The Strait Gate » Christian News

Religious Families Raise Better Children – Study

TheStraitGate — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:28:12 +0000

A study from Mississippi State University reports that Children with religious parents are better behaved and appear happier than children raised by secular parents.

One of the reasons is that religious families appear to be more stable, and that provides the children with a range of benefits.

“I believe my faith helped me to be a better husband and parent,” says David Beato, a devout Christian and author of the new memoir The Power of Prayer, Endurance and Truth. “It taught me to have self-sacrificing and pro-family values.”

Mr. Beato’s book describes how religion has shaped his life, from his difficult childhood in Italy during World War II to his struggle to make it as a successful businessman in America. Along the way, Mr. Beato faced many monumental tests of faith, including the death of his beloved son, professional setbacks and deceptive family members who tried to ruin him.

John Bartkowski, a sociologist from Mississippi State University and author of the study, questioned parents and teachers of more than 16,000 first graders about their behavior. Mr. Bartkowski discovered that children with religious parents, especially both parents, have better:

Behavior
Self-control skills
Social skills
Self-discipline
Attitude
Learning ability

The research also shows that religious parents have greater success because they generally get better social support from religious organizations and communities. Also, they have higher moral and family values implemented in their everyday lives.

“Parenting is probably one of the toughest jobs in the world,” says Mr. Beato. “Parents should not neglect their child’s spiritual development because it creates a good foundation for many desirable qualities, such as high moral values, self-discipline, humility, family and community.”

Georgia Right to Life Supports Nathan Deal

TheStraitGate — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:30:10 +0000

Georgia Right to Life PAC (GRTL PAC) is proud to support Nathan Deal in his bid to become the next Governor of Georgia. He firmly opposes abortions except in cases where the life of the mother is at stake.

Regarding his 1993 vote appropriating funds for fetal tissue research and Planned Parenthood, Mr. Deal stated, “a lot of us were not fully convinced of who Planned Parenthood was and what they were doing with their money,” according to Access NorthGa.com’s article entitled, Abortion Divides GA. GOP Gubernatorial Rivals (7/25/2010).

Over the years, Mr. Deal’s opposition to Planned Parenthood has increased. Mr. Deal says, “…it was a personal change of opinion. It was one that I had prayerful thought about for a very long period of time…” He had discussions with his “minister, friends who are religious advisors and friends with the pro-life community.”

Since 1997, Nathan Deal has had a strong pro-life record as evidenced by a rating of 90% and above from National Right to Life (NRLC) and, since 2001, he has received a rating of 100% from NRLC. Georgia Right to Life welcomes converts like Mr. Deal to the pro-life position just as it welcomed Zell Miller & Ronald Reagan.

Karen Handel says she does not support the mission of Planned Parenthood but as the Fulton County Commission Chair she approved over $1.2 million in funding for the organization over 2005, 2006 and 2007. During the March 16, 2005 meeting, the Fulton County Commission discussed five funding requests for various “services” provided to the county. They ranged from providing concrete, to monitoring storm drains, trash disposal and fence repair. There was sharp debate on the issue of trash disposal, but sadly Chair Handel had nothing to say regarding the $425,568 (one of three installments) of funding to Planned Parenthood which was item number two on the agenda. Item 2 elicited no debate.

She approved the contract that states, “Vendor [Planned Parenthood] is recognized nationally for providing excellent, culturally appropriate reproductive health services to women and teens.” As many pro-lifers know, “culturally appropriate reproductive health services” defined by Planned Parenthood includes abortion referrals and services.

When her approval of the Planned Parenthood funding was discovered, she backpedaled by stating the Planned Parenthood clinics would have received the funding anyway because, according to KarenHandel.com, it was a “pass-through grant from Congress…” If that is the case, why not vote “no” to support pro-life principles?

The same $1.2 million dollars that Karen Handel used to fund Planned Parenthood could have been distributed to other Title X clinics across the state of Georgia that provide the same “reproductive health” services as Planned Parenthood, except these clinics neither provide nor profit from abortion services.

Nathan Deal took responsibility for his vote 17 years ago, described his change of heart and has been a staunch supporter of the sanctity of life ever since.

“We need a true conservative as the Governor of Georgia who is willing to say “no” to the federal government, stand on principle and take responsibility,” states Nancy Stith, the Executive Director of the GRTL. “Nathan Deal has demonstrated that he is the candidate for Governor of Georgia who is able to do just that.”

