Tuesday 27 December 2016

Is Speaking in Tongues From God or the Devil?


Without a doubt, speaking in tongues is the most controversial spiritual gift mentioned in the New Testament. Is it from God or the devil? Should believers ignore it, oppose it, or embrace it? There are many legitimate questions regarding the gift of tongues that deserve a thoughtful, biblical response. Let's tackle five of them.

1. Is speaking in tongues from God or the devil?

How to Make Your Christian School Distinctive

The importance of educating and motivating someone to form working definitions of "mission" and "distinctives" is one thing and will bring a degree understanding, but to promote action, is more important. Unpacking the definitions, that is to say moving from the general to the specific as actionable, will provide increased meaning and excitement to Christian education.

Taking a closer look at these two foundation for schools: "mission statement" and "distinctives" can and will move you to transformation. Understanding, if given careful consideration, will motivate the undertaking of serious study, discussion, and initiate a carefully planned road map to a new level.

But, there's so much more. Now I sound like a TV commercial for a shrink seal machine to keep your meats and vegetables fresh. Even this aside segues nicely to the benefits for preparing marketing materials which are professional and effective. The mission statement study will reveal controls for operation and even board and committee meeting management.

How Can Christians Discern If Their Partner Is the Right Person to Marry?


It is both amazing and terrifying that God gives Christians the freedom to decide for themselves who they should date and marry. Sure, God will help them and guide them through His Word. But ultimately, the choice belongs to the Christians themselves.

David Silker, senior leader at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, said selecting the right partner need not be terrifying if Christians adhere to God's principles about dating, courtship and marriage.

Wednesday 21 December 2016

Rick Wiles: Karlov Assassination a 'Deep State Hit'


In what will quickly become a must-listen-to discussion regarding Monday's assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, Pastor Rick Wiles of TruNews made it clear he's certain he knows who was responsible: President Barack Obama, the CIA and the shadow government.

"Obama and his deep state handlers took out the Russian ambassador," he said during Monday afternoon's episode of TruNews. "If I was a prosecutor, I could get an indictment. Here you have a guy who made a threat and a couple days later, someone's been murdered."

Former Manchester United footballer to be a Dominican priest


You might have heard of Phil Mulryne, a Manchester United footballer who's shared the field with David Beckham and brought fame to Ireland with 27 caps – international appearances – in his athletic career.

But now, Mulryne is setting aside his jersey to pursue the vocation of a Catholic Dominican priest.

“This for me was one of the major reasons that attracted me to the religious life,” Mulryne said in a video interview posted by the Daily Mail.

In the US, a request for asylum could essentially land you in prison


With the number of displaced persons at its highest ever recorded – more than after World War II – troubling stories have surfaced of the U.S. disobeying its own protocol in detaining or removing asylum-seekers.

“We are facing a crisis at the border,” Kristina Arriaga, a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), told CNA.

“But as a result of DHS’ flawed policies,” she said, asylum-seekers “are being returned to their country of origin without the United States assessing whether these are credible fears.”

Judge bows to pressure, stops Texas from implementing rules requiring proper burial for aborted babies


A federal judge blocked Texas’ new rules set to go into effect this week requiring abortionists to give aborted children a proper burial.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks gave the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) a temporary restraining order, the Houston Chronicle reported, in a hearing last week that was “at times testy.”

The pro-abortion group, suing on behalf of several abortion providers, argued that mandating abortionists and health centers to provide for the burial or cremation of fetal remains was meant to reduce access to abortion by driving up the cost.

Genetically Modified '3-Parent Children' Exploits Women, Bioethicists Warn

 
Leading bioethicists and family advocates are criticizing the British government's decision to allow a controversial fertility treatment yielding "three-parent children," arguing the practice exploits women's bodies and turns kids into commodities.

As the Guardian (UK) reported Thursday, fertility regulators in England have officially approved clinics to apply for licenses to conduct mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT). This experimental treatment is for "women whose faulty DNA puts them at risk of passing on devastating genetic diseases to their children." The nucleus is extracted from an egg of a mother with such faulty DNA and placed in a donor's egg that has healthy mitochondria — the energy sources within the egg cell. The egg is then fertilized with the father's sperm. Other methods of this treatment modify the mitochondria in already fertilzed embryos.

