us news
“One Nation, One Faith, One Lord”: Prayer rallying Norfolk streets against racism
In front of Norfolk City Hall, hundreds of white Christians kneeled to ask for forgiveness.
Jim Wood of First Presbyterian in Norfolk asked whites in the crowd to repent on behalf of white Christian churches. The pastor, who is white, said white Christian churches have a history of racism and upholding racist systems, such as slavery, segregation and discrimination.
They obliged, and many in the crowd still standing were moved to tears.
“A lot of people felt healing to see that repenting in action,” said Cathy Martinez of Norfolk, who wiped tears as she saw people near her drop to their knees. “Honestly, I’ll still be processing that when I get home. We’re hurting, and we need healing.”
The prayer march was one of two demonstrations on Sunday afternoon, with protests for Black Lives Matter in Hampton Roads showing no signs of slowing after a week and a half. Hundreds of people marched through downtown Norfolk and the city’s Colonial Place neighborhood, the latest local protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, a black man, pleaded for help as an officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
The prayer march, organized by the Hampton Roads City Collective of local churches, promoted faith and unity and decried racism and policies that harm communities of color — at different points, the crowd chanted, “Jesus. Justice.” The event drew a massive crowd that filled the area in front of City Hall and later Waterside Drive and a segment of Town Point Park.
Shana Smith-Coleman of Virginia Beach said it was overwhelming to see such a diverse crowd come together for justice. She was glad to see that in such a difficult time, Christians of various backgrounds were having real discussions about racism and justice.
“As Christians, we are connected through Jesus, and we should all be unified to seek justice, to stand up for justice and to stand up for what’s right,” Martinez said.
The crowd proceeded with a police escort to Town Point Park and gathered for an event akin to a church service, with many prayers and preachers.
Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone spoke at the event and received a warmer reception than he has at some other demonstrations in the city.
He spoke of attempts by police to reform and prevent deaths like Floyd’s, but police forces have come up short. He pledged the department would search for solutions and engage with the community. He encouraged residents to bring specific reform ideas to the department.
Bishop Courtney McBath of Calvary Revival Church urged whites in the crowd to be empathetic to struggles in black communities, recounting the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic in recent months and the 400 years of injustices that contribute to the inequities African Americans still suffer today.
He asked the crowd to seek out perspectives from people of different backgrounds and said that exposure could help people realize that they and the church have to reckon with an ugly history.
“Sometimes, complicit is a compliment because many times the church in America has not been the officers standing around while George Floyd was murdered in the street,” McBath said. “They’ve been the knee in the neck of George Floyd as they took him down and took down people of color.”
In Norfolk’s Colonial Place, a march for children began at 2 p.m. near the Greenspace circle at the intersection of Colonial Avenue and Delaware Avenue. The demonstration drew large numbers of first-time protesters, many who are parents wary of bringing their children to other marches that drew bigger crowds.
The chants were largely the same as at other protests, though some were toned down to a PG-version for the young audience.
“Let’s raise some heck for social justice,” said Jen Detlefsen, who helped organize the event.
At the Sunday march, protesters sold baked goods for $2 and $4 a pop, planning to donate the proceeds to the Equal Justice Initiative. Under some shade in a park, children drew at a sign-decorating station.
“Black Lives Matter.”
“No Justice, No Peace.”
Organizers required people to wear masks and encouraged them to practice social distancing, which the crowd generally tried to do.
Adrian Green, 37, attended the march with his wife and 7-year-old son, the family’s first protest since the demonstrations started nearly two weeks ago.
Green’s message: Keep it peaceful. Elon, his son, said he wants people to know that “everyone is equal and no one should be treated differently because of their appearance.”
“When he looks back, he can say he was a part of history,” Green said of his son.
As the crowd walked to Lafayette Park in Norfolk, where the march ended, police blocked several intersections for the protest and many people stuck in traffic honked in support. On an apartment balcony, three women returned the chants of “no peace” to the marchers’ “no justice” as the crowd walked by.
Some wanted to make sure their kids were ready to be an advocate on these issues when schools reopened. Others highlighted the importance of teaching children about racism at a young age, before harmful habits are ingrained. Many stressed that it is key to show up to these events, both to speak up and to see that others supported them.
“It lets them know early on that they have a voice,” said Taryn McLean, who was with his two kids and wife.