New Profanity Filter For Your TV

TheStraitGate — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:56:21 +0000

Just a week after a federal appeals court opened the door for the F-word to be used freely on broadcast TV, an Arkansas company says they have a solution: Filter the words out on your own.

TVGuardian, LLC is just this week receiving shipment of the first of their new profanity filters – boxes that connect to TVs and automatically filter out foul language.

“It’s now clear families can’t rely on broadcasters to provide profanity-free TV,” says TVGuardian, LLC President Britt Bennett. “Families have to take matters into their own hands to protect themselves from obscenity.”

A second new model is due to be released next month, one that works with high definition TV. Both new models are available on the company website, www.tvguardian.com.

What’s new about the new models? “New software, new boxes, now in HD, and a new rental program,” says Bennett. “Families can now rent TVGuardian for as low as $6.99 a month.”

Another difference with the new TVGuardian units is that they will not be available in stores. “The people who seem to respond best to TVGuardian are people of faith,” says Bennett, “so we’ll be working with ministry partners to help them tell their supporters about this technology.”

TVGuardian was invented by Rick Bray in 1997, and the company produced more than 400,000 units before discontinuing production in order to pursue licensing. They successfully licensed their foul language filtering technology into over 12 million DVD players. Their return to the marketplace with new set top boxes comes after a nearly three year absence.

“I used to be more hopeful about the future of TV for our children,” says Bennett. “But now that even the F-word is allowed? At any time of day? It looks like we’ll be in business for a while still.”

Momentum Builds For Back to Church Sunday

TheStraitGate — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:17:35 +0000

Momentum is building across the US for national “Back To Church Sunday,” set for September 12. Already more than 1,500 churches across the country have committed to inviting people who once attended church – but who don’t anymore – to special worship services.

Last year, hundreds of churches took part in the first national “Back To Church Sunday” ( www.backtochurch.com), which saw members invite more than 700,000 friends and family. This year, an estimated 1 million “unchurched” and “dechurched” people will be invited to the special day.

A survey by Outreach, Inc., a California-based church marketing company supporting the initiative, found that last year’s participating churches increased their weekend attendance on average by 19 percent.

“A recent survey of 15,000 Americans indicated that 67 percent would be open to an invitation to church coming from a member of their family,” said Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, an organization dedicated to church health and effectiveness. “‘Back To Church Sunday’ is a great opportunity for reminding and refocusing church members to reach out to their unchurched family members.”

In a separate study, the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey showed that 83 percent of American adults identify themselves as Christians. In contrast, another survey that same year by the Barna Group, a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture, indicated only about 20 percent of Americans attend a church on any given Sunday.

When Mount Sterling First United Methodist Church in Mt. Sterling, Ky., participated in “Back To Church Sunday” in 2009, response was well beyond expectations.

“Our sanctuary was full,” said Debi Lambert, the church’s evangelism and outreach leader. “We saw our attendance that day increased 40 percent over our normal attendance for that time of year.”

Unchurched families that visited that Sunday have become members, Lambert said. Others attend periodically. That’s why the Mount Sterling church anticipates an even greater response to the 2010 event. “Everybody at church has gotten on board and is excited and involved,” Lambert said.

Outreach Inc. provides churches with resources and tools for the “Back To Church Sunday” campaign, helping them plan and implement a successful event. The campaign kit includes a planning guide; booklets; resource CD with sermons, graphics and PowerPoint templates; promotional video and other outreach materials and tools.

Inviting newcomers is only part of the campaign. Churches are also encouraged to make their facilities visitor-friendly, paying attention to details important to those who haven’t tried church in a while.

In support of “Back to Church Sunday,” Outreach also supports the “Back To Church Sunday” Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/backtochurch) and a roster of participating churches on the Back to Church Sunday website. When churches go to the website and register their participation, their names and locations are added to the roster.

The Bible.is for iPhone App Released

TheStraitGate — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:51:32 +0000

Faith Comes By Hearing, a non-profit Audio Bible organization, recently released this free Bible app to the App Store.

The Bible.is for iPhone app’s major features include:

Listening and reading together

Dramatized audio with 180 characters, music and sound effects

Audio New Testaments with full text in 37 languages in 63 versions

Simple verse sharing on Facebook

Complete Bible in English (Old and New Testaments)

“There are many free Bible apps out there, but this is the first that allows you to read and listen to your favorite Scripture together,” said Troy Carl, Faith Comes By Hearing’s national director. “You can also bookmark, highlight, and add notes to verses just like in a print Bible.”

