Just the facts.

Scientific Journal Retracts Paper Referencing Human Hand’s “Design by Creator”

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Christian News Network reports:

A scientific journal caved in to pressure from evolutionists and retracted an article about the human hand that mentions “the Creator” three times. On January 5, the journal “PLOS ONE” published a peer-reviewed article titled “Biomechanical Characteristics of Hand Coordination in Grasping Activities of Daily Living.” The article, which was written by a team of Chinese and American scientists, explores the complex design and coordinated movements of the human hand. “The human hand is an amazing instrument that can perform a multitude of functions,” the scientists wrote, later explaining that hand movements “are enabled by a highly complex structure, with 19 articulations, 31 muscles and more than 25 degrees of freedom.”

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Colorado House OKs bill on transgender birth certificates

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According to The Denver Post:

Transgender Coloradans could change the gender listed on their birth certificates without having surgery or seeking a court order under legislation passed Friday by the state House.

The bill would align Colorado law on birth certificates with federal policies for those changing their gender on Social Security cards, U.S. passports and other documents. Nine states and the District of Columbia have similar laws.

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Kasich Backtracks “Cupcake” Remarks, Says Businesses Shouldn’t Have to Participate in “Gay Weddings”

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Christian News Network reports:

Republican presidential candidate John Kasich seemed to backtrack on Thursday night on his assertion that some businesses are refusing to sell cupcakes to persons who identify as homosexual, stating during the Republican debate in Detroit that having to participate in an event is a “whole other issue.”

As previously reported, during an event last month at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, the Ohio governor said that he doesn’t believe businesses have the same protections as churches, and that business owners should just “move on” in regard to homosexuality.

“I think frankly, our churches should not be forced to do anything that’s not consistent with them. But if you’re a cupcake maker and somebody wants a cupcake, make them a cupcake,” he stated. “Let’s not have a big lawsuit or argument over all this stuff. Move on. The next thing, you know, they might be saying if you’re divorced you shouldn’t get a cupcake.”

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Anglican Church of Canada now unlikely to agree to same-sex marriage

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According to Christian Today:

The Anglican Church of Canada is not now expected to change its law this summer to allow gay marriage, the bishops have admitted.

Canada’s bishops are unlikely to give the two-thirds majority needed to agree changes to the marriage canon at the Church’s General Synod in July.

The realisation that the change to marriage doctrine does not have enough support in the leadership has led to some bishops being “mortified and devastated”.

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Top 10 Richest Pastors in the World

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Surprise! “Bishop” T.D. Jakes comes in at #2.  His personal assets come to a whopping 147 million. Benny Hinn’s only worth 42 mil and Kenneth Copeland’s way behind both of them. Gazette Review has the list which has mostly health and wealth prosperity preachers on it:

walletBlessing, Forgiving and giving Sermon. Ministry is often referred to as the highest calling among the faithful, and can also be the most lucrative. Here we break down a list of 10 men of the cloth that can line their wallets with silk. All figures are based on personal assets and income as stated by personal and observed disclosures. The tax laws in most countries attribute certain assets to the religious organization and not the individual at the head, so not all assets may be accounted for.

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U.S. Supreme Court Divided in Argument Over Law That Could Close Most Texas Abortion Facilities

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Christian News Network reports:

The U.S. Supreme Court seemed divided on Wednesday as it heard oral argument over a Texas law that some say would result in the closure of the majority of abortion facilities in the state.

As previously reported, in 2013, following the passage of several safety regulations for abortion facilities, Planned Parenthood and other abortion advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against Texas officials, asserting that the new requirements would have an adverse affect on most facilities.

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South Dakota Governor Vetoes Bill Requiring Use of Restroom Corresponding With Birth Gender

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Christian News Network reports:

The Republican governor of South Dakota has vetoed a bill requiring that public school students use the restroom or locker room that corresponds with their birth gender as he believes that it “openly invites federal litigation.”

As previously reported, last month, the state Senate voted 20-15 in approval of H.B. 1008, just weeks after the House advanced the bill 58-10.

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Trump donated to group that promotes homosexuality to 5-year-olds

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According to LifeSite News:

Donald Trump donated $30,000 to homosexual activists, including a $20,000 grant to an organization that promoted “fisting” to middle school students, recommended books excusing homosexual pedophilia, and proclaimed its mission is “promoting homosexuality” in the public schools to children as early as kindergarten.

