Persecuted Christians Fleeing Iran for Germany

Iranian-born Muslims who converted to Christianity are breathing new spiritual life into communities across Germany, where they are fleeing to increasing numbers to escape persecution back home.


Men and women, who have been sentenced to the lash or worse for apostasy – converting from Islam – are forming a thriving community of Christian ex-pats in German cities and towns. The Iranian immigrants seek asylum, or simply pay up to $30,000 to enter the country illegally with a fake passport, a new name and plans to start their lives over in new churches.


“The growing number of Iranian Christians fleeing their homeland to come to Germany should alarm us that Iran’s regime is getting more and more radicalized and repressive – on a daily basis,” Saba Farzan, a German-Iranian expert on human rights, told FoxNews.com.



Persecuted Christians Fleeing Iran for Germany

Creation Museum Unveils ‘Exceptional’ Dinosaur Exhibit to Challenge Evolution

CINCINNATI – Leaders of the Creation Museum in
northern Kentucky unveiled a new $1.5 million dinosaur exhibit last week
which they say ‘will challenge evolutionary theory.’

Since 2007, the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum has displayed
exhibits which affirm and illustrate the history of the world from a
biblical perspective. According to the museum’s website, the Creation
Museum “brings the pages of the Bible to life” with many high-tech
exhibits.

In a press release  last week, Creation Museum leadership announced the grand opening of a brand new dinosaur exhibit featuring a well-preserved allosaur skeleton.
The exhibit, titled “Facing the Allosaurus,” features one of the best-preserved Allosaurus fragilis skulls ever discovered, according to the release.
Creation Museum Unveils ‘Exceptional’ Dinosaur Exhibit to Challenge Evolution

Stepfather Repeatedly Raped Teen, Including On The Night Before Her Forced Abortion

BRISBANE, Australia, May 23, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com)
– An Australian man has been convicted of 159 sexual charges against
his stepdaughter, including raping her the night before she was to have
an abortion he arranged to cover up his molestation.

The man, who lives in Warwick, initiated an involuntary sexual
relationship when the girl was 14, videotaping many of his sexual
encounters.

As she was about to enter her sophomore year in high school, she became
pregnant, and the stepfather demanded she have an abortion.

"I am more than satisfied you were the father of her aborted child,”
Judge Brian Devereaux told the unrepentant man at Friday's sentencing
hearing. "You even raped her the night before she was to have that
abortion.”

The abuse continued until the girl turned 19. He maintained that the relationship was consensual.

(See link below for more)
Stepfather repeatedly raped teen, including on the night before her forced abortion | LifeSiteNews.com

Muslim Clerics Resist Pakistan's Efforts to End Child Marriage

LAHORE, Pakistan (RNS) When police raided a marriage ceremony in
Karachi on Wednesday (May 14) and found a 46-year-old groom about to
marry his 14-year-old bride, the wedding didn’t come as a shock to most
here in this conservative Muslim country — the raid did.

The bride told police her marriage had been consensual, police
officials said. Her age was listed as 18 on the marriage certificate.

Marrying off girls as young as 10 is still a widespread practice in
Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere in Asia and Africa, despite the
prohibition of child marriage in some existing national and provincial
laws. Between 2000 and 2010, about 24.4 million women between the ages
of 20 and 24 were married before the age of 18, according to a report by the United Nations Population Fund.

See link below for more:
Muslim clerics resist Pakistan's efforts to end child marriage | Religion News Service

New Study by Sociologist Mark Regnerus Suggests Religion Can Predict Sexual Behavior

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS). Controversial sociologist Mark Regnerus presented
new research on marriage and sex at a conference of Southern Baptists on
Tuesday (April 22), suggesting that religion and sex are tracking more closely
than ever before.

In his first new research since his controversial study on same-sex parenting
about two years ago, the sociology professor at the University of Texas at
Austin presented findings from an unpublished study on marriage and sexual
behavior to the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission conference on
sexuality. The study suggests there’s a correspondence between what people’s
religious affiliations proscribe regarding sex and marriage and their behavior.

(Continued)

New study by sociologist Mark Regnerus suggests religion can predict sexual behavior | Religion News Service

Pennsylvania Gay Marriage Ban Overturned By Judge

Pennsylvania's ban on gay marriage was overturned by a federal judge Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III called the plaintiffs -- a widow, 11 couples and one of the couples' two teenage daughters -- courageous.

"We now join the 12 federal district courts across the country which, when confronted with these inequities in their own states, have concluded that all couples deserve equal dignity in the realm of civil," Jones wrote.

