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.

Iran Negotiates Against Israel

There were some that thought when Iran’s new regime would come to power that there was the possibility for peace and a change of strategy in the region. That appears to not be the case. In contrast, it seems that Iran’s new policy is to shore up support from other nations in the region to build a coalition against Israel.

Iran’s new Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been moving quickly to cement Iran’s role in the region. His diplomatic offensive is taking shape even as Iran continues to threaten Israel with military force. This is important to recognize because it represents a multi-pronged Iranian offensive, on several levels. Araghchi is already holding a series of meetings, even as he is just getting his feet wet in his new role. He brings with him a wealth of experience, so this is not exactly new territory for him. According to Iranian state media, Araghchi spoke with his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Al-Yahya. “In this conversation, Kuwaiti foreign minister pointed out the will of his country to continue the process of development and expansion of relations between Tehran and Kuwait, and emphasized the importance of continuing political dialogues between the two countries,” Iran’s IRNA state media said.

He also reached out to Oman and spoke with his Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi. “In this conversation, Al Busaidi pointed out the Sultan of Oman’s special attention to the relations between the two countries and its increasing development process, and emphasized his readiness to work closely with his Iranian counterpart to follow up and implement the agreements of the heads of the two countries,” IRNA noted.

At the same time, Iran’s president and Iranian envoys are working to improve relations with key countries. For instance, the Iranian and Turkish ambassadors to Iraq met and shared their views on the region. Iran backs militias in Iraq that have been attacking Israel while Turkey operates in northern Iraq. According to IRNA, Mohammad-Kazem Ale-Sadegh met with Anil Bora Inan, Turkey’s new ambassador to Baghdad. Both Iran and Turkey have close ties to each other, as well as with Russia. Iranian ambassador to Turkey Mohammad Hassan Habibzadeh met the country’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also met in Tehran.

Qatar is a key partner of Iran. “During a meeting in Tehran, the two sides discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues,” IRNA noted. Iran’s president slammed Israel in the meeting. The Iranian diplomatic offensive includes more outreach to Egypt as well. Overall, Iran’s goal is to create a ring of fire around Israel, isolating it diplomatically while using proxies to attack Israel.

Biblical Connections: Ezekiel 38-39 talk about a future invasion of Israel in which Israel will be surrounded by enemies and will only survive through God’s direct intervention. Iran, then known as Persia, is specifically listed as one of the enemies in this invasion. The invasion seems to come from all sides. Is it possible that Iran’s dealings are leading up to a war in which Israel will be surrounded and will need divine intervention? The nations that Iran are trying to accumulate would certainly point in that direction. While time will tell where this leads, it should certainly get our attention that Iran is not only calling for the destruction of Israel, but is actively trying to accumulate allies, including Turkey and Russia, to bring to bear against Israel.

PRAY: Pray the nations of the Middle East will recognize the evil intentions of Iran and stop negotiating with a nation that hates Israel and sponsors terrorism.

National Guard Discriminates Against Christians

An infantry officer who expressed Christian views on human sexuality and other LGBT-related issues faced pressure to resign from the Idaho National Guard and was stripped of his commanding position following a complaint from a subordinate who identifies as homosexual. Liberty Counsel announced that it had notified Gov. Brad Little about the alleged First Amendment violation. While the infantry officer is represented by R. Davis Younts, LLC, Liberty Counsel has added its voice to the man’s case, requesting a response to avoid further legal action.

According to Liberty Counsel, a subordinate senior enlisted man who identifies as homosexual filed an Equal Opportunity complaint against the infantry officer. The officer reportedly expressed Christian viewpoints on human sexuality and expressed opposition to “pernicious practices,” which include prescribing puberty blockers and opposite-sex hormones to children suffering from confusion about their sex. The subordinate who filed the complaint claimed that the officer’s speech showed “just how much the officer truly hates the LGBTQ community.” Liberty Counsel disagreed with this assessment, arguing that the officer believes everyone is made in God’s image and cares for those under his command, regardless of religious or political differences.

“Soldiers who identify as LGBTQ are required to tolerate Christians in the military workplace and may not file false EO Complaints or other charges against superior officers (or subordinates) because they disagree with protected religious or political speech,” Liberty Counsel stated in its letter to the governor. “False charges like these interfere with good order and discipline. Here, the dichotomy between ‘speech for me, but not for thee’ could not be more evident: the baseless and discriminatory AR 15-6 investigation stems from a false EO complaint filed against the Officer by a subordinate senior enlisted man, because the officer had the temerity to speak his religious and political beliefs in public outside of the military context.”

Following the complaint, the Idaho Army National Guard removed the officer from command and initially agreed to lift the flag on the officer’s file, allowing him to resign without penalty and fulfill his duties in Wyoming. The Idaho Army National Guard did not lift the flag before the Wyoming position became unavailable, according to Liberty Counsel. In addition, the Idaho Army National Guard allegedly used Bible verses to mock the officer for not keeping a promise to leave by a certain date.

Among its list of recommendations, Liberty Counsel requested the restoration of the officer’s career and the dismissal of what the firm described as the “meritless EO complaint.” In addition, Liberty Counsel recommended a rejection of the “No Christians as Commanders Policy,” referring to recommendations made by the Idaho Army National Guard’s investigating officer. The investigating officer reportedly encouraged the Idaho Army National Guard to adopt a policy of scrutinizing future full-time National Guard Duty candidates’ religious and political beliefs. If concerns about the candidates’ beliefs are substantiated, then the National Guard would report them to the Department of Defense Counterintelligence as an example of “Extremist” and “Insider Threats” for “adjudication by subject matter experts” at the Pentagon.

In a statement to The Christian Post, a spokesperson for the Idaho Military Division confirmed that leadership is aware of the allegations and is investigating the matter. “We take this matter seriously and in accordance with all federal and state laws regarding discriminatory behavior, we have initiated an unbiased investigation to address the issue thoroughly. The investigation is ongoing, and it would be inappropriate to comment further on the matter at this time.” The spokesperson promised that if the investigation uncovers violations of the Idaho Military Division’s anti-discrimination policies, those responsible will be held accountable in accordance with state and federal law.

Biblical Connection: Matthew 10:22 states, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

PRAY: Pray the LGBTQ agenda that has overwhelmed so much of our culture will be stopped and biblical morals will once again be established and enforced.

Why Doesn’t God Stop All the Problems in the World?

QUESTION:

 Since God has all the power to do so, why doesn’t He stop all the problems in the world?

