Christian Heritage News

By Cassy Fiano-Chesser - Posted at LiveAction: The Olympic Games usually draw worldwide interest, with millions of people across the globe watching impressive feats of athleticism from the world’s best. The upcoming winter games are scheduled to begin in February of 2022, but they have been marked with scandal and controversy from the very beginning. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded Beijing, China, the honor of hosting the next games — despite widespread knowledge of human rights abuses in the country. And as those abuses — including the genocide and mistreatment of its own citizens — come to light, the IOC has chosen to do nothing, continuing to stand by China. The latest controversy began when Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai accused a top government official of rape. She soon disappeared for several weeks, with calls for transparency growing louder \with no response. Then, she finally resurfaced, though many believe the appearances were staged , with the Chinese Comm

 By Al Baker - Posted at Forget None Of His Benefits: “Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of the sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old or infirm. He gave them all into his hand.” -2 Chronicles 36:17 Sheik Rashid bin Al Maktoum, who brought Dubai into great economic success, was once asked about the future of his country. He had this to say,[1] “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I ride a Mercedes, my son rides a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to ride a Land Rover, but my great-grandson is going to have to ride a camel again.” Why is that, he was asked? His reply, “Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create difficult times. Many will not understand it, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites.” “The historical reality is that all great empires, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Troja

 By Bob McEvoy - Posted at The Salty Scrivener: Text: Acts 25:10-11 In Acts 25:10-11 Paul is saying – if I have broken the civil law, I deserve to be punished. So, as a Christian, if I break the law, should I accept my punishment, willingly, even if that punishment is thought to be harsh? To get a better insight into what Paul is thinking here we should couple Paul’s words here with what he wrote in Romans 13:1-7. 1. Paul’s Principles Stated. Romans 13:1-7 In his mercy, and his complete understanding of our human weakness and needs, God has ordained that we should be governed by earthly rulers. V1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. The Belgic Confession, article 36, one of the ‘Three Forms of Unity,’ sums this up, ‘We believe that because of the depravity of the human race, our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers. God wants the world to be governed by laws and policies

  By Angela Wittman Taken from a compilation of Thanksgiving information posted at  A Puritan's Mind: “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.” (1 Chron. 16:8). “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thess. 5:18). THE FIRST THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION – JUNE 20, 1676:  “The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present War with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgments he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many o

 By Stephen Nichols - Posted at Ligonier Ministries: Thanksgiving is an American holiday that stretches all the way back to a time long before America became a nation. The Pilgrims landed in 1620. They faced brutal conditions and were woefully unprepared. Roughly half of them died in that first year. Then they had a successful harvest of corn. In November of 1621 they decided to celebrate a feast of thanksgiving. Edward Winslow was among those who ate that first thanksgiving meal in 1621. He noted: Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we gathered the fruit of our labors. . . . And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want. In addition to the fowl eaten that first Thanksgiving, the Indians also brought along five deer as their contribution to the feast. Presumably they also ate corn. Read more... See also: Thanksgi

 By Barry Waugh - Posted at Reformation21:  Americans today are used to thinking of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, but it was not always that way. During the years following the Pilgrims’ feast in 1621, the holiday was celebrated primarily in New England, with other regions exhibiting limited or no interest. In 1789, the houses of Congress met in joint committee and asked President George Washington to set aside a day of thanksgiving… “…to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful heart the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of Government for their safety and happiness.” General Washington quickly agreed and selected Thursday, November 26, 1789, a day of public thanksgiving. This was the first national Thanksgiving Day proclamation under the Constitution. Washington’s declaration eloquently recommended to the people tha

