The Underground -- Keeping the Faith: Learn to Let Go; and Learn to Grow Up


The Underground -- Keeping the Faith: Learn to Let Go; and Learn to Grow Up


Keeping the Faith: Learn to Let Go; and Learn to Grow Up

Posted: 16 Jul 2011 08:06 AM PDT


While at a soccer game this summer I was reminded of why there is so little peace in our world.

Parents from the two opposing teams almost came to blows and bloodshed while watching from the bleachers. This wasn’t a game with the World Cup at stake. These were five-year-olds on the field.

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed, but only after copious amounts of pushing and shoving, after the air had been singed blue with profanity, and the threat of involving law enforcement was made.

It made me wonder what these five-year-old witnesses had to say after the game as the juice boxes and orange slices were passed out.

The Hebrew word for anger literally means to “blow out your nostrils” or to “smoke.” That’s apropos, for we all know what it is like to get that fire burning and boiling on the inside, only to have it explode out the chimney of our mouths, minds, and fists. Truly, few things have the incendiary power of anger let off the leash.

How much pain has anger caused each of us by fueling words that can never be recalled, actions that can never be undone, and memories that can never be erased?

How many divorces, wars, irreconcilable differences, failed business partnerships, murders, errant texts and emails, and soccer field assaults have been the result of primal, fully vented rage?

We know the painful answer to these questions, but we may not have considered the answer to this question: Why does anger seem to get the best of us?

I have three young men in my home with lots of testosterone coursing through their veins. Somebody is jack-slapping mad most every day, and I often ask, “Why are you so angry?”

My children never give me a straight answer to that question. Oh, I get an answer; it usually involves finger-pointing with artery-and-eye-bulging blame toward another person. Yet, other people are not the source of our personal anger. They play a role, certainly, but the source of anger is usually internal, not external.

Now, is there such a thing as justifiable anger? Yes. Is there anger that is right and just? Absolutely.

But genuine “righteous indignation” is a rarity. The anger that most often consumes us is the anger of offense. We feel insulted, disrespected, or that our rights have somehow been dishonored.

Our rage is rather self-centered, the result of others not doing what we want or expect them to do.

I have a hunch that most of our anger stems from a lack of maturity. See, we move from childhood to adolescence and adulthood when we realize the world does not revolve around us.

It’s no wonder the teenage years are full of such rage and angst. In addition to puberty, galloping hormones, changing bodies and changing family relationships, there is this social coming of age that informs us we are not the center of the universe.

Some of us have had our growth stunted at precisely this stage. We are stuck in an adolescent state of immaturity and perpetual offense. This is as equally true of soccer moms and little league dads as it is of war-makers and politicians.

We want everything and everybody to orbit around our shining sun, to do and behave as we demand. Frankly, this is a formula for frustration, for it demands of others and the world what cannot be given.

So how do we calm the burning fire within us? Well, we can control everything and everybody around us, forcing them to comply with our will (Let me know how that works out for you), or we can grow up.

Francois de Fenelon said it simply: “The moment you stop wanting everything your way, you will be mature. Until then, your life will be full of trouble and agitation.”

We don’t have to live with this kind of anger. We can let go of our pride and self-centeredness, and release our grip on our always defended rights. We can learn to let go, and thus, learn to grow up.

Ronnie McBrayer is the author of “Leaving Religion, Following Jesus.” He writes and speaks about life, faith, and Christ-centered spirituality. Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.net.

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The Underground -- Question of the week: Losing my salvation?

The Underground -- Question of the week: Losing my salvation?


Question of the week: Losing my salvation?

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 05:53 PM PDT


Question: “Can a Christian lose salvation?”


Answer:
Before this question is answered, the term “Christian” must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer, or walked down an aisle, or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what “makes” a Christian. A Christian is a person who has, by faith, received and fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? Perhaps the best way to answer this crucially important question is to examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation, and to study what losing salvation would therefore entail. Here are a few examples:

A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse speaks of a person becoming an entirely new creature as a result of being “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be canceled and reversed.

A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The word “redeemed” refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase that He paid for with the precious blood of Christ.

A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To “justify” means to “declare righteous.” All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared.

A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is a promise of eternity (forever) in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be taken away. If a Christian is promised to live forever, how then can God break this promise by taking away eternal life?

A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). As we learned in Romans 5:1, justification is declared at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification is guaranteed for all those whom God justifies. Glorification refers to a Christian receiving a perfect resurrection body in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.

Many more illustrations of what occurs at salvation could be shared. Even these few make it abundantly clear that a Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation cannot be reversed. A Christian cannot be un-newly created. Redemption cannot be undone. Eternal life cannot be lost and still be considered eternal. If a Christian can lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and change His mind—two things that Scripture tells us God never does.

The most frequent objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle (1 John 3:6). The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian (1 John 2:19). Therefore, neither objection is valid. Christians do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.

No, a Christian cannot lose salvation. Nothing can separate a Christian from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28-29). God is both willing and able to guarantee and maintain the salvation He has given us. Jude 24-25, “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

Recommended Resource: Eternal Security by Charles Stanley.

Christians, Muslims unite against UK housing ban on religious artifacts

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 05:49 PM PDT


Both Muslim and Christian elderly residents in a housing complex in the UK are upset at a ban that was issued recently against religious artifacts from being displayed on the premises.

The ban was announced in a letter that was sent to residents of all 40 flats in St. Paul’s Court in Preston, Lancashire, which also requested that they take down any religious icons and signs that may disturb the community.

Not allowed

Both Christians and Muslims criticized the ban that was imposed on St. Paul’s Court, which is run by Places for People.

One resident told The Mirror, “Some people are very old and their faith is important to them. What harm can there be in having a small statue of Jesus or Our Lady on view?”

The resident also told The Mirror, “Last Christmas we were told to not display a crib, and decorations were discouraged.”

The letter announcing the ruling said, “The reason being that St. Paul’s Court is a sheltered housing scheme which promotes diversity amongst its residents and visitors.”

As a result, it encouraged the elderly residents to take it upon themselves to become champions of “equality and diversity,” according to The Daily Mail.

The staff members of Places for People are taxpayer funded, and their salaries are taken from housing benefits that are given to residents. A spokesman for the group could not specify to The Daily Mail what exactly was meant by “offending” items.

Residents were however asked to remove a number of religious signs and statues, even though the home is named after St. Paul, the apostle who has authored almost half of the books of the New Testament.

Dignity, respect

“I would describe this as removing people’s dignity and respect in their own age. I would ask them to put themselves in the position of their own residents,” Father Andrew Teather, minister of Preston Minster told The Daily Mail.

Teather told The Daily Mail, “I have never found any religious tension between people of different faiths, although one often finds antagonism from people who are not themselves religious towards people who are.

“Rather than having to appoint equality and diversity officers, why don’t they encourage people to speak to their next door neighbors?”

Teather’s sentiments were echoed by a Muslim leader, Salim Desai, who is a local councilor of Preston City.

Desai told The Daily Mail, “Yes, I think they should look at it again. I don’t know why they came to this decision, or what the underlying complaints are. I think they should think again.”

“We get a lot of our morals from religion and I would prefer people to follow religion, Christian or Muslim, and have morals, rather than no morals at all,” Desai told The Daily Mail, adding, “They are causing more problems than they are solving.”

Father Timothy Lipscomb told Mirror that the ruling is “ridiculous,” noting, “Political correctness is getting silly.”

Two new books talk about experiences of Muslims who convert to Christianity

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 05:45 PM PDT


Two books are now available in the market that talk about the conversion of former Muslims to Christianity.

The first book, “Out of Darkness Into Light,” talks about the personal accounts of 13 men and women who were formerly Muslims, but who converted after experiencing Christ in supernatural ways through dreams, visions and miracles.

The website of the book says that Out of Darkness is not so much about changing one’s religion, as it is about the experience of becoming one of God’s children and entering the family of God through Jesus.

The book is described as “easy to read and inspiring,” and it offers the reader a glimpse into a culture that people who grow up in the Islamic faith experience.

It is advised as a good read for those who would like to share the gospel with Muslims, and may also be useful for those who feel that they don’t reflect God’s love for Muslims in their own hearts.

The author of the book uses the pseudonym, Ali Abdel-Masih, which means “believer in the Messiah.” The author describes himself in the book as a strong Muslim who initially worked to convert Christians to the Islamic faith.

Masih describes his conversion as the experience of a presence when he was alone in his house. “The Holy Spirit fell on me. I knew Jesus was standing in the room with me and that He was the Son of God.”

Masih said in the book that he was such a strong Muslim that only an experience like this could help him to know Jesus in a personal way and to be changed by him.

As a result, Masih ministered to other Christians in the Middle East, and was surprised to hear many stories similar to his own, of people who experienced God through visions and dreams.

Masih’s book contains nuances and questions that Muslim readers may relate to. He contends that many Muslims most likely had experienced visions but may not yet fully understand its meaning.

At the same time, Christians stand to benefit from this book by becoming acquainted with the heart that God has for Muslims and learning of the openness that Muslims can have to the gospel when they have a touch from the Lord.

From Terror to Freedom

A second book on the market is entitled “From Terror to Freedom,” authored by Mano Bakh (a pseudonym), who formerly worked with the Imperial Navy of Iran.

The book tells of how Bakh escaped from the Navy when Islamic radicals took over the country in 1979. Included is a graphic description of the slaughter of some of the brightest citizens in the country, and of his personal experience as a hunted man.

Bakh also describes his life before 1979, including friendships that he made as a serviceman for 26 years, and how these same bonds were critical in his darkest hours in aiding and abetting his escape from the country.

Bakh cites in his book the need to separate Sharia law from Islamic spirituality, and calls on moderate Muslims to take their religion back from extremism.

Rights groups appeal for freedom, medical treatment for ailing blind activist in China

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 05:41 PM PDT


Chen Guangcheng, a blind lawyer who was imprisoned on trumped up charges after exposing China’s inhumane forced abortions as a result of its one-child policy, is badly in need of medical treatment.

China Aid and Women’s Rights Without Frontiers have joined forces to call for the immediate release of Chen and his family so that he can get badly needed medical treatment immediately.

Chen and his wife have been harshly beaten relentlessly, and Chen’s elderly mother and five-year-old daughter have been treated cruelly (see  http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/06/letter-from-wife-of-chinese-blind-activist-reveals-graphic-details-of-torture-16345/).

Chen Guangcheng and his wife

A petition by Women’s Rights Without Frontiers was sent to China’s president Hu Jintao and its prime minister Wen Jiaobao requesting Chen’s release from house arrest and asking that he receives appropriate medical care as a free man.

The letter says, “On February 9, 2011 Chen released a video describing the deplorable conditions of his house arrest. The next morning, Chen and his wife, Yuan Weijing, were “beaten senseless.”

“We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned for the suffering and brutal treatment of Chen and his family. We call upon the Chinese government to free Chen from house arrest immediately and to get him the medical care he so urgently needs,” the letter said on its website.

“Chen’s wife sounded the alarm in a letter recently smuggled out of China. She said that Chen’s health is very fragile and worsening every day because of beatings, malnutrition and an intestinal illness,” Reggie Littlejohn, President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, stated.

“She is worried about his survival. Chen sacrificed everything to tell the world the brutal truth about forced abortion in China. He is a warrior for women’s rights. Now it’s our turn to sacrifice on behalf of Chen by fighting for his freedom.”

China Aid also slammed China’s treatment of Chen. Bob Fu, president, said, “The abuse of Chen Guangcheng is unconscionable and contrary to the rule of law. His mistreatment under house arrest is deplorable, including beatings, constant surveillance, as well as confiscation of his computer, cell phone, books, his blind cane and the toys of his young daughter.”

Both China Aid and Women’s Rights Without Frontiers are lobbying for help from the international diplomatic community to intervene with the Chinese government on behalf of Chen.

They are also calling on concerned citizens to write to the embassies and consulates in their countries anywhere in the world on behalf of Chen.

Chen was cited by Time Magazine in 2006 as among the Top 100 People Who Shape Our World. The following year, he was awarded the 2007 Magsaysay award, which is considered to be the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize, for exposing the ills that are offshoots of China’s one-child policy.

Chen revealed that 130,000 abortions and sterilizations were enforced in Linyi County alone in 2005, against the wishes of the mothers. He was then imprisoned for four years and three months.

Although he was released in September 2010, the act seemed to be mere window dressing as house arrest has been no better than jail, and a video released by Women’s Rights equated the entire village, this time, as his prison.

Under house arrest Chen and his wife have been “beaten senseless,” are kept away from all contact with the outside world, are not permitted to have enough food, are constantly under watch even in their own home, and all their possessions have been taken away, including personal photographs and the toys of their children.

Those who wish to sign the petition may go to http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=chen-guangcheng#petition.

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The Underground -- Faith leaders meet to support bill for global religious freedom

http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: #888; font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Faith leaders meet to support bill for global religious freedom


Faith leaders meet to support bill for global religious freedom

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:57 PM PDT


Christian leaders and heads of other faith groups gathered recently in Washington D.C. to support a bill that will enhance U.S.foreign policy in support of global religious freedom.

The interfaith leaders attended a one-day conference, Stop Religious Persecution Now, at The Washington Times. Addressing the group was Suzan Johnson-Cook, the State Department’s ambassador-at-large for religious freedom.

“Everyone should have the right to believe or not believe,” Cook told the participants, adding, “That is their God-given right,” according to The Washington Times.

Included among the participants were Moslems, Sikhs, Hindus and other religious leaders, lawmakers, government officials, and citizen advocate groups for global religious freedom.

The conference was also designed to rally support for HR 1856, and to form a faith coalition to draw the attention of Congress, media and social networks towards issues of religious persecution.

The bill, authored by Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Virginia), will enhance the role of the State Department in advocating global religious freedom.

Also present at the conference was Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors. In his website he said of the event, “[The conference] not only focuses on Christians who face persecution, but people of all faiths who are persecuted for their beliefs. Nearly every global faith is represented at this conference.”

Moeller, in the Open Doors website described HR 1856 as “one of the most important initiatives to promote worldwide religious freedom.” First, because it reauthorizes the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which monitors religious freedom and makes independent policy recommendations to the President, for seven more years.

Second, it addresses weaknesses in the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act including ensuring that the IRF Ambassador reports directly to the Secretary of State.

Moeller said in the website, “All of these changes are critical to improving the way the US government promotes international religious freedom and helps us achieve our goal of serving persecuted Christians.”

Generally, it was felt that while persecution is not a major problem in the U.S., there is the issue of discrimination.

“The U.S. is surely one of the freest of countries,” Ramesh Rao of the Hindu America Foundation said, “but even we have discrimination problems,” citing problems the group has encountered in seeking permission to build temples in the US, The Washington Times said.

Another speaker at the conference, Hansdeep Singh of the United Sikhs, said that in airports across the country he is often patted down like a “caged animal” at airports before even going through the metal detector because of his turban. “What did I do wrong?” The Washington Times reported.

“The problem is that no faith community is safe,” Tina Ramirez, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty’s director of government relations, said. “You might be the persecutor in one but the persecuted in another. So, unfortunately, religious persecution knows no bounds,” The Washington Times said.

Israel opens the site of Jesus’ baptism to general public

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:56 PM PDT


For the first time, Israel has made available to tourists–on a daily basis, the site where Jesus is traditionally believed to have been baptized.

The move has raised the ire of Palestine, because the site lies along the West Bank. It also upsets Jordan, which the site borders.

A ceremony was held to mark the opening of Kasser al Yahoud Baptism Site, attended by Silvan Shalom, who is Israel’s minister of regional development, and delegates of Christian churches and organizations who are based in Israel.

A miracle

Shalom told Ynet News that the opening of the project, which cost some $3 million, is “a miracle,” adding, “After being closed and neglected for 44 years, we managed to meet this challenge with a lot of sources and despite the bureaucracy.”

The Baptism Site had been closed for 44 years since it was won by Israel during the Six Day War in 1967, when Israel managed to wrest the site and the remainder of the West Bank.

Since then, the site was only open to visitors on specific days of the year, usually Christian holidays, and public viewing required careful coordination with Israel’s military.

Part of the effort for the opening ceremony involved removal of landmines in the surrounding area, although further from the site the area is viewed as a “no man’s land” still littered with landmines in what was hostile territory between Jordan and Israel until a peace treaty was signed in 1994.

Shalom expressed his thanks to the Israel Defense Forces and the Defense Ministry for their help and cooperation. He said the site “has a huge touristic potential, and the option of hosting hundreds of thousands of people who will come here and extend their stay in Israel,” Ynet News reported.

The number of tourists coming to Israel continues to rise. Last year some 3.45 million tourists visited Israel, 69 percent of them Christians. Some 38 percent said they came as part of a religious pilgrimage.

Illegal occupation

There were no representatives from Palestine or Jordan during the opening ceremonies.

Palestine’s tourism minister, Khouloud Daibes, said the move by Israel is “illegal,” adding, “This is a site in the occupied territories, and whatever Israeli authorities are doing on Palestinian sites we consider illegal and part of seizures related to the occupation and Israel’s monopoly over our historic and touristic resources,” according to the AP.

Jordan, on the other hand, insists that the true baptism site lies not on the portion of the Jordan River that falls under Israel’s control, but is actually 10 yards across, where the river runs along Jordan’s banks, placing both areas in competition for tourists.

Area of peace

“We have a request for the minister [of Israel],” Greek Orthodox Patriarch Metropolitan Isykhios said in his remarks during the opening ceremony, “that they clear the mines from the way in, and turn this into an area of peace, and not an area of occupation and mines,” the AP reported.

Six Christian churches attacked in Senegal

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:56 PM PDT


Six churches were attacked recently in Dakar, Senegal, amid protests over proposed constitutional amendments by the government that would have ensured reelection of its president next year.

