Christian Heritage News

Posted at Christian in Canada: Image Source: Wikimedia Some recent headlines showing how Christianity is treated around the world: Persecution of Christians is modern-day ‘genocide’ says report as Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt blames failure to confront the oppression of world’s most targeted faith group on ‘political correctness’ Climate Of Hate . See also “Keep NYC Trash-Free” Posters Depict Christians, Trump Supporters Canada Moves to Ban Christians From Demonstrating in Public Under New Anti-Hate Proposal: The Canadian province of Ontario is considering legislation that would officially criminalize Christianity. Christianity Inflicting ‘Enormous Harm’ on China, Warns Communist Party Turkey Venerates Its Violent Conquest of Christian Territory with Conversion of Hagia Sophia to a Mosque Video: Islamist Intent on Killing Asia Bibi Claims He Is in Canada to ‘Send Her to Hell’ Keynote speaker at Harvard diversity conference says Christians should be ‘locked up:’

The Screwtape Letters (Westminster Bookstore) Posted at The Reformed Reader: I love this section of Screwtape Letters where Screwtape, the older demon, gives his young demon-nephew Wormwood some tips on duping “churchgoing” Christians. Screwtape says that if Wormwood can’t get a certain Christian to skip church altogether, the next best thing is to get him to church shop/hop, in a cynical and critical way, never opening up to receiving nourishment from preaching or joining the fellowship. After all, it’s harmful to Satan’s cause if a Christian becomes a living, serving, and active part of loving church fellowship that humbly receives the Word. “My Dear Wormwood:” “You mentioned casually in your last letter that the patient has continued to attend one church, and only one, since he was converted, and that he is not wholly pleased with it. May I ask what you are about? Why have I no report on the causes of his fidelity to the parish church? Do you realize that unless it

By Rob Schouten - Posted at Reformed Perspective: God is in control. It’s a simple enough truth, but if we understood it, really understood it, I think it would change the way we approach politics. So I want to look now at government through the lens of God’s providence. God’s providence means that He governs and upholds his creation, all of it, from little rocks to whole galaxies, and plants and animals too. His providence also encompasses the flow of history and the decisions of individual human hearts. In short, God’s providence means that God rules, and that because He rules nothing comes about by chance. Nothing happens apart from God’s will. Nothing surprises God or ever presents God with an unsolvable problem. Nothing is every beyond his control. At some level, everything happens because God wants it to happen in fulfillment of his good and perfect plan. That means when a nation is blessed with good government, we know this is by the will of God. Good governments don’t ari

Posted at Reformation Scotland: In an age of polarising politics and toxic political conversation it’s easy to be influenced by the way of the world. We’re likely to go along with anything which echoes something of our own views. There’s no shortage of cynical comment, media hounding, social media posts or biting political satire that mocks those in power. It’s frequently thought that those in the public eye are fair game for such attacks. It’s part of a wider contempt for authority within our culture. Political comment fuelled by frustration, anger or ridicule is likely to go far and wide these days. We may agree with some of our rulers and deeply disagree with others. We are unlikely to agree with all of them all of the time. We may be frustrated by them or irritated by their words, actions or decisions. But how should we respond? One may feel such a sense of opposition to a ruler and their policies that it can inspire a feeling of loathing. Cruel nicknames, ridicule and conte

William Henry Somers By Angela Somers-Wittman My grandfather entered the Army at the young age of 23 years. He had been born in Tuckerman, Arkansas in 1894 and spent his childhood on the family farm in Stringtown, Butler County, Missouri. He was the oldest child of Henry Francis and Cotna Lisbeth (Cole) Somers. One can only imagine the feelings of excitement mixed with loneliness for family and loved ones he felt as he left his small hometown for military service in Europe. But Grandfather was already a man, one who had matured at a young age when his father was killed in a work accident. He knew how to shoot, hunt for food and possessed a good amount of common sense. He was used to rough conditions and hard work from the years spent on the family farm. Little did he know when he joined the Army and was sent to the frontline of the conflict in Europe that those skills would prove to be valuable and help save his life. After being deployed to France with the US Armed Force