Some medical researchers in the UK are hailing this move as a wonderful scientific breakthrough and have suggested that as early as next year a baby could be born with the DNA of two moms and one dad. The egg donor who contributed the healthy mitochondria, however, has no legal rights to a child that may result if the fertilized ovum was to be successfully implanted and carried to term.

Which Countries Enjoy Christmas Most – And Least? The Answers May Surprise You


All countries agree that one of the best things about Christmas is seeing family and friends.

But after that, views on what people prefer about the festive season that marks the birth of Christ vary considerably – and are revealing about what life is like in different nations.

While Brits love Christmas, more than a third of French people admit they are dreading it.

Monday 19 December 2016

10 Common Nutritional Mistakes and How You Can Correct Them


If you were living out some nutritional habits that were working against you, wouldn't you want to know?

Your body's health is important, but what if you are handling your nutritional decisions the wrong way?
Many people approach the subject of nutrition more from what they read in marketing than they do hard, proven facts. Nutrition is a major influence into the overall health of our body, so I believe it's important we uncover some myths that keep people from having better results in their nutritional journey.

Thursday 8 December 2016

How many cheers for capitalism?


Increasingly, we live in a system that tends to merge public and private, absorb everything into economics and power, and promote a wholly this-worldly way of life.

Many Christians argue for capitalism on the grounds that markets and private property support man’s rightful freedom, and doing away with them means poverty and tyranny. That seems a strong argument, so in response opponents of capitalism need to say that the current system has additional features that make it intrinsically bad and worth getting rid of.

Divorce and Remarriage: A Biblical Perspective

Those who find themselves in this situation must spend extended time in the Word and obedience to it, as well as extended times of prayer and fasting, and seeking godly counsel. All destructive relationships and toxic counsel must be severed as you seek direction.

Many great Bible teachers are divided on this issue. Some believe that re-marriage to another is never allowed unless one of the spouses dies, but others suggest that it is permissible when adultery and abandonment occur.

Much of the controversy centers on Matthew 5:32 where Jesus says, "But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

Employers 'Shouldn't Be Afraid Of Causing Offence' When It Comes To Religion


Employers need to move beyond political correctness and take a common-sense approach with regards to religion in the workplace, according to a new set of guidelines from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

The "Religion or Belief: A Guide to the Law" guidelines were published in response to the findings of a review of religion and belief employment law in the UK. This found that, despite the current legislation being robust, there is still much confusion among businesses and organisations due to a lack of understanding of the law.

David Isaac, chair of the EHRC, said: "There are a lot of myths that have arisen because of a misunderstanding of legal requirements. Employers' actions shouldn't be governed by a fear of causing offence."

The EHRC guidelines attempt to address common misunderstandings, with FAQs such as: 'Can I arrange an office Christmas party?' and 'Can I insist that an employee removes a religious symbol or type of religious dress if it breaches our health and safety policy?'

Why It's OK If People Don't Respond To Your Evangelism


One of the greatest discouragements to our evangelism is the relatively sparse response we experience even when we preach the gospel faithfully. This causes us either to question ourselves, or more dangerously, to question the truth and power of the gospel itself.

The discouragement we feel is not helped when we compare our experiences with the records of other times in Church history, or with the way that God is at work in other places in the world.

Our natural tendency to discouragement is one of the reasons why the book of Acts is such an encouragement. Acts is not so much a manual for evangelism but rather a record of the way in which the gospel message advanced to penetrate the various cultures of the Roman Empire, whether Jewish, Greek or Roman.

Monday 5 December 2016

18 'Naughty' Stores That Refuse to Recognize Christmas: List

 
The American Family Association is the latest conservative organization to publish its 2016 "Naughty or Nice" list of retailers for this Christmas season, singling out which stores recognize and celebrate the holiday, and which ones largely avoid it.
 
Ed Vitagliano, AFA executive vice president, said the purpose of the list, which is regularly updated, is to let shoppers know which companies are "Christmas-friendly."
 
