Some of World's Oldest Biblical Artifacts on Display in Cuba - CBN News

Some of World's Oldest Biblical Artifacts on Display in Cuba

02-10-2016

CBN News

Cuba now hosts a collection of some of the rarest biblical texts and manuscripts in the world.

For the first time since the United States and Cuba restored their diplomatic relations, a cathedral in Santiago displays one of the largest private collections of ancient biblical artifacts.

The collection which contains historical biblical texts, manuscripts, and art is on display in Cuba until March 13.

The artifacts are pieces from the Museum of the Bible Collection, an organization that encourages people around the world to engage the Bible through exhibits containing authentic biblical artifacts.

The exhibit has given Cuba's 11.2 million residents unique access to interact with the Bible up close and through the eyes of their own culture.

The Cuba exhibit entitled La Biblia: The Way of God in the Way of Man is a unique exploration of ancient biblical history and the Bible's relevance in the Caribbean nation's culture. The Cubans who attend the free exhibit view special artifacts from the Museum Collection, along with biblically themed art from Cuban artists.

Attendees will view a prized painting from Cuban priest Jesús Rivera of Bartolomé de las Casas. The priest is especially important to the nation's history because of his celebrated devotion to human rights activism and the abolition of Caribbean slaves of the Spanish Empire.

The exhibit also displays ancient biblical texts on papyrus, a replica of one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the first Bible in the Spanish language.

David Trobisch, the collection director for Museum of the Bible said, "More than 30,000 peopple visited a similar exhibit in Havana in 2014, and we are thrilled to return to this vibrant country to share access to such a diverse collection of rare biblical artifacts with other Cubans."

In 2014, thousands of Cubans came to Havana's main cathedral to see a collection of Bible manuscripts and artifacts from the Green collection. CBN News Latin America correspondent Stan Jeter had this report.

"Museum of the Bible's vision is to invite all people to engage with the Bible," Trobisch added.

The Museum of the Bible is advancing its vision to bring unity through the Bible by bringing pieces of the Cuba exhibit to the United States in 2017.

Next year many of the same artifacts from the Cuba exhibit will be on display in the 430,000-square-foot, $400 million museum on the Bible in Washington.

The Museum of the Bible plans to continue bringing the Bible and ancient biblical texts to people and nations around the world.

The United States Is Not the Center of the Universe - J. LEE GRADY

If you are a Christian, you are a global citizen. (iStock photo)

The United States Is Not the Center of the Universe

 2/3/2016 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

My friend Kelechi is a brave Nigerian evangelist who has gotten himself kidnapped several times so he could share Christ with armed militants. More recently he has been involved in dangerous evangelism efforts in northern Nigeria, where Islamic jihadists have killed 17,000 people in the past five years.

A few days ago, Kelechi sent me a disturbing email, asking for prayer. He had just learned that a young man he was discipling, Boulous, was killed by militants while trying to get some Christians out of a village that had been targeted for a surprise attack.

Kelechi wrote: "Please would you pray for me and ask your friends to lift us before the Lord? It is a very trying time. We are the only people doing evangelistic work there, so we cannot stop. Also pray for me as I go to the area next week when I think it will be safer."

I feel helpless trying to raise awareness of Kelechi's cause. One of the worst waves of terrorism on planet earth has hit Nigeria, yet the world's media gives it scant attention. The Islamic group operating there, Boko Haram, killed more people in 2014 than ISIS terrorists in Syria. Last week in the Nigerian village of Dalori, Islamic militants bombed homes and burned children alive.

The death toll in Dalori was 86. But did you hear anything about the attack? It wasn't on any news channel I listen to. All the major networks were talking nonstop about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the Iowa presidential caucus—along with the controversy stirred by Beyoncé's new music video.

In April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 Christian schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Chibok—and for a few weeks people on this side of the Atlantic Ocean paid attention, especially after First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted her support for the girls.

Almost two years have now passed, and the girls are still missing. They are most likely living as slaves in a Boko Haram camp on the Chadian border. Most likely they have been forced to marry their abductors. And most people have forgotten about them.

All these foreign problems are just too stressful to think about. And too far away. Besides, we have a Super Bowl to watch.

I'm not trying to put anybody under a guilt trip. I am blessed to live in the United States, and there isn't much I can do to stop Boko Haram from torching African villages. But it concerns me that so many of us are completely oblivious to the needs of the rest of the world.

