Just the facts.

Top 10 Evangelical News Stories of 2018

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The new year ushers in resolutions and a time to start fresh. But the beginning of a new year means the close of another, offering us the chance to look back and reflect on the good, the bad … and the downright absurd.

(Chelsen Vicari – Juicy Ecumenism)  In 2018, we here at the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) published hundreds of articles on everything from the most encouraging news stories affecting Christianity to some of the most concerning. That’s our job, our mission.

Curious, I dug back through the IRD archives to find out what stories specific to the Evangelical Action program resonated most with our readers. Here are our top 10 most-read Evangelical news stories of the year: Continue reading →

11-year-old ‘drag kid’ dances in popular NYC gay club as patrons toss money at him

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Autistic 11 year-old “drag queen” Desmond Napoles – Instagram screenshot via dangerous.com

“Desmond Napoles, who goes by the drag stage name “Desmond Is Amazing,” is barely 11 years old, yet homosexual and mainstream media have thrust him into the spotlight as the face of the growing prepubescent gay/transgender movement.”

(Doug Mainwaring – LifeSiteNews) – Perhaps sensing the horrific optics of the event, LGBT news sites have assiduously avoided reporting that their favorite 11-year-old drag kid “Desmond Is Amazing” danced on stage in a New York gay bar while adult male patrons tossed money his way as if he were a male stripper.

The pre-adolescent boy, dressed in drag to imitate singer Gwen Stefani, pranced around the stage at Brooklyn’s 3 Dollar Bill, an LGBT bar described as “queer owned & operated,” and “Brooklyn’s Premiere Queer Bar & Performance Venue.” Continue reading →

Conservative Christians Want To Stop Kids Meditating At School

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ACLJ view the mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques used in some schools as a danger to children. The organization condemned audio recordings it claims say, “ We’re all connected through nature. And we’re all connected through the universe.”  

(Katherine Hignett – Newsweek)  Conservative Christian watchdog group The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has launched a petition to stop “forced Buddhist meditation” in schools. Continue reading →

Unconstitutional: Federal Judge Strikes Down Obamacare

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“Obamacare was struck down by a Texas federal judge in a ruling that casts uncertainty on insurance coverage for millions of U.S. residents.”

(Matt Vespa – Townhall)  We have breaking news coming from Texas. A federal judge has struck down the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). A group of Republican state attorneys general argued in their lawsuit that the repeal of the tax penalty gutted the argument for ACA legality. Bloomberg has more, with the publication adding that the DOJ tried to argue that the individual mandate, including provisions to keep the premium rates the same among healthy individuals and those with pre-existing conditions, should be struck down, but keep the rest of the law intact. That included Medicaid expansion, the employer mandates, the exchanges, and premium subsides for hospitals.  Continue reading →

Boy Scouts Considers Bankruptcy Amid Sex Abuse Lawsuits

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“The organization has also agreed in recent years to allow gay men and lesbians to serve in leadership roles, which in part prompted the Mormon Church to announce in 2017 that it was withdrawing from the organization’s programs for older boys.”

(James Barrett – Daily Wire)  Boy Scouts of America may be taking a similar approach as USA Gymnastics to mounting legal fees related to sex abuse lawsuits. According to the Wall Street Journal, the over a century-old nonprofit is considering filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Continue reading →

Archaeologists: We’ve located biblical city of Sodom

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The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Flickr)

Archaeologists believe they have found the ancient city of Sodom, whose destruction is described in the Bible. They say it was caused by a meteorite.

(Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News) Archaeologists excavating the Bronze Age city of Tall el-Hammam in Jordan believe it to be the biblical city of Sodom, destroyed some 3,700 years ago.

According to the Bible, God obliterated the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the plain upon which they stood by raining down on them “brimstone and fire.” Continue reading →

College Men Try to Ban Porn From Campus WIFI, Saying ‘Pornography is Prostitution’

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“Although Notre Dame is affiliated with the Catholic Church, attendees of schools including Harvard, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania also expressed interest in initiating similar efforts to install porn filters on campus Wi-Fi.”

(Daniel Moritz-Rabson – Newsweek)  College men are attempting to ban pornography on campuses across the country, The Daily Beast reported.

Eighty male students at Notre Dame University wrote an open letter in the school newspaper asking for a porn filter on the school’s Wi-Fi.   Continue reading →

Australian Court Finds Cardinal Pell Guilty of Sexual Abuse

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Photo credit Wikimedia Commons

“All along I have been completely consistent and clear in my total rejection of these allegations,  News of these charges strengthens my resolve and the court proceedings now offer me an opportunity to clear my name and then return back to Rome to work.”

(Thomas D. Williams – Breitbart)  A Melbourne court has reportedly convicted the Vatican’s finance chief, Cardinal George Pell, of sexually abusing two choir boys in the 1990s when he was archbishop of Melbourne.

