'We Are Losing Our Freedoms': Alex McFarland's Apologetics Conference to Focus on Saving America

By Michael Gryboski
Christian Post

Notable apologist and author Alex McFarland's latest Truth for a New Generation conference will have a focus on saving the United States and its constitutional rights.

"We are losing our freedoms, we're actually suffering as a nation because of our abandonment of morality or what we might call natural law," McFarland told The Christian Post.

"I believe that our abandonment of morality in terms of abortion, the redefinition of marriage, the blurring of gender and sexual truth, it really threatens our Constitution."

Begun by McFarland back in the 1990s, Truth for a New Generation will kick off its next conference at Life Community Church in Jamestown, North Carolina, on Friday.

McFarland noted that the chief purpose of the conference remains evangelism and equipping believers to intellectually defend the faith. He stressed that "without a return to morality and God, we stand to lose our Constitution."

(SCREENSHOT: VIMEO/AMERICAN FAMILY STUDIOS)

Christian apologist, author Alex McFarland being
interviewed for the 2018 documentary
"The God Who Speaks."

"It's been building for a number of years, but we're teetering on the brink of societal chaos and that will only escalate unless we return to Christ," added McFarland.

McFarland's latest apologetics conference comes as the U.S. Supreme Court considers two cases which social conservatives argue showcase curbs on religious liberty by social liberals.

Last December, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which centers on whether a Christian baker can refuse to make a gay wedding cake due to his sincerely held religious objections.

Earlier this week, the high court heard oral arguments in the case of National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, in which a California law that compels pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion is being challenged.

In addition to McFarland, other notable speakers at the weekend conference will include Fox News contributor and author Todd Starnes, apologist and author Josh McDowell, former Islamic jihadist turned Christian evangelist Kamal Saleem, and Abraham Hamilton III, radio host at Urban Family Talk, among others.

Hamilton told CP that he agreed to speak at the conference because he believed "there is a tremendous need in the body of Christ to be sharpened in the area of apologetics."

Christian Post article continues here

Gaza Christians Denied Access to Jerusalem for Easter

Worshippers kneel and pray in front of the closed doors of the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City, February 25, 2018.

By James Macintyre

Christianity Today

Christians in the Gaza Strip have yet to receive any permits from Israel to travel to Jerusalem and worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus is held to have been crucified and resurrected, church leaders have said.

Israel, which has said that it will only issue permits this year to to Gazan Christians aged at least 55, tightly restricts movements out of the Gaza Strip, territory which is controlled by Hamas.

The Israeli military-run authority which operates in the West Bank defended its policy to restrict access, saying that many Palestinians had stayed on illegally in the past. 

'Israel is a sovereign state and it has the right to decide who will enter its gates. No foreign residents have an inherent right to enter Israel, including Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip,' said a Civil Administration (COGAT) spokesman, without saying whether permits would be issued this year.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said church authorities had applied for around 600 permits for Gaza Palestinian worshipers to travel, but had not received any.

Gaza, which is under an ongoing Israeli blockade, has only around 1,000 Christians – most of them Greek Orthodox – among a population of 2 million in the narrow coastal strip.

Father Ibrahim Shomali, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said that worshippers should not even be required to gain permits from Israel.

'We have to have free access to the Holy Land, free access to our holy places,' he said at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

'Of course, we apply, but in reality, there must be no applying for permits to come to visit your own places.'

Church leaders feared more restrictions than usual this year as Easter falls on the same weekend as the start of the Jewish festival of Passover. Some also fear that Israel has been emboldened by the recent decision by Donald Trump unilaterally and controversially to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

'[Israel] will close every single checkpoint, and this will be more strict than any other year because of the proclamation of Trump and the effects we got from it, and that we will get from it,' Shomali said.

Christian Today article continues here 

Imprisoned American Pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkish Prison Visited by Sen. Thom Tillis

Pastor Andrew Brunson

By Samuel Smith
Christian Post

American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been imprisoned in Turkey since October 2016 on false terror and espionage charges, received a visit Wednesday from U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., inside Buca Prison in Izmir.

