People take part in a protest against police brutality and in support of Black Lives Matter during a march in New York City on July 9, 2016. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
Veora Layton-Robinson, a student in her final year at New York Theological Seminary, had signed up for a full load of courses when she decided to add one more: a class on Black Lives Matter.
The minister and elementary school teacher was inspired by the class to start developing a Black Lives Matter chapter with members of her Mount Vernon, N.Y., church and community, convinced that more needed to be done to address police brutality, address concerns about violent crime and help people understand the power of voting.
The additional course has helped her think more deeply about how to address the issues at the heart of the movement.
“We were trying to figure out what to do: Do we want to just sit down and do nothing and just march here and there?” Layton, 38, said of the fledgling group. “How do you be involved?”
The multicultural seminary in New York City is one of a few that have offered a class focused on Black Lives Matter, the movement and the theology related to it. Yale Divinity School invited movement activist DeRay Mckesson for a one-credit, weekend intensive on leadership in the Black Lives Matter movement. At Fuller Theological Seminary, professors discussed the movement in classes and students erected a memorial to black people who lost their lives in police custody.
As more African-Americans are killed at the hands of police, seminaries have begun to engage with the movement and investigate how their theology can be enlisted to improve race relations.
Doubling down: Jimmy Seibert (above) of the Antioch Community Church sat down with Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council
The pastor at the Texas church attended by Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines spoke out last week about the recent story detailing the fact that he is against gay marriage.
Jimmy Seibert of the Antioch Community Church sat down with Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council for an interview on his Washington Watch radio show, and stood firm in his anti-gay beliefs.
‘If you are struggling with same-sex attraction, if you are in a homosexual lifestyle, if you are divorced, if you are broken, whatever it is, welcome to church. We are here for you with arms open wide,’ said Seibert.
‘But we want to be clear that God’s truth and God’s Word is going to be our fixed point that we are all journeying toward.’
When he was later asked if he ever expected to be a part of this kind of controversy, Seibert said he did imagine it would happen on day.
‘In a weird way, actually yes,’ said Seibert.
‘Whenever anybody is clear and loving in a culture that is trying to vilify anybody that believes something as clearly as marriage definition or gender definition, it is just built into the system that we get persecuted.’
Seibert also said that the outcry over the recent story is helping his cause, with more traffic being driven to his website.
‘Viewership has increased by a thousand fold,’ said Seibert.
‘That has actually been the most encouraging side of the journey over the last 48 hours or so. Thousands, and maybe hundreds of thousands of people are now getting Scripture, getting some clarity, getting some truth and some thought on this issue of marriage, and life, and sexual identity. In a weird way we’re grateful, because that message is getting out.’
Seibert has spoken out against gay marriage frequently in the past, and it appears to be one of his favorite subjects to discuss in videos and interviews.
In a video posted in May of last year he said: ‘This issue is so key because it is trying to change and mar the identity of how god created us. It’s not just your opinion or my opinion, your feelings or my feelings it has to do with what has god said, what has god created.
He later said that anyone who believes they cannot change their same-sex attraction is wrong.
‘Nothing could be further from the truth. You are just the way god created you before sin entered the world and through Jesus we’re being brought back to that reality,’ said Seibert.
He then said that the Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality would have an ‘adverse affect’ on himself and members of the church.
‘Pray for the Supreme Court Justices,’ he urged his followers.
Seibert spoke about this subject once again in a special sermon last year following the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
In the almost hour long sermon, he said: ‘This is a clear biblical admonition. So if someone were to say, ”Marriage is defined in a different way,” let me just say – they are wrong. God defined marriage, not you and I. God defined masculine and feminine, male and female, not you and I.’
Making his position crystal clear, Seibert continued: ‘Truth No. 1 – Homosexuality is a sin. The lie – Homosexuality is not a sin.’
He does, however, ask his congregation to show gay people compassion as ‘the statistics say that 90 percent of people who are in a full-blown homosexual lifestyle were abused in some way. Physically, sexually, mentally.’
Others have become ‘addicted’ to being gay after sing it in pornography, he said.
Despite conversion therapy being declared harmful, he continued: ‘Truth No. 2 – God is able to give us power over every sin, including homosexuality. Lie No. 2 – I am a homosexual in thought and action, and I cannot change.’
Chip and Joanna have yet to respond to the controversy, but Chip did acknowledge the situation on Twitter over the weekend.
‘Regardless of our decision to make a statement about all this craziness, or not, I ask that people please! respect @KateAurthur & @ginamei,’ wrote Chip on Twitter, in reference to the authors of two of the stories.
He then wrote one day later: ‘In times of trouble.. you’ll find the Gaines family at church.’
The articles forced HGTV to issue a statement saying: ‘We don’t discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series.’
Chip and Joanna’s show is now in its fourth season and is one of HGTV’s most popular offerings.
It has, however, yet to feature a same-sex couple despite other shows on the network including the Property Brothers and House Hunters International – its other top ranking shows – often helping find the perfect home for couples of the same sex.
Aside from their reality show, Chip and Joanna are the founders of Magnolia Homes, Magnolia Market, and Magnolia Realty in Waco, they have their own home collections as well as collaborations with bigger retailers.
The renovators recently released their first book The Magnolia Story, which is a New York Times Best Seller.
