Pledge Allegiance to New ‘Caliph,’ ISIS Demands of World’s Muslims in Ramadan Declaration

Sunni demonstrators chant pro-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant slogans and wave al-Qaeda banners in Mosul on Monday, June 16, 2014. (AP Photo)June 29, 2014 – By Patrick Goodenough

(CNSNews.com) – As Ramadan began on Sunday, the terrorist group fighting to control territory across northern Syria and north-western Iraq effectively named its leader as head of the world’s Islamic fighters and demanded that Muslims everywhere pledge allegiance.

In a speech on the same day Saudi King Abdullah alluded to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) as nothing more than “a handful of terrorists” whose aim was to sow discord among Muslims.

“We will not allow a handful of terrorists, using Islam for personal aims, to terrify Muslims,” Abdullah said in the speech, which was read out on Saudi television by the culture and information minister.

“We hereby declare that we will continue to confront and fight all forms of this menace that does not relate to Islam by any means,” he said.

The Saudi king’s own claim to Islamic leadership is enshrined in the title of “custodian of the two holy mosques,” a reference to the Ka’aba in Mecca and the Mohammed mosque in Medina, the most revered sites in Islam.

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Melbourne Rally for persecuted Christians in Iraq / 8 beheaded in Iraq

Dear friends & family in Christ, Australia's Iraqi Christian Community have organised a rally for solidarity for the persecuted Christians in Iraq at 1.30pm this Saturday 2 August at Federation…

Continue ReadingMelbourne Rally for persecuted Christians in Iraq / 8 beheaded in Iraq

Irish Pastor Under ‘Hate Crime’ Investigation for Sunday Sermon Against Islam

May 31, 2014 | Garrett Haley BELFAST, Northern Ireland – A 75-year-old Irish preacher was subjected to a police probe after he condemned Islam in a sermon and was accused…

Continue ReadingIrish Pastor Under ‘Hate Crime’ Investigation for Sunday Sermon Against Islam

What Does Jesus Really Think About Same-Sex Marriage

 4/30/2014 Jared Moore

One argument in favor of gay marriage made by professed Christians and unbelievers is “Jesus didn’t say anything about homosexuality.” Is this statement true? Yes and no.

It’s true that we have no record of Jesus specifically mentioning homosexuality during His earthly ministry, but He didn’t mention bestiality or molesting children either. Does this “argument from silence” (a logical fallacy) prove that Jesus was OK with these things? Of course not.

We do know, however, that Jesus affirmed marriage as between one man and one woman in a one-flesh relationship for life by appealing to creation. (Of course, Jesus is God the Son incarnate. He affirms the entire Old Testament. Yet even if I grant that Jesus’ words, the red letters, during His earthly ministry are more authoritative than the rest of Scripture, the argument still fails.) He essentially said, “It’s Adam and Eve, and not any other definition.” Thus, Jesus rejected every other so-called definition of marriage beyond what was given in Genesis 1:27 and 2:23-24.

In Mark 10:2-9, we read, “And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate’” (ESV).

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Why are most of the Jews in Israel not Born Again?? Had it been so, there might be no Israel today / Christians in great danger in Iraq – by Pr. Daniel

War in Gaza between Israel and Hamas Islamic Terror RegimeDear family & friends in Christ,

In the early hours of this morning as I normally wake up to pray, my heart was very heavy and filled with sadness thinking of Israel, the Middle East crisis and also the Malaysian plane which was recently shot down.

I was asking the Lord how should I pray, as in Matthew Chapter 24 it is very clearly stated there will be wars and much destruction before the return of the Lord, that things will get worse and not better.  As a Christian I love to pray for peace, but I could not help but pray, “Lord, let Your will be done” as Jesus prayed at His most challenging time in life.

Just then this thought crossed my mind, what if all of Israel was Born Again?? Would there be an Israel at all?? Just take a moment to think through this.

As Christians, we should all know that Jesus was born a Jew and that He is coming back to rule and reign as King of kings and LORD of lords from Jerusalem, Israel.  So, logically He wants Israel to be protected. Now, I know that all you faithful Born-Again Christians would say (including me) we are praying for Israel.  However, we all know praying for Israel only is not going to save them from the enemy.

Could it be possible that God has kept most of the Jews from getting Born-Again, because had they come to Salvation, they would not carry guns and go to battle to protect their land. If they have not taken up weapons to defend themselves, they would have been by now completely wiped out, just like what’s happening and has happened to hundreds of thousands of Christians all through the Middle East.  I think you will agree with me the later would have been the result; that there would be no Israel.

As PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated recently, “If these Islamic terrorist put their weapons down, there will be peace in Israel, but if Israel put its weapons down, there will be no Israel.”

As stated in Romans chapters 9-11, I believe God in His perfect timing will bring the Jews to Salvation, but thank God that the Jews have the guts and courage to stand up and defend their country while been surrounded by their enemy Islam.

