Saturday Christianity news roundup

Check back every Saturday for the latest news of interest to Christians about Christians and the Church. In the United States, Men’s News Daily questions the leading Democrats’ weird attitude toward Christians, while Chuck Colson asks whether conservatism is philosophically consistent with Christianity.

In the separation of church and state battle front, the Council on American Islamic Relations asks a North Carolina judge to allow the use of the Quran in swearing an oath of truthfulness, claiming that the exclusive use of the Bible is a state endorsement of religion. There is good news in Baltimore, as a federal judge has ruled that a privately owned Ten Commandments monument can remain in a Frederick city park; and good news in New York, as the Museum of Biblical Art opens.

In the American liberals’ latest gambit to reclaim the “red states,” a group of liberal Christians have launched a new political movement, the ‘religious left,’ to counter the perceived power of the ‘religious right.’ (Hat tip: Glenn Beck.) Be sure to read Three Weeks in a Progressive Swamp, a fascinating eyewitness account from a non-progressive Christian of this liberal Christian group’s attempt to “reframe” [i.e. lie about] the progressive agenda to make it more acceptable to the electorate [that’s you and me they are trying to dupe, folks].

The liberal church remains in the news: the Anglican Communion has excluded the American and Canadian Anglican church from deliberations (hat tip to Glenn Beck again!) because they have claimed homo[s-x]ual unions should have the same status in God’s eyes as marriage. Now some of the American Lutherans are following in the Episcopalians’ footsteps. This willingness to accept and elevate sin that God has clearly prohibited leads Gene Edward Veith to declare the dominant American religion a far cry from biblical Christianity, and American Christians are right with him, leaving liberal churches in droves.

In para-church news, a new Christian ministry keeps prosperity gospel prophets under close surveillance, while Answers in Genesis unveils its newly redesigned website, visited by thousands every day. The Book of Hope has produced a digital version of its harmonized life of Christ for children, in order to reach every child with the gospel, including those who cannot read.

Christians internationally continue to need our constant prayers. In London, boys bought from Africa (yes, bought, not brought) are being murdered as human sacrifices. While this is contemptible, what is also worth noting is the way the British media claims these atrocities are being perpetrated by fundamentalist Christians. I seem to remember ancient Rome’s justification of government sponsored persecutions of Christians was their propaganda campaign that Christians practiced atrocities.

Liberal Europe still battles the pro-family Catholic church, and Pope Benedict appears to have won the opening salvo. In Australia, things are beginning to look bleak, as a pastor is being threatened with jail under the 2001 Racial and Religious Intolerance Act. Russian evangelicals are being blocked in their efforts to build churches. And Christianity is under attack in India, by militant Hindus, and Sri Lanka, by militant Buddhists. Why should militant Muslims have the monopoly?

Okay, there is some bad news going on in the world. Let us keep in mind the words of Jesus, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Amen. God is on His throne; and may we all, as His hands and feet in this world, go about doing good, and delivering all who are oppressed of the devil. Come, Lord Jesus.