Newsmakers

Beloved hymn "How Great Thou Art" has inspired Christians for decades. And as the song celebrates its 75th anniversary, worship leader Matt Redman is honoring its legacy with an updated version. 

The singer-songwriter told CBN News about his unique collaboration with a slew of Christian artists, including: Chris Tomlin, Hillary Scott, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Naomi Raine, Blessing Offor, Jon Reddick, TAYA, Brian and Jenn Johnson, Matt Maher, Pat Barrett, Benjamin William Hastings, Ryan Ellis, and Mitch Wong — familiar, powerhouse voices who coalesced for the new rendition.

This wide array of voices gleeful to take part speaks to the song's prevalence in the church today. "You go around churches, different streams, and expressions of church — you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't find some kind of connection to this hymn," Redman said, noting the song spread like "wildfire" once it started being played at Billy Graham crusades.

The worship singer offered his perspective on why he believes "How Great Thou Art" has been such a timeless and popular song. "I think it might be because it has this beautiful story, starts with creation, gets the cross, but we get our chance to say what we think about those things," Redman said. "I think some of the best hymns, they're like a classroom and a chapel — they ... educate us, inspire us, bring something to mind, and then they give us a chance to respond to that, say what we think about that."

He said the song, unlike many old hymns, is still under copyright. The copyright holder — which is typically very protective of the song — approached Redman and asked him if there was a way to celebrate the song's 75th anniversary. Listen to Redman share the incredible history of "How Great Thou Art" and how the new version of the song came to be.

A pro-life activist working to help women realize abortion isn't their only option is on a mission to bring people a "system of care" and "true choices." Jeff Bradford, president of Human Coalition, recently told CBN News that his organization works on both the service and legislative sides. "Human Coalition is one of the largest pro-life, pro-woman organizations in the country," Bradford said. "We work with directly with women who believe that abortion is their only option."

He continued, "We also work on the legislative [side] ... where we're helping shape and protect good laws that also reduce the supply of abortion across the country." In the end, though, Bradford said there's only one tactic that will truly heal the abortion divide. "Ultimately, we have to change hearts and minds," he said. With the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that had legalized abortion across America, Bradford stressed recognizing that the issue is anything but settled.

With abortion rights being turned back to the states, some locations are restricting abortion while others seek to solidify access to the procedure. And while those legislative battles are essential to engage, Bradford said it's the changing of hearts that is most important. "These women that come in want to be seen, they want to be loved, they want to be cared for, and they want somebody to stand in the gap for them," he said. "Seventy-six percent of the women who think abortion is their only option initially, will tell us that they prefer to parent if their circumstances were different." Bradford continued, "Doesn't that just break your heart ... these women have been told that abortion is their only option and yet they want to parent if they could have somebody just standing in the gap."

The pro-life activist said he understands where many of these women are coming from and the intense struggles some face. "They're in a very difficult position," Bradford said. "They feel and believe that abortion is their only option. Many times, the father of the baby, or friends, or parents abandon the woman at her greatest time of need." He went on to share his own circumstances when he and his now wife, engaged to be married, didn't know where to turn when they faced an unexpected pregnancy. 

"Our lives will never be the same." Christy Shamblin, whose daughter-in-law, Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee, was one of the 13 American service members killed in an ISIS-K terror attack during the chaotic August 2021 U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, is still processing such a monumental, earth-shattering loss. "She was our light, but she was also a light for so many other people," Shamblin told CBN News. "We've changed everything about how we live with her loss. We won't be the same people ever again."

Shamblin's raw pain is still evident. And yet the undaunted and brave Gold Star family member has spent the past two-and-a-half years sharing about Gee, critiquing the U.S. government's widely rebuked pullout, and demanding answers. The impact of Gee's death on Shamblin was immeasurably clear and present throughout the conversation, with her praise for the late soldier's character radiating through. "Nicole ... was a superstar," Shamblin said. "She was dynamic and amazing. She had a positive mental attitude and she expressed that to everybody she came in contact with."

She said Gee was incredibly proud of her service in the Marine Corps and at Abbey Gate, where the deadly bombing unfolded. "She knew she was saving lives and she was extremely proud," Shamblin said. "And there's nothing you want more for your kids than to have them be proud of what they're doing." Nearly three years later, Shamblin said processing the loss of Gee and all that unfolded in Afghanistan is "a work in progress." She and her family members were so proud of Gee's passion and bravery, thus the loss, in light of Gee's love for her work, sparked a "bittersweet feeling" in the wake of her killing — a mixture of pride and lament.

