Category: Culture

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, the final film in the popular series, still offers audiences some dangerous, forbidden occult content and false religion. So warns family advocate and Christian media scholar Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission.

“The final chapter to the Harry Potter stories, like the books, contains some surprisingly overt Christian allegorical elements,” Baehr admits, “but the movie version slightly changes the final confrontation between the hero and the villain to make it even more like a spectacular magical showdown between two sorcerers.”

Baehr, a theologian and Bible scholar, pointed out that the God of the Bible strongly condemns witchcraft and sorcery as evil and loathsome in Deuteronomy 18:10-13. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ affirms all of God’s law in Matthew 5:17 and other passages.

Shealtiel? Epaenetus? Ever wonder how to pronounce some of the more exotic names and places you read about in the Bible? There’s an app for that!

If you use an iPhone or an iPad, you can tap into the Bible Audio Pronunciations application, which offers up audio recordings of more than 1,000 challenging words found in scripture.

“We wanted to give people an easy tool to raise their level of understanding and enjoyment from reading the Bible,” says Michael Vance, developer of the app. “It will speak out loud some of its most difficult words.”

Pottermania will experience one last spasm as the Grand Finale of Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, opens July 15.

When the book was released in July 2007, 11 million copies sold in 24 hours, making it the “fastest selling book in history.” When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 hits theaters this Friday, once again, global interest will soar higher than Quidditch players seeking golden snitches.

While most consider all anti-Potterism downright Mugglish, concerns remain high among many parents over exactly where these novels and movies, along with Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, are catapulting this generation of kids.

What do today’s teens aspire to become after graduation, and how does the input from pastors and church leaders influence … Read More

While many people believe social networking websites are a positive step in reconnecting and staying in touch with friends, a church in Crestwood, Ky., is demanding its clergy to sign a “MySpace, Facebook and Website Disclosure Agreement.”

The Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church is requiring its clergy members to “agree to allow the Kentucky Annual Conference to examine any and all MySpace, Facebook or other blog and website accounts.”

The agreement asks for a MySpace screen name and web address, as well as a Facebook user name. It also asks that the clergy member agree to add “the Kentucky Annual Conference as a friend on these sites.”

There’s nothing like the sound of a person’s voice to tell a deeper story. That’s why a newly obtained recording of a 911 call is such a striking example of the dangers of abortion.

Operaton Rescue just released the call, which was placed from the UNM Center for Reproductive Health. The recording ofers dramatic audio of a 35-year old woman “crashing” after being given “conscious sedation” during an abortion procedure on Feb. 15. In the audio, you can hear voices calling the patient’s name and urging her to breathe as she groans and gasps for air.

“We have a patient who is crashing right now,” the caller told the dispatcher. At the dispatcher’s request, the call was transferred to the abortion room where another clinic worker described the patient as “grayish” in color. Once the call was transferred, the disturbing sounds of the patient’s suffering and struggling for life became clearly evident.

The fate of the woman is unknown.

Former New York Giant David Tyree has been under intense media scrutiny for some gutsy statements he made about gay marrriage in an online video produced for the National Organization for Marriage.

Tyree says he recorded the video because he opposes the notion of gay marriage and wants to voice his opinion.

In the video, the former Pro Bowler warned that anarchy could result in the U.S. if homosexuals are legally allowed to marry. He also said gay couples can’t successfully raise a child.

Surprise flash mobs. That’s one strategy to demonstrate a committment to traditional marriage—and that’s just what Worldwide Marriage Encounter couples from across North America are doing in the month of July.

“It is our hope that this flash mob activity is another way to place a positive emphasis on couples committed to marriage,” explain Jose and Marilyn Garcia and Mitch Walters, the North American Ecclesial Team for WWME. “This reach out effort demonstrates that marriages can last and be happy. It is the perfect time to capitalize on a phenomena that is spreading across North America.”

In the wake of New York passing a gay marriage bill last Friday, there are many voices crying out.

Some in the secular world—and even in the church—are celebrating. Others, like Dr. Michael Youssef, are weeping.

Although many are blaming Republicans, Youssef is pointing a bold finger directly at the church of Jesus Christ. As he sees it, the church allowed this abomination to rise up and the church is the only body on earth working to restore God’s righteousness to the land.

Charisma News caught up with Youssef, founder and president of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide television ministry, and senior pastor of The Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, to discuss his thoughts on the gay marriage campaigns across the country and how the church should respond now.

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The man who gave us reality television shows Survivor and The Apprentice will soon be tackling the Bible. The History … Read More

What does it mean to be pro-life? That’s the subject of a new video Personhood USA produced. The video aims … Read More

After more than a decade together, GRAMMY-nominated and Dove Award-winning David Crowder Band will disband after its current tour, the … Read More

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