Zulya Schmidt, wife of 26-year-old Christian preacher Hans Schmidt, continues to urge fervent prayers for her husband’s recovery following a tragic shooting incident on Nov. 15. Despite facing grim circumstances, she expressed profound gratitude in a Thanksgiving message on Facebook.

As of the latest updates, Hans Schmidt remains in serious condition, prompting his family to hope and pray for a miraculous recovery. Pastor Gary Marsh of Victory Chapel First Phoenix addressed the situation during a Sunday service, urging the congregation to pray for comfort, healing and a quick recovery for Schmidt.

“We really need to pray for a quick recovery, believing God for a miracle in that,” Pastor Marsh stated, emphasizing the impact of the incident on the lives of those involved and the need for divine intervention.

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The Glendale Police Department is actively investigating the shooting, initially reported as an assault. Officer Gina Winn described the incident as a “horrible offense,” urging the community to come forward with any information regarding the tragic event.

Hans Schmidt, a father of two, was shot in the head while engaged in street preaching in Glendale, Arizona. Schmidt’s wife, Zulya, has been imploring the public for fervent prayers for her husband’s recovery and the family’s well-being during this challenging time.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

In a recent installment of Charisma magazine’s insightful “Beyond the Article” series, Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church delves into a pressing question: Are people desperate for the Holy Spirit?

Throughout the interview, Pastor Locke illuminates a critical concern within the American church, underscoring the necessity for a profound grasp of the gospel and the authentic transformative influence wielded by the Holy Spirit.

Half-Truths and Incomplete Healing

Locke begins by highlighting a common problem found in the prophets of old, where the priests and prophets only shared half the truth. The danger, as Locke sees it, is that the American church tends to give people just enough Jesus without bringing about real freedom, deliverance or healing. The focus on motivational and pop psychology sermons falls short of the profound transformation the gospel offers.

“There is no real repentance,” Locke claims. “There’s no real transformation based on the gospel. No real healing in their home, in their marriage.”

Medicating and Counseling the Demonic

Locke addresses the prevalent practice of medicating and counseling demonic influences instead of truly confronting them. He points out that cute sermons, therapy sessions and other conventional methods may fall short when dealing with spiritual battles. The church, he argues, has taken people just far enough, and it’s not the people unwilling to go further but the pastors afraid to delve into uncomfortable territory.

“All of these things aren’t going to relieve people of a demonic spirit, of a spirit of heaviness or fear or addiction,” Locke shares.

Overcoming Fear and Embracing True Deliverance

Reflecting on his own experiences, Locke admits to times when he, as a pastor, hesitated to embrace the movement of the Holy Spirit fully. The fear of accountability and responsibility led to cutting short potentially transformative moments. However, he emphasizes the importance of overcoming fear and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring genuine deliverance, drawing parallels with Mark chapter 1.

“We take people just far enough to still keep them in bondage,” determines Locke.

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Pastoral Responsibility and True Gospel Transformation

Locke raises a critical point about pastors being complicit in maintaining a cycle of partial healing. He reveals the alarming reality of pastors, even from large churches, seeking deliverance for addictions and struggles behind closed doors. The focus on outward conformity rather than true gospel transformation becomes a stumbling block.

“it’s kind of like a doctor situation,” Locke says. “There’s money in keeping people sick, right, and so sometimes there’s money, there’s power, there’s influence, in keeping people coming back.”

Breaking the Chains: Moving Beyond Half-Truths

Passionately advocating for a shift in mindset within the church, Locke exhorts the church to move beyond half-truths and embrace the complete gospel. He challenges the notion that pastors may prefer people to be healed only slightly, suggesting that a fear of losing control or influence could be at play.

“There is real freedom in Jesus Christ. A gospel that doesn’t provide freedom and life transformation is no gospel at all,” Locke says.

The Law of Double Reference: Unveiling Biblical Continuity

Delving into biblical references from Joel 2 and Acts 2, Locke emphasizes the Law of Double Reference. He clarifies that the fulfillment of these prophecies did not end with Pentecost but extends until the Second Coming of Christ. The continuous availability of deliverance and miracles challenges cessationist viewpoints.

