Showing posts with label Steve Warren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Warren. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2019

Michael W. Smith and Kevin Jonas Join for New Music Collab at Liberty Univ - CBN News Steve Warren

Kevin Jonas, left, will team with Grammy Award-winning Michael W. Smith for newly created Michael W. Smith Center for Commercial Music at the Liberty School of Music this August. (Images credit: AP)
Kevin Jonas, left, will team with Grammy Award-winning Michael W. Smith for newly created
Michael W. Smith Center for Commercial Music at the Liberty School of Music this August. 
(Images credit: AP)
Michael W. Smith and Kevin Jonas Join for New Music Collab at Liberty University
07-18-2019
CBN News Steve Warren
Liberty University has announced that Grammy Award-winning artist Michael W. Smith will team with Kevin Jonas, the father, and original manager of the rock group The Jonas Brothers, for the newly created Michael W. Smith Center for Commercial Music, which will be a part of the Liberty School of Music later this summer. 
Smith will serve as the Lynchburg, VA center's director. Jonas will work with Liberty students to record and publish their records as well as promoting their talent to the world.  
Jonas, a music prodigy-turned-Assemblies of God pastor, met his wife, Denise, on their first day at the Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas. He went from directing worship for Christ for the Nations and Assemblies of God churches to directing their sons' music careers, according to Good Housekeeping. 
In addition to the new center, a new recording label with a brand new $2 million recording studio will also operate from the school with the goal of attracting new and already successful recording artists from across the country.
Artists will also come to Liberty to help train students to be the next generation of music professionals, according to the university. 
The center is scheduled to open Aug. 1. 
The university hopes the new center and the "Liberty Music Group" label will not only give students the real-world experience of professionally recording an album but will also attract mainstream and Christian artists to sign with the new music label. 
Former Christian recording artist and music industry executive Al Denson has been a key player in securing Smith, Jonas, and others in this unique partnership. As Liberty's commercial music industry liaison, Denson will bring in artists who have the passion to work with budding musicians who were once in their place.
"These artists remember how hard it was starting out, working years and years to have the opportunity to record on a major label," Denson said in a press release. "So when they have a chance to give back to those who are really wanting to seek what they did and walk down the same path, they are more than willing and excited to invest in them. It's magnetizing to get around students who are hungry when you know how it feels yourself. The artists just need a place that has integrity and supportive staff who care, and that's why the match with Liberty makes it so good."
"The passion we have is not just to train a bunch of people to go into the music industry — or just go into the Christian music industry, for that matter — but to be equipped as musicians that go into the music industry fully equipped to do what they believe God's called them to do, whether it's the mainstream market or the faith-based market," Vernon M. Whaley, dean of the School of Music told Religion World News. 
Several existing programs will also be located in the new center, including a Bachelor of Music in commercial music with emphases in artist development; songwriting; recording, engineering and producing; publishing and producing; or film score production.
Liberty is among the top 10 largest schools of music in the country. With the expansion into commercial music, Whaley said the school is expecting 27 percent growth in enrollment next year and up to 47 percent in the next two years.
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Tuesday, June 18, 2019

'Victory for Religious Liberty': Supreme Court Rejects Ruling that Punished Christian Bakers in Oregon - CBN News Steve Warren

Christian bakers Melissa and Aaron Klein were forced to closed shop after a same-sex lawsuit.
'Victory for Religious Liberty': Supreme Court Rejects Ruling that Punished Christian Bakers in Oregon
06-17-2019
CBN News Steve Warren
A Supreme Court decision is being called a win for religious freedom.
CBN News has reported for years about the Kleins, two Oregon bakers who were fined for refusing to make a cake for a gay commitment ceremony.
The case involves bakers Melissa and Aaron Klein who were punished with a $135,000 fine for declining to create a same-sex wedding cake in 2013. 
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The legal fight over the case went up to the high court on Monday where the justices threw out a previous state court ruling against the Kleins, sending the case back down to that court in Oregon. 
The justices say the state court needs to reconsider the case in light of last year's Supreme Court ruling in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. The court had ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed anti-religious bias against Christian baker Jack Phillips.
The Oregon appellate court ruling came before the high court's decision in the Phillips' case. 
Kelley Shackelford, president, CEO, and chief counsel of First Liberty Institute, the non-profit law group which represented the Kleins, called Monday's Supreme Court decision "a victory for the religious liberty of all Americans."
"This is a victory for Aaron and Melissa Klein and for religious liberty for all Americans," Shackelford said. "The Constitution protects speech, popular or not, from condemnation by the government. The message from the Court is clear, government hostility toward religious Americans will not be tolerated."
Another dispute involving a florist from Washington state who would not create flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding is also headed to the Supreme Court.
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Monday, May 27, 2019

