Category: Blog

By Joseph Mattera, Op-ed Contributor Tuesday, November 12, 2024Getty Images/rudall30

When we study the lives of the kings of Israel, one name stands out as a man blessed by God: King David. Despite his grievous sins, including adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11), David is repeatedly called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). His heart for God allowed him to find grace, even in the face of moral failure.

In contrast, many kings who followed David — both in Israel and Judah — were judged more severely by God, even when they did not commit similar acts of murder or adultery. Why? The primary reason is that they led the people into idolatry. This grievous sin of leading the nation away from the worship of Yahweh to serve other gods warranted divine judgment. The severity with which idolatry is treated throughout Scripture reveals its deep offense to God.

In today’s world, idolatry is not as obvious as bowing to statues of Baal or Asherah poles. Yet, idolatry is still rampant in the Church. The modern definition of idolatry encompasses any attitude or behavior where a person places their affection, devotion, or adoration toward someone or something above their devotion to Yahweh. As Exodus 20:3 commands, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Idolatry is not merely a relic of ancient history; it is a present-day issue that continues to lead believers astray.

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Many Christians fail to recognize that calling oneself a Christian or attending weekly services does not preclude them from committing idolatry. God is a jealous God, and He has not changed (Malachi 3:6). Merely professing faith is not sufficient to safeguard us from the sin of idolatry. In fact, it is my observation that the lack of biblical discipleship in today’s Church has resulted in a vast number of Christians in name only — those who are, in reality, idolaters.

In this article, I will outline 10 reasons why idolatry is the worst sin, supported by markers that indicate whether a person is committing idolatry against Yahweh.

1. Their heart is more passionate about something or someone than it is toward God

Jesus taught us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). When a person is more passionate about anything or anyone other than God, they have violated the greatest commandment. 

2. They do not invest any time or money in promoting Gospel-centered causes

Jesus’ final command was to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). If someone claims to love God but neglects giving generously to support gospel work, they may have misplaced priorities. 

3. They are too busy to seek the Lord consistently

One of the most evident markers of idolatry is the excuse of busyness. When life becomes too busy for prayer, abiding in Christ, worship, or study of the Word, something else has taken priority over God. The psalmist declared, “I have set the Lord always before me” (Psalm 16:8). Consistently seeking God reflects a life centered on Him. Conversely, neglecting time with God signals that other pursuits have taken precedence — an unmistakable sign of idolatry.

4. They are consumed with political discourse while neglecting the Word of God

Politics can quickly become an idol when it consumes more attention than the Word of God. While believers should engage with society, political activism should not replace devotion to Scripture. A politically obsessed believer may have misplaced their hope in human institutions rather than God’s kingdom.

5. They allow non-essential doctrines to separate themselves from other Christians

The body of Christ is called to unity in essentials, (such as illustrated in the Nicene Creed) but many believers allow non-essential doctrines — such as eschatology, Calvinism, or Arminianism — to divide them from other Christians. This division often arises because a theological position has become an idol, and becomes more important than the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:3). When theological preferences take priority over love and unity, they can become idolatrous.

6. They justify their own immoral choices

Another symptom of idolatry is moral compromise. When a person lives in habitual sin and justifies their actions, they have placed their desires above the will of God. This form of idolatry stems from a heart that refuses to submit fully to God’s authority. As James 4:4 says, “Friendship with the world is enmity with God.” Choosing self-gratification over obedience reveals that one’s god is not Yahweh but self.

7. They center their life on sports and hobbies

While sports and hobbies are not inherently sinful, they can become idols when they dominate one’s time, focus, and affection. When a person organizes their life around entertainment and pleasure rather than service to God, they have fallen into idolatry. Paul cautions us not to be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). Our ultimate satisfaction should come from God, not fleeting amusements.

8. They value their own autonomy and do not allow accountable relationships

An idolatrous heart resists accountability. When a person refuses to be part of a church community or avoids relationships that foster accountability, they elevate their own autonomy above the kingdom of God. Rejecting accountability is often a form of pride and idolatry.

(Of course, some may need therapy due to past spiritual or emotional abuse which makes it difficult to fully trust others with their heart).

9 They are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God

The love of pleasure is a common idol in our hedonistic culture. Whether it is entertainment, comfort, or sensual pleasure, anything that becomes more desirable than God is an idol. Scripture warns against those who “are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). A heart that chases pleasure over holiness is far from God.

10. They put their own self-interest before the interests of God

Perhaps the most telling marker of idolatry is when a person places their self-interest above God’s will. Jesus rebuked Peter with the words, “You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mark 8:33). Self-interest is the foundation of idolatry because it prioritizes personal desires over divine purposes. Those who live for themselves rather than for God’s glory have made an idol of self.

In conclusion, Idolatry is the worst sin because it breaks the first and greatest commandment. When we place anything or anyone above God, we rob Him of the glory and devotion He alone deserves.

Dr. Joseph Mattera is renowned for addressing current events through the lens of Scripture by applying biblical truths and offering cogent defenses to today’s postmodern culture. To order his bestselling books or to join the many thousands who subscribe to his acclaimed newsletter, go to www.josephmattera.org. 

