Blog Archives - LHF Ministries

Pope Tawadros Issues a Decree to Include Three Parishes in Switzerland

7/31/2013

H.H. Pope Tawadros II issued a decision to provide services in Switzerland through three parishes. H.G. Bishop Yoanas said the decision to include the Italian sector under Bishop Kyrillos’ care was published in Al-Keraza magazine, the German sector to Bishop Gabriel’s, and the French sector to Bishop Luca’s.

The pope also decided to specify his European deputy’s duties, as well as giving him the right to assign, transfer, and nominate priests to parishes or churches with no bishops, in addition to the right to establish new churches and investigate problems with churches that do not have bishops present.

Actress Leah Remini Offers Clues About Church of Scientology's Practices

7/31/2013

U.S. actress Leah Remini has offered clues about why she left the Church of Scientology, telling People magazine no one is going to tell her how to think or who she can talk to.

Up until now the actress known for her role in the CBS comedy "King of Queens" gave little explanation for her split after three decades with the church that lists actors John Travolta and Tom Cruise among its members.

In a statement this month after the New York Post newspaper broke the story, Remini, 43, thanked fans and colleagues for their support but did not mention the Church of Scientology.

She told People magazine at an event in California on Saturday how important family is and being able to speak openly.

Speaking in Tongues Is 'Routine Part of Spiritual Discipline,' Says Archbishop Welby

7/31/2013

The archbishop of Canterbury recently spoke about the gifts of the Spirit, saying speaking in tongues is a “routine part of spiritual discipline.”

Charles Moore writes about an interview he conducted with Archbishop Justin Welby in a Telegraph article.

“Since he is an evangelical,” Moore writes, “I ask him whether he can speak ‘in tongues’—the ‘charismatic’ spiritual gift recorded in the New Testament. Oh yes, he says, almost as if he had been asked if he plays tennis, ‘It’s just a routine part of spiritual discipline—you choose to speak, and you speak a language that you don’t know. It just comes.’”

Pope Francis: 'Whom am I to Judge?' Secular Media Twists Compassion into Approval for Gay Lifestyle

7/31/2013

On the plane back from Brazil's World Youth Day, Pope Francis conversed with journalists on a broad range of subjects. The next morning, his statement, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" was reported by leading media outlets as a signal for change within the Catholic Church. Generally ignored was the pontiff's reiteration that the Church teaches that homosexual acts are a sin.

"This is yet another example of the mainstream media being utterly incompetent when reporting on matters of religion," says Al Kresta, author of the new book, Dangers to the Faith: Recognizing Catholicism's 21st Century Opponents and host of Ave Maria Radio's "Kresta in the Afternoon."

Avoiding Raunchy Movies Doesn't Make You Legalistic

7/30/2013

Recently my wife and I attended a decent movie when we had an encounter with a Christian woman in the lobby. Making conversation, I inquired what film she was seeing and had to conceal my cringe when she told me the title of the flick.

"Are you aware of the content?" I gently inquired, as I had previously read a review. Not wanting to come across as self-righteous or critical, I bantered with her a bit about what she was about to partake of. She giggled and then shrugged it off by saying, "Well, I already bought the ticket!" To which I smiled and said, "Nobody stands at entrances; there's a bunch of other decent flicks." "Well ... I like the actress who's one of the leads," she said.

I knew this was a losing cause.

Pastor Rick and Kay Warren Return to the Pulpit

7/29/2013

On Saturday, July 27, Dr. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the best-selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life," delivered his first sermon since the April 5 passing of his son Matthew, who struggled with mental illness. Pastor Warren's wife Kay joined him in sharing a message titled "How to Get Through What You're Going Through."

More than 10,000 attended two Saturday evening worship services at the Saddleback Church Lake Forest, Calif., campus to hear the Warrens, with an additional 6,500 watching live online. It was the first time Pastor Warren had preached in 16 weeks, the longest he has ever been away from the pulpit. The congregation greeted the Warrens to a standing ovation.

After Many Prophecies, Peru Sees Spiritual, Economic Revival

7/29/2013

Take note, world: Peru is on the rise.

Once known as one of the poorest countries in South America, Peru’s economy is now the fastest growing in South America, having tripled in size in the last decade. In 2009, when the debt crisis sent many countries into a tailspin, Peru’s economy actually grew by .09 percent.

Along with economic revival in Peru has been a spiritual revival that has seen the estimated number of born-again Christians rise dramatically. According to the CIA Factbook, Peru’s evangelical population grew from single digits to 12.5 percent in 2007. The official 2013 estimate is 17 percent, but the actual number may well be over 20 percent.

Will Anti-Discrimination Laws Affect Pastors in Future?

7/26/2013

Pastors are supposed to be protected from anti-discrimination laws if they preach against homosexuality or refuse to perform same-gender civil union or marriage ceremonies. That may become a thing of the past at some point in the future.

CBN's Brody File raised the question of that at the recent Pastors and Pews events in Des Moines, Iowa, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz points out that Norway, for example, has passed a law requiring pastors to perform same sex wedding ceremonies.

Popular Catholic Bible Added to YouVersion's Bible App -- Move Applauded by Archbishops

7/26/2013

The Bible App™ by YouVersion, which recently reached the colossal milestone of 100 million downloads, joining major brands like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter that have achieved the same landmark, has added the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), one of the most popular Catholic versions of the Bible approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Bible App, which is completely free, contains over 600 versions of the Bible in over 350 languages. Available for virtually every mobile device, the app allows people of faith to access their version of the Bible on their smart phones and tablets.

Have Archaeologists Found Prophet Elisha's House?

7/24/2013

During 16 years of excavating Tel Rehov in the Jordan Valley, archaeologists uncovered a 3,000-year-old, well-planned city.

They also found a unique building that might have been the house of Elisha the prophet.

"The house was full of objects of unique types… two pottery altars that were used for burning incense," archaeologist Ami Mazar told CBN News.

"We found there figurines, clay figurines. We found large vessels -- like big vessels that were probably used for serving food, not for just the nuclear family, but maybe for a larger community," he said.