True Confession: Our Agenda is to Wipe out Christians from the North – Boko Haram Fugitive

At first sight, one would mistake him for a perfect gentle man. He wears an innocent face that would make you open your arms for a warm embrace.
But a close look at 27-year-old Nasir Isiaku, you will see a clear picture of a wolf in sheep clothing, nay, a green snake under a green grass.


Like the Biblical old Saul, he hates Christianity with passion and he’s proud of it.
Ask him and he bluntly tells you, “If we ask our victim, ‘Will you become a Muslim or not and he or she refuses, we will slaughter him like a goat…” He talked of himself as an Islamic warrior who take delight in chopping off people’s head with a stroke of his dagger.

Narrating his life as the second-in-command of a terrorist group that wages war against non-Muslims in the north, Isiaku, a native of Gusau in Zamfara State said, while still in the group, he decimated hundreds of Christians for refusing to accept Islam.

The group, which he identified as Shitte, has the same ideology with the Boko Haram sect – continuous opposition to Christianity.

Hear him, “Our own group is called Shitte but we have the same agenda with the Boko Haram sect. You people have only been hearing of Boko Haram, but there are other deadly Islamic groups who are also part of Boko Haram sect,” he said, adding: “Whenever we heard that any of the sects were fighting Christians, we would always join them,”

Isiaku, while confessing his evil deeds to a gathering of Christians recently opened up on how he renounced what he called “the cult” where he drank his victims’ blood so their ghosts would not haunt him in dreams.
DailyPost brings you the excerpts of the shocking confession as told by Isiaka raw and uncut:

“I joined the Bafarawa Arabic Islamic Centre in 2010 and they were teaching us Arabic language. Every year, we take about 20 people to Iran for special training because our zonal headquarters is in Iran. Our own group is called Shitte but we have the same agenda with the Boko Haram sect. You people have only been hearing of Boko Haram, but there are other deadly Islamic groups that are also part of Boko Haram sect. I can count up to six of them that I’m very much aware of. Whenever we heard that any of the sects was fighting Christians, we always joined them.

My own group has been an Islamic movement for a long time, even before I was born. It reigned in the north during the Abacha military regime and it has many branches in the north. We are in major northern states such as Kastina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Zaria among others.

Sometimes, when we want to wreak havoc on Christians, we hire our own bus because we have our own weapons, which we use against the Christians. We usually join the Boko Haram sect whenever they wanted to fight the Christians or the soldiers because we usually hear that soldiers kill our Boko Haram brothers in Maiduguri, Yobe and Potiskum.

I used to be one of the most trusted hands in the group because I was a very obedient and loyal follower. I had my own secret office where I received delegates from our sponsors whenever our leader wasn’t around and where I attend to the needs of any of our members.

This is why I didn’t participate in many of our attacks against the Christians or the soldiers because I used to take care of the home front. Our leaders usually psyched us up, they brainwashed us to fight against Christians because they are enemies of Allah. They taught us that the more Christians we were able to kill, the more our chances of entering Alijonan (heaven).

Many of our trainings hold in the night, around 10pm. There is a bush around the school where we usually go for trainings.

Some aspects of the training we receive are not ordinary; we used to drink what one could call spiritual water because it is not ordinary water. We also used to receive strange visitors who were not equally ordinary humans. We receive the visitors in a strange way, our leaders used to summon them: they used to instruct us to recite some passages in the Quran and whenever we do that, the visitors would appear to us during those unholy hours. They could come in three or four. They appeared like humans but they are not humans. We know they are not humans. They usually fortify us with charms for the task before us. They used to instruct us to be strong and fight.

Our leaders also used to render a lot of assistance to support our cause. They bring a lot of money in a pick up van and asked us to use the money to buy guns. Many of our supplies come from the zonal headquarters and sometimes, there is a popular Bayelsa man who is, though a Christian, supporting our cause in cash and kind. I can’t remember his name now. The Bayelsa man gave us money and also supplied us with weapons for the mission.

I am the second in command in my camp in our group, and whenever our president travels to the headquarters in Iran, I used to coordinate the group and receive our sponsors on his behalf. This is why I am able to sit with the sponsors and know what happens.