Franklin Graham Asks Christians Nationwide to Pray for President Trump June 2 - CBN News Steve Warren

Franklin Graham Asks Christians Nationwide to Pray for President Trump June 2
05-26-2019
CBN News Steve Warren
Evangelist Franklin Graham sent an email and posted a Facebook message to his social media followers over the weekend, asking them to pray for President Donald Trump on June 2.
In his Facebook post, Graham wrote:  "Along with 250+ Christian leaders, I am asking followers of Christ across our nation to set aside next Sunday, June 2, as a special day of prayer for the President, Donald J. Trump. President Trump's enemies continue to try everything to destroy him, his family, and the presidency. In the history of our country, no president has been attacked as he has. I believe the only hope for him, and this nation, is God.
This is a critical time for America. We're on the edge of a precipice," Graham continued. "Time is short. We need to pray for God to intervene. We need to ask God to protect, strengthen, encourage, and guide the President. We know that God hears and answers prayer. He can soften hearts and change minds. He is all-powerful, and He rules over the affairs of nations. The Bible instructs us to pray for those in authority, 'that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior' (1 Timothy 2:2–3)."
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Graham, the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, is asking all Christians across the nation to set aside Sunday, June 2 as a special day of prayer.
"On June 2, we ask that pastors would lead their congregations in praying for the President, that Sunday schools and other groups would join together and pray, and that individuals and families across the country would have a special focus on praying for the President that day," he wrote. 
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Graham also asked his followers to indicate their commitment to pray.
"Would you let me know in the comments below if you commit to pray with us? And will you share this on your social media platforms so that we can have as many people as possible praying?" the evangelist wrote. 
Graham ended his Facebook post and email with a quote from the Apostle Paul: 
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12).
250 Christian leaders have signed the statement of faith for June 2, which reads:  
"We the undersigned are calling for June 2 to be a special Day of Prayer for the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, that God would protect, strengthen, embolden, and direct him.
"We believe our nation is at a crossroads, at a dangerous precipice. The only one who can fix our country's problems is God Himself, and we pray that God will bless our president and our nation for His glory." 

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Friday, May 24, 2019

Bible Study Battle Goes Federal After Christian Couple Threatened with Eviction - CBN News Steve Warren

(Image credit: CBN News)
(Image credit: CBN News)
Bible Study Battle Goes Federal After Christian Couple Threatened with Eviction
05-22-2019
CBN News Steve Warren
A Virginia senior living community is facing a federal lawsuit after threatening to evict residents for leading a Bible study in their own apartment. 
Attorneys with the First Liberty Institute and Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP filed the lawsuit against The Evergreens at Smith Run in Fredericksburg, VA, and its parent company, Community Realty Company (CRC), alleging religious discrimination in housing by the apartment's management.
As CBN News reported, Ken and Liv Hauge were threatened with eviction by the company last year for hosting a small Bible study.  A retired pastor, Ken led the Bible study in his personal capacity at the request of other senior residents.  
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The study grew so much that at one point they asked to use a community room. Their request was granted. But later they were told they couldn't hold the Bible study there. 
The Hauges have lived at the senior community since 2017. They are both in their mid-80s. 
The lawsuit claims that CRC and the Evergreens management discriminated against the Hauges and others on the basis of religion, by first banning all residents from publicly saying grace before their meals. They also prohibited the Hauges from hosting the Bible study anywhere at The Evergreens, including their own apartment under the threat of eviction. 
"The management company's hostility to religious residents violates federal law and taints Virginia's long history of religious freedom," said Lea Patterson, associate counsel for First Liberty, in a press release. "We're asking the court to hold the management company accountable for violating the Hauges' right to exercise their faith in their home and to ensure no other residents have to suffer through what the Hauges have endured."
In October of 2017, First Liberty asked the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate CRC for religious discrimination. The investigation is continuing. 
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Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Will Supreme Court Agree that Christian Student Should Be Forced to Cite Islamic Conversion Prayer in School? - CBN News Steve Warren

