YouVersion Bible App Tops 100 Million Downloads; Releases Series of Infographics

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YouVersion Bible App hit the 100 million downloads mark Sunday evening. The ministry organization released a series of infographics to help commemorate the milestone.

The free Bible App was among the first 200 apps available on iTunes. Today, there are over 900,000 available on iTunes, which celebrates its five-year anniversary on Wednesday. For three consecutive years, Apple has ranked the Bible App among the top 100 free apps. Currently, it’s available for virtually every mobile device. Pastor Bobby Gruenewald of LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma, the pastor, who came up with the idea of using technology to make the Bible more accessible on smart phones and tablets, said he hopes the app will surpass the popularity of those rated the highest in the field today.

“We’re excited to see the Bible rising in the ranks, because it means God’s Word is becoming more widely known,” Gruenewald told The Christian Post on Monday. “One day we hope it would far exceed the popularity of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”

The ministry organization released a series of infographics to help commemorate the milestone that can be seen by clicking here.

Ireland Sees Largest-Ever Pro-Life Rally, 60,000 Protest Abortion

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More than 60,000 pro-life people gathered for what sponsors are calling the largest-ever pro-life rally against abortion that Ireland has ever seen.

With a vote looming in the Irish Parliament to legalize abortions, pro-life advocates are pulling out all the stops to rally public opinion against the bill before a final vote is taken on Wednesday.

“Some 60,000 people marched from Parnell Sqaure to Dåil Eireann to send a strong message to Enda Kenny and the Irish Government that we the people do not want abortion and want our right to vote on this crucial issue,” the Pro Life Campaign said about the event.

Caroline Simons, Legal Consultant to the Pro Life Campaign who also spoke at the Rally, said ‘The event today again demonstrates the strength of opposition to this flawed legislation. It is time for the Government to step back and consider what other issue has tens of thousands of people repeatedly willing to come out on the streets to express their views. The people of Ireland don’t want to see abortion in our hospitals, they want women and their unborn children to enjoy the full protection of our laws. It’s time for the Government to scrap this unjust Bill’

“Let those Senators and TDs use the power granted to them under article 27 of our constitution to let the people speak on this bill,” Declan Ganley told the crowd to sustained applause. “Let us vote. Let us pass judgement on Enda Kenny’s abortion bill in a referendum. He says his book is the constitution. Well use it, Taoiseach. He says he trusts the people. Well prove it, Taoiseach. He says this is a matter of grave concern to the public. Well ask them, Taoiseach. ”

Life Institute released a statement in response to the massive rally and the public opposition to the abortion bill:

Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute added that: “If you refuse, Taoiseach, to let the people vote, then the people will be heard. 100,000 people have already signed the pro-life pledge, 100,000 will seek to build a new political alternative, 100,000 will remember Taoiseach, that if you ram through this law, you are the abortion Taoiseach and Fine Gael is the abortion party, and they will seek an alternative which protects both mother and baby. ”

Fine Gael, she said, had now awoken a sleeping giant, that would work night and day to build an alternative to political parties who broke their promises and betrayed their principles.

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Dr Eoghan de Faoite of Youth Defence said the Rally Committee was “absolutely delighted with the huge turnout” and that “there was a huge momentum building to let the people vote on the Bill using Article 27 of the Constitution.”

“This initiative came from within Fine Gael itself and is also being promoted by the former Labour TD Colm Keaveney, so it’s clear that the desire to let the people vote has support across the parties,” he said. “What is Enda Kenny afraid of? ”

The Rally also heard from Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life who said that the measure would impact on the whole island of Ireland and was out of step with the majority of people in the north of Ireland. “The All Party Pro-Life Group from Stormont is represented here today, since this is a matter for All-Ireland, as we stand together against abortion,” she said.

Tracy Harkin told the Rally that “almost 7 years ago my husband Tom and I were told our baby girl Kathleen Rose was diagnosed with a condition called trisomy 13, a condition sometimes described as being ‘incompatible with life’.”

“Well, Kathleen Rose is with us here today. She is not incompatible with life: she is the love of our lives,” she said to rapturous applause.

Bands, face-painting, family fun and music gave a carnival-like atmosphere to the Rally but the speeches at Leinster House focused on the consequences for Fine Gael if the Bill is made law without consulting the people.

Close to 100,000 pledges have been signed by voters saying they will never vote for Fine Gael again because of the legislation. Niamh Ui Bhriain said that the time was “ripe for a new political alternative which would not betray serious electoral promises on matters of life and death”.

