Newsmakers

In a cancel culture, grace and mercy often fall to the wayside. But Heather Rice-Minus, president and CEO of Prison Fellowship, a ministry serving the incarcerated and their families, believes everyone is entitled to a second chance.

That's why her organization launched Second Chance Month in 2017, an effort to support men and women with a criminal record who are looking to restart their lives on a positive footing. 

Each year, Prison Fellowship designates April as a time of reflection and action to take steps that help formerly incarcerated people overcome roadblocks to success. Listen t Rice-Minus explain the challenges these individuals face and why this issue deeply matters.

Imagine leaving your country with no money and very few possessions only to reach a foreign land and realize the job prospects you were expecting had evaporated. That's the very situation the Smallbone family encountered when they left their native Australia and arrived in America. The large family had not much more than love, yet somehow survived — and thrived. 

Today, audiences know the Smallbones for as famous singers. Joel and Luke Smallbone (for KING & COUNTRY) and Rebecca St. James have become faith-based household names. But what some might not know is the harrowing journey the family experienced — a story set to be told on the big screen in "Unsung Hero," a feature film releasing April 26 in theaters nationwide.

Joel Smallbone told CBN News during a recent interview at the National Religious Broadcaster's Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, that the idea for the film came from his brother and bandmate, Luke. "He had been sharing, as part of ... a child sponsorship pitch, our family story," he said. "And people come and say, 'Hey, you know, it's such a moving, miraculous story. You should write a book about it.'" While they opted not to write a book, the idea for a feature film was born.

"We spent two years on the screenplay," Smallbone, who portrays his father, David, in the movie, said. "I was actually probably more keen to play that than I was to be involved on the other side of the camera, the directing, the co-directing." Smallbone did step in to co-direct the movie, having the unique perspective of both playing his dad and helping craft the massive, real-life story into a movie-sized bite. 

"We wanted it to be an honor project, but not a glory project," Smallbone said. "And there's a big difference. We're not trying to glorify them. We're trying to honor the hardship, and, from dad's perspective... the humbling, the pride, and everything in between." Ultimately, Smallbone said playing his father was "liberating" and gave him empathy for his dad — a compassion he'll have for the rest of his life. 

"Unsung Hero," Smallbone said, provides more than a rags to riches story; instead, it shows how "hardship, and loss, and sacrifice" can help us understand our ascent in faith.

Christian worship leader Sean Feucht is stepping into the chaotic anti-Israel protests plaguing prominent campuses like Columbia University and New York University to offer a Gospel-fuelled response. Feucht is hosting the United For Israel March on April 25 at 6:30 p.m. ET near Columbia's New York City campus, an event he hopes will have a deep and profound impact in defense of the Jewish people. "Every Christian and person of faith across America should be absolutely horrified at what we're seeing take place right now on these university campuses that have become hotbeds for antisemitism and hatred of the Jews — an annihilation of an entire nation," he told CBN News. 

Feucht continued, "This is essentially a response to that and it's rallying the church, it's rallying Jewish leaders, it's rallying organizations that want to say ... 'This is America. These are our universities and campuses in our cities. We're not going to stand for this.'" The worship leader said he's excited to see God gathering people to attend the event, comparing it to some similar rallies he held across the U.S. in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He recalled coming into places of anarchy and chaos during that time and ushering in "worship, and prayer, and unity, and baptisms of revival."

In the end, having a presence in those moments of anger and division "changed the entire environment," Feucht said. He wants to see the United For Israel March accomplish the very same goal of changing the atmosphere. "More than anything, I feel like this gives hope to America," he said. "There are people that are going to rise up with courage and boldness, that are going to say, 'Enough. We're going to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters; we're gonna we're going to respond to the command in Genesis 12 that says, 'I'll bless those bless you. I'll curse those that curse you.'"

As for the United For Israel March, he said those who participate can expect prayer, joyful worship — and the "church rising up to stand up against evil, and darkness, and hate." The chaos of the moment — ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack against Israel and the war that has followed — offers a biblical reminder Feucht believes is important to heed. "It reminds us like we are living in the last days," he said. "These are the end times ... we're living in the midst of it."

