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In a move that surprised many U.S. Catholics, Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, head of the Vatican science and social science academies, announced an upcoming conference. It’s called “Security of Nations and Defending the Common Good: Immigration, National Sovereignty, and Citizenship.” The event will be held in Rome November 2-4. It will feature academics who study how to reduce the flow of people from one country to another. Also invited are specialists in border security and wall construction. Keynote addresses feature several leading Republican politicians from Texas who back Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Sorondo defended the move, saying: The Church clearly...

Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep-- So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. Bible verses about laziness I'm sharing this with you from Bible Reasons I would like to start off by saying that some people...

Time and again in the Gospels, Jesus warned His listeners, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 16:25). This applies directly to our Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries. If we try to "save our lives" by capitulating to worldly standards, we will "lose our lives" in the process.More than 20 years ago, a fellow-Old Testament scholar talked with me about the challenges his seminary was facing. At that time, there was a dispute about women in ministry, and his school was receiving some pressure over the...

EU, George Soros acting against the will of the peopleBUDAPEST, Hungary (ChurchMilitant.com) - The leader of Hungary is warning that an effort to de-Christianize Europe is underway. Speaking in Romania in July, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke of a deliberate plan to transform Europe into a "mixed, Islamicized" society. "In Brussels," he warned, "an alliance has been forged against the opinion of the people." Orbán said Europe is being prepared to surrender its heritage and identity: We are observing the conscious, step-by-step implementation of this policy. In order for this to happen, for the territory to be ready to...

LONDON (RNS) — The first gay marriage in an Anglican church in Britain took place this week, a day after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby described the continuing squabbles over same-sex marriage in the worldwide Anglican Communion as “intractable.” The gay couple, known as “Mark and Rick,” had their order of service posted on Facebook, which told people that they were married on Tuesday (Aug. 1) at a service that included the Eucharist at St. John’s Episcopal Church in the center of Edinburgh. The Rev. Markus Dünzkofer, rector of St. John’s, a church of the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is...

The Christian population in nine Middle Eastern states is 14,526,000, down from 14,740,000 in 2010, according to a report published by the Vatican newspaper. The total population of Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey is 258 million. The report draws on a recent study by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association on Christians in the Middle East. The study documented sharp recent and historical declines in Christian population: * in Syria, from 2.2 million (2010) to 1.2 million * in Egypt, from 19% of the population (1910) to 10% * in Lebanon, from 53% (1932) to...

For those of us who have experienced moral lapses in judgement that have led to trials and tribulations beyond what we ever imagined, there is hope for healing and restoration in Christ's message. This message reminds us that God’s agenda is not to crush sinners under his feet, but to heal and restore their relationship with Him. Regardless of how bad you may think your sin is, you will be restored in whole one day. We must know that if you are of God, then there will be a punishment for your sins during your life on earth, because...

07/31/2017 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) - The liberation of Mosul came after nine hard months of fighting and three brutish years of occupation. All eyes have fixated on this noteworthy event; however, just south in Baghdad, eight churches have been closed due to the significant loss of the Christian populace. The eight Baghdad churches were closed in May of 2017, after nearly seven years of low to no attendance. After the regional Catholic Church authority visited the churches, the Vatican decided that it was best to close the doors for good. While this makes logistical sense, it represents a...

A 5-day international cross procession to the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra in Western Ukraine ended on August 3, with the Pochaev Mother of God Icon to be celebrated on Saturday, August 5. Pilgrims report that upon the entrance to the lavra, at the end of the trek, they saw a cross in the sky, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists. A similar phenomenon took place on May 19, when believers gathered outside the Verkhnova Rada in Kiev to protest two religious bills that were to be considered by the Ukrainian parliament. A cross was seen in the sky, and a...

Let's take a moment to celebrate a religious liberty victory. It doesn't happen often so let's cherish it. In the most unexpected news of the day, the state of Wisconsin cannot legally force Christian photographer Amy Lynn to photograph same-sex weddings, a court has said. Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jonathan Scruggs said, “The court’s announcement has important implications for everyone in Wisconsin who values artistic freedom. It means that government officials must allow creative professionals without storefronts anywhere in the city and state the freedom to make their own decisions about which ideas they will use their artistic expression...