An appeal to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is likely. Gov. Tom Corbett's office had defended the law after Attorney General Kathleen Kane called it unconstitutional and refused to defend it. State marriage bans have been falling around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Read more: http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/25567390/pennsylvania-gay-marriage-ban-overturned-by-judge#ixzz32NZdfdyz

The Sword of the Lord

Of all the conflicts of the 20^th century, World War II looms
the largest. The horrifying death toll, the surprise attack at Pearl
Harbor, the Holocaust, and the unforgettable figures of Eisenhower,
Churchill, and Hitler have combined to keep the war in the popular
consciousness.

Lost in the shadows is the world war that came 30 years earlier, what contemporaries called “The Great War.” Yet in a new book, “The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade,” historian Philip Jenkins
of Baylor University shows us that this forgotten conflict had
tremendous implications for both the religious world of its own day and
for our own as well. Observers wishing to understand the origins of the
modern world cannot do so, he argues, without grappling with World War
I’s long-range consequences.

( Continued)

The Sword of the Lord

India's Christians Fear Rise in Persecution Under BJP

After the BJP's historic election victory this week, Christians in
India have mixed feelings about the future and how the country's new
leaders will impact on freedom of religion.

The last week has been a massive turnaround for the once struggling
opposition party that suffered defeats in the last two elections.

Taking them to victory was the charismatic Narendra Modi, who International Christian Concern reports has feigned ignorance about past Hindu nationalist attacks on minorities.

There are serious concerns among Christians, with one pastor, Ronald
John, telling ICC the "persecution of Christians will increase under the
BJP-led government".

"Christians already are gripped with fear and concern over the
election results. Hindu nationalist groups will take advantage of the
situation and use it to attack churches and members of the Christian
community," he said.
(See link below)
 India's Christians fear rise in persecution under BJP | Christian News on Christian Today

Teen Whose Father Was Slain by Islamists for Refusing to Deny Christ Denied U.S. Visa

WASHINGTON – A Christian teenager from Nigeria who
was denied a visa to the United States ‘multiple times’ is sharing her
story of strength in the midst of persecution after her father
was murdered by the Muslim terrorist group Boko Haram for refusing to
deny his faith in Christ.

Deborah Peters, 15, spoke on Tuesday during a panel discussion hosted
by the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., outlining that she chose
to tell her story following the kidnapping of nearly 300 school girls in
her hometown of Chibok.

See more
Teen Whose Father Was Slain by Islamists for Refusing to Deny Christ Denied U.S. Visa | Christian News Network

6 Reasons Pastors Should not Quit on Mondays

I've heard it countless times from pastors: "I quit my job almost every Monday." Of course, it's typically a tongue-in-cheek statement regarding the letdown many pastors feel after Sunday. But most pastors say these words with a little bit of truth. They really do feel the struggles and challenges of being pastor more on Monday than most other days.

The title of this article could be "Six Reasons Pastors Want to Quit Their Jobs on Monday," but I've chosen to take a different approach. I will give the six most common reasons I've heard for quitting, but then I'll offer rejoinders that offer encouragement on why they should not quit.

1. "I am emotionally spent after preaching on Sunday." I understand fully. But don't make hasty decisions or judgments after such an emotionally draining experience. Most people will never know what goes into sermon preparation and what it takes out of the pastor. Hang in there. God will restore your strength.

Continued, here.

From Sea to Sea, Pro-Life Canadians Unite in Provincial Marches for Life

May 14, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com)
– Thousands of pro-lifers attended provincial Marches for Life across
Canada on May 8, joining forces with the 23,000-strong crowd at the
National March for Life in Ottawa, with the aim of ending abortion in
this country.

While a few regions hold their marches on different days to accommodate
as many people to attend as possible, all have the same focus that
abortion kills children and must be stopped.

VICTORIA, British Columbia

Hundreds of pro-lifers started the day on Thursday, May 8, 2014 for the
6th annual March for Life in Victoria with prayer at two noon pro-life
Masses held at St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Cathedral and St. Patrick’s
Roman Catholic Church. Marchers then gathered at Centennial Square and
headed down Government Street to the B.C. Legislature where they heard
inspirational speeches on this year's theme, Life: The Only Choice.

Speakers were introduced by emcee Pavel Reid, director of the Office of
Life, Marriage and Family of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and included
Bishop John Corriveau of Nelson, pro-life advocates Carmela Marie Cruz,
Elizabeth Sutcliffe and Lara Burns, as well as high school students
Amanda Seymour and Antonio Balogh.

The day finished with the Victoria Pro-Life Gala dinner co-hosted by
National Campus Life Network and UVic’s pro-life club, Youth Protecting
Youth. The guest speaker was Lara Burns, who shared her personal
testimony, speaking about “The Joy of Choosing Life.”

