All posts tagged: Christian

5 devout Christians playing in 2021 Superbowl

Published by

Christian Post just released an article on the five devout Christians who will be playing in the 2021 Superbowl. Just as a reminder, being devout does not mean they have to be perfect. I believe we shouldn’t be praying for our favourite team to win, but rather pray that God will bless and anoint these players in a game that will be watched by millions of people. They are: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs QB Christian Post writes about Mahomes’ faith: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and 2019 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes has said faith has “always been a big part of what I do.” At last year’s Super Bowl, the athlete told reporters in Miami that his Christian faith has always been an essential part of his life. “Faith has always been big with me,” he said. Shaquil Barrett, Tampa Bay linebacker: Anthony Sherman, Kansas City Chiefs fullback: Stefen Wisniewski, Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman: Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay place kicker: READ: 5 Super Bowl LV players who are devout Christians

Pakistani Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy

Published by

A Pakistani Christian man, Asif Pervaiz, 37, has been in jail since 2013 after he refused his supervisors request to convert to Christianity. When Pervaiz refused, the factory supervisor then accused Pervaiz of sending blasphemous texts against Islam, that the Christian man denied sending. Pervaiz has been in jail since 2013 and this year was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death.

Candace Cameron Bure would rather share Jesus that return to ‘The View’

Published by

In an interview with Fox News, actress Candace Bure, 44, mentioned that she would rather be sharing Jesus than return to “The View” a popular talk show she co-hosted in 2016. Bure told Fox News: “I just don’t publicly want to talk about politics. Not because I don’t believe that my viewpoints and opinions are important but I would much rather share Jesus with people. That’s really my passion.” The question came up because ABC’s popular daytime talk show is looking for another cohost after Abby Huntsman announced in July that she was leaving the show. Candace left The View citing conflicts with her acting career and stating that travelling each week from California to New York for the show was proving hard on her and the family. In an interview with Explore Entertainment, Candace explained her decision to leave: “I tried to be Superwoman, but I’m gonna not try anymore.” Candace rose to fame when she played the role D.J. Tanner in the popular TV series Full House. She continued the role in a remake …

The nerd rapture: Are we in a religious revolution?

Published by

One rule about religion is that things change when communication changes. The first Christians spoke and wrote on scrolls. Things changed with bound books, and then printing presses, which produced the Protestant Reformation. Radio, and television, and now the Internet have radically changed human communication, and we can expect big changes in the way people find God. Some people call this the nerd rapture. We are connected by the Web, and this year we are isolated by a virus pandemic. Expect changes. In the time of scrolls and preachers, Jesus told His followers to communicate: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16: 15 and 16) That is easier to do that now, than any time in history. The speaker on the TEDx video predicts a religious revolution based on communication. He mixes in his own advice, but he is correct with his basic prediction.

The Other Truth About Jesus: The Cost

Published by

What does it cost any of us be a Christian? I might get some sneers and some people might leave me and look for a new friend, but that is a small price. I’m sure you can relate. There are places where people lose everything to follow Jesus. The Hmong people of Southeast Asia do not have their own country. They are a minority wherever they live, and many are Christians. Their home region is governed by Communists who don’t like religion, and Hmong Christians can be persecuted for believing. Some have been killed, others have been sent to prison. We should know about this reality, and about these faithful Christians.

North Korea: Hidden news from a secret place

Published by

The news is not always the whole story. Many things are happening in the world that are not reported. Some stories might be considered uninteresting, or some information might be hidden from us by people who want to protect themselves. News from North Korea is rare. South Korea has many active Christians, and they are very concerned about the other half of their nation. The efforts to communicate with North Koreans about spiritual things, are mostly secret. The Communist government in the north is officially Atheist, and violently opposed to any spiritual message that comes across the border. READ: How are Bibles getting into North Korea?

Credit: Ben Keating/Flickr/Creative Commons

You Need A Business Failure In The New Year?

