How Joshua Harris’ former church finally responded to news of him leaving wife, Christianity

Joshua Harris gives a TED talk in 2017. | Screenshot: TEDx Talks

The Maryland-based megachurch that I Kissed Dating Goodbye author Joshua Harris once led responded to the news of him leaving his faith and his wife, stating that it “hits home personally.”
“These updates are hard to hear. We love Josh and Shannon. For most of us, Josh isn’t just some distant public figure,” wrote Covenant Life Interim Senior Pastor Kevin Rogers in a letter to his congregation, which was posted online on Saturday by author and investigative journalist Julie Roys.
“He’s a beloved former pastor and friend. So this news isn’t just a lot to process theoretically. It hits home personally.”
Harris served as senior pastor at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg from 2004 until his resignation in 2015 in order to pursue graduate studies at Regent College in British Columbia.
Rogers explained that after learning about Harris’ separation from his wife and decision to leave Christianity, he read through the New Testament book 1 Timothy.
“Several times Paul mentions former Christian leaders ‘swerving from,’ ‘wandering from,’ or ‘making shipwreck’ of their faith. So while this is sad and confusing, it isn’t new,” sai Rogers.
“Paul says some had gone off course theologically. Others behaved in ways that violated Christian conscience. For others, it was greed. In every case, Paul’s hope was for redemption and restoration. That these leaders would develop ‘love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.’ (1 Tim 1:5) That should be our hope and prayer for Josh as well.”
Rogers called for the congregation to pray for Harris and also to ask “the God of all grace and power for fresh resolve in your own fight of faith.”
Harris wrote the best-selling 1997 book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which rejected traditional dating and courtship, and also argued that any physical intimacy before marriage was sinful.
Earlier this month, years after having renounced the message of his book, Harris announced that he and his wife were separating, yet intended to remain friends to help raise their three children.
Then in an Instagram post last Friday, Harris announced that he no longer considered himself a Christian, referencing the biblical term “falling away” to describe his spiritual state.
“By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now,” wrote Harris in the Instagram post.
He also expressed regret for his past opposition to homosexuality and same-sex marriage, explaining that he was “sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality.”
“I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me,” Harris added.

How a Man Gives Gift of Life to a Fellow Church Member He Hardly Knew

New findings show colon cancer is striking more and more young people than ever before. Carole Motycka is one of them. Not long after celebrating her fortieth birthday with her husband and four children she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer and given only months to live.
But thanks to an experimental liver transplant at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Carole has a new lease on life. She also owes her survival to a fellow church member who donated his liver to Carole after reading about her in the church bulletin.
To look at her, Carole Motycka appeared the very picture of health. She ate right and regularly exercised. In fact, after a particularly strenuous hike with her husband, the mother of four experienced a little pain and went to the doctor.



Expecting him to say she probably worked-out a bit too hard, she was stunned to hear him tell her she likely didn't have long to live.
"He said, 'I believe you have a large tumor in your colon and I believe cancer from your colon has gone into your liver,' and he said, 'This is probably the worst-case scenario," she recalled.
Reeling from the terminal diagnosis, Carole began treatment right away. The good news is surgeons were able to remove the diseased portion of her colon.
However, doctors couldn't operate on her live liver because the cancer was too widespread in the organ. Cleveland Clinic's director of liver transplantation Dr. Cristiano Quintini explained why.
"In order to perform successful liver surgery for patients with cancer, you need to be able to preserve at least 25, 30 percent of the native liver," he said, "Otherwise the patient will not be able to recover. Often when we discover cancer has metastasized to the liver and more than 75 or 80 percent of the liver is involved, surgery would be very dangerous, in fact impossible."
With that in mind, Carole's doctors explained chemotherapy alone was the standard treatment recommendation. They said the average survival rate for patients like Carole was just two years. At that moment all she could think about was her family.
"My kids, certainly," she said, "You know, we always think that tomorrow is there. And we always look long-term. So they instantly came to my head. Am I going to see them grow up?
Experimental Surgery
Then a glimmer of hope-doctors at the Cleveland Clinic told her although surgery is usually not an option for people with her diagnosis, there was something new on the horizon. She was eligible for an experimental liver transplant that would require a donation from a live person.
"Basically it consists of removing 60-percent of the liver from a healthy donor and transplanting that part to a person that is in need," explained Dr. Quintini, "The liver is an amazing organ. You can remove about 70, 75-percent of somebody's healthy liver and expect regeneration between four and six weeks."
An Unlikely Donor
Carole agreed to the experimental surgery and started looking for a donor. Her pastor at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Van Wert, Ohio, where she served as a youth director, wrote about Carole's need in the Sunday bulletin.
"The very second I saw that and started reading it, I just had this feeling come over me that, 'This is going to be you. You need to do this,'" recalled Jason Stechschulte, "It was so strong that the rest of the service I don't remember anything. I don't think I paid any attention to anything anyone said."



Jason's wife wholeheartedly approved of her husband's desire to help a fellow Christian in need, even though it would place a good deal of stress on their family of four. Next step: Cleveland Clinic for testing.
Jason learned he was a perfect match but before committing to the procedure, was warned by doctors that giving-up two-thirds of his liver, which he was told would grow back in a couple of months, would be hard.
"They have to be willing to undergo a major operation and a recovery that sometimes is quite involved," said Dr. Quintini, "One other complication of a living donor is about four to six patients in a thousand will die as a result of living donations."
Despite the risks, Jason agreed to the transplant, even though he barely knew Carole, who described finding out she had a donor.
"It was a blessing to me. I think I cried for a week," she said, "Jason is cool as a cucumber. He called me, actually Facebook-messaged me and said, 'Hey I'm going to be your liver donor,' and I was like, 'What?'"
Back to Normal Life
The difficult surgery was a complete success. Carole and Jason, who are now good friends, both recovered beautifully and feel great. Now Carole relishes every moment of life, especially those with her husband and sons.
"It's given me the chance to see my John, he's graduated now. And my Joseph is going to graduate. And my Nick is at Dartmouth. And I didn't know that I would get to see Drew graduate from high school," she smiled, "But I get that opportunity now because of what Jason has given to me."
Jason embodies humility.

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"So many people have come up and said, 'It's so great what you did,' and, 'It's amazing. You're such a great person,'" he said, "And I always have to step back and say, 'No, it's not. You don't understand. I was called to do this.'"
Thanks to the transplant, doctors estimate Carole's chance of survival increased from 10-percent to 60-percent after five years. This is great news for Carole and others like her with colon cancer that has spread to the liver.
Dr. Frederico Aucejo, surgical director of the Cleveland Clinic liver cancer program said, "Here in the United States we have been the first health care place that incepted a protocol to apply liver transplantation for patients with unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases."
A Genetic Breakthrough
In addition to performing surgery on Carole, doctors at Cleveland Clinic also tested her DNA. They found what they believe led to her colon cancer at such as young age and likely the cause of others'.
Doctors now know mutations in either the BMPR1A and SMAD4 genes can cause precancerous polyps to form in the colons of teenagers. If left untreated, these polyps can develop into colon cancer, which can spread to the liver.
Since these genetic mutations are usually inherited, Carole's children underwent genetic testing to see if they, too, have the problem genes. Turns out, two of them did.
Because of that, both of them underwent colonoscopies, at which time doctors discovered trouble. However, because the problems were detected so early, they were successfully removed before becoming life-threatening.
"Jonathan had several polyps removed. Joseph, who was 20 years old, had three pre-cancerous polyps," Carole said, "And so, through my diagnosis, what greater gift could I give, as a mom, besides teaching my kids to love Jesus and to be compassionate young men? I was able to give them life again. They will never have to deal with this. They will never have to go through what I've had to do."
Spreading the Word
Carole is using her story as a way to raise awareness about early detection. She hopes all young adults will ask their relatives if there's a history of colon cancer in their family and if so, will undergo genetic testing to possibly discover and treat the early stages of the disease.
"I can be a vessel there with teaching and using my voice to advocate for genetic testing and for earlier colorectal screenings," she said.
However, for those like Carole, who aren't diagnosed with colon cancer until it has spread to the liver, they too have new hope with the groundbreaking liver transplant she had.

