Dec. 23, 2019: Evangelicals slam CT; Tajik pastor released; Tablet linked to Ark of the Covenant found
Daily Radio Script - Monday, Dec. 23, 2019
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
Nearly 200 evangelical leaders slam Christianity Today for questioning their Christian witness
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In a letter sent to Timothy Dalrymple, the president of Christianity Today, on Sunday, nearly 200 evangelical faith leaders condemned both its editorial calling for the removal of President Donald Trump from office and its editor-in-chief, Mark Galli, for dismissing evangelicals who oppose his views on the matter as being “far right.”
The faith leaders said the editorial “offensively questioned the spiritual integrity and Christian witness of tens-of-millions of believers who take seriously their civic and moral obligations."
The signatories also decried Galli who they say “offensively dismissed” their point of view in comments he made in an interview with CNN Friday, where he said that evangelicals who are upset or outraged by his Christianity Today editorial do not read the magazine because they are “Christians on the far right, evangelicals on the far right, so they’re going to be as dismissive of the magazine as President Trump has shown to be.”
Tajik pastor charged with singing 'extremist songs' released from prison after 2.5 years
Tajik Pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov of the Good News of Grace Protestant Church in Khujand has been released from prison over two-and-a-half years after authorities raided his church, according to advocacy organizations.
He was sentenced in July 2017 and accused of “singing extremist songs” in church and “inciting religious hatred.”
The 43-year-old pastor was arrested and later charged for possessing a book of worship songs and Josh McDowell’s book More Than a Carpenter.
Stone tablet found in ancient 'temple' might be linked to Ark of the Covenant
A 3,100-year-old temple uncovered near Jerusalem in the ancient settlement of Beth Shemesh has been under excavation since 2012 and workers at the site recently found a stone tablet that might be linked to the Ark of the Covenant.
Tel Aviv University archaeologist Zvi Lederman, who is leading the Beth Shemesh dig alongside his colleague Shlomo Bunimovitz from Tel Aviv University, said the find could align with the biblical narrative.
Hero missionary doctor celebrates 20 years in Africa, continues serving hundreds each day
It’s been nearly 20 years since award-winning American Catholic missionary Dr. Tom Catena arrived in Africa. Next month, Catena will complete his second decade of service as he has become one of the continent’s most important people.
Catena, a 55-year-old native of upstate New York, is the only surgeon serving 1.3 million people in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, a region hit hard by government bombings against rebel-controlled communities.
The Duke University graduate and former U.S. Navy doctor told The Christian Post in an interview that he originally traveled to Kenya in the early 2000s and only planned to stay for one year.
But one year turned into two, and two turned into three, and before he knew it, he found himself being called in 2008 to help open and run a new hospital in a war-torn region of Sudan in desperate need of help as they faced genocidal violence and starvation.
“Once I came here, I just kind of stuck,” Catena said. “It was difficult and challenging. But even in the worst of times here, there is no place else I’d rather be.“
“Even when things are really bad and the fighting is serious and [we’re] in fear of being killed or have problems with the staff or logistics, I really feel like I want to stay here,” he said.
Tyndale House publishes 'Pray for America Bible' to guide Christians in 2020
Tyndale House Publishers has continued its successful One Year Bible series with the recently released special edition, One Year Pray for America Bible.
The One Year Bible series, of which 3 million copies have sold over the last three decades, breaks down Scripture into 365 daily readings to help readers read the entire Bible in one year.
“Our team back in the spring was really aware of the kind of tension and conflict our country was experiencing for some time,” Tyndale House Bible Brand Director Dave Thornton told The Christian Post.
“It seems the level of political rancor and divide has been greater recently than in the past. So we felt like it would be a blessing to our fellow citizens if we can put together the strength of our One Year Bible plan with some daily prayer prompts to help people pray intelligently and specifically for the needs of our country.”
To read more stories from a Christian perspective, visit christianpost.com.
