The head of a California-based evangelical religious liberty group stated Thursday that Christianity is presently the most persecuted religion on earth based on evidence gathered.

Dr. Carl Moeller told The Christian Post at an event on rising religious intolerance abroad that Christians are “the most persecuted in the world” when the nonprofit examined religious groups suffering from increased persecution.

“In terms of sheer numbers, the large size of the Christian populations around the world, where they’re repressed or restricted… Whether you count martyrs, those killed, or you count those living in regimes, sizable Christian populations live under extreme restrictions in places like China, Indonesia, and of course the Middle East,” said Moeller.

He noted that “the methodology for determining this was not from Open Doors necessarily. It was through organizations like Pew Research.”

Moeller cited in his remarks a 2011 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life study that concluded that about 70 percent of the world’s population lives in a religiously intolerant environment and 32 percent of the world’s population experienced a rise in religious hostility either at the social or government level.

“Where we see it most notably is in Islamic societies where an intentional misrepresentation of other faiths is primary. It’s fueled by illiteracy and some cases poverty,” said Moeller.

“But the core driver is a distortion of a religious message that makes Christians or other minority groups the enemy.”

Moeller’s remarks came at a press conference focused on the increased persecution of religious minorities in the Middle East and North Africa. Sponsored by Opens Doors and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the conference was held on Thursday at the National Press Club.

In addition to Moeller, other speakers included Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, director of interfaith affairs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Nina Shea, a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

“What we all have in common is that we are stakeholders in battling what we call a growing scourge of repression of religious freedom,” said Adlerstein.

“It can easily be shown that religious freedom in minority populations has become a political tool of all kinds of regimes and one that will continue to wreak havoc with the lives, indeed the existence of entire communities in many parts of the world.”

For his speech, Moeller spoke about the growing problems for Christians in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Nigeria. When talking about Nigeria, which is in the news regularly for bomb attacks by an extremist Islamic group called Boko Haram, Moeller held up photos of bombed churches and businesses taken over the past few months.

USCIRF Commissioner Shea talked about various issues regarding international religious liberty, focusing on several failures on the part of the Obama administration in addressing these issues.

Shea also mentioned a piece of legislation “languishing in the Senate” known as SB 1245, which was introduced by Republican Congressman Frank Wolf as HR 440. The bill if enacted would create a “Special Envoy” for the protection of religious minorities in the Middle East and South East Asia. It is currently being held up by Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb for unknown reasons.

“The U.S.’s moral muscle can be used to save millions of lives from oppression, imprisonment, and even death,” said Moeller.

“And I believe that there are people of good will of faith of all religious persuasions around the world who would understand the kinds of things we were talking about here today.”

- Prophecy News Watch

Any healthy church must have some level of inward focus. Those in the church should be discipled. Hurting members need genuine concern and ministry. Healthy fellowship among the members is a good sign for a congregation.

But churches can lose their outward focus and become preoccupied with the perceived needs and desires of the members.

The dollars spent and the time expended can quickly become focused on the demands of those inside the congregation. When that takes place the church has become inwardly obsessed. It is no longer a Great Commission congregation.

In my research of churches and consultation with churches, I have kept a checklist of potential signs that a church might be moving toward inward obsession. No church is perfect; indeed most churches will demonstrate one or two of these signs for a season. But the real danger takes place when a church begins to manifest three or more of these warning signs for an extended period of months and even years.

1. Worship wars. One or more factions in the church want the music just the way they like it. Any deviation is met with anger and demands for change. The order of service must remain constant. Certain instrumentation is required while others are prohibited.

2. Prolonged minutia meetings. The church spends an inordinate amount of time in different meetings. Most of the meetings deal with the most inconsequential items, while the Great Commission and Great Commandment are rarely the topics of discussion.

3. Facility focus. The church facilities develop iconic status. One of the highest priorities in the church is the protection and preservation of rooms, furniture, and other visible parts of the church’s buildings and grounds.

4. Program driven. Every church has programs even if they don’t admit it. When we start doing a ministry a certain way, it takes on programmatic status. The problem is not with programs. The problem develops when the program becomes an end instead of a means to greater ministry.