Complete Wholeness: Challenging Cessationist Mindsets

Confronting the cessationist mindset, Locke acknowledges its comfort, but asserting that it contradicts the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from his own journey out of cessationism, he urges a re-examination of the biblical narrative, emphasizing that gifts are given to the church until the perfect man is formed.

“Why does the devil have supernatural ability, and God apparently has no more gifts for the body?” Locke asks. “From a cessationist point of view we only look at the beginning and we say, well, that happened on the day of Pentecost, yes, but the text clearly teaches us that it continues until the second coming of Christ, and so the deliverance is still available. The miracle signs and wonders and visions are still available as long as they’re in the context of Scripture.”

Balancing Truth and Spirit: The Need for Both

Locke stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between truth and spirit within the church. Acknowledging abuses and misinterpretations, he advocates for a genuine pursuit of both spiritual manifestations and biblical truth, steering away from extremes.

“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord. We need both spirit and truth in worship,” Locke explains.

Pastor Greg Locke’s insights challenge the church to move beyond half-truths, embrace the fullness of the gospel and welcome the transformative power of the Holy Spirit for true freedom and deliverance in Christ.{eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

A Frontier Airlines flight showed the reality of the spiritual realm when a woman began to scream and shout, flailing about with her arms up in the air. As people on the plane tried to get her to sit and calm down, another woman emerged who would end up being a light into the darkness.

The second woman, having watched close-up what was happening, took the opportunity to point out that what was happening was none other than a demon manifesting and that the way to eternal life is through Christ.

“This is a real devil that wants to kill each and every one of y’all,” the Christian woman said. “Including your family members; that’s not her. She’s possessed and she needs help and I’m sorry to say it like that, but I’m [going to] tell you right now Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life and nobody is going to come to the God the Father without Jesus Christ.”

The woman preaching the gospel continued to share about the power of Christ and the importance of having a real relationship with Jesus.

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The only thing y’all need [is] to trust Him in the name of Jesus…anybody who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, anybody, everybody I don’t care I’m only telling you because all hell is about to break loose and y’all [are] getting the evidence of it,” the woman said.

The woman of faith calmly sang songs of praise during the other woman’s demonic outburst. As pastor and YouTuber Isaiah Saldivar pointed out, her singing reflected Paul and Silas while they were in prison.

Saldivar also pointed out that another woman who kept screaming over top of the worship may have also been triggered by something in the spiritual realm.

“I’m not going to say these people are demon-possessed because I don’t fully know, I wasn’t there, but when a demon manifests often it sets off a chain reaction of other demons manifesting,” Saldivar said. “I can’t count how many times I’ve seen one person manifest in a meeting, a prayer meeting or an altar time and then once that person starts manifesting a demon five more people start. It’s like this chain reaction in the spiritual realm.”

Ephesians 6 tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities. What most passengers may have seen as a delayed flight due to a woman aimlessly screaming very well may have had a deeper and more spiritual significance than they could ever know.

The reality of heaven and hell, of darkness and light was made known. The truth of the gospel was preached of Jesus as the only way to the Father. The grander plan that the Father’s heart is not for anyone to perish but to have eternal life was presented by this message being put on display by one woman’s act of boldness to stand for the truth. {eoa}

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.

As hostages and prisoners are being exchanged in Israel during a short humanitarian reprieve in the Israeli-Hamas war, many Jews living in other parts of the world are experiencing their own antisemitic discrimination. Expressions of hatred and violence toward Jews, Judaism and the nation of Israel have insidiously appeared in neighborhoods, workplaces and schools, making Jews afraid of being “publicly Jewish.”

With Hanukkah celebrations just ahead, some Jewish families have decided not to decorate for the holidays with fear of reprisals or violence. Jewish males may hide their kippah (head covering, “skullcap”) under a baseball cap. Others are avoiding wearing their Star of David jewelry, and some have even removed their mezuzah-Scriptures from their entryway doorposts.

