The Coming Uproar over Trump’s Plan to Move Our Embassy to Jerusalem
There is no controversy like the controversy that surrounds the city of Jerusalem, the most divided city on the earth and the most coveted city on the earth.
The Bible predicted this more than 2,500 years ago, describing the day when Jerusalem would be “a cup that brings dizziness to all the surrounding nations” (Zech. 12:2, NET), even declaring that one day, the whole world would be in uproar over Jerusalem.
Stop and think about it for a moment.
Why does the whole world get so exercised over Jerusalem? Is there any other city on the planet that evokes such intense emotions and polar views?
And why does every nation put its embassies in the city that the host country identifies as its capital, except for the city of Jerusalem, identified as Israel’s capital in 1950? Why do virtually all embassies remain in Tel Aviv?
There is something of spiritual significance to this ancient city that simply cannot be denied.
The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, “passed by overwhelming bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate,” states that “Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel and the United States Embassy in Israel should be established in Jerusalem no later than May 31, 1999.”
Then why didn’t President Bush or President Obama move the embassy? As explained by Rabbi Shraga Simmons, “since the congressional act allows the President to implement a waiver at six-month intervals, that’s exactly what has happened every six months since 1995.”
Now that Donald Trump has insisted that he will, in fact, relocate our embassy – in accordance with the 1995 act – the controversy is hitting the fan. In the words of Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, imam of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, moving the embassy would be as good as a “declaration of war.”
—–
Ole Miss Football Coach under Fire for Tweeting Bible Verses
An atheist group is arguing that a University of Mississippi football coach should be banned from posting Bible verses and other faith-inspired content on social media.
Relevant Magazine reports that Coach Hugh Freeze often tweets out Bible verses and uplifting, faith-filled content.
Although such tweets may seem harmless, atheist organization Freedom From Religion Foundation issued a press statement saying that Freeze should not be allowed to post such content as an employee of the university. “Though we respect Freeze’s right to tweet as a private citizen,” the statement read, “he may not promote his personal religious beliefs while acting in his capacity as a university employee.”
However, the Liberty Institute has told Ole Miss to “ignore the letter” and that Freeze has every right to tweet about faith-based content.
“The First Amendment protects the right of Americans like Coach Freeze to engage in religious expression on their personal Twitter accounts,” said Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at Liberty Institute.
—–
Undercover Call Catches Abortion Clinic Offering to Euthanize 30-Week-Old Baby
An undercover investigation into the practices of a New Mexico abortion clinic has revealed that the clinic has no qualms about aborting babies, even those who have reached 30-weeks’ gestation.
LifeNews.com reports that the Southwestern Women’s Options clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico is one of the last abortion clinics in the U.S. that will abort babies through all nine months of pregnancy.
Recently, the pro-life groups Priests for Life and Abortion Free New Mexico conducted an investigation into the clinic’s abortion practices to see how they handle a late-term abortion situation.
One of the investigators called the clinic, posing as a 26-year-old woman who was seeking an abortion. She told the clinic she was 30 weeks pregnant.
“We will euthanize the fetus on the first day,” the staffer told her. On the following day, the staffer continued, “we dilate the cervix and then we induce labor. So you will be going through the act of labor and delivery of a stillborn fetus.”
The undercover call also revealed that tax dollars pay for abortions since the staffer also said she would check for the woman to see if Medicaid would pay for the procedure.
—–
NEWS IN BRIEF
- A Taiwanese pastor was detained in China for the crime of singing “Jesus Loves You.” Christians in China have continued to face increased persecution for various displays of Christian faith. According to The Christian Post, the current incident occurred in Zhengzhou, Henan. Officials in this province have reportedly included singing “Jesus Loves You” in their list of “illegal religious activities.”
- Kentucky is on its way to becoming the first state with no abortion clinics. There is only one abortion clinic left in the state and officials say that the clinic has not complied with basic safety standards. Kentucky’s conservative Christian Governor Matt Bevin is working to end access to abortion in the state. Bevin says that he is “unapologetically pro-life.”
—–
Cashless Society Getting Closer, Survey Finds
More than a third of Europeans and Americans would be happy to go without cash and rely on electronic forms of payment if they could, and at least 20 percent already pretty much do so, according to a recent study.
The study, conducted in 13 European countries, the United States and Australia, also found that in many places where cash is most used, people are among the keenest to ditch it. Overall, 34 percent of respondents in Europe and 38 percent in the United States said they would be willing to go cash-free, according to the survey conducted by Ipsos for the ING bank website eZonomics.
Twenty-one percent and 34 percent in Europe and the United States, respectively, said they already rarely use cash.
The survey also showed that, in general, countries where cash is much in use were most likely to want to go cashless.
Only 19 percent of Italians said they rarely used cash but 41 percent said they would be willing to go cashless. There was a similar trend in Turkey, Romania, the Czech Republic, Spain and even Germany.
—–
Atheist Group Files Complaint against School after Pastor Prays with Injured Student
An atheist group filed a complaint against a Tennessee school district after a pastor prayed with a high school football player who was seriously injured.
OneNewsNow.com reports that when a high school football player at the Tennessee school was severely injured, youth pastor Eric Dill of Bayside Baptist Church was asked by another student to pray for the injured player, who reportedly received a hard blow to his neck and was unable to move his legs.
Dill recalls the tense moment: “A neck injury is the scariest part of football. It was almost dead silence … about the only thing I could hear on the field was sniffling, and just players getting emotional.”
Upon hearing that Dill prayed with the student and that some teachers and coaches had bowed their heads in prayer as well, the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint against the school district, alleging that “coaches cannot participate in prayer in school, and even that student-led prayer at football games is unconstitutional,” according to the FFRF’s complaint.
The school district has apparently investigated the complaint and, according to Natalie Potts of WRCB-TV, “School officials say they understand that they are not to endorse any particular religious practice – including student-led prayer – and they do not believe that any boundaries were violated in this situation.”