- Word from Scotland
- Experts cautious in calling latest fossil find, Sediba, the ‘missing link’
- Bishop doubts fairness of results in recent Sudan elections
- Baptist preachers address Poland’s loss with comfort of the Gospel
- UC Hastings’ Christian Legal Society asks Supreme Court to strike down unconstitutional anti-discrimination policy
- Controversial Documentary on Larry Norman, “Father of Christian Rock” Will Finally be Shown
| Posted: 19 Apr 2010 09:38 AM PDT
Serving Jesus Christ Is Full Of Painful Excitements In Luke Chapter 22, we read of that scenario in verses 31,32, where Jesus is informing Peter that he is about to be sifted, but Jesus also reassures this man who is to lead the early church that he is being prayed for. We need to know this too in these challenging and peculiar days when so much of what we have been used to is being undermined and shaken just as the Scriptures depict. There are times when we are sifted like flour, and put through the mill and pummelled as the dough is prepared. And after all that it is the fire to bake the bread! Read how the showbread was prepared for the table in the Tabernacle. There are profound lessons there for us, and particularly as we remember the thousands across the world who are being sorely and severely persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ in these present times. Make sure you have access to the information provided regarding those who are having a hard time. “Release International” or “Open Doors” with Brother Andrew, or “Christian Solidarity Worldwide” or the “Barnabas Fund” are all excellent sources and resources. If you have come all this way with me through Acts and Luke then make sure you are praying for those who are suffering in a way that few of in the West experience. But returning to our passage in Luke Chapter 22 – almost before the words of Jesus have come out of His mouth, Peter is saying, “You can count on me. I'll be with You. Some of the others in the room may not stick with You Jesus, but I'll be there.” All this has to go. All this has to be dealt with, and dealing with this pride and arrogance and cockiness can be sore. That very night – within an hour or so – Peter went and wept bitterly, when he realised that he had denied Jesus three times. It did lead to his conversion – to his coming back – to his becoming a new man – a man who could strengthen others. It was Peter who ran to the tomb three days later when he heard that something had happened to the body of Jesus. From the text it looks as though they were all going to go through it to some degree, and don't we all. This has been our experience. There come times of testing and sifting, when Jesus allows things to happen to shake out the lumps, and knock off the rough edges, in order to refine us. How much more has he still to do? Remember, it is to this man Peter, at the end of John's Gospel, that Jesus says three times, “Feed My sheep, and feed My lambs.” Very often those who are able to minister and strengthen their brethren, and truly edify and build up the Church, are those who have experienced falling and failing. Those who know what it is to have been through the mill and who have gone through a time of sifting and pummelling, know what it is all about, and once Jesus has dealt with them, He has lifted them up, and restored them, and given them a ministry, which otherwise would have been impossible. Is this not one of the painful excitements of serving in the front line of the Kingdom of God? I write this article during the week when I recall that it is now forty one years ago since the risen living and ascended Lord Jesus Christ baptised me in the Holy Spirit when I was on the point of resigning and returning to Motor Insurance. I thought I had got this ‘Call Thing’ all wrong, and then the caring concerned living Christ, who had called me when I was eight years old, met me in a room in Cowdenbeath, Scotland. What a joy and amazing privilege it has been to know the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, for over forty one years. Originally here: Author bio:  |
| Experts cautious in calling latest fossil find, Sediba, the ‘missing link’ Posted: 19 Apr 2010 08:37 AM PDT
Scientists are cautious about labeling the discovery two years ago of two fossils in Johannesburg, South Africa, the ‘missing link.’ The debate about the findings was renewed recently after the journal Science featured two articles on the discovery which said they may be a new species that “might help reveal the ancestor” of the genus Homo. In fact, the authors of the two science papers do not claim themselves claim that Australopithecus Sediba is a direct ancestor of modern humans.