Before the Rally for Life on Saturday, Archbishops Diarmuid and Eamon Martin celebrated Mass in St. Savior’s Church, Dominick St at 12.30pm. The Rally leaves Parnell Square for Leinster House at 2pm.

Poll: Americans Extremely Proud but Believe Declaration Signers Would Be Disappointed

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A Gallup Poll released on Thursday, Independence Day, found that there is a major difference between the pride Americans feel for their country, and what they think the signers of the 1776 Declaration of Independence would say about how the country has turned out.

The survey found that 57 percent of those who responded are extremely proud to be American, and another 28 percent are very proud, while only 3 percent are “only a little proud” and 1 percent are not proud at all. At the same time, 71 percent believe the signers of the Declaration would be disappointed with how the country has turned out, while 27 percent believe they would be pleased.

“Americans are now much less likely than they were a decade ago to say the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased with how the country has turned out,” the Gallup report stated.

“This is most likely an outgrowth of Americans’ current level of negativity toward their government, including the record-low level of confidence Americans have in Congress and the significant percentage of Americans who cite dissatisfaction with government as the third most important problem facing the country today.”

The poll was conducted June 1-4 and June 20-24 and surveyed 1,529 and 2,048 adults respectively, and has a maximum margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points.

In terms of U.S. pride, there were no big differences between age groups, and only small differences between political groups. As many as 93 percent of Republicans say they are extremely or very proud of their country, compared to 85 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of independents.

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This national pride is contrasted, however, by how Americans think the signers of the Declaration would see the U.S. in this day and age. In 2001, 54 percent of those surveyed said they believe the signers would be pleased, compared to only 27 percent today.

This time, Republicans are much more likely to say the signers would be disappointed – 86 percent believe they would disapprove of the state of America today. Only 56 percent of Democrats believe the same. Similarly, 83 percent of conservatives think the signers would be disappointed, compared to 54 percent of liberals.

“Still, the signers might feel more gratified if they knew that 237 years after they signed the Declaration of Independence, 85 percent of U.S. residents say they are proud to be an American,” Gallup offered.

A poll in June by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with Religion News Service found that among religious groups, white evangelicals have the strongest sense of American pride.

Sixty-eight percent of white evangelicals said they were extremely proud to be American, compared to 56 percent of white mainline Protestants, 49 percent of minority Christians, 48 percent of Catholics, and 39 percent of non-religious Americans.

Administration Postpones Obamacare Mandate on Businesses–'Past 2014 Elections'

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The Obama administration announced on Thursday that it is giving businesses an extra year to provide the required health insurance coverage to their full-time employees without risk of incurring tax penalties.

“During this 2014 transition period, we strongly encourage employers to maintain or expand health coverage,” the Treasury Department blogged.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, noted that the Obama administration is delaying the “job-killing requirement” for businesses, but not for individuals and families, who are required by law to purchase health insurance in 2014, either through their employers or on the new health care exchanges. Individuals who go without health insurance will face tax penalties, dubbed “shared responsibility payments” by the Obama administration.

“While a delay of this mandate is welcome news since it shows the challenges the employers are facing complying with it, a delay — conveniently past the 2014 election — only adds to the uncertainty these job creators face because of ObamaCare,” Hatch said.

“And I certainly hope this action isn’t a back door attempt at getting more Americans into the exchanges, which have been plagued by problems.”

Hatch said the only “reasonable recourse” is to fully repeal the law.

“This delay, on top of the skyrocketing cost of insurance premiums, significant challenges with the exchanges and taxes administered by a scandal-plagued IRS demonstrate why this law is more unpopular with the American people than the day the president signed it into law.”

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, employers with 50 or more full-time employees are required to provide health insurance for them, beginning in 2014, or face a massive tax penalty. The requirement, which caused many employers to keep their full-time staffs below 50, will now take effect in 2015.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Obamacare already is raising costs and costing jobs:

“This announcement means even the Obama administration knows the ‘train wreck’ will only get worse. I hope the administration recognizes the need to release American families from the mandates of this law as well. This is a clear acknowledgment that the law is unworkable, and it underscores the need to repeal the law and replace it with effective, patient-centered reforms.”

Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said the employer mandate will destroy jobs, regardless of when it’s implemented.

