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The other day, six Anglican archbishops called for the church to bless the unions of same-sex couples. The Anglican Church of Canada is about to have a big vote on the issue, and depending which way they swing it will either deepen the schism within the worldwide Anglican Communion or further isolate the Episcopal Church of the United States. But never mind all that. What struck me was the rationale the archbishops came up with. This gay thing, they sighed. We've been yakking about it for years. Let's just get on with it, and then we can get back to...

SPIRITUAL WARFARE: THE OCCULT HAS DEMONIC INFLUENCE Bishop Donald W. Montrose By the "occult," we are speaking of some supra-human or supernatural influence that is not from God. We commonly associate the occult with that which has demonic influence. In the United States today the occult has become much more popular than it was twenty years ago. Today, there is popular Satanic music, Satanic street gangs, an increase in Satanic worship, a more widespread use of the horoscope and study of the signs of the zodiac, and Satanic games that can be purchased. In spite of this, many people do...

Conscience VotersThe Case Against Rudy - Part 1 We've spent the past few days hearing people denounce Ann Coulter for her use of a slur against homosexuals during her speech at the CPAC conference. Presidential candidates have condemned her remarks. Those who dislike her already have been quick to say, "I told you so." Some who liked her previously are now trying to distance themselves from her. Some of the reaction is just politically correct posturing, but some of the anger represents genuine offense at the public use of a crude epithet. I won't pretend to sort the posturing from...

As I have traveled around the country, one line in my speeches always draws cheers: "The monologue of the Religious Right is over, and a new dialogue has now begun." We have now entered the post-Religious Right era. Though religion has had a negative image in the last few decades, the years ahead may be shaped by a dynamic and more progressive faith that will make needed social change more possible. In the churches, a combination of deeper compassion and better theology has moved many pastors and congregations away from the partisan politics of the Religious Right. In politics,...

10,000 Clergy Sign Letter Backing Evolution Rebekah Sharpe In preparation for the upcoming "Evolution Sunday" on February 11, 2007, the online Clergy Letter Project, led by Michael Zimmerman, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Butler University, has been gathering clergy signatures to support an open letter. The core of the letter states: "We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject it as 'one theory among others' is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance...

'Hi my name is Lindy and I deny the existence of the Holy Spirit and you should too.' With that five-second submission to YouTube, a 24-year-old who uses the name "menotsimple" has either condemned herself to an eternity of punishment in the afterlife or struck a courageous blow against superstition. She's one of more than 400 mostly young people who have joined a campaign by the Web site BlasphemyChallenge.com to stake their souls against the existence of God. That, of course, is the ultimate no-win wager, as the 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal calculated—it can't be settled until you're dead,...

Southern Baptist leader says politics motivates appeal to faithful who feel left out by conservatives.Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton announced in Atlanta on Tuesday the creation of a Baptist organization they said would counter what they say is a negative image of their faith. The New Baptist Convention was announced at the Carter Center by representatives of about 40 moderate Baptist groups that have distanced themselves from the conservative Southern Baptist Convention. Carter and Clinton —- both Baptists —- said the New Baptist Convention will look for solutions to problems such as poverty and racism. Carter and Clinton...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The powers of evil and death will never triumph over Christ and the church he built on the rock of Peter and continues to fortify with his successors, Pope Benedict XVI told new archbishops from 18 countries. Though the church and Christ are continually walking toward their cross, suffering and being tossed to and fro like a small boat on a sea whipped up "by the winds of ideologies, ... in the suffering church, Christ is victorious," the pope said during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June...

The same weekend the Chronicles of Narnia premiers, so does Brokeback Mountain. Of course, what movie is the local Episcopal Church in Caspar, Wyoming, going to see and having a forum afterwards? Until I read this, I would have assumed it would be the movie based on a book by the Anglican paragon C.S. Lewis, that is about, well, JESUS! Ah, but we are Episcopalians, and we are far more concerned about homosexuality. But, seriously, shouldn’t the church have been promoting Chronicles rather than Brokeback? Jesus rather than gay cowboys who later marry women and then cheat on them with...

TBN Suspends IIB While on my recent thrilling tour to Israel, I received a distinct warning from the Lord. This warning came at just the time the Lord was making me fully aware of the exponential increase in outreach my International Intelligence Briefing program on TBN has experienced in just this year. Emails from all over the world continuously inform me of the people who regularly watch the IIB program. They share how many of their friends came to faith in Christ as a result of watching it. Several shared how they gather a group each week in their homes...

