“We pray for our enemies and attempt to persuade those who hate us unjustly to live according to the good precepts of Christ. This is so that they may become partakers with us of the same joyful hope of a reward from God, the Ruler of all.” Justin was born in the Roman city of Flavia Neapolis (ancient Shechem in Samaria). Raised by pagan parents, he sought to find life's meaning in the philosophies of his day. This only brought a series of disappointments. At last, about A.D. 130, after a conversation with an old man, his life was transformed: "A fire was suddenly kindled in my soul. I fell in love with the prophets and these men who had loved Christ; I reflected on all their words and found that this philosophy alone was true and profitable. That is how and why I became a philosopher. And I wish that everyone felt the same way that I do." <more...>
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![]() As anyone who follows the Internet debate over evolution probably already knows, Bill Nye the Science Guy recently posted a viral YouTube video attacking those who he says "deny evolution." This is not the first time Nye, a popular educator and entertainer, has done this. But the media love Nye's flame war, posting headlines like "Bill Nye Slams Creationism" (CNN) or "Bill Nye 'The Science Guy' Hits Evolution Deniers" (ABC News). In a bizarre coincidence, the headlines competed with other Internet buzz over rumors (thankfully false) that Nye had passed away. "Mercy" means compassion. This means you are able to feel with and for another. A person with a gift of mercy has special compassion on those suffering and an ability to help them. <more...>
![]() The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) is commending the World Council of Churches (WCC) for its decision to hold an international conference on Pakistan's blasphemy law. The September Geneva conference comes after Rimsha Masih, an eleven year-old Pakistani Christian girl reported to have Down syndrome, was accused of desecrating the Koran. Masih is now in prison, where authorities say she is safer from mob-instigated violence. Generation Opportunity, the largest non-profit, non-partisan organization in America engaging and mobilizing young Americans (18-29 years old) on the important economic issues facing the nation, released new polling data today on Millennials as the 2012 presidential election nears. Since its launch in June of 2011, Generation Opportunity has amassed a following of 4 million fans on Facebook and is actively organizing Millennials across the country through grassroots tactics, voter registration, and voter turnout efforts.
![]() All God's Children International (AGCI), the Portland based orphan care and adoption ministry, launches the 'Orphans Are Waiting' sponsorship campaign. This month-long effort will raise awareness of the growing orphan crisis around the world, and solicit support for AGCI's efforts which respond to God's command to "...look after orphans and widows in their distress." The situation in embattled Syria is getting worse for Christians.
That’s what a contact in Syria told Open Doors. “The Christians who have a way out of the country are leaving, but unlike the time after the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, when hundreds of thousands Christians fled Iraq, the surrounding countries have closed their doors to Syrians,” the contact says. A small stone seal unearthed in Israel is likely the first archaeological evidence of the Old Testament judge Samson, say the co-directors of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Center for Archaeological Research.
While not involved in the excavation that led to the discovery, center co-directors Daniel Warner and Dennis Cole said evidence characterizing the find makes it plausible that the seal supports a story of a young boy killing a lion with his bare hands. |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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