TWO OF THE MOST UNREPORTED STORIES OF 2016

By ROB SCHWARZWALDER


Two seismic events occurred in 2016 that the secular media largely missed.

The press’s failure to report them is caused by many things. Spiritual blindness. Disinterest. Ignorance of religious matters. Obstinate disregard for the reality that faith, not just economics or political power, animates human behavior, good and bad.

Here are the two stories that should arrest the attention of all Christians who are concerned with God’s work in the world:

Around the world, people are coming to know Jesus Christ through the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit.

Around the world, people who know Jesus Christ are being put to death for their love for him. Others are being tortured, imprisoned, driven from their homes, denied jobs, and otherwise treated cruelly.

The Spread of Faith

As to the first, in every region of the globe, the number of Christians is swelling. For example, in the Middle East, thousands of Muslims are coming to Christ. As reported by the respected anti-persecution ministry Open Doors,

The Islamic State has been filling the headlines for a long time and filling the hearts of many people in the Middle East with fear. But in the midst of all this, the church in the Middle East is showing the love of Christ to those who fled their homes. Muslims in the Middle East are turning to Jesus in unprecedented numbers.


In Iran,
Thousands of Christians are secretly worshiping in Iran as part of a house church movement in the country. The Iranian government considers Christianity a threat to Islam. However, Open Doors USA estimates that as many as 450,000 Christians are in Iran. Others estimate there are more than 1 million practicing Christians in the country.

In 2011, Pew Research published “Global Christianity — A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population.” A careful evaluation of the data led Pew to conclude that there are roughly 70 million Christians in China (around 60 million Protestants and the remainder Catholics). Some observers believe this number is significantly low.



However, according to Purdue University sociologist Fenggang Yang, “the number of Protestant Christians in China could reach 171 million by 2021 and 255 million by 2025 … it is possible that China could become the largest Protestant country by 2021 and the largest Christian country by 2025.”

The growth of the Christian faith is seen in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region broadly. Another of the Pew report’s findings speaks to this:

Christianity has grown enormously in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where there were relatively few Christians at the beginning of the 20th century. The share of the population that is Christian in sub-Saharan Africa climbed from 9% in 1910 to 63% in 2010, while in the Asia-Pacific region it rose from 3% to 7%. Christianity today — unlike a century ago — is truly a global faith.

The Persecution of the Faithful

Yet with this ongoing and profoundly significant change in religious allegiance throughout the world, there is also a great deal of pain for followers of Jesus. Here are a few headlines that speak to this grim reality:

“Violent Persecution Set to Rise in 2017” — December 29, 2016

“Anti-Christian persecution: 90,000 killed in 2016” — December 26, 2016

“Chinese Communist Party readies crackdown on Christianity” — October 7, 2016

“ISIS Orders Its Franchises to Kill Christians” — August 14, 2016

“New Boko Haram leader vows to kill all Christians” — August 4, 2016


The list could go on and on.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has called President Obama’s record on protecting the persecuted “abysmal.” It is hard not to agree. After leaving the State Department’s key religious liberty post vacant for nearly two years, Mr. Obama appointed a motivational speaker with virtually no knowledge of international persecution issues to the role.

Although her successor, Rabbi David Saperstein, is widely hailed as an effective advocate for the persecuted, the fact remains that President Obama has shown a distinct disinterest in including religious liberty and anti-persecution efforts among his foreign policy priorities.

As his administration draws to a close, the President did recently sign “an update of the 1998 bill that established a religious freedom office in the State Department and an independent watchdog panel, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).” Named the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act in honor of its original author and leading champion for religious liberty around the world, former Congressman Frank Wolf, Christianity Today reports that the measure is designed to improve the federal government’s effectiveness in promoting religious liberty by:

“Requiring the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom to report directly to the secretary of State;

“Establishing an ‘entities of particular concern’ category — a companion to the ‘countries of particular concern’ classification used for nearly 20 years by the State Department — for non-government actors, such as the Islamic State (IS) and the Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram.

“Instituting a ‘designated persons list’ for individuals who violate religious freedom and authorizing the president to issue sanctions against those who participate in persecution.”

The bill also “creates a list of overseas religious prisoners; mandates religious liberty training for all foreign service officers; (and) establishes a minimum number of full-time staff members in the State Department’s international religious freedom office.”

This is welcome news not only for the persecuted worldwide but also for our own foreign policy interests: By standing with the persecuted, America not only remains true to her own founding principles of religious liberty and human dignity but also lets the suffering know that they have a friend in the United States. This seed, once planted, will bear good fruit for American diplomacy in the future.


What the enemies of the Gospel don’t understand is that in another of God’s marvelous ironies, persecution only leads to an increase in people coming to Christ. As church father Tertullian said,

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” May many of those enemies, in 2017, themselves become like Paul — once persecutors, now believers in the Risen Son. May we pray to that end, and never forget to pray and advocate for some of the very least of our — and Jesus’s — brethren.