The attacks, which were primarily aimed at Pentecostal and Baptist churches, are not believed to be motivated by religious conflicts.

Godfrey Yogarajah, executive director of World Evangelical Alliance-Religious Liberty Commission, said in the WEA website that he believes the assaults were intended to take advantage of unrest in the country.

“The protests had nothing to do with the churches that were attacked,” Yogarajah said on the website. “[They] were not spontaneous; they were planned and organized, taking advantage of the protests. How else do you make sense of mobs launching attacks on six churches when there was absolutely no immediate provocation?”

Puzzling

The attacks were described as “puzzling” in the website. Senegal, a Muslim-majority nation, has long been upheld as a standard for tolerance and harmonious coexistence among people of different faiths.

Since June 22 there have been protests when the government of President Abdoulaye Wade tried to amend the constitution through a bill that would reduce the required 50 percent of votes to qualify as president to only 25 percent.

The passage of the bill would have ensured the reelection of Wade, who has already been in power for 11 years, in next year’s polls.

The bill also aimed to include a vice president in the presidential ticket, which would have paved the way for Wade’s son, Karim Wade, to succeed him automatically if he should resign or pass away.

The changes were shelved after riots broke out led by the “23 June Movement,” a collaboration of opposition parties and civil organizations. Some 100 were left injured in the melee.

Aligned with the 23 June Movement is a group of rappers called Fed Up, a youth group, that among other things, is trying to get more Senegalese to register as voters.

Cyrille Toure of Fed Up told AFP, “Between what President Wade has promised, and what he has delivered, it is like night and day. Wade must declare that he will not be a candidate … The constitution and his age do not allow him to run for office.”

Wade, who is 85 years old, was elected president in 2000 and reelected in 2007. Senegal’s constitution only allows a president to hold office for two terms. However, Wade’s party contends that his countdown should only begin from 2007, when an amendment was introduced that lowered the presidential term to five years.

Regarded with suspicion

The churches that were attacked by mobs were largely Baptist and Pentecostal, both of which are experiencing consistent growth in the country. However, some Protestant churches are regarded with suspicion of having alignments with foreign groups, unlike the Roman Catholic Church which is considered a traditional organization in Senegal.

While violence against churches has occurred in the past in Senegal, it has never reached such scale, as Sufi Islam, the majority faith of the Senegalese (at 90 percent), is largely tolerant of other faiths.

The violence has been condemned by Abdoul Aziz Kebe, an Imam of a mosque in Dakar, and an Islamology professor at Cheikh anta Diop University, Assist News Service said.

Appeal for investigation

Yogarajah of WEA urged the government to investigate the attacks on the churches, saying on the website, “It is worrisome that no one, not even the government, has a clue who the attackers were, although the attacks raise many questions.

“Does that mean a section of the Sufi Muslims have become extremist? If so, is a foreign group behind it or some insiders are promoting radical Islam? Who is their leader? What is the strength of this new grouping and what are their plans?” Yogarajah asked on the website.

Yogarajah also appealed to the government to protect religious freedom and to halt any efforts to radicalize local Muslims.

Family heirloom Bible found among donations to Salvation Army

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:49 PM PDT


A family heirloom may have been mistakenly placed at the bottom of a bag of donated clothes that were sent recently to a Salvation Army store in North Carolina.

Liz Brown, manager of the Salvation Army Select Store in Greensboro, NC was pulling out items from a bag of donated clothes when she discovered at the bottom of the bag, a tattered Bible that is almost 100 years old, WFMY News said.

In a WFMY News clip one can see that the Bible is thick and worn with a dark brown covering. Brown, however, says that what may be more important to the family is what was written on it by the owners’ own hands.

The Bible was a Christmas gift to Nannie Finison in the 1920s from her eldest son. In it, she described the births of all her children, and wrote down their death dates as well, Brown told WFMY News. Sadly, a number of the Finison children died very young.

One entry by Nannie describes of the death of one of her sons, who was a soldier in World War I. Nannie referred to that as “The terrible war,” Brown told WFMY News.

When Nannie passed away, the Bible ended up back with her oldest son, the one who gave it to her in the first place, the WFMY News clip said. He in turn wrote notes about Nannie’s death.

When the oldest son died, the Bible came into the possession of one of his own children, a third generation son, who wrote a description of his father’s passing in the Bible.

Brown told WFMY News that she would like to return the Bible, which appears to be a valuable family heirloom, to the Finison family.

New Gallup survey shows most Americans believe in the Bible

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:49 PM PDT


An overwhelming majority of Americans believe the Bible is either the inspired or actual word of God, a Gallup poll revealed recently.

The Gallup poll which was taken from May 5 – 8 surveyed 1,018 adult respondents, aged 18 or older, from all 50 U.S. states.

The poll divided respondents into three categories, namely:

  • Those who believe the Bible is inspired by God, but do not believe it should be interpreted literally.
  • Those who believe the Bible is the actual word of God and who interpret it literally.
  • Those who don’t believe the Bible is God’s word, and who consider it a collection of legends and fables written and compiled by men.

Up to 79 percent of Americans either believe the Bible is inspired by God (49 percent), or believe it is the actual word of God (30 percent) and adhere to a literal interpretation of the Holy Book.

Only 17 percent of respondents said they believe the Bible is a collection of fables and legends.

Overall biblical view

Overall, the largest percentage of Americans view the Bible as God inspired (49 percent). This is up by four percent from 1977 (45 percent).

Bible literalists, at 30 percent, have retained consistent numbers in the last two decades since 1992 (at 32 percent) to the present. The lowest percentage of literalists was in 2001 (27 percent).

However, today’s percentage of Bible literalists today is 10 percentage points less than in the 1980s (at 40 percent); and eight percent less than in the 1970s (at 38 percent).

Biblical view and frequency of church attendance 

A pattern was indicated regarding churchgoing habits and biblical view. Regular, weekly churchgoers are largely either biblical literalists (54 percent) or view the Bible as God inspired (41 percent).

Most of the people who go to church on a monthly or bimonthly basis tend to believe the Bible is inspired by God (66 percent). Only a few are literalists (22 percent).

Non churchgoers and rare attendees mostly believe the Bible is inspired by God (46 percent), while a smaller percentage of non churchgoers believe the Bible is a collection of legends (34 percent). Only 16 percent are literalists.

Biblical view and educational level

There is also a link seen between level of education attained and biblical view. The percentage of literalists tends to decline as educational levels rise. Most literalists have only finished high school or less (46 percent), while some have had some college (22 percent). The percentage of literalists is almost the same among those with college degrees (15 percent) and those with postgraduate degrees (16 percent).

The percentage of those who believe the Bible is God inspired is highest among those with college degrees (64 percent); and almost equal among those with postgraduate degrees (55 percent) and those with only some college (56 percent).

The percentage of those who believe the Bible is a collection of fables is highest among those with postgraduate degrees (25 percent). The numbers are the same for those with college degrees and those with only some college (19 percent).

Biblical view and church denomination

Among Protestants and Christian denominations the numbers seem to be closely split between literalists (41 percent) and those who say the Bible is God inspired (46 percent).

Most Catholics believe the Bible is inspired by God (65 percent), followed by Catholic literalists (21 percent) and those who see it as a collection of legends (9 percent).

Most people with no religion believe the Bible is a book of legends (63 percent), followed by those who see it as God inspired (30 percent). Only five percent are literalists.

Biblical view and political affiliation

All three political parties largely believe the Bible is inspired by God, with Republicans leading (at 51 percent), followed by Independents (50 percent) and Democrats (46 percent).

The second most prevalent biblical view group for all three parties is Bible literalists led by Republicans (42 percent), followed by Democrats (27 percent) and Independents (23 percent).

More Democrats (25 percent) view the Bible as a collection of legends compared to Independents (21 percent) and Republicans (six percent).

Biblical view and ideology

Conservatives tend to be equally split among literalists (46 percent) and those who believe the Bible is inspired by God (45 percent). Most moderates (55 percent) and liberals (48 percent) consider the Bible to be God inspired.

More liberals adhere to the belief that the Bible is a collection of legends (31 percent) compared to the percentage of liberal literalists (14 percent).

Among moderates, there are more literalists (23 percent) than those who view the Bible as a collection of fables (20 percent).

Significance

Overall, most Americans still believe that the Bible is the actual word of God, whether they adhere to a literal interpretation of the Bible or view it to be inspired by God. This is consistent with the general view that America is largely a Christian nation and that most Americans believe in God.

Zondervan purchases The Beginner’s Bible

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 12:49 PM PDT


Zondervan, the world’s leading publisher of the Bible and other Christian books, purchased recently through its Zonderkidz division, The Beginner’s Bible.

The Beginner’s Bible, originally published by Mission City Press, has been among the top 10 bestsellers of Christian children’s books for the last 20 years. It has stood out for its unique artwork and simple storybook-telling style, and is today considered a classic.

The Beginner’s Bible is geared to children age six and younger. It presents Bible stories in a way that is both entertaining and educational, and is widely considered to be a pioneer in this category.

Robust product line

Zondervan has had since 1997 a distribution agreement with Mission City Press. In 2004 Zondervan became the exclusive publisher of the book through Zonderkidz.

Zonderkidz has since then fully revised and updated the text and illustrations of The Beginner’s Bible. It also added a robust product line including various Bible storybooks, devotionals, children’s books, Bible covers, audio products, I Can Read Bible stories and others.

To date, all editions of The Beginner’s Bible (now available worldwide in over 20 languages) have cumulatively sold six million copies. The entire product line (including storybooks, audio products, et. al.) has sold over 18 million units.

“Zondervan has enjoyed a great partnership with Mission City Press as both organizations have long shared a common vision to bring God’s Word to life to the youngest generation,” Scott Macdonald, President and CEO of Zondervan, said.

“We are honored that Mission City Press trusts us to carry forward this wonderful brand, and we intend to continue to enhance and develop it to impact more young hearts for Christ,” Macdonald said.

Tim Lyles, President of Mission City Press said, “There are times when a highly successful past turns out to be just the warm-up for an even more astounding future.  We feel that way about The Beginner’s Bible.”

Lyles added, “[The Beginner’s Bible’s] amazing legacy as a No. 1 bestseller for over 20 years was preparation for the best that is yet to come. There is no better company than Zondervan, our longtime publishing partner, to take [this] brand to new heights.”

Zonderkidz has produced over 55 products for The Beginner’s Bible brand, including an interactive website with games and teaching resources. Zondervan is also planning new products for the brand including:

  • The Beginner’s Bible: Kid-Sized Devotions for children to use daily.
  • The Beginner’s Bible Book of Prayers, which includes a Bible verse and a biblical character per prayer.
  • Heroes of the Bible, from the I Can Read series. Hardcover editions will also have an audio CD.
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The Underground -- Keeping the Faith: Hard Words, But Words that Lead to Life

The Underground -- Keeping the Faith: Hard Words, But Words that Lead to Life


Keeping the Faith: Hard Words, But Words that Lead to Life

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 03:04 PM PDT


“If your hand causes you to sin,” Jesus said, “cut it off and throw it away.”

That’s a pretty tough surgical intervention if you ask me, and he doesn’t stop there.

He goes on to name other body parts as well. “Cut off your foot. Gouge out your eye.” He just can’t be happy with a single loss of limb.

Yes, we could debate for the next few decades how literal or metaphorical Jesus was being. Such a debate would serve to only distract us from putting into practice the spirit of what he said.

No, I don’t think Jesus was endorsing personal dismemberment. Rather, he was emphasizing, in rather dramatic fashion, the need for life-saving, future-salvaging initiative.

Better to lose an arm than lose your whole life. Better to throw away something you consider incredibly valuable, than to throw away your future.

So it seems best to accept Jesus’ words as a simile for “Desperate times calls for desperate measures.” Simply, at times, drastic steps have to be taken to save the one and only life you have been given.

An example, also in rather dramatic fashion: My younger brother was born with a cardiac condition that resulted in a cascading catalogue of life-threatening illnesses.

Finally, with little chance of recovery and his major organ systems in peril, cardiologists completed an open heart surgery. Miraculously, he survived.

But shortly after his surgery, either from unclean needle sticks, a dirty instrument, or the constant rubbing of an oxygen tube – who knows – he acquired a staph infection in his right arm. The infection was unrelenting.

It threatened his compromised heart and fragile condition. So my parents had to make an impossible decision: Amputate the arm to save his life.

With that family crisis looming over my past, I can never read these words of Jesus without my parents’ decision playing out in my head.

Was it a horrible thing for them to have to do? Yes. Was it unfair and unjust to have been put in that position? Yes.

But it was the only real choice they had. It was better to lose the limb than to lose the life.

My parents have made peace with their decision. So has my brother, and he definitely agrees with the decision making process.

He is alive and well today, now in his thirties with a wife and son of his own, because of it. I loathe the circumstances he and my parents were put in, but I’m glad for their courage.

I pray that you never have to face such a decision, but if you do, I pray you will do what has to be done.

No, it probably won’t be a hospital amputation, but it might be an addiction, a dependence, a relationship, or a business arrangement.

It could be a place you go or an activity in which you engage. I’m not moralizing. There are just some people, places, and things that are no good for us. They are destructive, and we have to pull away.

You will have to make the hard, brave decision to “cut off your arm,” if it means saving your life and your future.

Yes, it will be painful. It will hurt.

It will bleed, but you have so much life in you, so much future joy to experience, so much living to do, you must do what you must do.

Aron Ralston, whose grisly but triumphant tale of being trapped in a Utah canyon is told in his autobiography and the recent movie “127 Hours,” knows a few things about finding the courage to do what it takes to live.

Speaking in the aftermath of his ordeal he said, “I left my hand behind in that canyon, but I gained my life back. I regained the beauty, the joy, the vibrancy and the euphoria of being alive.”

Yes, these are strong words; difficult words; hard words to hear and practice. But just like the words of Jesus, these are words that lead to life, and your life is worth it.

Ronnie McBrayer is the author of “Leaving Religion, Following Jesus.” He writes and speaks about life, faith, and Christ-centered spirituality. Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.net.

Question of the week: Christian fathers

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 11:54 AM PDT


Question: “What does the Bible say about Christian fathers?”

Answer: The greatest commandment in Scripture is this: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Going back to verse 2, we read, “So that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.” Following Deuteronomy 6:5, we read, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (vv. 6-7).

Israelite history reveals that the father was to be diligent in instructing his children in the ways and words of the Lord for their own spiritual development and well-being. The father who was obedient to the commands of Scripture did just that. This brings us to Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” To “train” indicates the first instruction that a father and mother give to a child, i.e., his early education. The training is designed to make clear to children the manner of life they are intended for. To commence a child’s early education in this way is of great importance.

Ephesians 6:4 is a summary of instructions to the father, stated in both a negative and positive way. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” The negative part of this verse indicates that a father is not to foster negativity in his children by severity, injustice, partiality, or unreasonable exercise of authority. Harsh, unreasonable conduct towards a child will only serve to nurture evil in the heart. The word “provoke” means “to irritate, exasperate, rub the wrong way, or incite.” This is done by a wrong spirit and wrong methods—severity, unreasonableness, sternness, harshness, cruel demands, needless restrictions, and selfish insistence upon dictatorial authority. Such provocation will produce adverse reactions, deadening children’s affection, reducing their desire for holiness, and making them feel that they cannot possibly please their parents. A wise parent seeks to make obedience desirable and attainable by love and gentleness.

The positive part of Ephesians 6:4 is expressed in a comprehensive direction—educate them, bring them up, develop their conduct in all of life by the instruction and admonition of the Lord. This is the whole process of educating and discipline. The word “admonition” carries the idea of reminding the child of faults (constructively) and duties (responsibilities).

The Christian father is really an instrument in God’s hand. The whole process of instruction and discipline must be that which God commands and which He administers, so that His authority should be brought into constant and immediate contact with the mind, heart, and conscience of children. The human father should never present himself as the ultimate authority to determine truth and duty. It is only by making God the teacher and ruler on whose authority everything is done that the goals of education can best be attained.

Martin Luther said, “Keep an apple beside the rod to give the child when he does well.” Discipline must be exercised with watchful care and constant training with much prayer. Chastening, discipline, and counsel by the Word of God, giving both reproof and encouragement, is at the core of “admonition.” The instruction proceeds from the Lord, is learned in the school of Christian experience, and is administered by the parents—primarily the father, but also, under his direction, the mother. Christian discipline is needed to enable children to grow up with reverence for God, respect for parental authority, knowledge of Christian standards, and habits of self-control.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). A father’s first responsibility is to acquaint his children with Scripture. The means and methods that fathers may use to teach God’s truth will vary. As the father is faithful in role modeling, what children learn about God will put them in good standing throughout their earthly lives, no matter what they do or where they go.

Recommended Resource: Fathering Like the Father: Becoming the Dad God Wants You to Be by Gangel & Gangel.

Wycliffe adopts satellite technology to translate Bible in remote areas

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 11:50 AM PDT


Wycliffe Bible Translators acquired recently satellite technology that cuts translation time to less than one-third, produces more accurate translations of better quality, and functions even in remote areas that don’t have electricity.

Wycliffe is using a Broadband Global Area Network satellite terminal, a small device of metal and plastic, which works more efficiently than a home internet connection and can access the internet when attached to a computer, even in remote areas.

Wycliffe teams that don’t have computers will be given a complete kit, which includes a BGAN, netbook, solar panel, battery and charge controller, Bob Creson, Wycliffe USA President and CEO, wrote on the organization’s website.

Translation process in Nigeria

An example of the efficiency of BGAN is illustrated by the experience of Jacob, a translator for the Mwaghavul people in Nigeria, Creson said on Wycliffe’s website.

