V - PEOPLE FILES
- Kris Vallotton - Greg Van Dyke - Milenko Van Der Staal - Paul Van Noy - Billy VanCamp - Bob Vander Plaats - Matthew Vandegriff - Jonathan Vanderbeck - Mark Varughese - Graham Veale - Heidi Vegh - Anthony Verdugo - Carlo Vigano - Rich Villodas - Frank Viola - Phil Vischer - Ed Vitagliano -
kris vallotton
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Mar 23, 2023: Kris Vallotton: Church Leaders: 3 Core Values of People Who Actually Made a Difference in the World
June 18, 2019: CalMatters: How Redding, California, became an unlikely epicenter of modern Christian culture
For those who flock to the School of Supernatural Ministry, proximity to Bethel’s vaunted spiritual leaders, Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton, and the promise of direct access to the supernatural are a powerful draw. But many stay for the sense of community or spiritual growth. |
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milenko van der staal
Milenko van der Staal
In James 1:14-16 I read that it is my own desires (lusts in the flesh) that cause me to be tempted. A temptation is the desire in my flesh making its presence known, usually as a thought or feeling. But the desire must conceive in order to give birth to sin. The conception occurs when my mind agrees with the flesh. The two “I’s” unify, and the thought that started out as an involuntary impulse – a temptation – becomes sin, often followed up by words and deeds.
However, the whole Bible is a call to action: to resist the enemy, which in the New Covenant is the sin that dwells in my flesh. Being tempted is not the same as committing sin, but for it to stay that way I have to take up a battle against the lusts that become visible.
It can seem impossible, but when Jesus returned to His Father in heaven, He promised to send us His Spirit, the Helper. With the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance we get strength, not only to endure in temptation, but also to totally defeat the enemy. This is the fight of faith. As long as I am fighting, I have not sinned! This is the life of an overcomer! This also means that I remain pure, and there is no condemnation for those involuntary thoughts.
--Milenko van der Staal: Active Christianity: Is it even possible to keep my thoughts pure?
However, the whole Bible is a call to action: to resist the enemy, which in the New Covenant is the sin that dwells in my flesh. Being tempted is not the same as committing sin, but for it to stay that way I have to take up a battle against the lusts that become visible.
It can seem impossible, but when Jesus returned to His Father in heaven, He promised to send us His Spirit, the Helper. With the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance we get strength, not only to endure in temptation, but also to totally defeat the enemy. This is the fight of faith. As long as I am fighting, I have not sinned! This is the life of an overcomer! This also means that I remain pure, and there is no condemnation for those involuntary thoughts.
--Milenko van der Staal: Active Christianity: Is it even possible to keep my thoughts pure?
greg van dyke
Feb 7, 2023: Sioux Center News: Sioux Center Christian reflects on school choice bill
The Sioux Center Christian School Board of Trustees and its head of school Josh Bowar have been talking about the impact this bill would have.
“The board of trustees at Sioux Center Christian is excited about the passing of the school choice bill because it will make a direct impact to 33 percent of the elementary student population in the city of Sioux Center,” said board president Greg Van Dyke. “The bill will also help ensure quality Christian and private education across the state of Iowa for years to come.”
The Sioux Center Christian School Board of Trustees and its head of school Josh Bowar have been talking about the impact this bill would have.
“The board of trustees at Sioux Center Christian is excited about the passing of the school choice bill because it will make a direct impact to 33 percent of the elementary student population in the city of Sioux Center,” said board president Greg Van Dyke. “The bill will also help ensure quality Christian and private education across the state of Iowa for years to come.”
paul van noy
Feb 22, 2023: Religion News Service: How big Christian nationalism has come courting in North Idaho
There are even fissures among vocal Christian conservatives. Paul Van Noy, pastor of Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur D’Alene, said Reawaken organizers originally approached him to host the September event, likely in consideration of Candlelight’s embrace of politics and clashes with LGBTQ rights activists; last year, local LGBTQ advocates pushed unsuccessfully to keep the church from being used as a polling location. And like Wilson’s congregation in Moscow, Candlelight has doubled in size since it refused to close during the pandemic. (Van Noy was so opposed to COVID-19 restrictions that he kept the church open even after he was hospitalized with the disease in 2020.)