"There are secular forces in our country that hate Christmas because the word itself is a reminder of Jesus Christ. They want to eradicate anything that reminds Americans of Christianity," said Vitagliano in a statement.

Sunday 4 December 2016

After Trump, What Now For Christians In America? Obama Faith Advisor Speaks Out

Barack Obama's former faith advisor has spoken about the future for Christians in politics after the divisive and shocking events of the 2016 US election.

Why did Christians in America overwhelmingly support Donald Trump? Why has politics become so divided? What is the future for Christians in the public sphere? Speaking on a visit to the UK, the former faith advisor to President Barack Obama Michael Wear has addressed these very questions.

Identity Politics

"I have never seen an election so destabilising, so filling people with a sense of anxiety than the election we've just been through...I'm convicted that politics is doing great spiritual harm in the lives of people." Wear said, speaking at a 'leadership breakfast' in London, hosted by Krish Kandiah and the Good Faith Partnership.

Wednesday 19 October 2016

11 Signs You May Operate as a 'Hater'


I am deeply concerned that in the current tension of world events and election cycles, people do not know how to have relationship with each other. Our interactions seem to become more intense, very reactionary and without much self-control.

It's like we forgot how to talk with each other.

Actually, I'm not sure we ever learned how to communicate well in the first place. Have we become more conditioned to hating on each other or loving others in a genuine way?

The word hate or hater gets thrown around, but do we realize what hate is?

When Jesus used the word "hate," one of the definitions means to "love less." When you become a hater on someone, it's not just about doing something against them; hating can actually be when you do nothing at all. Hating can be actions that are bitter, but hate can also be when you do nothing, in a moment when love is desperately needed.

Every time we withdraw love in opportune moments, we align ourselves with the mindset of hate.

Priest: US election is ‘a choice between two poisons’ – one deadly, one disgusting


Voting in the 2016 presidential election is tantamount to picking between two poisons: a deadly one or a disgusting one that will make you sick, a Catholic priest argues.

Father Christopher Pollard, pastor of St. John the Beloved Catholic Church in the Diocese of Arlington, compared voting in the 2016 presidential election to “a hostage situation in which you, the hostage, will be forced to drink one of two poisons but you get to choose which poison it will be.”

This Christian Woman Was Locked In A Shipping Container And Tortured - Because She Kept Saying The Name Of Jesus


A young Christian woman from Eritrea has described how she was imprisoned in a shipping container, tortured and beaten and starved - all because she refused to stop saying the name of Jesus.

Helen Berhane is from Eritrea, one of the worst countries in the entire world for Christian persecution.

She found asylum in Denmark after spending years locked in a shipping container because she would not deny her Christian faith.

When guards tortured and beat her and told her to stop saying the name of Jesus, she simply sang and spoke more, trying to convert them too.

She was in London today, at a Foreign and Commonwealth Office conference on preventing violent extremism, to tell religious leaders and government officials from throughout the world her horrific story of deadly and relentless persecution - all because of her unshakeable faith.

Monday 10 October 2016

Church Suffers Crisis Of Confidence Over Murderous Drugs War In Philippines


The Catholic Church in the Philippines is suffering a crisis of confidence in how to respond to the war on drugs that has cost the lives of at least 3,600 drugs pushers and addicts at the hands of police and vigilantes.

President Rodrigo Duterte, a former mayor known as "The Punisher" and who has described the drugs problem in the Philippines as a "pandemic", launched his campaign after his inauguration in June.

Hundreds of thousands of people handed themselves in to avoid being killed for the bounties on offer.

Views That Can Radically Alter Your Christian Belief


When I was a new Christian, I naively thought everyone reads the Bible the same way with virtually one interpretation that all born-again Christians would have. One of the biggest shocks I experienced occurred about six months into my walk with God, when I met a fundamentalist Baptist preacher who was trying to convince me that all Pentecostals were being misled by the devil.

In the years since my conversion, I have been greatly impacted by the power our paradigms or perspectives have in regards to how we read the Scriptures, why we read the Scriptures and how we interpret the Scriptures.