Before BGAN, Jacob had to haul his laptop on his motorcycle every week to go to his brother’s house nine miles away, where he hoped that he could get a strong enough signal to send the week’s work by email to his translation consultant.

If Jacob was lucky to get a strong signal, he would then travel back to the translation office nine miles away. The following week, he would expect to have feedback from his consultant—but to get it, he had to travel back to his brother’s house again, Creson said.

But now with BGAN, Jacob can send email straight from his office desk and get feedback from his consultant on the following day, at the latest. Creson wrote, “The rapid feedback will allow him to improve his translation and quickly move on to the next passage.”

BGAN connects through a geostationary satellite that is only 8 inches by 10 inches in size, and is powered either with a small gasoline generator or with batteries that can be charged with solar panels.

Bruce Smith of Wycliffe Associates told CNN, “This is a satellite system. You point up at the satellite and it works better than your Internet connection at home.”

For years, BGAN devices have been used by television networks, governments and private corporations. Now Wycliffe is distributing BGAN devices and kits to its linguists and translators across the world.

So far, 67 Wycliffe teams have BGAN, and they plan to give kits to 25 more teams.

Indigenous dialects, level playing field

Many of Wycliffe’s staff helped to translate the Bible into their own indigenous languages. One example is Pedro Samuc, whose first language is Tzutujil, a Guatemalan Mayan indigenous dialect.

“When an indigenous person hears the message in their language, they understand that God loves them. It raises our self-esteem [to know] He loves us all the same,” Samuc told CNN.

Another Wycliffe translator, Burchrum Gail, speaks Jamaican Creole, or Patwa as his first language. He told CNN that in Jamaica the Bible has negative associations, but to hear it in one’s own language gives a feeling that the playing field has been leveled.

Gail told CNN, “It validates me as a person. It also makes the scripture resonate more with me.”

There are some 6,900 languages in the world, and Wycliffe has over 2,000 more languages to go.

In the past Wycliffe hoped that within 150 years, the Bible would be translated in every language on earth. But now, with BGAN, they think this will happen by 2038.

Pyongyang slams South Korea for human rights bill

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 11:46 AM PDT


North Korea has been sending recently an increased number of threatening messages to the South due to a law that, if enacted, will be require the North to improve its nefarious human rights record.

The reclusive North has, for many years, been ranked No. 1 for human rights abuse by the watch list of the Christian organization, Open Doors.

The Pyongyang regime said on its website that if South Korea passes a bill that will require the North to upgrade its human rights, then the South will face sure and clear punishment.

The bill has been pending in Parliament since February 2010. It is being pushed by the South’s Lee Myung-bak administration.

However, the South’s progressive main opposition party opposes it, saying that its passage would only further inflame the North and may lead to severed ties, Asia News Network said.

North Korea said it would defer entire communications with Seoul if the bill is passed. Its government-controlled newspaper Rodong Sinmun said it “would be an official declaration that South Korea does not acknowledge (the North’s) dignity, autonomy and socialist system.”

Human rights bill

The bill calls for the following:

  • The formation of an independent institution that will be tasked to improve human rights in North Korea.
  • The appointment of an ambassador for human rights in North Korea.
  • The collection and documentation of cases of human rights abuse in the North for further investigation.
  • The enhanced support by the South for the activities of North Korean human rights organizations in the South and globally.

Similar laws are already enforced in the U.S. and Japan, primarily for the purpose of supporting defectors from the North and to promote democracy in the reclusive state.

North Korea has been cited for human rights abuses including torture, unjust imprisonment and public execution, particularly of political prisoners and defectors.

The South’s ruling party has said that it is the responsibility of Seoul to address, through the passage of laws, the human rights situation in the North.

However, the opposition Democratic Party said it plans to propose an alternative bill that will focus on humanitarian aid.

Worsening tensions

Tensions have been worsening between the North and the South of late, most recently with the defection of nine North Koreans who fled to the South due to local instability and food shortages. The North has been demanding their immediate repatriation, but Seoul refused to do so, saying that all nine stated that they wish to defect.

Pyongyang also threatened retaliation upon learning that the military of the South was using the image of the North’s leader, Kim Jong II, and his family for target practice.

Last year, Pyongyang killed some 50 South Koreans in two deadly strikes.

The South deployed missiles earlier this year near the Demilitarized Zone with the capability of striking Pyongyang.

Pyongyang also confiscated and shut down a hotel, spa and restaurants that were formerly run by South Koreans in a northern mountain resort, and recently threatened to dispose of the facilities.

The North and South have been in a technical state of war since 1953 when a truce ended the Korean War.

Since then, over 20,000 are said to have defected to the South despite threats of harsh punishment and death.

Another valedictorian prohibited from talking of Jesus in graduation speech

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 11:45 AM PDT


The valedictorian of a school in Vermont was not allowed to talk about Jesus in his graduation speech.

Kyle Gearwar, 18, the high school valedictorian of Fair Haven Union High School, wanted to share his personal testimony of how Jesus changed him and made him the man he is now, but school authorities said it might infringe on the First Amendment.

“I was just sharing a story about my life and how it was changed. And as an American and as a valedictorian I felt that I should have been able to do that,” Gearwar told Fox News.

When Gearwar delivered his truncated speech during the graduation rites, many of the students present felt outrage at the decision of the school officials, and a number of them yelled that Kyle should read it in full, anyway.

Gearwar declined, however, saying that he promised the principal, Brett Blanchard, that he wouldn’t and he would stand by his promise.

“You’re supposed to respect your authority. Even in the Bible it says you should respect the authorities of the land. I wasn’t going to disappoint these men,” Gearwar told Fox News.

While Gearwar complied with the school’s decision, he still honored God.

He said in his speech, “Today my valedictorian speech remains unfinished. I am submitting to those who have authority over me by not reading the half of my speech that has caused issues.”

Gearwar continued, “I respect the administration for the decisions they have made and thank them anyways for the opportunity to speak. I have always dreamed of speaking about God in front of my school as the valedictorian. This was the message God gave to me, and I am not allowed to share it with you even though it is my testimony, the most important change my life has ever experienced, and the one thing that I stand for no matter what.”

Summoned by principal

The situation arose when Gearwar submitted his speech to the principal.

The next day, he was called to the office.

“They told me my speech was going to be a problem – that the school wouldn’t allow me to deliver the speech and they would prevent me from giving the speech if it came down to it,” Gearwar said to Fox News.

Gearwar noted, “You can burn a flag but we’re not able to speak about God. I just don’t agree with that,” according to Fox News.

Federal law

“We are absolutely strong supporters of free speech,” Blanchard told Fox News. “The federal law limits the kind of religious speech that’s permitted at a commencement at a public high school.”

One of the statements that was removed was the following: “I have peace and can finally enjoy every moment God has given me, good or bad. I wouldn’t be standing before you without the blessings God has given me through my tough situations. He is the reason I am the man I am today, made new through Jesus’ death on the cross,” Fox News reported.

Nothing but respect

Blanchard spoke highly of Gearwar and told Fox News he was glad that the student kept his word. “He stuck to his word and his agreement. I think it speaks highly.”

Gearwar, who will be going to the University of Connecticut said in turn that he has “nothing but respect for Blanchard and the school’s assistant principal,” Fox News reported.

“They were very nice and they are awesome people and they were just doing what they were told to do,” he told Fox News. He expressed surprise that the speech, which he wrote “for God’s glory,” has attracted so much attention.

Doctors convene in Christian conference in Australia to talk of divine healing

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 11:43 AM PDT


The 8th International Christian Medical Conference was held from June 11-12 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Center, with some 220 doctors attending from 27 nations.

The theme of the convention was Spirituality and Medicine.

The World Christian Doctors Network, an interdenominational group of professionals in the medical industry, hosted the event.

The WCDN seeks to propagate Christian ethics in medical practice, and is involved in the documentation of cases of divine healing around the world.

“We have uncovered many testimonies of how the power of God has healed patients and when doctors hear this kind of news, they become curious,” Dr. Joonha Hwang, a prominent South Korean doctor, told The Christian Post, adding, “They want to know if it’s true or just a story that someone has made up.”

Hwang said, “[T]hat is why we put on these ‘Spirituality and Medicine’ conferences each year and then present medical data before and after the patient got prayed for. As far as I know, we at WCDN are the only Christian medical organization that invites doctors to come and hear from other doctors and are then able to openly discuss the evidence of divine healing,” The Christian Post reported.

Healing testimony

One speaker, Dr. Sean Thomas George, told of his extraordinary healing experience, saying, “I was dead for one hour and 25 minutes, but came back to life after my wife prayed a simple prayer,” Continental News reported.

George said the incident occurred on Oct. 24, 2008. He was on his way back home after a clinic session held at the south coast of Australia, when he began to feel “unusually hot,” and experienced minor chest pains.

George said, “I decided to stop the car and, as I got out and still feeling the discomfort, I called my wife, also a doctor, to let her know what was happening. She suggested that I drove straight home to Kalgoorlie.”

However, George said he felt led by God to go to a clinic in Kambalda, which is 31.6 miles from Kalgoorlie.

An ECG revealed that he was having a heart attack, and he was given some medications.

Despite this, the pain worsened and within 11 minutes, George’s heart stopped beating. “Not only did I have a heart attack but I went into cardiac arrest,” Continental News reported.

George said within the next hour he was given 4,000 chest compressions and 13 electrical shocks by a medical team. When his wife arrived, he had already been pronounced dead.

George said, “Being a doctor herself, Sherry knew that medical science had proved that if the blood supply to the brain was cut off for over three minutes the brain would begin to die, and in 20 minutes the brain would be completely dead. But as she and I had trusted Jesus Christa as Almighty God and Savior, she decided to humbly ask Him to intervene,” Continental News reported.

His wife held George’s hand and prayed, after which, “[I]t was as though someone had breathed life into me again and my heartbeat came back.” Four hours later, he was flown to Royal Perth Hospital for emergency treatment of a severely-blocked, right-side heart artery.

He was in a deep coma and had kidney and liver failure. The doctors doubted he would survive and if ever, would be brain dead and on a ventilator.

But three days later, George opened his eyes. The following day he could move his limbs, and the day after, he was fully conscious, off the ventilator, and his brain and memory were intact. He was discharged after three months.

Speaking as both a doctor and a survivor, George said, “I don’t think there are any documented cases of patients who were clinically dead for so long, have come back to life with their memory perfectly intact and neurologically no deficits at all. This is something that only God can do, because medically it is impossible,” Continental News reported.

Other testimonies

Other healing stories during the convention was that of a 13-year-old boy from Korea, Haedong Yeo, who experienced cerebral hemorrhage and multiple skull fractures in a car accident and was close to death in the ICU, but began to immediately improve after a healing prayer by Dr. Jaerock Lee.

Another doctor, Joonsung Kim, spoke of healing skin disease through prayer and without medication.

A man shared his experience of paralysis from the waist down due to a cervical fracture.

Another man was healed from a critically deep cervical laceration.

Finally, a woman spoke of how she was healed of prolactinoma after she stopped all medications.

Euthanasia, abortion

Also discussed during the conference was the issue of the ethics of euthanasia, by Austrian doctor Lachlan Dunjey, and the issue of abortion by Dr. Sven Frederick from Denmark.

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The Underground -- Digital edition of complete Common English Bible now available


The Underground -- Digital edition of complete Common English Bible now available


Digital edition of complete Common English Bible now available

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:17 AM PDT


Some two months before its print editions will be released at bookstores, the complete Common English Bible can be downloaded online.

The new CEB is available in 20 digital platforms, namely iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Olivetree, Logos, Sony, Nook, BibleWorks, Kobo, ChristianBook, Accordance Software, YouVersion, Lightning Source, Copia, Blio and OverDrive.

Also available online is a search widget that can be downloaded by users to their websites and blogs. It can also be accessed through Bible Study Tools and Bible Gateway.

The digital version of the complete CEB is available at a special introductory price of $5.95 until September 1, when the price will be raised to $9.95.

This is the first time that a complete version, including the Old Testament, New Testament and Apocrypha will be available in the CEB, which released a New Testament in August last year.

“The Common English Bible is a brand-new, bold translation designed to meet the needs of people in all stages of their spiritual journey and study,” Paul Franklyn, associate publisher, said, adding, “We’re excited to make this translation available as soon as possible through the Internet and other digital resources.”

21st century English

The CEB is distinctive because it uses the daily language of 21st century readers, making it relevant without compromising authenticity. Some examples are the use of “reconcile,” or “reconciliation” in place of “atonement,” “chest containing the covenant” in place of “ark of the covenant,” and “temple equipment” in place of “vessels of the temple,” according to its website.

Over 120 scholars from 22 faith traditions worked on the CEB, including men and women from American, Asian, African, Latino and European communities. They hailed from leading academic institutions including Yale University, Princeton Theological Seminary, Asbury Theological Seminary, Bethel Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Seattle Pacific University, Denver Seminary and Wheaton College, among others.

The CEB was also previewed by some 500 readers, who listened as the translation was read aloud, and pointed out passages that were potentially confusing. Their input was considered in its final reworking.

The CEB was approved last May by the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA for scholarly use. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/05/fuller-theological-seminary-adopts-gender-friendly-more-readable-common-english-bible-15895/).

“The Common English Bible is the result of collaboration between opposites: men working with women; scholars working with average readers; conservatives working with liberals, many denominations and many ethnicities coming together around the common goal of creating a translation that unites rather than divides, with the ultimate goal of mutually accomplishing God’s overall work in the world,” Franklyn said.

It has special relevance amid the digital revolution which has hastened daily language changes, making the bible more understandable and compelling whether privately used by individuals or for church worship.

California school district refunds brick project donations because some had Bible verses on them

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:17 AM PDT


A school district in California returned recently some $45,000 in donations after some donors purchased bricks inscribed bible verses which were to be used to help build a new school.

The Desert Sands Unified School District returned recently money from a fundraising project for Palm Desert High, as a portion of a settlement in a court case that was filed against them.

The case was filed against DSUSD because it would not permit the use of bricks that contained bible verses for the new school, which is slated to operate in the fall.

The case was filed against DSUSD by donors Lou Ann Hart and Sheryl Caronna.

They were represented by attorney David Cortman of the Alliance Defense Fund. It is expected that with the refund, they will request a dismissal of the lawsuit.

All of the bricks that donors purchased were, upon legal advice, destroyed by the school and its components have been recycled, Cindy McDaniel, assistant superintendent at DSUSD, told MyDesert.com.

Some of the funds that were raised had already been used by the Parent Teacher Organization for the graduation of the Class of 2010, but the district still paid all refunds and will also shoulder the legal fees of Caronna and Hart.

Bible verses

The melee began when Hart and Caronna purchased bricks for the fundraiser at the cost of $100-$250 each. The bricks were supposed to be used along the walkways of the school.

Bible verses on the bricks included “The old life has gone, a new one has begun” (2 Cor. 5:17), “Be kind to each other, forgive one another” (Eph. 5:32), and “No one can serve two masters,” (Luke 17:13).

The fundraiser was announced in February by the parent-teacher association of the school. However, no specifications were given as to what donors could print on the bricks.

Under the program people or groups were allowed to personalize a brick that they purchased, and it would be placed along one of the new buildings of the high school.

Hundreds of other bricks had already been accepted that had quotes and messages on them, including some with religious themes. One quote that was accepted came from the Bible, but it was written in Spanish.

Leaders of other school districts did not comment on the issue, mentioning pending litigation.

Cortman said, “There is absolutely nothing unconstitutional about a Bible verse on a brick when a school opens up a program for anyone to express a personal message.”

U.S. Catholic bishops tweak sex abuse guidelines

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:17 AM PDT


The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops revised recently its 2002 charter regarding clergy sexual abuse of children, but critics think the changes are not strong enough.

The revision on the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People states that under church law, child pornography is a crime and that abuse of a mentally disabled person is also equivalent to child abuse.

The new revisions are minor and largely in line with the new standards that were set by the Vatican in May. The 2002 Charter was drawn up in response to nationwide reports of clergy sex abuse.

In a vote of 187 to five, with four abstentions, the revisions were approved by the bishops, who said that the sharp decline in the incidence of clergy sexual abuse since 2002 shows that the Charter has been effective.

However, advocates of the victims cited recent incidents by church leaders that occurred in Kansas City and Philadelphia, and stressed that because church policies are weak, nonbinding and cannot be enforced, more change is needed.

Report bishops, not just priests

Two proposals that the bishops adopted were suggested by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston. One is that bishops must report accusations of sexual abuse committed by bishops and priests to civil authorities. The 2002 charter only required this if the accused is a priest.

The other categorizes pornographic images of children to apply to anyone under the age of 18. Previously, this only applied to children under age 14.

Squandered opportunity

“[T]he bishops…chose to rubber-stamp a nearly identical policy for the future,” BishopAccountability.org wrote on its website adding, “This is a squandered opportunity and a disaster for children.”

“Dramatic reforms are needed to better protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded. But we still aren’t seeing any bishops really trying, Barbara Dorris, outreach director of Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests said in a statement.

Dorris, who was 13 years old when a priest abused her, said, “We especially want to see the policy amended to mandate harsh penalties for any church employee from custodian to cardinal who ignore or conceals child sex crimes. There are no such provisions now, and almost never are those who ‘enable’ child molesting clerics ever punished for their misdeeds.”

Church officials disagree, however. Bishop Blase J. Cupich said, “The charter has served the church well. It is a helpful tool as we keep our pledge to protect children, promote healing and rebuild trust,” CNN reported.

Some $2 billion has been spent overall by the church in settling cases of sexual abuse, education on the abuse crisis and training on spotting abuse.

Nearly limitless power

“The crux of the crisis continues to be the nearly limitless power of bishops,” David Clohessy of SNAP told CNN, adding that although the guidelines require bishops and other religious to report any sexual abuse allegations, “It’s akin to having speed limits with no cops. If no one ever gets a ticket, safety won’t improve.”