We had vowed to first kill all Christians in Kaduna before dealing with others in the north. Whenever we take the spiritual water, we become more daring to do any evil. It makes us more dangerous and if we were annoyed at such moment, we could kill. The water also fortifies us against gunshots. When we have taken it, bullets will not harm us. Also, we get mystery ring from our leaders. About eight of us were selected for the ring, and that ring provides almost anything we asked from it. It is like a personal power for us.

I can’t recall the number of people I have killed. I don’t use gun most times. We usually use guns to shoot people on the leg. If we ask a victim: “Will you become a Muslim or not? And he or she refuses, we slaughter the victim like a goat. And after killing the victim, we collect his or her blood in a very small cup and then drink it. After drinking the blood, the victim’s ghost could not hunt us in dreams. That is what our leaders told us. And indeed, once we taste the blood of people we kill, we will not see them in our dreams.

Sometimes, when we don’t feel like drinking the blood from the cup, we used our fingers to touch the victim’s blood and taste it. It will still prevent ghost of victim from hunting us in dreams.

We used to kill Christians because we believe that by killing them, we will enter heaven at death. Our leaders used a Quranic passage that seems to support our action (Recites some Quranic lines). In interpretation, the passage says: “O you believers, you should not be friendly with your enemies.” ‘Believers’ here means we, the Muslims and ‘enemies’ are the Christians.

The leaders of our group and the sponsors are many. Our sponsors are wealthy Nigerians. They are in government, and many are past Nigerian leaders. If I mention their names, you would think I am just telling lies. We have governors, senators who sponsor us heavily. Our sponsors are many (Names mentioned are withheld). You wouldn’t believe some of them are really part of us. We usually invite them to the graduation of the students in the school. That is when many know them as part of us.

We have days we go to town to preach and win more members. On such days, we add a red cap to our white T-Shirt and trousers. On another occasion when we put on black caps, it means we won’t fight.

Continued, here.

My encounter with Christ

It was on March 6, that I had a strange encounter that turned me into a completely different person. We usually go for our preaching on Fridays and Saturdays. I had just returned from one of such outings in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State, it was around 3pm. I was about to start taking ablution for the evening prayers when it happened.

 A man in pure, resplendent white attire just appeared to me. And once I saw him I was scared and dropped the small keg of water and ran off to my office. My people were asking me and I told them that I saw a man in white but they said they didn’t see anybody and even when I went back to the spot where I had seen the man, he was no longer there.

Then that night when I slept, the strange man in white came to me again. He was holding a stick and then I was frightened and I shouted and woke up with a start. My people rushed to me and said I was having a nightmare. Our leader said that the man in white must be an evil one. They took me to a powerful Mallam in Gombe who did some prayers for me to ward off the evil man in white.

After the prayers, the Mallam assured me that nothing would happen to me and I returned to our base. But then when I slept again the following night, the same man in white appeared to me again and this time, he spoke to me. He said: “God has chosen you”. He said that three times and I again woke up with a start and that again alarmed my people. But when they asked what happened to me, I lied to them that there was nothing.

When it was morning, I took my bath and deliberately went to see a barber friend who is a Christian. After he had finished cutting my hair, I opened up to him. I told him about my encounter with the strange old man in white and he said that the man must be God reaching out to me. I asked him why God would want to reach out to me. He then asked me if I was ready to give my life to Christ and serve God and immediately I said yes. I was even surprised at the way I simply took it.

Since I started fellowshipping with the church, I have become a different being. The experience was like I had a thorough bathe, which washed off all impurities like diseases and all that. Before the experience, I used to walk around like one afflicted with insanity, but now, I am more relaxed and composed. I now take time to take care of myself and even have inner peace. I used to live on drugs but now, I don’t take drugs any longer. I feel healthy.

It is not easy to quit the brotherhood because we undergo terrible and diabolic initiation process that hardened us. It is only by God’s touch that anyone one could renounce the group. When I was still there a certain high profile member of the Boko Haram sect, named Shuaib, renounced the group. I was part of many others who personally swore that we would ensure that we skin Shuaib alive if we see him anywhere.