Students on some college and university campuses have found themselves feeling unsafe to even attend classes due to classic forms of antisemitism. According to National Review, three Jewish students have sued New York University for allegedly committing “egregious civil rights violations” and creating a “hostile educational environment” in which Jewish students were subject to “pervasive acts of hatred, discrimination, harassment, and intimidation.”

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Who or What Is a Semite?

Originally, Semite was a linguistic and cultural classification, denoting someone who spoke a language from an area of antiquity spreading out from what is now southern Iraq. The name comes via Latin from Greek Sēm or ‘Shem’, son of Noah in the Bible (Gen. 10:1, 21-24), from whom these people traditionally descended. This linguistically obsolete term includes a much broader range of people from the historic Middle East than just the Jews and includes many Arab tribes as well.

In the late 19th century, a pseudo-scientific racial theory began circulating in Europe. Certain “race scientists” began labeling Jews in a demeaning way as “Semites” to distinguish them from the supposedly superior Aryans. Finally, by the time of Hitler and the Nazis, the “Jewish problem” and antisemitism had festered to the point that the Nazis ultimately killed 6 million Jews as “the Final Solution” in the horrors of the Holocaust.

Today, some countries have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism and its acknowledgment of hostility to, prejudice toward or other forms of discrimination against Jews. As advocates say, “antisemitism is a scourge and must be combated vigorously.”

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Jesus Bypassed Prejudice

Early in Jesus’ ministry He sought to avoid controversy with the Pharisees, departing Jerusalem and Judea and leaving for Galilee. But He felt a divine compulsion to “go through Samaria” (John 4:1-26). There he met a Samaritan woman who wanted to argue with him about their cultural and religious differences. Jesus told her true worship is not mere form and ceremony but “in truth,” that is, transparent, sincere and according to biblical requirements (4:23-24).

As J. Lee Grady reminded us in his recent Charisma News article, “When Jesus lived in Israel 2,000 years ago, He didn’t support the religious racism of His day. He healed a Roman centurion’s servant, ministered to a Canaanite woman’s daughter, talked to a Samaritan woman and ventured into Gentile territory. He told the Jews that God’s love is much wider than our narrow political boundaries.”

Likewise, as followers of Jesus and His ways, we must bypass prejudice and eliminate envy and hatred of all kinds. “Pervasive acts of hatred, discrimination, harassment and intimidation” should never be named among God’s people.

Instead, He gives us the renewing of the Holy Spirit to enable new, proper motives of love and kindness (Titus 3:1-7). The prospect of being transformed into the likeness of Christ motivates us to live righteously, as we purify ourselves, “just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3b). {eoa}

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Licensed to full-time ministry in 1967, Gary Curtis has served on pastoral staffs and in administrative roles at churches in Illinois and California, including 27 years at The Church on The Way, the First Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, California. Now retired, Gary continues to write a weekly teaching blog and frequently contributes ministry-related articles for digital and print platforms.

Christmas has taken a very dark turn this year.

In an annual Christmas tree festival at the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, Christmas took an entirely different turn this year as the Satanic Temple of Wisconsin placed their own Christmas tree in the festival this year.

According to Fox News, instead of donning angels, snowflakes or other sentimental ornaments, the Satanic temple’s ornaments read “Hail Santa,” similar to the phrase “Hail Satan.” Other ornaments on the tree included, “Hail All” with rainbow colors, an upside down cross and other official markers of the Satanic temple.

American Majority Action’s national executive director Matt Batzel took to X to share photos of the tree laden with red lights and the satanic sign next to it, saying, “Outrageous! National Railroad Museum features a Satanic worship tree.”

Museum CEO Jacqueline Frank admitted that while there have been a few complaints about the tree, she says that the museum would not discard an entry for having a differing viewpoint or religious doctrine.

“There was no hesitation. We’re not a religious organization,” Frank said. “And honestly, the Christmas tree is used by so many different secular and religious organizations. All we’re doing is putting up decoration in that room.”

