Bill Subritzky, an evangelist from New Zealand best known for his book “Demons Defeated” and accompanying deliverance ministry, has died at the age of 90. He spent 33 years as partner in an Auckland law firm and also worked as a property developer for 25 years. He was told in early December that he had terminal cancer and had four weeks to live; he posted on his Facebook page, “I’m 90 years old and have had a wonderful life… the chariots are waiting to take me to Heaven.”
A father in Texas who refused to believe his 27 year old comatose son was brain dead, and barricaded himself in the hospital with a gun to prevent his son’s life support being switched off, has been released from prison after serving just under a year. George Pickering’s son had had a massive stroke, and when doctors diagnosed him as brain dead a short while later, the hospital ordered his life support to be shut off. George’s wife and other son agreed, but George felt things were moving too fast and his son needed more time to respond. So he bought his son as much time as he could – and after three hours, his son squeezed his father’s hand three times, on command. George’s son has now fully recovered.
In the USA, the Republican campaign to withdraw government funding from the abortion organisation Planned Parenthood has failed. The campaign was started because Planned Parenthood officials were recorded offering baby body parts for money in undercover videos. The main reason for the campaign’s failure was that the US government funds many organisations through a single Bill, and so the real negotiation is about what gets included in the Bill and what doesn’t. This year, the Bill to fund Planned Parenthood also included funding for oil exploration projects, and so some pro-life Republicans voted for it.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit has been filed in California that alleges that the undercover video of Planned Parenthood was recorded illegally and should be “permanently sealed.” Also, a recent issue of ‘Newsweek’ magazine, showing a scan of an unborn baby on its front cover, has been criticised in another magazine article for looking too much like a baby; the criticisms allege that the foetus has been photoshopped to look more baby-like, and also criticises the fact that the mother is not pictured.
A Christian pastor in Iran, who had been in jail for nearly five years after being arrested for illegal church activities, was released on Boxing Day, despite his sentence recently having been extended. He refused to sign a statement agreeing to refrain from Christian activities in 2011 and so was kept in jail, despite his family paying an enormous sum in bail. His family have since fled the country. However, nine other Christians were arrested on Christmas Day following a raid on a ‘house church’ in the southern city of Shiraz.
ISIS released twenty-five Assyrian Christians, mostly women and children, on Christmas Day. They had been captured as part of a group of 200 captured in Syria in February. 150 or the 200 have now been released.
The BBC has once again been criticised for ignoring Palestinian terrorism against Israel. Fifteen terrorist attacks were made in the first two weeks of December, with more than half causing fatalities, often of Israeli civilians, but the BBC reported only one of the fifteen incidents. There have also been numerous Palestinian deaths in various clashes over the same period, which the BBC may also have under-reported. One of the fifteen incidents – a stabbing of an Israeli couple by two Palestinians who were then killed by security forces – was reported by another media outlet (not the BBC) using the words, “Two Jews Die and Two Palestinians are Killed”; even the New York Times cried out at the obvious bias in this headline.
In film news, Sylvester Stallone has announced that he has “surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.” Although he made the announcement while promoting his latest ‘Rocky’ movie, it is not thought that there is any connection between the announcement and the plot of the film.
Faith has also played a big role in Will Smith’s new film, “Concussion.” It’s a true story of a Nigerian doctor whose research into the effects of concussion met strong opposition from vested interests, but his Christian faith prompted him to keep going.
And finally, a pensioner in Bury St. Edmunds who was caught short while out shopping used a newly installed public toilet, but did not realise that it was not yet officially in use. 82 year old Gladys Phillips was trapped inside for four days until workmen arrived to paint it. She said she was quite happy, though, because she had an overcoat and the hand dryer for warmth, and a large bag of mint imperials. She also had a ball of wool; she used the time to knit a scarf which one of her grandchildren will get for Christmas.
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