They're dead, and they're young, too. Rings are no place to look for life.

The highlife musician challenged the materialism and extortion he encountered too often in the church. Kofi Owusu Dua-Anto, a Ghanaian gospel musician who challenged church leaders with his catchy songs, died last month age 45. Known professionally as KODA, the artist passed away suddenly on April 21 after a yet-undisclosed short illness.KODA won awards for his vocal and musical finesse and production skills, but he used the platform his music offered him to speak out against the materialism and self-promotion he believed had overtaken his country’s church leaders.“What is being preached from the pulpit? If it’s just the aesthetics of Christianity … the flashy things of how the man of God has visited 20 churches in the UK or the US and how he stood in T. D. Jakes’s church … if that’s the vision … then that’s what [Christians will] chase,” he said in 2021.In 2013, KODA put these concerns to music when he released “Nsem Pii” (“Many Issues”).“Fifteen ways to be successful, 13 ways to make much money, but the one way to make to heaven, preacher man, you don’t preach about it,” he sang in both Twi, a Ghanian local language, and English. “Listen, last Sunday I heard you preach; I must confess, I was confused, was that church of GIMPA?” (GIMPA or Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, is a prestigious public university in Ghana.)The track surprised many in the local Christian community, one that traditionally practiced unquestioned reverence toward pastors and church leaders, and the gospel music industry, which generally only sang about God and commented little on culture.KODA credited the Bible as his inspiration for his lyrics.“I was reading the Acts of the Apostles from [chapters] 1 to ...Continue reading...

For all his greatness, we should most seek to imitate the late pastor's humility and indifference to fame.In spring of last year, many of us saw a photo of the late Timothy Keller sitting on a park bench. The photo was used on the cover of Collin Hansen’s biography of Keller, and it circulated around the internet in May when he passed away—on social media, blogs, and even Keller’s personal website.What most of us didn’t see, however, was the banana peel lying on the bench only a couple feet from Keller. The peel has been cropped from most versions of the photo, and understandably so. Who wants to see an ugly brown bit of organic waste in an author’s photograph?I confess that if I were a world-famous pastor and best-selling author having my picture taken by a professional photographer, I would most certainly have moved the banana peel before someone took my picture. Who wouldn’t? But Keller didn’t seem to care.I believe this points to a deeper character trait of Keller’s, which many observed during his lifetime of ministry: an indifference to fame and to curating an image—something many of us struggle with in the social media era. This is also part of why, I believe, he finished his race so well.Finishing well in life and ministry has been historically difficult for believers, especially for those in positions of leadership. Think of Gideon or Solomon in the Old Testament, Demas in the New Testament, or, of course, the many church leaders today who have infamously failed to persevere.The esteem that leaders receive from the Christian community can allow for hidden flaws to grow like rust on the hull of a ship, unnoticed and unaddressed at first. But as these leaders reach greater influence, greater weight is placed on these flaws—which can reach ...Continue reading...

The wager only scratches the surface of his relevance to a post-Christian era.It is a common lament that we live in a post-Christian era. This fact raises challenges to our witness to the world. Most of our audience thinks that, in G. K. Chesterton’s words, Christianity has been tried and found wanting (rather than found wanting and left untried). It is not considered a live option. How do we bear witness well in this cultural context? We might do well to reconsider one of the most enigmatic thinkers in Christian history, Blaise Pascal.Pascal suffers from a public relations problem. As the source of Pascal’s wager, he is often considered a gambling man. He urges the non-believer to bet that God exists. What does one have to lose? In Beyond the Wager: The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal, philosopher Douglas Groothuis shows that there is more to Pascal’s life and thought than his most famous argument. Groothuis demonstrates that we have much to learn from this brilliant thinker. Pascal, he argues, is a crucial thinker for our time.Essential writingsPascal came on the scene in the 17th century, during the early years of the Scientific Revolution. Several of his works contributed to this movement, including treatises on the geometry of conic sections, theories of probability, and conclusions to extensive experiments he had done to test the possibility of a vacuum. He invented the first functional calculator, which he had built to help his father with his work of assessing taxes.His best-known works, however, focus on Christianity. In the Provincial Letters, Pascal defends the Jansenist movement, which was condemned by the Catholic church, against the Jesuits. The Jansenists emphasized that the depth of human sinfulness required a work of God for our salvation. The Christian life ...Continue reading...

