Christian Heritage News

 From Winchester RPCNA : Gordon Keddie went to be with the Lord on Friday, May 19th, at the age of 78 after a long struggle with prostate cancer. He was surrounded by his loving wife, Jane, sons and daughters-in-law Donald, Iain (Erin), David (Christina), and grandchildren Joshua, Sophia, Alexa, and one yet unborn.   Gordon was born on December 29th, 1944 in Edinburgh, Scotland and was baptized behind blackout curtains as the Second World War entered its final months. His father had been blessed with a brief leave in the spring to visit his wife between fighting in North Africa and invading Europe but wouldn’t see his son until the war was finished. Gordon spent his childhood sharing a three room apartment with his parents and brother John. Early jobs included delivering milk and groceries. Following his fifth year of primary school, after a bout where his hair fell out due to frustration from the rote education, he was taken on scholarship by George Heriot’s School.   From an early ag

Source:  Serving God in Unglamorous Places (gentlereformation.com)  By Stephen Steele - Posted at Gentle Reformation: In 1848, during the Great Famine, there was a failed Irish nationalist uprising by the Young Irelanders. It culminated on 29 July in a gunfight which became known as 'The Battle of Widow McCormack’s Cabbage Patch'. One of the rebels was shot dead by the police. Another was fatally wounded. But even though it was a matter of life and death, it’s hard not to smile at the name. We would be quick to tell people about ancestors who fought at Waterloo or Gettysburg. But a cabbage patch doesn’t rank too highly when it comes to the great battlefields of history. Yet we’re not all called to take on the enemy on glamorous battlefields. As if there is such a thing anyway. Lentil fields need defended In 2 Samuel 23 we meet a man called Shammah who takes his stand in a plot of ground full of lentils. The Philistines had gathered. The men of Israel had fled. But Shammah ‘took

Ryan Koher with his wife Annabel and children.   (Mission Aviation Fellowship) By Anugrah Kumar - Posted at The Christian Post: Mission Aviation Fellowship, pilot's wife ask Christians worldwide to join them in prayer every Wednesday A court in Mozambique has denied bail for Ryan Koher, a pilot for the U.S.-based ministry Mission Aviation Fellowship and two of the organization's South African volunteers who were arrested more than four months ago, allegedly on suspicion of supporting insurgent activity. The ministry says the pilot has “peace from God and is committed to His will.” Koher , 31, and two South Africans — 77-year-old W.J. du Plessis and 69-year-old Eric Dry — were detained in the coastal city of Inhambane on Nov. 4 while they were loading supplies into the aircraft to be taken to church-run orphanages in the Montepuez district in the troubled Cabo Delgado Province. Their request for bail was denied earlier this month. In an update Friday, MAF said Koher’s wife, An

 By Al Baker - Posted at Forget None Of His Benefits: “. . . how unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways.” – Romans 11:33 The 1962 Ole Miss Rebels football team, led by their great quarterback Glynn Griffing, won their first game of the season on September 22 against Memphis State University (now called University of Memphis) by a score of 21 to 7. Ole Miss would go on to have an undefeated season, the only one in their illustrious history, plowing through all their opponents on their way to a 10 and 0 season, including a win over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. The AP and UPI polls had Ole Miss finish at number three in the nation while a lesser poll, the Billingsley Report, had them as national champions. Whilet Ole Miss was winning week by week, dominating their opponents by giving up only 53 points for the season while scoring 247 points, the campus was in turmoil. The 1954 Supreme Court decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education, rendered unconstitutional the southern

By Bob Smietana - Posted at Baptist Press: Published December 9, 2022 (RNS) – When David Holsten first heard that missionary pilot Ryan Koher had been arrested in the city of Inhambane in southern Mozambique in early November, he was concerned but not too worried. “We thought, oh, he’s going to have to spend the night in jail,” said Holsten, president of Missionary Aviation Fellowship, a Christian ministry that has operated in Mozambique since the late 1990s. “Let’s see what we can do to help him.” Six weeks later, Koher remains in jail, with no end to his imprisonment in sight. Government officials have yet to charge the 31-year-old Koher, a pilot for Ambassador Aviation Limited, which partners with MAF, and two South African nationals who were arrested with him. Those officials, say MAF leaders, suspect the three were supporting an Islamic insurgent group in the northern part of the country. Koher had flown to Inhambane in early November to pick up a load of over-the-counter medicat