According to a 990 form filed with the IRS, the Donald J. Trump Foundation donated $20,000 to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in 2012 and another $10,000 to Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

Kevin Jennings founded GLSEN (originally the Gay and Lesbian School Teachers Network) in 1990. He and other homosexual teachers formed Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) nationwide and drew up curricula that began shaping children’s values in accordance with the LGBT perspective from the age of five.

Kindergarten should be the “saturation period” for LGBT views

GLSEN has been upfront about its goals and desire for mainstream respectability. In 1997, Jennings said, “I can envision a day when straight people say, ‘So what if you’re promoting homosexuality?’”

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Racketeering suit claims Mark Driscoll misused Mars Hill donor dollars

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Disgraced “pastor” Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill executive elder Turner Sutton had a RICO lawsuit filled against them in the U.S District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle. The attorney filing the suit said in a statement: “Driscoll and Turner engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity so deeply embedded, pervasive and continuous, that it was effectively institutionalized as a business practice, thereby corrupting the very mission Plaintiffs and other donors believed they were supporting.” Seattle Times has the story:

Mark DriscollMark Driscoll may have moved on to a new city and a new church, but he faces the sharpest demand yet to account for his actions at Mars Hill Church.

On Monday, four former Mars Hill members filed a civil racketeering lawsuit against Driscoll, charging that the once swaggering pastor fraudulently used thousands if not millions of dollars raised by the church, which once boasted 15 branches in five states with 13,000 visitors on Sundays.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for Western Washington, also names former Mars Hill executive elder John Sutton Turner as a defendant.

A 42-page complaint accuses the two men of raising money for specific purposes and then using the money for other things, including a “scam” designed to make Driscoll a best-selling author.

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“Luscious Lesbians”: Christian Actor Candace Cameron Bure Takes Part in Racy “Dirty Dancing” Scene

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Christian News Network reports:

Despite her regular profession of being a Christian on television, talk show host and actor and sister to Kirk Cameron, Candace Cameron Bure recently let loose in an episode of “Fuller House”—a restart of the 80’s show “Full House”—pulling out her “dirty dancing” moves with her best friend in a lingerie-style dress, the two being referred to as “luscious lesbians.” The episode, which is the third for “Fuller House,” is raising concern among Christians who had looked up to the actor as a Christian role model.

In “Funner House,” Cameron Bure, who plays D.J. Tanner, spends the evening drinking and dancing at a night club with her best friend Kimmy Gibbler and sister Stephanie Tanner.

“When Stephanie, Kimmy and D.J. have a girls’ night out and leave Joey in charge of the kids, things get wild out on the town and at home,” the show description outlines.

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Southern Baptists Lose Almost 1,000 Missionaries as IMB Cuts Costs

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According to Christianity Today:

Six months after announcing plans to cut 600 to 800 missionaries and staff in order to balance its budget, the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) revealed today that it has lost 1,132 workers—almost twice as many as its low-end estimate.

In all, 983 missionaries and 149 US staff have accepted the IMB’s offer of voluntary early retirement or resignation. That brings the number of SBC missionaries in the field down from 4,700 to about 3,800—a return to 1993 levels.

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Glenn Beck Admits He Misled Cruz Audiences About George Washington’s “Don Quixote”

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Breitbart reports:

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

Glenn Beck has now admitted that he misled audiences at his campaign appearances for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) when he told them the copy of Don Quixote he held in his hand was the same copy that George Washington purchased on the day the Constitution was signed. Beck now admits that the copy he was displaying at Cruz rallies was actually printed in 1796 — 9 years after the Constitution was signed.

The controversy surrounding Beck’s book heated up earlier this week when a spokesperson at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate told the Huffington Post that the copy of Miguel de Cervantes Don Quixote that Washington purchased on the day the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, is “stored safely” in their collection and is not out on the campaign trail with Glenn Beck.

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Ed Note: Glenn Beck is a member in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Laid off Disney worker breaks down before Senate panel

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Leo Perrero was a highly trained information technology worker at the Walt Disney Company for many years. Even though he had excellent job performance reviews he was told that his his job was being given to foreign workers brought into the country on H-1B visas. Perrero had to train his replacement. Breitbart has the story.

“During the holiday season of 2014, I was sent a meeting invitation by a prominent Disney executive. With an excellent review in hand along with company announcements of record profits my mind buzzed with thoughts of a promotion or a bonus,” Leo Perrero, the former Disney worker testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest. “I walked into a small conference room with about two dozen highly respected fellow IT workers. The Disney executive made a harsh announcement to us all.”

That harsh announcement, Perrero said, was that Disney was laying him and hundreds of others off. He would be without a job in 90 days.

