Newsmakers

Lee Strobel's journey from atheist journalist to Christian apologist has been told in literary and theatrical form through "The Case for Christ," with the prolific author and preacher continuing to share the Gospel throughout his multi-decade career. Now, Strobel is out with another compelling project titled "Is God Real?: Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life" — a book exploring the most pressing question for humanity. The idea for the book came from Strobel's publisher.

"[The publisher] discovered something interesting," he told CBN Digital. "They said, 'We found that 200 times a second, around the clock, someone on planet Earth is typing into a computer search engine, basically the question: 'Is God real?'' And they said, 'Why don't you do a book addressing that?'"

Strobel said he loved the idea and took them up on the offer, diving into research and evidence found in science, history, and philosophy that "points toward the truth of Christianity." "I love doing this project because I think it reflects a real curiosity in our culture, about who God is," Strobel said. "I think it's incumbent on Christians to ... always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have, and to do it gently and respectfully."

Listen to Strobel explain the evidence he encountered as he explored God's existence.

Today, Richard Lorenzo Jr. is a Christian pastor — but that wasn't always the case. The ex-warlock was at one time embroiled in the occult, engaging in evil and encouraging others to do the same. All that changed when he accepted Jesus in 2019.

"I definitely was possessed," he recently told CBN Digital. "I was hearing voices — I was literally hearing voices." Lorenzo said he began dabbling in selling drugs, but when a massive drug package went missing, he became obsessed with finding out who took it. That's when he turned to a voodoo priest for answers. Soon, he was so enthralled with evil that he forgot about the package. The subsequent journey led him into the bowels of the occult, diving so deep into the abyss he gave up everything to study such practices.

In the end, Lorenzo started down a dangerous road. "I know I was possessed. ... I used to believe that the things I was doing were right," he said. "I used to believe ... abortion is right. ... I would convince people about abortion, convince people to get drunk, to cheat on their wives." Lorenzo continued, "I was literally working for the devil." But all of that changed when he found Jesus. 

Watch Lorenzo share the incredible journey to faith and the pastorate.

Worship leader Phil Wickham is on a mission to "light people's hearts up for Jesus" and to witness a revival in the church that ignites a true and legitimate passion for the Lord. The singer, who recently spoke with CBN News at the KLOVE Fan Awards red carpet, explained what motivates him to continue sharing his faith through music.

"The Lord has put a real fire in my heart to absolutely love creating songs that light people's hearts up for Jesus, and, specifically, our new prayers that we can sing together as worship songs," Wickham said. "It's a calling, and sometimes it takes some sacrifice, being away from home, all that." The singer said making worship music people can sing to glorify God is an incredible "gift and responsibility" — one for which he's immeasurably grateful.

"I don't take one moment of that lightly," Wickham said. "My heart burns for those opportunities, and so I'm so thankful I can do it." The singer said he has no plans to stop anytime soon. "I'll be doing [it] as long as people want to sing them," Wickham added. He hopes to see the church ignite into massive revival, drawing people back to the Lord in a way that changes their hearts and minds to be more like Him.

"My prayer would [be for] amazing revival in the church that would light a fire in people's hearts to turn from wickedness, and turn from stuff that's just not of Jesus, and turn from the selfishness, and stop being judgmental, and start just showing the love of Jesus in a pure, and simple, and sweet way to the world," he said. "Just a new revival in the church, because the church here is huge — just sometimes it can get a little sleepy, and I'm speaking from my own experience." Hear the powerful conversation.

Dr. Corey A. DeAngelis is on a mission to empower parents and solidify school choice, taking on teacher's unions and ideological opponents in the process.

DeAngelis, who is out with a new book, "The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools," told CBN News he got into education policy when he began exploring the issue as a researcher studying for his PhD at the University of Arkansas.

It was after exploring the impact of a school-choice program that his interest was piqued. DeAngelis said he started to see the non-academic outcomes surrounding these programs, noticing improvements in students' mental health, citizenry, and other relevant benchmarks.

"We found large effects on reducing crime as a result of getting to go to a school that works best for your kid," DeAngelis said. "Lo and behold, surprise, surprise, families get to choose a school that is aligned with their values, that isn't involved in drugs, and bullying, and violence, [and] their kids [were] less likely to be involved in crime later on in life."

In the end, he said school choice is a "win-win" solution, as public schools can also benefit from the competition that unfolds when choice is introduced.

Among the issues DeAngelis tackled is the ongoing debate over the use of vouchers for religious schools. Critics claim these vouchers take taxpayer dollars away from public schools and give them to religious institutions, claiming there's a separation of church and state violation.

But DeAngelis said this perspective is hypocritical. Listen to him explain.

