Church loses fight against legalisation of ‘gay marriage’

Argentina has become the first country in Latin America to legally recognise gay marriage, despite intense opposition by the Roman Catholic Church.

Same-sex marriage was legalised in a 33 to 27 vote, with three abstentions in the predominantly Catholic nation on July 15. The unprecedented legislation offers gay couples all the same rights given to their heterosexual counterparts, including adopting children.

ANAHEIM, CA (ANS): In preparation for the 21st annual Southern California Harvest campaigns at Angel Stadium of Anaheim from August 6 to 8, some 6000 volunteers will be mobilised, 100,000 bumper stickers handed out, and more than 12,000 Bibles given away.

These multiple efforts all point back to a single message of hope that will be delivered by Riverside, California, pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie during each night of the “2010 Southern California Harvest”.

The theme of “hope” will run throughout the event, culminating with a special Sunday evening programme called, “A Night of Hope” where Laurie will team up with Grammy Award-winning musician Steven Curtis Chapman to address issues of sorrow and the hope we have in Christ in the midst of crisis. Both Chapman and Laurie lost children in automobile accidents in 2008, and share a common desire to offer encouragement to people who are suffering loss of any kind.

A North Carolina pastor is demanding an apology from lawmakers in his state after he was dismissed from his chaplain duties for praying in Jesus’ name.

The legal representative of Pastor Ron Baity sent a letter this past week to North Carolina House of Representative Speaker Joe Hackney and the House clerk asking that his client receive an apology letter and another invitation to offer an uncensored invocation at the House.

Baity was scheduled to offer the opening prayer at the House for the entire week of May 31. But after he gave the first prayer in the name of Jesus he was relieved from his duties for the rest of the week.

Influential pastor warns that tide began creeping in years ago when courts began banning prayer at schools and removing references to Jesus, God and the Ten Commandments from the public square

By Lillian Kwon

(The Christian Post)

America currently stands in a very dangerous position, said renowned pastor and author Dr Charles Stanley. Today more than ever, the country was turning away from God and moving closer toward socialism, he warned. And the consequences would be grave.

“We know the truth; we know the principles of God. In spite of all that, we find ourselves as a nation violating the laws of God, heading in a direction that is going to be disastrous for us, for our children and the generations that are to come unless there is a change,” he said.

Speaking to thousands at First Baptist Church of Atlanta and to a live Web audience on July 2, Stanley delivered a sobering 4th of July message about a dangerous spiritual tide that was engulfing the country and the crucial need for prayer.

“There is a tide that has touched the shores of our land and reached the heart of our nation,” he said against the backdrop of the US flag. “It is a tide that is bringing with it ideas and philosophies, actions and attitudes that will ultimately destroy the way of life that you and I have.”

The influential pastor and founder of In Touch Ministries listed 12 things involved in the tide. Among them were the financial crisis and the move toward socialism.

With the national debt rising by the billions every day and taxation increasing, future generations will likely be left with a debt so heavy that they would never be able to spend most of what they made, he said.

Addressing the idea of spreading the wealth, Stanley emphasised, “It is not the government’s responsibility to take care of us. It is to protect us. We’re responsible for taking care of ourselves.”

Socialism, he pointed out, was opposed primarily to Christianity and Judaism. Under a socialist society, in which the government controlled all means of production and distribution, there was no motivation for diligence and creativity was stifled, he said.

When there was less reward, there was less to give. And as evidenced in the recent downturn, what suffered first was supporting missionary work.

“Naturally, when the government takes control, do you think that freedom of speech is always going to be there?”

“The tide is bringing in a control that will indeed attempt to silence the truth and will attempt to squash the religious devotion and worship of the people of God.”

That tide began creeping in many years ago, he noted, when the government and the courts began banning prayer at schools and removing references to Jesus, God and the Ten Commandments from the public square, Stanley noted.

“It is an attempt to destroy the Christian spirit in America,” he said.

“There is a war going on against Jesus. It’s part of the strategy.

“The primary reason for this war against him is he is interfering with the plan to make this a socialist nation.  Mark it down. It is the truth.”

Among the other elements of the dangerous tide were: terrorism; turning our backs on Israel; the announcement that the United States was not a Christian nation; increasing national disasters; a departure from the biblical view of marriage, and support for killing the unborn, Stanley listed.

“Mark this down for socialism because these three groups of people who do not contribute to the state ... are of no value: unborn babies, the elderly and those who are disabled,” said the Atlanta pastor.

With the tide moving fast, Stanley issued a charge to Christians to turn it around.

He called believers to join him in 140 days of humbling themselves, repenting of sins and praying to God.

“The Bible says judgment begins at the house of God. We’re not expecting lost people to do all this because this is the work of the people of God; it is our responsibility,” he stressed. “A lot of where we are is because of our apathy. We haven’t prayed for these men who are making decisions.”

“Do you want this nation to keep going where it’s going or do you want us to get back on track?” he asked.

Prayer, he said, was the one thing he knew that worked.

“Do you believe God answers prayer?” he asked. “Pray for God to change the direction of this tide.”

He added that those prayers had to be backed up with righteousness and a godly life if they were to be effective and nation-altering.