Just a few days ago, Islamic terrorists linked to the group Al Shabaab killed four Christian in Kenya. One of the believers was beheaded. I have to rely on a relatively obscure Christian news service for this information because mainstream media outlets rarely report on Christian persecution.

Wars are going on today in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Ukraine, Israel, Iraq, Nigeria and South Sudan—which is also dealing with a famine. But when I checked the latest headlines in USA Today, the focus of the news was on the New Hampshire presidential primary and pro football star Peyton Manning's legacy.

And this just in! Beyoncé will perform during the Super Bowl halftime show!

That's a shame. Especially when you do the math and realize that the United States has a population of 319.4 million while the global population is about 7.2 billion. That works out to a 4.4 percent share of the world's population. Who do we think we are?

We are not the center of the universe.

I'm not going to hold my breath until mainstream media improves its reporting. People are always going to be more interested in Kim Kardashian's latest reality show than in how we can stop global sex trafficking, how we can help abused women in Somalia or how we can protect Syrian refugees while they flee the terror in their country.

But Christians should care. We may live in the United States, but we are citizens of God's kingdom and we are called to pray—and care—for the whole world. Paul told Timothy: "Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty" (1 Tim. 2:1-2, MEV).

Please be a global Christian. Look at the big picture. Stay informed of world events so you can pray with understanding. Make friends with people from other cultures and see the world through their eyes. Pray for the nations.

You can start by praying for Nigeria—and for my friend Kelechi, who will be risking his life to share the gospel this weekend while millions of Americans watch a 17-minute halftime show that will cost $12 million.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

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Netanyahu rejects French ultimatum on Palestinian statehood - TRUNEWS

Netanyahu rejects French ultimatum on Palestinian statehood

Jan. 31, 2016  Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for a more “sober” approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in dismissing a French peace initiative as only encouraging Palestinians to shun compromise.

The proposal on Friday by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for an international peace conference was the latest sign of Western frustration over the absence of movement toward a two-state solution since the collapse of U.S.-brokered negotiations in 2014.

Fabius said that if the French plan did not break the deadlock, Paris would recognize a Palestinian state.

Such a step would raise concern in Israel that other European countries, also long opposed to its settlement-building in occupied territory, would follow suit.

In public remarks to his cabinet, Netanyahu did not explicitly reject the notion of an international conference – an aide said Israel would examine such a request once it was received – but he made clear that reported details of the plan made it a non-starter.

Netanyahu said a “threat” to recognize a Palestinian state if France’s peace efforts did not succeed, constituted “an incentive to the Palestinians to come along and not compromise”.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem   May 10, 2015. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner


“I assess that there will be a sobering up regarding this matter,” Netanyahu added. “In any event, we will make effort so that there is a sobering up here, and our position is very clear: We are prepared to enter direct negotiation without preconditions and without dictated terms.”

On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the French proposal, telling an African summit in Ethiopia that “the status quo cannot continue”.

But Washington responded with caution to the French move, saying it continued to prefer that Israel and the Palestinians reach an agreement on final-status issues through direct talks.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Abbas and the two discussed the French initiative and “the tense political situation in the region,” WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency reported on Sunday.

While aware the initiative may struggle to get off the ground, French officials said Paris had a responsibility to act now in the face of Israeli settlement activity and the prospect of continued diplomatic inaction as the United States focuses on a presidential election in November.

And, the officials said, Netanyahu had gone a step too far in accusing U.N. Secretary of State Ban Ki-moon of giving a “tailwind to terrorism” by laying some of the blame for four months of stabbings and car rammings by Palestinians at Israel’s door. Ban angered Israel by saying last week that it is “human nature to react to occupation”.

The United States, European Union – Israel’s closest allies – have also issued unusually stern criticism of Israel in recent weeks, reflecting their own frustration with the policies of Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

The criticism, particularly about the settlements, where some 550,000 Jews live in around 250 communities scattered across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, has raised Palestinian hopes that world powers might finally be minded to support a U.N. resolution condemning Israel’s policy outright.

WEST BANK ATTACK

Since October, Palestinian attacks, partly fueled by tensions over the freeze in peace talks, have killed 26 Israelis and a U.S. citizen.