But I want to tell my colleagues who are still in it to have a change of heart. I now realize that killing Christians would not take me to heaven; instead, it will take me to hell. And I’m ready to live a good life as a Christian.”

Source

Christian Minority In Pakistan Pounded By Islamists In Brutal Suicide Bombing

Pakistani Christians are under siege. In an unprecedented attack on the Christian minority in Pakistan, at least 78 people were killed in a suicide bombing outside a church in Peshwar. The number of casualties will surely increase. With an attack of this magnitude, knowing the official death toll will take some time.

What cowards, what heartless savages. Islamists continue to prove their soullessness. And instead of condemning these attacks, government officials cater. They attacked as worshippers were leaving the church in the city's Kohati Gate district. Church goers were expecting to get a meal of free rice on the church lawn when the bombs went off.

Instead, they got body parts blown off, or completely obliterated. What was to be a peaceful Lord's day turned into terror. Death on the Lord's Day came for Pakistani Christians at the hands of the merciless Taliban militants, determined to kill as many Christians as possible.

"There were blasts and there was hell for all of us," said Nazir John, who was at the church with at least 400 other worshippers. "When I got my senses back, I found nothing but smoke, dust, blood and screaming people. I saw severed body parts and blood all around"

Survivors could only stand shell shocked in the horror. And all the while, trying to find survivors and identifying the dead becomes an impossible job. But knowing who committed the attack is more than obvious.

"All the indications suggest that this was an attack by the Taliban," said the government official who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists. The official said at least 600 people were present in the church when the attack took place.

Now it all makes sense. Hospitals have been overrun with victims of the attack, to the point to where they cannot keep up with the influx. They are running out of caskets for the dead and beds for survivors. 
This isn't the first horrific attack on the Christian minority in Pakistan, but it is the deadliest. Islamic jihadists have been responsible for countless attacks on Christians and other minorities in the past, but this is the worst of them all.

Continued

Nigeria College Attacked: At Least 40 Killed

A military armoured vehicle in northern Nigeria.

At least 40 people have been killed after suspected Islamist gunmen fired on students as they slept at a college in northeast Nigeria.

The attackers reportedly stormed a dormitory and set fire to classrooms in the assault which happened about 1am local time on Sunday in the town of Gujba in Yobe state.
 
Nigeria's military is blaming militants from the Boko Haram insurgent group for the atrocity at the College of Agriculture.
A source told the AFP news agency that 40 bodies had been brought to hospital.
College provost Molima Idi Mato said security forces were still recovering bodies so he could not give an exact number of dead but said up to 50 had been killed.

He also said about 1,000 students had fled the scene.
The college is about 25 miles from the scene of similar school attacks around Damaturu town.
There were no security forces stationed at the college despite government assurances, said Mr Mato.

Members of Boko Haram pictured in February

Two weeks ago, state commission for education Mohammmed Lamin urged all schools to reopen and promising protection by soldiers and police.
Most schools in the area closed after militants killed 29 pupils and a teacher, burning some alive in their hostels at Mamudo outside Damaturu on July 6.

Northeast Nigeria is in a military state of emergency following an Islamic uprising by Boko Haram militants who have killed more than 1,700 people since 2010 in their quest for an Islamic state.
Yobe has seen a series of brutal attacks targeting students in recent months, all blamed on the group.
The name Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" and the group has repeatedly attacked schools, universities and colleges during its four-year insurgency.

The military has described the spate of recent attacks as a sign of desperation by the Islamists, claiming they only have the capacity to hit soft targets.
An offensive launched against Boko Haram in mid-May has decimated the group and scattered their fighters across remote parts of the northeast, the defence ministry has said.

Boko Haram has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, but the group is believed to be made up of different factions with varying aims.

Source

Christian Widows in India Beaten for Refusing to ‘Reconvert’ to Hinduism

NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – When Laxmi Sovi, a Christian widow in India’s Chhattisgarh state, heard her door opening one morning last month, she could not have guessed that by the next day she would be hospitalized and her home demolished.

