Category: White Horse

Germany Prosecutes Christian Pastor For Biblical Stance on Homosexuality (Video)

Amy Mek – May 25, 2022

“While today this is about a view found in the Bible, tomorrow it will be about any other opinion.”

Evangelical Pastor Olaf Latzel has been acquitted of hate speech against homosexuals by a German court after they had previously found him guilty in 2020. The charges stem from statements the 54-year-old conservative pastor of the Bremen St. Martini congregation made during a November 2019 marriage seminar at his Church. A video of the seminar was posted months later on his Youtube channel and then deleted. The LGBTQ community accused him of sedition for speaking God’s word.

A court in Bremen, Germany, has previously condemned the pastor for hate speech against homosexuals in 2020. He was fined 8,100 euros and vowed to appeal the sentence.

The court said the pastor promoted hate against homosexuals and violated their dignity in the marriage seminar in which he addressed the activities of what he called the “homolobby.”

Speaking to around 30 couples, he said at one point: “All around walk the criminals of the Christopher Street Day [the Berlin Pride March]. All this gender crap is an attack against God’s order of creation; it is demonic and satanic”.

The pastor claimed that homosexuality is “a ‘degenerative form’ of society.” Latzel warned that the “whole gender crap is an attack on God’s order of creation.”

In the process, the defense of Latzel said these views were based on the Bible and referred to homosexuality and violent LGBT activists and not to homosexual people.

The judge dismissed it, considering that “the homosexual orientation of a person is a part of its personality.”

Latzel’s lawyer said the sentence is a “catastrophe.” He described it as “the opening of a door to restrict freedom of speech” and added that “while today this is about a view found in the Bible, tomorrow it will be about any other opinion.”

https://rairfoundation.com

Texas Church Evicted After Pastor Criticized LGBTQ Mural In City Council Meeting

Katelynn Richardson – May 18, 2022

A new mural in the city of Georgetown, Texas, is generating controversy for its support of LGBTQ ideology. Members of one church who spoke out against public subsidies for sexual politics at a city council meeting believe their subsequent eviction from the Georgetown Palace Theatre was retaliation for their speech.

The mural is part of a jointly sponsored initiative between the Georgetown Independent School District (GISD), Georgetown City Council, and the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board to display the work of one student artist a year. Under the agreement, GISD sponsors materials up to $500, and the city is responsible for hiring an artist costing up to $500, Georgetown Community Impact Newspaper reported in March.

Last year, the mural followed the theme “Everyone Deserves Kindness.” This year’s mural, designed by a student at Forbes Middle School, displays the phrase “be your own person” in rainbow text above an assortment of red poppies, with some flowers painted with the transgender, bisexual, non-binary, and other sexual pride flags.

Church Leaders Speak Up

Church on the Square Pastor Bradley J. Helgerson, along with two other church members, spoke out against the mural at an April 26 Georgetown City Council meeting. Calling the ideology expressed by the mural “an attempt to fundamentally reorder society,” Helgerson said his remarks were aimed to provide “theological context for the ideology lurking behind this artistic expression.”

“Many have been fooled into thinking that such a rebellion against reality is an act of liberation. That when we tear down every norm we will be left with a freer society, that true freedom comes when the shackles of the sacred are removed,” Helgerson said. “But the work of the LGBTQ movement is not the work of liberation, but of liberationists whose desire it is to destroy the societal order itself, precisely because of its demand for conformity.”

“In other words, it’s not a matter of open-mindedness, but of closed-heartedness to right judgment that is the problem,” the pastor said. “Therefore, their goal is to remove all judgment, all boundaries, as is testified to by the endless numbers of genders and sexual orientations they affirm.”

https://thefederalist.com

Facebook Blocks Christian Children’s Book Publisher From Advertising

Matt Margolis – May 09, 2022

A Christian children’s book publisher says that Facebook has disabled its ad account, severely limiting its ability to reach new customers.

