Obama Calls for Gays to Be ‘Like Anyone Else Under the Law’

By Paul Stanley , Christian Post Reporter – January 21, 2013

In his second inaugural speech, President Obama called for the extension of laws that would give gays more protections and benefits under federal law.

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” said Obama.

The president’s comments were made while outlining what seemed to be protections for minorities and undocumented immigrants. The speech, which also falls on the federal holiday that celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., appeared to take on similarities to the former civil rights leader’s infamous “I Have a Dream” speech.

“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.”

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A Congressman’s Crusade for Human and Religious Rights

Front Page Magazine – January 15, 2013 By Faith J. H. McDonnell 

Evoking the moral apathy and failure of the past, U.S. Representative Frank R. Wolf (R-VA) recently asked church leaders around the United States to use their influence for those who are persecuted. In his January 9, 2013 letter to over 300 Catholic and Protestant leaders, Wolf reminded them of the words of German Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, executed by the Nazis during World War II. Bonhoeffer, when “faced with the tyranny and horror of Nazism, famously said, ‘Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.  Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act,’” recalled Wolf.

“And that is precisely what many in the church did, or failed to do, as Hitler unleashed his murderous plans,” Wolf continued. Writing with passion and urgency to such representative Christian leaders as the U.S. Catholic bishops, the leaders of Protestant denominations, and the pastors of some of America’s largest “mega-churches,” the congressman then told the story of a German Christian shared in the book When a Nation Forgets God:

I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust.  I considered myself a Christian.  We heard stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because, what could anyone do to stop it? 

A railroad track ran behind our small church and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks.  We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by.  We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars!

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Pr Daniel on Channel 10 tonight Monday 28th Jan / Meetings with Pr Wally extended in Melbourne

Dear family & friends in Christ, 1) Please pray for God's favour (and watch if possible) as Pr Daniel will be on Channel 10 tonight Monday 28th Jan between 6.30pm…

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Christians Respond to Giglio’s Withdrawal: New Era of Religious Intolerance in America?

Christian Post America – Jan 11, 2013

Pastor Louie Giglio’s withdrawal from President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony has left Christians lamenting over what they see as a new era of religious intolerance.

More specifically, anyone who holds the view that homosexuality is a sin is being forced out of the public square.

Russell Moore, a Southern Baptist theologian, put it this way: “When it is now impossible for one who holds to the catholic Christian view of marriage and the gospel to pray at a public event, we now have a de facto established state church.

“Just as the pre-constitutional Anglican and congregational churches required a license to preach in order to exclude Baptists, the new state church requires a ‘license’ of embracing sexual liberation in all its forms.”

Giglio, founder of the Passion conferences and Passion City Church in Roswell, Ga., had been invited to deliver the benediction during Obama’s inauguration ceremony on Jan. 21. He accepted the invitation and told The Christian Post earlier this week that he was honored to lead the nation in prayer.

But the pastor began to face criticism when the liberal blog Think Progress pointed to an “anti-gay” sermon Giglio delivered almost 20 years ago. In that sermon, Giglio affirms homosexuality as a sin, says Christians must respond to the “aggressive” homosexual agenda, and stresses that all are sinners and in need of the healing power of Jesus.

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What Brand of Duct Tape Keeps You Quiet About Jesus?

CPN America- Jan 11, 2013

Their are 3 brands of “duct tape” that keep Christians quiet about Jesus. These types of tape seek to seal our mouths shut about the good news of Jesus. Some brands are big and bold. Others are small and sticky. But they all result in the same thing…silence.

As the President of Dare2Share Ministries I’ve been traveling the nation equipping teenagers to share the gospel for over twenty years. I’ve also had the privilege of equipping hundreds of thousands of adults to share their faith along the way. And, as I’ve energized others to share the good news, I’ve heard many reasons why Christians don’t share the gospel. The vast majority could be categorized into one of three very different brands of invisible duct tape:

The “Um, I’m not sure” Duct Tape

If you put a microphone in the face of the average Christian leaving church and asked, “What is the gospel?” you’d probably get a variety of answers that range from “um” to dumb. The bottom line is that, for the most part, church leaders are not doing enough gospel training. We may be committing “the sin of assumption” by assuming that the teens in our youth groups and adults in our churches already know the gospel because, well, they are Christians.