 By Bill Muehlenberg - Posted at Culture Watch : These two are hugely influential – but only one leaves an everlasting legacy: If you asked 1000 people in Melbourne or Chicago or London who Anne Van der Bijl is, probably at least 99 per cent would not have a clue. If you asked the same 1000 people who Mick Jagger or Keith Richards is, probably at least 99 per cent would have a very good idea. While the former is largely unknown, and the latter are world famous and easily recognisable, just one has left a lasting legacy. While we all know about the Rolling Stones, Anne (or as he is more well-known: “Brother Andrew”) is in the eyes of the world a mere nobody. But older Christians at least would know all about him. Here I want to compare the pair, or rather, contrast the pair. And I do this for two reasons. A new three-part documentary on the Rolling Stones is airing now on television, while Brother Andrew has just passed away – on September 27, at age 94. Let me speak to each. Continue h

By Milton Quintanilla - Posted at Christian Headlines: Published September 8, 2022 A church in Memphis, Tennessee, is mourning the loss of a young woman who was recently kidnapped while jogging and later murdered. Eliza Fletcher – a wife, mother of two and kindergarten teacher – was kidnapped by a man at around 4:30 am last Friday (September 2) while jogging near the University of Memphis campus. According to Church Leaders , her husband, Richard, called the police when his wife did not return home from her run. After a long and intensive search, Fletcher's body was found on Monday. The suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Cleotha Abston Henderson, was taken into custody and has been charged with first-degree murder, premeditated murder and first-degree perpetration of kidnapping. According to Commercial Appeal , Henderson was released from prison in 2020 after serving nearly two decades for kidnapping. After her body was found, Fletcher's church, Second Presbyterian Churc

 By Daniel Darling - Posted at Christian Headlines: As expected, after the recent leak of Justice Alito’s opinion, the Supreme Court has reversed the Roe versus Wade decision. It’s hard to overestimate the significance of this decision, coming after almost fifty long, hard, excruciating years. Contrary to popular opinion, the end of Roe doesn’t mean every unborn life in America is protected, it doesn’t mean the end of abortion. But what this ruling does mean is that this issue can be debated and legislated by a democratic process rather than by judicial fiat. So, what now? How should faithful Christians respond now that Roe versus Wade has been reversed? First, we should take time to give thanks. I’m convinced Roe versus Wade will go down as one of the worst decisions in Supreme Court history, alongside decisions like Plessy, Dred Scott, and others. Roe’s reversal is a triumph of constitutionalism. We should rejoice that because of the courage of the five justices who voted to strike

 By Elizabeth Prata - Posted at The End Time: I’m a lay person, a Christian woman, who happens to write. I’ve made my living from writing in the past and I’m thrilled to be able to use the talent God gave me for His glory now, writing as a Christian about biblical things. I’m older and I distinctly remember life before internet. As a writer wanting to publish, bumping up against the monoliths of the Madison Avenue publishing companies, and the chokehold of the magazines and literary journals, (and the publishing rejection letters) having a free platform in which to share one’s thoughts and words with the world was a revelation. I took to it instantly and with glee, going online in 1996 and becoming an Amazon.com customer in 1997. Finally, an equalizing global conversation could be had. I don’t think young people have a well-developed sense of just what a privilege it is to have global access to speaking one’s mind on any topic. I remember the frustration of rejection letter after rejec

