Pope Prays in Arabic for First Time

France 24 International News reports:

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday pronounced a blessing in Arabic at his weekly audience in front of 20,000 pilgrims on St Peter’s Square — the first time the language has been used at such an event.

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Southern Poverty Law Center Pushes Homosexual Tolerance to Elementary Students with ‘Mix It Up’ Day

Christian News Network reports:

On Tuesday, October 30th, over 2,000 public and private schools across the United States are scheduled to participate in an observance spearheaded by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which begins at, but is not limited to, lunchtime. It focuses on encouraging youth to meet up with and affirm those who are different from them, not only persons of various races and ethnicities, but also those who are openly homosexual.

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Spying Out the Land

Tim Challies challenges the Christian who chooses not to stray from his or her comfort zone. He points to himself as an example. “So much of what I do in life,” he says, “so many of the decisions I make, are driven primarily by considerations of my own comfort. I do what I do because it is more comfortable than the alternative; I choose to go this way instead of that way because the opposite looks like it may just bring too much discomfort. I’m kind of a coward, I guess, and kind of consumed with keeping life safe and easy.” View article →

Culture Warts or Faithful Servants, Part 2

Peter Jones, Director of truthXchange, continues his series. In the first installment, Dr. Jones examined the reasons young people reject being called “Christian.” In this latest article, he addresses the massive change Western culture is experiencing as a result of what he labels “orgiastic sexuality and occult spirituality.” The two thinkers he holds responsible for the cultural chaos are Carl Jung, the psychologist, and Mircea Eliade the scholar. View article →

U.S. Congressman: Evolution, Big Bang Are ‘Lies Straight From the Pit of Hell’

Christian News Network reports:

Republican Representative Paul Broun from Georgia was speaking to a group of Christians at a sportsmen’s banquet at Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell when he made the statement. In addition to talking to the gathering about his experiences in hunting, he referenced his belief in the Creator.

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Scalia Says Abortion, Gay Rights Are Easy Cases

Justice Antonin Scalia is on a book tour. Recently he told hundreds of people who came to buy his book and hear him speak that he is a “textualist” which means he applies the words in the Constitution as they were understood by the framers. For him, the hotly disputed cases that come before the court are some of the easiest to resolve:

The death penalty? Give me a break. It’s easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion. Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state.

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Catholic Leaders Gather to Counter Decline of Faith

France 24 International News reports:

The synod of 262 archbishops, bishops and other senior clerics heard a call from the pope for a “new evangelism” for the Catholic Church, which is fast losing followers in Europe and feels increasingly discriminated against in many parts of the world.

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Planned Parenthood Challenged for Dismantling Families

Christian Newswire reports:

The Virginia Coalition for Life, in partnership with The Radiance Foundation, has launched a bold ad campaign to challenge the abortion industry and the culture of fatherlessness that it has fostered. Throughout October in the Hampton Roads area, 21 billboards and over 100 bus and light rail posters will declare the message: “Fatherhood Begins in the Womb”

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How Church Discipline Can Be Like Doctor Shopping

Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, challenges ministers of the gospel who are more than willing to empower congregants who don’t want accountability, but affirmation. In Moore’s view, “If you have a church member who has been warned or disciplined by another pastor or church, you have a responsibility to investigate what’s going on.” View article →

Study: Number of Gay Characters on TV at All-time High

A new study shows that Hollywood has included a significant number of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters into its programming in what many people see as an effort to normalize sexual perversion. The study, “Where We Are on TV,” reported that “4.4 percent of actors appearing regularly on prime-time network drama and comedy series during the 2012-13 season will portray lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters. This is up from 2.9 percent in 2011, which saw a dip in what had been a growing annual trend.” View article →

Is It Okay for a Christian to Vote for a Mormon?

With the American presidential election still over a month away, many Christians find themselves conflicted as to how they can or ought to vote. The question on many believers’ minds is: Is it okay for a Christian to vote for a Mormon? Seeking to present differing opinions on this topic, CRN already has shared articles that may answer this question in the negative. Here, Dr. John MacArthur offers a contrasting view and his input on the issue. View article →

The Campaign for Immorality

Pastor and Bible expositor John MacArthur recently lamented the fact that the Democrat party has adopted the sins of Romans 1 as their platform. Though MacArthur typically refrains from preaching politics, in this election season it seems that “politicians have stepped—overstepped—into spiritual and moral areas, promoting horrific wickedness and blasphemous immorality.” God’s Word is neither silent nor ambiguous about these things. View article →