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The Daily Brief
"Praying for All in Authority"
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
"Fight the good fight of faith . . ." (I Timothy 6:12)
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Update: Korea Summit Back On
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White House says Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un is 'expected,' just days after Trump canceled it
The White House on Tuesday said President Donald Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is still "expected" to happen in Singapore - just five days after Trump stunned the world by canceling it.
"The United States continues to actively prepare for President Trump's expected summit with leader Kim in Singapore," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
Trump wrote Kim last week, accusing his government of "tremendous anger and open hostility" in recent statements about the U.S. He also hinted at a possible nuclear showdown: "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."
But it appeared Tuesday that the situation had rapidly swung back the other way.
Sanders also said Tuesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would meet later this week with top Kim Jong Un aide Kim Yong Chol, who is traveling to New York. Kim Yong Chol is a former spy chief for the communist dictatorship and has been actively involved in talks between North and South Korea.
Sanders also confirmed that Trump would meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on June 7 at the White House.
Trump's meeting with Kim was originally scheduled for June 12. There was no mention of a date in Sanders' statement Tuesday. (CNBC) For more details, please go here.
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Focus on Israel
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1. 28 mortar shells strike southern Israel in largest barrage since 2014; 1 injured - Times of Israel
At least 28 mortar shells were fired at southern Israel in at least three separate barrages Tuesday morning as sirens blared throughout the area, the army said, amid heightened tensions along the Gaza border.
One person was lightly injured by shrapnel in his shoulder and was being treated at the Soroka medical center in Beersheba. There were no reports of significant material damage. One shell hit a tree in the yard of a kindergarten shortly before children were due to arrive.
The shellings appeared to be the largest attack from the Gaza Strip since the 2014 war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge.
(Read more)
2. Over 35 Hamas, PIJ terror targets attacked in Israeli air raids - Jerusalem Online
The IDF has announced that dozens of terror targets were hit in multiple counterattacks on Tuesday after dozens of rockets and mortars were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The attacks from Gaza came in several salvoes.
The latest bombardment, which included four rockets, took place shortly before 3:00 PM. Two of the projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. The other two fell in open areas near the border. No injuries have been reported on the Israeli side.
According to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, among the targets that were attacked by the Israeli fighter jets were six terror training camps where weapons were being stored, naval facilities and terror headquarters.
(Read more)
3. 3 soldiers wounded in wake of incessant barrage of Gaza mortars - YNET News
At least 10 code Red alerts were sounded near the Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon while the IDF began battering Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets in the coastal enclave in retaliation for a salvo of 28 mortar shells that were fired into Israel earlier.
An IDF soldier was moderately wounded by shrapnel while two other soldiers were lightly wounded. A Sderot resident fell down and suffered contusions while running to a shelter, as three additional civilians suffered panic attacks.
An errant Gaza rocket hit an Israel Electric Company facility transferring electricity into Gaza. The rocket damaged equipment, causing three power lines supplying electricity to the strip to malfunction.
(Read more)
4. Justice Minister: Option to invade Gaza is on the table - World Israel News
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said Tuesday that security and political officials agreed "all options are on the table" with respect to the crisis in Gaza, including the possibility that Israel could re-occupy the coastal Strip.
Speaking to the Hebrew-Language Radio Darom, Shaked said it was a "miracle" that nobody was killed in a mortar strike on a kibbutz adjacent to Gaza Tuesday morning, adding that had the incident included Israeli fatalities, it could have led to war.
"Our reaction must be very strong," Shaked said, "as if (Israeli) blood had been spilled. All options are on the table. We must seize the opportunity of this miracle to respond strongly.
(Read more)
5. Netanyahu: Israel will exact heavy price on those who wish us harm -Jerusalem Online
Three barrages of mortars, a total of 30 mortar shells, were fired at Israel from Gaza this morning (Tuesday). As reported earlier by JOL, Rocket sirens went off in several locations and the Iron Dome system intercepted most of the projectiles.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to the attacks from Gaza this morning, saying that "Israel considers the attacks against us by Islamic Jihad and Hamas as grave."
"The IDF will respond will great force to these attacks- Israel will exact a heavy price on those who try to harm it and we hold Hamas responsible," Netanyahu said at an event in the Galilee.
(Read more)
6. Barrage of mortars strikes southern Israel, kindergarten yard hit - World Israel News
Over two dozen mortar shells were fired at Israel about 7 a.m. Tuesday by Islamic Jihad terrorists based in the Gaza Strip. The Iron Dome anti-ballistic system intercepted mortar shells headed toward inhabited areas.