NETANYAHU FIRES BACK, REBUKES OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

by CHRIS MITCHELL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Kerry's speech was almost as "unbalanced" as the anti-Israel resolution passed at the Security Council last week. (Reuters)

The war of words between Israel and the Obama administration ramped up on Wednesday as Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a Middle East peace speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Kerry's speech was almost as "unbalanced" as the anti-Israel resolution passed at the Security Council last week.

"Secretary Kerry paid lip service to the unremitting campaign of terrorism that has been waged by the Palestinians against the Jewish state for nearly a century," Netanyahu said in reaction to Kerry's speech.

The U.S. abstained from a vote in the Security Council against Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, allowing the resolution to pass.

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"What he did was to spend most of his speech blaming Israel for the lack of peace by passionately condemning a policy of enabling Jews to live in their historic homeland and in their eternal capital, Jerusalem," Netanyahu said.

In a televised speech, Kerry spoke for well over an hour, much of it bashing Israel for building Jewish communities in its biblical homeland, including Jerusalem, where Palestinians want a future state.

"The Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution, but his current coalition is the most right-wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements," Kerry said. He said Israeli policies were "leading toward one state."

Kerry said Israeli settlements are ruining the dream of a two-state solution so the U.S. couldn't veto the resolution.

"In the end, we could not in good conscience protect the most extreme elements of the settler movement as it tries to destroy the two-state solution," he said.

Netanyahu fired back.

"Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders. Israel's hand has been extended in peace to its neighbors from day one, from its very first day," he said.

Israel and the Palestinians have worked on the two-state solution for more than 20 years. Israel gave up territory and got terror in return. Now Israelis are looking forward to working with a new U.S. administration.

"We're certainly looking forward to working together with the new administration on strengthening Israel," Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett said.

"Look at the paradox here. The whole region is in chaos. Just two hours from here in Syria, there's a genocide going on where they've murdered half a million women, children and innocent men, and yet the U.N. Security Council has done nothing," Bennett told CBN News.

Bennett said the Obama administration is trying to tie President-elect Donald Trump's hands with the U.N. resolution.

"It's not going to work," Bennett said. "You know Jerusalem has been our capital for well over 3,000 years. No U.N. resolution will change that. No U.N. resolution can change history."

A so-called peace conference in Paris is scheduled for just days before the inauguration, and many say nothing good will come out of it. Others are just holding their breath until Trump takes office.

'STAR WARS' ACTRESS CARRIE FISHER DEAD AT 60

by STEVE GORMAN/REUTERS
Carrie Fisher poses for cameras as she arrives at the European Premiere of Star Wars, 'The Force Awakens' in Leicester Square, London. (REUTERS/Paul Hackett/File Photo)
Carrie Fisher, who rose to fame as Princess Leia in the Star Wars films and later endured drug addiction and stormy romances with show business heavyweights, died on Tuesday, her daughter said through a family spokesman.

"It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning," Lourd said in a statement issued by Simon Halls. "She was loved by the world, and she will be missed profoundly."

Fisher was 60 years old.

Fisher, who had been in England shooting the third season of the British sitcom "Catastrophe," suffered a heart attack during a flight on Friday from London to Los Angeles. She was met by paramedics and rushed to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Her death came a month after the actress and author made headlines by disclosing that she had a three-month love affair with her Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford 40 years ago.

Fisher revealed the secret to People magazine while promoting her new memoir, "The Princess Diarist," just before it went on sale. The book is based on Fisher's diaries from her time working on the first Star Wars movie.


Fisher said the affair started and ended in 1976 during production on the blockbuster sci-fi adventure in which she first appeared as the intrepid Princess Leia. Ford played the maverick space pilot Han Solo.

"It was so intense," Fisher told People. "It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend." She was 19 and Ford was 33 at the time of the affair.

"How could you ask such a shining specimen of a man to be satisfied with the likes of me? I was so inexperienced, but I trusted something about him. He was kind," she wrote of Ford in the memoir, the latest of several books Fisher authored over the years.

Fisher reprised the role in two Star Wars sequels. She gained sex symbol status in 1983's Return of the Jedi when her Leia character wore a metallic gold bikini while enslaved by the diabolical Jabba the Hutt.

She returned last year in Disney's <DIS.N> reboot of the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens, appearing as the more matronly General Leia Organa, leader of the Resistance movement fighting the evil First Order.


FEARING UN VOTE ON PRINCIPLES OF PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD, PM NETANYAHU 'REACHING OUT TO TRUMP'

BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and US Secretary of State John Kerry speak to the press during a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, November 24, 2015. (AFP/Pool/Atef Safadi)

Amid escalating fallout from the UN Security Council vote Friday that condemned Israel’s settlement activities, a furious Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reported on Sunday night to be attempting to “recruit” the incoming Trump administration and the US Congress to block a feared bid by the outgoing Obama administration to have the Security Council approve principles for a Palestinian state.

“They are spitting at us,” Netanyahu has told colleagues behind closed doors, Channel 2 news reported. “We will respond forcefully.”

