Just the facts.

Bethel Music and Bieber Sang It. But Do We Really Believe in ‘Reckless Love’?

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(Kate Shellnutt – Christianity Today)  “CT asked Christian music experts to weigh in on “Reckless Love.” Most agreed that it’s a good thing for Christians to examine the theology beneath catchy lyrics—and said it’d be reckless not to.”

Bethel Music’s Cory Asbury hit it big with his song about the “the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.”

It’s also back at the top of Billboard’s hot Christian songs chart, thanks to a boost from none other than Justin Bieber, who recently posted a clip of himself singing the chorus on Instagram before performing the song as part of an impromptu worship set during the Coachella music festival in California. Earlier this year, Israel Houghton offered his gospel cover. Continue reading →

Amazon Boots Christian Nonprofit From Donations Program Because Of SPLC’s ‘Hate List’

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(Bre Payton – The Federalist) A non-profit, public interest law firm which focuses on religious freedom issues has been booted from AmazonSmile, after the Southern Poverty Law Center deemed the law firm a “hate group.”

In a statement released Thursday, Alliance for Defending Freedom President Michael Farris said the law firm has been excluded from the retail giant’s program, which donates a small portion of purchases to the nonprofit of the customer’s choice. Farris said the firm’s exclusion is the result of Amazon’s reliance upon SPLC, an organization that has long been regarded as a glorified direct-mail scam that profits from hate-mongering.  View article →

Ex-Homosexuals, Free Speech Advocates Join Forces Against New Law

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(Elizabeth M. Economou  – LifeZette)  ‘Junk science will increasingly become the basis of legislation’ — groups plan Freedom March on May 5 in nation’s capital

A new California law — coupled with an egregious attempt by those on the Left to ban books they deem inappropriate (note the irony) — is exactly why free speech advocates, ex-gays, and Christians are taking part in an upcoming Freedom March in the nation’s capital. Continue reading →

Boy Scouts Overrun by Sex & Gender Revolutionaries

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(Todd Starnes – Fox News) The Boy Scouts of America is dropping the word “boy” from its signature program. The name change is part of a marketing campaign to promote inclusiveness.

The umbrella organization will still be known as Boy Scouts of America, but the older youth program will become Scouts BSA. The term Cub Scouts will not be changed because it is considered gender neutral.  The Scouts recently announced plans to invite girls and transgender kids to join their ranks — hence the necessity for a name change to the once exclusively all-boys organization. View article →

 

Science Says Dark Chocolate Is a Mother’s Day Winner

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(Michele Blood – LifeZette)  Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13, and families all across the country are asking each other the same question: “What should we get Mom for Mother’s Day?”

There’s (literally) a sweet answer that checks every box on your wish list — it’s inexpensive and easy to find. New research says it’s good for moms, too.

Enter the humble chocolate. But not just any chocolate –– dark chocolate. Three new studies present impressive results about chocolate’s effects on the immune system, stress, and even vision, according to one of the studies. Continue reading →

65% of Public School 8th Graders Not Proficient in Reading; 67% Not Proficient in Math

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(Terence P. Jeffrey – CNSNews) – Sixty-five percent of the eighth graders in American public schools in 2017 were not proficient in reading and 67 percent were not proficient in mathematics, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress test results released by the U.S. Department of Education.

The results are far worse for students enrolled in some urban districts.

Among the 27 large urban districts for which the Department of Education published 2017 NAEP test scores, the Detroit public schools had the lowest percentage of students who scored proficient or better in math and the lowest percentage who scored proficient or better in reading. Continue reading →

Chuck Missler dies

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Premier reports that dispensational Bible teacher Chuck Missler has died. Before we get to Premier’s post, first a bit of background on Dr. Missler that many people are unaware of. Chuck Missler and Mark Eastman wrote the controversial book Alien Encounters: The Secret Behind the UFO Phenomenon. The book, says researcher Sarah Leslie, “incorporated extreme extra-biblical source material.” The authors added to the scriptures and in so doing they created what Leslie calls a “fantastical scenario based on the idea that space alien creatures invaded the earth before Noah’s Flood and contaminated human DNA, thus corrupting the pure human racial line and creating genetic hybrids that God had to destroy with the Flood… Continue reading →

Alfie Evans, Hospitalized Toddler at Center of UK Court Battle, Dies

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(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) Alfie Evans, the 23-month-old boy whose parents fought in court to transfer him to another hospital for experimental treatment, has died.

“Our baby boy grew his wings tonight at 2:30 a.m. We are heartbroken. Thank you everyone for all your support,” wrote mother Kate James on Saturday.