 ANSWER:

 The answer to this question lies in the fact that God has made man a free moral agent. Man had the right to choose good or choose evil in the Garden of Eden. He chose evil, and the world has been under a curse ever since. Because of Adam’s sin, we are all sinners:

 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned,” Romans 5:12.

We are born in sin, and we continue in sin. Our sin not only relates to our own lives, but the lives of others. The criminal’s sin affects the victim. The parent’s sin takes its toll on the children. The world leader’s sin causes him to go to war, costing lives on both sides. As the passage in Romans says, we are also under the sentence of death for our sins, and because of that, our mortal bodies suffer as well.

 God does sometimes intervene in the affairs of mankind and end some of the suffering. But He does not do it in all cases, for many reasons that are unknown to us. However, one reason we do know about, is that problems do tend to draw men closer to God, which ultimately brings glory to Him as a result:

 “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word,” Psalm 119:67.

 The good news is that our Lord will intervene universally in the world situation at His Second Coming at the conclusion of the Tribulation. At that time, He will defeat the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon and institute His 1,000 year Millennial Reign of righteousness. Sin and evil will not occur with impunity as is the case now. Even better, we who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior can look forward to even speedier deliverance when He returns prior to the Tribulation on the occasion of the Rapture and Resurrection.

 Although we are now experiencing troubles, we can look forward to that day when problems shall be no more:

 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea … And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:1,4

 PRAY: Pray for those who do not know the Lord to come to salvation. Share the Gospel with loved ones and friends while we still have the time.

Antisemitism Shown on Capitol Hill

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States this summer was supposed to show America’s dedication and resolve to continuing to help one of its biggest allies. Instead, it has shown just how much Antisemitism is possibly influencing American politics. Netanyahu was invited by both leaders of Congress, Representative Mike Johnson in the House and Senator Chuck Schumer in the Senate, to give a speech on the Capitol floor about the continued war in Gaza. It was supposed to be a unifying time where both nations could show their continued support.

However, the visit did not go as planned for a variety of reasons. First, Netanyahu did not receive much publicity on his arrival or during much of his trip because of the major political events that were eating up the American news cycle. Former President Donald Trump had a failed assassination attempt only a few days before Netanyahu’s arrival. Then, during his arrival window President Biden came down with Covid and eventually dropped out of the presidential race, naming Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. All of these events simply overwhelmed the media buzz, to the point that many, including sitting Congressmen, had even forgotten that Netanyahu had even arrived or that his speech was upcoming.

Second, the political turmoil of the weekend of Netanyahu’s arrival was evident. President Biden was away from the capitol at his home in Delaware with Covid, so he was not there to welcome the prime minister at the airport as is customary when a major ally arrives in the nation. Vice President Harris, who has been a vocal critic of Israel and Netanyahu in particular, was not there to welcome him either. Even Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was not present. Therefore, Netanyahu arrived with little fanfare or media coverage.

Finally, pro-Hamas protesters made it very clear that they did not want Netanyahu comfortable. They released multiple kinds of bugs into the Watergate Hotel where he was staying and pulled the fire alarm multiple times the night before his speech to Congress. Thousands of protesters arrived at the Capitol, burning the US flag in protest and even replacing it with the Hamas flag in front of the Capitol. Many of the Capitol police that attempted to stop the protesters were attacked.

Vice President Harris, along with many other Democratic Congresspeople, also skipped the speech. Harris’ team said that she was doing events on the campaign trail, but it is customary that as acting Vice President she would be present for the speech, as she was when President Zelensky of Ukraine gave a similar speech earlier this year.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib made headlines when she held up a sign during the speech calling the prime minister a “war criminal” and advocated that he be arrested and given over to the International Criminal Court. This cannot happen in the United States as the US is not a member of the ICC and does not enforce its laws. Needless to say, the speech and the entire visit have seen very little positive and much negativity toward the Jewish leader.

Biblical Connection: After the horrible events of World War 2 and the Holocaust, it seemed like the West would take care of the Jewish people. People even wondered how the future Antichrist would be able to turn the world against the Jewish people again, as described in the Book of Revelation. However, the events of October 7th have shown that Antisemitism is still very much an active part of society and that all it takes is a little push for people to turn on the Jewish people once again.

PRAY: Pray this hatred for the nation of Israel would cease and that America would again become a strong ally to the Jewish people.

Interest in the New Testament Grows in Israel

The faith-based nonprofit Jews for Jesus, an organization that shares the Gospel with people of the Jewish faith, says it has seen an increase in the number of New Testament orders from Israelis since the war between Israel and Hamas began last October. Jews for Jesus, affiliated with the Messianic Jewish movement, is an organization dedicated to helping Jewish people continue living out their faith while believing in Christ, the Son of God. The organization engages in conversations about Jesus in public spaces like college campuses and parks and hosts events to create opportunities for dialogue. The group is devoted to demonstrating Christ-like behavior through charitable acts, such as soup kitchens and ministering to Holocaust survivors during their last days of life.

Jews for Jesus offers the New Testament for free to Israelis through its website and the sites of its ministry partners, One for Israel or Tree of Life Ministries. According to data provided to The Christian Post, the organization has seen 1,230 New Testament orders from Israelis since the war between Israel and the terror group Hamas began in October. Jews for Jesus Executive Director Aaron Abramson told CP that one possible reason for the increase in requests is that Israelis appear to have a lot of questions, including spiritual ones, since Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught. “But there’s also a kind of hopelessness,” Abramson said. “Israel has prided itself in its ability to defend itself, so Oct. 7 was a real blow to that for people. You had people questioning whether they should remain in Israel and if it was safe for them. You have people who once lived in other countries and experienced antisemitism who were like, ‘Well, where do we go from here?’ And so, if you can’t put your trust in maybe, let’s say, a political solution, you can’t put your trust in like a military solution, or if you can’t put your trust in an economic solution, then where do you put your trust?” he asked. “And I think that’s why a lot of people were starting to sort of dig into those spiritual questions.”

Abramson said many of the organization’s staff in Israel have wives, husbands or kids in the Israeli military who were called in after Oct. 7. He said the nonprofit decided to “shift gears” by supporting those who were impacted by the terrorist attack, partnering with groups like Samaritan’s Purse. In addition to helping kibbutzim residents relocate after Hamas devastated their communities, Jews for Jesus helped provide food once residents resettled at hotels. They also set up makeshift classrooms so children could continue going to school.

Jews for Jesus transformed its Moishe Roshen Center in Tel Aviv into a location that provided resources to those impacted by Oct. 7, such as toiletries and medication. Abramson said that the group even set up an art gallery to help people express themselves and hosted barbeques for military units. “So for us, it was really how can we create space for people to come in to wrestle through deeper questions and how can we speak to those spiritual needs, as well as meeting some of those emotional and physical needs?” Abramson said.