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By David Closson, Voices Contributor Tuesday, November 12, 2024Nicole Alcindor/ Christian Post

On November 5, 2024, Donald J. Trump completed the greatest comeback in American political history by winning the 2024 presidential election and defeating Kamala Harris. Trump becomes only the second president to be elected for non-consecutive terms, the first being Grover Cleveland in 1892. For beleaguered pro-lifers, Trump’s victory offers hope and opportunity. 

Although “unprecedented” is an overused word in modern politics, the 2024 election featured a series of events truly without equal in American history. For example, in the June 27 debate between Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden, Biden’s halting and uneven delivery shocked most observers and resulted in many prominent Democrats calling for him to withdraw from the race. 

On July 13, just two days before the start of the Republican National Convention, Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. After an assassin’s bullet grazed his ear, Trump, with blood streaking down his face, clenched his fist and exhorted the crowd, “Fight!” (Trump would survive a second attempt on his life on September 15 outside his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.)

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Less than 48 hours after the first assassination attempt, Republicans formally nominated Trump as their nominee. Notably, delegates approved a scaled-back party platform that omitted the robust pro-life language of previous platforms. Although the platform condemned late-term abortion, it noticeably lacked specificity on the subject, a change that was reportedly directed by Trump himself. 

Following the GOP convention, calls for Biden to withdraw from the race intensified. On July 21, Biden became the first incumbent to withdraw from a presidential campaign after winning his party’s primary. After stepping aside, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, whom the party quickly coalesced behind. On August 6, Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) as her running mate. Only a year before, Walz had signed into law an abortion expansion bill that, among other provisions, removed protections for babies who are born alive following an abortion.

At the Democratic National Convention, Democrats unveiled a platform that included a lengthy section on abortion. The abortion messaging at the convention previewed the priorities of the Harris-Walz campaign, which poured tens of millions of dollars into pro-abortion advertisements. 

On September 10, during their lone debate, Harris attempted to tie Trump to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, claiming, “Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade.” For his part, Trump drew attention to his opponent’s support for late-term abortion. Despite protestations from Harris (and the ABC moderators), Trump doubled down, stating, “The Democrats are radical… her vice-presidential pick says abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine. He also says execution after birth, its execution, no longer abortion, because the baby is born, is okay. And that’s not okay with me.”

In the final stretch of the campaign, Harris emphasized her support for abortion in interviews, rallies, and campaign statements. On September 19, she told Oprah Winfrey that state pro-life laws constituted a “health care crisis.” Additionally, on October 22, Harris stated that she would not support any “concessions” to pro-lifers, including religious exemptions. Likewise, during an October 25 rally with singer Beyoncé, Harris pledged to “restore reproductive freedom.” Campaigning the next day in Michigan, Harris again blamed the Dobbs decision for triggering “a health care crisis.”

Although the Trump campaign deliberately focused on issues besides abortion, the issue still came up. Notably, on the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly promised to veto what he described as a “national abortion ban.” On October 8, Melania Trump published a memoir in which she expressed strong pro-abortion views, specifically, “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her own pregnancy if she wishes.” Elsewhere, she argued that the “cultural stigma associated with abortion must be lifted.”

In a disappointing result for pro-lifers, voters in seven states approved pro-abortion ballot measures. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, and New York added permissive pro-abortion amendments to their respective state constitutions that essentially allow abortion through all stages of pregnancy. Voters in Nevada also passed a pro-abortion measure that must be passed again in the 2026 general election in order to take effect.

In a positive development, voters in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota rejected similar pro-abortion referendums. In Nebraska, voters not only approved a pro-life measure that codified the state’s 12-week protection law into the state’s constitution but rejected a competing pro-abortion measure. The victories in these three states are significant, as they represent the first state-wide pro-life victories since Dobbs. However, the outcome of these ballot measures proves that state-wide referendums will remain a challenge for the pro-life cause in the years to come. 

In short, in the first presidential election since the overturning of Roe, abortion played an outsized role. Although the candidate ostensibly committed to protecting life won, Trump’s relative reluctance to speak on the issue, coupled with the Republican Party’s truncated platform, indicates that pro-life policies were considered a political liability by Trump and many Republican operatives. 

Overall, pro-lifers have many reasons to be grateful for the outcome of the 2024 election. Kamala Harris campaigned on the most aggressive pro-abortion platform in American history; her commitment to expanding abortion animated her quest for the White House, and her defeat was interpreted by many pro-life Christians as undeserved mercy. Currently, Republicans are also on track to flip control of the Senate and hold the House of Representatives, which means pro-lifers can expect to see a reprieve from the aggressive pro-abortion advocacy of the Biden-Harris administration.

However, as the recent campaign demonstrated, there are those within the GOP who are not committed to the pro-life cause and pro-lifers who supported the president’s campaign need to use their political capital to hold pro-life officials accountable. 

In the years since Roe was overturned, Christians have learned that the nation is more pro-abortion than we would have liked to imagine. However, the results of the 2024 election demonstrate that pro-life candidates can still win office and that the pro-life movement is still a significant force in electoral politics. Moving forward, the work of winning hearts and minds must continue in earnest, as it is evident that five decades of Roe coarsened the nation’s conscience more than we realized. Clearly, much work remains to convince our fellow Americans that every unborn child is a gift from God. 