The Biden administration has thrown yet another pro-life American in prison for protesting abortion. Thanks to Joe Biden's politicized Justice Department, pro-life advocate Herb Geraghty has been sentenced to 27 months in prison under the FACE Act just for engaging in a peaceful protest inside an abortion center. Like fellow pro-life advocate Lauren Handy, Geraghty […]The post Pro-Life Advocate Herb Geraghty Thrown in Prison for 27 Months for Protesting Abortion appeared first on LifeNews.com.

Pro-life advocate Lauren Handy has been sentenced to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervision for protesting the murder of late-term unborn children at a notorious abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. “Handy, a Catholic, is a well-known pro-life voice on the political left. She was the primary organizer and leader of the […]The post Lauren Handy Will Appeal Bogus 57 Month Prison Sentence for Protesting Abortion appeared first on LifeNews.com.

The Wall Street Journal is raising concern over declining global birth rates, which experts predict will dip below the replacement rate, 2.2, for the first time in human history. “The world is at a startling demographic milestone,” the outlet? reported in a May 13 feature piece. “Sometime soon, the global fertility rate will drop below the […]The post Birth Rates Will Drop Below Replacement Rate for First Time as Underpopulation Crisis Continues appeared first on LifeNews.com.

Earlier today, a large crowd gathered at a rally outside Parliament at the start of the biggest Parliamentary battle on abortion in a generation. MPs will soon be given the opportunity to vote on two pro-life changes to the law: one amendment tabled by Caroline Ansell MP to lower the abortion time limit from 24 […]The post Hundreds of People Attend Rally to Defeat UK Bill for Abortions Up to Birth appeared first on LifeNews.com.

The Biden administration has thrown yet another pro-life American in prison for protesting abortion. Thanks to Joe Biden's politicized Justice Department, pro-life advocate Herb Geraghty has been sentenced to 34 months in prison under the FACE Act just for engaging in a peaceful protest inside an abortion center. Like fellow pro-life advocate Lauren Handy, Darnel […]The post Pro-Life Advocate Jonathan Darnel Thrown in Prison for 27 Months for Protesting Abortion appeared first on LifeNews.com.

A recent set of? New York Times? / Siena polls show that nearly one in five registered voters from six swing states, including many Catholics, did not vote in the 2020 presidential election. The? polls? surveyed respondents from the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Of those registered voters, 18% said they did not vote […]The post Poll Shows Many Conservative Catholic Voters Didn't Vote in 2020, We Must Fix This appeared first on LifeNews.com.

They're dead, and they're young, too. Rings are no place to look for life.

A new book seems oddly outraged that CRT skeptics take its arguments seriously.Last year I joined a group of Christian leaders, Black and white, on a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture located in Washington, DC.Even though I’ve read quite a bit about slavery and Jim Crow, I was still physically and emotionally disturbed by the visual depictions of the systemic and violent ways in which people of color were treated for centuries of American history. There is no sugarcoating this history. It was (and is) an offense against God, with ripple effects that continue to shape our national life.In the past decade, conversations on racism have become more heated, reaching a fever pitch in 2020 with the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.One outcome of the resulting ferment of protest and denunciation was renewed attention to critical race theory (popularly known as CRT), a controversial legal theory once confined to the academic world and now increasingly mainstreamed and popularized in public life, including many of our leading institutions.Books like White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo or How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi rose to the top of bestseller lists in 2020 and after. Corporations, government entities, and even churches began implementing steps drawn from these and other popular works. Evangelical publishers churned out books in this spirit as well.Some Christian leaders have defended the use of CRT as a helpful analytical tool. Others have criticized it as a totalizing worldview opposed to biblical Christianity. This debate has divided many Christians, exhausted many pastors, split many organizations, and convulsed our politics.Seeking to bring sanity and clarity to this ongoing conversation is ...Continue reading...

By Janet Phelan There have been a growing number of mainstream articles about the abuses being visited upon the elderly and disabled through court-authorized guardianship,...Judges Increasingly Interfere in Marital Life

Lifemark? entered Netflix's global Top 10 even though it's not on Netflix platforms in the United States. In that country, it's streaming on Great American Pure Flix, although it can be rented or purchased on other VOD platforms.