One man was slightly injured after shrapnel from one of the shells hit his hand. The attack came as parents were beginning to send their children to school.
One of the shells landed just outside an empty kindergarten in the Eshkol region, less than an hour before students were due to arrive, a spokesperson for the community said.
The kindergarten - along with all other schools - was set to open as usual, despite the attack.
(Read more)
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The Daily Brief
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1. FBI Agents Afraid To Testify, Say Congress Likely Won't Protect Them - Daily Caller
Even as a new Rasmussen poll shows a majority of voters believe senior law enforcement officials broke the law to stop Donald Trump from beating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, rank-and-file FBI agents who want to testify against their superiors to Congress feel they can't due to an ineffective whistleblower protection law. According to transcripts he shared with TheDC, one special agent said, "It's a question of basic credibility - Congress, the executive, and oversight are not seen to have any gravitas or seriousness. The inmates have been running the asylum and they don't respect, much less fear, their overseers. We know we'll be hung out to dry." The agent added, "And don't get me wrong, there are still a few good people scattered about, but main Justice and the bureaucrats are running the show, want to run out the clock on this administration, and keep the status quo." TheDC has learned that the bureau has already warned agents that the agency will come back viciously against all those "behind destroying their narrative, and will go after their families and friends, too."
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley defended the Whistleblower Protection Act he spearheaded after FBI agents insisted that only subpoenas would bring them forward to Congress. Sen. Grassley's law does an appropriate job at protecting whistleblowers from unfair prosecution, but it is not prosecution that prevents agents from stepping forward-it is the possibility of going bankrupt from attorneys' fees when defending themselves against retaliatory legal actions by their agency.
For example, an FBI agent who came forward as a government whistleblower in 2013 told TheDC he experienced "personal humiliation, stress-related illnesses, and a huge financial loss, requiring my wife (who had undergone two cancer surgeries) to go to work so we could make ends meet." That agent went on to say, "Even with the enactment of the new law, what is the deterrent for retaliation against Whistleblowers? The FBI executives will just stall, ignore, and run out the clock until the victim runs out of money for legal fees or else retires." He added, "That is why the new Whistleblowers want to be subpoenaed. They simply don't have the resources to fight the inevitable retaliation that will ensue, regardless of the new law." According to a December 1, 2015 letter from then-FBI Assistant Director Stephen Kelly, less than 2 percent of FBI retaliation claims result in punishment for the retaliators or a remedy for the victims. "They leave you penniless, unemployed, and unemployable. Those who work those issues in the government who are aware of the score recognize the roadkill they will become if they come forward," one former Department of Defense official told TheDC. (Read more)
- Father, we pray men and women throughout our Federal government will have the courage to come forward and bring accountability to these institutions.
- Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it. (Ezra 10:4)
2. Trump administration says reports of 1,500 lost immigrant kids 'completely false' - Washington Examiner
The 1,500 immigrant children whom critics claim were lost while in U.S. custody were instead turned over caretakers who didn't respond to the government's follow-up contacts, the Department of Health and Human Services said Monday. The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is part of the department, began voluntarily making 30-day follow-up calls in late 2016 to sponsors who had taken the unaccompanied minors, and figures on those who couldn't be reached were disclosed during a Congressional hearing in April. The calls were intended to determine whether the children or their sponsors needed further government services.
"These children are not 'lost,'" Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan said in a statement. "Their sponsors -- who are usually parents or family members and in all cases have been vetted for criminality and ability to provide for them -- simply did not respond or could not be reached."
Many may have ignored the government's efforts because they were in the U.S. illegally and didn't want to risk further contact with federal authorities, he said. "The U.S. taxpayer can no longer be responsible for being a surrogate parent for every would-be illegal immigrant who crosses our border," the department said in the statement. (Read more)
- Father, we pray for legislation to undergird new immigration policies and procedures to end the perpetual chaos at our border and throughout our nation.
- As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. (Proverbs 26:21)
3. Trump makes it easier to fire poor-performing federal workers - Fox News
President Trump on Friday signed three executive orders overhauling the federal bureaucracy, including an order that makes it easier to fire federal workers for misconduct. "To empower our civil servants to best help others, the government must always operate more efficiently and more securely," the president said in a statement. The White House said Trump, who famously promised to "drain the swamp" in Washington while running for president, signed the three orders Friday afternoon.