In closing, the fight for life continues. Although daunting, the fight must be engaged; the lives of untold millions hang in the balance. Motivated by love for our neighbors, may Christians be faithful in our work as we advocate for babies, their mothers, and their families. 

Originally published at The Washington Stand. 

David Closson is the Director of Christian Ethics and Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council.

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By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Monday, November 11, 2024U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., (L) celebrates with Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., as the House of Representatives holds an election for a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on October 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C. After a contentious nominating period that has seen four candidates over a three-week period, the House GOP conference selected Johnson as their most recent nominee to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was ousted on October 4 in a move led by a small group of conservative members of his own party. | Win McNamee/Getty Images

The Republican Party has secured a majority of the seats in the United States House of Representatives, having already secured the White House and the U.S. Senate.

The Hill Decision Desk HQ projected on Monday evening that the Republican Party will get at least 218 seats in the House, which is the minimum number needed to have a majority.

Describing the Republican election victories as a “trifecta,” The Hill acknowledged that the final tally of the House remains “uncertain” as ballots in California continue to be counted.

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In what many considered a historic political comeback, President-elect Donald Trump defeated Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris to become the next president.

Trump’s victory marks the first time a candidate was elected to non-consecutive presidential terms since Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century.

It also marks the first time in U.S. history that a convicted felon won a presidential election, as Trump was found guilty in May on 34 charges by a New York jury in a “hush money” case. Trump denies any wrongdoing and is appealing the case.

Although the winner of the presidential election was determined within 24 hours of Election Day, which party controls the House had remained uncertain.

Last Thursday, The Hill reported that Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., had won reelection against his Democrat challenger, Rudy Salas, with about 53.6% of the vote.

Valadao was one of two Republicans who won reelection this year who had previously voted to impeach Trump over his alleged connections to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The other was Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington state.

Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, a Democrat who is a man but identifies as a woman, became the first openly trans-identified candidate to be elected to Congress when he defeated Republican opponent John Whalen III.

“Tonight is a testament to Delawareans that here in our state of neighbors, we judge candidates based on their ideas and not their identities,” McBride stated on Election Day, according to NBC News.

On Sunday, Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo., who had served for one term, conceded to Republican challenger Gabe Evans even before the race had been officially called.

“I am incredibly humbled to be chosen as the next congressman for Colorado’s 8th,” Evans stated shortly after Caraveo’s concession. “It is an honor to be entrusted with the job of representing you and your families, and I am ready to fight back for a better direction for all Coloradans.”

“Most importantly, I give thanks to God. My faith in Him has sustained me throughout this 15-month campaign. I have spent my entire life running toward challenge, and now I am ready to take on my next challenge.”

News of the Republicans securing control of the lower chamber of Congress comes after the GOP had already retaken the Senate, securing at least 53 seats as of Monday.

Their control of the upper chamber was secured last week when outgoing Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice won the seat held by retiring Independent Joe Manchin and Republican Bernie Moreno defeating three-term Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

The identity of the Senate majority leader remains unclear as Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had announced earlier this year that he was stepping down as Senate GOP leader at the end of the 118th Congress. 

Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a notable election forecaster developed by Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia, had predicted a 218-217 split with the razor-thin majority likely going to the Democrats.

“Just like the presidential race, the battle for the House has been a Toss-up for essentially the whole cycle,” wrote Sabato, managing editor Kyle Kondik and associate editor J. Miles Coleman in a report published the day before Election Day.

“Our general belief throughout was that the presidential and House winner was likelier than not to be the same. Our final ratings reflect this, but only by the barest possible margin and with little confidence. We have 218 seats Safe, Likely, or Leaning Democratic, and 217 Safe, Likely, or Leaning Republican.”

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By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Monday, November 11, 2024Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2023. | The Christian Post/Nicole Alcindor

President-elect Donald Trump has asked Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

“I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement to the New York Post.

Stefanik, 40, who made history when she was elected in 2014 at age 30 to represent New York’s 21st Congressional District, serves as chair of the House Republican conference and is the fourth most powerful Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Stefanik has been a staunch Trump ally, including when he was facing his first impeachment in 2019 and early 2020.

“I am truly honored to earn President Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” Stefanik said in a statement to the Post.

“During my conversation with President Trump, I shared how deeply humbled I am to accept his nomination and that I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate.”

“President Trump’s historic landslide election has given hope to the American people and is a reminder that brighter days are ahead — both at home and abroad,” she added. “America continues to be the beacon of the world, but we expect and must demand that our friends and allies be strong partners in the peace we seek.”

Stefanik’s appointment comes as the U.N. faces criticism for its response to the Israel-Hamas war that has been raging since Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The international body has taken flak from conservatives for routinely condemning Israel while allowing dictatorships such as Cuba and China to have seats on its Human Rights Council.

Stefanik went viral last year when she grilled the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology over their handling of antisemitism on their campuses in the wake of Hamas’ attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Both the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania resigned following the hearing with Stefanik’s questioning.

Stefanik’s appointment comes on the heels of Trump announcing that former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan will serve as “border czar” and Susie Wiles will be his White House chief of staff, making her the first woman to fill the role.

Trump is also bringing back Stephen Miller to serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy during his second term.

Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com

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By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Monday, November 11, 2024The church at Amheida, looking northeast. The steps up to the altar can be seen toward the back, plastered in white. | NYU Excavations at Amheida

An archaeological team’s excavation of an ancient city has uncovered “surprising” revelations about an early Christian church in Egypt, specifically, the discovery of 17 human remains and the story the bodies tell.

Experts uncovered the ruins of a church, dated to around the mid-fourth century, during an ongoing archaeological excavation of Trimithis (also known as Amheida), an ancient city near the western edge of the Dakhla Oasis in the western desert. 

The city was once a settlement during Egypt’s Roman period, which started in 30 B.C. and lasted until the Muslim conquest in 641 A.D. New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World leads the international research team. 

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According to a recent update from NYU, excavation work in Trimithis resumed in 2023 following a seven-year hiatus, a pause exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts have continued studying various buildings, inscriptions and bathhouse facilities. 

For Project Director David Ratzan, who also serves as the head of ISAW’s library, the church is one of the most “exciting” discoveries. 

While believers gathered together and worshipped before the Roman Emperor Constantine made it illegal to persecute Christians, Ratzan noted that the design of this particular church stands out. 

“In any case, churches in this style, based on the Roman basilica, a type of public building dedicated to administration and law, date back only to a generation or two before the church at Trimithis, since only then did Christians feel sufficiently confident to build proudly public spaces of worship,” Ratzan stated in the update. 

Even more surprising to experts than the design was the discovery of 17 bodies buried in the church. Twelve of them were buried in crypts underneath what would have been the altar and pastophoria or service rooms. 

Scientists did not expect to learn that seven of the bodies buried in the crypt were female, and eight were children or adolescents, including infants. It is possible that there are more women among the remains, but it is hard to determine a person’s sex from skeletons at a certain age. 

“While there is good evidence that women were important in early Christianity, it was still surprising to find such a concentration of women and children buried in this church, since Roman Egypt was a patriarchal society,” Ratzan stated. .

While the excavation of the church is complete, the project director said that the team still has questions, such as the relationships of the buried individuals and whether they represented most or different types of the Christian community in Trimithis.

“Were these people related to clergy or prominent patrons who helped build and maintain the church?” Ratzan asked. “Are crypts like this typical of churches of this period, or idiosyncratic to the oases?” 

Ratzan confirmed that the team is still studying the 17 human remains discovered in a statement Newsweek published last week. Experts are unable to conduct DNA tests at the moment. They have to wait until the excavation of other churches, with Ratzan speculating that there are indeed more churches in Trimithis.

“For now, though, this is an exciting discovery and one that we expect will make a significant impact on the discussion of the history of early Christianity,” he added.

“And we still have one volume to publish on the church that we are working on now: the small finds and the forensic anthropology of the skeletons.”

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman

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By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, November 11, 2024Jackie Shroyer (L), 44, has been charged in connection with the murder of her late husband Beau Shroyer (R), in Angola. | YouTube/ lakestv3

Barely a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2021, and shortly before they would jet off to Angola in southern Africa with their five children to do missionary work, Beau Shroyer and his wife, Jackie Shroyer, who was recently charged in connection with his Oct. 25 murder, shared their troubled paths to Jesus and what made them so willing to dive into the mission field not matter the cost.

“We were like, we’ll do it God, we don’t care what it costs. We need to make You known,” Jackie Shroyer recalled about their decision to do ministry work in Angola in a recording of their testimonies shared on YouTube in a video titled, “Why I Believe in Jesus — Beau and Jackie Shroyer.”

Angolan authorities revealed at a press conference last Thursday that Beau Shroyer was found fatally stabbed in a thicket on the outskirts of the municipality of Humpata in Huila province, Voice of America reported.

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Manuel Halaiwa, a spokesperson of the country’s Criminal Investigation Service, said Jackie Shroyer was the mastermind behind a murder for hire plot involving three other men in which her husband was killed. Investigators also allege that Jackie Shroyer was involved in a romantic relationship with one of the men, Bernardino Elias, 24, who worked as a security guard for her family. The two other men have been identified as Isalino Kayoo, 23, and Gelson Ramos, 22.

“There are strong suspicions here of a possibly romantic relationship in relation to the person who ordered the case and her accomplice, the citizen who was initially a guard through a private security company, but who, after ending his contract with this company, was welcomed because he seemed to be a good person very close to the couple and was hired with another salary to serve the couple,” Halaiwa said.

Beau Shroyer was found fatally stabbed inside his vehicle on Oct. 25 in a thicket in the Palanca commune on the outskirts of the municipality of Humpata in the province of Huíla.

Investigators say the missionary’s wife, 44, first asked her alleged lover to kill her late husband, also 44, and he hired the two other men with a promise to pay $50,000 for the murder.

Jackie Shroyer allegedly paid $400 to set the stage for her husband’s murder in a place where he was known to give her driving lessons. The murder was set up to look like a robbery and the guard reportedly paid the other two men $9,000.

The couple were beloved members of the Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, before moving to Lubango, Angola, to do missionary work under the auspices of SIM USA, a longtime global missionary organization that focuses on doing missionary work in places where it’s difficult to share the Gospel.