But just because you own a guitar doesn’t mean you can play it. First, you must learn the chords. Then you must practice. In the same way, just because we have put our faith in Jesus, doesn’t mean we automatically know how to share the gospel. We must master the chords and learn to play the beautiful music of the gospel ourselves.

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Australia Day Prayer on Sat 26th Jan / Revival meetings with Pr Wally / Live webcasting / Pr Daniel on Channel 10 on Mon 28th Jan

Dear family & friends in Christ across Australia in this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit, 1) This is a final reminder that the 2013 National Australia Day Prayer…

Continue ReadingAustralia Day Prayer on Sat 26th Jan / Revival meetings with Pr Wally / Live webcasting / Pr Daniel on Channel 10 on Mon 28th Jan

Reinhard Bonnke: Why Americans Take the Holy Spirit for Granted

Charisma News – 1/12/2013 – Reinhard Bonnke 

“AFRICA SHALL BE SAVED.” I heard God’s message so clearly. In response my family moved from Lesotho to South Africa in 1974. But how was Africa going to be saved? Clueless, I sat with my head in my hands. As unknowns, we moved out into the unknown, with no prospects mapped out for us, hoping for further instruction from the Lord.

And sure enough, God spoke again. I was to rent the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana, for a gospel crusade. The only group willing to work with us was a church of 40 members.

I walked through the little city, not knowing how to put the loose ends together, and made a provisional booking for the stadium by faith. It was the right move.

To my disappointment the campaign began with only 100 people in attendance but then God entered the field. Before I had prayed for the sick or said anything at all about healing, my sermon was interrupted by dramatic healings. It was as if Jesus just could not wait to do His wonders! He was “itching” to start.

As a missionary I knew what it was like to preach to no more than five people at a time, but now I had 10,000 of them, with many receiving salvation and many being healed. As the news spread, the stadium filled up and the miracles of salvation and healing multiplied.

Then came another impulse from heaven: “Pray for converts to be baptized in the Holy Spirit!”

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Media Release – Aussies Pray for Protection on Australia Day / Guest speaker – Pr Wally saved from execution in Saudi Arabia

Media release - For immediate release On Australia Day January 26 from 10am – 1pm hundreds of patriotic Aussie’s from different churches, denominations, ethnicities, and states will gather in Melbourne,…

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Christianophobia – A Faith Under Attack

Colorado Springs, December 21 2012 (World Watch Monitor) — By Steve Rabey

Jesus warned his followers that they would experience persecution, a prediction that was already coming true before the books of the New Testament were completed. Today, Shortt argues, “the greatest curbs on religious freedoms take place in Muslim majority countries.”

Take Egypt, where Christianity grew deep roots in the centuries before Mohammed. Today, there are more than 10 million Christians among a population of more than 80 million. But Christians have faced increasing pressures in recent decades, and the overthrow of a dictator and a historic election that promoted the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi have complicated matters even more.

The book documents how attacks and bombings of churches have increased since the election; forced emigration is shrinking the Christian population; Coptic Christians (the largest group of Egyptian Christians) face systematic obstacles to promotion in the army, police and legal professions; Coptic women have been abducted and forced to convert to Islam; and Muslims who convert to Christianity may be shunned, harassed, physically harmed and even killed.

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The Spiritual Avalanche That Could Kill Millions

12/11/2012 Steve Hill – Charisma Magazine

 This is coming to you from a man who has just passed through the valley of the shadow of death. Since my close call with eternity just a short while ago … everything has become clearer. I can hear His whisper. Unabated obedience has become my mandate. That is why I’m writing this word from the Lord.

A few days ago, after enjoying quality time with Jesus, I was surprised by an alarming vision. I saw a massive, majestic mountain covered in glistening snow. It reminded me of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. Its peaks were sparkling white and I was amazed by God’s attention to detail. It was so realistic I wanted to go skiing! But I sensed that there was more that the Holy Spirit was about to reveal. As I closed my eyes, I was in a winter wonderland bustling with thousands of vacationers. The ski lodge, condos, hotels and cabins were at full capacity at this popular resort.