Van Noy is unashamedly political — “I tell people what I think about candidates,” he said — but as he reviewed Reawaken’s proposal, Van Noy was struck by the inclusion of baptisms.
“All of a sudden someone says ‘We’re going to do baptisms,’” he said. “I’m asking the question, ‘OK, well, then who’s preaching the gospel? What gospel? Are they going to believe? Are they going to be told that if they’re baptized in water they’re saved?”
There are even fissures among vocal Christian conservatives. Paul Van Noy, pastor of Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur D’Alene, said Reawaken organizers originally approached him to host the September event, likely in consideration of Candlelight’s embrace of politics and clashes with LGBTQ rights activists; last year, local LGBTQ advocates pushed unsuccessfully to keep the church from being used as a polling location. And like Wilson’s congregation in Moscow, Candlelight has doubled in size since it refused to close during the pandemic. (Van Noy was so opposed to COVID-19 restrictions that he kept the church open even after he was hospitalized with the disease in 2020.)
Van Noy is unashamedly political — “I tell people what I think about candidates,” he said — but as he reviewed Reawaken’s proposal, Van Noy was struck by the inclusion of baptisms.
“All of a sudden someone says ‘We’re going to do baptisms,’” he said. “I’m asking the question, ‘OK, well, then who’s preaching the gospel? What gospel? Are they going to believe? Are they going to be told that if they’re baptized in water they’re saved?”
billy vancamp
Feb 6, 2023: AzCentral: 'I felt very unsafe': Gay fathers confronted at Arizona religious school accepting vouchers
Pastor Billy VanCamp took them to a conference room "away from all the children" and started questioning the relationship between Williams and Ortega, Ortega said. The pastor told Ortega he wasn't allowed on campus because he is a gay man without any blood relation to Williams' daughter, he said.
Pastor Billy VanCamp took them to a conference room "away from all the children" and started questioning the relationship between Williams and Ortega, Ortega said. The pastor told Ortega he wasn't allowed on campus because he is a gay man without any blood relation to Williams' daughter, he said.
bob vander plaats
Republican candidates kiss the Christian nationalist ring
GOP presidential candidates' appearance at a “Thanksgiving family forum” hosted by a Christian conservative group signals the far-right’s power — and more specifically, Christian nationalists’ power — over today’s Republican Party. Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis agreed to appear at the Family Leader's roundtable discussion Friday in Iowa. Donald Trump was invited but did not attend. The reason for the front-runner's absence is unclear, though one possible motivation could be that Family Leader President Bob Vander Plaats has said it's time for someone to replace Trump as the party's de facto leader.
(Ja Han Jones/MSNBC 11/20/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
GOP presidential candidates' appearance at a “Thanksgiving family forum” hosted by a Christian conservative group signals the far-right’s power — and more specifically, Christian nationalists’ power — over today’s Republican Party. Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis agreed to appear at the Family Leader's roundtable discussion Friday in Iowa. Donald Trump was invited but did not attend. The reason for the front-runner's absence is unclear, though one possible motivation could be that Family Leader President Bob Vander Plaats has said it's time for someone to replace Trump as the party's de facto leader.
(Ja Han Jones/MSNBC 11/20/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
| Aug 16, 2023 #breakingnews #politicalnews #christiannews Despite former President Donald Trump's growing legal issues, he still holds a formidable lead in the GOP primaries. While current polls indicate it might not be possible for any candidate to beat him, one evangelical leader tells CBN News that's not what he's hearing from evangelical voters in Iowa, the nation's first Republican caucus state. "I think Iowa is going to be wide open, I do think it's very open to defeat Donald Trump," Bob Vander Plaats from The Family Leader in Iowa told CBN News. Conservative evangelicals played a key role in sending Trump to the White House in 2016. While he delivered on many policy promises, voters in Iowa tell CBN News his demeanor this time around remains a challenge for the values-based voting block. That leaves 2024 GOP candidates hopeful there's an opportunity to chip away at the front-runner's evangelical support |
"I think Iowa is going to be wide open, I do think it's very open to defeat Donald Trump," Bob Vander Plaats from The Family Leader in Iowa told CBN News.
July 13, 2023: Politico: DeSantis is hoping Iowa evangelicals can make his campaign born again
“I really think America wants to turn the page,” Bob Vander Plaats, CEO of The Family Leader, said in an interview. “If you’re looking for an alternative to Trump, I think Gov. DeSantis is the frontrunner right now.”