Exorcism. Possession. Diabolical evil. These themes, which are mainstays in many Hollywood productions, are also deeply rooted in Scripture, with the New Testament highlighting Jesus' ministry of expelling the demonic from afflicted individuals. These are themes at the heart of "The Exorcist Files," a podcast created and hosted by Ryan Bethea. The show is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund season two and has blown past its goal.

Bethea told CBN News he initially created the show with a "lighthearted desire to document ... metaphysical phenomenon." "I've always been fascinated with just the idea of ... what are those crazy coincidences, or miraculous answers to prayer, or even just healings," he said. "I don't want to mislead people to thinking that I've seen hundreds of people healed of crazy things, but ... there's a lot of cool things going on that can't be explained in our world."

After meeting some leaders at the Vatican, he said the idea for "The Exorcist Files" was born. He soon met Carlos Martins, a Catholic priest and exorcist who expels evil. Bethea and Martins teamed up, started parsing through Martins' case files, and put the show together. But unlike some Hollywood productions bent on simply scaring people, Bethea said "The Exorcist Files" is quite different. While the show includes dramatic reenactments and guides listeners through some spine-chilling stories, the host said the show has a deeper meaning and intent, especially for Martins. 

"This is a very serious, and to [Martins'] credit, he actually was very reluctant to share this," Bethea said. "It was only out of a desire to say, 'Hey, I want to warn people to the dangers of dabbling in the occult.'" Bethea, a Christian, believes in the supernatural, but has a healthy skepticism about possession stories. "I just come out everything very skeptical," he said. "I'm playing the skeptic on the show, which is like, 'Hey, I'm just putting the evidence out there and you can decide whether all these people are making this up or not."

Craig Scott is a survivor of the Columbine High School shooting, one of the worst school massacres in American history. His sister, Rachel Joy Scott, was killed during the tragic ordeal after two gunmen entered the school on April 20, 1999, and killed 12 students and a teacher before turning their weapons on themselves. 

Scott told CBN News that his sister's "life and legacy" has "impacted millions of people." Rachel, who was 17 when she was killed, was a strong Christian who kept her thoughts documented through powerful journals that have since been shared by the Scott family. These writings have left behind inspirational and faith-inspired messages and have inspired books as well as a feature film titled, "I'm Not Ashamed."

But it was her death that also captured attention, as she was reportedly taunted by the killers for her Christian faith and yet stood firm in it until the end. Scott, too, has his own harrowing journey from April 20. He was in the school library where most of the carnage took place. His two friends were killed next to him and he fully expected he would be next. "I watched as the shooters went around the room, taunting students and treated it like it was a game," Scott said. "And they came over to where I was. I saw my friend, Isaiah, they called him racial slurs. They tried to pull him out from underneath the table. They killed him, then they killed my friend, Matt." He continued, "They left me underneath that table. I thought I was going to die." 

What happened next, though, was quite shocking. Scott said he heard the Lord deliver a message in the midst of shock and chaos. "I heard God speak to me," he said. "And I am careful even with that phrase, 'God told me to do something.' ... But I felt very strongly [that He] told me to, 'Get out of there.'" At that point, Scott had no idea where the shooters were, but he stood up, looked around the room, and yelled for his peers to also stand up, repeating what that voice had said. "Let's get out of here," Scott said." Everyone ran out of the room and outside the school to safety. Tragically, 10 kids were killed inside the library. 

Scott has spent the past two and a half decades sharing what unfolded in an effort to help others discover hope amid the chaos of their own lives. "From early on, I had this belief that God had a plan and a purpose for the worst tragedy in my life," Scott said. "And that belief ... has been one of the biggest, helpful things in my journey the last 25 years, this belief that God has a plan and a purpose for even the worst stuff."

Through sharing his and Rachel's stories, Scott said his family has been able to help prevent shootings and suicides. Watch Craig explain how he has navigated faith, hope, and forgiveness in the wake of tragedy.

"Deconstruction" has become one of the most frequently spouted faith terms of late, sparking an abundance of reactions from Christians and non-Christians alike. Author Alisa Childers, who addresses the subject in her latest book, "The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond," recently told CBN News why she believes this pattern of people unpacking and deconstructing their faith has become so prevalent. 

