Lighthouse Faith

She has the voice of an angel - an Irish angel that is. Actress Roma Downey grew to fame on the TV series "Touched by an Angel," telling millions of viewers each week that "There is a God, that He loves you, and wants to be a part of your life." It's a message that's now embedded in her work with husband/producer Mark Burnett. Their mini-series on The Bible a few years ago became a surprise hit; a surprise to the secular world of Hollywood elites that is, not to Roma and Mark. Their latest offering is on the cornerstone of Christianity, The Resurrection. It's a film that would have been released in theaters, but because of the pandemic it could not be. So they had a choice to either hold it for a year or find another outlet. And they chose the latter. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Downey talks about how the COVID-19 shutdown became the impetus to bring the film to viewers as another message of hope in a world hungry for it. She also talks about what it was like shooting in Morocco, and the actors and actresses who bring to life the story of how the Apostles went from despair and fear at the crucifixion of Jesus to joy and triumph as they live out His Resurrection.

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Author Jonathan Cahn has written a string of novels based on biblical prophecy, and has yet another warning for America: we are doomed unless we return to God. Cahn, whose sequel book "Harbinger II: The Return," speaks at a frenetic pace detailing what he believes the Bible says about God’s judgment; both the past concerning the Old Testament’s nation of Israel, and future justice concerning America. Cahn makes the point that while we can debate whether America is a Christian nation, the fact is that George Washington, the first president of the United States, dedicated the country to God just a stone’s throw from Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 attacks. For Cahn that is no coincidence. Just like the year of 2020 with its pandemic, uprisings and protests are part of his predictions. For Cahn the words of 2 Chronicles says it all: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Now the choice we have: believe it or not.

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A new left-leaning Christianity helped Joe Biden win the White House for the Democrats. And now some Christian leaders like Dr. Frank Turek are accusing the Democratic Party of trying to mold the faith into its image, in the likeness of the Democratic platform. How else could supporters make the case that Biden is a "good Catholic" while advocating for the most extreme laws in favor of abortion? It just proves the culture wars are still alive and well and heading into overdrive as Turek, president of CrossExamined.org makes clear on this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast. Many may not like what he has to say, especially since he is a white, heterosexual male, the cancel culture's poster boy for oppression. But Turek is fighting for Dr. Martin Luther King's vision of not being judged by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character. You be the judge.

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George Weigel is one of those intellectual giants whose brain bandwidth gives him the prowess to say something profound on just about every topic. However, his specialty is the Catholic Church, Christian Doctrine, The Vatican, The Popes (any of them), culture, politics and politicians. Plus, commentary on where we've come as a society and where we're going. So his new book that pays homage to people who've influenced him, is well worth the read. And to hear him talk about it, is well-worth listening to. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Weigel, New York Times best-selling author and Senior Fellow at Washington's Ethics and Public Policy Center, discusses his new book, "Not Forgotten: Elegies For, And Reminiscences Of, A Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable."  It's a departure from his usual one-topic projects in that there are 68 topics, people, actually, (although one of them isn't really a person). People like Fouad Ajami, a Middle East scholar; Vaclav Havel, former Czech president; Lindy Boggs, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, and her daughter, TV journalist Cokie Roberts; and of course, Saint John Paul II, whom Weigel knew well and of whom wrote biographies. But beyond the book, Weigel gives his assessment of the newly elected President Joe Biden, who is only the second Catholic in history to be Commander in Chief. So, the discussion delves into the quagmire of abortion politics, and how Biden is getting heat from Catholic bishops over his promotion of something that is staunchly against Catholic teaching. What does Pope Francis think about Biden's eschewing Church teaching? How will the bishops control what Catholics believe while the president journeys down quite a different path? These are all things in Weigel's wheelhouse.

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The Black Church is unique to America. Born in the tumultuous years of slavery, nurtured in the fight for freedom and civil rights; it is a political and spiritual powerhouse of shared cultural experiences of a community that has suffer the weight of injustice. But things are changing in the Black Church. A new Pew study found that while sixty percent of Black Americans attend churches where the majority of the congregation and the ministers are Black, there's a large percentage that says race doesn't matter, and that if they were looking for a new church, the race of the congregation or the ministers wouldn't matter. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, lead Pew researcher, Dr. Besheer Mohamed breaks down the survey's stats and explains what it means for the Black Church and what it means as the country moves forward tackling its most salient conflicts. Will the Black Church diversify and become more multicultural? Or will it maintain is distinctive style of cultural engagement?

