Lighthouse Faith

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Route 60 is Israel's Version of Route 66, Linking Biblical History by Highway Feb 27, 2022

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Just like the famous Route 66 connects Chicago to Los Angeles in the United States, Route 60 in Israel connects the Bible's most famous events and people. From Abraham to Moses, Jacob to King David, and David to Jesus Christ... this Biblical Heritage Highway is the original Bible Belt and is in the works to become a new pilgrimage for the biblically minded tourist. Yishai Fleisher is the impetus behind the move to make Route 60 more than a two-lane highway, but an historic site commemorating shared lineages. The four-thousand-year-old path stretches the length from the Samarian city of Shechem thru Shiloh and Beth El where Jacob saw a vision of a ladder connecting Heaven and Earth, and thru Jerusalem and Bethlehem the birthplace of Jesus... all the way to Be'er Sheva, the capitol of the Negev desert "where Abraham and Isaac found water and taught wayfarers about the One God." On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Yishai Fleisher, the International Spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron, talks about the importance to this highway as a shared culture between the three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islaam... and how Route 60 can be a true pathway to peace in the Middle East.

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Pastor Max Lucado on John 3:16, One of the Most Important Verses in the Bible Feb 24, 2022

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For Christians, the entirety of the Bible hinges on a short verse in the Gospel of John in the New Testament; John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." It pretty much sums up the narrative of God's plan for redeeming the entire human race and the whole of creation, rescuing them from the Fall from Grace, and the evil now rampant in our world because of it. Pastor Max Lucado's 2007 best-selling book on those 26 words has been re-released and updated with "new content for a new generation." Called "3:16 The Numbers of Hope," it is a deep, heart-probing explanation of why these words were so mind-boggling when Jesus imparted them to Nicodemus more than two thousand years ago, and how they are just as life-altering for us today. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Pastor Max Lucado, a master storyteller, and spirit-filled teacher of biblical truth, talks about the power of John 3:16 and the hope it offers. He says, "The heart of the human problem is the heart of the human. And God’s treatment is prescribed in John 3:16... Let John 3:16 become the banner of your life, so much so that the message of God’s unending and unbending love overflows from you to others.”

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Paivi Rasanen, 27-Year Member of the Finnish Parliament on Trial for Quoting the Bible Feb 13, 2022

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This week, closing arguments are scheduled in Finland at the trial of a Paivi Rasanen, a member of parliament, that may be a test case for whether quoting the Bible could be considered hate speech deserving of a crime. It all started in 2019 when Rasanen tweeted to her Lutheran minister questioning the church's support of the Gay Pride parade, quoting verses from the Bible as her reasoning. The exchange ignited a national debate where all of Rasanen's writings, including a 2004 pamphlet, became the focus behind five criminal complaints. She was eventually taken into custody where police questioned her for thirteen hours. Later she was charged with hate crimes against a minority. The real issue though has become, "How far can religious freedoms be protected?" And, "Whether or not people can be charged with a crime for what they believe?" On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Rasanen talks about her ordeal, her faith. This podcast is not a debate about what the Bible says or does not say about homosexuality. There's another podcast that debates that, between two evangelical ministers. Rasanen's interview is about how she feels about possibly facing jail time and/or a fine, for believing something in the Bible.

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Roma Downey Delivers Another Message of Hope with Movie "The Resurrection" - Revisiting the Conversation Feb 06, 2022

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She has the voice of an angel - an Irish angel that is. Actress Roma Downey grew to fame on the TV series "Touched by an Angel," telling millions of viewers each week that "There is a God, that He loves you, and wants to be a part of your life." It's a message that's now embedded in her work with husband/producer Mark Burnett. Their mini-series on The Bible a few years ago became a surprise hit; a surprise to the secular world of Hollywood elites that is, not to Roma and Mark. Their latest offering is on the cornerstone of Christianity, The Resurrection. It's a film that would have been released in theaters, but because of the pandemic it could not be. So they had a choice to either hold it for a year or find another outlet. And they chose the latter. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Downey talks about how the COVID-19 shutdown became the impetus to bring the film to viewers as another message of hope in a world hungry for it. She also talks about what it was like shooting in Morocco, and the actors and actresses who bring to life the story of how the Apostles went from despair and fear at the crucifixion of Jesus to joy and triumph as they live out His Resurrection.

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Attorney Talks About Virginia Parents' Lawsuit Against School District's Critical Race Theory as Being Against Religious Beliefs Jan 30, 2022

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It's a lawsuit that was bound to happen as Critical Race Theory and other social agenda curriculum make their way through schools across the country. The state of Virginia, in particular has seen its share of controversy as parents there have been riled up for months about what schools are teaching their children; an unforeseen byproduct of the pandemic as thousands of students stayed home taking their classes via zoom. Just a few weeks ago, a group of parents of different religious backgrounds filed a lawsuit against Albemarle School District in Virginia, accusing it of indoctrinating their children with Critical Race Theory, claiming that the doctrines conflict with their beliefs that all people are made in God's image and should be treated equally. It's a far cry from CRT's teachings that people are either oppressed or are oppressors based on their ethnicity or race. And it's also not what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. hoped for in his "I Have a Dream" speech, where he envisioned a world where people would be judged by "the content of their character and not the color of their skin." Alliance Defending Freedom is the legal team representing the parents. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Emilie Kao, Senior Counsel with ADF, discusses the case, and what drove the parents to file the lawsuit. The school district has until Monday, January 31st to respond.