Tillis' visit comes as Brunson, who hails from Black Mountain, North Carolina, and has pastored at a church in Izmir for the last two decades, could face up to 35 years in prison.

"Pastor Brunson is strengthened by his love for his family and his faith in God, but his health has deteriorated," Tillis said in a statement following the visit. "He has lost 50 pounds and spends 24 hours a day in a cell with limited human contact."

According to Tillis, Brunson is trying to visit a doctor this week, which would require him being transferred with several guards while being handcuffed.

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(PHOTO: REUTERS/DAVIS TURNER)

Thom Tillis attends a debate between the four top-polling Republican candidates in North Carolina for the U.S. Senate, at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina April 22, 2014.

"He fears the possibility that the American government accepts the indictment and forgets about him, which we will not allow to happen," Tillis assured. 

"There should be no mistake that Pastor Brunson is the victim of false accusations, and we call upon the Turkish authorities to honestly and transparently review his indictment."

Advocates say that Bruson has been falsely accused of having links to the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen and his FETO network. The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused Gulen of organizing the 2016 coup attempt.

The charges against Brunson are based off testimony from a supposed secret witness. The identity of the witness has not been revealed.

Erdoğan suggested last year that Brunson could be released if the U.S. extradites Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania.

"Pastor Brunson is being used as a political pawn by some elements of the Turkish government," Tillis asserted in his statement.

 "These elements seek to undercut the longstanding partnership between the United States and Turkey, in which our two nations have enjoyed close diplomatic, economic, and military ties. It is vital that our nations continue this partnership and continue to work together to pursue our common interests."

Tillis, who was elected to the Senate in 2014 while serving as speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, has worked with the State Department to push for Brunson's release.

Tillis has also led a Congressional committee in addressing the imprisonment of Brunson and other U.S. citizens in Turkey.

"I would also note the continued detention of multiple other U.S. citizens, as well as several Turkish staff of the U.S. diplomatic Mission, on scant evidence under the state of emergency, which continues to undermine the partnership between our two countries," Tillis continued.

"It is time for Pastor Brunson and these individuals to be reunited with their families. We look forward to Pastor Brunson's return home to America."

Christian Post article continues here 

Raising awareness to the growing tide of bigotry and hatred toward Christians around the world a mission to wake up all who cherish religious freedom as a God given right. Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook.

Pakistani Court Acquits 20 Men Who Burned Christian Couple Alive in Brick Kiln

Christian couple Sheathed, 35, (R) and Shamah Masih (L), 31,
were killed for allegedly desecrating the Quran in Pakistan, November 2014.

By Anugrah Kumar
Christian Post

A Pakistani court has acquitted 20 people who were charged with torturing and burning alive a young Pakistani Christian couple in a brick kiln after being falsely accused of blasphemy.

Shahzad Masih, 26, and his 24-year-old, five months-pregnant wife, Shama Bibi, who were from the village of Kot Radhakishan in the Punjab province, were accused by local Muslims of tearing pages out of a Quran, following which hundreds of enraged Muslims gathered and burned them alive on Nov. 4, 2014.

RadioFreeEurope quotes the prosecutor, Abdur Rauf, as saying that the court on Saturday acquitted 20 suspects.

In November 2016, an anti-terrorism court had sentenced five men to death and 10 others were given varying jail terms for playing a supportive role in the killings. Later, the court acquitted 93 other suspects in the case the same year.

Christian and other minorities in Pakistan routinely face blasphemy charges followed by "religious" lynching.

Pakistan has a notorious blasphemy law, embedded in Sections 295 and 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which provide for penalties ranging from a fine to death. The law is often misused to target religious minorities, including Christians, Shi'as, Ahmadiyyas and Hindus, as there is no provision to punish a false accuser or a false witness of blasphemy. It has been found that the law is used by some Muslims to falsely accuse members of minority communities to settle personal scores.

Although the couple tried to hide from the mob, they were eventually beaten ruthlessly and burned alive inside the brick kiln that they worked at, leaving their three young children, Suleman, Sonia and Poonam without their parents.

