Judge Rules Against Quoting Bible at School Board Meetings

A federal judge has ruled that an Arizona school board didn’t violate federal law by warning a member not to quote from the Bible during public meetings. U.S. District Judge Michael T. Liburdi for the District of Arizona ruled that board member Heather Rooks didn’t have standing to sue Peoria Unified School District after she was advised to stop quoting the Bible during board meetings. Liburdi concluded that emailed instructions from the board to not quote Scripture during the meetings constituted “legal advice” from its attorney rather than unlawful censorship of speech.

“Based on the content of the emails, it appears PUSD is correct: the emails are legal advice designed to explicitly warn board members about potential legal liability from third parties,” wrote the judge. “Nowhere in the emails does it say the Board will refer board members to the Arizona Attorney General for reciting Bible verses. Nor does it say the Board President will cut a board member’s microphone at the mention of scripture.”

The ruling warned “if the Court were to construe the type of advice provided in the emails as a threat, as Rooks suggests, it would risk chilling an entirely different type of speech — conversations between attorneys and their clients.” Erin Smith, associate counsel for First Liberty Institute, which is representing Rooks, said in a statement that the school board has “backtracked” and will “allow her to say Bible verses going forward.” “Heather plans to resume saying the Bible verses at the next board meeting, and appeal the district court’s ruling to ensure her speech remains protected.”

After taking office in January 2023, Rooks began a practice of quoting from the Bible during the board comments segment of public meetings, using verses from both the Old and New Testaments. Her practice eventually garnered the attention of the Wisconsin-based church-state separation group Freedom FromReligion Foundation, which sent a letter to the school board demanding that the Bible-quoting be stopped. The school board and its attorney concluded that quoting Bible verses during the meetings might violate the Constitution and sent out emails recommending that Rooks stop doing so.

In September 2023, the First Liberty Institute and the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP filed a lawsuit against the Peoria USD on behalf of Rooks, arguing that her quoting Scripture during meetings was part of “a longstanding, well-accepted tradition” among public officials.

“Rooks’ practice accords with over 200 years of this Nation’s historical practices and understandings,” read the suit. “Public officials from Presidents Washington and Lincoln up through President Biden routinely recited scripture while performing their official duties. Rooks doesn’t coerce or call for anyone else’s participation. She doesn’t ask for anyone to bow their heads, stand, or participate in reading. … This Court should declare that Rooks’ brief quotations of scripture during her Board comments time at public school board meetings do not violate the Establishment Clause.”

Biblical Connections: The United States was established based upon Christian principles and the Word of God. Many of the nation’s founding documents talk about God and biblical foundations. Judges arguing that simply stating Bible verses in public is somehow against the law or inappropriate for the public shows just how far some have moved away from these Judeo-Christian roots. This is not something that should stand in the United States and should be immediately reversed.

PRAY: Pray the people trying to drive America away from its biblical foundation will be stopped and freedom of religion will again be the law of the land.

Iran's Stock of Near-bomb-grade Uranium Grows

Iran continues to push toward having the capability of a nuclear bomb, regardless of whether they are willing to admit it or not. Iran's stock of uranium enriched to near weapons grade has grown sharply since it announced a dramatic acceleration in December and there has been no progress on resolving outstanding issues, two reports by the UN nuclear watchdog showed. The stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, close to the roughly 90% of bomb-grade, has been a long-standing concern for Western powers, which say there is no civil justification for enriching uranium to such a high level. Iran says it seeks only peaceful nuclear energy. While US President Donald Trump's administration has said it plans to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said time is running out for diplomacy to impose new restrictions on Iran's activities. If Iran is able to get a nuclear bomb, it will dramatically change the negotiating abilities throughout the Middle East, as other nations will no longer be able to simply push Iran to negotiate once they are a nuclear power.

 Two quarterly reports sent by the IAEA to member states showed that while the stock of 60% material has grown by around half, there has been no real progress on resolving long-running outstanding issues with Iran including the unexplained presence of uranium traces found at undeclared sites. "The significantly increased production and accumulation of high enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern," the IAEA said in a passage that, unusually, was included in both reports.

 The stock of uranium refined to up to 60% in the form of uranium hexafluoride grew by 92.5 kg in the past quarter to 274.8 kg, one of two confidential IAEA reports said. That is enough in principle, if enriched further, for six nuclear bombs, according to an IAEA yardstick. There is enough for more weapons at lower enrichment levels. When one combines these types of uranium and nuclear warhead type developments with Iran’s increases in things like ballistic missiles and drones, it could lead to serious problems in the Middle East in the future.  

 One of the reports also spelled out the lack of progress on the outstanding issues such as explaining the uranium traces, which the IAEA has been asking the Islamic Republic to do for years. "Iran states that it has declared all of the nuclear material, activities and locations required under its Safeguards Agreement. This is inconsistent with the Agency's assessments of the unexplained nuclear-related activities that took place at all four of the undeclared locations in Iran referred to above," the report said. "The Agency is, therefore, at an impasse with regard to resolving these outstanding safeguards issues."

 Biblical Connection: Iran’s continual push toward nuclear bombs plays a significant role in Biblical prophecy. First, Iran’s ability to get nuclear weapons could embolden them in their desire to destroy Israel. If they have the ability to launch nuclear attacks, it will be much harder for other nations, like the United States or Europe, to get them to back down if they truly want to attack Israel, like the Gog Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39. Second, the increase of nuclear weapons as a whole, not just with Iran but globally, could have lasting impact into the future Tribulation. Many see some of the judgments in the Tribulation as potential nuclear war and the fallout that would occur after.

 PRAY: Pray that this push by Iran to become a nuclear power will be stopped and that the push for more and more nuclear weapons globally will end.

Focus on Trans Issues on the Way Down?

It seems like the tide is finally turning in the US on the transgender issue. A new survey reveals that about half of Americans believe the U.S. has gone too far in allowing male, trans-identified athletes to compete in women’s sports, and an overwhelming number of Americans oppose mutilating the bodies of children suffering from gender dysphoria.

 The New York Times/ Ipsos released a poll based on responses collected from 2,128 American adults between Jan. 2-10. The 25- page survey, which sampled respondents’ views on a wide variety of topics, had a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points.

 When asked if they agreed that “Society has gone too far in accommodating transgender people,” 49% answered in the affirmative. Twenty-one percent agreed with a statement declaring that “Society has not gone far enough in accommodating transgender people,” while 28% believed that “Society has reached a reasonable balance when it comes to accommodating transgender people.”

 The overwhelming majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning Americans (77%) and a plurality of independents and those who identify with a minor political party (31%) agreed that efforts to accommodate the trans-identified population have gone too far. Thirty percent of independents and members of minor political parties think the trans-identified community receives an adequate amount of accommodation, along with 16% of Republicans.

 Significantly smaller shares of independents (14%) and Republicans (5%) believe that the U.S. needs to do more to accommodate trans-identified people. By contrast, a plurality of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Americans (39%) think that society has achieved an appropriate balance when it comes to accommodating trans-identified individuals, followed by 37% who think the U.S. hasn’t gone far enough to accommodate them and 23% who believe that such efforts have gone too far.

