Feel Good News

Denzel Washington Says It’s Spiritual Warfare In The Last Days

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington is ready to do battle. The actor opened up about the spiritual aspect of his Christian faith and highlighted the importance of having an “anchor” in an ever-changing culture. Washington is gearing up for the release of his new film “Macbeth,” and in an in-depth interview with The New York Times, the actor and his co-stars talked about his Christian faith. The entertainer then shared his view of Heaven, explaining that “there are going to be two lines, the long line and the short line, and I’m interested in being in the short line.” Read more about his Christian views and new movie here.

Christian Finance Expert Dave Ramsey Sued For Religious Discrimination

A former employee of Christian finance guru Dave Ramsey is suing his former boss for religious discrimination, claiming he was fired for putting his faith in science and not prayer during the COVID-19 pandemic. The complaint cites comments made by Ramsey early in the pandemic, saying that anyone who wore a mask was a “wuss.” Brad Amos, who filed the suit, requested to be able to work from home in order to safeguard his family’s well-being. That request, according to the complaint, was seen as a “weakness of spirit.” And when Amos refused to comply with Ramsey’s views, according to the complaint, he was fired. Read more about the lawsuit here.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Introduces Bill To Protect Prayer In School

Saying “Every student deserves the opportunity to begin their day with a calm, silent moment,” South dakota Governor, Kristi Noem wants to “restore protections for prayer in schools.”  On Monday the governor introduced a draft bill that would require public schools to have a moment of silence each morning that would last up to one minute and would be free of interference from school officials. The bill does not require that the moment be used for prayer, although it does list prayer alongside other activities, including meditation and reflection, that are often conducted during such brief events. Each student would decide how the moment of silence is used. Read more about the bill here.

Wife Prays On Phone With Husband Trapped By Kentucky Tornado

The wife of a Kentucky man who was trapped under a collapsed candle factory in the aftermath of a tornado touchdown says she prayed with her husband over the phone while he was trapped.  Courtney Saxton, 38, said she spoke with her husband, Mark, Friday night as he was trapped under debris from the Mayfield Consumer Products factory after tornadoes tore through the area. She kept saying to him, “keep fighting,” and that God would “work it out.” And keep fighting he did. Her husband, Mark Saxton survived the ordeal with minor scrapes and bruises. Mark’s wife, Courtney, faced her own harrowing ordeal as she and the couple’s five kids hunkered down in a bathtub as the tornado tore the roof off their home. Read more about their ordeal here.

United Nations Sculpture Resembles Daniel 7 Endtime Beast

Many believe we are living in the last days before Christ’s return. And now a new sculpture at the United Nations Plaza in New York City is sparking up controversy because of its striking resemblance to the end times beast described in the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation. called a guardian  for international peace and security, the statue was donated by the government of Oaxaca, Mexico. Some social media users have also pointed to 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 when criticizing the statue, noting that the scripture warns that unbelievers will call for “peace and safety” just before the rapture. Read more about the statue here.

2000 year Old Synagogue Discovered In Galilee

In yet another amazing discovery, Israeli archaeologists say they have found a 2,000-year-old synagogue in the Galilee region. It was found the synagogue in the town of Migdal, which is on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The town had a large Jewish community during the Second Temple Period and is the birthplace of Mary Magdalene. The synagogue is of basalt and chalk, and comprises a main hall and two side rooms. Current excavations are being carried out by private archaeologist Yehuda Govrin with scientific oversight by the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa. Read more about the discovery here.

Samaritan’s Purse Responds To Tornado Ravaged Areas

Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse deployed disaster response teams to Mayfield, Kentucky and Monette, Arkansas in response to the deadly tornadoes that spawned overnight. The storm system created widespread devastation across six states. Chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Rapid Response Team are deploying alongside Samaritan’s Purse to provide emotional and spiritual encouragement to families impacted by the severe storms. The charity encourages those who want to help in the tornado relief efforts to sign up for volunteer opportunities. Read more about the charity’s efforts here.