5. Inwardly focused budget. A disproportionate share of the budget is used to meet the needs and comforts of the members instead of reaching beyond the walls of the church.

6. Inordinate demands for pastoral care. All church members deserve care and concern, especially in times of need and crisis. Problems develop, however, when church members have unreasonable expectations for even minor matters. Some members expect the pastoral staff to visit them regularly merely because they have membership status.

7. Attitudes of entitlement. This issue could be a catch-all for many of the points named here. The overarching attitude is one of demanding and having a sense of deserving special treatment.

8. Greater concern about change than the gospel. Almost any noticeable changes in the church evoke the ire of many; but those same passions are not evident about participating in the work of the gospel to change lives.

9. Anger and hostility. Members are consistently angry. They regularly express hostility toward the church staff and other members.

10. Evangelistic apathy. Very few members share their faith on a regular basis. More are concerned about their own needs rather than the greatest eternal needs of the world and community in which they live.

- Prophecy News Watch

Doris Rosado watches her teenage daughters, Ninette and Kiara Mongrut, get the numbers “666” tattooed on their wrists, beaming with pride. The number typically conjures up biblical symbolism tied to the Antichrist, but this St. Catharines, Ont., family belongs to a obscure Christian sect for which “666” is a positive symbol of their group’s messianic leader.

“They wanted to do it,” Ms. Rosado, 45, said at the St. Catharines tattoo parlour where her daughters were inked. “But now it’s more important because we’re counting down… I’m so proud.”

For this family, and other members of Growing in Grace International, these tattoos are a way of demonstrating their faith as true believers of Jose de Luis de Jesus — who they fervently believe is the second coming of Jesus Christ — before a day of reckoning they believe will wipe out most of humanity.

The group, which they say has branches in five Canadian cities and members in more than 130 countries, believes that on June 30 (or July 1 across the international dateline), their Texas-based leader and his followers will be transformed, said Alex Poessy, the group’s bishop in Canada.

To spread the word, Growing in Grace put up billboards in Toronto this week featuring Mr. de Jesus.

“That day, the body of Jose de Luis de Jesus, who is a human like you and me, his flesh is going to be immortal…. He’s going to be living forever. And that will happen to him, but also his followers.”

But, said Mr. Poessy: “All those that are not believers are going to be destroyed.”

Growing in Grace International is not the first to prognosticate that the so-called end of the world will come this year. The Mayan calendar famously picks Dec. 21, 2012.

But Mr. de Jesus also predicts that the “transformation” will endow him, and his loyal followers, with superpowers, such as the ability to fly and walk through walls, said Axel Cooley, the bishop’s daughter.

“[We can] run and not get tired. Go through fire and not get burned…. I could be talking to you right now, and then I could go through that wall. So, you’ll know there is a difference,” Cooley said.

The global economy will collapse as currency markets “fail” and governments around the world will be forced to resign. These predictions are based on biblical passages, she adds.

“The world’s not going to end. What is going to end is the system…. All the governments and the currencies will fall. The new government of the 666 will take over,” she said.

The group’s billboards feature a picture of Mr. de Jesus, with such messages as “666, number of wisdom” or “Countdown to the transformation June 30, 2012.” The group is eyeing billboard locations in Ottawa and Kitchener as well, she said. Growing in Grace has also put up billboards in at least 10 countries, including the U.S., Brazil and Puerto Rico, Ms. Cooley said.

Mr. de Jesus, whom followers lovingly call “Dad,” had a vision in 1973 while living in Massachusetts of two angels coming to him. “The body of Christ manifested in Jose de Luis de Jesus, and all of a sudden, that’s when he knew,” Ms. Cooley said.

By 1986, he founded Growing in Grace, or Cresciendo en Gracia, in 1986 in Puerto Rico. His teachings are based on the writings of the Apostle Paul, Ms. Cooley says.

The group has come under fire and accused of being a cult.

Regina Albarracin of Pembroke Pines, Fla., whose son Alvaro became estranged from his family after he joined Growing in Grace, said its members are “brainwashed.”

