| | Syrian refugee who plotted to bomb Pa. church for ISIS gets 17 years | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Tuesday, November 15, and today's headlines include a Syrian refugee who has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison for planning a church bombing, a destransitioner who is suing the medical facilities she says "butchered" her body as a minor, Colorado adding LGBT language back into social studies curriculum, and an interview with pastor and New York Times bestselling author Tim Keller. | | Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, a 24-year-old Syrian refugee has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison for providing material support to the Islamic State terror group as part of a plan to bomb a church in Pittsburgh, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Alowemer, who has been living in Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in the Western District of Pennsylvania in September and will spend more than 17 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, per the DOJ. "Alowemer admitted to planning a deadly bombing of a Pittsburgh church in the name of ISIS," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division. "The defendant's plan to bomb a Pittsburgh church and risk death or injury to residents in the area in the name of ISIS" was thwarted by the Pittsburgh Joint Terrorism Task Force, said U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung for the Western District of Pennsylvania. | According to court documents, Alowemer plotted to bomb a church on the north side of Pittsburgh using an explosive device "to support the cause of ISIS and to inspire other ISIS supporters in the United States to join together and commit similar acts in the name of ISIS." Describing the church as a "Nigerian Christian" church, the refugee specified the church was targeted to "take revenge for our [ISIS] brothers in Nigeria." He was aware that the explosion could kill numerous people near the church. Continue reading.Also of Interest ... Bezos pledges to give away most of his $123B 58 Louisiana churches leave UMC amid schism | | P.S. Get rewarded for sharing our newsletters! Sign-up for the CP referral program—the more you share, the more you earn. Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to get started today! |
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| Detransitioner to sue 'mutilators' who 'butchered' her body | | Detransitioner Chloe Cole, 18, has filed a notice of intent to sue the medical facilities that performed body mutilating sex-change surgeries on her as a minor. In a statement announcing the letter of intent to sue, Cole described her teenage years as "a culmination of excruciating pain, regret, and most importantly injustice." Cole recalled that she was "emotionally and physically damaged and stunted by so-called medical professionals in my most important developmental period," asserting, "I was butchered by an institution that we trust more than anything else in our lives ... It is impossible for me to recoup what I have lost, but I will fight to ensure that no other children will be harmed at the hands of these liars and mutilators." Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Man castrated in gender transition sues NHS clinic for maiming his body Medically 'transing' children is a media-backed scandal, doctors warn Detransitioners share regrets, speak out against body mutilation in 'Transgressive' documentary ‘There’s a lot of money to be made’: Detransitioners blast doctors they blame for maimed bodies | | Colorado puts LGBT language into history curriculum | | Colorado's State Board of Education voted last Thursday in a 4-3 party-line vote to update the state's social studies curriculum for all grade levels, restoring references to the LGBT community and marginalized racial minorities that had been cut earlier this year after some parents expressed concerns over a lack of diversity. Board recommendations for curriculum standards caused controversy last November over concerns about "age-appropriateness," which led to the elimination of references to LGBT people for students below fourth grade in April. Republican Board member Steve Durham objected to exposing preschoolers to LGBT topics, but democratic board members argued that LGBT issues are not sexual topics. Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Anti-CRT candidates flip 100 school board seats across US despite mixed results, PAC claims Missouri rule would withhold funding from libraries displaying 'inappropriate' content for children |
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| Dear church, my autistic son wants to go to service, too | | In this op-ed, writer and mother Diana Romeo discusses the importance of churches creating an inclusive environment where children and adults with disabilities can experience worship, inspiration and comfort within the congregation. Romeo advocates for special needs religious curriculum and encourages church leaders and extended family and friends to step in and help care for special family members to provide them with the opportunity to learn and experience church instead of being left at home. Read more. | | Young Evangelicals, don't be sucked into world's oldest hatred (pt.1) | | Colorado Christian University Chancellor Dr. Donald Sweeting writes about the disturbing rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses and cautions young Evangelical students not to be tempted to join in such hatred. Sweeting reminds young Christians to remember the Jewish roots of their faith and to not just oppose anti-Semitism but be supportive of the state of Israel because "it is a guardian of worldwide Jewry today" and a place the "UN saw fit to approve" when other nations would not guarantee a secure refuge for Jews after the Holocaust. Read more. |
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| Greek soccer star appeals prison sentence over 'Adam and Eve' post | | Former Greek soccer star Vasilis Tsiartas, 49, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for a 2017 social media post that asserted "God created Adam and Eve" in response to a law proposing a redefinition of gender identity. Prior to the passing of a bill that would have lowered the age requirement for legally changing one’s gender identity to 15 years old, Tsiartas also wrote on Facebook that he hoped "the first sex changes are carried out on the children of those who ratified this abomination." He added, "Legitimize pedophiles, too, to complete the crimes." The Transgender Support Association (SYD), which brought the suit against Tsiartas, said the ruling was "particularly important for the transgender community." The bill, which became law in late 2017, allows people to change the sex listed on official documents with a court ruling, and without requiring medical tests or sterilization. Read more. | | Report: Europe sees 500 anti-Christian hate crimes in 2021 | | The 2021 Annual Report from the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe has revealed that 519 anti-Christian hate crimes occurred in Europe last year. The figure marks a significant drop from the nearly 1,000 instances that occurred the previous year. The highest number of anti-Christian incidents occurred in France (124), followed by Germany (112), Italy (92), Poland (60), and the United Kingdom (40). Read more. |
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| Tim Keller: Don't let 'cancel culture' cancel forgiveness | | In this interview with The Christian Post, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Tim Keller discusses the importance of forgiveness. Keller, who recently authored Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?, discusses how "cancel culture" has resulted in young people becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of forgiveness. "The emphasis of young people on doing justice is important, and forgiveness seems to contradict justice. It seems like, ‘Well, I can forgive or I can pursue justice.’ That's one problem. And then secondly, we live in a culture where people don't do face-to-face stuff … they don't know how to deal with conflict or disagreement," Keller explains. The pastor notes that forgiveness is an essential part of the Christian life, adding, "In the Lord's Prayer, the only statement that Jesus repeats is, ‘Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,’" he said. "And then, at the end of the prayer, Jesus adds, ‘If you do not forgive other people, then there's no reason why God should forgive you.’ It’s very, very central to what the Bible teaches." Watch the full interview now. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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