After the release of survey data giving Christians a “good reason for hope” when it comes to the Gospel’s impact on young people, the researcher behind the data is offering helpful context.

Dr. John Plake, chief program officer at the American Bible Society, told CBN News that 21% of Generation Z adults said in the annual "State of the Bible" survey that "they've actually increased their use of the Bible within the last year."

This is notable considering the ongoing discussion about generational replacement and younger Americans being less faithful than previous generations.

While many of the indicators are negative, Plake said there are some bright spots when it comes to Gen Z, particularly on the Bible engagement front.

"They're leaning into the Bible," Plake said. "They're really trying to engage in their faith and they are kind of a bright hope for us as a young generation of American adults."

Listen to what he had to say.

Grammy Award-winning singer Lauren Daigle has secured a slew of accolades and positive attention in both Christian and secular realms over the years. And when recently asked to share the biggest lesson she's learned throughout her illustrious career, the "Look Up Child" vocalist passionately spoke about the power of humility.

"Humility is a good thing," Daigle said during a red-carpet interview during Sunday night's KLOVE Fan Awards in Nashville, Tennesse. "And I know that there's a lot of things vying for our affection, vying for the feeling of importance that we all somehow long for in our own unique little way, right?" The singer, who is nominated for KLOVE Fan Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year, went on to explain what she told her nieces when they asked, "What are you gonna do if you win?"

"I said, 'OK, I'm gonna walk up on stage and I'll say this speech and, you know, whatever," Daigle said. "And they say, 'What are you gonna do if you lose?' And I said, 'I'm gonna cheer everyone else on.'" Daigle's point was that she would support whoever ended up winning, putting her pride aside. She encouraged others to take a similar posture. "There is so much pressure on so many different artists and so many people to sustain charts and do this, do that," she said of young artists. "And the truth of the matter is: humility is the thing that is so rewarding, and so fulfilling, and it just ... allows you to have longevity in this career, and life, and joy in it — and as a human."

Fellow singer Ellie Holcomb echoed Daigle's words about humility and pride. She quoted Al Andrews, director of Porter's Call, a ministry that serves musicians in Tennessee. Holcomb said she was intrigued by Andrews' response when asked for the one thing he knows is true after spending two decades counseling musicians. "[He said] ... 'The human heart was not built for notoriety,'" she recounted. "And it's that exact same thing, and so it's, get your worth, ground your worth in something deeper, wider, and stronger than any of the other things that God's giving you to do — grounded in His love for you."

Actor Jonathan Roumie became a global sensation after "The Chosen," the TV drama about Jesus and his disciples currently filming its fifth season, became a massive success following its 2017 premiere. Roumie, who portrays Christ, is a fan favorite who has helped bring to the small screen some of the New Testament's most consequential moments. 

He told CBN News during a red-carpet interview at the KLOVE Fan Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, Sunday that playing Jesus has made him "want to be more like [Christ]" each and every day. "The more time you spend with Him, the more unavoidable it is that He's going to have an effect on your heart, no matter who you are, where you've come from," Roumie said. "Even if you're already a believer like I was going into these projects, it just deepens, exponentially, your wish to kind of know Him on a much more spiritually fundamental level, emotionally fundamental level, physically fundamental level."

Like everything else, Roumie said the Jesus role has also brought some challenges, citing fame itself as one of those struggles, particularly when it comes to the way people process him. "The way people receive the role and how they receive you when they meet you, it kind of feels like the lines blurred," Roumie said. "It's part of what I explore in my documentary, 'Jonathan & Jesus,' kind of ... what that means and what it looks like in real-time."

Beyond that, the actor said there's also the challenge of "trying to live up to the expectations of God" as he portrays Christ on screen. Though Roumie said it can be "difficult at times," he "wouldn't have it any other way." As for the actor's biggest prayer for America right now, he encouraged people to turn to the Lord. "The only thing you need is Jesus," he said. "Jesus is the prince of peace. The only way to true inner peace is Jesus."

"The Chosen Season 4" was nominated in the Film Impact category at this year's KLOVE Fan Awards, which will air Friday, May 31, at 8 and 10 p.m. ET on TBN and TBN+. 

"This is a miracle." Dr. Joshua Fowler's assessment of his family's survival after a tornado ripped through their Valley View Texas, home Saturday, and his wife and kids escaped mere seconds before catastrophe is spot-on. Fowler, a revivalist and preacher through his Awake The World ministry, emotionally recounted to CBN News the shocking events that could have killed the family — but miraculously didn't.