Yousaf Gujjar, the owner of the brick kiln that both Shama and Shahzad worked at as bonded laborers, is believed to have made up the blasphemy allegations because the couple owed him money that they could not pay. However, he was granted bail based on the claim that he was not even at the brick kiln the day that the couple was burned.

An estimated 1.6 percent of Pakistan's 17 million people are Christian, both Catholic and Protestant. Around 97 percent of the Pakistanis are Muslim, predominantly Sunni.

Website: Christian Post

Blogger's note: To view the original story posted November 2014 click here.

North Korean Regime Teaches Children Christianity Is Evil, Cross Is 'the Devil': Defector Share On Facebook Share On Twitter

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

Children living in the North Korean regime are taught daily that Christianity is evil and that the cross is a symbol of the devil, a believer who now lives outside the country has said.

A Christian by the pseudonym of John Choi spoke about life under the Communist ideals of the hermit kingdom in an article for Open Doors USA on Monday.

Choi explained that children are taught to believe that Christianity is an "evil American religion" and that missionaries are never to be trusted.

"When I grew up in North Korea, I also believed that Christianity was evil and that the cross was a symbol of the devil. Even in nursery school, we had to bow to the pictures of the first leaders of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung and his son, Kim Jong-Il," the defector revealed.

"Today, North Korean children learn about and bow to current 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-Un, too."

Some of the propaganda includes stories that Kim Il-Sung was "able to catch a double rainbow with one hand because of his 'majestic powers.'"

"Everything in North Korea revolves around the Kim family. North Korean children are brainwashed so that they will honor the leader of their day. In preschool, the teachers prayed to the leaders at lunchtime. We had to give thanks to the dictators for our 'daily bread,' Now, I realize they stole this from the Lord's Prayer," Choi said.

He noted that children are taught to hate the "American imperialists" and "South Korean puppets," with the message pushed by propaganda messages in films, musicals, paintings, and cartoons.

Citizens are also told stories about Christian pastors and missionaries raping and attacking people, creating an evil image in their minds that they are supposed to stay away from.

Still, Choi shared his hopes that with advancing technology, children are finding new ways to learn the truth about the world and are wising up to the regime's lies.

"Today's North Korean children are able to discover other beliefs and ways of life through escapees' disseminated information, smuggled USB drives and foreign radio broadcasts in the Korean language. More parents are coming to faith and, when the children are old enough, they will hear about the Bible and the Gospel," the defector said.

"I'm praying that God would open the eyes, ears and hearts of North Koreans of all ages. I truly believe that if believers throughout the world continue to pray with North Korean believers, one day all North Korean children will learn the truth about God and Christianity. One day, they will turn to the cross," he shared of his hopes.

Other defectors, such as Pastor Lee Joo-Chan, who now lives in China, have also talked about how children are brought up under the Kim regime.

Christian Post article continues here

Raising awareness to the growing tide of bigotry and hatred toward Christians around the world a mission to wake up all who cherish religious freedom as a God given right. 

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook.

Christian Students Forcibly Converted, Beaten With Whip, Mentally Tortured: Report

Students in Nigerian classroom in undated photo.
(Photo: Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

By Stoyan Zaimov

Christian Post

A groundbreaking new report by watchdog group Christian Solidarity Worldwide has exposed the atrocities Christian children face at school in several countries, from being forcibly converted to other faiths to being beaten and humiliated by teachers for daring to speak out.

CSW explained in its "Faith and a Future" report shared with The Christian Post Thursday that it has conducted research in five countries, namely Burma, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan, where students of various faiths, not only Christians, face religious hatred, including psychological and physical abuse from other students and teachers.

"The psychological impact of abuse received by children at school cannot be overstated. Many interviewees told CSW of the 'mental torture' they have suffered as a result of religious discrimination and intolerance in educational settings. Rejected by their peers and teachers, this suffering can have lasting consequences," the report states.

CSW pointed out that in Burma, where Buddhist nationalism has targeted both Christian and Islamic minorities, Christian children are "regularly forcibly converted" at schools.