Good & True Media is a Christian company dedicated to making wholesome children’s literature. Since launching in the Fall of 2021, they’ve already had several best sellers. Since September, they’ve been advertising on Facebook without any problems but found their ad account disabled two days after posting an ad containing a Bible verse.

The full text of the ad read as follows:

Have you ever felt that your child has been harmed by the media they consume? As a parent or grandparent it is becoming increasingly difficult to find movies, music and books that promote classical virtues and strong morals. In a nutshell it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain our children’s innocence in this digital world.

We are a family media company dedicated to inspiring children to live virtuously. Every printed book, animated book and audio drama we make is directed to this end. We create wholesome content built upon three fundamental beliefs. If you don’t believe these, don’t sign up with us – we aren’t the publisher for you.

1) God exists and He is good.

2) There is such a thing as right and wrong.

3) The family is the backbone of society.

We feel that modern media has forgotten these simple tenets of life and often seek to refute them. We pledge to NEVER publish anything that violates the above beliefs.

We tell stories where good triumphs over evil and the hero saves the day. We publish fairy tales where dragons are slain. We publish classics with timeless lessons free from modern nonsense. We publish unforgettable stories that show virtue in action, so that children across the country can grow to be better reflections of their Creator. We hope you join the family and see for yourself.

Two days after Good & True Media posted the ad, Facebook informed Brian Gallagher, the founder, and publisher of Good & True Media, that his ad account was disabled because the account “may not fully comply with [Facebook’s] Advertising Policies or other standards.”

https://pjmedia.com

‘Preaching the Gospel May One Day Become Hate Speech,’ Legal Expert Warns

Michael Foust – May 5, 2022

Noting that certain tenets of the Christian faith are growing more unpopular each year, two prominent attorneys on Thursday called on believers to pray for the Supreme Court and the rest of the judicial system, saying it’s essential that judges follow the Constitution and not the whims of the culture.

David Nammo, CEO of the Christian Legal Society, and Gregory S. Baylor, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, made the comments on the National Day of Prayer, emphasizing that Justices need prayer just as politicians do. They spoke during a virtual event sponsored by MyFaithVotes.org.

“I think one of the specific ways we can pray for judges is that they don’t get kind of sucked into the deep polarization and tribalism that’s plaguing our culture right now,” Baylor said. “We don’t want judges to become part of that – to think of themselves in one tribe or the other.”

Baylor urged Christians to pray that judges “do the job that God has called them to do.”

“Even at the recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings … there was a consensus that judges ought not to be legislators [and] ought not to be the primary resolvers of the big disputes and debates in our country,” Baylor said.

It’s especially critical to pray for judges as the culture becomes more hostile to the gospel, Nammo said.

“I think it’s important that [pastors] understand that preaching the gospel may one day become hate speech in this country,” Nammo said, noting that in many countries, “that’s already the case.”

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Troops accuse Pentagon of ‘religious purge’

RT – April 29, 2022

The US government is still mandating all members of the military to get a Covid-19 vaccine and discharging those who refuse – even on religious grounds – in what amounts to a deliberate purge of troops with beliefs the current Pentagon considers wrong, a sergeant and two officers told the podcast hosted by Republican congressman Matt Gaetz on Thursday.

Gaetz (R-Florida), who hosts a podcast called ‘Firebrand,’ said he wants to propose an amendment that would ban mandates for experimental vaccines and restore rank and pay to those forced to leave the military, but admitted that some of his Republican colleagues might not support it, not to mention the majority Democrats.

“If you are a believer and you are listening to this podcast, you need to understand that God-fearing service members are being intentionally purged from the services,” said one of his guests, Air Force Captain Jordan Karr.

“It’s a purposeful purge,” argued Army Major Samuel Sigoloff. “Anyone who would disobey an unlawful order is being purged out of the military,” he added, alleging there is a “shadow policy” in place to protect the leadership doing this.

Karr, Sigoloff and Air Force Master Sergeant Nickolas Krupper made their case against the mandate by bringing up religious freedom, natural immunity, and the discrepancy between the jabs used under emergency authorization and the one officially approved, which technically isn’t available in the US.