“My gladiator lay down his shield and gained his wings at 02:30. Absolutely heartbroken. I LOVE YOU MY GUY,” also lamented father Thomas Evans. View article →

Trump Cleared in Russia Collusion Scandal Report

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(Mark Tapscott – LifeZatte) President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign did not collude, coordinate or conspire with elements of the Russian government in an effort to defeat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, according to a report made public Friday by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

But committee investigators did find substantial evidence of “poor judgment and ill-considered actions” by both candidates’ campaigns. The Clinton campaign, for example, was severely criticized for its role in funding opposition research heavily based on Russian sources. View article →

80% of Americans Believe in God. Pew Found Out What They Mean

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(Kate Shellnut – Christianity Today) What Protestants, Catholics & Jews believe about God.

Does God talk to you? Has God punished you? Here’s how denomination, gender, and political party relate to how we see the divine.

“We believe in God,” Amy Grant famously sang in the ’90s. Today, 4 out of 5 Americans still say the same.

But according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, what they mean by God varies a lot. Continue reading →

Man Who Identifies as Woman Sues North Carolina Prison for Not Accommodating Practice of Witchcraft

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(Heather Clark – Christian News Network) A male inmate who identifies as a woman has sued the Lanesboro Correctional Institution in North Carolina for not accommodating his practice of Wicca, also known as pagan witchcraft.

Duane Fox, who goes by the name Jennifer Jasmine, alleges that chaplains at the institution have violated his constitutional right to religious exercise, including his specific dietary needs.

Fox says that he has been denied his request for vegan meals, and states that he was told that if he wanted vegan accommodation, he must be Rastafarian or a Buddhist. He outlines that each Wiccan festival entails a specific focus, such as dairy or dried herbs. Continue reading →

Obama Justice Dept.’s attempts to influence investigations exposed in McCabe probe

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President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder

(Jeff Mordock – Washington Times) Tucked inside the inspector general’s report on former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was the story of an August 2016 phone call from a high-ranking Justice Department official who Mr. McCabe thought was trying to shut down the FBI’s investigation into the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Clinton was running for president.

The official was “very pi–ed off” at the FBI, the report says, and demanded to know why the FBI was still pursuing the Clinton Foundation when the Justice Department considered the case dormant.

Former FBI officials said the fact that a call was made is even more stunning than its content. Continue reading →

Google Search Manipulation Can Swing Nearly 80 Percent of Undecided Voters

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(Breitbart) By inserting negative search suggestions under the name of a candidate, search engines like Google can shift the opinions of undecided voters by up to 43.4 percent, according to new research by a team at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology and reported exclusively by Breitbart News.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Robert Epstein, has previously conducted research into what he calls the Search Engine Manipulation Effect (SEME). … Continue reading →

Parents rally against public school sex-ed over pro-choice, gay rights ideas

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(Bradford Richardson – Washington Times) “We have had enough, and we’re not going to take it anymore. Canada is a nation that has a Charter of Rights, which include freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. Our rights have been trampled by the sex-ed curriculum in our schools.”

“Mom, you won’t believe what my teacher’s talking about right now.”

That is the text message Regina Young, a parent in North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, said she received from her seventh-grade daughter one day. Continue reading →

TIME 100 List: Liberals Outweigh Conservatives 14 to 4

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(Kyle Drennen – NewsBusters) “Singer Cher touted the “humility” and “grace” of openly gay Olympic skater Adam Rippon, who made headlines for his repeated attacks against Vice President Mike Pence.”

On Thursday, TIME magazine released its annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people, spanning across politics, entertainment, music, and sports. Predictably, the reliably liberal publication featured 14 glowing profiles of liberal activists, politicians, entertainers, and athletes, but only managed to find four conservative figures to highlight, one of which was a nasty hit piece.   View article →

Glenn Beck Selling His Private Jet as His Media Empire Crumbles

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(Breitbart) Glenn Beck is reportedly downsizing his assets as his media empire dwindles, posting his private jet for sale for an undisclosed amount on a site that sells used aircraft.

The Daily Beast reported that Beck listed his 1966 DC9-15 aircraft–which he purchased for $1 million in 2015–for sale on Controller, a online retailer for used aircraft.

The jet’s registration number listed on the website, N8860, is the same Federal Aviation Administration registration number given to a jet belonging to Mercury Radio Arts—Beck’s radio production company. Continue reading →

Two publishers suspend publication of books by megachurch pastor Hybels in wake of misconduct allegations

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(Manya Brachear Pashman – Chicago Tribune) Two Christian book publishers have suspended publication of books by Bill Hybels, the megachurch pastor and best-selling author who stepped down from the helm of Willow Creek Community Church amid allegations of improper conduct with women.

Tyndale House Publishers in Carol Stream has suspended its plans to publish “Everyone Wins When a Leader Gets Better,” which was scheduled for release in August. That month, Hybels was to have hosted the renowned Global Leadership Summit, a conference sponsored by the related nonprofit Willow Creek Association, but Hybels bowed out of that as well. Continue reading →

Boomerang: Since Left’s Boycott Began, Ingraham Viewership Up 20%

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(NewsBusters) A funny thing has happened since the Left began its campaign to drive Fox News host Laura Ingraham off the air: Her ratings are up, a lot — by more than 20 percent compared to her last week on the air before the current controversy began.

