- Mike Demastus - Craig Denison - Kurtis W Denton - Craig DeRoche - Jamie K Dew - Steve Dewitt - Ariel Diaz - Lupe Diaz - Tim Dickau - Gary Diggs - Hance Dilbeck - Justin Dillehay - Monica Dobbins - Darren Dochuk - David Dockery - Timothy Cardinal Dolan - Shari Dollinger - Bill Donohue - Adam Dooley - Jim Dorman -
==Mike Demastus======
Have a question about the Iowa caucuses? Ask your pastor
The agenda this week at Cornerstone World Outreach church in Sioux City, Iowa, looked something like this: On Sunday, congregants worshipped together in a morning service. On Wednesday evening, they studied the Bible. And on Thursday night, they learned how to vote. “Our faith is not just this compartment that stays for Sundays and Wednesday nights,” Pastor Mike Demastus told the congregation during Thursday’s meeting. “Our faith is for every area and arena of our life, and so it goes with us into the voting booth.”
(Alex Cochran/Deseret News 1/13/23)
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The agenda this week at Cornerstone World Outreach church in Sioux City, Iowa, looked something like this: On Sunday, congregants worshipped together in a morning service. On Wednesday evening, they studied the Bible. And on Thursday night, they learned how to vote. “Our faith is not just this compartment that stays for Sundays and Wednesday nights,” Pastor Mike Demastus told the congregation during Thursday’s meeting. “Our faith is for every area and arena of our life, and so it goes with us into the voting booth.”
(Alex Cochran/Deseret News 1/13/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
==craig denison======
Jesus came to bring about the fullness of joy in man. Often we see Christians who are not exhibiting a lifestyle of joy, and therefore we assume God is not a happy God. We see all the darkness that surrounds us and assume that God is most often angry or sad. But in John 17:13 (ESV), Jesus prayed to the Father: “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”
Jesus’s prayer in John 17:13 demonstrates two important, life-changing truths for you and me today. First, Jesus had joy. We could not have His joy fulfilled in us if He doesn’t have joy to start with. And the whole of Scripture supports the truth that within God dwells the fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11 (ESV) says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And Galatians 5:22 tells us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. The God whom you have been filled with at salvation longs to produce the fruit of joy in your life. He longs to make you a joyful person from the inside out so that your joy wouldn’t be based on circumstances or the fleeting whims of the world.
Second, John 17 tells us that we can have the joy of Jesus for ourselves. The God of joy longs to fill you to overflowing with satisfaction and hope. He longs to make your joy abundant and transcendent of the good or bad around you. God is joyful because it’s a part of His nature. And He longs for it to be the same with you.
-Craig Denison; The Joy of The Lord; Sports Spectrum; 12.21.21
Jesus’s prayer in John 17:13 demonstrates two important, life-changing truths for you and me today. First, Jesus had joy. We could not have His joy fulfilled in us if He doesn’t have joy to start with. And the whole of Scripture supports the truth that within God dwells the fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11 (ESV) says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And Galatians 5:22 tells us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. The God whom you have been filled with at salvation longs to produce the fruit of joy in your life. He longs to make you a joyful person from the inside out so that your joy wouldn’t be based on circumstances or the fleeting whims of the world.
Second, John 17 tells us that we can have the joy of Jesus for ourselves. The God of joy longs to fill you to overflowing with satisfaction and hope. He longs to make your joy abundant and transcendent of the good or bad around you. God is joyful because it’s a part of His nature. And He longs for it to be the same with you.
-Craig Denison; The Joy of The Lord; Sports Spectrum; 12.21.21
==kurtis w denton======
From Italy to the Ozarks
Led by AGWM missionary to Italy Kurtis W. Denton, five Italian students, along with Denton’s university-age daughter, Ariana, came mid-August to minister on the Fayetteville, Arkansas, campus. The 13-day mission of the University of Padova (Padua) student team in Fayetteville overlapped with Welcome Week, the University of Arkansas’ launch of the 2023-24 school year as students returning to campus were joined by more than 6,000 incoming freshmen. (Dean Alford/Assemblies Of God 10/6/23)
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Led by AGWM missionary to Italy Kurtis W. Denton, five Italian students, along with Denton’s university-age daughter, Ariana, came mid-August to minister on the Fayetteville, Arkansas, campus. The 13-day mission of the University of Padova (Padua) student team in Fayetteville overlapped with Welcome Week, the University of Arkansas’ launch of the 2023-24 school year as students returning to campus were joined by more than 6,000 incoming freshmen. (Dean Alford/Assemblies Of God 10/6/23)
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==craig deroche=================
May 30, 2023: Baptist News Global: Focus on the Family affiliate is the unifying force behind campaign to restrict transgender rights
FPA also promotes “election integrity” bills that FPA CEO Craig DeRoche said are needed because “everything has been engineered to suppress your vote and for you to give up.”