The first executive order aims to strengthen accountability for federal employees and makes it easier to fire poor performers in the federal government. The second executive order creates a federal labor relations working group to analyze union contracts with the federal government. It also makes it harder to pay federal unions to appeal firings and to lobby Congress. The third executive order, focused on federal unions, is aimed at reducing waste and expenditures and requires federal employees to spend at least 75 percent of their time working on the job they were hired to do, as opposed to working on federal union work. It will also allow the federal government to start charging unions for office space in federal buildings. (Read more)
- Father, we pray these new orders will be used quickly to weed out poor performing and ethically compromised government employees.
- Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (James 1:21)
4. Trump meets with Utah man who's back in US after long captivity in Venezuela - Fox News
Joshua Holt, who flew back to the U.S. on Saturday after being jailed in Venezuela since 2016, met with President Donald Trump at the White House following his return. Trump said it was "a great honor" to have the Holts there after "a very tough ordeal in a Venezuelan prison." It's "amazing that you were able to take it," Trump said.
The president praised the lawmakers involved in securing Holt's return, including U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who said in a statement earlier in the day that he was accompanying the Holts back to the U.S. "We're home," Corker tweeted Saturday evening. "Honored to greet Josh Holt's parents at the airport. So happy for them." The 26-year-old's long-awaited arrival comes after he spent roughly two years incarcerated in Venezuela after traveling to the country in the summer of 2016 to marry Thamara Candelo. The pair planned to return to the U.S. after their nuptials, but were jailed in El Hilcolde on what human rights groups said were largely trumped-up charges. (Read more)
- Lord, we thank You for the release of this prisoner to come home to the United States. We ask that he and his family find a personal relationship to You.
- "He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1)
5. Trump Issues Commercial Space Policy Directive on Eve of Anniversary of JFK's Space Program Speech - Daily Signal
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a space policy directive, calling for "updating and refocusing" those policies in a bid to promote innovation and modernize American commercial space policy. The White House said the move "reforms America's commercial space regulatory framework, ensuring our place as a leader in space commerce." This is the second space policy directive the president has issued, after taking into account recommendations made by the National Space Council. Trump revived the council, which disbanded in 1993. Space is a topic that Trump frequently references. He has discussed his hopes for future space exploration on multiple occasions-even contemplating a military "space force."
Space exploration is an opportunity for the president to put his stamp on something monumental, but he wouldn't be the first president to do so. "Now it is time to take longer strides, time for a great new American enterprise, time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth," President John F. Kennedy said 57 years ago Friday on May 25, 1961, in an address to Congress. "Space has the potential to bring out the best in our citizens, in our nation, and our values, and can grant the U.S. the opportunity to be in a leadership role," Kennedy said. Through reforms that make commercial space entrepreneurship and innovation more feasible, Trump is seeking to address the cost issues constraining them. (Read more)
- Father, we pray our nation will dream of reaching the stars again. Give our scientists and astronauts new and exciting endeavors that lead to a deeper knowledge of You.
- Is not God in the height of heaven? And see the highest stars, how lofty they are! (Job 22:12)
6. Scalise Announces Plan for Immigration, Farm Bill Votes Third Week of June - Roll Call
The farm bill, which failed on the House floor Friday, will get a second vote June 22 after a vote on a conservative immigration bill earlier that week, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise said Monday. The immigration bill by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas that leaders have scheduled a vote on includes border wall funding, security and enforcement provisions, cuts to legal immigration and a process for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients to obtain three-year renewals of their work permits.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, who with roughly a dozen members of his conservative caucus sunk the farm bill Friday because they wanted to vote on the immigration bill first, said that the timing Scalise outlined is fine with him so long as the Goodlatte-McCaul bill is brought to the floor under its own rule. With the Goodlatte-McCaul bill currently short the votes needed to pass the House, Scalise acknowledged that there is still an effort underway to try to come up with another measure that could. "There's still talks to see if we can all coalesce around an approach that addresses border security, wall funding, DACA, chain migration in a way that the president can support - a conservative solution to this problem," the Louisiana Republican said. Meadows also predicted leadership would agree to a stand-alone rule and vote on Goodlatte-McCaul. Why? "Because we all want to pass a farm bill, myself included," he said. "We've made it very clear that we've got enough votes to help them get the farm bill across the finish line." (Read more)
- Father, we pray for regular order as these bills move through Congress. We ask You for good legislation that benefits our people.
- By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just; by me princes govern, and nobles-all who rule on earth. (Proverbs 8:15-16)
7. McConnell's Plan for a Packed Summer Senate Agenda - Roll Call
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's aggressive summer legislative agenda features floor time for bundles of spending bills, as well as three major authorizations. The Kentucky Republican said he would prioritize the fiscal 2019 defense authorization, a new farm bill and updated water resources development legislation.