“They’re stupid people who believe in stupidities,” she told the Miami New Times in 2006. “They’re like those people in Waco, Texas. When you go there, you get brainwashed.”

Questions have also been raised about the funds flowing from followers into Growing in Grace’s coffers.

The church had been paying $144,000 a year in alimony to de Jesus’ first wife, considering it part of his salary, according to a 2007 article in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Also, donations from followers in Colombia went to a Colombian bank account in Jose Luis de Jesus’ name, the Sun-Sentinel reported. De Jesus said the Colombian bishop controlled the money earmarked for churches there. However, he also said some of the money went to de Jesus’ wife, including about $60,000 for a condominium.

Canadian member Ana Guevara, 20, brushes the cult claims off.

“All our lives have been enriched with this…. If we were a cult, then I guess we’re a pretty awesome cult. Because it’s teaching you how to live happy. How to live in a good mood,” says Ms. Guevara, whose family is also part of Growing in Grace.

The group has roughly 200 members in Canada, including branches in Toronto, St. Catharines, Montreal and Calgary. Its newest branch is in Vancouver, which officially opened in March, Mr. Poessy said.

‘It’s a strong indicator that their authority is slipping, they’re losing followers’Ontario Growing in Grace members congregate in hotel conference rooms for what they call “tracings.” During a tracing in January in Niagara Falls, a few dozen members sat in rows of padded chairs facing a screen. The sermon-like Spanish broadcast was streamed live online, beaming in images from other members’ gatherings around the world. Members listened to speakers and sang along with the hymns.

“We’re the ones who will live eternally,” they sang in Spanish.

Usually, Mr. de Jesus addresses his followers during the tracings. But on April 22, his 66th birthday, he gave his last speech before retreating from public view.

In a video posted on YouTube and on their website, cegenglish.com, Mr. de Jesus called for his followers to enter into the final countdown until, he says, their government will come into power. “A government where we will govern everything with a perfect order. This is my last farewell for you. The time is finished… We will see each other soon in Armageddon.”

Dr. Lorne Dawson, a University of Waterloo sociologist and religious studies professor who specializes in new religious movements, says that when a religious group sets a deadline, it is a sign that the “movement is starting to run into trouble.”

“It’s a strong indicator that their authority is slipping, they’re losing followers, not acquiring followers at a level that they used to … and nothing galvanizes a group and galvanizes attention like a new mention of an apocalypse.”

Last year, California preacher and evangelical broadcaster Harold Camping infamously said that the world would end on May 21, 2011. When the day passed without incident — after many of his followers sold off all their belongings — Mr. Camping apologized for the faulty predictions, and subsequently retired.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have prophesied that the world would end eight times, as recently as 1975. The Church Universal and Triumphant, a new age religious group from the U.S., forecast that nuclear war would strike in 1990, says Dr. Dawson.

Even after their prophecies failed, such groups continued to survive at a similar level, or become even stronger, he said. “The leader will quickly come up with an explanation, rationalize, and that rationalization will be spread quickly to all of the membership … and gear them up for another prophecy down the line,” Dr. Dawson said.

‘[I]t’s teaching you how to live happy. How to live in a good mood’Common explanations include blaming the members who doubted, or that the prophecy happened on another spiritual plane, he added.

Growing in Grace members, however, insist their prediction will come true, and their transformation is on its way.

They cite recent erratic weather patterns and global economic woes as signs that change is afoot.

“We are sure that it’s going to happen,” said Mr. Poessy.

- Prophecy News Watch

A recently released report from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago shows which countries have the most, and the least, belief in God by population percentage.

The Philippines, a predominantly Catholic nation, was found to have the highest percentage (84 percent) of people who “know God really exists and … have no doubts about it,” and the lowest percentage (less than one percent) of people who said they “don’t believe in God” at all.

The report, titled “Beliefs about God across Time and Countries,” analyzes 30 countries based on surveys from the International Social Survey Programme conducted as far back as 1991 and as recently as 2008. The survey’s findings do not include Middle Eastern countries where a Muslim majority exists.