“I really think America wants to turn the page,” Bob Vander Plaats, CEO of The Family Leader, said in an interview. “If you’re looking for an alternative to Trump, I think Gov. DeSantis is the frontrunner right now.”
May 17, 2023:
Days following the former president's 2024 campaign announcement, Tessa Stuart and Asawin Suebsaeng, in a report for Rolling Stone, noted "evangelicals haven't been lining up behind Trump the way he hoped and want to hear what other 2024 candidates have to say." Stuart and Suebsaeng wrote, "Evangelical leaders who once counseled Trump are openly bad-mouthing him or publicly declaring they can’t, in good conscience, cast a ballot for him again."Bob Vander Plaats, who oversees the popular Iowa-based Christian conservative group, The Family Leader, is an example of one of those evangelicals. Per Rolling Stone, the conservative faith leader pointed to two specific reasons for turning on the former president: Trump's "exhausting quest for 'vengeance'" over his failure to beat President Joe Biden in 2020, and his "recent efforts to soften his politics on abortion."During the News Nation interview, Vander Plaats emphasized, "If we're gonna have a conversation about what happened in the past — or vengeance about what happened in the past — versus about a compelling vision for the future, we're gonna get beat in 2024," adding, "I think Americans are exhausted by it." |
May 15, 2023
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April 20, 2023: Reuters: Trump keeps edge among evangelicals, but there is an opening for challengers
Bob Vander Plaats, a longtime evangelical leader in Iowa, said he doesn’t yet see any “galvanizing” around Trump and believes the evangelical base is “exceptionally wide open” to hearing from all the candidates.
Bob Vander Plaats, a longtime evangelical leader in Iowa, said he doesn’t yet see any “galvanizing” around Trump and believes the evangelical base is “exceptionally wide open” to hearing from all the candidates.
Dec 19, 2022: Christian Post: Christian leader calls for 'fresh candidate' to lead Republican ticket in 2024
With the Iowa caucuses that historically kick off a string of presidential primaries in all 50 states slightly more than a year away, The Christian Post spoke with Bob Vander Plaats of the Iowa-based Family Leader, a socially conservative organization established to “strengthen families by inspiring Christ-like leadership in the home, the church and the government.”
With the Iowa caucuses that historically kick off a string of presidential primaries in all 50 states slightly more than a year away, The Christian Post spoke with Bob Vander Plaats of the Iowa-based Family Leader, a socially conservative organization established to “strengthen families by inspiring Christ-like leadership in the home, the church and the government.”
matthew vandegriff
Feb 24, 2023: The Christian Index: Hundreds pray for revival across Georgia campuses on Collegiate Day of Prayer
Pastor Matthew Vandegriff of Poplar Springs Baptist Church and Timothy Agee, Pastor of Young Adults at Hopewell Baptist, joined Georgia Baptist Campus Minister Keith Wade and students on a prayer walk on the Gainesville campus of the University of North Georgia. Wade said, “May we continue to see the Lord move among this campus and students be bold to share Jesus.”
Pastor Matthew Vandegriff of Poplar Springs Baptist Church and Timothy Agee, Pastor of Young Adults at Hopewell Baptist, joined Georgia Baptist Campus Minister Keith Wade and students on a prayer walk on the Gainesville campus of the University of North Georgia. Wade said, “May we continue to see the Lord move among this campus and students be bold to share Jesus.”