When asked for comment on the allegations by Angolan investigators on Friday, SIM USA noted that because the matter is now an ongoing investigation, they wouldn’t comment further.

“In light of an ongoing investigation, SIM USA has no further comment beyond the statement that we have previously provided,” Mark Bosscher, chief personnel officer at SIM USA told The Christian Post in a statement Friday.

In explaining what led them down the path of missionary work, the couple noted that they were searching for love.

Beau Shroyer described being born to teenage parents and experiencing a lot of instability during his early years with a loneliness that haunted him throughout his life before he knew Jesus.

“There was just never a place where I belonged and [I] never had real friends, never really had any real relationships growing up,” he recalled.

The late missionary, who previously worked as a realtor and a police officer, said he would do funny things to get attention and described himself as a goofy guy. He was voted as the class clown in high school and met his wife in college on the party scene.

Jackie Shroyer said she grew up in a Christian home and she got baptized when she was around 10 or 12 years old, but strayed from the faith as a teenager.

“I grew up being a good kid and then when I was a teenager, I think like just that longing and searching for love caught up with me. I started to get into the bad crowd. I started looking for love in all the wrong places and acceptance in all the wrong ways,” she recalled.

“[I] just got into the party scene, got in with the bad crowd. I was having a blast. I loved it, but I never felt loved. I remember being a teenager just coming home after partying and being with friends and just sobbing in bed like, why doesn’t anybody love me?” she recalled. “I just really wanted to be loved for who I was. I was tired of always trying to be something to make people like me and look a certain way.”

She said when she met Beau in college they were just living for themselves, and it continued like that even after they got married.

“We weren’t even really living as a married couple. We loved each other certainly, but we were individuals. We were still just having fun doing whatever we wanted. He was a police officer, so he got busy working and then I became pregnant with our first child,” Jackie Shroyer explained.

When that happened, she said she fell back to her Christian “roots” and tried being a grown-up.

“I feel like it’s time to grow up and do what grown-ups do. When I was a kid we went to church every week. This is what my mom taught us. We do all the church things. I want my kids to be good moral people, so I was like, we’re starting to go to church,” she said.

And they found themselves a church in the Detroit Lakes area “just to be grown up and be around good people.” Beau Shroyer said he wasn’t a fan of church and described how his wife dragged him to participate.

“By our second child I was going to church every week. I was getting the kids into Sunday school and Beau would show up at the last minute. Sometimes he wouldn’t even show up, but he got really busy working as a police officer,” Jackie Shroyer said.

She described how her husband would work at nights and had a lot of “weird hours,” and would also spend time in bowling leagues and doing other fun things in life while she was stuck alone with their children.

“I’m now at home with our two youngest children who are only a year apart. Obviously, that life is done for me. I’ve moved on beyond that and I just remember feeling really alone and sad and lost again,” she recalled. “I know that my husband loves me, and I have a great family, but I still just had this empty feeling of loneliness, and I didn’t even really pray to God or anything like that.”

Jackie Shroyer said she began having conversations with Jesus during her loneliness over time and discovered a new relationship with Him that eventually caught her husband’s attention.

“I remember one day […] looking at Jackie and she physically looked different. Like more happy. I started to realize that when I would do not smart things in a marriage that would normally make her angry and would get in this five-day long fight, she’s not getting upset about this stuff anymore,” Beau Shroyer said.

“I started to think about what’s going on. Like, did she find another man?” he quipped. “I started going through all these things in my head and finally, I got up the courage to ask her what’s up, why are you so happy? Why aren’t we fighting? Why does this stuff that normally bothers you not bother you?”

And that’s when Beau Shroyer said his wife told him about her newfound relationship with Jesus which made him jealous.

“She told me how she has this personal relationship with Jesus, and I got mad. I got jealous. I was like who’s this Jesus dude and how dare He take my wife from me.”

Beau Shroyer said he then went on a journey to learn more about Jesus and became more active in his church before eventually deciding to do missionary work overseas for the first time.

“I set out to find out who He was so that I could defeat Him and get my wife back. I got into the Bible, and I started praying. I realized He’s not against me. He’s for me. Our marriage was always Jackie, the individual, me the individual, married. And you know, trying to do things together but individually. Once Jesus came into our marriage and it was the three of us working together, it was like we don’t have those stupid fights anymore,” Beau Shroyer said.

“We’re one now instead of being two individuals and this is really refreshing that Jesus found her or she found Him and then He found me in the middle of all of the turmoil. I went from being really jealous that she had this love and acceptance that I had always been looking for and now I have it too.”

Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost

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By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, November 11, 2024Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tenn., apologizes through tears for the way he’s delivered his messages over the years. | Screenshot:Facebook/Greg Locke

After promising to refund the donations of members who questioned the stewardship of his church’s finances, outspoken Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke has reneged on that offer, and his attorney has allegedly threatened at least one donor who asked for their money back.

Locke, who leads the Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, made the offer during a diatribe against some members of his church during an Oct. 27 service amid a dispute about money donated to the church’s building fund.

“Listen, we got IRS paperwork. We got lawyers. We got a CPA that says we have a squeaky clean book, and you’re like, ‘Well, [why] won’t you show them to me?’ You think I carry them around in my iPhone?” Locke asked.

