Paolo Gabriele claims he was “divinely inspired to bring the church back on the right track” by leaking copies of sensitive papers to an Italian journalist. UPI now reports that Gabriele “testified in a Vatican courtroom Tuesday his jail cell was so cramped that he couldn’t extend his arms and that the light was never turned off during his first 20 days of detention before he was transferred to a larger cell.”
France to Cover 100 Percent of Abortion Costs
Group Sues California Over Bill Banning Reparative Therapy for Gay Teens
Group of African Americans Forming “New Independent Christian Party”
A coalition of African American clergy announced that they cannot support either political parties so they have formed the New Independent Christian Party. According to their website they intend to “promote Christian values and address the issues and concerns in the forefront of American lives” and “advocate for the Christian agenda and rights.” In a press release they state:
There does not exist a reliable political party that purely represents the overall Christian agenda in America. We can neither ignore the overwhelming contrast to our Godly principles of the marriage equality and abortion rights agendas, which the Democrats strongly support, nor can we be oblivious to the arrogant, greedy, unsympathetic Pharisaic practices of the Republicans.
Pastor Robert Jeffress Warns Romney of Losing Evangelical Base on Social Issues
Election 2012: Obama & Romney on Abortion
Baptist Press reports:
President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney differ on a wide range of significant issues, with abortion being among the most substantial.
They are so far apart, in fact, that Obama’s campaign made abortion an issue in campaign TV ads and at the Democratic National Convention, where at least 25 speakers referenced Obama’s pro-choice and Romney’s pro-life views.
Are You Learning Not To Be Tossed To And Fro?
The Great Need for Pastors to Address Gay Marriage
Joseph Backholm, executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, points out that 39 percent of Protestants support same-sex marriage, and this puts them on the wrong side of the debate. “For a Christian,” says Backholm, “the inability to get this question right brings into serious question the ability to get anything right, biblically speaking. You can’t do calculus if you don’t know how to add or subtract.” He believes the job of church leadership is to train the church to think biblically about everything.
Christian Apologist Says ‘2016’ Producer ‘Cracked the Code’ on Obama
At the Truth for a New Generation apologetics conference that begins Friday, politics will take center stage when Dinesh D’Souza, president of The King’s College and co-producer of the film, 2016: Obama’s America, will participate in a Q & A with leading apologist Alex McFarland following a screening of the movie. According to McFarland, “People who haven’t seen the movie may ask, ‘What does this have to do with Christian apologetics?’ It has a lot to do with biblical worldview and the freedom that we have in America.”
Profane Preachers Contribute to Killing the Conscience
Marsha West addresses the use of profanity and crude examples some pastors employ to drive home a theological point. She begins:
There seems to be a growing trend in the Church for the clergy to feed the sensual appetite through their sermons. What we are dealing with are pastors who have dirty minds and potty mouths. The word that best describes them is profane.
Pastor Rick Warren Hospitalized, Awaiting Diagnosis
The Christian Post reports:
Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church was hospitalized Tuesday after experiencing pain in his arms.
The renowned Southern California pastor will be undergoing a series of tests to determine what the cause is though the doctor’s “diagnostic guess” is that he has an inner ear virus that may have spread to the nerves in his neck and down his arms.
Beauty From Ashes
A Lesson From the Lakeland Revival
Tim Challies reports on Lakeland: The Movie, a documentary about Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Revival. During the so-called revival it was alleged that great manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit were occuring. Bentley and his crew claimed that the sick were getting healed and around 30 people were raised from the dead, but not a single miracle could be verified.
This documentary,” said Challies, “made me both angry and sad. I was outraged to see Bentley’s complete disregard for Scripture, his disregard for what the Bible tells us about the miraculous gifts, about maintaining good order in services, about so much else. What made me sad were the many looks at the people who had followed Bentley. There were many people, well-intentioned, I am sure, who gave up everything they had to follow him.”
Restrictions on Religion Rise in United States
Knox News reports:
To the surprise of few who follow religion closely but to the chagrin of many even casual observers, researchers at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life documented a disturbing rise in restrictions on religion in the United States between mid-2009 and mid-2010. The U.S. was one of only 16 countries to record a rise in both government restrictions and social hostility toward religion. This was the first time in the course of Pew’s research the U.S. saw a rise in both measures.
Tragedy Meant Big Money for NY Minister
Brian McLaren Leads Ceremony At Son’s Same-Sex Wedding
Why Is Beth Moore’s Vision Concerning The Roman Catholic Church Demonic?
Beth Moore and Ken Silva Discuss her Demonic Vision
It’s well past time to more carefully examine the ministry of this wildly popular Southern Baptist Bible teacher/elder. Over at Apprising Ministries I walk you through my interaction on Twitter yesterday with Beth Moore concerning her false teaching, which she attributes to direct revelation from God, and sinful ecumenicism.
Australian Roman Catholic Church Admits Child Sex Abuse
Obama’s “Many-ways Jesus” Points to Universalism
President Barack Obama says he is a Christian. @Aspree questions whether or not this is true in light of a 2004 interview in which the president shared his views on religion. Amy writes:
In possibly the most fascinating and telling interview I’ve read on the subject of Obama’s Christian faith, the president’s own words shed light on what he believes about Jesus Christ: That Jesus was a historical figure and a wonderful teacher. That there are many other paths to get to the same place, and perhaps the most interesting is this:
“I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell. I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of my religious makeup.”