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ALEXANDRIA, VA - In an effort to root out racism, the Salvation Army announced they will no longer be accepting any donations in the form of bills or coins that have white people on them."Ever since we learned that racism is everywhere, all the time, ingrained in every aspect of life, we realized most U.S. currency depict the faces of white men who only did evil, racist things in their lives," said the Commander-in-Chief of the Salvation Army, Clurvis Bellman. "We then decided the best way to feed, clothe, and comfort the poor and needy is to stop accepting money...

ALEXANDRIA, VA—In an effort to root out racism, the Salvation Army announced they will no longer be accepting any donations in the form of bills or coins that have white people on them.“Ever since we learned that racism is everywhere, all the time, ingrained in every aspect of life, we realized most U.S. currency depict the faces of white men who only did evil, racist things in their lives,” said the Commander-in-Chief of the Salvation Army, Clurvis Bellman. “We then decided the best way to feed, clothe, and comfort the poor and needy is to stop accepting money tarnished with...

A 5-year-old boy claims that he was an African American woman killed in a fire and reincarnated. Little Luke Ruehlman spooked his parents as he began incessantly insisting that he used to be a woman named Pam when he was just 2 years old. The young boy’s mother, Erika, told Ohio’s Fox 2 that her son began speaking of a woman named Pam from a young age, but the family didn’t know anyone by the name. One day Luke finally explained who Pam was. “He turned to me and said, ‘Well, I was,’ ” she recounted. “[He said] ‘Well, I...

The Vatican Philately has made a few strange choices and omissions by recalling Charlie Chaplin and the Protestant Reformation, yet stepping over the 450th anniversary (2021 edition) of the battle of Lepanto, which marked the end of the Islamic threat in Europe, and (2022 edition) of the death of Pope St. Pius V: a holy and courageous pontiff, perhaps too far from current "standards".As an independent state the Vatican issues its own stamps, about 15-20 per year, and through the Economic Directorate offers a philatelic (and also numismatic) selection to clients worldwide. Vatican stamps are prized by collectors everywhere. As...

I was a scared and confused twelve-year-old when the idea of sending me off to a school for girls was whispered about. A family member tried to convince my parent that this would be the best place for me after an agonizing season in my life. My decade-long abuser had just been put in prison. Sending me away would help silence all the gossip surrounding our family in our small faith community and remove the small spotlight shining negatively on our church. I can’t help but wonder now if sending me away would also have been a way to punish...

Saint Sebastian is one of the great ancient martyrs of the Roman Catholic Church as well as one of the saints most frequently depicted in artwork down through the centuries. The image of Sebastian tied to a stake, his body riddled with arrows, is one of the most immediately recognizable and jarring images of the ancient martyrs. As with many of the martyrs from the days prior to Constantine, his story has become somewhat muddled. He is mentioned in a homily of Saint Ambrose (On Psalm 118) as having come from Milan. Most of the rest of his biography comes...

A 1700-year-old letter that was recently discovered is said to reveal the way Christians actually lived centuries ago.230 AD The Papyrus P.Bas. 2.43 was written by a man named Arrianus to his brother Paulus, who was believed to be named after the apostle Paul. The letter has been dated to 230s AD and is thus older than all previously known Christian documentary evidence from Roman Egypt.It describes day-to-day family matters and provides insight into the world of the first Christians in the Roman Empire.“The earliest Christians in the Roman Empire are usually portrayed as eccentrics who withdrew from the world...

The marble steps Jesus is believed to have climbed before being sentenced to crucifixion have been unveiled after 300 years. The Scala Santa, or Holy Staircase, had been encased in protective maple wood since 1723 in a bid to protect the steps from years of use. But it has since been stripped back and restored with pilgrims now flocking to see the sacred steps. Three small bronze crosses are embedded in the marble and there are spots some believe are stained by Christ's blood.

After his stunning re-conquest of Roman north Africa, and destruction of the Vandalic kingdom, Belisarius returned to Constantinople late in AD 534. He left prematurely because a conspiracy had sprung up accusing him of seeking to usurp the imperial power and set himself up as king of Africa. To defuse suspicion, he packed up his household and returned to the capital, his ships laden with the Vandal royalty as captives and the legendary Vandal treasure. Once in Constantinople, Belisarius received a traditional Roman triumph. But while the imperial court celebrated, the situation in Africa deteriorated. Belisarius had left his former...

