We Christians have a remarkable talent for sticking our feet in our mouths. When searching the words most commonly associated with “Christian,” the list ain’t pretty. I think part of this can be attributed to a handful of phrases that, if stricken from our vocabulary, might make us a little more tolerable. Yes, these things Read more
According to the popular Egyptian website, El Bashayer, Muhammad Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate, just declared that he will “achieve the Islamic conquest (fath) of Egypt for the second time, and make all Christians convert to Islam, or else pay the jizya,” the traditional Islamic tax, or financial tribute, required of non-Muslim “dhimmis.” Continue Read more
A church broken into by a drug-taking former employee has forgiven her for an ungodly string of offending.
In the Palmerston North District Court this week, Samantha Erana-Waitangi MacDonald, 23, admitted four charges of burglary – stealing $12,190 worth of items.
She later confessed her sins to police, saying she did it to fund her methamphetamine use.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Whitmore said all the victims were known to her through the House of Breakthrough Church, on the corner of Brentwood and Highbury avenues, Palmerston North.
MacDonald had worked at the church, and on November 14, used a key she had in her possession to walk into its premises and take a cash box with $500 in it.
Later that night she returned.
“[MacDonald] smashed a window by the front door to make it appear the building had been broken into,” Mr Whitmore said.
Yesterday, church pastor John Faiz told the Manawatu Standard the decision to forgive MacDonald was easy.
“I don’t have any animosity towards Samantha,” Mr Whitmore said.
“One of our values is forgiving people.”
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British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on Saturday, ventured into faith world, saying “moral neutrality is not going to cut it any more.” In a speech to mark the 400th birthday of the King James Bible, Cameron declared Britain ‘a Christian country’ and said politicians and church leaders should not be afraid to say so. The “passive Read more
Complacency has hit America’s born again Christians; a study by the Barna Group warns about a lack of faith commitment. The study examined faith behaviour of born again Christians over a ten year period and identified a drop in church attendance, decline in reading the Bible, lack of faith priority in things such as volunteering The study also found Read more
In the wake of the horrific attacks in Norway by an extremist right-wing ‘Christian’ and a warrior against Islam, many American conservatives are on the defensive. Religious and political conservatives have for some years sought to connect Islam to violence, and the premature portrayal of the terror attacks as the work of Muslims has left Read more
The Atheist Foundation of Australia is urging Australians with no religious affiliation to tick the “no religion” box in the up-coming census. Billboards urging Australians with no religious affiliation to tick the “no religion” option have begun to appear around parts of NSW and the foundation has launched a website urging Australians to tick the “no religion” Read more
Christians just want to pick a fight over homosexuality and it’s motivated by politics, according to Tervor Phillips, Britain’s Human Rights Commissioner. “I think for a lot of Christians, they want to have a fight and they choose sexual orientation as the ground. I think that whole argument isn’t about the rights of Christians. It’s Read more
Pope John Paul II is being beatified not because of his impact on history or on the Catholic Church, but because of the way he lived the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love, said Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. “Clearly his cause was put on the fast track, but Read more
In the aftermath of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, a Christian network is joining with Buddhists to provide bereavement services and prevent suicides, according to a Japanese interdenominational network. With the goal to offer counseling and spiritual support, the Sendai Buddhist Federation through the Miyagi Prefecture Liaison Council of Religious Corporations established a counseling Read more