Published by

Some of us own businesses. I own a small business, very small. It exists mostly so I can get paid with invoices. There is no gleaming office tower. A few days ago I talked to a good friend who also owns a business. Well, he did own a business, until the Credit Union called in a loan. They seized his inventory, worth much more than what he owed, and auctioned it for about two hundred dollars. Now they might force the sale of his house. I met my friend for a coffee break, and when I located him, he was at a site working with another man. The other man was friendly, but really wanted to know who I was. I learned later that he owned a successful business, and he needed to upgrade some equipment. He went to a lender that specialized in business loans, and they looked at his books carefully. Their conclusion was that they would only give him a line-of-credit for ten times what he asked for. They saw great potential …

Vancouver, BC Credit: Jerry Meaden/Flickr/Creative Commons

The Persecuted Christians of British Columbia

Published by

A young woman in Vancouver British Columbia applied for a job and received a reply: “… we are not a Christian organization, and most of us actually see Christianity as having destroyed our culture, tradition and way of life.” and “‘God bless’ is very offensive to me and yet another sign of your attempts to impose your religious views on me. I do not want to be blessed by some guy… who has been the very reason for the most horrendous abuses and human rights violations in the history of the human race.” There were other offensive statements, and she did not get the job, so she sued. I think she won 8500 dollars. RELATED: Trinity Western grad ‘attacked’ for being Christian in job rejection: CBC The young woman applied as a recent graduate of Trinity Western University, a private Christian school in BC, and the employers reacted when they learned that. But wait, there’s more: “Maybe the Trinity leadership would be better suited for a Putin’s Russia or any other like his regarding the …

Iceland Credit: Lovepro/Flickr/Creative Commons

Study says a pagan poem and volcanic eruption resulted in the Vikings turning to Christ

Published by

According to a report in the journal Climate Change, a volcanic eruption and an ancient pagan poem convinced the Vikings to embrace Christianity. The mass conversion of the Vikings to Christ took place around 1100 AD and according to the researchers from the University of Cambridge two events in the 10th century played a role in this decision. Using ice cores, they said Iceland’s Eldgjjá volcano erupted between 939 AD and 940 AD. At this point the Vikings were creating settlements on the island. It involved a prolonged lava eruption that spread over a year. It also resulted in a tremendous amount of ash pouring into the atmosphere blocking the sun causing very cool summers and extremely cold winters. The ash not only affected the climate of Iceland, but reached into North America and Northern Europe, the traditional home of the Vikings. This resulted in droughts, animal stock dying off and increased mortality. The second thing that attributed to the conversion was an apocalyptic Viking poem called Völuspá written around the same time. In English, …

Credit: Thomas Hawk/Flickr/Creative Commons

Faith under pressure…

Published by

Considered a rising star in women’s soccer in America, Jaelene Hinkle, 24, recently announced she will not be playing for the US women’s national soccer team in two exhibition games scheduled for June. No explanation was given about why she pulled out and in its news release announcing her withdrawal, US Soccer stated Hinkle cited “personal reasons.” Hinkle has played in eight international games with the America’s national soccer team since 2015. However, Hinkle who plays defense is also a Christian and is very vocal about her faith on social media. She even posted her opinion of the Bible on Instagram stating: “It’s not a fictional book. It’s not pick and choose what you want to believe. You either believe it or you don’t.” Because of this, many wonder if she made the decision after US Soccer announced it would honor gay pride month in June by using rainbow numbered jerseys on both its men’s and women’s national uniforms. As soon as news surface she had withdrawn, gay activists tweeted their disappointment saying they were …

Hamburg, Germany Photo: Arne Bornheim/Flickr/Creative Commons

Did the Bible predict thousands of Muslims converting to Christ in Europe?