Letter from wife of Chinese blind activist reveals graphic details of torture

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:14 AM PDT


A letter from the wife of a blind activist in China was released recently by ChinaAid, detailing the torture and beatings that she and her husband have been subject to since he was placed under house arrest.

Yuan Weijing, wife of blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, said in her handwritten letter that her husband and she had been abused and beaten to unconsciousness by dozens of plainclothes men led by a local Communist leader. Afterwards, they were denied medical treatment, Reuters reported.

Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, slammed the cruelty and called on the international community for support saying, “Peaceful legal advocates, like Chen Guangcheng, can be beaten, jailed and tortured, but they will not disappear unless the international community is silent.”

Fu added, “This is unacceptable from a country that claims to follow the rule of law. The international community, including the Obama administration, should call China to account.”

House arrest

Chen had been in jail for four years, and last September was placed under house arrest. In 2005, Chen exposed abuses committed by the government through its population control policy, including forced sterilization and late-term abortions, the AFP said.

However, the police claimed that he was jailed for disruption of traffic due to a protest and damage to property. Chen and his family say the charges are false, Reuters reported.

Chen is a self-taught lawyer who has been blind since childhood. He often advised neighbors who complained of various abuses including land grabs, according to Reuters.

Video

Torture was stepped up against the family, including Chen’s mother and his daughter, since last February, after a surreptitiously-made video was released by ChinaAid which showed the conditions of Chen and his family under house arrest, Reuters reported.

Fu, president of ChinaAid, told Reuters that Yuan’s letter was smuggled through “very reliable persons,” and added that the handwriting matches previous correspondence by Yuan.

International support needed

Yuan said that on Feb. 18, (one week after the secret video was released), some 80 plainclothes men led by Zhang Jian, vice secretary of the town’s Communist Party, forcibly entered their home.

The men, who did not produce any legal documents, beat and tortured the couple for more than two hours. “More than 10 men covered me totally with a blanket and kicked my ribs and all over my body,” Yuan wrote.

“After half an hour’s non-stop torture, I finally squeezed my head out of the blanket. I saw more than 10 men surrounded Chen Guangcheng, torturing him. Some of them twisted his arms forcefully while the others pushing his head down and lifting his collar up tightly,” she wrote in her letter.

After the beatings, Yuan described the following injuries: “My left eyebrow bone and one of my bottom left ribs might be broken. My left eye lost vision for 5-6 days because of the bruise, blood in the white of my eye, and swollenness. Even today, I still cannot stand with my body straight and I suffer pain when breathing,” according to the letter.

She wrote in her letter that they were not allowed to receive medical aid, except for a one-time injection that Yuan was allowed to be given from a village doctor. Yuan also said the men took away their video camera, audio tape recorder, chargers, flashlight and computer.

Yuan then narrated the following sequence of events:

  • Mar. 3: Their windows were sealed with metal sheets.
  • Mar. 6: Electric power was shut off.
  • Mar. 7: Guards came at midnight and cut the TV antenna.
  • Mar. 8: Electric power was returned. However, Zhang Jiang led some 50 men into the house to get old computers, DVD
    player, remotes, all materials on Chen’s case and handwritten materials. Zhang also punched Yuan because she said they were stealing.
  • Mar. 17: Zhang Jiang led some 50 men into their home and took away books, photos of the children on the wall, a calendar, Chen’s blind cane, old power plugs, wires, antenna and papers.
  • Mar. 22: Two video cameras were installed in the family home and courtyard.

Yuan said their five-year-old daughter is also under house arrest and the men took her toys and books. Chen’s mother was also monitored even when she worked in the field as a farmer. By mid March, she was not allowed to leave the house at all.

Yuan also said that Chen suffers from long-term diarrhea and the blood is now dark instead of its former red color. The guards have been threatening to move the family to an empty courtyard, she wrote in the letter.

Foreign journalists who have tried to visit Chen have been forced away and calls to local government offices by journalists and to China’s Foreign Ministry are not answered, Reuters said.

To see the video footage that was made last Feb. 9, and which initiated the latest rash of abuse, go to www.chinaaid.org/2011/02/exclusive-video-shows-ill-treatment.html.

Duggar family promotes free interactive teaching programs for families

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:11 AM PDT


The Duggar family, who star on TLC’s reality TV program, 19 Kids and Counting, forged a partnership recently with The Seed Company, which is among the fastest-growing bible translation groups in the world.

The projects that they will collaborate on are The Seed Company’s KidsDiscover program, an free online biblical interactive program for families and their children, and MakazieVille, an interactive online game that is designed to help children understand how other children in different parts of the world deal with social, environmental, religious and economical difficulties.

The Duggar family will feature both programs on its website. Currently, KidsDiscover is already being featured, while MakazieVille is currently scheduling a launching date.

“We feel extremely blessed to partner with the Duggar family in our shared mission of spreading God’s word,” Roy Peterson, president and CEO of The Seed Company said, adding, “Becoming a recommended resource on the Duggar’s new website is a great opportunity.”

Peterson added that the tie-up will help The Seed Company to reach a wider market and bring families closer together through the Scriptures. It will also help in “providing them with an opportunity to support the Great Commission.”

Under the KidsDiscover interactive and educational program, families learn of God’s word through storytelling in OneVerse ministry. Two 10-week programs are offered for free, one on the Old Testament, and the other on the New Testament.

Aside from taking a journey from creation onwards in the bible, children also are given tools to measure what they have learned, including challenge questions, downloadable worksheets, vocabulary builders, games, teaching activities and others.

Another offering is the VBS program, where children learn about the ways that Scripture changes people once they hear it in their own languages. Included is an exercise where children can help to translate specific bible verses for the first time.

This program includes a component for missions so that families learn of the more than 2,000 groups of people totalling 340 million who still do not have access to the bible in their spoken language.

Of the partnership, Jim Bob Duggar said, “By partnering with The Seed Company, we are not only providing families with the tools to grow closer to God, but we are also providing them with a way to grow closer as a family through God. It is our sincere hope that families utilize the KidsDiscover program as a catalyst to share the Bible together and simultaneously consider the opportunity to share the gift of God’s word with a family across the globe.”

The Seed Company was founded in 1993 by Wycliffe Bible Translators and has over 600 projects that are either ongoing or completed. Its vision is to develop novel ways to more efficiently, accurately and rapidly translate the bible for others.

Southern Baptist Convention adopts resolutions on immigration, gender-free NIV bible

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:10 AM PDT


The largest protestant denomination in the country adopted recently a resolution that would provide a way for undocumented immigrants in the country to acquire citizenship, without granting them amnesty.

The Southern Baptists, in their annual convention held in Phoenix, approved a statement calling on the government to prioritize effective border security and rendering businesses accountable in their mode of hiring.

The statement asked government officials “to implement, with the borders secured, a just and compassionate path to legal status, with appropriate restitutionary measures, for those undocumented immigrants already living in our country.

The resolution, which was passed last Wednesday, called for compassion, justice and a rejection of bigotry, stating, “any form of nativism, mistreatment, or exploitation is inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

It also urged SBC members and churches to share the gospel with all people, without lending consideration to their immigration status.

Also passed during the convention was a surprise resolution about the newly-released, New International Version of the Bible which is gender neutral.

Immigration resolution

Paul Jimenez, chairman of the Resolutions Committee, said it was only incidental that the immigration resolution was passed during the Convention, which is being held in a state that is largely perceived as hostile to immigrants. A number of groups boycotted the convention because of this.

The resolution on immigration was adopted by a broad majority only after the language clearly stated that it was not endorsing amnesty by adding the phrase, “This resolution is not to be construed as support for amnesty for any undocumented immigrant.”

With the addition of the phrase, up to 70-80 percent of the convention participants endorsed the resolution.

Not everyone agreed with it. Richard Huff, of Corona de Tucson Baptist Church in Arizona, said, “[T]he principle is that citizenship is a right of people that are here under legal processes, and you do not want to make this something you are rewarding people who are in violation of the law and they have no interest in being here legally,” RNS reported.

But Jimenez said the resolution is “a realistic and biblical approach to immigration” that will “speak first and foremost to the pockets of lostness” within the country.

Jimenez added, “[I]mmigrants in this country are in desperate need of the Gospel and their numbers are growing and growing at an exponential rate,” adding, “We can present the Gospel while at the same time upholding the law of the land.”

NIV resolution

A resolution was also overwhelmingly passed by delegates expressing “profound disappointment” with the 2011 New International Version of the Bible which uses gender-neutral language. The delegates agreed in a vote that the Bible is an “inaccurate translation of God’s inspired scripture.”

Other resolutions that were adopted concerned Biblical teachings about hell, religious freedom in the world, the exclusivity of marriage between a man and a woman, corporate repentance and civil public discourse.

This year’s SBC Convention had the lowest number of registrants since 1944, totaling 4,814 delegates.

Man pleads not guilty in case of stolen cross relic

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:03 AM PDT


Earl Frost, 35, pleaded not guilty to the felony of receiving The Relic of the True Cross, which was stolen last year from a Boston cathedral, and is being held on bail of $10,000.

Description

Police told the AP that the relic, which is over 2,000 years old, is about two inches in width.

It had been kept in an inner chapel inside of a round, glass case, that was edged and backed with brass. In the back, it was stamped with the seal of the pope’s ring.

When the relic was reported missing Lt. detective Michael Conley told The Boston Globe, “Somebody knew what it was.”

There was no indication of forced entry into the cathedral, but the casing that kept the relic had been pried open.

The relic dates back to the 18th century, when it was given to Boston’s first bishop, Rev. Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus.

It is one of many similar relics the world over that are believed to be parts of the cross of Jesus.

Terrence C. Donilon, spokesman of the archdiocese told The Boston Globe, “The Relic of the True Cross is an important sacramental that helps Christians contemplate the crucified Savior and the great suffering He endured for the salvation of the world.”

Frost told the Vermont police last August that he had the relic, but he denied stealing it.

Instead, Frost claimed that he acquired the artifact from a person in Rhode Island.

The Vermont State Police told the AP that they came to know of the artifact with the help of Richard Duncan, the partner of Frost. Duncan and Frost had a heated argument, after which Duncan went to the police and told them there was a matter that they needed to know about, but they should hear it from Frost.

When the police contacted Frost, the latter informed them that he had the Catholic relic.

He added that Duncan and he had argued because Frost wanted to return the artifact directly to the church, while Duncan said it should be handed over to the police.

Church verifies authenticity

Officials of the church verified the authenticity of the artifact, but by then, Frost had gone to New Hampshire, where he was arrested on unrelated charges.

Because he did not agree to be extradited to Vermont, his arraignment at the Windsor County Superior Court was delayed and only took place last Tuesday. His next court hearing will be on July 12.

Prosecutor Robert Sand said the value of relics such as these is usually established by the church and by eBay.

“The standard definition of fair market is what a willing buyer will pay a willing seller,” the AP reported.

Sand placed the value of the relic at around $3,000.

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The Underground -- 70 Methodist ministers sign statement pledging to wed same-sex couples


The Underground -- 70 Methodist ministers sign statement pledging to wed same-sex couples


70 Methodist ministers sign statement pledging to wed same-sex couples

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 09:59 AM PDT


Some 70 clergy members of a mainstream Christian denomination said recently in a statement at the church’s annual convention in Minnesota that they are ready to marry same-sex couples, despite the fact that it is illegal in the state, and prohibited by the church.

The 70 members of the United Methodist clergy signed a statement entitled, Equality for All in Christian Marriage.

The statement said that signatories will bless same-sex couples.

The statement said, “We joyfully affirm that we will offer the grace of the Church’s blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage,” The Christian Post reported.

The statement was presented during the 2011 Minnesota Annual Conference and was read to the clergy last Wednesday by Rev. Bruce Robbins, who leads the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.

The statement added, “We are convinced by the witness of others and are compelled by Spirit and conscience to act. We thank the many United Methodists who have already called for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church.”

Initially, the statement was signed by 40 members of the clergy, but as the day wore on after its presentation, the number rose to 70.

There are 365 Methodist churches in Minnesota, and the number of pastors who are signing the pledge is continuing to increase, acccording to the Minnesota Independent.

The statement continues, “We repent that it has taken us so long to act. We realize that our church’s discriminatory policies tarnish the witness of the Church to the world, and we are [in] complicity. We value our covenant relationships and ask everyone to hold the divided community of the United Methodist Church in prayer.”

The statement was also an invitation to all clergy to become signatories. Methodist clergy, as of now, are not allowed to perform blessings for same-sex couples.

Anti-gay marriage amendment

The statement was issued partly in response to a pending anti-gay marriage amendment that is slated to be voted upon in the 2012 ballot, Minnesota Independent reported.

Robbins said, “With the possibility of a constitutional amendment in the state of Minnesota (defining marriage as limited to heterosexual couples), this seems important,” according to Minnesota Independent.

Chargeable offense

Bishop Sally Dyck told The Christian Post that while a statement that is issued in support of same-sex marriage is permissible, it is not acceptable to officiate at a same-sex union and to do so is an offense.

Church law says, “Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.”

The penalty for doing so may be revocation of clergy credentials and of conference membership according to the 2008 Book of Discipline.

Southern Baptist Convention elects African-American to second-top position

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 08:27 AM PDT


The Southern Baptist Convention chose Fred Luter to serve as first vice president last Tuesday during its annual convention held in Phoenix.

Luter, 54, had previously served, since 1986, as the head pastor of an SBC church in New Orleans.

With his current post, it is hoped by some SBC leaders that this will eventually lead to Luter’s becoming president in the 2012 convention, which will be held in New Orleans.

Decline in membership

The SBC has been experiencing a decline in membership and church attendance that has been ongoing in the past four years. In the Phoenix convention, delegates are expected to address this issue and come up with a plan to diversify the majority-white church membership.

One way of addressing the decline in baptism rates and membership will be to boost the election of minorities to leadership positions in the nomination.

Plans are also afoot to invite more church members of minority ethnicity to address the SBC’s annual meeting, and to recruit more minorities as members of staff to its mission boards and seminaries.

Frank Page, president of the Executive Committee said the SBC needs to accumulate “measurable information” to better evaluate its progress in forwarding ethnic relations.

Page told the audience of 4,000 at the Phoenix Convention Center, “I believe we are living in a day and time where there will be increased ethnic involvement and increased sensitivity to ethnic diversity within our convention.”

Danger of being exclusive

Russell Begaye of the SBC Home Mission Board echoed Page’s sentiment in a report he presented to the Hispanic Southern Baptist Fellowship ConferenceJune 8 in New Orleans.

In his report, The Ethnic Millenium, Begaye said the SBC faces the danger of becoming “more white” and “more exclusive” if it doesn’t change its present course.

Begaye cited 1990 U.S. Census records that show that one out of every four Americans is a minority, whether Hispanic, Asian, African or Native American in ancestry.

Begaye noted that the new immigrants do not fit stereotypes of being unruly, welfare dependent and uneducated. Instead, they are “more diverse and educated,” and cumulatively pay taxes annually of $100 billion, BP reported.

Despite these, the SBC remains predominantly white, and is encumbered further by a five percent downward rate in baptisms in 2010, and a 0.15 percent membership drop for the fourth year in a row.

In the last 10 years, despite the overall decline, half of the new churches started were either predominantly ethnic or African-American.

Furthermore, the number of churches with primarily minority membership has been raised from 13 percent in 1998 to 18.5 percent in 2008.

Former Mormon compares LDS faith versus Christianity in her new book

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 08:27 AM PDT


Carma Naylor released recently Volume II of her book, “A Mormon’s Unexpected Journey: Finding the Grace I never Knew,” published by WinePress Publishing.

In the second volume, Naylor points out the shortcomings of Mormonism, but at the same time, she appeals to readers of the book to view the LDS with compassion.

Naylor also describes the challenges and emotional turmoil she experienced when she decided to let go of her Mormon roots. This was no small feat, as Naylor was raised by a bishop of the Mormon faith.

Furthermore, Naylor’s forefathers belonged to the Mormon church since 1856, when her ancestors travelled from Iowa to Utah, enduring extreme cold and hunger, the Mormonism to Grace website said.

On her website Naylor described her father as an inspirational leader, adding that he saw visions and learned from spirit guides who claimed to hear God’s voice. He kept, she said, practically every book that the LDS ever published.

Naylor embraced the Mormon faith for 40 years, and engaged as a full-time Mormon missionary in New Zealand. She and her husband met when they were students at Brigham Young University, and they married in the Salt Lake Mormon temple, according to her website.

Naylor said in her book that she and her husband participated in secret temple rites for 19 years, but she slowly came to see clear inconsistencies in the doctrine of the LDS.

Naylor said, “When I attempted to prove that Mormonism was the only true church, I realized that the unique teachings of Mormonism are found in modern-day revelation from Joseph Smith, not the Bible; Bible passages were taken out of context or contradicted by certain LDS teachings.”

Naylor was 40 when she became a Christian. The first volume of her book was published in 2006, her website said. Naylor noted, “Mormons need to see that a true Christian relationship with Jesus is better than what their religion offers them.”

In her book Naylor advised that Christians “Lead [Mormons] to the cross with love, instead of attacking them and causing them to hold on more tightly to their religion. Ask questions that will get them to read Bible passages. Tell them about your assurance of salvation and what Jesus means to you.”

Naylor’s book has been lauded by a number of church leaders, including author and radio speaker Chuck Smith, who founded the worldwide Calvary Chapel movement. Smith said Naylor’s book is “A must read for any who have wondered what Mormonism is about,” according to WinePress Publishing website.

Baptist pastor Walter Price, author of God Focus, said, “Carma loves Mormons. Her greatest desire is for each one to hear the truth and to know the Eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, God come in the flesh,” WinePress Publishing Website noted.

