Naumann praises federal rule that will strip $60m from Planned Parenthood

The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ conference pro-life committee praised Wednesday a new federal rule that will prohibit abortion clinics from receiving federal funding aimed at subsidizing some medical services for low-income women and families. The rule is expected to strip Planned Parenthood of about $60 million in federal funds.

“I applaud the Trump Administration for reaffirming that abortion is not family planning. Abortion ends the lives of families’ most vulnerable members, as well as damaging the spiritual, mental and physical health of mothers,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann in a Feb. 27 statement.

Where Are We Today on the End-Times Timeline?

Jim Bakker says America today is calling evil good and good evil—and that's a helpful clue for discerning where we sit on the end times timeline laid out in the Book of Revelation. Bakker discusses the end times, the church's role and the terrifying judgments to come in this video clip from The Jim Bakker Show.

Tim Keller: Don't confuse ‘blue state or red state individualism’ with Christianity

Pastor Tim Keller has warned against mistaking “blue state or red state individualism” for true Christianity in a post-Christian culture that it has “co-opted” biblical ideas and taken them to an extreme.

In a recent video posted on the Gospel Coalition website, Keller, senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, said that in today's post-Christian Western society, it's very difficult for Christians to engage culture without becoming colonized by it.

Why Christians Need to Stop Saying 'God Told Me You're My Future Husband/Wife'

Christian speaker and artist Joseph Solomon says Christian young adults need to stop claiming that God has told them a certain person they're attracted to is their future spouse. Usually, Solomon says, that's the result of normal human attraction being attributed to divine will. But Solomon says it's important to "stop putting words in God's mouth. God didn't tell you that."

What Does the Bible Really Say About the Sexual Sin Most People Struggle With?

One often wonders why the Bible doesn't directly address masturbation. It is the cause of so much guilt and speculation in the body of Christ. And so, we are left to cobble together biblical principles to come up with some idea of whether or not it is sinful, just as we do with subjects like gambling, smoking, etc.

Biblical Principles
 
Let's begin with an important biblical principle taught by our Lord—that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matt. 5:27-28). A person who practices masturbation without imagining sex with someone is rare indeed, if he or she exists at all. On that basis, the practice is tantamount to engaging in adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior or any number of other sexual practices that the mind can imagine—even idolatry, as revealed in Ephesians 5:5, Colossians 3:5 and Ezekiel 23:49. In a certain sense, it could be said that masturbation is a form of mental pornography, which we all know to be sinful.

New marriage enrichment initiative aimed at military couples

A global marriage ministry is launching a new initiative to provide resources, encouragement and enrichment opportunities for military couples in Canada and the United States.

The project is part of Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME), in conjunction with the North American Military Services Outreach (NAMSO).

Are Alexa, Siri Setting the Stage for Antichrist's Worldwide Domination?

In today's world, humanity is desperately seeking someone with a strong hand to take the helm and bring about world peace—a leader who has the ability to compromise and appease every faction to stop all the madness. But what character traits are truly needed to navigate the currents of public opinion that shape the world in which we live?

For the past 2,000 years, people have anxiously tried to analyze who the Antichrist might be and when he might be revealed, says author and pastor Mark Biltz in advance of his soon-to-be-released book, Decoding the Antichrist and the End Times: What the Bible Says and What the Future Holds.

Catholic Secret Revealed: How Vatican Deals With Children Born to Priests

The cloud hanging over the Catholic Church is getting darker, with a new report revealing the church produced secret documents to deal with children born to priests.

In a statement, Vatican spokesperson Alessandro Gisotti told The New York Times, "I can confirm that these guidelines exist. It is an internal document."

Rwandan genocide victim learns to forgive, befriends man who cut off her hand

She had her hand chopped off, her head bludgeoned and saw her 9-month-old daughter split in two, but 25 years later, 48-year-old Alice Mukarurinda and the man responsible for cutting off her limb, Emmanuel Ndayisaba, are now good friends.

The two have preached the need for forgiveness and reconciliation that has encompassed the central African nation in the last quarter-century since one of the worst human rights atrocities in world history took place — the genocide against the Tutsi.

Bishops 'deeply concerned' by Trump border emergency declaration

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement Feb. 15 opposing President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on the southern border. Trump made the declaration as part of an attempt to secure full funding for the construction of a border wall.

 

“We are deeply concerned about the President’s action to fund the construction of a wall along the U.S./Mexico border, which circumvents the clear intent of Congress to limit funding of a wall,” said the statement, which was jointly written by USCCB President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, who leads the USCCB’s migration committee.

UPDATE: 5 Killed in Aurora Warehouse Shooting, 5 Officers Wounded

A gunman opened fire in a warehouse in Aurora, Illinois, on Friday, killing five people and wounding five police officers before he was slain, law enforcement officials said.

Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said the shooter, identified as 45-year-old Gary Martin, was an employee at the sprawling industrial complex in Aurora, a Far West Chicago suburb, but did not say what may have motivated the attack.

Let's Share Jesus With a Confused World

Late in 2018, a Dutch man, Emile Ratelband, asked a court in the Netherlands to permit him to change his legal age from 69 to 49. He said he "feels 49," and he said his doctor agrees that he looks young for his age. Ratelband complained that he has suffered from age discrimination—especially when looking for dates with women online.

Comparing himself to transgender people who change their sexual identity, Ratelband claimed in his lawsuit that age is not a fixed reality.