 Three Hindu extremists identified only as Veeru, Chaytu and Mangru barged into Sovi’s house in Kakadi Beda village, Kondagoan, at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 24 and demanded that she and her children convert back to Hinduism, she told Morning Star News. In spite of threats, she declined.

The three men left.
That night at about 11 p.m., the same Hindu nationalists forced their way into her house.

“They asked me why I converted to Christianity and left all the Hindu idols, and they also told me that I should reconvert to Hinduism or else be killed,” Sovi said.

Continued, here

Christian Commentator Fired From FOX Sports Southwest May File Suit for Religious Discrimination

DALLAS – A former NFL star and ESPN sports commentator that was recently fired from his new position at FOX Sports Southwest says that he may sue his former employees for religious discrimination.

As previously reported, Craig James played for the New England Patriots in the 1980′s and later became a sportscaster for ESPN. In 2011, he decided to run for the U.S. Senate, and participated in a number of debates, including the 2012 event that he believes recently cost him his job.

During the debate, Craig was asked about his views on homosexuality and same-sex “marriage.” As a Christian, he responded that he could not support unBiblical behavior, and neither should any other civil leader.

“I think that this country, our moral fiber is sliding down a slope that is going to be hard to stop if we don’t stand up–the leaders who don’t go ride in gay parades,” he said. “I can assure you, I will never ride in a gay parade. Our kids out there…People need to see examples. I’m a guy who believes in [the union of] a man and a woman, … Adam and Eve, and what the Bible says.”


Craig was then asked if he believes men and women choose to be homosexual.
“I think it’s a choice; I do,” he replied. “Same-sex marriage, if someone chooses to do that, that’s them. And God’s going to judge each one of us in this room for our actions. And in that case right there, they’re going to have to answer to the Lord for their actions.”

“We should not give benefits to those civil unions,” James continued. “We have to stay strong on this. This is important, man. I’ll tell you what, we have a fiscal issue in this country, [but] we also have a moral issue in this country, and as Christians, we’ve got to stand up.”


His response then drew applause from the crowd, but not so much when FOX officials saw the footage.
“We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department,” an unnamed FOX representative told the Dallas Morning News. “He couldn’t say those things here.”
“Craig James will not be making any further appearances on FOX Sports Southwest’s football coverage this season,” they advised.

However, representatives now state that the video footage was not the reason Craig was let go after only a week on the job.

“At Fox Sports we respect all points of view, and despite reports to the contrary, the decision to no longer use Craig James in our college football coverage was simply because he was not a good fit at Fox Sports,” the network told reporters. “Mr. James, while both experienced and knowledgeable, is a polarizing figure in the college sports community. Regrettably, the decision to use him was not properly vetted, and as a result he will no longer provide commentary on Fox Sports Southwest’s college football coverage.”

But James says that be believes his Christian faith was indeed the motive behind his termination.
“I was shocked that my personal religious beliefs were not only the reason for FOX Sports firing me, but I was completely floored when I read stories quoting FOX Sports representatives essentially saying that people of faith are banned from working at FOX Sports,” James told Breitbart News. “That is not right, and surely someone made a terrible mistake.”

He has now retained legal representation from the Liberty Institute, a Christian legal group based in Plano, Texas. On Tuesday, the organization send a letter to FOX demanding answers and James’ reinstatement.

“Craig James believes that he, as a Christian, is called to love everyone regardless of their sexual orientation,” attorney Jeffrey Mateer wrote. “Craig James simply wants to receive the same tolerance for his religious beliefs that he himself practices toward others.”
Mateer told the the network that if it does not respond to concerns, legal proceedings would ensue.
It is not known whether FOX has yet replied to the correspondence.

Source

Facilitate Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ or Else: Legal Group Warns Christian Businesses Face ‘Real Threat’

A prominent Christian legal organization representing a New Mexico photographer that was was recently forced by the state Supreme Court to ‘compromise … to accommodate’ requests to shoot homosexual dedication ceremonies is warning that similar cases are presenting a “real threat” to Christians across the country.