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“If you’re that worried about it, listen, if you think we abscond with money, then we can look up your giving record, and I’ll give it all back to you tomorrow. No matter how much you’ve ever given to this church, you can have it [because] it’s there. And by the way, every dime that’s ever come in for that building at Love’s Way is still in the bank right now,” he said.

Locke claimed that critical members had falsely accused him of mismanaging and misappropriating funds from the church’s building fund.

The accusations arose as members questioned why the church failed to close on a real estate deal to move the church from its current location at 2060 Old Lebanon Dirt Road in west Wilson County to the Love’s Way Church facility at 310 Coles Ferry Pike in Lebanon.

Locke stated that he was under contract to buy the Love’s Way property for $5.5 million, but the building fund was $5 million short, which he said would require a miracle from God to fulfill. He added that the real estate deal would not go through if God did not provide this miracle.

Love’s Way Pastor Johan McGregor confirmed on Oct. 30 that Global Vision Bible Church could not close on the sale, and they would remain in the building for the next few months.

“The church in Mt. Juliet was unable to close and we will continue to pray for them God’s blessing and favor in the next season,” McGregor said.

Several YouTubers, such as Corey Minor of Smart Christians Life, highlighted that at least one donor to Locke’s ministry sent him an email requesting the return of their donations following his service comments.

“Based on your publicly stated verbal contract on October 27, 2024 (see included video clip), the stipulation for receiving these monies is that we must think that you abscond with money. We therefore state that we think you abscond with money. The conditions to receive all monies back have therefore been met and no further conditions shall be required,” the redacted email from the donor said, in part.

An Oct. 29 response on behalf of Locke from the Rose Firm made it clear to the donor that no refund would be made, and if the donor insisted on trying to recover their donations, the church is prepared to defend itself legally.

“Please be advised that I serve as legal counsel to Global Vision and Pastor Locke. All subsequent communication regarding this matter should be directed exclusively to me. If you continue to attempt communication with Pastor Locke, please be advised that all of those communications will be ignored,” the attorney wrote.

“I have had the opportunity to review and investigate the claims you make in your email. Please be further advised that there is no ‘verbal contract’ as you claim, and Global Vision will not be making any ‘refund,'” the letter noted.

“You should know that if you or your agents choose to pursue this matter, as the church has done with all legal matters, it will aggressively defend all of the church’s interests under Tennessee and federal law to include, but not be limited to, seeking all remedies against you in accordance with the Tennessee Public Participation Law.”

Neither the Rose Firm nor a spokesperson for Global Vision Bible Church immediately responded when contacted for comment by The Christian Post on Tuesday.

In his Oct. 27 comments, Locke suggested that some members of the church accused him and his family of using the church’s money for personal enrichment, including the purchase of new cars and a mansion allegedly worth $1.6 million.

Locke said that he and his wife and daughter had purchased new cars, but they were all financed. He also said that though he had purchased a new house, it was only worth $625,000. He said he paid $1 million for 28 acres of land as a good investment.

“‘Well, you know the reason we’ve not been able to close on Love’s Way is because Pastor Locke stole all the building fund money to buy a $1.6 million house.’ Let me tell you something, not only is that a lie, that is slanderous, and I’m going to tell you why,” Locke said, repeating the allegations from his members against him.

“First of all, I bought a $625,000 house and a million dollars worth of 28 acres. And I remind you, six acres right here cost us $1.2 million three years ago.”

He further noted that the money for his new house came from five businessmen and his personal savings. Locke purchased the new home after a gunman unloaded a garage of bullets into his family’s former home in September. 

Locke also claimed that very little of the $500,000 collected for the church’s building fund actually came from in-person members. He insisted that had it not been for the generosity of his online followers, the church could not survive.

“Before you get too happy about it, let me tell you something: the three largest givers to our building program have been two people online in hubs right now that loaned us $100,000 each for the building and me and my wife,” he said. “Now I’m not shaming you. I’m just telling you so when people make silly accusations [they will know].”

Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost

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Homan has called for mass deportations

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Monday, November 11, 2024Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee’s Border and Marine Security subcommittee on Capitol Hill on May 22, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Republican House members are calling for reform to asylum processes. | Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump announced that former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan will serve as “border czar” in his new administration.

“I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders (‘The Border Czar’), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” Trump said in a statement.

“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” he continued. “Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”

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Homan is a former police officer and Border Patrol agent who served as executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE under former President Barack Obama, whose administration set a record for the number of deportations.

Homan resigned from his position as acting director of ICE in the first Trump administration in 2018 after he grew frustrated that the White House wasn’t moving his nomination forward for Senate confirmation, according to The Washington Post.

While he was still in the role under Trump, Homan advocated for a “zero-tolerance” policy toward illegal immigration and became the face of the administration’s controversial family separation policy, which Trump stopped via executive order in 2018 before it was ultimately rescinded by President Joe Biden.

At the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this year, Homan pledged to “run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen,” as noted by the New York Post.

“Wait until 2025, no one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder,” he said. “You’ve got my word. Trump comes back in January, I’ll be in his heels coming back, and I will run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.”

Since the announcement of Homan’s new position, clips have gone viral on social media showing him engaging with liberal members of Congress about illegal immigration while he was in the first Trump administration.