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Are UK Bible Colleges In a State of Peril?

May 06, 2014 – Christian Today – Michael Trimmer

With the International Christian College in Glasgow and St Michael’s College in Cardiff both recently announcing their closures, to what extent are UK Bible colleges in a state of peril?

Reverend Richard Tiplady, Principal of the ICC, says that from where he is sitting, the nation’s Bible colleges are facing a lean future.

“Of the ten largest bible colleges in the UK, only one is growing,” he says.

In the case of the ICC, the numbers were beyond the pale. Between 2000 and 2013 the annual intake of new undergraduate students dropped from 57 to 16.

What is causing this decline? Are Christians less interested in academic study around the Bible these days? Are people taking up alternatives, or not taking up anything at all? Or are there other explanations for the current malaise?

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Interfaith outreach in Pakistan: Four Christians arrested for “distributing religious materials”

Robert Spencer May 26, 2014

Shhhh! Do not speak of this! “talk about extreme, militant Islamists and the atrocities that they have perpetrated globally might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims.” — Robert McManus, Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, February 8, 2013.

Those “positive achievements” don’t include doing a thing to stop this. “Sindh, four Christians arrested for ‘distributing religious materials,’” by Jibran Khan, Asia News, May 20, 2014:

Islamabad ( AsiaNews) – The four evangelical Christians arrested on May 18 on charges of distributing material of a religious nature in the vicinity of the station Mirpur Khas, Sindh province appeared today in court. Those arrested are: Younis Masih, his wife Nazia and two other women named Mary Rose and Kiran. A Muslim religious leader, belonging to the Islamist Sunnat wal Jammat movement, read the material and, realizing that it was Christian literature, immediately reported the four to the police.

Shortly after their being detained, a crowd surrounded the train station with the intention of punishing the four. In order to prevent further accidents and to maintain control of the situation , the police ordered their immediate arrest and escorted the group to the nearest barracks . Prosecutors have opened an investigation file , for violations of Article 298-506 A- II -295, which punishes those who dishonor and desecrate religion.

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I renounced Islam, so my family think I should die

Amal Farah, above, said the case of Meriam Ibrahim prompted her to speak out Photo WARREN SMITHBy Harriet Alexander – 25 May 2014

Apostasy is not just something that scandalises people in far off lands. Harriet Alexander hears the story of a British woman whose life was turned upside down when she left Islam – echoing the plight of Meriam Ibrahim, who awaits a death sentence in Sudan for the same “crime”.

If Amal Farah were not living in Britain, she believes she might well be dead.

For the 33-year-old financial manager had carried out an act so heinous, her family felt she deserved to die.

Her crime? She had renounced her Islamic faith – “and within my community, that’s a capital offence,” she said. “They believe you deserve to die.”

Mrs Farah, who was born in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, but now lives in Britain, has never told her story before.

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The Irony of the New Tolerance: It Doesn’t Tolerate Christians

By John Stonestreet, Christian Post Guest Columnist

May 22, 2014|7:26 am

When it comes to same-sex “marriage,” our culture just like our president, has definitely evolved. After all, it was only in 2008 that a strong majority in California-yes, California-passed Proposition 8 which defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

But when our president changed his mind a few months before the 2012 election, the cultural floodgates opened, particularly in the American workplace. Later that summer, Chick-fil-A faced angry boycotts when CEO Dan Cathy’s views and donations in favor of traditional marriage became public knowledge.

The workplace pressure has only continued. Christian bakers and photographers who do not want to participate in what they consider to be a sin have been fined and faced being shut down. Attempts to protect their religious liberty, such as Arizona’s State Bill 1062, have been crushed through threats of economic boycotts and media shaming.

More high-profile voices have also faced this smash-mouth, brass-knuckle treatment. Just weeks ago Brendan Eich, the accomplished founder and CEO of search-engine company Mozilla, was forced to resign when he was “outed” for donating all of $1,000 to Proposition 8 eight years ago.

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Report: Majority of Iranians Actually Reject Islam

 5/20/2014 Greg Yoder/Mission Network News

Berlin, Germany, is considered one of the most godless places in the world. According to a report from The Guardian, 50 percent of the population can be identified as atheist. It’s ironic, because this city has become a magnet for Iranian Christians seeking asylum.

According to the report, Germany hasn’t seen an Iranian migrant population growth this large since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The Guardian reports that the association of Iranian refugees in Berlin says the number of Iranians coming to Germany has doubled every year for the last five years—from less than 1,000 in 2008 to 4,348 in 2012.

Figures from the federal office for migration and refugees in Germany confirms this trend. With over 3,500 Iranians granted asylum last year, Iran was one of five countries from which Germany saw a rise in asylum applications.