For example, if someone reads the Bible from the perspective of just wanting to have a blessed personal life, they will overemphasize everything in the word regarding God's blessing and apply it to themselves. But they may skirt over some of the conditions of those blessings and vice versa.

Sunday 2 October 2016

Will These 7 Shifts Usher in a One World Government?

Retired Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis warns that seven major global shifts are coming.

"They began in their analysis much like I do with the megatrends I'm pulling out," Maginnis tells Jim Bakker. " ... They talk about game changers and what the world is evolving to."

Are these shifts part of the prophesied one world government?  Watch the video to see!

5 Helpful Questions When Discerning God's Will


I am often asked how to know if the plans we make are God's will for our life.

I'm not referring to which cereal to have for breakfast. For the most part, I think God would simply say choose your favorite and, like a good parent, try to steer you to a healthier option. I'm talking about those life-altering decisions, such as career choice, relationships or decisions requiring huge steps of faith.

Most of us want to do God's will, and yet, as I view Scripture, God seems to give us a tremendous amount of freedom to choose the paths in our life. If you're like me, you're fully capable of making a mistake. I've made many doing things my own way.

Sunday 25 September 2016

Lazarus, the Rich Man, and the Sin of Pride


As we hear the various parables from the Gospel of Luke it is good to keep two things in mind. First, the context of these teachings, which were given by Jesus as he made his way up to Jerusalem to “be delivered into the hands of men” (Lk. 9:44) and enter into his Passion. That journey was not just a physical journey, but also a sign of obedience to the will of the Father, a concrete expression of perfect humility and self-gift.

Secondly, his parables and discourses given during the journey were not haphazard or random in nature, but form a cohesive and focused whole. They are like different paths leading to the same place and shedding light on the same event: Jesus’ death on the Cross for the salvation of mankind. Some of them were meant specifically for the disciples; others for the crowds following Jesus; still others for the Pharisees and other religious leaders.

Between last week’s reading of the parable of the dishonest steward (Lk. 16:1-15) and today’s parable is a little bridge of five verses (16:14-18). That passage states that the Pharisees—“who were lovers of money”—had heard Jesus say, “You cannot serve God and mammon”, and had sneered at him. Jesus then said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”

This sets up the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, a story sometimes interpreted solely as a renunciation of greed and a call to treat the poor with justice. That interpretation is, of course, both correct and important. Today’s reading from the prophet Amos takes up the same issue, directing a curse toward the complacent wealthy who stuff themselves with rich meat while starving themselves spiritually. And the first half of the parable (vs. 19-26) is directed toward the same sort of opulent self-indulgence and gluttonous revelry.

5 Realisations you should Have before you Get Married


Just last week, news broke out about the split of one of the most famous couples today. Of course, I'm talking about Brad and Angelina. This has led people to wonder whether marriage can really turn out for the best - I mean here are two obviously successful and well-off people. So if these two good-looking, rich and famous people can't stay together forever then who can?

Five Dead As Police Search for Motive In Washington

Authorities on Sunday were still working to determine what prompted a 20-year-old man to open fire in a Washington state mall, killing five people.

Police arrested the suspected gunman, Arcan Cetin of Oak Harbor, Washington, on Saturday. Police said he was taken into custody without incident in Oak Harbor, some 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Burlington where the shooting occurred on Friday night.


Saturday 17 September 2016

ESV Bible Translation Revisions 'Potentially Dangerous,' Biblical Scholar Warns


A debate is stirring over revisions made to the final translation of the English Standard Version Bible regarding gender, with one biblical scholar saying the changes are "potentially dangerous."

The Crossway Board of Directors and the ESV Translation Oversight Committee said in a statement that the 52 words revised in 29 verses were "the culmination of more than 17 years of comprehensive work by the committee, as authorized and initiated by the Crossway Board in 1998."

Crossway added that the 2016 edition is a "Permanent text of the ESV Bible [and will remain] unchanged throughout the life of the copyright."

One of the controversial changes can be found in Genesis 3:16.

