Kirk Cameron Film and Live Event Will Tackle Life’s Most Vexing Question: ‘Why Does God Allow Suffering?’

Actor Kirk Cameron considers his new film project, UNSTOPPABLE, one of the most unique of his entire career. It forms the centerpiece of a live event at Liberty University on September 24 – and broadcast live via satellite to theaters around the country.
“It’s by far the most personal project I’ve ever made regarding my faith,” says Cameron. His motivation to embark on the film stems from the untimely cancer death of a 15-year-old friend this year. After the funeral and burial of his friend, Cameron began to reflect on questions universal to the human experience.
Where is God in the midst of tragedy and suffering? he wondered. Why does he let bad things happen to good people?

“These are questions that have destroyed many people’s faith and baffle so many,” he notes. His pondering led to the UNSTOPPABLE film, which he believes will “give people hope and inspiration and a reason to continue to trust God through difficulties.”

UNSTOPPABLE will be broadcast to nearly 700 cinemas nationwide from The Vines Center at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT and tape delayed at 7:00 p.m. MT / 8:00 p.m. PT/AK/HI. Tickets and theatre locations are available online at www.unstoppablethemovie.com.


The film generated an initial controversy when Facebook and YouTube blocked access to the film’s trailer, labeling it as “unsafe” and “abusive.” Over half a million of Cameron’s fans rallied to protest and after several days, both social media sites relented.

“It’s easy to get excited about your faith when things are going well,” Cameron notes. “But when tragedy hits out of nowhere it can be the thing that destroys your confidence and ability to move forward in life.”

Cameron disagrees with those who believe God either lacks the power to intervene or simply doesn’t care.

See more, here.

Syria Vows 'Surprise' Against Western Military Strike

Voice of America News reports: “Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem is vowing to strike back at any Western military attack with what he calls ‘surprise’ defenses.

Moallem on Tuesday said Syria is hearing war drums. He said the West is using allegations of chemical weapons as an excuse to attack.  He again denied that the Syrian government has used such weapons, and he challenged the United States and its European allies to show evidence.

Because of security concerns Tuesday, United Nations investigators postponed their visit to another Damascus suburb where chemical weapons apparently were used. Snipers fired at a U.N. car during a stop in Moadamiyeh Monday. No one was hurt and the Syrian government and rebels blamed each other for the gunfire.

The United States says there is no doubt Bashar al-Assad's military dropped chemical weapons on four Damascus suburbs last week, killing hundreds including entire families in their homes. U.S. officials say President Barack Obama's decision on a response could come within days.

But it is not just the West condemning Syria. The Arab League meeting in Cairo is blaming the Assad government for the attack and is demanding that those responsible be put on trial…”

Source: JVIM

Anti-Hamas Movement Emerges in Gaza

YnetNews.com reports: “An anonymous group of Palestinians calling itself ‘The rebellion against tyranny in Gaza’ has been established in the Strip driving inspiration from Egypt's Tamarod movement. The group is calling on the public to bring down the Hamas government.

Already making waves on social media sites as well as earning recognition from the Arab press, the group has declared a day of mass protests against Hamas to be held November 11 – the anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. A video posted online said that on that day, the oppression imposed by Hamas will be lifted.

Hamas is referred to in the video as the ‘Gaza brotherhood’ in reference to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. The group stresses that it is not against Hamas in principle, but against what the movement has become since taking over the Gaza Strip. ‘Today's Hamas is not the Hamas of yesterday. Ahmed Yassin's Hamas is not the Hamas of Gaza's security forces,’ they say…”

Source: JVIM

Netanyahu: We Will Strike Anyone Who Tries to Harm Us

Prime Minister says that Israel is working to protect its citizens; United States urges Israel to show "restraint."

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu makes a statement, August 22, 2013. Photo: PMO

 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded to Thursday's rocket attack from Lebanon by saying Israel was working on all fronts – both with defensive and active preventive measures – to protect Israeli citizens.

"We are deploying a wide range of means," he said in a statement, "both defensive and preventative. We are acting responsibly. Anyone who attacks us, or tries to attack us, should know that we will get him."