Biblical Connections: In Romans 11, the apostle Paul said Israel was spiritual blinded and the Gospel would go to the Gentiles, but in the future Israel would turn back to God and recognize Jesus as their Messiah. While this will most likely occur during the Tribulation period, it is possible that we are starting to see the beginnings of this revival today.

PRAY: Pray more Jewish people will have their eyes opened to the Gospel and accept Jesus as their Messiah and Savior.

Doctor Faces Going to Jail for Protecting Children

The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed the four-count indictment against a doctor who potentially faces 10 years in prison after blowing the whistle on the largest pediatric hospital in the U.S. for allegedly prescribing puberty blockers to minors despite claiming otherwise. Dr. Eithan Haim, 34, who completed his surgical residency at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) in Houston, was slapped with four felony counts after he “obtained personal information including patient names, treatment codes and the attending physician from Texas Children’s Hospital’s (TCH) electronic system without authorization,” according to a DOJ press release.

Haim reportedly leaked such records to journalist Christopher Rufo last year because they exposed the “gender-affirming services” allegedly still being performed on minors at the hospital at the time, even though the hospital told the public it had paused such procedures.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had earlier released a formal opinion in February 2022 that labeled some sex-change procedures and the use of puberty blockers as “child abuse” under Texas law, after which Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order instructing state agencies to investigate them as such. The six-page indictment released by U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani and reported by National Review alleges that Haim went to the press instead of the appropriate authorities within the hospital.

Last May, within 24 hours of Rufo publishing a story in City Journal based on Haim’s leak, the Texas Legislature passed SB-14, which made such procedures for minors illegal in the state effective Sept. 1, 2023. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law last June.

Rufo’s story also prompted Paxton to launch a formal investigation into TCH. The hospital’s CEO, Mark Wallace, later issued a statement promising to finally shut down the facility’s trans procedures for minors by the time the law went into effect.

Rufo noted in a subsequent article last June that the information Haim leaked to him redacted key personal information, but the indictment claims the records retained dates of service, diagnosis, procedure codes and physician names. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina Ansari, the lead DOJ prosecutor in his case who also signed his recent indictment, showed evidence of bias and went after both him and his wife, his lawyers claimed in a letter sent to members of Congress earlier this year.

Ansari allegedly described trans procedures as the “last hope” for some families and pressed Haim to avoid felony prosecution by admitting to a crime. She also reportedly claimed it was not Haim’s job to expose the trans procedures at the pediatric hospital and used a personal cellphone to communicate with Haim’s attorneys. “These people are corrupt,” Haim told The Christian Post in January. “And the only way to expose it is to not play into this Kabuki theater, like these people are practitioners of justice. Because if we were to collude with them, we would be sanctioning our own destruction.”

Biblical Connection: While it can be argued that Dr. Haim did not use the proper channels when calling out what he considered child abuse, the bigger issue is that a hospital catering to children would not only do “gender affirming surgeries”, which many can and should view as child abuse, but also that they would continue to do so even after telling the public that they had stopped. Unfortunately, many in the medical field have bought into the LGBT agenda and will stop at nothing to propagate and even instigate the issue with these types of surgeries on minors. Isaiah 5:20 summarizes this idea perfectly when it states, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

PRAY: Pray our children will be safe and that this agenda to change God’s design for our families will be halted.

California Continues the Push to Remove Parental Powers

The California Senate has approved a bill that would prohibit school districts from requiring school officials to share information about a student’s sexual orientation and gender identity with the child’s parent, drawing concerns from Christian and parental rights groups. The Democrat-controlled California Senate passed Assembly Bill 1955 in a 29-8 vote. Support for the legislation fell along party lines, with all votes in favor of it coming from Democrats and all opposition coming from Republicans.

The legislation includes a provision declaring that “[a]n employee or a contractor of a school district, county office of education, charter school, or state special school for the blind or the deaf shall not be required to disclose any information related to a pupil’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the pupil’s consent unless otherwise required by state or federal law.” The bill states that “policies that forcibly ‘out’ pupils without their consent remove opportunities for LGBTQ+ young people and their families to build trust and have these conversations when they are ready.”

The measure comes in response to local school districts adopting policies requiring parental notification when it comes to such issues. Sonja Shaw, a member of the school board for the Chino Valley Unified School District that passed a parental notification policy, said that “if a child is asking for the school district to now call them by another sex’s name or go into the other sex’s restroom, we will notify the parents. No one’s outing anybody,” she said, adding, “The kid is coming out, and the parents have a right to know.”

Students First California, an advocacy group that seeks to ensure that “parents have a seat at the table” when it comes to their children’s education, published a letter expressing opposition to the measure. “There is a reason courts have consistently affirmed parents as having a fundamental right to direct the care and upbringing of their children,” wrote Students First California President Jonathan Zachreson. “Parents know and care for their children more than anyone else and are ultimately responsible for them in every setting — school, home, and elsewhere,” he added. “Notifying and involving parents in something as paramount as when a school takes an active role in socially transitioning a child is critical for the well-being of children and for maintaining trust between schools and parents.”

Citing state law, Zachreson noted that “parents of students under 18 years old in public schools have an absolute right to access all records related to their children and the editing or withholding of any of those records is prohibited.” “These records include the gender and name in which the child goes by at school regardless of if the gender or name matches a student’s official government documents,” lamenting that “AB 1955 would enable and strengthen policies that violate this right.”

California Family Council has also expressed its opposition to the bill. “This bill assumes parents with biblical beliefs about gender and sexuality are a threat to their own children,” the organization stated in an online campaign against the bill. “AB 1955 marginalizes parents, preventing them from receiving critical information about their kids. Parents need to be informed partners in addressing issues of gender identity, ensuring their children receive the support and guidance they need within the family unit.” The bill must return to the Assembly before it can be sent to California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

Biblical Connections: The Bible clearly places the care of children in the hands of their parents and family. For a government to intervene and attempt to lesson that bond for nefarious reasons shows just how far parts of the nation have moved away from the Bible.

PRAY: Pray this continued push to hide children’s actions and thoughts from their own parents would be stopped and that a Biblical foundation will again reign throughout the nation.

Pope Francis Argues “People are Fundamentally Good”

Pope Francis has been a controversial figure to say the least over the past few years as many conservative Catholics argue that he is drawing the Catholic Church further away from their roots and into a more liberal theology. This concern was highlighted when he drew scorn and accusations of heresy on social media for maintaining during his “60 Minutes” interview that the human heart is “fundamentally good.”

