| | Poll: Calls to prayer are helpful during times of national tragedy | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Tuesday, January 31, and today's headlines include research on Americans' receptiveness to calls to prayer, Mark Houck being cleared of FACE Act Charges, Andy Stanley's plans to host a conference for parents of LGBT-identified children, and why Damar Hamlin believes God is using him as a "vessel." | | Two-thirds of Americans believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are helpful, according to research from Summit Ministries and McLaughlin & Associates. By comparison, just 20% of respondents characterized public calls for prayer during a national tragedy as "pointless," while 13% had no opinion or refused to answer the question. Belief in the power of prayer was evidenced across all demographic subgroups, with 77% of Americans 65+ believing in the power of prayer, followed by 70% of those aged 56-65, 68% of those between the ages of 41 and 55, and 62% of respondents aged 30-40. Fifty-five percent of respondents 18-29 view public calls for prayer as helpful, while 27% believe they are "pointless." | | Summit Ministries President Jeff Myers noted the importance of recognizing the generational differences among cohorts, stating, "Some people say there's not really a generational difference, but there is. Young adults are more likely to say that they have no religious preference and this poll seems to reflect that." Even so, Myers added that there is no denying that more than half of young Americans believe that public calls to prayer are effective. Myers also noted that Americans are likely to set aside their partisan differences during times of crisis, explaining, "The fact that people want to pray together, I think, is one of those ... increasingly rare moments of unity. If it happens around prayer, all the better." Continue reading. | | P.S.Did you hear? CP has launched Freedom Post, a free, twice-weekly newsletter highlighting breaking news and headlines on key issues ranging from freedom to religious liberty. Sign-up today to get Freedom Post delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday. Check out these headlines from our latest issue of Freedom Post:North Dakota bill seeks to ban accommodations for trans, 'animal' studentsUtah bans sex-change surgeries on kids, tightens restrictions on hormonesArchbishop of York: Gay sex OK if in ‘faithful relationships' |
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| Not guilty: Houck cleared of FACE Act charges | | A jury has declared Mark Houck not guilty of federal charges related to an encounter with a Planned Parenthood clinic escort in Philadelphia. Houck, a pro-life advocate and father of seven, was charged with two counts of violating the FACE Act in two incidents that occurred at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Oct. 2021. The indictment accused him of shoving abortion escort Bruce Love in two separate incidents on the same day. "We are, of course, thrilled with the outcome," stated Peter Breen, executive vice president and head of litigation for the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit law firm that defended Houck. "Mark and his family are now free of the cloud that the Biden administration threw upon them. We took on Goliath–the full might of the United States government–and won." As was previously reported by CP, in one incident, Houck was across the street from the facility and attempting to counsel two women when Love verbally confronted him. Houck claimed during the second incident that he was defending his 12-year-old son after Love became aggressive with the boy. Read more. | | Andy Stanley to host conference for Christian parents of LGBT-identified kids | | Megachurch Pastor Andy Stanley is hosting a conference at his church for Christian parents of LGBT-identified children later this year. The Unconditional Conference is set to take place in late September at Stanley's North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga. The conference's goal is to help "parents demonstrate the unconditional love of Jesus" and will feature speakers such as Stanley, Embracing the Journey co-founders Greg and Lynn McDonald, former megachurch pastor John Ortberg, North Point Ministries' Debbie Causey, and LGBT advocate Justin Lee. Ortberg resigned from Menlo Church in Northern California in 2020 after the church's board of elders learned he allowed his son to serve as a volunteer in children's ministry despite knowing he was attracted to minors. Stanley has been the center of controversy following recently resurfaced comments he made regarding gay individuals in the Church having more faith in God "than a lot of you." Read more. | | Study shows effects of diets high in fat, calories | | Research published in The Journal of Physiology suggests that consuming high amounts of fat or calories could reduce the brain's ability to say no more. The research, which came from Penn State College of Medicine, found that "after short periods of being fed a high fat/high-calorie diet, the brain adapts to react to what is being ingested and reduces the amount of food eaten to balance calorie intake." When this type of diet continues long-term, it appears to disrupt the "signaling pathway" of large, star-shaped cells in the brain called astrocytes that control the signals between the brain and the gut. The research found that these astrocytes appear to desensitize to high-fat foods after approximately 10-14 days of consuming a high-fat or high-calorie diet and "seem to fail to react and the brain's ability to regulate calorie intake seems to be lost. This disrupts the signaling to the stomach and delays how it empties." Now, the researchers hope to discover whether astrocyte activity and the signaling mechanism can reactivate the brain's ability to regulate caloric intake. Read more. |
