Jerusalem municipality orders closure of bridge leading to Temple Mount

The Jerusalem municipality has ordered the immediate closure of the Mughrabi Bridge in the old city, which leads from the Western Wall Plaza to the Temple Mount, saying it poses a danger to the public since it is on the verge of collapse.
In a letter to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the Jerusalem municipality's engineer, Shlomo Eshkol, said he intends on ordering the "immediate closure of the structure" and "completely prohibit its use."
According to the regulations, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation has seven days to submit its objections to the order.
Jerusalem municipality officials stressed that the wooden bridge poses a severe security threat since it is highly flammable and in danger of collapsing. They warned that if a fire breaks out it could spread to the Temple Mount.
The municipality said that only a small number of security officials will be able to use the bridge, and only under urgent circumstances.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Jerusalem municipality two weeks ago to postpone the demolition of the Mughrabi Bridge, which was already due to begin.
Netanyahu's bureau had asked the municipality to postpone the work due to the sensitivity of the issue and warnings from Egypt that the action would focus protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Israel.
A new bridge is meant to replace the wooden structure built over the Mughrabi Ramp, which partially collapsed following a storm in 2004. The dismantling of the ramp in 2007 led to protests in the Muslim world and international criticism.
The dispute over the bridge has now become a key issue in Egypt's elections. The Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader, Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, called Thursday on Jordanian King Abdullah to dissuade Israel from replacing the ramp.

Qaradawi claims that Israel wants to replace the bridge to ease access by settlers and its security forces to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Posters were put up at Cairo's Al-Azhar University calling on Muslims to protect the mosque.

More: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/jerusalem-municipality-orders-closure-of-bridge-leading-to-temple-mount-1.400337

Some Soliders Up in Arms After Officials Remove Cross From U.S. Military Chapel in Afghanistan

Some U.S. servicemen are up in arms after a large cross was removed from outside a chapel on a military base in northern Afghanistan. The base, called Camp Marmal, is German and hosts NATO forces. The chapel in question is an interfaith house of worship that is overseen by the U.S. Army.
Soldiers say that they felt comfort as a result of having the cross visible from the outside of the chapel. In an e-mail to Politico, one serviceman said, “Sometimes the Church and the ability to openly express religious views ultimately gets people through the deployments over here.”
According to this particular soldier, when he asked a chaplain what had happened to the cross, he was told that it needed to be taken down. The faith leader, however, didn’t share any additional information on the matter.
“We are here away from our families, and the chapel is the one place that feels like home,” added another service member. “With the cross on the outside, it is a constant reminder for all of us that Jesus is here for us.”
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/some-soliders-up-in-arms-after-officials-remove-cross-from-u-s-military-chapel-in-afghanistan/
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EGYPT MAY END PEACE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL

It's not only Israeli analysts who fear that even the cold peace between their country and Egypt may be in danger as Islamic forces rise in the wake of Egypt's revolution.

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday told the Washington Post that there is a "very strong possibility" that following upcoming elections, Egypt's new rulers will revoke the Camp David Accords.

That is especially true if the Muslim Brotherhood comes to power. The group is contesting over 50 percent of the parliament seats in the next election, and is currently the only major political party active in the country.

Abdullah said that Jordan will soon be "the last man standing" in terms of nations in the region that have friendly relations with Israel.

There are many who disagree with Abdullah's conclusions, and even the Post tried to qualify his statements by noting that so-called experts (presumably the same who failed to see the 'Arab Spring' coming in the first place) find talk of Egypt ending its peace treaty with Israel wildly speculative.

Those experts insist that Egypt wants to maintain its flow of American financial aid and military equipment, and won't do anything to jeopardize that. However, the Muslim Brotherhood and the many Egyptians who back the group have repeatedly stated throughout the revolution that they have no interest in continuing their nation's reliance on American backing, and that they view adherence to their radical Islamic ideals as far more important than Western money.

"The peace between Israel and Egypt is no longer holy," declared Egyptian diplomat and Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi at a recent rally. "It [peace with Israel] cannot be considered equal to the holy Koran."

MORE: http://www.israeltoday.co.il/News/tabid/178/nid/22992/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Vatican Calls for Global Authority on Economy

The Vatican called on Monday for the establishment of a "global public authority" and a "central world bank" to rule over financial institutions that have become outdated and often ineffective in dealing fairly with crises.
A major document from the Vatican's Justice and Peace department should be music to the ears of the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrators and similar movements around the world who have protested against the economic downturn.
The 18-page document, "Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority," was at times very specific, calling, for example, for taxation measures on financial transactions.
"The economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence," it said.
It condemned what it called "the idolatry of the market" as well as a "neo-liberal thinking" that it said looked exclusively at technical solutions to economic problems.
"In fact, the crisis has revealed behaviours like selfishness, collective greed and hoarding of goods on a great scale," it said, adding that world economics needed an "ethic of solidarity" among rich and poor nations.

Read more: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/vatican-economic-authority-pope/2011/10/24/id/415466

SITUATION IN SYRIA COULD SPELL DISASTER FOR ISRAEL AND THE WHOLE WORLD

Israeli officials have reportedly warned Syrian dictator Bashar Assad that if he uses the downfall of his regime as an excuse to launch missiles at Tel Aviv, Israel will respond with a massive assault against Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.

Unnamed Israeli government sources told News First Class that the threat was relayed to Assad via European intelligence agencies.

The Israeli counter-threat came just days after Iran's Fars news agency quoted Assad telling Turkey's foreign minister that he would launch hundreds of ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv if the West interferes in his violent crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in Syria.