Today's commentary is brought to you by the Berean Wife. Proverb 4:20-27 Whenever I share a commentary from someone, I use these boxes as a way to automatically alert the reader to the fact that it is not my work. Proverbs 4:20-2720 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life....

A talk with Fr. Job (Gumerov) on the new martyrs of the Russian ChurchFather Job, an experienced confessor of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery, speaks about the factors preventing some faithful from recognizing Nicholas II as a saint, the relationship between the Tsar’s abdication and the Russian people’s renunciation of the Church, how mass unbelief impedes the comprehension of the podvig [spiritual exploit] of the new martyrs, and the proper understanding of the people’s repentance for the sins of their ancestors.The Russian Revolution, with its “Red Terror” that ruined the lives of millions of families, is still an uninteresting event of...

The recently opened House of European History in Brussels offers an account of Europe described by one writer as “both typically modern and emphatically French and socialist.”Looking at things from this side of the Atlantic, it is easy to think of Europe as a single, united entity. Seen up close it’s not so clear. National identity keeps getting in the way. French, German, Italian, Polish, and so on—those ancient identities still matter to many people. As arguably they should. National identity bestows a sense of rootedness and continuity that the new European institutions apparently haven’t been able to supply up...

The Knights of Columbus do a lot of good work in the United States, from pro-life and pro-family activities, to charitable endeavors, to providing honor guards for traditional Latin Masses. In fact, there are dozens of councils attached to the TLM. So, it is sad to see the organization's convention this week in Saint Louis, Missouri, turn into a fiasco due to a major change to be imposed on fourth degree Knights, who comprise the top fifth of membership. The Supreme Knight, Carl A. Anderson, announced: "The Board of Directors has decided that the time is right for a modernization...

While it is extremely difficult to measure the extent to which religion impacts Americans, one polling organization has attempted to do so using four criteria. The poll was designed to acquire a sense of how the 50 states compare with each other on the matter of which has the most religious population. The four criteria used were the importance of religion in people’s lives, frequency of attendance at worship services, frequency of prayer, and absolute certainty of belief in God (“How Religious...?,” 2009). As one might expect, more Americans in the “Bible Belt” states indicate that religion is very important...

Today's commentary is brought to you by Matthew Henry. Proverb 3:1-6 Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible We are here taught to live a life of communion with God; and without controversy great is this mystery of godliness, and of great consequence to us, and, as is here shown, will be of unspeakable advantage. --I )We must have a continual regard to God's precepts, Pro_3:1, Pro_3:2. -----[1.] We must, --------(A) Fix God's law, and his commandments, as our rule, by which we will in every thing be ruled and to which we will yield obedience. --------(B) We must...

The Knights of Columbus are to raise and donate $2 million to help save Karemlash, a predominantly Christian town on Iraq’s Nineveh Plain that was invaded and ransacked by ISIS before being liberated by coalition forces last November.

A Christian therapist in England who was suspended after being accused of evangelizing to a Muslim colleague has suffered another loss in court. Victoria Wasteney, the former head of Forensic Occupational Therapy at a hospital in London, was issued a nine-month suspension by East London National Health Service in 2014 after an eight-page complaint was filed against her by a Muslim colleague named Enya Nawaz. As has been reported, Nawaz and Wasteney, a born-again Christian, developed a relationship while working at the St. John Howard Centre in East London and at points discussed religious differences. Nawaz's complaint accused Wasteney of...

This is a very powerful testimony of a man who's not only a former atheist, but was violently and criminally disturbed. He attempted to kill his father, and only by the grace of God did his father survive. He was diagnosed as antisocial (sociopathic) while in prison. It was a Christian cellmate who over time, by his example, led him to question his atheistic beliefs and think about turning to Jesus.

Proverb 2 (NKJV) The Value of Wisdom 01 My son, if you receive my words, 00 And treasure my commands within you, 02 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, 00 And apply your heart to understanding; 03 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, 00 And lift up your voice for understanding, 04 If you seek her as silver, 00 And search for her as for hidden treasures; 05 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, 00 And find the knowledge of God. 06 For the LORD gives wisdom; 00 From His mouth come knowledge...