Bible Reading Boosts Mental Health

Christians have long known that reading God’s word is beneficially to the soul, and a new poll proves it. The poll of 1,123 practicing Christians who attend church and read the Bible at least monthly found that 33 percent say reading the Bible has improved their mental health during the pandemic, while 28 percent say it has increased their confidence in the future. Another 42 percent say it has boosted their hope in God. Read more about this poll here.

 

Dolly Parton Song May Become Tennessee’s Official Hymn

Dolly Parton’s beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace is being pushed by Rep. Mike Sparks and Sen. Raumesh Akbari to become Tennessee’s official state hymn. The representatives introduced a house bill in Tennessee’s state legislature whose purpose, according to the bill, is to ” recognize songs of historic significance that have influenced” the state of Tennessee. The original hymn was written by clergyman John Newton. Read more about the proposal here.

 

Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler says God’s Will Is No Concern Of Congress

 

Principal Comes To The aid Of Student With A Bad Haircut

Who doesn’t know the embarrassment of  bad haircut. And middle schooler, Anthony Moore is no exception. So he showed up to class wearing a hat in violation of the school’s dress code. Out of character for the boy, Stonybrook Intermediate and Middle School principal Jason Smith knew something was wrong. But instead of reprimanding Moore, the principal, who had been cutting hair since he was a teen, helped Moore by fixing the cut himself. Read more about the haircut here.

House Passes HR-5 Equality 

An act pushed through by the house could have devastating consequences for religious freedom and women’s rights. House Democrats voted the Equality Act through Thursday almost exclusively along party lines. The legislation adds “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to federal anti-discrimination law that applies to public accommodations, employment, housing, education, and more. Read more about this act which also explicitly dismantles existing federal laws meant to uphold the rights of religious individuals and allow them to challenge unfair enforcement of anti-discrimination law here. 

 

300 Nigerian Schoolgirls Abducted 

Relatives of more than 300 girls abducted by gunmen from their boarding school in northwest Nigeria endured an agonizing wait for news amid rumors that they had been released, while security forces continued their search on Sunday. An armed gang kidnapped 317 girls from the Government Girls Science Secondary School in the town of Jangebe, in Zamfara state, at around 1 a.m. on Friday. The West African nation has seen several such attacks and kidnappings over the years. Read more about the abductions here.

 

Senator Rick Scott Calls Democrats Hypocrites

At the Conservative Political Conference, Senator Rick Scott called democrats as hypocrites for allowing people to gather to protest, but pushing for church closings. After describing Democrats as an “absolute mortal threat to our freedom, to our prosperity, to our way of life, to our families and the future of the United States of America,” he told the audience that “they want to take away your freedom of speech (and) they want to take away your religious liberty.” Read more about his speech here.

 

Good Samaritan Returns Found Wallet

A Florida teacher says a Good Samaritan went the extra mile after finding her lost wallet. Debra Crosby’s doorbell camera recorded a man at the door of her home on Saturday. In the video, the stranger tells her that he found her lost wallet. He then leaves it in a safe place outside her door. Cosby is quoted as saying, “I’m thinking wow this is super. He didn’t leave his name. He didn’t do it or the fame or fortune,” she said. “He did it, I guess, for the right reason. It made me feel like what I’ve known all along that 99% of people are great, even though sometimes we focus on that 1% that do the wrong thing.” The man’s identity is unknown. Read  more this hero here.

 

 

John Baker, Founder Of Celebrate Recovery Has Died

John Baker, co-founder of Celebrate Recovery, an evangelical support group that helps people with “hurts, hangups and habits,” has died. The ministry, started at Saddleback Church in the 1990s, announced the news of his death February 23rd on social media. A recovering alcoholic, Baker wrote out a vision for what would become Celebrate Recovery’s own version of the 12 steps, each one paired with a teaching from Scripture. Read more about Baker and his work here.

 

 

Evangelical Leaders Condemn “Radicalized Christian Nationalism

In an open letter, more than 100 pastors, ministry and seminary leaders, and other prominent evangelicals express concern about the growing “radicalization” they’re seeing, particularly among white evangelicals. The letter explains “that evangelicalism, and white evangelicalism in particular, has been susceptible to the heresy of Christian nationalism because of a long history of faith leaders accommodating white supremacy. We choose to speak out now because we do not want to be quiet accomplices in this on-going sin.” Read more about this letter here.