Evangelist and bestselling author Michael Youssef recently released a book that debunked common myths about Heaven and stressed important truths about the afterlife that he feels the church lacks understanding of. Youssef recently released Heaven Awaits: Anticipate Your Future Hope, Your Eternal Home, Your Daily Reality, which addresses misconceptions about heaven.

Federal prosecutors are trying to prove that Bill Hwang committed massive market manipulation through his investment firm Archegos. His defense says he was trading like anyone else on Wall Street.Bill Hwang brought a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to court to read during jury selection.And during opening arguments on Monday, his Christian connections from New York packed out a courtroom to support him.He had given his investment firm a Christian name, held Wall Street Bible readings, and distributed millions to evangelical charities.But federal prosecutors at Hwang’s highly anticipated criminal trial are accusing the billionaire of being a mob boss mastermind rather than a humble evangelical investor following his convictions.Hwang has been charged with tens of billions of dollars’ worth of securities fraud. In a packed courtroom in lower Manhattan on Monday, the prosecution claimed his investment firm Archegos Capital Management was an “organized criminal enterprise,” like a mob operation. Hwang faces decades in prison.The blockbuster trial is expected to last eight weeks and will include witnesses from the Christian world in New York. Andy Mills, the former president of The King’s College, who also served as CEO of Archegos and as chairman of Hwang’s foundation, will testify for the defense.Hwang and his wife, Becky Hwang, are the sole backers of the $528 million Grace and Mercy Foundation, which supports ministries in New York and around the world.Many of Hwang’s former employees at Archegos are Christians—like Jensen Ko, who, after the collapse of Archegos, started a new investment fund called AriseN. And Archegos was named for a Greek word used to describe Christ as the “author” of our salvation (Heb. 2:10) and the “prince” of life (Acts 3:15).Archegos fell apart in March 2021. It bought up massive positions in a few companies using borrowed ...Continue reading...

Asian Christians must navigate ethical dilemmas in everyday life. This recent book can help.There are rules to follow in every culture, particularly in Asia, where many children must bear the responsibility of maintaining harmony within the home and familial structure. To deviate from the norms or traditions of any Asian society requires a bold willingness to try to demonstrate to one’s fellow citizens what is and is not working in their culture. As a Christian living or ministering in an Asian context, how can one manage these complex situations?The contributors to Asian Christian Ethics, an anthology published in 2022, grapple with the challenges Asian Christians face in their particular social contexts, often characterized by strictly defined societal ranking and hierarchy, religious violence against Christians, or suffering among marginalized groups. The theologians, pastors, and missiologists who authored this volume come from the Philippines, Malaysia, China/Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Korea, plus one perspective from Palestine. The writers, many of whom studied in the West and are familiar with Western ways of thinking, provide valuable insight into Asian mindsets.Each chapter begins by examining what Scripture teaches on a particular social issue. Then the writers draw on their expertise to address the ethical challenges surrounding that issue within a specific cultural context.Marriage and divorceIn “Water Is Thicker Than Blood,” Bernard Wong offers insights on the changing views of traditional marriage. He notes that divorce has become more prevalent in Asian society (though not yet as normalized as in Western cultures) and that young adults are waiting longer to get married, with over 90 percent of 20-to-24-year-olds still single in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and ...Continue reading...

The myth of the “safe” abortion procedure has been debunked again – not once, or even twice, but three times at the notorious late-term abortion clinic? Cherry Hill Women's Center? (CHWC) in New Jersey. Thanks to pro-lifers and prayer warriors who stood outside as eyewitnesses, Operation Rescue received information about three ambulances seen at this clinic between […]The post Abortion Clinic Injures Three Women in Two Months in Botched Abortions appeared first on LifeNews.com.

Last Thursday, Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) teamed up with fellow Republican Senators Kevin Cramer (ND) and Marco Rubio (FL) to unveil the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) Act aimed at giving pregnant women a federally-backed “clearinghouse” of resources — called Pregnancy.gov — for “expecting and postpartum moms, as well as those with young […]The post Pro-Life Senator Launches New Bill to Help Pregnant Women in Need appeared first on LifeNews.com.

The West has long been obsessed with China. In the 19th? century, the Middle Kingdom was dominated and debauched by Western trading companies, backed by Western militaries, pushing drugs into China. Remember the? Opium Wars?? Those uppity Chinese had the effrontery to destroy the British India Company's opium and try to eradicate addiction. That was China's? century of humiliation. […]The post China's Massive Underpopulation Crisis: China's Birth Rates are 50% Below Replacement Rate appeared first on LifeNews.com.

