The Jewish advocacy group Anti-Defamation League has released a report highlighting an increase in anti-Israel activities at U.S. colleges and universities, raising concerns about the incidents and their impact on Jewish students. ADL's annual Campus Report noted that more than 350 anti-Israel incidents occurred on college campuses during the 2021-2022 school year, including 143 anti-Israel events, 165 protests and actions, and 20 Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) resolutions and referenda. The group reported 11 instances of vandalism, 19 instances of targeted verbal and written harassment, and one case involving a physical assault. During an April 18 protest against Israeli military action organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, a student threw a rock at a group of Jewish students. While no one was hurt, the perpetrator has been charged with a hate crime. The report also noted the trend on many college campuses of accusing Israel of "genocide" or "ethnic cleansing" or labeling the country an "apartheid state," while at some secondary institutions, the report found that Jewish students have been ostracized and barred from participating in campus organizations due to their assumed support for Israel and Zionism. Read more.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, two key figures in the Southern Baptist Convention stated that any discussion concerning women serving as pastors in the SBC must be informed by "past decisions." The statement, released by SBC Executive Committee Chairman Jared Wellman and SBC President Bart Barber said a "commitment to affirming Southern Baptist polity and the Baptist Faith and Message remains central" in the ongoing debate over female pastors, which gained national attention last week after a pastor released an open letter to the Executive Committee. The letter, written by Pastor Mike Law of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Va., called on the board to recommend an amendment to the SBC’s constitution to include verbiage requiring Southern Baptist churches not to "affirm, appoint, or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind." Read more.

Scientists say they are using new technology that could allow them to properly date several military conquests depicted in the Bible and potentially validate the scriptures' historical authenticity. A study published last Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences introduces an "approach that applies archaeomagnetic investigation to the remains of ancient towns that were destroyed by fire." The research was conducted by Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University, with Yoav Vaknin of Tel Aviv University's Institute of Archaeology telling The Times of Israel that the study is the first to have a "large enough database" to conduct reliable archaeomagnetic dating. Read more.

In this op-ed, Pastor Greg Laurie reflects on more than three decades of his church holding large-scale evangelistic events at Angel Stadium. Over the years, more than 6 million people have attended in person, and over 600,000 have made professions of faith to follow Jesus. Laurie, who notes he was in his late 30s when he started the crusades and is now approaching his 70th birthday, reflects on why he has continued this ministry for so long. "Because of the power of the Gospel," he says, adding, "We have seen God change lives over the years in supernatural ways." Read more.

In recognition of November, which is National Adoption Month, The Radiance Foundation founder Ryan Bomberger discusses the power of adoption. Bomberger, who says he was "conceived in rape but adopted in love," writes, "Love and self-sacrifice are never easy. But they beautifully change the trajectory of people’s lives. ... My adopted siblings and I know that feeling. No one is better off dead. We’re all better off loved." Read more.

Whether it’s violence in our streets or perversion in our schools, something needs to change: A spiritual awakening is America's only hope.

And Westside Christian Fellowship in SoCal is doing something about it. Beginning 10/31/22, they are launching Rend the Heavens based on Isaiah 64:1 through Nov. 5th.

The services focus on prayer, repentance, worship, and the preaching of God‘s Word. If you're near SoCal, we would love to see you. But you can also watch the services LIVE. More here:https://youtu.be/3KUwRvEZqyc

Research from the Marriage Foundation in England and Wales shows that couples who get married due to family or social pressure are up to 50% more at risk of divorce. The study, published in October, asked 2,000 adults who had ever married how much they agreed or disagreed with each of the 12 reasons presented by researchers for why they got married. Respondents who said they "felt they had to marry due to family pressure" registered a significantly higher probability of divorce at 34% compared to 23% of couples who did not identify these reasons. "Put another way, couples who tied the knot due to family pressure were 50% more likely to split up," the foundation noted. The research also revealed that factors such as having a wedding costing more than $22,000, having fewer than 10 guests at the wedding, and having met online or at work rather than through family and friends were all associated with a higher risk of divorce in the early years of marriage. Read more.

During a recent interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, actor Matthew Perry, famously known for his role as Chandler Bing in the hit NBC sitcom "Friends," shared that the first time he prayed to God he said that anything could be done to him as long as he became famous. Perry, who first opened up about his addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs in 2004, has released a memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. During his interview with Sawyer, Perry reflected on developing an alcohol addiction as a teenager that eventually evolved into an addiction to prescription painkillers. Now on the other side of his addiction, Perry shared in his memoir that, "A light has been shown as if to a desperate man who needs help, the same light that hits the ocean and the sunlight and the beautiful gold water glistening." When people don't believe in that, Perry explained to Sawyer, "I'd like to tell them to go stop a wave or go make a plant. It's not fun to talk about this stuff. I don't like talking about it, but I know it's going to help people to talk about it, I know the book is going to help people." Read more.