Blog Archives - LHF Ministries

Lawyers Prevented from Meeting Zhang Shaojie and Other Detainees

11/29/2013

Lawyers representing Protestant Pastor Zhang Shaojie and members of his church have encountered various obstacles that have prevented them from meeting with their clients, who were detained by police on 16 November without any formal documentation.

According to reports from China Aid and comments posted by activists on social media, lawyers who have tried to meet with Pastor Zhang and the other detainees have been faced with bureaucratic obstacles, hostile officials, and ill-timed “power outages”.

Pastor Zhang, 48, belongs to the Nanle County Christian Church under the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). On 16 November, police forcibly detained Pastor Zhang without any formal documentation, possibly in response to his work defending the vulnerable social groups. Zhang’s sisters and other church members were also detained, and several others were summoned to government offices. Then on 18 November, over a hundred church members and other supporters gathered in front of the city hall to demand Pastor Zhang’s unconditional release.

Military Names New Chaplain General

11/28/2013

Canada's Armed Forces recently named Brigadier-General John Fletcher as its new Chaplain General. During his three-year term, which started September 4, 2013, Fletcher will oversee 220 full-time chaplains and 130 reserve chaplains.

From a young age Fletcher aspired to be involved in ministry. As a child he says he often "played church," setting up pews and preaching in his back yard. After high school he rediscovered his interest in ministry, while attending Royal Military College (RMC).

Shining Star Lights the Flame for Christian Musicians

11/28/2013

Shining Star is ramping-up its sixth Christian vocal competition for early 2014. The competition is open to budding Christian solo artists who have not recorded an album that is currently for sale.

All contestants perform publicly, where they are judged by well known artists including Ali Matthews, Dan Macaulay, Marcel Preston and Joel Auge.

"The challenges [contestants] face can be quite wide depending on their past experience of performing live in front of an audience," says event producer Eric Spath. "We see the experience as a growing and maturing period for each contestant with many coming back from previous years stronger each time."

When False Prophetic Voices Merchandise the Saints

11/27/2013

by: Jennifer LeClaire

Last week—for the second and third time—some nefarious false prophetic voice hijacked my photos, my name and my very words and set out to do serious damage to believing saints in the name of Jesus. The experience got me thinking about how false prophetic voices are actively merchandising sincere believers looking for a breakthrough online, on TV and radio, and in churches.

Here’s the background: Some hijacking merchandiser created two fake Facebook accounts with my face, name, books and prophetic words plastered all over them. This false prophetic voice then started sending friend invitations to people who were commenting on my real page. (Click here to see my real Facebook page.) One woman—we’ll call her “Sally” to protect her identity—shared her experience with me:

Anti-Christian Death Threats Force Closure of Bridge of Hope Center for Children in India

11/26/2013

A local Gospel for Asia-supported children's education and healthcare center in a cluster of villages in eastern India has been forced to close because anti-Christian extremists marched on the facility, demanded its closure and issued death threats to the staff.

The ultimatums of violence and death took place Nov. 16 as protesters shouted anti-Christian slogans to prohibit the programs offered by the Bridge of Hope Center to 100 impoverished low-caste and Dalit children.

RT Kendall to John MacArthur: I Fear You May Offend the Holy Spirit

11/26/2013

Dear Dr. MacArthur,

I have admired you as an able writer and speaker for years. I have not only read your book Strange Fire but listened to your talks as well as the panel discussions at your recent conference. I am as Reformed theologically as you are and can say we are on the same page when it comes to many issues you address.

I was not prepared, however, for some of the things you said. I had to reread some parts to be sure you said what I thought you said.

First, if your book purports the danger of offending the Holy Spirit with counterfeit worship, I fear you are in greater danger of offending the Holy Spirit by attributing His work to Satan. Does this not worry you? You are risking an awful lot by counting on cessationism to be totally true. You have tried to turn the hypothetical teaching of cessationism into dogma.

Christians in Henan Protest Detention of Pastor and Unreturned Land

11/22/2013

Over one hundred relatives, church members and supporters of Pastor Zhang Shaojie, a Protestant pastor, joined in a protest on 18 November in Henan Province, China, to call for his release from prison.

Pastor Zhang Shaojie, 48, belongs to the Nanle County Christian Church under the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). On 16 November, police forcibly detained Pastor Zhang without any formal documentation. Some sources suggest that his detention was a result of his work defending the rights of vulnerable groups. In response, a number of relatives and church members gathered in front of the police station and were subsequently beaten. Zhang’s sisters were also detained, and several church members were summoned to government offices. On 18 November, over a hundred church members and other supporters gathered in front of the city hall to demand Pastor Zhang’s unconditional release. The current whereabouts of Pastor Zhang and his sisters are unknown.

God Intervened in HIV Cure of Baby

11/21/2013

The continued good health of a Mississippi baby born with HIV causes Hannah Gay, the HIV specialist who treats the child, to speak of divine intervention.

The baby remains in remission more than 18 months after her last anti-viral treatment. "Hopefully we'll be able to find out what it was about this case that was different from all the others that we've ever seen and be able to replicate that for other babies in the future."

The 3-year-old's continued lack of any replication of the virus indicates the first documented case of HIV remission in a child, The New England Journal of Medicine reported Oct. 23, fostering renewed hope that the child is permanently cured.

Revised One-Child Policy in China? Take it With a Grain of Salt, Says Expert

11/19/2013

An expert on human rights in China suggests that country's latest edict claiming it is easing up on the one-child policy shouldn't be believed.

In most instances, couples in the People's Republic of China can only have one baby – but there are some exceptions. China now says it's changing the policy to permit two children, but only under certain circumstances – such as at least one parent being an only child. Previously, both parents had to be an only child to qualify for the exemption.

Atheists Claim Cross Memorial Gives Them Headaches, Causes Emotional Pain

11/19/2013

The battle for the Ground Zero cross is far from over.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) last week submitted an amicus brief on behalf of more than 230,000 Americans, urging a federal appeals court to protect a cross memorial at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. The brief urges the appeals court to uphold a decision by a lower court that dismissed a suit filed by an atheist organization attempting to remove the cross.

“This flawed legal challenge represents a dangerous and unprecedented attempt to literally rewrite history and cleanse the record of a historically significant artifact,” says Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ. “As the district court correctly held, it is entirely appropriate and lawful for the curators of a museum to acknowledge the cross’s actual, historic role by placing it in the September 11 Memorial Museum. A museum has the freedom to display religiously themed artifacts of historical or artistic significance without running afoul of the Constitution. We urge the appeals court to affirm the decision of the district court, which rejected this bizarre legal challenge.”