Following are snippets of the top stories posted over the past week on charismamag.com. We encourage you to visit the links to read the stories in full.
Ignite Your Life: Walking Out Your Faith, Conquering Fear With Pastor Jack Hibbs and Barry Meguiar
In an age when we’re bombarded with negative news stories on a 24/7 basis, Pastor Jack Hibbs and Barry Meguiar want people to know they have nothing to fear, because God is greater than fear of the enemy.
Discussing a multitude of subjects such as the success Meguiar and his company enjoyed, to his new book Ignite Your Life, the two tackled an area far too many Christians yield to the devil: fear.
The Bible assures believers that God holds ultimate authority, triumphing over all forms of evil. Through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who conquered Satan through His Resurrection, Christians find solace and confidence.
Minister’s Heretical ‘Sparkle Creed’ Sparks Controversy and Criticism
A Lutheran minister has sparked controversy and captured public attention with a recitation of a heretical “Sparkle Creed” during a recent church service.
Anna Helgen,co-pastor at Edina Community Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, led the congregation in the recitation, which has drawn criticism for its departure from biblical teachings.
In this creed, Helgen proclaimed her belief in a nonbinary God, assigning plural pronouns to the divine. Such a portrayal deviates from the biblical understanding of God’s nature and character. The Scriptures clearly refer to God in masculine terms and emphasize the unity and oneness of the divine being (John 1:18, 1 Cor. 8:6).
America Has Gone Insane When It Comes to Gender Laws
I love my country. But many of my foreign friends now ask me regularly, “What’s going on with the United States?” They are baffled. They are also losing respect for America because a growing number of our leaders have made drastic shifts when it comes to moral values—particularly in the area of sexuality and gender.
Consider New York’s governor Kathy Hochul, who signed a bill on June 25 that guarantees minors access to hormone therapy and transgender surgery. While some states have passed laws to label such treatments as child abuse, Hochul says the new law makes New York “a safe haven for trans youth and their families.” That means the state encourages 14-year-old girls to get full hysterectomies and double mastectomies without a parent’s permission; it also means New York is a “haven” for 9-year-old boys whose schoolteachers have convinced them to get their genitals removed.
In California, a bill is advancing that will force parents to “affirm” their child’s “preferred” gender identity—even if parents object. The Transgender, Gender-Diverse, and Intersex Youth Empowerment Act would classify parents in custody battles as abusive if they refuse to affirm their child’s gender identity. Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson, author of the bill, claims that forcing a parent to consent to their child’s gender identity will prevent suicide. It would also subject parents to fines and jail time.
Is God Sending a Message of Hope to America?
Although I am a believer, not a skeptic, I’m a thinking believer. I’m not impressed with the “discovery” of the face of Jesus in a piece of wood. Or the map of America appearing in a bowl of melting ice cream.
My Ph.D. is in ancient Semitic texts and languages, and I look for hard data. For facts rather than speculation.
But certain things do get my attention. How could they not? I do my best to go with the evidence.
Pastor Steven Furtick’s Elevation Megachurch Severs Ties With SBC
In a recent blow to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Elevation Church, one of its prominent congregations, has made the decision to withdraw its affiliation with the denomination. This development comes less than a month after the expulsion of Saddleback Church for having women pastors.
Elevation Church, known for its multiple campuses and influential role in contemporary Christian worship music, formally notified the SBC of its withdrawal on June 26.
The church’s correspondence did not explicitly state the reason behind the decision. Notably, Elevation Pastor Steven Furtick’s wife, Holly Furtick, delivers sermons to both men and women at the church and shares links to her messages on her website.
Michael L. Brown 
American Faith 