Image Source: Log College Press By R. Andrew Meyers - Posted at Log College Press: For a society of professing Christians, to agree to employ none in any of their principal offices of service in the State, but such as profess Christianity, appears to be no more than a proper mark of respect paid to themselves, as a body, and to the Christian religion they profess, and cannot therefore, in that point of view be condemned. ... GEORGE DUFFIELD ASKS, "WHO SHOULD BE OUR RULERS?" (If the author links in this post are broken, please visit our Free PDF Library and click on the author’s page directly.) When a committee headed by Benjamin Franklin was formed to prepare a Constitution for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1776, Bishop William White was called upon to lead in prayer, while Presbyterian minister (also chaplain to the Continental Congress) George Duffield II (1732-1790) drafted an essay outlining Biblical principles for the selection of civil magistrates t

By Elizabeth Prata - Posted at The End Time: But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah. (Hosea 5:12) Privately, however, Moore has never cared much for the delicate norms of Christian femininity. ~The Atlantic I published an essay, part 1 of 3, in 2011, eight years ago as of this date. It was about how the secret feminists laid the groundwork for a later open rebellion. That rebellion has now occurred. They are openly touting egalitarian principles. The takeaway- These rebellious women live for their work, which is usually a corporation, but called a ministry, These women are the main and sustained breadwinners, and the husband supports the wife by adopting the wifely role, These women actively reject rebuke and correction from elder men, thus fulfilling the feminist’s more famous line, ‘A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.’ They are feminists. Continue reading...

By Heather Clark - Posted at Christian News Network: WASHINGTON — Amid a number of states considering bills this legislative season surrounding concerns over the ongoing murder of unborn children, President Trump posted a series of tweets on Saturday evening in which he reiterated that he identifies as pro-life, but believes in the exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the mother. “As most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly pro-life, with the three exceptions — rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother — the same position taken by Ronald Reagan,” he tweeted . Trump then touted his achievements in his tenure and urged Americans to stick with him for the next election. Continue reading...

By Samuel Smith - Posted at The Christian Post: The Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act Friday afternoon, hotly-debated legislation seeking to codify LGBT non-discrimination protections into federal law. H.R. 5 passed by a vote of 236-173. The bill would expand the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to also ban discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition” in housing, public accommodations and hiring. The bill was first introduced in 2015 but never passed in the Republican-controlled House. However, it is unlikely to be voted on in the Republican-controlled Senate. But LGBT advocates and supporters consider the bill’s passage in the House historic and a sign of progress because it is the first time a comprehensive LGBT civil rights bill has come to the floor in Congress. Continue reading...

By Dr. R. Scott Clark - Posted at The Heidelblog: Part One Theonomy (or, more broadly Christian Reconstructionism) is one of the tollbooths through which pilgrims from traveling from Münster to Geneva , as it were, often seem to pass. I encountered it almost as soon as I came into contact with the Reformed churches. Because I was thinking of studying for the ministry I attended a regional gathering of pastors and elders somewhere in South Dakota. One of the ministers in the chow line ahead of us would not eat pork. “Why not?” I asked innocently. “He’s a theonomist” came the reply. “What’s that?” and the rest is history. Strictly defined theonomy, which became most visible as a movement with the publication of Greg L. Bahnsen, Theonomy in Christian Ethics (Nutley, N.J.: Craig Press) in 1977. In fact, the movement pre-dated that volume but its rise to visibility coincided with the end of the Carter Administration and the first Reagan Administration. Indeed, it was during the fir

