After the USA Supreme Court ruling on Gay Marriage - "Is Polygamy Next?" - And after that, Plural marriages?

This is what Chief Justice Roberts said in his dissent to the court's decision:

"Although the majority randomly inserts the adjective 'two' in various places, it offers no reason at all why the two-person element of the core definition of marriage may be preserved while the man-woman element may not. 

Indeed, from the standpoint of history and tradition, a leap from opposite-sex marriage to same-sex marriage is much greater than one from a two-person union to plural unions, which have deep roots in some cultures around the world.  If the majority is willing to take the big leap, it is hard to see how it can say no to the shorter one.  It is striking how much of the majority's reasoning would apply with equal force to the claim of a fundamental right to plural marriage."

WHAT? Plural marriage?

Read what the Dennison Forum says on this. Read more.

"Churches in Turkey are on the verge of Extinction" - Gatestone Institute

While Eastern Orthodox Christians recently celebrated their Easter holy week, a historic church in Istanbul -- the once magnificent Christian city of Constantinople -- is witnessing yet another abuse at the hands of its current authorities.

"The historic Istanbul cathedral and museum, Hagia Sophia, witnessed its first Quran recitation under its roof after 85 years Saturday," reported the state-run Anatolian News Agency of Turkey.

 

"The Religious Affairs Directorate launched the exhibition "Love of Prophet," as part of commemorations of the birth of Islamic Prophet Muhammad." (Copied from the article)

 

This is a very worthwhile article about Turkey, a country that is part of NATO.

 

Read more.

 

To see more about the crisis of Christians in the Middle East, watch this video.

An Answer to prayer for a Syrian Refugee whose son faced an ISIL religious judge

A Syrian refugee, an elderly woman who is a practicing Muslim, was grief-stricken because of her son being separated from her. As refugees piled onto a truck, her son was left behind and he fell into the hands of ISIL.

She was befriended by Christians who lived in the refugee camp and began to attend worship services with them and recently, she recounted this experience to her new friends.

"At 1:30 in the morning, I had a dream. A man, dressed in white, came to me. His name was Isa. He didn't say anything to me. He just stood there, close by and then went away. I thought it was a dream.

"The next afternoon, just as the sun was setting, my son showed up at the refugee camp. I could not believe that he was hugging me, because I thought he was lost.

"He said, 'I was captured by members of ISIL. Last night, several of us young men were taken before a religious judge. The ones in the line before me were taken away, with the sentence of death. The judge looked at me and said, "Get out! Go free!" I looked at the clock and it was 1:30 in the morning.'

"Now I know why Isa came to me. He was comforting me."

The Christian congregation has welcomed this lady and her son. When this congregation speaks of Jesus, they use the Arabic name, 'Isa Mesih'.

 

"The New Math of Grace" An Article that brought a lot of complaints to Philip Yancy

This is an odd thing.

Philip Yancy wrote that "Grace" has its own mathematical rules, different from those we learn in school.

Why did he get so many complaints?

Read more.

"Christians React to the Legalization of Same Sex Marriage: 9 Key Findings" - Barna Research

"First...many practicing Christians—including evangelicals—appear to be looking for ways to express their faith authentically in this cultural context. For one thing, observers should not underestimate the depth of the opposition that evangelicals feel toward same-sex marriage. The 20 million or so Americans who qualify under Barna’s theological rubric are not just sort of different from other groups—they are dramatically different in their ideological and theological resistance. "

Still, it’s interesting that many Christians, including evangelicals, are coming to the conclusion that it’s possible to support legal same-sex marriage and also affirm the church’s traditional definition of marriage. Many Christians are attempting to negotiate the new normal on this.