"I do think it's a fad, although a lot of people would say it's not a fad," she said. "It's actually this real experience that happens, but I think it can be proven to be a fad because you can trace it back through its philosophical roots in the postmodern philosophies that gained steam in the 60s." Childers said there are some legitimate issues at the core of deconstruction, noting spiritual abuse, legalism during people's childhoods, or even some individuals' quest to find ways to shed themselves of "bad ideas" while being able to hold on to the "good ones."

Despite some viable motivations that might lead a person into deconstruction, Childers said overarching problems related to it must be addressed. "The problem with what we see in the deconstruction movement is that, very often, what people decide are bad beliefs are actually historic Christian doctrines like original sin and the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross," she said. "And theological ... doctrines that really define Christianity."

Childers said social media has helped solidify deconstruction as a fad. She posited culture likely wouldn't have the rampant deconstruction movement in its current form without social media tools. "I think there's a little bit of a social contagion aspect to it as well, because that hashtag of 'deconstruction' — there's a lot of false information in there," she said. "There's a lot of claims that are made about Christian theology that are not true." Nonetheless, this inaccurate information can hold sway over hearts and minds, ushering people further out of historic Christianity and into an abyss.

One of the challenges when it comes to deconstruction, of course, is that the word carries different meanings for various people. Childers said it's essential to ask and understand what someone means when he or she uses the word. Childers said it is good to positively engage doubt, ask tough questions, and test the faith tradition given by parents against Scripture. Unfortunately, she said some people do something quite different; they experience a "shift of authority from an external source of authority for truth to the authority of the self." And it's that turn to the self Childers believes is having a diabolical impact on individuals and culture.

A battle between the largest Christian university in America and the Biden administration took a new turn this month after Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona reportedly vowed to shutter Grand Canyon University (GCU), a college located in Phoenix, Arizona.  

Cardona reportedly made his comments during an April 10 House Appropriations Committee hearing, stating the administration is "cracking down not only to shut them down, but to send a message to not prey on students," according to Fox News.

GCU made headlines last fall when the Department of Education fined the school a historic $37.7 million over claims students were misled about the cost of a doctoral program. Despite GCU denying the claims, appealing that ruling — and defiantly pledging not to pay — Cardona doubled down.

He said the fine is the "largest...in history against a school that lied about costs and terminated a school from Title IV." Brian Mueller, president of Grand Canyon University, recently told CBN News he believes his school is being unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, calling the massive $37.7 million fine "incredibly disappointing." "This all started 14 years ago ... Grand Canyon was in a very difficult spot," he said, noting the school buildings were aged and the institution was millions of dollars in debt. "We switched from a nonprofit to a for-profit status and went to the public markets to get access to capital." Mueller continued, "We wanted to make private Christian higher education affordable to all socioeconomic classes of Americans. And the plan worked better than we thought."

Just 10 years later, he said GCU is in a "very good spot" and that the campus is "growing like crazy," with online education exploding in popularity. With the previous issues remedied, GCU wanted to go back to being a nonprofit university. "We thought, for the legacy of the institution, [we] would be best served by doing that," he said. "We went through the process and the IRS, who has the authority to do that work, did it, and said, 'The operation you've set up qualifies as a nonprofit, and we're giving you the legal authority to operate as a nonprofit.' And then the state of Arizona reinforced that."

But Mueller said GCU found out the Department of Education did not plan to recognize the newfound nonprofit status. After four years of reportedly attempting to work with the government, he said GCU got nowhere. That's when GCU filed a complaint and the situation intensified. Hear Mueller explain.

Regent University professor Dr. A.J. Nolte said Iran's Sunday attack on Israel left him surprised, noting the attempted incursion was the "first time the Islamic Republic has attacked Israel directly from its territory." As CBN News previously reported, Iran fired more than 300 attack drones and missiles toward Israel, but the "vast majority" were intercepted, according to the Israeli military. Despite the positive outcome in terms of a lack of damage and destruction, the situation remains tense.

"I didn't think they would go to this level," Nolte told CBN News. "Certainly, Israel and Iran have been in a cold war in the past and Iran has used proxies against Israel in the past." But the decision to attack from Iranian soil, he said, is a new dynamic to boiling tensions in the region. And Nolte said it makes the first attack by a state actor on Israeli territory since Saddam Hussein fired missiles at the nation in 1991.