Image Source: PBS Kids By David Roach - Posted at Baptist Press: NASHVILLE (BP) -- A petition protesting a same-sex wedding in the animated PBS children's show "Arthur" garnered thousands of signatures in its first day online. Meanwhile, Ken Ham, founder of the Answers in Genesis (AiG) apologetics ministry, said the gay wedding depiction illustrates "you can't trust what your kids may watch on PBS." "Arthur" -- a PBS Kids show chronicling the adventures of an elementary school-aged, anthropomorphic aardvark -- included in its season 22 premier May 14 the same-sex wedding of the title character's teacher Mr. Ratburn, according to media reports. As The Atlantic recounted the season premier, Mr. Ratburn's "students spend the bulk of the episode following him around to meetings with the woman they believe to be his very controlling fiancée and plotting to stop him from marrying her. Then, the episode delivers a surprise twist ... in

By Wayne Sparkman - Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History : A Tale of An Unusual Providence It was on this date, May 15th, in 1984 that Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer died. We have previously written of his death , and separately have posted a letter he wrote to Dr. Robert Rayburn during the time when both men were battling cancer. But today, in observation of Schaeffer’s passing, we want to speak not of his death, but of his new life in Christ—some interesting archival evidence of his coming to faith in Christ. This is a bit of an unusual story, admittedly with some reading between the lines, with some previously unseen details of Schaeffer’s coming to faith in Christ. About ten or twelve years ago, as I was leaving the PCA Historical Center for the day, a seminary student [Dawson Bean, to be exact, now laboring as a chaplain in Texas] ran to catch up with me and asked if I had any samples of Dr. Schaeffer’s handwriting in the Archives. I indicated that we did, but inquir

Posted at The Christian Institute: An MP has warned that China could use controversial facial recognition software to crack down on its citizens’ religious freedom. Jim Shannon informed fellow MPs that China could use its massive network of CCTV cameras and software to “suppress people’s right to practise their religion”. China’s high-tech facial recognition cameras allow state officials to monitor their citizens as part of a controversial Social Credit System (SCS). Continue reading...

By Elizabeth Prata - Posted at The End Time: These past couple of weeks have been rough in our corner of the church. Rachel Held Evans’ passing caused so much grief for her followers and her detractors alike. The display of hatred and bitterness of her followers came after, toward anyone daring to speak a word against their prophetess (their words). It was hard to watch. Then there was Beth Moore’s craven yet politically manipulative comment that she is preaching on Sunday at a church for Mother’s day and followers of THAT false prophetess came out of the woodwork to proclaim their glee in doing the same, even at Southern Baptist Convention churches, whose statement of faith had traditionally rejected this kind of activity. Then there was Owen Strachan’s piece biblically outlining why a woman preaching the sermon in church is forbidden by God, and Moore’s self-serving rebuttal to it, her rising anger displayed wantonly for all to see, along of course, with her many followers yapp

By Jesse Johnson - Posted at The Cripplegate: Last week, the New York Times ran a fascinating column  by Heather Andrews lamenting the absence of conservative women fighting to defend the “traditional family” (aka, a woman’s ability to be a stay-at-home mom). The gist of the article was that the makeup of the American family is in crisis: because of the influx of moms in the workplace, wages are lowered, household expenses rise, and this creates a “two-income trap” where families feel like they have no choice except to have both parents work. The end result of the feminist movement is a tragic (mortal?) wounding of what it means to be a mom. Andrew’s point was largely political and sociological; but I can say from experience that it is also religious. She has hit upon a devastating and sad truth inside of evangelicalism. There is an attack on motherhood from the world, to be sure. But the bigger danger is that the Bible’s teaching on gender roles in marriage is dying inside the

