Pastor Reveals Why Christians Can’t Ignore Angels and Demons

Allen Jackson, pastor of World Outreach Church in Tennessee, is on a mission to get people thinking more deeply about angels, demons and the supernatural.

Jackson’s new book, “Angels, Demons & You” tackles these very subjects, with the preacher calling fellow believers to more boldly approach the subject matter.

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“Most of us are comfortable having a theoretical discussion about angels and demons,” he told CBN News, noting, though, that, when it’s made personal, the conversation becomes more complex and unpalatable for some. “The most important part is imagining that there are spiritual forces that are impacting your life today without any question.”

Jackson continued, “And if we get to that point, then the discussion becomes pretty significant.”

The preacher said there’s been an obsessive move toward rationalism since the Enlightenment — one that has led too many to lose touch with the “spiritual dynamic.” Even when these issues are discussed, Jackson said there’s a tendency to focus on the “dark side” of the spiritual.

“We’ll focus more on the demonic,” he said. “And that’s certainly legitimate. I don’t want to diminish that, but the book title was intentional. I wanted to start with angels because I think there are spiritual forces to help us, spiritual beings to help us.”

Jackson said angels are pivotal to the Gospel narrative, serving a primary purpose to help people understand what’s unfolding.

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“The whole Gospel story can’t really be understood apart from the angelic involvement,” he said. “Gabriel [who] goes to visit Zechariah is the opening narrative for the story of John the Baptist, and Gabriel going to see Mary and Joseph, the angels that ministered to Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness, the angels that ministered to him in Gethsemane as he’s preparing.”

Even the devil understood the importance of angels, as Satan told Jesus that if he tossed himself off the temple, the angels would save him. Matthew 4:5-6 (NIV) reads: “Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

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Ultimately, Jackson said there’s a disconnect today when it comes to many Christians’ understanding of angels, in particular. While most in the aforementioned Gospel narratives seemed to understand their significance, too many today doubt or ignore.

To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.

NYC Pastor Says ‘God Still Heals’ in Bold New Mission

A New York City pastor is on a mission to help people see that “God still heals.”

Mike Signorelli of V1 Church in New York City joined Billy Hallowell to explain how facets of the secular medical community are now “open to the spiritual realm.”

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While some doctors and hospitals are looking for help in the wrong places, he said there is an opportunity for Christians to step into the fold and divert attention toward biblical truth.

“What we have to do is believe that God is going to do what only He can do and let me awaken people to the reality that He still heals,” Signorelli said.

In his own ministry, the popular preacher said he has to remind himself to “pray for even incurable things,” as he puts full trust in the Lord. He said he’s seen and experienced incredible miracles as a result of this trust. Signorelli even shared the example of a woman who was healed of Multiple sclerosis (MS).

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“I received an email with all of these PDF attachments of a medical diagnosis of MS, and then as I begin to read the documents,” he said, noting he had prayed for the woman. “It was multiple confirmations that all the lesions were gone. It was completely undetectable and they cleared her and even said, ‘You’re done with medication and any medical intervention.’”

Signorelli continued, “And I wept knowing my own unbelief in that moment.”

To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.

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7,752 Declare New Life in Christ at Historic Revival Event

Another sign of the incredible spiritual movement shaping America just kicked off this Saturday. Thousands of people stood on the shores of Huntington Beach in California and got baptized for the “world to know” that they had decided to fully commit their lives to Jesus Christ.

Following last year’s record-breaking launch, Baptize California kicked off its outreach to bring more churches together across the state for the “largest synchronized baptism” event in U.S. history.

RECAP: Incredible and historic day! There were 7,750 baptisms today at Huntington Beach in Southern California. It’s the largest water baptism in history! 🙌 #BaptizeCalifornia #BaptizeAmerica pic.twitter.com/pV6tymBYmU

— RJ McCauley (@rj_mccauley) May 4, 2025

Last year, Baptize California saw around 12,000 baptized with the help of nearly 300 churches. This year 7,752 people were baptized in the ocean and baptismal horse troughs throughout the day. Over the course of the 10-hour event, nearly 30,000 people worshipped Jesus and witnessed hundreds of lives changed through the gospel message.

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“Jesus Christ is working again from the beaches of California, awakening a generation, uniting the church to reach the ends of the earth,” Pastor Mark Francey of Ocean Church, told CBN News in an emailed statement. “A spiritual awakening has begun in California, one that will sweep from the beaches to the neighborhoods of America, and to the nations of the world.”

Francey noted that, in a state that “many people have given up on,” nearly 500 local churches and 30 pastors joined in the movement to “ignite a global spiritual awakening.”

“Churches are working together in unprecedented ways around Jesus’ Great Commission to make disciples and baptize the nation,” Francey added.

For those involved in the effort, the focus remains solely on Jesus.