Netanyahu held a 40-minute meeting with US Ambassador Dan Shapiro on Sunday evening, having summoned the envoy to explain why the US abstained in the vote on Resolution 2334, enabling it to pass 14-0, rather than vetoing it. He had earlier summoned the envoys of the 12 nations with representatives in Israel that voted for the resolution for a dressing-down at the Foreign Ministry.

Underlining Israel’s determination to press ahead with building beyond the pre-1967 lines, the Jerusalem municipality will this week approve some new homes in Ramat Shlomo and Ramot, neighborhoods captured in 1967 and subsequently annexed by Israel as part of Jerusalem, Channel 2 news reported.

Netanyahu is now reaching out to the incoming Trump administration, which takes office on January 20, and to friends in Congress, in the hope of “deterring” what he sees as further potential Obama administration-led diplomatic action against Israel, the Channel 2 report said. His aim is for the Trump team to make plain that his administration will “economically hurt” those countries that voted against Israel in the UN and that do so in the future.

Netanyahu’s fear is that Secretary of State John Kerry will set out principles or parameters for a Palestinian state in a speech that he has said he will deliver in the next few days on his Middle East vision. The prime minister fears that, in its final days, the Obama administration will seek to have a resolution enshrining those parameters adopted by the UN Security Council, the report said.


France is to hold a conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on January 15, and Netanyahu expects that Kerry will attend, that the Middle East Quartet — the US, UN, Russia and EU — will coordinate their positions at that summit, and that they will then turn to the Security Council in the very last days of the Obama presidency, a Channel 10 report further suggested.

Such speculation was not confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office, but Netanyahu has made public his outrage at the Obama administration several times since Resolution 2334 was passed, claiming that the president initiated and helped draft the resolution “behind Israel’s back.” He has variously called the resolution skewed, shameful and ridiculous — in part because it brands Jerusalem’s Old City, including the Temple Mount and Western Wall, “occupied Palestinian territory.”

Lighting festive Hanukkah candles at the Western Wall on Sunday night, Netanyahu stressed that Israel “cannot accept” the UN resolution, and asked: “How could they vote that [the Western Wall] is occupied territory? We were here much earlier.”

In an address on Saturday night, Netanyahu had likened President Barack Obama to the former president Jimmy Carter, who he said was “deeply hostile” to Israel. He described the vote in the Security Council as “the swan song of the old world that is anti-Israel.” Now, he said, “we are entering a new era. And as President-elect Trump said, it’s going to happen a lot faster than people think.” In this new era, it will be a lot more costly for those who seek to harm Israel, he warned.

The prime minister was also widely reported Sunday to have either canceled or opted not to schedule a meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos next month; his spokesman said no such meeting had ever been arranged. He was also said to have chosen not to schedule a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping. He has already recalled Israel’s ambassadors from Senegal and New Zealand, two of the four countries that co-sponsored the resolution. (Israel has no ties with the other two sponsors, Malaysia and Venezuela.)

Netanyahu also reportedly told his cabinet ministers at a meeting on Sunday morning to reduce to a minimum their engagement with all the countries that voted for the resolution and with which Israel has ties — China, Russia, France, the UK, Spain, Egypt, Angola, Ukraine, Uruguay, Japan, New Zealand and Senegal. They were told to minimize any visits to those countries, and that he would not receive visits from their foreign ministers.

On Saturday, Netanyahu canceled this week’s scheduled visit to Israel of Ukraine’s prime minister.
Samantha Power, center, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, votes to abstain during a U.N. Security Council vote on condemning Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, Friday, Dec. 23, 2016 at United Nations Headquarters. (Manuel Elias/The United Nations via AP)

Addressing the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated his staunch opposition to Resolution 2334.

“We have no doubt that the Obama administration initiated it, stood behind it, coordinated its versions and insisted upon its passage,” he said.


'FREETHINKING' ATHEISTS LAUNCH AN ATTACK ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

by BOB ESCHLIMAN

The atheists at the Freedom From Religion Foundation consider themselves "freethinkers," but when it comes to the incoming Trump Administration, they're ready to lose their minds over the number of evangelical Christians who are likely to hold high-ranking positions of government.

It's actually an impressive number.

Led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated the following evangelicals:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke
Secretary of Health & Human Services Tom Price
Secretary of Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson
Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
Administrator of the EPA Scott Pruitt
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley
Director of Central Intelligence Mike Pompeo

Counting Pence, that's 11 evangelicals. Additionally, the Trump Administration will also have three mainline Protestant Christians, four Catholics and three Jews. Apparently, that's just too many God-believing people for the freethinking FFRF.


The 40-year-old Madison, Wisconsin-based organization has launched a new advertising campaign online with a 30-second spot titled "The Wall." In it, the group complains:

The only wall we need is between church and state. Washington D.C. is about to be overrun by zealots. The religious right will soon control all three branches of government. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is fighting dangerous abuses of power. Don't let the religious right "trump" the First Amendment.