  By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farm: In the last sermon before I went on vacation as we were talking about the final portion of Genesis 3 one of the subjects I brought up was Christian Liberty. The latter word there is something we are quite familiar with. The whole concept of Liberty was the very foundation of what caused our nation to come about. Our forefathers wanted a union where they were free to live under a civil authority that was bound by the same law they were. However, some have confused this idea with an understanding that what Liberty means is that I am free to do whatever it is I want. Besides sharing their first six letters the true definition of Liberty is not libertarianism, or to put it in Biblical terms, licentiousness. A Believer’s Freedom is the right to not have any man-made or man-derived doctrine or teaching placed over our heads that the Scriptures themselves do not command. Our Church’s Westminster Confession of Faith has an enti

By Steve Jordahl and Chad Groening - Posted at American Family News: The Republican National Committee has struck a deal with the Log Cabin Republicans, the homosexual wing of the party. That's not sitting well with some observers who suggest it may be a step too far for the evangelical voting bloc. RNC chair Ronna McDaniel created a furor last week when she revealed the launching of a new initiative called the "Pride Coalition" in partnership with the Log Cabin Republicans, which describes itself as "LGBT conservatives and straight allies who support fairness, freedom, and equality for all." McDaniel was forced to do damage control when a number of evangelical leaders like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and John Stonestreet of the Colson Center expressed their fears that the arrangement will undercut the RNC's pro-family, pro-faith agenda and make it look more like the Democratic Party. The RNC chair sent emails to the GOP's 168 committee

 By Brandon Porter - Posted at Baptist Press : FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) – In an open letter released today (Nov. 17), Adam Greenway, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has formally requested Michael Spradlin, president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, to reconsider the showing of a film on the Mid-America’s Memphis-area campus Saturday (Nov. 19). The release of “Enemies Within the Church” comes with “apparent coordination” with the Conservative Baptist Network, Greenway said. In the letter, Greenway expressed his “deep disappointment” that the institution would host the premiere of the film. A 2019 fundraising page for the film says it will expose postmodern agendas “commonly known by the terms social justice, intersectionality, critical race theory and Neo-Marxism,” and “expose those who are selling out the Church to postmodernism – and the money behind it.” Read more... See also: Conservative Baptist Network launched amid 'woke' trend in SBC,

 By Pastor Mike Myers - Posted at HeritageOPC.org: A final reflection on how a housewife theologian ended up recovering from biblical manhood and womanhood. From Housewife Theologian (HWT) in 2013 to Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Recovering) in 2020, the published work of Aimee Byrd spans nearly a decade. Throughout my reviews of her books, I have indicated marks of evident theological drift. Certainly every thinker, writer, pastor, and person for that matter, will change over the course of a decade. I certainly have. For the Christian, the key question is this: are the changes occurring in my life and thought more and more conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ? We must always ask, “Am I finding my mind more and more transformed by its renewal, or conformed to this present world (Rom. 12:1-2)? My concern is that the writings of Mrs. Byrd have gradually drifted from helpful, orthodox, and godly, to harmful, heterodox, and worldly. Such a serious statement r

 By Michael Foust - Posted at Christian Headlines: A chant of “Let’s Go Brandon” at a well-known Texas church over the weekend was met with a round of rebuke from multiple Christian leaders, who called the moment shameful and antithetical to Jesus’ teachings. The phrase – a substitute for “F--- Joe Biden” – was chanted Saturday at the Reawaken America Tour rally at San Antonio’s Cornerstone Church, where popular author John Hagee serves as pastor. A video of the chant went viral on social media, with another video showing the chant being led from the stage. The rally was organized by Clay Clark and featured dozens of speakers, including Mike Lindell, Michael Flynn and Greg Locke. The videos show attendees on their feet and clapping while chanting the phrase – similar to how fans at a sporting event would act. Read more... Editor's Note: Cornerstone Church has distanced themselves from this rally. Please read more here.  - AW See also: Pastor John Hagee (Christian Research Ins