A video of the Victoria March for Life is available here.

EDMONTON, Alberta

After the pro-life Mass at St. Joseph's Basilica, marchers gathered at
the Alberta Legislature where Bishop David Motiuk of the Ukrainian
Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton offered opening prayers. The Knights of
Columbus led the March from the Legislature to Sir Winston Churchill
Square for speeches on this year's theme: "But Mommy, Daddy, my heart is
beating."

Emcees were Denise Mountenay, founder and president of Canada Silent No
More, and Joanne Byfield, president of ALIES (Back Porch), who
introduced a host of speakers including Dr. Robert Hauptman of Canadian
Physicians for Life and Sharon-Rose Milan, executive director of
Campaign Life Coalition Alberta.

Marchers then returned to the legislature for closing speeches and a prayer service for the victims of abortion.

From sea to sea, pro-life Canadians unite in provincial Marches for Life | LifeSiteNews.com

Report: Abducted Girls Being Forced to Marry Islamic Captors

Scores of girls and young women kidnapped from a school in Nigeria
are being forced to marry their Islamic extremist abductors, a civic
organization reported Wednesday.


At the same time, the Boko Haram terrorist network is negotiating
over the students’ fate and is demanding an unspecified ransom for their
release, a Borno state community leader told The Associated Press.


He said the Wednesday night message from the abductors also claimed that two of the girls have died from snake bites.

Report: Abducted Girls Being Forced to Marry Islamic Captors | Christian News Network

Raped Woman Faces Flogging

Sharia police in the Indonesian province of Aceh will publicly flog a young woman for adultery after she was turned in by eight vigilantes who had already gang-raped her as punishment.

The woman, a 25-year-old widow, and her alleged partner, a married 40-year old man, were caught inside her home last Thursday by a group of eight who were intent on enforcing the sharia prohibition on sex outside marriage, local media reports say.

The eight, who included a 13-year-old boy, tied up and beat the man and repeatedly raped the woman before dousing both in raw sewage.

Continued

How Women Can Make Church a Safe Place for Men

When we dress provocatively, we dishonor God and display a lack of
regard for His holiness. We can also become a distraction for our
brothers in Christ.

I'd been traveling all weekend, and my flight from California to the East Coast got in at midnight. All I wanted to do was go home, drop my suitcases and hit the sack.

But the story my husband had waiting for me made me drop my jaw and want to hit—well, not the sack!

"She was just visiting our church service this morning," he began haltingly.

He didn't notice her at first, he said. But then came "greeting time."

"Bob, I'd like you to meet John's cousin," a friend said as he introduced her.

That's when my husband's mind began to whirl. He'd heard about her. She was the one with the perfect—well, let's just say she qualified to be a
fitting model for Victoria's Secret. You figure out what was perfect!

Through the rest of the service he was restless. Intrigued. Annoyed. He wasn't the only one; I asked. (Continued)

How Women Can Make Church a Safe Place for Men

Horrifying Scenes in Syria as Islamic extremists CRUCIFY Two for 'Fighting Against Muslims'

Islamic extremists have publicly crucified two Syrian rebels in northeastern Syria in revenge for a grenade attack on members of their group.

The jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant said it had executed a total of seven prisoners who it claimed had carried out a grenade attack on one of its fighters earlier this month in the Euphrates Valley city of Raqqa.

The group, which even Al Qaeda have been keen to distance themselves from, said on Twitter: 'Ten days ago, attackers on a motorbike threw a grenade at an ISIL fighter at the Naim roundabout. A Muslim civilian had his leg blown off and a child was killed.
Horrifying scenes in Syria as Islamic extremists CRUCIFY two for 'fighting against Muslims' | Mail Online

Jerry Pattengale: How the 'Jesus' Wife' Hoax Fell Apart

In September 2012, Harvard Divinity School professor Karen King announced the discovery of a Coptic (ancient Egyptian) gospel text on a papyrus fragment that contained the phrase "Jesus said to them, 'My wife . . .' " The world took notice. The possibility that Jesus was married would prompt a radical reconsideration of the New Testament and biblical scholarship.

Yet now it appears almost certain that the Jesus-was-married story line was divorced from reality. On April 24, Christian Askeland—a Coptic specialist at Indiana Wesleyan University and my colleague at the Green
Scholars Initiative—revealed that the "Gospel of Jesus' Wife," as the fragment is known, was a match for a papyrus fragment that is clearly a forgery. (Continued)

Jerry Pattengale: How the 'Jesus' Wife' Hoax Fell Apart - WSJ.com