Published by

Several media outlets are reporting that churches across Europe are seeing thousands of Middle Eastern refugees, most of them Muslims, turning to Christ. Recently the Pastor of a Persian Church in Hamburg, Germany baptized 600 Muslims in one service, largely Afghans and Pakistanis. And it was done for all to see as a local TV station — ARD TV — showed up with its cameras in tow to film the momentous event.. In the same city, Pentecostal Pastor Albert Babjan just baptized 80 former Muslims who had converted to Christ. So far this year, Babjan has baptized 196 Muslims and expects the number could reach 500 by December. In an interview with the German newspaper Stern, Babjan said that many of the converts are turning to Christianity because of their disappointment in Islam. They are tired of the Islamic extremists’ fear and intimidation tactics in the countries from which they fled. Stern interviewed one of the recently baptized Christian converts that Babjan had just baptized and described the difference between Christianity and Islam this way: …

Photo: Carlo Err/Flickr/Creative Commons

A gay activist tells his journey to Christ

Published by

Though James Parker was raised in a Christian home in a rural community in Northern England, as a young teenage boy he became convinced that he was gay. In his testimony on mercatornet, James said as he struggled with his identity he turned to alcohol, became suicidal and self harming. At the age of 17, he finally came out to his parents and friends at school. He was shocked when they not only accepted but affirmed his gay identity. When he turned 18, James moved to London and threw himself into the gay community, even taking on an activist role for homosexual causes. Despite a promiscuous lifestyle, Parker still had an interest in spiritual things and became involved in a gay lesbian Christian group, which other than promoting safe sex did not have a strong spiritual agenda. While attending university, he eventually settled down with a long-term partner and together they planned to visit a country where gay marriage was allowed and get married. But while at university he still had an inner desire for …

Report: America’s first Muslim Miss USA has converted to Christianity

Published by

When Rima Fakih, 30, was crowned Miss USA in 2010, it was generally believed she was the first Muslim woman to ever win the title. Shortly after winning, Fakih acknowledged her Muslim faith stating: “I’d like to say I’m American first, and I am an Arab-American, I am Lebanese-American, and I am Muslim-American.” She was born in Lebanon and raised in a Shia Muslim family, that admittedly had been luke-warm to their Muslim faith and would often observe both Muslim and Christian holidays. The family immigrated to New York in 1993 and continued to observe both Muslim and Christian holidays including even attending church on Easter. But in 2003, her family moved to Dearborn, Michigan and became involved with the large Islamic community in that city. When Fakih started attending the University of Michigan, her father urged her to reconnect with her Muslim roots through the Islamic group at the University. It was here that she began to learn of her Muslim faith including Ramadan — that involves a month of fasting and prayer in …

Women in Iran. Photo: Sebastia Giralt/Flickr/Creative Commons

Middle East Muslim leader puts daughter under house arrest for becoming a Christian

Published by

Paul Siniraj is founder of Bibles for the Mideast an organization that smuggles Bibles into Middle Eastern Muslim countries. In a recent report on his website, he told of the remarkable Christian conversion of an unnamed young woman, 16, who is the daughter of one of the rulers of an unnamed Mideast country. The young woman, who Siniraj gave the name Najima, was receiving a higher education at a Western school in that Muslim nation. Najima was eating in the cafeteria, when she noticed paper jammed between the tables. Pulling it out, she discovered it was a Gospel tract. She read it and one of the Bible verses on the tract caught her attention: “For God hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21) Being from a strong Muslim family, Najima faithfully followed all the Muslim traditions, so she tossed the tract into the garbage. But though she got rid of the tract, the Bible verse began …

Muslim Shrine in Iran. You can see an image of the Ali Khomeni, the Supreme Leader of Iran, on the left. Photo: My life, the universe and ..../Flickr/Creative Commons

Christian population surging in Iran

Published by

Despite Iran’s heavy-handed crackdown, the Christian population in Iran is flourishing and growing rapidly. The country has a population of about 78 million. The official religion is Muslim, and on paper it allows other religions including Christianity. However, it is illegal for a Muslim and even members of other religions to convert to Christianity. Iran is an Islamic Republic and though there is an elected president, according to Iran’s constitution he is subject to the country’s “Supreme Leader” who is the highest ranking religious leader in the country — currently Ali Khomenei. Iran is made up primarily of Shia Muslim, the smaller of the two main branches of Islam, the larger being Sunni — ISIS comes out of this latter group. It is dangerous for a Muslim to convert to Christianity in Iran and aside from societal/family pressure can lead to imprisonment, torture and even death. As a result, most Iranian Muslims convert secretly, keeping it hidden from their family. One of those Muslims who converted to Christianity in Iran but didn’t keep it quiet …