Christmas Tree Planted 43 Years Ago By Elderly Couple Now 50 feet Tall

A couple who planted a 6-foot Christmas tree in 1978 now use a cherry-picker to decorate the 50-foot giant with 3,000 lights in an annual tradition. Avril and Christopher Rowlands welcomed 2,000 locals to the switch-on in Inkburrow, Worcestershire, England. The tree was six feet tall when they planted it after first moving in to their new home. The tree has become a big part of the community’s lives and the switching on of the lights has become quite a village tradition. The village where the tree shines, is one of the darkest places in the UK as one of the only towns without any street lights. Read more about the tree here.

Pastor On Trial For Raping Two Teenage Girls Takes Own Life

A Florida pastor who was on trial this week for raping two teenage girls was found dead in a parking garage Thursday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, according to the Murfreesboro Police Department. David Rowan, 66, appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the preliminary investigation. Rowan was awaiting a jury’s verdict regarding his charges for multiple sex crimes involving two teenage girls in 2014. Read more about his arrest and suicide here.

Pastor Who Appeared In Drag For A Television Show Is Fired From Church

An Indiana pastor who dressed as a drag queen on a reality TV show last month has been “relieved of his duties” and will undergo a process of “renewal, reflection, and recovery.” Rev. Craig Duke had served at Newburgh United Methodist Church near Evansville until last week. Friends set up a GoFundMe last week to help the pastor and his family through the next few months, which already has raised more than $23,000 after his “drag mother” Eureka O’Hara, who helped him create his drag persona on “We’re Here,” tweeted about it Sunday (Dec. 5).  Read more about the firing here.

Former SBC President James Merritt Resigns After Sharing Sermon From Gay Son

Former Southern Baptist Convention President James Merritt has resigned from his position as a visiting professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary amid controversy that followed his decision to share a short message by his son, who is gay. In response to criticisms from some Christians over his decision to promote his son’s message, Merritt defended his position saying, “Regardless of who preaches Jesus or speaks truth I rejoice when they do because I love Jesus and truth. I can approve a message even when I have disagreements with the messenger. I agree with Paul: love rejoices with the truth. And that is the truth.” Read more about his resignation here

New Study Shows Chewing Gum Could Reduce Spread Of Covid

Could specially-treated chewing gum help fight COVID-19? Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say yes, and they’re submitting their findings to the FDA. Researchers at Penn have developed a new experimental chewing gum that could slow the transmission of COVID. It works on saliva, which is the main way the virus is spread. University of Pennsylvania scientist Henry Daniell is leading a study that uses specially treated lettuce to make a chewing gum that helps prevent the transmission of COVID. Researchers have taken everyday lettuce and infused it with a protein that can neutralize COVID. Read more about the research here.

The Chosen Christmas Film Tops Box Office

With its sales now topping $8 million, the Christmas special for “The Chosen,” the first-ever multi-season television show about Jesus, has broken another record by becoming the bestselling movie in the history of its distributor Fathom Events. Just hours after tickets went on sale early last month during a livestream with show creator Dallas Jenkins, pre-sale records were shattered for the distributor with $1.5 million in sales in the first 12 hours. Viewers can expect an amazing experience that showcases the birth of Christ through the eyes of Mary and Joseph and highlights the hardships they endured. Read more about the Christmas movie here.

Open Doors Ministry Donating 100,000 Bibles To Persecuted Christians

It’s difficult to imagine not having access to Scripture, but for millions of believers around the globe, that is their everyday reality. One charity, Open Doors USA, is changing that for tens of thousands of Christians this Christmas. Open Doors USA, is  a U.S.-based ministry that monitors religious persecution around the world. David Curry, President of the organization, said it had reached its goal of raising enough money in late November to send 100,000 Bibles to persecuted Christians in areas such as Afghanistan, North Korea and Nigeria, calling it the greatest outpouring of support the ministry has seen in the U.S. Learn how to donate to the ministry here.

Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Bill Requiring Medical Care For Babies Who survive Abortion

Wisconsin’s Democratic governor vetoed five pro-life bills Friday, including one that would require medical care for a baby who survives an abortion. The bill would impose criminal penalties on doctors who fail to give medical care in the extremely rare circumstance in which a baby is born alive following an abortion attempt. Violators would be guilty of a felony punishable by up to six years in prison. The bill also would make intentionally causing the death of a child born alive as a result of an abortion a felony punishable by life in prison. Read more about the vetoed bills here.