Naylor currently lives in southern California. She and her husband have eight children and 27 grandchildren, according to her website.

Keeping the Faith: A Place Without Fear

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 03:01 PM PDT


My son has a frightful disease: Arachibutyrophobia.

Though he didn’t know the technical name of the ailment, he properly diagnosed his case.

Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.

Seriously, ground peanuts terrify the boy.

I understand my son’s fear. I was a pitiful little thing growing up. The list of things I was afraid of would fill a three-ring binder: The dark; thunder; being abandoned at the baby sitters; roller coasters; animals.

An unfamiliar dog once wandered into our yard, and I became so unnerved I tore through the bottom of the screen door to our home to get inside. Psychologists call it panophobia – the fear of everything.

Most of my fears were ungrounded. There was really nothing to be scared of, except for my school bus driver, Mr. Otto Walraven.

He instilled fear into the bravest soul as he shook a switch the size of a tree limb at us in that large rear view bus mirror.

More than once I saw him remove high school juniors and seniors from the bus and throttle them along the side of the road. Old Otto would be in the penitentiary these days, God rest his soul.

But if you listen to radio news, catch more than ten minutes of television a day, or subscribe to internet news, you know this world is a terrifyingly dangerous place.

The short list of concerns include record gas prices, the ongoing war in the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, economic uncertainty, the threat of terrorist attack, radical religious movements of all stripes, pandemic, and bad spinach. It’s enough to keep you in the bed in the morning.

The Apostle Paul, living in fearful days himself, said, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Here, Paul summarizes the most often repeated command in the Scriptures, “Don’t be afraid.”

Over three hundred times in the Hebrew and Christian Testaments the Bible speaks to us with the simple words, “Fear not.”

See, the most repeated command is not “Love thy neighbor,” or “Repent of your sins,” or “Do not kill,” as important as these things are. The most repeated instruction is to give no place to your worries.

What an appropriate reminder for us today. The spirit God gives us – that is, what furnishes us with breath and life – is not the racing heartbeat of panic. No, we are not enslaved to dread. The spirit given to us, and within us, is one of power, love, and self-discipline.

We have been given the power to face each uncertain day; the love to overcome the hatred and bitterness that surround us; and self-discipline when everything else seems so out of control; for our security is not dependent upon the strength of our military or foreign policy.

Our future is not guaranteed by the performance of the leading economic indicators.

Rising oil prices, inflation, and the never-ending mortgage crisis may cramp our portfolios; and elevated terror threats may cause us to alter our travel plans, but these should not take away our peace of mind.

For this peace is a peace that comes from above, and it surpasses all human understanding.

Dr. E. Stanley Jones says it far better than I can: “Fear is not my native land. Faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life…In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath. These are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely. We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality.”

I’ll choose to live during these perilous days within the reality of God; a place without fear. And I’ll try my best to convince my son that he can safely eat peanut butter. I may have more success with the former than the latter.

Ronnie McBrayer is the author of “Leaving Religion, Following Jesus.” He writes and speaks about life, faith, and Christ-centered spirituality. Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.net.

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The Underground -- Question of the Week: Prayer

http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Question of the Week: Prayer


Question of the Week: Prayer

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 03:06 PM PDT


Question: “What is the proper way to pray?”

Answer: Is it best to pray standing up, sitting down, kneeling, or bowing down? Should our hands be open, closed, or lifted up to God? Do our eyes need to be closed when we pray? Is it better to pray in a church building or out in nature? Should we pray in the morning when we get up or at night before we go to bed? Are there certain words we need to say in our prayers? How do we begin our prayers? What is the proper way to close a prayer? These questions, and others, are common questions asked about prayer. What is the proper way to pray? Do any of the above things even matter?

Far too often, prayer is viewed as a “magic formula.” Some believe that if we do not say exactly the right things, or pray in the right position, God will not hear and answer our prayer. This is completely unbiblical. God does not answer our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, what position our body is in, or in what order we word our prayers. We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 to have confidence when we come to God in prayer, knowing He hears us and will grant whatever we ask as long as it is in His will. Similarly, John 14:13-14 declares, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” According to these and many other Scriptures, God answers prayer requests based on whether they are asked according to His will and in the name of Jesus (to bring glory to Jesus).

So, what is the proper way to pray? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to pray without being anxious, to pray about everything, and to pray with thankful hearts. God will answer all such prayers with the gift of His peace in our hearts. The proper way to pray is to pour out our hearts to God, being honest and open with God, as He already knows us better than we know ourselves. We are to present our requests to God, keeping in mind that God knows what is best and will not grant a request that is not His will for us. We are to express our love, gratitude, and worship to God in prayer without worrying about having just the right words to say. God is more interested in the content of our hearts than the eloquence of our words.

The closest the Bible comes to giving a “pattern” for prayer is the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Please understand that the Lord’s Prayer is not a prayer we are to memorize and recite to God. It is an example of the things that should go into a prayer—worship, trust in God, requests, confession, and submission. We are to pray for the things the Lord’s Prayer talks about, using our own words and “customizing” it to our own journey with God. The proper way to pray is to express our hearts to God. Sitting, standing, or kneeling; hands open or closed; eyes opened or closed; in a church, at home, or outside; in the morning or at night—these are all side issues, subject to personal preference, conviction, and appropriateness. God’s desire is for prayer to be a real and personal connection between Himself and us.

Recommended Resource: Prayer, The Great Adventure by David Jeremiah.

Evangelical umbrella group condemns proposed bill to ban circumcisions

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT


The National Association of Evangelicals said in a statement that the move is detrimental to religious liberties and violates the country’s First Amendment.

Leith Anderson, president of NAE said, “Jews, Muslims, and Christians all trace our spiritual heritage back to Abraham. Biblical circumcision begins with Abraham. No American government should restrict this historic tradition. Essential religious liberties are at stake,” CNN reported.

Anderson also said, “The proposed ban violates the First Amendment’s guarantee to exercise one’s religious beliefs,” according to CNN.

While the Jewish and Islamic faiths necessitate circumcision of all believers, not all Christians are required to do so.

The originator of the measure promoting the ban is Matt Hess, who lives in San Diego and is the creator of a comic called Foreskin Man, which has been slammed by critics as being anti-Semitic.

Foreskin Man is a blond superhero who saves a baby boy from the evil, knife-wielding Monster Mohel, a character who wears a traditional Jewish prayer shawl and hat.

In the Jewish faith a mohel performs circumcisions.

Hess has denied that Foreskin Man is anti-Semitic, and claims that the comic is told from the point of view of a baby.

Hess tweeted, “People who forcefully cut the genitals of children are not reasonable. If they were reasonable, they would have stopped doing it by now.”

Hess, through his organization MGMbill, managed to gather 12,000 signatures of support, the number that is required for it to qualify being voted upon in the pending November ballot.

Under the proposed bill it will be “unlawful to circumcise, excise, cut, or mutilate the whole or any part of the foreskin, testicles, or penis,” of any person who is 17 years old or younger.

Anyone violating the law may face a penalty of one year in jail, or be fined a maximum of $1,000.

Sponsors of the bill claim that circumcision wreaks damaging psychological and physical effects on men, not unlike genital mutilation on women.

Many doctors disagree with this, however. Health benefits have been linked to circumcision and complications rarely occur. If ever, they are only temporary and usually minor.

By contrast, World Health Organization has said that there are no health benefits that are linked to female genital circumcision, and in fact there are long-term consequences including higher mortality rates of mothers and newborns, higher incidence of infection, difficulty urinating and fistulas.

Circumcision is widespread in the U.S., with 65 percent of male American infants being circumcised in the hospitals where they were born as of 1999, statistics from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate.

However, while the percentage of circumcisions nationwide remains steady, there has been a strong drop in the West by 64 percent in 1974, and then a 37 percent drop in 1999.

UK Bishop supports bill in House of Lords that will restrict Sharia law

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT


Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, who was formerly bishop of Rochester, said he supports The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill, noting that Sharia law conflicts with the British tradition of equality.

Presently, there are some 85 Muslim arbitration tribunals and Sharia councils throughout the UK.

Ali, who grew up in Pakistan said, “People in this country are free to practice whatever faith they have. But at the same time we have a very long tradition of people being equal under the law,” according to The Christian Institute.

Ali added, “The problem with Sharia is that it is inherently unequal for certain kinds of people. Muslims and non-Muslims are treated unequally. Similarly, men and women are treated unequally,” The Christian Institute reported.

Ali said that should Sharia be recognized by public law, it “introduces a principle of contradiction in the body of the law which will cause problems for the country and for people who will suffer, particularly women,” according to The Christian Institute.

The bill, which was introduced by Baroness Caroline Cox to the House of Lords early in the week, bans the application of Sharia law when it is discriminatory to non-Muslims and women.

The bill also proposes that public bodies are legally required to inform women of ways by which their legal rights will be affected if their marriage is not recognized by British law, The Christian Institute reported.

It will furthermore include a new law that penalizes false claims of legal jurisdiction insofar as family or criminal law is concerned, according to The Christian Institute.

However, it will not impose on any religion’s internal theology.

It does, however, seek to prevent any rulings that may be discriminatory and are in conflict with UK law.

At the same time, it will clearly define the limits of Sharia law.

Cox said, “My Bill seeks to stop parallel legal, or ‘quasi-legal’, systems taking root in our nation. Cases of criminal law and family law are matters reserved for our English courts alone,” Christian Today reported.

Cox said, “I want to make it perfectly clear in the law that discrimination against women shall not be allowed. We must do all that we can to make sure they are free from any coercion, intimidation or unfairness,” according to Christian Today.

Under Sharia law, a man who wishes to divorce his wife only needs to declare that he divorces her three times.

By contrast, a woman who seeks to divorce her husband must file an application to a Sharia court, pay a fee and seek the permission of her husband to do so.

Also, under Sharia law, men can remarry while women cannot. Furthermore, sons receive twice the inheritance of daughters.

Ali said, “We need to make sure that people have free access to the courts and equal protection from the state, as far as their fundamental rights are concerned,” Christian Today reported.

Southern Baptists experiencing worrisome decline in baptisms, membership

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 02:58 PM PDT


The 2010 Annual Church Profile report, submitted by LifeWay Research, indicated that while the number of Southern Baptist churches has increased, there has been a plunge in overall membership, attendance at worship services and participation in church activities,.

The report was released in preparation for the forthcoming annual Southern Baptist Convention which will be held in Phoenix on June 14-15.

Ed Stetzer, LifeWay president told The Tennessean, “This is not a blip. This is a trend. And, the trend is one of decline.”

The report showed that while there was a 1.59 percent increase in the number of churches in 2010 totaling 45,727, the number of baptisms has continued its pattern of decline.

The report noted that 332,321 baptisms were performed in 2010, a decline from the previous year by 17,416. The number of baptisms has continued to fall in the last 10 years, and is the lowest since the 1950.

Membership has also continued to fall in the last four years and is presently tagged at 16,136,044, The Tennessean said.

Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources told ABP that he is hoping that the upward trend of church planting, however, can help to stall the decline.

Reasons for decline

Two reasons were cited for the decline by Stetzer. First, Southern Baptists are aging, resulting in fewer children who are growing up in the church. Second, the church is not working hard enough on evangelizing, The Tennessean said.

Stetzer told The Tennessean, “Baptists love to talk about evangelism as long as someone else is doing it.”

Frank Page, president of SBC’s Executive Committee, told Baptist Press, “I am saddened to see this report which seems to indicate a lack of passion for winning our world to the Lord. That will turn around when we repent of our sins and seek the power of our Lord in our evangelistic efforts.”

Page told BP, “I am convinced that we are doing many good things but will see this situation change only when the churches and people of the SBC return evangelism to the top priority of our Kingdom activities.”

Last year, Southern Baptists engaged in an internal restructuring and launched the Great Commission Resurgence program, which essentially channels more money into evangelizing efforts.

Rainer told The Tennessean that it will take time before the efforts of The Great Commission Resurgence can be determined. He noted however that in the 1950s, when evangelism was a priority, the ratio of baptisms was one for every 20 Southern Baptists. “Now, it takes 40 of our members to baptize one person.”

Page told The Tennessean that denominational leaders also provide insufficient teaching on how to effectively evangelize.

“You can talk about having a vision all day long, but you have to show people how to put that vision into action,” he said.

There is also a need for SBC to engage more efforts in attracting minorities. To date, only 19 percent of SBC churches are minority parishes.

Rainer told The Tennessean, “We’ve got a long way to go for more ethnic diversity. We are still a very white denomination.”

The report also noted a decline in donations for missionary work, The Tennessean reported. The SBC International Mission Board announced that only $145.6 million was raised for the yearly Lottie Moon missionary offering, far short of the targeted $175 million.

U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for religious freedom says she will be hands on

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 12:35 AM PDT


The Obama administration’s U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom said recently that she plans to apply a more hands-on, faith-based approach in dealing with global faith issues.

Rev. Suzan Johnson-Cook told Michel Martin on NPR’s radio program Faith Matters that she hopes to put a face on religious freedom and to perform her duties more strategically.

The recently sworn in ambassador-at-large told Martin, “[W]hat we’re trying to do is have a faith approach to some very real issues that are global. And I think people have not had a hands-on, frontline experience before. And so what they will see now is a face of religious freedom…a woman who’s…[m]oving forward strategically,” NPR reported.

In her new position, Cook will be monitoring religious freedom issues globally and will report directly to President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. The latter has said of Cook, “To many, she is more than a minister, more than a spiritual leader, although she is certainly that. She is a passionate advocate for the God-given rights of people everywhere, no matter which god they believe gave them those rights in the first place,” Beliefnet said.

Clinton, during Cook’s swearing-in ceremony, said in her speech which was reprinted in the U.S. Department of State website that she will be working “in very close partnership” with Cook to uphold religious freedom, citing issues of violent extremism geared to exploiting sectarian tensions, abusive authoritarian regimes and threats to religious freedom whether through “quiet intolerance” or “violent attacks.”

When questioned by NPR about what Cook can do regarding religious freedom issues in countries with ties to the U.S., such as Saudi Arabia and the People’s Republic of China, Cook said, “I’m the poster child of religious freedom,” and added that she plans to “elevate” these issues with U.S. allies, NPR said.

Cook told NPR, “[Y]ou work with the allies that we have as partners and then you begin with diplomacy [with countries that are not allies] where there are pragmatic openings, begin to sit down and strategically plan to see if there could be partnerships where there have not been in the past.”

For 21 years, Cook was a chaplain with the New York City Police Department, which has a longstanding reputation for being at odds particularly with minorities including African-Americans and Latinos.

When asked how she mediated the role as chaplain of the NYPD and a voice for a beleaguered minority of which she is part, Cook told NPR that she saw herself as representative of her “culture and their concerns.”

Cook told NPR, “You need people from all sides of the world. You need some who are outside, who are the activists. You need some who are inside. When you have a department that’s 50,000 people strong, you’re going to also have minorities within the department…So I think you look at the opportunities that have been open and where you have been placed by God and by the Almighty.”

Cook, who in 1996 founded Bronx Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, told NPR that she measures  measures success by knowing that she has done her best with each day, enabling her to sleep peacefully at night.

She also noted to NPR that success is measured in due time by how one is remembered in history. But for herself, “[E]ach day I awake and I ask God to use me for that day in the best way that God [wants] and that I might make a difference for the people whose lives I touch and who touch mine.”

U.K. study shows potential for heart to repair itself

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 12:35 AM PDT


A study headed by Paul Riley and a team from University College London showed that dormant repair cells in the hearts of adult mice can be reactivated by transforming dormant cells from the epicardium with the injection of thymosin beta 4, according to Reuters.

It has yet to be seen whether similar results can be elicited in human hearts, and the research is still in a very early stage. However, it does indicate that there is the possibility that a drug could be developed that can prompt hearts that have undergone cardiac arrest into self repair, Reuters said.

The research was funded by the British Heart Foundation. Dr. Peter Weissberg, medical director said, “We have always believed that the heart has no capacity to heal itself, but this research suggests that this is not the case. We think we have discovered a natural process that brings about repair of the heart,” according to theheart.org.

Weissberg said in a press conference, “Until now, this has been science fiction. We are trying to understand what the triggers are for this process. The cells that are capable of this healing are already there in the epicardium. They just need to be tweaked and primed and the effect scaled up. If this works, we might be able to heal cardiac injury caused by heart attacks without resorting to stem cells,” theheart.org reported.

Riley, who heads the research team, told Reuters, “I could envisage a patient known to be at risk of a heart attack taking an oral tablet…which would prime their heart so that if they had a heart attack the damage could be repaired.”

Regeneration of heart tissue

In recent years, the number of deaths caused by heart attacks has gone down with medical advances. What has yet to be addressed is debilitation caused by the incidence of heart failure leading to a specific accumulation of dead heart tissue, Reuters reported.

Presently, mechanical devices are used in such case, or a transplant. But Riley’s study, which came out in the June 8, 2011, online publication Nature, targeted progenitor cells from the epicardium, or outer layer in the heart, Reuters said.

Riley said he targeted these progenitor cells because in an embryo, they become cardiomyocytes. “During pregnancy, these cells contribute to heart muscle and coronary blood vessels,” theheart.org reported.

Riley added, “In the adult, these cells sit in a dormant state. We think there is a possibility that these cells might be able to be activated to switch on the embryonic gene that causes them to make new myocardial cells,” according to theheart.org.

Thymosin beta 4

Riley found out that by injecting the healthy hearts of adult mice with thymosin beta 4, they can be “primed” to repair themselves after damage, according to Reuters.

After injecting the healthy hearts of the adult mice with thymosin beta 4, the researchers initiated heart attacks in the mice. They then gave the same mice another booster dose of thymosin beta 4. This prompted the transformation of dormant progenitor cells into cardiomycytes, Reuters said.

