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Now the Good News: Churches Fight Back & Win

  Fight Back & Win Are you feeling pressurised, harassed, and battle weary? Join the club. Many are experiencing these very same things. And no wonder … since the start of the decade, there has been an exceptionally intense spiritual atmosphere in the world. Covid-19, lockdowns, BLM riots, a disputed election, Afghanistan withdrawal, are all symptoms of this great unseen spiritual battle. In our recent editions of Issachar, we focused on the extremely concerning situation in Canada regarding Covid-19 restrictions. Pastors were being arrested and jailed, while fifty plus churches (some/many of them indigenous), were being burned or vandalised. This month, we focus on some good news. It is how churches, particularly in the United States, have valiantly and fearlessly fought against unjust Covid-19 restrictions. Often, these edicts were unevenly applied to churches, while letting leftist protestors and secular businesses have a long leash. Restrictions were meant to be ‘tempor...

Issues Facing the Church: Road to Mental Health & Well-Being Part 01

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. — Psalm 42:11 One of the great challenges of our time is not external issues — the economy, geo-political challenges, or pandemics. It has to do with mental health. Whether one is young or old, male or female, Christian or non-Christian, mental health is one of the issues, even crises, of our day and it’s not going away soon. Today’s church needs to begin a conversation on this vital issue. This author claims no expertise whatsoever on this important subject, but after years of Bible teaching and pastoral ministry experience has some thoughts to offer. Mental health includes a fully operative cognitive skills, sense of understanding one’s gifting and limitations, an ability to cope with stress, living a productive and fruitful life that contributes to society. The opposite of mental health is ment...

Abortion: How Would You Answer Your Niece? Part 03

We are speaking about issues that people are talking about and need to be addressed by the Church. Here we continue our comments on abortion, a blog written in response to a question asked by this author’s millennial niece: What do you think about abortion, and you can say whatever you want?! Today’s Scene : Apparently, many millennials are more pro-life than their baby-boomer parents. The annual rate of abortion in the United States has been declining in recent years (see table below). Why are abortions declining? The theories include increased availability of the morning-after pill, better education and understanding of contraceptives, and a declining birth rate. It can also be because of the pro-life movement, who provide education and support of expectant mothers. An interesting fact is that abortion clinics are closing across the United States. In 2017, there were 780 abortion clinics nationally. As of 2019, that number reduced to 755. Why the reduction? Finances is...