By Yonat Shimron - Posted at MinistryWatch: It was a culture clash waiting to happen. Almost as soon as Samaritan’s Purse assembled a 68-bed field hospital in Central Park’s famed East Meadow,  New Yorkers sounded the alarm about the evangelical humanitarian relief organization headed by Franklin Graham. Pointing to the conservative Christian organization’s statement of faith, which all its health care specialists are expected to sign, they wondered if LGBTQ patients would be treated equally.  The 11-point  statement of faith  declares, “we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.” Many New Yorkers were outraged. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said he found it “extremely troubling” that Graham’s organization was involved in the city’s relief effort, and Mayor Bill De Blasio, a champion of LGBTQ rights, was immediately pressed to ensure the relief organization was “truly consistent with the values and the laws in New York City.

Image Source: Wikipedia By Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr. - Posted at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary: I was asked by one of my students at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to reflect on the current situation with COVID-19 (novel Coronavirus). First, we assert with Scripture that all that is occurring with this virus around the world and in our own country is part of God’s sovereign good purpose. God has foreordained all that comes to pass, and He executes His decrees by His providence (Daniel 4:34-35; Psalm 135:6). By asserting God’s universal decree, we do not rule out second causes, but confess the first cause is God’s good pleasure. This work of God embraces every illness and death; also, all the disruptions in society and in the economy. Moreover, Christ as mediatorial king is directing all things for the sake of His church (Eph. 1:22,23). The reality of God’s sovereign control over the novel Coronavirus and its spread has direct bearing on our thoug

Photo: Lausanne Movement. By Jeff Haanen - Posted at Evangelical Focus : "A biblical picture of retirement is not one of heroism nor hedonism, but listening to God’s voice and responding in love as elders, intent on sharing wisdom and blessing with the next generation. It is simply a life of service, pointing beyond our self to the Servant in whose image we are made." Greg Haanen recently turned 65 and retired from a career selling print advertising. For over 14 years, he lived in Minneapolis, while his wife Gayle ran Interlachen Inn, a small restaurant in Alexandria, Minnesota.  Having lived apart from her for over a decade, he was ready to say good riddance to the two-hour commute every weekend, to spending nights alone, and to a life of hurry and obligation.  They sold their house in Minneapolis and renovated their cabin with a deluxe fireplace, big screen TV, and farmhouse kitchen. He was eagerly awaiting a new season of rest and relaxation.  Yet his h

By David Qaoud - Posted at Gospel Relevance: It happens a lot. An evangelical Christian pastor disqualifies himself from ministry. As a young minister myself, I have been long warned and told of the temptations and sins that are unique to pastors. But there’s a difference between hearing about someone else’s fall and seeing it actually happen to them. I try not to celebrate when others lose. For me, there’s always an eerie feeling associated with someone’s downfall. What do you do when you hear the story of a Christian leader who disqualifies himself from ministry? Do you judge, critique, or assume motives? “Stupid failure,” you might think to yourself. Don’t say it. Instead, when you hear of a Christian leader who disqualifies himself from ministry, consider yourself warned. If you don’t think you’re capable of committing atrocious sins that will disqualify you from ministry, you don’t understand your own heart. As it’s been said, whenever we think “I would never do such-and-suc

Inez First Baptist Church Pastor Casey Carver stands in front of the old Inez Motel that he hopes to help turn into a drug rehabilitation center. By Mark Maynard/ Kentucky Today - Posted at Baptist Press: INEZ, Ky. (BP) -- The Inez Motel may have once been a place where drugs were exchanged and even used regularly. Owners of the rundown motel sold the property, which is located in the middle of downtown Inez, Ky., a couple of years ago. But nobody else seemed like they wanted anything to do with it. The new owner wasn't sure if anything good could ever come from it. Martin County is like many Kentucky counties in trying to deal with a drug issue that appears to be running rampant and destroying families daily. Casey Carver, who became the new pastor of Inez First Baptist Church in January of last year, met with some citizens that spring to identify the area's biggest problems. And the No. 1 answer seemed obvious. "These drugs are all over the county an

