Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts

Pastor Max Lucado Still Baffled Over Evangelical Trump Supporters


If you've been following the presidential campaign, you have probably heard some talk about the power of the evangelical vote.

Pastor Max Lucado is a prominent evangelical pastor and a prolific best-selling writer who almost never writes about politics. And that's one reason millions found a recent essay of his so interesting.
Lucado took to his site to describe all the reasons he says Republican frontrunner Donald Trump's tone and decorum fail the decency test in a blog post titled "Decency For President."

He cites Trump's belittling of women and people with disabilities, among other people, and his constant name-calling. He says such comments "wouldn't be acceptable even for a middle school student body election ... but for the oval office?" His essay, also published in the Washington Post, has now been shared millions of times.

Interview Highlights

Michel Martin: What is it that made you want to weigh in here? Why now?
Max Lucado: Controversially so, I'm not involved, that troubles many people. Kind of the bottom line for me, I don't think people come to the church where I preach to hear my view on politics. I'd like to think I'm going up river in talking about world view topics rather than particular political or controversial topics. So I've just stayed away from it through the years, which is funny because there was a time I wanted to go into politics. And so all of a sudden here I am, I guess. I'm in the thick of it.

I would not have said anything about Mr. Trump, never, I would never have said anything if he didn't call himself a Christian. It'd be none of my business whatsoever to make any comments about his language, his vulgarities, his slander of people, but I was deeply troubled ... that here's a man who holds up a bible one day, and calls a lady "bimbo" the next. Here's a man who calls himself a Christian and yet just had the audacity to make fun of a lady's menstrual cycle. ... He didn't just do this on occasion, but repeatedly, unrepentantly. Somebody sent me a list of 64 people he's called loser. Just this week it's continued.

It deeply concerns me that somebody who knows little or nothing about the Christian faith would hear Mr. Trump call himself a Christian and then make a decision based on the Christian faith, based on his behavior. And so I just felt like I should say something. I did not expect to stir up a dust storm that this blog post has stirred up.

MM: Tell me what struck you about the reaction.
ML: We were stunned by the response. ... It really struck a nerve. We had so many responses, we had to quit publishing second generation responses because people were beginning to argue with each other ... not what I intended for it to be. ... Most of it has been positive, many people have said "This is what I was thinking, thanks for saying it on my behalf." But there are many people who were just really ticked off that I would dare to suggest that this behavior is inappropriate.

MM: One thing that you noted in your follow up post is there seemed to be a deep undercurrent of worry.
ML: There is and you could sense that, you could almost taste it. There's an angst in the country, and I think there's a fear. I think there's a fear of we don't know what's next. And I've tried, maybe you can help me, I've tried to put my finger on the root of this fear. I feel like really we're better off than we were eight years ago, 10 years ago in many ways. There's certainly things we can do better at but the economy is somewhat stable. We're not engaged in the level of international conflict that we've been involved, still you would think we were. There's just a level of anxiety.

I'm personally of course of the persuasion that all of our issues are spiritual issues and that a disconnect with God creates a disconnect with our neighbors and that leads to anxiety. ...

MM: Many people say in fact that they're puzzled about the appeal of Donald Trump, especially to professing Christians. The fact is, he has racked up many votes and endorsements from leaders. For example on Super Tuesday, every state that Donald Trump won, he received the majority of the evangelical vote. What do you think the appeal is?
ML: I'm curious why we're giving him a free pass on this behavior. Typically, evangelicals have tried to hold our leaders up if they call themselves Christians to a standard consistent with the faith and then of course consistent with whatever office they hold. But it seems like we're more than willing to give Mr. Trump a free pass. The classic one was in Iowa when he was asked, "Do you ever ask for forgiveness of sins?" and he said, "No, I don't need to." I nearly fell out of my chair. That's right at the heart and core of the Christian faith, that we're all sinners, we all need forgiveness of sins. I do not have an answer for your question. I've asked people who support Mr. Trump, "How do you reconcile the disconnect between what he claims to be and what he says?" ... I'm as baffled as anyone as to why. ...

If President Obama had used the language and spoken with the same disrespect that Trump has, and identified himself with a Christian, there is no doubt in my mind that I would've expressed the same concern. ...

We just have to hold ourselves to a higher standard if we're going to be leaders and if we're going to be Christians. I do believe that leaders have to be held to a higher standard, especially Christian leaders. I put myself in that camp.

MM: What would you say to people who are fed up with the government and think that it's gone too far on social issues like same-sex marriage and abortion, and feel that Donald Trump is the only candidate that is willing to do to something about it?
ML: My concern is that somebody would make a decision against Christianity because of Mr. Trump's behavior. And that's my high concern here. And to that person I would say, the way he speaks about people is not the way our master, our savior has taught us to speak, it's not the way our scriptures urge us to speak. The bible urges us to be respectful to all people, especially people with whom we have disagreements, to never libel people, to never label people. Now this is a huge deal in scripture, and so I would encourage that person, and the reason I've gone so verbal and vocal with this is because I'm protective of the reputation of Christ and the church, and I would ask that person not to interpret the Christian faith through the words of Mr. Trump.



It`s 'Grace, Grace & more Grace' for Darlene Zschech as Chemo Starts - Updated: 2015

Lessons From The Valley - Darlene Zschech - 9/20/15 
 This brilliant message reminds us that there are valuable lessons to be learned in the valleys of our lives, and that we never walk through them alone.



Christian singer-songwriter Darlene Zschech who is 48 years and a wonderful wife, mum and grandmother, says she has started to lose her hair as she begins chemo treatments for breast cancer but she hasn't lost her desire to worship.

Zschech, who announced on her blog (http://www.darlenezschech.com) in December that she has breast cancer, recently finished round two of five chemo treatments.