In an interview just ahead of Memorial Day, McConnell also reiterated that he would not have floor time available for potential House-passed immigration-related legislation unless President Donald Trump indicated he would sign such a measure. Even then, he might want more assurance that the bill would have the votes to get past filibuster threats in the Senate. "If it came out of the House and the president said he was for it, I'd obviously consider it," he said. "What I'm not interested in doing is having another week, and certainly not more than one week, as I said yesterday, spinning our wheels and getting nowhere."
McConnell has maintained his seat as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee during his time as leader. He is substantially involved in the process of trying to work with the House so that bills arrive from the other side of the Capitol building in a way that minimizes obstacles in the Senate. "We anticipate, for example, in the Senate being able to get on these bills without a motion to proceed, which would be a great step in the right direction by the minority," McConnell said. "There seems to be pretty broad agreement across party lines that we want to get these bills done and not have the ending that we had last year."
In other interviews last week, including with Fox News, McConnell advised people who serve and work on the Senate side of the Capitol not to make firm summer vacation plans, given the possibility that the chamber will remain in session. "I'll have more to say definitively about that the week after next, but I've said to all the press corps and the members up here I wouldn't buy any nonrefundable tickets," McConnell said. (Read more)
- Father, we pray for the Senate to complete the people's business before leaving town this summer.
- When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. (Nehemiah 6:16)
8. Justices allow Arkansas to enforce abortion restrictions - OneNewsNow
The Supreme Court is allowing Arkansas to put in effect restrictions on how abortion pills are administered. Critics of a challenged state law say it could effectively end medication abortions in the state. The justices did not comment Tuesday in rejecting an appeal from the Planned Parenthood affiliate in Arkansas that asked the court to review an appeals court ruling and reinstate a lower court order that had blocked the law from taking effect. The law says doctors who provide abortion pills must hold a contract with another physician who has admitting privileges at a hospital and who would agree to handle complications. The law is similar to a provision in Texas law that the Supreme Court struck down in 2016.
The legal fight over the law is not over, but the state is now free to enforce the law at least for the time being. Planned Parenthood has said that if the law stands, Arkansas would be the only state where women would not have access to a pair of drugs that end pregnancies: mifepristone, which makes it difficult for a fetus to attach to the uterine wall, and misoprostol, which causes the body to expel it, similar to a miscarriage. The organization offers pills to end pregnancies at clinics in Fayetteville and Little Rock but says it cannot find any Arkansas obstetrician willing to handle hospital admissions. (Read more)
- Father, thank You for favor before the court. We pray each woman faced with a crisis pregnancy will learn to love and accept the new life You have entrusted to her.
- I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them. (Hosea 11:4)
9. Artificial Intelligence to Weaponize Fake Videos - FreeBeacon
Deception operations using high-quality fake videos produced with artificial intelligence are the next phase of information warfare operations by nation states aimed at subverting American democracy. Currently, "deepfakes," or human image-synthesized videos, mainly involve the use of celebrity likenesses and voices superimposed on women in porn videos. But the weaponization of deepfakes for political smear campaigns, in commercial operations to discredit businesses, or subversion by foreign intelligence services in disinformation operations is a looming threat.
"I believe this is the next wave of attacks against America and Western democracies," said Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Rubio is pushing the U.S. intelligence community to address the danger of deepfake disinformation campaigns from nation states or terrorists before the threat fully emerges. Deepfake videos are produced by first collecting still images of a person's head and applying facial recognition software, such as the program FakeApp, to produce life-like videos. Simulated voices are then synced to the fabricated videos using sound-editing software.
Adobe's VoCo, a prototype software, for example, was demonstrated last year and revealed how to capture a person's voice and then simulate near-perfect speech simply by input from a keyboard. The quality of deceptive videos is increasing rapidly as artificial intelligence and its subset machine learning are applying advanced algorithms to the video and audio simulation process.
The result is life-like videos of someone saying or acting in ways they never did. Currently, such fakes can only be debunked through technical analysis capable of spotting the manipulation of video pixels-usually long after the fabrications have gone viral on the internet and social media. (Read more)
- Father, as wickedness increases, give Your Church more and more discernment to know the truth. Help us be prepared for these new tools of deception.
- At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. (Matthew 24:10-11)
10. Russia seething: Poland wants permanent U.S. military base, willing to pay $2 billion for it - Washington Times
Russia threatened retaliation Monday after news that Poland wants a permanent U.S. military base within its borders and is willing to pay up to $2 billion for the facility. The proposal for an American base touched off a rhetorical firestorm between Moscow and Warsaw, as leaders from both sides traded threats and cast a fresh spotlight on simmering tensions in Eastern Europe.