FPA also promotes “election integrity” bills that FPA CEO Craig DeRoche said are needed because “everything has been engineered to suppress your vote and for you to give up.”
. “We need to realize that we can argue about evolution or the existence of God or any number of things, but until we tell people the message of the cross, we have not evangelized them.” — Mark Dever
jamie k dew
April 18, 2023: Baptist Press: SBC leaders, former presidents react to death of Charles Stanley
“Charles Stanley was one of the first preachers I listened to as a young Christian. Like many others, I was shaped by his love for the Bible and deep devotion to Jesus Christ. I’m thankful for his constant example of service and humility.”--Jamie K. Dew, president, New Orleans Baptist Seminary
“Charles Stanley was one of the first preachers I listened to as a young Christian. Like many others, I was shaped by his love for the Bible and deep devotion to Jesus Christ. I’m thankful for his constant example of service and humility.”--Jamie K. Dew, president, New Orleans Baptist Seminary
steve dewitt
Steve Dewitt has served as Senior Pastor of Bethel Church since 1997. Bethel is a nondenominational church located in NW Indiana/Chicagoland and ministers to its community across multiple campuses. Steve is on the council of The Gospel Coalition and is a board member of Global Action. His teaching ministry can be heard on his popular podcast and media ministry The Journey. Steve and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of two daughters. They live in Crown Point, Indiana.
We want the love of a mother, the love a father, the love of a friend, the love of a spouse, the love of someone. We want an enduring and unconditional love. Even the worst criminal locked up in prison longs for someone to love him. Have you ever thought about why? If the origin of the universe is an accident, and if through time and chance human beings are who they are, why do all people want to be loved? Further, we might also ask why all human love is ultimately disappointing. No spouse loves us exactly like we want. Too often family love erupts into friction and conflict. Friends fail us. We desperately want someone to love us perfectly. This is why loneliness is so painful. I have spoken often to my church and others about my struggles with loneliness through years of singleness (not that those two always go together, they just seem to for me). There is a palatable ache within that can wash over you like waves of despair. I could analyze it. I could philosophize about it. I could even teach on it. But I could not overcome it. Then I began to look at the pain from the perspective of beauty and to consider why I felt the way I did. I came to discover that loneliness was not an enemy but a friend. It is a painful reminder that I was not made for myself. I was made for Him, and the pain is God’s way of saying, “Here I am!” Loneliness has become a guide and a friend in my spiritual journey. When I feel lonely, I am feeling theology inside. All the pleasures, desires, and loves in this world will not take that pain away. We desperately want someone to love us perfectly, yet no one does. But when we wake up to the fact that no relationship can fully satisfy, we realize that we are lonely for God.” –Steve DeWitt, Eyes Wide Open: Enjoying God in Everything.