How Israel Stays Ahead of other nations in the Battle Against Terrorism

JERUSALEM, Israel - A major challenge in fighting terrorism is staying ahead of the game. Israel’s success in doing so and protecting itself from attacks has helped make the country a worldwide leader in counter-terrorism.  CBN News visited the Israel Defense Forces’ main training center to see how they do it.
“We’re looking at the threats, we’re looking at what’s going on around the borders of Israel and inside it and then together with that we need to make sure that we’re moving on. We’re not getting ready for yesterday; we’re getting ready for tomorrow,” an IDF officer who asked not to be named told CBN News.




The IDF started the Lotar Counter-Terror School in the 1970s, after a series of deadly terror attacks.  Since then it has developed to include training programs such as tunnel warfare.  Last year, they trained some 10,000 combat soldiers in counter-terror measures.
“In order for the IDF to be able to execute its mission, which is to defend Israeli civilians and Israeli sovereignty, we need quite a lot of special skills for our troops to have and master and this is the place where most of these skills are taught,”  said IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.
During our visit to the “Lotar” Counter-Terror School, CBN News went behind the scenes to see how Special Forces work together in all threatening situations.

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“We teach soldiers how to rappel down from helicopters, how to breach silently or what we call a loud breach, into buildings, hostage situations, to free hostages being taken by terrorists.  We also teach underground warfare, in tunnel complexes, mock tunnels they have dug especially from the urban terrain, so that connects between the urban areas,” Conricus told CBN News.



Conricus explained how Tunnel Warfare is the latest chapter in the terror playbook.
“All of the terrorist organizations that we fight against, whether it is Hezbollah in the north or Hamas in the south, use the subterranean dimension, to (a) great extent.  That is where they hide most of the time,” he said. “And that is usually how they try to infiltrate into Israel and to threaten Israeli civilians,
In June, CBN News reported on the discovery of a huge Hezbollah tunnel on Israel’s northern border and visited the site. Conricus said the soldiers who uncovered and captured it would have trained at Lotar.




“They have trained here and they have trained in similar centers up north and we have another one down south as well, which is focused on the types of tunnel(s) Hamas digs from Gaza into Israel,” Conricus said.
“So a tunnel is a tunnel, it’s underground but we’ve seen that Hamas tunnels differ from Hezbollah tunnels in terms of size and depth and structure, so we have to adjust to that and train our troops accordingly,” he added.

The other officer,  whose identity we’ve protected, helped destroy tunnels along the Gaza border during Israel’s 2014 Operation Protective Edge against Hamas.
“Later on when we finished the campaign, I was posted here and taking the knowledge and taking the things that I felt out there in the field, the experience I had to integrate them together into what we teach here,” he explained.
Israel uses its intel and training to help the world take on terror.
“We’re sharing a lot about tunnel warfare, we’re dealing a lot with how to deal effectively in urban terrain, how to find the terrorists and limit that collateral damage to non-combatants, essentially the civilians that are in a combat area and finding terrorists and terrorists only,” Conricus said.

Last year, there were 23 international cooperation exercises.
“When other countries that we train with they come and look at us I think the things that they find special or extraordinary about the IDF would be we’re agile, we’re flexible, creative and we live with our backs to the wall so we have to always move on and be ready for the next threat,” the officer said.
Conricus said while Israel would have preferred not being the leader in this dangerous field, the reality is many terrorists want to kill Israelis.  So, Israel will continue staying ahead of the game and helping the rest of the world along the way.

How 65 People Were Violently Slaughtered at Funeral in Suspected Boko Haram Attack in Nigeria

 

 At least 65 people are dead after the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram is suspected of open firing on mourners at a funeral in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Borno.

Local government chairman Muhammed Bulama said the attack occurred on Saturday. CNN reports that gunmen murdered 22 people at the funeral and shot dozens of others trying to flee the scene.
Boko Haram has not claimed responsibility for the deaths but Bulama said the attack was revenge for the killing of 11 Boko Haram terrorists by the villagers two weeks ago.


At least 10 people were injured in the massacre. Eight of them are critically wounded.
Reuters reports that Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack and ordered the military to find those responsible.
Boko Haram has slaughtered Christians in Nigeria by the thousands and hopes to overthrow Nigeria's government and create an Islamic State. The country is split between being majority Muslim in the north and mostly Christian in the south.
In 2015, Boko Haram was named by the Institute for Economics and Peace the deadliest terror organization in the world. Boko Haram has also terrorized countless Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
The group regularly raids villages and bombs churches and mosques.
Boko Haram is notorious for kidnapping school children, including the 2014 abduction of nearly 300 girls in the town of Chibok in Borno state.
The United Nations' refugee agency said in January that the violence forced 30,000 Nigerians to flee the country in just two days.
Christians across the region also face attacks from Muslim Fulani herdsman who raid and burn Christian villages.
The Christian persecution watchdog organization Open Doors explains how Christians there face danger and discrimination every day:
"In some northern states, increasing numbers of Christians are dressing like Muslims to make their faith less obvious and reduce the chances of attack. Christian young people in these states are frequently denied access to higher education, and Christians have been asked to give up their faith in order to be given work. Christian women and girls are in danger of being abducted and forced to marry. When Christians are displaced by the violence in the region, they face discrimination when government aid is distributed because of their faith."

' How His Cemetery Was Full of Victims': Group Helps Americans 'Adopt' Persecuted Christians in Nigeria

Leaders with "Save the Persecuted Christians" are on a mission to help Americans "adopt" persecuted Christians in war-torn Nigeria – by praying for them and bringing awareness to their struggles.
STPC is an educational charity that advocates on behalf of hundreds of millions of persecuted Christians worldwide.
One advisory board member wants Americans to reach out to Nigerian Christians living in a country where persecution is common and intense.
"We wanted to help (Nigerians) get sustenance and support outside the government for their long-term survival," said Douglas Burton, the leader of the non-profit Prayer News Network and War Desk News, a citizen journalism project with the goal of bringing to light stories of persecution.
Burton worked as a State Department official in Iraq from 2005 to 2007, where he helped bring together American civil society organizations with those in Iraq wanting a fresh start.
He's also a freelance journalist, and this year he applied a similar idea while reporting on Boko Haram violence against Christians in Nigeria. For his stories, he reached out to Christians on the ground who were being persecuted and directly seeing the devastation.
"We were calling people to get information for stories in Nigeria," Burton explained. "Why not pray with them directly, too?"
His interview in April of a Roman Catholic priest ministering near a Boko Haram stronghold prompted him to form the Prayer News Network.
"His community had been attacked several times, and his cemetery was full of victims," Burton said. "We prayed together and cried together for resolution and aid."
That call led him to think of a way where private individuals could "adopt" a person living in a warzone and get involved in private citizenship diplomacy.
The interaction would involve prayer, as well as the victims reporting on the violence they were experiencing, thereby bringing awareness to Americans.
Burton says the prayer partners don't need to be of the same denomination or religion.
The Prayer News Network says calls between Americans and Nigerians are very inexpensive if not free through WhatsApp – the app that the organization encourages participants to use.
"Go around government and go around mainstream media," Burton said. "Go directly to citizen journalists who at least will post a story on their Facebook page or will get it to a responsible journalist."
"The government will take action if the media gets the story straight," he continued.
Those interested in partnering with a believer in Nigeria can visit WarDeskNews.com and click on the Prayer News Network tab or email WarDeskNews@gmail.com.
"I believe prayer with a stranger is a revolutionary act," Burton said. "It's a way of encountering 'the Other.' There's something special about praying with a total stranger."