U.S. officials had no immediate comment on the Polish plan, but Moscow seized the opportunity Monday - on an otherwise quiet Memorial Day in Washington - to push back hard against potential attempts by the Trump administration to bolster the U.S. military presence in the region.
"These expansionist steps, certainly, result in counteractions of the Russian side to balance the parity which is violated every time this way," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
Poland's proposal also comes three months after Moscow deployed advanced nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad, a slice of Russia wedged between Poland and Lithuania. Polish officials made no secret of their motivations Monday, arguing that a permanent U.S. military presence in Poland would act as a check against Russia. By offering to pay in full for the construction of the base, the Polish plan fits with President Trump's call for NATO members - Poland has been a member since 1999 - to beef up their own financial contributions to the alliance.(Read more)
- Father, give our leaders wisdom regarding this proposal for a permanent U.S. presence in Poland. We pray the Polish people will feel empowered to defend their nation against Russia, or any other foreign power.
- Wisdom is better than weapons of war. (Ecclesiastes 9:18a)
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The Daily Jot
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Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Two religious leaders and their false doctrines
Two religious leaders were in the news over the Memorial Day weekend and both of them are teaching bad doctrine and both influence millions of people with it. One is calling for an end to white men, and the other is embracing social liberalism as he reinterprets scripture. One embraces homosexuality and told a longtime atheist friend in March that hell does not exist and that condemned souls just disappear. One says that the Republican Jewish Council represents white supremacy and has referred to the immediate ex-president as "God." These two men, absurd as their words are, represent well over a billion peoples' religions and millions agree with them.
Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, says his fellow church leadership "call me a heretic." Politico reports that the Pope is being "celebrated by progressives around the world for his push to update and liberalize aspects of church doctrine." Politico writes, however, "Francis is facing fierce blowback from traditionalists who take issue with his openness to Muslim migrants, his concern for the environment and his softer tone on divorce, cohabitation and homosexuality. Opposition has become so heated that some advisers are warning him to tread carefully to avoid a "schism" in the church." Church leadership believes Francis has undermined the church's authority and reduced the role of priests by rendering doctrine more ambiguous.
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan tweeted over the weekend, "Why should there be an end to white men? Because their nature is not in harmony with the nature of God. White man was only given 6,000 years (6 days) to rule. You cannot deny he has ruled but on what principle did he rule? Righteousness? Truth? Justice? Fairness? I don't think so. What he (the White man) does, he does by nature. What you (Black people) do, is by learning from your master." He said that the traits of whites were murder and dishonesty. Farrakhan's website says, "We believe in the truth of the Bible, but we believe that it has been tampered with and must be reinterpreted so that mankind will not be snared by the falsehoods that have been added to it." It says that Nation of Islam founder Fard Muhammad is the Christian Messiah and the Muslim Mahdi.
Obviously, one cannot believe in the truth of the Bible, but change it at will. Nor can one believe in the truth of the Bible and not the truth of the Messiah. Farrakhan is a false prophet of a false god, preaching a divisive and deadly religion. Pope Francis is trying to rewrite the doctrines of the Bible to fit his modern interpretation of scripture. These men deny the truth and use their authority to twist the meaning of scripture, making it hard for many to discern the truth. They will not stand in your place or mine on judgment day. This is why we must seek the truth for ourselves. Jesus said in John 8:31-32, "If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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News from the State Department
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State Department Reviews Religious Freedom around the World
The State Department's 2017 International Religious Freedom Report was released today. Issued under the direction of Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, with guidance from other senior officials in the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), the report serves as a guide to the work yet to be done on this issue in many places around the world.
The places which one might expect to be covered in detail (North Korea, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, etc.) featured discussions of the major persecution taking place within their borders. Yet countries less well-known as religious persecution hot spots were featured too. For example, the report notes that in Burkina Faso, several individuals were killed and others threatened "if they did not start teaching the Quran in schools instead of the regular curricula," and the discussion of the Comoros observes the strict enforcement and preference for Sunni Islam in law. Muslim/Christian interreligious conflict continues to simmer at a lower level in a number of sub-Saharan countries, in some worse than others. Discomfort and conflict persists within these communities when one is seen as having the upper hand in government or society. While the concerns in these countries are often relatively less serious, it is important to address them before they flare up into larger, more destabilizing situations. And regardless, all religious freedom violations, however small, deserve to be addressed as a matter of principle.