"If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv," Assad reportedly said.

Israel's threat included Lebanon and Gaza because Assad is said to have boasted that his own missile barrage on Tel Aviv would be complemented by Hizballah and Hamas attacks on Israel.

Were that scenario to play out, Assad is also reportedly confident that Iran would launch an attack on US warships in the Persian Gulf.

MORE: http://www.israeltoday.co.il/News/tabid/178/nid/22971/language/en-US/Default.aspx

OCTOBER 2: CONGREGATIONS VOTING TO LEAVE THE ELCA

1. St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Trufant, MI * first vote

2. Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Royal, IA * first vote

3. Danevang Lutheran Church, Danevang, TX * first vote

NO JEWS ALLOWED IN NEW PALESTINIAN STATE

The Palestinine Liberation Organization (PLO) ambassador to the US, Maen Areikat, told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that the Palestinian state his regime is trying to gain recognition for at the UN next week should be free of Jews.

"I think it would be in the best interest of the two people to be separated," said Areikat. Of course, any talk by Israeli politicians of removing Arabs from the Jewish state is immediately branded as racism and aggressively dismissed by the international community.

Israeli and Jewish leaders were incensed by the Palestinian official's remarks.

"It is advisable for the world's nations to take these statements into account when discussing the Palestinian request to establish an independent state," said Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who filed official statements of protest with the US and European powers.

Turning the tables on those who want to make Israel synomymous with history's most racist regimes, Minister of Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein noted:

"After an unending de-legitimization campaign and attempts to brand Israel an apartheid state, it appears it is the Palestinians who seek apartheid. ...[Areikat's] comments conjure up Judenrein motifs."

Judenrein was the term used by the Nazis to describe the goal of their campaign to cleanse Germany and Europe of Jews.

Speaking of the Nazis, former US National Security Council official said that it appears the planned Palestinian state will be the first nation since World War II-era Germany where Jews are forbidden to live by law.

The UN General Assembly is scheduled to start deliberating on recognizing a Palestinian Arab state on September 21. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will address the assembly on September 23, the last day of the first session of deliberations.

MORE: http://www.israeltoday.co.il/News/tabid/178/nid/22948/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Geologists on Canary Islands commence study on El Hierro swarm of 6000 quakes

September 15, 2011 – CANARY ISLANDS – The Canary Islands Government says it has commenced an in-depth geological survey of El Hierro, the smallest of the islands, in an effort to determine the source of an earthquake swarm. The unprecedented seismic activity commenced on 19 July. In excess of 6,000 earthquakes have been recorded up to 14 September 2011. More than two dozen tremors were recorded during Wednesday (14 Sept.) alone. The vast majority of the tremors have been recorded in the northwest of the 278.5-square-kilometre island at El Golfo, the location of a massive landslide that created a 100-metre high tsunami almost 50,000 years ago. The earth tremors have ranged between 1 and 3 magnitude, the National Geographic Institute (IGN) reported. However, the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands and Actualidad Volcánica de Canarias have both reported a sizeable decrease in the number of tremors recorded during the first two weeks of September, compared to the latter half of August. The National Geographic Institute confirmed on Wednesday that it has commenced a geological study of the epicentre of the tremors in the town of Frontera. Local officials admitted that the origin of the seismic movements could be volcanic, but further examination is required.
More:
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/geologists-on-canary-islands-commence-study-on-el-hierro-swarm-of-6000-quakes/

Marking 9/11, Israeli Leader Warns of ‘Ultimate Terrorist Nightmare’

CNSNews.com) - Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu marked the tenth anniversary of 9/11 by warning that the struggle against terrorism is "at its peak," with Islamic radicals set on achieving the "ultimate terrorist nightmare."

"This struggle is not over," he said during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. "We are still in the thick of it. It is clear that it will be indescribably huge if the radical Islamic forces or regimes acquire the ultimate weapon - weapons of mass-destruction - and the terrorists will stand together and will be able to operate under the nuclear umbrella of a radical regime, or even with tools for mass-destruction that they will acquire."

More: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/marking-911-israeli-leader-warns-ultimate-terrorist-nightmare

'Turkish Turkish Navy sending 3 warships to eastern Mediterranean'

Turkey is planning to send three warships to the the Eastern Mediterranean to defend against Israeli vessels if necessary and ensure freedom of navigation for Turkish ships, Today's Zaman reported on Monday.

The Turkish ships will provide protection for ships bringing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and confront Israeli warships outside of Israel's territorial waters if necessary, according to the report.

More: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=237670

Turkey: Warships to Escort Gaza-Bound Aid Vessels

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threatened Thursday to dispatch Turkish warships to escort aid ships from his country to Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Erdogan also said that Turkey had taken steps to stop Israel from unilaterally exploiting natural resources from the eastern Mediterranean, according to Al Jazeera's Arabic translation of excerpts of the interview, which was conducted in Turkish.
Erdogan's comments came as Turkey downgrades diplomatic ties with Israel and heated up rhetoric against the Jewish State in the aftermath of the publication of the UN Palmer Commission report on the Mavi Maramara raid and Israel's refusal to answer Turkish demands to apologize for the incident.
Read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/147697

PA Turns Tables on Obama, Uses His Speech to Back UN Bid

The Palestinian Authority has turned the tables on President Barack Obama, using an old speech to support its campaign for the United Nations recognition that he opposes.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his aides have launched an all-out media and diplomatic assault ahead of this month’s scheduled Arab League request to the United Nations that it declare the PA an independent state based on its unilateral demands.