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| Why black police officers killed Tyre Nichols | | "If you make a black person’s 'race' the most important thing about their life, their murder will mean nothing to you unless you think it's because of racism," writes Samuel Sey. In this editorial, Sey discusses the killing of Tyre Nichols, the flaws in critical race theory that suggest white supremacy is at the heart of society's woes, and why such beliefs are insulting to Nichols and his family. "Racism isn’t what makes a black person’s death horrific. We don’t need to appeal to white supremacy to make a black person’s murder more devastating. ... What makes [Nichols'] murder especially depressing is that people who were supposed to protect and serve him—regardless of their skin color—violated their oath, abused their power, and killed him," Sey asserts. Read more. | | How God’s grace conquers sexual immorality | | Pastor Dan Delzell utilizes Scripture to demonstrate the importance of sexual purity and provides encouragement for overcoming sexual lust. "You will only experience the freedom, joy, and power of a clean heart when you actually receive a clean heart by getting real with God and trusting Jesus to forgive your sins. You see, God’s grace makes 'all things new' (2 Cor. 5:17)," he explains. Read more. |
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| Be Equipped in All 66 Books of the Bible! | | Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [2Timothy 3:16 NET] | | The mission of Dallas Theological Seminary is to glorify God by equipping godly servant-leaders for the proclamation of His Word and the building up of the Body of Christ worldwide. That is why we have made teaching the Bible our highest priority. | | We are passionate about teaching all 66 books of the Bible in every single one of our master's degrees. Our seminary creed - Teach Truth, Love Well - means that you will not only get a solid theological education, you will be equipped to minister to others. | | But we also understand many who want to study the Bible at the seminary level worry that they won’t be able to fit it into their busy lives or budgets. So we designed our degree programs to be flexible and affordable - making it easier for you to earn a degree without worrying about the cost or location. | | Request More Information! | | |
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| Mahomes thanks God for healing ankle as Chiefs head to Super Bowl | | Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is crediting God for healing his ankle so he could help his team advance to Super Bowl LVII with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Sunday. "He healed my body this week to battle through that. He gave me the strength to be out here," Mahomes said in an interview with CBS following his team's 23-20 victory. The player sprained his ankle during the Jan. 21 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This isn't the first time the 27-year-old has credited God for his career success. In 2019, he proclaimed, "God is amazing!" in response to winning the Most Valuable Player Award at the NFL Honors Ceremony. Ahead of 2020's Super Bowl LIV, Mahomes also told a local news outlet that "faith has always been big with me." Read more. | | Damar Hamlin: God using me as a vessel | | Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin spoke publicly for the first time about his on-field collapse during a game nearly a month ago, saying that he believes God was using him as a "vessel" to help the needy children he hopes to provide for via his charitable foundation. Hamlin's comments came in a video posted on the Buffalo Bills' official Twitter account. "What happened to me on 'Monday Night Football,' it was a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world. Now, I’m able to give it back to kids and communities all across the world who need it the most and that’s always been my dream, that’s always been what I stood for and what I will continue to stand for," Hamlin said. The player's Chasing M's Foundation has raised over $9 million in the weeks following his collapse. His first major goal for the charity is to "positively impact children who have been hit hardest by the pandemic," with 100% of its proceeds going toward the purchase of toys for children in need. Read more. |
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| Podcast: Bear Grylls' faith, views on church culture | | TV host and author Bear Grylls is known for his daring adventures around the world, but he is also a Christian who openly shares his faith. In this episode of "The Inside Story," CP reporter Leah Klett discusses her recent interview with Grylls and why the adventurer believes the Western Church needs to "drop the fluff" and get back to the essentials of what Christianity truly entails. Listen to the full episode here. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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