ലണ്ടന്: ഓസ്ട്രേലിയക്ക് പിന്നാലെ 16 വയസിന് താഴെയുള്ള കുട്ടികളില് സോഷ്യല് മീഡിയ നിരോധനം കൊണ്ടുവരാന് യുകെയും. ഓണ്ലൈന് സുരക്ഷ ഉറപ്പാക്കാന് തനിക്കാവുന്നത് ചെയ്യുമെന്ന് യുകെ സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യ സെക്രട്ടറി പീറ്റര് കൈലേയെ ഉദ്ധരിച്ച് ബിബിസി റിപ്പോര്ട്ട് ചെയ്യുന്നു. എല്ലാത്തിന്റെയും രേഖകള് കയ്യിലുണ്ടെന്നും തനിക്ക് ആദ്യം കൂടുതല് തെളിവുകള് ലഭിക്കണമെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം വ്യക്തമാക്കി. യുവാക്കളിലെ സോഷ്യല് മീഡിയകളുടെയും സ്മാര്ട്ട്ഫോണുകളുടെയും സ്വാധീനത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് കൂടുതല് ഗവേഷണം നടത്തുമെന്നും കൈലേ പറഞ്ഞു.
16 വയസുവരെയുള്ള കുട്ടികളില് സോഷ്യല് മീഡിയ ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നത് നിരോധിക്കുന്നതിനുള്ള നിയമം ലോകത്തിലാദ്യമായി ഓസ്ട്രേലിയ അവതരിപ്പിച്ചിരുന്നു. ഓസ്ട്രേലിയയിലെ കമ്മ്യൂണിക്കേഷന് മന്ത്രി മിഷേല് റോളണ്ട് അവതരിപ്പിച്ച ബില്ല് ഓണ്ലൈന് സുരക്ഷയുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടുള്ള രക്ഷിതാക്കളുടെ ആശങ്കയ്ക്ക് പ്രാധാന്യം നല്കുന്നു. ബില്ല് പാസായാല് നിയന്ത്രണമേര്പ്പെടുത്താന് ഒരു വര്ഷം വരെയെങ്കിലും സമയമെടുക്കും.
കുട്ടികള് അക്കൗണ്ട് എടുക്കുന്നത് തടഞ്ഞില്ലെങ്കില് സാമൂഹ്യ മാധ്യമങ്ങള് നഷ്ടപരിഹാരം നല്കേണ്ടി വരുമെന്നും ബില്ലില് പറയുന്നുണ്ട്. ഇങ്ങനെ സംഭവിച്ചാല് ടിക് ടോക്, ഫേസ്ബുക്ക്, സ്നാപ്ചാറ്റ്, റെഡ്ഡിറ്റ്, എക്സ്, ഇന്സ്റ്റാഗ്രാം തുടങ്ങിയ പ്ലാറ്റ്ഫോമുകള് 3.3 കോടി ഡോളര് പിഴ നല്കേണ്ടി വരും. സോഷ്യമീഡിയ പ്ലാറ്റ്ഫോമുകളില് സംരക്ഷണം ഒരുക്കേണ്ട ചുമതല കുട്ടികള്ക്കോ മാതാപിതാക്കള്ക്കോ അല്ലെന്നും മൈക്കിള് റോളണ്ട് പറഞ്ഞു. 18 വയസിന് താഴെയുള്ളവർക്ക് ഓണ്ലൈന് പോണോഗ്രഫി നിരോധിക്കാനുള്ള നിയമവും ഓസ്ട്രേലിയ ആലോചിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com
LONDON – An ex-Muslim turned Christian evangelist has been beaten, chased by angry mobs, unlawfully jailed and even stabbed, all for the sake of the Gospel.
This is not in Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. It is officially happening in Christian Britain.
Her name is Hatun Tash, and what has been done to her has even caught the attention of the British media.
Tash grew up in Turkey as a Muslim and became a Christian after moving to England. And being an ex-Muslim speaking out against Islam has made her a target.
She told us she has changed residences more than 50 times in the past four years because she knows Muslims are looking for her in order to kill her. One man has already been sentenced to 24 years in prison for trying.
Because of this ongoing danger, she asked that we interview her from a secret location.
Tash told us her conversion to Christ began when she learned the truth about Islam and Mohammed.
“As I read biography, it was very disturbing to me. So, the man you grew up to love and honor suddenly turns out to be like, yeah, not good, not good. And I decided, I can’t be Muslim.”
Then she learned about a very different God than the one of Islam, telling us, “As you dig into it, you get to meet with a God who is not silent or far or distant from you, but you meet with a God who loves you, who pours out himself on you. And not only that, He just puts himself on the cross and then says, ‘I love you from everlasting to everlasting, Come to me.'”
Tash began sharing this message to Muslims at Speakers Corner, in London’s Hyde Park, where speakers climb atop stepladders and vigorous debates ensue, often between Muslims and Christians.
Her preaching and criticism of Islam has sometimes enraged Muslims, and three years ago a man slashed her face with a knife. He has never been caught.