“This app was designed to provide a quality Bible experience,” added Carl. “The Scripture is crisp and clear for easy reading with simple audio controls. There’s also a 40-day listening program that guides you through the entire New Testament in just 28 minutes a day.”

Future updates to these mobile apps will deliver the Bible in audio and text in hundreds of languages. Faith Comes By Hearing currently has the audio New Testament in more than 450 languages with a goal of recording the Bible in 2,000 languages.

The Bible.is suite of applications puts the Bible at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere in the world in audio, text and multiple languages. This free iPhone app is the first in a series of app releases designed through the Digital Bible Project, the world’s largest active collection of digital Scripture made freely available to individuals, organizations, developers and programmers. Free Bible.is apps for Android, Blackberry and iPad are also being developed and tested for future release.

The Bible.is app is available for free from the App Store or at www.itunes.com/appstore. Learn more about the Bible.is suite of applications at Bible.is

NIV Bibles Top Amazon and Apple eBook Sales Charts

TheStraitGate — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:32:58 +0000

Ebooks are among the fastest-growing segments in the publishing industry, and eBibles are no different. Today Zondervan reported that its NIV Bible and Zondervan NIV Study Bible have been among the Top Five eBooks in the Religion & Spirituality Category of Apple’s iBookstore and Amazon’s Kindle Store since the beginning of 2010.

“A growing number of consumers are adopting the e-reader format, whether it’s the Amazon KindleTM, the Apple iPadTM, Barnes & Noble NookTM or Sony ReaderTM. Many of these consumers are purchasing an eBible so they can have the Word of God in an easy to use digital format,” said Chip Brown, senior vice president and publisher of Bibles at Zondervan. “We’re encouraged by the success of our eBibles to date and remain committed to offering consumers the content and features they want in the format they desire.”

Zondervan’s eBibles now represent more than 40 percent of the company’s eBook revenues, and in several instances they also outsell some traditional hardcover Bible products. From mid-May to mid-June, the Zondervan NIV Study Bible eBook for Kindle sold more units on Amazon.com than the hardcover edition.

Zondervan was the first publisher to have Bibles available in Apple’s iBookstore at the launch of the iPad. In total, Zondervan has published more than 15 Bible titles for eBook readers, including the iPad, Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, etc. The NIV Study Bible is #57 overall currently in iBooks. At $19.99, it is the only eBook more than $14.99 in the top 60 and the only $19.99 eBook in the top 100.
Zondervan currently has 1,450 books and Bibles available in the eBook format across the various platforms. The publisher is currently working on bringing more titles to market in the eBook format, as well as exploring new functionality and features in all departments including trade, kids, academic and Bibles.

“Based on current performance and continued growth of the eBook category, we believe consumer demand for eBooks will continue to increase,” added Brown. “Many of our study Bibles are perfectly suited for the unique, interactive features enhanced eBooks can offer, and we will continue to bring new and innovative digital products to market.”

At the end of May, the Association of American Publishers reported that in the first quarter of 2010, overall eBook sales showed a year-over-year increase of more than 250%. Sales of religious eBooks were up 7.0 percent for the month of March, with sales totaling $49.5 million.

Second Annual Pro-Life Campus Activism Winners Announced

TheStraitGate — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:10:10 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS, May 3 – Human Life Alliance (HLA) and Students for Life of America (SFLA) announce the winners of the second annual Campus Impact Award.

Designed to encourage students to develop pro-life activism on campus, this year’s award winners include clubs that sponsored a major first time event and two unique African American student outreach projects.

“It was difficult to select a winner this year,” stated HLA Executive Director Jo Tolck. “Student clubs from around the country worked on a variety of projects — many faced great opposition. We’re proud of each and every one of them.”

First Place: Northeastern University Right to Life (Boston, Massachusetts). This newly created pro-life club hosted its first “Respect Life Week” on campus. Among the many events designed to generate campus wide discussion of life issues were a memorial of innocents, pro-life pamphlet distribution, tabling and fetal model displays.

Second Place: Students for Life at Clarion University (Clarion, Pennsylvania). Creation of a campus collation designed to explore the impact of abortion on the African American community was the main outreach. Co- sponsoring organizations included Minority Students Services, Brothers of Christ and the local NAACP chapter. HLA’s “Did You Know?” publication was distributed to create an early demand for information, which culminated in a screening and discussion of the pro-life documentary “Maafa21.”

Third Place: Dukes for Life at James Madison University (Harrison, Virginia). A unique approach to communications and advertisement allowed Dukes for Life to develop a pro-life Facebook event for their campus. Students used HLA materials to create pro-life campus bulletin boards and posters to co-sponsor an event with the Student Black Alliance to focus on the genocidal consequences of abortion in the African American community.