After more than three days of deliberations, the court handed down a guilty verdictTuesday by a unanimous consent of the jury. If the verdict is confirmed, it will be the highest-ranking condemnation of a Church official for a crime of sexual abuse. Continue reading →

Glee Co-Creator Launches Multi-Million-Dollar Plan to Target ‘Anti-LGBT’ Politicians in 2020

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TV producer and LGBTQ activist Ryan Murphy

“Over 20 anti-LGBTQ, right-wing politicians and their horrifying views were gone in a day, Dana Rohrbacher, Mia Love, Jason Lewis, Pete Sessions gone. Bigots, all of them. And they were replaced by allies, new politicians who won’t spread  harmful and wrong rhetoric that can lead a young LGBTQ person to actually believe that they are not good enough or worthy enough to stay on this Earth anymore.”

(Michael W. Chapman – CNSNews)  Ryan Murphy, the co-creator of Glee, Nip/Tuck, and Pose, announced at an LGBT event on Dec. 2 that he is launching a multi-million-dollar organization to target “anti-LGBTQ canidates” in the 2020 election, including Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Me.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa).  Continue reading →

Roberts, Kavanaugh Join Liberal Supreme Court Justices in Rejection of Planned Parenthood Defunding Cases

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“So what explains the court’s refusal to do its job here? I suspect it has something to do with the fact that some respondents in these cases are named ‘Planned Parenthood.’ That makes the court’s decision particularly troubling, as the question presented has nothing to do with abortion.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News)  U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and newly-appointed Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the liberal judges on the nation’s highest court on Monday to turn down appeals from two states challenging lower court rulings striking down efforts to defund Planned Parenthood’s participation in state Medicaid programs. Continue reading →

Google’s Anti-Breitbart Plot: Employees Targeted Site’s Ad Revenue in 2017

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In the email thread that followed, Google’s Director of monetization, Jim Gray, confirmed that his team had been monitoring Breitbart News on a weekly basis “since the origin[al] fake news kick-off discussion.”

(Allum Bokhari – Breitbart)   Emails leaked exclusively to Breitbart News reveal that a group of Google employees, with encouragement from the tech giant’s director of monetization, began plotting the downfall of this website shortly after the 2016 election. Continue reading →

TeenVogue.com Refuses to Take Down Anal Sex ‘How-To’ Guide Targeting Teens

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“We are not going to sit by idly while TeenVogue.com continues to encourage its young readers to engage in ‘the highest risk sexual behavior for HIV transmission’ according to the Center for Disease Control. Hands off our kids!”

(Emile Ward – CNSNews)  TeenVogue.com is refusing to pull a graphic article explaining and promoting anal sex to teenagers, despite widespread outrage from parents. Continue reading →

‘Ministers’ Claim Sex Before Marriage, Hookups ‘Not Sinful,’ Say Chastity Is ‘Outdated and Silly’ Expectation

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“Most of the single clergy I know have sex, even when the rules of their denomination prohibit it, It simply is an outdated and silly expectation, in my opinion.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News)  Three false ministers, including one who identifies as homosexual and another as polyamorous, recently told the Huffington Post that they believe that sex before marriage is “not sinful,” and that it is rather “unreasonable,” “outdated and silly” to expect people to stay chaste until marriage. One said that he doesn’t “judge” those who choose to engage in random hookups, even if he doesn’t do so himself. Continue reading →

Be celibate or leave the priesthood, pope tells gay priests

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He urged homosexuals who are already priests or nuns to be celibate and responsible to avoid creating scandal. “It is better that they leave the priesthood or the consecrated life rather than live a double life,”

(Philip Pullella – Reuters)  Men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be admitted to the Catholic clergy, and it would be better for priests who are actively gay to leave rather than lead a double life, Pope Francis says in a new book.

While he has previously spoken of the need for better screening of candidates for the religious life, his comments suggesting that priests who cannot keep their vows of celibacy should leave are some of his clearest to date. Continue reading →

Discovery of Giant Synapsid Fossil in Poland ‘Throws a Wrench’ in Evolutionary Expectations for Triassic Layers

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“Brian Thomas, a science researcher with the Institute for Creation Research, said the discovery of the Lisowicia bojani—while those who wrote the report on the find might not see it as such—points to the handiwork of the Creator.”

(Heather Clark – Christian News)  The remains of a large synapsid the size of an elephant has been discovered in Triassic rock layers in Poland, much to the surprise of researchers who thought that colossal mammal-like creatures had died out prior to the existence of dinosaurs. Christians, however, state that the find is no surprise and again points to the Great Flood. Continue reading →

Prosperity gospel boosts mood, encourages financial risk, weak on theology, study finds

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“Mood-boosting effects, rather than the religious content, seem to be more directly responsible for the growth of the prosperity gospel movement.”

