Christian Rapper Lecrae Takes White Evangelical Fans to Task After Criticism for Posting Samuel Dubose Video.

In a very candid video appeal on Wednesday, popular Christian rapper Lecrae challenged his "white brothers and sisters" to explain why they never protest when he talks about issues like abortion or the Islamic State terror group, but usually express concern when he speaks out about racial injustice.

"I have historically posted things about abortion, Planned Parenthood, and my thoughts on that. I've sat down with leading thinkers and pastors. I've done videos, posted those videos. Talked about ISIS and the terror that is ISIS and how it has affected us all, it affected our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world," said the rapper in the video posted to his Facebook page.

"In both of those instances I have received encouragement and people saying thank you for speaking about this. We appreciate this, specifically from my white brothers and sisters. But yet, when I've spoken out recently about what I see to be authoritative or racial injustice, there is this sentiment of what feels like hostility," he explained.

"I don't want to read into people's comments but it feels like hostility or defensiveness. And many times there's a response of 'why don't you talk about ISIS? Or why don't you talk about abortion?' And I've never seen on the times when I've spoken about persecution or abortion people respond with 'why don't you talk about racial injustice?' And so I'm interested in understanding what the sentiment here is?" he said while warning against antagonistic reactions.

Lecrae's challenge came after making two earlier posts highlighting the shocking body camera video showing the shooting death of 43-year-old Samuel Dubose by University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing during a traffic stop on July 19 and excerpts from the 2001 book, Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America by sociologists Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith.

Pointing to the excerpt from the book, Lecrae highlighted that "boats need rockin[g]."

Traversing history, we find some common markers. Because evangelicals view their primary task as evangelism and discipleship, they tend to avoid issues that hinder these activities. Thus they are generally not counter-cultural. With some significant exceptions, they avoid 'rocking the boat,' and live within the confines of the larger culture. At times they have been able to call for and realize social change, but most typically their influence has been limited to alterations at the margins.

So, despite having the subcultural tools to call for radical changes in race relations, they most consistently call for changes in persons that leave the dominant social structures, institutions, and culture intact. This avoidance of boat rocking unwittingly leads to granting power to larger economic and social forces. It also means that evangelicals' views to a considerable extent conform to the socioeconomic conditions of their time. Evangelicals usually fail to challenge the system not just out of concern for evangelism, but also because they support the American system and enjoy its fruits. They share the Protestant work ethic, support laissez-faire economics, and sometimes fail to evaluate whether the social system is consistent with their Christianity.

Challenged by the discussion, a number of the rapper's white fans provided insights he called helpful.

"The white race feels victimized by all this news (not new at all) about racism. It's rooted in our insecurity and ignorance of what race and culture actually is. Some people would rather talk about issues that don't involve themselves in any way as a possible culprit. They'd rather point the finger than be vulnerable," noted Nathan Miller in a response that was liked nearly 2,000 times.

"I think defensiveness is greater on race relations as opposed to abortion and ISIS because of the characters involved. So with ISIS you have evil, unequivocal evil. So there is no defensiveness and people want to talk about that. With abortion, you have innocence (not speaking theologically but of perception), so people want to wade into those waters to protect the innocent. With race relations you have complexity, as there is abuse from both sides," wrote Eric Dickey.

"There is an element of aggression and intimidation present in the urban black community. It's undeniable. There is aggression and intimidation and power abuse by police. But many white people can't see that side of the police, because we see our neighbor, or our uncle, or cousin, or dad. It's close. So, to delve into this discussion requires caution and gray lines, and people don't like that. I don't know. It's a heartbreaking issue. It's hard being this divided, and knowing you don't want to be," he added in his comment that was liked nearly 1,000 times.