As of this writing, the video has been viewed fewer than 2,200 times on YouTube. But it is appearing as an advertisement prior to others shown on the video-sharing website, and it signals the group may be planning to aggressively confront the administration.


THIS SMALL BUSINESS OWNER DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE SHIRTS FOR GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL

by LEAH JESSEN/THE DAILY SIGNAL
Blaine Adamson, a print shop owner in Kentucky, still has battles in court over an incident where he was accused of discrimination against an LGBT group after not printing T-shirts. (ADF/Brianna Herlihy)
A lawyer representing a Kentucky print shop owner who chose not to print gay pride festival T-shirts argued in a hearing this week that the government cannot force a person to create speech against his or her beliefs.

Blaine Adamson, owner of Hands On Originals in Lexington, Kentucky, turned down business due to his religious beliefs in 2012. He chose not to print shirts for the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization in advance of a gay pride festival.



The LGBT organization filed a discrimination complaint against Adamson with a local human rights commission.

"This case is about the expressive freedom of everyone, because if the owners of Hands On Originals must print messages that conflict with their beliefs, then there's nothing stopping the government from forcing a lesbian printer to create a religious group's flyer objecting to a same-sex marriage or forcing a Muslim graphic designer to build a website promoting Jewish beliefs," Jim Campbell, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, told The Daily Signal. "I think that there is a universal appeal to what we are arguing here."

A Kentucky circuit court sided with Adamson in April 2015, saying he had the right not to print the shirts. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission had previously ruled that Adamson must print T-shirts even if the messages on the shirts conflicted with his religious beliefs.

The commission appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals on the Fayette County Circuit Court ruling that overturned the commission's decision. The oral argument was held Dec. 13.

"Protecting Blaine's freedom protects everyone's freedom, regardless of their beliefs or convictions," Campbell said in a statement. "No matter what you believe, the government shouldn't be able to force you to create speech that conflicts with your deepest convictions."

Adamson's lawyers say they believe he has the right to decline printing shirts that conflict with his deeply held values.



"The trial court's decision rightly affirmed that, and we are asking the court of appeals to do the same," Campbell stated.

Campbell told a three-judge panel Tuesday that Adamson does not discriminate based on a person's sexual orientation, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

"Hands On Originals declined to print the shirts in question because of the messages on them, not the sexual orientation of the individuals who asked for them," Campbell told the Kentucky Court of Appeals, according to the local news outlet.

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Ed Dove, a lawyer with the Lexington Human Rights Commission, said, "You can't separate the message from the discrimination. That's a red herring."

Alliance Defending Freedom, the Christian legal organization representing Adamson, said of the incident:


Blaine explained that he could not print a shirt bearing a message that conflict with his faith. He then offered to connect the [Gay and Lesbian Services Organization] to another printer who would create the shirts for the same price that he would have charged. "Hands On Originals, our client, regularly prints shirts for gays and lesbians," Campbell told The Daily Signal. "In fact, Hands On Originals has printed promotional items for a lesbian singer that performed at the very pride festival in question in this case, so Hands On Originals has no objection to serving gays and lesbians."

Campbell said: "The owners of Hands On Originals object to printing anything that promotes sexual activity or relationships outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. That belief regularly requires them to decline orders from heterosexuals.

Alliance Defending Freedom says it expects a court decision to be made within 90 days.

"If they rule in our favor, then we'll have to see if the commission decides to continue to spend taxpayer dollars to pursue this or if the court rules for the commission, then we'll have to evaluate whether to appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court," Campbell said


ACTOR WESLEY SNIPES PENS END-TIMES SPIRITUAL WARFARE NOVEL

by JESSILYN JUSTICE
Wesley Snipes is writing a supernatural thriller. (Wesley Snipes/Facebook)
Think of your favorite supernatural authors: Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker and ... Wesley Snipes?

The actor joins the author ranks as he prepares to debut his new work: an end-times, spiritual warfare-inspired novel featuring a Baptist preacher's daughter. Snipes co-wrote the novel with Ray Norman, who has ghostwritten nonfiction books.


"There are spiritual warriors that inhabit this planet who are here to help balance out the evil forces, and they are always looking for the next apprentice. And when they find the next apprentice to train—the next heir apparent—then they can move on to the higher realms," Snipes tells Deadline.

Talon of God features Lauren, the pastor's daughter, who is chosen to be a "holy warrior."

She's "a spiritual woman, and her father is a minister who is put to the challenge. Lauren has been chosen to be a holy warrior here on Earth. She's a doctor; her father is a Baptist minister."

Snipes tells Deadline the book, which he hopes to turn into a film, will address faith issues.

"There are spiritual questions," Snipes says. "Are there demonic forces in the world that manipulate us into doing things that are not in our best interests or into accepting conditions that are not in our best interests? The human mind is pretty intriguing, why we do some of the things we do."