Australopithecus Sediba, discovered near Johannesburg, South Africa, has been deemed to be slightly less than two million years old. The remains of a woman and a younger man, Sediba was discovered in a pit that was once part of a cave. It is outstanding as the most complete early hominid skeletons, more so than the “Lucy” fossil in Ethiopia, and in better condition. Scientists think the fossils were well preserved because the woman and young man probably died suddenly because of a natural disaster and were buried rapidly. Found with Sediba were the bones of other dead animals such as a sabre-toothed cat, antelope, mice and rabbits, all appearing non-scavenged. They were found by paleo-anthropologist Lee R. Berger of South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand. Berger’s team of researchers are looking for any proteins that may be preserved in one of the skeletons, which they suspect might contain the remnant of the dried brain. If soft tissue is found, there is a slim chance the researchers could yield DNA that might unlock the genetic code for Sediba. Other points of confusion surrounding Sediba are:
Brian Thomas of the Institute for Creation Research said, “[T]he situation seems to grow more convoluted with each newly unearthed specimen.” Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute said, “This fossil has been surrounded by the standard overhype we’ve come to expect from those on a campaign to evangelize for Darwin.” Similar uproar had been raised over the “Ida” fossil in Germany last year and the “Lucy” fossil in Ethiopia five years before that. |
| Bishop doubts fairness of results in recent Sudan elections Posted: 19 Apr 2010 08:26 AM PDT
A bishop in Sudan raised doubts recently as to the fairness of the country’s recently concluded presidential elections. Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur of Khartoum said, “The reports of irregularities make one wonder whether in the end these elections will qualify to be called ‘free and fair.’” The election is viewed as a trial run for next year’s referendum which could spell independence for the largely Christian and animist southern Sudan. Northern Sudan is primarily Muslim.  Sudanese President President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir The two had been at war for some 22 years until 2005, causing the death of some two million. President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir gave the south limited autonomy in a peace deal that included the current presidential elections and next year’s referendum in January for southern Sudan’s independence. Sudan has five million Catholics. Since 2005, Christian schools in northern Sudan are obligated to teach Islam, and converts from Islam to Christianity face criminal charges and death at the hands of their families. The south enjoys religious freedom. Ahead of polling, two key Bashir challengers — the Umma Party’s Sadiq al-Mahdi and Yasser Arman of the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – withdrew. This paved the way for a near-certain Bashir victory. The polls, the first competitive elections in 24 years, were marked with distrust, said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who led a delegation from the Carter Center to monitor the elections. Carter said “It is obvious that the elections will fall short of international standards.” Chief EU election monitor Veronique de Keyser echoed Carter’s assessment. Still, Carter said the vote provided the Sudanese people with “an opening to participate and present their views.” He said, “My belief is that most of the international community, as represented by their governments, will accept the result of the election.”
Both Carter and the EU monitors agreed nonetheless that the election process was a step in the right direction for Africa’s largest and long war torn country. |
| Baptist preachers address Poland’s loss with comfort of the Gospel Posted: 19 Apr 2010 08:19 AM PDT
As Poland mourned the loss of its president and other dignitaries, who died in a plane crash on April 10, two visiting Baptist preachers said that the answer to the country’s mourning is found in the Gospel. Southern Baptist leaders Philip Roberts and Jerry Johnson of the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary comforted congregations in Gdansk and Sopot respectively, and shared the gospel in the aftermath of the crisis, during their 10-day trip to the country.  Polish flag with black mourning ribbon MBTS president Roberts and academic dean Johnson were in the country to attend a conference at the Polish Baptist Seminary in Radosc. They met with Andrzej Seweryn, president of the Polish Baptist Seminary. Seweryn said, “For the Christians here, there is a great chance to step up and help the people work through their grief and suffering. Now is a time to help them in answering some of life’s toughest questions, including the ones about eternity that often surface when events such as this occur.” Among the dead were Polish president Lech Kaczynsk, his wife Maria, the military’s chief of staff and the heads of Poland’s land forces, navy and air force. Other dignitaries on board the plane included the national bank president, three military chaplains, Poland’s deputy foreign minister, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, Olympic Committee head, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers, the Polish foreign ministry said. Many of the leaders killed in the crash were instrumental in the Solidarity movement and the return of liberty and democracy to the country. They were headed to a ceremony to commemorate the World War II slaughter of Poles that had divided the nation for seven decades and galvanized the beginning of the same Solidarity movement. Pastor Roberts, who preached in Gdansk, the home city of the Polish president, cited Matthew 10: 39 (HCSB) where Jesus said, “Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.” The MBTS leader continued by adding that “there will be a point when life will end for our physical body on this planet. With this in mind, each of us needs to make sure we are living for the correct reasons and the correct person — Jesus Christ — because He offers the hope of eternal life beyond what we experience in this life on earth.” Roberts said that the time of soul-searching and reflection on these events presents a great time to share the love of Jesus Christ with the Polish populace. Some 90 percent of the Polish population is Roman Catholic, with 75 percent practicing. The second largest faith group is Eastern Orthodox at 1.3 percent, then Protestant at 0.3 percent. The late Pope John Paul II was Polish. |
| Posted: 19 Apr 2010 08:09 AM PDT
A Supreme Court decision slated for June may be the last chance for the Christian Legal Society chapter at the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco to run their organization in adherence to their core spiritual beliefs and still retain their school benefits. At issue is the university’s non-discriminatory policy which bars student groups from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, sex, or sexual orientation. The CLS believes that the non-discriminatory law is inherently discriminatory against student faith groups. The issue arose in 2004 when the CLS asked members to pledge to core religious beliefs, including that they will not engage in a “sexually immoral lifestyle,” or “all acts of sexual conduct outside God’s design for marriage between one man and one woman.” Failure to live by this standard would disqualify an individual from becoming a voting CLS member.