Shamblin was in attendance during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address earlier this month, which she called "disheartening," yet predictable. "I have pretty low expectations these days," Shamblin said, noting she "wasn't surprised" by Biden's SOTU speech. "He ... it doesn't flow together. It's not relevant what he's speaking about — to what is in the room, to what's happening in the country." She continued, "I feel like he's disconnected from what the people are concerned about. And it's hard to see that. ... I think that, largely, they've lost sight that ... the people that fight these wars are young men and women who sacrifice their lives and they don't get the respect. We don't even get attention from our administration much less respect." Hear her explain.

"The Chosen" is changing inmates' lives, bringing the Gospel message to a population desperately in need of hope and transformation. Heather Rice-Minus, president and CEO of Prison Fellowship, a ministry serving the incarcerated and their families, explained the impact the Bible-inspired TV series is having on prisoners. Rice-Minus said the Come and See Foundation, the group responsible for trying to get "The Chosen" in front of one billion people, has joined forces with her organization.

"The Come and See Foundation really wanted to expand their audience to reach everyone with the authentic Jesus from the palace to prison, if you will," she said. "And, so, we said, 'Well, we would love to help with that.'" Prison Fellowship has been working to set up screenings at facilities where the ministry has chaplains and programs. The organization has also made "The Chosen" available on Floodlight, a streaming platform Prison Fellowship created for outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the recent announcement about delays in the streaming release of "The Chosen" season four, one of the bright lights has been the reality that the new season will still be viewable in prisons and select churches. "The chaplains are able to set up their own screenings if they want ... inside facilities," Rice-Minus said of the digital offering. "We also have several hundred prisons where Prison Fellowship runs in-person programming, and, so, in some of those facilities we've been able to set up special screenings and watch parties of 'The Chosen.'"

Rice-Minus shared some of the specific ways the series has impacted lives, citing the Carol S. Vance Unit, a Texas prison where inmates are going through what she called a "year-long transformation process" to dig into the issues that landed them in jail. The show has helped them connect the dots and dig deeper into faith.

With persecution intensifying in Nigeria, many Christians are facing amplified social pressures. The latest example surrounds two government colleges. Sean Nelson, legal counsel for ADF International, warns of dangerous, anti-Christian bias on these campuses. "The situation in Nigeria, just generally, is a very, very difficult situation for Christians, in particular, especially in the northern part of the country," Nelson said. "Nigeria [is] the largest democracy in Africa ... It's roughly equally divided between Christians and Muslims, with the northern portion of the country being predominantly Muslim."

It's in that region where many Christians become "marginalized" and face discrimination. Nelson and ADF International are now sounding the alarm over two universities — one federal and one state — that have reportedly barred Christian students from "being able to use any facilities for worship [or] fellowship." "The reason you know it's discrimination is that ... the Muslim students are completely allowed to use all of these facilities," he said. "They're preventing Christians from using those spaces, from worshipping on campus, having fellowship; they have to go off campus to do that. It's just plain discrimination."

Nelson said such restrictions are a total violation of Nigeria's constitution, which protects freedom of religion and belief. But, as CBN News has extensively reported, Christians aren't only facing social pressure; some are facing violence and death, with officials failing to uphold such protections. "When you combine [the college issue] with some of the targeted killings that Christians are facing all across the north — there's been hundreds of kidnappings recently just the last couple weeks," Nelson said. "It's a really horrible situation for them."

Nelson said the government in Nigeria isn't prosecuting people who commit such horrific crimes, citing the case of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Christian and a Shehu Shagari College of Education student in Sokoto, Nigeria, who was brutally murdered May 12, 2022. The violent attack was purportedly filmed and shared on social media, but Nelson said no one was truly held accountable.

An Arizona church is suing the City of San Luis, charging officials with allegedly blocking its charitable food distribution to individuals and families in need. Conservative legal firm First Liberty Institute and law firm Snell and Wilmer L.L.P. filed a complaint and preliminary injunction in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona on behalf of Gethsemani Baptist Church.

Jeremy Dys, senior counsel for First Liberty, told CBN News the church is close to the U.S.-Mexico border and has long served people in need. "Here's a church that has, for the last 25 or 30 years, been present in that community and caring for its people by handing them food when they need it," Dys said, noting people all over the region have benefited from Gethsemani Baptist Church's efforts.