Quoting further from Bishop J.C. Ryle's sermons on "Holiness", here is a section on the fight that is true Christianity:True Christianity! Let us mind that word "true." There is a vast quantity of religion current in the world which is not true, genuine Christianity. It passes muster, it satisfies sleepy consciences; but it is not good money. It is not the authentic reality that called itself Christianity in the beginning. There are thousands of men and women who go to churches and chapels every Sunday and call themselves Christians. They make a "profession" of faith in Christ. Their names are...

Satan is still at work in the world unleashing "evil energy", but God will be the final arbiter of history, Pope Benedict XVI said at yesterday's General Audience at the Vatican. Reuters reports that he also said that nations and leaders must look for God's hand in history in the past and learn from it. "History, in fact, is not in the hands of dark forces, left to chance or just human choices," he told thousands of people in St. Peter's Square. "Above the unleashing of evil energy, above the vehement interruptions of Satan, above the so many scourges of...

The prayer of Authority is a powerful commanding prayer that few people are aware of. By Christ,s authority and power we can put Satan and his subjects under Christ,s feet. Prayer of Authority In the name of jesus Christ,By the Power of his Blood... In the Authority of His Word given to me as a Christian...I bind and reject you Satan and I command you to leave and I seal this room and place,and all the members of my family,friends,relatives and possessions,in the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ I bind and reject all familiar spirits,all companion spirits,all cardinal spirits,all...

IS THERE A MYSTERIOUS DARK FORCE THAT HOVERS OVER THAT SPOT CALLED PINELLAS?There is a mysterious feeling around the Schiavo case, and we wish we knew what it was. The feeling is this: Pinellas County or parts of it seem to be under the oppression of a dark spirit. From Scripture we know that powers and principalities are the real force with which we contend, and that they hover over vicinities (see Daniel and the "prince of Persia").Is there one hovering over towns in that county, towns with names like Pinellas Park and Clearwater?These are places, of course, that figure...

As many of you may well know, Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube has been removed today, ordered by an arrogant judge in defiance of a Congressional subpoena and she now begins her long and painful torturous death by starvation. As if that wasn’t enough to handle alone, now we learn of the of the 9 year young Florida girl, Jessica Lunsford. Her confessed murderer, John Evander Couey, finally admitted to investigators that he indeed was responsible for her abduction and her death. While my prayers go out to the Lunsford family – especially Jessica’s father who has been so out...

John Debney is used to writing movie scores for comedies like "Liar, Liar" and "Bruce Almighty," but he admits that composing the score for Mel Gibson's powerful movie "The Passion of the Christ" was the most difficult assignment of his life. For it turned out to be a battle between good and evil that he had never experienced before in some 20 years in Hollywood. "I don't think I will ever be given the opportunity to write again for a movie as powerful as this one," he said during a recent media interview in Beverly Hills. "I was stretched every...

Feb 5, 9:10 AM (ET) By STEVE LeBLANC (AP) Mary Bonauto, the attorney for the plaintiffs in the Massachusetts gay marriage lawsuit, speaks...Full Image   BOSTON (AP) - Legislators opposed to gay marriage are planning ways to circumvent the ruling by the state's highest court that paves the way for same-sex marriages as early as May. "The court has overstepped its boundary and has not let the legislative process to unfold the way it has on other issues," said Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty. The 4-3 advisory ruling Wednesday by the Supreme Judicial Court creates a legislative dilemma that could force many...

Intercession is the way the church conducts spiritual warfare. As this nation moves into an important election year, what victories are won will be dependent, more than ever, on the spiritual battles intercessors engage in. This series constitutes a summary of key points on the topic of spiritual warfare from the book BORN FOR BATTLE, by R. Arthur Mathews, a missionary who was with China Inland Mission (now Overseas Missionary Fellowship) "There wrestled a man with him." -- Genesis 32:24 Our wrestling with the enemy can never be victorious unless this Man has first wrestled with us, has dealt with...

Intercession is the way the church conducts spiritual warfare. As this nation moves into an important election year, what victories are won will be dependent, more than ever, on the spiritual battles intercessors engage in. This series constitutes a summary of key points on the topic of spiritual warfare from the book BORN FOR BATTLE, by R. Arthur Mathews, a missionary who was with China Inland Mission (now Overseas Missionary Fellowship) If we accept the fact that our role in life is that of a soldiers, then we must drop our toys and become more acquainted with the weapons of...

I am an exorcist in a large French city, and I carry out my ministry under the protection of our Blessed Virgin Mother. In this capacity, I welcome many unfortunate individuals who are tormented and persecuted by Satan. I also hear many healing confessions, and the Lord grants me the joy of being witness to many liberations and cures, which I can only attribute to the merciful intervention of the Mother of God, through the exorcizing prayer of the Church, whose servant and instrument I am. I would like to share one of my many experiences, because it left me...