Human rights and humanitarian concerns drive much of the State Department's reporting on international religious freedom which we see reflected in the 2017 report. Very often, in each country's section of the report, there is a note stating that the U.S. embassy or its officials in that country hosted meetings or met with religious or government leaders to raise religious freedom concerns. While this attention is good and helpful, there is much more to the story of religious freedom. Not least in this story is the emerging proof of religious freedom's benefit to security and economic prosperity -- proof which is not being raised by our diplomats and foreign policy professionals, whether in Foggy Bottom or around the world.
As long as religious freedom is seen merely as a humanitarian issue, governments and leaders who see nothing in it for themselves will be reluctant to address it, and we will be resigned to continue the worldwide backsliding on religious freedom that has occurred in recent years. But when the United States seriously and systematically begins to show others around the world that religious freedom is in their interest -- their security and economic interests -- we can begin to make headway.
Raising religious freedom as a human right is the right thing to do. But we have only achieved so much with this approach. If we increasingly explain the many benefits of religious freedom to those who otherwise wouldn't care about it, they may begin to see a real shift towards protecting it. Whatever else, doing what we can to protect religious freedom for the maximum number of people around the world is always the right thing to do.
-- Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council
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Religious Liberty v. Sexual Liberty
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Mohler:
America is Witnessing a Collision Between Religious Liberty, Sexual Liberty
Editor's note:
After last week's march on the White House, sponsored by the pro-LGBTQ, liberal wing of the Christian community, we are sharing the following message with you.
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, delivered this message last month to Christian leaders gathered Thursday (May 3) for the National Religious Broadcasters' First Amendment Lunch in Washington, D.C.
Due to space limitations, we can only share an excerpt of Dr. Mohler's teaching with you today. To access his entire message, please go here. Thank you.
The most basic liberties enshrined in the U.S. Constitution are today "confused, contorted, and sometimes even condemned," said Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, to Christian leaders gathered Thursday (May 3) for the National Religious Broadcasters' First Amendment Lunch in Washington, D.C.
"Religious freedom, freedom of speech, and the freedom of the press - along with the other rights recognized and respected within the Bill of Rights - are all threatened even as other rights are marginalized," the prominent evangelical leader added during the event on Capitol Hill, sponsored by In Touch Ministries and held on the National Day of Prayer.
"Even more distressingly, a new regime of invented rights threatens to replace the rights that are clearly enumerated within the text of the Constitution," he added.
Speaking to specially invited guests who were in Washington for events related to the National Day of Prayer, Mohler shared how religious liberty "becomes fragile in a secular age," as do all liberties.
Religious liberty, he said, is viewed today by some as "problematic and out-of-date" and "injurious to human freedom, sexual liberty, transgender liberation, and a host of new imperatives."
Some contend the freedom of religion is no longer a right, but a privilege, he said.
Mohler quoted a 2016 official report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in which the chairman, Martin R. Castro, wrote, "The phrases 'religious liberty' and 'religious freedom' will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance."
"The commission's report included both religious liberty and religious freedom in scare quotes as if they are merely terms of art - linguistic constructions without any objective reality," Mohler noted. "We are now witnessing a great and inevitable collision between religious liberty and newly declared and invented sexual liberties."
. . . "We're in a fight that's worth fighting," Mohler said. "And we understand that as we contend for the freedom of religion, and the freedom of speech, and the freedom of press, again, we're doing this not just for ourselves and for our children; not just for our churches, but for the world."
"Let's pray that God will give us wisdom to hold these truths in perilous times," he concluded.
(Source: National Religious Broadcasters)
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About the Religous Left
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Don't Expect a Religious Left 'Great Awakening,' Says Researcher
> > > Please go here to view the photo described below. Taken last Thursday evening in front of a crowd of 2,000 enthusiasts who then marched to the White House to deliver their message to those inside the building at that time.
(Photo: The Christian Post)Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry speaks during a prayer service unveiling the new declaration "Reclaiming Jesus: A Confession of Faith in a Time of Crisis" at the National City Church in Washington, D.C. on May 24, 2018. Curry is flanked by Sojourners founder Jim Wallis.
Recently released research is casting doubt on the prospect of a "Great Awakening" for the Religious Left, noting that even liberal mainline churches don't inspire support for Democrats.
Since the election of Donald Trump, many have speculated that his rise to power will spur the emergence of a Religious Left to protest his agenda items.
Ryan P. Burge, a political science professor at Eastern Illinois University who specializes in religion and politics, noted while there were modern examples of liberal Christian activism, these efforts were not being inspired by regular church attendance.