Will Supreme Court Agree that Christian Student Should Be Forced to Cite 
Islamic Conversion Prayer in School?
05-20-2019
CBN News Steve Warren
Four years ago, a Christian high school junior was compelled by her teacher at La Plata High School in La Plata, Md., to recall the Islamic conversion creed – the Shahada – as part of a written assignment. She was required to write the Islamic creed, "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."
The World History course also taught that "Most Muslims' faith is stronger than the average Christian's."
Caleigh Wood refused to complete the assignment, believing that is it is a sin to profess by word or in writing, that there is any other god except the Christian God. 
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School officials refused to let her opt out of the course, and as a result she received a lower percentage grade for the course, but that did not affect her letter grade.
The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) on behalf of the Wood family filed a lawsuit, claiming the school had violated the First Amendment Establishment Clause and the girl's right not to be forced to profess faith in another religion. Both the Federal District Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the high school's Islamic curriculum. 
Now, the TMLC has appealed the case to the Supreme Court asking the high court to decide whether any legal basis exists to allow public schools to discriminate against Christianity while at the same time promoting Islam. 
READ: Teachers Speaking Islamic Blessings? Washington School Districts Accused of Pro-Ramadan Policies
"Under the guise of teaching history or social studies, public schools across America are promoting the religion of Islam in ways that would never be tolerated for Christianity or any other religion," TMLC President and Chief Counsel Richard Thompson said in a statement. "I'm not aware of any school which has forced a Muslim student to write the Lord's Prayer or John 3:16: 'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'"
Using a Powerpoint presentation in the class, the students at the school were also taught:
  • Islam is a peaceful religion
  • Jihad is a "personal struggle in devotion to Islam, especially involving spiritual discipline."
  • "To Muslims, Allah is the same God that is worshiped in Christianity and Judaism."
  • "Men are the managers of the affairs of women" and "Righteous women are therefore obedient."
"Many public schools have become a hotbed of Islamic propaganda," Thompson continued. "Teaching Islam in schools has gone far beyond a basic history lesson. Prompted by zealous Islamic activism and emboldened by confusing court decisions, schools are now bending over backward to promote Islam while at the same time denigrate Christianity." 
"We are asking the Supreme Court to provide the necessary legal guidance to resolve the insidious discrimination against Christians in our public schools," he concluded. 
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Tuesday, April 16, 2019

'So Let It Be Done': As ABC Re-Airs 'Ten Commandments' for 45th Time, Here's What You Didn't Know About 1 Epic Special Effect - CBN News Steve Warren

Screenshot of Charlton Heston as Moses from the trailer for Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic "The Ten Commandments." (Image credit: Paramount/Wikipedia)
Screenshot of Charlton Heston as Moses from the trailer for Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic "The Ten Commandments." (Image credit: Paramount/Wikipedia)
'So Let It Be Done': As ABC Re-Airs 'Ten Commandments' for 45th Time, Here's What You Didn't Know About 1 Epic Special Effect
04-15-2019
CBN News Steve Warren
Cecil B. DeMille's biblical epic about an original game of thrones played out between two Egyptian princes will be seen again on broadcast television this weekend.
The Academy Award-winning The Ten Commandments will air on the ABC television network at 7:00 pm Eastern/6:00 pm Central, Saturday, April 20. 
Spoiler alert:  One prince wins the throne, while the other ends up as a messenger for the Most High. 
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Except for one gap in 1999, the 1956 classic film, starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Rameses, has been broadcast by ABC around Easter and Passover since 1973.   
The Ten Commandments remains one of the most popular films ever made. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. 
It was also a box office hit. The film is the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation, according to Wikipedia.  As of 2011, the movie was estimated to have brought in more than $2 billion. 
The cast reads like a who's who of old Hollywood. Along with Heston and Brynner, the film also stars Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, John Derek, Vincent Price, and John Carradine.
The working title of the film was originally "Prince of Egypt." It was directed and produced by DeMille, who intended it as a remake of his earlier 1923 Paramount film The Ten Commandments. 
According to the Turner Classic Movies website, in the original theatrical version of the film before the opening title credits, DeMille is seen stepping from behind a curtain and onto a stage. He then directly addressed the viewing audience, telling them that the Bible omits approximately 30 years in its description of the life of Moses and that the filmmakers drew upon historical works such as those by Philo and Josephus and the Hebrew Midrash for the picture. 
The director also explained that the subject of Moses' life is particularly timely, as it deals with themes such as whether man is to be ruled by God's law or the whims of a dictator like Rameses. The director said the filmmakers' intent was "not to create a story but to be worthy of the story divinely created 3,000 years ago, the five books of Moses." 
The film also has the significance of having the most expensive special effect ever made for a film -- the parting of the Red Sea.
In April 1955 the New York Times reported the special effects team "built a 200,000 cubic-foot swimming pool and installed hydraulic equipment that could deluge the area with 360,000 gallons of water in two minutes flat."  
A May 20, 1955, Hollywood Reporter news item asserted that the Red Sea sequence would cost $500,000, both for filming and creating the special effects. The Times review, however, claimed that the scene "cost more than a million dollars and took 18 months to shoot."
Last year, Jeff Pfeiffer wrote an article posted to the TV Insider website about The Ten Commandments re-airing on ABC and asked the questions: Why is the film still so popular today when any film, including The Ten Commandments, is readily available via streaming or DVD?  And why do people still display a sometimes passionate desire to see ABC air this film every year at around the same time?
"This seems to be a case where it's not only the film itself but the tradition of watching it on television, most likely with family, that combines to make it a special event for many viewers, perhaps made stronger set against the backdrop of various spring holidays," he wrote. 
"Television times may have changed, but ABC's annual Easter airing of The Ten Commandments can still give (particularly older) viewers some sense of that comfort and familiarity," Pfeiffer continued. 
So this Saturday night, plan on spending some time with your family watching the movie... and pass the popcorn. 