==ariel diaz======
Argentine election: As politicians look to woo evangelicals, experts say their votes may have little impact on results
None of those parties please Rev Ariel Diaz, a Pentecostal pastor in Mar del Plata who heads the Argentinian Federation of Evangelical Pastors (known as FAPE), an association that has some 5,000 ministers. “Some politicians use the name of the Christian church, but at the same time they are together with the worst political groups in the country,” he says. Diaz is a critic of Hotton who, he says, "is now associated with pro-abortion politicians". Hotton is part of the administration of Buenos Aires’s Governor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and is supporting him in his bid for president. Larreta is a major leader of 'Propuesta Republicana' ('Republican Proposal', known as PRO), former President Mauricio Macri’s party. Macri, who has also announced he is not running in this election, endorsed the pro-abortion bill. (Eduardo Capos Lima/Sight Magazine 5/2/23)
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None of those parties please Rev Ariel Diaz, a Pentecostal pastor in Mar del Plata who heads the Argentinian Federation of Evangelical Pastors (known as FAPE), an association that has some 5,000 ministers. “Some politicians use the name of the Christian church, but at the same time they are together with the worst political groups in the country,” he says. Diaz is a critic of Hotton who, he says, "is now associated with pro-abortion politicians". Hotton is part of the administration of Buenos Aires’s Governor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and is supporting him in his bid for president. Larreta is a major leader of 'Propuesta Republicana' ('Republican Proposal', known as PRO), former President Mauricio Macri’s party. Macri, who has also announced he is not running in this election, endorsed the pro-abortion bill. (Eduardo Capos Lima/Sight Magazine 5/2/23)
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==lupe diaz===============
GOP lawmaker denounces LGBTQ+ people during sermon in Arizona House
A state legislator on Monday used his time delivering a sermon that said a holiday to celebrate trans people was “dark,” proof of America being "unrighteous," and then denounced non-Christians. The sermon was given as the Arizona House opened its daily floor session, during which lawmakers convene to vote on bills passed through committees. Every day, the House and Senate open their floor sessions with a prayer that is meant to be non-denominational, but Republicans who control both chambers have long only used Christians to speak. But Rep. Lupe Diaz (R-Benson), who is also a minister, went a step further in his opening prayer Monday, and spent nearly five minutes on a fire-and-brimstone-styled sermon against non-Christians. "Eternal life is not available just to everybody, it is available just to those that acknowledge Jesus Christ," Diaz said on the House floor.(Pheonix New Times) Read More>>>>>
A state legislator on Monday used his time delivering a sermon that said a holiday to celebrate trans people was “dark,” proof of America being "unrighteous," and then denounced non-Christians. The sermon was given as the Arizona House opened its daily floor session, during which lawmakers convene to vote on bills passed through committees. Every day, the House and Senate open their floor sessions with a prayer that is meant to be non-denominational, but Republicans who control both chambers have long only used Christians to speak. But Rep. Lupe Diaz (R-Benson), who is also a minister, went a step further in his opening prayer Monday, and spent nearly five minutes on a fire-and-brimstone-styled sermon against non-Christians. "Eternal life is not available just to everybody, it is available just to those that acknowledge Jesus Christ," Diaz said on the House floor.(Pheonix New Times) Read More>>>>>
==tim dickau=================
Pastors oppose Franklin Graham crusade in Canada
Two Canadian Baptist pastors have announced publicly they won’t be taking part in a citywide crusade next March in Vancouver, British Columbia, featuring U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham. Tim Kuepfer, pastor of First Baptist Church of Vancouver, and Tim Dickau, pastor of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church, joined three other local religious leaders in publicly declining a request by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that they endorse the Festival of Hope gathering scheduled March 3-5, 2017, at the 18,000-seat Rogers Arena. The pastors said they “unreservedly oppose” the invitation to Franklin Graham, citing public comments by the evangelist they say are a poor witness for the gospel message. “Given that the express goal of this event is evangelism, with the commitment of new believers to Christ, we do not believe that Rev. Graham, with his expressed broader belief system, should be the exemplar that impresses itself upon these new believers.”
(Bob Allen/Baptist News Global 9/2/16)
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Two Canadian Baptist pastors have announced publicly they won’t be taking part in a citywide crusade next March in Vancouver, British Columbia, featuring U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham. Tim Kuepfer, pastor of First Baptist Church of Vancouver, and Tim Dickau, pastor of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church, joined three other local religious leaders in publicly declining a request by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that they endorse the Festival of Hope gathering scheduled March 3-5, 2017, at the 18,000-seat Rogers Arena. The pastors said they “unreservedly oppose” the invitation to Franklin Graham, citing public comments by the evangelist they say are a poor witness for the gospel message. “Given that the express goal of this event is evangelism, with the commitment of new believers to Christ, we do not believe that Rev. Graham, with his expressed broader belief system, should be the exemplar that impresses itself upon these new believers.”
(Bob Allen/Baptist News Global 9/2/16)
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==gary diggs======
Pastor Gary Diggs was radically saved in 1988 at the age of 35. He began attending Hollywood Baptist Church where he joined the choir and became teacher of an adult Sunday School class. He felt the call into the ministry a few years later and began serving as Associate Pastor of Wax Baptist Church in Silver Creek, GA. He also served as Associate Pastor of Shannon Community Church in Shannon, GA and later as Pastor of Circle L Plantation Church in Taylorsville, GA. God then began to deal with his heart about evangelism. He attended the Billy Graham School of Evangelism but says that the Holy Spirit and Word of God has been his greatest teacher. In addition to serving as Pastor of Cross Pointe Community Church, Gary serves as a chaplain with the Floyd County Sheriff's Office. He is also involved with Celebrate Recovery, a local drug and alcohol recovery ministry that involves several area churches.