As previously reported, Elane Huguenin and her husband Jon, who operate run Elane Photography in Albuquerque, found themselves having to answer to the New Mexico Human Rights Commission in 2006 when they turned down a lesbian who wanted Elane to photograph her upcoming ceremony with her partner.

The Commission ruled against Huguenin in 2008, stating that she was guilty of violating the state’s “sexual orientation” discrimination law, which prohibits “any person in a public accommodation to make a distinction, directly or indirectly, in offering or refusing to offer its services … to any person because of … sexual orientation.” The Commission then ordered the photographer to pay nearly $7,000 in fines for refusing to shoot the ceremony.

Huguenin appealed the decision in December 2009, arguing that forcing her to go against her beliefs regarding homosexuality would be like forcing African Americans to photograph Klu Klux Klan members. Last June, the Mexico State Court of Appeals released a 45-page opinion upholding the guilty verdict.

"The owners of Elane Photography must accept the reasonable regulations and restrictions imposed upon the conduct of their commercial enterprise despite their personal religious beliefs that may conflict with these government interests,” Judge Tim Garcia wrote on behalf of the panel. “The Klu-Klux-Klan is not a protected class. Sexual orientation, however, is protected.”

The Christian legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) then appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously this month that Huguenin must shoot same-sex ceremonies no matter how sincere her convictions may be. Justice Richard C. Bosson, who wrote a concurring opinion, asserted that the Huguenins may freely live out their faith privately, but when it comes to running a public business, they will have to “pay the price” and check their Christian convictions at the door.

“The Huguenins are free to think, to say, to believe, as they wish; they may pray to the God of their choice and follow those commandments in their personal lives wherever they lead. The Constitution protects the Huguenins in that respect and much more,” he wrote. “But there is a price, one that we all have to pay somewhere in our civic life.”

Continued

Christian Street Pastor Arrested for "Hate Speech"

A Christian street preacher was arrested and jailed a couple of weeks ago in England after he was accused by a lesbian bystander of engaging in hate speech against homosexuals.

The incident occurred while evangelist Rob Hughes was preaching on the streets of Basildon, Essex. As he spoke, Hughes was approached by police, who advised that they had received a complaint that Hughes had engaged in hate speech by preaching against homosexuality.

 Police advised that such speech was a violation of the Public Order Act, Section 5, which bans "threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior, or disorderly behavior" or the display of "any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting" within earshot of sight of a person "likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby."

As Hughes was interviewed by police on street, his friend, Andrew Noble, was also interrogated by officers. "Did you say that homosexuality is sinful?" Noble remembers the police inquiring. "I don't think we said that today, but it is something that we would say," he replied.

Noble told Christian News Network that a lesbian bystander had lodged a complaint against Hughes' speech and falsely accused him of speaking against homosexual behavior. Hughes was arrested on the street and transported to the local jail, where he was then fingerprinted and held in a cell. In the meantime, Noble contacted the Christian legal organization Christian Concern to request emergency assistance.

Seven hours later, at nearly midnight, Hughes was released and the charges were dismissed. Hughes told Christian Concern that Christian street preachers are facing a situation where they are now becoming "presumed guilty until found to be innocent." "This is happening alarmingly often now," Andrea Williams, president of the organization, stated in a news release announcing Hughes' arrest.

"Rob's experience shows why it's so important that we at the Christian Legal Center keep giving legal support to Christians like him who simply want to share the good news of Jesus." As previously reported, a similar incident occurred in July of this year as American evangelist Tony Miano was arrested and jailed after speaking against sexual immorality on the streets of London.

Miano states that he was preaching from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 when a woman became agitated by his message and began to curse. "[I preached about] the fact that people are in sin and are violating God's word and His law by engaging in immorality - both heterosexual immorality and homosexual immorality," he explained. Since he had included homosexuality in his sermon, the woman, who had gone into a nearby store and came out to find Miano still speaking, called the police to complain.