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Thursday, April 4, 2019

Museum of the Bible Announces Major Exhibition on Science and the Bible to Premiere in 2020 - CBN News Steve Warren

Entrance to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. (Image credit: CBN News)
Entrance to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. (Image credit: CBN News)
Museum of the Bible Announces Major Exhibition on Science and the Bible to Premiere in 2020
04-03-2019
CBN News Steve Warren
The Museum of the Bible has announced plans for a major, year-long temporary exhibition that will allow visitors to explore the relationship between science and the Bible.
Located in Washington, D.C., the museum announced Wednesday the project will be funded by grants from the John Templeton Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust. The exhibition is scheduled to open during the summer of  2020. 
The multimedia and thematic experience will examine how people have turned to science and the Bible to answer the fundamental questions of existence using artifacts from both the museum's collection and on loan from institutions around the world.
The museum is working with an international advisory panel of over a dozen scientists and scholars to develop the content and associated educational programs. By exploring historical interactions between science and the Bible, this exhibition will shed light on contemporary debates and foster a greater understanding of the shared curiosity about our world that stimulates both scientific inquiry and biblical interpretation. 
Past discoveries such as Copernicus' heliocentric model, Newton's laws of motion, and Darwin's theory of natural selection, along with current topics like the origin of the cosmos and the debate surrounding the ideas of life and health, will be featured.
Through artifacts, interactives and design features, past explanations and the ever-evolving relationship between science and the Bible will be explored with these six questions: 
  • How did it all begin? 
  • What keeps the universe running?
  • Are we different from animals? 
  • What are we made of? 
  • Where are we going? 
  • Are we alone? 
"Museum of the Bible is honored to be in partnership with the prestigious Templeton Foundation on this ambitious project," Museum of the Bible President and CEO Ken McKenzie said in a press release. "In keeping with the museum's intent to cater to all learning styles, this exhibition will not only be informative but engaging. Through this exhibit and accompanying initiatives, we hope guests will leave with a deeper appreciation for humanity's shared curiosity in the big questions that ultimately inspire both scientific inquiry and biblical exploration."
In addition to the exhibition, the museum will host speaker programs and academic conferences, create educational materials for classroom use, organize a travel exhibition, and produce an online exhibition.
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Monday, April 1, 2019

PureFlix's Pro-Life 'Unplanned' Movie Takes 5th Place in Weekend Box Office - CBN News Steve Warren

"Unplanned" movie trailer (screen capture: YouTube)
PureFlix's Pro-Life 'Unplanned' Movie Takes 5th Place in Weekend Box Office
CBN News Steve Warren 3.31.19
Unplanned, the new movie that tells the true story of former abortion clinic director Abby Johnson, took 5th place at the box office on the movie's opening weekend.
The film by writer-directors Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon, which is distributed by PureFlix, was estimated to have earned $6,110,000 through Mar. 31 after three days of release, according to the website Box Office Mojo.
The film opened in 1,059 theaters across the country on Friday. 
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It was the second-best opening weekend for a PureFlix film behind God's Not Dead 2 ($7.6 million), according to The Hollywood Reporter. 
The movie stars Ashley Bratcher (90 Minutes in Heaven, War Room), Brooks Ryan (Overexposed) and veteran film and TV actress Robia Scott.
As CBN News reported, the film depicts Johnson's emotional decision to quit her job after watching an abortion via ultrasound.
"It's a little surreal, if I'm honest, to watch someone play out the worst version of yourself in a film," Johnson told CBN News during an interview on the set of the film.
"But it's also just a good reminder that God can literally use anything from our past and use it for his glory and use it for his kingdom," she added.
Solomon and Konzelman, who also wrote "God's Not Dead" and "God's Not Dead 2," believe with the passing of radical abortion laws in New York and other states, "Unplanned" is the right film "for such a time as this."  
"This is sort of our last wakeup call I think politically because these laws are being enacted now," said Konzelman. "We as Americans, as people of faith. One of two things is going to happen. We're either going to rise up and say this is wrong or we're going to become accustomed to it and it's going to become the new norm."   
For more information about the movie or to purchase tickets, click here.
Watch Unplanned's trailer below.
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