JONATHAN VANDERBECK |
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March 21, 2021: Queer Theology: COVID SELF-CARE: ONE YEAR LATER
It’s been a year since the pandemic shut the world and we’ve all been anxiously waiting for the curtains to unveil what might be in our future. It was also a year ago when Brian interviewed Rev. Jonathan Vanderbeck on Facebook to talk about handling anxiety and what that means for queer folks during the pandemic. Tune in to hear what Rev. Jonathan says about anxiety 1 year into this pandemic. Feb 16, 2021: Daily Gazzette: Newly unified Rotterdam congregations host first joint event, are hopeful for future expansion
Wright said conversations around unifying began last January as he was looking into making Messiah more accessible, when he and then Trinity Rev. Jonathan Vanderbeck met for something unrelated and realized they could both solve each other’s problems. |
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June 24, 2021: Vanderbeck wrote: For queer Christians, I would encourage us to be bold and honest about our grief, in whatever form it may manifest. If we need permission to feel angry or depressed or anxious, know that Christ himself experienced these things in his crucifixion, in which he must have been grieving the ultimate rejection of his friends, followers, and of God. But more importantly than even being bold about our own grief, I believe that we must examine how we receive the grief of others. If we are, in fact, called to be the body of Christ, that is, the embodiment of Christ on earth, then we are called to also receive the grief of one another. The beauty (and the pain) of our queer Christian family is that we share many of these experiences together. As such, it can sometimes feel overwhelming; the tendency to push past the pain is real. However, we are called to bear this together. What might it look like if our queer family, rather than trying to hide our griefs, instead became a place where we could honestly wrestle through the pain and help each other heal? I think it might look a little bit like resurrection, this side of heaven.
mark varughese
Aug 24, 2023: Kingdomcity: Perth megachurch pastor Mark Varughese meets with millionaire US preacher Joel Osteen
On Tuesday, Varughese shared a post on Instagram showing his meeting with Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen.
In the image, Varughese and Osteen are shown with their arms around each other while smiling into the camera.
On Tuesday, Varughese shared a post on Instagram showing his meeting with Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen.
In the image, Varughese and Osteen are shown with their arms around each other while smiling into the camera.
graham veale
Graham Veale has particular interests in the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, and the design and moral arguments for God’s existence; he is also enthusiastic about introducing apologetics to young people. He has graduate and post-graduate degrees in theology from Queen’s University Belfast and has taught Religious Education for 17 years. Graham Veale is the head of the Religious Education department at the City of Armagh High School, Armagh, Northern Ireland and co-founded saintsandsceptics.org, a web ministry for apologetics
Graham Veale
When God wishes to increase our suffering he sends us theologians. At least, this is one lesson Job learned; his infamous comforters were well informed and had undergone deep, mystical experiences; but their learning had no useful lessons for Job. These armchair philosophers lacked the wisdom that life requires; they thought that Job’s suffering was a philosophical conundrum and that his questions were academic. So they gave the simplest answer available to them. God punishes the guilty by making them suffer; therefore, Job’s suffering was evidence of his guilt: Job needed to repent.
This is very neat, very tidy and very rational. After all, Job’s comforters could not monitor all his activity. Surely Job had some secret sin which they did not know of and which he had not confessed? But the reader – who has a “God’s eye view” of Job’s plight – knows better. The reader has already learned that Job had sacrificed for sin and that God had declared him righteous. God had reasons for allowing Job’s suffering – reasons that we will come to. But these were above the reach of the philosophers.
In any case, when Job howled like a wounded animal before the philosophers, he was not asking for philosophical answers. He suspected that his life was meaningless and so he wished to be erased. He could no longer sense any goodness or joy in creation, so he desperately desired not to exist. What Job needed was reassurance and vindication. He needed to know that God was great enough to defeat evil and he needed God to defend his honour before an accusing world. Job did not deserve to be left alone, without love, comfort and hope. He had lived for God; did he live in a universe in which faithfulness and goodness counted for nothing?
Ancient doubts are often regurgitated in contemporary culture (and fashionable theology for that matter!) . Nihilism is alive and well and oh-so scientific. After all, aren’t we merely the products of atoms and molecules and the shuffle of our genes? Isn’t every human, at heart, a selfish-capitalist seeking to maximise gain and minimise loss? If so, there is no transcendent goodness that can redeem suffering. In the trials of life some people are going to get hurt. Some people will be casually eliminated. Deal with it. At least we have the comfort of knowing that the stars can’t last forever, and that life, that titanic waste of time, will be extinguished with their light.
If the universe is to have substantial meaning there must be something greater than the universe. So God intervenes in Job’s story– he must if anyone is to have hope. Job learns, by direct experience, that God is great enough to defeat evil. Then God declares to his accusers that Job’s suffering was not a punishment. In fact, there were deeper reasons for this tragedy. Job is not told these reasons because he does not need to hear them; vindication and comfort are what he requires. Job’s counsellors are not let in on the reasons because they are not wise enough to understand them; they need to learn humility before they can teach others about God.