“If anything, this decision exacerbates the confusion and uncertainty employers face, and serves as further confirmation this flawed law is a ‘train wreck.’ In fact, jobs are already being lost and workers’ hours slashed because of the president’s health care law. No amount of bureaucratic tinkering can ease the pain ObamaCare is inflicting on our nation’s workplaces. America’s workers, families, and job creators deserve permanent relief from ObamaCare, not a one year reprieve.

Mark J. Mazur, the assistant treasury secretary for tax policy, said the administration — in announcing the year-long delay for businesses — is responding to “concerns about the complexity” of Obamacare’s requirements and “the need for more time to implement them effectively.”

“We have listened to your feedback. And we are taking action,” Mazur blogged. He said the delay “will allow us to consider ways to simplify the new reporting requirements consistent with the law, and it will “provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible for their employees.”

The administration plan to publish “formal guidance” describing the change Within the next week. “Just like the Administration’s effort to turn the initial 21-page application for health insurance into a three-page application, we are working hard to adapt and to be flexible about reporting requirements as we implement the law.”

In a June 2013 report, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged that major elements of Obamacare “be rolled out in a more incremental way.”

“Without a more modest transition, the goals of the law will be undercut. By phasing in certain insurance reform requirements, the impending significant rate increases that will otherwise begin in 2014 can be mitigated. However, without such a phase-in, new insurance rating requirements will substantially increase health insurance premiums in 2014 and significantly disrupt access to coverage and care for millions of employees and individuals.”

SCOTUS Now Leads the Pack in Struggle for Tyrannical Power

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PHILADELPHIA – Last Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and also caused Proposition 8 to be invalidated, thereby ruling against the majority of California voters.

While Wednesday’s rulings did not impose the sweeping redefinition of marriage that gay activists were seeking, it did fling the doors wide open to a whole new wave of lawsuits seeking to do just that. Caught in the crosshairs of the national debate over marriage laws are the religious freedoms of all Americans, but particularly those who hold to a Biblical worldview.

Many Christians and conservatives believe that the decision, while not unexpected, is nonetheless highly troublesome for America, feeling that the form of government which was established to undergird and guard Americans’ rights and freedoms will not survive much longer if acts like last week’s continue unchecked. They summarize the Court’s decision as nothing less than judicial tyranny.

According to Sam Rohrer, President of the Pennsylvania Pastor’s Network, the Court committed three major acts of defiance. He states, “First, five Supreme Court Justices defiled their Constitutional oath by declaring supremacy over the Executive and Legislative Branch by ruling null and void a legitimate and lawful act of Congress (DOMA) signed by President Clinton. By so doing, they have challenged the authority of Congress and violated the Separation of Powers. If Congress does not swiftly respond, they will condone this act of tyranny and become complicit in it. Secondly, they defied the Constitutional concept of state sovereignty, the citizens of California and all American citizens by declaring unconstitutional a legitimate act of the people through constitutional referendum. By recognizing the illegitimate actions of the California court, they sidestepped creating an immediate constitutional crisis by attacking the 10th Amendment directly, but accomplished the same thing. Finally, they denounced God Himself by declaring that God’s definition of marriage is not absolute. As such, the Court, just like shifting tectonic plates underneath the ocean, have set in motion a series of tsunamis that could destroy our Constitutional republic.”

Although some claim that the Court simply returned the issue of defining marriage to the states, this is up for critical debate. What many say is that the Supreme Court actually ruled that the people of any individual state have no power to create and enact their own laws. This ruling can be described as nothing less than judicial tyranny, and should enrage all Americans who cherish their right to vote, regardless of religion, race, or creed.

Also, in striking down DOMA, which many say did nothing to hamper or govern the individual states in their laws concerning marriage, but simply defined, for federal purposes, what marriage means when written into federal statues, the Court essentially ruled that Congress does not possess the ability to define for itself the terms within the laws it creates, yet every governing body at every level of society does exactly that. This ruling creates a precedent that grants the Court unlimited power to randomly create and define whichever words it wants in whatever way it wants, regardless of the intent of Congress or any other governing body when it seeks to define its own terms. When combined with the refusal of the Federal Executive Branch to defend DOMA and the California Executive branch to defend Prop 8, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision should awaken all Americans to the threat that exists to their most cherished freedoms and the strength of any current law they look to protect.