Those surveyed were asked a number of questions to help researchers measure their collective belief in God. First, they asked a question to determine whether those surveyed were atheists, agnostics, deists, waivers (those who believe in God only some of the time), weak believers (those who believe but have doubts) or strong believers. They were also asked how their belief has changed during their lifetime, and whether or not they believed in a God “who concerns himself with every human being personally.”

“While there is a modest, general shift away from belief in God, there is enormous variation across countries in the level of believers, atheists, and intermediate groups,” the report states.

Among all the nations mentioned in the report, atheism is highest in former East Germany, where 52 percent of people don’t believe in God. Smith indicates in his analysis that “countries with high atheism (and low strong belief) tend to be ex-Socialist states and countries in northwest Europe. Countries with low atheism and high strong belief tend to be Catholic societies, especially in the developing world, plus the United States, Israel, and Orthodox Cyprus.”

Among Americans, 81 percent say they have always believed in God, compared to just 37 percent in Great Britain, 25 percent in Japan and 13 percent in former East Germany.

Sixty-one percent of Americans said they know God exists, while three percent identified themselves as nonbelievers.

In Japan, only nine percent of the Japanese people said they don’t believe in God, yet only four percent said they know God exists – the lowest out of all the countries surveyed. People from Japan were more likely to indicate that they fell somewhere in the middle, and they either believed in God some of the time or said they were agnostic.

“Japanese people actually are spiritual people. They’re not religious people, but they’re spiritual people … They have a belief in a lot of different types of deities,” Richard Chuman, executive director of the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society (JEMS), told The Christian Post on Monday.

Chuman says the biggest hindrance to Christianity in Japan is that it is seen primarily as a “Western religion,” but there are other cultural factors as well. Many Japanese churches are very traditional, some would say behind the times, and they often adhere to firm denominational divides instead of assisting another in reaching their nation. Some of the more recently successful churches are those that are less traditional and work toward appealing to the nation’s youth.

Japanese people who travel to the United States or Australia are more likely to become Christians while abroad, Chuman says, because they are removed from their culture. Often, when these Christians return to Japan, they see themselves as “catalysts for change” in their homeland.

When asked if they believe in a God “who concerns himself with every human being personally,” 92 percent of people from The Philippines said they did, as compared to just 24 percent of people in Japan and 68 percent of Americans.

- Prophecy News Watch

The good news about the Good Book is that it’s still the No. 1 seller of all time, with an estimated 6 billion copies sold.

The not-so-good news though, according to a new survey by The American Bible Society, is that it’s lost a bit of its prominence in affecting people’s lives.

The “State of the Bible 2012″ looked at the trends surrounding the most influential book of Western civilization. The survey found that while 82 percent of Americans revere the Bible as sacred literature, that number is down slightly from a year ago when 86 percent thought so.

And when asked whether The Bible contains “everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life,” 69 percent agreed either strongly or somewhat. That number was down also from the previous year, when 75 percent responded the same way.

The ABS sees opportunity rather than disappointment in the results.

Lamar Vest, President and CEO of ABS, says, “We do see that as something to be concerned about, but it is still a very high percentage, when you have 82 percent of Americans agreeing on anything. So we’re still very pleased about it. We’re sorry for the slippage, but still, 82 percent gives us an incredible open door.”

One of the challenges the ABS is launching is encouraging people to read the Bible. The survey found that when asked about certain spiritual truths, nearly half (46%) of Americans couldn’t differentiate between the teachings of the Bible, the Koran, or the Book of Mormon.

Vest says, “There are probably five Bibles on every shelf in American homes. Americans buy the Bibles, they debate the Bible, they love the Bible… they just don’t read the Bible.”

Vest is meeting with Joshua Dubois, the head of the President’s Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to begin a dialogue on the importance of the Bible in the founding of the country.

As the ABS approaches its bicentennial in 2016, much of its signage will point to the influence of the Bible on shaping America. For example, Vest says, many of the principles laid out in the U.S. Constitution find their roots in Scripture. For instance, the separation of church and state is seen in the verse from the New Testament’s Luke 20:25 — “Render therefore unto Cesar the things which be Cesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.” It is the principal idea behind the Constitution’s First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

And on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia are inscribed the Old Testament’s words of Leviticus 25: 10: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”

“So, if you look back in the early days of the formation of this country,” says Vest, “it’s impossible to separate the formation of our democratic republic from the foundation of Scripture.”