Bishops: Don't let the media guide Catholics on divorce


Divorced Catholics who have remarried civilly are welcome to seek reconciliation with the Church, but they need to be sure they're following the right path, some Catholic bishops of Canada have said in new guidelines.

“It may happen that, through media, friends, or family, couples have been led to understand that there has been a change in practice by the Church, such that now the reception of Holy Communion at Mass by persons who are divorced and civilly remarried is possible if they simply have a conversation with a priest,” said guidelines from the Catholic bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

“This view is erroneous,” they said.

Couples who express this view “should be welcomed to meet with a priest so that they hear proposed anew 'God's plan (pertaining to marriage) in all its grandeur' and thus be helped to understand the correct path to follow toward full reconciliation with the Church,” the bishops said.

Tuesday 6 September 2016

The Secret to End Your Frustration and Disappointment With People


Maybe you've said it before—I know that I have: "I'm frustrated ... I'm disappointed ... I'm upset ... because he/she/they aren't meeting my needs."

This complaint often stems from the idea that we were each born with certain requirements that must be met in order to feel fulfilled or even loved. These include desires like affirming words, security, attention or even gifts.

The Source of Needs

To be sure, God did create us with needs. The most obvious are food, water and shelter. Others are emotional such as acceptance, love and value. It's certainly understandable that if you don't experience these needs that you might feel unfulfilled.

The Pleasure in Disguise


Most of us are in terms with who we actually are--our capabilities and natural endowments. Thereafter, we are grateful for them, or jettison them and lose our original selves in a bid to elevate our status, or evolve into a better people.

We do this by discarding our culture, identity and ideology; and disguise ourselves as we would like to be seen and considered--rather than our real selves. This makes us imbibe, fantasise, and idolise whatever or whoever has the tendency of putting us in the desired light, irrespective of the cost or consequences.
That is why some people are obsessed with different kinds of things, activities, places, ways of life, and fantasies such that they begin to lose touch with reality.

Tuesday 30 August 2016

As cost of EpiPen soars, what are the ethics of drug pricing?


Amidst national outrage over the steep cost hike of a potentially life-saving drug, questions have been raised about the market ethics of drug pricing.

There are “a lot of factors” behind price increases in the prescription drug market, Dr. Jack Hoadley, a health policy analyst and researcher at Georgetown University, told CNA. Thus, it’s hard to attribute the 400 percent rise in cost of the EpiPen to one particular cause, he said.

However, if Mylan – the manufacturer of the EpiPen – was simply “taking advantage of a partial monopoly,” he continued, then one “could raise the question” about the ethics of the cost increases.

The EpiPen is an injection device used on a patient whose allergic reaction has become a medical emergency. Some 3.6 million Americans were prescribed an EpiPen last year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Tuesday 23 August 2016

In Iraq, Nigeria and now Turkey, child bombers strike


The boy looked scared and younger than 16 when Iraqi police grabbed him on the street in the northern city of Kirkuk. Pulling off his shirt, they found a two-kilogramme bomb strapped to his skinny frame.

Wednesday 17 August 2016

Mother willing to go to jail in fight for sexual relationship with son


A woman and her son living in New Mexico are fighting in the courts for what they call a “right” to have a sexual relationship.

Thirty-six-year-old Monica Mares and her son, Caleb Peterson, 19, of Clovis, New Mexico, were separated after Peterson was born when she gave him up for adoption, but say they “fell in love” after they were reunited earlier this year and Peterson moved in with his mother.

They claim they have an orientation called “Genetic Sexual Attraction” (GSA) and want to “raise awareness about it.”

Tuesday 16 August 2016

How to Seduce


This piece is intended to analyse and explain in relative terms the rudiments of seduction as it concerns man in general, so that whenever someone is leading you through the hide-and-seek path, you would be able to recognise the spell, and thereafter decide whether to follow or not.

Regrettably, whenever the issue of seduction is mentioned, most people understand it as a characteristic of the female folks. That is not so, seduction takes place among all classes and calibres of people--between male and female, male and male or female and female; and it is not limited within the periphery of a romantic/sexual relationship, but pervades the entire fabric of human relationship in general.

