Good News

Evangelical Colleges Consider Making Vaccination Requirements

Should you be forced to get a covid-19 vaccination in  order to participate in life? A hotly debated topic, and one being considered by evangelical colleges. Out of the roughly 140 US schools that belong to the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, so far only one is planning to require students to receive COVID-19 vaccines before starting school in the fall: Seattle Pacific University. The Chronicle of Higher Education has identified 375 US schools that are requiring vaccinations. About 50 percent of them are private institutions; 48 percent, public. Read more about the school’s decision here.

Alliance For The Unreached Urges Christians To Pray for Those Without Access To The Bible

Shockingly, still one-third of the world’s population still lack access to the Bible, the church, and other believers. And as such The Alliance For The Unreached, organized a coalition of more than 50 Christian ministries in launching a 33-day prayer challenge to raise awareness. The 1:11 Prayer Challenge, which began on Sunday at 1:11 p.m. in each U.S. time zone, urges Christians around the country to take a moment each day for 33 days at 1:11 p.m. to pray for those who do not have access to the Bible or other believers. Read more about the challenge here. 

Ohio Megachurch Donating $2.5 Million 

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Crossroads Church will donate $2.5 million to local, national and international nonprofits over the next five-plus months. “God has blessed Crossroads over the past 25 years and we don’t take that lightly, so we want to use what we’ve been given to bring positive change in the communities we serve,” the church’s founder and Senior Pastor Brian Tome said in a statement. “That means sharing our resources with partners who are doing good work. Where God is moving, we want to be investing.” The multi-campus church, started in Cincinnati in 1995, now has 10 locations throughout Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Lexington. Read more about the donations here.

Total Lunar Eclipse And Full Super Moon Happening In May

The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years coincides with a super moon this week for quite a cosmic show. This super “blood” moon will be visible on Wednesday across the Pacific as well as the western half of North America, the bottom of South America and eastern Asia. the total eclipse will last about 15 minutes as Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun. But the entire show will last five hours, as Earth’s shadow gradually covers the moon, then starts to ebb. The reddish-orange color is the result of all the sunrises and sunsets in Earth’s atmosphere projected on to the surface of the eclipsed moon. Read more about the sky spectacle here.

Popular Atheist Says Aborting Babies With Disabilities Is Wise

In a disgusting and warped statement, Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, has stated that it is “immoral” to bring a child with Down’s Syndrome or other disabilities into the world. In 2014, Dawkins, in response to a woman saying she would be faced with “a real ethical dilemma” if she were to become pregnant with a child with Down Syndrome, tweeted, “Abort it and try again.” This comes after The American Humanist Association took back its humanist of the year award from Dawkins after he tweeted a comparison between trans people to Rachel Dolezal, the civil rights activist who posed as a black woman for years. Read more about Dawkins here.

Planned Parenthood Sues To Overturn Ordinance That Calls Abortion Murder

A Lubbock, Texas ordinance that bans abortion and received overwhelming approval by voters is facing a court challenge. After the city declared itself a “sanctuary city for the unborn,” Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Surgical Health Services and Dr. G. Sealy Massingill, filed suit, claiming the city’s “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion” is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. The complaint came on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court said it would take up a challenge to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. In that case, Mississippi seeks to revive a Republican-backed state law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Read more about the lawsuit here.

A New Study Shows 43% Of Millennials Don’t Believe Or Care If God Exists

A new study from Arizona Christian University suggests that there are significant, statistical differences between generations in regard to spiritual beliefs and behaviors. ACU’s Cultural Research Center recently conducted the American Worldview Inventory 2021, a survey of the philosophy of life on American adults. Each generation differed greatly when it came to specific beliefs and practices. The CRC research shows that some of the biggest differences are in definitions of success in life, abortion, Biblical practices things like and karma and horoscopes. Millennials and Gen X beliefs align more closely to one another, while Boomers and Builders hold more similar beliefs. Sadly, 43% of Millennials stated they either don’t know, don’t care or don’t believe God exists compared to 28 percent of Boomers. Read about the study here.

Delaware College Cancels $730,000 Dollars In Student Debt

Knowing how hard covid-19 has effected everyone, Delaware State University canceled more than $730,000 in debt for over 200 recent graduates who are faced with financial hardship. “We got money from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan, and there’s a number of things that we can do with that money as it relates to COVID-19,” said Carlos Holmes, a spokesperson for Delaware State University. “This is one thing we’ve decided to do with this money, to help our students and help defray the costs that they’re leaving here with.” For many, this money made the difference between being able to graduate. Read more about the generous gift here.