Responding to interviewer Norah O’Donnell’s question regarding what gives him hope when he looks at the world, the pontiff said “everything,” and then went on to list examples of people doing good things as evidence of humanity’s essential 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.”

Many commentators 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.

“This is contrary to basic Christian theology,” radio host Erick Erickson wrote. “We are all sinners. There aren’t just ‘some sinners.’”

“If this is true, we don’t need a Savior to die on the Cross. So this pope is a heretic,” wrote author Eric Metaxas.

“Welp, this is a Satanic lie…” wrote Babylon Bee editor Joel Berry.

“This raises a question: Is the Pope Catholic? Apparently not! The minute he saw an American journalist nodding at him, he should have known he had gone astray,” Daily Wire host Andrew Klavan wrote.

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. Pelagianism was named after a monk named Pelagius who was ultimately excommunicated from the Catholic church in 418, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Multiple councils condemned his worldview, which was also famously repudiated by Augustine of Hippo in his “Confessions.”

Francis also raised eyebrows for other comments he made during his interview, such as accusing conservative U.S. bishops of exhibiting “a suicidal attitude” by opposing his “efforts to revisit teachings and traditions.”

The pontiff also responded to the furor around the Vatican’s recent “Fiducia Supplicans” guidance, claiming it does not permit the blessing of a homosexual union itself, but rather the two individual homosexuals engaging in the union. “What I allowed was not to bless the union; that cannot be done, because that is not the sacrament,” he said. “I cannot. The Lord made it that way. But to bless each person? Yes. The blessing is for everyone.”

Biblical Connections: In Luke 18:19, Jesus stated, “So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Paul in Romans 3:23 stated, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In Isaiah 64:6, the prophet writes, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” While humanity was created fundamentally good, the fall of man in Genesis 3 has led to a sinful condition throughout all of humanity. To argue that humanity as a whole is fundamentally good and that there are only a few bad apples that mess things up simply is not consistent with the pages of Scripture.

PRAY: Pray the drift to more liberal leaning movements of various groups within Christianity will stop and people will return to the foundation of the Bible.

Fight Ensures Over the Ten Commandments

Louisiana became the first state to require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments through a Republican-backed bill signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. House Bill 71, sponsored by Republican Rep. Dodie Horton, mandates that each public school classroom display a poster-sized copy of the Ten Commandments by next January. "If you want to respect the rule of law you've got to start from the original law given, which was Moses," Landry said during a signing ceremony.

The display must be a “poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches,” according to the text of the legislation. The text of the Ten Commandments must be the “central focus” of the poster or framed documents, which shall be printed in “large, easily readable font.” The display must also include a four-paragraph “context statement” telling readers that “The Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries. Around the year 1688, The New England Primer became the first published American textbook and was the equivalent of a first-grade reader. The New England Primer was used in public schools throughout the United States for more than one hundred fifty years to teach Americans to read and contained more than forty questions about the Ten Commandments,” the context statement reads.

“The Ten Commandments were also included in public school textbooks published by educator William McGuffey, a noted university president and professor. A version of his famous McGuffey Readers was written in the early 1800s and became one of the most popular textbooks in the history of American education, selling more than one hundred million copies. Copies of the McGuffey Readers are still available today.”

The new law is likely to face legal challenges. Secular church-state separation groups have already threatened lawsuits, contending that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation announced their intention to file a lawsuit. The groups assert that school displays of the Ten Commandments equate to “religious coercion of students, who are legally required to attend school and are thus a captive audience for school-sponsored religious messages.”

The organizations believe the law violates U.S. Supreme Court precedent set in the 1980 Stone v. Graham decision. In a 5-4 ruling, the Burger court ruled against a similar law passed in Kentucky requiring classrooms to post copies of the Ten Commandments, finding that it violated the First Amendment. "The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” the groups wrote in a joint statement. “The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government. Politicians have no business imposing their preferred religious doctrine on students and families in public schools.”

Supporters of the law maintain that its purpose is to highlight the document’s historical significance, as the legislation describes the Ten Commandments as one of the "foundational documents of our state and national government." The bill also allows schools to display other historical documents, such as the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance. “Although this is a religious document, this document is also posted in over one hundred and eighty places, including the Supreme Court of the United States of America. I would say is based on the laws that this country was founded on,” Republican state Sen. Adam Bass told KALB.

Biblical Connections: Many of the founding documents and laws of America were founded on biblical precedent. Getting back to that precedent is paramount in having a successful nation.

Pray- Pray that there will continue to be a push for getting America back to its biblical roots and that the court challenges to stopping this will be defeated.

God Bless America A Message for Our Nation

It’s time to exhort the people of America to call upon God and ask God to indeed bless the United States of America.

If we humble ourselves before God, repent and ask for forgiveness, God could certainly return His blessing upon America. He has already wonderfully blessed our nation far beyond anything we deserve. And though we are not a perfect nation, and though there are many problems and challenges and difficulties, it is still one of the greatest nations in all the world.

Can any nation say, “God bless our nation?” The Bible tells us “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 32:12).

Now in the Old Testament context, the people of Israel realized they were in a special covenant relationship with God. They were a theocratic kingdom of the people of God on Earth. Yet that blessing of God was not limited just to them. It was available to any people that would come to God.

It was available to the Assyrians, if they would repent at Nineveh. It was available to the Babylonians, if they would come to God. It was available to the Egyptians. And it’s available today to any nation in the world that is willing to say, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is our Savior. He is our God. And we’re going to pray that God will bless our nation, not to the exclusion of other nations, but that God might bless our nation in particular.”

Everybody in every nation ought to be able to pray for that and say it from the depth of their heart and their soul. If you love God with all of your heart, and you love your country, then certainly you want God to bless you nation, just as you want God to bless your life. The blessing of God comes when we receive the power of God Himself in our lives. The Bible tells us that the Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of liberty. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty and freedom.

Liberty is a gift from the God of liberty. It’s the blessing of God in our lives. It’s not just something that is a political circumstance in our experience of Americans. The patriots that founded the United States of America made a Declaration of Independence, that asked God to bless this nation, and we have in turn been blessed by the results.

But it’s more than that – it’s the blessing of God that comes to the lives of people who are willing to let God be God in their lives. It’s that personal relationship with God that brings the blessing of God to us as individuals, to our churches, and to our nation.

One of the reasons God has blessed America all these years is because America was founded by godly men and women who were concerned to take the Bible seriously, and to live out its truths in their lives.