"Lecrae, I am a 54-year-old Caucasian female who loves your music and the way you speak truth. I believe this is a conversation that needs to happen, and I believe that unless people can be honest without being ugly nothing will be accomplished," noted Tracy Enman Carrasquillo.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-rapper-lecrae-takes-white-evangelical-fans-to-task-after-criticism-for-posting-samuel-dubose-video-142113/#w0uRPMW2EefDVdYR.99

Over 100 Million Christians Are Being Persecuted for Their Faith in Jesus Christ, Says Christian Charity Report

A charity helping persecuted Christians throughout the world reports that over 100 million followers of Christ, along with other religious minorities, are being targeted for their faith.

AGI noted the report by Caritas Italiana published in the daily newspaper of the Vatican City, L' Osservatore Romano, reveals that Christians are facing widespread global persecution, discrimination, and violence at the hands of totalitarian regimes.

It identified several regions as being more dangerous than others for Christians, including North Korea, where it said between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians are being held in detention camps.

The violence and hostility endured by Christians throughout the Middle East and Africa, at the hands of the Islamic State and other terror groups, was also well documented. Over the past year especially, Christians in Iraq and Syria have been killed for refusing to abandon their faith and join IS' radical ideology.

"The declared aim of Caritas is to shed light on the causes of the persecution of Christians in the world, taking into account the economic, cultural and geopolitical variables of each of the countries involved, while giving voice to the silent testimony of the many Christians who continue to practice their faith despite risking their lives," the report stated.

Statistics on persecution of Christians vary, though watchdog group Open Doors also said in January at the release of its World Watch List that approximately 100 million Christians are persecuted worldwide. The type of persecution analyzed ranged from government-inflicted, to violence carried out by terror groups.

The WWL, which ranks countries where Christians face the most persecution, has placed North Korea at No. 1 for 13 consecutive years.

"It is number one on the WWL, the most brutal and dangerous place in the world to be a Christian, because the government requires and enforces with hostility a total dedication to the hero worship of their leader," Open Doors CEO David Curry told The Christian Post in January, speaking about North Korea.

Furthermore, Open Doors noted that Islamic extremism accounts for the main source of persecution in 40 of the top 50 countries ranked in the list.

Curry also predicted that Christian persecution will increase throughout 2015, especially with the continued offensive of IS.

The Open Doors CEO said it is up to world leaders to take more concrete actions to safeguard the religious and human rights of people.

"They need to support the human rights issues revolving around freedom of religious expression," Curry said.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has also identified North Korea as one of the very worst places for Christians, especially in regard to its prison camps, where people can be sent for offenses such as owning a Bible.

"There is no freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, and any North Korean who expresses an opinion or a belief which differs from the regime's propaganda faces severe punishment. It is estimated that over 200,000 people are detained in prison camps in North Korea, where they endure dire living conditions and brutal torture. Many of these are Christians," CSW says on its website.

By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian Post Reporter


Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/over-100-million-christians-are-being-persecuted-for-their-faith-in-jesus-christ-says-christian-charity-report-142144/#r5hsQ0VxfxBHpXYG.99

Chris Brown's Cry for Help: R&B Star Says He's Tired of the Devil Ruining His Life, He Heard 'God Speak for First Time' .

In what appears to be a public cry for help to God, popular R&B singer Chris Brown recently lamented his life as a burden that would make the "average man" commit suicide and says he's tired of the devil ruining his life.

In an Instagram post he shared with his fans last week, Brown said he thinks the average man would have committed suicide if he had to endure what he has to deal with on a daily basis and says he heard "God speak for the first time."

"When u tired of the [expletive] devil ruining your life and u hear God speak for the first time. No one knows what I deal with on a day to day. The average man wouldn't hesitate to blow his [expletive] brains out ...," wrote Brown in the post.

"Most won't understand the genius and beauty in change and learning and the people who have devilish intentions will win in the short term. My soul will always be pure of heart. What's on the surface always looks like one big party but inside there is a little boy looking for help and guidance," he continued.

"People say 'be a man.' Yeah, that's right but it doesn't take away any pain you really go through. I just wanna stay out the way and do music. Most importantly and great father. I don't have any more patience for anything that will cause me to self destruct!!" Brown added.

By Leonardo Blair , Christian Post Reporter.


Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/chris-browns-cry-for-help-rb-star-says-hes-tired-of-the-devil-ruining-his-life-he-heard-god-speak-for-first-time-141963/#UZLIri7ck2KdksXO.99

What Did Jesus Teach About Marriage----- by Jack Wellman

What did Jesus teach about marriage? Did He forbid divorce under any circumstances or did He allow for exceptions? Here are some Bible verses about marriage from Jesus to see what He taught about marriage.
Marriage – A God-Ordained Institution

Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

There are many Bible verses about marriage but we are examining only those which Jesus taught about on the subject of marriage. First of all, marriage is a God-ordained, God-created institution that He blessed and saw as good. By God saying that “the two shall become one flesh” we could see this as intended to be a permanent situation where the two become one and stay as one and they become as “one flesh” meaning that they cannot (or at least should not) be separated (Matt 19:5). When Jesus quoted this verse He was establishing the fact that it was God’s intention to have the two be joined together and to stay together for life; the only exceptions would be for ongoing, unrepentant adultery or if one of the spouses would die.

Marriage – Between One Man and One Woman

Another point Jesus makes in Matthew 19 is that “he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’” (Matt 19:4-5). That is, marriage is to be between one man and one woman, and He was specific that it was created to be between one male and one female. This also debunks the notion that God allows for more than one wife or more than one husband. The “two shall become one” and not more than two or three can become one. Nowhere in the Bible does it teach that a man can multiply wives or a woman can have more than one husband. Even though some of the ancient kings and Patriarchs did, this was not the way that God intended marriage to be and when it did happen that a man had more than one wife, it created huge problems. The fact is that God told kings that they should not multiply wives (Duet 17:16-17) and If this applied to the king, how much more so to everyone else!

Grounds for Divorce

Matthew 5:31-32 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Jesus was crystal clear in who was permitted to be divorced and that the only exception was that of “sexual immorality.” Jesus’ teaching doesn’t allow for any other exceptions, however if a spouse or the spouse and his or her children are experiencing physical abuse then they not only need to separate themselves from that situation for the sake of their own safety, but they should also report that person to the police and that person who abuses a spouse or children deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law. They must be reported too because those who are in such positions of authority yield the sword in God’s sovereignty and they act with God’s authority (Rom 13). The only reason that Moses allowed certificates for divorce (this doesn’t mean that it was favorable in his or God’s eyes) was because of what Jesus said, “Because of your hardness of heart [since] from the beginning it was not so” (Matt 19:8). Jesus clearly said that “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you [which has more authority] that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matt 5:31-32). Jesus says that Moses allowed for divorce (Matt 19:8) “but I say to you” that whoever “divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matt 5:31-32). Naturally this applies to the woman and it is also for whoever divorces her husband, except on the ground of sexual immorality…and whoever marries a divorced man commits adultery too.

Adultery of the Heart?

Matthew 5:27-31 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

Here Jesus sees lusting after a woman or a man is like adultery that is being committed already in the heart. This is because that is where adultery begins…in lusting and in the heart. Jesus said more specifically that if they looked at another “with lustful intent” or in other words, their intent is to lust or commit adultery in their heart or in their mind (essentially the same thing). The heart is often spoken of as being the seat of the intellect by the Jews so “in the heart” is the same thing as being “in the mind.” Either way, lusting in the heart or mind for someone who is not your spouse might as well be committing adultery, even though it is not the actual physical act. This is why pornography is so destructive to marriages. The person who looks at pornography is sinning in their heart by lusting after what they see and it is with intent (intentionally) that they are doing it. If they actually had the woman or man in the image actually be there, you can almost be certain that the act of adultery would be fulfilled in reality.

Other Exceptions?

Paul talks about marriage elsewhere but in 1 Corinthians 7 there are parts of this chapter where he writes about an unbelieving spouse leaving or departing from the home meaning that the other spouse is not bound (1 Cor 7:25) but since I am restricting this article to those things which Jesus taught about marriage and divorce then that is something that will not be covered here.