"My name is Gary Diggs, I'm just a man....I am a Nobody trying to tell Everybody about Somebody that can save Anybody." -Pastor Gary Diggs
Aug 24, 2023: Biblical Recorder: What’s working at Georgia church to bring salvations, changed lives
Wax Baptist Church was down to single digits in attendance in the summer of 2022. Not even high single digits, either.
Despite the low attendance when he agreed to become pastor last October, Pastor Gary Diggs was confident in the church’s potential.
“I told them to look around the sanctuary. Before long, they wouldn’t be able to see the purple on the chairs. It’s going to be so crowded, people are going to have to find new places to sit,” he said.
Wax Baptist Church was down to single digits in attendance in the summer of 2022. Not even high single digits, either.
Despite the low attendance when he agreed to become pastor last October, Pastor Gary Diggs was confident in the church’s potential.
“I told them to look around the sanctuary. Before long, they wouldn’t be able to see the purple on the chairs. It’s going to be so crowded, people are going to have to find new places to sit,” he said.
hance dilbeck
Hance Dilbeck is President and Chief Executive Officer of GuideStone. He joined GuideStone in July 2021 as President-elect, and became President on March 1, 2022. Dr. Dilbeck came to GuideStone from the position of executive director-treasurer of Oklahoma Baptists since 2018. Prior to that, he had served as a pastor in Oklahoma churches for 30 years, 15 of which were at the Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. During that time, the church tripled in size even as it took part in planting 32 churches. He has been an active participant in denominational life, having served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Oklahoma Baptist University, Southwestern Seminary, and the International Mission Board through the years. He is a prior Second Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Dilbeck holds his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and both his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Julie have three married sons and eight grandchildren.
Dilbeck offers encouragement for pastors in 105th GuideStone report
NEW ORLEANS (BP) – GuideStone Financial Resources President Hance Dilbeck spoke to messengers about the calling he and the Southern Baptist ministry have to see pastors finish well. “We believe that enhancing the financial security and resilience of the message of the Gospel is our part in helping to advance the message of the Gospel,” Dilbeck told messengers meeting in regular session June 14, 2023, in New Orleans. In his second report as president, Dilbeck noted that the Crescent City holds a key place in GuideStone history: At the 1917 Southern Baptist Convention, SBC President J.D. Gambrell appointed a committee to study a commission that would help pastors with relief and retirement. The following year, the Convention created the board that would become GuideStone. (Roy Hayhurst/Kentuck Today 6/15/23)
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NEW ORLEANS (BP) – GuideStone Financial Resources President Hance Dilbeck spoke to messengers about the calling he and the Southern Baptist ministry have to see pastors finish well. “We believe that enhancing the financial security and resilience of the message of the Gospel is our part in helping to advance the message of the Gospel,” Dilbeck told messengers meeting in regular session June 14, 2023, in New Orleans. In his second report as president, Dilbeck noted that the Crescent City holds a key place in GuideStone history: At the 1917 Southern Baptist Convention, SBC President J.D. Gambrell appointed a committee to study a commission that would help pastors with relief and retirement. The following year, the Convention created the board that would become GuideStone. (Roy Hayhurst/Kentuck Today 6/15/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
April 18, 2023: Baptist Press: SBC leaders, former presidents react to death of Charles Stanley
“Charles Stanley exemplified resilience throughout his ministry, serving his people well with a deep commitment to God’s Word. I am grateful for his ministry.”--Hance Dilbeck, president, GuideStone Financial Resources
“Charles Stanley exemplified resilience throughout his ministry, serving his people well with a deep commitment to God’s Word. I am grateful for his ministry.”--Hance Dilbeck, president, GuideStone Financial Resources
==justin dillehay======
Justin Dillehay (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, Tennessee, where he resides with his wife and their three children.