Secondly, they took the whole issue of freedom seriously, a freedom that was guaranteed to everybody as one of the unalienable rights given to us by our Creator. They understood that we were not here by accident. We’re not simply here by convenience. We are here by the Divine sovereign choice of God Himself. God called those Pilgrims and Puritans to come to this new world, to establish this new nation to the glory of God.

When we as a people are willing to get on our faces before God, on our knees before God, we’re willing to call out to Him, cry out to Him, and let Him deal with our hearts and lives, we can then say, “God bless me, God bless America, God bless the world through us.” Then America can reach the greatness God intended for her to have. Not just as a military power, not just as a commercial enterprise, but as a nation that would reflect the goodness of God, the freedom of God, the liberty of the Spirit of God, the blessing of God.

In nation after nation after nation, God is calling people to come to Him, to believe in Christ. He’s building His Church. He’s blessing those nations whose God is the Lord.

Excerpts from this article taken from Dr. Ed Hindson’s message, God Bless America.

PRAY: Pray that freedom of religion, freedom of choice, freedom of opportunity to open the Word of God continues in America. Pray that our nation turns back to God.

Catholic Church in US Slowly Abandoning Stance on Abortion

For decades the Catholic Church has had a strong stance in the pro-life movement. However, a new survey has seen that a majority of American Catholics think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, although support for legal abortion is much lower among Catholics who attend Mass regularly.

The Pew Research Center released a blog titled “9 Facts about U.S. Catholics”. One fact included on the list, based on research conducted from March 27 through April 2, 2023, found that 61% of Catholics living in the United States believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. This is a slightly smaller percentage than the number of U.S. adults who said the same (62%). Support for abortion differs among subgroups within the sample of Catholic adults surveyed. A slightly higher share of Hispanic Catholics (63%) favor keeping abortion legal in all or most cases than their white Catholic counterparts (59%).

Conversely, the difference in support for abortion among Catholics who attend Mass weekly and those who go less frequently is much starker. Only 34% of Catholics who go to Mass every week think abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances. Meanwhile, 68% of Catholics who attend Mass once a month or less or not at all support legal abortion in all or most cases.

Michael New, a pro-life scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, reacted to this particular finding from the survey on X. “Church attendance tells us far more about abortion attitudes than denomination,” he said. Carol Swain, a conservative commentator and former Vanderbilt University professor, cited the report’s findings as evidence that “Pope Francis and progressive public Catholics like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Democrat President Joe Biden have been disastrous for orthodox Christians of all denominations.” Swain’s comments suggest that Pelosi and Biden, self-professed practicing Catholics who support abortion despite its direct contradiction to the teachings of their faith, are causing many of their fellow Catholics to stray from church teaching on the matter.

The report measured the share of U.S. Catholics who attend Mass weekly at 28% while finding that 10% of American Catholics go to church once a month, and the remaining 62% attend Mass a few times a year or less. Catholic Church teaching, as laid out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, declares that “direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” and that “formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense.”

Additional findings from the Pew Research Center show that partisan affiliation also plays a role in Catholics’ level of support for abortion. Forty-three percent of Catholic Republicans favor legal abortion in all or most circumstances compared to 78% of Catholic Democrats. The partisan divide within the Catholic Church as it relates to abortion mirrors the divisions among the American public as a whole. Among all U.S. adults, 40% of Republicans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 84% of Democrats said the same.

Biblical Connections: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 states, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” The push for Christians to abandon the Bible is strong in our day.

PRAY: Pray for those who call themselves Christians will actually follow what the Bible and live Godly lives in all areas of life.

Houthis Target US Ships and Expand Operations in Middle East

The Houthis have increased their attacks, saying that they “targeted two American destroyers and two ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.” Their spokesman said they used drones to target the US ships, after a month in which it appeared that Houthi attacks had leveled off or had been reduced. US Central Command said on April 29 that “between 10 a.m. and 5:20 p.m., Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) and three UAVs from Yemen into the Red Sea towards MV Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned vessel. Initial reports indicate there were no injuries and the vessel continued on its way.”

The new attacks are raising eyebrows in the region. They were front page news at the pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen, which shows that Iran and its proxies view the new attacks as important moves for the Iran-backed “axis of resistance.” Tehran has been continuing to push Hamas and Hezbollah to carry out attacks on Israel. For instance, terrorists in both Lebanon and Gaza have targeted the Jewish state with rockets in recent days.

The Houthis are a third front where Iran seeks to escalate attacks. The Al-Ain media in the Gulf said that “new naval attacks were carried out by Houthi militias against American cargo ships and destroyers, extending from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.”

The report quoted Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, as saying that the militias carried out a series of attacks that targeted the Israeli ship MSC Orion, the Cyclades ship, and two American destroyers. The Iranian-backed groups often claim to attack Israeli ships or Israel-linked ships without providing evidence of the connection or claim. The report goes on to claim that the attack on the MSC Orion took place in the Indian Ocean. This is also an escalation because the Houthis have usually concentrated attacks in the Red Sea. They have also carried out attacks in the Indian Ocean, but this expands their area of operation.

The report at Al-Ain media said that the Houthis had “confirmed that the hit on the Cyclades ship came after an attack targeted it in the Red Sea.” The Cyclades sails under the flag of Malta, reports said and was targeted with drones and missiles for “violating the ban and heading to the port of Eilat on April 21, using deception and camouflage, under the pretense that it was heading to another port,” the report said.

In addition, the Houthis are escalating attacks on US ships trying to prevent Houthi attacks over the last five months. The ships come under US Central Command’s overall mission to secure shipping and prevent destabilization in the region. “Last week, the Houthi militia claimed responsibility for targeting the Andromeda Star in the Red Sea, and shooting down an American drone in its home stronghold of Saada, in the far north of Yemen,” Al-Ain noted. The same report said that the Houthis had targeted the MSC Darwin sailing in the Gulf of Aden, the American ship Maersk Yorktown, an American destroyer in the Gulf of Aden, and the “Israeli ship MSC VERACRUZ in the Indian Ocean.”

The Houthis claim they have now attacked 102 ships. They also claim to be expanding operations in the Indian Ocean. They issued a video message about this claim, but did not elaborate about these incidents. However, the Houthi claims clearly show they want to appear to be increasing their attacks.

Biblical Connections: The Bible makes it clear that the Middle East will be in chaos at the time of the end. These continual developments in the Middle East that lead to chaos and disorder may be paving the way for the Rapture.