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This wasn’t the only controversial tree on display during the festival, which lasts until December 31. According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, there was also a tree on display from the Bay Area for Council and Gender Diversity about transgender rights with ornaments reading “Protect Trans Kids.”

The introduction of these dark and twisted concepts as part of the Christmas season are the complete opposite of what most people, especially parents, strive for during the holidays. While the world continues to trample around in darkness, we must seek out the light that can only be found in Christ. There’s a reason actors like Candace Cameron Bure are desiring to share the message of hope during the Christmas season, or that films like Journey to Bethlehem exist. This is the time to speak about the birth and the hope found through the one place that truly matters: The Son of God.

While our culture may have shifted its priorities during Christmas to be more retail-driven than church-centered, that does not mean that Christ is out of the holiday. Instead, we should embrace the true meaning of Christmas now more than we ever have before so that the world may know why we celebrate in the first place.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.

Here’s a quick rundown of the top stories on mycharisma.com:

Mysterious ‘Witch Bottles’ Wash Ashore: Spiritual Hazard or Harmless Artifact?

Superstitious beachcombers wandering along the Gulf of Mexico shores may encounter an eerie discovery—gleaming glass that beckons caution. These are not mere trinkets; they are “witch bottles” believed to trap malevolent spirits, emerging along the coastal stretch near Corpus Christi, Texas, as reported by researcher Jace Tunnell.

Since 2017, eight of these mysterious artifacts have washed ashore on a monitored 60-mile beach, prompting intrigue and concern. The most recent discovery, pulled by Tunnell on Nov. 15, contained vegetation and gooseneck barnacles, indicating a prolonged journey adrift.

“I don’t get creeped out by them, but I’m also not going to open them,” shared Tunnell, acknowledging the perceived spells residing within. His reluctance echoes a cautious approach in the face of the unknown: “Why take the chance?”

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How Your Praise Can Become a Spirit-Filled Sacrifice

Scripture tells us that we are to offer up to God a sacrifice of praise.

“Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name” (Heb. 13:15, NASB).

But when is praise a sacrifice?

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Troubled Times See Boom in Exorcisms Worldwide

Amid a decline in religious belief across the United States, an unexpected phenomenon is gaining traction—a surge in exorcisms, the spiritual ritual aimed at purging individuals from demonic possession.

This trend is not limited to the U.S. alone; it extends globally, with Latin America experiencing a notable increase.

Andrew Chesnut, Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, points to the Pentecostal movement as the driving force behind this surge. Pentecostals, a branch of Christianity emphasizing the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in today’s world, has become a dominant force worldwide.

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What moved hundreds of thousands of people around the world to support the Black Lives Matter cause? Was it a bleeding heart for Black Americans? Or did something else animate this global phenomenon? Today, we can ask in a similar spirit, “What unites tens of millions worldwide around the Free Palestine cause?” Is it a heart of compassion for the needs of the Palestinians? Or is something else animating this global phenomenon?

When it comes to the latter, there is no question that hatred of the state of Israel, and more broadly, hatred of the Jewish people, helps animate the pro-Palestinian cause. If people really cared about the Palestinians themselves, there would not be Palestinian refugee camps in countries like Lebanon and Syria, and the Palestinians would have been granted full citizenship in the surrounding Arab countries at some point after the 1948 war.

When it comes to Black Americans, since when have the other nations that joined in the BLM protests, such as South Korea, Bulgaria, Denmark and many others, cared about the plight of Black Americans? Since when was alleged American police brutality a point of concern for the international community? Surely there is no international concern about the plight of suffering Blacks in other parts of the world, such as Nigeria, where tens of thousands of Black Christians have been slaughtered in recent years.

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No, there is something else that animates these worldwide protests, something that unifies these widely disparate cultures and peoples, straight out of the Marxist playbook.