Becoming a priest is a “journey of discipleship” which begins at baptism, the document explains. Priesthood is a gift from God to the Church and the world.
Priests should be “missionary disciples”. They must be “faithful to celibate chastity” and must cultivate “authentic and filial devotion to the Virgin Mary”.
The “possibility of a candidate having homosexual tendencies” must be examined before admission to seminary.
The document says some homosexual tendencies, such as those of adolescence, might be transitory. But these must be overcome for “at least three years” before ordination to the diaconate.
A man who practises homosexuality or has homosexual tendencies must be dissuaded by his confessor. The document says it would be “gravely dishonest” for a homosexual man to pretend not to be gay in order to proceed to ordination.
“The Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’ Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women. One must in no way overlook the negative consequences that can derive from the ordination of persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies.”
In addition to gay priests being banned, most priests cannot marry. Women are also barred from the Catholic priesthood.
The Catholic Church is suffering a serious shortage of priests, in particular in the West. By 2014, nearly 50,000 parishes worldwide were surviving without a priest. There are currently more than 400,000 Catholic priests worldwide. One area of growth however is in “mature” vocations where men who already have a career behind them experience a call to the priesthood.
Every year the Church sets aside Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter, as a day of prayer for more vocations.
The document effectively reiterates the Church’s traditional position, last stated in 2005.
Rev James Martin, a Jesuit priest and America magazine editor, told the Washington Post: “Not much has changed. The people who were open to accepting healthy gay men into the seminaries will still do it. It does not negate the fact, nor could it, that there are thousands of healthy and hard-working and holy and celibate gay priests throughout the world.”
Join Bishop Hezekiah Walker for “Kingdom Week 2016” at Love Fellowship Tabernacle, December 27-31, in Brooklyn, New York. Guests include Bishop Iona Locke, Bishop George Bloomer, Karen Clark-Sheard and many more. Visit lovefellowship.com for more information.
The City of Praise Family Ministries invites you to join us for some of our awesome end of the year experiences! This week we are kicking off our year end with the “No Place Like Home” Stage Play and the Christmas Comedy Show! There is something for everyone! Bring your family and friends to hang out with us for the holidays!
It worked in Utah. But national effort by the CCCU and NAE will be more complicated.
Among the many unanswered questions going into a new year and new government led by Donald Trump, American evangelicals await the prospects for the tense back-and-forth between religious liberty and LGBT rights.
The conflict took on new urgency in 2016, with a wave of state-level religious freedom and antidiscrimination bills amid the ongoing fallout from the US Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
In one case, panic over an earlier version of California’s antidiscrimination law, then known as Senate Bill 1146, woke up evangelical leaders to worst-case fears: that faith-based colleges could be targeted and penalized for standard practices like hiring faculty within their faith tradition or requiring students to agree to a moral behavior code.
“SB 1146 gained national attention and media interest because it was unprecedented and because California is seen by many as a bellwether state that often inspires similar legislation elsewhere,” wrote Biola University president Barry H. Corey in a letter to fellow members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). “This is not the last bill but just the first one, and future legislation could reach beyond California and beyond higher education institutions.”
In recent months, the CCCU and the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) have discreetly led the charge to get evangelical institutions to think through potential legal options to safeguard their Christian distinctives as they look ahead to 2017. They met with more than 200 leaders in 9 cities to discuss Fairness for All, an approach that would bring together religious liberty defenders and LGBT activists to lay out federal legislation to secure rights for both.
Currently, when those rights conflict, Americans are evenly split over who wins. For example, the Pew Research Center found this fall that 48 percent of Americans believe that owners of wedding-related businesses should be able to refuse services to same-sex couples if they have religious objections, while 49 percent of Americans believe those owners should be required to serve same-sex couples.
“What we’re looking at here is potentially a paradigm-shifting option,” said Shapri D. LoMaglio, the CCCU’s vice president for government and external relations. “The way that these two sets of rights have been talked about most often has been that they must compete. If something like this was to go forward, what might that mean about how we differently or better understand rights? Rights need not always be secured by one group at the expense of another group.”
Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian, executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, known by the acronym of GRACE, and grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham.
The board of GRACE, an organization that exists to empower the Christian community through education and training to recognize, prevent, and respond to child abuse, has condemned the sordid sex scandal of Billy Graham’s grandson, Tullian Tchividjian, as a “gross misuse of power.”
The board on which Tullian’s uncle, Emmanuel Tchividjian, and brother, Boz, are members said they were “deeply disturbed” as the scandal snowballed after multiple women came forward with confessions of extramarital dalliances with the embattled ex-pastor in recent weeks.
“The GRACE board is deeply disturbed about the revelations of sexual misconduct by Tullian Tchividjian. As an organization that deals with the abuse of God’s lambs and the damage silence causes we feel compelled to speak,” the GRACE board said, in part.
Tullian Tchividjian lost his job at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as his marriage to his now ex-wife, Kim, in the summer of 2015 after the church discovered an adulterous affair between him and a parishioner on the church’s server.
“We were caught by the IT department of CRPC on the second week of June (2015). Tullian received a phone call from a staff member at the church saying that the contents of his phone could be read on the church’s public server. Tullian asked the staff member to delete everything,” according to a recent confessional by the parishioner who gave her name only as Rachel.