We cannot understand the story of Job without referencing the prologue’s scene in heaven. Before the tragedy can begin, an “enemy” (literally, a Satan) comes into the court of God. This demon would murder the world if God would let him. If it was possible, he would tear the creator down from his throne. And this hatchet-man, this spin-doctor and muck-raker, wants to establish that God is unjust and humans are worthless. How could a just God allow this petty, rebellious human race to exist? How can a good God have relations with them? These are reasonable questions; they stand behind many Old Testament texts. When the first humans rebelled, why didn’t God shut the whole project down? God’s answer – with Eve, Enoch and Noah – is always “the human race is not beyond hope.”
Here, God pre-empts the accuser: “Have you considered my servant Job?” The cynical Satan is not content. Sure, Job is faithful, but God has bribed Job with a prosperous life, full of love and comfort. Job is only in the religion game for the short-term benefits. Take those away, and you’ll find the rebel inside. The devil is sure that human hearts cannot be transformed and God has not created any goodness in Job. So God gives his enemy permission to test Job; he will discover for himself that Job is faithful. The book of Job is not the story of a bet between God and the Devil. The stakes are too high for any wager.
Job loses his family in a day. When that does not break him, Satan tortures him. Yet Job remains faithful. This establishes that the accuser was wrong: God is good and the human race is not beyond redemption. Having learned his place, the evil one disappears very early in the book of Job. That still leaves Job with his unanswered questions. From the perspective of the divine court we can see that Job’s agony is meaningful. His trials have a purpose: in the drama of Job they establish that God is good, that he knows his people and cares for them. Job illustrates that the most terrible suffering can be conquered by God; that even the collapse of our entire world is not enough evidence to establish that God has abandoned us.
But Job does not see his life from the heavenly court. He does not even have the luxury of studying the problem of evil in a well stocked library. On his own, with no human counsel or love, in the depths of despond, he must choose. Will he curse God and die? Job refuses – even if God slays him he will not abandon hope. Is this a blind faith in the face of overwhelming evidence? Hardly. Depressed and exhausted, Job is in no position to engage in abstract arguments. When breathing takes effort and eating a chore you need something more than a philosophical proof.
Job chooses to believe because the alternative is worse than his agony. He would be forced to admit that his grief was not rational, because his sons and daughters were an insignificant consequence of a chaotic universe. He would have to concede that love was not stronger than death. He would lose all hope of justice and redemption. Job believes because he has no other choice. He is profoundly rational and his story could not be more relevant to our time. --Graham Veale; Saints and Sceptics; Job and Hope for the Suffering 8.18.18
This is very neat, very tidy and very rational. After all, Job’s comforters could not monitor all his activity. Surely Job had some secret sin which they did not know of and which he had not confessed? But the reader – who has a “God’s eye view” of Job’s plight – knows better. The reader has already learned that Job had sacrificed for sin and that God had declared him righteous. God had reasons for allowing Job’s suffering – reasons that we will come to. But these were above the reach of the philosophers.
In any case, when Job howled like a wounded animal before the philosophers, he was not asking for philosophical answers. He suspected that his life was meaningless and so he wished to be erased. He could no longer sense any goodness or joy in creation, so he desperately desired not to exist. What Job needed was reassurance and vindication. He needed to know that God was great enough to defeat evil and he needed God to defend his honour before an accusing world. Job did not deserve to be left alone, without love, comfort and hope. He had lived for God; did he live in a universe in which faithfulness and goodness counted for nothing?
Ancient doubts are often regurgitated in contemporary culture (and fashionable theology for that matter!) . Nihilism is alive and well and oh-so scientific. After all, aren’t we merely the products of atoms and molecules and the shuffle of our genes? Isn’t every human, at heart, a selfish-capitalist seeking to maximise gain and minimise loss? If so, there is no transcendent goodness that can redeem suffering. In the trials of life some people are going to get hurt. Some people will be casually eliminated. Deal with it. At least we have the comfort of knowing that the stars can’t last forever, and that life, that titanic waste of time, will be extinguished with their light.
If the universe is to have substantial meaning there must be something greater than the universe. So God intervenes in Job’s story– he must if anyone is to have hope. Job learns, by direct experience, that God is great enough to defeat evil. Then God declares to his accusers that Job’s suffering was not a punishment. In fact, there were deeper reasons for this tragedy. Job is not told these reasons because he does not need to hear them; vindication and comfort are what he requires. Job’s counsellors are not let in on the reasons because they are not wise enough to understand them; they need to learn humility before they can teach others about God.