She however has been arrested unlawfully more than once. The London Police have twice paid her damages for wrongful arrests, including two years ago when she refused to leave the area where she was preaching. Tash was forcibly marched through Hyde Park, followed by Muslims celebrating her arrest. She was placed in a police van, strip-searched, and jailed.
This has not stopped Tash from going to mosques and sharing the Gospel daily.
“I would simply stand in front of the mosques, and I’d say ‘Muhammad is a false prophet. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Tell me, what is your objections?’ Hundreds of Muslims just stop and then they want to talk to you. Sometimes you get harmed, sometimes it gets dangerous. Sometimes you end up in hospitals, sometimes you end up in people’s homes for a cup of tea,” Tash said.
“I don’t care whether people reject me or not. They need to hear the gospel,” she said.
Christian Concern’s Christian Legal Centre has defended Tash. Christian Concern’s Andrea Williams told us, “The truth is that those that have attempted to kill her have been caught on camera. The police know who they are, but they have not been arrested. She is feared by and targeted by Muslim groups because she is fearless for the gospel. She loves Jesus so much that nothing will halt her.”
Tash says she will continue to preach and continue to challenge Islam.
“Things are dangerous. Should I choose to stay silent? Like when people are spending 5,000 Pounds to buy a gun, to shoot you and shoot your loved ones? The Gospel is so glorious, I cannot be silent. And the Lord is the giver of life. So, when it’s my time, He will take me home. But until He gives me breath, we continue to preach.”
Sources:CBN News
us news
‘Christ Laid His Life Down for Me’: Greg Laurie Gives Powerful Gospel Presentation to Jordan Peterson
Christian megachurch leader Greg Laurie recently appeared on psychologist Jordan Peterson’s podcast, where he gave the professor-turned-cultural commentator a powerful presentation of the Gospel.
“When everything’s said and done, what’s more important than the afterlife?” the California-based pastor asked Peterson. “What’s more important than where we spend it? According to the Bible, I believe there’s a literal heaven, a literal hell, and I believe we choose in this life where we will spend the afterlife.”
Laurie added he’s going to spend eternity in heaven “not because I’ve lived a good life — because I failed in many ways — but because Christ laid His life down for me on the cross.”
“Coming back to Abraham, and what a picture, the son was willing to go and be sacrificed by the father,” the pastor continued, referring to the Old Testament story of Genesis 22. “[Isaac] knew what was going on: ‘Hey, Dad, where’s the sacrifice?’ ‘My son, God will provide for Himself a sacrifice.’ But Isaac made that sacrifice, too. The Son Jesus made that sacrifice for us, because He knew there was no other way that we could reach God, no other way we could satisfy the righteous demands of God. So Heaven isn’t for good people, as it’s often said; heaven is for forgiven people.”
The conversation between Peterson and Laurie stemmed from the 71-year-old minister opening up about the death of his son, Christopher, who passed away in 2008 as a result of a tragic car accident.
He described that day in July of 2008 as the “worst” day in his life. Nevertheless, Laurie said he is not without hope — because of his faith in the redemptive work of Jesus.
“I believe I’ll see my son again, because he believed in Jesus,” Laurie explained. “He won’t be in heaven because I’m his dad; he’ll be in heaven because he put his faith in Christ and he had that relationship. He’s a part of my future as well, so that gives me hope. But, also, I realize that God can allow these things in our life. I don’t know why. I can’t explain it. I don’t even try to explain it.”
Peterson, author of the new book, “We Who Wrestle With God: Perceptions of the Divine,” admitted to Laurie he struggles to intellectually reconcile a desire to perfect the earthly world with the knowledge the Christian life is heavily weighted toward considering eternity.
The famed psychologist and podcast host asked, “How do you reconcile, in your own mind, the insistence that part of the Christian moral pattern is to perfect the world and to raise the material up to the heavenly with the notion of the afterlife and immortality?”
Laurie referenced 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, in which the Apostle Paul wrote about experiencing a “third heaven,” as well as the thief on the cross next to Jesus, Who promised the man, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43, NIV).
The pastor explained he has felt closest to God — and His promises of eternity — through life’s trials.
“God made a lot of promises,” said Laurie. “I’ve put those promises to the test, including the worst thing of all, to lose a child. And I’ve seen how God had come through for me. If He hadn’t come through for me after my son died, I would have given up preaching, for sure. Why carry on? But He came through for me.”
Sources:faithwire
Christian girl rescued from forced marriage to elderly Muslim man
Pakistan — Javed Masih heaved a sigh of relief last week when he saw his 18-year-old daughter for the first...