Friday 10 June 2016

5 Degrees of Communication for Men


Surface talk with surface friends punctuated by thumbs-up and smiley face emojis. Chitchat, which Merriam-Webster defines as "friendly conversation about things that are not very important." How do we move beyond these ankle-deep acquaintances and develop real community with substantive conversations and more satisfying relationships in the deep end of true brotherhood?

In the classic book Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?, John Powell walks us through five degrees of communication. Getting to the fourth and fifth degree is where we leave the shallows and begin to experience the depths of true brotherhood.

1. Cliché level – Elevator talk. "How's it going?" without wanting to know how it's really going. "What do you think about this weather?" "How 'bout them Texans ... Astros ... Rockets ... etc.?" You can have conversations like that with total strangers, if you want to call them conversations. They're completely benign, low-risk exchanges with no real connections. Just clichés.

Ramadan dispute leads to fire causing £8m damage in German refugee camp

A dispute over Ramadan meals led to the destruction of a shelter in a German migrant camp, causing £8m worth of damage, according to German investigators.

The building housed 282 asylum seekers in the city of Duesseldorf. Two North African men were arrested in conjunction with the fire on Tuesday and approximately 24 treated for smoke inhalation, according to Breitbart.

After a late evening meal was introduced to accommodate Muslims who fasted for Ramadan, a group of men who were not fasting complained their lunch portions were too small, according to the BBC.

"We look at this as the motive," said one German investigator.


However the German newpaper Express said the fire was caused after two Moroccan men accused Iranian staff of "deliberately" not waking those who were observing Ramadan, causing them to miss their pre-dawn meal.

Thursday 9 June 2016

Why We Should Walk in the Fruits of the Spirit Daily


What are you putting on daily as a follower of Christ? What aren't you putting on?

Walking in the Spirit and putting on the Lord are action words. It means we have something to do as a follower of Christ, and complacency or passivity cannot take hold. We cannot sit around doing nothing and expect to see things change. Galatians instructs us to, "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16), and in Romans, it says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Rom. 13:14).

World’s social media giants agree to suppress ‘hate speech,’ sparking fears of free speech clampdown


Stoking fear of a free speech clampdown, the world’s leading social media companies have agreed to combat “hate speech,” including “homophobia,” on their platforms in an agreement with the European Union.

Social conservatives warn that the pact is not based on law and could be used to suppress politically incorrect views about Muslim immigration, abortion and the LGBTQ agenda.

Researchers use adult stem cells to reverse stroke symptoms up to 3 years later


Researchers at Stanford University’s School of Medicine have successfully treated stroke victims with donated adult stem cells, restoring the use of legs and arms rendered useless by the loss of brain function.

One test subject is Sonia Coontz, 36, of Long Beach California who was so fearful she wouldn’t be able to walk unaided down the aisle, she postponed her marriage. After the brief treatment under partial anaesthesia she married and is now pregnant.

Wednesday 8 June 2016

Is It Time to Throw in the Towel?


Where does a pastor go to resign? Where does a minister go to throw in that infamous towel?

Does a missionary need God's permission to call it quits? What about your own personal ministry?

The answer is a very simple one, and it is the same answer for all four heart-wrenching questions.

Rend the Heavens and Come Down!


When God rends the heavens, there is an open manifestation of His presence and power. His breakthrough creates dramatic change, and opens the way for the blueprint of heaven to be established on Earth. Biblically, Pentecost was a time that the heavens were rent, and I believe the Lord longs to intervene with His Spirit during this Pentecost season.

Come and celebrate Pentecost 5776 with us on June 10-12 at the Global Spheres Center in Corinth, Texas! There is no charge to enter into this powerful time of breakthrough, whether onsite or via our live webcast.

Massive fire engulfs South Africa's Jesus Dome megachurch


Firefighters in Durban, South Africa, had a massive fire on their hands Tuesday evening at Durban Christian Centre. People on the nearby M3 highway watched as flames enveloped the church known as the Jesus Dome. A news anchor from eNews Channel Africa (eNCA) said the cause of the fire was unknown.