Because Iran is an Islamic nation governed by Muslims, being a Christian there is difficult. Despite this, Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) spokesperson Todd Nettleton is amazed at what’s happening with the Iranian people.

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The New York Times’ propaganda war on Egypt

Raymond Ibrahim – 27 May 2014

A recent New York Times article exemplifies why the Times simply cannot be trusted. Written by one David Kirkpatrick and titled, “Vow of Freedom of Religion Goes Unkept in Egypt,” the article disingenuously interprets general truths in an effort to validate its thesis.

Much of this is done by omitting relevant facts that provide needed context. For example, Kirkpatrick makes Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the military—widely recognized as the heroes of the June 2013 revolution that toppled former President Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood—appear responsible for the poor state of religious freedom in Egypt, when in fact the military has no authority over the judicial system, which is independent.

Even so, there is much evidence that Egypt, while far from becoming a Western-style democracy, is on a better path—certainly than under the Muslim Brotherhood.  But these are seldom mentioned in the NYT report.  Most recently, for example, the military-backed government jailed a popular Islamic scholar for contempt against Christianity—something that never happened under Morsi, when clerics were regularly and openly condemning and mocking Christians.

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Asia Bibi death sentence appeal: Fifth time lucky for Christian mother accused of blasphemy?

 26 May 2014  |   Cath Martin – Christian Today

Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi is due to have an appeal hearing on her death sentence for blasphemy on Tuesday, but will it be cancelled again?

A hearing has been scheduled on four previous occasions only to be cancelled at the last minute by the court.

The last time, it was reportedly postponed when the counsel for the complainant did not turn up.

Bibi, a mother of five, has been in prison since being sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010.  The accusation followed a heated dispute with Muslim colleagues.

Blasphemy is a serious crime in Muslim-majority Pakistan and carries the death sentence, but human rights groups say the charges are often trumped up as a means of settling personal scores and vendettas.

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Breaking News: Sudan Orders Release of Woman Sentenced to Death for Faith / Salt Shakers E-News: Update on Islam… child marriage in Australia, Aussie jihadis in Iraq, Bendigo mosque, Andrew Bolt …

Dear friends & family in Christ,

1) Glory to our Almighty Lord Jesus Christ for His divine intervention in the release of the woman sentenced to death in Sudan for her Christian faith!

This wonderful miracle was definitely in response to the prayers of millions of Christians around the world, in addition to the direct political pressure put on the Sudanese government by the US and other international government bodies.

http://www.charismanews.com/world/44397-breaking-news-sudan-orders-release-of-woman-sentenced-to-death-for-faith

2) For your ongoing prayerful awareness, we’re forwarding the following email below from Salt Shakers with many very interesting articles regarding Islam in Australia.

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India’s Christians fear rise in persecution under BJP

17 May 2014  |  Cath Martin – Christian Today

After the BJP’s historic election victory this week, Christians in India have mixed feelings about the future and how the country’s new leaders will impact on freedom of religion.

The last week has been a massive turnaround for the once struggling opposition party that suffered defeats in the last two elections.

Taking them to victory was the charismatic Narendra Modi, who International Christian Concern reports has feigned ignorance about past Hindu nationalist attacks on minorities.

There are serious concerns among Christians, with one pastor, Ronald John, telling ICC the “persecution of Christians will increase under the BJP-led government”.

“Christians already are gripped with fear and concern over the election results. Hindu nationalist groups will take advantage of the situation and use it to attack churches and members of the Christian community,” he said.

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Formerly from the Underground Church in Saudi Arabia – Now a Powerful International Guest Minister at CTFM Melbourne this Sunday evening 22nd June

Dear friends & family in Christ in Victoria,

For those of you in the Melbourne area, Pastor Prabhu Isaac (a friend of Ps Daniel’s from the Underground Church in Saudi Arabia) will be ministeringGod’s Word this Sunday evening 6:30pm 22nd June at CTFM at 30 Star Crescent
in Hallam.

In 2001, the ministry of Interior Authority of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrested him and imprisoned for his involvement in Christian activities. He was put in a solitary confinement for a month and was deported after undergoing almost 7 months of physical and mental torture. He was terminated from his job and was not permitted to see or contact anyone including his wife. He was put through intensive interrogation and was pushed into prisons that were more like animal sheds, under the most disgusting and unhygienic conditions. There were implications of a death sentence by execution, or imprisonment for 10 years under some false charges; but the power and grace of God miraculously delivered him and he was released on 8th February 2002. He was deported to Chennai, India and there, he began full time ministry and began to serve the Lord.

Ps Daniel travelled to the US and lobbied with the US Congress for his and other’s release. Thank God for the US Congress and many others who helped secure the releases.

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Continue ReadingFormerly from the Underground Church in Saudi Arabia – Now a Powerful International Guest Minister at CTFM Melbourne this Sunday evening 22nd June