How Pakistani Army Plane Finally Crashed Into Homes, Killing at Least 18

Credit: AP Video Screenshot

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) - A Pakistani military plane on a training flight crashed into homes near the garrison city of Rawalpindi before dawn on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, most of them on the ground.

Fires, damaged homes and debris were visible in Mora Kalu village on the outskirts of Rawalpindi after daybreak. After rescue efforts ended, troops and police cordoned off the residential area to search for plane debris and investigate the crash site.


Rescue officials said there were no survivors on the plane and that 13 civilians were killed on the ground. The army said in a statement that five crew members, including two pilots, died in the crash.

Farooq Butt, an official at the state-run emergency service, said 15 people were also injured in the crash. There were concerns the death toll could rise further since some of those injured were in critical condition.

"We have moved all the bodies and injured persons to hospitals," Butt told The Associated Press. "Most of the victims received burn injuries."

He added that there were children among the dead.

Residents said they woke up when they heard an explosion and saw debris of a burning plane near their homes. Army helicopters were seen hovering over the crash site later.

"My sister, her husband and their three children were killed when the plane crashed into their home," said Mohammad Mustafa, as he sobbed near his sister's badly damaged home. He said rescuers and troops quickly reached the area after the crash.

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Several men and women who lost their relatives in the crash were seen wailing and crying as rescuers put charred bodies of the victims into ambulances. Footage on social media showed the plane was flying very low before it quickly went down.

Abdul Rehman, a medical doctor, said at least three homes were badly damaged and the pilots' bodies had been retrieved.

"According to our latest information, a total of 18 people were killed in the plane crash. They include five crew members and 13 civilians who were killed when the plane crashed into homes and quickly caught fire," he said.

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan in separate statements expressed their condolences.

The military said the army aircraft was on a routine training flight when it crashed, but had no information on the possible cause. An investigation was underway.

Pakistan's military has been on high alert since February, when India launched an airstrike inside Pakistan to target Pakistan-based militants behind the suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Pakistan at the time retaliated and said it shot down two Indian air force planes. One Indian pilot was captured and later released amid signs of easing tensions.

In 2010, a Pakistani passenger jet crashed into the hills surrounding the capital, Islamabad, in poor weather, killing all 152 people on board.

___

Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Asim Tanveer in Islamabad contributed to this report.

How China Court Upholds 7 Year Prison Sentence Against US-based Christian Pastor

Pastor John Cao breaks a ground on a new school in Wa State, Myanmar. The prominent Chinese pastor was detained by Chinese authorities in March 2017 (AP Photo)

An appeals court in China has ruled that North Carolina-based Pastor John Cao – a permanent resident of the United States – will serve the remainder of a seven year sentence in a Chinese prison.
The American Center for Law and Justice reports the Pu’er Intermediated Court announced on July 25^th that it’s upholding a trial court’s conviction and seven year imprisonment of Pastor Cao.
The Christian minister was arrested while carrying out a humanitarian mission to the people of China and neighboring Burma (Myanmar), something he has done for more than 30 years.

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He is US permanent resident from Greensboro, NC, and has been incarcerated in a Chinese prison for two years.
He was convicted and sentenced by a Chinese court without any evidence against him, according to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
Despite the pastor’s failing health, the trial court postponed Cao's appeal hearing four times.
According to the ACLJ, the postponement violated Cao's right to due process, a fair trial and equal treatment under the law.

As CBN News reported, last March Cao was sentenced to seven years in prison for "organizing others to illegally cross the border"— a crime more commonly applied to human traffickers.

Cao and a fellow Christian teacher were arrested after coming back into China from neighboring Myanmar. They had been volunteering to teach at 16 schools in northern Myanmar which serve more than 2,000 students.
Cao had been ferrying back and forth across a river which divides the countries for more than three years without any problems from either government.

While being held for a year following his arrest, Cao was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Chinese court, despite a lack of evidence. The prosecutor only submitted written witness testimonies, and the pastor was denied the opportunity to cross examine witnesses or to provide rebuttal evidence, according to the ACLJ.
His waited nine months for an appeal, despite Chinese law which requires the appellate process shall be no longer than 2 months.

Cao has lost more than 50 pounds and is experiencing several health issues. He is forbidden to have any visitors other than his attorneys.
Now that his sentence has been upheld, Pastor Cao will be transferred from the Menglian Detention Center to prison. It is unclear which prison he will be sent to and for how long.
Family and friends of Pastor Cao ask for continued prayers and support during this difficult time.

How Imprisoned Chinese Christians Memorize Entire Bible: 'They Can’t Take What’s Hidden in Your Heart

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With Scripture passages scribbled on scraps of paper and smuggled into prison, Chinese Christians imprisoned for their faith are memorizing the entire Bible.
“…Even though they can take the paper away, they can’t take what’s hidden in your heart,” a woman who had been imprisoned said, according to the Christian Post.
On a recent trip to China, pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, held a leadership training where he learned about these Christian’s love for Scripture. Out of the 22 attendees to the training, 18 of them had been imprisoned for their faith.
If Cordeiro, an American, had been caught at the training, he would have been deported within 24 hours. But the fate would have been much worse for the attendees: three years in prison.
In a recent sermon, Cordeiro shared the depth of these Christian’s understanding of Scripture.
At the beginning of the lesson, he realized that they only had 15 Bibles for the 22 participants.
But it didn’t matter. When he asked the audience to turn to 2 Peter 1, he noticed that one lady handed her Bible to the woman next to her. Cordeiro realized that she had memorized the whole book.
“When it was done, I went over to her at a break and said, ‘You recited the whole chapter,’” he said.

“In prison, you have much time in prison,” she replied.
Although the prison guards confiscate any Christian material, people still smuggle in small scraps of paper with Scripture, then memorize them as quickly as they can.
After the three-day training, Cordeiro commended the Christians who attended. One of them had asked Cordeiro to pray that they would become like him. But Cordeiro replied he couldn’t.
“I looked at him and said, ‘I will not do that,’” he said. “You guys rode a train 13 hours to get here. In my country, if you have to drive more than an hour, people won’t come.
“You sat on a wooden floor for three days. In my country, if people have to sit for more than 40 minutes they leave. You sat here for not only three days on a hard wooden floor, in my country if it’s not padded pews and air conditioning, people will not come back.
“In my country, we have an average of two Bibles per family. We don’t read any of them. You hardly have any Bibles and you memorize them from pieces of paper.

