by Alan Langstaff

Odds & Ends are worth covering topics that do not necessarily require a whole article.

WORLD WAR III

“Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said in a speech at the Institute of International Finance that the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have already started a third World War.

Dimon previously said Russia, North Korea, and Iran were an “evil axis” that, alongside China, will hurt institutions like NATO, Newsweek reported.

“And they’re talking about doing it now,” Dimon said at the event. “They’re not talking about waiting 20 years. And so the risk of this is extraordinary if you read history. World War III has already begun. You already have battles on the ground being coordinated in multiple countries.””
(by Sam Baron, newsmax.com)

MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE ELECTION

The reporting of the presidential candidates for the United States of America, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, was revealing. It has been reported that the coverage of Harris was 75% positive. The coverage of Trump was 85% negative.

CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED IN NIGERIA

“The killing, persecution and displacement of Christians in Nigeria is “unrelenting” and “a time bomb”, according to a major new report.

Christians “are deliberately targeted”, as well as “Christian communities, their livelihood(s), faith leaders and places of worship”, according to the report by Open Doors International, a faith-based non-profit working to raise awareness of global persecution, aiming to mobilize prayer, support and action among Christians. Christians are reportedly becoming “an endangered species” there, the report says.

“Last year alone, in Nigeria there were more people that were killed because of their Christian faith than all other places in the globe combined,” Ryan Brown, the CEO Of Open Doors U.S., told Fox News Digital, adding “to be specific, there were 4998 Christians that were killed because of their faith in Nigeria last year.”” (by Paul Tilsley, foxnews.com)

PASTOR & SECULAR WORK EXPERIENCE

“A recent Lifeway Research survey reveals that most Protestant pastors in the U.S. have limited secular work experience before entering ministry, with 58% having worked 10 years or fewer in non-ministry jobs. According to the research, most senior pastors did not begin their careers in a lead pastor role. Instead, 70% started in different ministry positions within the church. On average, senior pastors served in 1.7 other ministry roles before taking on their current position.” (from Christianity Report – August 10, 2024)

REVIVAL AT OLE MISS

“Nearly 6,600 students gathered at the University of Mississippi on October 10, as part of the Unite US tour, for an evening of worship, prayer, and gospel proclamation. Known for its party culture, “Ole Miss” witnessed a profound move of faith among its students, with hundreds committing their lives to Christ. Christian artist Forrest Frank captured the powerful moments, sharing scenes of students baptizing each other in a pickup truck.” (from Christianity Report – October 17, 2024)

EVANGELICAL SEMINARIES

David Bowen of Harbingers Daily has written an article entitled “‘Evangelical’ Seminaries – The Latest Example Of The Church’s Willingness To Accommodate Sin”. He writes –

“This week, a headline caught my eye: “California evangelical seminary ponders changes that would make it more welcoming to LGBTQ students.” The seminary is Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. What caught my attention is that just five years ago, Fuller was sued for expelling a student who was in a same-sex marriage, so it made me wonder why they were now looking at accepting same-sex relationships…

God will NOT be mocked! The final authority is God’s Word, not the desires and lifestyle of the culture.

71% of Americans may think same-sex “marriage” should be legal, and 64% may believe gay relationships are morally acceptable. Sadly, 41% of regular churchgoers do not have any biblical problems with homosexual marriages, and now Fuller Theological Seminary is looking at being more accommodating to that culture. And we wonder why 8 out of 10 Americans feel the church’s influence is declining.

God will judge this world, but we’re still here, and we still have work to do. The Church is still called to be salt and light to a dark and dying world. We are not to openly accept sin—any sin. We are to offer hope and the truth of who Jesus is and what He has done.” (by David Bowen, harbingersdaily.com)

SIN

“Over 99% of evangelical Protestants believe in the concept of sin. Exactly what behaviors evangelicals define as “sin” varies widely, from just 6% who say dancing is sin to 96% who feel adultery is sin. These and other results were just released by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research in their latest report, What Is Sin? Evangelical Beliefs and Behaviors.” (from CharismaNews.com)

PRAYER & ABORTION

“Adam Smith-Connor, a father and British army veteran, was recently convicted and found guilty for silently praying within a buffer zone outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, England. Although Smith-Connor prayed silently to himself, reflecting on his son who had been aborted many years ago, the court ruled his action demonstrated disapproval of abortion. The Public Spaces Protection Order prohibits certain activities, including silent prayer, near abortion facilities. Smith-Connor received a conditional discharge and was fined prosecution costs.” (from Christianity Report – October 19, 2024)

PORNOGRAPHY

“Pornography is now more readily available and consumed by a larger audience than ever before. Here are some of the latest trends from Barna’s newest study of pornography use…

  • 61 percent of U.S. adults report viewing porn. And half of them say no one knows about their struggle.
  • While pornography use is more prevalent among men, a significant proportion of women also view pornography.
  • Only 10 percent of U.S. Christians and churched adults say their church offers programming to help those struggling with pornography.”

    (from Barna – October 18, 2024)

ROBERT MORRIS RESIGNS

“Gateway Church founder and senior pastor Robert Morris has resigned, and his Texas megachurch is launching an investigation into allegations of abuse from 35 years ago.

Morris—a former advisor to President Trump and leader of one of the largest nondenominational churches in the country—is leaving after an Oklahoma woman, Cindy Clemishire, shared a story of being molested by the pastor when she was a minor in the 1980s. He has led the congregation since 2000.” (from Christianity Today – June 18, 2024)

NPR COVERAGE

“NPR editor Uri Berliner issued a lengthy rebuke of NPR’s media coverage of major news stories over the last few years, such as the Hunter Biden laptop and the COVID lab leak theory, and called out the outlet’s “efforts to damage” Trump’s presidency.

Berliner, a senior business editor at the outlet, wrote in an essay for the Free Press that NPR’s coverage veered off the deep end when Trump was elected in 2016. He cited its coverage of Russiagate first and said NPR “hitched our wagon” to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who peddled Trump-Russia collusion claims for years.

“Schiff, who was the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, became NPR’s guiding hand, its ever-present muse. By my count, NPR hosts interviewed Schiff 25 times about Trump and Russia. During many of those conversations, Schiff alluded to purported evidence of collusion. The Schiff talking points became the drumbeat of NPR news reports,” Berliner wrote.

After the Robert Mueller report found “no credible evidence of collusion,” he wrote, the Trump-Russia story disappeared from NPR’s coverage. Berliner said the outlet pretended like it never happened.”
(by Hanna Panreck, foxnews.com)