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lauren is pulled into an apocalyptic battle between heaven and hell. Fighting alongside her is the "spirit warrior and legendary man of God" Talon Hunter, hence the book's title, Talon of God.

"It's one thing to get a project in and be like, 'Do you mean the Wesley Snipes?' and be told 'Yes — he's written a novel,'" said Harper Voyager executive editor David Pomerico in a statement. "But then to learn that the story he and Ray put together is just so much fun, well, there was no way I couldn't do this project!"

The novel is due out in July.

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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BILL HEADS TO PRESIDENT'S DESK

by BOB ESCHLIMAN

The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the president's desk for his signature on Tuesday the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act.

The bipartisan bill, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and co-sponsored by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) is meant to provide the federal government, particularly the Department of State, with new tools, resources and training to help counter extremism and the growing persecution of religious minorities globally. The bill is named in honor of former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who authored the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998.

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"Congressman Frank Wolf [was] a tireless champion for the rights of the poor and the persecuted globally," Smith, who chairs the Global Human Rights Subcommittee, said. "18 years ago, he had the foresight to make advancing the right to religious freedom a high U.S. foreign policy priority. It is largely because of his efforts that religious freedom is taken seriously as a foreign policy issue. I had the distinct honor and pleasure of working with him for over thirty years. This bill is a fitting tribute to his work and service to our great nation."

The new legislation expands on Wolf's in these ways:

Creates a "designated persons list" for individuals who commit egregious violations of religious freedom
Creates a comprehensive religious prisoners list—persons who are detained, imprisoned, tortured and subject to forced remission of faith.
Integrates religious freedom into every aspect of U.S. foreign policy
Strengthens the special adviser for religious freedom at the National Security Council
Requires international religious freedom training for all foreign service officers
Requires that the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom report directly to the secretary of state
Elevates the position of the ambassador within the federal government
Creates an "entity of particular concern" designation for non-state actors like terrorist groups
Requires more frequent presidential actions to counter severe religious freedom violations globally
Creates a "special watch list"—two-tier system at state (CPC countries/special watch list)
Sets congressional expectations for staffing of the IRF office and expansion of religious freedom program grants


"From China and Vietnam to Syria and Nigeria, we are witnessing a tragic, global crisis in religious persecution, violence and terrorism, with dire consequences for religious believers and for U.S. national security," Smith said. "Ancient Christian communities in Iraq and Syria are on the verge of extinction and other religious minorities in the Middle East face a constant assault from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

"The freedom to practice a religion without persecution is a precious right for everyone, of whatever race, sex or location on earth. This human right is enshrined in our own founding documents, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and has been a bedrock principle of open and democratic societies for centuries.


REVIVAL IS ON THE WAY: "TED CRUZ JOINS PRAYER BATTLE IN THE CAPITAL

by CBN News

Donald Trump's former rival and 2016 presidential candidate Ted Cruz recently held a prayer meeting with conservative pastors and members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

The meeting was held to pray against Satan's power on Capitol Hill and was organized by Wallbuilders and the Jefferson Gathering, reported by Right Wing Watch.

Wallbuilders is a conservative organization run by evangelical author and activist David Barton, and the Jefferson Gathering is a prayer organization developed by Skyline Church, where Jim Garlow is the lead pastor.

"Sen. Ted Cruz was eloquent as usual. He came through a bruising election - and continues to be a profound & significant voice in the Senate. Thank God for him!" Garlow wrote on Facebook.

"There are at least 5 or 6 pastors...in Congress. Congressman Jody Hice - GA - is one of those & was my friend before he went to the US House of Representatives. These are the type of high quality people who are representing you," he said in another post.


"The problem has been in the White House & 5 of the Justices of the SCOTUS. The problem is NOT the Congress," he added.

Pastor Dave Walker of the Tennessee Pastors Network and Dave Kistler of the North Carolina Pastors Network participated in the event as well.

"If God rules in the halls of legislation, it's the pulpit's benefit of being there, being on site and standing up and speaking the law of God to our elected leaders and praying for them," Walker explained. "It's been the absence of the pulpits is the reason why Satan has ruled in the halls of legislation."

The group prayed in the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Capitol and in the U.S. Senate chamber, also led by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas.

"We got on our knees... and it sounded almost like a labor room as people were crying out to God for the revival that Chaplain Black believes is coming and that we believe is coming," Kistler said.

"To do that in the Senate chamber was an absolutely astounding opportunity," he added. "And again it puts an exclamation point on the Senate chaplain's assessment that revival is on the way and may indeed begin in the halls of Congress."

HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER LAMAR JACKSON THANKS HIS LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

University of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson wasted no time during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech to give praise to his Lord and Savior.











image: http://d.christianpost.com/full/101919/590-393/lamar-jackson.jpg
image: http://d.christianpost.com/full/101919/590-393/lamar-jackson.jpg
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports/Greg M. Cooper)Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) prepares to make a pass during the second quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Boston College at Alumni Stadium on Nov. 5, 2016 in Boston.

