| 12/26/2022 | | Presented by ACLJ |
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| | The Christian Post's top 10 news stories of 2022 (part 1) | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Monday, December 26, and today's headlines include a roundup of The Christian Post's top stories of the year, Christian and secular ethicists raising concerns about Elon Musk's Neuralink, King Charles III's first televised Christmas speech, and an interview with Christian comedian Shama Mrema. | | Many topics dominated the headlines in 2022, ranging from megachurch scandals and sexual abuse investigations to the Ukraine war, landmark U.S. Supreme Court rulings and ongoing debates about parental rights in education and abortion. This article from CP reviews several of the top news stories of 2022, including the resignation of Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and concerns about parental rights in education, which led to the Florida legislature approving a Parental Rights in Education measure. Continue reading. | | 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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| Death toll rises, thousands without power as winter storm sweeps US | | On Christmas day, Americans woke up to temperatures plunging below freezing and blizzard warnings in effect for the day as a frigid winter storm was sweeping across the country after killing at least 28 and knocking out power to millions of people. Many churches canceled the Christmas morning services and were serving the homeless. The Associated Press reports that deaths have occurred due to exposure, car crashes, a falling tree limb, and other effects of the storm, with deaths reported in Oklahoma, Ohio, Kansas, Kentucky, Colorado, Missouri, Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska and New York. Read more. | | Elon Musk's ambitions for Neuralink raise 'deep, serious' questions (part 1) | | Billionaire Elon Musk spent much of 2022 in the spotlight due to his takeover of the social media platform Twitter. However, Neuralink, Musk’s medical device company, has perhaps aroused the greatest interest—and suspicion—from both Christian and secular ethicists alike. In 2019, the company used "sewing machine-like technology ... to drill small holes into brains and insert super-slender electrodes called threads, steering clear of blood vessels as they go." Neuralink was reportedly designing its electrodes to not only "read" from neural activity but "write" signals into the brain, amid scientists stating goals of restoring senses like touch or vision. At the time, Musk said the technology was placed inside a monkey's brain and that the animal was able to control a computer through its thoughts. Musk announced earlier this month he expects Neuralink to successfully develop a wireless brain chip and begin human clinical trials on such a device by mid-2023. Read more. | | Have most forgotten the true meaning of Christmas? | | A survey from Ipsos using KnowledgePanel has revealed that three-quarters of Americans agree that most people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. Results also showed that 84% of Christians believe that most people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, compared to 60% of non-religious Americans. Republicans (88%) significantly outpaced Democrats (66%) in agreeing that Americans have forgotten what Christmas means. Age also factored into responses, with 81% of those 50 and older agreeing that many have forgotten Christmas' true meaning, followed by 72% of participants ages 35 to 49, and 66% of those ages 25 to 34, and 68% of individuals 18 to 24. Read more. |
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| Here is what the world has gained from Jesus' birth | | In this editorial, Jerry Newcombe discusses all that the world has gained from the birth of Jesus Christ. Despite a "religious studies" doctoral student in California declaring that he would "assassinate Jesus of Nazareth" if given the opportunity to go back in time, believing the world would be better off without Jesus and the movement He spawned, Newcombe points out that society has benefited from Jesus' birth in multiple ways, including through hospitals, the dividing of time, the growth of education, an increase in the value placed on human life, and Christianity's pivotal role in the creation of America. Read more. | | Life runs on denial | | Robin Schumacher discusses how life today runs on denial. "Differences between men and women? Only two genders? A man can't get pregnant? An unborn baby having a heartbeat? It's bizarre that a woman would marry a ghost? Crime and violence out of control? Being overweight is unhealthy? The price of everything going up? Free speech being shut down? Deny everything," he writes, noting that by society choosing to deny reality, they are simply trying to avoid acknowledging problems. Although denying such problems might make people feel as if they are minimizing the potential consequences, the truth is that "reality has a way of biting back in severe and unalterable ways," he explains, adding, "[W]e as a people (including scientists who are just as human as you and me) are exceptional at forming beliefs and acting contrary to evidence." Read more. |
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| Young Christian SENTENCED TO DEATH | | Matthew, He was a 16-year-old Christian boy when he was falsely accused; now he was JUST sentenced to death for his faith. Shahzad Masih has been sentenced to execution by hanging in Pakistan for blasphemy over statements he didn't even make. Sign Our NEW Petition | | A radical Muslim sectarian group manufactured the charges against this Christian boy when he was a minor and then pressured the judge to have him executed. | | Now this young Christian man will hang for his Christian faith. | | We've mobilized our legal team on the ground in Pakistan to represent him and JUST filed to appeal his case. We must have this vile miscarriage of justice overturned. This is the ultimate abominable human rights violation, and we'll take this case all the way to Pakistan's Supreme Court. | | We've helped free Christians – like Christian mom Asia Bibi who was charged under the same barbaric law – from death row in Pakistan before, but we can't do it without YOU. | | No one should be put to death for their faith. Time is of the essence. Take urgent action with us. Sign Our NEW Petition | | |
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| King Charles III pays tribute to late queen's faith in first Christmas speech | | King Charles III used his first Christmas Day speech as sovereign to pay tribute to his mother, the late queen's Christian faith. In the first televised Christmas address by a king, King Charles discussed bereavement during Christmas and thanked the nation for their "touching" letters, cards and messages after the death of Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year. "In the much-loved carol 'O Little Town Of Bethlehem' we sing of how 'in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.' My mother's belief in the power of that light was an essential part of her faith in God, but also her faith in people and it is one which I share with my whole heart," said the king. Read more. |
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| Christian comedian talks humor, growing up in the Church | | African-born-American-raised actor, comedian and producer Shama Mrema has amassed an online following of more than 270,000 across social media, as well as more than 50 million views of his videos. In an interview with CP, the comedian shares how both his love of the Church and his experience with church hurt informs his comedy and allows him to use it as a tool for evangelism. Mrema uses such comedy to address culturally relevant topics. For example, his recent video, "Bibleman: The Unofficial Movie Trailer," examines what Bibleman, the Scripture-quoting '90s costume hero who wielded a yellow laser, would look like if it was created in 2022. Although he wants his comedy to help others process their experiences in the Church—including painful ones—he says he doesn't want his content to be used for people to say that's why they left the Church. Mrema also believes that some of the criticism Evangelical culture has faced is fair but says the Church has also done a "great job" of fostering creatives, explaining, "I'm a byproduct of that. Every creative person that I've talked to in music, the arts, filmmakers—most of them got their starts in the Church." Read more. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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