“Tullian didn’t seem concerned, though I was terrified. I met with the Lord that day, and discovered His displeasure with my sin. It sounds ridiculous that I was so blind up to this point, but the darkness then was very thick and I was caught in the cords of my sin. On June 18, elders came to our mutual homes to address the evidence they found of our sexual relationship,” she explained.
The GRACE board thanked the women who have come forward for their bravery and said they were victims of Tullian Tchividjian’s abuse.
“One of God’s shepherds used his position of authority, his gift of words, his intellect and personality to draw you in when you were vulnerable and in need of care. All power belongs to Christ. Any power we have is derivative and sacred and to be used only for His glory and the good of His people. Anything less is an abuse of that power,” the statement said.
“You have been victims of the gross misuse of power God intended for your good. We grieve with you. We stand with you in the light. You have with courage exposed the deeds of darkness. Thank you, for we as the Body of Christ need your voices. But now that the light shines a failure to respond on our part means we have turned from the light you turned on. We pray for you, knowing full well that each and every one of you has a hard road ahead as you seek newness of life, healing and a restoring of your souls,” the GRACE statement continued.
Boz Tchividjian, who is the founder of GRACE as well as a professor of law at Liberty University, said recent statistics show that one in four women and one in six men are sexually abused before they turn 18.
“Those abuse survivors are in our churches today. If you think about it, if you have a church of 100 men and 100 women, that’s 20.5 percent of your congregation who are sexual abuse survivors, most who have never told a single soul the trauma they’ve experienced. So how does the church reach out?” he asked in a recent video posted on GRACE’s website.
In light of Tullian Tchividjian’s sex scandal, the board of GRACE called for long overdue reforms to limit the “continuing transgressions against the vulnerable” in churches, including a more rigorous selection process for pastors and improved training for pastors at seminaries on “maintaining appropriate boundaries.”
(PHOTO: FACEBOOK) Bishop Eddie Long (C) of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, greets Hannah Tamaki (R), wife of his is spiritual son Pastor Brian Tamaki of New Zealand’s Destiny Church as his wife Vanessa (L) looks on.
Weeks after declaring “God has healed me” to his congregation following a battle with an undisclosed “health challenge,” leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, Eddie Long, has taken another sick break from church to get rest as church officials fended off rumors Thursday that he is now under hospice care.
“No, not ever in hospice! Currently, not accepting calls but thanks for verifying the rumor,” Long’s assistant elder, April McLaughlin, told The Christian Post in an email Thursday in which she said he was “doing well.”
On a prayer call early Thursday morning another church official, elder Karen Stanback, said Long was away from church getting some “time to rest” after taking more than a month off in the fall to address his health challenge, which some have speculated to be a terminal cancer.
“We just say a great good morning to our apostle, Bishop Eddie L. Long, and his lovely wife, first lady Vanessa L. Long. We thank God for the man and woman of God who just continue to do great things in the Kingdom. We thank God that he is having time to rest. We thank God that His hand is upon him, He is speaking to him, He is strengthening him, and we just praise God for all the great and mighty things that are happening in and through Bishop Long and first lady Long,” said Stanback in her greeting to prayer warriors.
The “Larry Reid Live” show first reported that Long was allegedly receiving hospice care several days ago, which is a form of healthcare usually reserved for people who are terminally or chronically ill.
This is the Black Christian News Network Podcast for Thursday, December 8, 2016.
1. According to the Christian Post, weeks after declaring “God has healed me” to his congregation following a battle with an undisclosed “health challenge,” leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, Eddie Long, has taken another sick break from church to get rest as church officials fended off rumors Thursday that he is now under hospice care. Long’s assistant elder, April McLaughlin, told The Christian Post in an email, “No, not ever in hospice! Currently, not accepting calls but thanks for verifying the rumor.” On a prayer call early Thursday morning another church official, elder Karen Stanback, said Long was away from church getting some “time to rest” after taking more than a month off in the fall to address his health challenge, which some have speculated to be a terminal cancer. The “Larry Reid Live” show first reported that Long was allegedly receiving hospice care several days ago, which is a form of healthcare usually reserved for people who are terminally or chronically ill.
2. According to Religion News Service, New York Theological Seminary is one of a few that have offered a class focused on Black Lives Matter, the movement and the theology related to it. Yale Divinity School invited movement activist DeRay Mckesson for a one-credit, weekend intensive on leadership in the Black Lives Matter movement. At Fuller Theological Seminary, professors discussed the movement in classes and students erected a memorial to black people who lost their lives in police custody. As more African-Americans are killed at the hands of police, seminaries have begun to engage with the movement and investigate how their theology can be enlisted to improve race relations. Since September, the New York seminary’s course has looked at historical and contemporary texts that address slavery, mass incarceration, policing and white privilege. Students also attended a service at a New York church celebrating the three founders of the Black Lives Matter movement.
3. According to EEW Magazine News, the Word Network, which airs programming from Bishop T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Bishop Paul S. Morton and more, is being dropped by Comcast in key markets. To stop what the religious media company is calling an “unjust removal” it has filed a complaint with the FCC against Comcast, Xfinity and NBC. The Word Network is self-described as “the largest African American religious network in the world reaching 3 billion people worldwide.” But that reach may be severely limited if Jennifer Gaiski, senior vice president of content acquisition for the world’s largest media corporation, has anything to say about it. In a press announcement, The Word Network executives claim when Gaiski was asked to explain the removal, she said, “because we are Comcast, and we can.”