President Obama has been adamant that Abbas reach his goal through the American-sponsored “peace process” that calls for direct talks with Israel.

However, the president, in his usual smooth and convincing oratory, told the U.N. General Assembly last year, "When we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that can lead to a new member of the United Nations, an independent, sovereign state of Palestine living in peace with Israel.”

More: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/147637

IDF Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg says the 'Arab Spring' may bring an 'Islamic Winter' - and War

'Arab Spring' revolutions have destabilized the region and raised the likelihood of war, top general says.

"It looks like the Arab Spring, but it can also be a radical Islamic winter," IDF Home Front Command chief Major General Eyal Eisenberg said during a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv on Monday.

"This leads us to the conclusion that through a long-term process, the likelihood of an all-out war is increasingly growing," Eisenberg said.

"Iran has not abandoned its nuclear program. The opposite it true; it continues full steam ahead," he said.

"In Egypt, the army is collapsing under the burden of regular security operations, and this is reflected in the loss of control in the Sinai and the turning of the border with Israel into a terror border, with the possibility that Sinai will fall under the control of an Islamic entity."

"In Lebanon, Hezbollah is growing stronger within government arms, but it has not lost its desire to harm Israel, and the ties with Turkey aren't at their best," He added.

Referring to what he characterized as the possibility of a "radical Islamic winter," Eisenberg warned "This raises the likelihood of an all-out, total war, with the possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used."

More: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/147568

Report: Israel sends 2 warships to Egyptian border

Military sources say Israeli Navy sent warships to maritime border with Egypt following intelligence indicating viable terror threat. Meanwhile, Iran set to send 15th fleet to Red Sea as well to 'convey message of peace and friendship to all countries'

More: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4115781,00.html

PA Uses Archaeology ‘To Rewrite History of Palestine’

The Palestinian Authority is renewing an archaeology dig in Shechem, which the Bible records was bought by Jacob (Yaakov). The director of the PA's Department of Antiquities, Hamdan Taha, says the dig will help in “writing or rewriting the history of Palestine.”

Muslim clerics often have rewritten the Bible, claiming that the “binding of Isaac (Yitzchak)" actually refers to Ishmael. Clerics in the Palestinian Authority and the entire Muslim world also have frequently argued that the Holy Temples never existed and that Rachel's Tomb at Bethlehem actually is an ancient Muslim holy site.

Shechem appears to be next in line. Taha told the Associated Press that the history of the area, including the Biblical period, is part of “Palestinian history.”

He added that the renewed dig of the Shechem site will “give Palestinians the opportunity to participate in writing or rewriting the history of Palestine from its primary sources."

More: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/146058

IRANIAN PASTOR MAY BE EXECUTED

Christian Solidarity World says Iranian-born Yousef Nadarkhani, who was arrested in 2009 and given the death sentence late last year, could have his sentence suspended on the grounds that he renounce his faith.

Those who know him say he is not likely to do that, for if he were disposed to giving it up, he would have done it long ago.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/07/14/evangelical-pastor-in-iran-may-face-death-if-doesnt-recant/#ixzz1SAynHjpo

NY Mayor Bloomberg to Officiate Same-Sex Marriage

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will controversially preside over one of the first gay marriages in New York at Gracie Mansion on Sunday July 24 for the consummation of two top staffers in his administration.

John Feinblatt, Bloomberg’s chief policy advisor and Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz will wed after being together for 14 years and having two young daughters. The wedding nuptials were first reported in the New York Times.

The Mayor has only married two other couples since taking office; his eldest daughter, Emma, and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Bloomberg said Thursday that he's "honored to be part of it."

Read more: http://newyork.christianpost.com/news/ny-mayor-bloomberg-to-officiate-same-sex-marriage-52025/

Ban Against Openly Gay Clergy Officially Lifted in PCUSA

The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. has officially cleared the way for openly gay men and women in same-sex relationships to be ordained as clergy.
The new policy goes into effect today after the church's assembly and 97 of the denomination's 173 presbyteries approved the change within the church’s constitution. The move represents a major change in the history of the 2.8 million-member Presbyterian denomination.

“The new policy for the Presbyterian Church becomes official on Sunday and a number of churches will mark the moment with prayer and rejoicing in their Sunday services,” according to a press release from the members of the More Light Presbyterians.

During the past several years, the debate has rambled on with a majority of church members previously rejecting changes that would allow noncelibate gays and lesbians to be ordained.

More:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/ban-against-openly-gay-clergy-officially-lifted-in-pcusa-52110/

CISCO EMPLOYEE FIRED FOR AUTHORING BOOK FAVORING TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE

Are you supposed to have sex at work? I guess it depends on your profession, but for most of us the answer is “no.” Why then is corporate America obsessed with training about sex?

As described in several recent columns by Mike Adams, I was fired as a vendor by Cisco for my conservative beliefs about sex and marriage even though my beliefs were never expressed on the job. When a homosexual manager found out on the Internet that I had authored a book giving evidence that maintaining our current marriage laws would be best for society, he couldn’t tolerate me and requested I be fired. An HR executive canned me within hours without ever speaking to me. This happened despite the fact that the leadership and teambuilding programs I led always received high marks (even from the homosexual manager!).

How could an experienced HR professional commit such a blatant act of discrimination unless the Cisco culture was decidedly tilted left? Why didn’t Cisco’s relentless emphasis and training on “inclusion and diversity” serve to prevent this? Maybe it’s because “inclusion and diversity” means something different to corporate elites than to normal Americans. That’s why their training didn’t prevent the problem but actually created an environment of intolerance that led to the problem.