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Pastor Lucado: Trump Saying He’s a Christian “Beyond Reason to Me”

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Donald Trump 2Two megachurch preachers from the lone star state have very different opinions of GOP candidate Donald Trump. In the NewsMax piece Max Lucado takes issue with Trump for calling himself an evangelical Christian. Not so fast, says Lucado. We must first carefully inspect the fruit before we can determine if Trump is a true Christian. If only he had bothered to inspect the fruit of Joel Osteen before agreeing to preach at his church. And there was zero fruit inspection when it came to endorsing and writing the forward to Word of Faith pastrix of Hillsong Church Christine Caine’s book Undaunted. But I digress.

Whether or not The Donald is a Christian doesn’t concern Robert Jeffress who has been introducing him on the stump. Jeffress says the reason he’s supporting Trump is because he’s the most conservative candidate that’s electable.

Our point in bringing Robert Jeffress into the discussion is to show that evangelical leaders often have very different views of the candidates.

Now to Max Lucado’s assessment of Donald Trump:

Best-selling Christian author Max Lucado believes Donald Trump speaks with a forked tongue when he calls himself a Christian one day and launches jaw-dropping personal attacks on people the next.

“It would be none of my business, I would have absolutely no right to speak up except that he repeatedly brandishes the Bible and calls himself a Christian,” the San Antonio pastor said in an interview with Christianity Today magazine.

“If he’s going to call himself a Christian one day and call someone a bimbo the next or make fun of somebody’s menstrual cycle, it’s just beyond reason to me.”

Lucado — the author of nearly 100 Christian books which have sold 80 million copies — said he had never opposed a presidential candidate before the billionaire developer entered the political arena.

“There was a time in Iowa when he said ‘I’m a Christian,’ and somebody asked about forgiveness and he said ‘I’ve never asked God for forgiveness.’ I can’t imagine that. I’m just shaking my head going ‘How does that work?'” Lucado said.

“Does a swimmer say ‘I’ve never gotten wet?’ Does a musician say ‘I’ve never sung a song?’ How does a person claim to be a Christian and never need to ask for forgiveness?”

Trump has made headlines with the shoot-from-the-lip missiles he’s fired at opponents, recently ripping Sen. Ted Cruz as a “totally unstable individual” and the “single biggest liar I’ve ever come across.”

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Trump Claims Yearly IRS Audits May Be Because He’s “Strong Christian”

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Christian News Network reports:

In speaking about being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) each year, the thrice-married, unbridled tongued Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Thursday night that perhaps he is being targeted by the government because he is a “strong Christian.”

“I’m always audited by the IRS, which I think is very unfair,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo following the GOP debate in Houston. “I don’t know, maybe because of religion, maybe because of something else, maybe because I’m doing this, although this is just recently.”

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After Obama, the commander in chief will also be entertainer in chief

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According to USA Today:

Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and John Kasich all say so: America is electing a commander in chief, not an “entertainer in chief.’’ Civics teachers everywhere say, amen!

But a candidate who wants to beat one outstanding entertainer (Donald Trump) for the right to succeed another (Barack Obama) must be able to put on a show, and to go on one. An ability to entertain — in even quirky settings — has become part of the job.

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Mega-Ministry Methods: David Jeremiah Sows the Wind and Reaps the Windfall

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Warren Throckmorton of Patheos has some disturbing news about Pastor David Jeremiah’s business dealings:

One of the key events that led to the demise of Mars Hill Church in 2014 was the revelation that the church leaders had used around $250,000 of church money to strategically buy a spot on the New York Times bestseller list for Mark and Grace Driscoll’s 2011 book Real Marriage. Manipulating bestseller lists became a debated topic for several months after it was learned that other leading Christian authors had also used Result Source to manipulate the bestseller list (e.g., Les & Leslie Parrott, and David Jeremiah). Articles in World, Christianity Today, and this blog examined the ethics of the matter.

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“Together 2016”: Denominations link arms with Chrislebrities to erase doctrinal divisions

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Berean Research reports on yet another attempt to unite denominations:

Wolf in sheep's clothing

Doctrinal distinctives? Divisions? Not any more. Several major denominations will be blended up smoother than a Vitamix cocktail in a few weeks.

This summer, a “Next Great Awakening” is bringing Assemblies of God Supt. George O. Wood and Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd together to link arms in spiritual unity with the Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America, Grace Communion International (formerly the Armstrongism Worldwide Church of God), and a host of familiar Chrislebrities including Hillsong United, Francis Chan, Hillsong’s pastorix Christine Caine, Ravi Zacharias, Kari Jobe, Josh McDowell, Lois Palau and others. The number organizers have in mind: One Million.