  Posted at The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity : What do the Federal Reserve and neoconservatives have in common? They both refuse to admit that their policies — the neocons’ promotion of perpetual war and the Fed's manipulation of the money supply — are complete failures, having produced the opposite of the promised results. The latest example of the Federal Reserve engaging in Bill Kristol-like levels of denial is the Fed’s continued insistence that the return of 70s-style inflation is a “transitory” phenomenon resulting from the end of the lockdowns. The Fed has acknowledged the “transitory” inflation will last until at least 2022, yet it is still determined to keep interest rates at or near zero until the “jobs situation” improves. To be fair, the Fed has finally announced plans to cut back on its money-pumping activities by reducing by 15 billion dollars a month its monthly purchase of 80 billion dollars of Treasury bonds and 40 billion dollars of mortgage-backed

 By Al Baker - Posted at Forget None of His Benefits: “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” -Galatians 5:13 When our federal and state governments mandated limits on public assemblies during the pandemic, including forbidding churches to gather with more than ten or so people, why did most of us go along with mandates? When our president is now mandating the COVID-19 vaccine, why are most companies submitting to it, and firing people who refuse to take the jab? I have shown you over the last two postings that our forefathers fought against tyranny and the root of their fight was the Bible and the theology of men like John Calvin, John Knox, Samuel Rutherford, and Algernon Sydney. Our forefathers were very different from us. They resisted tyranny and we are acquiescing to it. Why, what’s the problem? John Adams in 1776 wrote, “The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure virt

 Posted at Reformation Scotland: Shortage of labour and goods, supply chain disruption, inflation, rising energy costs as well as public health concerns. On both sides of the Atlantic and around the world there are multiple crises, one difficulty following another and frequently colliding. After decades of comparatively smooth globalisation and prosperity it may be that we are entering a period where disruption is the new normal. The political mantra of building back better is proving still more challenging. Others will have their views on geopolitics and other issues, but we need to take a spiritual perspective. Why are we in the midst of this? What can we learn? Scripture tells us that when nations abuse their prosperity to exclude the voice of God, He will gain their attention in ways they cannot avoid. And when they refuse to seek Him in their troubles, they can only expect more. It is clear that as nations we have not been humbled by the events of God’s providence of the past two

 By Mike Ratliff - Posted at Possessing the Treasure: 8 But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Matthew 23:8-12 (NASB) This discernment ministry stuff is not for everyone. I often wonder if I am cut out for it at all. I do not like conflict. On the other hand, God gifted me with the makeup that loves the truth and seeks justice because it is His truth and I am compelled, quite often, to speak out when false prophets besmirch His truth and the Gospel is treated as optional by certain “evangelicals.” However, there is a fine line between exposing that which is false and slander. That fine line has to do with intent and evidence. If we are obeying our Lor

 By Michael Foust - Posted at Christian Headlines: Two of the largest and most prominent Christian seminaries in the United States teamed up on Friday to challenge the Biden administration's vaccine/testing mandate, calling it an "abuse of executive power" and a violation of federal law and First Amendment rights. The federal suit by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., says the two institutions don't oppose the COVID-19 vaccine but believe the mandate is an example of "unprecedented federal overreach" that will distract the schools from their religious mission. Under the new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) filed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA"), employers with 100 or more employees must enforce a vaccine/testing mandate. Workers either must be vaccinated or undergo regular testing and mandatory masking. The employer is responsible for enforcement.

 By David de Bruyn - Posted at Churches Without Chests: Part 1 Covid has not only killed millions of people and left many debilitated, it has also been a pandemic of disunity in the church. The last eighteen months or so has been an epidemic of church division: elders and pastors resigning from churches where they had served for ten or fifteen years, long time members leaving churches and going elsewhere, some churches reduced from thriving assemblies to “virtual churches” with empty buildings. Covid has revealed sides of our fellow Christians that we did not know existed, and close friends have become virtual strangers nearly overnight. Those we thought were spiritual giants have turned out to be paralysed by fear of germs; some we thought were shy and retiring have surprised us with their bravery and resolve. One thing is becoming clearer: Covid is here to stay. Many people are no longer referring to Covid as a pandemic, but as an endemic. A pandemic is a disease that spreads rapidly