In an interview with eNCA, Robert McKenzie, KZN emergency services spokesman, called the blaze a "huge fire" and said that firefighters were doing a "sterling job."

"People from the church are on scene, and they've been able to give on-scene, firsthand accounts saying that everybody who was in the church is accounted for, and there is nobody missing at this stage," McKenzie told the television station.

However, a policeman was knocked over by a vehicle while directing traffic, according to Crime Intelligence & Community Awareness (CICA) South Africa.

Reporters were not able to reach the pastor, Dr. Fred Roberts, by phone.

US Senate bill would fine pharmacists $1,000 a day for refusing to provide Plan B



Senate Democrats have introduced a bill that would impose crushing fines on pharmacists who refuse to personally dispense “emergency contraception,” a potential abortifacient, removing conscience protections from the law.

The “Access to Birth Control Act” (S. 2960), introduced on May 19 by Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, would require pharmacists to provide “any drug or device approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent pregnancy.”

ISIS burns 19 Yazidi women to death for refusing to have sex with militants


Islamic State militants have burned to death 19 young Yazidi women in Mosul for refusing to have sex with jihadists, ARA News reports.

Eyewitnesses reportedly told the site that the women were forced into iron cages and set alight on June 2 as a crowd of hundreds watched on.

Tuesday 7 June 2016

Women Who Remain Virgins Before Marriage Least Likely to Divorce, Study Finds


Women who were virgins before they got married are the least likely to divorce after five years, but these brides are scarce, according to the results of a new study released Monday by the Institute for Family Studies.

The study also found that women married since the year 2000 who had just two sexual partners prior to marriage are surprisingly just as likely to end up divorced at the same rate after five years as a growing cohort of women who had 10 or more sexual partners before marriage.

Nigerian Muslim leaders condemn murder of elderly Christian pastor's wife


Leading Muslims in Nigeria have joined in condemnation of the mob murder of pastor's wife Bridget Agbahime, who was aged 74 years old.

Jama'atu Nasril Islam, the umbrella group representing Nigeria's Muslim leadership, said in a statement: "It is hardly believable that such dastardly acts could happen in the name of religion." The organisation added that the act was "criminal and un-Islamic, perpetrated by miscreants and criminals."

Pope approves Vatican department on life, laity and family for September



Pope Francis has approved the establishment of a new Vatican department — or dicastery —  for family, laity, and life.

The new dicastery will open September 1, 2016 with the merging of the existing Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Council for the Laity, which will then be suppressed, according to Holy See Press Office’s June 4 statement.

Has Hillary Clinton clinched the Democratic presidential nomination?


Hillary Clinton has reached the number of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic US presidential nomination, according to tallies on Monday by two US media outlets, the day before six states were set to vote in nominating contests.

A former senator and US secretary of state, Clinton would be the first woman to be the presidential candidate of a major political party in the country's 239-year history.

Monday 6 June 2016

Norway to Return Seized Children to Christian Parents After Int'l Pressure


The Christian parents of five children, who were seized by Norwegian child services seven months ago to "prevent" them from being "indoctrinated" with Christianity, will soon be reunited as the authorities have agreed to return the custody of the remaining four kids to the family.

"We thank you all for your love, support, prayers, and active participation in the reunification of this family. May God richly bless you and repay you for all you have done to bring this family back together," says a statement from the Romanian Pentecostal parents, Marius and Ruth Bodnariu, who have been living in Norway for more than a decade, according to Romania Insider.

Ramadan 2016 Begins on Monday


The holy month of Ramadan begins. Observed by Muslims around the world, it marks the first revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Mohammed. Followers of Islam abstain from eating and drinking in daylight hours during Ramadan, choosing instead to feast before sunrise and after sunset.

Syrian and Russian aircraft step up bombing of Aleppo city


Around 50 air strikes hit rebel-held areas in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday in some of the heaviest recent raids by Russian and Syrian government aircraft, residents and a monitoring group said.

The group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also said an unidentified war plane had crashed in countryside south of Aleppo, in an area where Islamist rebel fighters are battling the Syrian army and Iranian-backed forces. It had no information on what caused the crash.