 When asked if trans-identified male athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, most respondents (79%) believed they shouldn’t be allowed to. Many respondents opposed allowing trans-identified male athletes in women’s sports, with opposition much stronger among Republicans (94%) than Democrats (67%) and independents (64%). Less than one-third of Democrats (31%) thought that trans-identified male athletes should be allowed to compete on women’s sports teams, along with even smaller shares of independents (10%) and Republicans (5%).

 A majority of respondents (71%) agreed that minors shouldn’t have access to drugs that will stop their natural growth and deform their bodies. Opposition to allowing the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children with gender dysphoria was strongest among Republicans (90%) and less pronounced among independents (61%) and Democrats (54%). Seven percent of Republicans, along with 10% of independents and 24% of Democrats, supported allowing youth between the ages of 15 and 18 to obtain puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, while support for allowing children as young as 10 to be prescribed these drugs measured at 2% apiece with Republicans and independents, and 19% among Democrats.

 Citing concerns about fairness for female athletes, 27 states have implemented laws or regulations requiring athletes to compete on sports teams that correspond with their sex rather than self-declared gender identity.

 Opposition to prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to youth is motivated by concerns about long-term impacts. The American College of Pediatricians has listed potential side effects of puberty blockers as “osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment and, when combined with cross-sex hormones, sterility.” They have also warned cross-sex hormones can cause “an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, blood clots and cancers across their lifespan.” Twenty-four states have implemented measures banning trans-identified youth from obtaining puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.

 PRAY: Pray this positive shift away from the madness will continue and that people will again recognize God’s design of two genders, male and female.

What is Going to Happen with Gaza?

President Donald Trump vowed the U.S. would “take over” the Gaza Strip, reconstructing and developing the coastal enclave into “the Riviera of the Middle East” while moving part of its population to other countries. The comments that shattered several decades-old, accepted outlines of Middle East policy came during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, making him the first foreign leader to visit the U.S. president since his inauguration.

 Trump began his unprecedented comments while speaking with reporters before a planned closed-door meeting, reiterating that he sees the Gaza Strip as a “demolition site” that is inhabitable at the moment. “There’s hardly a building standing. And the ones that are, are going to collapse. You can’t live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location, a location that’s going to make people happy.”

 The president noted that the reality in Gaza currently is “all death. … This has been happening for years. If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people permanently in nice homes, and then they can be happy enough … I believe we can do it in areas where leaders currently say no,” he added. Addressing how the people would be moved if they refused to do so, Trump noted that if Gazans were presented with an alternative, “they’d much rather not go back.” “Why would they want to return? That place has been hell,” the U.S. president emphasized.

 Five Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority expressed their opposition to the resettlement of Gaza’s population in a letter. Despite this, Trump said all the population should be resettled “in areas where they can live a beautiful life.” They could be moved to Jordan or Egypt, or “it could be other countries,” he added.

 While Israel’s far-right parties immediately celebrated Trump's comments, the U.S. leader said he wouldn’t support the reconstruction of Israeli settlements in the area. “I don’t see it happening. It’s too dangerous for people. No one wants to be there. Their warriors don’t want to be there,” he said. After the closed-door meeting, Trump and Netanyahu emerged for a press conference, with Trump topping his already shocking comments by declaring that the U.S. would “take over” the Gaza Strip for the foreseeable future.

 The president said the meeting centered on the future of the Gaza Strip, before dropping the bombshell: “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too.” He added that the U.S. would dispose of the unexploded ordnance, level the ruins, and rebuild the area creating jobs and housing. Trump declared it was time to “do something different … if you go back, it’s going to end up the same it has for a hundred years. I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East, and maybe the entire Middle East.”

 The president stressed that he studied the issue “very closely” for months, asserting that everyone he spoke to “loves the idea of the U.S. owning that land.” After reconstruction, the former symbol of “death and destruction” would be an “international, unbelievable place,” where people from around the world will be able to live. “Palestinians, also,” Trump said. "Palestinians will live there. Many people will live there. But they've tried the other, and they've tried it for decades and decades and decades. It's not going to work. It didn't work, it will never work.”

 Despite his comments on the issue, the president did not specify whether U.S. troops would be involved in the plan, what would happen if the population refused to move, or if the neighboring Arab states continued their refusal to accept Gazan refugees. In his speech following Trump’s statement, Netanyahu didn’t directly endorse the president’s plan, which would have been seen as radical even within Israeli politics. The prime minister lauded Trump’s “willingness to puncture conventional thinking.”

 PRAY: Pray that the situation in Gaza will be fixed, and peace will be established throughout the region.

QUESTION: Since Christianity is the only way to be saved, then why aren't more people Christians? And why is it under attack?

ANSWER: The antipathy of the world towards Christianity should not surprise us, nor should its lack of interest towards the things of God. Jesus Himself said that ''few there be that find ... the way, which leadeth unto life" (Matthew 7:14) and that strong opposition would come to His followers (John 16:1-3).

 Throughout Church history, one of the main obstacles to the growth of Christianity has been the lack of adequate transportation and communications methods to bring the Gospel to unreached peoples. In the last century, however, this impediment has been overcome to an unprecedented degree. In fact, the greatest recent growth of the Church has been in areas of the world which were previously untouched by the Gospel message.

 Still, a majority of the world's population remains unsaved. Why? One reason is apathy. People are increasingly self-absorbed and involved with the things of the world, the result being that the invisible but still all-knowing and omnipotent God gets pushed aside. The Apostle Paul said that in the last days, one of the characteristics of the human race is that they would be "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:4).

 Another main reason for Christianity's slow growth is a lack of understanding about what Christianity really is. The Apostle Paul said: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God," 1 Corinthians 1 :18.

 Most churches, even many claiming to be "Christian," teach that mankind can save himself through his own efforts. But the Bible teaches that man is saved by the grace of God apart from works (Ephesians 2:8-9), because "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

 Some individuals are on the opposite end of this spectrum, and believe that they are such grievous sinners that God would never forgive them. But to them, we would give the assurance of Jesus' words that "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

 Others are convinced that if they become Christians, God will automatically take all the fun out of their lives. The presence of a few "baptized in lemon juice" Christians, coupled with the caricatures of Christianity presented in the media, unfortunately contribute to this mindset. But Jesus said:

 "The thief cometh not but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have

life, and that they might have it more abundantly," John 10:10.

 Let us face the fact that what the Devil presents to the world as "fun" is only destined to destroy the individual both physically and spiritually. Most true Christians know that God blesses us with times of refreshing that have healthier outcomes. If we would reach out and share some of these times with unsaved friends and family members, they might obtain a more accurate picture of the stark difference between their lifestyles and our own.

