These articles focus on specific concerns deemed relevant to the Christian community. We are observing the dividing lines between church and state. Click on the photo to read the story. Articles are for information only and do not necessarily represent the views of Cornerstone Community Church.
April 14 spotlight
dealing with division
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persecution watch
As Russia Tortures Evangelical Christians, US Baptists Urge House Speaker Johnson to Take Action
More than two years into the Russia-Ukraine war, evangelical Christians in Ukraine continue to face being tortured, having their places of worship shut down, and experiencing other horrors at the hands of Russian soldiers, according to a letter Southern Baptist leaders wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
On Monday, Daniel Darling, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Richard Land, the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC); and Ukrainian church leaders sent a leader to Johnson asking him to "consider the plight of Christians" in the Eastern European country.
"Despite Russian efforts to paint Ukraine as intolerant of Christians, it is the Russian government that has aggressively harmed peaceful law abiding faithful Christians in the occupied areas of Ukraine," the letter says.
Johnson is a former trustee of the ERLC and as the newly appointed House Speaker he's under pressure for a $95 billion package, that includes aid to Ukraine, that was passed in the Senate in February but still has to be approved in the House.
House conservatives who opposed the funding package have threatened to trigger a vote to remove Johnson from office, Christianity Today reports.
"Speaker Johnson has a really difficult job right now, maybe the most difficult a speaker has ever had," Darling told Religion News Service. "I think he does in his heart want to support Ukraine."
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But politics aside, Baptist leaders are looking to shine a spotlight on the religious liberties being violated in areas of Ukraine.
"Evangelicals and Baptists are being mistreated in the Russian-occupied territories significantly," Darling said. "We've lost probably 300 churches. Pastors are really struggling over there, wherever Russians have taken over."
On September 11, 2022, Pastor Mikhaylo Brytsyn of Grace Evangelical Church, was having Sunday service when armed soldiers with masks walked in, PBS reports.
"They said, 'You have to stop this. You have to stop these meetings.' And he said, 'I'm a pastor. I cannot stop the will of the people.' And they said, 'If you will not stop, you're going to see the blood,'" Pastor Mark Sergeev of New Generation Church told the outlet of the encounter.
Earlier that year, Russian soldiers all but destroyed Sergeev's church. According to the letter written to Johnson, fellow members of his church were "interrogated and tortured."
"As of this moment there is not a single Baptist church left in Melitopol," the letter explains.
Both Sergeev and Brytsyn now led underground churches in private homes because of fear of angering the Russian regime.
"They start to fingerprint everybody. They copied their I.D., make pictures, addresses," Brytsyn explained. "We were accused of being an extremist organization. We were accused of being German spies and then American spies."
As CBN News recently reported, the daily bombardment of Ukraine continues as the church there stands in the gap for its people and nation.
"Those people who decided to stay in this conflict zone are asking for help, and being here is extremely important," Pastor Andrii Skantsev told CBN News. "And to remain here is probably what it means to be a Christian, to show Jesus Christ."
Meanwhile, Baptist leaders are asking for Johnson to step in to assist Ukrainian pastors.
"We believe that God has put you in this position 'for such a time as this,'" the leaders wrote to the Speaker.
"We desire peace. But more than that, we desire a peace that is based on the principles of justice," it continues. "Our God is both perfectly just and the author of perfect peace."
"We appreciate your leadership, are praying for your wisdom and courage as you consider support for Ukraine," the document concluded. MORE
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culture watch
Study Reveals Abortion Hurts Women's Health, Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Having an abortion can greatly increase a woman's risk of cardiovascular diseases, a new study finds.
A peer-reviewed study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute published in the International Journal of Cardiology Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention examined medical records for over one million Medicaid-eligible women between 1999 and 2014.
In every case, women with a history of abortion or miscarriage had higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), nearly 174%, following their first live birth compared to women who didn't have a history of pregnancy loss.
Additionally, women who had a history of CVD before their first abortion were over twice as likely to have additional CVD problems in the six months following a first live birth compared to similar women with a prior history of CVD who did not have an abortion.
"While miscarriages are tragic and unavoidable, elective abortions are entirely avoidable and clearly contribute to the number one cause of death in our country," said one of the study authors, David Reardon, Ph.D., a Lozier Institute associate scholar and director of the Elliot Institute.
"The American Heart Association has been vocal in warning women of the link between miscarriage and heart disease. I hope that these numbers will motivate a similar warning on abortions," he continued.
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The Charlotte Lozier Institute cites that the findings are among a growing body of medical literature linking abortion to cardiovascular problems.
One U.S. study reports a fivefold increased risk of death from cerebrovascular diseases within six years of an abortion.
Another study published in Open Heart, an online cardiology journal, found an 18% elevated risk of CVD following abortion or miscarriage that persisted for over 12 years.
"Despite this in-depth data pointing to the clear negative health outcomes abortion places on a woman's body, abortion activists continue to push abortions as a 'cure-all.' How long will they deny science and reality," asked Emily Erin Davis, vice president of communications at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
"I encourage them to stop lying to women, stating that abortion only produces positive physical and mental health outcomes," she added.
The connection between abortion and cardiovascular disease is all the more significant because CVD is the leading cause of death among women. MORE
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revival watch
College students get baptized in pickup trucks: Jesus is 'more powerful' than brokenness
'Thousands of students' have shown up to these events, Unite US founder says
UGA students get impromptu baptisms in pickup trucks: 'A work of God'
Unite US founder Tonya Prewett and student Nate Kearns explain why hundreds are giving their lives to Jesus on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
University of Georgia students gave their lives to Christ earlier in April after being baptized in pick-up trucks in a parking lot.
Unite Georgia brought together thousands of Gen-Zers for worship, prayer and personal testimonies. Some students were so moved by the prayer service that they decided to get baptized in the beds of pick-up trucks nearby.
"I just heard the call from the Lord, and he said, ‘Be obedient,'" student Nate Kearns, a junior who was baptized, told "The Ingraham Angle." "I listened to Him to take a step of faith and let my fraternity brothers watch that."
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE AND UNYIELDING FAITH: 'LIGHT COMES AFTER THE DARKNESS'
Student Nate Kearns tells Laura Ingraham why he chose to get baptized at Unite Georgia.
Kearns said though he grew up culturally in the Christian faith, he did not have an "intimate relationship with Christ" and felt a call to respond to the Lord.
"No matter how broken you think you are, Jesus Christ's love is more powerful than that, and He wants to enter into a personal relationship with you," Kearns told Fox News. "If you call on the name of the Lord, you will not be forsaken."
Unite US founder Tonya Prewett said the event can only be explained by the "work of God."
"We have thousands of students showing up at these events and hundreds giving their lives to Jesus, hundreds getting baptized," Prewett said. "We're hearing testimonies from these students saying, ‘Hey, I walked in contemplating suicide, but I left with the most joy and peace I've ever experienced.’ It's just amazing and it's moving."
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The Christian mentor said students realize they are "hungry for more" and "desperate for hope" amid "unimaginable pain."
"They're seeking for something, and what we're bringing to them is just hope and truth, and we offer salvation and freedom and connection, and our prayer is that these students will leave this event and get connected in a local church or ministry and carry this on as a lifelong decision." MORE
