religion

In China, they’re closing churches, jailing pastors – and even rewriting scripture

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[From The Guardian] China’s Communist party is intensifying religious persecution as Christianity’s popularity grows. A new state translation of the Bible will establish a ‘correct understanding’ of the text

Wang Yi, pastor of the Early Rain church, who was arrested and detained three months ago, along with his wife.

In late October, the pastor of one of China’s best-known underground churches asked this of his congregation: had they successfully spread the gospel throughout their city? “If tomorrow morning the Early Rain Covenant Church suddenly disappeared from the city of Chengdu, if each of us vanished into thin air, would this city be any different? Would anyone miss us?” said Wang Yi, leaning over his pulpit and pausing to let the question weigh on his audience. “I don’t know.”

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What does the Bible say about cremation?

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Having a proper burial for your recently departed was held with great importance during Biblical times. Most of us are aware of the great lengths ancient Egyptians went through to preserve the dead for their eternal journey, but the ancient Hebrews also took great care in preparing their dead for burial, as evident in John 19:39. In most cases, Jewish families buried their dead in caves and tombs when possible.


39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus[a] by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds[b] in weight.

John 19:39 – English Standard Version

The practice of cremation is found throughout the Bible. The first-time cremation is referenced as a burial practice is 1Samuel 31: 11-13:


11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.Saul and his sons were cremated because burial was not possible. While ancient Hebrews and Egyptians traditionally buried their dead in tombs of some form, cremation was also an option when necessary. 

1 Samuel 31:11-13 – English Standard Version

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Apostasy: The Unforgivable Sin – (Mark 3:20-35)

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Now for this morning, we want you to turn to Mark chapter 3 in your Scripture. We’re a little behind, and I’ve got an awful lot to say. So, be patient, and we’re going to try to unpack a really critical portion of Scripture.

Mark chapter 3, and our text for this morning starts in verse 20 and goes down to the end of the chapter. We did part one last time, and we’ll comment on that in a little big, and then we’re going to do part two and kind of wrap it up this morning. The theme of this particular section is the unforgivable sin. The unforgivable sin.

Now, drop down to verse 28 for a moment, and let’s at least identify this as the core of our study this morning. Jesus is speaking here, and He says, “Truly I say to you” – by the way, that little formula “truly I say to you” never appears in the book of Acts, never appears in the epistles of the New Testament; it only appears in the lips of Jesus. It seems to have been a phrase that He used to identify something that had very significant meaning and was in fact a representation of divine truth that needed to be heard. “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”

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Paul Harvey’s warning to America: If I were the devil – 1965

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Many years ago, a courageous and devoted American broadcast a message to his listeners that served as a harbinger for where the nation was headed societally and culturally. In his broadcast he revealed what he would do if he were “the devil,” to destroy our culture and undermine our collective societal standards and social mores. That man was Paul Harvey Aurandt, affectionately known to the nation simply as Paul Harvey, and his message not only has proven to be prophetic, but serves as a warning to Americans today of where our society continues to trend.

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John MacArthur’s Church to Receive $800K COVID-19 Settlement

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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to authorize a $400,000 payment to settle a legal battle with Grace Community Church over lead pastor John MacArthur’s defiance of COVID-19 restrictions in the early months of the pandemic.

This agreement, county officials said, was reached in the context of the US Supreme Court’s decision in February that told California it couldn’t enforce a ban on indoor worship because of the coronavirus pandemic. LA County modified its health order and lifted the indoor worship ban after the ruling.

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