‘Frogs in the Kettle’

The president of a nonprofit Christian persecution watchdog that monitors hostility to faith and freedom abroad warned that too few Christians in America and the West seem aware of how such trends are manifesting at home. “Basically, we are frogs in the kettle, and the bubbles keep coming up under us,” Jeff King, president of the Washington, D.C.-based International Christian Concern (ICC), told The Christian Post. “Too many people are not aware politically, and they’re so used to thinking of how things were that they can’t figure out where these bubbles are coming from, not realizing they’re being cooked.”

ICC, which was founded in 1995 to advocate for the persecuted church around the world, has been speaking out, particularly about Staci Barber’s case in Texas. Barber is a school teacher who sued the Katy Independent School District near Houston in March after her principal allegedly reprimanded her last September for praying with two other teachers at the school’s flagpole as part of “See You At the Pole,” an annual international event. The administrator reportedly told her that teachers were not allowed to pray where students could see them and be influenced to join, according to the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ). Teachers were told they “could not pray in any location where students would be present, even if this praying occurred before the school day began,” according to the lawsuit.

King told CP that Barber’s case “highlights the depth of ignorance among school boards and even at the principal level of what rights the Constitution grants people,” but he suggested her situation is symptomatic of a wider hostility toward Christians in the U.S. at all levels. King warned that the same trends his nonprofit has been tracking and advocating against overseas are increasingly manifesting in the historically free nations of the Western world, including the United States. He pinpointed a corrupt, cumbersome judicial process and proliferating hate speech laws as the main prongs of the attack on Christian beliefs. King explained that dictators and despots will promise religious liberty out of one side of their mouths while at the same time effectively mandating that religious citizens keep their opinions to themselves and out of the public square. “If that sounds familiar, there’s a reason,” he said. “The big picture, and what people need to grasp, is that’s what’s going on here in the West, and that’s what a lot of people who dislike Christianity are proposing and trying to push forward.”

Even if courts rule against the bad actors, King noted that the onerous judicial process itself is sufficient to convey the regime’s message. “People learn that you do not stick your head up, and you start being quiet because the process is the punishment,” he said, adding that he has even seen examples of similar situations in Christian ministries in the U.S. where employees have been dragged before HR for not “toeing on the line” on LGBTQ issues and pronoun usage.

King also observed that American culture has shifted dramatically within the past 30 years or so, and that the population has been “softened up” to the creeping totalitarian and anti-Christian impulses of their political leaders. Noting how such things have progressed gradually along a spectrum, he was reluctant to trace such trends to any particular year or event, but said they seemed to escalate as a backlash to the political rise of the Moral Majority during the 1980s. Likening their influence to “poison that’s been poured into the masses for the last 30 years,” King said media and the entertainment industry have played a pivotal role for decades in promoting immorality and portraying people of faith in a negative light. “When you use propaganda, you can turn the masses over time, and that’s part of what’s happened,” he said, adding that a hedonistic society views Christians as an unwelcome “giant stop sign” against such impulses, which leads to building resentment.

Biblical Connections: Paul warned that in the last days people would continue to turn against Christianity. We move closer and closer to this point every day.

PRAY: Pray this push to drive the United States away from its Christian roots will be stopped and that revival will come to the nation once again.

Fewer Than Half of Christians Regularly Attend Church

A new report recently came out that shows the decline of Christianity in America is increasingly on the rise. Three in 10 people in the United States attend religious services on a regular basis, representing a decline compared to the past couple of decades, according to a report by Gallup. Gallup reported that 21% of Americans said they attend religious services on a weekly basis, while 9% said they attend religious services nearly every week. By contrast, 11% of respondents reported attending about once a month, 25% reported attending “seldom,” while 31% said they “never” go to religious services.

This represents a decline from one decade ago, when Gallup found that 38% of Americans attended weekly or almost weekly, and from two decades ago, when 42% of Americans reported attending weekly or almost weekly. For its research, Gallup drew from aggregated data from surveys conducted over the phone in 2021, 2022 and 2023, with previous samples being collected from surveys done in 2000-2003 and 2011-2013, respectively.

Gallup found that Mormons were the most likely to report going to their services regularly, with 67% saying they attended weekly or almost weekly. Protestants were the next highest at 44%, followed by Muslims (38%), Catholics (33%), Orthodox Christians (26%), Jews (22%), Buddhists (14%) and Hindus (13%). The report also found that Catholics experienced the sharpest drop in attendance compared to two decades ago, going from 45% regular attendance in 2000-2003 to 33% in 2021-2023.

Over the past several years, much has been made about the rise of the religiously unaffiliated population in the United States, also known as the “nones,” especially among younger generations. In January 2023, for example, the Survey on American Life, a project of the American Enterprise Institute, released a report which found that church attendance still hadn’t recovered from what it was before the COVID-19 lockdowns.

While the number of Americans who attended worship services had increased from 13% in the summer of 2020 to 27% by the spring of 2022, this was still below pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, according to the SAL, 33% of Americans reported in 2022 that they never attend religious services, an increase from the 25% who said the same before the pandemic. The largest declines in attendance were seen among adults younger than 50, Hispanic Catholics, black Protestants, and white mainline Protestants.

Biblical Connection: Paul, writing in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, stated, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

Similarly, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 he wrote, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” While we do not know for certain this decline of Christianity is the type of falling away Paul wrote about, it certainly fits the type of pattern Paul described would happen prior to the Rapture of the church and the start of the Tribulation with the rise of the Antichrist.

PRAY: Pray this decline in church attendance in America will reverse and Americans will return to church once again.

President Biden Wants Pride Flags to Continue at US Embassies

The Biden administration is promising to fight a GOP-led rule in the recently signed $1.2 trillion spending package that effectively bans the rainbow pride flag from being flown at U.S. embassies and consulates. A provision slipped in the bill spanning more than 1,000 pages requires that “none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended to fly or display a flag over a facility of the United States Department of State,” other than the U.S. flag, with some exceptions, according to Axios. Other permitted flags include the POW/MIA flag, the U.S. Foreign Service flag, the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag, as well as flags that represent states, American territories, Indian tribal areas, and the District of Columbia. Flags of other nations are also allowed.