The United States is calling for "restraint" from both Israel and Lebanon after three rockets, fired from Lebanese territory, hit northern Israeli towns.

"We strongly condemn the firing of rockets from Lebanon toward Israel," State Department spokeswoman Dina Badawy told The Jerusalem Post. "This was a provocative act that undermines the stability of Lebanon and the security of Israel."

Badawy called the rocket fire a violation of the Blue Line, as prescribed by UNSCR 1701.
The State Department could not immediately confirm the source of the rocket fire, or details of the incident, Badawy said.

"We again strongly underscore the need for Lebanon to exercise full sovereignty over its territory," she said.
A fourth rocket was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome short-range missile defense system, which has been funded generously by the US.

No group has yet to claim responsibility for the incident, and no casualties were reported.
MK Motti Yogev (Bayit Yehudi), meanwhile called for the government to retaliate to rocket fire in the north Thursday.

According to Yogev, the government cannot leave the attack without a response, "because this is the reality that the other side understands." "The response must be very strong so that the other side has no desire to continue the escalation," Yogev added.

The Bayit Yehudi MK, a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, pointed out that Hezbollah stockpiled weapons in the seven years since the Second Lebbanon War and has tens of thousands of missiles, which, he said, could lead to a confrontation to ensure the safety of residents of the north.

"Syria acted quickly and determinedly through their allies, Hezbollah, to distract international pressure from the gas attacks and massacres on children in Damascus," MK Nachman Shai (Labor) stated. "Israel must act carefully and responsibly."

Source: Here

Coptic Christians Chant in Tennessee Streets: ‘Obama, Don’t You Care?’

Hundreds of Coptic Christians took to downtown Nashville, Tenn., streets this week to protest the ongoing and escalating violence their faith is facing in Egypt.

Among their chants: "Obama, Obama don't you care? Christian blood is everywhere," The Tennessean reported. The demonstrators, waving Egyptian flags, also called for Americans to "pray for Egypt." And signs abounded, with messages such as: "We are against Muslim Brotherhood."

A woman who said she has lived in the United States for 16 years expressed fear for Christians who live in Egypt, and she said the Muslim Brotherhood is to blame for the 40-plus church burnings that have been reported in recent days.

"What is terrorism," she said in The Tennesseean article, "but being afraid to go out of your house because someone will attack you."

Other protesters expressed the hope that the Obama administration would take a strong stand and support the interim government — not the Muslim Brotherhood — in Egypt.

Read more: Here

Testimonies

Iranian Christian Activist Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison

Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran has sentenced Mohammad-Hadi (Mostafa) Bordbar, an Iranian Christian convert, to ten years in prison.

Mostafa Bordba

According to a story by Mohabat News (based upon documents the news service said it possesses), Bordbar, a resident of Rasht, was tried by Judge Pir-Abbasi on June 9 2013 in branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. Bordbar had been arrested on Dec. 27 2012.

According to Mohabat News, Bordbar was sentenced to five years in prison for membership in a so-called “anti-security organization,” and an additional five years for gathering with intent to commit crimes against Iranian national security.

The ruling was issued in branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran by Pir-Abbasi, and delivered to Bordbar's lawyer, Shima Ghousheh, on July 31 2013.
Mohabat News said Bordbar and about 50 other Farsi-speaking Christian converts were in northern Tehran having a Christmas worship service, when 15 plain-clothes security officers raided the house.

Everyone was detained for hours. After interrogation, most of them were released. The incident also led to the arrest of Iranian-Armenian pastor, Vruir Avanessian.
Bordbar had also been arrested in 2009 in Rasht for converting to Christianity and attending a house church.

In addition, Mohabat News said, branch 1 of the Rasht court found him guilty of “apostasy.” He was released after posting bail of 200 million Rials. However, the apostasy conviction remained on his criminal record.

Mohabat News said when Bordbar later attempted to start a “technical company,” he was denied the official permission to do so. The document given to him by police said Bordbar “is found guilty of apostasy and this is kept in his criminal record.” (Supporting document in the possession of Mohabat News).