Israel Conflict With Hamas Continues

Israel needs our prayers. In a conflict as old as the ages, Israel is once again under attack. After weeks of tension during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hamas launched dozens of rockets that it said were to avenge Israel’s actions in the contested holy city. With both sides refusing to back down and rebuffing international calls for a cease-fire, fears have risen about an outright war. But we know God will protect his chosen people, and woe to those who go against Israel. Read more about the conflict here. 

Supreme Court To Hear Abortion Case Challenging Roe vs. Wade

In what pro-life supporters call a win, the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week ban on abortion. The verdict could upend the legal right to abortion laid out in the court’s 1973 landmark Roe v Wade ruling. In announcing the decision to hear the case, the Supreme Court said they would review whether “all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional.” If Mississippi’s ban is upheld by the Supreme Court, it could pave the way for further abortion restrictions and could upend the legal right to abortion per the Roe vs Wade ruling. Read more about the case here. 

Mega Church Pastor Olu Brown Retires

Utah Climber Rescued From Area Called “Certain Death”

AOC Blasts Fellow Democrat For Supporting Israel

When Andrew Yang, who has plans to run for mayor of New York, released a statement in support of Israel, he was met with harsh criticism from fellow democrats. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who calls Israel occupiers, was the biggest critic after Yang tweeted, “I’m standing with the people of Israel who are coming under bombardment attacks, and condemn the Hamas terrorists. The people of NYC will always stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel who face down terrorism and persevere.” AOC cheered when the next day, Yang was uninvited by Muslim organizers from an event that would have commemorated the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr. Read more about the criticism here.

ISIS Executes Christian Businessman

In yet another killing of Christians, the Islamic State has put to death Nabil Habashi Salama, a Christian businessman for his part in building the city’s St. Mary Church, the only Coptic church in the area. Video of a terror group in Egypt with ties to the Islamic State released late Saturday, showed 62-year-old Nabil Habashi Salama being shot in the back of the head with an AK-47 in the middle of what appeared to be the Egyptian desert. “As you kill, you will be killed,” states the video, directed to “all the crusaders in the world.” Read more about the assignation here. 

American Bible Society Releases 11th Annual State Of The Bible Report

If anything good can come from the recent epidemic, it’s that more people are reading their Bibles. American Bible Society released the first two chapters of their 11th annual State of the Bible report, which highlights cultural trends in the U.S. regarding spirituality and Scripture engagement. The release shows that millions more Americans turned to the Bible in the past year than in previous years; one in four U.S. adults report a more frequent Bible reading habit than did last year. The findings come from a survey conducted in January 2021, in which data were gathered from 3,354 online interviews with American adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read more about the study here.

New Tech Makes Perishable Food Last Longer

In the U.S., households throw out around 30 million tons of food each year. But new technology could help eliminate the need for cold storage. Farther Farms, a startup based in upstate New York, developed a new type of pasteurization that makes food last longer, so perishable food can sit on a shelf instead of in a fridge. As proof, the company made packaged french fries, usually sold frozen, that can sit at room temperature for 90 days before eaten. Even better: The process doesn’t use artificial preservatives. Read more about the process here.

Mississippi Pastor Killed when Plane Crashes Into His Home

A  community in Hattiesburg Mississippi, is in mourning and pulling together to help the family of a local pastor killed by a plane crash. Gerry Standley, assistant pastor at Wayside Holy Temple Church, his wife Melinda, their daughter Arrianna and their grandson Eli were all home and asleep when an aircraft crashed into the home. Gerry lost his life when the house burst into flames. The family is now accepting donations to cover funeral costs and damages from the fire. Read more about how you can help this family here.

Biden Reversal May Effect Religious Liberty Of Doctors

The Biden administration has announced it is reversing a Trump-era policy that advocates say protected the religious liberty of Christian doctors. At issue is a portion of the Affordable Care Act that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex within health care. Previously interpreted by the Trump administration to refer to “male or female and as determined by biology,” the Biden administration now prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, including transgenderism. Enforcement of the new rule is effective immediately, and critics say Christian doctors and other religious medical personnel may be forced to perform gender-transition procedures, including surgery which go against their religious beliefs. Read more about the reversal here.

Author Outs Mega Pastors Who Wear Expensive Sneakers