The society was ordered to abide by school policy, or they would lose school recognition including school benefits such as funding, use of school facilities, and use of school communication systems to publicize meetings. When the CLS balked, the school withheld their benefits. The CLS sued, claiming the First Amendment rights of free speech, free association and free exercise of religion. They said the school policy is unconstitutional. The CLS said gay and lesbian students and others of different beliefs could attend CLS meetings and events, but if they do not sign a pledge acknowledging that they share the precise Christian beliefs of the group they would be excluded from voting, holding leadership positions, and leading Bible study discussions. CLS’ lawyer Michael McConnell wrote in their defense brief, “To forbid groups to form on the basis of shared beliefs is to forbid freedom of association at its most fundamental level.” McConnell added, “The policy targets solely those groups whose beliefs are based on ‘religion’ or that disapprove of a particular kind of sexual behavior.” He said the non-discrimination policy is “explicitly viewpoint discriminatory” and only applies to religious beliefs–not political, social, or cultural ideals or beliefs. So far the Hastings policy has been upheld by a federal judge. The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the judge’s ruling. The Supreme Court decision in June will be the CLS last chance to run their organization according to their core beliefs and still keep their status and benefits. Some 60 student organizations are currently registered at Hastings, all of which can receive school benefits. If the Supreme Court supports the school’s policy, the CLS will be the only student group that was ever denied those benefits. |
| Controversial Documentary on Larry Norman, “Father of Christian Rock” Will Finally be Shown Posted: 18 Apr 2010 09:41 PM PDT
The controversial documentary on the life of Larry Norman, the “Father of Christian Rock,” will be screened on Tuesday, 6:30 pm at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. After the screening of “Fallen Angel: the Outlaw Larry Norman,” director David Di Sabatino and Randy Stonehill, a longtime friend of Norman, will answer questions from the audience.  Controversial documentary on Larry Norman, ‘father of Christian rock’ to be shown after years of legal wrangling “Fallen Angel: the Outlaw Larry Norman,” will be shown after a court judgment favoring Di Sabatino was made recently. Norman’s family tried to block the film claiming violations of the copyright law and denying some allegations that were made in the film. “Fallen Angel: the Outlaw Larry Norman” pays tribute to Norman’s musical genius, but also tackles his dark side, citing Norman’s relationship with Stonehill’s estranged wife, allegations of cheating his business partners out of royalties, and fathering a child out of wedlock with another woman. Norman was a San Francisco hippie who wrote songs about Jesus, sex, drugs, war and the end times. His music made him a hero of the 1970s Jesus freaks and his albums such as Upon This Rock, Only Visiting This Planet and So Long Ago the Garden became Christian rock classics. From 1966 to 1968 Norman performed in concerts with The Doors, The Who, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix, among others. His band People! scored a Billboard hit in 1968 with a cover of The Zombies’ song “I Love You.” However, Norman left the band the day People!’s debut album was released. His 1972 release, Only Visiting This Planet, is considered one of the best albums in Christian rock, and his music influenced that of U2, John Mellencamp, and the Pixies. Time Magazine called Norman “the most significant artist in his field.” Over 300 cover versions of his songs have been recorded by artists such as Petula Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Black, and Cliff Richard. His songs have also been recorded by contemporary Christian artists like DC Talk, Rebecca St. James, and Audio Adrenaline. Norman performed for The White House twice, and also performed in the Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House, the Palladium and London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall, which he sold out six times. In the last 40 years Norman has released nearly 100 solo albums. Of “Fallen Angel: The Outlaw Larry Norman,” Stonehill said he believed the documentary has a redemptive message and celebrates Norman’s brilliance as a musician. Of his stormy friendship with Norman he adds, “You see us (in the film) on our best days as friends and collaborators, and on our worse days. It’s a picture of God’s faithfulness.” |
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