Gang Leader Trades Guns for Gospel - THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE

David Washington pastors Kingdom Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois. (YouTube)

Gang Leader Trades Guns for Gospel

 3/10/2017 THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE

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A former gang leader whose life was completely turned around after becoming a Christian has opened up about his faith in an article for The Gospel Coalition.

David Washington is now the pastor of Kingdom Covenant Church in Chicago.

He spoke out about his violent past and says it was his coming to Christ that "saved his life."

Realization

Washington joined the "Gangster Disciples" around the age of 12. He became a drug dealer in his teens and went on to become gang leader.

It was not long before he was arrested and facing a possible 15-year prison sentence for armed robbery and unlawful use of a weapon.

His gang threw him a going-away party the day before he was due to plead guilty in court. It was here that he was struck by the realization of what he had done.

"I had this experience of looking at myself in the mirror and saying, 'You threw your whole life away for nothing,'" Washington said.

Convinced and Converted

Washington says that although he was an agnostic at the time, he decided to ask God for help. The next day, the judge dropped one of the charges and sentenced Washington to one year of house arrest.

"I was convinced God was real after that", he said. "And once convinced, there was no turning back. I gave God everything I had."

He says he "never went back to doing drugs" after this and began sharing the gospel with members of his former gang.

"I began to go to the same people I used to lead and tell them, 'I gave my life to Christ. This is real. I'm pleading with you to come out of this.'"

'Love of Jesus'

Washington became involved in youth ministry and prison ministry at Salem Baptist Church. He also studied at a local Bible college before getting a master of divinity in theology.

He has now started a church on the south side of Chicago that works alongside members of the community who are in prison.

Pastor Harvey Carey said Washington started his church on the streets "because that's where he was won".

"He's saying, 'I know what it's like, but let me show you the love of Jesus.'" 

This article originally appeared on The Christian Institute.

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British Prime Minister Takes Strong Pro-Christian Stand - THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE CHARISMA NEWS

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (REUTERS/Peter Nicholls)

British Prime Minister Takes Strong Pro-Christian Stand

11/30/2016 THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE  CHARISMA NEWS

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Theresa May has said Christians should be able to speak about their faith in the workplace.

Responding to a question in Parliament today, the Prime Minister said the UK has a "very strong tradition" of "religious tolerance and freedom of speech", and added that our "Christian heritage is something we can all be proud of."

Fiona Bruce MP had raised concerns that many Christians are worried "about mentioning their faith in public", after a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) hit out at organisations which suppress Christianity for fear of causing offence.

Free Speech

The Prime Minister agreed that the ability to "speak freely, respectfully and responsibly about one's religion" should be a "jealously guarded principle."

She went on to say: "I am sure we would all want to ensure that people at work do feel able to speak about their faith and also feel able to speak quite freely about Christmas."

The EHRC's report, due to be published this week, hits out at organizations that discipline Christians or drop references to Christianity.

Injustice

According to The Mail on Sunday, it references several cases where believers were treated unjustly, including that of Institute client Adrian Smith. Smith was demoted for writing that gay marriage was "an equality too far" on his private Facebook page.

One section is reported as saying: "There is no right in Britain not to be offended and, in our view, respect for people's right to express beliefs with which others might disagree, is the mark of a democratic society."

Institute Public Affairs Deputy Director, Simon Calvert, responded to the report, saying: "Christians have certainly felt that their fundamental freedoms have been set aside by the human rights and equality industry in recent years."

Change Needed

"It's a relief to see the Commission stand up for freedom of religion as a fundamental right and recognize that it should not be suppressed through fear of offending."

But Calvert insisted that the current law needs to be amended.

"We have long argued that equality law needs rebalancing so that courts have to take time to weigh up competing rights to see if both sides can be reasonably accommodated.

"Too often the courts come down strongly in favor of the secular liberal side of the argument."

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Over Half of This Denomination Now Supports Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex cake-topper figurines. (Reuters)

Over Half of This Denomination Now Supports Same-Sex Marriage

9/22/2015 THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE  charisma news

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Over half of the members of the governing body of the Church in Wales have backed the idea of allowing same-sex couples to marry in church.

A secret ballot was held on taking the issue forward. Of the 120 members present, 61 voted in favour of holding same-sex marriages in church.

However, this falls short of the two-thirds majority needed for change.

Constitution

And any amendment to the Church's constitution requires a new bill to be passed by Parliament.

The governing body comprises of the six diocesan bishops alongside 51 other clerics and 86 lay people.

It is now up to the Bench of Bishops to decide whether to take further steps.

'Very foolish'

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr. Barry Morgan, said it would be "a very brave or perhaps a very foolish Bench of Bishops" who would take the issue forward now.

"Because that might just rip the church apart and lead to the acrimony that has been absent from this debate."

The Church of England and the Church in Wales are legally not allowed to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

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