4. According to Religion News Service, Dr. Catherine Meeks, a longtime leader in the struggle for racial justice, brings together a range of powerful voices—theologians, pastors, and activists—to grapple with the spiritual and social crisis of racism in a new collection of essays: Living into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America (Morehouse Publishing). The book is “timely and urgently needed,” says Jim Wallis in the foreword, in the aftermath of the contentious and troubling national election that showed how far we are from being a “postracial” country. The eight writers featured in Living into God’s Dream have spent years working to heal the wounds of racism. The essays weave together psychological, sociological, and theological threads, creating a body of work that will help readers reflect on their own journey as a White person or as a person of color.
5. According to NBC News, a survivor of the killings of nine parishioners at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, said she watched her son “take his last breath” and witnessed her best friend be brutally slain at the hands of suspect Dylann Roof during an emotional opening day of the federal trial Wednesday. Felicia Sanders described the horrific moments as Roof opened fire during a Bible studies class at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015. Sanders’ granddaughter was also present during the shooting, but survived. Her son, Tywanza Sanders, was shot multiple times and died. Along with Tywanza Sanders, eight other worshipers were killed during the shooting rampage, including Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney. The other victims were: Cynthia Hurd, 54; the Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lance, 70; Rev. Depayne Middleton Doctor, 49; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; and Myra Thompson, 59.
6 . According to Post and Courier, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott praised the National Museum of African American History and Culture when it first opened in the fall. But the South Carolina Republican is now saying curators of the museum, an affiliate of Smithsonian Institution, neglected to include an exhibit on a crucial figure: Clarence Thomas, the second black Supreme Court justice to sit on the highest bench in the land. In a letter to Smithsonian Director David Skorton, Under Secretary for Smithsonian Museums and Research Richard Kurin and NMAAHC Director Lonnie Bunch, Scott wrote, “I sincerely hope that a museum that has done so much right in telling the history of African Americans will not deny generations of Americans the privilege of experiencing Justice Thomas’s incredible and inspirational story.” Scott, one of the two current black members of the Senate, made his plea both practical and personal.
7. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, former and current black employees on Tuesday filed a class action lawsuit against Atlanta-based CNN, Turner Broadcasting and New York based parent company Time Warner for racial discrimination. In a press release, Daniel Meachum said, “As a result of the current discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of DeWayne Walker vs. CNN, Time Warner & Turner, we have uncovered stories involving abuse of power, nepotism, revenge, retaliation and discrimination.” The press release provided a photo of DeWayne Walker, a CNN producer who sued CNN individually in January for $50 million for racial discrimination and retaliation for filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He accused CNN of not promoting him over 13 years because he is black, skipped over frequently for promotions in favor of white employees.
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
———-
Today, I am continuing the daily Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign sermon series, which is aimed at sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with unbelievers and reminding Christians, in this important election year, to keep the main thing the main thing — and that is reaching unbelievers with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and praying for their salvation, for the problem in America is not only disobedient presidents, politicians, and people, but disobedient pastors, preachers, and parishioners who have refused to obey the Lord’s Great Commission which is to, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” and who have refused to obey God’s repeated commands to “pray without ceasing” for unbelievers, believers, and political leaders. Yes, you should pray for the right candidate to win; yes, you should vote for the candidate that the Lord gives you peace about voting for. But, don’t get caught up in it like the world does. Nothing much is going to change until people get saved and get their hearts right with the Lord.
This campaign is inspired by the following three verses: 1 Corinthians 2:2 which says, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Acts 5:42 which says, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” And 2 Timothy 2:4 which says, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
This series is not for Christians necessarily. However, I do hope you are one of those saints who still loves to hear the “Old, old story of Jesus and His love” — As another hymn says, “For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.” This series is primarily for unbelievers, so they can hear and understand the Gospel and be saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell. This is message number 343.
Bill Bright said, “Not only is Jesus of Nazareth the only One who can pardon our sins, but He is the only One who can give purpose to life. None of us will be truly fulfilled until we invite Christ to show us the very purpose for which He created us. No one else who ever lived can do this — no man, no religion, no philosophy — only Jesus of Nazareth who is God in the flesh.”
When Jesus appeared to His disciples on that first Lord’s day 2,000 years ago, He came not only with the good news of His resurrection, but He also gave His disciples some very precious gifts. We have already seen how He gave them the gift of Peace. He said, “Peace be unto you.” This peace erased their fear and their condemnation. Because Jesus had conquered death, they could be emotionally, mentally, and spiritually at peace.
The second gift which Jesus gave to his disciples is that of Purpose. He said, “as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” Jesus had spent over three years teaching and training His disciples. All that time, He had been preparing them for this moment. Jesus had been sent to Earth as God’s representative. Now, Jesus was giving His disciples the purpose of being His representatives to the lost, dying, and yet hostile world. We get the word “apostle”, sent ones, from the Greek word used in this verse. We also get the word “missionary” from the Latin translation of this verse. It is important to note that this purpose was not just given to the ten disciples who were present. Luke tells us that this purpose was given to all those who were gathered in that room. Every believer has this special purpose from God. Jesus sent all those who believed in Him out into the world to proclaim the good news of His death, burial, and resurrection and what that means for mankind.