"I was in the living room and I had one of my spiritual sons visiting from Orlando," Fowler said. "My wife was in bed. My kids were in bed sleeping." But, despite enduring frequent storms without any hesitation, Fowler suddenly felt "prompted [by] the Holy Spirit" to go and get his wife, Lisa. "I felt prompted to go tell my wife, 'Get out of bed,'" he said, noting he also went to get his 18-month-old and 3-year-old out of their bedrooms. "I went and grabbed them, and we ran up under the smallest place in our house, which is ... under the stairs, there's a restroom, a little, teeny restroom. We got in there."

That's when he called his 17-year-old son, Benjamin, and tried to get him to join them. But, within seconds, it became clear serious calamity was upon them. "As I was closing the door, it went, 'Wham,'" and this ... tornado's [trying] to suck up our whole house," Fowler said. "We could feel the heat under our feet, and air, and moisture, and like being sucked up, and the whole house was just shaking." Unbeknownst to Fowler and Lisa at the time, a wall had come down, forcing Benjamin and the man visiting the home that night to take refuge in the pantry. Meanwhile, Fowler, Lisa, and their two younger children huddled in the bathroom as the intense winds and chaos raged just outside the door.

With horror closing in, the family turned to intense prayer. "We just began to pray ... like blood-curdling, screaming, crying out from the top of our lungs — 'God, please, please help us, God!'" Fowler said, noting the family suddenly felt the Holy Spirit and became emboldened to keep invoking the Lord. "We just begin to command the storm. We said, 'We command you to leave this land right now in Jesus' name!" He continued, "It felt like eternity. I know it was only minutes, but, somehow, in the middle of commanding it to stop, it stopped." Lisa told CBN she believes God protected their family in those moments, crediting prayer for saving their lives.

"We kind of went from a moment of just, like, bleeding out, praying, 'God help us,' and then it shifted where we felt like, 'We need to take control of the atmosphere, and, you know, use the authority that God has given us to speak to the storm." Lisa said the invocations went from fearful in nature to fervent, with the family declaring to the storm, "You've got to leave." Fowler, who survived a plane crash as a child and knows a thing or two about diabolical and scary scenarios, said this tornado situation was truly the most harrowing he's faced.

"It was scary," he said. "I've never in my life felt such terror. The family was stunned to see extensive damage to the home once the storm stopped and they were able to leave the bathroom. They're thanking God for living through it all.

Evangelist Ray Comfort was "horrified" by Pope Francis' recent proclamation that human beings are "fundamentally good," telling CBN News he believes the pontiff missed a significant opportunity to share the Gospel with a watching world. "[I was] horrified, because the pope's got a wonderful platform," Comfort said. "I mean, here's an opportunity to ... tell people how they can find everlasting life."

Comfort's comments came after a debate erupted earlier this month over Pope Francis' response to journalist Norah O'Donnell's question about what gives him hope. "Everything. You see tragedies, but you also see so many beautiful things," the pontiff said during the "60 Minutes" appearance. "You see heroic mothers, heroic men, men who have hopes and dreams, women who look to the future. That gives me a lot of hope. People want to live. People forge ahead." But it's what the pope said next that ignited a firestorm. "And people are fundamentally good," he added. "We are all fundamentally good. Yes, there are some rogues and sinners, but the heart itself is good."

Some fact-checkers on X attempted to clarify what they saw as a mistranslation of part of the pontiff's statement. Thus, a comment on the platform reads, "Pope Francis said 'somos un poco pícaros y pecadores,' meaning literally 'we are a little bit rogue and sinners,' speaking to some sinfulness within each of us. This is not the same as saying 'there are some rogues and sinners.'"

Regardless, this doesn't address the critiques that people like Comfort have over Pope Francis' statements on the heart and general human goodness. Pushing back on the quote, Comfort said it's "a basic fundamental to believe what Jesus said" – that "there is none good but God." Comfort said the main problem with the entire conversation about the human heart is the metric many people choose to gauge it. "We measure ourselves by man's standards rather than God's," he said. "When God says 'good,' He means moral perfection, and thought, word, and deed." Comfort continued, "And that's why the Bible says, 'There is none good,' and the problem is, if you tell people they're good, they don't see their need of a Savior."

He went on to cite the Ten Commandments to show the seriousness of sin and the inability of humans to live in and through perfection. 

A renowned doctor who came to America from China decades ago once rejected God’s existence. But after studying the complex design of the human eye and realizing there was no other explanation outside of the divine, Dr. Ming Wang’s mind — and heart — changed.

Wang, the subject of the new Angel Studios film “Sight,” joins CBN News to share how he went from atheism to Christianity, and why he’s hoping to help people see the truth both visually and spiritually.

Watch Wang, who was also the real-life inspiration for a beloved character in the "God's Not Dead" film series, discuss his incredible journey.