As explained by Jeff Fynn-Paul in his book “Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World“:

The origins of today’s radical anti-Europeanism—the same anti-Europeanism that has gone mainstream in the past few years—lie in the intellectual ferment of the 1960s and ’70s. As New Left campus Marxism reached a high-water mark in the 1970s, Marxist historians began a concerted assault on the foundations of American history. The problem with American history from their perspective was that it made capitalism look too good: American democracy empowered the people; its melting pot welcomed everyone, albeit not without serious friction, and its economic system rewarded hard work more often than not. Marxist historians therefore determined to rewrite American history to show their version of the “truth”: that America was a “system rooted in unrelenting oppression.”

This view was popularized by the radical American historian Howard Zinn. As Fynn-Paul explains:

In Zinn’s view, history always consists of precisely two groups: the oppressor and the oppressed. The “system” perpetuates conflict between these two groups, ensuring the domination of one group over another. In Zinn’s pessimistic view, oppression rather than freedom was the very foundation of the United States and its Constitution.

Thus, critical feminist scholars “discovered” that history revolved around males oppressing females, while critical race theorists discovered that history revolved around the oppression and slavery of black people by white people. Post-colonial theorists accordingly discovered that history revolved around the oppression of Indigenous People by Europeans. Soon, critical “intersectionality” theorists lumped all these identity-based oppressions together, discovering that wealthy, straight, white European males were the ultimate oppressors in history, while poor, black, gay or gender-fluid Indigenous women of color were the ultimate victims.

Put another way, “Down with the evil colonizers! Down with the oppressor class!”

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The connection to Israel is not hard to see, as the Jewish people are portrayed as European colonizers and oppressors, the evil intruders who displaced the native peoples of Palestine. Add to this a little antisemitism to help fuel the fires, just as a little anti-Americanism helped fuel the worldwide BLM protests, and you have an explosion.

To be clear, Fynn-Paul does not deny the sins of our European forebears, writing:

Though we now find it difficult to believe, the extent of European cruelty toward Native Americans was well researched and publicized before the rise of social media. Thus it was common knowledge among historians that Europeans were responsible for population decline, forced conversions, provoking wars, countless treaty violations, the Trail of Tears, the California Indian massacres, the extinction of the buffalo, racial prejudice and discrimination, confinement on reservations and continued marginalization of many Native groups.

He simply pushes back against highly biased, academically imbalanced reconstructions of American history. Similarly, sound historians today do not paint an entirely blameless picture of the state of Israel. They simply resist the distorted, even propagandistic retelling of recent Middle Eastern history.

As Fynn-Paul notes with regard to rewriting American history, “These narratives have been filling the minds of Western journalists, bureaucrats, and politicians with the same old 1970s theories, dressed in alluring new clothes.” (For an in-depth treatment of the impact of Marxist ideology on America today, see Christopher Rufo, “America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything.”)

That’s why Kyle Morris was right to note that “The anti-Israel movement roiling major American cities and college campuses following the outbreak of Israel’s war with Hamas bears a striking resemblance to other movements favored by social justice activists, experts suggest.”

And Morris quoted Rufo, who said, “The left-wing academics who have been cheering on violent ‘decolonization’ against Jews have been pushing the same hideous rhetoric against ‘whiteness’ for years. Same ideology. Same hatred. Same bloodlust.”

Absolutely, undeniably true.

Rufo pointed out that the “academic left treat the Hamas fighter as a noble savage who symbolizes revolt against the West and through whom the academic can experience the thrill of violence.” And he explained that “The fighter is seen as the physical embodiment of the jargon: ‘decolonization,’ ‘resistance,’ ‘power.’ Time to connect the dots and fight it together.”

Tine to connect the dots indeed. And time to fight back together, with the truth serving as our most powerful weapon. {eoa}

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When Mac Powell left his role as the frontman for the Christian band Third Day, he tried his hand at country—an itch he’d been eager to scratch for years—but ultimately, he said, it left him unfulfilled.

The “Soul on Fire” singer-songwriter recently spoke with CBN Digital about how his career has evolved since Third Day—a Grammy-winning mainstay in the Christian rock genre—disbanded in 2018 after 25 years together.

When he first left Third Day, Powell did something he’d always wanted to do: he made a country album.