The Biden administration has said the U.S. will not participate in any response and has reportedly urged Israel not to retaliate. But Nolte said he believes Israel should respond and likely will. "Overwhelmingly, Israeli public opinion is going to support a response," he said. "So, why would Benjamin Netanyahu put his own governing coalition at risk in order to appease Joe Biden, who's doing this, let's be honest, for reelection reasons, when Joe Biden and his party are basically attacking Netanyahu, so that makes no sense."

Beyond that, Nolte said Israel's response is the "right thing to do strategically," though he said it doesn't have to happen immediately. In the end, he said the goal should be deterrence from Iran doing similar events in the future. "What you want to think about in terms of deterrence is: you want to think about what is going to have the maximum impact." he said. "What is the thing that you can do that has the maximum negative impact on Iran at the lowest ... cost to Israel."

Nolte said Israel has to weigh its current battles in the south in Gaza as well as incursions from the north, underscoring the importance of a strategic yet effective response. 

"There's there's a number of options they could pursue," he continued. "They could strike at Iran's ability to make these drones or missiles." Nolte also mentioned cyber attacks or more covert operations for which Israel doesn't necessarily claim public responsibility. He said the options are plentiful, which might be why Israelis haven't immediately struck and seem to be weighing the odds. 

"When Israel strikes, it will be ... I think, without warning," Nolte said. "It will be in a way that Iran is not prepared for and does not expect — and it will be decisive." He continued, "It might not happen as quickly as people think. It might not happen ... this week or even in the next month, but I believe it will it will happen."

Did you know the U.S. government once forbade a federal income tax — and that the government mostly brought in monies through excise taxes and other means? As millions of Americans prepare and await their tax returns, historian William Federer is taking some time to break down the strange and fascinating history behind the federal income tax. 

Federer, author of "The Interesting History of Income Tax," told CBN News the Civil War was the first time there was a federal income tax in America. "Once the Civil War started with the Confederates firing at Fort Sumter, South Carolina secedes [and] guess what? There's no federal money coming in," he said. "Prior to the Civil War, 90% of the federal government was financed through tariff taxes, mostly collected at southern ports, and, so, when the South seceded, there [was] no more tariff income coming in, and the federal government was like, 'Where do we get our money?'" 

It was at this point President Abraham Lincoln pushed through an emergency income tax and raised millions to finance the war — an act that came to a close once the war ended and the emergency was effectively over. "There was no emergency and so the income tax was repealed," Federer said. "So, yes, there was no federal income tax until the Civil War." It wasn't until 1892 that the income returned, this time during a time of peace. But Federer said it made its way through the Supreme Court and was declared unconstitutional in 1894.

But that was hardly the end of the story, as President Teddy Roosevelt pushed through the inheritance tax and then President William Howard Taft became an architect for the income tax. Taft supported the passage of the 16th Amendment in 1913, which established the federal income tax. Here's the full history of the income tax.

"He was a man of great faith — great, great faith." That's how actor Gary Sinise describes his 33-year-old son, Mac, who died in January after a harrowing battle with Chordoma, a persistent and rare cancer that starts in the spine. The "Forrest Gump" star told CBN News his son "loved his Catholic faith" and deeply embraced it throughout his journey.

"It was just inspiring to see how it helped sustain him through this cancer battle," Sinise said of the harrowing health fight that started in 2018. For years, the family grappled with it all alongside Mac, trying available medications and anything believed able to potentially offer healing. As long as his son kept fighting, Sinise said he was there to support him.

And that process wasn't easy, as the loving dad recounted the "very disabling and crippling" nature of the disease. After the first tumor was removed in September of 2018, Mac was monitored and by May of 2019, the cancer had returned. "It had come back and it was starting to spread throughout his body," Sinise said. "He was back in the hospital again, and he started chemo and radiation at that point, but there is no cure for this particular cancer. There's no reliable drug that has been used to fight it that has been effective."

The unpredictable nature of the cancer meant doctors would often throw different medicines into the mix, hoping to thwart the malignancy — but to no avail. Mac faced spinal surgery, multitudes of hospital visits, and more. "These tumors were growing very fast," Sinise said. "Uncharacteristically fast for Chordoma." Listen to him share the family's journey.