More: http://townhall.com/columnists/frankturek/2011/06/28/sex_at_work/page/full/

New York archbishop: ‘believers will soon be hauled into court’ for questioning gay ‘marriage’

NEW YORK, July 8, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - American Christians may one day find themselves facing legal penalties simply for believing marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, a fate already suffered by believers in other countries, said the leader of America’s most influential Catholic pulpit this week.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York reflected on his blog Thursday on the recent legalization of gay “marriage” in New York, and what repercussions true marriage supporters can expect in the future.

He called it “haunting” that the marriage bill became law on the day Catholics celebrate the feast of the Birth of John the Baptist, “whom King Herod would behead because the saint dared to defend the God-given truth about marriage.”

“If the experience of those few other states and countries where this is already law is any indication, the churches, and believers, will soon be harassed, threatened, and hauled into court for their conviction that marriage is between one man, one woman, forever, bringing children into the world,” wrote the archbishop.

More: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-york-archbishop-believers-will-soon-be-hauled-into-court-for-questionin

NETANYAHU REJECTS OBAMA'S CALL FOR A RETURN TO 1967 BORDERS

Prime minister reacts to Obama's Middle East speech, saying Palestinian state cannot come at Israel’s expense.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday issued a quick response to US President Barack Obama's Middle East speech that was noticeably negative in tone.

While thanking Obama for his commitment to peace, the statement put out by the PMO said that the establishment of a Palestinian state cannot come at Israel’s expense.

More:

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=221397

CONGRESSMAN ALLEN WEST GETS IT RIGHT ON ISRAEL

(WASHINGTON) --- Congressman Allen West (FL-22) released this statement today:


"Today's endorsement by President Barack Obama of the creation of a Hamas-led Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, signals the most egregious foreign policy decision his administration has made to date, and could be the beginning of the end as we know it for the Jewish state.


From the moment the modern day state of Israel declared statehood in 1948, to the end of the 1967 Six Day War, Jews were forbidden access to their holiest site, the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, controlled by Jordan's Arab army.


The pre-1967 borders endorsed by President Obama would deny millions of the world's Jews access to their holiest site and force Israel to return the strategically important Golan Heights to Syria, a known state-sponsor of terrorism.


Resorting to the pre-1967 borders would mean a full withdrawal by the Israelis from the West Bank and the Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. Make no mistake, there has always been a Nation of Israel and Jerusalem has been and must always be recognized as its rightful capital.


In short, the Hamas-run Palestinian state envisioned by President Obama would be devastating to Israel and the world's 13.3 million Jews. It would be a Pavlovian style reward to a declared Islamic terrorist organization, and an unacceptable policy initiative.


America should never negotiate with the Palestinian Authority- which has aligned itself with Hamas. Palestine is a region, not a people or a modern state. Based upon Roman Emperor Hadrian's declaration in 73 AD, the original Palestinian people are the Jewish people.


It's time for the American people to stand by our strongest ally, the Jewish State of Israel, and reject this foreign policy blunder of epic proportions.


While the winds of democracy may blow strong in the Middle East, history has demonstrated that gaps in leadership can lead to despotic regimes. I have questions for President Obama: 'Who will now lead in Egypt?' and 'Why should American taxpayers provide foreign aid to a nation where the next chapter in their history may be the emergence of another radical Islamic state?'


President Obama has not stood for Israel or the Jewish people and has made it clear where the United States will stand when Palestine attempts to gain recognition of statehood by the United Nations. The President should focus on the real obstacle to security- the Palestinian leadership and its ultimate goal to eliminate Israel and the Jewish people."

PCUSA Votes to Allow Openly Gay Clergy

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has become the fourth Protestant denomination in the U.S. to allow the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy.
It follows a majority vote by the 173 presbyteries (district governing bodies) on Tuesday to change the body’s constitution in order to allow openly gay people in same-sex relationships to be ordained as ministers, elders and deacons.

The move does away with the constitutional requirement for clergy to live “in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.”

It also ends 33 years of wrangling between supporters and opponents of the move and reverses the outcome of a key vote two years ago, when the majority of presbyteries blocked the proposal.

Last year, the PC(USA)'s highest legislative body voted to remove the ban against noncelibate homosexual clergy. It was the fourth time since 1997 that the General Assembly passed such a resolution. Previously, the measure was rejected each time by the denomination's presbyteries. A majority vote from the presbyteries is required to ratify the overture.
More: http://www.christianpost.com/news/pcusa-votes-to-allow-openly-gay-clergy-50176/

Wiccans, Druids, & ‘Earth-Centered Groups’ Get Outdoor Chapel at Air Force Academy

Colorado Springs, CO is seen by many as the center of the Christian evangelical community in the American West. So it is more than ironic that the United States Air Force Academy, also based in Colorado Springs, has just opened a prayer circle and Stonehenge-like area so that its Wiccans, Druids, and “earth-centered groups” have a place to worship.

“This outdoor worship space is something we have created to help people of all religions,” Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, the academy’s superintendent, told The Gazette before a ribbon-cutting on the site.

So how many people will this benefit? The Gazette says there are 10 cadets who regularly attend “earth-centered” worship services, which encompasses New Age religion, paganism, Druids, ancient Norse beliefs, and Wicca.

More:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/wiccans-druids-earth-centered-groups-get-outdoor-chapel-at-air-force-academy/

Rev. David Wilkerson Killed in TX Car Crash

Rev. David Wilkerson, founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City and author of the well-known book The Cross and the Switchblade, was killed Wednesday in a head-on collision in Texas. He was 79.