"This is particularly prevalent in Chin, Naga and Kachin States where poor families are often offered the opportunity to send their children away for a 'free education.' The children are then taken to a Buddhist monastery or monastic school (Na Ta La school) without their parents' permission, and forced to regularly participate in Buddhist worship or even to become novice monks," the report continues.

Christian children there are "systematically prevented from practicing the religion in which they were raised and are effectively required to convert to Buddhism."

While Nigeria is largely divided between its Christian and Muslim populations, followers of Christ in areas under Sharia (Islamic) law have seen their children abducted, forcibly converted and forced into Islamic marriages.

"Parents seeking the release of their abducted daughters are generally informed they have converted and married, or are in the custody of Muslim traditional rulers or shari'a commissions and have no desire to return home," the report explains.

"Appeals to law enforcement agencies for assistance generally prove fruitless amid false claims by abductors that the girls are not minors, and fear on the part of the police of provoking large-scale social unrest."

CSW shared of one specific case study in 2010 at Unity School in Kachako, where Christian students were interrogated and abused in a variety of different ways after being falsely accused of insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The students were apparently told by teachers to use the hallway as a toilet rather than be allowed to go to the bathroom.

When one girl, named Grace, complained and said that she was "tired of this rubbish," a teacher reported her to the principal.

"Grace was taken from the room, beaten with a whip made of animal hide, and her hair was shaved off. The others were called to see what had happened to her, and told, 'You heard what Grace said? She will find out what 'rubbish' really means on Monday, when the results of the investigation come out. Anyone who insults God, either their throats will be cut or they'll be burnt to death, or they'll be expelled from school,'" the report describes.

Christian Post report continues here

As President Trump Readies to Meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, Families of Three American Christians Imprisoned There Hope for Their Release

"These are hard days for our family. 

My family and I long to make contact with my dad." 

By George Thomas
Breaking Christian News

[CBN News] Tony Kim was on his way back home to the United States when North Korean authorities intercepted him just before he boarded his flight at Pyongyang international airport. (Photo: Tony Kim arrested/via CBN News)

"My father had just finished his semester as a professor in North Korea when he was arrested at the airport," said Kim's eldest son, Sol, in a YouTube video.

"No explanation was given," Sol added. "My family and I have had no contact with him since."

Kim was a professor at Pyongyang University for Science and Technology, the country's only privately-run academic institution, when he was arrested on April 22, 2017.

"My mom, brother and I miss our dad so much. We are so worried about him and his health."  

"I am hopeful. It is hard to say any other feeling," the 27-year-old Sol Kim told Reuters.

Kim's family is now hoping president Trump's sudden decision to meet North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un in an historic US-NK summit will lead to his father's release.

Sol's father, who taught accounting at the university, was accused of anti-state activities and trying to overthrow the government. He was given a 15-year sentence.

A month later, another instructor from Pyongyang University for Science and Technology (PUST), Kim Hak Song, was also arrested.

A third person, Kim Dong Chul, a Korean-American missionary, was arrested in October 2015 and sentenced in March 2016 to 10 years of hard labor for subversion. PUST was founded in 2010 by Dr. James Kim, a Korean American Christian businessman, with funding from South Korean and American Christians.

Dr. Kim appeared on CBN's 700 Club in 2011 to explain the mission behind the university. The surprise announcement last week of a summit has many optimistic about prospects for a diplomatic solution to ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Breaking Christian News article continues here

Persecution Unveiled has been called by God to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith.  Follow us on  Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook. 

Open Doors Rebuilds Nearly 700 Christian Homes Destroyed by ISIS in Nineveh Plains

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

Nearly 700 Christian homes have been rebuilt by Open Doors and its partners in the Nineveh Plains of Iraq following years of genocide and destruction committed by the Islamic State.

Over three-and-a-half years ago, IS jihadis forced Christians and other religious minorities in the region to choose either to convert to Islam, pay a hefty tax to keep their faith, or be killed. In the midst of these life-threatening circumstances, hundreds of thousands of believers decided to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighboring countries or in the Kurdish north.

But now that the city of Mosul and surrounding Nineveh Plains have been liberated for months, members of the Christian community are slowly rebuilding their homes after they were trashed and desecrated by the brutal terrorist group.