“I will not pray that you become like us, but I will pray that we become just like you.”
A recent surge of Christianity has exploded in China, bringing along heavy persecution. The government has closed down several house churches and instigated mass arrests of Chinese megachurch members. Nonetheless, with over 30 million Christians in China, some experts estimate the country will have the largest population of believers in the world by 2030.

What Does the Bible Actually Said about Food?

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There are many views regarding what diet is ideal. Vegans, vegetarians, proponents of plant-based diets, and meat promoters all argue that their diet is best. Throw the raw diet crowd into the mix, and the confusion only increases. Many of these diets overlap but with some stark differences. For example, hard-core raw advocates don’t cook any food. They consume it straight from the tree, vine, or ground. Plant-based diets promote raw, but they are often flexible and have a much broader range of choices.
I don’t claim to have all the answers. Even experts in the field of nutrition are divided, but again, we can glean a great deal from the biblical account. Most diets are written from an evolutionary perspective, so it’s important that we get our facts straight. So let’s begin where God begins.
In the beginning of creation, God said:
“Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. (Gen. 1:29–30 NASB)
We were designed to eat living, plant-based food. The life of the plant via vitamins, minerals, and enzymes is to be deposited into the body—to restore, renew, and replenish. We read that, after the flood, everything that lives and moves was to be food for us except the blood that is in the animal (Gen. 9:3). The blood of an animal contains toxins. Many diseases travel in the blood. God also identified clean and unclean animals. Un-clean animals, such as pork, are still not considered healthy since viruses, bacteria, and parasites are easily transferred from the pig to us.

Was man not to consume meat until after the flood, approximately 1,600 years after the fall? If so, why? Did early man eat only plants for over 16 centuries before God allowed meat? How did a plant-based diet provide vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and zinc when they are difficult to obtain in a plant-based diet? Is it permissible to eat meat and dairy but not ideal? Should it be consumed sparingly? Does it balance nature (i.e., kill and eat)?
Biblically speaking, you can find support for a few different views, but we are encouraged to let our moderation be known to all men. Moderation means drinking or eating something occasionally. Unfortunately, moderation is often abused, and very unhealthy patterns develop. Paul said all things may be allowed, but all things are not bene-ficial (1 Cor. 10:23). In most areas where people live the longest, their diets are primarily plant-based.
I believe that the pre-flood atmosphere of the earth was much different than our living conditions today. Man lived in a healthier en-vironment that may have provided more oxygen and greater protection against the harmful rays of the sun, and plants and fruit-bearing trees grew in abundance. After the flood, however, fruits and vegetables became scarce (see Gen. 8:22: seedtime and harvest). I believe that God allowed meat consumption because of this scarcity. Healthy meat and dairy can be enjoyed from time to time for those who want to go this route, but it shouldn’t be consumed in abundance. Personally, I’d rather err on the side of eating what we ate before the fall as my primary source of nutrition. But again, this is my opinion.

• In Ezekiel 4:9, we read that Ezekiel was to take “wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt . . . and make bread.” This was his diet for over a year. Was it for convenience sake or health sake? We can only speculate, but this plant combination had/has many health benefits.
• In Daniel 1, Daniel ate vegetables and water for 10 days and looked better than those who ate meat and delicacies. Plant food brings life (Rev. 22:2). It should be our primary focus at every meal. 
• In Daniel 10, it appears that he did this again for 21 days. The spiritual outcome was incredible. I find it interesting that God blesses fasts where only vegetables are consumed. 
• Meat aligns more with our animalistic nature; cravings for meat have been the downfall of many (see Num. 11). People were often rebuked because of gluttony over meat.
• When God fed the children of Israel in the wilderness, He provided “bread from heaven” known as manna (Ex. 16:4; John 6:31). The people made it into cakes or boiled it. It had the appearance of bdellium (from trees). The Bible states the manna tasted like wafers made with honey. The perfect food that God chose appears to be plant-based, not meat-based. This is rather compelling for me. Then God brought in millions of quail because the people “lusted for meat.” 
• But in Acts 10, we find that Peter had a vision in which God instructed him to kill and eat meat. 
• In Romans 14:1–2, the apostle Paul talks about not judging a person who eats meat. Granted, this could be referring to the unclean nature of certain foods and whether those foods were offered to idols rather than being a proof text for meat-based diets.
• In 1 Timothy 4:3–4, Paul said that in the last days deceiving spirits will command people to abstain from certain foods—foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving. This verse is one reason why I don’t prohibit any food that God created for food, including healthy meat and dairy. 

Be careful when making absolute and dogmatic statements about diet. However, we can be assured that healthy is the way to go. Living food places vitamins, minerals, and powerful phytochemicals directly into the body. Man-made food is dead; it doesn’t give—it takes.  


My Thoughts on the Disease Epidemic 

After pouring over many articles, documentaries, and health plans, I narrowed down what may be fueling our disease epidemic. Clearly, something happened to our DNA as the result of the fall—whether it’s cells only being able to duplicate a certain amount of times, or sin allowing the mutation of DNA sequencing, something catastrophic happened. The question is: Do we fuel disease and strengthen its grip by making poor choices, or do we fight it by making wise choices? Granted, we live in a fallen world that often results in illness and disease. We can’t always prevent that.
Let’s look at what a day for a typical Christian might look like: 
The day may begin with unhealthy cereal and milk, along with sugar water—that is, pasteurized orange juice. Or we may grab a large cup of coffee as we frantically run out the door. Sadly, there is little time for God.
We fail to get adequate sleep as well as adequate amounts of water. Contrary to popular thought, the body cannot acquire restful sleep after consuming caffeine. The only reason a person can fall asleep after consuming it is because of sheer exhaustion. With caffeine in the system, deep sleep vital to health and recovery remains elusive; therefore, we wake up exhausted instead of refreshed.
Lunch may consist of fast food or a “healthy” turkey sandwich containing sodium nitrates in the meat, processed bread, and nutrient-deficient cheese. We may also purchase a bag of so-called healthy chips and a drink loaded with sugar.

We come home exhausted and quickly prepare a large piece of meat with heaps of pasta and a few pieces of limp broccoli for dinner. We spend the next few hours watching mindless entertainment while eating sugary sweets.
It’s a never-ending cycle of fatigue and stress that manifests itself in physical and mental illness, weight gain, and overall poor health. Think of what we are doing to our children by laying this unhealthy foundation early in their lives. It’s time to break this cycle!
Disease often prevails when the bad guys are fed and the good guys are starved. Oxidative stress is the battle in our body between free radicals (terrorists) and the antioxidants (good guys). The constant bombardment wears the body down, hence the words “oxidative stress.” Antioxidants found in living food are like the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Antioxidants disarm the free-radical terrorists by donating electrons to them. They become stable rather than radical.
A Quick Recap
Here are five ways we can fuel disease based on what we have covered so far:

1. Unhealthy meat is a toxic choice if we factor in growth hormones, antibiotics, drug residue, pathogens, worms, biotoxins, and carcinogens from packaging as well as cooking. And most dairy products have been tainted and altered. If poor choices are made in this area, more terrorists are deployed into the body. I’m not against healthy meat and dairy in moderation; I’m against toxic meat and dairy in abundance. In countries like Austria and France and in areas near the Mediterranean, heart disease is much lower than in America, even though they eat more fat. We must look at all factors that cause inflammation and disease. Most antioxidants found in meat and dairy come from the nutrient-rich plants that the animals eat. If animals are fed genetically modified feed with zero life-giving benefits and injected with hormones and antibiotics, these factors will lower their antioxidant output. 
2. If high levels of sugar, such as high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, rice syrup, sucrose, and dozens more, are added to the terrorism team, the strength of the enemy grows. Increased levels of sugar intake, along with a substantial rise in meat or dairy consumption, could be one possible link to cancer—the one-two punch. Dr. Joel Fuhrman has noted this as well. High sugar intake releases insulin into the bloodstream, and high levels of animal protein consumption can raise insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1). IGF-1 is a hormone that is similar to insulin. It joins with growth hormone to reproduce and regenerate cells. This is great news if the cells are healthy but bad news if they are cancerous. In short, excess sugar sparks the flame of disease, and the abundant IGF-1 throws gas on the fire. (Also avoid fake sweeteners such as aspartame, which is also known as AminoSweet, Nutrasweet, and Equal, at all costs. They are chemicals, not natural sweeteners.)
3. If we add refined vegetable oils to the terrorism team, arteries and healthy cells become damaged due to inflammation. 
4. Add the failure to fast to the equation and the enemy gains additional ground. Fasting invites SEAL Team Sixto the battle. Among other things, fasting starves the fuel source of free radicals because most toxins are released during the digestion of food. Imagine what a bowl of junk cereal releases into your body compared to nothing being released when fasting. I believe that fasting slows aging for this very reason: It minimizes toxins while allowing the body to cleanse and rebuild. Granted, fasting will cause the body to release stored toxins as part of the cleansing process, but the body is prepared for this. 
5. Throw inactivity into the battle, and the terrorists gain even more strength. Our bodies were not designed to sit for long periods of time. In 2006, Harvard Medical School made the following statement: “Exercise helps prevent atherosclerosis. It keeps arteries healthy by lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and boosting HDL (“good”) cholesterol. And it also helps by improving other atherosclerotic risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, stress, and various other factors that promote blood clots.” Inactivity often leads to weight gain and sluggish blood flow. Remember that every pound of fat requires a few extra miles of blood vessels. That means more work for the body, especially the heart. Lose the excess and bring in more reinforcements.

How Pregnant Mother was among Five Christians Slain in North-Central Nigeria

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JOS, Nigeria, July 22, 2019 (Morning Star News) – A pregnant mother of two children was among three Christians killed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen in north-central Nigeria the night of July 14 and morning of July 15, sources said.
Margaret Wakili, a 27-year-old member of the Baptist Church in Ancha village, Plateau state, was slain on her farm at about 10 a.m. on July 15, area residents told Morning Star News.
The herdsmen attacked the Christian communities of Ancha, Tafigana, Kperie, Hukke and Rikwechongu, killing the three Christians and burning down 75 houses and two church buildings, according to area residents Patience Moses, Zongo Lawrence and Chinge Dodo Ayuba.
Ancha village was the scene of an attack two years ago when Fulani herdsmen killed 22 Christians, all members of the Baptist Church in the village.
Moses told Morning Star News by phone that Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked the villages on the night of July 14 and the early hours of July 15. In Tafigana village, Bassa County, she said, they killed Thomas Wollo, 46, and his son, Ngwe Thomas Wollo, 7.
“Both of them were ambushed and killed in Tafigana village as they were returning to their home after attending a church program at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Tafigana, at about 8:30 pm,” she said.
Lawrence, of Miango town, told Morning Star News that the herdsmen beheaded the elder Wallo after killing him. He said attacks on Christian communities in the area have heightened, with one village or another attacked nearly every day.

“We have been experiencing daily attacks by these Fulani herdsmen in our communities, most especially on Sundays during worship hours or Thursdays when church activities are held,” he said.
Lawrence said that 75 houses with food stores and two church buildings were burned down.
“The herdsmen destroyed farm produce worth millions of naira, and a lot of domestic animals were killed in the two villages,” he said.
The attacks on the farms occurred on July 14 as Christians were in worship services in the villages, he said.
Ayuba, another resident of the area, confirmed that Wollo and his son were killed on July 14.

“The attacks by the herdsmen continued on Monday morning with another village, Ancha, attacked, and a woman killed,” Ayuba said. “As a people, we are continuously under attack, and nobody seems to be hearing our cries for help, while killing of our people has now become a routine.”
Two other area Christians were killed in prior attacks. On July 7 in Kperie village of Kwall District, also in Bassa County, the herdsmen ambushed and killed a Christian identified as Ezekiel Audu, 25, at about 9 pm., Moses said.
“Christian residents said Audu was riding his motorcycle in company of his friends when they were ambushed and shot by the herdsmen,” she said. “He was a member of ECWA [Evangelical Church Winning All] church in Kperie village.”

Prior to the July14-15 assaults, the herdsmen also attacked Hukke and Rikwechongu villages, destroying crops on farms belonging to Christians.
On May 3 at about 10 p.m., the herdsmen had attacked the same two villages, killing a Christian identified as 63-year-old Di Zere. Zere was killed in his room when the herdsmen broke into his house as he and his family were sleeping. His corpse was burnt, and his 10-year-old daughter sustained gunshot wounds.
Lawrence said Fulani herdsmen have killed 17 area Christians this year.
“We are left without rescue,” he said. “Houses were burnt and razed down, alongside many churches. Farm produce has been destroyed, while many with gunshot wounds are currently in hospitals. Hundreds of our people have been killed by the Fulani herdsmen in the past three years.”
Enugu State Shooting 
In southeastern Nigeria’s Enugu state, Fulani herdsmen shot and wounded a Catholic priest and one of his parishioners on Wednesday (July 17), sources said.
The Rev. Ikechukwu Ilo of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, in Numeh, was shot as he and Chika Egbo drove along the Numeh-Nenwe Highway in Nkanu East County at about 7 p.m., according to a church press statement.
The statement from the Catholic Church quotes the priest as saying that those who attacked them were armed herdsmen.
“As we drove towards the village, the Fulani killer herdsmen, who spoke both in English and Fulani languages, opened fire, trying to force us to stop,” Ilo said. “Seeing that we were not ready to cave in to their intimidation, they started raining bullets on our vehicle at close range, and in the process, shot me at my ankle and shoulder while the other victim was shot in her leg and waist.”


The Rev. Benjamin Achi, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, told Morning Star News by phone that the attack on the priest and parishioner was carried out by Fulani herdsmen.
“Fr. Ilo and the woman with him are currently receiving treatment at a Catholic Church health facility, the Annunciation Specialist Hospital, Emene, Enugu state,” Achi said.
Police also on Friday (July 19) confirmed the attack.
“The Enugu state command of the Nigeria Police Force through its operatives are investigating the attack on a priest identified as Rev. Fr. Ikechukwu Ilo of St. Patrick Parish, Numeh on Wednesday July 18, 2019, along the Numeh axis of Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State,” police spokesman Ebere Amaraizu said in a press statement.
There is a history of attacks on Catholics in the state. In October 2016, herdsmen kidnapped two priests as the clergymen carried out pastoral duties in their local parishes. One of the kidnapped priests, the Rev. Aniako Celestine of St. Joseph Catholic Church, in Ukana, Udi County, was kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen while carrying out pastoral duties in the town of Ezeagu.
The second kidnapped priest, the Rev. Chijioke Amoke of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Onicha Enugu Ezike in Igboeze North County, was also kidnapped by armed herdsmen, diocesan officials reported.
Another Catholic priest, the Rev. Lazarus Nwafor, in August 2016 was killed by herdsmen when they attacked Attakwu town in Enugu state. The Rev. Callistus Onaga, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, stated then that Nwafor was cut several times in the attack by the herdsmen on the Attakwu Christian community in Nkanu West County.