. . . In an article titled "Searching for the Religious Left" published Thursday by Religion In Public, Burge posed the question of whether regular church attendance for part of the American public indicates a drift toward leftwing ideology.
Burge drew data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study 2016, looking at the percentage of people who voted for Donald Trump, comparing regular church attendees and less frequent church attendees.
Burge noted that across racial and denominational lines, people who attended church more regularly were more likely to vote for Trump, even among more liberal churches. . . "Taken together, these results strike a serious blow to anyone who wants to put a great deal of stock in the 'Great Awakening of the Religious Left.' My first question to anyone who advocates that is a simple one: where is that awakening coming from?" wrote Burge.
(Source: ChristianPost.com) Read more.
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More Daily Features
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More Daily Features
(See below . . .)
- The Persecuted Church
- Classic Hymns
- Signs and Wonders
- The Good News Corner
- Worship with Us Today!
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Prayers for the Persecuted Church
"Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body." (Hebrews 13:3)
Please visit the website for International Christian Concern to lift up prayers for the persecuted around the world, every day. Their link is: www.persecution.org -- or go here to connect. Thank you for interceding for our brothers and sisters who are suffering in Asia, the Islamic World, and the Far East.
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Classic Hymns
THERE IS A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD
"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity."
(Zechariah 13:1)
THERE IS A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD
"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity."
(Zechariah 13:1)
Lyrics
There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Emmanuel's veins; And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains. Lose all their guilty stains, Lose all their guilty stains; And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day; And there have I, though vile as he, Washed all my sins away. Washed all my sins away, Washed all my sins away; And there have I, though vile as he, Washed all my sins away.
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood Shall never lose its power Till all the ransomed church of God Be saved, to sin no more. Be saved, to sin no more, Be saved, to sin no more; Till all the ransomed church of God Be saved, to sin no more.
E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die. And shall be till I die, And shall be till I die; Redeeming love has been my theme, And shall be till I die.
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing Thy power to save, When this poor lisping, stammering tongue Lies silent in the grave. Lies silent in the grave, Lies silent in the grave; When this poor lisping, stammering tongue Lies silent in the grave.
Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, Unworthy though I be, For me a blood bought free reward, A golden harp for me! A golden harp for me, A golden harp for me; For me a blood bought free reward, A golden harp for me!
'Tis strung and tuned for endless years, And formed by power divine, To sound in God the Father's ears No other name but Thine; No other name but Thine, No other name but Thine; To sound in God the Father's ears No other name but Thine.
Melody
Please go here . . .
About the Author:
Words: William Cowper, 1772
Melody: Lowell Mason, 1830
About the Hymn:
his is one of the first hymns Cowper wrote after his first attack of temporary madness. Cowper had been promised a post as Clerk of the Journal to the House of Lords, but was dismayed upon learning he would have to undergo a public examination in the House before beginning his duties. This article from the North American Review, January, 1834, describes his dilemma, and how God prevented him from destroying himself: (To read this full account, go here.)
After recovering, Cowper came to realize how God can erase the stain of any sin.
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Signs and Wonders
At Least 2 Killed As Subtropical Storm Alberto Makes Landfall
In Southern U.S.
The first named storm of the season, Subtropical Storm Alberto, came ashore Monday along the Florida Panhandle, bringing heavy rain to a wide swath of the Southeast and claiming the lives of two journalists on duty in North Carolina.
Anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer of WYFF News 4 were killed when a tree fell on their SUV, officials and WYFF said. The two, who worked for the NBC affiliate in Greenville, S.C., died in Polk County, just over the state line in North Carolina, shortly after interviewing fire department officials. "We had talked a little bit about how he [McCormick] wanted us to stay safe and we wanted him to stay safe," said Geoffrey M. Tennant of the Tryon Fire Department. About 10 minutes later, Tennant said, the department received a call of a tree falling on a motor vehicle.
Alberto made a Memorial Day landfall near Laguna Beach, Fla, just west of Panama City, and officials warned of dangerous conditions even though its maximum sustained winds fell to 45 mph. Flash flooding could take place in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas through Tuesday morning, according to forecasts.
Forecasters also warned people in those same areas and in southern South Carolina of the possibility that "brief tornadoes" could develop as Alberto moved further inland.
"The main thing we would advise people is to not pay too much attention to the maximum winds," Zelinsky said. "The rainfall threat is the main thing here. So, as Alberto moves inland and begins to weaken, don't assume the event is over. There's still a threat of heavy rains and flooding."
