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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.