Such attacks by Muslim Fulani herdsmen have adversely affected churches and crippled productive activities in the area, church leaders say.
Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria’s population, while Muslims living primarily in the north and middle belt account for 45 percent.
Nigeria ranked 12^th on Open Doors’ 2019 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.

How 10 Persecuted Christians Chosen by the State Department Shared Their Stories with the World

At this week's second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, 23 survivors from 15 countries from all faiths were given a global platform in Washington DC.

Image: Jeremy Weber

Survivors of religious persecution visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., during the State Department's Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom.

At this week’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, billed as the largest human rights event the US State Department has ever held, 23 people were invited to share their or their loved ones’ stories of religious persecution.

Below are the 10 Christian survivors from 10 nations, followed by the non-Christian survivors.

Christian survivors of religious persecution:

China: Ouyang Manping is the wife of Pastor Su Tifan, who on December 9, 2015, was placed under administrative detention after law enforcement raided the Three Living Stone Church.

Cuba: Reverend Mario Félix Lleonart Barroso is currently the pastor of the Iglesia Bautista de Waldorf (Baptist Church of Waldorf), where he ministers to the Latino community. While in Cuba, he planted and pastored Baptist churches in the province of Villa Clara and in Havana. In 2016, after years of being harassed, detained, and arrested multiple times because of his faith activities, Pastor Leonard, his wife, Yoaxis, and his two daughters sought asylum in the United States. They arrived in the United States on September 11, 2016.

Eritrea: Helen Berhane was held in a container for almost three years because of her faith. She is now a gospel singer and wrote a book about her experience.

Malaysia: Wife of Pastor Raymond Koh, the pastor kidnapped on a highway by at least 15 men in three black SUVs on CCTV in February 2017 with no proof of life since. Police say one demand for money was opportunistic but that there is no evidence to the pastor's whereabouts. There are possible links to Koh's role as a Christian activist at a time when Malaysia was moving to enforce stricter Islamic laws.

The pastor was accused of proselytizing Muslims in 2011, and a box containing two bullets, with a note in Malay threatening his life, was sent to Koh's house. On April 3, the country’s civil rights commission ruled that that the disappearance probably was the act of the national police intelligence branch.

Iraq: Father Thabet Habib Yousif, Chaldean Catholic Priest from Karamles, Ninevah. When ISIS came, the residents of Karamles fled. Fr. Thabet remained behind to ensure everyone fled and ensure his congregation was cared for in displacement. He helped organize accommodation, food, and work. When Karamles was liberated, he was one of the first to return home and help coordinate rebuilding. These efforts included extending assistance for the small remnant of Shabak families also returning.

Nigeria: “Esther,” 20, is from Gwoza in southern Borno. She was held captive by Boko Haram for over three years. During her captivity, she experienced terrible trauma—from witnessing how people died to surviving sexual abuse. She escaped and was rescued by the military. But her escape did not bring the freedom she had long hoped and prayed for. She was kept in near-prison conditions until a Christian doctor was able to reconnect her with her family. Her family now welcomes her but local gossip attacking her daughter Rebecca as a “Boko Haram Child” was very hurtful. With some help, she has become stronger and ignores the public hate.

North Korea: Ill Yong Joo is a 23-year-old student who defected from North Korea in 2008 at the age of 12. Joo has been an active advocate in the past year. He visited the Department in October 2018 as a Liberty in North Korea Advocacy Fellow. For 10 years, his family listened to South Korean radio, including Christian broadcasting, which was one of the motivating factors for their escape.

He said, “Even listening to foreign radio is considered a crime against the state. If I had been caught, I could have been executed.” His father escaped first, years before he, his mother, and sister crossed the Tumen River, trekked across Southeast Asia, and finally resettled in South Korea after five months of traveling. His father is now a missionary in South Korea.

Sudan: Meriam Yahia Ibrahim was charged with apostasy and adultery in May 2014 for marrying a Christian man. She was raised by her Christian mother and identified as Christian but her father was Muslim and left her to be raised by her mother. She refused to renounce her Christian faith and was sentenced to death row. She was detained when she tried to leave the country after her release in July 2014 and now lives in the US.

Turkey: After practicing his faith in Turkey for more than 20 years, Pastor Andrew Brunson was imprisoned in October 2016 on false charges without a trial until the spring of 2018. The Turkish government presented no evidence that he was guilty, when finally indicted in April 2018, on charges referencing “Christianization” and religious activity, which raised questions about religious freedom in Turkey and indicated that he has been targeted because of his faith. He was released in October 2018 after a few “show” trials.

Vietnam: Pastor A Ga oversaw 12 house churches associated with the Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ of Vietnam in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. After several detentions and over 40 police interrogation sessions involving torture, he and his immediate family fled to Thailand in 2014. In 2017, the Vietnamese government issued an arrest warrant against him. The Thai police arrested him, his wife, and their son. Due to US intervention, Pastor A Ga and his family resettled in the US as refugees in September 2018.

Non-Christian survivors of religious persecution:

Afghanistan

Hazara Shia: Farahnaz Ikhitari is a survivor of ISIS attacks. Ikhitari is a Hazara Shia from Lashkargah in Helmand Province, who lives in Afghanistan and is fluent in English. She received a BA in law and an LLB in law from American University of Afghanistan, and got engaged with another Hazara studying computer science at American University. On the first day of Nowruz on March 21, 2018, her fiancé, her future brother-in-law (12 years old), and her own brother (18) went to Karte Sakhie to celebrate the New Year, along with many other Hazaras. ISIS planted a bomb near the shrine in Karte Sakhie, and all three were killed, along with 30 other people.

Bangladesh

Secular: Rafida Ahmed, who survived a 2015 ISIS-inspired assassination attempt but lost a thumb to the assailant (her husband, Bangladesh American atheist Avijit Roy, was killed in the same attack) is a prominent blogger. In November 2017 Bangladesh arrested the attacker.

Hindu: Priya Biswas Saha is General Secretary of Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council. Priya Biswas Saha is a well-known figure in Bangladesh, both among the Hindu and human rights communities. She recently addressed the IRF Roundtable and Ambassador Sam Brownback, describing the situation of her ancestral home in Firozpur being burnt by arsonists in 2019. Priya is a human rights specialist in Bangladesh and focuses on religious minorities in Bangladesh. She has authored and provided insight for numerous reports on the plight of Bangladeshi minorities, particularly women who suffer sexual and physical intimidation. She has a current visa to travel to the United States.

China

Uighur Muslim: Jewher Ilham is the daughter of Uyghur scholar, Ilham Tohti, an internationally noted moderate voice who was dedicated to bridging the gap between the Uyghur people and the Han Chinese. Jewher’s father was given an unprecedented life sentence based on the writings on his website, Uyghur Online. As an advocate for her father, she testified before the US Congressional-Executive Committee on China, wrote op-eds in The New York Times, met with a number of government officials including Secretary of State John Kerry, and received numerous awards worldwide on behalf of her father. In 2015, she recounted her experiences in the book, Jewher Ilham: A Uyghur’s Fight to Free Her Father (University of New Orleans Press). Currently, Jewher is finishing her degree in political science, Arabic (Near Eastern Studies), and Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University.