Appeals Court

Mohabat News said according to a source close to Bordbar, his lawyer, a member of the Iranian Human Rights Commission, said she is working on an appeal.
Expressing her opposition to the ruling, Ghousheh said the two convictions (that resulted in a 10 year prison term) are actually the same, and that her client is being convicted twice for one charge. At the same time she was hopeful that the appeals court will overturn the guilty verdict.
After issuing the ruling, the Revolutionary Court announced that appeals to the decision may be submitted within 20 days of its issue.

The Iranian Constitution recognizes the rights of religious minorities, including Christians. However, Mohabat News said, the Iranian regime prosecutes those who convert to Christianity from Islam.
Persecution of Iranian Christian converts has been considerably on the rise since 2012. According to Mohabat News, many pastors and Christian activists have been arrested in recent years and given lengthy prison sentences. That occurs as the number of Christian converts is increasing, and the network of underground house churches is spreading fast.

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Syria: Assyrian Christians Told 'If You Want to Come Back, Convert To Islam, Or You Will Be Killed'

According to the Assyrian International News Agency, Assyrian Christians who have fled from an area of Syria called al-Thawrah (also known as al-Tabqah), have been told by rebels, "If you want to come back, convert to Islam, or you will be killed."

An AINA story said, "Accounts by Assyrian refugees from Syria reveal the real face of the Islamist undercurrent within the Syrian opposition. Furthermore, these accounts serve as a stark and chilling reminder of what has already been suffered by non-Muslim communities in Iraq since 2003.

"On February 11, rebel fighters from the al-Nusra Front took control of the city and its strategic dam, the largest of its kind in the country. They also seized control of the three quarters that housed dam workers - many of whom were Christian Assyrians.
"Whilst they allowed the dam's original staff to remain in the city in order to continue its operation, management and upkeep, those who were not Sunni Muslim were not afforded the same privilege."
One Assyrian refugee was reported as saying, "Everything is now in Jabhat al-Nusra's hands. All the Muslims stayed there, but if any Christians want to go back they have to become Muslim or else they will be killed."

The story goes on to say that Christians report their property being stolen, their homes being confiscated, and their possessions being sold on the black market in order to buy weapons and ammunition. In many of these cases, those forcefully dispossessed were not even allowed the chance to take with them any of their personal belongings.

According to the jihadist Islamist ideology espoused by such forces as the al-Nusra Front, the properties and possessions of such "infidels" are halal (fair game), and it is not a sin to plunder them.

They also threatened Christians with death if they did not comply with strict Islamic laws. "They would call and text me on my cell phone, ordering me to do as they say, or else they would kill me! Can you imagine it?" said a Christian man from al-Thawrah, who had lost all he owned, and is now internally displaced with his family. "Even though I have left they still call me from there to bother me, so I keep my phone switched off unless I really need to use it."

AINA then reported the "gruesome story" of an Assyrian man from al-Hasakah Governorate, allegedly shot by rebels in an execution-style murder just outside al-Thawrah in April 2013, which it said, "still sends shivers up the spines of those who knew him."

He used to earn a living transporting people between al-Hasakah and al-Thawrah, until his car was confiscated by al-Nusra fighters. "They told him that he could buy it back from them, so he returned to his village to bring them the money," one refugee related, "He should have stayed put and thanked God that they hadn't killed him then and there, but he didn't listen to reason and left with the money they'd requested. No one ever saw him alive again. How will his wife and four children support themselves now?"

"Whilst this case has been well-documented, many of the Christian refugees from al-Thawrah insisted that certain details be excluded from their testimonies since, being a small community, they were fearful of being identified and subsequently suffering the consequences. They are also too frightened to provide too much information over the phone or on the internet because they believe that these are being monitored by elements within Syria's opposition," the report continued.
"For most of them, staying in Syria is no longer a viable option either. To leave for Turkey or Lebanon, on the other hand, is also fraught with its own perils."
Another Assyrian refugee who refused to disclose his location said, "All the roads are full of rebel fighters."

While the head of an Assyrian household displaced from al-Thawrah, added, "It's really dangerous. We have lost everything. There is nothing for us over there now, nothing to return to. We just need help to get out of here and settle in a country that's safe."

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