Comparing identity politics to a religion is nothing new or unusual. Voices ranging from Andrew Ferguson to Voddie Baucham have done so. The very language of being “woke” has religious overtones (cf. Rom. 13:11). A graphic example of this mixture of religious language with identity politics can be seen in a video of a woman protesting comedian Dave Chappelle’s supposedly transphobic Netflix special, repeatedly shouting “Repent, [expletive]!” As Rhys Laverty observed, this type of “preaching” offers no good news but rather “an endless, inescapable purgatory.” To Laverty, Joshua Mitchell would say “Amen.” Mitchell, professor of political theory at Georgetown University, is the latest Christian thinker to critique the religious nature of identity politics. In his book American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time, he argues “we are living in the midst of an American Awakening,” much like the Great Awakenings of the past—only this time “without God and without forgiveness” (41). Identity politics is the dogma of this new awakening and involves “the pride of believing that we ourselves are clean, that transgression is someone else’s problem, and not our own”.
--Justin Dillehay; Gospel Coalition: America’s Not-So-Great Awakening 2.6.23
--Justin Dillehay; Gospel Coalition: America’s Not-So-Great Awakening 2.6.23
“God does not create a longing or a hope without having a fulfilling reality ready for them. But our longing is our pledge, and blessed are the homesick, for they shall come home.” -Isak Dinesen
==monica dobbins======
ICYMI: REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS & JUSTICE
Women in Health, Medicine, & Science (WiHMS) was proud to be a part of another successful and enlightening Women’s Week series. As part of this year’s theme, "Making Public Policy Personal," WiHMS did a follow-up to their 2022 MEDiversity Week webinar to focus on the role of public policy in reproductive rights and justice in Utah and the U.S. Contributing to the historical perspective while beginning to get into the deep complexities of this topic, Reverend Monica Dobbins explained positions on reproductive rights, justice, and health care that varying faiths and religious bodies have taken over the years, elaborating on how they have stayed the same or shifted with time. For example, the Catholic Church has remained steady in its position, while the Southern Baptist Convention previously held a more moderate stance leaving decisions primarily up to families with some moral boundaries. Dobbins also explained how progressive religious movements often embraced sterilization and eugenics, showing that there have been extremes in stances taken on both ends of the spectrum throughout the late 19th century into the 20th century. (University of Utah Health 3/8/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Women in Health, Medicine, & Science (WiHMS) was proud to be a part of another successful and enlightening Women’s Week series. As part of this year’s theme, "Making Public Policy Personal," WiHMS did a follow-up to their 2022 MEDiversity Week webinar to focus on the role of public policy in reproductive rights and justice in Utah and the U.S. Contributing to the historical perspective while beginning to get into the deep complexities of this topic, Reverend Monica Dobbins explained positions on reproductive rights, justice, and health care that varying faiths and religious bodies have taken over the years, elaborating on how they have stayed the same or shifted with time. For example, the Catholic Church has remained steady in its position, while the Southern Baptist Convention previously held a more moderate stance leaving decisions primarily up to families with some moral boundaries. Dobbins also explained how progressive religious movements often embraced sterilization and eugenics, showing that there have been extremes in stances taken on both ends of the spectrum throughout the late 19th century into the 20th century. (University of Utah Health 3/8/23)
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Feb 16, 2023: ABC4: A moral obligation’: Religious leaders call on Utah lawmakers to save Great Salt Lake
“It’s their responsibility both as lawmakers and as people of faith, as individuals of faith, to take action now,” Reverend Monica Dobbins said. “We can’t wait.” Dobbins represented First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City. She spoke about the need to act now before the lake’s deuteriation becomes irreversible.
“It’s their responsibility both as lawmakers and as people of faith, as individuals of faith, to take action now,” Reverend Monica Dobbins said. “We can’t wait.” Dobbins represented First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City. She spoke about the need to act now before the lake’s deuteriation becomes irreversible.