The survey reveals how much more work is needed to prove to the public that the Bible is not a dusty out of date, rule book. The ABS, says Vest, is not trying to get people to go out and buy new Bibles, just to make good use of the ones they already have.

- Prophecy News Watch

A group of Anglican Church leaders, including some from the General Synod, the Church of England’s governing body, has stated in a public letter opposition to the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, and a desire for it to include same-sex couples.

Homosexual marriage has been a controversial issue in Britain and especially in the Anglican Church. British Prime Minister David Cameron and several other political groups and leaders in the country want the government to allow same-sex couples, who already can partake in civil unions that allow them many of the same benefits as heterosexual couples, to make vows and marry.

The Church of England stands firm in its support of traditional marriage and says:

“Opening marriage to same-sex couples would confer few if any new legal rights on the part of those already in a civil partnership, yet would require multiple changes to law, with the definition of marriage having to change for everyone.”

Its leader, the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, who is set to retire before the end of the year, also called proposals to change the definition of marriage through law as “very dangerous.”

The Anglican group pushing for homosexual marriage, however, has explained that not everyone in the Anglican community agrees with the church’s official stance on the matter, and argued that homosexual couples who want to marry and be in committed long-term relationships “should be a cause for rejoicing in the Christian Church.”

“Recent statements by church leaders past and present may have given the mistaken impression that the church is universally opposed to the extension of civil marriage to same-sex couples. We believe that does not adequately reflect the range of opinion which exists within the Church of England,” the letter reads.

“The Church calls marriage holy or sacramental because the covenant relationship of committed, faithful love between the couple reflects the covenanted love and commitment between God and his Church. Growing in this kind of love means we are growing in the image of God,” the letter from the group of dissenting bishops and priests reads.

The full letter was made available on the Thinking Anglicans website, and is signed by some high-ranking Anglican officials, including Canon Giles Goddard, General Synod, Southwark, the Very Rev. Jeffrey John, Dean of St. Albans and the Rt. Rev. Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham.

Still, plans to legalize same-sex marriage are largely unpopular among Church of England and Roman Catholic Church officials in the country – as well as many church-goers.

More than 400,000 people signed a petition in support of the traditional definition of marriage, the Telegraph reported.

“The proposals are not only unnecessary and unfair, they are also undemocratic. Redefining marriage was not mentioned in the party manifestos. As such, they lack a democratic mandate for introduction. They will give to a few what they want but take from very many what they deeply value. Marriage has served society well and will do in the future. At a time of huge social challenges, marriage needs to protected and promoted, not redefined and rebranded,” an official statement by the U.K. Evangelical Alliance concluded.

The man expected to succeed Rowan Williams as Head of the Anglican Church, the Most Rev. Dr. John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, has also made it clear that under his leadership, the Church of England will continue standing firm to protect the traditional institution of marriage.

“I happen to believe that to change the law in the end would be forcing an unjustified change,” Dr Sentamu said earlier last month.

- Prophecy News Watch

It may not have even caught your attention. It may not appear to be that different. But when people, especially the current president of the United States, intentionally replace the words “freedom of religion” with “freedom of worship,” is it just a distinction without a difference, or is it a major change about which we need to be concerned?

In order to explain what amounts to tremendous differences between the two phrases, let me offer a recent example. In Colorado, a religious freedom amendment to the state constitution has been proposed that prohibits the government from “burden[ing] a person’s or religious organization’s freedom of religion” unless it shows a compelling interest – which offers the highest level of protection. In comparison, the U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from “prohibiting the free exercise” of religion.

Compare that to the proposed language submitted by a far-left group which begins: “Religious freedom. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination, shall forever hereafter be guaranteed.” Sounds okay, doesn’t it? Or does it? Did you notice that freedom of religion quickly became religious worship? But there is more:

In assessing whether government has burdened freedom of religion, a person’s or a religious organization’s right to act in a manner motivated by a sincerely held religious belief is the ability to engage in religious practices in the privacy of a person’s home or in the privacy of a religious organization’s established place of worship.

