by Alan Langstaff

Odds & Ends are letters concerning important topics that do not necessarily require a whole article.

300,000 BAPTIZED IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA IN MOVE OF GOD

“In a stunning display of faith and God’s power, nearly 300,000 people have been baptized in Papua New Guinea, marking a historic and miraculous spiritual revival. This mass baptism, celebrated by local churches and international Christian communities alike, shows a significant movement of the Holy Spirit in the region. Evangelical leaders and missionaries have described this event as nothing short of a divine intervention, demonstrating the profound impact of sustained evangelistic efforts and the deepening faith among the people of Papua New Guinea.

The event saw a massive turnout as thousands gathered to publicly declare their faith in Jesus Christ. This unprecedented number of baptisms is attributed to extensive evangelism campaigns and the dedication of local churches to spreading the Gospel. Many participants shared testimonies of personal transformation and renewed faith, attributing their decisions to the powerful work of God in their lives.” (from Christianity Report – June 27, 2024)

PENTECOSTALS WORLD WIDE

Dr. Daniel Juster is a longtime leader of Messianic Churches and he has written about the state of charismatic/Pentecostal church’s in the world.

“I have almost 60 years of observing Pentecostal and charismatic movements. For a time, I rejected the Pentecostal/charismatic orientation (June 1969 to Spring 1974) but then through Bible study and experience, I fully embraced this orientation as biblical and essential. The evidence is dramatic. As Philip Jenkins documents in the Next Christendom, the progress of Christianity in the majority of the world is accompanied with amazing miracles and is Pentecostal/charismatic. The leaders of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) told me last spring that of 600 million people connected in denominations and streams, 400 million are Pentecostal/charismatic. They are not in name only, but actively demonstrate preaching a Gospel with signs following and gatherings where the gifts and power of God are the norm. The amazing books of Heidi Baker on her work in Africa and the great scholar Craig Keener in his world survey of the miraculous (1000 pages), The Credibility of New Testament Miracles, gives irrefutable testimony of God’s ways in extending the Kingdom. This is a key part of the Gospels’ teaching on the Kingdom. This will need to be part of our experience in Israel to see what we desire in growth.” (from Restoration from Zion – May 15, 2024)

JILLIAN MICHAELS SAYS EVIDENCE ‘IRREFUTABLE,’
TRANS ATHLETES SHOULD NOT COMPETE AGAINST GIRLS

“Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels spoke out Tuesday in favor of fairness in women’s sports after several middle school students in West Virginia staged a protest against one of their competitors, a natural-born male.

Michaels argued the data supporting men’s strength as superior to women is “irrefutable” during “Fox & Friends,” even when accounting for cross-sex hormone therapy.

Dawn Staley media coverage may have influenced answer on trans athletes in women’s sports, OutKick writer says “You’ve got two competing goals in sports… One is inclusion, which everybody can understand and get on board with, however, the second goal that’s in direct opposition with inclusion in this instance is going to be a fair competition,” Michaels said on Tuesday.

“And if that’s your priority, if your overriding priority is going to be fairness over inclusion, you’ve got to turn to the data, and the data irrefutably shows that biological males are 10 to 30% stronger, faster, have better endurance, better aerobic capacity across the board.”” (by Bailee Hill, foxnews.com)

BRITISH PEDIATRIC EXPERT WARNS ‘GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE’ GROUPS IN U.S. ARE ‘MISLEADING THE PUBLIC’

“The publication of the U.K.’s groundbreaking Cass Review last month, addressing the flaws in the gender transition industry, resulting in a seismic shift across the pond: both England and Scotland halted the prescription of puberty blockers and hormone drugs to children, top clinical psychologists publicly apologized for their role in endorsing “gender-affirming care,” and the British National Health Service (NHS) formally defined sex as a “biological” reality, regardless of an individual’s “gender identity.” Now, the report’s author is warning the U.S. that medical organizations are “misleading” the public when it comes to gender transition procedures for children.

In an interview with The New York Times this week, Dr. Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, discussed how American health institutions have responded to her report’s findings on the “remarkably weak evidence” which is claimed to support gender transition procedures for minors. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) insisted that its support of gender transition procedures for children is “grounded in evidence and science,” while the Endocrine Society similarly said, “We stand firm in our support of gender-affirming care,” asserting that it is “needed and often lifesaving.”

“When I was president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, we did some great work with the AAP. … But I respectfully disagree with them on holding on to a position that is now demonstrated to be out of date by multiple systematic reviews,” Cass responded. “It wouldn’t be too much of a problem if people were saying, ‘This is clinical consensus, and we’re not sure.’ But what some organizations are doing is doubling down on saying the evidence is good. And I think that’s where you’re misleading the public.”” (by S.A. McCarthy – May 16, 2024)

NEW YORK WOULD FORCE CHICK-FIL-A TO BE OPEN ON SUNDAYS

“The New York State Assembly is considering a bill that would effectively mandate Chick-fil-A restaurants along the New York State Thruway and the Port Authority to remain open on Sundays in violation of its sabbatarian policy.” (by Christianity Report)

“INCORPORATING SHARIA LAW INTO EUROPEAN LEGAL SYSTEMS”: A STATE IN INDIA BANS SHARIA

  • “Lawmakers in an Indian state… have approved landmark legislation to… [ban] discrimination against women based on Islamic sharia law… personal laws that would be common for all citizens, regardless of religion.
  • Replacing sharia law with a universal civil code across all of India would vastly ensure more rights for women and children and secure gender equality, and would be most welcome in other nations on the grounds of humanitarian fairness.
  • “By 2030, there will be 60 million Muslims living in Europe. We are witnessing the process of the Islamisation of Europe, including Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden… Mosques financed by Islamic countries are the backdrop for Muslim’s lives in Europe… Koranic schools are financed mainly by the rich Gulf states.” – Elżbieta Kruk, Member of the European Parliament, July 7, 2020.”
    (by Uzay Bulut – Gatestone Institute, March 4, 2024)

MAJORITY OF PROTESTANT PASTORS OPPOSE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

“A survey by Lifeway Research reveals that the majority of Protestant pastors in the U.S. oppose same-sex marriage. The survey shows a slight decrease in support, with only 21% of pastors seeing nothing wrong with it (1 in 5), down from 24% in 2019. Among mainline denomination pastors, 46% support same-sex marriage, consistent with previous years.

Evangelical pastors show even lower support at 7%. Younger pastors (18-44) are more likely to support it compared to those over 65. For most pastors, the issue of same-sex marriage remains largely theoretical, as nearly 90% have never been asked to officiate a same-sex wedding, according to a 2022 Lifeway Research study.” (by Christianity Report – June 8, 2024)

MORE CHURCHES LEAVE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

“More than 450 churches in Kentucky and Ohio have been approved to separate from the United Methodist Church (UMC), according to reports from The Christian Post.

Churches are disaffiliating form the UMC largely over disagreements about LGBTQ issues. Although the UMC’s Book of Discipline states that homosexual practice is “incompatible with Christian teaching” and that self-avowed, practicing homosexuals are not to be ordained or appointed to serve in the UMC, many denominational leaders have openly defied those rules.

The Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) voted June 4 to allow 286 congregations to leave the denomination, and the Western Ohio Conference approved the disaffiliation of 172 of its roughly 960 congregations. The churches are the latest of nearly 4,800 churches that have left the denomination since 2019, according to statistics complied by UM News.

Although the denomination was set to hammer out a resolution on LGBTQ issues at its 2020 General Conference, the Conference has been rescheduled three times, prompting theologically conservative congregations to begin leaving the UMC rather than wait until 2024 to see what the denomination decides.” (by Decision Magazine)