Ray Stedman said, “Just as Jesus was sent into a lost world to touch the broken lives of people — to heal, to recover, to open eyes, and to set free — so the disciples were to go with the word of the gospel, doing the same work that Jesus was sent to do. This is what the Apostle Paul says in Second Corinthians: ‘We are ambassadors for Christ… We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.’ Jesus Himself would be the model of their ministry. Just as He went, so were they to go.”
Because of the uncertainty surrounding Jesus’ death, the disciples had begun to lose focus. Some had been separated from the others. They were afraid and in hiding. They had lost their sense of direction. Peter and some of the other disciples even decided to go back to their old occupation of fishing. They felt that they had lost Jesus and, thus, their lives had been set adrift. But Jesus shows up on that Resurrection Sunday morning and gives them Peace and Purpose. With their divine commission, their lives were put back on track and their energies began to be directed to a goal greater than themselves. They were no longer uncertain about what to do next. The resurrected Jesus had given them Purpose.
Have you ever felt as though your life was adrift on the sea of purposelessness? Have you ever felt lost, afraid, concerned about the future? Have you ever felt uncertain about where to direct your energies and your focus? I think it’s safe to say that we all have felt that way at one point or another. Just as Jesus Christ gave His disciples Purpose, He can give you Purpose as well. He can give you a reason to live. He can take away your feelings of uncertainty and despair. Because He is the Creator who gives life, He alone knows how to make life worthwhile.
One hymnist wrote:
Man’s Creator has a purpose
For our being here on earth.
In His image we’re created,
To express His rule on earth.
His Son, Jesus, is our Savior.
Once in human form He came.
Now as Spirit He can enter
As the breath of life to man.
Jesus Christ will get His kingdom
Just by growth—the normal way.
Not an instant transformation;
Growth goes on from day to day.
This life-seed is all-inclusive—
Everything we’ll ever need;
Yes, our God’s eternal purpose
Is within this precious seed.
Jesus wants to plant the life-seed of the Gospel in your heart today so that it can grow and give your life purpose and meaning. Will you give your life to Him today and receive the gift of the risen Lord? Here is how you can place your faith and trust in Him today.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
STS-95 crew member, astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn poses for his official NASA photo taken April 14, 1998. In 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, and he returned to space in 1998 aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Photo courtesy of NASA via Reuters
John Glenn may best be remembered as one of the 20th century’s greatest explorers, the first American to orbit the Earth and, later, the oldest man in space. Glenn also will be remembered for his long career as a U.S. senator, representing his home state of Ohio for 24 years as a moderate Democrat.
But less well-known is the fact that Glenn, who died on Thursday at age 95, was an elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who saw no conflict between his beliefs in God and in science.
He told The Associated Press last year he believed scientific discovery – including evolution – should be taught in schools.
“I don’t see that I’m any less religious by the fact that I can appreciate the fact that science just records that we change with evolution and time, and that’s a fact,” he said. “It doesn’t mean it’s less wondrous and it doesn’t mean that there can’t be some power greater than any of us that has been behind and is behind whatever is going on.”
And in a space-to-Earth news conference during his second space flight at age 77 in 1998, Glenn told reporters his view of space only strengthened his belief in God.
“Looking at the Earth from this vantage point, looking at this kind of creation and to not believe in God, to me, is impossible. To see (Earth) laid out like that only strengthens my beliefs,” he said.
That flight aboard the shuttle Discovery had made him the oldest man in space.
Glenn was the last surviving member of NASA’s original Mercury 7 astronauts.
SOURCE: Religion News Service Emily McFarlan Miller (Reuters contributed to this report)
We invited Pastor Frederick D. Haynes III from Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas on the show to set the record straight! Did his church really play a Cowboys football game during service? He’s keeping it REAL, in this Girl Chat. Watch!
Bestselling authors, Wellington Boone (Black Self-Genocide: What Black Lives Matter Won’t Say — Nonfiction) and ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray (It Should’ve Been Me— Fiction) lead the bestsellers list of Black Christian authors on the December 2016 edition of the Black Christian News/Black Christian Book Company National Bestsellers List.
BCNN1.com has also released the December 2016 edition of the BCNN1/Amazon.com Kindle E-book Bestsellers List. This list ranks African-American Christian e-books based upon their sales rankings in the Amazon Kindle e-book store. Also, BCNN1 is releasing the December 2016 edition of the BCNN1/Barnes & Noble Nook E-book Bestsellers List. This list ranks African-American Christian e-books based upon their sales rankings in the B&N Nook e-book store.