(Stoyan Zaimov – Christian Post)  People who listen to prosperity gospel teachings feel more positive but they’re not necessarily learning any theological content, a new study suggests.

The University of Toronto released last month a study in the journal of Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, which named such preachers as Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar.  Continue reading →

University hosts ‘critical look at whiteness’ forum and decides Veggie Tales is racist

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“Another project suggested that the children’s Christian television show, “VeggieTales,” perpetuates racial stereotypes. A female student who worked on the project said in an interview that the accents of the evil characters tend to sound ethnic, such as Latino, while the good characters sound white.”

(Drew Van Voorhis – The College Fix)  The Christian cartoon “VeggieTales” is racist because the villains are vegetables of color. The NFL is racist since most players are black and most coaches and owners are white. White women advance white supremacy when they support President Donald Trump. Continue reading →

CRTV, TheBlaze merge, bringing together conservatives Glenn Beck, Mark Levin

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“Blaze Media will compete with other conservative entities such as Breitbart and The Daily Wire, with the latter featuring popular conservative host and columnist Ben Shapiro.”

(Joe Concha – The Hill)  TheBlaze and CRTV have merged to create Blaze Media, the companies announced on Monday, in a move they say will allow the new conservative entity to reach 165 million people via television, online and on social media.

The Blaze was founded by former Fox News host Glenn Beck in 2011 not long after parting ways with the network, while CRTV was founded in 2014 by current Fox News host Mark Levin, who also hosts a nationally syndicated radio program. Continue reading →

Dutch court denies businessman’s request to legally identify as 20 years younger

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The court said it acknowledged “a trend in society for people to feel fit and healthy for longer, but did not regard that as a valid argument for amending a person’s date of birth.”

(Lucia I. Suarez Sang – Fox News)  The Dutch businessman who claimed he was a “young god” when he launched a legal battle last month to officially roll back his age 20 years will remain 69.

A Dutch court on Monday rejected Emile Ratelband’s request to shave off two decades from his age, saying that amending his date of birth would “cause 20 years of records to vanish.” Continue reading →

Brian Houston awarded honorary doctorate while still under police investigation

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“While the legal noose is tightening around Brian Houston’s neck and the media reports have been damning in recent weeks, this smoke-screen of self-aggrandizing, self-congratulating sideshow is attempting to make it appear that all is well with Brian Houston and Hillsong Church.”

(JD Hall – Pulpit & Pen)  While investigators are closing in on Brian Houston for Hillsong’s cover-up of their pedophilia scandal, and as Houston blamed the victim for “tempting” the perpetrator, he has awarded himself an honorary doctorate degree.  Continue reading →

Catholic university defends drag show, transgender policies in defiance of archbishop

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“It is important for the institutional Church to understand the lived experiences of gay, lesbian and transgender Catholics. It is also important for this group of Catholics to understand what the Church believes and teaches.”

(Lisa Bourne – LifeSiteNews)Leaders at a Colorado Catholic university pushed back after their local bishop called out their move to host an on-campus drag show and other efforts to promote gender ideology.

Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila said Regis University Provost Janet Houser used her position of influence to advance gender ideology in several ways at Regis University that conflict with the Catholic faith. Continue reading →

Feminists Release Commentaries on Bible Passages to ‘Emancipate’ Women From ‘Lingering Patriarchal Readings’

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“Emancipation for women is the freedom to live as a person, not as a rule; the freedom to choose what is the ‘best part,’ not to conform to norms. We want to empower women and men to live who they are, in confidence to their vocation as Christians…”

(Heather Clark – Christian News)  A group of 20 female theologians from around the world have released a book of commentaries about Scriptures that pertain to women in an effort to tackle what they call “the lingering patriarchal readings that have justified numerous restrictions and bans on women.” Continue reading →

Tuberculosis, Chicken Pox, HIV/AIDS: A Third of Caravan Migrants Have Serious Health Problems

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[Some] people have chosen to accept offers of temporary work and asylum from Mexico, yet most still remain committed to entering the United States.

(Lucas Mikelionis – LifeZette)  Migrants who came with the caravan are suffering from respiratory infections, tuberculosis, chickenpox and other serious health issues, Tijuana’s Health Department warned on Thursday morning.

The spokesman told Fox News that out of 6,000 migrants currently residing in the city, over a third of them (2,267) are being treated for health-related issues. Continue reading →

Experts on Climate Change Assessment: ‘Every Conclusion of This Latest Government Report Is False’

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“President Trump was required by law to release this report, but he is not required to take it seriously – and he surely will not. To do so would undermine his sensible, deregulatory agenda and restart the war on fossil fuels.”

(Penny Starr – Breitbart) The federal government’s Fourth National Climate Assessment, released on Friday, has gained praise from leftists and left-wing environmental groups as a dire warning of the coming death and destruction in the United States if we don’t stop global warming.  Continue reading →