Riley said, “These cardiomycytes can link into the existing muscle of the heart and they home to the area of injury. [T]hey are also both structurally and functionally coupled to the heart, and therefore represent a bona fide source of new heart muscle,” Reuters reported.

The mice who received the treatment experienced a 25 percent improvement in the heart’s ejection fraction. There was also a reduction of myocardial scarring and remodeling, theheart.org said.

Preemptive treatment

Attempts are being made to see if the treatment will be effective on human cells. However, Riley emphasized that the treatment is primarily preemptive. It must be applied before heart injury, according to theheart.org.

Riley said, “We would need to treat patients at high risk of having a heart attack before that heart attack occurred. That is the key. The idea would be to identify these high-risk individuals and then give them this medication that would keep them their cells in a primed state, so that if an MI occurs repair would occur,” according to theheart.org.

Weissberg said, “If we could achieve a 25 percent increase in ejection fraction in humans, that would be a substantial effect. However, we rarely see in [humans] the same benefit as is shown in animal studies. But even if we could achieve a 10% improvement, that would make a major difference to quality of life,” theheart.org reported.

Woman conceived by rape responds to slurs from MSNBC commentator

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 12:34 AM PDT


Attorney Rebecca Kiessling, who is holding a week-long “Conceived in Rape Lecture Series,” responded to a rant by commentator Rachel Maddow against her speaking tour for Personhood Mississippi.

Kiessling said that under the “personhood” ballot or Amendment 26, the term “person” will refer to all humans from the moment of fertilization. She also took exception to Maddow’s use of the phrase, “the rapist’s child.”

In her response to Maddow, Kiesling said, “First of all, I am not the rapist’s child! He doesn’t even know of my existence, as in most rape cases.” She added that those who choose to abort face four times the risk of death within the year.

Kiesling said, “If you truly have compassion for a rape victim, you’d want to protect her from the abortion and not the baby.” She added that being pro-woman “is to recognize that women are much stronger than they are given credit for, and to understand that a baby is not the scary enemy.”

Inconsistency

Kiesling also cited inconsistencies in Maddow’s thinking as the MSNBC commentator is “against the death penalty for rapists, but supports the death penalty for the innocent child who happened to be conceived in rape…she failed to mention that the “Conceived in Rape” tour involved a real human being — and I’m a woman no less.”

Kiesling, who hopes to put a face on the child conceived in rape, said, “My birthmother did not choose life for me. She chose abortion. But pro-life advocates in Michigan chose life for me by making sure abortion was illegal in Michigan, even in cases of rape…I owe my life to them.”

When she was 18 years old, Kiesling searched for her birthmother and in this way, learned that her mother tried to abort her. She adds, “[My] birthmother is proud of me today, has shared her story alongside me, and is so thankful we were both protected from the abortion. I honor her and I bring her healing, which is why she and her husband legally adopted me last fall, 22 years from the day we met.”

In Kiesling’s personal website she said that her personal value is not based on being a “product of rape,” but a “child of God.” She said, “I know that there is no stigma in being adopted. We are told in the New Testament that it is in the spirit of adoption that we are called to be God’s children through Christ our Lord. So He must have thought pretty highly of adoption to use that as a picture of His love for us.”

Not lucky

Kiesling does not believe her survival has to do with luck. Instead, she says she is alive because of choices “that were made by our society at large, people who fought to ensure abortion was illegal in Michigan at the time — even in cases of rape, people who argued to protect my life, and people who voted pro-life. I wasn’t lucky. I was protected.”

Christian group ministers to middle class prostitutues in India

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 12:34 AM PDT


International Mission Board is ministering to a lesser-known group of prostitutes who come from India’s middle class, and who have resorted to the profession out of desperation, according to Mission Network News.

India is described by The New York Times as the country with “the largest number of human-trafficking victims in the world today,” with some children from very poor districts who are sold as prostitutes, sometimes as young as five years old.

While there are many Christian organizations addressing their needs, IMB is focusing on what is commonly referred to as “fly prostitutes,” or middle-class housewives and students who have children to feed and bills to pay, MNN said.

Fly prostitute with HIV

One “fly prostitute” is Ajanta Gupta (name changed), a widow whose husband died from AIDS. She was in her early 20s when her husband died, and had to provide for two small children. She also had HIV.

Gupta was introduced to prostitution through her friend, Laghuri Kapoor (name changed). It was a way to get easy money and to earn more than a regular job would pay. MNN said a woman in unskilled labor earns only $1.25, while a man doing the same work would get one-fourth more.

Gupta told the IMB website, “I need money to run my family, and the money I was able to earn was not sufficient. Also, because I am sick, I am unable to work properly. So I had to go through with that work (prostitution).”

Kapoor told IMB that she regularly helps women to work as prostitutes, and more housewives have been joining the profession in the last few years. She blames this basically on desperation and a need for finances.

Kapoor, aside from bringing customers to the women, also cares for them when they are ill and trains them on ways to avoid AIDS. Of those who come to the profession, she told IMB, “No one comes into this profession happily.”

Vicious cycle

Rather, Kapoor told IMB that they come because they are desperate. One example is Darpana Rana (name changed), whose husband left her with three children. She said many women are victims of a vicious cycle. The husband is addicted or abusive, the wife looks for legitimate work, but when she comes home from work her husband continues to abuse her. Rana told IMB, “Slowly, slowly [the women] get involved in the profession.”

Oftentimes it is difficult to leave the profession. Yamini Chopra (name changed) worked as a prostitute, then later, found le

The Underground -- Caner leaves Liberty University for Arlington Baptist College

http://theundergroundsite.com)" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Underground -- Caner leaves Liberty University for Arlington Baptist College


Caner leaves Liberty University for Arlington Baptist College

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:38 PM PDT


Ergun Caner, the controversial religion professor at Liberty University, is leaving LU to join Arlington Baptist College in Texas, where he will serve as its provost and vice president.

Caner, the former president and dean of Liberty Theological Seminary was demoted when it was discovered that he was lying and exaggerating about his Muslim childhood, according to the Associated Baptist Press.

Arlington Baptist College, a fundamental bible Baptist institute, was founded in 1939 by J. Frank Norris and is affiliated with the World Baptist Fellowship. Caner, aside from serving as provost and vice president of academic affairs, will also teach theology, apologetics and church history, the ABP said.

Caner has coauthored many books, including “Why Churches Die,” “Unveiling Islam,” and “When Worldviews Collide.” He  was taken into Arlington on a unanimous vote from the board of directors of the college, Baptist Press said.

Ron Godwin, LU’s administrator said, “We wish Ergun the very best in his new assignment and would have been delighted to have him continue serving here. We will miss his contribution,” The News & Advance reported.

Of his new assignment, Caner said, “I am thrilled to be joining the Arlington Baptist College. This is an historic institution, founded by one of Christianity’s most courageous voices, Dr. J. Frank Norris,” ABP reported.

Norris, founder of Arlington Baptist College and the World Baptist Fellowship, was a Texas fundamentalist Baptist leader and one-time editor of the Baptist Standard. He was once called the “Texas Tornado” over a long-term feud with the Southern Baptists, ABP said.

Norris founded his own independent fundamentalist group, originally called the Pre-millennial Baptist Missionary Fellowship but renamed the World Baptist Fellowship after a split, ABP said.

Caner said, “The vision of President Moody is profoundly exciting — to train a generation of Christian warriors who are prepared for ministry on every level, intellectually and spiritually,” The News & Advance reported.

9/11 circuits

Caner rose to fame after 9/11 when he shared his testimony of being a trained jihadist terrorist before his conversion to Christianity in several speaking engagements and during the Southern Baptist Convention, ABP said.

However, blogs and news reports emerged that he was actually raised in Ohio. Liberty trustees investigated his case, and, among other things, reviewed recordings of Caner’s speeches, according to ABP.

LU determined that “factual statements … are self-contradictory.” In 2010 Caner was demoted after a committee headed by Godwin looked into the professor’s claim of having grown up Muslim and converted to Christianity as a teenager, The News & Advance said.

The committee determined that there seemed to be no doubt that Caner had converted to Christianity. However, Caner did make “factual statements that are self-contradictory,” and demoted Caner, giving him a one-year teaching contract, ABP said.

Caner often said he is a Turkish immigrant and said in speeches he gave in other states that he was trained as a teenager in Islamic jihad. However, documents of his parents’ divorce which are filed in an Ohio courthouse indicate otherwise, The News & Advance said, indicating that Caner was born in Sweden and the family moved to the U.S. when he was four years old.

Last fall, Caner taught two online cases, and in the spring taught two classes in LU.

Utmost confidence

President D.L. Moody of Arlington Baptist College presented Caner to the Texas school’s board of directors and said, “I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Ergun Caner,” according to The News & Advance.

Moody said, “I believe that he has the abilities, wisdom and passion to enhance the work and ministry of Arlington Baptist College as we prepare a ‘Generation of Giants for Jesus Christ.’ He shares the values that I have for biblical authority, evangelistic fervor, and godly example,” BP reported.

Experimental therapy helps paralyzed man stand, do limited movements

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:38 PM PDT


A man from Portland, Ore., who has been afflicted with a spinal cord injury for four years is suddenly back on his feet after receiving experimental treatment that uses an electric stimulator, lending new hope for the paralyzed.

Rob Summers, 25, is now taking steps on a treadmill thanks to therapy that shows, surprisingly, that lower limb movement is possible without receiving signals from the brain, CBS News said.

The treatment lends hope to some five-and-a-half million others who are partially paralyzed from spinal cord injury, according to CBS News. Dr. Susan Harkema, who heads the experiment at the University of Louisville, said that while Summers’ progress is remarkable, They still have a long way to go.

Harkema, director of rehabilitation research at the University’s Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center told CBS News, “There’s technology that needs to be developed and more research, and testing it in other people. But it just opened up a whole new set of opportunities.”

Summers, the first spinal injury patient who was able to stand and move purposefully using an electric stimulator, told The Oregonian, “I hope my story will motivate others with spinal cord injuries and revitalize their hopes for the future.”

Whether or not the treatment can meaningfully improve daily life functioning, and whether or not Summers’ experience can be replicated in others, remains to be seen. But experts agree this is a landmark, more so as it is done without any brain signal and through electrical stimulation, The Oregonian reported.

Hit and run

Five years ago Summers was a student at Oregon State University and a pitcher in its baseball team. One night in July 2006 as he grabbed his duffel bag inside his car, a drunk driver crashed into him and sped off, The Oregonian said.

Summers recalls trying to crawl, collapsing and waking up the next day in a hospital. He told CBS News, “The car drove off, leaving me there with nothing and no help, no hope.”

Doctors said he was paralyzed from the chest down and he would never walk again. But Summers, who dreamt of playing baseball, trained for three years but still could not stand, walk independently, or move his legs, The Oregonian said.

Experiments on cats

Summers learned of an experiment in the University of Louisville that showed that cats with severed spinal cords could stand and take steps, as could rats, with the help of electrical stimulation.

Harkema and her team also pinpointed evidence that human spinal nerves can preserve some capability to control movement even after a disabling spinal injury. She wanted to see if electric stimulation could agitate the spinal nerves in a way that would promote standing and stepping, The Oregonian said.

Summers volunteered, and some 16 tiny electrodes were implanted directly over his lower spinal cord segments connected by wires under his skin that went to a unit as large as a small cell phone that was implanted over his hip. Through a wireless remote, electrical pulses were sent to the spine, The Oregonian said.

The devices are already in use to control chronic pain and cost from $20,000 to $57,000, with maintenance at $5,000 to $7,000, according to The Oregonian. The experiment was financed by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, according to CBS News.

Summers told The Oregonian, “[I]t feels like a tingling that goes from my abs down to my toes. Once I got used to it was fine. It wasn’t painful or uncomfortable.”

Three days after implantation, both Summers and the research team were surprised that he could stand up unassisted. Harkema told The Oregonian, “This result was really unexpected.”

After 80 sessions and a period of seven months, Summers can take a few steps on a treadmill, has motor control in his toes, ankles, knees and hips. He cannot walk yet but with help, can take a few steps, The Oregonian said.

Other benefits noted by Harkema and her team was improved body temperature regulation, increased muscle mass, decreased body fat, bladder control and a greater sense of wellbeing in the patient, The Oregonian said.

The research has been published in the medical journal, Lancet. Susan Howley of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, who financed the experiment, told CBS News, “I think Christopher Reeve would be very, very pleased.”

Harkema told CBS News, “It was gratifying to know that decades of research by many scientists had reached a point where it might help people with paralysis,” adding, “A lot of scientific decisions went into (our decision). … We trained him intensely to make sure that there wasn’t any possibility of recovery before we took this next step.”

Summers told CBS News, “Now I can stand. I’ve gotten my confidence back to just go out in the public, and be out in the world again. As well as I work on standing for one hour a day, as well as voluntary movement. I can move my toes, ankles, knees and hips, all on command. And that’s just an amazing feeling to be able to get that back.” His next goal is to stand and walk “completely normally.”

Harkema said her goal is to be able to use these therapies for the mainstream market. She told CBS News, “An important aspect is that there’s knowledge we have now that can make incremental changes in people’s lives. And so we need to start there, and then just continue to learn more about the circuitry and how we can take advantage of it to improve function and people’s quality of life.”

Church pastor teaches Christian Karate to youth, community

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:38 PM PDT


A pastor in New London, WI, is transforming the lives of young people, their families and a community by combining karate lessons with scripture.

Pastor Bill Stiebs, founder of Cornerstone Christian Church, opened up a successful karate school in the 1980s, but one decade later, when he and his wife Lynn were born again, they transformed it into a Christian Karate school, according to Appleton Post Crescent.

Stiebs has been studying karate since 1975 when he was 15 years old. Karate was a good outlet for his aggressive personality because it is an individual sport rather than a team activity, Appleton Post Crescent reported.

In the early 80s he started his own karate school and by 1985 taught traditional classes in kickboxing karate to 50 students. He became successful, working out with world champions such as Jeff Smith, Joe Lewis and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, who acted in movies starring Chuck Norris, according to Appleton Post Crescent.

But in 1991 he and wife Lynn were on the brink of a divorce. This led others to share their faith with the couple, and as they focused on the love of Jesus, it filtered into the details of their lives, including their marriage, Appleton Post Crescent said.

Christian karate

It also led Stiebs to introduce Christian karate in his school. Stiebs told Appleton Post Crescent, “Well, at that time we went from 40 or 50 students up to 80 students. So it actually increased in size. People wanted that. They were looking and searching for something in life that was more solid, that they could count on and God was part of that whole process.”

A video of Stiebs’ class helps one to understand why it works so well. One remembers an old movie, Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams who inspires his students to love literature by embedding it in their experience, for example, kicking a football while saying a line of a poem.

Stiebs’ class runs in similar fashion, only the tool for teaching is karate. As children do certain movements, they memorize applicable bible verses. Because there is such a spirit of love and encouragement the children learn happily. Eventually they also enjoy mentoring other new students in both the sport and bible.

Stiebs also made sure that the children didn’t bow to each other, a normal practice in karate sessions. He told Appleton Post Crescent, “We believe the only master that we have is Jesus and we would bow to Jesus. To each other, we do high-fives and handshakes. We just encourage each other in our lives.”

Stiebs also told Appleton Post Crescent that meditating had to change too. “[I]nstead of meditating upon how we could clear our minds and think of the power within ourselves, we begin to think about the power of Jesus in our lives. We begin to pray instead of meditate upon other things. And so prayer was an integral part of the karate along with learning and teaching scriptures from the Bible that would help and enable people to get through their lives in hard times.”

Karate also became a venue by which Stiebs came to know the children in the neighborhood. Young people would stop by for lessons at his karate school and as trust was built, he could share the bible with them, Appleton Post Crescent said.

Stiebs has degrees in Biblical studies, theology and Christian counseling, according to the Cornerstone Christian Church website. He is a Board Certified Pastoral Counselor and a certified Life Coach.

Stiebs is also a fourth degree black belter who has trained with many world champions of karate. He has taught a “Dangers of Strangers” program in schools throughout Wisconsin, and “Women’s Assault Awareness” in colleges and for corporate clients. He has also helped in the training of police officers and prison guards in WI, the Cornerstone Christian Karate website said.

Churches in New York city: An opportunity unnoticed

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:38 PM PDT


New churches are booming in New York City today, but they do not cater so much to the unsaved, as to the un-churched, a study said.

The New York City Leadership Center, a nonprofit organization that studies developing Christian ministries, noted that in 1975 only 10 evangelical churches existed in Manhattan. By 2000, four out of every 10 was an Evangelical Christian church, and today there are more than 200.

People going to these churches

Thousands are drawn to these churches on Sundays, catering primarily to Christians who have left their home towns to go to bigger cities like New York, Christianity Today said.

According to the NYCLC website, there are vastly under-churched areas in Greater New York, and millions of people are drawn to the new Evangelical churches to fill their spiritual gaps and rediscover the faith they already have in them. However, there are still many more churches that need to be built to address migration.

David Fitch, associate professor of evangelical theology, Northern Baptist Seminary, agrees with NYCLC. He told Christianity Today that most churches, like the megachurch of Tim Keller, is reaching out to Christians who are pre–churched, but who are new to New York and who need a new place to worship.

Fitch told Christianity Today, “The attractional dynamics that often typif[y] these kinds of church planting depend largely on existing Christianized populations,” he wrote in a blog post in January.”

The changing trend in church goers is unmistakeable. In 2008 sociologist Scott Thumma of Hartford Seminary studied 400 megachurches and asked where their members came from. One out of five said they had either been un-churched for a long time, or had dropped out of church for several years then came back, Christianity Today said.

