Babylon isn’t just ancient history; its proverbial presence lives on in our pockets, tempting us to give into every indulgence, every noise, every decadent desire imaginable.

The Old Testament story in the first chapter of Daniel feels surprisingly modern, a poignant commentary on the choices Christians face every single day. “Content is king” may be a well-known marketing phrase, but it’s also a sobering analysis of our culture.

After conquering Israel, the king ordered his chief of staff to bring men from Judah’s royal family to serve as servants in Babylon (Daniel 1:3-4). But it wasn’t just about service. Nebuchadnezzar wanted more than that; he was after their entire identities.

The men were taught the language, exposed to the literature, and steeped in a godless culture. Does that sound familiar?

Today, we live in what could be described as a digital Babylon — a world curated for us, made up of streaming platforms, social media fads, influencers, and celebrities, all pushing to redefine our identities, rewire our beliefs, and reorient our desires.

We aren’t forced into it. We are coaxed — slowly seduced — into embracing the world. Repeatedly throughout Scripture, Christians are called to protect themselves from the trappings of a godless culture.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” And in 1 John 2:15, the Apostle John wrote, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.”
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

A Christian summer camp in Colorado is suing over a gender policy it says could shut it down.

Camp IdRaHaJe in Bailey, Colorado, is asking a court to allow it to follow its sincerely held religious beliefs and separate campers by sex and not gender identity.

The camp, which has been licensed in Colorado since 1995 and derives its name from the song “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” has operated for decades, dating back to 1948, and hosts thousands of children in its week-long program every summer.

The issue centers on state regulations governing gender, with the camp declining to operate based on newly adopted parameters due to its Christian faith.

A May 12 lawsuit, filed on Camp IdRaHaJe’s behalf by conservative legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom, details the camp’s concerns after Colorado Department of Early Childhood last year created new regulations mandating licensees like the camp allow children to use restrooms and other facilities that comport with their gender identities.

“Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed a lawsuit Monday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on behalf of a Christian summer camp seeking to uphold its religious and commonsense beliefs about biological sex,” a press release reads. “The camp is challenging a recent Colorado Department of Early Childhood policy update that forces licensed resident camps to allow campers to use private facilities of the opposite sex.”

According to The Denver Post, the camp said it attempted to get a religious exemption, which wasn’t granted. According to ADF, the purported denial forced “the camp to choose between upholding its beliefs about biological sex and risk losing its license or abandoning its beliefs and mission to minister to children.”

ADF legal counsel Andrea Dill said in a statement the government doesn’t have the right to threaten to shutter or punish a Christian camp simply for exercising its “religious beliefs about human sexuality.”

“Camp IdRaHaJe exists to present the truth of the Gospel to children who are building character and lifelong memories,” Dill said in a statement. “But the Colorado government is putting its dangerous agenda—that is losing popularity across the globe—ahead of its kids.”

She continued, “We are urging the court to allow IdRaHaJe to operate as it has for over 75 years: as a Christian summer camp that accepts all campers without fear of being punished for its beliefs.”

Meanwhile, Lisa Roy, executive director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, said in a statement to CBS News that officials cannot comment on active litigation, but that the agency will work with faith-based groups “within the confines of the law.”

“The Department will continue working in partnership with faith-based providers and camps within the confines of the law to ensure maximum participation,” the statement read. “As I’m sure you understand, we cannot comment on active litigation.”
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

Allen Jackson, pastor of World Outreach Church in Tennessee, is on a mission to get people thinking more deeply about angels, demons, and the supernatural.

Jackson’s new book, “Angels, Demons & You” tackles these very subjects, with the preacher calling fellow believers to more boldly approach the subject matter.

“Most of us are comfortable having a theoretical discussion about angels and demons,” he told CBN News, noting, though, that, when it’s made personal, the conversation becomes more complex and unpalatable for some. “The most important part is imagining that there are spiritual forces that are impacting your life today without any question.”

Jackson continued, “And if we get to that point, then the discussion becomes pretty significant.”

The preacher said there’s been an obsessive move toward rationalism since the Enlightenment — one that has led too many to lose touch with the “spiritual dynamic.” Even when these issues are discussed, Jackson said there’s a tendency to focus on the “dark side” of the spiritual.

“We’ll focus more on the demonic,” he said. “And that’s certainly legitimate. I don’t want to diminish that, but the book title was intentional. I wanted to start with angels because I think there are spiritual forces to help us, spiritual beings to help us.”

Jackson said angels are pivotal to the Gospel narrative, serving a primary purpose to help people understand what’s unfolding.

“The whole Gospel story can’t really be understood apart from the angelic involvement,” he said. “Gabriel [who] goes to visit Zechariah is the opening narrative for the story of John the Baptist, and Gabriel going to see Mary and Joseph, the angels that ministered to Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness, the angels that ministered to him in Gethsemane as he’s preparing.”

Even the devil understood the importance of angels, as Satan told Jesus that if he tossed himself off the temple, the angels would save him. Matthew 4:5-6 (NIV) reads: “Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Ultimately, Jackson said there’s a disconnect today when it comes to many Christians’ understanding of angels, in particular. While most in the aforementioned Gospel narratives seemed to understand their significance, too many today doubt or ignore.

“It seems to me we’re more willing to trust in a presidential election than we are in the beings that God has made available to us,” he said.

Jackson said some people might avoid the supernatural for fear it feels strange or weird. There’s also the element of uncertainty around issues like healing, which could further spark reluctance among some to fully engage in related conversation.

Regardless, Jackson said Christians must lean into Scripture and live out their beliefs.

“We have to be willing to walk this out and live like we believe the Bible is true,” he said. “Otherwise, we just relegate it to an insurance policy at the end of our life, and, if God can’t be trusted to make a difference in my life today, then I think we’re foolish to trust him with our eternity.”

Beyond the individual implications, the spiritual battle described in Ephesians 6 mean that there’s a profound impact in society and culture as well — something Jackson addressed.

“For me, the the trigger is when I watch something and there’s not a rational explanation, when it’s completely illogical — a set of behaviors — and then I think, ‘OK, there’s other components involved,’” Jackson said. “And we’ve been watching some things, to me, that are pretty irrational — mutilating our kids, saying that biological sex is confusing; it really isn’t.”

He continued, “I have great compassion for people that are confused about something so fundamental to their existence. But, when I watch that, I think, ‘OK, there’s got to be a spiritual component to this because that cannot be understood.’”

In the end, Jackson said Christians are called to be culture-shapers and not to rely entirely on politics for changes to unfold. Engaging, discussing, and understanding the supernatural is part of that key process.

“I think we have emasculated the Gospel,” he said. “And we’ve been doing it in our formal education systems, and I had the privilege of studying in some celebrated academic settings, but most of them were pretty faithless, even in the theology schools.”

Jackson said people have to be comfortable realizing Jesus himself clearly believed in angels and demons — and modern believers shouldn’t be afraid of it.
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com