Though they are legally distinct, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance says that Pfizer’s emergency-use vaccine and the officially approved Comirnaty “can be used interchangeably… without presenting any safety or effectiveness concerns.”

All three service members face “involuntary separation” over their refusal to get the jab, but have sued the Defense Department on religious exemption grounds. They technically remain on active duty until the lawsuits are resolved. Sergeant Krupper pointed out he is two years away from retirement and would lose his pension and family medical benefits if the USAF kicks him out.

https://www.rt.com

Leading Into Passover and Easter Weekend, The New York Times Calls on Readers to Kill God

Robert Spencer – April 17, 2022

Passover started Friday and Sunday is Easter for most Christians (Orthodox Christian Easter, or Pascha, is next Sunday). In keeping with the season, The New York Times thought Thursday was the perfect day to publish a rancorous anti-God screed written by an angry former believer. The Times is now openly proselytizing for atheism, and while that’s certainly its prerogative, it also must be asked: why now, in the lead-in to two of the holiest of times for both Jews and Christians? And also, cui bono — who benefits?

The Times op-ed was the work of Shalom Auslander, the author of a book called Foreskin’s Lament: A Memoir, in which he bitterly recounts his Orthodox Jewish upbringing and how he has said goodbye to all that. He does essentially the same thing in the Times piece, presenting some acid recollections of being an eight-year-old learning about Passover, and adding, “In this time of war and violence, of oppression and suffering, I propose we pass over something else: God.”

This is because God’s judgment on the Egyptians in the Exodus story seems to Auslander to be excessive. “God, it seems, paints with a wide brush. He paints with a roller. In Egypt, said our rabbi, he even killed first-born cattle. He killed cows. If he were mortal, the God of Jews, Christians and Muslims would be dragged to The Hague. And yet we praise him. We emulate him. We implore our children to be like him.” Auslander adds, “Perhaps now, as missiles rain down and the dead are discovered in mass graves, is a good time to stop emulating this hateful God. Perhaps we can stop extolling his brutality. Perhaps now is a good time to teach our children to pass over God — to be as unlike him as possible.” That’s the Times’ message for Passover and Easter.

Auslander doesn’t explain, of course, where he thinks he got the moral sense that he used to judge God’s actions in the Exodus account as he understands them. The Times, of course, has no space to consider answers to Auslander’s theological questions, which have been considered by Jews and Christians throughout the ages who were far more thoughtful than Auslander himself is. It does, however, have plenty of space for Auslander’s practical conclusion: “Killing gods is an idea I can get behind.”

https://pjmedia.com

China has now banned the word ‘Christ’ on Social Media platforms claiming it causes ‘Incitement’

Michael Foust – April 7, 2022

China has banned “Christ” and other religious words from social media apps under a new policy that went into effect on March 1. According to a new report, the policy also requires licensing and training to post Christian and religious content on the internet.

The Chinese Communist Party’s new law – dubbed the “Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services” – prohibits individuals and organizations from posting religious information on the internet unless they have first obtained permission from a provincial government department, according to China Aid, which monitors religious freedom within the country.

Early Rain Covenant Church, a Chinese congregation, recently discovered the far-reaching impact of the new law. Using the messaging app WeChat, a church member tried posting the names of eight books for members of a reading group, asking them to vote on their favorite. Among the titles: The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til, Tradition and the Individual Talent by T. S. Eliot and The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis.

But the WeChat app rejected the post, saying the word “Christ” was not allowed.

“The word ‘Christ’ you are trying to publish violates regulations on Internet Information Services, including but not limited to the following categories: pornography, gambling, and drug abuse; excessive marketing; incitement.”

The issue could only be resolved by editing the post, which the church member did.

“Unfortunately, the group administrator had to replace part of the word ‘Christ’ to pass censorship,” China Aid said.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

American Bible Society survey finds ‘unprecedented drop’ in Bible reading

Ryan Foley – April 7, 2022

There has been an “unprecedented drop” in the number of Bible users in the United States since last year, according to a report released by the American Bible Society.