The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is a group of biblically faithful clergy and church liaisons whose objective is to build a permanent infrastructure of like-minded clergy who affirm the authority of Scripture, take seriously Jesus’ command to be the “salt and light” to the culture, encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues; examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits and engage their congregations in taking part in our political process on a non-partisan basis.

The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network website continues to offer a wealth of resources to pastors to help them equip their congregations to live a Christian life, from sermon notes to corporate prayers for our nation, to resources for laypeople, covering everything from preparation to finances.
The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is an affiliate of the American Pastors Network.

To contact them visit. www.papastors.net or call 610.584.1096.

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To schedule interviews with Sam Rohrer, President of the Pa. Pastors’ Network, contact Deborah Hamilton at dhamilton@hamiltonstrategies.com, 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096.

Texas Bill Filed to Ban Abortions at 20-Weeks After Mob Stops Last One

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Texas legislators today filed a new bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks and hold abortion facilities accountable for breaking health and safety laws after a pro-abortion mob derailed the previous bill.

The bill would ban abortions after 20 weeks and hold abortion clinics accountable by making them meet basic health and safety standards that have closed facilities in other states that are unable to comply. The bill also requires all abortion clinics to meet the same health and safety regulations as an ambulatory surgical center, requires a doctor providing abortions to secure admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, and lastly, requires a doctor to personally administer the abortion-inducing drugs to the patient.

Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a call for a special session of the Texas legislature to pass the bill that a pro-abortion mob prevented the legislature from passing last week.

“I am calling the Legislature back into session because too much important work remains undone for the people of Texas. Through their duly elected representatives, the citizens of our state have made crystal clear their priorities for our great state,” Perry said. “Texans value life and want to protect women and the unborn. Texans want a transportation system that keeps them moving. Texans want a court system that is fair and just. We will not allow the breakdown of decorum and decency to prevent us from doing what the people of this state hired us to do.”

Polls show a majority of Texans favor a bill banning late-term abortions.

Texas Right to Life provided LifeNews with more details on what is happening.

“House Bill 2 will be heard in committee as early as 3:30 p.m. this Tuesday,” the pro-life group said. “All Pro-Lifers in attendance in Austin are encouraged to join us at the Capitol Extension (E1.010).”

“We will be filling up the hearing room and lining up the hallways of the Capitol Extension about 1:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.. It is expected that the testimony may run as late as midnight,” Texas Right to Life added. “If you attend a hearing day, please register at the Capitol kiosk in support of House Bill 2. The kiosks are on stands outside the committee room.”

Those who want to provide testimony should prepare a three-minute testimony explaining how abortion has hurt you or someone you love.

“When you register at the Capitol kiosk in support of House Bill 2, then you may also select your desire to testify. Be prepared for a long day and night, and bring snacks and beverages,” the group says. It is urging pro-life advocates to wear baby blue shirts when they show up.

“Today, July 1, we expect the bill to be referred to committee. However, it is not necessary for you to be present today. By mid-week, we will have the calendar for the remaining three days where your attendance would be beneficial. These days include: a vote in the House, a hearing in the Senate, and a final vote in the Senate. As soon as we have the calendar details confirmed, we will release that information to you quickly,” the group adds. “Attendance at any one of these four days would be very much appreciated. Some people are coming in for one day and others are arranging to be in Austin for all four. Parking may prove to be a bit of a problem. However, we’re currently working on securing private parking at area churches and businesses and then busing folks over to the Capitol grounds.”

Last week, after a long and confusing night filled with a filibuster and a pro-abortion mob that made it difficult for lawmakers to debate and vote, the Texas state Senate appeared to pass a ban on late-term abortions 19-12. Later, lawmakers came back and said the vote had not officially been taken before the midnight deadline for the special session.

Today, abortion advocates protested at the state capitol but pro-lifers drowned them out with signing of Amazing Grace.

Texas Right to Life provides a list of ways pro-life people can help now:

1. Pray and intercede for wisdom, courage, and strength for all of the elected officials who will vote on this measure. Pray that they will all stand for life regardless of the spiritual, emotional, and physical attacks leveled against them.

2. Call and email YOUR Representative and Senator starting on Monday with a simple message, “Please speak, stand, and vote FOR HB 2. My support will be significantly determined by the vote on this bill.” Visit this link to confirm your correct Representative and Senator: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

3. Come to the Texas State Capitol in Austin for the hearings and/or the final vote in each chamber when scheduled. We must not let the majority of Pro-Life Texas citizens be unorganized on this critical issue at this critical hour. (Committee and vote schedule details will be sent when available.)