By Al Baker - Posted at Vanguard Presbytery: “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan.” -Proverbs 29:2 Os Guinness tells the story of a young Massachusetts scholar in 1843 doing research on the American Revolutionary War and the events which led to it. In his research the young scholar interviewed ninety-one year old Captain Levi Preston who had fought at Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775. The young man wanted to know why Captain Preston had fought. What drove him to it? The scholar asked if the “intolerable oppressions” of the British were the catalyst. Preston replied, “Oppressions? I didn’t feel them.” Then Preston was asked, “Weren’t you oppressed by the Stamp Act?” “I never saw one of those stamps. I certainly never paid a penny for them.” The scholar asked, “Okay, but what about the tea tax?” Preston, “Tea Tax? I never drank a drop of the stuff. The boys threw it all overboard.” “Well then,” said the scholar, “I suppose you h

 By Anna Grace Wood - Posted at Femina Sola Gratia : The ugly truth is this: Feminism isn’t just out there; it’s in here. In our hearts and minds, our churches, homes, families, clothing choices, and in nearly everything we’ve been taught to believe about duties, society, culture, choices, and life. Feminists hate God, men, women, children, and all that is holy or normal. Until we understand that, we will continue to swallow feminist’s lies. Even saying “men’s and women’s roles” rather than “duties” smacks of swallowing the poison of feminism. God didn’t give us roles to play or fill but duties to perform. To some this might seem a slight difference but nothing could be further from the truth. “Roles” suggest mutability, the ability to step in and out of roles as the need or desire arises. “Duties” suggests that God has given men and women different but equally important inherent responsibilities that they have to fulfill so that God might be glorified and all might work as it is desi

 By Al Baker - Posted at Forget None of His Benefits: “The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.” –Romans 14:22 James Otis[1] was eighteen years old when he graduated with his good friend John Adams from Harvard in 1743. Harvard at the time was a hotbed of Puritan theology which included a fervent resistance to tyranny, a theology built on the writings of John Calvin, John Knox, Theodore Beza, Samuel Rutherford, John Milton, et al. By 1761 merchants in Boston were highly indignant and incensed at the British law of Writs of Assistance. This law allowed for general search warrants by colonial customs officials to break open shops of business, cellars, and houses to search for prohibited goods and merchandise on which duties had not been paid. These searches could be made without having to consult a judge or describe the goods being searched for or their suspected location. They also did not require ev

 By David de Bruyn - Posted at Churches Without Chests: When Joab prepared for battle with Ammonites, he realised he was now to face conflict from behind and before: from the city walls of Rabbah, and from a hoard of arriving mercenaries ( 2 Sam 10:9-12 ). He told Abishai to be ready to run to wherever the battle was hottest. It did not make sense to simply divide their forces evenly, for they did not yet know from where the fiercest opposition would come. Furthermore, enemies attack more fiercely where they sense the defences are weakest. Believers who earnestly contend for the faith must mimic that approach: run to where the battle is. Practising swift sword-strokes in the air while on the battlements facing south when you can hear a real battle raging to the north is wilful ignorance, and probably cowardice. The quote attributed to Luther (which is a very dynamic paraphrase of his original words) runs thus :”If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion o

By Dewey Roberts - Posted at Vanguard Presbytery: French President, Emanuel Macron, recently specified the reasons for his country outlawing homeschooling. He said that too many homeschoolers were being taught about God and that has proved to be a negative thing for society. It is obvious to anyone that has eyes and ears that totalitarianism is on the rise throughout the world. Countries which have formerly permitted missionaries are now outlawing them. Nations that have had democracies are turning to socialism. Countries that have enjoyed freedom are imposing despotic laws supposedly to protect the citizens. Yet, the old adage remains true that any nation which chooses safety over freedom shall have neither. The same thing has happened in the modern church. Social justice has taken over many denominations in the US and North America. And with that social justice there has come tyranny for many. It seems unfathomable, but it is true. A movement that touts justice denies justice to mos