In an incident on Sunday, a Palestinian gunman wounded three Israelis near the West Bank settlement of Beit El and was then shot dead by soldiers, the Israeli army said. Palestinian officials said he worked as a bodyguard for a Palestinian prosecutor in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Shortly after that attack, a Palestinian motorist was shot and wounded when he tried to run down soldiers at a military checkpoint in the West Bank, the army said.

Over the past four months, Israeli forces have killed at least 152 Palestinians, 98 of them assailants according to authorities. Most the others have died in violent protests.

“I don’t see anything that warrants living as long as the occupation smothers us and kills our brothers and sisters … You were first and I am following you,” the Beit El assailant, Amjad Abu Omar, wrote on Facebook.

Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, parts of which have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestine has non-member observer status at the United Nations and its flag flies with those of member states at UN headquarters in New York.

Sweden became the first EU member nation to recognize the Palestinian state in 2014. A total of 136 U.N.-member countries, mostly in Africa, Latin America and Asia, now do so.

About ReutersThomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals and is affiliated with TruNews. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (symbol: TRI).

World Marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day - Kim Hjelmgaard USA TODAY

(Photo: AP)

World Marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day


Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY January 26, 2016


BERLIN — Wednesday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the date the United Nations has chosen to commemorate victims of the Holocaust during World War II. Six million Jews were murdered by Germany's Nazi regime, along with 5 million non-Jews were killed.

The anniversary, marked each year since 2005, falls on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland by the Russian army in 1945. One million people died there.

Here is how countries around the world are marking the 71st anniversary:

AUSTRIA

The Friends of Yad Vashem and the city of Linz will hold a remembrance ceremony at Linz City Hall. Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to Holocaust victims in Jerusalem. Yad Vashem works to preserve the memories and names of murdered Jews.

BELGIUM

A university (Autonome Hochschule) in Eupen will screen a documentary about Helmut Clahsen, who hid with his younger brother in dozens of locations in Germany and Belgium after his mother was persecuted by the Nazis in 1941. He died in Aachen, Germany, last October.

CANADA

The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Center is offering visitors free admission to the museum, which focuses on Jewish communities before, during and after the Holocaust. A special emphasis is on the life stories of Montreal survivors.

FRANCE

Prime Minster Manuel Valls will give an address at a commemoration event in Paris that is organized by UNESCO, the U.N. agency that promotes education, science and culture. UNESCO is hosting a number of public events and exhibitions in the French capital related to the theme of antisemitic propaganda and the Holocaust.

GERMANY

Members of the German government will join dignitaries at the German Parliament (Bundestag) in Berlin for a remembrance event that will focus on the topic of forced labor. Numerous cities and organizations across Germany will hold separate ceremonies. A state-funded cultural center in Bremen was forced to cancel an event that was critical of the Jewish state, the Jerusalem Post reported. The event was to be held Monday.

ISRAEL

Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah — which takes place on May 4 — is the day Israel formally memorializes Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Yad Vashem historians, researchers and educators will nevertheless take part in ceremonies Wednesday in countries around the world, including Belgium, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Slovakia, Malta and Russia.

POLAND

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and State Museum will host an event that will be streamed live on YouTube. It will be available in Polish and English. More than 1.7 million people visited the memorial in 2015, a record.

UNITED STATES

President Obama plans to attend an event at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, where two Americans and two Poles, all non-Jews, will be honored for their work trying to save Jews. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington is holding two separate events, both of which will be streamed live on the Museum's web site.

CEO survey finds worries about global economy, political instability - Kim Hjelmgaard USATODAY

USA TODAY speaks with Dennis Nally, chairman of PwC, about CEO confidence in the United States. 

CEO survey finds worries about global economy, political instability

Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY  Jan. 19, 2016 

Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY  

(Photo: EPA)

DAVOS, Switzerland — Two out of three corporate CEOs around the world see a risky business environment and worry about growth prospects of their own companies, a survey released here Tuesday shows.

"Without question chief executive confidence levels are down in a very significant way year-to-year," said Dennis Nally, chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, the tax consulting group that did the study. It was released on the eve of the World Economic Forum here.

"Whether due to the economic environment or geopolitical factors, there's clearly more threats faced by CEOs today then we have seen over the last several years," Nally told USA TODAY.

The company's 19th annual survey of top issues and concerns canvassed more than 1,400 CEOs in 83 countries.

Only 35% said they are confident their own companies will see growth in the coming year, down four  percentage points from last year's survey.