Moments later, officers arrived and notified Miano that he had allegedly violated Section 5 of the Public Order Act. He was placed under arrest and marched down to the police station where the was then questioned about his beliefs. "It was surreal because I was interrogated about my faith in Jesus Christ," Miano said. "I was asked if I believe that homosexuality is a sin. I was asked what portion of the Bible I was reading. I was asked if a homosexual was hungry and walked up to me, would I give them something to eat." Like Hughes, Miano was released near midnight and went back out on the streets to preach the following day. -

See more at: here

5 Things We Learned About Pope Francis From His Blockbuster Interview

RNS) Pope Francis’ comments this week on everything from gays to abortion (less talk, more mercy), the hierarchy (be pastors, not bureaucrats) and religious faith (doubt is part of belief) continue to reverberate through the church and the media.

Here are five broader insights that this wide-ranging interview revealed about Francis — and why they will be keys to reading his pontificate, and perhaps the future of Catholicism.

1. He is not a hermit, and he reads his own press

The great danger for popes, like presidents and other world leaders, is that they can become isolated from the real lives of ordinary people beyond their gilded bubble. Some pledge to stay connected but ultimately fail, like John Paul II. Some enjoy the isolation, like Benedict XVI, which leads to losing touch.

Francis has done more than any pope to remain “normal,” as he puts it — calling friends and strangers alike on his personal cellphone, and living in the Vatican guesthouse rather than the “inverted funnel” of the large rooms and small doorways inside the Apostolic Palace, as he said this week. “People can come only in dribs and drabs, and I cannot live without people,” he said. “I need to live my life with others.”

He also knows what is going on in the church. He noted that he has been “reprimanded” by his right flank for not talking about their favorite issues all the time — and he doesn’t care. Indeed, the whole interview was directed as much to his fellow bishops as to the wider church and world, and it revealed some serious political savvy behind the big smile.

“See everything; turn a blind eye to much; correct a little,” he said, reviving a favorite phrase of Pope John XXIII.
The point is that he sees everything, and seems determined to maintain his own listening posts.

2. He is a Jesuit forever

In a blog post that sought to downplay the significance of Francis’ interview, the Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a conservative commentator popularly known as “Father Z,” wrote that Pope Francis is “formerly a Jesuit.” Yet nothing could be further from the truth.

Francis — the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio — was ordained a Jesuit priest as a young man, spent his entire adult life immersed in the teachings and dynamic of the order founded by St. Ignatius Loyola, and returns at almost every point in the 12,000-word interview to his Ignatian roots. He even gave the exclusive to a Jesuit journalist from a Jesuit magazine.

Reading the interview is like getting a primer on Ignatian spirituality, on an openness to the world and “finding God in all things.” But he boils it down to one word: “Discernment.”

“My choices, including those related to the day-to-day aspects of life, like the use of a modest car, are related to a spiritual discernment that responds to a need that arises from looking at things, at people and from reading the signs of the times. Discernment in the Lord guides me in my way of governing.”

As the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit and an analyst for National Catholic Reporter, put it: “While reading the interview, I felt like I was in a Jesuit living room having a conversation with a brother.” Francis is letting everyone else in on those conversations now; listen and you will get a better understanding of where this pontificate is headed.

3. Authoritarianism is dead, consultation lives

When the cardinals gathered last March to elect a successor to Benedict XVI, many Catholics were praying for a reformer who would tilt the church toward the progressive side of the spectrum. The cardinals, and many other bishops, were mainly concerned with getting a pope who would get the Roman Curia off their backs and maybe even listen to their concerns once in a while.

Both prayers may have been answered, but the most significant development may be Francis’ vow to have a “real, not ceremonial consultation” in which he hears all points of view and where everyone can speak freely.

Francis wants to consult with the bishops, but it doesn’t stop there: He wants the bishops to consult with their people, to “support the movements of God among their people with patience.” The point is that the institutional church needs to account for the beliefs of the “people of God.”
He expressed that most provocatively in highlighting that all Catholics — rather than the pope alone — “are infallible in matters of belief.”

Francis’ appreciation of consultation comes from reflecting on his past mistakes, when he vaulted to a senior leadership position in the Jesuits at the age of 36 and alienated many with his “authoritarian way of making decisions.” The church, too, has been guilty of that fault, he says, and he wants to change that.