 Still, many people in the world stay outside the realm of Christianity because they are unwilling to forsake sin. Although we are not saved by good works, or by the omission of bad ones, God does expect repentance (Luke 13:3). In other words, we have to be willing, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit after we are saved, to yield ourselves to be the kinds of persons that God intends for us to be. Of those that refuse to do so, Jesus said:

 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil," John 3:19.

 This is not an exhaustive list, but it provides some of the reasons why true Christianity is still very much a "minority" belief system. Knowing these obstacles is the first step to prayerfully finding ways to overcome them in the lives of our unsaved acquaintances.

 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven," Matthew 5:16.

 PRAY: Pray for Christians to share the wonderful Good News of the saving grace of Jesus Christ and for the Gospel message to spread globally.

Turkey Severs All Relations with Israel

Turkey has severed all ties with Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced. “The government of the Republic of Turkey, under the leadership of Tayyip Erdogan, will not continue or develop relations with Israel,” Erdogan said. “Our ruling coalition is resolute in its decision to cut ties with Israel, and we will maintain this stance in the future as well. We, as the Republic of Turkey and its government, have currently severed all relations with Israel.”

Erdogan also emphasized that Turkey would do everything in its power to hold Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable for his actions in Gaza, which international human rights groups have described as genocide. Earlier in 2024, Turkey intervened in a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in support of Palestine and advocated for an arms embargo against Tel Aviv. Erdogan said 52 countries and two international organizations had expressed their support for the arms embargo initiative Turkey launched at the United Nations in early November, aimed at preventing the shipment of weapons and ammunition to Israel. “We recently submitted our formal letter regarding this initiative to the president of the United Nations Security Council and the secretary-general of the United Nations,” Erdogan said. “During our summit in Riyadh, a decision was made to invite all organizations and members of the Arab League to sign this letter.”

Turkish-Israeli relations have deteriorated sharply since a meeting between Erdogan and Netanyahu in New York in September of 2023, which was intended to symbolize reconciliation between the two nations. However, following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza, which has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, Ankara has intensified its criticism of the Netanyahu government. This led to a series of actions, including legal measures and trade sanctions, especially after the local elections in Turkey where Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was punished in part over its weak response to the war on Gaza. Since September, ongoing Turkish trade with Israel through third countries and Palestine has sparked a public pressure campaign by the opposition, who accused Erdogan of failing to close loopholes that facilitate continued interaction.

Turkey possesses one of the largest and most formidable armies in NATO. With over 355,000 active personnel and a reserve force of around 378,000, the Turkish Armed Forces are highly capable and well-equipped. The country also maintains significant technological resources, including a burgeoning domestic arms industry that produces drones, armored vehicles, and precision-guided missiles. Turkey’s Bayraktar drones have gained international recognition, having been deployed effectively in conflicts in Syria, Libya, and Nagorno-Karabakh.

If tensions between Turkey and Israel escalate into direct confrontation, military analysts suggest Turkey’s geographic proximity to Israel and its large ground forces could play a significant role. Turkey’s potential deployment of air defense systems in Syria could also directly challenge Israel’s ability to conduct military operations in the region. Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes in Syria to target Iranian-linked forces and arms shipments to Hezbollah. Turkish-backed military infrastructure could hinder Israel’s strategic objectives, creating future conflict.

Biblical Connections: We have seen over the last few years the dramatic shift in Turkey, moving away from NATO and getting much closer ties to both Russia and Iran. That Turkey is now willing to openly go against Israel and given their alliances with Iran and Russia, it is very possible that the table is being set for the future Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39. 

PRAY: Pray for the peace and safety of Israel during these troubling times.

Pushing to Eliminate Christianity from the Public Square

A Virginia realtor and Christian minister has been found guilty by an ethics panel after he quoted Bible verses on social media. Wilson Fauber, 70, a longtime realtor with over four decades in the industry, was found in violation of National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Code of Ethics, which prohibits realtors from using “harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs” related to “race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.” The posts in question, which were made years before the NAR’s adoption of the rule in 2020, included Fauber’s views on marriage and human sexuality according to traditional Christian teachings, attorneys said.

In a statement released through his attorneys at the Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC), Fauber said: “In 44 years as a realtor, I have loved and served all people. Regularly, I hear from other faith-based realtors that live in fear of being similarly prosecuted for their faith, and potentially losing their livelihoods, if they don’t hide their faith well enough.”

The controversy began when Fauber ran for Staunton City Council in 2023. Opponents of his campaign uncovered several social media posts from years earlier, including a 2015 post in which Fauber shared his Christian views on marriage, particularly in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s consideration of same-sex marriage. At the time, Fauber had posted a Bible-based perspective on the issue, sharing thoughts from the Rev. Franklin Graham and other Christian leaders.

Earlier this year, Fauber’s social media posts became the subject of a complaint lodged with the Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR) over the purported violation of NAR’s code of ethics. Sylvester expressed disappointment that the VAR didn’t dismiss the complaint as “frivolous,” but rather “issued a statement a few months afterward in April saying that if the allegations are true, then Wilson might have violated this new hate speech rule.” The posts, which Fauber shared as part of his personal ministry, went unnoticed until two fellow realtors, who Fauber had never met, filed formal ethics complaints against him. The complaints alleged that his posts violated NAR’s vague “hate speech” rule. The VAR panel determined that Fauber’s views on marriage and sexuality, expressed through Bible verses and Christian doctrine, violated NAR’s Standard of Practice 10-5.

One of the two men who filed the original complaint with the VAR is reportedly an “openly gay man.” Complainants are not typically identified publicly in real estate ethics complaints. Fauber’s attorney, Michael Sylvester, said they are “obviously disappointed” by the decision and are “considering all legal options.” “The way the NAR rule is being applied, the message is simple: Bible-believing Christian realtors must be silent,” Sylvester added.

In a Facebook postdated shortly after the panel’s decision, Fauber responded to the NAR policy, writing, “It is appropriate to not bring up one’s ‘religious’ views while working with clients. It is altogether different when a minister cannot express his/her faith on their personal social media in the privacy of their home. The NAR policy is not limited to working with clients, it applies to the realtors’ life 24/7! The cancel culture police are always watching!”

Fauber, an ordained minister, said the NAR policy potentially “also applies to any realtor reading certain scriptures in church!”

Biblical Connections: Secularists for years have argued that they were only trying to “keep religion out of the workplace”, etc. However, now that their goal has been largely accomplished in many parts of the Western world, they are now pushing to eliminate Christianity from the public square entirely, even in one’s private life.

PRAY: Pray this constant attack on Christianity in every aspect of life will be stopped, and religious freedom will once again be allowed.

Court’s Actions Against Israel Cause Concern

Politicians and faith leaders are raising concerns after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant last November for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant over its military offensive in Gaza. The International Criminal Court, a supranational organization tasked with “trying individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression,” released a statement announcing that it issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over “crimes against humanity and war crimes” that purportedly took place between Oct. 8, 2023 and May 20, 2024. The time covered by the warrant overlaps with the conflicts that have erupted after the terrorist organization Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, launched a deadly invasion in Southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says that over 44,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel’s military offensive began, a tally that doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. The Israeli government has long accused Hamas of using citizens as human shields. The warrant alleges that both Netanyahu and Gallant engaged in “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

According to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC that issued the warrant, there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant “each bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.” “The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024,” the warrant stated. “The finding is based on the role of Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant in impeding humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law and their failure to facilitate relief by all means at its disposal.”