4. Encourage your Pastor to personally use every communication available of pulpit, email, text, etc., to call out your congregation to join you in attending. There will be a special meeting space set aside near the Capitol as a reception area for pastors to pick up information packets, rest, and pray! Watch for more information.

5. Encourage your family, friends, co-workers and church members to join you in these efforts. Use the hashtag #Stand4Life on Twitter to show support for all Life. There is definitely strength in numbers. Now is the time to show that the majority of Texans are Pro-Life.

If you have questions or plan to attend, please contact the Texas Right to Life office at 713-782-5433.

New Yorker Cover Shows Bert and Ernie Celebrating SCOTUS Gay Marriage Rulings

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The New Yorker magazine has revealed the controversial cover of its upcoming issue on two groundbreaking rulings favoring same-sex marriage made by the Supreme Court this week. The cover image is controversial because it portrays an intimate moment between popular “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie, who have been dogged for years with suggestions that the two male puppets were much more than just roommates and buddies.

In a post on its website Friday, The New Yorker shared the July 8 & 15, 2013, cover image with a headline reading “Cover Story: Bert and Ernie’s ‘Moment of Joy.” The venerable NYC publication explained that the unsolicited artwork was submitted to a Tumblr account by Jack Hunter.

“It’s amazing to witness how attitudes on gay rights have evolved in my lifetime,” The New Yorker quoted Hunter as saying. “This is great for our kids, a moment we can all celebrate.”

Tim Wildmon, president of the conservative American Family Association, wholeheartedly disagrees.

“It is beneath contempt for a magazine of The New Yorker’s stature to use Bert and Ernie, characters from a children’s program, to celebrate behavior which is immoral, unnatural and unhealthy,” Wildmon said in a statement emailed Friday to The Christian Post.

Wildmon called Hunter “dead wrong” for saying the Supreme Court marriage rulings “great for our kids” and “a moment we can all celebrate.”

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“This is a tragic day for kids who will wind up in same-sex households,” added the AFA president, who went on to reference a controversial and highly-criticized study by Mark Regnerus, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, that looked at the lives of adults raised by gay and lesbian parents.

Wildmon added, “The Bible has had it right from the beginning: marriage is between a man and a woman, and it’s the optimal nurturing environment for children. The New Yorker magazine ought to be ashamed of itself.”

Among the handful of comments in response to The New Yorker’s “Moment of Joy” cover was a suggestion that the publication made an “inappropriate” decision by choosing to use Hunter’s Bert and Ernie image.

“Why is this inappropriate? Because CTW (the Children’s Television Workshop) has taken the effort to comment that Bert and Ernie, although quite eloquent, are muppets. They have no gender and are thus not gay,” the commenter wrote. “So much for an intellectual approach from The New Yorker.”

The comment was rebuffed, however, by another reader who suggested that one simply had to consider the popular puppets’ “gender” to get the point.

Another visitor to The New Yorker’s website, put off by the “troll fest” the image was attracting in the comments section, remarked, “The sexuality of Bert and Ernie has been a punchline for decades, in case you haven’t been paying attention, and what the cover does, in a masterful way, is reference that in the context of a historic ruling by the Supreme Court. End of story. Everything else is bluster and bombast.”

In 2011, when an online petition called for Bert and Ernie to get married to help teach children about “the tolerance of those that are different,” Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization that produces “Sesame Street,” attempted to set the record straight on the puppet’s sexuality.

“Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves,” Sesame Workshop said at the time in a statement shared with The Christian Post. “Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets™ do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”

The Christian Post’s request to the Sesame Workshop for a comment on The New Yorker cover image was not met by press time. The popular children’s television program has been broadcast for more than 40 years.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court justices voted 5-4 twice in two cases touching on the institution of marriage, with the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8 amendment directly affected.

With regard to the Defense of Marriage Act (United States v. Windsor), signed into law in 1996 by then-President Bill Clinton, the justices found it unconstitutional for marriage to be defined in heterosexual terms when dealing with federal laws and programs. California’s Proposition 8 voter-approved amendment defining marriage in traditional terms was suspended after a 2010 ruling by a lower court found the law unconstitutional. The Supreme Court’s refusal this week to rule on a challenge to the case (Hollingsworth v. Perry) effectively leaves the lower court’s decision in place, and leaves room for California to resume performing same-sex marriages.