President Joe Biden signed the spending bill, but a spokesperson for the White House expressed the administration’s disapproval of the pride flag ban and promised to pursue repealing what they suggested amounts to discrimination against LGBT Americans. “President Biden believes it was inappropriate to abuse the process that was essential to keep the government open by including this policy targeting LGBTQI+ Americans,” a White House spokesperson told the outlet. “While it will have no impact on the ability of members of the LGBTQI+ community to serve openly in our embassies or to celebrate Pride, the Administration fought against the inclusion of this policy and we will continue to work with members of Congress to find an opportunity to repeal it,” the spokesperson added. It should surprise no one that President Biden would be against this provision, as he has been one of the most pro-LGBT leaders in the world, constantly promoting the agenda wherever and whenever possible and going out of his way to promote LGBT individuals within not only his administration but also throughout the entire government, including the US military.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., a Southern Baptist, praised the provision behind closed doors as a win for conservatives, according to a source who spoke to Bloomberg News. Some U.S. embassies began displaying pride flags to mark so-called pride month or other LGBT-related holidays during the Obama administration. The blanket authorization was repealed under former President Donald Trump, though some continued to display the rainbow flags anyway, according to The Washington Post. The Biden administration then reversed Trump’s ban in April 2021, allowing the flag to be unfurled again at U.S. embassies such as the one to the Vatican, which prompted outrage from Roman Catholics in June 2022. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also permitted the Black Lives Matter flag to be flown at U.S. embassies, which critics denounced as unnecessarily political.

The provision in the current spending bill remains effective only until Sept. 30. In 2023, Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., introduced the Old Glory Only Act, which would permanently ban such displays at diplomatic facilities. “Our beautiful flag, Old Glory, should be the only flag flying and representing our country over our diplomatic and consular posts worldwide,” Duncan said in a statement at the time, according to Fox News Digital. “The American flag is a beacon of liberty, and no other flag or symbol better portrays our shared values than the Stars and Stripes.” In 2021, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York proposed a similar bill and accused the Biden administration of permitting “inherently political flags that are in no way affiliated with the U.S. government.”

Biblical Connections: Romans 1:26-27 states, “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.” Any nation that continues to promote the things God calls evil is not a nation that follows after the Lord.

PRAY: Pray the sinful forces that are pushing this anti-God agenda will be defeated and the ways of the Lord will be established once again.

Activism Replacing Religion in the West?

The Western world was the center of Christian civilization for centuries. Missionaries were sent around the world from places like Great Britain and America in the late 1700s and 1800s. Men like Hudson Taylor and CT Studd left everything to go out to the ends of the earth to spread the Gospel to the nations. The missionary movement has continued for the last two centuries, with people like Eric Liddle, Lottie Moon and many others continuing this great missionary tradition.

However, as the Western world has slowly moved away from its Christian foundation and become more secular, the passion and enthusiasm for the Christian mission has disappeared in many circles. It has instead been replaced by other causes. The younger generations today, specifically Gen Z and younger Millennials, are generations that are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. Earlier generations in the West found this purpose through religious devotion, pursuing God’s purpose in their lives. In contrast, these two generations, much of which are comprised of an increase in what has been called the nones (no religious affiliation) which is just another way of saying they are secularists, are searching for purpose and meaning in other places outside of the church.

Many are finding other places to fulfill this meaning and purpose through activism, either politically or socially. This activism really began to take off in the mid 2010’s with a focus on Global Warming/Climate Change. For example, Greta Thunberg became a worldwide celebrity as a small child because she became a climate activist. This expanded during the mid-2010s with the LGBT protests and activism during the second Obama term and the Trump Administration. This activism continued during the summer of 2020, when young people throughout the nation went to the streets in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Today, this activism continues with both the “Free Palestine” protests as well as the abortion protests, specifically in the US.

Many have noticed that a lot of the same people have been involved in all of these protests. Some of this comes from the predominately liberal academic institutions throughout the West that have been pushing both secularism and activism for several decades. It is no surprise when these protests begin, the universities are some of the first places to become activist hotbeds. While universities have certainly played a role, social media platforms, such as Tick Toc and Instagram also have played a crucial role in building this activism mindset into these generations.

The question that arises is why is this occurring now? The answer may be very simple. When religious conviction is denied or lost, people do not simply stop looking to fill that hole in their lives. Instead, they look to find something to “fill that hole” in their lives. Because they have no religious affiliation, they have turned to activism to replace their religious convictions. This is why many of these activists just move from one movement to the next, even if the movements themselves do not connect. It has become their religion and their purpose. They have turned from God to activism.

Biblical Connections: In Romans 1:24-25, Paul wrote, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Paul understood when people reject God, they try to fill that hole with paganism, sinful lusts including homosexuality and worshipping God’s creation instead of God. It should not surprise us then that many of these activists movements that are secularly driven mix in occultism, are LGBT affirming and in many ways worship the environment.

PRAY: Pray that this drift away from God in the West would change and that revival would break forth to move the West back to its Christian roots.

Believing Rights Come from God Now Considered Extremism

An award-winning investigative journalist for Politico claimed during an MSNBC panel on that believing rights come from God is a marker of “Christian nationalism.” Heidi Przybyla also claimed on “All In with Chris Hayes” that former President Donald Trump is surrounding himself with an “extremist element of conservative Christians” who are misusing “so-called natural law” in their attempt to roll back abortion and LBGT rights.

Przybyla went on to make a distinction between Christians and “Christian nationalists,” which she said are “very different.” What unites all Christian nationalists, she said, “is that they believe that our rights as Americans, as all human beings, don’t come from any earthly authority. They don’t come from Congress, they don’t come from the Supreme Court, they come from God,” she added. “The problem with that is that they are determining — man, men, and it is men — are determining what God is telling them.”

Przybyla’s comments echoed assertions in her recent article for Politico titled “Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration,” which argued that Christian nationalism is likely to play a major role in public policy if Trump takes back the White House. The article, co-written by Alexander Ward, defined natural law as “the belief that there are universal rules derived from God that can’t be superseded by government or judges,” and likewise called it “a pillar of Catholicism” that has “been used to oppose abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and contraception” in recent decades.

The main target of the article was Russell Vought, Trump’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget, who was among many on X (Twitter) who excoriated Przybyla for comments they claimed showed ignorance of basic American political thought as found in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence. “Mike Johnson should put a resolution on the floor reaffirming that we are one nation, under God. Make the Dems vote against it or be called Christian Nationalists,” Vought posted.

The Politico article also hit at former Trump administration official William Wolfe, labeling him a Christian nationalist because he “advocated for overturning same-sex marriage, ending abortion and reducing access to contraceptives.” ... [Wolfe] called for ending sex education in schools, surrogacy and no-fault divorce throughout the country, as well as forcing men ‘to provide for their children as soon as it’s determined the child is theirs’ — a clear incursion by the government into Americans’ private lives,” the article said.

Wolfe also responded to Przybyla on X, “Apparently believing in the ideas set forth in our Founding documents now makes you a — you guessed it — ‘Christian Nationalist’. Yes, Heidi, our rights do come from God. Again, the ignorance of these regime journalists is astounding. They know nothing about the American founding or Christian political thought.”