Tibetan Buddhist: Nyima Lhamo, a human rights activist and the niece of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a renowned Tibetan Buddhist lama who died in a Chinese prison while serving a life sentence. She was born in Tibet but is now based in the US. She has testified before the Congressional Lantos Human Rights Commission and briefed numerous UN Special Mandate holders.

Falun Gong practitioner: Yuhua Zhang is a former professor in China whose husband was arrested, tortured, and has been disappeared by Chinese authorities.

Germany

Jewish: Irene Weiss is a Holocaust survivor born in Bótrágy, Czechoslovakia (now Batrad, Ukraine). She moved to northern Virginia in 1953. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from American University and taught in the Fairfax County Public School system in Virginia for 13 years. Irene is a volunteer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Iraq

Yezidi: Nadia Murad won the Nobel Prize last year for her work as a Yezidi survivor.

Pakistan

Ahmadiyya: Abdul Shakoor, elderly prisoner of conscience released March 18, 2019. Was detained since December 2, 2015, on charges of propagating the Ahmadiyya faith and stirring up “religious hatred” and “sectarianism”; sentenced to three years in prison for blasphemy and five years under the Anti-Terrorism Act on January 2, 2016. Shakoor ran a bookshop in Rabwah, Punjab province, a city of 70,000 that is 95% Ahmadiyya. Police and elite counter-terror forces raided his shop, accusing him and his Shia assistant of selling an Ahmadiyya commentary on the Quran and possessing sensitive materials. His conviction was for “printing, publishing, or disseminating any material to incite hatred” as well as for acts and speech that insult a religion or religious beliefs or defile the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammad, a place of worship, or religious symbols. His appeal was listed on the High Court docket in Lahore several times but never actually heard. On March 18, 2019, he was released from prison, but the charges against him were not dropped.

Advocate: Shaan Taseer is an advocate of international religious freedom and based in Canada. He is the son of Salman Taseer, the former governor of Punjab, Pakistan. Taseer called for repealing Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and was then assassinated by his bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri in January 2011. Shaan Taseer has since been an advocate against Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and has supported Pakistani NGOs working on blasphemy cases.

Sudan

Minority Muslim: Badreldin Yousif Elsimat writes and practices a moderate version of Islam advocating separation of mosque and state and did not have a communal space to meet with his followers. He wrote many books about his beliefs that are sold around the world except in Sudan. He was arrested at his home on January 12 with five followers regarding his sermons and the recent protests in Khartoum. When detained he was asked about his religion and was placed with ISIS fighters. He was not tortured but was forced to watch his followers be tortured. Minority religious groups, including Muslim minority groups, express concern they could be convicted of apostasy if they express beliefs or discuss religious practices that differ from those of the Sunni majority group.

Vietnam

Cao Dai: Luong Xuan Duong is a Cao Dai follower, currently in Texas. He is a member of the Popular Council of Cao Dai Religion. Due to his advocacy for religious freedom for his religious organization, he was jailed for 30 months in 1996. In 2008, he was issued an arrest warrant after he tried to convene a general assembly of Cao Dai followers. He went into hiding for eight years and escaped to Thailand in March 2016. In late 2017, he reunited with his wife and daughter in Dallas, where he continues to fight for religious freedom in Vietnam.

Yemen

Jewish: Rabbi Faiz Grady was a rabbi in Raydah, Yemen, and was forced into hiding in Sanaa and then ultimately fled Yemen for speaking out publicly after the murder of Rabbi Moshe Nahari in 2008. US Ambassador Seche assisted United Jewish Organizations with his rescue in 2009.

Will Europe's Third-Largest Church Punish Pastor for Multiple Affairs?

Sunday Adelaja loses leaders at Kiev's Embassy of God for not heeding their discipline.

Image: Facebook

Sunday Adelaja

The controversial founder of one of Europe's largest Protestant churches is battling some in his church leadership over his reaction to multiple affairs.

Sunday Adelaja, a Nigerian pastor who leads the charismatic Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, has admitted to having affairs with parishioners. The confession came one month after he posted a video on his blog titled “Sexual Sin Is Not Enough to Take You to Hell.”

The female parishioners revealed the affairs to other area pastors, who then took the information public, according to the Council of Bishops of Christian Evangelical Churches of Ukraine. (English version here.) The leaders warned Ukrainian Christians about Adelaja, also noting previous allegations that he bilked investors of $100 million in a Ponzi scheme called King's Capital.

Earlier, a website called ZimEye claimed to have exposed Adelaja by having an undercover reporter pose as a “prophet” and secretly record a February phone call with the pastor. The elders of Embassy of God publicly dismissed the report as a prank.

“If you have listened to the audio recording which was fraudulently obtained, you will notice that Pastor Sunday never once admitted to any wrong doing as the caller was suggesting in his prophetic utterances,” stated the elders. “It was the prophet that was rather putting words into Pastor Sunday’s mouth. If Pastor Sunday had anything to hide he would not have taken the call with his wife present.”

The elders—which include Adelaja’s wife Bose and three others—noted that Adelaja has already acknowledged that he “has had several sexual challenges and has by God’s grace being able to overcome them.”

“Pastor Sunday has always shared with the world that he is in a position to help minister to the world only because he himself has had his own share of trials including sexual trials, problems and victories,” stated the elders.

Then last month, Adelaja confessed to the affairs at a meeting of more than 200 pastors. He was “defrocked” and removed from preaching (among other leadership duties) after confessing to “fornication,” according to the Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (ROSHVE).

“Although we have had a long time to notice warning signs in the life and ministry of this man, what we talked about and to him personally and publicly in official statements of the Union, we did not want until the last moment to believe that there are such serious sins in his life,” the Spiritual Board of ROSHVE wrote. They questioned whether Adelaja's affairs might have been covered up by those close to him.

“We have serious questions to the ministers, who were and are members of the Council of the Apostles and the elders of the church ‘Embassy of God,’ to the closest aides and deputies [of Adelaja], about their actions (or rather—of the criminal inaction) in this situation,” the board wrote. “After all, the timely and rigorous exposure could prevent this tragedy!”

In a Russian-language press release on March 24, ROSHVE stated that Adelaja would enter a season of “recovery.”

An Embassy of God administrator told CT that the church has not issued a public statement because it is “regarded as an inside matter.” The administrator said Adelaja has voluntarily “decided to step down” for six months due to the recent accusations and the ongoing “strenuous lawsuit” over King’s Capital.

He was also planning to move from Ukraine to Nigeria. “He needs this time to recuperate and prepare,” said the administrator.

The six months would also be "enough time" for some critics within the church to “cool down and find answers.”

But Adelaja’s Facebook and blog have remained active, and neither they nor the church’s website mentions the sabbatical.

Several of those close to him have accused him of thwarting attempts to help or discipline.

“I am not a professional psychiatrist, nor profess to be one, but you never addressed the sins you committed against those innocent women, many of which are married,” wrote Ulysses Tuff, founder and pastor at The Way, The Truth, and The Life Christian Center in Georgia, to Adelaja in a letter obtained by CT. He has been Adelaja’s mentor since 1995.

“If I had to use words to describe and give a very general perspective about you, I would choose such words as hallucination of grandeur, narcissistic, or sociopathic behavior,” Tuff continued.