Controversy in Chicago? Photo: Downtown Chicago -- Greg Wass/Flickr/Creative Commons

The Christian Muslim War – Or Not

Published by

A recent article in Aljazeera News comments on opposition to the conversion of an empty church to a mosque, for Muslims living near Chicago. The title describes “controversy” over the plan, and opposition in the community. The comments from readers are predictable, with hateful troll messages. “Religions in general are the work of Satan.”, “your name shouts like you need to take a bath”, and “Hope you get good sleep after spitting so much poison” are some comments I can print here. The article is long, but reading past the title shows one important thing, there is no controversy. It is true that a Muslim group wants to use an abandoned church building as a mosque, but there is no report of effective opposition from anyone. Apparently some anonymous flyers have been left in nearby mailboxes stating concerns about property values and traffic congestion. There is no mention of religious statements in the flyers. I guess this represents someone in the community with a computer and a printer. The authorities have given approval and a …

Audrey Assad’s haunting song of martyrdom

Published by

You have to read the story behind this song, Even Unto Death, just released by Christian singer Audrey Assad. It is part of her new album, Inheritance, scheduled for release on February 12. She wrote this song after watching the martyrdom of 21 Egyptian Christian men on the shores of the Mediterranean by the Muslim extremist group ISIS. In the video, ISIS led the 21 men, dressed in orange, to the beach where they were beheaded simply because they believed in Jesus. To live, all these Coptic Christians had to do to was renounce their faith in Christ. Audrey wrote: “You must remember that night, months ago, when I saw the video of those 21 precious Egyptian men kneeling on a Mediterranean beach. I stared at the procession … I knew that I was looking into the sickening, quaking black hole that is death. The captives prayed, their lips moving silently, their eyes closed or raised to the heavens. What were they whispering, in those last, fast-fading moments of their lives? Were they afraid? What …

Orthodox Jews walking down a street in Old Jerusalem. Photo: Rico Grimm/Flickr/Creative Commons 21millimeters.ricogrimm.de

Are Orthodox Rabbis changing long-held opinions on Jesus?

Published by

Maybe the time predicted by the Apostle Paul is nearer than we think. Quoting from Isaiah 59:20, Paul stated one day that all Israel would be saved:  “and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.’” (Romans 11:26 NASV) In the Old Testament verse that Paul cited, the Deliverer is none other than Jesus and His removal of the ungodliness from Jacob speaks of the nation accepting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, a belief they have rejected for two centuries. But in what may be another step towards this acceptance, Israel Today is reporting that just before Christmas 25 prominent Jewish rabbis issued a statement calling for a remarkable change of attitude towards Jesus. Though they have not reached the point of accepting Christ as the Messiah, it is nevertheless significant. The group is made up of prominent rabbis of congregations, seminaries and Jewish institutions in Israel and around the world including the UK, Canada and the US. Since its …

Another Christian on ‘The Voice?’

Published by

Shy, unassuming Korin Bukowski was in battle with Mark Hood on The Voice tonight (November 17, 2015) for the last spot in the show’s Top 11. She and Mark had finished last in the audience voting and were forced in to a sing off where the viewing audience would vote live using Twitter. Mark sang an energetic version of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.” After he was finished, I thought Korin was in tough to move on. But her haunting version of “Don’t Know Why” clearly impressed the judges. Korin was still in the running. After counting the Twitter votes, Korin was declared the winner. Korin is pre-med student and during blind audition only one judge, Gwen, turned around to choose Korin to be part of a team. During the discussion after her initial tryout, judge Adam Levine said to Korin “You are so cool” and immediately Korin blurted out laughing “I’m not cool.” Of all the contestants, Korin seems to be the most awkward and lacking confidence. After tonight’s sing off, both Mark and Korin …