The warrant maintains that the actions of Netanyahu and Gallant caused the “disruption of the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide food and other essential goods to the population in need in Gaza.” “The aforementioned restrictions together with cutting off electricity and reducing fuel supply also had a severe impact on the availability of water in Gaza and the ability of hospitals to provide medical care,” the document states. The warrant characterizes Israel’s military action as “calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza.” While the chamber stopped short of charging Netanyahu and Gallant for “the crime against humanity of extermination,” the warrant alleges that they committed “the crime against humanity of murder.”

The arrest warrant drew intense reactions from politicians on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders and advocacy organizations. The Rev. Johnnie Moore, founder of the Congress of Christian Leaders, issued a statement on X calling on the U.S. Congress to “take action against the corrupt ICC.” “This actually has little to do with Netanyahu or Gallant,” wrote Moore, an Evangelical public relations executive who had strong ties to the first Donald Trump administration and was a former commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “It is about the profound corruption of our international institutions (some should not exist at all),” he added.

Biblical Connections: While accountability for leaders needs to exist and is a biblical concept, this accountability clearly seems to be based upon antisemitism, similar to the types of things seen throughout the Old and even into the New Testament with people like Pharaoh, Haman and Nero.

PRAY: Pray for the nation of Israel and their leadership as they continue to be attacked, both militarily and politically.

Bible Removed from Texas School District

The head of a Texas school district says the Bible had to be removed from school libraries because of a new state law prohibiting explicit books. Canyon Independent School District Superintendent Darryl Flusche announced in an email that under House Bill 900, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023 protecting schools from sexually explicit or vulgar content, the Holy Bible is unsuitable due to "sexually explicit material." In an email to concerned parents, Flusche stated the full text of the Bible had been removed because it was categorized under this mandate, even though portions of the Bible remain available in the district's libraries.

 Flusche's statement cited the law's section defining "sexually explicit material" as "any communication, language, or material" that describes or depicts sexual conduct in a manner that is "patently offensive" under the Texas Penal Code. Noting that there are 30 titles available in the library at Canyon Jr. High that are "Bible stories or portions of the Bible," Flusche also cited the school's "strong connections with local churches that [would be] happy to donate a Bible upon request. "We are more than willing to assist a student who would like access to a Bible by arranging this from one of our partnering churches," he added. Flusche concluded the email by urging parents to contact their state legislators about HB 900.

 The email sparked outrage from local parents, with many expressing disbelief at the decision. At a school board meeting on Dec. 9, Canyon ISD parent Regina Kiehne told school officials it "seems absurd to me that the Good Book was thrown out with the bad books." Kiehne, who identified herself as the mother of two Canyon ISD students, said, "In a day when we are needing security guards and bulletproof windows and doors, I think having the Word of God available to our children cannot only be preventative to violence, but also provide comfort and a sense of security in a chaotic world."

She also noted that amid rising anxiety over issues like inflation, political uncertainty, and school violence, young people increasingly turn to the Bible for comfort. "It just makes sense to have the Word of God in our school library," she said. "After all, it is the book of wisdom. It is the bestselling book of all time; it is historically accurate, scientifically sound, and most importantly, life-changing." Kiehne highlighted the Bible's status as the most stolen book in history, stating, "The only reason something is stolen is because it is valuable. The Bible holds great value. It should be valued in our Texas school system."

This incident underscores a larger conversation in Texas about the place of religious texts in public education. In the last year, some state lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Bill Zedler, have championed bills to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms across the state, arguing that they provide a moral foundation and align with American values. However, these efforts have faced resistance from critics who argue that such displays violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Supporters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, like Louisiana state Rep. Dodie Horton, a Republican, believe the commandments' historical and moral value outweighs religious freedom concerns. Advocates for the Bible's presence in school libraries argue that, far from endorsing any particular religion, access to the Bible supports the development of character, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of history and literature.

 Biblical Connections: Isaiah 40:8 states, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

 PRAY: Pray that the Word of God will again be respected across the land and be held with the level of respect and dignity that the Bible deserves.

Church Alleges Discrimination Because of Religious Objections to Same-Sex Marriage

A church is suing the University of Maine System for allegedly refusing to sell a property to the congregation because of its religious objections to same-sex marriage. Calvary Chapel Belfast filed the complaint against UMS and some of its staff members in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, Bangor Division. The church submitted a proposal to UMS to purchase a vacant property known as the Hutchinson Center to accommodate its growing congregation, the filing states.

Although UMS initially allowed Calvary Chapel to negotiate the purchase of the center in August, complaints from community members over the theologically conservative views on sexual ethics and pressure from other bidders for the property led UMS to rescind their offer, the complaint reads.

“Through their rescission of the bid award to Plaintiff, Defendants acted to exclude Plaintiff from a government program solely due to its religious identity and the expression of its Bible-centered beliefs and viewpoint, including its beliefs on marriage and sexuality,” claims the lawsuit. “Defendants’ discriminatory action deprived Plaintiff of its right to freely participate in a government program while expressing its beliefs without punishment.”

The University of Maine announced last week that the center property is awarded to a nonprofit called Waldo Community Action Partners, which offered $3.06 million for the property, well above the estimated value of $2.52 million. “WCAP demonstrated proof of funds, and their top-scoring proposal did not have any contingencies that could delay a timely transition of the property, which the university anticipates could be completed by early 2025,” said the university in their announcement. “As is standard with System solicitations, the university has the right to terminate negotiations at any point if they are not proceeding in a manner that is in its best interest as a public institution.”

The church’s lawsuit claims that after its award was rescinded, it again participated in the request for proposal process but was denied in favor of WCAP. The lawsuit described the WCAP as a “secular bidder that had maliciously criticized the Church’s religious identity and beliefs and on whose Board sits a State Senator who openly stoked flames of religious hostility towards the Church in the community. UMS’s actions, culminating in the award of RFP 2025-031 to WCAP, represent a continuation of its pattern of discriminatory treatment toward the Church and a conspiracy against its constitutional rights,” the complaint states.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver, whose Christian conservative legal group is representing Calvary Chapel, said in a statement that UMS “violated the First Amendment by discrimination against a church because of its Christian beliefs.” “Such discrimination is unlawful,” stated Staver. “It is a sad day when government officials violate the Constitutional rights of its citizens. This is a costly mistake for the University of Maine System.”

In an emailed statement to The Christian Post, a UMS spokesperson denied any wrongdoing. “The University of Maine System is still reviewing the complaint that was filed on Nov. 19 but strongly disagrees with any allegations of discrimination,” stated UMS. “As we have previously stated, every organization had the same opportunity to submit a proposal to purchase the Hutchinson Center, and every proposal received was scored by the same objective standards.” The UMS added that “those with lower-scoring offers may formally protest the award decision in writing and that “the System received a formal protest from Calvary Chapel Belfast.” “Consistent with our long-standing practice, the award is stayed until this protest is resolved,” they added.