December 2016 Top 10 Black Christian Bestsellers List (Non-fiction)
1. Black Self-Genocide: What Black Lives Matter Won’t Say by Wellington Boone
2. The I Factor by Van Moody
3. Saving the Saved: How Jesus Saves Us from Try-Harder Christianity into Performance-Free Love by Bryan Loritts
4. Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance, by Steve Harvey
5. Courage to Soar by Simone Biles
6. The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith, and the Joy of Eating Well by Ayesha Curry
7. The Wait by Devon Franklin and Meagan Good
8. The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge by Tony Dungy
9. Successful Women Speak Differently by Valorie Burton
10. Kingdom Prayer: Touching Heaven to Change Earth by Tony Evans
December 2016 Top 10 Black Christian Bestsellers List (Fiction)
1. It Should’ve Been Me by ReShonda Tate Billingsley & Victoria Christopher Murray
2. Couple By Christmas by Pat Simmons
3. The Prince Warriors by Priscilla Shirer & Gina Detwiler
4. The Prince Warriors and the Unseen Invasion by Priscilla Shirer & Gina Detwiler
5. A Sinful Calling by Kimberla Lawson Roby
6. Stepping to a New Day by Beverly Jenkins
7. Forever an Ex by Victoria Christopher Murray
8. The Prodigal Son by Kimberla Lawson Roby
9. You Can Do It! by Tony Dungy
10. A+ Attitude (Morgan Love Series) by Stephanie Perry Moore
December 2016 Top 10 Black Christian Independent Publishers Bestsellers List (Non-fiction)
1. Heal Us, Emmanuel: A Call for Racial Reconciliation, Representation, and Unity in the Church by Doug Serven
2. Letters to Young Black Men, by Daniel Whyte III
3. God, Where is My Boaz? by Stephan Labossiere
4. Black Yellowdogs: The Most Dangerous Citizen Is Not Armed, But Uninformed by Ben Kinchlow
5. Dusty Crowns, by Heather Lindsey
6. Black and Reformed by Anthony J. Carter
7. Pink Lips & Empty Hearts, by Heather Lindsey
8. So, You Want To Be Married? by Cornelius Lindsey
9. Praying Through It by William Murphy
10. Prayers & Notes To My Future Husband, by Sharita Leon
December 2016 Top 10 Black Christian Independent Publishers Bestsellers List (Fiction)
1. It Should’ve Been Me by ReShonda Tate Billingsley & Victoria Christopher Murray
2. Couple By Christmas by Pat Simmons
3. Love Led By The Spirit by Pat Simmons
4. Mama B – A Time to Speak (Volume 1) by Michelle Stimpson
5. Lady Elect 2: Lady Arykah Reigns by Nikita Lynnette Nichols
6. Jezebel’s Daughter by Jacqueline Thomas
7. Every Woman Needs A Praying Man by Pat Simmons and Rahab Mugwanja
8. What God Has For Me by Pat Simmons
9. My Wife My Baby…And Him by Shelia Lipsey
10. Pay Day by ReShonda Billingsley & Richelle Denise
December 2016 Top 10 Black Christian Amazon.com Kindle E-BOOK Bestsellers List (Non-Fiction)
1. Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance by Steve Harvey
2. Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success by Steve Harvey
3. Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer, by Priscilla Shirer
4. The Wait: A Powerful Practice for Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life You Love by DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good
5. Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles
6. Gifted Hands by Ben Carson
7. Same Kind of Different As Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
8. The Deborah Anointing: Embracing the Call to be a Woman of Wisdom and Discernment by Michelle McClain-Walters
9. Kingdom Man by Tony Evans
10. The I Factor: How Building a Great Relationship with Yourself Is the Key to a Happy, Successful Life by Van Moody
December 2016 Top 10 Black Christian Amazon.com Kindle E-BOOK Bestsellers List (Fiction)
1. Love So Heavenly by Shannon Gardener
2. The Preacher’s Son and the Maid’s Daughter by H.H Fowler
3. He Restores My Soul by LaShonda Bowman
4. A Sinful Calling by Kimberla Lawson Roby
5. My Soul Is Satisfied by LaShonda Bowman
6. Then Sings My Soul
7. Nothing But Trouble by Tiffany L. Warren
8. Family Business III: Love And Honor by Vanessa Miller
9. Nobody’s Child by LaShonda Bowman
10.The Prodigal Son by Kimberla Lawson Roby
December 2016 Top 10 Black Christian BarnesandNoble.com Nook E-BOOK Bestsellers List (Non-Fiction)
1. Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
2. Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer
3. The Wait: A Powerful Practice for Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life You Love by Devon Franklin and Meagan Good
4. Kingdom Prayer: Touching Heaven to Change Earth by Tony Evans
5. Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles
6. Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient by Valorie Burton
7. Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success by Steve Harvey
8.Retire Inspired by Chris Hogan
9. Four Things Women Want from a Man by A. R. Bernard
10. Gifted Hands by Ben Carson
December 2016 Top 10 Black Christian BarnesandNoble.com Nook E-BOOK Bestsellers List (Fiction)
1. A Sinful Calling by Kimberla Lawson Roby
2. Stepping to a New Day by Beverly Jenkins
3. The Perfect Mistress by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
4. The Ultimate Betrayal by Kimberla Lawson Roby
5. What’s Done In the Dark by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
6. Best Friends Forever by Kimberla Lawson Roby
7. The Prodigal Son (A Reverend Curtis Black Novel) by Kimberla Lawson Roby
8. The Replacement Wife by Tiffany L. Warren
9. Dear Mystery Guy by Brenda Barrett
10. A House Divided by Kimberla Lawson Roby
Click here to view the rest of the December 2016 BCNN1/BCBC National Bestsellers List.
In 2010, when Grammy® winning recording artist and pastor Marvin Sapp tragically lost his wife of 18 years, MaLinda Sapp, to colon cancer, he was crushed.