"It's a little surprising when you think about how many years post the 2008 financial crisis that we've dealt with," Nally said. "One would have hoped that the trend lines were improving, but they are going in the exact opposite way. This is true all around the world. There's very few bright spots to talk through."

USA TODAY

Voices: As Davos convenes, gloomy forecast for world economy

Twenty-seven percent said global economic growth will get better over the next 12 months, compared with 37% last year. Only 16% of North American CEOs were optimistic, less than half of CEOs in the most optimistic regions — Western Europe(33%) and the Middle East (34%).

Pessimism about the global economy rose to 23%, from just 7% in 2014.

A third of China’s CEOs (33%) said global economic growth will slow down in 2016, the survey found.

Nally said CEOs are getting more concerned about an increasingly wider range of risks, including:

• Over-regulation (79%)
   
• Geopolitical uncertainty (74%)
   
• Exchange rate volatility (73%)
   
• Availability of key skills (72%)
   
• Government response to fiscal deficit and debt burden (71%)
   
• Increasing tax burden (69%)
   
• Social instability (65%)
   
• Cyber threats (61%)
   
• Shift in consumer spending and behaviors (60%)
   
• Lack of trust in business (55%)
   
• Climate change and environmental damage (50%)
   

Nally noted that geopolitical concerns rose to one of the top concerns for the first time.

"Given the dynamics of the world, its complexities, CEOs have to be much more adaptive when trying to deal with many of the uncertainties we're talking about," he said.

"How do you pivot in a way to deal with issues that were not even on your (radar) six months ago? For example, look at the price of oil today. Who would of thought that we would be talking about oil below $30 per barrel as it is today," Nally said.

USA TODAY

Leaders to ponder 4th industrial revolution at Davos 2016

He said that he expects the 1,500 business leaders attending the forum to focus more on long-term issues.

"CEOs are starting to think not just about the short-term demands of profitability and revenue growth but also ... what's going on with technology today and the impact it's having — in terms of how services and products are delivered, digitization — that's turning businesses upside down," he said..

USA TODAY asks PwC Chairman Dennis Nally whether Davos is all work or whether there is room for play as well. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that it expects global economic activity to remain modest through 2017. The IMF's update to its October global outlook said global GDP would expand by 3.4% in 2016 and 3.6% in 2017.

It also said China's growth rate would hit 6.3% this year. Beijing announced Tuesday that the world's second-largest economy's growth rate slowed to 6.9%, its lowest level in 25 years.

The IMF characterized U.S. growth as robust. The U.S. economy grew 2% last year.

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Pornography: Not Innocent Fantasy Island - KENNY LUCK/EVERY MAN MINISTRIES CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Pornography is no innocent fantasy. (Flickr )

Pornography: Not Innocent Fantasy Island

 1/6/2016 KENNY LUCK/EVERY MAN MINISTRIES  charisma magazine

One of the most popular TV shows of back in the 1970s was Fantasy Island, starring Ricardo Montalban playing the role of Mr. Roarke, a suave, tuxedo-clad host who, along with his sidekick, Tattoo, greeted his visitors by proclaiming: "Welcome, welcome to Fantasy Island."

Let's talk about Fantasy Island.

The storylines, weaving extravagant fantasies of the newly arrived quests, didn't always work out the way they wanted. In fact, their fantasies actually brought them back to reality, making them want their reality more than the fantasy. This "aha" moment is sorely needed by male guests visiting the new fantasy islands of today.  

Someone has to talk about this idea of fantasy because it has become an epidemic—not only here in the United States, but globally. I'm not talking about innocent fantasies, childhood dreams, like the Disneyland fantasies. I'm talking about millions—more likely billions—of men chasing manly fantasies, mainly pornography and extramarital sex.

These guys are experiencing the same thing guests on the fictional show did—the promise of fantasy only delivers a moral hangover, a cheap release and a numbing shame that exposes his lack of character. The "aha" in front of today's Fantasy Islanders is resolving to accept our responsibilities as men and reject the double life of Fantasy Island.

Today, pornography revenues in the United States exceed the revenue of ABC, CBS and NBC combined. Indeed, the revenue of the pornography industry is larger than the revenues of Apple, Amazon, Google, eBay, Microsoft, Netflix and Yahoo!—combined.