We cannot understand the story of Job without referencing the prologue’s scene in heaven. Before the tragedy can begin, an “enemy” (literally, a Satan) comes into the court of God. This demon would murder the world if God would let him. If it was possible, he would tear the creator down from his throne. And this hatchet-man, this spin-doctor and muck-raker, wants to establish that God is unjust and humans are worthless. How could a just God allow this petty, rebellious human race to exist? How can a good God have relations with them? These are reasonable questions; they stand behind many Old Testament texts. When the first humans rebelled, why didn’t God shut the whole project down? God’s answer – with Eve, Enoch and Noah – is always “the human race is not beyond hope.”
Here, God pre-empts the accuser: “Have you considered my servant Job?” The cynical Satan is not content. Sure, Job is faithful, but God has bribed Job with a prosperous life, full of love and comfort. Job is only in the religion game for the short-term benefits. Take those away, and you’ll find the rebel inside. The devil is sure that human hearts cannot be transformed and God has not created any goodness in Job. So God gives his enemy permission to test Job; he will discover for himself that Job is faithful. The book of Job is not the story of a bet between God and the Devil. The stakes are too high for any wager.
Job loses his family in a day. When that does not break him, Satan tortures him. Yet Job remains faithful. This establishes that the accuser was wrong: God is good and the human race is not beyond redemption. Having learned his place, the evil one disappears very early in the book of Job. That still leaves Job with his unanswered questions. From the perspective of the divine court we can see that Job’s agony is meaningful. His trials have a purpose: in the drama of Job they establish that God is good, that he knows his people and cares for them. Job illustrates that the most terrible suffering can be conquered by God; that even the collapse of our entire world is not enough evidence to establish that God has abandoned us.
But Job does not see his life from the heavenly court. He does not even have the luxury of studying the problem of evil in a well stocked library. On his own, with no human counsel or love, in the depths of despond, he must choose. Will he curse God and die? Job refuses – even if God slays him he will not abandon hope. Is this a blind faith in the face of overwhelming evidence? Hardly. Depressed and exhausted, Job is in no position to engage in abstract arguments. When breathing takes effort and eating a chore you need something more than a philosophical proof.
Job chooses to believe because the alternative is worse than his agony. He would be forced to admit that his grief was not rational, because his sons and daughters were an insignificant consequence of a chaotic universe. He would have to concede that love was not stronger than death. He would lose all hope of justice and redemption. Job believes because he has no other choice. He is profoundly rational and his story could not be more relevant to our time. --Graham Veale; Saints and Sceptics; Job and Hope for the Suffering 8.18.18
heidi vegh
Heidi Vegh is a writer, speaker, and ministry leader living in Gig Harbor, WA. She is a remarried mother of four, navigating the blended family life after the loss of her first husband to cancer in 2013. She contributes to her blog found at thebreathingmama.com, sharing stories and devotionals of faith stemming from her loss and healing, mothering, and her blended and complex family. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Creative Writing and English and is working on her first book. Heidi is the Women’s Ministry Director at Gig Harbor Foursquare and has a deep heart for sharing Jesus with women and encouraging them in their faith walk.
Heidi Vegh Files
Sex was designed as a selfless act of deep intimacy with our spouse. We read in Genesis 2:24 that they shall become one flesh. God desires couples to experience this kind of pleasure with each other and no one else, not even an image.
Pornography is entirely self-focused. There is no need for a relationship and no requirement for love. However, acting out sexually without a spouse will end in deep dissatisfaction and leave them wanting more, entering addiction. This is a perfect tactic for the enemy. He comes to steal, kill and destroy John 10:10, and marriage is his number one target.
The act of pornography not only destroys marriage intimacy but can also lead to destroying families and societies as a whole.