Although resettling Christians haven't received much aid to date from foreign governments, some have benefited from the help of international humanitarian groups in restoring their once beloved homes.

Open Doors, a Christian ministry that operates in over 60 countries worldwide, recently announced that at least 678 homes have been restored in the Nineveh Plains because of their and their partners' efforts.

Open Doors and its local partners have helped to rebuild 286 houses in Qaraqosh, a town that was once the biggest Christian town in Iraq.

"But as the Lord told His people through the prophet Isaiah, God is doing a 'new thing' in Qaraqosh, Iraq's largest Christian city," an Open Doors report states. 

"Shops and restaurants are open, children go to school, busloads full of students head to Mosul daily for their studies at Mosul University, and increasing numbers of Christians are returning to the Assyrian city more commonly known as Baghdeda."

Additionally, Open Doors and its partners have helped to support the restoration of a total of 392 houses throughout the rest of the Nineveh Plains.

Open Doors says the efforts have resulted in a "new hope for almost 700 families." The progress being made in Northern Iraq spans beyond what Open Doors has been able to support.

Father George, a Christian leader in Qaraqosh, told Open Doors that as many as 1,054 of 2,658 houses on their list to be repaired were restored by the end of 2017. Other humanitarian groups, such as Knights of Columbus and Aid to the Church in Need, as well as smaller organizations, have been instrumental in providing support to Christians.

Open Doors report continues here

The Last Christians: Priest Describes Horror, Courage of Christians Being Killed for Their Faith

Andreas Knapp and two Little Sisters of Jesus visiting a family 

from Qaraqosh, Iraq, now living in Iraqi Kurdistan in this undated photo.

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

German author and Catholic priest Andreas Knapp traveled to Iraq where he heard about a young boy who was brutally killed simply for his cross necklace.

"In Mosul, IS terrorists stopped a boy in the street because he was wearing a small cross around his neck. They ordered him to throw it away, and when he steadfastly refused, they buried him alive," Knapp wrote in his newly "Ireleased book, The Last Christians: Stories of Persecution, Flight, and Resilience in the Middle East.

"Whenever I hear stories like this and meet Christians of such courage, I can't help but wonder: How much is my faith worth to me? How high a price would I be prepared to pay?"

The story is only one of the countless tragedies Knapp witnessed or heard about from survivors and church and human rights workers when traveling to Iraq to speak with Christians who are being wiped out for their faith.

He shares many of those shocking stories as well as accounts of incredible courage in his book.

"I never fail to be impressed by the deep faith displayed by Eastern Christians. For the sake of Jesus Christ, they have suffered all kinds of harassment and even given up their homeland. Friends and relatives — including children — have paid for their Christian beliefs with their lives," Knapp wrote.

The book explores fundamental questions about the future of Christianity, particularly when it concerns Aramaic Christians: Will they be killed off or scattered as refugees across the world, losing forever the language that Jesus spoke and their homelands where they lived for two millennia?

The Last Christians, which was released in September, also investigates some of the political currents that led to the formation of the Islamic State, such as the U.S.-led war on Iraq and dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

It describes a number of the severe attacks Christians have suffered at the hands of IS, but also from other extremist groups, including al-Qaeda, which increased its attacks on civilians after 2003.

Churches in Mosul were bombed, Christian schools were threatened with destruction unless the students converted to Islam, 5-year-old children were shot dead on their way to mass, and Christian girls were raped for refusing to wear veils, the author described. Now with the rise of IS, thousands of Yazidi and Christian women and young girls are being sold in modern-day slave markets.

Accounts tell of young women being raped for days by dozens of men, begging to be killed in order for the torture to stop, but only to be met with laughter and cynical remarks. One Christian girl who suffered "bestial abuse" at the hands of IS took rat poison to end her life, suffering a long, drawn-out death.

Other stories, such as one from the ancient Christian town of Sadat, tell of 45 men, women and children who were tortured, killed, and buried in a mass grave by radicals. Some of the young men were taken prisoners, but those who refused to renounce their faith and embrace Islam where shot dead.

Christian Post article continues here