This fantasy problem is so large that it's not only plaguing men globally, but it's creeping into the lives of our mothers, our wives, our sisters, our daughters—even our grandchildren. There is nothing more obviously evident than the New York Times best-selling trilogy called Fifty Shades of Grey, three books which chronicle the dark secrets of Anastasia, a college student who desires to be dominated by Christian, a tortured man who has particular sexual tastes (fantasies). The caricature of "Christian" is stunning. He is so lost and needs so much help. Where have all the good men gone?

These disturbing cultural trends should hit every Christian man in the mouth and reboot his moral compass as this country heads toward moral, spiritual and cultural implosion.

But I'm not discouraged. As we go through our series called Fantasy Island, you will embrace reality and reject fantasy. We can turn things around. We need, however, to turn to God for spiritual direction and revival. Our reality is the reality of God's glory: His redemption, His love for us.

Men, let God bless you! Pray about your decisions to embrace reality or live a life of fantasy. The choice is yours, and God is waiting for you to make the decision.

Join Every Man Ministries

Fantasy ranges from innocent to indecent. From Disney dreams to dark diversions, it is the wallpaper of popular culture offering every man an alternative relief or escape from reality. Why is fantasy so powerful? Why is it so destructive on so many levels? Most importantly, what does fantasy reveal about a man's relationship to reality? Watch this eye-opening session with men's expert and Pastor Kenny Luck and learn why fantasy is an island. 

Try the 30-day Free Trial and sign up for the Every Man Ministries Newsletter. 

Kenny Luck is the president and founder of Every Man Ministries. As the former men's pastor at Saddleback Church in California and current leadership pastor at Crossline Community Church, Kenny has found the proven way to improve men's ministries around the world. Sleeping Giant is this blueprint, and gives men the tools they need to lead and understand their own men's ministry. Watch Kenny's teachings at everymanministries.com and start your men's group today!

Follow Every Man Ministries now on Facebook, Twitter (@everymm), and YouTube.

For the original article, visit everymanministries.com.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

WATCH: Attempting to Divide Israel Comes With Dire Consequences - SHAWN A. AKERS CHARISMA NEWS

WATCH: Attempting to Divide Israel Comes With Dire Consequences

 1/7/2016 SHAWN A. AKERS  charisma news

Are "billion-dollar" catastrophes such as the "perfect storm," 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina related to the United States' attempts to help divide the biblical heartland into two states? Author and White House Correspondent William Koenig is convinced of it.

On a recent appearance on the Jim Bakker Show, Koenig explained the correlation of America's efforts to convince Israel to give up Judea and Samaria for a future Arab State and some of the greatest catastrophic events to hit the U.S. in the past 15 years. He also talks about France's role in turning up the heat on Israel, and what happened in that country recently.

"God rebukes this every time it happens," Koenig said.

Watch the video below for his full explanation. Click here to see more about the subject from Koenig.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

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Joy. Merry Christmas. Noel. These three words are still being proclaimed in this season. By the world!

Joy - a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Joy. Merry Christmas. Noel. 

These three words are being proclaimed 

in this season. 

Even by the secular world no less!

I love the Christmas season in America. Evergreen trees, created by our Almighty God, lite up with colored lights and commonly is found with an angel or star of Bethlehem on top; electric candles shining brightly in home windows; angels blowing trumpets (shofars!) hanging from street light poles; the celebratory giving of presents to one another. 

There are even nativity scenes in front yards of neighborhood homes, and yet still on some government building grounds! And of course Linus is still quoting Scripture on the 50-year old A Charlie Brown Christmas TV classic.

As Christians, we used to take it for granted that the United States, being a "Christian" nation, would always celebrate Christmas the way it has been for many decades, if not for the last two centuries. But that is all changing, as humanism and secularism continue to take root and grow their branches in all areas of American lives.

And yet it is a joy to see Merry Christmas all around many of our cities, proclaiming Noel in retail stores and even at car dealers. (That I know, as I took these three Christmas tree photos in a South Carolina car dealership just this week - Dec. 22, 2015.)

May the Lord's glory, His Name, and Jesus' holy character still be evermore proclaimed!!!  

So Merry Christmas, with the love of the Lord Jesus,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People

Christ (Messiah) is the heart of Christmas.

EL is Hebrew for God. 
Noel - "Know-EL", for the King Jesus (Yeshua) it is Who is born. 
And lives forevermore.