Justin Bieber in Oslo, Norway, October 29, 2015 Photo: NRK P3/Flickr

Justin Bieber takes ‘Billboard’ reporter to church

Published by

I have been following Canadian pop star Justin Bieber’s faith journey over the past few months.  I believe Justin’s faith journey is sincere, but it is filled with foibles, like wearing a a Marilyn Manson t-shirt to Hillsong worship conference in Australia earlier this year. But it is good for the church because we need to lighten up, not on sin, but on the persona that the church and its members are without sin and that somehow we have earned the right to cast the first stone when someone doesn’t immediately meet our expectations. The latest story about the mega rock star involves Justin’s interview with a reporter from Billboard. Justin, 21, actually convinces reporter Chris Martin to join him at church. The two end up at a service at the ballroom of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California where Judah Smith was a guest speaker. Smith pastors The City Church in Seattle, Washington. Justin and the reporter sat in the front row. Though there were only about 400 people in attendance, one …

Despite there brutal treatment of Christians, ISIS terrorists are turning to Christ because of dreams. Photo Video Capture/ABC News

Another Muslim Jihadist becomes a Christian because of a dream

Published by

Gospel Herald is reporting another conversion of an ISIS militant because of a dream. The report came via the Christian Aid Mission (CAM) who provides aid to indigenous groups in various countries around the world. The ministry was providing help to a refugee family in Amman, Jordan. When a jihadist fighter of the family heard his relatives were receiving help from Christians, he decided to visit and deal with the “unclean pigs.” When he arrived, the man actually went to a Christian meeting intending to slaughter the CAM missionaries. However, for some unknown reason he was unable to follow through with his plan. According to director of CAM for the Middle East, that night the jihadist had a dream where Jesus appeared to him. The next day he showed up at their ministry stating: “I came to kill you, but last night I saw Jesus, I want to know what you are teaching — who is this one who held me up from killing you.” The missionaries shared the Gospel with the terrorist and he …

Havana-based Eduardo Perez is promoting God through his successful photography business. He has taken to photographing Christian communities throughout Cuba. Photo: YouTube/CBN

The Cuban church thrives in difficult times

Published by

History has repeatedly shown when the Christian church undergoes persecution it thrives. We see this at the start of the early church in the Book of Acts where believers were martyred (Acts 7:54-60) and often thrown in prison (Acts 12). But as this was happening Luke says the church grew as people were added daily (Acts 2: 41-47). This happens because during times of persecution, God will pour out His Holy Spirit resulting in miracles, healings, salvations and rapid church growth. In a recent report on CBN.com, Heather Sells talks about the incredible growth in the Cuban church despite resistance and outright persecution by the Communist regime under the Castro brothers who have ruled Cuba for decades. Believers in Cuba go one step further and claim their suffering has directly contributed to the church’s growth on the island nation. According to the report, over 16,000 new evangelical churches have started in Cuba since 1995. There are two styles of churches in Cuba. On one hand there are churches that follow the traditional model of meeting …

Cross and Muslim crescent in Cairo, Egypt. Photo Michael Swam/Flickr

Are hundreds of Muslim migrants converting to Christ?

Published by

Reports are coming in of hundreds of Muslim migrants converting to Christianity in Germany. Most are Afghanistan or Iranian refugees. They are converting because they believe this decision would improve their chances of gaining asylum because having converted their life would be in danger if they were sent back. It is difficult to know if the conversions are legitimate. But during a baptismal service at the evangelical Trinity Church in Berlin, pastor Gottfried Martens asked an Iranian man, Mohammed Ali Zonoobi, if he was willing to: “break away from Satan and his evil deeds? Will you break away from Islam.” Without hesitation, Zonoobi, a former carpenter, who had fled to Germany along with his wife and two children answered, “yes.” Zonoobi stated in the interview that while in Iran he and his wife had secretly attended Bible classes and it was the arrest of fellow believers that resulted in him fleeing Iran. We have reported before that God is moving among Iranians and many are becoming Christians. The Daily Mail noted: “Several candidates for baptisms …

Is the key to revival in Denmark bringing down the strongman in Christiania?