കായംകുളം ഓപ്പൺ ബൈബിൾ ചർച്ചിൽ ഗുഡ്ന്യൂസ് ഫെസ്റ്റിവൽ
ഓപ്പൺ ബൈബിൾ അസ്സംബ്ളീസ് ചർച്ചി(Open Bible Assemblies Church )ന്റെ ആഭിമുഖ്യത്തിൽ നവം. 29 മുതൽ ഡിസം. 1 വരെ കായംകുളം ഓപ്പൺ ബൈബിൾ ചർച്ചിൽ ഗുഡ്ന്യൂസ്...
പാക്ക് പീഡിത ക്രൈസ്തവര്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി സ്വരമുയര്ത്തുന്ന യുവതിക്ക് എസിഎന്നിന്റെ ധീരത അവാര്ഡ്
ലാഹോര്/ ലണ്ടന്: കൊടിയ മതപീഡനത്തിനും വിവേചനത്തിനും ഇരയായി ദുരിതങ്ങളിലൂടെ കടന്നുപോകുന്ന പാക്കിസ്ഥാനിലെ ക്രൈസ്തവര്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി ധീരതയോടെ പോരാടുന്ന യുവതിയ്ക്കു എസിഎന്നിന്റെ ധീരത അവാര്ഡ്. കത്തോലിക്ക സന്നദ്ധ സംഘടനയായ...
വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്ക് നോട്ട്സ് വാട്സാപ്പിലൂടെ അയക്കുന്ന രീതികൾക്ക് വിലക്ക്
ബാലാവകാശ കമ്മീഷന്റെ ഇടപെടലിനെതുടർന്ന് ഹയർ സെക്കൻഡറി വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്ക് നോട്ട്സ് ഉൾപ്പടെയുള്ള പഠന കാര്യങ്ങൾ വാട്സ് ആപ്പ് പോലുള്ള സാമൂഹിക മാധ്യമങ്ങളിലൂടെ നൽകി വരുന്ന സ്കൂളുകളുടെയും ടീച്ചേഴ്സിൻ്റെയും നടപടികൾക്ക്...
16 വയസിന് താഴെയുള്ള കുട്ടികളിൽ സോഷ്യൽ മീഡിയ നിരോധിക്കാൻ യുകെ
ലണ്ടന്: ഓസ്ട്രേലിയക്ക് പിന്നാലെ 16 വയസിന് താഴെയുള്ള കുട്ടികളില് സോഷ്യല് മീഡിയ നിരോധനം കൊണ്ടുവരാന് യുകെയും. ഓണ്ലൈന് സുരക്ഷ ഉറപ്പാക്കാന് തനിക്കാവുന്നത് ചെയ്യുമെന്ന് യുകെ സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യ...
ദുബൈയില് ടൂറിസ്റ്റ്, സന്ദര്ശന വിസകള്ക്ക് ഹോട്ടല് ബുക്കിങ്ങും റിട്ടേണ് ടിക്കറ്റും നിര്ബന്ധമെന്ന് ദുബൈ എമിഗ്രേഷന്
ദുബൈ: എമിറേറ്റിലേക്ക് ടൂറിസ്റ്റ് വിസയും സന്ദര്ശന വിസയും ലഭിക്കാന് ഇനി മുതല് ഹോട്ടലില് റൂം ബുക്ക്ചെയ്തതിന്റെ രേഖയും റിട്ടേണ് ടിക്കറ്റും നിര്ബന്ധമാക്കിയതായി ദുബൈ എമിഗ്രേഷന് അറിയിച്ചു. വിസക്കായി...
-
Travel6 months agoയാക്കൂസ കരിഷ്മ:ഓല സ്കൂട്ടറിനേക്കാൾ വിലക്കുറവിൽ കുഞ്ഞൻ കാർ; സിറ്റി യാത്രകൾക്ക് ഇനി ഇവൻ മതിയാവും
-
Tech4 months agoചിത്രങ്ങൾ എഡിറ്റ് ചെയ്യാം; വാട്സ്ആപ്പിലെ ‘നീല വളയം’ സ്മാർട്ടാകുന്നു, കാര്യമായ മാറ്റങ്ങൾ
-
National9 months agoനെയ്തേലിപ്പടി ക്രൂസേഡിന് അനുഗ്രഹീത സമാപ്തി
-
Movie8 months agoActor Ryan Phillippe ‘Craving’ Relationship With God After Movie About Christian Missionary
-
National9 months ago300,000-Member Indian Church to Plant 40 More Megachurches
-
Movie11 months agoBrazilian gospel singer Pedro Henrique dies of heart attack after collapsing on stage
-
Articles5 months ago8 ways the Kingdom connects us back to the Garden of Eden
-
Hot News8 months ago3 key evidences of Jesus’ return from the grave