Joy to the World—Except During an Election Season? - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Why are American Christians so outraged this Christmas season? (iStock photo )

Joy to the World—Except During an Election Season?

12/16/2015 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

On the first Christmas, the shepherds in Bethlehem learned that Jesus' birth was a cause for celebration. The angel said in Luke 2:10: "For I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people." It's too bad Christmas cheer is in low supply these days. I don't know if it's due to the mudslinging in this presidential campaign or the warmer-than-usual December, but people in general are angrier, more fearful and more negative than I can ever remember.

Christians should be the happiest people this time of year. But if Facebook posts are any indication of the national mood, folks aren't just mad—they're outraged. And others are so spooked by blood moons, Obama conspiracy theories and Muslim terrorists that they are ready to head for the hills to hide. It's as if the Grinch really did steal Christmas.

Personally I believe we have a lot to rejoice about during this holiday. If you only listen to Fox News or CNN, the world is a gloomy place—with plane crashes, terrorist attacks and bickering politicians. But I don't let today's alarming headlines steal my peace. I don't let angry opinions steal my love. And I don't let grumpy people steal my joy.

Here are 10 positive trends I'm celebrating this Christmas:

1. Muslims are coming to Christ faster than ever. David Garrison, author of the new book A Wind in the House of Islam, says something unprecedented is stirring in the Muslim world. "We are living in the midst of the greatest turning of Muslims to Christ in history," he writes—citing evidence that dozens of powerful Christian movements have started among Muslims since the year 2000.

2. The gospel is transforming China. The British newspaper The Telegraph reported two years ago that Christianity is growing so fast in China that it will most likely be considered a Christian nation by 2030, when its Christian population will exceed that of the United States, Mexico and Brazil. Given China's economic power in the world, this has huge implications for our future.

3. The United States is in a church-planting boom. There has been lots of handwringing about the decline of mainline churches in America. But church growth expert Ed Stetzer says new churches are actually being planted in the United States faster than old ones are dying—and research shows that 60-80 percent of the people who join new churches are from unchurched backgrounds. That means more people are being reached with the gospel today than when dead religious churches talked and sang about evangelism but never did it.

4. Latin America is experiencing a political and spiritual awakening. Recent elections in Venezuela were one more indication that leftist governments are losing power in Latin America. Today two-thirds of Venezuela's parliament members oppose leftist President Nicolas Maduro. Similar movements against socialism and corruption are occurring in Argentina, Brazil and other Latin countries—at a time when evangelical churches are growing at unprecedented rates.

5. Spiritual hunger is rising in our nation. I'm not denying that segments of our culture have grown hostile to Christian faith. But the popularity of faith-based films such as War Room caught Hollywood by surprise this year. Meanwhile popular Bible teachers such as Joyce Meyer, Andy Stanley and T.D. Jakes get as much traction on Twitter and other social media than secular celebrities such as Katy Perry or Lady Gaga. And the amount of Christian content on You Tube, Periscope or other digital media today is staggering.

6. Global violence is actually decreasing. Because we have easy access to news, and we hear about mass shootings or terrorist attacks as soon as they occur, Americans think the world is more dangerous than ever. That's actually not true. If you compare violent deaths from wars, genocide and crime over the centuries, the numbers have never been lower than today—even with 21st-century terrorists on the loose.

7. There are fewer dictators in the world. The number of authoritarian countries has actually dropped from a high of almost 90 in 1976 to about 25 now. Democracy is growing—and it's likely that authoritarian nations in the Middle East (such as Iran) will see drastic political changes in our lifetime.

8. The Bible is still the most popular book ever. The Bible ranks at the top of all favorite book lists among Americans. And according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is also the best-selling and most widely distributed book in the world. Nearly 4 billion copies of the Bible were printed and sold globally in the last five decades—far exceeding any other book.

9. We can still celebrate Christmas. Don't worry about Starbucks' decision to take a generic holiday message off their coffee cups. Instead of complaining about the war on Christmas, let's be more proactive about telling people why Jesus was born. Nobody is stopping us from doing that.

10. Jesus is still on the throne. The last book of the Bible reminds me that when it's time for Jesus to come back, He will return victorious. All His enemies will bow down and acknowledge His lordship. Jesus is not worried about ISIS, Hillary Clinton, gay marriage, illegal immigrants, Obamacare or the war on Christmas.

Don't let the evening news steal your joy. Christ is born. We have something to celebrate.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.