Biblical Connection: Jesus warned standing by our convictions would cost Christians. However, the Constitution and Bill of Rights in the United States are supposed to prevent this kind of religious discrimination.

PRAY: Pray the forces within America that are trying to discriminate against Christianity will be stopped and religious freedom will be preserved.

Abortion Advocate Honored

The former president of the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, disappointing pro-life advocates. President Joe Biden announced that he had awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Cecile Richards, who served as president of Planned Parenthood from 2006-2018. Richards was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer last year.

 Biden shared a picture of himself and first lady Jill Biden at the White House with Richards and her husband, accompanied by a caption reading: “With absolute courage, she fearlessly leads us forward to be the America we say we are — a nation of freedom. Through her work to lift up the dignity of workers, defend and advance women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilize Americans to exercise their power to vote, she has carved an inspiring legacy,” he added.

Richards reacted to her recognition in an X post. “Such an honor representing abortion rights and the need for health care for all,” she wrote. “POTUS and FLOTUS, thank you for all you’ve done to support women’s health and rights. Here’s to the work ahead!”

 The White House pool report stated: “With absolute courage and conviction, Cecile Richards fearlessly leads us forward to be the America we say we are — a Nation of freedom. Carrying her parents’ torch for justice, she’s led some of our Nation’s most important civil rights causes — to lift up the dignity of workers, defend and advance women’s reproductive rights and equality, and mobilize Americans to exercise their power to vote. A leader of utmost character, she has carved an inspiring legacy that endures in her incredible family, the countless lives she has made better, and a Nation seeking the light of equality, justice, and freedom.”

 Lila Rose, founder of the pro-life advocacy group Live Action, commented “Cecile Richards presided over the abortions of 3.9 million babies as president of Planned Parenthood. She belongs in jail. Not in the White House receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, expressed disgust. “Cecile Richards was just given an award for killing babies in the name of ‘freedom’,” Hawkins asserted. “Cecile Richards is anything but honorable.”

 Throughout Richards’ tenure at Planned Parenthood, the organization was subject to scrutiny over undercover videos implying officials at the abortion provider aided in prostitution and admitted to selling aborted fetal tissue, with pro-lifers alleging the abortion provider violated federal law. The undercover videos led to efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, which receives millions of dollars in taxpayer funding every year.

 Although Richards stepped down from her role as Planned Parenthood head in 2018, she continues to engage in abortion advocacy. She co-founded a website titled “Abortion in America,” which seeks to tell the “stories” of the “thousands of people around the country [who] have been impacted by abortion bans” enacted at the state level after the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion in its 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Following the Dobbs ruling, several states have implemented abortion restrictions.

 Biblical Connections: In the Old Testament, nations worshiped pagan gods through child sacrifice. Any nation that not only allows this type of action but endorses it as worthy of respect is not a nation that follows God.

 PRAY: Pray the continued push for abortion will be stopped and life will be preserved and loved once more.

Christians Help Cause Dramatic Change in US Politics

Self-identified Christian voters are being credited with making a difference in the outcome of the 2024 presidential election as data show that the faithful overwhelmingly backed President-elect Donald Trump, according to a new report. George Barna, director of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, published a report highlighting the findings of his organization’s post-election research conducted in the three days following the Nov. 5 election. Data included in the report is based on “extensive interviews with a national sample of 2,000 voting-age adults.” The survey had a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

The main finding from the report is that Christians helped deliver the White House to Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, who defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris: “Among self-identified Christians, President Trump won a 56% share of their vote. And because Christians represented 72% of the voters who turned out, their support for the re-elected Republican made the difference in the race. Although Harris won a larger share of the non-Christian vote than Trump’s share of the Christian votes, Christians outnumbered non-Christian voters by a more than five- to-two margin—delivering the decisive Nov. 5 victory to President Trump,” the report added.

The data collected from the Cultural Research Center detailed information about turnout among Christian denominations and certain groups of Christian voters, as well as support for the two major candidates among voters within religious subgroups. At 99%, turnout was highest among the group of voters defined as Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians, also known as SAGE Cons. Characteristics of SAGE Cons include “consistent participation and belief in core Christian principles and religious endeavors, plus above-average political attentiveness and participation, possessing conservative political ideology, and a commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.” While the turnout rate did not budge among SAGE Cons from 2020 to 2024, most other groups of Christian voters examined saw their turnout rates drop or remain stagnant between the two presidential elections.

The exceptions were Catholics, whose turnout rate increased from 67% to 70%, and Integrated Disciples, defined as those possessing a biblical worldview. Sixty-seven percent of Integrated Disciples turned out in 2024, compared to 64% in 2020. The turnout rate among those who attend a Pentecostal church was measured at 62% in both 2020 and 2024. Turnout dipped slightly from 66% to 65% among Christians who attend mainline Protestant churches, while a larger decrease from 65% to 59% was recorded among their counterparts who attend Evangelical churches. Fifty-nine percent of Protestants as a whole turned out in 2024, compared to 62% four years ago. Those theologically defined as born-again Christians, who are “confident they will live eternally in Heaven solely because they have confessed their sins to God, repented, and trust Jesus as their Savior,” constituted 58% of the electorate in 2024, compared to 64% in 2020. Among self-identified Christians, turnout dropped from 64% to 56%.

Barna issued a statement reflecting on why Christians’ support for Trump was so high, explaining that the candidate “did a better job than Kamala Harris of representing hallowed Christian characteristics such as the importance and support of family, the rule of law, limited government authority, financial responsibility, and the like.” “In contrast, Vice President Harris’ doubling down on abortion on-demand, open borders, transgenderism, and central tenets of socialistic governance clashed with the core values of the nation’s dominant spiritual perspectives,” he noted. “Millions of President Trump’s votes came from people who would not vote for him as the nation’s pastor or as a behavioral model for their children, but who perceived he would protect their traditional, cherished values and lifestyle preferences while Harris was more likely to limit or ban such ways of life.”

PRAY: Pray the new administration will uphold biblical values and govern with a fear and reverence for God.

Israeli Professor Repeats Call to ‘Rewrite’ the Bible

A controversial Israeli professor is once again calling for a “rewrite” of the Holy Bible. Yuval Noah Harari, a lecturer at the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and bestselling author of titles including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, has a new  book out in which he questions the process of the canonization of the Bible” and suggests that the “Bible needs a rewrite.”

 In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Harari, 48, explained why he devoted an entire chapter in Nexus, A Brief History of Information Networks to the process of the canonization of the Bible. In the context of examining the transfer of ideas across time and culture throughout human history, Nexus raises doubts about the Bible as a document that was, as the Globe reports “pieced together over a long period of time that ended with the emergence of a canonical work.”

