Grahams

Over 3,000 people made commitments to Christ during the Festival of Hope event led by Franklin Graham this past weekend in the Northern European country of Latvia.

Graham preached about the story of Zacchaeus from the book of Luke and the story of the rich young ruler in the book of Mark during the Nov. 5-7 event, in the capital city Riga. He told the daily crowd of about 12,000 – with 14,000 on Saturday – that everyone faces problems, but only God can solve the problem of sin.

“Only Jesus Christ can solve the problems of the human heart,” said Graham Sunday night, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. more >>

Rick Warren will speak at the Desiring God national conference – connected to Pastor John Piper – Friday amid some criticism of his theology.

Some supporters of the Desiring God ministry had complained that Warren relies more on pragmatism than biblical doctrine – in other words, that he relies more on methods than on God to achieve results.

But Piper defended his decision to invite Warren to the annual conference. In a video, Piper listed Warren’s shared beliefs, including that the Bible is totally inerrant, God is sovereign over everything and that people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their savior will go to hell. more >>

A Christian event tied to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will take place Saturday at an army post in North Carolina despite protests from church-state separation groups.

Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, assured protesters that the “Rock the Fort” event does not violate anybody’s rights.

“I have taken steps to ensure that no soldier in my command is pressured in any way to attend this event,” wrote Helmick in a letter to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist-agnostic group that opposed the event. more >>

Evangelist Franklin Graham concluded his monthlong Rock the River evangelistic tour on Saturday with more than 8,000 youths in Western Canada.

The Edmonton event saw 332 decisions for Christ.

"There's nothing more refreshing and amazing as you're sitting on stage after you play your set and see kids come down," said Jason Dunn, lead vocalist of the Christian pop/punk band Hawk Nelson. "They're coming to the front and they're giving their lives to Christ. That's an amazing thing. It'll never get old. I get chills just thinking about it." more >>

Evangelicals have come out rejecting growing opinion that President Barack Obama is a Muslim. He is a Christian, they say.

"Those of us who've spent time with him and have had a part of forming his spiritual life can testify with certainty of his commitment to Christ," said Pastor Joel Hunter of Northland, A Church Distributed, in Longwood, Fla., according to McClatchy Newspapers.

The Florida megachurch pastor said he regularly sends devotionals to Obama and prays with him over the phone. more >>

Nearly 8,000 young Canadians attended a one-day evangelistic event Saturday, which kicked off Franklin Graham’s month-long Western Canada tour.

Despite the rain, attendees came to hear Graham’s no-nonsense Gospel message and to enjoy hours of “high-voltage” Christian music at Millennium Park in Fraser Valley, British Columbia. At the end of the day, 466 young Canadians accepted Christ or recommitted their lives to Him, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

“Everything today has been really touching,” said attendee Carleigh, 19, according to BGEA. “It’s been one of the most moving experiences for me.” more >>