Now, six years later, the “Yes You Can” singer says, despite the painfulness of the loss, “It made me a better man.”
So how did the tragedy improve the 49-year-old pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, MI?
“All I had was God and because of that, my dependency level grew,” Sapp told eMotions Magazine in a recent interview.
The widower, who once depended upon his wife to share the parenting load, found help through seeking God, which increased his capacity.
“I prayed daily for my kids and for the wisdom, and strength to raise them. I prayed for God to give my kids strength as well,” said the dedicated father of Madisson, Marvin Jr. and Mikaila.
The couple produced three beautiful children Madisson, Marvin Jr., and Mikaila (Credit: Instagram)
Sapp continued, “So, the situation made me a better man because it kept and keeps me on my knees. Because of this, they are all on their way to being productive contributors to the world from a believer’s standpoint.”
For those who have lost a spouse, Sapp said, “If they haven’t found a good support system as it pertains to getting counseling, get one. We need someone to help us process our pain.”
Marvin Sapp offers praise to God despite grief at the 2010 homegoing service of his wife MaLinda (Credit: Mark Copier | The Grand Rapids Press)
But not only that, Sapp added, “Allow yourself to live and enjoy life”—something the popular artist is intent on doing in light of his upcoming birthday.
“I am hitting a milestone in the next year,” shared Sapp. “I will be 50 years old and an empty-nester. The sky is truly the limit. I have the opportunity to forecast my life anew.”
Though he has been through a lot in his life, Sapp is living proof of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
(Photo: Reuters/Mary F. Calvert)Alveda King, founder of Alveda King Ministries, speaks during an “I Have a Dream” Gospel brunch at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C., on August 25, 2013.
A long, bitter campaign season brought to the surface divisions between different factions in America as never before. Are there leaders who can bridge the gap? And could exposing hidden fractures ultimately lead to more authentic unity?
For decades Dr. Alveda King has traversed a wide chasm between those with divergent views, specifically on the moral and social concerns of abortion and racism. Speaking at an event to support the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center following the election, King quoted her uncle Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “We must learn to live together as brothers — and sisters,” she added, “Or perish as fools.”
Director of Civil Rights for the Unborn, an initiative of Priests for Life serving minority communities in particular, Dr. Alveda King shares in an interview how she responds when some challenge her pro-life stand — and why the church must continue to be a voice for life in our culture.
Bound4LIFE: Dr. King, during election season, you and the Priests for Life team were early to join the pro-life coalition that formed around Donald Trump. How did you respond to the criticism you received?
Alveda King: I respond to criticism, as much as I can, with love and not defense. I purposed very early not to be angry when I was challenged, but to be able to say why I made a decision to vote for Mr. Trump.
Certainly the Supreme Court Justice nominations are going to be very important and some of the other work that he will do — as we hold Mr. Trump to his word. I believe time will reveal this is all in the plan for America to be healed.
Bound4LIFE: Now that he is the President-elect, what are your hopes for the Trump administration?
Alveda King: My hopes are never going to be in the administration of humans. My hope will always be in God, my faith and my trust. But I do believe, as Mr. Trump is held accountable to his pro-life commitments, he will make decisions for life, for liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I expect that he will do that, but we have a part to play. Just to expect him to do what we believe is right without encouragement and support, it would not be fair — so we must do our part as well.
Bound4LIFE: Dr. King, why do you believe the divisions between different ethnic groups have become so pronounced this year?
Alveda King: Our country has been divided into classes, categories and ethnic groups for far too long; we see all of that in 2016.
A mom-and-pop film company is suing the State of Minnesota over a law that would force the business to create films that violate the owners’ biblical convictions about marriage. The pre-enforcement complaint filed Tuesday in federal court is another preemptive strike in a legal battle against so-called anti-discrimination laws that fail to recognize people who operate their businesses according to the tenets of their faith.
Carl and Angel Larsen, founders and owners of Telescope Media Group in St. Cloud, Minn., want to expand their film-making business to include wedding videos. And they want to tell those stories on their own terms, as Christian business owners.
“I want to tell stories that matter for eternity,” Carl Larsen said in an Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) video. “I want to tell marriage stories. I want to tell stories about the glory of God in marriage because not many people are.”
But Minnesota law requires business owners to supply the same services for same-sex couples and heterosexual couples—or face fines and possible jail time. Jeremy Tedesco, ADF senior counsel, told me the state’s Human Rights Commission actively pursued a claim against the owners of a wedding venue for refusing to host a same-sex wedding. He said the commission sent “testers” to the venue to elicit a refusal, which prompted a complaint. Settling the case arising from that complaint cost the venue owners thousands of dollars in fines, he said.
“The Larsens see what’s going on,” Tedesco told me. “It’s no secret the government is proactively enforcing these laws. This ups the ante for the Larsens.”
(Photo: The Christian Post/Sonny Hong) Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, speaks at the Pastors’ Conference 2014, ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting, on Monday, June 9, 2014, in Baltimore, Md.
In his Daily Hope devotional on Wednesday, Warren outlined the three factors that might lead to God rejecting something a person asks for in a prayer, saying these reasons include:
1. God knows what’s best, and you don’t;
2. Sometimes Christians pray in conflict;
3. God is not a genie.
“You don’t just put in a prayer and get whatever you want. If every prayer were answered, we’d be spoiled brats. Do you give your children everything they ask for? I hope not,” wrote Warren.