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Open Doors President David Curry on the Most Dangerous Country for Followers of Jesus Christ: Afghanistan Under the Taliban Jan 23, 2022

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After U.S withdrawal, Afghanistan became the number one place on earth where it is most dangerous to be a Christian, for the first time ever. That's according to Open Doors USA's World Watch List 2022. The Taliban in Afghanistan is now engaged in a door-to-door campaign to rid the country of Christians, who are mostly converts from Islam. The penalty for conversion is death. The World Watch List is a definitive, comprehensive research-based report that ranks the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. Afghanistan has supplanted North Korea, which now ranks #2 on the list, after spending 20 years at #1. And it's not that North Korea has gotten better; Afghanistan has gotten worse. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Open Doors president David Curry explains how bad things are; how every Christian in Afghanistan is now either in hiding or on the run. The Taliban’s interpretation of Islam considers Christians to be traitors, enemies of the state, enemies of the tribe and even the community; they are deemed to be “infidels." Curry will also highlight another bad actor on the World Watch List: China. Its religious freedom abuses are more sinister and more cunning; using technology and Artificial Intelligence to control people of faith, keep watch on them, and judge whether they are good citizens or not based on what and who they worship. On the eve of the Winter Olympics in China, Curry wants the world to be aware what's happening there, and that money and power should not determine how people are treated.

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Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff Answers the Most Pressing Questions About Faith Jan 16, 2022

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If you think of yourself more spiritual than religious, you may not want to even listen to this podcast with "Bible Answer Man" Hank Hanegraaff. Clearly the "spiritual but not religious" segment is growing; by last count, 29 percent of Americans. But on the other hand, if you consider yourself a champion of organized religion, you may find much to disagree with in this podcast. However, if your heart is searching for the answers to life's most pressing questions, both spiritual and intellectual, then by all means click on the link and begin to understand what faith is and why it's necessary. Hanegraaff answers some common objections to religion in general and Christianity specifically like, "Don't we all have to find truth for ourselves?" or "Isn't it incredibly narrow to say that Christianity is the only religion that offers salvation?" A few years ago, Hanegraaff converted from Protestantism's evangelical Christianity to Orthodox Christianity. He took a lot of heat for it from leaders in the Evangelical community. As he explains it, his conversion was brought about by a heartfelt, as well as intellectual pursuit of God's Truth - yes Truth capital with a capital T - as it is told by God's Word through Jesus Christ, the Risen Savior. Hanegraaff says most of us in this pluralistic society like to live in the gray areas, believing that no one religion has cornered the market on Truth. And the only acceptable, and polite position in mixed company is to say that all religions lead to the same God. But Hanegraaff is one of great many sounding the alarm on that position explaining that believing in spiritual plurality may make you a lot of friends in liberal circles but will ultimately draw you away from God. Listen and see if you agree or disagree.

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Michael Hesemann on Jesus of Nazareth: Archaeologists Retracing the Footsteps of Christ Jan 09, 2022

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Archaeology over the past few decades has continued to find evidence that the Bible speaks truth; that the people and places mentioned in the Old and New Testaments were not parts of some mythological creation, but evidence of historical facts unearthed through science. Author and journalist Michael Hesemann "connects the dots between the Gospels and the time Christ" through his book, Jesus of Nazareth: Archaeologists Retracing the Footsteps of Christ. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Hesemann presents the latest information from archeological findings over the past decade, since the first edition of his book was published... including more details of the Wedding at Cana, the account in the Gospel of John which describes Jesus's first miracle of turning water into wine. Hesemann is the author of some forty-four books, including Mary of Nazareth, and co-author with Mgr. Georg Ratzginger, of the international best-seller on Pope Benedict XVI, My Brother the Pope. It was in fact that book that helped create my first meeting Michael in Rome, where we became friends. He invited me to Regensburg, Germany to meet Mgr. Ratzinger and to celebrate his 89th birthday. I brought my mom along who was also 89 at the time. It paved the way for me to perform for Pope Benedict XVI the very next year at the Vatican, and the famous picture of my mom hugging Pope Benedict. Listen to us reminisce of those times and more... as well as fascinating information on what archeologist have found in the Holy Land.

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The Escalating Global Persecution of Christians - Revisiting the Conversation Jan 02, 2022

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Lauren Green looks back at her January 2021 conversation with Open Doors USA President David Curry. Every year for the past few decades, Open Doors USA releases its World Watch List, a top 50 lineup of countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. According to Open Doors president David Curry, there's a growing trend of more and more people dying because they are Christian. It is one of the most under reported phenomenon, that despite what mainstream media say, Christianity is the most persecuted religion globally. The top 10 worst countries for Christians contains the usual cast of characters, mainly Muslim majority nations like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran. But the communist secular regime of North Korea leads the pack, as it has for 20 years. It's secretive dictatorship makes it illegal to even own a Bible. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Curry talks about the new trends affecting Christians, that 1 in 8 are persecuted worldwide, that more people than ever before are suffering for their religious beliefs, and that countries like China, Iran, India, and Nigeria are using the COVID-19 pandemic to justify the use of common technology to create a dangerous world for religious minorities.

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Historian William Federer Has the Truth about the Real Santa Claus Dec 26, 2021

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Whether or not you believe in Jolly Old St. Nick or not, you should learn about the real saint that inspired the larger-than-life version seen in movies and TV. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! And William Federer, ace historian, and encyclopedia on everything Christmas explains why Christianity is behind pretty much every tradition celebrated around December the 25th. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Federer explains how the real St. Nicholas, the 3rd century bishop, influenced centuries of Christmas gift giving and gratitude surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. He also explains how St. Nicholas got a makeover in every country where his story was told. Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas.... are all different personifications of St. Nicholas of Bari.

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