JOHN HOPKINS PSYCHIATRISTS WARN AGAINST KIDS GOING TRANSGENDER

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Almost Everything the Media Tell You About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Is Wrong. A major new report, published today in the journal The New Atlantis, challenges the leading narratives that the media has pushed regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.

Co-authored by two of the nation’s leading scholars on mental health and sexuality, the 143-page report discusses over 200 peer-reviewed studies in the biological, psychological and social sciences, painstakingly documenting what scientific research shows and does not show about sexuality and gender.”

What were the conclusions of this study? “The major takeaway, as the editor of the journal explains, is that ‘some of the most frequently heard claims about sexuality and gender are not supported by scientific evidence.'”

When it comes to the authors of this important new study, they are hardly right-wing, fundamentalist, conservatives. Hardly!

One of the authors, Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer, “is a scholar in residence in the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a professor of statistics and biostatistics at Arizona State University.”

He has taught at eight universities (including Princeton and Stanford) and, “His full-time and part-time appointments have been in 23 disciplines, including statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology, public health, social methodology, psychiatry, mathematics, sociology, political science, economics, and biomedical informatics.”

The other author is even more acclaimed. Dr. Paul McHugh is “university distinguished service professor of psychiatry and a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was for 25 years the psychiatrist-in-chief at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.”

Dr. McHugh “was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) in 1992. From 2002 to 2009, he was a member of the President’s Council on Bioethics,” among his many accomplishments.

These certainly sound like formidable scholars, and so their 143-page report, which, as stated, “discusses over 200 peer-reviewed studies,” should be taken very seriously when it challenges many of the major talking points put forward by gay activists arguing: gays are not born that way and can possibly change; “non-heterosexuals are about two to three times as likely to have experienced childhood sexual abuse”; when compared to the general population, “non-heterosexual subpopulations are at an elevated risk for a variety of adverse health and mental health outcomes”; and the idea that “a person might be ‘a man trapped in a woman’s body’ or ‘a woman trapped in a man’s body’—is not supported by scientific evidence.”

Note carefully those closing words, which are a theme of the entire study: These foundational LGBT talking points are “not supported by scientific evidence.”

I can assure you, though, that rather than interacting with the scientific evidence presented in this formidable study, the vast majority of LGBT activists and their allies will dismiss it out of hand.

Why? Because, they will say, Dr. McHugh is an infamous transphobe who is totally out of touch with modern science while Dr. Mayer is unqualified to write on this topic.

Mind has Mountains

When it comes to Dr. McHugh, he committed the cardinal sin of opposing sex-change surgery during his tenure at Johns Hopkins Hospital, which is why that surgical procedure was dropped under his leadership. But he did this based on years of interaction with those who identified as transgender, interviewing them before and after surgery, ultimately concluding that, “We psychiatrists … would do better to concentrate on trying to fix their minds and not their genitalia.”

LGBT activists dismiss the most important consideration, we are made by God in His image. He is a loving God as shown by Jesus life, death and resurrection. God will answer the prayers of the parents who are concerned about the gender of their children and He will answer the prayers of the children.

Parents and doctors should be very concerned about taking the role of God with these children. Quoting Dr McHugh again: “We psychiatrists … would do better to concentrate on trying to fix their minds and not their genitalia.”

DONALD TRUMP ON FAITH, FAMILY AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

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Donald Trump

Charisma magazine is endorsing Donald Trump. Our cover story and related articles in the October issue of Charisma magazine make the case for our decision.

Before we could write the cover story, we felt we needed to interview Donald Trump personally. We began asking for an interview in June. It happened on Aug. 11 in Orlando. Trump was in town to speak to some home builders and then to a group of about 500 pastors. He told the pastors that he had just spoken to home builders, but that they were home builders, too, which got a great response.

Before Trump spoke without a teleprompter (he said the prepared speech was so boring it would have put everyone to sleep), he was introduced by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. “Every year, everyone says it’s the most important election of our lifetime, Huckabee said. “But folks, I’m not messing—this really is the most important election of our lifetime.”

