A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – Evangelical pastors who prayed for President Trump in the Oval Office last week say they were fulfilling a Scriptural command (1 Timothy 2:1-3) to pray for government leaders and not engaging in something that “borders on heresy.”

The heresy charge comes from Rev. William Barber, a rising leftist pastor from North Carolina who has become a national religious voice in speaking against Donald Trump during his campaign and presidency.

On Saturday, Barber told MSNBC’s Joy Reid that he believes the healthcare reform promoted by the president is “hypocrisy and sin” because it allegedly transfers wealth from the poor to “the greedy.”

In light of such policies, Barber said that faith leaders should not pray for the president but challenge him.

“It is a form of theological malpractice that borders on heresy when you can p-r-a-y for a president and others while they are p-r-e-y – preying on the most vulnerable. You’re violating the most sacred principles of religion,” he said. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – A pastor in northern India’s Punjab state was shot dead in front of his church premises two months after Hindu extremists took offense at a gospel event celebrating his church’s 25th anniversary, sources said.

Pastor Sultan Masih of Temple of God was found shot dead at Peer Banda Mohalla in the Salem Tabri area of Ludhiana District on Saturday evening (July 15). He was 50.

Masih was talking by phone outside the church building when assailants on a motorbike shot him, CCTV footage recovered by police shows. His son Anoop Masih, discovered him. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – On the same day, Senate Republicans admitted they’re out of ideas on how to pass a healthcare reform bill, it became clear that House Republicans are having their own difficulties finding GOP votes for the 2018 budget, which is the legislative vehicle for tax reform and other bills.

A plan to take up the budget next week appeared in peril on Tuesday after the most conservative faction of the GOP conference declared it would oppose the plan because, they said, it does not sufficiently reduce domestic spending, among other reasons.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who heads the conservative Freedom Caucus, told the Washington Examiner that more than three dozen conservative GOP lawmakers are prepared to vote against the Republican budget, in part because they believe the measure’s $203 billion in domestic spending cuts are not enough of a reduction. [ Source:Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Judicial Watch, a watchdog group, filed a lawsuit today in order to access voter registration lists in Maryland when it was discovered that the Montgomery County had more registered voters than citizens over the age of 18.

Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit today in order to gain access under federal law to voter registration lists in Montgomery County, Maryland. The suit was filed against Montgomery County and the Maryland State Boards of Elections under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division (Judicial Watch vs. Linda H. Lamone, et al. (No. 1:17-cv-02006)).

In an April 11, 2017, notice letter sent to Maryland election officials, Judicial Watch explained that there were more registered voters in Montgomery County than there were citizens over the age of 18. The letter threatened a lawsuit if the problems with Montgomery County’s voter rolls were not fixed. The letter also requested access to Montgomery County voter registration lists in order to evaluate the efficacy of any “programs and activities conducted for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of Maryland’s official eligible voter lists during the past 2 years.” On July 7, Maryland denied Judicial Watch access to the voter registration list because Maryland laws supposedly restricts the release of voter registration information only to Maryland registered voters.

But Section 8(i) of the NVRA provides that “[e]ach State shall maintain for at least 2 years and shall make available for public inspection and, where available, photocopying at a reasonable cost, all records concerning the implementation of programs and activities conducted for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of official lists of eligible voter.” [ Source: Judicial Watch (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Security forces in Israel and the West were on high alert Wednesday, with mass civil disobedience expected after Palestinian leaders called for a “Day of Rage” after Israel imposed increased security measures on the Temple Mount after a terror attack killed two policemen on Friday.

The Islamic Jihad and Hamas movements issued a statement on Monday calling on Palestinians to hold mass demonstrations in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and also the diaspora communities around the world.

The heads of Palestinian militant factions in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday slammed Israel over the installation of metal detectors and cameras at the flashpoint holy site saying that its “aggression” on the compound’s Al-Aqsa mosque would be “the spark that ignites the entire region.” [ Source:i24 (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump was eager to declare Iran in breach of the nuclear deal but was talked out of it by national security aides who rushed to the Oval Office to persuade him as a midnight deadline approached, administration officials say.

Trump agreed let the issue go, but only for a few more months – and only after last-minute changes to distance Trump further from the deal.

Rather than say, as planned, that Iran was living up to its end of the deal, Trump’s aides found a way late Monday to let the deal continue for now without technically confirming that Iran is complying. The administration followed up the announcement with new, non-nuclear sanctions on Iranians on Tuesday to show Trump is indeed serious about confronting Tehran. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said Monday evening that a magnitude 7.8 earthquake had occurred off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

“Based on preliminary earthquake parameters… hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 km (186 miles) of the earthquake epicenter,” the center wrote in an official message soon after the quake.

Later Monday evening, a “final” message from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center assessed that “there is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake.” [ Source:CNBC (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Empowered by a president who has “taken the handcuffs off of law enforcement,” the nation’s chief immigration official revealed Tuesday that deportation targets have surged and that he’s planning to deploy more agents and resources to “sanctuary cities” to arrest illegal criminals.

Thomas D. Homan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in an interview that since Trump entered office, illegal border crossings have crashed by almost 70 percent, “an historic low,” arrests inside the country have jumped 40 percent and that demands for illegal criminals in local jails has skyrocketed 80 percent.

“You can like President Trump, not like him, like his policies, not like his policies, but one thing no one can argue with is the effect they’ve had,” said Homan, the former chief ICE enforcement boss and a 30-year immigration agency veteran. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved $44.3 billion in spending for the Department of Homeland Security – including $1.6 billion down payment on the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border.

The proposal marks a $1.7 billion increase over the current fiscal year.

“This bill fully supports our men and women on the frontlines who work tirelessly to keep us safe,” said Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, chairman of the Appropriations Committee. “The bill also provides the necessary funding for critical technology and physical barriers to secure our borders.” [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]