A Focus on the Family article "How Pornography Impacts Marriage" states, "God-honoring and marriage-honoring sex is about self-giving love. Righteous sex is about self-sacrifice. It joins two people together in love and should always strengthen a relationship rather than weaken it. The opposite of God's design for sex between a husband and wife can be seen in the use of porn where satisfaction is always at the expense of your spouse — because it's all about you. God created sex to be about love, sacrifice, mutual respect, dignity, and care between a husband and wife. Great sex happens when the focus is on serving each other and not on getting our own needs met." Heidi Vegh; Crosswalk; 4 Ways Pornography Damages a Marriage
Pornography is entirely self-focused. There is no need for a relationship and no requirement for love. However, acting out sexually without a spouse will end in deep dissatisfaction and leave them wanting more, entering addiction. This is a perfect tactic for the enemy. He comes to steal, kill and destroy John 10:10, and marriage is his number one target.
The act of pornography not only destroys marriage intimacy but can also lead to destroying families and societies as a whole.
A Focus on the Family article "How Pornography Impacts Marriage" states, "God-honoring and marriage-honoring sex is about self-giving love. Righteous sex is about self-sacrifice. It joins two people together in love and should always strengthen a relationship rather than weaken it. The opposite of God's design for sex between a husband and wife can be seen in the use of porn where satisfaction is always at the expense of your spouse — because it's all about you. God created sex to be about love, sacrifice, mutual respect, dignity, and care between a husband and wife. Great sex happens when the focus is on serving each other and not on getting our own needs met." Heidi Vegh; Crosswalk; 4 Ways Pornography Damages a Marriage
Heidi Vegh Files
The Lord doesn't call us to guard our hearts against things in our world because He is a strict dictator, but because He loves us and wants to protect us; He wants us to protect ourselves. If we are filling our minds and hearts with violent, sexual, or evil content, we are filling our hearts and minds with things that don't please God. This can hinder our relationship with Him and keep us from glorifying the Lord in our everyday life. This doesn't mean we need to abstain from secular entertainment completely; we just need to be vigilant in filtering out what we choose to watch and what we choose to listen to. In proverbs 4:23, it says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Meaning watch over the entrance to your heart; the door is where things can enter your heart. Be careful about what you let in. --Heidi Vegh; Crosswwalk 12.21.21
anthony verdugo
Anthony Verdugo
“Speaker Johnson has done what no other speaker candidate could, which is to unite our party and get back to the people’s business of leading in these historic and perilous times,” Verudgo said.
“We pray that Speaker Johnson will lead clarity, boldness and vision as we set forth the course for our nation, we are heartened by the fact that he is a principled leader and follower of Jesus Christ for such a time as this.” --Anthony Verdugo, Founder of Christian Family Coalition of Florida
“We pray that Speaker Johnson will lead clarity, boldness and vision as we set forth the course for our nation, we are heartened by the fact that he is a principled leader and follower of Jesus Christ for such a time as this.” --Anthony Verdugo, Founder of Christian Family Coalition of Florida
carlo vigano
November 4, 2023:
Over 12K Sign Christian Petition Condemning 'False Prophet' Mike Johnson
In response to Mike Johnson recently becoming the new House speaker, over 12,000 people have signed a Christian petition condemning the congressman as a "false prophet" among other Republican Party members.
Faithful America, an online Christian group that supports social justice causes, released their second-annual "False Prophets Don't Speak for Me" campaign featuring a list of top Christian-nationalist leaders in both church and politics along with a petition on Tuesday. The list, which in addition to Johnson, identifies former President Donald Trump, pastor Mark Burns, self-proclaimed prophet affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Julie Green, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, conservative activist and radio talk show host Charlie Kirk, pastor Jackson Lahmeyer, Texas' Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Archbishop Carlo Viganò, self-proclaimed prophet affiliated with NAR Lance Wallnau, and co-founder of Moms for Liberty and school board chair in Sarasota, Florida, Bridget Ziegler as "false prophets." (Natalie Venegas/Newsweek)
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In response to Mike Johnson recently becoming the new House speaker, over 12,000 people have signed a Christian petition condemning the congressman as a "false prophet" among other Republican Party members.