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Azusa redux: Lou Engle, Greg Laurie uniting denominations?

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From Berean Examiner:

“Can you believe with us that denominations will unite, that the races could come together, that God could make us one, as the antidote to the terrific division in our day? Could you believe with us for stadium Christianity where signs and wonders are breaking out and mass evangelism explodes across our country- the Third Great Awakening?”

So asks NAR-affiliated false teacher Lou Engle, founder of the “Azusa Now: The Call” set for April 9th at the LA Coliseum. “We are believing for an outbreak of God’s glory that will touch the Lord on this day! If we move together, we can see a shift in the body of Christ, unto a day of greater healings and a great awakening for America!”

When Azusa Now calls all denominations, it includes the Church of Rome:

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Newsweek calls those who believe in divine creation “evangelical extremists”

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Noah's ArkIn today’s The Briefing Albert Mohler discussed an article that appeared in Newsweek entitled “Noah’s Ark Rises In Kentucky, Dinosaurs And All” that has to do with the Ark Encounter, the replica of Noah’s Ark being built by the ministry Answers in Genesis. According to Mohler, “The article itself is an attack on the ministry and an attack on the project, but what’s really, really interesting is the subhead in the article, because it speaks of evangelical Christians who deny the theory of evolution and believe in divine creation as,

“evangelical extremists.”

Lindsay Tucker’s piece, says Mohler, “is really not all that important, but the headline is. It tells us that, according to the liberal secular elites in this country, if you believe in the biblical account of creation, you are an evangelical extremist. The dominant secular academy so committed to the worldview of Darwinism and evolution finds it inconceivable that a large sector of Americans still refuse to accept evolution and still believe in the biblical account of creation. So what exactly do they think of us? As being eccentric, or odd, or confessional, convictional? No, as this headline makes very clear, they consider us “evangelical extremists.” Who knew that merely believing in the total truthfulness and the historicity of the book of Genesis would earn us the label “evangelical extremists” in Newsweek magazine, but there it is in plain print.”

View Newsweek’s article

New book: Homosexuals & everyone else need Gospel

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The book was penned by Denny Burk and Heath Lambert of Boyce College. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote the forward. Baptist Press has the story:

The Gospel demands change for homosexuals just as it demands change for all people, two Baptist collegiate professors write in a new book, “Transforming Homosexuality: What the Bible Says About Sexual Orientation and Change.”

“If we withhold that truth from them out of fear of offending them, then we don’t love them. We cut them off from salvation,” Denny Burk and Heath Lambert write. “The only way for them to be saved is to receive Christ. The only way to receive Christ is by repentance and faith.”

Burk and Lambert are faculty members at Boyce College, the undergraduate school of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

Burk, professor of biblical studies, and Lambert, visiting professor of biblical counseling who also is executive director of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, acknowledge that homosexuality can be an uncomfortable subject to talk about amid the championing of the Bible’s clear standards for sexuality.

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Marco Rubio’s deputy campaign manager is a gay “marriage” activist

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Life Site News reports:

A pivotal member of Marco Rubio’s campaign actively encouraged the Supreme Court to impose gay “marriage” on the entire nation by judicial fiat.

Senator Rubio’s deputy campaign manager, Rich Beeson, signed a legal brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to redefine marriage in last summer’s Obergefell v. Hodges case.

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Utah Governor Says Using Anesthesia on Babies Being Murdered May Be “Most Humane” Abortion Method

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Christian News Network reports:

The Republican governor of Utah said on Wednesday that he would consider signing a proposed bill requiring the use of anesthesia on babies that are being murdered in the womb, opining that it may be the “most humane” way of ending a child’s life.

Gov. Gary Herbert said that he is personally opposed to abortion, but remarked that if the practice is considered legal in America, it should be carried out as “humanely” as possible.

“You know, abortion is a very emotional issue,” he told reporters at a news conference. “Rather than get into the abortion debate, I guess the question is: If we’re going to have abortion, what is the most humane way to do it?”

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Pope Francis calls Donald Trump “not Christian” over wall stance

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From Berean Research:

Ironically this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Many Protestants believe that Pope Francis isn’t a true Christian either. Why? Because he teaches a false gospel. (See our White Paper on the RCC). That aside, the Pope of Rome has no business injecting his personal views into American politics the way he has. Could his aim be to sway the election? Two out of six candidates are Catholics — Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. Would the pontiff like to see a Catholic win the nomination and go on to become the next President of the United States? Of course he would! I mean, think about it. Should either Bush or Rubio become president, the RCC would be in a much better position…..to rule the world.

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