“We are excited to see what God is doing. It is not about us, but what God is doing in the hearts of people,” one organizer commented Saturday.

Thousands lined up on the shores of the beach and shouted, “We’re getting baptized!”

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Many people testified that their lives were changed and they have a new sense of belonging to God’s family.

“My body has been healed. And more than anything, my heart has been restored. I felt the presence of God,” said one woman who attended the outreach.

“This was the greatest feeling…coming up out of the water,” expressed one gentleman with tears in his eyes. “The new beginning starts today.”

To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.

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A Near-Death Experience and Finding Out ‘Demons Were Real’ Drew RFK Jr. Running Mate to Jesus

Former vice presidential contender Nicole Shanahan is moving forward with her newfound faith in Jesus Christ, seeking answers to questions of faith on her podcast and talking about her own near-death experience that was part of her journey toward God.

In her “Back to the People” podcast, Shanahan traditionally explores complex topics like public health, food systems and socio-political issues.

However, in a recent episode, she spoke with Canadian Christian apologist and theologian Wesley Huff to discuss the tenets of the faith, the history of the Bible, and early Christianity.

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As CBN News reported, Shanahan converted to Judaism in 2014 because she had come to enjoy “that it brings families together” and if she was going to give her future kids something she didn’t have growing up, “Judaism provides a wonderful blueprint.”

“The process was long and immersive: over a year spent at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, attending study sessions and group conversion classes several times a week. I wrote a ten-page conversion statement—one of the best pieces of writing from that chapter of my life, in hindsight. It was a deep dive into the Torah, guided by the wisdom of several teachers,” she previously shared.

Over the last decade, she identified as a Jew, but recent tragic events in her life led her to discover Jesus as the Messiah.

Spiritual Battles and Real Demons

Shanahan previously shared that there were specific events that took place in her life that brought her to a crossroads. One was being the running mate of former presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Up until that point, she said she “never seriously considered whether demons were real.”

“Honestly, my last year in politics changed that,” Shanahan wrote in a post on X in February. “Learning just how far some will go to inflict atrocities on innocent Americans has shocked me awake. Other unexplainable events have also forced me to reconsider whether we are waging a war not merely with flesh and blood but with spiritual forces.”

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A Near-Death Experience

In addition, there were a few other significant, and even more painful, events that took place in Shanahan’s life that left her to seeking the Truth.

Shanahan told Allie Beth Stuckey on the “Relatable” podcast that she was 20 weeks pregnant on the campaign trail when she suffered a miscarriage.

“[I] was pretty far along. It was really scary… I almost lost my life,” she explained.

To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.

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Palm Sunday Massacre: At Least 40 Christians Killed by Islamic Gunmen

At least 40 people were killed in a brutal attack on a Christian farming community in north-central Nigeria late Sunday night, according to President Bola Tinubu. The attackers, who were reported as being Muslim gunmen, struck on Palm Sunday in the Zike community, located in Bassa, Plateau State.

Open Doors reports this latest attack brings the death toll to around 113 people who have been killed in an ongoing spate of attacks in Plateau State since the end of March. The watchdog group reports Muslim Fulani militants have attacked at least eight communities, destroying more than 300 homes and displacing 3,000 people.

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In the last few weeks, the militants killed three Christians who were in the middle of farming their land, 11 Christians who had gathered for a funeral – including a pregnant woman and a 10-year-old girl – and at least five Christian women who had gathered for fellowship.

In the Palm Sunday attack, Andy Yakubu, a resident of Zike, said homes were looted and set ablaze during the onslaught, and the death toll could exceed 50. At the last count, an Open Doors contact reported, “43 people were killed, several houses were burnt down with people inside.”

Nigeria’s President condemned the violence and said an investigation has been launched. “I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts,” he said, offering his condolences to the victims’ families.

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Authorities have made similar promises before, but these types of assaults have become increasingly common in this region, where clashes between predominantly Muslim Fulani herders and Christian farmers over land and water have intensified.

“Our people are living in fear,” Titus Ayuba Alams, who serves as a special adviser to local authorities on workers’ welfare, told Open Doors. “Children no longer go to school, even worship in churches you can’t do it, because you are running for your life.”

To read the full story, please visit our content partners at CBN News.

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Michael W. Smith’s Rocketown Ministry Changing Young Lives for 30 Years

Nashville is known as Music City; it’s also home to one of the country’s most unique inner-city ministries. Rocketown has been helping kids stay off the streets and find Jesus for three decades. And you might be surprised who started it.

Teens who are into skateboarding, video games, need a hot meal, or just a place to do homework can find it all here at Rocketown, an outreach with a mission to help young people experience the love of God. The mind behind Rocketown, now in its 30th year, is Christian music artist Michael W. Smith.