After his ad-libbed speech in which he talked about religious liberty issues and even repealing the 1954 “Johnson Amendment” that caused prayer to be taken out of schools (1963) and initiated the Roe v Wade abortion decision (1973). I met for 10 minutes in a back room with Trump for the interview. You can hear on it my Strang Report podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network.

I’ve interviewed a number of presidential candidates, governors and other politicians in my 45-year media career. But the opportunity to interview Trump in the midst of his unlikely campaign strikes me as markedly different.

With Trump, what you see on television is not what you get behind the scenes. A sense of humility surrounded the Republican nominee that many don’t see in liberal media soundbites. He still shot straight, but his sincerity was far more striking than what we can portray in black and white in a magazine.

In my brief interview with Trump, I asked him the questions I thought mattered most to our Charisma readers. I believe his answers show a confident, determined man who truly is committed to making America great again through government based on principles that honor God rather than defy Him.

The full interview will run in the October issue of Charisma along with a package of articles that make the case for how God is raising up Trump at a critical period in history and, conversely, how voting for Hillary Clinton and the far left platform she endorses should be opposed at all costs. There is also an interview with Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence.

While you must wait to read the interview, you can listen to it on my podcast. Dr. Steve Greene, who has his own popular “Greenelines” podcast, accompanied me to the Trump interview. He and I talk in the studio about the behind-the-scenes of how we got the interview, our observations of what happened that day and why we think electing Trump is right for America. (Charisma Assistant Online Editor Taylor Berglund accompanied us to the interview and wrote observations from a millennial point of view, which you can read here).

Steve Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. 

‘ONE WORLD RELIGION’ Event Gathers Muslims, Jews and Christians to Pray

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‘Unprecedented and potentially historic. That’s how organisers are billing the 2016 Mekudeshet Festival just around the corner this fall.

It might more accurately be dubbed a predecessor of the ‘one world religion’ prophesied in the Bible. Certainly an ‘end times’ event.

Christians, Jews and Muslims are expected to flock to the Holy City for a “spiritual gathering” dubbed Amen—A House of Prayer For All Believers. The self-stated goal is to create “a single home for the world’s three major religions to harness the city’s ancient powers to inspire artists, musicians and cultural figures from around the world to redefine their art and traditions and connect amid troubling times.”

“We will study, argue—yes, this is also allowed—and pray, together and alone,” says Mekudeshet artistic director Itay Mautner. “We will see if it is possible, despite all the corporeal difficulties and earthly obstacles, to create a new reality.”

You mean to create a one world religion?

Expect to see more of these kinds of gatherings in the months ahead. Although we should seek opportunities to love people of all faiths, events like Amen typically breed compromise in the name of unity.

As I’ve said before, dialogue is one thing. Compromising the tenets of Christianity is altogether different. Using art and culture as a shill, Amen appears to be nothing more than an attempt to redefine religion.

This reminds me of Pope Francis’ recent move to gather Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus together in prayer.

Disturbing video footage shows the pope receiving a demonic statue from a Buddhist and bending down to pray according to Muslim tradition.

“Many think differently, feel differently, seeking God or meeting God in different ways,” he says. “In this crowd, in this range of religions, there is only one certainty we have for all: We are all children of God.”

Here’s the problem: You can seek God in many ways, but there’s only one way to the Father. There is only one way to meet God, and His name is Jesus Christ. To even hint at anything else causes confusion at best and deceives many at worst. Events like Amen are a tool in the enemy’s hand to dilute the one true and living God’s gospel of salvation.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. 

 

RIO 2016: FIJI TEAM GIVES THE GLORY TO GOD

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fiji-rugby4

“First of all, I thank the Lord, he has been our source of strength… We reminded each other how God had taken us through the last two years and that the same God that we serve is here with us in Rio.”

That’s what the Olympic Rugby Sevens winners told the media when asked the reason for their success.

The island nation of Fiji has won its first ever Olympic medal – a gold – but while fans hailed one of the great Olympic achievements, the players have given the glory to God.

Rugby Sevens became an Olympic event this year for the first time. Though Fiji are ranked number one in the world, the country had never won a medal at any event before so the pressure was on.