In one clip from 2019, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was reduced to repeatedly slamming her gavel as Homan kept speaking over her to explain how Congress failed to close loopholes to secure the border.

“I’m a taxpayer, you work for me!” Homan said as Jayapal tried to silence him.

Meet the new Border Czar Tom Homan who previously destroyed Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Gaza)

“I’m a taxpayer, you work for me!” pic.twitter.com/065JQYecnH

— Ari Hoffman ???? (@thehoffather) November 11, 2024

In another clip from a House Oversight Committee hearing in 2019, Homan confronted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, R-N.Y., when she grilled him about family separations.

Homan noted that even U.S. citizens are separated from their families when they commit a crime, and that people who have entered the country illegally have also broken the law.

I like Tom Homan.

Watch this clip. It’s from 2019, but more relevant today than it has ever been. @aoc airhead extraordinaire thinking she has a “gotcha” on Homan, who proceeds to humiliate her in real time.

Anybody arrested for breaking the law is “separated” from their… pic.twitter.com/AJjbHJafoA

— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) November 11, 2024

During an interview on “60 Minutes” last month, Homan suggested a hefty price tag for deportations is “worth it” for national security, and that families “can be deported together.”

During a speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July, Homan said to illegal immigrants, “You better start packing now, because you’re going home.”

Several prominent figures took to X to congratulate Homan on his appointment, including SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

“Congratulations @RealTomHoman on being given responsibility for enforcing our borders!” Musk tweeted.

Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com

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By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Monday, November 11, 2024The late Minnesota missionary, Beau Shroyer, 44, was killed while serving in Lubango, Angola. | YouTube/Country Faith Church

Angola’s Criminal Investigation Service claims that the murder of an American missionary was orchestrated by his wife in a plot involving an alleged illicit romance and financial promises. Authorities say that Jackie Shroyer, 44, enlisted the help of three Angolan men to kill her husband, Beau Shroyer, in a remote part of the country.

The authorities have alleged that Jackie Shroyer plotted with a security guard at their residence, Bernardino Elias, 24, along with two other men, identified as Isalino Kayoo, 23, and Gelson Ramos, 22, KFGO reported.

According to Superintendent Manuel Halaiwa of the CIS, Jackie had promised the men $50,000 to carry out the killing, as reported by the Angolan Press Agency, Angop. The alleged motive for the crime, authorities say, stemmed from her romantic involvement with Elias and a desire not to leave Angola, where Beau Shroyer was concluding his mission work.

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The details of the alleged crime unfolded as follows, according to DL-Online: the three suspects rented a vehicle on Oct. 25, drove to a remote location and called Beau Shroyer under the pretense of a vehicle breakdown. When Beau arrived to assist, he was stabbed to death, according to statements from Angolan authorities. The murder weapon, described as an American-made knife, was recovered at the scene. Authorities believe the knife was originally gifted by Beau Shroyer to Elias.

Authorities reportedly arrested Jackie Shroyer and Elias four days after the killing. Kayoo was apprehended a few days later, while Ramos remains at large. The suspects have previous criminal histories, including charges related to armed robbery and kidnapping, which have come under scrutiny during the ongoing investigation.

Last week, two of the suspects were presented by authorities in Lubango, the provincial capital, where additional details of the case were released.

Angop reported that Jackie Shroyer had been referred to as the “mastermind” of the murder plot, and that she appeared disingenuous when authorities arrived at the crime scene, allegedly pretending to be distraught. She was notably absent from Lubango during the suspects’ presentation, reportedly for “health reasons.” The CIS has placed Jackie Shroyer and the two suspects in preventive detention under a judge’s orders.

According to Pastor Troy Easton of Lakes Area Vineyard Church, the five Shroyer children are reportedly being “well cared for” since the death of their father and the arrest of their mother.

SIM USA, a North Carolina-based Evangelical organization overseeing Beau Shroyer’s work in Angola, has expressed its heartbreak over the incident. The organization commended Angolan law enforcement for its diligence in investigating the matter and affirmed its support for the ongoing pursuit of justice for Beau Shroyer.

The Shroyers moved to Angola in 2021 with their five children to serve as missionaries with SIM USA. According to the church’s statement, they aimed to teach residents about Christianity and God’s love in a “remote bush village” that has no electricity.

Before their missionary work in Angola, Beau served as a pastor at Lakes Area Vineyard Church and had a background in law enforcement, having worked for the Detroit Lakes Police Department in 2013, according to the Detroit Lakes Tribune. He also worked as a real estate agent prior to moving abroad.

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By Morning Star News, Monday, November 11, 2024Aerial of Juba, the capital of South Sudan, with the river Nile running in the middle. Juba downtown is upper middle close to the river, and the airport can be seen upper left. The picture is from the south to the north. | Getty Images

JUBA, South Sudan — Muslims in Sudan’s River Nile state drove 34 displaced Christians from their homes, sources said.

The Muslim residents of the El Matamah area of Al-Makniya told the Christians of Nuba Mountains ancestry who had fled military conflict in Omdurman, near Khartoum, that they did not want Christians or black people in the area, according to a report on the website of the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).

