Dec. 9, 2019: Reinhard Bonnke dies; Charitable giving drops; New LGBT bill backed by Christians
Daily Radio Script - Monday, Dec. 9, 2019
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, founder of Christ for All Nations, dies at 79
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Evangelist and Christ for All Nations founder Reinhard Bonnke has died at the age of 79.
Bonnke's wife, Anni, said "Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it is with sorrow that the Bonnke Family would like to announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, evangelist Reinhard Bonnke.
"He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on December 7, 2019. For the past 60 years he has preached the glorious Gospel of Jesus throughout the entire world.
"We want to thank you on behalf of him and our family, for your kind love and unwavering support, which enabled him to preach the matchless message of salvation to countless people."
Bonnke is also survived by his children, Kai-Uwe, Gabrielle and Susie, and eight grandchildren.
Americans abandoning faith linked to drop in charitable giving, analysis finds
Americans are giving less to charitable organizations and declining religious affiliation is contributing to the decrease, according to a new analysis of philanthropic trends.
The number of adults who gave to charity dropped from 66 percent in 2000 to 53 percent in 2016.
The steep drop amounts to approximately 20 million fewer households giving to charity.
Christian groups back new LGBT civil rights bill that protects religious institutions
A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Friday backed by faith groups seeks to extend federal discrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity while providing protections for individual and institutional religious objectors to homosexuality.
The bill is seen as the Republican response to the Equality Act, legislation passed by the House in May to codify sexual orientation and gender identity as protected social classes in federal law but does nothing to protect the beliefs of religious objectors.
Fairness for All, however, has drawn the ire of prominent conservative legal and lobbying organizations such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Heritage Foundation and the Family Research Council. All three organizations have voiced concerns that the bill “shares many of the dangerous characteristics of the Equality Act” in that it would “codify a radical gender ideology.”
Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren supporters more likely to support speech bans than general population
Supporters of Democratic presidential primary candidates Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren are more likely than the general population to support banning offensive speech.
When asking if federal or state governments should “ban speech by individuals that a majority of Americans believes to be offensive, including speech considered to be racist or sexist,” 27 percent said yes, 50 percent said no, and 24 percent said they were unsure.
By contrast, 51 percent of respondents who said they have a “very favorable” view of Sen. Sanders and 36 percent who said they have a “somewhat favorable” view of Sanders said yes to having governments ban offensive speech.
Among respondents who said they hold a “very favorable” view of Sen. Warren, 49 percent said that the federal or state governments should “ban speech by individuals that a majority of Americans believes to be offensive,” while 37 percent of those with a “somewhat favorable” view of Warren supported such a ban.
New children's book refutes 'lie' of abortion, encourages kids to stand for life
Parents who want to instill a pro-life worldview in their children now have an illustrated children’s book they can use to encourage their kids to “speak up for life” and refute the "lies" of abortion.
Bethany Bomberger, an adoptive homeschool mother, has released a new 52-page children’s book, titled Pro-Life Kids! illustrated by Ed Kohler. The book is endorsed by leading pro-life activists such as evangelist Alveda King and Unplanned author Abby Johnson.
“A lot of my heart and passion is empowering children to be leaders at a very young age and know what they believe,” Bethany Bomberger told The Christian Post in an interview.
“Part of my motivation for writing this book, in particular, was that I've had so many conversations with adults across the nation and globe who may feel that they have a pro-life worldview, yet they are not sure how to articulate a pro-life worldview age-appropriately to their kids.”
To read more stories from a Christian perspective, visit christianpost.com.