The 19-year-old Jackson, who threw for over 30 touchdowns, ran for 21 touchdowns and amassed over 4,900 total yards for the Cardinals this season, became the youngest player ever to win college football's most prestigious award on Saturday night during the annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Gala in New York.
After taking a few seconds to corral his thoughts and pull out his prepared remarks, Jackson, who sported a large cross around his neck, immediately reminded the audience that they all have something to be thankful for.
"First and foremost, before I go further along in my speech, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," Jackson said. "Without Him, none of us would be here right now tonight."
"To the Heisman voters, I am truly honored and humbled to be the the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner," Jackson continued. "To be able to stand up here like all the other former Heisman Trophy winners, I'm extremely proud to represent this class and the University of Louisville with their first Heisman Trophy."
After winning the award and giving his acceptance speech, Jackson spoke at a press conference at the Marriott Marquis near Time Square, where he continued his praise of God.
"When I heard them say my name — there was five of us and I did not know which name he was going to call — some reason my chest just started pumping really hard, my heart started racing," Jackson, who set an Atlantic Coast Conference record with 51 total touchdowns in 2016, explained. "When I heard them say my name, just thank God."
Jackson's love for football was largely shaped by his mother, Felicia Jones, who first signed Jackson up to play football at the age of 8, even though he never really liked football.
According to an ESPN feature piece, Jones had to be both mother and father to her sons after their father died in a car accident when they were young. Her love for her boys was so strong that she even put on her own pads to practice football with Lamar and her younger son, Jamar, in the backyard of their Florida home.
Jackson's acceptance speech comes as many of the past Heisman Trophy winners have used their acceptance speeches to praise God.
Last December, 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, running back from the University of Alabama, also thanked God in his speech.
"First off, I just want to thank God for bringing me here and winning the prestigious award," Henry said during his acceptance speech. "He's been so good to me in my life and I have been honored and blessed with this opportunity. Since I was a kid, it has been my lifelong goal and a dream of mine. I am just so thankful."














In 2014, the Heisman Trophy was won by current Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, who said in an interview with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that he does everything to glorify God.
"When things start to get rough, you find comfort in your faith," Mariota said. "Knowing that no matter what, you can dust yourself off and be OK. And you know you do it for (God's) glory. You do it for your teammates, your family, but also for his glory and to represent his name."
The 2013 Heisman Trophy was won by controversial quarterback Jameis Winston, who immediately thanked God in his acceptance speech.
In 2012, Johnny Manziel, another controversial quarterback, won the prestigious award for his play at Texas A&M. He also took time from his speech to thank the Lord.
"Most of all I want to thank God for allowing me to be here," Manziel said. "All that He's blessed me with in my entire life I'm so thankful for. For the love and the grace you have shown me, I'll be forever grateful."

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/heisman-trophy-winner-lamar-jackson-thanks-his-lord-and-savior-jesus-christ-in-acceptance-speech-172077/#ac35YujHPEu07ZO0.99
BY SAMUEL SMITH
 
Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) prepares to make a pass during the second quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Boston College at Alumni Stadium on Nov. 5, 2016 in Boston.
University of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson wasted no time during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech to give praise to his Lord and Savior.

The 19-year-old Jackson, who threw for over 30 touchdowns, ran for 21 touchdowns and amassed over 4,900 total yards for the Cardinals this season, became the youngest player ever to win college football's most prestigious award on Saturday night during the annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Gala in New York.



After taking a few seconds to corral his thoughts and pull out his prepared remarks, Jackson, who sported a large cross around his neck, immediately reminded the audience that they all have something to be thankful for.

"First and foremost, before I go further along in my speech, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," Jackson said. "Without Him, none of us would be here right now tonight."

"To the Heisman voters, I am truly honored and humbled to be the the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner," Jackson continued. "To be able to stand up here like all the other former Heisman Trophy winners, I'm extremely proud to represent this class and the University of Louisville with their first Heisman Trophy."



After winning the award and giving his acceptance speech, Jackson spoke at a press conference at the Marriott Marquis near Time Square, where he continued his praise of God.

"When I heard them say my name — there was five of us and I did not know which name he was going to call — some reason my chest just started pumping really hard, my heart started racing," Jackson, who set an Atlantic Coast Conference record with 51 total touchdowns in 2016, explained. "When I heard them say my name, just thank God."

Jackson's love for football was largely shaped by his mother, Felicia Jones, who first signed Jackson up to play football at the age of 8, even though he never really liked football.

According to an ESPN feature piece, Jones had to be both mother and father to her sons after their father died in a car accident when they were young. Her love for her boys was so strong that she even put on her own pads to practice football with Lamar and her younger son, Jamar, in the backyard of their Florida home.

Jackson's acceptance speech comes as many of the past Heisman Trophy winners have used their acceptance speeches to praise God.

Last December, 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, running back from the University of Alabama, also thanked God in his speech.