The team came through that pressure to win the tournament – defeating Great Britain 43-7 in the final – and dominating far bigger countries such as New Zealand.

The players dropped to their knees and prayed upon the outcome of the match. Many pointed to the sky before joining in wild celebrations.

BE ENCOURAGED: HEAR WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THE MIDDLE EAST

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Watch Joel Richardson interview Chris Mitchell, CNN Middle East Bureau Chief based in Jerusalem (16 years) on what is happening in the Middle East – ISIS, IRAN and ISRAEL. Chris has just released a new book: What you Need to Know about the Current Mideast Crisis and the Coming Mideast War.

Events are unfolding just as prophesied in God’s Word. The last reformation is underway in HIS church, make sure you are dead centre in God’s will for you in these last days.

NEW ARCHAEOLOGY DISCOVERY CONFIRMS BIBLE’S ACCOUNT OF JESUS MINISTRY

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Second Temple-era synagogue unearthed in northern Israel

Jesus archaeological discovery

The recently discovered ruins of a first century synagogue in Israel confirm historic accounts of Jesus’ life found in the New Testament.

Located near Mount Tabor in the Nahal Tavor Nature Reserve in the lower Galilee at a site called Tel Rechesh, the synagogue ruins date back to the time of the Second Temple period, which ended in AD 79 when the Romans attacked Jerusalem.

Motti Aviam, a senior researcher at the Kinneret Institute for Galilean Archaeology at the Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, explained in a statement the significance of the Tel Rechesh excavation find.

“This is the first synagogue discovered in the rural part of the Galilee and it confirms historical information we have about the New Testament, which says that Jesus preached at synagogues in Galilean villages,” explained Aviam, as reported by JNS.

Haaretz noted that while there have been seven other synagogues from the Second Temple period discovered before, the one at Tel Rechesh is the first to be found in a rural instead of urban setting.

“Inscriptions and historical sources show that the synagogues of the period were used for meetings, Torah readings and study, rather than worship. They had neither Torah ark nor regular prayer services,” reported Haaretz.

“One source mentioning synagogues is the New Testament, which states that Jesus ‘went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues.'”

In an interview with YNet News, Aviam explained why the findings at the Tel Rechesh site “makes the place very important for Christians.”

“During the same period Jesus was still a Jew who observed Jewish rituals and requirements and like many rabbis, he delivered sermons in synagogues. Christianity which developed after his (sic) placed an emphasis on his sermons at synagogues in the Galilee.”

Aviam added that he hoped “that when the work is completed the place will constitute a tourist attraction for Jews and Christians alike.”

This is not the first major find in Israel this year connected to the times of Jesus. In March it was reported that several artefacts from the first century Near East were located in an orphanage in Jerusalem.

As Jesus Himself claimed the Bible is inerrant. It is God’s Word to us, it can be trusted from Genesis to Revelation.

 

GOD’S PLAN FOR MIDDLE EAST IS WORKING PERFECTLY

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Middle Eastern Christian Woman Tells Americans Not to Pray for Persecution to End

God’s plan for the Middle East is “working perfectly” even though the persecution of Middle Eastern Christians is seemingly getting worse by the day, a persecuted Christian woman told American churchgoers on Sunday.

The Christian woman, who is referred to by the pseudonym of “Maryam” for security purposes, was encouraged by a group of six pastors and ministry leaders from the United States to travel to America and share her family’s story of persecution and speak about the dedicated faith displayed by Christians in the Middle East.

As a whole, persecution and harassment are daily struggles for Middle Eastern Christians, Maryam said.

Although Christians in the west might view persecution as a bad thing, Maryam and many other Middle Eastern Christians view persecution as a necessity to help the Church continue to grow in a hostile part of the world.

“The persecution is getting worse and worse and worse,” Maryam said. “But on the other hand actually, what has encouraged me, encouraged my faith, encouraged my church, encouraged everybody Christian in [the region] is that the Church is increasing.”

Maryam explained that while some radical Muslims are brutally killing and persecuting so called non-believers and claim to be acting in the name of Allah, many other Muslims in the Middle East are starting to open their eyes and ask serious questions about the religion they espouse.