By Rod Dreher - Posted at The American Conservative : Devon Erickson, 18, arrested as suspect in fatal school shooting ( CBS screenshot ) Devon Erickson, 18, is one of two suspects taken into custody for the fatal shooting-up of a Colorado STEM school. The other is a minor whose name has not been released — a minor who, according to law enforcement sources, is a biological female transitioning to male. A tweet from a Denver journalist reveals interesting information about Erickson’s car: Car towed from #stemshooting suspect's home apparently has "F*** SOCIETY" spray painted on the side. Also "666" and a what looks like a pentagram sprayed on the hood. pic.twitter.com/e6QX3lq4v3 — John Fenton (@higuysimjohn) May 8, 2019 Student Kendrick Castillo was shot dead trying to protect other students. May his memory be eternal. Continue reading... See also: Colorado school shooting victim died charging attacker (BBC) Kendrick Castillo, 18, was killed

By Samuel Smith - Posted at The Christian Post: Reports have indicated that Pakistani Christian mother Asia Bibi (Aasiya Noreen), who spent years on death row, left Pakistan and arrived in Canada. A British diplomat told the London-based British Pakistani Christian Association on Wednesday morning that Bibi safely left Pakistan after months of delay following the acquittal of her blasphemy charge by Pakistan’s Supreme Court last year. Her lawyer, Saif ul Malook, told the BBC that she already arrived in Canada. She and her husband, Ashiq Masih, have been living the last few months in protective custody and under fear of death threats from Islamic extremists who have also called for the deaths of the justices that issued her acquittal. Continue reading...

By Andrew Kerr - Posted at Gentle Reformation: We are stirred by this Psalm to make God our trust - the structure is simple and its message is clear. Unbridled Praise - Verses 1-2 The psalmist rouses his soul to present himself to God in a life of wholehearted praise: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Turn praise to prayer! Stir up your soul! Ask God to use this song to re-dedicate your life, & re-tune your heart, to Him. Untrustworthy Princes - Verses 3-4 Regardless of rank or riches, don't put your trust in mortal men: powerless plans and promises always perish at his death. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Assuredly give thanks when a Cyrus helps the church. Hope for deliverance in the President is misplaced & will be trumped

By Pastor Peters - Posted at Pastoral Meanderings: There are those who suggest that the threat of losing a tax exemption is a great power. I contend that it is only the power we grant it. Tax exemption is not a bad thing but I wonder if we have grown so attached to it that churches would be willing to surrender anything and everything in order to maintain their favored tax status. The reality is that tax exemption saves us some bucks, to be sure, but it also has contributed to an entitlement that is not healthy. Because we can, we as churches tend to build all kinds of ancillary structures not directly related to our worship of worship, education, and mercy. Because we can, we have bloated properties that are used little or used by things that have no direct connection to our purpose. So we go looking for ways to preserve our status as landlords, renting out facilities for income because we need desperately need the funds. Perhaps if our properties actually cost us more, we

By Marsha West - Posted at Christian Research Network: Recently I penned a piece to explain Bible-believing Christian parent’s responsibility in helping shape their children’s worldview. I received so much feedback so I thought it would be a good idea to write a follow-up to “ Christian kids must slay wolves in sheep’s clothing, not pet them! ” Let me start by saying that Christian parents must be willing to fight for the heart and soul of their children. In the same way we fight the spiritual battle each of us faces daily, preparing them to win that same battle requires parents, and to a reasonable degree, their children to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” ( Ephesians 6:10-12 ) What believers are faci

By Jimmy Myers - PACT: Partners Against Child Trafficking - Posted at YouTube : Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faHSndPRdfM "Church we have a problem" Recently, Dr. Gary Dyer, Pastor at Austin Baptist Church, introduced Jimmy Myers, a Licensed Professional Counselor, to deliver an extremely sensitive topic to his church family. It was a bold move that is not discussed, if at all, let alone at church: pornography. Please don't stop reading, you need to know this information to help save our children and our families. In fact, the porn industry is one of the main factors that feeds into child sex trafficking. Pornography is now at epidemic levels that run across our entire country and the world. It is devastating our families, our youth and our churches. According to various reports, currently, the porn industry’s net worth is about $97 billion. 13 states have already declared that Pornography is a Public Health issue Last week, a bill was intro