"First off, I just want to thank God for bringing me here and winning the prestigious award," Henry said during his acceptance speech. "He's been so good to me in my life and I have been honored and blessed with this opportunity. Since I was a kid, it has been my lifelong goal and a dream of mine. I am just so thankful."

In 2014, the Heisman Trophy was won by current Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, who said in an interview with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that he does everything to glorify God.

"When things start to get rough, you find comfort in your faith," Mariota said. "Knowing that no matter what, you can dust yourself off and be OK. And you know you do it for (God's) glory. You do it for your teammates, your family, but also for his glory and to represent his name."

The 2013 Heisman Trophy was won by controversial quarterback Jameis Winston, who immediately thanked God in his acceptance speech.

In 2012, Johnny Manziel, another controversial quarterback, won the prestigious award for his play at Texas A&M. He also took time from his speech to thank the Lord.

"Most of all I want to thank God for allowing me to be here," Manziel said. "All that He's blessed me with in my entire life I'm so thankful for. For the love and the grace you have shown me, I'll be forever grateful."

SINGING OF THE US NATIONAL ANTHEM AT THE ARMY-NAVY GAME

BY JUSTEN CHARTERS AND BENNY JOHNSON


The Army-Navy Game's Powerful Rendition of Nat'l Anthem Puts Every NFL Player Who Took a Knee to Shame

The constant protests have hurt football ratings and some veterans have hammered into athletes for not showing respect for the flag they fought and sacrificed for.







ATHEISTS ATTACK TOWN'S NATIVITY DISPLAY

by BOB ESCHLIMAN
Liberty Counsel says a nativity display, when placed with secular decor, is not a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. (Public Domain Image)

The "freethinking" atheists at the Freedom From Religion Foundation are indirectly putting pressure on the city of Franklin, Pa., to take down a nativity scene that has long been part of the community's Christmas display.

But, the town's city council has decided it won't back down, thanks in part of assistance offered by Liberty Counsel.

The issue began late last month when the city received an anonymous email demanding the city remove its nativity display in Bandstand Park. FFRF was "carbon copied" on the email, which states the display is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

However, at this week's council meeting, community leaders unanimously approved adding secular decorative items near the nativity display. Also at the meeting, Liberty Counsel offered to provide free legal assistance in support of that decision, which it says is permissible "government speech."


"Such decorations could include Santa, reindeer, snowmen or other symbols or décor displayed in tasteful proximity to the nativity scene," Liberty Counsel stated in a press release Thursday morning. "In addition to the city's constitutional 'government speech' option under applicable Supreme Court precedent, other courts, including the Third Circuit Court of Appeals—which has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania—routinely uphold Christmas displays against legal challenge."

Liberty Counsel has just launched its 14th annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign, pledging to be a "friend" to those who recognize Christmas and a "foe" to those who attempt to censor it. The campaign educates, and if necessary litigates, to make sure Christmas and Christian themes are not censored.

Liberty Counsel also offers guidance regarding publicly and privately sponsored religious holiday displays, religious holidays in public schools and the rights of public school students in the context of religious holidays.

"Publicly-sponsored nativity scenes on public property are constitutional, especially when the display includes other secular symbols of the holiday," Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said. "Franklin city officials quickly voted to add other appropriate decor, in order to avoid question whether the nativity scene is constitutional. We stand by the city and will offer legal counsel to any city facing threats from the FFRF or other individuals."





104-YEAR-OLD PEARL HARBOR SURVIOR'S INSPIRING STORY

by ERICKA ANDERSEN 
104-year-old US veteran Ray Chavez -- the oldest-known Pearl Harbor attack survivor
Ray Chavez was a 29-year-old American Sailor on December 7, 1941. Today, he is 104 — and the oldest known survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 

In this news report, Chavez says, “I got very emotional on that day . . . there were so many innocent people that were lost.” This year marks the 75th anniversary of that awful day — and Chavez has been preparing for it for the past three years. 

He was intent on making the trip to Hawaii for the anniversary but knew his body would need to stay in shape in order to make it. Three years ago, he hired a personal trainer to ensure he’d be able to make the trip. 

 This year, he got a first-class ticket on Alaska Airlines and arrived this past weekend, ready for the anniversary ceremonies tomorrow. 



ROGUE REPUBLICAN ELECTOR ANNOUNCES HE WILL NOT VOTE FOR TRUMP AND URGES OTHERS TO JOIN HIM

by MICHAEL SNYDER
Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump looks out at Lake Michigan during a visit to the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (REUTERS/Eric Thayer/File Photo)
Donald Trump has already lost one of his electoral votes, and there are indications that a number of additional electors may be prepared to abandon him.

Prior to the election, I warned my readers we would not officially know who the next president would be until Dec. 19. On that Monday, the 538 members of the Electoral College will gather in their state capitals in all 50 states to formally elect the next president. Throughout U.S. history, electors have voted according to the will of the people more than 99 percent of the time, but in 2016, there is a concerted effort to persuade Republican electors not to vote for Trump.