 “There is a chapter in the book about the process of the canonization of the Bible,” Harari told the outlet. “... We have texts from the second and third and fourth centuries [Common Era].” According to the outlet, the book argues that the biblical canon wasn’t determined until the late fourth century with the Councils of Hippo and Carthage.

Pointing to the rejection of certain books like the Acts of Paul and Thecla, a late second century text which outlines the life of Thecla, a disciple of Paul’s, Harari argued that such decisions “shaped Christian attitudes to women down to the present day.” When asked whether he views himself more as a scientist or a historian, Harari said his work is based on objective evidence. “If you write the history of the world from your own imagination, it is not history. It is literature,” he said. “When I write about Neanderthals or about the Bible, I have evidence. A 40,000 year-old bone in Spain. A record of the synod meetings.”

 Harari — who once compared the LGBT movement with the 19th century emancipation of the Jews and hosts Q&A sessions to offer a “scientific perspective on homosexuality” — also claims Scripture contains “moral mistakes,” including what he claims to be the approval of slavery. “The other mark of science is the willingness to admit mistakes,” he said. “Religions don’t do that. Once the Bible is canonized, it is deemed to be perfect. And I am not only talking about factual mistakes, but also about moral mistakes.” “The Bible needs a rewrite,” he argued.

 Harari made a similar claim in June 2023, when he predicted the rapid growth of artificial intelligence would result in a “new Bible.” “In a few years there might be religions that are actually correct,” he said. Harari has also advocated for referring to Christianity’s holy book as “just stories.” In an October 2022 column for The Guardian, Harari pointed to how young children in Israel hear about the biblical accounts of the Garden of Eden and Noah’s Ark long before they’re taught about Neanderthals or cave paintings. “To gain some freedom from these narratives and behave differently we need to understand how they were created and spread in the first place,” Harari wrote. “Otherwise, we will never see them for what they are: just stories.” He has also described Christians as having “locked themselves inside of a self-reinforcing mythological bubble, never daring to question the factual veracity of the Bible.”

 Biblical Connection: Isaiah 40:8 states “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

 PRAY: Pray the people who reject the Word of God will see the error in their ways and accept God’s Word as the truth.

Doctor Deliberately Withheld Results of Puberty-blocker Study

A medical doctor and leading proponent of transgender procedures for minors recently admitted that she deliberately withheld the results of a taxpayer-funded study because it showed there were no positive mental health effects for gender dysphoric children who used puberty blockers. Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, who heads the largest youth gender clinic in the United States at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, told The New York Times she feared releasing the results of the study would lead them to be “weaponized” by opponents of such procedures. The doctor also told the outlet she feared the study, which is part of a project that has received nearly $10 million in taxpayer funding from the National Institutes of Health, “could be used in court to argue that ‘we shouldn’t use blockers,’” according to the outlet. “I do not want our work to be weaponized,” she also said. “It has to be exactly on point, clear and concise. And that takes time.”

The study, which began in 2015, followed 95 children with an average age of 11, who started taking puberty-blocking drugs, which prevent the development of natural bodily changes such as breast growth in females or voice changes in males. After the study showed the puberty blockers offered no improvement to their mental health after two years, Olson-Kennedy claimed that was because the study’s participants were already “in really good shape.” The New York Times noted that about a fourth of the patients in the study “were depressed or suicidal” before their treatment.

As The Christian Post reported in 2019, the federally-funded research grant that bore Olson-Kennedy’s name altered the protocol and lowered the age for cross-sex hormones from 13 to 8. Amy Tishelman, who serves as a clinical and research psychologist at Boston College and was involved in the original study, was critical of its results being withheld, according to the Times. “I understand the fear about it being weaponized, but it’s really important to get the science out there,” she said. “No change isn’t necessarily a negative finding — there could be a preventative aspect to it,” she also noted. “We just don’t know without more investigation.”

Erica Anderson, a clinical psychologist who identifies as trans and specializes in working with young people who have gender dysphoria, denounced the decision to withhold the study’s results, according to the New York Post. “We’re craving information about these medical treatments for gender-questioning youth. Dr. Olson-Kennedy has the largest grant that’s ever been awarded in the U.S. on the subject and is sitting on data that would be helpful to know,” Anderson told the outlet. “It’s not her prerogative to decide based on the results that she will or won’t publish them,” Anderson added.

The news regarding Olson-Kennedy’s study prompted attention from public figures on X, such as Elon Musk, who has been outspoken about his own son Xavier’s struggles with gender identity. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who has faced backlash for years because of her outspoken opposition to men being allowed to enter women-only spaces, was especially vocal. “We must not publish a study that says we’re harming children because people who say we’re harming children will use the study as evidence that we’re harming children, which might make it difficult for us to continue harming children,” Rowling tweeted. Rowling’s post earned a retweet from Musk, who gave it a “bullseye” emoji. The X CEO called Olson-Kennedy “evil” in response to a viral video during which Clementine, one of Olson-Kennedy’s former patients, claimed she was put on puberty blockers at age 12 and testosterone at 13, despite noting her confusion followed sexual abuse. She also had a double mastectomy at age 14.

Biblical Connection: Romans 1-2 describes the fallen nature of man and how one of the impacts of the fall is for people to destroy the order God created in Genesis 1:26.

PRAY: Pray madness of our culture in terms of the LGBT agenda and its dramatic impact on our younger generations will be stopped and God’s established order will prevail once more.

Iran is Making Nuclear Moves in Conflict with West

Iranian state media is highlighting Tehran’s decision to activate centrifuges linked to its nuclear program. Iran also says it wants to expand enrichment capacity. Both of these moves appear to be about sending a message to the West. Iran has already enriched a lot of uranium in recent years. Its real hurdle to nuclear weaponization is to test a bomb and put it on a missile that can carry it. The regime is moving in that direction, but it’s making more noise about the enrichment program than the weaponization.

“Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf says the Islamic Republic began activating its advanced centrifuges in response to a politically motivated measure by the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors on the country’s peaceful nuclear program,” Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran’s official news agency, reported. “The actions of the three European states and the US, which are politically motivated and detrimental, resulted in an unjust resolution regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program,” the report said. “The speaker underlined that the three European countries and the US are using Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities as an excuse to advance their illegitimate measures, undermining the credibility and independence of the IAEA and disrupting the constructive collaboration between Iran and the agency. Iran will significantly accelerate its uranium enrichment activities by installing thousands of new advanced centrifuges over the next few months, following the Western-backed censure at the International Atomic Energy Agency,” IRNA reported.

Iran is now positioning itself to enrich more uranium and prepare for the next steps in its nuclear program. This would likely happen as US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. “However, what will happen on the ground is that in the next 4 to 6 months, with the activation of thousands of new centrifuge machines, the speed of enrichment will increase, new infrastructures will be established, and some other actions will take place,” Kamalvandi said. “Thus, the Western parties that have been trying to push back Iran's nuclear program will face a different reality: a program that is significantly broader and more advanced, both quantitatively and qualitatively, which will certainly not bring them any joy,” he noted.