"It is with deepest of sadness that we have to inform you of the sudden passing of Reverend David Wilkerson, our founding pastor," Times Square Church Senior Pastor Carter Conlon said in a statement on the church website.

Conlon added that details of the family's wishes and a memorial service would be provided as information became available.

Wilkerson was driving east on U.S. 175 in Texas Wednesday afternoon, and moved into the opposite lane where a tractor trailer was driving westbound. The truck driver saw the car and tried to move out of the way, but still collided with the pastor's car head on, according to Public Safety Trooper Eric Long.

It's unclear what caused Wilkerson to veer into the other lane. His wife Gwen was also involved in the crash and rushed to the hospital, along with the truck driver.

Wilkerson was pronounced dead on the scene.

More: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/April/Rev-David-Wilkerson-Killed-in-TX-Car-Crash/

Many Born-Again Christians Hold Universalist Views, Barna Finds

One in four born-again Christians hold universalist thoughts when it comes to salvation, according to a new Barna analysis of trend data.

Twenty-five percent of born-again Christians said all people are eventually saved or accepted by God. A similar proportion, 26 percent, said a person’s religion does not matter because all faiths teach the same lessons.

And an even higher proportion, 40 percent, of born-again Christians said they believe Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

Barna defined universalism as the belief that all human beings will eventually be saved after death. The California-based research and polling firm defines born-again Christians as people who have made “a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today, and who believe they will go to heaven after death because they confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.

According to the Barna analysis, 43 percent of Americans in general agreed with the statement “It doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons,” while 54 percent disagreed.

More: http://www.christianpost.com/news/many-born-again-christians-hold-universalist-views-barna-finds-49883/

Report: Obama's Diplomatic Plan - PA State, No 'Return'

United States President Barack Obama has created his own diplomatic plan for talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to rival that of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, according to the New York Times.



Obama's plan is reportedly based on principles including: the creation of a PA state in Judea and Samaria, with borders based on the 1948 armistice line, the split of Jerusalem, Israel's capital city, the negation of the PA “right of return” for descendants of Arabs who fled Israel in 1948, and a focus on Israel's security needs.

The details have yet to be determined, according to the Times report.

Netanyahu is expected to present his plan in a speech to the U.S. Congress, but may present it first in Knesset. He hopes to head off the PA's attempts to create a state unilaterally, with backing from the United Nations, instead of through negotiations.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/143672

GM BAILOUT COSTS AMERICAN TAXPAYERS $84 BILLION

Here's another lie coming from the Obama Administration... Barack Obama has some 'splaining to do about taxpayers' profitable "investment" in General Motors. It turns out the president is imagining things. Though Democrats tout the auto bailout as a success, recent reports illustrate the taxpayer cost of the GM auto bailout was substantially larger than the Obama administration and a Congressional Oversight report has owned up to. "American taxpayers are now positioned to recover more than my administration invested in GM,” President Obama said, according to a piece in USA Today last November. Steven Rattner, former head of the Treasury's auto task force agreed, telling CNN in November: “Recent progress at GM gives reason for optimism that it may be possible for taxpayers to get every penny back.” In fact, Investor's Business Daily reported that even the White House’s Director of the National Economic Council remarked that the Treasury Department Department had a good chance in "recovering most, if not all, of its investment in" GM. However, a March 16 Congressional Oversight report, tells a different story. It estimates taxpayers will be out of $25 billion. Additionally, the report points out that “full repayment will not be possible unless the government is able to sell its remaining shares at a far higher price.” That's only the beginning. Both the White House and the Congressional Oversight report omit the fact that during its bankruptcy, GM got a $45 billion tax break, courtesy of the American people. GM is driving “away from its U.S.-government-financed restructuring with a final gift in its trunk: a tax break that could be worth as much as $45 billion,” reported The Wall Street Journal last November. Over one year after the promises President Obama and his administration made about the auto bailout, a February piece on AutoBlog also confirms that GM will also get a $14 billion dollar domestic tax break:

More: http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2011/mar/31/barack-obama-losing-84-billion-big-success/

LIBERAL LOVE

A marketing coup: Get a small book on eternal destiny to the top of best-seller lists by sending out heretical-sounding promotional materials that garner condemnation. The winners: Rob Bell, the famously hip 40-year-old founder of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, and his publisher, the Rupert Murdoch-owned HarperCollins, that dubs Bell "the most vibrant, central religious leader of the millennial generation." Bell's book, Love Wins, argues that a good and loving God could not condemn people permanently to hell—and that, because of the orthodox conception of hell, many see the Christian message as "an endless list of absurdities and inconsistencies." The truly good news, he says, is that "love wins." This message, coming from a pastor dubbed by Time "a singular rock star in the church world," provoked critiques from Christian leaders including John Piper. One prominent blogger, Justin Taylor, argued that Bell "is moving farther and farther away from anything resembling biblical Christianity."