 

TobyMac Releases New Song

Popular Christian singer, TobyMac has released a new song called, “Help Is On The Way (Maybe Midnight).” The song comes just over a year after the death of his firstborn son. The singer says the song marks the first time he felt he could “scream hope from the mountaintop.” The song of reassurance and hope features a special guest: TobyMac’s son, Judah McKeehan.  Read more about the song and watch the video here.

 

Chip And Joanna Gaines Transform Shelter

Rather than working on a traditional house, Chip and Joanna put their design skills to use to renovate a shelter for girls. The shelter is home to around 16 girls aged 5 to 21, and they typically stay in the shelter for around 90 days, as it’s a transitional home between an emergency and a more long-term solution like foster care. The 3,900-square-foot space has seven bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and three half bathrooms. Read more about the transformation here.

 

Nigerian Boys Kidnapped

Officials say gunmen raided a boarding school in north-central Nigeria, abducting an unknown number of students, staff and their families. About 600 boys were asleep in their dormitories when the school in Kagara town in Niger state was raided. The motive for the attack is unclear, but criminal gangs often carry out kidnappings for ransom in parts of Nigeria, says the BBc’s Ishaq Khalid in the capital Abuja. Read more about the abduction here.

 

Representative Eric Swalwell Says God is A Woman

While speaking on Democrats’ decision to not subpoena witnesses, Democratic Representative, Eric Swalwell said Republicans would have acquitted Trump even if ‘God herself’ had been called. Yet according to Christianity.com, Jesus refers to God as “Father” more than 165 times. Swalwell made the comment in an interview with Nicole Wallace of MSNBC after Trump was acquitted for the second time. Read more about his remark here.

 

Christian Singer Carman Licciardello Passes Away

Christian and Gospel Music singer, Carman Dominic Licciardello died on Tuesday at a Las Vegas hospital, from complications after surgery to repair a hiatal hernia. Carmen was known to many as an icon of the Christian music genre and a GMA Hall of Famer. He received many honors including the House of Hope of Humanitarian Award, Billboard’s “Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year” in 1992 and 1995, and he holds the world record for having the largest audience to see a single Christian artist. The singer was 65 when he passed. Read more of his career here.

 

Man reunited With Dog After Explosion

A Baltimore man was reunited with his beloved pet dog Barak after nearly four months of separation. Back in October, an explosion in the city left the man’s home in ruins and he suffered life-threatening burns that left him hospitalized and in a coma for months. The dog had been staying at a local shelter which promised to keep taking care of Barak until his owner could find a home for both of them. Read more about the tearful reunion here.

 

 

 

 

 

Arkansas Governor Signs Law To Keep Churches Open

Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson, signed an act preventing state officials from enacting restrictions on houses of worship and religious groups during a public health crisis. Jerry Cox of the Arkansas Family Council said the new law will “help protect churches and religious groups from discrimination without hampering the government’s ability to respond to an emergency.” Read more about the new act here.

 

Religious Publisher Dr. Melvin E. Banks Passes Away

Dr. Melvin E. Banks Sr., founder and chairman of Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI), has died. Banks, who led UMI to become the largest independent African American-owned and operated religious publisher, was 86. Banks started Urban Ministries Inc. in the basement of his home in Chicago in 1970, focusing on Sunday school curriculum and Bible study materials for African American Christians. Banks is survived by his wife Olive and his three children. Read more about his inspirational life here.

 

Missionary Forced To Leave Turkey

David Byle, a Canadian-American Christian who was forced to leave Turkey after 19 years because of his evangelistic work, has filed a deportation complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. Though missionary activity is legal in Turkey, authorities alleged Byle was a threat to public order and security and imposed a permanent re-entry ban on the Christian, something he only discovered upon trying to return to his family. Currently, Byle is living with his family in Germany. Read more about Christian persecution in Turkey here.

 

Utah City Accepting Food Donations To Pay Fines

People aren’t allowed to park on the street in Heber City, Utah, during a snowstorm or after when officials are trying to clear the roads. The city’s Mayor, Kelleen Potter, recently said Heber City police have given out more than 300 tickets in the last few weeks for violations. The good news is they are accepting food donations in exchange for forgiveness of the violation; a donation of five non-expired non-perishable food items. Officers say all the food will be donated to local food banks to help support struggling families. Read more about the donation project here.

 

 

 

California Churches Reopened

In a win for Christians who want to attend in person worship services in California, the Supreme Court has ruled in their favor. Now California Governor, Gavin Newsom, has issued new guidelines. The guidelines were released about 24 hours after the Supreme Court, ruling in a lawsuit brought by South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista, struck down Newsom’s rules forbidding indoor services. On a 6-3 vote, the court said the California rules violated the church’s First Amendment rights. Read more about this victory here.

