Weekly News: Christian Editionkorcheck newsAdjust content blockingContent Blocking prevnext Prev Next Renowned Christian Teacher and Theologian, RC Sproul has Passed Away at the age of 78 R.C. Sproul, one of the most influential Reform theologians of the last century, passed away Thursday at the age of 78 due to severe respiratory difficulties exacerbated by the flu and complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Sproul has been active in teaching fellow Christians through the Ligonier Ministries since 1971 as a way, "to equip Christians to articulate what they believe, why they believe it, how to live it, and how to share it." Chris Larson, CEO of Ligonier Ministries said of Sproul: "[H]e was used of the Lord to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness. Through his teaching ministry, many of us learned that God is bigger than we knew, our sin is more deeply rooted than we imagined, and the grace of God in Jesus Christ is overwhelming." In a letter to Ligonier supporters, W. Robert Godfrey, chairman of the ministry, said that Sproul cannot be replaced, and asked for prayers as they navigate the future without their founder. "Our loss is great, but we cannot focus exclusively on our loss. If we did, R.C. would say to us in his endearing manner, 'What's wrong with you people?' We must focus on our God, whose strength is made perfect in our weakness. We need to focus on the extraordinary opportunities that lie before us to spread the message of God's holiness and sovereignty, of Christ's gospel, and of the Bible's inerrant authority," said Godfrey. A memorial service is scheduled for Dec. 20 at 2:00 p.m. ET. You need to login to view this link post.com/news/rc-sproul-dies-at-78-210167/Priest and Carolers Arrested in India -From Newsweek- Indian police arrested a Christian priest and questioned members of a seminary after a Hindu group accused the members of trying to convert villagers to Christianity. The priest was arrested by authorities on Friday after a member of the Bajrang Dal, a powerful Hindu group associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party, accused 50 members of a seminary of converting villagers to Christianity. The member said they were distributing photos of Jesus Christ, the Bible, and singing Christmas carols in a village in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Reuters reported. “Our members have registered a criminal case because we have proof to show how Christian priests were forcibly converting poor Hindus,” Abhay Kumar Dhar, a senior member of the Bajrang Dal in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, told Reuters. Madhya Pradesh is ruled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and has strict religious conversion laws. The central Indian state is one of five Indian states where missionaries need permission to try and convert individuals. In order to change religions, citizens must give a formal notice to local administrators. “We have arrested the priest but have not booked him under the anti-conversion law because the probe into the allegations is still on,” Rajesh Hingankar, the investigating official in Satna district, told Reuters. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India said they were “shocked and pained at the unprovoked violence against Catholic priests and seminarians”. “We were only singing carols, but the hardline Hindus attacked us and said we were on a mission to make India a Christian nation ... that’s not true,” Anish Emmanuel, a member of the St. Ephrem’s Theological College in Satna told Reuters. There were six members detained by the Bajrang Dal who allegedly set a car on fire owned by a Christian priest in Satna, which is 300 miles northeast of Bhopal, two senior police officials said. Religious conversion continues to be a sensitive topic in India. Hindu groups accuse Christian missionaries of using cash, kind and marriage to attract poor villagers to convert to their faith. The government rejects the allegation and denies any bias against Christians or Muslims. You need to login to view this link week.com/christian-priest-arrested-indian-police-singing-christmas-carols-and-750543Christian Based Student Group Sues Iowa University for Discrimination Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC), an Iowa university student group has filed a lawsuit against the University because it believes they were unfairly disbanded. BlinC was formed “to create a community of followers of Christ within the business school, and to learn ways to integrate the Christian faith in the business sector.” Per the groups mission statement. The student group began having problems earlier in the year when a former member claimed to have been denied the Vice Presidents seat due to his sexual orientation. BlinC however says that he was denied the seat because the student didn’t agree with the groups "biblically based views on sexual conduct." The group allows and encourages anyone to join it but requires its leadership to adhere to the group's core religious beliefs. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm dedicated to free expression of all faiths, is representing the group in the case. "It just says that you need to believe what their faith teaches about marriage and that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman, and that's the context for sexual conduct but it's not like, it doesn't single out sexual orientation or anything like that," Daniel Blomberg, one of the lawyers in the case said. Prior to being disbanded, the University asked the group to revise its constitution, or "Statement of Faith,” Which the BlinC complied with, but were still kicked off campus. The University of Iowa said in a statement that it doesn't tolerate discrimination of any kind. The statement said that the university found that BLinC violated the UI's Human Rights Policy and the Iowa Civil Rights Act. "When a voluntary student organization chooses to become a registered student organization, it must adhere to the mission of the university, the UI's policies and procedures, and all local, state and federal laws," the statement said. "The problem here is that university is picking sides, right? And it's saying these kind of religious beliefs are okay but those kind aren't, and that's unconstitutional," bril-red] said Blomberg. "It's not discrimination for Business Leaders in Christ to ask that their leaders agree with their faith,"[bril-red] he said. According to Blomberg, the group is simply seeking to be allowed back on campus. You need to login to view this link wl.com/story/37062940/2017/12/Wednesday/student-christian-group-sues-university-of-iowa-after-being-kicked-off-campusISIS Threat In DC and New York Over Christmas The SITE intelligence group has issued a warning for Christmas to the Washington D.C. and New York City area. SITE monitors online extremists communications and has released information that a meme making the rounds on Telegram, a pro-Islamic State encrypted channel, shows the Washington National Cathedral in flames and wording that translates to "We meet at Christmas in New York soon." "ISIS is incentivized to make threats like this, which come at no cost to them. ISIS is not dispatching fighters around the world for complex coordinated terrorist attacks, but has largely relied upon individuals and citizens already living in Europe and the United States to commit unsophisticated attacks," Says Harrison Akins, a researcher at the Howard Baker Center. "These individuals' affiliations with ISIS are often tenuous and are perhaps better described as 'inspired by' rather than operationally directed. So perhaps somebody within the U.S. will take it upon themselves to commit an attack on Christmas, which falsely bolsters the perceived capabilities and reach of the group." ISIS has however, inspired more than 40,000 fighters from more than 110 countries to join the fight beginning even before their creation of a “caliphate” in June of 2014. Since that time, at least 5,600 ex-combatants in some 33 countries have returned home according to a report released by Soufan Center, a security intelligence center in Washington. Of the fighters returning home after the territorial loss in Iraq and Syria at least 7 of a reported 129, are known to have returned to the US. While ISIS has lost much in the way of territory and funding, they are still a symbol and a threat to the Middle East and in many parts of the world. This loss has caused them to return to their terrorist roots, by conducting high-profile attacks on helpless civilians as has occurred in Nasiriyah, Ramadi, and elsewhere over the past weeks, according to a spokes person from a US led international coalition. You need to login to view this link washington.com/news/local/ISIS-Poster-Threatens-Washington-National-Cathedral--464469773.html prevnextTags: Isis | India +37 -Favorite +Favorite Unblock User's Content Block User's Content Sub/Block Channels news:UploadUnblockBlockSubUnsubsubs: 808