Published by

Though the name almost sounds Christian, Christiania is anything but. The quaint, strange village with over 1,000 residents exists only minutes away from downtown Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark. Started in 1971 at the height of the hippie movement, it is almost a country within a country. It has its own flag and currency and minimalist rules. Basically it started as hippie squatters took over an abandoned Danish army base and despite several skirmishes with the government, it has grown to become a self-governing village. Today the town’s inhabitants, who refer to themselves as Christianites, are made up of hippie pensioners, left-wing extremists and anarchists, environmental activists, many new age and occultist practitioners, alternative rock bands and kids just passing through. The village is inundated with eastern religious influences including a Buddhist temple and meditation center. It also has an occult center and even a New Age pyramid. Cars are not allowed in Christiania and for a time it was even illegal for community members to own one as members frowned on private property. …

An Orthodox Jew Allied with Evangelical Christians

Published by

“You believe that because you are an Orthodox Jew allied with Evangelical Christians.” Those words offend many people, especially Jews and Christians. Recently a Jewish man named Steve Maman, originally from Morocco, was interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The interview was in Montreal, and in French. The CBC is the state funded broadcaster in Canada. Also note, this is an election year in Canada and people are choosing sides. Steve Maman represents a charity that rescues women from terrible slavery under ISIS in the Middle East. He identifies the female victims as Yazidi and Christian. Most of the world believes he is a good man doing a good thing. To me, the CBC is bland and boring, a government-funded news source that never takes sides. It’s an expense for the taxpayers, and financial cuts are always possible. A brief interview in French, about an obscure charity, could not go wrong, but it did. Steve Maman praised the Government of Canada for its support of his charity and said that Canada was their most …

Three Sadhus in Kathmandu, Nepal. The author notes they were not the strictist observers. Photo Markus Koljonen/Wikipedia

The Apostle of the bleeding feet

Published by

Sundar Singh (1889-1929?) was born into a Sikh family in Rampur, Ktaania, Ludhiana (Punjab state), Northern India. Common in this part of India, Sikhs differ from Hindus in that they believe there is only one God and they don’t accept Hindu’s caste system. The fifth largest religion in the world, Sikhs are often confused with Muslims because the men traditionally wear turbans. Though Sundar’s mother desired her son to be a Sadhu or Sikh holy man and sent her son to a guru to be trained as a Sadhu, she also wanted her son to learn English and sent him to a Christian school. After his mother died, Sundar, then 14, became very angry and began to take out his frustration on Christians. He not only mocked them but once in a fit of anger burnt a Bible page by page in front of his friends. His anger and frustration boiled over and he contemplated suicide by throwing himself in front of a train. After praying that the “true God” would reveal Himself, Jesus appeared …

Oakland Church Sign Flickr/Thomas Hawk

Atheist Steve Tillman becomes a born again Christian, again

Published by

By his own admission Steve Tillman was not a top-level — Stephen Hawking — type of atheist. He was more mid level. He started a couple of now defunct websites including Think Free Nation and Think Free Indiana promoting his atheist views. He also helped found Atheist Analysis. Most of his work was relegated to social media such as Facebook and YouTube where on his atheist internet shows he repeatedly bashed Christians and other religions. Though Steve downplays his significance in the atheist community, nevertheless a group he founded, Atheists of Northern Indiana, warranted a mention in an Indy Star article on anti-Christian bigotry in Indiana. The article centered on a release by the American Family Association (AFA) that pointed out a few groups with strong anti-Christian sentiments in Indiana, particularly those that opposed the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, that offered Christians protection from the growing anti-Christian bias in America. However, when AFA’s Walker Wildmon read the article he noticed a strange thing. The Indy Star pointed out that the one of groups cited, …

Christian-owned business Chick-fil-A tops the charts

Published by

[by Dean Smith] Chick-fil-A was just awarded the top fast food franchise in America. It topped a list compiled each year by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This was the first year, they included Chick-fil-A in the survey. It not only topped the list but according to ACSI with a rating of 86, the chain received the highest score ever given to a restaurant in the fast food category. ASCI determined the index after a survey of 5,000 people.