4. “Pope Francis is comfortable with gray”

Religion, and especially Catholicism, is widely associated with certitude and doctrinal pronouncements that draw rigid lines designed to show who’s in and who’s out, who’s right and who’s wrong.

This pope has a different view.
“Pope Francis is comfortable with gray,” writes the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit at America magazine, which published the papal exclusive. Francis says those frightened “disciplinarians” who desire “an exaggerated doctrinal security” are missing the Christian message.

Indeed, Francis says: “If a person says that he met God with total certainty and is not touched by a margin of uncertainty, then this is not good. … If one has the answers to all the questions — that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself.”
The point is to have a church that is a big, messy, welcoming family, “not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people. We must not reduce the bosom of the universal church to a nest protecting our mediocrity.”

All of these points add up to the biggest takeaway, namely …

5. Change is good

“There are ecclesiastical rules and precepts that were once effective, but now they have lost value or meaning. The view of the church’s teaching as a monolith to defend without nuance or different understandings is wrong,” Francis says.

Instead, he continues, the church “must better understand how human beings understand themselves today, in order to develop and deepen the Church’s teaching” and to “grow in the understanding of the truth” and “mature in her own judgment.”

In his comments, the pope seems to echo the 19th-century English convert, Cardinal John Henry Newman, who has been both celebrated and condemned for his writings on how doctrine evolves over time. It was Newman who famously said: “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.”

It is unclear how long any changes might take under Francis, or exactly what form they will take. But after this week’s developments, it seems inevitable that change is coming, and Francis won’t be deterred by naysayers.

Source

Billy Graham’s Grandson: Evangelicals ‘Worse’ than Catholics on Sex Abuse

AUSTIN, Texas (RNS) The Christian mission field is a “magnet” for sexual abusers, Boz Tchividjian, a Liberty University law professor who investigates abuse said Thursday (Sept. 26) to a room of journalists.

While comparing evangelicals to Catholics on abuse response, ”I think we are worse,” he said at the Religion Newswriters Association conference, saying too many evangelicals had “sacrificed the souls” of young victims.

“Protestants can be very arrogant when pointing to Catholics,”  said Tchividjian, a grandson of evangelist Billy Graham and executive director of Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), which has investigated sex abuse allegations.

Earlier this summer, GRACE spearheaded an online petition decrying the “silence” and “inattention” of evangelical leaders to sexual abuse in their churches.
Mission agencies, “where abuse is most prevalent,” often don’t report abuse because they fear being barred from working in foreign countries, he said. Abusers will get sent home and might join another agency. Of known data from abuse cases, 25 percent are repeat cases, he said.

Still, he says, he sees some positive movements among some Protestants. Bob Jones University has hired GRACE to investigate abuse allegations, a move that encourages Tchividjian, a former Florida prosecutor. ”That’s like the mothership of fundamentalism,” he said. His grandfather split with Bob Jones in a fundamentalist and evangelical division.

“The Protestant culture is defined by independence,” Tchividjian said. Evangelicals often frown upon transparency and accountability, he said, as many Protestants rely on Scripture more than religious leaders, compared to Catholics.

Abusers discourage whistle-blowing by condemning gossip to try to keep people from reporting abuse, he said. Victims are also told to protect the reputation of Jesus.
Too many Protestant institutions have sacrificed souls in order to protect their institutions, he said. ”We’ve got the Gospels backwards,” he said.

Tchividjian said he is speaking with Pepperdine University, a Church of Christ-affiliated school in California, about creating a national GRACE center.

Source

South Sudan Bishop Who Won Clinton Award: Devil Behind Christian Apathy Toward Third World Plight

A South Sudan Bishop has warned that the devil is behind the apathy present in some Christian churches and communities that allows them to relax and enjoy comforts while ignoring the plight of suffering people in third world countries.

"The Christian churches need to become more involved in advocacy," Bishop Elias Taban of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Sudan and Uganda said in a phone interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday.