“Second, the gap between younger practicing Christians and younger Christians who no longer actively practice their faith is striking,” Kinnaman continues. “Some have speculated that many young people have left church because of the church’s traditional stance on LGBTQ issues. And while this research doesn’t confirm this finding, it certainly shows that inactive Christians are skeptical about a great deal of the Church’s authority on these kinds of matters. The gaps between younger practicing Christians and younger lapsed and dechurched Christians will be a major cultural fault line—particularly as younger churchgoers become a smaller slice of the overall population.

“Third, while it is a minority of Americans who believe clergy should be legally compelled to perform same-sex marriages, one in five is not an insignificant number. And two in every five Americans contend that businesses should be made to provide services to same-sex marriages. These represent points of view that—given their prevalence among younger Americans—could represent shifts in how Christians are able to exercise their religious freedoms.”

Read more, including huge amounts of data on specific questions.

'It's 'easy' for Christians to help the poor - but hard to worship together' writes Kate Shellnutt

"Privileged and middle-class, I've gone through some awkward moments as churches welcomed low-income friends and neighbors.

My sister's wallet and iPhone were stolen by a homeless visitor at a Christmas Eve service. I hesitated to voice prayer requests of my own after hearing from guys in my small group desperately praying they'd get a state ID so they'd be eligible for work.

I stopped bringing up college and my wedding in conversations with some church friends when I realized that coming from a poorer background, they'd never had those experiences."

Have you ever had this sensation, of trying to include very poor persons in your worship experience?

Why, when God deals with all of us on an equal basis, is it so hard to cross economic lines?


 

How sounds are made: Video of how a diamond needle on vinyl and other media forms transmit music"

Engineers will love this, seeing how a needle flowing along a narrow gap in a record, could make stereo music - actual photos taken by a micron microscope.

And then this engineer went further, and looked at DVD's and other forms of music and video production. This is a nine minute video - well worth the time for curious minds.

For the video, click here.

Marriage - Redefined; Religious Freedoms - Eroding; The Church - Marginalized

This short photo journey through the last 50 years, right up to today, causes a person to think seriously about how our public witness has been affected, and what being a "follower of Jesus Christ" means in the future.

(Spoiler alert - the last page in this series is an advertisement for a book by J. Paul Nyquist, Prepare - Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture.)

Read More.

 

Elizabeth Elliott: An extraordinary Woman who understood and communicated with women.

We will miss you, Elizabeth Elliott. Your books, your life and your courage meant so much to thousands. Your words over the radio brought comfort and challenge. And, your life in Ecuador shaped the thinking of millions about the high sacrificial cost of missions.

Read more from Christianity Today

The Pink Rose Harvest Ends today - The Best oil for perfumes in the world

Rose oil that serves as the basis for many beauty products.

The pink roses in the province of Isparta, in Turkey, yield the finest oil in the world that is used as a base for costliest perfumes - usually French.

For several weeks, the harvest is carried on throughout the province, in a region that Christians would sometimes associate with St. Paul's journey to Pisidian Antioch.

There are 38 photos that show the delight of women and girls as they harvest these beautiful flowers.

Photos can be viewed here.

The top 20 Canadian Christian blogs...plus another 100

Modern bloggers - a little easier to read!

You may want to save this blog as a reference because Paul Wilkinson has listed the top 10 Canadian Christian blogs, each with a helpfu
l brief description, and then another 10 in Canada, and then another 100 of the 600 Christian blogs that warm his heart.

Top 19 Canadian Christian blogs plus another 100.

"Supreme Court Decision on Marriage - A Tragic Error" - President of USA Catholic Bishops

The President of the Catholic Bishops Conference is very clear in his words on the recent decision of the Senate of the United States.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, of Nashville, Tennessee, defines it as "A tragic error."

Read more.

Coptic Christians are forced out, fleeing Sinai areas of Egypt.

Being pushed out of anywhere matters.

Further bad news for Christians in Egypt. This article from Al Monitor documents the expulsion of Coptic Christians from the Sinai desert region of Egypt.

Your local media outlet may not be covering stories such as these, but Christians should know and care about what's happening to believers in Egypt.

Read more.