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“That was like scratching an itch I had for a long time,” he explained. “Once Third Day was over, I finally had a chance to do that, but I always knew I was gonna be in Christian music. That’s where I feel comfortable. I love singing about Jesus and sharing my faith through my music.”

Powell released his first solo Christian album, “New Creation,” in 2021. The success of that record ultimately led the 50-year-old singer to launch a tour, and he’s been on the road since.

He is finishing up a fall tour and, after Thanksgiving week, will join K-LOVE’s “Celebrate Christmas” tour beginning Nov. 29. And, starting early next year, Powell will join fellow Christian artist TobyMac on his “Hits Deep” tour, featuring other singers like Jon Reddick, Cory Asbury, and Tasha Layton. {eoa}

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

Reprinted with permission from faithwire.com. Copyright © 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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Christmas has taken a very dark turn this year.

In an annual Christmas tree festival at the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, Christmas took an entirely different turn this year as the Satanic Temple of Wisconsin placed their own Christmas tree in the festival this year.

According to Fox News, instead of donning angels, snowflakes or other sentimental ornaments, the Satanic temple’s ornaments read “Hail Santa,” similar to the phrase “Hail Satan.” Other ornaments on the tree included, “Hail All” with rainbow colors, an upside down cross and other official markers of the Satanic temple.

American Majority Action’s national executive director Matt Batzel took to X to share photos of the tree laden with red lights and the satanic sign next to it, saying, “Outrageous! National Railroad Museum features a Satanic worship tree.”

Outrageous! National Railroad Museum features a Satanic worship tree https://t.co/B8f7PXrtiB #wiright pic.twitter.com/8zLI4Lgv1O

— Matt Batzel (@MattBatzel) November 22, 2023

Museum CEO Jacqueline Frank admitted that while there have been a few complaints about the tree, she says that the museum would not discard an entry for having a differing viewpoint or religious doctrine.

“There was no hesitation. We’re not a religious organization,” Frank said. “And honestly, the Christmas tree is used by so many different secular and religious organizations. All we’re doing is putting up decoration in that room.”

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This wasn’t the only controversial tree on display during the festival, which lasts until December 31. According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, there was also a tree on display from the Bay Area for Council and Gender Diversity about transgender rights with ornaments reading “Protect Trans Kids.”

The introduction of these dark and twisted concepts as part of the Christmas season are the complete opposite of what most people, especially parents, strive for during the holidays. While the world continues to trample around in darkness, we must seek out the light that can only be found in Christ. There’s a reason actors like Candace Cameron Bure are desiring to share the message of hope during the Christmas season, or that films like Journey to Bethlehem exist. This is the time to speak about the birth and the hope found through the one place that truly matters: The Son of God.

While our culture may have shifted its priorities during Christmas to be more retail-driven than church-centered, that does not mean that Christ is out of the holiday. Instead, we should embrace the true meaning of Christmas now more than we ever have before so that the world may know why we celebrate in the first place. {eoa}

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.

What moved hundreds of thousands of people around the world to support the Black Lives Matter cause? Was it a bleeding heart for Black Americans? Or did something else animate this global phenomenon? Today, we can ask in a similar spirit, “What unites tens of millions worldwide around the Free Palestine cause?” Is it a heart of compassion for the needs of the Palestinians? Or is something else animating this global phenomenon?

When it comes to the latter, there is no question that hatred of the state of Israel, and more broadly, hatred of the Jewish people, helps animate the pro-Palestinian cause. If people really cared about the Palestinians themselves, there would not be Palestinian refugee camps in countries like Lebanon and Syria, and the Palestinians would have been granted full citizenship in the surrounding Arab countries at some point after the 1948 war.

When it comes to Black Americans, since when have the other nations that joined in the BLM protests, such as South Korea, Bulgaria, Denmark and many others, cared about the plight of Black Americans? Since when was alleged American police brutality a point of concern for the international community? Surely there is no international concern about the plight of suffering Blacks in other parts of the world, such as Nigeria, where tens of thousands of Black Christians have been slaughtered in recent years.