If 37 Republican electors can be convinced to vote for someone other than Trump, that would keep Trump under the 270-vote threshold needed to win, and it would throw the election into the House of Representatives. Most people had considered this to be a long shot, but on Monday, a Republican elector named Christopher Suprun publicly announced in The New York Times that he will not cast his vote for Donald Trump. On the other side, there are at least 8 Democratic electors that have already publicly pledged to switch their votes from Hillary Clinton to a compromise Republican alternative to Trump.


So we already know there will be quite a few "faithless electors" on Dec. 19. The question will be whether or not they are able to rally enough electors to their cause to deny Donald Trump the presidency.

What Christopher Suprun has chosen to do is really unprecedented in the history of modern American politics. Not only has he publicly announced that he is not voting for Trump, he is also attempting to convince other Republican electors to join him. He explained his reasoning for this move in his editorial for the New York Times:

Fifteen years ago, as a firefighter, I was part of the response to the Sept. 11 attacks against our nation. That attack and this year's election may seem unrelated, but for me the relationship becomes clearer every day.

George W. Bush is an imperfect man, but he led us through the tragic days following the attacks. His leadership showed that America was a great nation. That was also the last time I remember the nation united. I watch Mr. Trump fail to unite America and drive a wedge between us.

Mr. Trump goes out of his way to attack the cast of Saturday Night Live for bias. He tweets day and night but waited two days to offer sympathy to the Ohio State community after an attack there. He does not encourage civil discourse but chooses to stoke fear and create outrage.


Of course this movement started long before Suprun made his surprise announcement. A group of eight Democratic "Hamilton electors" has been lobbying for Republican electors to reject Trump and join them in agreeing on a compromise Republican alternative for quite some time. And according to Politico, those associated with this group have been in active contact with the Clinton campaign.


Advocates of the long-shot bid to turn the Electoral College against Donald Trump have been in contact with close allies of Hillary Clinton, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, but the Clinton camp—and Clinton herself—have declined to weigh in on the merits of the plan.

Clinton's team and the Democratic National Committee have steadfastly refused to endorse the efforts spearheaded by a group of electors in Colorado and Washington state. But, as with the ongoing recounts initiated by Green Party nominee Jill Stein, the Clinton team has not categorically rejected them, leaving the collection of mainly Democratic electors to push forward with no explicit public support from the failed Democratic nominee or any other prominent party leaders.

Of course the Clinton team is desperate to do something to salvage this election. Clinton's lead in the popular vote has now grown to more than 2.5 million, and it might end up around 3 million by the time all the votes have been counted.

There are Clinton advocates who are arguing that the American people clearly chose Hillary Clinton to be the next president and that therefore the Electoral College should choose to reject Trump on Dec. 19. But for Christopher Suprun, the popular vote doesn't really matter. To him, it is all about "the good of the country." Here is more from his editorial in The New York Times.


The election of the next president is not yet a done deal. Electors of conscience can still do the right thing for the good of the country. Presidential electors have the legal right and a constitutional duty to vote their conscience. I believe electors should unify behind a Republican alternative, an honorable and qualified man or woman such as Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. I pray my fellow electors will do their job and join with me in discovering who that person should be.

Fifteen years ago, I swore an oath to defend my country and Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. On Dec. 19, I will do it again.

It is very interesting that he brought up Ohio Governor John Kasich, because Politico is reporting that Kasich is precisely the compromise candidate the "Hamilton electors" are pushing.


Kasich is increasingly seen as the most acceptable Republican alternative to electors on both sides of the aisle, according to multiple electors familiar with the conversations. They note that Kasich defeated Trump in Ohio's primary, that the governor boasts a high approval rating in his state and that Kasich was reportedly under consideration to be Trump's vice president before he selected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

"Many Electors are saying that Gov. John Kasich would be best for our country. A consensus is beginning to form that Gov. Kasich would be best positioned to unite America," Micheal Baca said in a statement to Politico on Sunday. Other electors involved in the effort confirmed this line of thinking.

Of course if it is only Christopher Suprun that switches his vote that isn't going to make enough of a difference.

The "Hamilton electors" need a total of 37 Republican electors to switch their votes to deny Trump the presidency, and according to one report, they already have 15.


In a sensational new development, TV host David Pakman says he was told by a high-level source that 15 electors in states Trump won will refuse to vote for Donald Trump.

Pakman went on to say that the electors are also lobbying other members of the electoral college not to vote for Trump.

The goal is to prevent Trump from getting the 270 electoral votes he requires to become president.

If Trump loses 37 electoral votes, it will put him under the 270 benchmark and throw America into a constitutional crisis.

Of course the only "faithless" Republican elector who has come forward publicly is Christopher Suprun. So if there actually are 14 others, we do not know their identities at this point.

But without a doubt, this election is not over yet. The votes that will decide the next president of the United States will not be cast until Dec. 19, and the next president will not be inaugurated until Jan. 20.

So we are still in "the danger zone," and Trump supporters cannot rest easy until he is officially in the White House.