Japan’s Christian Voice

Published by

[by Earl Blacklock] Throughout his life, Toyohiko Kagawa was a respected  voice in Japan, representing Christian truth and witness. Born to a concubine, Kagawa was raised by his father’s wife and her mother who, in their indignation, took turns beating the boy until he was old enough to be sent away to school. There he met two missionaries who taught him that all men were created by a God of love, and that any person could accomplish good simply by devoting himself to service. Inspired by their example, he plunged into study for the ministry, only to be struck down by tuberculosis. During his recuperation, he wrote Across the Death Line, a novel that was to play an important role in his life. Impatient with endless discussions about doctrine, Kabawa moved into the slum area of Kobe, where he was to live for 15 years. There, he lived the teachings of Christ, sharing his meagre resources to buy food for his neighbours. Called a fool, he proudly called himself “Christ’s fool”. When one man demanded …

Chris Pratt at the San Diego Comic Con in 2016 Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/Creative Commons

Did a prophetic word about his future fame play a role in Chris Pratt becoming a Christian?

Published by

You may be familiar with Chris Pratt. He is a Hollywood actor who most recently starred in Jurassic World. Released in June 2015, Jurassic World is a blockbuster setting a global record of US$511.9 million in ticket sales on its opening weekend. In the movie, Chris plays Owen Grady — a Velociraptor (a mid-sized raptor) trainer and expert. According to Variety magazine, Pratt earned $1.2 billion in 2014 making him the highest paid actor that year. He earned his big payday starring in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie. But Pratt is also a Christian and his faith comes out in an interview with QPolitical where Pratt shares his struggles with the premature birth of his son, Jack, born in August 2012.  Pratt said that he and his wife Anna Ferris prayed for weeks for their son born nine weeks premature and weighing only 3 pounds. Pratt said: “We were scared for a long time. We prayed a lot. It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but …

What in the world is going on in England?

Published by

[by Dean Smith] Rev. Dr. Mike Ovey is principal of London’s Oak Hill Theological College that trains priests for the Anglican church. He is not only a former lawyer, but as well worked for the government during the 1980s helping draft England’s anti-terrorism bill to combat IRA terrorism. In an interview with The Telegraph, Dr. Ovey is sounding alarm bells over Extremism Disruption Orders being added to England’s Counter Extremism Bill. What concerns Dr. Ovey is that these potential changes could effectively criminalize Christian beliefs.

English nursery worker beats back political correctness

Published by

[by Dean Smith] England’s BBC reports a government tribunal has ruled a childcare nursery discriminated against a woman because of her Christian beliefs when it fired her in January 2014. At the heart of the issue was a Christian’s freedom to talk about homosexual issues. Sarah Mbuyi, an evangelical Christian, worked for Newpark Childcare nursery in Watford, England. According to BBC News, Mbuyi was fired three days after she answered a co-worker’s question who wondered what God thought of her lesbian relationship.

ISIS terrorist who killed Christians turns to Christ after Jesus appeared to him in a dream

Published by

[by Dean Smith] A YWAM (Youth with a Mission) worker is reporting a Middle East ISIS fighter. who apparently killed Christians. has converted to Christ. According to the Christian Post, YWAM representative Gina Fadely provided the report on the Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network. YWAM, with over 1,200 bases around the world, is one of the largest missionary organizations in the world. Initially set up in 1960 to mobilize youth for missions, it now accepts people of all ages for ministry work. According to Fadely, a YWAM worker based in the Middle East was introduced to an ISIS militant through a friend. The terrorist said he killed Christians and even admitted that he “enjoyed doing it.”