Keller, in a comment that he put in Thumma’s blog, noted that the first attendees in his church were indeed largely un-churched people, because there were so few evangelicals in Manhattan at that time (1980s).

Things changed in the 1990s and Keller said, “for every one New Yorker/secular person who came to Christ, we saw 2-3 others join who were coming from other churches. Without that, we would be a quarter to a third the size we are now,” Christianity Today reported.

Churches today in New York start and grow simply by bringing in Christians who are looking for a place where they can worship, rather than by evangelizing. Thumma told Christianity Today, “[A]lmost no one going to megachurches is truly from the ranks of the unsaved, or entirely unchurched.”

Intensify faith

This new trend does not mean that evangelical churches have a diminished purpose nor can it imply that the churches do not exert effort in ministering to unbelievers, Christianity today said.

By drawing in people who are already Christians, there is often the experience of having an intensified faith, a greater love of God. There is a feeling of conversion and a decision made, oftentimes, to become more serious in one’s faith.

Thumma, a co-author of The Other 80 Percent: Turning Your Church’s Spectators into Active Participants, sees this as a good thing and a good purpose for both older churches and newly-planted churches, Christianity Today said.

NYCLC views this as an opportunity to evangelize. Its web site said, “Our research among Christian financial industry leaders in Manhattan indicates that 2/3 of those surveyed are not actively integrating their faith with their vocation. The NYCLC seeks to gather Christ’s followers for fellowship, encouragement and engagement in exercising their faith and influence in every sector of society.”

Social networks

Many people in churches today are marginal, but they can be used by God to reach out to the un-churched, Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research in Nashville told Christianity Today.

Rodney Stark, co-director, Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, says a church needs strong members to grow, as these are the kinds who will invite friends and neighbors to church. He told Christianity Today, “Churches really are social networks.”

The need for leadership training of church members is also noted. NYCLC provides training and resources for ministry leaders who would not have the finances to pay for such training, Christianity Today said.

The circumstance lends room for the opportunity. Reaching the un-churched and empowering them through leadership training to reach non-Christians is an opportunity that is well presented in the current setting of migration.

Doomsday moved to Oct. 21

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:37 PM PDT


Radio station owner Harold Camping said recently that he wasn’t wrong when he predicted that rapture would take place on May 21, but it just wasn’t obvious because the rapture took place in a spiritual sense.

Camping said on his radio program Open Forum that even though we hadn’t seen it, and nothing different seems to have taken place, God indeed bore judgment on the whole world last May 21, according to International Business Times.

Camping said, “On May 21, this last weekend, this is where the spiritual aspect of it really comes through. God again brought judgment on the world. We didn’t see any difference but God brought Judgment Day to bear upon the whole world,” International Business Times reported.

For months Camping had been predicting that 200 million Christians will be physically taken up to heaven on May 21, last Saturday. This would be followed by five months of tremendous suffering, also known as the Great Tribulation, The Washington Post said.

The suffering would end on Oct. 21, Camping said in his original prediction. Last Monday, he suggested that maybe God, in his mercy, decided to spare humanity of the five months of tribulation, The Washington Post said.

He also said he felt terrible and that last Saturday he and his wife took refuge in a motel, the AP said. But he also said that he is certain that the world will end on Oct. 21, 2011, and that his numerological timeline is accurate.

Camping said, “It won’t be spiritual on October 21st. The world is going to be destroyed all together, but it will be very quick,” The Washington Post reported. Camping said that the globe would be taken up in a fireball, according to the AP.

Through Camping’s personal ministry, Family Radio International, millions were spent to set up to 5,000 billboards and for some 20 RVs to go around with signs announcing the May 21 apocalypse, the AP said.

Camping’s followers also put their personal funds into advertising the May 21 apocalypse. Jeff Hopkins, 52, told the AP that he spent on gas to drive his van back and forth between New York City and Long Island, so that people could see the warning sign on his van.

Hopkins, a former TV producer told the AP, “I’ve been mocked and scoffed and cursed at and I’ve been through a lot with this lighted sign on top of my car. I was doing what I’ve been instructed to do through the Bible, but now I’ve been stymied. It’s like getting slapped in the face.”

Followers Adrienne Martinez and her husband quit their jobs and spent all their savings so that they would leave nothing behind after May 21. She is pregnant with her second child, International Business Times said.

Christians believe, as the bible says, that the exact time of Jesus’ return cannot be prophesied. Tim LaHaye, a co-writer of the apocalyptic novel series “Left Behind” cited Matt. 24:36 which says, “[B]ut about that day or hour no one knows,” except God, AP said.

LaHaye wrote on his website, “While it may be in the near future, many signs of our times certainly indicate so, but anyone who thinks they ‘know’ the day and the hour is flat out wrong,” AP reported.

No responsibility

Camping said he feels no responsibility for those who left their jobs or spent their savings because of his prophecy. He said on his radio station, “They should have relied on God and not me. Family Radio is not in the business of financial advice,” International Business Times reported.

Camping implied that these people need to go on with their lives saying, “People cope,” according to International Business Times.

This is actually the second time that Camping predicted a doomsday and that failed. The first time he predicted the Apocalypse was in 1994. Camping later said that it was a mathematical error, according to the AP.

In 2009, Family Radio, which is a nonprofit endeavor, filed its IRS report stating it had assets of over $104 million (including $34 million in stocks and other securities), and received donations of $18.3 million, the AP said.

Britain’s Got Talent contestant was bullied by classmates for his faith

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:37 PM PDT


A young Christian man who impressed the judges of the television show, Britain’s Got Talent, said recently that he used to be bullied at school because he read the bible.

Paul Gbegje, 19, was taunted by classmates because he would bring his bible with him to school while his classmates were reading Playboy magazines, according to The Christian Institute.

Gbegje said, “I was different because of what I believed in. In year eight I would bring my Bible for reading time and they would bring Playboy and stuff like that. They would call me Jesus Freak,” The Christian Institute reported.

Gbegje told The Christian Institute, “I didn’t swear, didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, didn’t bunk. They were listening to things in the charts, whereas me I was listening to piano.”

He spent most of his lunch breaks in the music room, where he would play the piano and experimented with composing music. He said, “I’m not a good talker, but I do it through music. What I like from playing the piano is the feeling you get from it. It’s like a high. As soon as I got a piano, I’m just happy,” The Christian Post reported.

He also practiced on the church piano, sometimes for up to 10 hours straight. He had to make up for lost time, having only gotten started on the piano when he was 14 years old, The Christian Post said.

Gbegjo has received basic formal training but largely his output is the work of creativity and personal passion. Even before he had a piano, he used to think about music in his head, and he would play the tune on a ‘keyboard’ that he drew on a piece of paper, according to The Christian Institute.

Gbegjo said to The Christian Institute, “People didn’t understand my passion and they saw it as strange and weird. But now I am so glad I stayed true to myself.” He impressed the judges with his performance, and afterwards, some of the bullies contacted him and congratulated him.

Gbegjo told The Sun, “Some of them even emailed me on Facebook saying, ‘Well done.’ I feel like I’ve had some form of victory. I had the last laugh.”

Gbegjo is the son of preachers, and he hails from Dagenham, East London. Before performing in front of the judges he prayed backstage. When the judges gave him accolades he said, “I knew God was with me. He really came through for me,” The Sun reported.

Gbegjo’s piano performance was partly original, with the first and last portions composed by himself, and the middle being Bella’s lullaby from the movie, “Twilight,” The Christian Post said.

All three judges passed Gbegjo into the next round. Amanda Holden told him, “I just think you did an amazing job today.” Michael MacIntyre told Paul, “You were sensational,” according to The Christian Institute.

The show’s hosts, Ant and Dec were also impressed and lauded the young musician, The Christian Institute said.

A survey last year showed that Christians feel uncomfortable reading the bible at work in their free time. However, the same survey showed that most of their colleagues would not be bothered by it, The Christian Institute said.

In 2008, a report that was submitted by a charity on anti-bullying, which indicated that one out of every fourth child is bullied for their religion, The Christian Institute said.

British Doctor reprimanded for talking of Christian faith

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:37 PM PDT


A doctor in the U.K. might lose his job and his medical license because he talked about his Christian faith with a patient.

Dr. Richard Scott is one of six partners at Bethesda Medical Center, Margate. All the partners are Christian, and they have been open about this. Scott received a formal complaint from the General Medical Council because he told a 24-year-old patient that praying to Jesus could help him out of a difficult condition that he is in, NY Daily News said.

The complaint was filed by the patient’s mother, who has accused Scott of taking advantage of her son’s vulnerability by trying to push his religion on him, the NY Daily News said. The GMC is charged with regulating all British doctors.

Scott, 50, is a former missionary. His record as a doctor has been unblemished—until now. He said the conversation about Jesus only came as the consultation was coming to a close, and he did so with the permission of the patient.

Scott told NY Daily News, “I only discussed mutual faith after obtaining the patient’s permission. In our conversation I said that, personally, I had found having faith in Jesus helped me and could help the patient. At no time did the patient indicate that they were offended, or that they wanted to stop the discussion.”

Scott told NY Daily News that if the patient complained at the time, “I would have immediately ended the conversation.” He has decided to fight the GMC censure. In doing so he may lose his medical license, and this would spell the end of a 28-year profession, according to The New American.

In recalling the conversation Scott said the patient was “in a rut and in need of help.” Scott said the medical consultation was lengthy, during which he discussed various possible interventions, all of which the patient had already tried, The New American said.

The patient had requested consultation with other medical professionals, and Scott promised he would follow up those requests, The New American said.

The GMC complaint said Scott “harassed a vulnerable patient.” Scott said, “Absolutely not.  I’ve offered a needy patient a way out of his situation,” according to The New American.

Niall Dickson, chief executive of GMC said doctors must not proselytize or talk about religion with their patients, “unless those beliefs are directly relevant to the patient’s care. They also must not impose their beliefs on patients, or cause distress by the inappropriate or insensitive expression of religious, political or other beliefs or views,” the NY Daily News reported.

Scott decided not to accept the complaint as it would remain on his record for any future employer to see. “What’s happened to me is an injustice and I want to stand up for Christians who have been getting hammered in the workplace.” The Christian Legal Center is taking charge of his case, The New American said.

Andrea Williams of CLC said Scott, “acted within their own guidelines, and his unblemished record should not be tarnished — even by a letter [in] his file,” The New American reported.

Laura Sandys, MP for South Thanet told BBC News, “[M]onitoring and then sanctioning doctors on conversations with patients, that do not relate to their medical condition, must be a matter between the individuals and dealt with locally. The GMC has over-reacted and needs to put an end to misplaced activism that is putting a respected doctor’s profession on the line.”

Other Christian doctors have also rallied behind Scott. Dr. Peter Saunders of Christian Medical Fellowship told NY Daily News, “All good doctors try to treat their patients as whole persons, not just biochemical machines. Tha

The Underground -- Jim Caviezel’s career dipped after playing Jesus in The Passion of the Christ


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Jim Caviezel’s career dipped after playing Jesus in The Passion of the Christ

Posted: 02 May 2011 09:59 PM PDT


The lead actor in the megahit The Passion of the Christ said recently that his career took a dip after playing Jesus in the $400 million global box office hit.

Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ, was a rising star in Hollywood before he took on the role. He already had roles in The Count of Monte Cristo and Angel Eyes with Jennifer Lopez, the Daily Mail said.

Caviezel also starred in The Thin Red Line, a true story about fighting in Guadalcanal in WWII alongside Sean Penn and Nick Nolte in 1998. In 2000 Caviezel had a role in Pay It Forward, which starred Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment, CBN News said.

One of his biggest hits was the thriller Frequency, where he played the son of Dennis Quaid in 2000, Daily Mail said. In 2003 he was in the film I Am David, and the following year, his film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius was released. It was the same year that The Passion of the Christ became a blockbuster, the Orlando Sentinel said.

But since then Caviezel had a downturn in his career, most surprising considering the tremendous success of the film. He told a group at First Baptist Church of Orlando that he was “rejected in my own industry,” OS reported.

He still continued to receive movie offers, but the number of offers lessened rather than increased. In 2008 he acted in The Stoning of Soraya M., a disturbing film based on a true story told by a French journalist (Caviezel) about a rural Iranian woman whose husband wanted to divorce her, and did so by lying and saying that she had committed adultery, OS said.

His most noteworthy role after The Passion was in the 2009 miniseries, The Prisoner, which failed to meet its potential, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Caviezel said he continues to feel Hollywood’s rejection seven years after The Passion of the Christ. But his faith remains strong and he said his career is led primarily by his religion as a Roman Catholic, OS said.

Of good friend Mel Gibson, who had been labeled anti-Semitic and who recently was taped uttering expletives to the mother of his youngest child, Caviezel said, “Mel Gibson, he’s a horrible sinner, isn’t he? Mel Gibson doesn’t need your judgment, he needs your prayers,” the OS reported.

Caviezel told worshipers at First Baptist that he believes he was called to the acting profession. He also notes that he was 33 years old when he played Jesus and his initialsm J.C., “freaked [Mel Gibson] out a little,” according to OS.

Caviezel spoke before First Baptist to promote an audio book of the Bible, Words of Promise, that he produced with an all-star cast including Richard Dreyfuss, the Daily Mail said. He referred to the audio book as “The Passion on Steroids.”

He was introduced by David Uth, pastor of First Baptist, as a man who is “more passionate about God,” than anyone he had ever known before. While promoting the audio book, Caviezel also shared his life and faith, Orlando Sentinel said.

Caviezel and his wife have adopted children from China with ‘special needs,’ including one who is stricken with cancer. Caviezel told the worshippers, “Maybe God, through my son’s death, is going to teach me something,” OS said.

Christian leaders respond to Osama bin Laden’s death

Posted: 02 May 2011 09:59 PM PDT


Christian leaders have responded to the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by issuing statements and through Twitter.

Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy said, “All persons of good will can be grateful that the U.S. military, helped by U.S. intelligence agencies, has successfully ended Osama bin Laden’s career of terror.”

He continued, “Sadly, since 9-11, many church voices have insisted that Christianity mandates pacifism. Hopefully there will now be greater appreciation for the Church’s historic stance that God ordained the state to punish evildoers who attack the innocent.

“The Church does not rejoice to see anyone perish. It always seeks repentance and offers God’s grace, even while recognizing the state’s duty to punish. As Christians we would have preferred to see bin Laden renounce terror. But he died, as he lived, by the sword. The Church has always understood that government has a distinct responsibility to execute justice, sometimes employing lethal force,” Christian Newswire reported.

The Vatican also released a public statement which said that bin Laden must answer to God for the killing of so many and for abusing religion as an excuse to spread hate, Reuters reported.

Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman told Reuters that Christians “do not rejoice” when a man is killed, but the death of Obama is a reminder of “each person’s responsibility before God and men.”

Lombardi told Reuters, “Osama bin Laden, as everyone knows, had the grave responsibility of having spread division and hate among people, causing the deaths of an innumerable number of people and exploiting religion for these purposes.”

Lombardi also told Reuters that he hoped that bin Laden’s death “would not be an occasion for more hate, but for peace.”

Meanwhile, Muslim extremist websites have drawn up bin Laden as a martyr who fought for Allah. One post said, “We won’t cry today, but we will revenge. Men and women in America will cry,” according to CNN.

Many Christians chose to respond to the news of bin Laden’s death by sending out Bible verses through Twitter.

The third most popular bible verse that was re-tweeted was started by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, who quoted Prov. 21:15. The verse is, “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous, but terror to evildoers.”

The second most popular Bible verse re-tweeted was sent out by Rev. Run of Run DMC fame. Rev. Run tweeted Psalm 138:8 which says, “The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.”

The number one most popularly re-tweeted Bible verse is Prov. 24:17. However, it is not known who started it. The verse says, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice.”

Study shows link between one’s concept of God and cheating behavior

Posted: 01 May 2011 07:14 PM PDT


A new study shows a link between one’s concept of God and the strength of one’s inclination to cheat.

The study, Mean Gods make Good People: Different Views of God Predict Cheating Behavior, showed that those who viewed God as compassionate and loving were more likely to cheat than those who saw God as harsh and punitive, The Los Angeles Times said.

The study was conducted by Azim F. Shariff, a psychologist from the University of Oregon, and Ara Norenzayan of the University of British Columbia. It was published in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, UPI said.

The researchers said that they conducted the study in order to contribute to a larger understanding of the role that religion plays in lending adherence to moral behavior, according to UPI.

The study pointed out while ethical behavior does not vary between believers and nonbelievers in God, there is a wide difference in ethical behavior linked to how one perceives God, the Los Angeles Times said.

Those who adhere to the concept of a loving and compassionate God showed a greater tendency to cheat than those who saw God as punitive, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Shariff told The Register-Guard that he was not surprised by the findings of the study, which he said fell in line with a “supernatural punishment hypothesis” that societies have long recognized.

Shariff told The Register-Guard, “Rulers have known for a long time that God is an incredibly effective way of keeping people in line.” He was, however, surprised at the finding that students who see God as forgiving and compassionate have a larger inclination to cheat.

Shariff said, “It almost gives people license to act in an immoral way because they have a supernatural agent who will forgive them regardless of what they do. They’ll think, ‘It’s OK to do this because I won’t be judged too harshly because my God is a forgiving God,’ ” The Register-Guard reported.

However, Shariff told The Register-Guard that those who believe in a harsh God may internalize fear of punishment and this can direct their behavior. “They’ve made that decision at some point already, so they don’t have to make it every single time.”

Methodology

The survey was administered to 100 college students. In the first part, 61 students were asked to rate God on 14 traits, for example half punitive, half loving, highly punitive and highly loving, The Register-Guard said.

Immediately after, they were asked to do a math test. However, the math test was designed to be tedious, and the ability to cheat was deliberately easy so that students would be encouraged to cheat, according to The Register-Guard.