==darren Dochuk=================
How a bucolic Tennessee suburb became a hotbed of ‘Christian Nashville-ism’
Darren Dochuk, a historian at Notre Dame and author of “From Bible Belt to Sunbelt: Plain-Folk Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Conservatism,” said suburban communities often have the feel of a small town, including a sense of autonomy that is protective of conservative social values and suspicious of the federal government. That kind of conservatism, he said, is often fueled by fear-driven political rhetoric that motivates people to put their money and connections to work to protect what they see as theirs. “They are fiercely driven and outspoken and they have institutions including churches around which they can rally and coordinate,” Dochuk said. Add in assets like social media, and it becomes easier for well-off suburban Christians to turn their anxiety into populist action. He said the influence of the Tea Party — which launched a series of anti-government protests during Barack Obama’s presidency, often in well-off communities like Franklin — has been overlooked in the Trump era. Dochuk said scholars and journalists often overlooked the role that religion played in the Tea Party. “What we see today in Trump America can be explained in no small part through the success of that movement,” he said. “And that movement was again driven not by the deplorables, but by those with something to lose.” (Bob Smietana/Religion News 11/8/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Darren Dochuk, a historian at Notre Dame and author of “From Bible Belt to Sunbelt: Plain-Folk Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Conservatism,” said suburban communities often have the feel of a small town, including a sense of autonomy that is protective of conservative social values and suspicious of the federal government. That kind of conservatism, he said, is often fueled by fear-driven political rhetoric that motivates people to put their money and connections to work to protect what they see as theirs. “They are fiercely driven and outspoken and they have institutions including churches around which they can rally and coordinate,” Dochuk said. Add in assets like social media, and it becomes easier for well-off suburban Christians to turn their anxiety into populist action. He said the influence of the Tea Party — which launched a series of anti-government protests during Barack Obama’s presidency, often in well-off communities like Franklin — has been overlooked in the Trump era. Dochuk said scholars and journalists often overlooked the role that religion played in the Tea Party. “What we see today in Trump America can be explained in no small part through the success of that movement,” he said. “And that movement was again driven not by the deplorables, but by those with something to lose.” (Bob Smietana/Religion News 11/8/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
==david dockery=================
April 18, 2023: Baptist Press: SBC leaders, former presidents react to death of Charles Stanley
“Charles Stanley was an exemplary preacher and teacher of God’s Word. We are indeed grateful for the influence of his faithful ministry, which extended around the globe. While we mourn his loss, we celebrate the significant life and legacy of this Southwesterner, even as we give thanks for the hope of the resurrection.”--David S. Dockery, interim president, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Charles Stanley was an exemplary preacher and teacher of God’s Word. We are indeed grateful for the influence of his faithful ministry, which extended around the globe. While we mourn his loss, we celebrate the significant life and legacy of this Southwesterner, even as we give thanks for the hope of the resurrection.”--David S. Dockery, interim president, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
==shari dollinger=================
A sizeable US demographic, many Evangelicals are sending money and manpower to IsraelThe images are part of Don’t Look Away, a campaign launched by Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Over a month into the Israel-Hamas war, American Evangelicals are providing moral and material support to Israel, hosting fundraisers and poster campaigns, and sending volunteers and supplies. With more than 100 million Evangelicals in the United States, it is a deep well from which to draw.“ While things are bleak on the college campuses and in some places in the country, it’s not representative of mainstream America. We have 10 million members. So many people want to help in a physical way to give Israel and Jewish people some sense that you are not alone,” CUFI’s co-executive director Shari Dollinger told The Times of Israel
(Cathryn J Prince/The Times of Israel 11/12/23)
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(Cathryn J Prince/The Times of Israel 11/12/23)
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==timothy cardinal dolan===
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Christians across New York City mark Holy Thursday
Christians all over the world marked Holy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ.
Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan blessed cases of free food and the New Yorkers receiving it.
"It's a day, for me, to celebrate the fact that the teaching and work of Jesus continues," Dolan said. "This is a time to kind of affirm and celebrate the great works of charity, assistance, community involvement."
(CBS News 4/28/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Christians all over the world marked Holy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ.
Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan blessed cases of free food and the New Yorkers receiving it.
"It's a day, for me, to celebrate the fact that the teaching and work of Jesus continues," Dolan said. "This is a time to kind of affirm and celebrate the great works of charity, assistance, community involvement."
(CBS News 4/28/24) READ MORE>>>>>
==Bill Donohue====================
Rob Reiner, more commonly known as “Meathead,” released a movie last month that demonstrates the pervasiveness of religiophobia in Hollywood.
“God and Country” is about an alleged threat to American democracy posed by so-called Christian nationalists. The Meathead would have the audience believe that we are on the verge of a theocratic takeover, though few outside of Hollywood and other secular subcultures pay any attention to this fable.
The film is based on the work of Katherine Stewart, an author who harbors a deep phobia about Christianity.