SFLA Executive Director Kristan Hawkins said, “These students for life clubs have worked hard to present a pro- life message on campus. In many cases they must stand up to classmates and professors who ridicule them and belittle their deeply held belief that all life is worth protecting, including life in the womb.”

Winners received cash prizes of $500, $250 and $250, respectively, to develop ongoing pro-life efforts on campuses.

ECPA Announces 2010 Christian Book Award Winners

TheStraitGate — Tue, 04 May 2010 13:21:05 +0000

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has announced the winners for the 2010 Christian Book Awards. Presented annually to the finest in Christian publishing since 1978, the Christian Book Awards honors titles in six categories – Bibles, Bible Reference & Study, Christian Life, Fiction, Children & Youth, and Inspiration & Gift. The winners in each category were announced at the ECPA Awards banquet held Monday, May 3, during ECPA’s annual Executive Leadership Summit in Nashville, TN. One title, “The Hole in Our Gospel” by Richard Stearns, received the top honor by being named the 2010 Christian Book of the Year.

The Christian Book Awards selects five finalists in each category based on both editorial excellence and category-specific criteria. This year, 226 entries (published in the last year) were submitted by 33 ECPA member publishers for review and scoring by a total of 72 judges.

The 2010 Christian Book Award winners are:

2010 Christian Book of the Year
“The Hole in Our Gospel,” Richard Stearns, Thomas Nelson, 9780785229186

Bibles
“Glo“, Immersion Digital, Zondervan, 9780981990200

Bible Reference & Study
“The New Moody Atlas of the Bible,” Barry J. Beitzel, Moody Publishers, 9780802404411

Christian Life
“The Hole in Our Gospel,” Richard Stearns, Thomas Nelson, 9780785229186

Fiction
“Watch Over Me,” Christa Parrish, Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780764205545

Children & Youth
“B4UD8- Before You Date,” Hayley and Michael DiMarco, Revell/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780800733087

Inspiration & Gift
“Grace Notes,” Philip Yancey, Zondervan, 9780310287728

“We are proud of all the 2010 Christian Book Award winners, and we hope the honor of being named Christian Book of the Year will help ‘The Hole in Our Gospel’ mobilize even more Christians to care for the poor worldwide,” comments ECPA’s President Mark Kuyper. “In a year of unforgettable world disasters, including the devastating earthquake in Haiti, we are eager to encourage believers to take action for those in need.”

ECPA is partnering with Christianity Today Inc. (CTi) to promote the winning titles to its consumer base. ECPA has also confirmed support from national retail outlets to create in-store and consumer promotions to build awareness of the Christian Book Award winning titles.

The Christian Book Awards, established in 1978 as the Gold Medallion Book Awards by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, recognize the absolute highest quality in Christian books. Based on excellence in content, literary quality, design and impact, the Christian Book Awards are the oldest and among the most prestigious in the religious publishing industry. For more information, visit the ECPA website.

Major Motion Picture ‘Letters to God’ Inspires Complementary Products

TheStraitGate — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:04:00 +0000

Zondervan has launched a complete suite of products to complement the upcoming nationwide release of Possibility Picture and Vivendi Entertainment’s faith-based family film Letters to God. The film, premiering on April 9th and directed by David Nixon of Fireproof and Facing the Giants fame, is based on a story written by Patrick Doughtie and John Perry that was inspired by Doughtie’s son’s battle with cancer. The heartfelt tale of inspiration, hope and redemption, Letters to God is the story of what happens when one boy’s walk of faith crosses paths with one man’s search for meaning. The resulting transformational journey touches the lives of everyone around them.

“Movies can touch lives, change perceptions and renew hearts,” said Possibility Pictures Executive Producer Tom Swanson. “Letters to God will be a bright light in a darkened theater that lifts up audiences, encouraging them to go out and make a difference. To enhance the overall experience of seeing the film, we have partnered with Zondervan and created a powerful suite of six books and a Bible, available in thousands of retail stores before the film’s premiere.”

“It’s been an honor to work alongside the teams from both Possibility Pictures and Vivendi Entertainment on this project,” said Zondervan CEO Moe Girkins. “Zondervan’s vision for each of the resources is to help viewers of the film personalize the message and share its dynamic impact with others.”

Zondervan has published Letters to God products for readers of all ages. Doughtie and Perry’s paperback novel Letters to God is for readers eager to read more of this inspiring story. Doughtie and his wife Heather have collaborated to produce the endearing hardcover children’s picture book Letters to God. The picture book builds on the film’s popularity about their son’s uplifting and contagious faith.