The attorney said the house of worship just recently found itself in the crosshairs over truck deliveries that reportedly violate city codes in the church's zoning district. According to First Liberty, the City of San Luis has "issued [two] fines and threatens criminal charges for parking transport trucks in the church’s parking lot." It's a shocking development, Dys said, after a previously friendly relationship between the city and church.

"The church has done what it has always done and so there's really been no change on the end of the church," Dys said. "They've just been simply trying to care for people in their community." The attorney said the election of a new mayor seemed to coincide with Gethsemani Baptist Church's newfound struggles — a battle that has caused the church to pause its longstanding food outreach.

"What changed, it seems, is the mayor ... was elected to office and very promptly kicked the church out of the city's warehouses," Dys said. "They had been using their warehouses for storage of food until they could move it to their property to hand it out." He said the battle seems to be based on the church's use of a semi-truck to deliver the food for outreaches. Dys said ordinances preclude the church from having the truck on the church's property, despite the outreach unfolding there since 1999 purportedly without major incident.

Dys also charged that Gethsemani Baptist Church is being "singled out" and ticketed while at least one other establishment is allowed to receive food deliveries in a similar manner. According to a press release, "the church and its pastor cannot afford the city’s heavy fines and fear that more citations could result in the pastor going to jail." 

Much of the political debate right now is centered on the growing chaos Americans are seeing on the southern border, with migrants illegally crossing the border at shocking rates. But with so much consternation focused on the social and political elements and failed legislative attempts at addressing the matter, Pentecostal preacher Tony Suarez is on a mission to turn the conversation back to the spiritual.

Suarez will host Revival on the Border in El Paso, Texas, from March 21-23, and McAllen, Texas, from March 27-29, offering nightly revival meetings that will conclude on Good Friday. "The ONLY answer to the issues plaguing our southern border is JESUS!" the preacher proclaims on his website. This important reminder is often lost in the emotional and cluttered conversation surrounding immigration, the 2024 election, and almost every other contentious issue under the sun.

"The last time we had immigration reform, Ronald Reagan was the president and I was in kindergarten," Suarez recently told CBN News. "But it's an issue that every election cycle is used for campaign fodder." He continued, "It doesn't matter if it's Republican or Democrat; they'll use this issue, and then once they're in office, they do absolutely nothing with the issue." Suarez said he has been working with Pastor Samuel Rodriguez at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference for years, but every time reform has seemed close, proposals "fall apart."

So, the pastor is seeking a spiritual answer to help turn the tide. "What I'm contending for is that the answer to everything from border security to the human issue is Jesus Christ," Suarez said. "And if Washington won't act, then the kingdom must act, and, so, that's why we're going to the border." Revival on the Border will start with three days of a tent revival, with Suarez also organizing a "prayer army" that will gather together.

The individuals who are part of that movement will be prayed over and then sent out to do something pretty incredible: hold prayer rallies in various cities along the U.S.-Mexico border, spiritually covering the area with invocations aimed at protecting people and America more generally. "They're going to drive the 1,254 miles of the southern border, because part of what we felt the Lord called us to do was to pray over the entire Southern border," he said. "They're going to go and pray [at] the six key points of entry into the United States, and we're going to have prayer rallies in those specific cities." Suarez is hoping the event has a massive impact for the kingdom. 

Actor Brett Varvel is on a mission to spread faith and hope through Hollywood. The "County Rescue" star recently joined CBN News to discuss his role as Andy, an EMT, in the new Great American Family series', a show that weaves together faith and drama to create a compelling show. "The thing that we explore in this show that's maybe different from other medical dramas is that we go into the interpersonal workings of this ensemble that we have on screen," Varvel said. "And we see real-life questions — What do you do when you're trying to discover your purpose in life? What do you do when things don't go your way? What do you do when tragedy strikes?" 

He said "County Rescue" mixes together faith, family, romance and so much more, showing what happens in the lives of EMTs who "put themselves in harm's way every single day" to save others' lives. The biggest differentiator, of course, is faith, something Varvel called a "key component to the show" (which is also currently streaming on Great American Pure Flix). Varvel also shared his own passion for performing and creating content in the faith and family-friendly TV and movie space.

"When I was 18 years old I had entered a short film that I made into a statewide arts competition in Indiana, where I'm from," he said. "It was just a proclamation of what Jesus has done in my life. I've been set free from my sin. I've been born again." And Varvel's film won first place in the state, which totally blew his mind. The actor was especially inspired when he heard the movie led a man to Christ. "My film was playing and I heard about a janitor who peeked his head in and ended up giving his life to Jesus after watching my film," he said. "And it was like, in that moment, I saw this new direction in life that God wanted me to go in, which was to take the talents and abilities that He's given me and to proclaim hope to people."