Chicago Pastor Camping Out For 100 Days to Raise Gun Violence Awareness

Ten years ago, Pastor Corey Brooks slept on the rooftop of a dilapidated motel for 94 days with the goal of helping end the cycle of violence in his Woodlawn neighborhood. Now, with violence nearing record levels a decade later, Brooks is camping out again. Late last month, Brooks embarked on a 100-day “tent-a-thon,” a campout with the same stated objective of ending gun violence. Brooks hopes to raise $35 million to build The Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center, which is planned as an 85,000-square-foot-building that will provide a safe place for youth amid violence. Read more about his efforts here.

Biden Administration Criticized For Removing Nigeria From Religious Persecution List

Religious liberty watchdogs are criticizing the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from an annual list of religious freedom violators, charging that it denies reality and is motivated solely by foreign policy interests. An annual list released by the State Department examines the status of religious freedom in every country in the world and designates the worst violators as a “Country of Particular Concern,” which means they are guilty of “particularly severe violations of religious freedom.” Nigeria was considered a Country of Particular Concern in the State Department reports of 2020 and 2019, yet was missing in the State Department’s 2021 report. Read more about the list here.

New York Pastor Who Advocated Spousal Rape Resigns

Days after a video surfaced of a controversial sermon during which Bronx pastor Dr. Burnett L. Robinson seemed to advocate for spousal rape, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church has stripped him of his title permanently. Robinson made his controversial remarks during a Nov. 13 sermon on the idea that wives should “submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord,” as the apostle Paul wrote in his Letter to the Ephesians. Speaking about submission Robinson said, “You are your husband’s. You understand what I’m saying? And I would say to you, gentlemen, the best person to rape is your wife.” Read more about his resignation here.

New Poll Shows 38% Of Pastors Considering Quitting

Everyone has suffered throughout the pandemic, and pastors are no different. Many American Protestant church leaders want out, a new survey released on Tuesday has found. Reasons for their desire to quit the job is burnout, isolation, and the global pandemic, all of which had placed extreme pressure on church leaders over the past 24 months. According to the Washington Times, evangelical Christian research firm Barna Group just released a new survey that found about 38% of Protestant pastors admitted they were so stressed by their jobs that they were forced to “seriously consider” leaving full-time ministry. Read more about the survey here.

California Supreme Court To Decide If Pronoun Misuse Can Lead To Jailtime

The California Supreme Court will decide whether those who refuse to use LGBT pronouns should be put to jail or not. The law signed in 2017 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, placed new restrictions on long-term care facilities and was geared toward protecting LGBT residents, yet a section on pronouns has sparked major pushback. The section makes it unlawful to “willfully and repeatedly fail to use a resident’s preferred name or pronouns after being clearly informed of the preferred name or pronouns.” Violating the law could subject the employee to criminal penalties, including fines and jail time. Read more abut the case here.

Researchers Identify 102 Students Who Died At Native American School In Nebraska

Researchers in Nebraska have found the names of 102 indigenous children who died at a federal boarding school in the Genoa, Nebraska area during its operation between 1884 and 1934. The US Indian School was operated by the federal government between 1884 and 1934. Brutal punishments and hard labor were commonplace for students, large numbers of whom were removed from their families and homelands against their will, prohibited from speaking tribal languages and forced to convert to Christianity in an effort to subdue or eliminate Indian culture. Read more about the discovery here. 

D.C. Church Offers Free Gas To 250 Drivers

Members of a Washington D.C. church filled the cars of 250 people with free gasoline and led eight people to Jesus Christ. At the event, titled “Gas on God,” members from the Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church (GMCHC) served their community by putting $20 of fuel in motorists’ vehicles. The event was held at a local BP gas station. While some church members fueled gasoline into people’s cars, Tamar Shaw took it a step further and asked if anyone needed prayer. In turn, she witnessed four individuals accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. By the end of the event, eight total people decided to dedicate their lives to Christ. Read more about the event here.

Charities Feeling The Pain Of Supply Chain Problems

The rising cost of items due to the supply chain delays are really putting a squeeze on how much good charities can do in the community. For so many nonprofits, the holidays are prime time for fundraising. But delays with the supply chain are impacting that effort, too. Hundreds of charities across the country are feeling the crunch of the global supply chain crisis. New research shows that nearly half of churches and faith organizations are involved in feeding the hungry, and this year they’re forced to shift processes based on longer wait times, product shortages, and unstable market expectations. Read more about the crisis here.