He tells CBN that, back in 1991, he literally heard God say, “Build it and they’ll come. And I kept thinking, no, that’s the baseball movie, that’s Kevin Costner. And I just kept hearing it, ‘build it and they’ll come, build it and they’ll come.'”

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“And so, I did a bunch of research, and we had meetings, and everybody said it would never work, and three years later we opened up Rocketown in Franklin, Tennessee,” recalls the ministry founder.

CEO Kenny Alonzo says their first priority is getting kids in the door.

“If it’s going to excite a kid and get ’em in the building, we’re going to do it. And so, once they’re here, we get to love them and care for them and provide for them. And we try to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I know that’s said a lot, but honestly, that’s what we do,” said Alonzo.

As for who is walking through the doors, Alonzo told us, “We are within a mile from the most violent public housing community in the state of Tennessee. And that’s saying something because Memphis is pretty rough, and we have a lot of kids that come out of that community and they’re here in their safe environment every single day.

“We’ve had everything from couch surfers who have a home, but they don’t want to stay there, to kids who live in storage units with mom because they don’t have anywhere to go. And then some kids from the street, and they just come in here because they can get warm when it’s cold,” he said.

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Ages here range from 10 to 20, with a focus on high school students like 15-year-old Lemy Sanders who enjoys skateboarding and working in the skate shop. When asked what Rocketown means to him, Lemy told us, “For me, it’s just, being in a community that you do fun things for kids like me.”

Nineteen-year-old skateboarder Izzy Hopkins, who’s been coming here since he was about seven years old, said he likes that “it’s a safe environment, a fun place, great place to meet new people.”

Another cool feature of Rocketown – a recording studio for those who feel called to the music industry.

“That’s a no-brainer to me. We have a lot of creative kids, and so this gives them an outlet to go in, and with technology today, you can do some pretty extraordinary things,” Smith said.

To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.

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Rescued NASA Astronaut ‘Butch’ Wilmore Shares Test of Faith: ‘Vital to My Existence’

For NASA Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore, it was a homecoming nine months in the making.

“I dream of this day, being back with family,” he said. “My God given family and my church family.“

Wilmore returned home after what was supposed to be an eight-day mission turned into a 286-day stay aboard the International Space Station due to technical complications—a true test of endurance and faith.

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Wilmore, a devout Christian, leaned on his faith throughout the extended mission. He described his spiritual connection as “vital to existence,” emphasizing that God’s sovereignty sustained him during the unexpected journey.

During his time in orbit, Wilmore led church devotionals and even joined fellow astronauts in singing “Amazing Grace” with members of his home congregation, Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas.

“The chance to share the gospel and proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord is the driver,” he said.

Wilmore opened the hatch when SpaceX docked with the space station. Until that moment, he remained cautiously optimistic that everything would go as planned.

“I told my wife, Deanna, several times, ‘I’m not getting excited until it happens,’” he recalled.

After a 17-hour journey back to Earth, Wilmore and fellow astronaut Suni Williams splashed down safely.

“I was ready to get out and get moving,” he said.

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NASA is compensating Wilmore and Williams for their extended mission—at a rate of five dollars a day. When asked about potential additional compensation promised by President Donald Trump, Wilmore responded with his signature humor.

“Praise the Lord! I like a little extra cash!” he joked.

Now back on Earth, Wilmore is undergoing 45 days of rehabilitation to readjust to gravity.

To read the full story, please visit our content partners at CBN News.

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Lessons on Redemption from Those Serving Life in Prison

The second Friday of every January is called “Quitter’s Day.” It’s a day when massive numbers of people decide to give up on their new start, every year. If you didn’t make it past “Quitter’s Day” this year, or if you’ve just lost momentum in pursuing personal life change, April is actually known as “Second Chance Month” – an opportunity for another fresh start.

People quit on their new life goals at such high rates partly because they misunderstand what it takes to truly restart, to change directions. It isn’t just a matter of willpower, or even resources.

But the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) has been working to help prisoners restart their lives for 10 years now. The CPI provides a Christian liberal arts education to incarcerated individuals, who receive a double major over five years if successful. The people who come through our program know better than almost anyone else what it takes to get — and keep — a fresh start.

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In short, it takes relationships. It takes people investing in you. It takes people around you elevating themselves and bringing you with them.

You don’t just need willpower to change your life. You don’t just need resources. You need people, people who want the best for you.

That’s part of why education is such a transformative part of rehabilitating prisoners, and the prison cultures that they help form. Education humanizes and elevates us like nothing else can.

A lot of prisoners have very low self-esteem. They don’t respect themselves, or think they’re capable of much. Additionally, many of them are almost totally unable to reconcile with the guilt and shame over the crimes they’ve committed. But education helps them change that. What’s more, education helps them change the prisons in which they live and work.