Ever since, Varvel has used his talents to create movies and TV shows, mixing his love for entertainment with his quest to share Jesus. "County Rescue" is just a continuation of that very mission. "What I've always grounded myself in is, I want to be about the truth found in God's word, the biblical promises that we see that are going to lead us to hope in life, an eternal life in Jesus," Varvel said. "And that's why I love the show like 'County Rescue.'" Hear the actor tell his story and recount his faith journey.

Matt Bennett, founder of Christian Union (CU), an organization with campus ministries at influential colleges across America, is on a mission to spread the Gospel to Ivy League students. Bennett's new CU Rise campaign is an eight-week effort from March 17 through May that aims to "disrupt" campus culture by introducing students to Jesus. The on-campus and online campaign will seek to evangelize students at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford. An in-person, pre-campaign kick-off event just concluded at Cornell University, with reports of people coming to the Lord.

"We want as many as possible to hear the Gospel message," Bennett told CBN News. "Even for those who don't [believe], it's valuable for them to know the true Christian message." And the Christian Union head made a sobering statement that underscores the dire state of spiritual affairs and intense lostness at many of these colleges. "What's shocking is that, in this audience, you have fewer practicing Christians than you do, say ... in Mainland China or a lot of other places that we consider unreached," he said. "This is an unreached people group. And, so, it's important for these folks in and among themselves that they have the chance to know the Lord."

Bennett added, "But it's also important for the sake of the nation."

Bennett emphasized the importance of the campaign's message — "Jesus Disrupts" — reaching this population, especially considering the widespread confusion and lack of Christian knowledge that persists on these campuses — and the fact these universities churn out so many leaders. "These folks need to know the Lord," Bennett said. "A huge number [of influential leaders] go to the top 1% of schools in the country."

According to a press release announcing the effort, the campaign aims to "introduce students to how radical and different Jesus is, and how He can change them and give them purpose and hope in their own lives." Through online outreach, Bennett hopes to push students to learn more about Christianity — and even the faith-based histories of their own universities. These nudges toward truth will have a significant impact on individuals' lives.

Bestselling author Mitch Albom, known for blockbuster books like "Tuesdays with Morrie," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” and "The Stranger in the Lifeboat," was among those forced to flee from Haiti in the dead of night after the nation descended into sheer chaos. Albom was visiting Have Faith Haiti, an orphanage run by he and his wife, Janine, when Haiti's government collapsed and he was among the Americans trapped there with no way out. With violence flaring, Albom and a group of nine others were granted an emergency airlift Tuesday out of the beleaguered country.

The author, who is now safe and back in the U.S. after fleeing the nation Tuesday in the dead of night, recounted additional details during an interview Thursday with CBN News. Albom, who cares for 60 children and has 40 staff at the orphanage, is in touch with the orphans and staff all day via FaceTime and other technologies. He said the chaos unfolding in Haiti can be heard still during those calls.

"When we do our nightly devotions, you can hear all the gunfire in the background," he said. "It's such a juxtaposition. It doesn't make sense. You know they're singing these beautiful songs to God about being grateful for what they have ... but, out in the street, [there is] rapid fire machine gun kind of fire." Albom continued, "It's a shame that they have to live with this." While the author's fame and accolades are mostly tied to his books, his real passion is his work helping orphans in Haiti.

"[The orphanage] takes up the bulk of my existence," Albom said in a past interview. "I know most people know me as a writer, but my average week is consumed a lot more with operating the orphanage and I'm there every month, and it's the most important thing and most gratifying thing that I do." Albom said his life-changing work in Haiti began after the devastating 2010 earthquake, which killed 220,000-300,000 people and displaced 1.5 million others. At the time, the author accompanied a U.S. pastor to Haiti who needed to check on an orphanage he lost contact with during the tragedy. The author said he was immediately captivated by what he encountered in the earthquake-ravaged country.

"I was so taken with the kids, and their attitude, and their positivity, and their joy, despite the fact that they had nothing," Albom said. Recognizing the dire nature of the situation in Haiti after the earthquake, Albom started to go back and forth and bring people from Detroit who could help — plumbers, roofers, contractors, and others. They started working on the orphanage, installing toilets, showers and a kitchen, among other needs. But that was only the beginning, as Albom soon became more involved than he could have ever imagined. “I ended up taking over the operations … which I’ve now run for [nearly] 12 years,” he said. “I’m there every month.”