More:

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/17843

AMERICAN SERVICEWOMEN ENCOURAGED TO WEAR HEADSCARVES IN AFGHANISTAN

In an effort to get closer to the local population, American female soldiers stationed in Afghanistan are being encouraged to wear a Muslim headscarf when interacting with civilians. But some question whether the practice constitutes cultural sensitivity or a form of appeasement that is degrading to U.S. soldiers. Major Kyndra Rotunda, executive director of the Military Law and Policy Institute and AMVETS Legal Clinic, told The Daily Caller that while the women are not being ordered to wear the head scarf, encouragement is tantamount to a demand. “They say they are encouraging women to wear the headscarf when they are out and about and on patrol. But the problem is — and I think anyone who has been in the military understands that being encouraged to do something is about the same thing as being ordered — it really puts them in an uncomfortable position when their commander says, ‘We really want you to do this, technically you don’t have to, but we really want you to do this,’” she said. Lt. Col. Michael Lawhorn, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, stressed to TheDC that while commanders are encouraging American women to wear headscarves while engaging with civilians, they are not having them wear the headscarf in lieu of their kevlar helmets. READ MORE: http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/31/dont-forget-your-hijab-soldier-american-servicewomen-encouraged-to-wear-headscarves-in-afghanistan/

Ancient Books Uncovered in Jordan May Date to Start of Christianity

One of the largest and best-preserved collections of ancient sealed books has been discovered in a cave in Jordan and are believed to be some of the earliest Christian documents, according to the BBC. The 70 tiny books could date back to the first century. Carbon dating tests found that a piece of leather found with the scrolls was over 2000 years old. Experts say the books, made of lead and copper and bound by rings, may be more significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls, BBC reports. More: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/30/ancient-books-uncovered-jordan/

ISRAEL SEIZES IRANIAN ARMS BOUND FOR HAMAS AND HEZBOLLAH

The Israeli government announced its navy boarded and confiscated an Iranian shipment of arms headed for Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The shipment started in Syria and went to Turkey before being seized.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-arms-on-seized-ship-came-from-iran-via-syria-1.349358

EPISCOPALIAN PRIEST EMBRACES ISLAM FOR LENT

The Rev. Steve Lawler should have just given up chocolate or television for Lent.

Instead, Lawler, of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ferguson, decided to adopt the rituals of Islam for 40 days to gain a deeper understanding of the faith.

On Friday, he faced being defrocked if he continued in those endeavors.

"He can't be both a Christian and a Muslim," said Bishop George Wayne Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. "If he chooses to practice as Muslim, then he would, by default, give up his Christian identity and priesthood in the church."

Lawler, a part-time rector at the church, didn't foresee such problems when he came up with the idea. He merely wanted to learn more about Islam, he said, especially in light of the ongoing congressional hearings on the radicalization of the faith.

On Wednesday, the first day of Lent, he began performing salah five times a day, by facing east, toward Mecca, and praying to Allah. He also started studying the Quran and following Islamic dietary restrictions by abstaining from alcohol, pork and fish.

During Holy Week, he planned to fast from dawn to sunset as Muslims do during Ramadan.

But in Smith's eyes, the exercise amounts to "playing" at someone else's religion and could be viewed as disrespectful.

Plus, he said, "One of the ways (Lawler) remains responsible as a Christian leader is to exercise Christianity and to do it with clarity and not with ways that are confusing."

When asked whether he would take punitive actions against Lawler if he continued with the rituals, Smith responded that yes, he would. He would be forced to depose him.

MORE: www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/article_b3a20403-96c5-5766-af26-8fd662652a13.html

Radio confrontation: 'How can your group slit infant's throat?'

"Why should America continue to fund the Palestinian Authority when its own apparatus is responsible for incitement to murder and violence and terrorism and has carried out repeated terrorist attacks against civilians?"

This is just one of multiple questions fired away by WND senior reporter Aaron Klein on his WABC Radio show during an interview with PA spokesperson Dmitri Diliani.

The confrontational interview, audio from which is linked below, took place in the wake of the weekend's bloody massacre in which Palestinian assailants brutally stabbed to death five members of the Udi Fogel family, including a 3-month-old infant, inside their home in the Jewish village of Itamar.

More: www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=274749

Palestinian terrorist butchers Jewish family in Samaria

There is shock and sadness in Israel today over the brutal murder of one Jewish family murdered in their own home by terrorists. Amazingly, CNN seemed reluctant to call this killing a terrorist attack. Overall, there was little reporting of this incident on any of the US major networks.

www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/22695/Default.aspx

www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1625553.php/Al-Aqsa-Brigades-claims-responsibility-for-West-Bank-killing

PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN AND SEND YOUR LOVE OFFERING TO SAMARITAN'S PURSE

SEEING THE PEOPLE, HE FELT COMPASSION FOR THEM, BECAUSE THEY WERE DISTRESSED AND DISPIRITED LIKE SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD (Matthew 9:36).

Please pray for the people of Japan in this their great hour of need. And when you have prayed consider sending a gift to Dr. Franklin Graham's organization Samaritan's Purse. Mark your contribution for Aid to Japan.


www.samaritanspurse.org/

A Call to Prayer for Christians in Ethiopia

The following prayer request has been received from the Rev. Dr. Wakseyoum Idossa, President of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus via the Rev. Dr. Gemechis D. Buba, Missions Director of the NALC:

In the last few days over 41 churches and several evangelical mission stations or mission congregations were burned down. There are thousands of people expelled from their homes and some who are even badly beaten and killed. The perpetrators are Radical Islamist and Jihadist elements who are now operating in the western and south western parts of Ethiopia.

Read more: www.commonconfession.blogspot.com/2011/03/call-to-prayer-for-christians-in.html

Clinton Supports Funding for Lebanese Army

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is urging the Congress to continue its funding to the Lebanese Army.

She testified on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that Lebanon's army is professional, and non-sectarian, according to the Associated Press.

However, a number of Congress members noted that the increased participation of Hizbullah in Lebanon's government and in its military affairs raises the risk that the army may fall under the terrorist organization's control

More: www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142650

Obama Ends Court Defense of Anti-Gay Marriage Law

A key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutionally biased and will no longer be defended in court by Justice Department attorneys, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday.