The Texas Medical Board (TMB) is finally stepping up in attempts to clear the confusion regarding emergency medical interventions for pregnant women in Texas. Texas outlaws elective abortion from the moment of fertilization, with the only exception for medical emergencies of a pregnant woman. Sometimes, this intervention tragically can involve ending a pregnancy before the […]The post Texas Medical Board is Making it Clear That Abortion Ban Allows Emergency Medical Care for Pregnant Women appeared first on LifeNews.com.

Republican Utah Sen.? Mike Lee? accused President Joe Biden's? Department of Justice? on Tuesday of “unjustly” persecuting pro-life activists exposing the “horrors of abortion.” “The Biden administration is using the FACE Act to give pro-life activists and senior citizens lengthy prison terms for non-violent offenses and protests—all while turning a blind eye to the violence, arson, and riots conducted […]The post Senator Mike Lee Slams Joe Biden for “Unjustly” Persecuting Pro-Life Americans appeared first on LifeNews.com.

The mother of a baby boy who was born at just 25 weeks weighing less than a loaf of bread has said he is thriving. Kaylie, a student, had a straightforward pregnancy until February when she started to experience swelling around her eyes and ankles. Friends and family told her this was a normal part […]The post Premature Baby Born at 25 Weeks and Weighing Less Than a Loaf of Bread is Thriving Now appeared first on LifeNews.com.

The Uniform Civil Code seeks “one nation, one law” to govern citizens' personal lives, but religious minorities fear hidden costs.In February, the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand passed a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which aims to implement a common set of rules governing crucial aspects of life, including marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption.This code would supplant existing personal laws that religious groups in India currently ascribe to. Personal laws cover family-related matters such as marriage, divorce, child custody, adoption, property rights, and inheritance.If the ruling Hindu-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has its way, a UCC will eventually be implemented across all of India. (At present, Goa is the only other state with a UCC, derived from the Portuguese-era Civil Code of 1867.)The BJP’s push to implement a national UCC may bring relief for Christians in India, especially in terms of women’s inheritance rights. Under existing personal laws, Christian mothers cannot inherit their deceased children’s property. The UCC proposes to eliminate discriminatory provisions that favor male inheritance, potentially leading to more equitable inheritance rights for Christian women.But few of India’s religious minorities trust the BJP, whose policies have often been more harmful than helpful to Christian communities. In Assam, Christian leaders protested the passing of a bill banning “magical healing” as it unfairly impacted their custom of praying for the sick. Ministries including World Vision and the Evangelical Fellowship of India recently lost government authorization to collect foreign donations. Nine states now have anti-conversion laws in place, and believers have borne the brunt of religious unrest in these areas as a result.As this year’s general elections seem likely ...Continue reading...

Federal prosecutors are trying to prove that Bill Hwang committed massive market manipulation through his investment firm Archegos. His defense says he was trading like anyone else on Wall Street.Bill Hwang brought a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to court to read during jury selection.And during opening arguments on Monday, his Christian connections from New York packed out a courtroom to support him.He had given his investment firm a Christian name, held Wall Street Bible readings, and distributed millions to evangelical charities.But federal prosecutors at Hwang’s highly anticipated criminal trial are accusing the billionaire of being a mob boss mastermind rather than a humble evangelical investor following his convictions.Hwang has been charged with tens of billions of dollars’ worth of securities fraud. In a packed courtroom in lower Manhattan on Monday, the prosecution claimed his investment firm Archegos Capital Management was an “organized criminal enterprise,” like a mob operation. Hwang faces decades in prison.The blockbuster trial is expected to last eight weeks and will include witnesses from the Christian world in New York. Andy Mills, the former president of The King’s College, who also served as CEO of Archegos and as chairman of Hwang’s foundation, will testify for the defense.Hwang and his wife, Becky Hwang, are the sole backers of the $528 million Grace and Mercy Foundation, which supports ministries in New York and around the world.Many of Hwang’s former employees at Archegos are Christians—like Jensen Ko, who, after the collapse of Archegos, started a new investment fund called AriseN. And Archegos was named for a Greek word used to describe Christ as the “author” of our salvation (Heb. 2:10) and the “prince” of life (Acts 3:15).Archegos fell apart in March 2021. It bought up massive positions in a few companies using borrowed ...Continue reading...