Amy Lewis visits a New Jersey church that learned a lot about grace and humility through the death of one of its least significant members. Plus: commentary from Cal Thomas, the king of hairballs, and the Thursday morning news.Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from Ambassadors Impact Network … supplying more than 10 million dollars in growth capital … and enabling entrepreneurs to show and share Jesus through their businesses. More at ambassadorsimpact.com From Dordt University. Degrees in engineering, nursing, social work, and more – all from a Christ-centered worldview. More at Dordt.edu/apply And from Mission Focused Men for Christ Sunday Night Podcast--helping dads winsomely guide their kids into a biblical worldview. Mission Focused Men for Christ on your podcast app.
    - 9 hours ago 16 Sep 21, 7:15am -
  • 9.15.21 Washington Wednesday, World Tour, and radio in North Korea
    On Washington Wednesday, Mary Reichard talks to WORLD’s Jamie Dean about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the future of the Republican Party; on World Tour, Onize Ohikere reports on international news; and Les Sillars tells the story of a special radio program broadcasting hope to North Korea. Plus: commentary from Joel Belz, potty training cows, and the Wednesday morning news.Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from Mission Focused Men for Christ Sunday Night Podcast--helping dads winsomely guide their kids into a biblical worldview. Mission Focused Men for Christ on your podcast app.  From Ambassadors Impact Network, a group of faith-driven investors who finance companies led by gospel-advancing entrepreneurs. More at ambassadorsimpact.com And from Dordt University. Degrees in engineering, nursing, social work, and more – all from a Christ-centered worldview. More at Dordt.edu/apply.
    - 1 day ago 15 Sep 21, 7:14am -
  • 9.14.21 Vaccine mandates, California recall, and ministry to missionaries
    Sarah Schweinsberg reports on the potential fallout from President Biden’s sweeping vaccine mandates for American workers; Mary Reichard talks to political analyst Kyle Kondik about California’s gubernatorial recall election; and Hayley Schoeppler meets a man with a mission to minister to missionaries. Plus: commentary from Kim Henderson, the best catch of the game, and the Tuesday morning news.Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from Dordt University. Degrees in engineering, nursing, social work, and more – all from a Christ-centered worldview. More at Dordt.edu/apply.From Mission Focused Men for Christ Sunday Night Podcast--helping dads winsomely guide their kids into a biblical worldview. Mission Focused Men for Christ on your podcast app. And from Ambassadors Impact Network … supplying more than 10 million dollars in growth capital … and enabling entrepreneurs to show and share Jesus through their businesses. More at ambassadorsimpact.com
    - 2 days ago 14 Sep 21, 7:15am -
  • 9.13.21 Legal Docket, Moneybeat, and History Book
    On Legal Docket, Mary Reichard and Jenny Rough meet the first blind woman to clerk for the Supreme Court; on the Monday Moneybeat, Nick Eicher talks to David Bahnsen about the latest economic news; and on History Book, Katie Gaultney recounts significant events from the past. Plus: an accidental power outage, and the Monday morning news.Support The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donate. Additional support comes from Ambassadors Impact Network, a group of faith-driven investors who finance companies led by gospel-advancing entrepreneurs. More at ambassadorsimpact.com And from Dordt University. Degrees in engineering, nursing, social work, and more – all from a Christ-centered worldview. More at Dordt.edu/apply. And from Mission Focused Men for Christ Sunday Night Podcast--helping dads winsomely guide their kids into a biblical worldview. Mission Focused Men for Christ on your podcast app.
    - 3 days ago 13 Sep 21, 7:15am -
  • Legal Docket: Behind the Scenes - Clerks and Marshal's Aides - S2.E5
    Find out what it's like to work as a law clerk for a Supreme Court justice. In this episode, hosts Mary Reichard and Jenny Rough talk with five law clerks, plus a Marshal's aide, for an inside peek at what goes on when the court is not in session.
    - 5 days ago 11 Sep 21, 7:00am -

World Magazine