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The prison where CPI started was called “gladiator school.” It was a rough place. But within 3-4 years of our program, violence had dropped by 80%. An administrator called it “Candyland.” The inmates who were in for life sentences — “lifers,” arguably the most influential inmates in prison cultures — had been transformed, and the prison had been along with it.

These “lifers” had become a cloud of witnesses to everyone else in the prison: You’re not worthless. You’re worth investing in. It had a profound impact on the men who were in for shorter terms.

They saw guys who were in prison for life, with no real chance at leaving prison, working really hard to better themselves. They saw these men come to view themselves and their lives with respect, humility and real repentance. They watched these men let themselves be a new person. And, naturally, they wanted that fresh start for themselves. They saw a path to never becoming just another quitter.

To read the full story, please visit our content partners at CBN News.

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40,000 Revival Prayer Groups Spring Up as Christians Face China’s Aggression

China’s saber-rattling has been escalating in recent years. “Tensions are peaking. Beijing’s belligerence is once again making Taipei jittery,” said a report from WION News.

China’s military even released a video in 2023 showing what simulated attacks on Taiwan would look like. “A war here in Taiwan would have catastrophic economic consequences not just for this island, but for the whole world,” warned SkyNews London in a report from Taipei.

The tiny island off the mainland coast is now facing almost daily Chinese military harassment. “Taiwan is beefing up its military and training with new U.S. weapons,” reported CBS News, as its military prepares for possible full-scale war.

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While the war drums grow louder by day, Taiwan’s Christians are taking to their knees by night.

“The united prayers and fasting prayers of the churches in Taiwan are much more than ever before. It’s an unprecedented prayer movement,” Brian Lu, pastor of Shekinah House of Bread of Life in Taipei, told CBN News.

All across this island, people are meeting every day, 24 hours a day, to pray for revival, unity, repentance, and protection over their land.

“I believe something so simple is starting to have such a huge impact upon people in the church and also the people around the church,” said Gordon Huang, a prominent church leader here.

Huang pastors one of Taiwan’s most well-known congregations. His church sits atop the iconic landmark known as Taipei 101 in the heart of the capital city.

He fears war with China is coming and wants Christians to be ready.

“I think one thing for sure is that people are going to be so shaken and people will want to hear the Gospel. Are you ready or are you going to be on the run yourself?” Huang told CBN News.

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That theme of shaking gripped Don Young two years ago. “I had heard from the Lord: ‘Time is short, the hour is urgent, it’s time to pray’,” he recalls.

Young served as an American missionary in West Africa for 15 years and has traveled the world teaching Christians how to have a deeper prayer walk with the Lord.

To read the full story, please visit our content partners at CBN News.

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‘Made Me Want to Be More Like Jesus’: For Jonathan Roumie, The Chosen Season 5 Hits Deeper

Season 5 of the wildly popular series “The Chosen” hits theaters Friday, Mar. 28. This season opens the Bible to focus on the final week of Jesus’ life on earth. Jonathan Roumie plays the role of Jesus in the series and described the biblical story’s arc to CBN News.

“Steamroller. Bulldozer. Intensity. A melee of emotions and conflicts. Climax of conflicts between Jesus and the authorities,” Roumie said.

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“Climactic frustrations between Jesus and His disciples – their inability to get what He is telling them within days of it happening. It will be the most beautiful, the most complex, most intense season we have ever done,” he continued.

The production this season has grown and actor Shahar Isaac, who plays Simon Peter, sees a striking difference this season on the sound stage.

“I think what’s funny about it that everything on the surface is gigantic and bigger and more everything on the surface. The sets are bigger, there’s more people. We were in Utah three weeks with 600 people every day. Everything grows. The spirit and the heart is the same. But yes, of course the sets are huge and there’s a lot of people and the show has grown. But I don’t know. I love that we are still in the same,” Isaac said.

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Paras Patel, who plays Matthew, and Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, describe their feelings as the overall series will soon end in a few years.

“I’ve been sad, to be honest, just because we’re just so close and connected and we are a big family here, so I’m not going to lie, I’ve been a bit emotional this season,” Patel told CBN News.

“It’s really mixed feelings. I don’t think I really expected it to happen so quickly. Thought maybe over the course of many years, we’ll get to season seven, but I’ve been so surprised by how quickly it’s grown and that’s allowed us to make the seasons faster. So, it’s just, at first it was this sort of slow, gradual growth and now it feels like it’s sped up and it feels like it’s going away,” Tabish said.

For Patel and Tabish, portraying the roles of Matthew and Mary Magdalene is personal.

“I’ve learned, it’s actually made me more confident. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and I give that full credit to the writers, the showrunners, just giving Matthew this kind of personality, body, and depth,” Patel said.

To read the full story, please visit our content partners at CBN.

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