Atheist Writer Asserts That True Christianity Is the Key to Saving America

January 10, 2025 — Crosswalk.com reports: “A prominent atheist writer argues that the United States needs to embrace more Christian values to get back on track but that the church is failing in its role of representing Jesus. Jonathan Rauch, a self-identified atheist and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, says as much in a new book, Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy, in which he says the modern church is too secular, too fearful and lacking true faith.

Rauch summarized his arguments in a new interview with Matter of Opinion, a New York Times podcast. 

‘What really needs to happen to get our country on a better track is for Christianity not to become more secular or more liberal, but to become more like itself, to become more truly Christian,’ Rauch said.

The ‘three fundamentals of Christianity,’ Rauch asserted, align well with ‘Madisonian liberalism.’ He defined those three fundamentals as 1) imitating Jesus, 2) not being afraid, and 3) forgiving one another…” (Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. – Amos 8:11-12.  There is a famine of the Word of God in America, a famine that even an atheist can identify.  Paul wrote to Timothy: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry – II Timothy 4:1-5.)

Study: Nearly 400 Million Christians Persecuted Globally, Islamism and Communism Main Drivers

January 16, 2025 — Breitbart.com reports: “The Christian aid organization Open Doors published its annual World Watch List – a ranking of the most dangerous places in the world to practice the Christian faith – on Wednesday, which found that 380 million Christians around the world face severe persecution.

Christian persecution – which Open Doors defines as ‘any hostile action toward a person or community motivated by their identification with the person of Jesus Christ’ – is particularly prevalent in countries with widespread Islamist terrorism or run by communist regimes. Of the top ten countries on the World Watch List, Islamic radicalism is the driver of persecution in eight of them, while the other two, North Korea and Eritrea, are under the yoke of communist regimes.

Of the 380 million Christians facing persecution, in many cases including deadly attacks, 310 million of them are in the top ten nations on the list. Half of these countries are in Africa and three are in the Middle East. Afghanistan is in South Asia; North Korea is an outlier in the Far East region, though bordering the number 15 country on the list, its longtime patron China…”  (Great persecution will soon overtake most Christians in a majority of the world.  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. – Matthew 5:10 – 12; If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.  But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. – John 15:18 – 21; …When he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.  — Revelation 6:9; …I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. – Revelation 20:4; and Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. – Revelation 2:10. See the next report.)

Breitbart Exclusive – Persecution Expert: Christians in Aleppo Could Face ‘Beginning of the End’ Under Jihadi Rule

January 10, 2025 — Breitbart.com reports: “The ancient Christian community of Syria is facing an existential threat, particularly in Aleppo, where the rise of the Islamist terror gang Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) could be the ‘beginning of the end,’ the president of International Christian Concern (ICC), Jeff King, told Breitbart News on Wednesday.

King’s organization works globally to help Christians who face government persecution, violence from terrorists and anti-Christian mobs, and other dangers. It published its Global Persecution Index (GPI), a global assessment of the most dangerous places in the world to practice Christianity, shortly after the new year. The 2025 edition covers persecution in 2024 – posing a complicated situation for assessing Syria, as the half-century-old Assad family regime officially collapsed in December…”

Christian in Sudan Loses Wife, Home for Converting

January 20, 2025 — MorningStarNews.org reports: “The Muslim family of a young man in Sudan’s Darfur Region has disowned him and compelled his wife to divorce him because he converted to Christianity, an area source said.

The convert in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur state, put his faith in Christ in January of last year. A hardline Muslim identified only as Sheikh Amaar discovered his faith and on Aug. 23 told him to return to Islam or face serious consequences, the source said.

The Christian, whose name is withheld for security purposes, did not fear for his life and continued growing in his faith, the source said. The sheikh (Islamic teacher) later incited family members and other area Muslims to attack him.

A relative told him, ‘You are no longer a member of our family, because you have changed your religion,’ and on Oct. 9 the Christian left his home, the source told Morning Star News…”  (Jesus stated the reason for the persecution of Christians worldwide.  It is because the world hates Him.  Why? If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin… If I had not done among them the works that none other man did, they had not had sin… – John 15:22, 24.  Before Jesus came to the earth, mankind could look at each other and say “I’m not as bad as that person is, I’ve never murdered, I’ve never stolen,” much like the Pharisee did in Luke 18:10 – 14 – I thank thee that I am not as other men... Once Jesus came to the earth, those rationalizations were no longer valid.  As a result, the world strikes out against God, and against Christians.  Jesus also stated in Matthew 5:10 – 12: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.)