Texas Church Congregation Chants “Let’s Go Brandon”

A video posted Saturday on Twitter showing a crowd chanting “Let’s go Brandon” during an event at Cornerstone Church, has been viewed more than 2 million times. The phrase was chanted at the Reawaken America Tour rally at San Antonio’s Cornerstone Church, where popular author John Hagee serves as pastor. Christian leaders and pastors on social media joined others in criticizing the rally for chanting the phrase. Author Rod Dreher tweeted, “This is blasphemous. Shame, shame, shame! What kind of church is this?!? Repent and believe the Gospel!” Read more about the event here.

Pastor Killed for Refusing To Remove Church Building In Uganda

Saying a church pastor would “face the wrath from Allah” for refusing to remove his church building, Muslim extremists in eastern Uganda on Oct. 26 killed him on his animals’ grazing fields, sources said. Pastor Stephen Lugwire of Bunangwe estate in the predominantly Muslim area of Nangonde, Namutumba District, had gone to his fields when he was killed. He was 58. While untying his sheep from a tree trunk, three men dressed in Islamic attire shouted at them in a language unknown to her, said the pastors daughter, Brenda Lugwire. They were brandishing long knives and blunt objects, and one yelled that Pastor Lugwire was a “kafir,” or infidel, who had harmed the religion of Allah, she said. Read more about the murder here.

600 Year Old Bible Pendant Found

A 600-year-old Bible pendant that may have belonged to the family of an English king was uncovered in recent weeks by a metal detectorist who, at first, thought it was a gift shop trinket. The tiny pendant – roughly the size of a thumbnail – weighs about two-tenths of an ounce and was made of pure gold, according to the BBC. Experts say it may have belonged to relatives of King Richard III (1452 to 1485). He owned the land around the property and served as king from 1483 to 1485. The pendant depicts two patron saints of Catholicism: St. Leonard and St. Margaret. The pendant is currently in the possession of the Yorkshire Museum. It likely is worth more than $100,000. Read more about the discovery here.

Magic Johnson Thanks God For Living 30 Years With HIV

Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson recently recognized the 30th anniversary of his retirement from the NBA following his HIV diagnosis. On Sunday, Johnson, now 62, took to social media to reflect on how God has used the past three decades of his life. He wrote, “God has really blessed me! Today marks 30 years living with HIV, so the message resonated with me in such a tremendous way. I thank the Lord for keeping me, giving me strength, and guiding me for 62 years but especially the last 30.” Johnson is a member of West Angeles Church of God in Christ in LA. Read more of his testimony here.

Pastor John MacArthur Says Zoom Church Is Not Church

For those who who worship at their church through zoom, pastor John MacArthur has a message. Zoom church cannot fulfill the New Testament’s commands for Christians. “Zoom church is not church. It’s not church. It’s watching TV,” MacArthur told members of his congregation, Grace Community Church in California. “There’s nothing about that that fulfills the biblical definition of coming together, stimulating one another in love and good works … sitting under the Word of God, praying together, being led by those who preach the Word and open the Scripture.” Read more about his views on zoom church here.

U.S. Supreme Court To Discuss If Death Row Inmates Are Entitled To A Pastor

 A Texas inmate’s request that his pastor be able to touch him and pray aloud with him in the death chamber met a mixed reception on Tuesday at the Supreme Court. Some justices said the request was a modest one that respected the inmate’s right to exercise his faith in his final moments while others disagreed. Lawyers for the inmate have argued that the state’s actions violate the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment guarantee of the free exercise of religion as well as federal law. For the past four years, the inmate in question has been a member of the Second Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, though he cannot attend services in person. Read more about the lawsuit here. 

Veterans Untied Home Loans Launches National Campaign To Highlight Vets

Veterans United Home Loans, a Missouri-based mortgage lender and the nation’s largest Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans provider, announced its donation of 11 homes to 11 deserving U.S. veterans. Veterans United teamed up with Marine veteran and comedian Rob Riggle to select 10 veterans making a difference in their communities for 10 home giveaways and is donating one more to any veteran who enters for a chance to win at ThanksToVeterans.com. Veterans play a pivotal role in strengthening civic health, from volunteerism and voting to charitable giving and community involvement. Read more about the giveaway here.