“You know what’s best for them. You can see the bigger picture. If you can see the bigger picture for your kids, how much bigger is the picture God can see?”
Regarding the “Sometimes Christians pray in conflict” reason, Warren explained that this came as an example of when different believers pray for different outcomes.
“If two Christians are praying at the Super Bowl for different teams, who’s God going to answer? Obviously, God can’t answer every prayer at the same time,” noted Warren.
“The attitude of your prayer needs to be: ‘Lord, this is my prayer request, but thy will be done.’ That’s what Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42: ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done’ (NIV).”
This is not the first time this year that Warren has written a devotional on the topic of prayer. In a July entry on Daily Hope, Warren noted the four “secrets to answered prayer.”
The four secrets are:
1. Base your request on God’s character;
2. Confess the sins of which you’re aware;
3. Claim the promises of God;
4. Be very specific in what you ask for.
“If you want specific answers to prayer, then make specific requests. If your prayers consist of general requests, how will you know if they’re answered?” Warren asked.
“After Nehemiah based his prayer on who God is, he confessed his sins. It wasn’t Nehemiah’s fault that Israel went into captivity. He wasn’t even born when it happened; he was most likely born in captivity. Yet, he’s including himself in the national sins.”
SOURCE: The Christian Post – Michael Gryboski
You are not the judge of whether your prayer is worthy or not…God is. #SeekToFind
Innat Edison, 15, stands inside her mother’s cramped, dingy house in Chiringani village, southwestern Malawi, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, nursing her 2 month old baby Crispin. Her former fiance refuses to acknowledge their child as his own. In isolated villages and crumbling cities across the most destitute continent, girls younger than 14 are finding boyfriends and getting married in a bid to escape the empty bellies, numbing work and overwhelming tedium of poverty. (AP Photo/Obed Zilwa)
Thousands of protesters across religious groups in Malawi took to the streets this week in solidarity against a proposed easing of the country’s abortion regulations.
The Catholic Episcopal Conference of Malawi and Evangelical Association of Malawi organized the protests after learning the government planned to debate a Termination of Pregnancy Bill. The legislation seeks to legalize abortion in cases where women face sexual assaults or when the unborn child has a severe disability. Malawi’s current abortion law only allows mothers whose lives are endangered to undergo abortion.
In Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital, more than 20,000 Christians, Muslims, and members of the Rastafarian sect marched to the parliament holding signs, including one that read, “A nation that kills its children is a nation without hope.” Protesters also gathered in three other main cities across the country.
“We cannot install a culture of death in our country,” protester Tarciciu Mbewe told Malawi’s Nyasa Times.
Malison Ndau, Malawi’s minister of information and communications, said the bill is not up for debate in Parliament. He said a commissionreviewed the existing law and only made recommendations to the government.
“It is the prerogative of the Cabinet to adopt or reject any recommendations originating from the Law Commission,” Ndau said in a statement.
Donald Trump needs to do more than President Barack Obama did in “sending a message to radical Islamists that ‘America is back,’” Jason Scott Jones says in a column for Stream.org.
Jones says that the National Islamic Front, which is led by President Omar al Bashir, rules the Republic of Sudan. Bashir, Jones says, is the “architect of the Darfur Genocide.”
“Bashir’s government is on the verge of bankruptcy, with a suffocating debt of more than $60 billion which it cannot repay,” Jones writes. “Sudan’s currency has collapsed, there are shortages everywhere, and recent ‘austerity measures’ have led to thousands of Sudanese taking to the streets in protest.”
Under Obama’s presidency, the president had promised more sanctions on the Sudan government and UN soldiers to police the violence, but Jones says he did nothing.
“President-elect Trump has a real opportunity to bring American policy towards Islamists in line with the actions and desires of the American people, and his campaign promises to take on the forces of radical Islam,” Jones says in the column.
“America has endured eight years of morally confused, counter-productive, and indecisive weakness in dealing with radical Islam. We desperately need a leader who can tell the good guys from the villains.
“Let’s hope that under a bold new Trump Administration, America will take the lead again in standing against terrorism and suppression of religious freedom and basic human rights.”
A team of Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief specialists is arriving in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, following a devastating wildfire that burned more than 17,000 acres, forced thousands to evacuate, killed at least 14 people and damaged more than 1,700 structures, including hundreds of homes.
“Families in Tennessee are reeling from this tremendous loss, and the wildfires continue to burn,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “We want to share the love of Jesus Christ by coming alongside them in their time of need and helping them sift through the ashes.”
The North Carolina-based organization is calling on its vast network of volunteers from around the country to respond and help Tennessee families recover from the fire. Teams will assist homeowners in fire cleanup and sifting through the ashes to recover personal belongings such as photo albums and other keepsakes.
Samaritan’s Purse will also send a Disaster Relief Unit, a tractor-trailer stocked with tools and relief supplies, which will serve as the command center. The unit will be based at First Baptist Church of Gatlinburg in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Volunteers will be housed at Gum Stand Baptist Church in nearby Pigeon Forge.
A team of chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Rapid Response Team has also been deployed to help wildfire victims. They will be working alongside Samaritan’s Purse to provide emotional and spiritual encouragement in the community.