But he assured members of Congress that the Clinton-era federal statute, which defines marriage as between only a "man and a woman" as "husband and wife," will continue to be enforced by the executive branch until it is repealed by legislators or definitely voided by the courts.

www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/23/obama-ends-court-defense-of-anti-gay-marriage-law/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C45833

U.S. Supreme Court Will Not Hear Case on Ten Commandments Display

Liberty Counsel Press release:

Washington, DC – Today the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear a Ten Commandments case that was previously argued at the High Court in 2005, involving the “Foundations of American Law and Government” display (Foundations Display). The Foundations Display includes the Ten Commandments on two county courthouse walls in McCreary and Pulaski Counties in Kentucky. The original lawsuit was filed by the ACLU in 1999.

This denial allows conflicting rulings at the appeals court level to stand, three of which have allowed the Foundations Display and the Sixth Circuit ruling, which has refused it. The instant case turned, not on the Foundations Display itself (which courts have upheld as Constitutional), but on the motive for erecting the display. If the motive is religious, the display is suspect, but if the motive is secular or the government officials are silent, then the display has been upheld. This silly distinction makes no constitutional sense.

Other than this case, the ACLU has lost every challenge to the Foundations Display at the court of appeals since 2005. This case presented the opportunity for the High Court to bring sanity back to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, especially now since the makeup of the Court has changed since 2005, with Justice Alito replacing Justice O’Connor.

McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky was first argued at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 by Mathew Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law. In a 5-4 decision, the Court upheld the preliminary injunction against the Foundations Display. The majority ruled that the predominate purpose of the government officials who erected two prior displays was religious. The Court sent the case back to the lower court for a full trial.

“The Ten Commandments have influenced American law and government and may be displayed in a court of law,” said Staver. “At some point the Supreme Court will have to issue a clear ruling that frees judges and lawmakers from the Establishment Clause purgatory created by its confusing rulings.”

FOUR CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES KILLED BY ISLAMIC PIRATES

Scott Adam and his wife, Jean, of Marina del Rey, Ca were traveling around the world on their yaght, the Quest, with friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis MacKay. Their mission--distributing Bibles. Their yaght was captured last week by Islamic pirates from Somalia. The U.S. Central Command says negotiations had been under way to try to win the couples' release when they were shot. According to press reports the pirates were killed or captured following the killings.

Rarely does the press acknowledge the pirates to be Islamic terrorists, but that is exactly who they are.

More: www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/22/501364/main20034691.shtml

PRESIDENT'S DAY Americans Say Reagan Is the Greatest U.S. President

PRINCETON, NJ -- Ahead of Presidents Day 2011, Americans are most likely to say Ronald Reagan was the nation's greatest president -- slightly ahead of Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton. Reagan, Lincoln, or John F. Kennedy has been at the top of this "greatest president" list each time this question has been asked in eight surveys over the last 12 years.

More: www.gallup.com/poll/146183/Americans-Say-Reagan-Greatest-President.aspx

NEWS REPORTS FOR WEEK OF FEBRUARY 20, 2011

Hope Lutheran Church, Smethport, PA, was formally organized February 20, under the leadership of Pastor Thomas Beam. A total of 19 persons attended the first service, held at the Free Evangelical Christian Church in Smethport on Sunday morning. Others who are committed to the new congregation bring the total of its members to 26. The congregation also voted to join the North American Lutheran Church (NALC).

There is a report that the Nebraska Synod has released Bethel Lutheran Church of Holdrige, but we have not yet confirmed this information.

JOHN PAUL II TO LIE IN STATE FOR BEATIFICATION

VATICAN CITY, Feb 18, 2011 (AFP) - The Vatican on Friday said late pope John Paul II's coffin will lie in state after his beatification on May 1 and warned the two million plus pilgrims expected against possible ticket touts.

The coffin, which is currently in a crypt under Saint Peter's, will be displayed inside the basilica after the beatification ceremony and he will then buried "in private" in the basilica, the Vatican said in a statement.

John Paul died in 2005 and was replaced by Pope Benedict XVI.

The beatification, which comes after Vatican authorities attributed a miracle to John Paul earlier this year, is the first step to sainthood.

The Vatican has said it expects as many as two and a half million people to flock to Rome from around the world to honour the popular Polish pope.

More:
www.news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/World/Story/A1Story20110218-264308.html

Gov’t Has Borrowed an Additional $29,660 Per Household Since Obama Signed Stimulus

(CNSNews.com) - The federal government has borrowed an additional $29,660 per household in the United States since President Barack Obama signed his economic stimulus law two years ago.

That brings the total national debt to $125,475.18 per household.

At the close of business on Feb. 17, 2009, the day Obama signed the $787-billion law, the national debt stood at $10.79 trillion ($10,789,783,760,341.41), according the Bureau of the Public Debt. At the close of business on Feb. 16, 2011, the national debt stood at $14.13 trillion ($14,129,889,690,377.50)—an increase of $3.34 trillion (3,340,105,930,036.09)

More: www.cnsnews.com/news/article/gov-t-has-borrowed-2966055-household-oba

THIS WEEK'S NEWS FROM CHURCHES

Living Word Lutheran Church, Milbank, SD, a new mission work associated with the LCMC, reports a baptized membership of 249.

A new LCMC congregation, Hosanna Lutheran Church, is being organized in Watertown, SD.