“Politico has twice now, in print and with its reporter on MSNBC, raised flags about an idea central to the founding of the American Republic,” journalist Erick Erickson posted on X. “This is troubling because it suggests a lack of education and understanding by its reporters.”

“Believing rights come from God is now Christian Nationalism,” wrote Andrew T. Walker, an ethics and public theology professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “This is a civics failure, a talent failure, an intelligence failure, a historical failure, an ethics failure ... shall I keep going?”

Biblical Connection: The founding fathers of America believed the Biblical concept that our rights come from God, not man. This has been the Christian understanding for 2,000 years. That it is under attack shows how far some in America have fallen away from the founding ideas of the nation, many which came directly from the pages of the Bible.

PRAY: Pray those seeking to drive America away from the Christian values it was founded upon will be stopped and fundamental Biblical principles will again reign.

Christian School Targeted in Maine

A Christian school in Maine must adhere to the state’s LGBT antidiscrimination policy to qualify for a state tuition assistance program while the lawsuit against the state continues, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock, a George W. Bush appointee, denied a preliminary injunction requested by Bangor Christian Schools run by Crosspoint Church, concluding the church’s lawsuit against assorted state officials is not likely to succeed. He ruled that Bangor Christian Schools must follow all the Maine Human Rights Act provisions.

“The Court determines that the educational antidiscrimination provisions do not violate the Free Exercise Clause because they are neutral, generally applicable, and rationally related to a legitimate government interest,” wrote Woodcock. “The Court concludes further that the educational provisions do not violate the Free Speech Clause because they regulate conduct, not speech. Finally, the Court concludes that the employment provisions do not proscribe any constitutionally protected conduct.”

First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel Lea Patterson, who represents Crosspoint, denounced the decision and expressed plans to appeal. “Government punishing religious schools for living out their religious beliefs is not only unconstitutional, it is wrong,” said Patterson, as quoted by Bangor Daily News.

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Carson v. Makin that Maine cannot lawfully stop parents from using a state tuition program to send their children to Christian private schools. The lawsuit that led to the Supreme Court ruling was driven by parents from Bangor Christian School who sued Maine over the ban on state tuition assistance for families sending their children to a private school that includes sectarian aspects in its curriculum. In response to the high court ruling, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said that BCS was still ineligible for the program because of its conservative religious stance on LGBT issues. Crosspoint requires staff and students to support a biblical stance on marriage and sexuality.

“The education provided by the schools at issue here is inimical to a public education,” claimed Frey, a Democrat. “They promote a single religion to the exclusion of all others, refuse to admit gay and transgender children, and openly discriminate in hiring teachers and staff.” Frey promised to “explore with Governor Mills’ administration and members of the Legislature statutory amendments to address the Court’s decision and ensure that public money is not used to promote discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry.”

In response, Crosspoint sued state officials over the requirement that the private school adhere to Maine’s antidiscrimination policy on LGBT issues. The complaint labeled the state standards a “poison pill” and that “BCS was no longer eligible to participate in the tuitioning program, and eligible families could no longer use their tuition benefit at BCS. Thus the sectarian exclusion operated to allow religious schools to participate in the tuitioning program if, and only if, they held religious beliefs the State approved.”

Biblical Connections: It is hard to believe that in America a school could be discriminated against simply for adhering to their Christian beliefs. However, the secularists and LGBT proponents have made it their mission to try to destroy anything resembling a Christian worldview. Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

PRAY: Pray this agenda that seeks to remove Christianity from the public square will be stopped and Christians will be treated fairly.

Biden HHS Rescinds Protections

The Biden administration has issued a new proposal seeking to amend conscience protections for healthcare workers and institutions that wish to refrain from performing abortions and other procedures that violate their religious beliefs, drawing concerns from pro-life activists. In a final rule slated for publication in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced its intention to partially rescind a rule implemented by the Trump administration in 2019. The rule, due to take effect 60 days later, amends the 2019 rule and returns federal policy to “the framework created by the February 23, 2011, final rule entitled, ‘Regulation for the Enforcement of Federal Health Care Provider Conscience Protection Laws.’”

The 2019 rule, titled “Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care; Delegations of Authority,” contained several provisions outlining explicit protections enabling “individuals, entities, and health care entities to refuse to perform, assist in the performance of, or undergo certain health care services or research activities to which they may object for religious, moral, ethical, or other reasons.” The rule was blocked by federal courts and was never able to go into effect.

The Biden administration’s proposal eliminates several provisions outlining protections for individuals and healthcare facilities that receive federal grants, contracts or loans. Specific declarations include protections stating that federal law shall not require individuals “to perform or assist in the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if his performance or assistance in the performance of such procedure or abortion would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions.”

Protections also prohibit mandating that recipients of federal funds make their “facilities available for the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if the performance of such procedure or abortion in such facilities is prohibited by the recipient on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions” and “provide personnel” for the provisions of said procedures. The 2019 rule also forbids discrimination in employment against people who refuse to participate in abortions or sterilizations.

Part of the rule remains in place, including a section proclaiming that certain federal statutes “protect the rights of individuals, entities, and health care entities to refuse to perform, assist in the performance of, or undergo certain health care services or research activities to which they may object for religious, moral, ethical, or other reasons.” The provision also maintains that “such laws also protect patients from being subjected to certain health care or services over their conscientious objection.”

The department’s proposal comes a year after it attempted to amend the 2019 rule in a proposed rule titled “Safeguarding the Rights of Conscience as Protected by Statutes.” As noted by the pro-life advocacy group CatholicVote, the proposal would have had the effect of returning federal policy to the way it was in 2011. More than 9,600 people submitted letters to the Biden administration against the proposal in response to a campaign started by CatholicVote warning that changes to the 2019 rule would revoke the moral exemption for employers who did not want to pay for abortifacients in their employer-sponsored healthcare plans. The proposed rule did not go into effect.

Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, addressed the new rule in a statement. “President Biden is once again showing his allegiance to pro-abortion groups and their demands,” she said. “His administration is willing to trample on the rights of millions of healthcare workers by changing a rule designed to protect them from having to perform abortions against their religious or ethical convictions,” Tobias added. She said, “This administration has been more than willing to comply with the demands of pro-abortion groups and their allies.”

Biblical Connection: A nation that does not accept the sanctity of life is a nation that puts itself in the crosshairs of God’s judgments.

PRAY: Pray these regulations that force believers and businesses to assist with or perform abortions will be stopped and the unborn will be protected.