“Yet, you said that according to 1 Cor. 2:2-10, everything you are going through is connected to your Apostleship,” he wrote. “Not Paul, nor any of the apostles in preparation for apostleship were found to have defiled 20, 30, or more women (this number of women was what you said on my first night meeting with you, you also said there could be more, you don’t remember). It is damaging to the integrity and laws of scriptural interpretation, how you have twisted the scripture to paint a picture of your sainthood and my life as one that was so grievous.”

Tuff said he was officially withdrawing himself as Adelaja’s “spiritual father.”

“It's true you have mastered the technique (voice control, communication skills, strategic planning, etc.), but what you have failed to recognize, like many others, is that what makes or breaks ministers is not teachings, but what goes on within your soul,” he wrote.

Tuff declined further comment to CT.

Anatoly Belonozhko, who is a bishop at the Embassy of God, the director of its missionary center, and the leader of the “spiritual church administration,” announced his withdrawal from the Embassy of God last month.

“For 22 years of service at the Embassy of God, I went through a lot of different tests, and have always remained close to Pastor Sunday, pastors, ministers, and churches,” he wrote. “I also stayed with Pastor Sunday in this last time, despite his fall, which strongly contradicts the Christian and my personal values.”

But as the church elders began to “heal and restore” the church and Adelaja after he stepped down from leadership, Adelaja “in writing categorically rejected our help, humiliating us and saying that we have no power to tell him what to do and how to do it and that he knows how and what to do.”

Adelaja accused the elders of being “intoxicated by power” and told them to let “me do what I need to do,” according to Belonozhko.

“I talked to Pastor Sunday [after the affairs were revealed to church leadership in December], trying to help, remaining in the church in the most difficult time for all of us to save and restore the church and souls of men,” he wrote. “But as I understand it—the pastor does not need my help. I clearly understand that my service in the Embassy of God has come to an end.”

Last month, 11 evangelical leaders declared that since the church has not removed Adelaja from control, they are complicit in his sin. Sunday, the church, and any religious communities that remain in his sphere of influence “cannot be regarded as churches,” since they “have turned away from the truth of the gospel,” the leaders said.

Adelaja’s independent charismatic church, which he founded in 1994, is tied for the third-largest Protestant church in Europe, according to Leadership Network. He is considered one of the best examples of Nigeria’s exporting of fervent charismatic faith.

Adelaja left Nigeria for the USSR when he was 19 and newly born-again, according to his Facebook bio: “After communism persecution, he started a church in Kiev at age 27. By the age 33, the church was the biggest in the history of Europe, passing 15,000 members in year 2000.”

The church just celebrated its 22nd anniversary.

“With all the attacks that I have and with all the criticism, I know that I will not be here forever,” Adelaja told CT in a 2008 interview. Later that year, charismatic leaders in Ukraine accused him of operating King's Capital as a Ponzi scheme.

CT interviewed Adelaja for a 2008 cover story on Ukraine, which examined how Eastern Europe's most missional church was rethinking tradition and the Great Commission.

How Trump Tells And Warns Nigeria’s President Church Attacks Must Stop

Meeting follows widespread Sunday protests by Christians who oppose their government’s lack of action against Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram.

Image: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

President Donald Trump repeatedly spoke up for beleaguered Christians in Nigeria at a White House meeting today with the country’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, who’s currently under fire for not doing more to stop ongoing sectarian attacks by militant Fulani herdsmen.

“We are deeply concerned by religious violence in Nigeria including the burning of churches and the killing and persecution of Christians. It’s a horrible story,” Trump said in a joint press conference.

“We encourage Nigeria and the federal state and local leaders to do everything in their power to immediately secure the affected communities and to protect innocent civilians of all faiths including Muslims and including Christians.”

The President praised Buhari’s efforts to fight ISIS and Boko Haram in the West African nation, but Fulani herdsmen have recently outpaced both as the deadliest terror force in Nigeria.

Officials believe the nomadic majority-Muslim herders are responsible for last Tuesday’s attack that killed 19 people during a Catholic mass and destroyed dozens of homes. The violence in Benue state continued last week with fatal late-night attacks on Christians’ homes and another church, where Christians were taking refuge. Hundreds have been killed so far this year.

Trump’s meeting with Buhari comes just one day after the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) organized national protests “asking the federal government and the security agencies to stop the unending killings and bloodshed in the country.”

Christian leaders have accused Buhari—who is Muslim and whose family is Fulani—of failing to prevent or prosecute the ongoing attacks, which the Nigerian president recently called “vile, evil, and satanic.” None of the suspected perpetrators have been punished.

Nigeria’s Catholic bishops have accused Buhari of ineffective leadership and recently asked him to resign, saying, “Whether this failure is due to inability to perform or lack of political will, it is time for him to choose the path of honor and consider stepping aside to save the nation from total collapse.”

The bishops have specifically called out security agencies for failing to protect churches and Christian villages. Leaders of the Methodist Church in Nigeria as well as other denominations have likewise criticized Buhari’s response.

Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, is roughly split in half between a majority-Christian south and a majority-Muslim north, and the Fulani violence is concentrated in the “middle belt” or center region where the two halves meet. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom designated Nigeria as 1 of 16 “countries of particular concern” in its 2018 report, released last week.

David Curry, president of Open Doors USA, had called on Trump to leverage Monday’s meeting with Buhari “to insist upon meaningful protection for Christians who continue to be violently attacked.”

The President didn’t mention the Fulani by name, but he did acknowledge the recent violence.

“We’ve had very serious problems with Christians who have been murdered, killed in Nigeria,” said Trump. “We’re going to be working on that problem and working on that problem very, very hard because we can’t allow that to happen.”

The Jubilee Campaign, a Christian human rights group, praised the President’s remarks from Monday’s press conference, when Trump brought up the continued efforts to rescue and assist victims of the Chibok schoolgirl kidnappings.

“He also spoke strongly of the need for Nigeria to push back on Boko Haram, ISIS, and the other expressions of radical Islam,” the group wrote in an email to supporters. “We hope and pray that this will motivate the Nigerian government to provide security for all of its citizens include Christians.”

Open Doors has closely followed the plight of Nigerian Christians facing attacks from Boko Haram and the Fulani. Curry wrote in a recent USA Today op-ed:

In the past year alone, Open Doors received reports from its in-country sources of at least 611 deaths in the latest spike of militant Fulani unrest. These attacks played out in more than 50 incidents, where churches and homes were burned and residents were violently murdered, raped, and kidnapped.

The situation is now growing even worse, with 497 more deaths already reported to Open Doors in the first four months of 2018.

Yet, unlike Boko Haram, the ongoing and wide-sweeping violence of the militant Fulani herdsmen has gone relatively unnoticed.

The head of one of Nigeria’s largest Christian groups, the 10 million-strong Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), declined to officially participate in the CAN-organized protest on Sunday, which had already been declared a day of prayer for another national issue—the release of a female Christian student kidnapped by Boko Haram, Naija Church News reported.

Still, ECWA leaders like Joshua Tuwan in Jos protested. Ahead of next year’s presidential elections, the Goodnews Church pastor called the administration “clueless about governance” and said, “We stand to oppose and to tell the world that this government must rise up to its responsibilities and ensure that the culprits behind the killings are arrested. We want them to be prosecuted, if this government means serious business or else since 2019 is coming, Nigerians should show them the way out.”

Buhari is the first leader from sub-Saharan Africa to visit the Trump White House.