"Time is just a figure," he said. "I say it is not fixed."

Actress: "Eating This Every Morning Changed My Life"

It may not be a glamorous topic, but for Maggie, it recently proved to be a life-saver.

"When you feel sluggish and run-down, it's easy to say, 'Well, I guess I'm just getting older,' but now I know that's not true—you can be 65 and still feel like you're 20," Maggie says.

That's why she's finally decided to share her story with others.

3 Keys to Making Your Love Last

Valentine's Day is coming up next week. If you're a wife, you may be thinking, I hope he remembers! If you're a husband you may be thinking, Oh no, again? Or maybe you're thinking, I wish this day would go away. Could I have possibly married anyone less romantic?

If love is a feeling, then marrying for love is the worst possible reason to say "I do." Feelings are fickle. Feelings will change. You married a sinner. Your spouse married a sinner too. And life happens: children, age, pounds and a million other things.

Why Christians can criticize 'Green New Deal', but can't dodge 'green' politics

A joint congressional resolution for a “Green New Deal” is the latest effort aiming to apply political solutions to environmental problems. Whatever the merits of the proposal, one theologian says, Christians must think hard about what their faith says about environmental policy.

“To think that the U.S. government can be agnostic about the environment is a little like thinking it’s agnostic about faith: policies will impact the environment, for good or for ill,” Joseph Capizzi, professor of moral theology and ethics at Catholic University of America, told a local media.

Seek Christ and his humble love, Pope Francis exhorts Catholics in UAE

Preaching on the Beatitudes during his visit to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, Pope Francis called on those present to seek communion with Christ before all else.

“Let us together ask here today for the grace of rediscovering the attraction of following Jesus, of imitating him, of not seeking anyone else but him and his humble love,” the pope said Feb. 5 during Mass at Zayed Sports City, a stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Venezuela crisis: Christian group providing emergency aid, food for starving

Venezuela is facing the biggest economic crisis in modern history with hyperinflation, leading to starvation, deaths and mass migration.

The U.S. announced Saturday that USAID will be sending hundreds of tons of food, medicine and supplies to the administration of President Juan Guaido. Nicolas Maduro, who has long refused to allow foreign aid to enter the country, has yet to relinquish his hold on power and has even threatened the possibility of a civil war.

Spirit-Filled Pastor Identifies the Roadblock Keeping You From Your Breakthrough

Living Faith Community Church's Pastor Reg Morais says doubt, fear and distrust are common roadblocks that prevent believers from seeing breakthrough and results from intercession. He says that in Matthew 13:58, even Jesus "was not able to bring about any signs and wonders, any sort of miracles," because of the unbelief of the people. So how can you overcome doubt? Morais explains more in this video.

Are You Cursing Your Family With Generational Spirits Without Realizing It?

Familiar spirits and generational spirits target our families and situations that are familiar to us. These spirits have been assigned to our genealogy and know our families' past mistakes and weaknesses. We also need to be aware of the word curses and generational curses in our family members' lives so that we don't repeat the past and bring what is dead, buried, and gone into the future. We need to make sure that we are speaking life and freedom and not cursing and bondage. By the words we speak, we can replant and build what the enemy has stolen of our past.

Pew: People who attend church are happier than those who don't

Those who identify with a religious group and regularly attend worship services tend to be happier and more civically engaged than those who do not, a new Pew Research Center survey has found.

A Pew Research Center report released Thursday on religion and well-being found that religious attendance — rather than religious affiliation — consistently linked to higher levels of happiness than for those around the world who claim no faith.

Pope calls United Arab Emirates 'a land of coexistence' ahead of visit

Pope Francis expressed gratitude for his upcoming trip to the United Arab Emirates, noting it is an opportunity to promote greater peace between Muslims and Catholics.

7 Deadly Threats to Your Marriage

In his new book Kingdom Marriage, Tony Evans talks about a couple who came to him for marriage counseling. The couple came in with a handwritten list of problems that they needed to work out. As he looked through their list he thought to himself, "How are we going to fix all of this?" What he realized, almost instantly, is that the items on the list were a symptom of a deeper problem. He knew that if he only treated the symptoms they would be right back in his office with a new list. So he took their piece of paper and tore it up. Then he explained to them his plan at getting at the core relationship issues.
Many times, in marriage, when things go wrong, we look to change our behavior or our circumstances. Most of the time these fixes are just temporary. The real threats lie below the surface, in our attitudes. It's important not only to recognize these wrong attitudes but also to adjust them. With that in mind, here are seven threats to your marriage.

1. Lust

Sexual desire in itself is not a bad thing. It's actually a good thing in the right context. When sexual desire becomes self-seeking, that's when it becomes lust. Clearly, lusting after a person who is not your spouse is detrimental to the marriage. You begin to create a fantasy world and an object of desire in your head that your spouse can't compete with. Ultimately, it leads to feelings of dissatisfaction with your spouse. But even lusting after your spouse is detrimental because it is having a sexual desire that is focused solely on your own pleasure. The beauty and purpose of sex within marriage is for connection and intimacy. It becomes dehumanizing and degraded when one person is using the other for simple pleasure.

2. Selfishness

If the problems in relationships could be boiled down to one bad attitude, it would probably be selfishness. Selfishness is the opposite of love. Marriage is about giving. Giving is what cultivates a good relationship. Having the ability to not only think about the wants and needs of someone else, but the capacity to see the world from their view is what draws people together. Selfishness drives isolation.