In the second part of the experiment, 39 students were asked to fill the same questionnaire about their belief and concept of God. However, to further boost against “priming,” the students were made to wait several days before taking the same math test, UPI reported.

The survey also corrected for ethnicity, religious affiliation and personality traits which might influence the survey results, the Los Angeles Times said.

The findings of the study showed that 60 percent of the students were “low cheaters,” compared to 40 percent who were “high cheaters,” The Register-Guard said.

Shariff said that most studies, including this one, show that there is no gap in terms of moral behavior between people who are religious and those who are atheist, The Register-Guard reported.

Absolutism vs. relativism

Paul Froese, author of America’s Four Gods-What We Say About God and What That Says About Us, said of Shariff’s study, “More wrathful images of God are related to moral absolutism, while people with benevolent, loving images of God tend to be moral relativists,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

Shariff told The Register-Guard, “College students typically are less religious than the population as a whole, so it’s possible that the cheating gap between believers of a loving God and believers of an angry God is actually understated compared to what might be found in the larger society.”

Appeals Court supports federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research

Posted: 01 May 2011 07:06 PM PDT


An appeals court ruled recently that the government can allot federal funds for grants to studies that will engage in the use of human embryonic stem cells.

The two-to-one ruling was made by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. It grants permission to the government to make use of human embryonic stem cells to try to find new ways to treat a number of medical conditions, Reuters reported.

The ruling also overthrows a lower court decision made by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth which said the U.S. National Institutes of Health guidelines regarding such studies were violated because these studies involve the destruction of embryos, and puts other studies dealing only with adult stem cells at a disadvantage for funds, Reuters said.

Despite Lamberth’s ruling last August, federal funding of such research continued pending appeal. The White House said that if the studies were halted, millions of dollars could be lost, according to Reuters.

The appeals court decision said the U.S. law is “ambiguous” and “[does] not prohibit funding a research project in which an ESC [embryonic stem cell] will be used,” according to Reuters.

Francis Collins, NIH director said in a statement, “This is a momentous day — not only for science, but for the hopes of thousands of patients and their families who are relying on NIH-funded scientists to pursue life-saving discoveries and therapies that could come from stem cell research,” Reuters reported.

Sensitive subject

Research that uses human embryonic stem cells has been a sensitive subject for a long time, with supporters highlighting the potential medical benefits that might be yielded, and opponents saying the procedure is another version of abortion and may involve cloning of other human embryonic stem cells, The Christian Science Monitor said.

The stem cells used in such research comes from human embryos that are days old, at which stage they have the ability to produce any type of body cell. Scientists are hoping that with these embryos cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and spinal cord injuries can be addressed, Reuters reported.

Advocates say the embryos that will be used for the research are the excess that are harvested through in vitro fertilization and which would have been destroyed anyway, The Christian Science Monitor says.

Opponents take issue with the potential destruction of human embryos in the course of developing new cells for the purpose of research. Researchers say embryonic stem cells can be harvested from the placental cord blood as well, The Christian Science Monitor said.

There are no laws that ban destruction of embryos in the case of privately-funded research. However, private funding is not plentiful, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

The issue of human embryonic stem cell research has challenged U.S. leaders from the time of President Bill Clinton, along with Congress, especially regarding ethical and legal issues, The Christian Science Monitor said.

President Barack Obama expanded federal funding in 2009 shortly after he took office specifying that only embryos from fertility clinics, which would have been thrown away, could be used for such research, Reuters said.

Judges’ ruling

The majority ruling was penned by Judge Douglas Ginsburg with Judge Thomas Griffith. The ruling stated, “[The] fact is the statute is not worded precisely enough to resolve the present definitional contest conclusively for one side or another,” The Christian Science Monitor reported.

As a result, the ruling determined it is “entirely reasonable” for the NIH to interpret the law as “permitting funding for research using cell lines derived without federal funding, even as it bars funding for the derivation of additional lines,” Reuters reported.

Opposing judge

In her dissenting opinion, Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson said the court majority was performing “linguistic jujitsu” and was parsing the 1996 law, in this way rendering it unclear, The Christian Science Monitor said.

Henderson said the intent of the statute was to disallow all research that could either result upon, or is dependent on destroying a human embryo. She wrote, “The majority opinion has taken a straightforward case of statutory construction and produced a result that would make Rube Goldberg tip his hat,” The Christian Science Monitor reported.

The statute, called the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, forbids NIH to fund: “(1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or (2) research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero,” The Christian Science Monitor reported.

Researchers Dr. James Sherley (biological engineer, Boston Biomedical Research Institute), and Theresa Deisher (AVM Biotechnology, Washington), who filed the case, may appeal the decision and seek a full appeals court hearing, Reuters reported.

Other comments

Fr. Thomas Berg, a Catholic bioethicist and director of Westchester Institute for Ethics & the Human Person, said funding embryonic stem cell research is “complicity in the destruction of individual, embryonic human persons,” according to Catholic News Agency.

Berg said, “You were once an embryo. That’s a simple matter of scientific and biological facts. The human embryo is already a human being. It is already a human person at an early stage of development. The arbitrary isolation of that embryonic stage has no logical footing to stand on,” Catholic News Agency reported.

ICC calls for justice for murdered Ethiopian Evangelist, pregnant wife

Posted: 01 May 2011 07:00 PM PDT


A Christian human rights group is seeking justice on behalf of an Ethiopian Christian evangelist who was beaten to death and his pregnant wife who was injured and left unconscious by a group of Muslim attackers.

International Christian Concern asked government officials in Ethiopia to arrest and prosecute the murderers of Abraham Abera. The group of men also beat and injured Abera’s pregnant wife, Birtukan, whom they left unconscious on the road, OneNewsNow said.

Birtukan, who was hospitalized, said when she regained consciousness that she knew two of the assailants, OneNewsNow said. The incident occurred in south-central Worabe, an Ethiopian village with a 97 percent Muslim-majority population, according to Worthy News.

Jonathan Racho, ICC regional manager of Africa, said it is possible that the attackers will not face prosecution. He told OneNewsNow, “Most of the local officials in the area are Muslims, and we are afraid that they may not bring any charges against the attackers.”

Racho also expressed concern about growing radicalization of Muslims in the area. “Most of the time, the moderate Muslims in Ethiopia are more violent, and they entice them to kill Christians [and] destroy churches. In Ethiopia, we have seen the recent radicalization of the Muslims,” OneNewsNow reported.

Lured from home

The incident occurred when a group of Muslims lured Abera and his wife Birtukan away from Kale Hiwot Church, which is both the ministry and home of the Christians. Abera was told that a friend of theirs was ill and needed help badly, Worthy News said.

Once Abera and Birtukan were out of range of the church, the men began to beat the male evangelist to death with rods. They told the couple that the Christian population is growing in the area, and because of this, believers will be destroyed, OneNewsNow said.

When Birtukan tried to intervene they attacked her and inflicted her with an acute head injury which rendered her unconscious on the street. She was left alone on the road, Worthy News reported.

Others found Birtukan and brought her to a hospital in Butajira, a nearby town. When she regained consciousness she recalled the details of the attack and said she could identify two of the assailants, OneNewsNow reported.

Birtukan recalled being told by the attackers, “You [Christians] are growing in number in our area. You are spreading your message [the gospel]. We will destroy you,” according to Worthy News.

Birtukan also sustained injuries to her midsection. However, she was told by hospital medics that her baby will survive, according to Worthy News.

A Christian leader (unidentified) told Worthy News, “Christians in Worabe and its surrounding areas are persecuted at the hands of Muslim radicals, and the local government officials, who are Muslims, don’t protect Christians. We urge the higher government authorities [state and federal officials] to intervene and protect us.”

Racho of the ICC told Worthy News, “The brutal killing of Evangelist Abraham and the beating of his wife, Birtukan, is deeply troubling. We urge the federal government authorities to investigate this latest attack as well as reports of persecution against Christians in the Silte zone, [where Worabe is located].”

Racho also is asking Christians around the world to contact the Ethiopian embassy within their vicinity and to urge officials to prosecute the assailants and render justice for Abera and Birtukan, according to OneNewsNow.

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The Underground -- Usage of “morning after” pill has doubled, study shows

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Usage of “morning after” pill has doubled, study shows

Posted: 01 May 2011 12:48 PM PDT


A new study shows that the use of the abortificient known as the “morning after” pill has doubled in usage since it became available over the counter.

The study, which was published in the Fertility and Sterility journal, revealed that out of 6,300 sexually active women in the U.S. who were surveyed from 2006 to 2008, (aged 15 to 44) some 10 percent admitted having used the pill, Reuters said.

This is more than double the four percent rate of sexually active women who responded to the survey when it was taken in 2002, when the pill could only be available with the use of a prescription, according to Reuters.

Megan L. Kavanaugh, senior researcher at Guttmacher Institute, New York, told Reuters, “It has more than doubled since the last time the data were collected.” However, she said, “Its use still seems relatively low, given that it’s easy to access.”

Kavanaugh blamed the increase largely on media exposure, noting that in both surveys, it was shown that doctors did not discuss Plan B with patients when they spoke of contraception, Reuters reported.

The pill is now available in pharmacies and online. A popular morning after pill brand in the U.S. is Plan B, which should be taken up to 72 hours after intercourse. Another pill is Next Step. In the UK and Europe Plan B goes by the name ellaOne, Atlanta Drugs said.

Plan B has been on the U.S. market since 1999 as a prescription medication. In 2006 it became available on the market without a prescription and age restriction went down to 17 years in 2009, Reuters reported.

Plan B contains progestin, a hormone that inhibits the release of a woman’s egg from the ovaries, according to Reuters. The medication also inhibits implantation of a fertilized egg by thinning the uterus lining, Care2com said.

Plan B is ideally taken within 12 hours of having intercourse, after which the possibility of pregnancy is boosted by 50 percent, Reuters said.

Lifesitenews takes issue with the fact that Plan B also can act as an abortifacient because it prevents a fertilized ovum from implanting in a woman’s uterus.

Marie Hahnenberg, director of American Life League’s The Pill Kills project said, “Plan B One-Step works like any other abortifacient drug. It can alter the lining (endometrium) of the mother’s uterus so that the newly-formed baby cannot implant and thus dies,” according to Lifesitenews.

Hahnenberg referred to the product’s own information saying, “Plan B One-Step’s product information itself states, ‘it may inhibit implantation.’ Women should not allow themselves to be misled by sales representatives for Plan B and Plan B One-Step, who claim that these products will not terminate an existing pregnancy,” Lifesitenews reported.

Others have noted that making an abortifacient like Plan B available can encourage young people to have sex thinking they are safe with this pill. However, there is still the danger of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease, Atlantic Drugs said.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America told LifeSiteNews that making abortifacients available does not serve the best interest of children. “There’s a good reason why even the birth control pill requires a prescription, which is an even lower dose of the drug. . . . It offers an opportunity for the woman to get a check up, for the doctor to talk to her and check her for sexually transmitted diseases and find out if she is being abused.”

Wright also noted that a number of women use Plan B to substitute for normal methods of birth control, despite the fact that there is insufficient information about the consequences of regular use, LifeSiteNews said.

Wright told LifeSiteNews, “They haven’t done the tests. They’re not going to do the tests because they don’t want to find out. That’s why it is incredibly irresponsible for the FDA to continue approving these kinds of drugs.”

Catholic bishops oppose California bill supporting liquefaction as alternative to cremation

Posted: 01 May 2011 12:48 PM PDT


Lawmakers in California are supporting a bill that will legalize an allegedly more eco-friendly alternative to cremation, but some Catholic bishops oppose it.

California lawmakers are supporting alkaline hydrolysis, a liquefaction procedure, as an alternative to cremation. This involves placing the corpse in a steel tube, which some sellers of the process have called a “coffin spa,” according to Daily Camera.

Once the body is in the steel tube, a mixture of acid and water will be poured over it. The fluid will then be heated up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, converting the corpse to a brown liquid within six to eight hours, with just a small pile of bones left behind, Daily Camera said.

Popular Science magazine, however, described the procedure as a “method [that] uses a steel cylinder that dissolves the body in lye with 300-degree heat and 60 pounds of pressure per square inch. The result is a sterile, coffee-colored liquid with the consistency of motor oil that can be safely poured down the drain. A small amount of the bone residue that can be scattered like cementation ashes is the only solid byproduct,” Catholic California Daily reported.

The bill supporting this is being sponsored by California Assemblyman Jeff Miller, who is touting liquefaction through alkaline hydrolysis as a more ecologically sound alternative compared to burial and cremation, AOL News said.

A statement from Miller’s office said, “Alkaline hydrolysis, also referred to as resomation, water resolution and bio-cremation, is a ‘green,’ eco-friendly alternative to traditional cremation by incineration. It … accelerates the natural decomposition process … [to] reduce human remains to a presentable, contaminant-free ash,” Catholic California Daily reported.

Miller’s statement adds, “Unlike cremation by incineration, alkaline hydrolysis does not pollute the air, nor does it emit any greenhouse gas, and its CO2 emissions are twenty times less than its traditional alternative. Alkaline hydrolysis also neutralizes embalming fluids and toxins to protect soil and underground water from pollutants,” according to Catholic California Daily.

Johannes Escudero, Miller’s legislative director told AOL News, “California is famous for going green, not only just as a way of life but as a way of taking care of loved ones in end of life.”

If the law is passed, funeral homes and mortuaries in California will be able to legally use the procedure. Last year, liquefaction was legalized in Florida, but so far no business has been licensed to do the procedure, AOL News said.

In Columbus, Ohio Edwards Funeral Service, sold “coffin spas” to clients for two months, until local state officials ordered a stop to it. Jeff Edwards, owner of the company, sued the state saying that customers were given a choice between cremation and the “coffin spas,” and they chose the latter, Daily Camera reported.

Disposal of animals

Alkaline hydrolysis has been used for many years, but only for disposal of animals and corpses that had been donated for lab research. It is only recently that the procedure is being considered as an alternative for cremation, Catholic California Daily said.

A letter from the California Catholic Conference opposes the legislation for this and says, “It was not designed to dispose of dead human bodies. As Catholics we believe that the human body, once alive and animated by an immortal soul, possesses a moral dignity which must be honored.”

The letter also questioned the quality of the bone residue after the process saying, “The bone residue… amounts to a chemical digestion and results in a radically different substance than cremated ashes, thereby creating a human and emotional distance from the remains rather than a reverence for them,” Catholic California Daily reported.

Patrick McGee, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, N.H. said, “We believe this process, which enables a portion of human remains to be flushed down a drain, to be undignified,” AOL News reported.

Escudero, however, noted that no greenhouse gases are released into the air with the process and suggested that one should not
consider just the operation’s logistics, AOL News said.

Escudero told AOL News, “The idea of dumping someone down the drain is a misnomer. It creates the idea that you are dumping Grandma down the drain, and that’s not the case at all. There is nothing more inhumane than burning a body, which is the case with cremation.”

So far, alkaline hydrolysis is being used legally by the University of Southern California, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and the University of Florida. However, the process is only applied to dispose of corpses that were donated for scientific research, AOL News said.

Christian churches minister to tornado ravaged Southern states

Posted: 01 May 2011 12:46 PM PDT


Christian churches are responding to the needs of people in southeastern states that were hit by what is considered to be the deadliest attack of multiple tornadoes in 40 years, leaving some 300 dead.

The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Samaritan’s Purse, the Alabama Baptist Convention and the Red Cross are assessing the damage wrought by some 137 tornadoes that swept through Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia.

Teams from the Alabama Baptist Convention along with the Red Cross have been removing debris and are expecting to serve up to 60,000 meals daily. Jerry Butler, director of the Southern Baptist Association’s Alabama Disaster Relief Organization told Christian Press, “We’ll be here for as long as they need us.”

The BGRapid Response Team is working in collaboration with Samaritan’s Purse, both Christian relief organizations headed by Franklin Graham. They are addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of survivors in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham even as they are making damage reports and assessing needs, Christian Newswire said.

Preston Parrish, executive vice president of BGEA told Christian Newswire, “The swath of devastation that has ripped through the South and brought so much death and destruction is stunning. The overwhelming sense of loss — for those who lost their homes, and especially for those who lost loved ones — will be nearly unbearable for many. We want those suffering to know that Christ cares for them, that we are praying for them, and we will be standing beside them.”

Rising death toll

The death toll is continually rising as search and rescue teams mine the rubble. Last Wednesday some 137 tornados ripped through ‘Dixie Alley,’ (the pathway of destruction along the states earlier reported), according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Okla., Christian Press said.

A number of churches were also damaged, including the 202-year-old United Methodist Church in Alabama where only a single pew was seen standing, Christian Press said.

Jake Fauble kept watch over the remains of Ford Chapel United Methodist Church in Harvest to keep looters out. He said there were no deaths as just before the storm passed through, a Mother’s Day Out day care program had ended and everybody left, Christian Press reported.

Fauble said, “Right now I’m just up here keeping an eye on the place to keep the looters out. I just hope that everyone else got out of this okay. I’m sorry to see all the devastation around here and all the homes that are ruined, but-as with the church-it can be rebuilt,” according to Christian Press.

North Carolina’s Samaritan’s Purse has sent crews to Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Cullman, Ala. It has also sent out Disaster Relief Units including emergency supplies and tools packed in a tractor-trailer for volunteers and staff, Christian Press said.

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and BGEA told Christian Press, “When people lose everything to a tornado, flood or hurricane, it is overwhelming. Even in a country like ours, we can’t just depend on the government to come in and fix everything. As Christians, we are called to help our neighbors in distress.”

Jack Monday, director of BGRapid Response Team told Christian Press, “We are going alongside Samaritan’s Purse and in doing so, together, we seem to meet the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of those directly affected.”

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