In 2021, she cited as evidence that Christian nationalists are “running the country” a quip by President Trump. He mentioned that the Covid crisis would wane by Easter. Because he didn’t say by “mid-April”—but instead dropped the nefarious “E-word”—this was all the proof this sage needed to declare this a Christian nationalist moment. I’m not making this up.
The Hollywood Reporter was so exercised by the movie that it said that Christian nationalism “bears an unfortunate similarity to the rise of Nazi Germany.” Thus does this noted publication trivialize what happened to Jews under Hitler. Shameless is too kind a word to describe this characterization.
As for the Meathead, he says Christian nationalism is out to make us a Christian nation, something the Founders rejected. It is true that the Founders did not want the establishment of a Christian nation, but it is also true that they recognized, and indeed applauded, the founding of a Christian-inspired nation. That is why there are four references to God in the Declaration of Independence.
Here’s the good news. “God and Country” is a bomb. It took in a whopping $38,415 in its first weekend—over four-days—playing in 85 theaters. As one movie critic put it, this means it averaged $451 per theater, a stunning achievement, even for the Meathead.
Time for Hollywood to award an Oscar for Best Performance for Religiophobia. Call it reparations to the faithful, especially Christians.
--Bill Donohue; President of Catholic League; Oscar For Religiophobia Wanted 3/8/24
“God and Country” is about an alleged threat to American democracy posed by so-called Christian nationalists. The Meathead would have the audience believe that we are on the verge of a theocratic takeover, though few outside of Hollywood and other secular subcultures pay any attention to this fable.
The film is based on the work of Katherine Stewart, an author who harbors a deep phobia about Christianity.
In 2021, she cited as evidence that Christian nationalists are “running the country” a quip by President Trump. He mentioned that the Covid crisis would wane by Easter. Because he didn’t say by “mid-April”—but instead dropped the nefarious “E-word”—this was all the proof this sage needed to declare this a Christian nationalist moment. I’m not making this up.
The Hollywood Reporter was so exercised by the movie that it said that Christian nationalism “bears an unfortunate similarity to the rise of Nazi Germany.” Thus does this noted publication trivialize what happened to Jews under Hitler. Shameless is too kind a word to describe this characterization.
As for the Meathead, he says Christian nationalism is out to make us a Christian nation, something the Founders rejected. It is true that the Founders did not want the establishment of a Christian nation, but it is also true that they recognized, and indeed applauded, the founding of a Christian-inspired nation. That is why there are four references to God in the Declaration of Independence.
Here’s the good news. “God and Country” is a bomb. It took in a whopping $38,415 in its first weekend—over four-days—playing in 85 theaters. As one movie critic put it, this means it averaged $451 per theater, a stunning achievement, even for the Meathead.
Time for Hollywood to award an Oscar for Best Performance for Religiophobia. Call it reparations to the faithful, especially Christians.
--Bill Donohue; President of Catholic League; Oscar For Religiophobia Wanted 3/8/24
==adam dooley===================
....we are to pray with commitment. The purpose of prayer is NOT to get our will done in heaven, but God’s will done on earth. Restricting the substance of our petitions to the will of God is key to receiving the answer we seek. Again, John reassures us, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14).” By surrendering our desires to God’s design, we emulate the spirit of Jesus in Gethsemane as He prayed, “Not my will, but thy will be done (Matt. 26:39).”
But how can we discern God’s will in order to pray it? We know that God is willing to fill us with the knowledge of His will (Col. 1:9), but how does He do it? Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit are the only trustworthy guides. God will not answer any prayer that contradicts His word or justifies sinful behavior (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Bible lays down guidelines (some explicit and some implicit) for us to live by, and the Spirit of God reveals specific direction within those parameters. Those who have a submissive heart fully committed to God’s preference for their lives can pray knowing that God will always answer. E. Stanley Jones explained, “Prayer is surrender — surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boat hook from a boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”
--Adam Dooley; Kentucky Today; DOOLEY NOTED: The gift that we refuse 9.19.23
But how can we discern God’s will in order to pray it? We know that God is willing to fill us with the knowledge of His will (Col. 1:9), but how does He do it? Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit are the only trustworthy guides. God will not answer any prayer that contradicts His word or justifies sinful behavior (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Bible lays down guidelines (some explicit and some implicit) for us to live by, and the Spirit of God reveals specific direction within those parameters. Those who have a submissive heart fully committed to God’s preference for their lives can pray knowing that God will always answer. E. Stanley Jones explained, “Prayer is surrender — surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boat hook from a boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”
--Adam Dooley; Kentucky Today; DOOLEY NOTED: The gift that we refuse 9.19.23
==jim dorman======
After hearing over three hours of public comment on the topic, Flagstaff City Council approved a resolution supporting abortion access in the city at its meeting Tuesday...........Many commenters who spoke against the resolution cited religion, specifically Christianity, as their reason for opposing abortion, quoting Bible verses and prayers and using religious language.