The election of President Trump in the US has caused a push throughout the world, some positive and some negative. Russia and Ukraine seem to be more open to negotiation since the election. Israel seems poised to finally gain ground in the region as well. However, Iran might be doing the opposite and is doing whatever it can to maximize its various nuclear programs before President Trump takes office, knowing that he was very strong against their progress through various economic sanctions. Will this panic lead to something happening in the Middle East either prior to Inauguration Day or shortly after before sanctions can be restored? Is it too late for the sanctions to work as they previously did? Only time will tell how this unfolds in the Middle East. One thing is certain; Iran is not simply going to go away. They are going to continue to be a thorn in the side of both Israel and the West and with their connections to Turkey, Russia and even China, they are very dangerous.

Biblical Connection: The election of President Trump seems to help solidify Israel’s place in the Middle East once again. He is seen in Israel as one of the most pro-Israel presidents in history. However, President Trump alone will not completely nullify Iran’s ambitions and as long as they are sponsored and endorsed by Russia and China, they will continue to cause problems for Israel and the Middle East at large.

PRAY: Pray that Iran’s ambitions to gain nuclear capabilities and destroy Israel will be thwarted and a coalition of nations will stop them from continuing their current path.

What is the “New World Order?”

Like many terms associated with a global governmental system, the “New World Order” changes definition and parameters among the different people who define it. But basically, it is a system by which national governments are subordinated to an international body, whose task it is to keep the peace in the world, insure cooperation among nations, and pass laws that pertain to the entire planet. Some proponents of it go further, advocating a world economic system with a single world currency; a system of world taxation; and a redistribution method whereby the richer nations would share with the poorer ones to insure equal availability of the world’s resources.

 We have already seen efforts in this direction come to pass. Occasionally, when a nation sees a possibility of going to war against another nation, they first go to the UN in an attempt to obtain justice and/or secure a resolution without taking the drastic step of war. The UN may issue a resolution affecting the countries involved. Sometimes, these resolutions work, but it seems that more often, they do not. In that case, the nations involved may seek to obtain allies among UN members to go to war on their side against their adversaries. After such a conflict, the UN may station their own troops on the borders of these countries to make sure the peace continues.

 This is not to mention other UN distinctives, such as the World Court, which has the power to try “crimes against humanity” (as they define them), and the various environmental accords that have been signed and are binding on the countries to whom they apply.

 The governmental body who may implement the true New World Order of the end times may not necessarily be the United Nations, however. The globalists on the world scene may see the necessity for a new, more powerful body with an enforcement mechanism more at the ready to deal with nations who may show any reluctance to bow to its will.

 All of this is to set the stage for the Antichrist, the world leader who will arise during the Tribulation and head the ultimate world government. In speaking of that time, the Bible repeats phrases associated with the Antichrist’s global dominion and worldwide calamities during the Tribulation. “All that dwell upon the earth” shall worship him (Revelation 13:8). By means of the Rapture, God will preserve us “from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world” (Revelation 3:10). At the conclusion of the Tribulation, when everyone sees the sign of the Son of man in Heaven, “then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn” (Matthew 24:30).

 Meanwhile, the efforts we are seeing in the march toward a New World Order at present are just “baby steps” to a world government. Eventually, this world government will stop at nothing to see their edicts and dictates enforced – including, a 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 points out, worship of the Antichrist himself during the Tribulation.

America’s Christian Foundation

The original settlers of our nation knew that they were coming to America with a deliberate determination and a specific purpose in mind. They would establish a new nation, founded on the principles of the Bible, committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the cause of promoting the glorious Kingdom of Christ on Earth. They believed in righteousness in the colonies and in holiness in the churches. They founded Harvard College in 1638. By 1639, the first printing press in America produced the first piece of printing in the New World: the Book of Psalms. The Psalms tell us why it is important to give thanks to God.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations,” Psalm 100:4-5.

Thanksgiving is not just about being grateful for your circumstances. It is being grateful for your circumstances. It is being grateful for God, who has blessed your life with those things. However, there is a deliberate attempt today to remove God from American public life, to rewrite the history of America, and to push God right out of the picture. There is an effort to move, not just Thanksgiving, but also Christmas and Easter, away from their Biblical foundations.

Thanksgiving ought to be a wonderful celebration that is God-honoring and God-focused. But the tragedy is, it has been shoved aside as though it consists of nothing more than parades, football games, and a large meal. God has somehow been left out by society as a whole.

There is nothing wrong with families having a good time on this great holiday. But family members should set aside some time to celebrate the goodness and the blessings of God in their lives during the past year, and give thanks to Him for His benevolence.

Thanksgiving was begun by the tradition of the Pilgrims, reinforced later by President Abraham Lincoln, and then ultimately made a legal America holiday. But since then, God has almost been forgotten. However, it is only because of God and His blessings that we can be thankful and grateful for what He has done in our lives.

Thanksgiving ought to be a time of prayer, devotion, commitment, and gratefulness to God. If we miss that vital fact, we will end this holiday with emptiness. When God is not there, the real purpose and meaning of life is not there.

On the other hand, this could be the greatest Thanksgiving you and your family have ever experienced, if you remember to thank God for who He is, and for what He has done for us eternally through Jesus Christ. Then, thank Him for what He is doing in our earthly lives by blessing our nation and ourselves personally with freedom and abundance unparalleled in history.

PRAY: We encourage you to take time this Thanksgiving to pause and pray, focusing on gratitude towards God for salvation through Jesus Christ and the abundant blessings He has bestowed.

Putin Says Middle East on Brink of All-Out War

The Middle East is on the brink of a full-scale war after a sharp rise in tension between Israel and Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin told BRICS leaders during a summit held in Kazan. "The degree of confrontation between Israel and Iran has sharply increased. All this resembles a chain reaction and puts the entire Middle East on the brink of a full-scale war," Putin said as he sat next to Chinese President Xi Jinping. The BRICS summit, attended by more than 20 leaders, including Xi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, has shown the depth of Russia's relations beyond the Western world.

Much discussion at the summit in the Russian city of Kazan was dedicated to the war in Ukraine and the violence in the Middle East, though there was no sign that anything specific would be done to end either conflict. Russia has diplomatic relations with Israel but is also allied with Iran. Tehran has supplied Moscow with missile and armed drones for its war against Ukraine. Xi, speaking after Putin, said that there should be a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, a halt to the spread of war in Lebanon and a return to the two-state solution under which states for both Israel and Palestine would be established.

The United States has pushed in particular to advance a ceasefire to end the year-long IDF-Hezbollah war that would be based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which set the ceasefire terms that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon war. That text calls for Hezbollah not to operate between the Israeli-Lebanese border and the Litani River. US special envoy Amos Hochstein has been in Lebanon working on a ceasefire deal that would be based on that same resolution, noting that during the last 18 years, it has not been implemented. The IDF in the last months has sharply increased its military activity against Hezbollah in Lebanon, including entering southern Lebanon to push the terrorist group back to the Litani River.