The leftist-organized advertiser boycott began on March 29, after Ingraham tweeted about Parkland high school anti-gun activist David Hogg, and continued in spite of Ingraham’s quick apology.

As of Friday, April 13, 27 companies had announced they would pull their advertising from the show, but one — Ace Hardware — announced it would resume its sponsorship of the Ingraham Angle, citing the “incomplete” information it had when it originally announced its withdrawal. View article →

Pope tells crying child that his atheist dad could be in heaven

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“He was a good man … he had a good heart” … “God surely was proud of your father” said the pope to the tearful little boy. Was the boy’s father a good man as the pope claimed? According to Romans 3:10:  “None is righteous, no, not one.” What does the Bible teach on salvation? “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 So, are there any atheists in heaven? The scriptures clearly teach that people are saved by faith alone in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the final judgment those who reject Christ are separated from God for all eternity … and sent to the lake of fire.

Now to Kathleen N. Hattrup’s report over at Aleteia: Continue reading →

Tyndale Sued by Boy Who Didn’t Come Back from Heaven

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(Kate Shellnutt – Christianity Today) After growing up and retracting his controversial account of “coming back from heaven,” 20-year-old Alex Malarkey is now suing the Christian publisher who made his story famous, then infamous.

Malarkey, who was left paralyzed and spent two weeks in a coma after a 2004 car accident, filed a lawsuit this month against Christian publisher Tyndale House for associating his name with the controversial book coauthored with his father,The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, and not paying him for the story. Continue reading →

Remembering Elliot Miller

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(Eric Pement – Executive Director EMNR)  Former EMNR board member Elliot Miller passed into the presence of the Lord Jesus on April 11, 2018. Born in 1951, Elliot turned to Eastern mysticism and meditation during the Age of Aquarius in the 1960s, experimented with drugs and psychedelics, but in his confusion was confronted and converted by the real Christ during the Jesus Movement of the late sixties and early seventies. Southern California in that era provided many coffeehouses, cults, and communes, and Elliot lived for a while in one of the Christian communes in the west coast. I believe it was called Shiloh. Continue reading →

Drop in U.S. Catholic Church Attendance Under Pope Francis Sharpest in Decades

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(Thomas D. Williams – Breitbart) Catholic church attendance in the United States fell by six percent between the pontificates of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, the sharpest drop in decades, a new Gallup poll has revealed.

An average of 39 percent of U.S. Catholics attended church weekly during the heart of the Francis papacy, from 2014 to 2017, Gallup found in a survey released April 9, which represents a significant drop from the 45 percent of Catholics who attended weekly Mass from 2005 to 2008, in the early years of the Benedict pontificate. View article →

Read Our Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

‘Fake Weed’ Is Leading to Cases of Severe Bleeding

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(LifeZette) “Despite the perception that synthetic cannabinoids are safe and a legal alternative to marijuana, many are illegal and can cause severe illness.” 

Emergency rooms in Illinois are noticing a spike in synthetic pot users suffering from severe bleeding, and state health officials are warning the public to remain vigilant.

The Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) issued a statement on in March announcing that at least six people in northeastern Illinois had been hospitalized after using the man-made substance — also known as “fake weed,” “K2,” or “spice.” On Wednesday, the number of cases climbed to 118, including three deaths, the health department reported. View article →

Comey’s Book Deal Shows He’s ‘Grandstanding, Glory Seeker’

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(Randy DeSoto – The Western Journal)  Radio talk show host Ben Shapiro accused James Comey of being a “grandstanding, glory seeker” as the former FBI director began a publicity tour to promote his soon to be released book.

Shapiro tweeted on Thursday, “Serious question: if Comey isn’t a grandstanding glory-seeker, why wait a year and a book deal before telling the whole story?” (See Shapiro’s tweet on the site)

President Donald Trump fired Comey in May 2017, citing the FBI director’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, and a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein making the recommendation. View article →

Pro-Life Students Stage Nationwide Walkout to Protest Abortion

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(Deirdre Reilly – LifeZette) Two hundred high schools and 80 colleges participated in the pro-life walkout described below — but there was little or no local or national media coverage of these events.

Hundreds of pro-life high school and college students are walking out of their classrooms this morning for 17 minutes to protest abortion — and to honor the lives lost to the brutal procedure.

Inspired by California high school student Brandon Gillespie — a teen who was inspired to take a stand after teacher Julianne Benzel was suspended March 14 for posing a hypothetical question about a potential pro-life walkout — students from up to 200 high schools and 80 colleges indicated they would walk out of their classrooms, a spokesperson for the event told LifeZette. View article →