Faithful America, an online Christian group that supports social justice causes, released their second-annual "False Prophets Don't Speak for Me" campaign featuring a list of top Christian-nationalist leaders in both church and politics along with a petition on Tuesday. The list, which in addition to Johnson, identifies former President Donald Trump, pastor Mark Burns, self-proclaimed prophet affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Julie Green, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan, conservative activist and radio talk show host Charlie Kirk, pastor Jackson Lahmeyer, Texas' Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Archbishop Carlo Viganò, self-proclaimed prophet affiliated with NAR Lance Wallnau, and co-founder of Moms for Liberty and school board chair in Sarasota, Florida, Bridget Ziegler as "false prophets." (Natalie Venegas/Newsweek)
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rich villodas
March 4, 2023: Christian Post: The Gospel Coalition takes down 'Sex Won't Save You' article; Rick Warren calls for apology
Rich Villodas, pastor of New Life Fellowship in New York, issued a statement retracting his initial endorsement of Beautiful Union and said Butler’s “exegesis of Ephesians 5 is not just problematic, it’s dangerous. … I was wrong to write an endorsement for something I didn’t fully read."
Rich Villodas, pastor of New Life Fellowship in New York, issued a statement retracting his initial endorsement of Beautiful Union and said Butler’s “exegesis of Ephesians 5 is not just problematic, it’s dangerous. … I was wrong to write an endorsement for something I didn’t fully read."
frank viola
Frank Viola Files
We live in a very dark world where rumors abound. Gossip abounds. Slander abounds. Even in the “Christian” community (so-called), tragically.
Slander is a serious sin, and according to Paul, slanderers will be barred from the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). -Frank Viola
Ed Vitagliano
Rev. Edward Vitagliano is Executive Vice-President of American Family Association and American Family Radio. He has served in a number of capacities since joining AFA in 1996. Ed has been an award-winning journalist for the American Family Association Journal, the monthly publication for AFA, and is a co-host on the radio program Today’s Issues, heard weekdays on the American Family Radio network. He has also helped produce a number of documentary films for AFA and American Family Studios. He has been in the pastorate since 1982. He is married and has two grown children and three grandchildren.
Rev. Edward Vitagliano is Executive Vice-President of American Family Association and American Family Radio. He has served in a number of capacities since joining AFA in 1996. Ed has been an award-winning journalist for the American Family Association Journal, the monthly publication for AFA, and is a co-host on the radio program Today’s Issues, heard weekdays on the American Family Radio network. He has also helped produce a number of documentary films for AFA and American Family Studios. He has been in the pastorate since 1982. He is married and has two grown children and three grandchildren.
Edward Vitagliano Files
In the opening paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson said that “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” entitled the nations of the earth to a “separate and equal station.” In the context of history, this was a striking statement. Jefferson was arguing – on behalf of the American colonies – that people had a right to govern themselves because God had purposed that it be so. Nature itself demonstrated this in ways that were so clear that they could be understood as laws. In the second paragraph of the Declaration is undoubtedly one of the most famous phrases in modern history: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The statement is breathtaking in its implications. Jefferson acknowledges the existence of a God who created us and with that life-giving act also made it clear that we are equal before Him. In turn, that equality meant that we all had certain rights that could not lawfully – that is, in the eyes of our Creator – be abridged by governments. When Jefferson stated that such truths were “self-evident,” he is referencing natural law. The reality was objectively true – just as much as the laws of science. Human beings, empowered with reason, were expected to see and understand the breadth of blessings bestowed upon mankind. --Ed Vitagliano (AFA) 09.01.16
rich villodas
May 5, 2023: Christian Post: Arizona megachurch Pastor Joshua Butler resigns amid controversy over book’s hyper-spiritualization of sex
Prominent pastors also urged The Gospel Coalition to remove the article and issue an apology, including former Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren and Kevin DeYoung. Rich Villodas, pastor of New Life Fellowship in New York, issued a statement retracting his initial endorsement of the book.
Prominent pastors also urged The Gospel Coalition to remove the article and issue an apology, including former Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren and Kevin DeYoung. Rich Villodas, pastor of New Life Fellowship in New York, issued a statement retracting his initial endorsement of the book.
phil vischer
How a bucolic Tennessee suburb became a hotbed of ‘Christian Nashville-ism’
Phil Vischer, the co-creator of “VeggieTales” and a co-host of the popular “Holy Post” podcast, calls it “Christian Nashville-ism” — a Southern and distinctly evangelical version of Christian nationalism.
(Bob Smietana/Religion News 11/8/23)
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Phil Vischer, the co-creator of “VeggieTales” and a co-host of the popular “Holy Post” podcast, calls it “Christian Nashville-ism” — a Southern and distinctly evangelical version of Christian nationalism.
(Bob Smietana/Religion News 11/8/23)
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