"On the forecast track, the center of Alberto will move over Alabama later tonight and Tuesday," the NHC said. "The system is forecast to move over the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday and into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region on Wednesday and Thursday." (NPR) Read more.
"I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke." (Acts 2:19)
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The Good News Corner
"I See God's Glory Every Day":
NASA Scientist Working on Solar Probe Mission Describes "Amazing Voyage of Discovery"
(Greenbelt, MD)-[CBN News] For more than a decade, NASA scientist Adam Szabo has been working on the $1.6-billion Parker Solar Probe mission.
Szabo told CBN News, "I see God's hand in the wonders of space and even our existence here on earth couldn't happen without a divine Creator."
The mission will send a probe about the size of a compact automobile into space. It will make 24 orbits around the sun.
God's Handiwork on Display in Space
At its closest approach, the Parker Solar probe will fly within 3.7 million miles of the sun's surface, more than eight times closer than any other spacecraft and more than eight times closer than Mercury.
Szabo says he sees God's hand in the wonders of space every day. "When I look at how much energy there is in the sun and all that energy coming towards us, yet that energy is extremely dangerous if we were just exposed to it. Look at this spacecraft. Just to fly by there [the sun] we had to take extreme protective measures just for robotic stuff to survive never mind human beings," Szabo said.
(Breaking Christian News) Read more.
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Worship With Us Today!
Casting Crowns - Oh My Soul
To worship with us today, please go here . . .
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About CHPP
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About Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
Our Mission Statement
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners (CHPP) is a ministry which is positioned on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., helping members of the Body of Christ to "pray for those in authority over us" in our federal government. Our primary purpose is to offer intercession on site for the members of Congress and their staffs each day that the Senate and the House of Representatives are in session; and our chief prayer focus is that "God's will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." [Matthew 6:10].
Because Jesus Christ has shed His blood for all, we, too, pray for ALL, in a nonpartisan manner. Also, because the scriptures indicate that "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 4:17), we are confident that fervent prayer, offered in the halls of the highest chambers of government in our land, can avail much for America. Capitol Hill Prayer Partners welcomes those who feel called to join us, engaging in this strategic work of intercession for our nation: "For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God." [Romans 13:1]
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners welcomes all who wish to pray for our leaders to join us in prayer for our nation. You may sign up to receive our alerts by sending an email to us at CHPP1994@gmail.com requesting that your name be added to our list of subscribers.
Note: You may also learn more about CHPP by going here to visit our blog. Thank you!
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We Welcome Your Gifts
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We Welcome Your Gifts
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners (CHPP) is a 501(c)(3), tax- exempt, faith-based, ministry, dedicated to praying for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-4). CHPP relies solely on the gifts of our readers to continue this work; thus we greatly appreciate your help in supporting this publication. Offerings may be sent to: Capitol Hill Prayer Partners, P.O. Box 5152, Herndon, VA 20172-1970. Please make checks payable to: CHPP. THANK YOU!
DONATE ONLINE!
Now you can also donate online by going here. Or . . . if you prefer, simply paste this link into your browser to access our secure online donor system:
https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift/gift.php?giftid=3B77E058-983E-4415-AA4E-2F82ED1A4DEA#
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." (Philippians 4:23)
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Join our Bible Readathon!
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Our Bible Readathon Continues
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)
Our numbers of readers continues to grow over time. All are welcome to join!
Our conference number is: 712-770-4340.
The access code is: 350430#. Please call at any time from midnight to 6:00 a.m. EST. WELCOME!
[Note: we are reading from these versions of the Scripture: King James, New King James, New American Standard, and NIV.]
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Pray for America!
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New Feature!
Now you can join the Salt & Light Council, praying for our nation six days each week on a conference line!
Repentance and Restoration Prayer Line
For many years now, the Salt & Light Council has sponsored this outstanding half-hour of prayer, six days per week, with additional time available for Bible reading and fellowship.
We are delighted to make this "hidden treasure" available to all of you who make up our CHPP family.
You can also view their daily prayer calendar by going here.
The following press release was issued by the Salt and Light Council. Praise the Lord!
This is a 30 minute national conference prayer call offered Monday through Saturday. We pray daily for our President, Cabinet, Supreme Court, one or two state legislatures, preambles, plus a moral topic and Israel. All are welcome to participate in prayer for our nation. Fellowship and Bible reading is optional for those who would like to remain on the line. The call is hosted by The Salt & Light Council.
605-468-8015 / Access Code 338083#
Monday - Saturday
8:30 am PT 9:30 am MT
10:30 am CT 11:30 am ET
