February 22nd – News Of The Day
Franklin Graham Under Fire For Asking People To Prayer For Vladimir Putin
Evangelist Franklin Graham has been criticized after he urged Christians to pray for Russian president Vladimir Putin amid rising tensions in the Ukrainian-Russian border. “Pray for President Putin today. This may sound like a strange request, but we need to pray that God would work in his heart so that war – and the loss of thousands of lives – could be avoided at all cost,” Graham wrote on his social media. But request sparked criticism from some. The pastor’s critics immediately went to work expressing outrage at the idea that he would pray for Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than President Biden or Ukraine even if it was to call for peace. Read more about the complaints here.
Texas Attorney general Sues Christian Influencer For Scamming Clients
Brittany Dawn Davis, a fitness and Christianity influencer from Fort Worth, is being sued by the state of Texas for promising her followers personalized exercise and nutrition plans that never materialized. Davis’s website promised clients that her Brittany Dawn Fitness (BDF) crew would be with them “every step of the way”, but instead her followers received a generic diet and workout plan not unique to them. The state believes this amounts to “deceptive trade practices” and is seeking damages from $250,000 up to $1m. Davis has since pivoted to lifestyle and religious content. She now hosts Christian retreats in different cities across Texas and charges $125 for admission. Read more about the lawsuit here.
Discovery Plus Releasing Documentary About Hillsong Church Abuses
The interim global senior pastor of the embattled Hillsong group of churches is accusing producers of an upcoming docuseries of aiming “simply to hurt the church.” Speaking in a global simulcast this past Sunday, Pastor Phil Dooley claimed the docuseries, premiering March 24 on Discovery Plus, paints a picture “far removed from . . . the truth of who we are.” He added, “There are also producers behind this documentary and their purpose is not the healing of people, but simply to hurt the church.” Discovery Plus on Thursday released the trailer for its upcoming original three-part documentary series about Hillsong church, saying it will “explore the high-profile, star-studded church’s alleged exploitation, abuse and cover-ups” of the global movement. Read more about the documentary here.
Huge Black Diamond With Unknown Origin Sells For $4.3 Million
With a final closing bid of $4.28 million, an anonymous buyer just became the new owner of the 555.55-carat black diamond known as the Enigma. The sale of this bizarre stone has reignited a long-simmering debate about where it came from, stoked by the controversial theory that it may have arrived from outer space. “The Enigma” is a carbonado diamond, which is found in deposits close to, or on, the Earth’s surface, indicating that it could have come from space. “It is thought that this specific type of black diamond was created either from meteoric impacts producing natural chemical vapor deposition or an extraterrestrial origin — from supernovae explosions that formed diamond-bearing asteroids which ultimately collided with the Earth,” Sotheby’s explained. Read more about the diamond here.