An area church leader confirmed the SPLM-N account to Morning Star News. Though the Muslim residents initially accused the Christians of stealing livestock and violating Islamic codes, a police officer told the Christians that the residents’ objected to their presence essentially on religious grounds, according to the SPLM-N website. It added that authorities later apprehended the cattle thieves, who were not Christians.

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Initially, about 30 residents showed up at the home of one of the displaced Christian families last month and said they must vacate their houses and leave the area, according to the SPLM-N. Later more than 50 Muslims issued the same demand, and when the Christians refused to leave, some days later an even larger crowd of neighbors arrived and demanded they leave within three days.

“We don’t want you here at all, and we are giving you three days to vacate the house,” one of the residents told them, according to the SPLM-N. “We are not concerned with the law, and we do everything with our own hands. … I am a racist, and I don’t want any black person here.”

The displaced persons asked for police help but received no response, a Christian identified only as Y.M.T. told the SPLM-N. Officers told the Christians that no one had filed any complaints against them. Later the Muslim residents asked police for an expulsion order, which was denied, according to Y.M.T.

When the Muslim residents then went to the public prosecutor seeking an eviction order from the area, the office denied their request due to lack of evidence of any charges, Y.M.T. told the SPLM-N.

The Christians’ appeals for help to other local officials fell on deaf ears.

Muslim resident Barai Khader reportedly demanded that one of the Christians, Darius Yasser Hussein, remove a cross and convert to Islam, according to SPLM-N.

“One of the officers, who asked not to reveal his name to the family, said that the problem was basically religious and had nothing to do with the aforementioned charges,” one of the Christians told SPLM-N.

The Muslim residents on Oct. 19 arrived at the Christians’ homes and forcibly expelled them from Al-Makniya, according to the SPLM-N.

“While we were waiting and following up on the legal procedures, the people of the neighborhood came to us on Saturday, October 19, and expelled and deported us from the Makniya area without protection from any official body in the locality, despite their knowledge of that,” the Christian told the SPLM-N. “We were forcibly displaced for the second time, as half of us went to Shendi [River Nile state], while the other half preferred to return to Omdurman to avoid repeating religious, ethnic and regional discrimination.”

He called on human rights organizations and humanitarian workers to assist them.

“We are in a very bad humanitarian situation, as we have lost our shelter, and we have children, women and the elderly, and we have lost our livelihoods that help us provide for our basic daily needs,” the Christian told the SPLM-N.

In Omdurman, across the Nile River from Khartoum, fighting and shelling between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) continues.

Fighting in Sudan between the paramilitary RSF and the SAF broke out in April 2023. The conflict between the RSF and the SAF, which had shared military rule in Sudan following an October 2021 coup, has terrorized civilians in Khartoum and elsewhere, displacing 11.2 million people within and beyond Sudan’ borders, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency.

The SAF’s Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan and his then-vice president, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, were in power when civilian parties in March 2023 agreed on a framework to re-establish a democratic transition the next month, but disagreements over military structure torpedoed final approval.

Burhan sought to place the RSF — a paramilitary outfit with roots in the Janjaweed militias that had helped former strongman Omar al-Bashir put down rebels — under the regular army’s control within two years, while Dagolo would accept integration within nothing fewer than 10 years. The conflict burst into military fighting on April 15, 2023.

Both military leaders have Islamist backgrounds while trying to portray themselves to the international community as pro-democracy advocates of religious freedom.

Christian sites have been targeted since the conflict began.

In Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Sudan was ranked No. 8, up from No. 10 the previous year, as attacks by non-state actors continued and religious freedom reforms at the national level were not enacted locally.

Sudan had dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in six years when it first ranked No. 13 in the 2021 World Watch List.

Following two years of advances in religious freedom in Sudan after the end of the Islamist dictatorship under Bashir in 2019, the specter of state-sponsored persecution returned with the military coup of Oct. 25, 2021. After Bashir was ousted from 30 years of power in April 2019, the transitional civilian-military government had managed to undo some Sharia (Islamic law) provisions. It outlawed the labeling of any religious group “infidels” and thus effectively rescinded apostasy laws that made leaving Islam punishable by death.

With the Oct. 25, 2021, coup, Christians in Sudan feared the return of the most repressive and harsh aspects of Islamic law. Abdalla Hamdok, who had led a transitional government as prime minister starting in September 2019, was detained under house arrest for nearly a month before he was released and reinstated in a tenuous power-sharing agreement in November 2021.

Hamdock had been faced with rooting out longstanding corruption and an Islamist “deep state” from Bashir’s regime — the same deep state that is suspected of rooting out the transitional government in the Oct. 25, 2021, coup.

The U.S. State Department in 2019 removed Sudan from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom” and upgraded it to a watch list. Sudan had previously been designated as a CPC from 1999 to 2018.

In December 2020, the State Department removed Sudan from its Special Watch List.

The Christian population of Sudan is estimated at 2 million, or 4.5% of the total population of more than 43 million.

Originally published at Morning Star News 

Morning Star News is the only independent news service focusing exclusively on the persecution of Christians. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide complete, reliable, even-handed news in order to empower those in the free world to help persecuted Christians, and to encourage persecuted Christians by informing them that they are not alone in their suffering.

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