Did you get that? There is no government burden on a person’s free exercise of religion at all unless that burden occurs at home or at church. Let that sink in for a moment and you’ll begin to appreciate how radical a change this is.

Let’s see what that change looks like when applied to Scripture. The Gospel of Mark says, “Go into [only homes and churches] and preach the good news to all creation.” Proverbs promises that “a generous man will himself be blessed for he shares his food with the poor [only when in his home or church].” Let’s not forget Jesus’ instructions when sending out the twelve to “heal the sick [only when you find them at home or in church].” And although I can continue, I’ll end with one last example, Jesus himself. What was Jesus thinking when he ministered to the masses by feeding thousands and healing many while in public?

Freedom of religion encompasses many beliefs and actions, obviously including worship. But this rhetorical shift of limiting freedom of religion to only worship embodies a dangerous ideology that is shared by the current administration. Ironically, the former Soviet Union – a self described atheistic country – allowed “freedom of worship” but not “freedom of religion.”

Not only have President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently repeatedly used the same “freedom of worship” rhetoric, but this administration has engaged in several other hostile actions that also show a disdain for the freedom of religion, including the following:

1. Requiring religious organizations to provide abortion-inducing drugs and contraceptives free of charge.

2. Requiring individuals to pay a surcharge to fund abortions.

3. Overturning HHS protections for religious health care workers not to be forced to participate in abortions.

4. Using a recess appointment to place radical homosexual activist Chai Feldblum as a commissioner on the EEOC-who recently stated that when religious liberty and sexual liberty conflict, she has “a hard time coming up with any case in which religious liberty should win.”

5. Refusing to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act.

6. Removing non-profit work that relates to “religious instruction” from the student loan forgiveness program.

7. Arguing recently at the Supreme Court that the government can interfere with the internal operations of religious organizations.

Religious freedom, our First Freedom, is part of what makes our country great. It allows us the freedom to practice our religion in the public square, not confined to home or church. But if the government takes away our right to practice our faith, whether by subtle shifts or by those that are more drastic, we forfeit what God has provided and what the Constitution has protected.

So the next time you see a shift in rhetoric, even if it appears slight at first glance, you may not want to brush it off so easily. Especially when it comes in prepared remarks by those who are very careful with their choice of words. We all need to stand up for freedom of religion to ensure that it is not whittled down to a nugget only tolerated in our own homes and churches (until they come knocking at those doors, too).

- Prophecy News Watch

More than 400 churches and venues have signed up to host a live simulcast of Harvest America, an event that is still more than four months away and is the first effort of its kind by Greg Laurie and his ministry.

Laurie is looking to take the Harvest Crusades, which are large-scale evangelistic outreaches primarily held at stadiums and arenas, to the next level.

He plans to draw on the success of last year’s Harvest webcasts from Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles and Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., during which individuals watched from every state and 32 countries around the world.

The concept of Harvest America, which will be held Aug. 26 in Anaheim, includes the hope that churches and Christian leaders that host the event in their own cities can establish a direct relationship with those attending and those making decisions to commit to Jesus Christ.

“Now, with HD-quality video available through Internet streaming and satellite, people could fill churches, theaters, coffee houses, and living rooms, linking together as One Church in thousands of locations,” Harvest organizers said.

Harvest America staff member Scot Camden, who along with others from the ministry are touring the U.S. to sign up hosts, says the response has been encouraging.

“It seems that everyone we talk to understands the need for spiritual awakening in our country and is able to catch the vision for this unique outreach event,” he wrote in a recent blog post on the group’s website.

The Harvest team recently visited Illinois and had meetings with churches, ministry associations, and radio stations.

“The Lord blessed our time there with fruitful meetings; each meeting was a positive one. We were able to get commitments from church leaders to either become a host location or to review the information we had provided and prayerfully consider involvement,” Camden stated. “All three radio stations we met with were excited about Harvest America and we will be partnering with each of them to promote the outreach in the Greater Chicagoland region over the coming months.”

The team was also able to connect with a local pastor who recalled the tremendous impact a Chicago Harvest made that was held in 2010.