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up to date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

No, there is something else that animates these worldwide protests, something that unifies these widely disparate cultures and peoples, straight out of the Marxist playbook.

As explained by Jeff Fynn-Paul in his book “Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World“:

The origins of today’s radical anti-Europeanism—the same anti-Europeanism that has gone mainstream in the past few years—lie in the intellectual ferment of the 1960s and ’70s. As New Left campus Marxism reached a high-water mark in the 1970s, Marxist historians began a concerted assault on the foundations of American history. The problem with American history from their perspective was that it made capitalism look too good: American democracy empowered the people; its melting pot welcomed everyone, albeit not without serious friction, and its economic system rewarded hard work more often than not. Marxist historians therefore determined to rewrite American history to show their version of the “truth”: that America was a “system rooted in unrelenting oppression.”

This view was popularized by the radical American historian Howard Zinn. As Fynn-Paul explains:

In Zinn’s view, history always consists of precisely two groups: the oppressor and the oppressed. The “system” perpetuates conflict between these two groups, ensuring the domination of one group over another. In Zinn’s pessimistic view, oppression rather than freedom was the very foundation of the United States and its Constitution.

Thus, critical feminist scholars “discovered” that history revolved around males oppressing females, while critical race theorists discovered that history revolved around the oppression and slavery of black people by white people. Post-colonial theorists accordingly discovered that history revolved around the oppression of Indigenous People by Europeans. Soon, critical “intersectionality” theorists lumped all these identity-based oppressions together, discovering that wealthy, straight, white European males were the ultimate oppressors in history, while poor, black, gay or gender-fluid Indigenous women of color were the ultimate victims.

Put another way, “Down with the evil colonizers! Down with the oppressor class!”

Sign up NOW for a FREE Charisma Magazine Online 30-day trial!

The connection to Israel is not hard to see, as the Jewish people are portrayed as European colonizers and oppressors, the evil intruders who displaced the native peoples of Palestine. Add to this a little antisemitism to help fuel the fires, just as a little anti-Americanism helped fuel the worldwide BLM protests, and you have an explosion.

To be clear, Fynn-Paul does not deny the sins of our European forebears, writing:

Though we now find it difficult to believe, the extent of European cruelty toward Native Americans was well researched and publicized before the rise of social media. Thus it was common knowledge among historians that Europeans were responsible for population decline, forced conversions, provoking wars, countless treaty violations, the Trail of Tears, the California Indian massacres, the extinction of the buffalo, racial prejudice and discrimination, confinement on reservations and continued marginalization of many Native groups.

He simply pushes back against highly biased, academically imbalanced reconstructions of American history. Similarly, sound historians today do not paint an entirely blameless picture of the state of Israel. They simply resist the distorted, even propagandistic retelling of recent Middle Eastern history.

As Fynn-Paul notes with regard to rewriting American history, “These narratives have been filling the minds of Western journalists, bureaucrats, and politicians with the same old 1970s theories, dressed in alluring new clothes.” (For an in-depth treatment of the impact of Marxist ideology on America today, see Christopher Rufo, “America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything.”)

That’s why Kyle Morris was right to note that “The anti-Israel movement roiling major American cities and college campuses following the outbreak of Israel’s war with Hamas bears a striking resemblance to other movements favored by social justice activists, experts suggest.”

And Morris quoted Rufo, who said, “The left-wing academics who have been cheering on violent ‘decolonization’ against Jews have been pushing the same hideous rhetoric against ‘whiteness’ for years. Same ideology. Same hatred. Same bloodlust.”

Absolutely, undeniably true.

Rufo pointed out that the “academic left treat the Hamas fighter as a noble savage who symbolizes revolt against the West and through whom the academic can experience the thrill of violence.” And he explained that “The fighter is seen as the physical embodiment of the jargon: ‘decolonization,’ ‘resistance,’ ‘power.’ Time to connect the dots and fight it together.”

Tine to connect the dots indeed. And time to fight back together, with the truth serving as our most powerful weapon. {eoa}

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!