Posted at Gentle Reformation: The following article chronicling God's work in the city of Indianapolis in recent decades is a guest post by Russ Pulliam. Russ is an associate editor at the Indianapolis Star , serves on the board of and contributes to WORLD magazine, and is an elder of the Second Reformed Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Twenty years ago the inventor of compassionate conservatism put Indianapolis on the map, but not for basketball or the 500 Mile Race. Marvin Olasky identified the city as a model for church-state cooperation to help the poor in his book, Compassionate Conservatism . Marvin’s earlier book, The Tragedy of American Compassion , had caught the attention of leading conservative political figures, especially Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Politically Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign benefited from this new theme, allowing the Republicans to challenge the traditional Democratic Party claim of a monopoly on compassion for the needy. Olasky visited

The Charles Wesco Family - Source: Cameroon4God.com "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"  ~ 2Cor. 5: 6,7 KJV Charles Wesco's Christian Testimony: I was saved at the early age of five, when my mother led me to Christ. I was obedient in baptism as an eight-year-old boy. I clearly sensed God’s call upon my life to preach from early in my childhood. Then, when I was 15, Pastor David Miller preached a message in our church (which was very missions minded) entitled “Those Who are Sent,” and he followed up the following Sunday with a message entitled “Those Who Stay.” During that first message, God worked mightily in my heart, and in the second, brought me to the point of not just private, but public surrender to God’s call upon my life, from which, by God’s grace, I have never turned back! God also impressed upon my life at that time that my lif

By Paul Washer - Posted at Banner of Truth : It has been a little over one year since my heart attack (March 21, 2017). Without warning, I fell to the kitchen floor unconscious. I remember nothing that happened thereafter until five days later when I found myself in a hospital room. I asked what happened, and someone said, ‘You died three times.’ My heart had stopped and had been resuscitated on three separate occasions. I would like to be able to say that, in that moment, I said something spiritual; instead, I responded ‘I am just like Buck!’ Everyone just stared blankly, until I explained myself: ‘I am just like Buck. You know, the weasel on Ice Age who said “I died, but then I lived!”‘ Then everyone laughed. During my hospital stay, the pain in my ribs was intense due to the cardiac resuscitation. To add to that, the damaged neuroreceptors in my brain (from lack of oxygen) made me feel like my skin was on fire. The smallest movements resulted in intense pain. Due to a loss of

By Ariel Bovat - Posted at  Kaleoscope:  Several months ago, Time magazine published an article titled, Smugglers Inc. The author quotes a female coyote, which is another name for human smuggler, as she discusses her “work”: Other coyotes don’t care, they’ll just take the money and leave them, robbed or whatever. She flips through her digital ­scrapbook to find a woman who arrived in tears. “She had been raped, and had an infection.” A trip to the hospital was arranged. “And this blond woman says she was raped also. The coyote in the jungle separated her from the group and told her she couldn’t move forward until she slept with him. Latin American people, along with other ethnic groups, many of them women, risk their lives and pay large amounts of money to Latino coyotes to pay off the cartel. Once they do make it across the border, they are still at the mercy of smugglers, operating and moving them around the U.S. On June 14, 2018, special agents from U.S. Immigration an

By Rachel Dinkledine - Posted at Gentle Reformation : Reckoning with personal vulnerability, human depravity, and the call to serve. ...Over the years, I’ve met a few women who adopt a mindset rooted in false-assurance. Because they are serving God, they believe He places a forcefield around them. As faith-filled as this may sound, it’s a bit naive. Evil is real. I’m petite. How was I to reckon with my own vulnerability and God’s call to serve? Growing up, I was taught to expect suffering. Head colds, flat tires, false accusations, and betrayal are all part of the Christian experience. Yet as I entered adulthood, I encountered a kind of suffering I couldn’t fully explain, that of sexual harassment. The suffering of harassment was compounded by my confusion--how should one united to Christ think about harassment anyway? I knew that if I couldn’t articulate a biblical answer to this question, I probably wasn’t living a biblical response either. For years, I searched the Scri