The 2022 State of the Bible report, released Wednesday, based its findings on responses collected from a survey of 2,598 U.S. adults conducted in January. The 12th annual report asked Americans a variety of questions about their Bible use and their thoughts on its role in society.

A preface to the report also highlights changes in the percentage of Bible users in the U.S. over time. The American Bible Society defines Bible users as “those who use the Bible at least 3-4 times each year on their own, outside of a church setting.”

After reaching a high of 53% in 2014, the share of Bible users among the U.S. adult population consistently remained between 48% and 51%. Just last year, 50% of Americans were Bible users. However, in 2022, Bible users in the U.S. accounted for just 39% of the adult population, the lowest in more than a decade.

The State of the Bible report described the 11% decrease as an “unprecedented drop in the percentage of Bible users in the United States.” When applied to the U.S. population as a whole, the figure suggests that the number of Bible users in the U.S. dropped from 128 million in 2021 to 103 million in 2022.

https://www.christianpost.com

Christian doctor ousted for refusing trans-identified pronouns to have case heard at UK tribunal

Anugrah Kumar – March 28, 2022

A Christian doctor who lost his job for refusing to use trans pronouns will appear before a tribunal in the United Kingdom this week to challenge a ruling that held that biblical beliefs on gender are “incompatible with human dignity” and not “worthy of respect in a democratic society.”

Dr. David Mackereth, a physician who in July 2018 was forced out of his job in the Department of Work and Pensions, will challenge the ruling at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London on Tuesday and Wednesday.

He is represented by the Christian Legal Centre.

“My case affects everyone, not just me and Bible-believing Christians, but anyone who is concerned by compelled speech and transgender ideology being enforced on the NHS and other public services,” Mackereth said in a statement.

“The judgment from two years ago said to Christians, ‘you have to believe in transgender ideology.’ That is totalitarianism. It made out Christianity to be nothing, the Bible to be nothing. That cannot be allowed to stand.”

The case comes about a week after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told members of Parliament that “when it comes to distinguishing between a man and a woman, the basic facts of biology remain overwhelmingly important.”

In the two-day hearing, lawyers are expected to cite Maya Forstater’s tribunal victory last June, maintaining that an earlier decision against her “erred in law.” Forstater served as a senior researcher at a think tank in London and was fired in 2019 for tweeting that “men cannot change into women.” She criticized the decision to house a trans-identified biological male in a woman’s prison.

https://www.christianpost.com

Florida Teen Sues Former School, Alleges Staff, Students Ostracized Him for His Christian Faith

Milton Quintanilla – March 7, 2022

A Florida teen has filed a discrimination lawsuit against his former school after allegedly being targeted by staff and students because of his Christian faith.

Nicolas Ortiz, who attended Mater Academy from 2018 to January 2022, claims he was mistreated by staff and students for bringing his Bible to school. According to the suit, Ortiz would often read his Bible during his free time to build his faith.

Representing Ortiz is The Dhillon Law Group, which filed a 206-page lawsuit against Mater Academy on Monday.

“Mr. Ortiz is experiencing something that no American should ever have to experience,” the law firm’s managing partner, Harmeet K. Dhillon, said in a statement.

“It’s bad enough that the school has done nothing to stop the bullying from his peers, but have gone as far as joining in on targeting Mr. Ortiz for simply practicing his faith. This blatant violation of his first amendment rights is another example of how extreme so many in our education system have become, and why Dhillon Law Group is coming to Mr. Ortiz’s defense.”

According to The Christian Post, Ortiz was ridiculed and threatened by other students, publicly humiliated after his science teacher called him “ignorant” during class, and more because of his faith.

In September 2021, Ortiz reportedly had his Bible ripped apart by his peers while he was reading it during his free time. When Ortiz reported the incident, he was told by the vice principal to stop bringing the Bible to school altogether.

A month later, Ortiz was suspended for 10 days after he defended himself against a student who allegedly kicked his iPad out of his hands. The aggressor, on the other hand, reportedly never faced disciplinary action.

https://www.christianheadlines.com