The group included a few local pastors: Joshua Walker, teaching elder of Church of the Resurrection (though he said he was here as a “concerned citizen” rather than a pastor), David Berry, senior pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship, Barbara Swee, associate pastor of Northland Christian Assembly, and Jim Dorman, founding pastor (now retired) of Christ’s Church of Flagstaff. “I’m here today on behalf of myself and the nearly 300 people of my church,” Berry said. “ ... Together we are all in vehement opposition to the proposed resolution 2023-12. The mission of Flagstaff as we’ve been reminded is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all. That certainly includes the most vulnerable among us who cannot defend and speak for themselves, people in the womb.”
Some of those who supported the resolution mentioned the separation of church and state in their comments, saying that to act based on the religious beliefs of other commenters would go against it.
Northern Arizona University professor of comparative cultural studies Diana Coleman also noted that these beliefs were from a subset of one religion.
“We have not heard the religious side, as I’ve heard people say; we’ve heard from a thin, select fringe of conservative Christianity that doesn’t represent all of Christianity,” she said. “ ... We do have separation of church and state, we have the establishment clause. This religious-inflected dialogue is inappropriate to be forced on and also very disingenuous.”..........Matthews said the religious views should be heard, however, as they were community members’ perspectives.
“I don’t think that it was about well, this is a religious thing or a God thing, so you need to be shamed into making a decision,” she said. “ ... This is their belief and they are part of the community.”
In his part of the discussion, McCarthy said the question was about who was making decisions.
“Someone [tonight] said there are differing opinions on the issue. Well, that’s obvious. But one side, who would say ‘pro-choice,’ they’re saying, ‘I’m not going to make that decision for you.’ The other side is saying, ‘I want to make that decision for you.’” --Abigail Kessler; Arizona Daily Sun; Flagstaff City Council adopts resolution supporting abortion access 3.11.23
The group included a few local pastors: Joshua Walker, teaching elder of Church of the Resurrection (though he said he was here as a “concerned citizen” rather than a pastor), David Berry, senior pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship, Barbara Swee, associate pastor of Northland Christian Assembly, and Jim Dorman, founding pastor (now retired) of Christ’s Church of Flagstaff. “I’m here today on behalf of myself and the nearly 300 people of my church,” Berry said. “ ... Together we are all in vehement opposition to the proposed resolution 2023-12. The mission of Flagstaff as we’ve been reminded is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all. That certainly includes the most vulnerable among us who cannot defend and speak for themselves, people in the womb.”
Some of those who supported the resolution mentioned the separation of church and state in their comments, saying that to act based on the religious beliefs of other commenters would go against it.
Northern Arizona University professor of comparative cultural studies Diana Coleman also noted that these beliefs were from a subset of one religion.
“We have not heard the religious side, as I’ve heard people say; we’ve heard from a thin, select fringe of conservative Christianity that doesn’t represent all of Christianity,” she said. “ ... We do have separation of church and state, we have the establishment clause. This religious-inflected dialogue is inappropriate to be forced on and also very disingenuous.”..........Matthews said the religious views should be heard, however, as they were community members’ perspectives.
“I don’t think that it was about well, this is a religious thing or a God thing, so you need to be shamed into making a decision,” she said. “ ... This is their belief and they are part of the community.”
In his part of the discussion, McCarthy said the question was about who was making decisions.
“Someone [tonight] said there are differing opinions on the issue. Well, that’s obvious. But one side, who would say ‘pro-choice,’ they’re saying, ‘I’m not going to make that decision for you.’ The other side is saying, ‘I want to make that decision for you.’” --Abigail Kessler; Arizona Daily Sun; Flagstaff City Council adopts resolution supporting abortion access 3.11.23