Theology

A video showing a North Carolina pastor calling for gays and lesbians to be placed within an eclectic fence and fed until they die out has gone viral and is drawing criticism from Christian pastors who insist that it stands contradictory to the message of love Jesus preached.

"Jesus preached a Gospel of love. So do we. Jesus preached that we love our neighbor, whether that neighbor is like us or not," said Dr. Al Cadenhead, senior pastor of Providence Baptist Church of Charlotte, in a statement Tuesday.

Providence Baptist Church of Charlotte has been mistakenly identified by the media and public as Providence Road Baptist Church of Maiden, N.C. – the church where Pastor Charles L. Worley preached the controversial sermon on homosexuality earlier this month. In the mix up, Cadenhead and his staff have in turn received angry calls and emails. more >>

The Assemblies of God has opted to postpone its decision on whether to continue its partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators due to controversy over some of Wycliffe's work.

The World Missions Executive Committee for the Pentecostal denomination had initially declared it would make a decision on May 15. But AGWM has now opted to wait for a recommendation by a World Evangelical Alliance appointed panel, which is reviewing Wycliffe's policies on translating terms such as "God the Father" and "Son of God."

"We're grateful to the Assemblies of God for waiting with us while the independent panel convened by the World Evangelical Alliance reviews our translation practices and makes its recommendations," said a Wycliffe spokesman to The Christian Post. "Wycliffe USA has a long-standing relationship with the Assemblies of God. We value that partnership and look forward to it continuing into the foreseeable future." more >>

Texas megachurch pastor Joel Osteen has spoken out on the Alabama state law that makes it a crime for pastors to provide church shelter for illegal immigrants, as residents protest against a new provision to the bill that may force courts to disclose information on undocumented aliens.

"I'm not up to speed on it all, but I think in general you know the Bible tells us to help one another and to help those in need so you know, I think it's a tough position to not be able to welcome people to our churches. You know we don't necessarily know who they are," said Pastor Osteen said in an interview earlier this week with WIAT-TV, while he was visiting Birmingham.

In 2011, Alabama Christian leaders stood up against state officials seeking to enact the "nation's most merciless" anti-immigration law which puts pastors in danger of facing criminal charges for transporting, concealing, harboring or shield an illegal immigrant. The Beason-Hammon Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act takes aim at people without proper alien registration living in the state. more >>

Dr. Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Redmond, Wash., advises Christians in America to look to the word of God before they consider presidential candidates this coming election year. One thing is clear, he says – Christians should not support those who go against Biblical teachings.

"The most important thing is that there is no way in the world that I would vote for, regardless who it is, regardless how white they are, regardless how black they are, there is just no way I am ever going to vote for someone who believes in same-sex marriage and abortion," Hutcherson said in an interview with The Christian Post on Thursday.

Many Christians across America have found themselves confused about who to vote for in this year's upcoming presidential elections; a Mormon in Mitt Romney or a professed Christian in Obama who is for abortion and gay marriage. more >>

The Rev. Joel Hunter of the 15,000-member Northland church, who is often referred to as President Barack Obama's spiritual adviser, said he is disappointed with the president's use of the "Golden Rule" to explain his endorsement of gay marriage.

"The Golden Rule is in the Bible but it cannot be used to contradict God's marriage pattern reaffirmed by Jesus in Matthew 19:4-5," Hunter shared in an interview with The Christian Post. "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become one flesh?'"

Obama affirmed his support for same-sex marriage in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, which has sparked a great deal of debate in America among supporters of the traditional definition of marriage, and those who want to see gay marriage legalized. more >>

Passages about the afterlife and the new Earth in the Bible seem to leave Christians with many questions about what eternity with God will be like, and if we will keep the same identities we've had here at present?

For our time here, many Christians want to know if we will still love the people we loved, be able to recognize family members, and even get the opportunity to be reunited with the pets that we lost during our lives once God restores the universe to perfection.

And although there's no precise evidence for animals dwelling in the afterlife in the scriptures, The Christian Research Institute's president and very own Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff was posed this question by a caller on his daily radio show this week, and had an interesting perspective on pets living on the New Earth. more >>