Dr. Ken Hutcherson’s hardcover Hope is Contagious; Trusting God in the Face of Any Obstacle focuses on people everywhere looking for hope in a time of tremendous economic and social unrest. A pastor and former NFL player, Dr. Hutcherson offers that hope, weaving his own story of living well with a terminal illness, while opening a window into the lives of other ordinary people.

The Letters to God Bible by Robert Wolgemuth is part collector’s item and part one-of-a-kind devotional Bible. This Italian Duo-Tone Bible features handwritten notes in the margins and underlined passages from the late father whose Bible inspires the film’s central character, Tyler, as he battles brain cancer.

Dear God by Andre K. Dugger, the real-life pastor of the young boy in the movie, is a hardcover book of letters and insightful Scripture lessons and is an ideal gift for viewers of the film and anyone searching for hope in the midst of adversity. Prayer: Your Own Letter to God, also by Dugger, is a prayer guide inspired by the film that offers Christians creative, practical advice on how to strengthen their relationship with God. Writing their own letters to God, readers of all ages will develop and strengthen their prayer lives.

The final product is the Letters to God Journal. This hardcover journal is an appealing and innovative tool for helping people build stronger, more fulfilling prayer lives.

1,000 Kids to Reunite With Their Dads

TheStraitGate — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 01:47:41 +0000

Once deemed the most violent prison in America, the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola will host the nation’s largest gathering of children and their inmate fathers on Saturday, May 1. Returning Hearts Celebration(tm) is expected to reunite more than 1,000 kids with their incarcerated dads for a special day of activities and bonding that promote reconciliation and healing within families.

A total of 540 children and 450 inmate dads participated in last year’s Returning Hearts Celebration at Angola. This year’s event, which will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST, is a joint effort between the penitentiary and Chicago-based Awana, an international youth and children’s ministry.

Returning Hearts uses a festive day of games, food, crafts and pony rides to begin transforming relationships between kids and dads. The celebration enables fathers who may not have seen their sons or daughters in years to seek forgiveness and build connections in an effort to break the cycle of familial crime. Children of an incarcerated parent are much more likely than their peers to land in prison themselves.

“Returning Hearts is a time when the walls come down between kids and their fathers,” said Lyndon Azcuna, director of Awana® Lifeline(tm), the prison ministry of Awana. “This special day gives children an opportunity to be with their fathers physically and to hear them say, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you.’ It’s also a place for children to experience God’s love through the changed hearts of their fathers.”

“These fathers do not want their children to end up in prison,” added Awana President/CEO Jack Eggar. “So they are intentional in encouraging and teaching their children to pursue a life of character and faith.”

Returning Hearts Celebration is part of the Awana Lifeline prison ministry. Lifeline began in 2003 when Warden Burl Cain of Louisiana State Penitentiary, the largest maximum-security prison in the U.S., invited Jack Eggar and Awana Co-Founder Art Rorheim to speak to the prison’s fellowship of Christian inmates. Rorheim and Eggar were surprised to discover that the prisoners wanted a program established to help their children grow spiritually and morally.

Because of the expertise Awana has in working with children, parents and churches, Cain invited the ministry to help meet this need. Soon, Awana Lifeline was founded.

Besides Returning Hearts Celebration, Awana Lifeline also features Malachi Dads(tm), which trains and equips inmates to become better fathers to their children by teaching them fathering skills and moral rehabilitation.

Awana Lifeline’s hope is that restored relationships between children and their fathers today will mean better choices for the children tomorrow. To that end, Lifeline and Returning Hearts are seeing heartening results. Several months after the 2007 Returning Hearts Celebration, Awana surveyed the children’s guardians. Sixty-eight percent said their children’s behavior had improved at home and at school.

Because of Returning Hearts’ success at Angola, the program has now expanded to 24 prisons across the country.

In addition to programming, Awana is also responsible for coordinating hundreds of volunteers for Returning Hearts. Volunteers will assist with chaperoning, transportation, games, food service and other tasks. Last year, 565 Returning Hearts volunteers came from 29 states.

Awana equips churches and parents to work together in developing children and youth who faithfully follow Jesus Christ. In 2010 Awana rejoices over 60 years of partnerships with churches and parents that produce a lasting biblical faith. Awana is the only organization with fully integrated, Bible-based programs for ages 2 to 18 that actively involve parents, church leaders and mentors.