Newsmakers

On this week’s Newsmakers, we explore faith’s enduring power and the Shroud of Turin. Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston reveals how he went from skeptic to believer on the Shroud of Turin and what new evidence points to its authenticity.

Todd Nettleton from Voice of the Martyrs breaks down the global persecution crisis and why prayer is vital as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church approaches.

And activist and author Alveda King joins to share her take on revival and the growing spiritual hunger she sees across America.

We have some extremely encouraging news to share with you. According to new research collected by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Bible sales in the United Kingdom are booming. CBN's Raj Nair and Billy Hallowell break down the numbers.

As the situation in Venezuela continues to capture international attention, one expert believes the Trump administration's decision to capture and detain former president Nicolás Maduro could yield positive results. "My first reaction was, 'What an incredible job of the American military to pull this off with no U.S. casualties,'" Col. (Ret.) Gregory Thompson, professor of criminal justice at Cedarville University, told CBN News of the Trump administration's bold move to detain Maduro.

Beyond that, Thompson said his mind also went to matters surrounding faith and the church. "But, more importantly to me as a Christian, I'm thinking of just the incredible joy because I have friends that work with pastors in Venezuela, and it's been difficult, as you probably know," he said. "When Hugo Chavez took over Venezuela, he kicked out all mission organizations, so that was significant, and the pastors there are being salt and light." While many Venezuelans and political observers are excited to see Maduro go, Thompson said there are still many questions about what comes next.

"My general sense is I'm excited for maybe a hopeful future for Venezuela — one that's free, particularly free for the free exercise and the spread of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ," he said. Thompson said the situation leading up to Maduro's ouster was perilous and difficult after Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chávez wreaked what critics call havoc on free speech, expression, and truth. "They pretty much wrecked the economy," he said. "Inflation is beyond rampant. They have a politically corrupt government, which I think we've heard in the news."

Thompson said socialism has been a disaster globally, with ineffective policies failing to create human flourishing. All of this leads to President Donald Trump's decision to send the U.S. Army's elite Delta Force to capture Maduro. While some speculate that oil was a driving force, Thompson believes it's a factor but not the "main driving force" behind the decision. "I think with President Trump's concerns when he came into office, this is like the perfect storm," he said. "Illegal immigration was highly coming from Venezuela ... they're leaving because they want to live in a free country. They want to pursue a place where they can live in freedom and democracy, and so they're coming to America, but illegally, of course, and in droves. So that's one issue."

The other issue, according to Thompson, centers on nations like Iran and terror groups like Hezbollah, with both having purported influence and presence in Venezuela. Mix in Russian and Chinese influence and one can easily see why this collectively becomes a problem for the U.S. Watch what else he had to say about this complex matter.

Comedians Tim Allen and Bill Maher recently sat down for a conversation on Maher’s Club Random. Allen had quite a bit to say about the Apostle Paul and the downside of empty philosophy. CBN's Billy Hallowell and Raj Nair break it all down.

Author Lee Strobel joins the show to discuss his new documentary "The Case for Miracles" and the evidence behind real-life supernatural encounters.

Want more miracles? Stream "Investigating the Supernatural: Miracles," a new documentary from CBN about powerful medical miracles: www.cbn.com/supernatural

Evangelist Ray Comfort believes in miracles and has personally experienced God's hand at work, revealing the amazing ways the Lord has shown Himself. "I've seen things that happen that I would consider supernatural," he said. "Like when we were invited to base our ministry in the U.S. over a three-day period, 13 strange things happened that I had to say, 'This is God's hand directing me.'"

The Living Waters ministry leader said these occurrences might not have been considered miracles by most people but that they blew him away. "I said to a guy, 'I think we're gonna go and live in the US. I'm gonna sell my house,'" Comfort said. "He says, 'I'll buy it.' And he bought it on the spot. It's just amazing." He also recalled telling his father-in-law that he planned to go live in the US and that he responded with a message that truly stunned Comfort.

"He said, 'Three days ago, God spoke to my heart and said, you're gonna go and live in the US,'" he said. "My mom, who was Jewish, very lukewarm, not even lukewarm, beneath lukewarm, told me after she went berserk at me, three days earlier, God had spoken to her heart that we're going to move to the US." And that's not all. Around the same time, Comfort also experienced a balloon coming into his backyard that had an American flag on it. "It was just strange," he said. "This was way down and under in New Zealand. So I believe in the miraculous."

Comfort said he's not particularly concerned, though, when God doesn't do what we want on our timetable, noting the Lord isn't a "divine butler" who must respond to our whims. Ultimately, he said people must trust God, even when it doesn't make sense. While much of the focus in life is on grand miracles, Comfort reminded Christians that Christ's death, resurrection — and decision to save humanity is the greatest miracle of all. "[God] transformed me from someone who was drinking iniquity like water, loving darkness, hating the light, eyes full of adultery like every other red-blooded guy," Comfort said. "He transformed me and caused me to love righteousness to a point where it consumed me for the last 50-something years to do God's will." Watch to see Comfort discuss salvation and the miraculous.

Pastor Greg Laurie is calling a recent evangelistic event held at Utah Valley University (UVU) — the site of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk's assassination — a "miracle." As CBN News previously reported, Laurie held a Nov. 16 Harvest Crusade at UVU that ignited thousands of professions of faith and inspired many in attendance in person and online.

CBN's Tré Goins-Phillips and Billy Hallowell break down new data from Concerned Women for America showing 41% of children's content on Netflix includes LGBTQ themes, characters, or ideas.

Dylan Novak is on a mission to help save celebrities' souls, intentionally bringing the Gospel to some of the biggest names in entertainment. Novak, founder of Celebrity Evangelist, routinely attends autograph signings and other events to present the salvation message to well-known performers. Most recently, he made headlines for his 2023 interaction with singer Ozzy Osbourne, who died July 22 after a battle with Parkinson's disease.

Erika Kirk recently sat down with Megyn Kelly to discuss TPUSA, faith and more. Kelly asked Kirk if she's angry at God after the murder of her husband, Charlie Kirk. CBN's Billy Hallowell and Raj Nair break down what she had to say -- and why it matters.