The block universe theory says that our universe may be looked at as a giant four-dimensional block of spacetime, containing all the things that ever happen, explained Dr. Kristie Miller, the joint director for the Centre for Time at the University of Sydney.In the block universe, there is no "now" or present. All moments that exist are just relative to each other within the three spacial dimensions and one time dimension. Your sense of the present is just reflecting where in the block universe you are at that instance. The "past" is just a slice of the universe at an...

In this author's humble opinion these are the 20 clearest signs that the end of the age is quite literally imminent: 1. In a technical sense the Gospel has now been preached to every nation on earth in fulfillment of Mark 13:10.  Some scholars argue that we must interpret the Greek word for "nation" strictly as an individual ethnic group, but even if that is the correct interpretation, this prophecy was likely fulfilled sometime toward the end of the 20th century or the beginning of this century.  There are certainly still several isolated tribes where the Gospel has not been...

Of all the dozens and dozens of signs pointing to the imminent return of Christ, two clearly stand above the rest: 1. In a technical sense the Gospel has now been preached to every nation on earth in fulfillment of Mark 13:10.  Some scholars argue that we must interpret the Greek word for "nation" strictly as an individual ethnic group, but even if that is the correct interpretation, this prophecy was likely fulfilled sometime toward the end of the 20th century or the beginning of this century.  There are certainly still several isolated tribes where the Gospel has not been preached,...

When the people turn to man as the answer rather than God, failure and bondage will always be the outcome. It is the process we see in motion with Obama who has a pharaoh complex, and it will continue when Obama is gone regardless of whether we have a Democrat or Republican president if salvation is looked for from the greatness of a man. We have been given a historic example of this phenomenon in the story of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel. Nimrod (meaning: rebel, or, let us rebel) was the first renown tower builder who united the...

These are some of the most common lies that many Christians have fallen victim to.  I hear many of these quite frequently and in years past have even fallen for some of them myself.  The enemy has used each of these lies to sow great discord, apathy, and fear in the Body of Christ.   It's time to dispel them all. 1. "I must do _____ to be saved or keep doing _____ to stay saved." This is what virtually every religion teaches, but not true Christianity.   Unsurprisingly, every "Christian" cult teaches this as well.  The very definition of...

A relic hunter dubbed 'Indiana Bones' has lifted the lid on a macabre collection of 400-year-old jewel-encrusted skeletons unearthed in churches across Europe. Art historian Paul Koudounaris hunted down and photographed dozens of gruesome skeletons in some of the world's most secretive religious establishments. Incredibly, some of the skeletons, said to be the remains of early Christian martyrs, were even found hidden away in lock-ups and containers. They are now the subject of a new book, which sheds light on the forgotten ornamented relics for the first time. Thousands of skeletons were dug up from Roman catacombs in the 16th...

FULL TITLE: Texas youth pastor accused of sexually assaulting at least three kids gets beaten up by good Samaritans as he molests child A Texas youth pastor who has been accused of sexually assaulting at least three kids was beaten up by good Samaritans as he molested a child last week. Willie Bell, 29, was caught in the act attacking a 6-year-old kindergarten student behind an apartment building in Dallas on March 31. "If it wasn't for them, he probably would have done more to my child,” the child's mother told Fox 4. "It's painful. It's devastating. It's a nightmare."

The Muratorian fragment / The Muratorian canon (click for larger image) I sometimes hear this odd objection that the books that were to be included in the Bible were not decided until the 4th century. I think it comes from some Hollywood movie, or maybe a TV show. Anyway, this post should help fix that myth.I’m going to quote from New Testament expert Dr. Michael J. Kruger from his blog.He writes: One of the key data points in any discussion of canon is something called the Muratorian fragment (also known as the Muratorian canon). This fragment, named after its discoverer...

I hear it all the time, and as quickly as I hear it, I reject it.It is a paralyzing, destructive mentality, and it is unbiblical, plain and simple.I'm talking about the mindset that says, "Jesus told us everything will get worse, so why bother trying to bring about change?"Can you imagine what Church history would like if Paul and Peter felt that way in the first century or if Wesley and Wilberforce felt that way in the 18th and 19th centuries?Why fight against infanticide in the early Church? Jesus said things will only get worse.Why fight against slavery in Great...

O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as...

    PURITANS WERE MORE JEWISH THAN PROTESTANTS  Hugh Fogelman     A Puritan is a name often misunderstood. During the 17th century English Civil War (known as the Puritan Revolution), the Puritans were Protestant fundamentalists who wished to “purify” the Church of England. Some of the Puritans, known as Separatists “separated,” forming their own church. The Puritans felt that Parliament, and not the King, should have the final say and that the moral guidance for all legal decision should come from the Jewish Bible which they considered to be the highest authority in all matters. The Puritans were obsessed...