A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has rejected a motion to lift a block on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for 35 Navy personnel opposed to getting vaccinated for religious reasons. The panel denied the motion in a per curiam decision released Monday, writing, "Plaintiffs allege specific, and far from frivolous, violations of their free exercise rights under both the First Amendment and RFRA. Thus, the nature and strength of Plaintiffs’ claims weigh in favor of judicial resolution. Plaintiffs also face irreparable harm if judicial review is denied. … By pitting their consciences against their livelihoods, the vaccine requirements would crush Plaintiffs’ free exercise of religion.”

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has reignited fears of the communist country that haven't been felt for a long time, writes Robin Schumacher. In this op-ed, Schumacher discusses God's plans for Ukraine and Russia in light of scriptural and historical references to the regions, noting, "Magog is identified by Josephus as the land of the Scythians, the region north and northeast of the Black Sea and east of the Caspian Sea—now occupied by three countries: Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan." Schumacher points to Ezekiel 38, explaining, "At some point in the future, God says He will, 'put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out … on that day when My people Israel are living securely ... It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog'” (Ez. 38:4, 14-16). Continue reading.

In the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are witnessing great strength as images and videos of Ukrainians fighting for their freedom fill the internet, Arielle Del Turco writes. Del Turco describes the heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people, from fighting to defend their country against the attacks to singing and praying in the midst of it all, saying, "Experts believe that Russian forces want to assassinate Zelenskyy and replace him with a Russian-backed leader—and Zelenskyy believes it too. The United States offered to help Zelenskyy leave. Yet, his reply showed unwavering resolve: 'The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.'" Continue reading.

As one might expect, there’s a great deal of speculation and false narratives about Jesus Christ. But how can we know Jesus’s true identity?

In this episode of “Challenging Conversations,”Jason and author, Tom Gilson, work through some false claims about Jesus and bring biblical clarity to his uniqueness as the Son of God. Listen to this powerful fact-check episode of the show!

In the new "I Am Second" film, Monica Zuniga Bailey shared her testimony of finding hope and surviving trauma after being drugged and raped during a night out with her roommate. In this interview with The Christian Post, the We Are Unveiled Ministries founder explains, "It was a very hard traumatic experience. In my story through ‘I Am Second,’ I share how I spent almost three years in just complete silence and did not tell a soul out of fear, out of insecurity, and out of a lot of the taboo things that we hear and of shame, honestly, that something like this happened to me." Watch the full interview.

African American author Toni McFadden took to the 2022 March For Life last month to recount her decision to get an abortion as a teenager and how her faith in Christ helped her heal from the post-abortive trauma she experienced. McFaddeen recounted a dream where God revealed her aborted son, saying, "His name is Tyler. I named him when I went through post-abortion counseling." She details her story in her book, Redeemed: My Journey After Abortion, which is currently available in Kindle format on Amazon and via eBook format from Barnes & Noble.

Duggar sister Jill Dillard and husband, Derick, are expecting another baby following her recent miscarriage. The couple took to their family blog Sunday to share the news, writing, "We are excited to announce that God has answered our prayers and we are expecting our rainbow baby due July 2022!" The former "19 Kids and Counting" star and her husband, who have been married since 2014, have two sons.

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