 

Texas Defunds Planned Parenthood

In a move that has pro-life supporters celebrating, Texas has now officially defunded Planned Parenthood. The Lone Star state has successfully removed the abortion company from the state’s list of eligible Medicaid providers. The move comes a few months after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Texas had the right to determine for itself whether or not to fund a particular provider through its Medicaid program. Read more about the Texas decision here.

 

Fabric Found Relating To King David Era

In an exciting new discovery, archeologists have found a fabric  dating back to Israel’s King David. Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Bar Ilan University and Tel Aviv University said they had identified pieces of fabric dyed “true purple” dating to the 10th century BCE, when the Hebrew Bible says David and Solomon ruled in Jerusalem. The team discovered the material in the Timna Valley, at a site known as Slaves’ Hill. Read more about the discovery here.

 

Kenya Woman Recycles Plastic Into Bricks

Kenya born materials engineer, Nzambi Matee, has started a factory which produces plastic bricks which are five times stronger than concrete. The plastic waste is mixed with sand, heated and then compressed into bricks. The factory has recycled 20 tons of waste plastic since its founding in 2017 and produces 1,500 bricks each day, made from a mix of different kinds of plastic. Read more about this recycling wonder here.

Denmark wants Sermons Translated And Submitted To Government

The crackdowns on Christianity keep coming. A proposed law in Denmark seeks to ask all religious groups in the country to translate their sermons and messages into Danish language. Anna Mirijam Kaschne, the General Secretary of the Nordic Bishops Conference, said, “All church congregations, free church congregations, Jewish congregations, everything we have here in Denmark will be placed under general suspicion by this law…Something is happening here which is undermining democracy.” Read more about the proposed law here.

 

Liberty University Apologizes After Snowball Fight

Liberty University is no stranger to controversy, and find themselves again in  the news. Acting University president, Jerry Prevo, apologized Tuesday for hosting a campus snowball fight over the weekend where dozens of attendees were seen unmasked and not following coronavirus precautions. Residents contacted local health officials to launch over 118 complaints against Liberty’s leadership and raise concern over the potential virus spread the event may cause. At least 58 students have contracted the disease as of Jan. 26, the university reported last week. Read more about the event here.

 

Michigan Man Arrested For Embezzling From Church

A Grand Rapids man is facing a felony charge, accused of stealing nearly a million dollars from his church. Authorities claim Christian Bileth, 55, stole more than $812,000 from St. John’s United Church of Christ between March of 2014 until the end of 2019. Bileth turned himself in to police and is out on bond awaiting trial. He faces one felony charge of embezzlement over $100,000. Bileth could end up in prison for 20 years if convicted and be fined up to $2.4 million. Read more about the theft here.

 

Postal Worker Saves Elderly Woman

 

Rick Warren Apologizes For Video Containing Asian Stereotypes

Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren has apologized for a children’s Sunday school curriculum video that used Asian culture stereotypes to teach kids about the Bible. In the video a pastor wears a Chinese shirt, makes Kung Fu sounds and pretends to make sushi that he then spits out. Warren apologized and said he was upset and embarrassed by the racially offensive content of the video, and that it was immediately taken down. Read more about the video in question here.

 

Scottish Worship Leaders Suing Over Church Closings

Christians around the world are rising up over houses of worship begin closed due to coivd-19 restrictions. Some 27 church leaders in Scotland are suing the Scottish government and asking that the courts review pandemic lockdown orders that have closed churches. The lawsuit claims lockdown restrictions have criminalized public worship and are in violation of the Scottish constitution. Read more about the lawsuit here.

 

Christian Actress Fired After Posting Bible verses On Facebook

In a continued effort to silence conservative and Christian voices,  a Christian actress, was fired after a 2014 social media post surfaced with her questioning homosexuality and citing a Bible verse. Seyi Omooba, a 25-year-old British-born actress, posted on Facebook that she didn’t agree with the homosexual lifestyle citing 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. As a result, she was fired from her role in a theater production. Read more about her dismissal here.

 

New Prostate Test Offering 99% Accuracy

Prostate cancer is a disease primarily affecting older, male patients, and is typically diagnosed with either a blood test or physical exam, which can be unpleasant for the patient. But now Korean medical scientists have employed AI-learning to create a new prostate cancer screening with almost 100% accuracy. Current tests generate a significant amount of false positives, leading to unnecessary biopsies. But the new tests, which use a drop of urine, change all that. Read more about this new test here.