Isis beheading 21 coptic Christians

“A lot of Muslim people now, they are so confused about what is going on now. A lot of them are asking, ‘Who is this God whose name is Allah, who orders people to slaughter?'” she said. “They are confused and they are asking and wondering now days about ISIS and about what is going on. We are talking to them and asking them ‘Please, open your Quran and search what is written,'” Maryam continued. Yes, this God named Allah does call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule. At least 109 verses promote violence.

OLYMPIANS WHO UNDERSTAND THEIR ABILITIES ARE FROM GOD

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They all  give the glory to JESUS their Lord and Saviour. You will be inspired by these amazing stories of dedication, struggle, defeat and victory. They are all winners even in defeat.

WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?

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JESUS TELLS US WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE ON THE NEW EARTH

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:2

The largest private home in the world is Istana Nurul Iman Palace, the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. The home consists of more than 2 million square feet of space, 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, 5 swimming pools, a 110-car garage, air-conditioned stables for 200 polo ponies, a banquet hall, and a mosque large enough for 1,500 worshippers. It cost around $1.4 billion to build in the mid-1980s.

Grand as it is, that mansion pales in significance to what Jesus is preparing for His followers. The home He is preparing is called the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation 21:2—and it is large.

John sees it descending from the new heaven to the new earth. Shaped like a cube, it measures 1,500 miles in each of its three dimensions—length, width, and height (Revelation 21:16). It is built of precious stones and minerals, and its worth, in human dollars, would be incalculable. But more important than its worth in dollars is its worth in security and joy for all who dwell there for eternity.

When comparing man’s greatest with God’s greatest, there is no comparison. Make sure you have secured your reservation in the mansion Jesus is preparing.

The nearer to heaven in hopes, the farther from earth in desires. William Gurnall, from The Christian in Complete Armor

THINKING CORRECTLY ABOUT SCIENCE

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Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-19770) made a major contribution towards Christian theory of reality (ontology). In his theory, Dooyeweerd proposes that we understand creation as having multiple aspects (law-spheres), where an ‘aspect’ is defined as “a basic kind of properties and laws”. Examples of such kinds are: physical, spatial, biotic, logical, sensory, linguistic, ethical, etc. He distinguishes fifteen such aspects of created reality. They are mutually irreducible both in the sense that none can be coherently eliminated in favour of another and also none can be coherently regarded as the cause of any other.

Dooyeweerd

The core idea is that all aspects are created, since there is nothing that God did not create. This includes matter and life, the laws of logic, and the laws governing all the other aspects. The theory goes on to argue that all things in creation have (active or passive) properties of every one of the aspects and so are subject to the laws of all the aspects. For example, a rock has a specific weight whether we know its weight or not. It is has this property independent of an observer. But its sensory colour is not independent. Rather it appears black in relation to a perceiver. Thus the rock’s colour is a passive property because it requires being acted upon by a perceiver to be actualised. The theory takes note of the observed fact that, as far as we know, only humans have active properties in all fifteen aspects. Second the first six (lower aspects) are governed by laws that cannot be broken such as the law of gravity. By contrast higher aspects such as “ethical” can be violated. Dooyeweerd argues that the aspects lower on the list are preconditions for aspects higher on the list, but that no aspect produces an other. For example, it is necessary for there to be things with active physical properties in order for there to be things with active biotic properties, which are in turn necessary for there to be things that have active sensory perception.

The distinctness of modal aspects is anchored in our experiences with all created things: from a molecule over algae and mammals to humans, each kingdom features new active properties that do not exist in the lower kingdoms, neither can they be imagined – as transitional- properties. A philosophy that presupposes a loving God who has given us the ability to observe, know and experience the world in a meaningful way necessarily leads us to trust our observations. The distinctness and irreducibility of modal aspects and laws tells us, then, that things could not have ’emerged’ or evolved form each other, having their origin in God and without the means of some evolutionary process that cannot account for the step changes in the properties we observe.

I would suggest that the only reason special creation is rejected as the best explanation for origins is a pre-existing bias towards materialistic evolutionary explanations.

Extract from article by Martin Tampier in Journal of  Creation Vol. 30 (2) 2016