"God has made us stewards of the entire world, (we need to) get involved in building the third world countries, in terms of prayer and physical support," he continued. "When we relax behind our comfortable zones, the problems will continue and come closer."

Taban was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) during a private ceremony on Wednesday for a remarkable life in which he has influenced an entire region and many people around the world.

The Bishop is a former child soldier who grew up during Sudan's civil wars, but managed to escape and earn diplomas in civil engineering and theology. He returned to Sudan and became a pastor, helping the devastated churches, and began building schools, orphanages and hospitals throughout the region. Today, he serves as the general director of a water wells project, which is restoring entire communities and providing both water and work for residents.

"Each year, honorees are nominated by the CGI community based on their visionary leadership, demonstrated impact, and sustainable and scalable work in solving global issues," the Clinton Global Initiative has said. "Bishop Taban's courage and selfless efforts have saved many lives, and after the war, he became known throughout South Sudan as he built schools, orphanages, and hospitals in the region."

Read much more, here.

How Long Will the World Last?

At least another 1.75 billion years, according to scientists. However, be warned that between 1.75 and 3.25 billion years from now, Earth will no longer be habitable-our planet will move so close to the sun that our oceans evaporate. At that time we should probably move to Mars, since it will remain habitable until the end of the sun's lifetime, six billion years from now.

Of course, other eventualities could shorten our planet's life. A giant black hole would consume us (though the nearest one is 1,600 light-years away). A microscopic black hole with the mass of Mount Everest would absorb the Earth. A bomb with the energy of the sun's weekly output would blow us to pieces. Firing Mars or Venus at us at 31 miles per second would pulverize our planet, as would a 10-trillion ton asteroid traveling at 90 percent the speed of light. The odds of any of these actually occurring are astronomically small, however. It's probably still safe to buy green bananas.

But just because our planet's future seems assured doesn't mean ours is. Did you hear about the man who woke up in a hunting lodge in Zimbabwe to find an eight-foot crocodile hiding under his bed? Or the creepy clown that looks like one of Stephen King's killer characters and is terrorizing people in Northampton, England?

We have our own fears in America. In the last 20 years, the number of registered poodles has fallen by half. In that time, the number of registered Rottweilers has risen 100 fold. We have twice as many private security officers as public police officers. The average American sees 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence on television by the end of the fifth grade. No wonder psychologists have catalogued 628 different phobias by name.

What do you fear most today? Name that fear now. Then do what God says with it: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). What will happen? "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (v. 7).

How is God able to give us such peace in the midst of our fears? On occasion, I reread Dr. S. M. Lockridge's description of Jesus. Let's close with it today: "He is enduringly strong; he is entirely sincere. He is eternally steadfast; he is immortally gracious. He is imperially powerful; he is impartially merciful. He is the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizons of the globe. He is God's Son; he is the sinner's Savior. He is the captive's Ransom; he is the breath of life. He is the centerpiece of civilization; he stands in the solitude of Himself.

"He is august and he is unique; he is unparalleled and he is unprecedented. He is undisputed and he is undefiled; he is unsurpassed and he is unshakeable. He is the loftiest idea in philosophy; he is the highest personality in psychology. He is the supreme subject in literature; he is the fundamental doctrine of theology. He is the Cornerstone and the Capstone. He is the miracle of the ages."

Now, what's your problem?

Read more, here

Billy Graham Asks Iran's President to Release Pastor Saeed Abedini From Prison

Renowned evangelist Billy Graham is asking Iran's president Hassan Rouhani for the release of Pastor Saeed Abedini from prison, pointing out that such an action might be perceived by U.S. leaders as a significant step in reducing tensions.

"On September 26, the one-year anniversary of Pastor Abedini's imprisonment, thousands will attend prayer vigils in more than 70 U.S. cities, calling on your country to release this husband, father and servant of God," 

Graham writes in a letter addressed to Rouhani and published on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website. "I join them by respectfully asking you to release Pastor Saeed Abedini from prison. Such an action would, I believe, have a positive impact in our nation, and might well be perceived by our leadership as a significant step in reducing tensions."

Read more, here