“We saw hundreds and hundreds of people come to Christ. It was an amazing, amazing event and life-changing for a lot of people,” said the Rev. Fred Joob, a senior associate pastor at Christian Life Church in Mount Prospect. “Now, this is the next step to reach the entire world for Christ. Greg has taken on a huge step of faith here.”

Laurie, along with the encouragement of Calvary Chapel movement founder Pastor Chuck Smith, founded the Harvest Crusades ministry 22 years ago in Southern California’s Orange County. Harvest events have since taken place every year and have included stops in other parts of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

At two of the first Harvest America campaign meetings to enlist church leaders last month, Laurie met with more than 400 pastors and ministry leaders in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas.

“We know the solution for America is not a political one. It is a spiritual one. We know we need an awakening – a revival,” Laurie prayed at the beginning of the meeting in Anaheim. “We pray Lord that the revival, if you would be so gracious, start right here. There is some 300 churches represented (at the meeting), but in reality we are all part of the Church, your Church, the Church that you love, the Church that you gave your life for.”

- Bible Gateway.Com

The New York Times’ youngest-ever op-ed columnist and also one of the few conservative Christians at the esteemed newspaper, Ross Douthat, made the case at the Q Conference Tuesday evening that it is not atheism that is replacing American Christianity, but bad religion.

During an interview with Michael Cromartie, vice president at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., Douthat presented key points from his soon-to-be released book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, in which he examines the historical story of institutional Christianity in America and then makes the case that heresy – which includes the prosperity gospel – is threatening American society.

“The overview basically makes the case that what has happened in American religion over the last 50 years is not that the country has grown more secular in any meaningful way. And in fact, if you look at certain factors of religiosity in American life – people reporting direct experiences of God and spiritual experiences, even belief in miracles and afterlife – there is evidence that America is more religious now than in 1945 or 1955,” said Douthat at the Q event in Washington, D.C.

“But it is also less – I used the word heretics in my subtitle because I think America is less orthodox Christian than it used to be. And that is driven in large part by the decline of the institutional Christian churches – both Catholic and Protestant.”

The mainline church has more or less collapsed and the Roman Catholic Church is in a slow but steady decline, observed the Catholic columnist. And while the evangelical church has stepped into the void, there appears to be a “ceiling” in its appeal and ability to bring people into its fold.

Thus making room for heresy in America’s religious landscape, Douthat asserts. The author examines heresy in America by looking at the prosperity gospel – the relationship between money and religion in American life; therapeutic religion – which includes Elizabeth Gilbert’s book that inspired the Julia Roberts-starring film “Eat, Pray, Love,” and the spirituality pushed by Oprah Winfrey, Eckhart Tolle, and Deepak Chopra; and finally, Douthat looks at politics and religion and the politicized heresy promoted by both sides.

For the prosperity gospel chapter, Douthat revealed to the Q audience that he starts with Joel Osteen and also talks about Trinity Broadcasting Network.

And for the politics and religion chapter, the author noted how different this presidential election looks from a religious perspective. Obama previously attended a church headed by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose “highly politicized theology was self-consciously at odds with much of historic Christian practice and belief,” writes Douthat in an April 8 op-ed based on his forthcoming book. And now, Obama is an “unchurched Christian.” Likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney is a member of the Mormon church, which is still looked upon with suspicion by most Americans regardless of political affiliation.

Only Rick Santorum looks relatively similar to the traditional Christianity of half a century ago, but “in a nation as religiously diverse as ours, a staunchly orthodox Christianity can seem like the weirdest heresy of all,” he writes.

Cromartie also steered Douthat into discussing same-sex marriage, the sexual revolution and why Christians have a hard time to articulate their case against homosexuality. Christians have a hard time explaining why homosexuals shouldn’t marry because of the state of heterosexual marriage, Douthat said, particularly in a culture where no-fault divorces exist.

“Christians ended up in the position of basically saying, well, we have a culture where marriage means whatever people want it to mean,” the New York Times columnist said. “And heterosexuals are more or less going to do what they please, but we are holding the line for this 2 percent of the population that historically have been stigmatized and persecuted.”