Peace Lutheran Church, Sioux Center Iowa, first vote in October 2010 to leave the ELCA was passed with 95%. A second vote was taken January 2011 and passed with 92%. The congregation has joined LCMC.

A new NALC congregation is being organized by Pastor Thomas Beam, a stand-up pastor in Smethport, PA. They are meeting temporarily at the Evangelical Free Church in town. First service will be Feb. 20 at 9:00 am.

Muslim Brotherhood to form political party

Egypt’s long banned Muslim Brotherhood said Tuesday it intends to form a political party once democracy is established, as the country’s new military rulers launched a panel of experts to amend the country’s constitution to allow democratic elections later this year.

The panel is to draw up changes within 10 days to end the monopoly that ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling party once held, which it ensured through widespread election rigging.

Generals from the Armed Forces Supreme Council, which now rules Egypt, said Tuesday the military wants to hand power to a government and elected president within six months, the firmest timetable yet outlined.

More:

www.online.worldmag.com/2011/02/15/muslim-brotherhood-to-form-political-party/

Homeschool Bill Dropped after Thousands Protest

A proposed Illinois bill to mandate homeschool student registration was dropped after 4,000 home schooling families flooded the state capitol to protest.
Homeschoolers and advocates from several state groups including Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) and Home School Legal Defense showed up at Tuesday’s hearing to urge state lawmakers to leave them alone. The overwhelming response against the bill led lawmakers to reconsider the proposal.

“I would love for Sen. Maloney to understand that this is a hot potato and to leave well-enough alone,” said David Smith of the Illinois Family Institute.

Illinois is one among a dozen states where homeschooled children are not required to register with state education officials.

Chicago Democrat Sen. Edward Maloney’s proposed bill calls for mandatory registration and recognition of non-public elementary and secondary schools in order to ensure that all state students are participating a in “state approved educational institutions and programs.”

The bill would require homeschools to register their students with the Illinois State Board of Education annually.
More: www.christianpost.com/news/ill-homeschool-bill-dropped-after-thousands-protest-49007/

MAINLINE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP DECLINE CONTINUES, BUT MORE SLOWLY

The National Council of Churches has released their annual report on church membership in the United States. The report states: "The direction of membership (growth or decline) remains very stable. That is, churches which have been increasing in membership in recent years continue to grow and likewise, those churches which have been declining in recent years continue to decline." Aptly stated.

The report also stated that income across the churches decreased by $26 million.

Churches reporting a decline in membership included:
The Southern Baptist Church, 16,160,000, down .42%.
The United Methodist Church, 7,774,931, down 1.01%.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,542,868, down 1.96%.
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 2,312.111, down 1.%.
The Episcopal Church, 2,006,343, down 2.48%.
The American Baptist Church, 1,310,505, down 1.5%.
The United Church of Christ, 1,080,199, down 2.83%.

Those reporting an increase in membership included:
The Roman Catholic Church, 68,503,456, up .57%.
Jehovah's Witnesses, 1,152,686, up 4.37%.
Seventh Day Adventist Church, up 4.31%.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, up 1.42%.
Assemblies of God, up .52%.

More: www.wfn.org/2011/02/msg00045.html

GENERAL JAMES JONES, FORMER SECURITY ADVISOR, SAYS GOD WANTS OBAMA TO CREATE PALESTINIAN STATE

Former US National Security Advisor James Jones on Monday said that he believes it is God’s will that President Barack Obama push hard for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which Jones called the epicenter of all the world’s problems.

Speaking at the Herzliya Conference in Israel, Jones said, “I’m of the belief that had God appeared in front of President Obama in 2009 and said if he could do one thing on the face of the planet, and one thing only, to make the world a better place and give people more hope and opportunity for the future, I would venture that it would have something to do with finding the two-state solution to the Middle East.”

Jones insisted that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the “knot that is at the center of the mass” of all regional and most global diplomatic problems today. This conflict, said Jones, “is one of the most important issues on the planet.”

www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/22650/Default.aspx

Rains Continue, Sea of Galilee Rises, Desalination Limps Along

Hadera Desalination Plant in Israel

After a very late start, the winter rains appear to be here in force – and the Kineret and Israel's aquifers are benefiting. Israel still looks to desalination, however.

Since it reached its lowest point this year – 214.12 meters below sea level on Dec. 11 – the Kineret (Sea of Galilee) has gained 43 centimeters (over 17 inches), and now stands at 213.69. This is still 69 centimeters (2 feet 4 inches) below the government-mandated red line, considered to be unhealthy for Israel’s largest fresh-water body and main water provider.

Meanwhile, it is a matter of consensus that desalination must be a major part of the ultimate solution to Israel’s water problems – but bureaucracy is slowing down construction of the newest desalination plant in Ashdod. The current point of contention is a 4-agorah (1.1 cent) gap between the price per cubic meter demanded by the Mekorot Water Company and the price the Finance Ministry agrees to pay. The difference means 11 million shekels ($2.97 million) a year.

More:

www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142260

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142260

Ky. Senate Passes Bill to Teach Bible in Public Schools

The Kentucky Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would add Bible classes to the curriculum in public schools.

The measure would direct the Kentucky Board of Education to create guidelines on a curriculum around the Bible. According to the proposal, students would be able to take a Bible course as a social studies elective centered on the Hebrew Scriptures, Old Testament of the Bible, the New Testament, or a combination of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament of the Bible.

Sen. Joe Bowen (R-Owensboro), the bill's sponsor, said the purpose of the legislation is Bible literacy.

More:
www.christianpost.com/article/20110210/ky-senate-passes-bill-to-teach-bible-in-public-schools/