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She's a native of Saudi Arabia, raised in a conservative Muslim home. But Nouf, who prefers not to say her last name for security reasons, has lost nearly everything she holds dear, because she converted to Christianity. She lost custody of her two sons, her wealthy family has disowned her, and she's barely making ends meet. But she is also risking losing her life. In Saudi Arabia, converting from Islam is not only illegal, it is deserving of a death sentence. Still, Nouf counts herself lucky and blessed, because she is free here in America to live out her faith, and now wants to fight for other countless women she says are suffering in silence, fearing for their lives because they've converted from Islam to another religion. Nouf's story is one of intrigue as she confronted the Saudi government; betrayal, because she battled her own family under threat of death. According to the founders of Unchartered Ministries, she is one of a growing number of women from Muslim majority countries who have converted to Christianity or other religions, either online or from underground missionary work. But Nouf says because she comes from a prominent family in Saudi Arabia, she can make a tremendous impact by speaking out, which she is eager to do in order to help other women who may think there's no one who shares their fate. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith, meet the woman who risked everything for the sake of Jesus Christ.

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The COVID-19 pandemic still shrouds our world, darkening hopes for a brighter future. For many people it's hard to see any light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, after having lost so much in the past year: loved ones, jobs, homes. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Pastor Max Lucado gives more than just hope for new beginnings, he gives concrete ways to be sure they're on the horizon: trust in the light of God's Truth. Scripture says, "In your light we see light." (Psalm 36:9) and that, "Even the darkness is as light" to God (Psalm 139:12). Pastor Max talks about how he taught his young daughters an important lesson about how to walk in darkness. He blindfolded them and told them to walk towards what they knew was a source of safety, his voice. It was a spiritual exercise to learn the often-scary experience of listening to the light of God's voice, while your world is in darkness. Lucado says it's how he now counsels' people today as the clouds of the pandemic and the upheavals of 2020 are still hanging over us. In his book "Begin Again," Pastor Max says that because God is creator, He's also the source of all new beginnings. So, it's important to listen to His voice that says, "All things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to his purpose."

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Every year for the past few decades, Open Doors USA releases its World Watch List, a top 50 lineup of countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. According to Open Doors president David Curry, there's a growing trend of more and more people dying because they are Christian. It is one of the most under reported phenomenon, that despite what mainstream media say, Christianity is the most persecuted religion globally. The top 10 worst countries for Christians contains the usual cast of characters, mainly Muslim majority nations like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran. But the communist secular regime of North Korea leads the pack, as it has for 20 years. It's secretive dictatorship makes it illegal to even own a Bible. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Curry talks about the new trends affecting Christians, that 1 in 8 are persecuted worldwide, that more people than ever before are suffering for their religious beliefs, and that countries like China, Iran, India, and Nigeria are using the COVID-19 pandemic to justify the use of common technology to create a dangerous world for religious minorities.

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As of January 20th, Pastor Brian Gibson, a Kentucky mega church founder, was still in hiding and moving multiple times a day under protection from former Special Forces agents because of numerous death threats. It's all because months ago at a Trump rally in Arizona, he had a photo taken with a man in Viking horns who ended up being arrested and becoming 'the face' of those who stormed the Capitol. On January 5th, Gibson prayed with Trump supporters in Washington, DC. The next day he listened to Trump give his speech. Then he returned to his hotel. From there he learned what everyone else saw unfold, as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. But Gibson was never there. However, social media married the Arizona photo and the Capitol photo of "The Viking," and now, the pastor who fought for religious freedom during the coronavirus shutdown, is fighting to keep his family safe. But beyond that, now some faith leaders worry that the mere association of being a conservative Evangelical will be reason enough to put you on a watch list. Media have called the attack, a Christian uprising. An article in The Dispatch that "a violent Christian insurrection." The Atlantic also called the riots a "Christian Insurrection," while Religion News Service reported that rioters were "Christian Nationalists." Patheos, meanwhile, has claimed riots were the work of "White Christian Nationalists." The Gospel of Jesus Christ belongs to no one race, country or creed. But Gibson sees that the Cancel Culture is like a dog with a bone. It won't let go. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Pastor Gibson talks about what happened to him, and the mood that's growing in the country that has made secular humanism the default religion of the nation.

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The New Year is here, and the old is better left squarely in the rear-view mirror. Very few of us thought the pandemic shutdown would last this long; nor did we imagine the subsequent political and social unrest that brought levels of angst and acrimony rarely seen outside of times of war. But in reality, the pandemic's Pandora's Box, just exposed what was already present; a deep-seeded quarrel we have not just with our fellow human beings, but ultimately, with our Maker, God. And being aware of that breach will not only help us survive but thrive in any cultural climate. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference,  spells out how to live faithful and victorious lives. He talks about his book, "From Survive to Thrive," and how the impetus to write it came as he watched his eldest daughter battle the coronavirus in a hospital ICU. He says, "Have you ever found yourself in a place where you say, Lord, I trust you, I believe in you. I know you're real. I can't explain everything, but I have truly no idea what to do next. And I reached that point, yeah, I reached a point, and a lot of people reached that point too." Listen to the podcast and find out what happened, and how thriving can be your testimony of God's sovereignty.

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