The annual Q Conference, founded by young evangelical leader Gabe Lyons, brings together some 700 Christian participants from April 10-12 to the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in downtown D.C. to hear prominent church and cultural leaders give short presentations with the aim to spur discussion and help Christians think of innovative ways to shape the church’s future role in culture.

The interview session between Douthat and Cromartie was only 18 minutes long, the most given to any Q Conference presenter or panel. The Q format only allows three-, nine-, or 18-minute long presentations.

Douthat, who writes mostly on politics for the Times, concluded with a warning note during an election year: “The most important thing for Christians in my line of work or who are directly involved in politics is to be always be aware that it is staggeringly unlikely that the particular policy positions, of a particular party, of a particular time and place, matches perfectly with God’s will for humanity,” Douthat stated. “And therefore, if you are a Christian involved in politics, you have an obligation to keep at the forefront of your mind that there must be at least one place where you think God has a different view from your party.”

- Prophecy News Watch

A new translation of the Bible into English does not contain the name “Jesus Christ” nor the word “angel.” It also prefers the word “emissary” over “apostle.”

The Voice, a Bible that replaces “Jesus Christ” with terms like “Jesus the Anointed One,” had its complete edition released by Thomas Nelson Publishing last month.

Frank Couch, Thomas Nelson’s lead editor on the project, told The Christian Post that the purpose of The Voice was to make the Gospel message easier to understand for modern audiences.

“The Voice has not claimed to be more accurate than any other translation, rather it is more easily understood than any other translation,” said Couch.

“When translators are limiting themselves to conveying the complete essence of a word from the Hebrew or the Greek with one English word they have difficulty bringing in the nuances held in the original language.”

Because other translations have more literal renderings, Couch believed they are “why it has been necessary for commentators and preachers to spend so much time explaining what the words in the original language mean before the lay reader can understand fully a text of Scripture.”

“Because we have a more expansive translating technique we can more fully develop the English translation and thus bring out the more difficult nuances found in the original language,” he explained.

The scholars and authors who collaborated on the translation say their intention was to help readers “hear God speaking.”

“One of the byproducts of the information age in the church has been its focus on biblical knowledge. Many Bibles reflect this, packed with informative notes, charts, and graphs. While there’s nothing wrong with having a deep knowledge; a personal connection and deep relationship are far better,” according to hearthevoice.com. “The Voice is focused on helping readers find (or rediscover) this connection with Him. Scripture is presented not as an academic document, but as an engaging story.”

The idea for The Voice came in January 2004, when Thomas Nelson Publishing met with the Ecclesia Bible Society, whose leadership includes pastor Chris Seay of the Ecclesia Church in Houston, Texas. The project came in portions, with the complete New Testament according to The Voice being released in 2009.

The name comes from the Bible translation’s rendering of the Greek Word logos in John 1:1. Although the typical English Bible translates logos to “Word,” in this translation it is rendered “Voice.” The first verse of John, which in the NIV reads “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” becomes “Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking. The Voice was and is God.”

A new video posted on the translation’s Facebook further highlights that “The Voice offers an opportunity to hear afresh by telling the stories that have always been in the Bible in a beautiful and poetic way.” It is written in screenplay format “so it’s easy to follow or act out in a group.”

Despite the approval of a major publisher like Thomas Nelson, which also sells other more established translations of the Bible, The Voice is not without its opponents, including many critical online reviews.

On the website “Life More Abundant,” poster “Coralie” commented that the format of The Voice, which includes commentary in the body of the text, was a concern.

“The … effect of the inclusion of midstream commentary is the blurring of the line between inspired word and human opinion,” wrote Coralie.

“My fear in our postmodern world is not that a new reader would take the commentary as the very word of God, but that he would read the words of God with the casual ease of another form of commentary.”

The blog “Extreme Theology,” an apologetics website, declared that The Voice was a “distorted version of the Bible.”

“Unfortunately, not since the release of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation of the Greek Scriptures in 1950 has there been a bible published that so blatantly mangles and distorts God’s Word in order to support a peculiar and aberrant theological agenda,” reads a review on ET’s site.

- Prophecy News Watch