Breaking Christian News on The Gospel Herald

Saturday's "Together 2016" prayer and music event in Washington, D.C., organized by evangelist Nick Hall, was aimed at attracting millennials, with the purpose of giving people an opportunity to "reset," or get a second chance. Although Hall, a college pastor and founder of PULSE, started planning the occasion several years ago, it ironically came at a time of violence across the world, a time during which Christians are seeking solace.

Representatives of several U.S.-based religious denominations rooted in evangelizing and missionary work are choosing to defy the new "Yarovaya laws" laws in Russia that would ban them from proselytizing. The package of laws, billed as anti-terrorism measures, was passed by the Russian Duma, or parliament, on June 24 and signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 7. Leading Russian human rights activists said authorities used an air disaster -- the October bombing of a Russian passenger jet -- as a pretext for an assault on basic freedoms, including religion.

Ken Ham, president/founder of Answers in Genesis and head of the newly-opened Christian attraction The Ark Encounter in Kentucky, had his second public debate with celebrity scientist Bill Nye during a personal tour of the ark Friday. In 2014, Nye said the ark's plans represented an "extraordinary and outlandish, unscientific point of view."

While fear, angst and rage loom throughout Americans at the moment, many Christians don't know how to ultimately respond to the recent murders of LGBTQ community members in Florida, two African American men and 11 police officers. As Christians, some pastors say the answer should be simple: We stand against injustice, mourn with those who mourn, and love our neighbor as ourselves. All too often, people are silent when the values of unconditional love need to be spoken, reminds the TBC pastoral staff in California.

Prayer services kicked off soon after word spread about the latest rounds of fatal shootings involving both police and civilians in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas. However, church leaders in various U.S. geographies share that they know Christians are seeking a more robust sort of religious counseling, because they do not agree violence is the answer.

In an effort to encourage today's hip youngsters to go back to church, a group of evangelical Protestant churches in Germany announced its plan to provide free and unlimited Wi-Fi to churchgoers. Dubbed as "GodSpot", the service is ecumenical by design and placed in areas where there is a large population of atheists and agnostics.

Many in Silicon Valley are prominent, but few are significant. Among the prominent technologists in the Bay Area, VMWare CEO Pat Gelsinger is one of the most outspoken Christian technologists on faith, chosing the route of significance. Before becoming the CEO of VMWare, a multi-billion dollar and leading software company in the world, he was the first Chief Technology Officer at Intel Corporation, where the first microprocessors were invented. If you've ever plugged a USB into your computer, used WIFI, you've used his technology.

A "deep-rooted belief in God" fuels the force of Christian rock band Skillet's lead singer John Cooper. The four American rockers from Memphis, Tenn., released on Wednesday a new music video for their new song "Feel Invincible." The group's colossal, previous hit "Monster" sold 2 million copies.

A "Cave Church" in Egypt is one of the largest churches in the country, a place where 70,000-plus Christians gather every week to worship and praise Jesus -- a place that's home to one of the world's oldest Christian communities. The cave, also known as the Monastery of Saint Simon, is located in the Mokattam mountain in southeastern Cairo, in an area known as "garbage city" due to the large population of garbage collectors, or Zabbaleen, that live there.

A New Testament scholar has revealed that just like in the New Testament, miraculous stories of triumph and perseverance of followers of Christ are occurring at a dramatic rate within the persecuted Chinese Church.

God held an Oklahoma family together during a situation that many people do not survive, said a Tulsa man and his brother after one of them was struck by lightning on the Arkansas River while they were fishing over the weekend.

Since 1932, two memorable signs that proclaimed "This Is God's Country - Please Don't Drive Through It Like Hell" greeted people traveling through Hondo, Texas. When Freedom From Religion Foundation representatives asked city officials to remove the signs, Mayor Jim Danner said Monday, "There's no way in hell we're going to take those signs down."

Families dealing with a cancer diagnosis have a chance to put their worries aside and enjoy each other through free trips to Myrtle Beach, S.C., thanks to volunteer efforts of Surfside United Methodist congregants. Children who benefit from this missionary endeavor called "Jason's House" are referred by 14 hospitals in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. Approximately 50 to 65 families receive the trip each June, July and August. After 31 years, the value of the vacations this church community has provided totals more than $8 million.

Christian reality TV actress and public speaker Sadie Robertson is among the film cast for "I'm Not Ashamed," which is a new movie about the first student killed 17 years ago in Colorado at Columbine High School, Rachel Joy Scott, because she was targeted due to her publicly known Christian faith.

After a Brewster County, Texas, sheriff added decals of Christian crosses to patrol vehicles, Freedom From Religion Foundation representatives filed a lawsuit against the sheriff department and county government in March. Those cross decals were taken off the fleet's vehicles this week to settle the case, along with covering the legal costs of the atheist group, whose representatives argued the religious symbols represented a government endorsement of Christianity in violation of the First Amendment.

Jean Christy, 111 years old, was a devout United Methodist who will be missed every time other people's birthdays come around in her congregation in southwestern North Carolina. She died May 28, leaving a void as the community's phone-based "birthday ambassador." The congregation of Andrews United Methodist Church celebrated Christy's life on June 4.

Jacqueline Zoutene's father was a pastor, so she grew up with God's Word in Central Africa. Now, as she sees her region being terrorized by the Muslim sect Boko Haram, she fears for her loved ones but continues to draw her strength from the Bible. In fact, she turned her commitment to God into a job working for the United Bible Societies since 2006.

A defector from North Korea is risking his life to share the Gospel with citizens of the isolated country via a small radio station in Seoul, South Korea.

Prayer alerts are circulating after Jan Crouch, co-founder of the largest Christian TV network Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) suffered a massive stroke Friday. Janice Wendell Bethany "Jan" Crouch, 78, launched TBN with her late husband Paul in 1973.

Christians around the world have a mission to convert Muslims - even the most violent of jihadis - to Christianity, one of Pope Francis's most senior aides has argued.

Millennial superstar Lady Gaga spoke out about her Catholic faith after receiving what she felt was chastisement from a Catholic culture website called CatholicLink, when she posted a photo on Facebook and Instagram to thank Father John Duffell of Blessed Sacrament Church for delivering a "beautiful homily" at her family's restaurant.

"Glossolalia" is the most commonly accepted term for "speaking in tongues," which is believed to be a sign of the Holy Spirit among human beings and which first started during the religious observance now referenced as Pentecost. This year, Pentecost will be observed by church congregations on May 15.

Matriarch of TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" reality television show, Michelle Duggar, shared in her most recent blog a life-lesson moment from years ago when she said she felt completely overwhelmed at 1 a.m. while folding laundry, and threw herself toward God.

Christians may hear the still voice of God in the wild of Californian deserts, says Mary Ann Swenson, bishop of the United Methodist Church, now that U.S. President Barack Obama designated the following 1.8 million acres of wild California desert as national monuments: Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains.

The latest full-length album from contemporary Christian vocalist, guitarist and song writer Phil Wickham debuts Friday, April 22. This marks his first LP in three years. His impactful single "This Is Amazing Grace," was certified RIAA Gold, and named BMI's Christian Song of the Year as it topped radio charts.