In Qatar, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, “As Israel conducts operations to remove the threat to Israel and its people along the border with Lebanon, we have been very clear that this cannot lead – should not lead – to a protracted campaign and that Israel must take the necessary steps to avoid civilian casualties and not endanger UN peacekeepers or the Lebanese Armed Forces. “Right now, we’re working intensely to reach a diplomatic resolution, one that sees the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and, as a result, allows civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes and to be able to live there in peace and security," he said. “We’re also committed to building up and supporting Lebanese efforts to build up their own institutions – free from the grip of Hezbollah – so that the people of Lebanon have more security, more opportunity, more prosperity.

Separately, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was in Beirut for talks and said the task was to find a viable diplomatic solution between Israel and Lebanon after Israel succeeded in weakening Hezbollah. "The task now is to work with our partners in the US, Europe, and the Arab world to find a viable diplomatic solution that safeguards the legitimate security interests of both Israel and Lebanon," Baerbock said in a statement.

Biblical Connections: Throughout history Satan has constantly tried to attack the Jewish people. This is yet another instance of his attacks to erase the Jewish people. However, God will not allow this to happen.

PRAY: Pray that God would protect the nation of Israel during this time of increased tension in the region.

Pope's Statement Sparks Backlash

Pope Francis Continues to Lead Catholics Away from the Faith

During a three-day visit to Singapore, Pope Francis declared that “all religions are a path to God,” sparking backlash among religious leaders in the U.S. The statement was made at an interreligious meeting with young people at a Catholic junior college shortly before his departure back to Rome. Departing from his prepared remarks, Francis spoke off the cuff, stating that different religions are like “different languages” to reach God. “If you start to fight, ‘my religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn’t,’ where will that lead us?” he asked. “There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths to God.” Francis, referring to the universal nature of God, claimed, “Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.”

Reacting to the pontiff’s comments, Bishop Joseph Strickland, who oversaw the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas, until his dismissal by the Vatican last year, said in a post on X, “Please pray for Pope Francis to clearly state that Jesus Christ is the only Way. To deny this is to deny Him. If we deny Christ, He will deny us, He cannot deny Himself.” Strickland was ousted for disagreeing with Francis on the issue of banning pro-abortion Catholic politicians from receiving communion and over the degree to which outreach to the LGBT community is acceptable in the Catholic Church. A petition created in defense of Strickland last year said he was ousted because he “publicly corrected several heterodox statements from Pope Francis.”

The pope’s remarks come amid reactions from conservative Catholic quarters, reminiscent of past controversies. Francis previously faced criticism and accusations of heresy on social media back in May for claiming the human heart is “fundamentally good” during a “60 Minutes” interview.

When asked by interviewer Norah O’Donnell what gives him hope about the world, the pope responded with “everything,” citing acts of goodness by people as proof of humanity’s inherent goodness. “You see tragedies, but you also see so many beautiful things,” he said. “You see heroic mothers, heroic men, men who have hopes and dreams, women who look to the future. That gives me a lot of hope. People want to live. People forge ahead. And people are fundamentally good. We are all fundamentally good. Yes, there are some rogues and sinners, but the heart itself is good.”

At the time, many commenters on X criticized Francis for his remarks, with some accusing him of failing to grasp the basic teaching of the Gospel. Others quoted portions of Scripture that teach God alone is good and that humanity has a sinful nature. Some X users noted that Francis’ comment appeared to be an example of Pelagianism, a fifth century heresy that denied original sin and taught the essential goodness of humanity. During his 2022 trip to Kazakhstan, he made similar statements. Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, a frequent critic, had then commented on the risk of creating a “supermarket of religions.”

Biblical Connections: 2 Thessalonians 2:3 states, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first”. Many believe that what Paul is describing here is a great apostasy that will arise prior to the Rapture and the Tribulation. That the leader of the Catholic Church continually drives away from Scripture and toward universalism should be an immense red flag for believers. While there are many in the Catholic Church that disagree with the Pope on these issues, he does control Catholic theology and has an immense sway on the average Catholic worldwide.

PRAY: Pray that Pope Francis will stop this madness of moving away from Scripture and moving the Catholic Church further away from Orthodox Christianity.

Russia Threatens Ukraine Attack Could Lead to World War 3

Tensions continue to rise as the Russia Ukraine war drags on with no end in sight. Russia said the West was playing with fire by considering allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western missiles and cautioned the United States that World War Three would not be confined to Europe. Ukraine attacked Russia’s western Kursk region on Aug. 6 and has carved out a slice of territory in the biggest foreign attack on Russia since World War Two. President Vladimir Putin said there would be a worthy response from Russia to the attack.

Sergei Lavrov, who has served as Putin’s foreign minister for more than 20 years, said that the West was seeking to escalate the Ukraine war and was “asking for trouble” by considering Ukrainian requests to loosen curbs on using foreign-supplied weapons. Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Putin has repeatedly warned of the risk of a much broader war involving the world’s biggest nuclear powers, though he has said Russia does not want a conflict with the US-led NATO alliance.

 “We are now confirming once again that playing with fire - and they are like small children playing with matches - is a very dangerous thing for grown-up uncles and aunts who are entrusted with nuclear weapons in one or another Western country,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow. “Americans unequivocally associate conversations about Third World War as something that, God forbid, if it happens, will affect Europe exclusively,” Lavrov said. Lavrov added that Russia was “clarifying” its nuclear doctrine. Russia’s 2020 nuclear doctrine sets out when its president would consider using a nuclear weapon: broadly as a response to an attack using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction or conventional weapons “when the very existence of the state is put under threat.”

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the assault on Russia’s Kursk region showed that Kremlin threats of retaliation were a bluff. Zelenskiy said Ukraine, because of the restrictions imposed by allies, could not use the weapons at its disposal to hit some Russian military targets. He urged allies to be bolder in their decisions about how to help Kyiv in the war.

 Russia has said that Western weaponry, including British tanks and US rocket systems, have been used by Ukraine in Kursk. Kyiv has confirmed using U.S. HIMARS missiles to take out bridges in Kursk.

Washington says it was not informed about Ukraine’s plans ahead of the surprise incursion into Kursk. The United States has also said it did not take any part in the operation.

 Putin’s foreign intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, said that Moscow did not believe Western assertions that it had nothing to do with the Kursk attack. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the involvement of the United States was “an obvious fact.” The New York Timesreported that the United States and Britain provided Ukraine with satellite imagery and other information about the Kursk region in the days after the Ukrainian attack. The Times said that the intelligence was aimed at helping Ukraine keep better track of Russian reinforcements.

 Biblical Connections: A true world war in the nuclear age would be devastating to the globe, as it is almost impossible to think of a global conflict among nuclear powers that would not lead to someone using a nuclear strike, which would probably lead to more retaliation from the opposition. It would cause the kind of global devastation that would change the world for generations.

PRAY: Pray the Ukraine situation will be contained, and that escalation will not rise into a global nuclear war.