On her most she shared what she is learning through her battle with cancer and where she finds her strength.

"All I can say is, 'grace, grace and more grace'," she wrote. "I am learning to rest in every promise from Jesus. In fact, it's His Word that is giving me the strength to inhale and exhale, moment by moment."

"To be completely honest, this has been very confronting. It definitely makes me look sicker than I feel. In saying that, I am finding great freedom through this. Mark [her husband] keeps reminding me how much money we'll save over the next while on hairdressers!" Zschech said.

The famed worship leader also said writing has been a great comfort to her during this season. She said she plans to share songs birthed from this trial.

"I have songs and thoughts that I will share with when I am on the other side of this mountain," she shared. "In fact, we are already planning a Thanksgiving service at our church in November, where we will record songs birthed during this season."

"We simply want to fill the place with praise for all that God has done," Zschech wrote.

North Korea imprisons 30,000 Christians!



Kim Jong Un, the current leader of North Korea, is guilty of the imprisonment and torture of Christians and their entire families.

As Christians we have a choice. We can remain silent, say an occasional prayer, or stand up against such atrocities.

The Voice of the Martyrs invites you to take part in a new ministry campaign. Sign a letter to Kim Jong Un, and let him know that we are committed to standing with our Christian brothers and sisters who are suffering in North Korea’s notorious concentration camps.

https://www.letterofconfession.com/email-1.html

Sudanese woman sentenced to die for Christian faith to be freed, report says



The Sudanese woman sentenced to death earlier this month after refusing to renounce her Christian faith will reportedly be freed in the next few days.

A foreign ministry official told the BBC that Meriam Ibrahim, 27, is guaranteed religious freedom in the country, despite a judge's earlier ruling that she should be hanged for apostasy.
Ibrahim gave birth to a girl early Tuesday at a prison clinic in Omdurman, near Khartoum.

The court had earlier annulled her Christian marriage and sentenced her to 100 lashes for adultery because the union was not considered valid under Islamic law.

International outrage against Ibrahim’s sentence has grown significantly in recent weeks, as more than a million people signed online petitions protesting the sentence. One such effort on Change.org has garnered more than 630,000 signatures as of Friday, and Amnesty International officials have characterized the punishment doled out by a judge to be a “flagrant breach” of international human rights law. It’s also a violation of Sudan’s own Constitution, according to the State Department.

Click for more from the BBC

Meeting of Evangelist Dr. Paul Dhinakaran with Narendra Modi - Update 2014





Dr. Paul Dhinakaran met with Hon`ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi at his residence on 20th September, 2014. Dr. Paul Dhinakaran earlier had met him in October, 2013 and prayed for him when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat for his governance to be extended to the nation.
On 20th Sep, both discussed the efforts of the Prime Minister to improve the financial resources of the poor, solve the water problem by augmenting natural resources and overcoming the social ills to bring peace amongst all in the country.

Dr. Paul Dhinakaran also offered a prayer for the divine intervention in these efforts of the Hon`ble PM. The PM thanked Mr. Dhinakaran for the prayer and said that his heart is set to care for the poor.          



Paul Dhinakaran with CM Narendra Modi

CHENNAI: Evangelist Dr. Paul Dhinakaran met Gujarat chief minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at his office in Gandhinagar on Thursday. He prayed for Modi's prosperity and the welfare of the people. Paul is the son of the late evangelist D G S Dhinakaran and runs the evangelist ministry 'Jesus Calls'.

"The 15-minute meeting was cordial. The way he received me was overwhelming. I prayed for his mission for the people of our country. His policies and successful schemes for the people of Gujarat should be extended to everyone in our country," Dhinakaran, who is also the chancellor of Karunya University in Coimbatore, said.

Dhinakaran is the first popular personality hailing from a minority community in Tamil Nadu to meet Modi after he was declared the BJP's PM candidate.

Dhinakaran claimed he was praying for all sections of society. "I don't associate with any one section. I don't have any aversion to Modi. We have to support national leaders. My mission in life is praying. Normally I pray for our leaders... now Modi is at the altar of the national elections. So I prayed for him and assured to continue my prayers for him," he said.

Bible stops two bullets to save life of Ohio bus driver, police say



A Bible saved the life of a Ohio bus driver after the man was shot twice in the chest early Monday, police said.

Rickey Waggoner, a Dayton RTA bus driver, was making a mechanical fix outside his bus when three assailants approached him and shot him in what appears to have been a gang initiation, the Dayton Daily News reported.

Waggoner was shot twice in the chest at close range, but a contemporary version of the Bible, titled "The Message," absorbed the bullets that would otherwise have killed the 49-year-old bus driver, according to police documents obtained by the newspaper.

"I've heard stories about that happening during the second World War. I'm glad to be in the club."
- Eugene Peterson, author of "The Message"

"There was obviously some kind of intervention involved in this incident because (Waggoner) should probably not be here," Dayton Police Sgt. Michael Pauley told the paper at the scene.

Sgt. Richard Blommel of the Dayton Police homicide squad declined to comment on the shooting when contacted by FoxNews.com.

Reached at his home in Lakeside, Mont., Eugene H. Peterson, author of "The Message," told FoxNews.com that he was thrilled to know his book stopped bullets.   

That's wonderful," said Peterson, who is 81. "I've heard stories about that happening during the second World War. I'm glad to be in the club."

Waggoner reportedly told police that one of the assailants was heard telling another to kill the man "if you want to be all the way in the club."

Waggoner was shot in the leg after he tried to wrestle the weapon away from one of the suspects, according to the newspaper. While another assailant stabbed him in the arm, Waggoner was able to grab both the gun and knife, prompting the suspects -- described as being 15 to 18 years old -- to flee. Waggoner then sought refuge inside his bus, where he managed to call police.