Author: edengelbrecht6

Roman ‘Curse Tablets’ Made of Gold Discovered in Viminacium, Serbia

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The precious tablets feature an incomprehensible language and symbols that were perhaps designed only to be read by gods and demons.

CHR Comment: Use of curses is very ancient, found in many Near Eastern Religions where curses were written on pottery and then smashed. The golden Roman era tablets include Christian titles for God alongside titles for pagan deities, illustrating syncretism of religious devotion. Such practices are well documented and perhaps not as surprising as the article asserts. For example, many Christians today will go to church and use official literature and practices while also consulting their horoscope or making use of other popular religious practices.

Source: Roman ‘Curse Tablets’ Made of Gold Discovered in Viminacium, Serbia – NBC News

Attacks on Christians in Egypt Raise Alarms

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Attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt average about one a month over the past three years.

CHR Comment: 10% of the population is Coptic. The article describes how laws in Egypt interfere with Christians building churches and how government efforts to curb persecution are ineffective. Features of these rules and practices are similar to those used by Muslim leaders over the centuries to prevent the growth and spread of Christianity.

Source: Attacks on Christians in Egypt raise alarms

The Olympics and the Cross

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Olympic-Logo

Our family is watching the Olympics and noticing how often athletes display the cross, either on a necklace or by making the sign of the cross as a gesture of prayer. For example, a Brazilian gymnast just finished his routine and then crossed himself in prayer. As you enjoy the Olympic competition, look for examples of the cross, which unites God’s people across the nations.

christ-the-redeemer-overl-001

Pastor Dies While Fasting

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A 44-year-old pastor in South Africa tried to emulate Jesus Christ who fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights to prepare for His ministry as written in the gospels of Luke, Mark and Matthew.

CHR Comment: Pastor Alfred Ndlovu apparently abstained from both food and water. The Gospels describe Jesus fasting for forty days and forty nights but they do not say that Jesus went without water as Pastor Ndlovu did. Exodus 34:28 tells us that while Moses was writing down the commandments on Sinai, he went without food and water for forty days and forty nights. But this must be regarded as a miraculous event, that Moses was sustained by the Lord since a human being cannot go so many days without water.

Source: Pastor dies of malnutrition while trying to emulate Jesus’ fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness | Christian News on Christian Today

16 Churches Burned in Region of Mapuche Protests

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Police in Chile say unknown attackers burned a Catholic church and downed two high-tension electricity towers in the southern part of the country.

CHR Comment: The Mapuche are indigenous people who are seeking restoration of land. Whether violent protestors are responsible for burning the Protestant and Catholic churches is not concluded in the article.

Source: Chilean Church, Power Lines Hit in Apparent Indigenous Protest – NBC News

Pastor Enoch Adeboye’s Controversial Comments

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One of Nigeria’s most high profile pastors gets social media cooking with comments about what makes an ideal spouse.

CHR Comment: Pastor Enoch Adeboye of Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of Nigeria’s faster growing congregations, sparked controversy while teaching about male and female relationships and roles. The comments appeared in a video released online, which generated many views and responses.

Source: ‘Don’t marry a woman who can’t cook’ – BBC News

French Activists Try to Save Empty Church

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Marine Le Pen was among those who responded with anger on Twitter.

CHR Comment: The article describes the woes of Catholicism and Christianity generally in France as the nations many churches go empty and up for sale. Protesters hoped to prevent the sale of this church and to draw attention to the problems.

Source: Images of a priest being dragged from a condemned St. Rita church anger the French right – The Washington Post

The Story of Iran’s Church in Two Sentences

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More Iranians have become Christians in the last 20 years than in the previous 13 centuries put together.

CHR Comment: Here is another encouraging story about the growing number of Christians in Iran, fueled by bold witness and growing disillusionment with Islam. The article describes hundreds of thousand of Christians, a figure in keeping with an earlier story shared from the New York Times.

Source: The Story of Iran’s Church in Two Sentences