Day quickly turned to night as the skiers, snowboarders and sports enthusiasts were settling in. Anticipation grew as the snow began to fall. Everyone headed to bed believing tomorrow would be a day of sheer enjoyment on freshly covered slopes. For an avid skier, the exhilaration of being the first one to race down a new blanket of snow is a dream come true.

Throughout the night, winter storms dropped several feet of new snow on the slopes. The night ski patrol was put on full alert. Their mission was clear. With the potential of killer avalanches they took to their posts.

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Jesus Is the Reason for the Season

12/17/2012 – Steve Strang

 As our society becomes increasingly secular, it seems that celebrations of the birth of our Savior are less and less popular. At one time, it was common for cities and towns to have a Christmas tree and Christmas display. Then, due to “separation of church and state,” the displays had to be secular somehow and involve various other celebrations.

While I’ve decried that trend editorially, I don’t really expect the secular government to display Christmas symbols. I think churches and private individuals should do it. A few churches do, but most don’t. In fact, several years ago I wrote an editorial on this topic saying we should take the initiative to display Christian symbols at this wonderful happy time of year.

I decided I should practice what we preach. So we replaced the small, lighted nativity scene that we used for years in front of our home with some large commercial-grade figures we found online. Because they are pretty costly, we bought only Mary, Joseph and the Christ child to start. Each year, we’d add one or two.

As you can see above and below, we now have quite a display, complete with a star that we hang on the house. Several of our Jewish neighbors have commented how they know that Christmas is around the corner when we put up our display after Thanksgiving. Last week, one of our Jewish neighbors emailed me saying she enjoyed our Christmas lights.

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Live Nativity Scene Staged in Front of US Supreme Court

Charisma News  – Ann Carroll – 12/5/2012 

“The Nativity Project” is a nationwide campaign to share the message of Christmas and also to confront the erosion and hostility toward public expressions of faith especially during the Christmas season.

The Christian Defense Coalition gathered with live actors and animals in front of the Supreme Court and past the U.S. Capitol Building in order to demonstrate that displays such as these are protected by the First Amendment.

The Nativity Scene, sponsored by Faith and Action and The Christian Defense Coalition, was held Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C. in response to other courts banning nativity scenes in some parts of the country.

“Sadly, we are seeing an erosion and hostility toward public expressions of faith in the public square. This is especially true during the Christmas season., the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said.

“’The Nativity Project’ is a reminder that our Constitution provides freedom of religion not freedom from religion. By encouraging people of good will to publicly display nativity scenes all across America, we are not only supporting religious liberty and First Amendment freedoms but we are loudly proclaiming the powerful message of Christmas. That timeless message needs to be heard now more than ever: ‘Peace on earth and goodwill toward man.’

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‘God Belongs In My City’ Youth Prayer Walk Revisits NYC

By Nicola Menzie , Christian Post Reporter – October 26, 2012

A prayer walk initiative birthed in New York City three years ago will again gather thousands of young people from every borough of New York City this weekend to declare once more “God Belongs In My City”.

The prayer walk, started in 2009 by school principal Daniel Sanabria and his church youth group in response to an atheist ad, has been making its way across dozens of U.S. cities and abroad, with events held this year in Haiti, Switzerland and Canada.

This Saturday, however, will bring the tour full circle as local Christian churches, groups and individuals converge at various NYC locations to declare their faith and pray for the city this Saturday, Oct. 27.

“God Belongs In My City is our declaration of Faith. As Christ came and changed the world, we as Christians ought to impact our city now. There is a call to fearlessly rise up as one and not collapse under the waves of this world. We are commissioned to carry forth the Gospel of Salvation!” the organization explains on its website.

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Another Age newspaper article regarding mosque / Pr Daniel’s radio interview in America / Daily Telegraph – Sydney’s violent wild, wild west

Dear family & friends in Christ, 1) You may click the following link to read another Melbourne Age newspaper article in regard to our opposition (and much of the local…

Continue ReadingAnother Age newspaper article regarding mosque / Pr Daniel’s radio interview in America / Daily Telegraph – Sydney’s violent wild, wild west

Study: Americans Don’t Know the Facts About Jesus

10/3/2012 Jennifer LeClaire  Do you know Jesus? Do you really? Following the recent unveiling of a papyrus fragment in which Jesus reportedly says, "my wife," many historians are now questioning…

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