Conclusion

When God ordained and created the institution of marriage, this was meant to be permanent and there were no allowances for divorce. In fact, among the Patriarchs and the kings of Israel, divorce was not even considered an option. The only reason divorce entered the picture was, as Jesus said, the hardness of their hearts, not because God allowed for it. You have read Jesus’ teachings about divorce and remarriage. When He spoke of it He indicated that it was to be forever with the only exception of one spouse committing sexual immorality (Matt 5:31-32). The word “immorality” is from the Greek word “porneia” which covers many things like, “illicit sexual intercourse, adultery, homosexuality, intercourse with animals, with a close relative (Lev 18),” and “sex with a divorced man or woman” (Matt 5:31-32). All of these things involve lusting and lusting is the same thing as committing adultery in the mind (or heart) and Jesus equates this as being the same thing as adultery. Jesus gave a final warning to those who commit, not just adultery, but sexual immorality which covers (under the Greek “porneia”) things like illicit sexual intercourse, adultery, homosexuality, intercourse with animals, sex with a close relative, and, with a divorced man or woman (we could easily include viewing pornography). If this is not repented of, listen to what Jesus says; “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell” (Matt 5:29-30).

Article by Pastor Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Senior Writer at What Christians Want to Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design

When Your Glass Cracks---by Daniella Whyte

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13, NIV).

A woman gets a phone call from her doctor telling her to come in and review the results of a recent mammogram. She has an eerie feeling that something is wrong, but she anticipates the day she will know for sure. When she finally finds out that she has breast cancer, she begins to question who she really is.

A teenage boy is struggling both educationally and socially. He feels he has no friends and finds himself always being left out or left behind. One day, his parents stand in his bedroom door and announce that they are getting a divorce. This young man's already fragile world completely crumbles, and he is left wondering whether anybody really cares for him.

An employee who has worked at one job for twenty-seven years receives the letter that no employee wants to receive. The letter begins, "We want to thank you for your many years of service," and ends with, "we regret to inform you that we are downsizing significantly and will no longer need your service." With that one letter, all his financial stability, livelihood, and purpose for living is thrown out the window, and he wonders how he will be able to make it now.

No matter who we are, we all will experience situations, events, or circumstances that will cause our glass to break, our floor to crack, our foundation to crumble, and our world to seemingly come crashing down. It is at these times that we wonder what to do, who we are, and how we will make it through.

These are the moments in which strangely, God speaks to us, gives us direction, and shows us our need to depend on Him not less, but more. He fills us with hope and this hope allows us to see a glimmer of light in the midst of the debris of our lives. When our backs are against the wall, we have no place to bring our problems but to throw them up. God catches them and gives us peace.

Brokenness is necessary. Vance Havner said, "God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever."

Consider what Steve Goodier said, "Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't be just like they were before. Damaged pieces reassembled with a golden bonding of patience and love will help form a person into an exquisite masterpiece. It is as if people have to be broken before they can become whole and complete."

When our glass cracks or completely shatters, God is ready to give us a new glass if we only trust Him and allow Him to lead us wherever He wants to go. It is in being broken that we become whole. It is in being cracked, that we allow light and love to enter our lives. It is in facing difficulties and disappointments, that we realize how strong we can be and how much grace can flow through our lives.

God knows how to fix cracked glasses. He knows how to use cracked people. In some way, all of us are cracked. We hide behind good looks, fine cars, big houses, and money. But God sees beyond all that stuff. He sees our cracked places, our broken hearts, our bleeding souls and He knows how to heal and restore. And when He fixes us, He fixes us completely, permanently, and fully.

Lord, we're all cracked in some places, broken in others. We don't know how to use damaged pieces, but You do. We don't know how to put our lives back together when everything has fallen apart, but You do. Take our dark places and infuse light. Restore our broken hearts and make us new. Help us never to allow the hardships of life to make us bitter, but to make us better, and to draw us closer to You, to peace, to hope, and to joy. In Jesus' name. Amen.