ie • may 2013

12
For information about advertising, subscriptions, or bulk delivery, please call 1-800-326-0795 Inland Empire Edition Vol. 24, No. 5 May 2013 www.christianexaminer.com FREE page 4 Jennifer Bursch Attacks on Christianity demand diligent response page 4 Eric Metaxas Tiresome bias: Turning a blind eye to evil By Lori Arnold LAKE FOREST — Three days af- ter announcing that his adult son had ended his protracted battle with mental illness by taking his own life, Pastor Rick Warren of Sad- dleback Church returned to social media to share other deeply trou- bling news. “Grieving is hard. Grieving as public figures, harder. Grieving while haters celebrate your pain, hardest,” the Lake Forest pastor wrote on his Facebook page. Matthew Warren, the 27-year-old son of Warren and his wife, Kay, died April 5 of a self-inflicted gun- shot wound. “In spite of America’s best doc- tors, meds, counselors and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided,” Warren shared in an email to church mem- bers. “Tonight, after a fun evening together with Kay and me, in a momentary wave of despair at his home, he took his life.” After the incident, Warren con- nected with his church family by posting on his Facebook page, in- cluding the message he posted on April 8 acknowledging the hateful comments. Warren’s post caught the attention of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, who addressed the is- sue on her April 9 show saying the development was “shocking, it’s disgusting, and it’s hard to under- stand.” At one point she called the people behind the comments “hat- ers.” In the midst of tragedy, high-profile pastors are the target of ‘haters’ Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren has been the target of social media attacks since the death of his son by suicide on April 5. “I’m not going to give a voice to the haters because, I mean, boy oh boy, these are people who are really in a dark place,” she said, adding that many of the comments ap- peared to take issue with Warren’s stand opposing same-sex marriage. Warren is not alone in becoming a target during times of tragedy. Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Church in La Mesa, hinted at his own ex- posure to such tactics on an April 6 post on his Facebook page. In the extended post Garlow acknowl- edged Warren’s tragedy and then asked the public to pray for Skyline, which has been besieged by a string of tragedies among its staff. Gar- By Lori Arnold RIVERSIDE — When most farm- ers cultivate their fields they take to tractors and plows. The folks at Harvest America have taken to an 18-wheeler. A semi to reap the harvest? “It’s been fun,” said Scot Cam- den, a ministry spokesman for Har- vest Ministries. “We’ve never done anything like this before. We never really even considered getting a big rig and wrapping it in Harvest America or Harvest art and driving it around to bring people out.” It certainly draws attention. The rig, dubbed the “Harvest America Mobile Theater,” is a 53-foot travel- ing billboard of sorts. It is equipped with 27 seats and sound and video equipment, used for a 45-minute presentation that includes a video. “It’s fully kitted out,” Camden said. “It literally looks like you are walking into a stadium-seated mov- ie theater (with) fold down chairs, ‘Harvest America’ takes mobile approach for publicity wall sconces and a 16- by 9-screen at the end of what would be the back of the theater. It’s great. It’s all in- sulated and air conditioned. It’s a great environment to hold a meet- ing in. It’s a great way to set up a cool vibe.” Guests are treated to free pop- corn. The mobile theater is the brain- child of evangelist Greg Laurie, the founder of both the Harvest Cru- sades and Harvest Christian Fellow- ship in Riverside, and his executive pastor John Collins. The trailer is being used to promote Harvest America, a national simulcast of Harvest Crusade that was launched last year after being developed by Collins. The one-night event, held at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, was broadcast live to more than 2,200 locations. In addition to host churches, two television and 600 ra- dio stations picked up the feed. This year’s event has expanded to two nights and will be held Sept. 28 and 29 in Philadelphia. Now in its 24 th year, the crusade and its fledgling Harvest America, have registered 391,000 decisions of faith. A key to that success has been pre-crusade pledges by local churches and Christian organiza- tions to help support the work of the crusade teams. “For the last 23 years we’ve gone out to communities and held meet- ings in local churches and invited church leaders out to that,” Cam- den said. “But as we are able to message it properly and get out and promote the mobile theater, people understand it.” In addition to the extensive pub- licity the standout trailer provides, the presentations serve as a catalyst to get churches and other organiza- tions to host simulcast sites. “One of the strong suits that we are finding is that we are able to partner with radio stations across the nation who are wanting to com- bine efforts,” Camden said. Those stations are not only pub- licizing the theater’s stops, but they are also sharing their pastoral and community networks with the Har- vest America team. As part of its six-month tour across the country, the theater is stopping at the National Worship Leader Conference, the Southern California Catalyst Conference, Church Growth Conference, the The Harvest America Mobile Theater, contained inside a 53-foot tractor trailer, is traveling the United States promoting the national live streaming of the Philadelphia crusade on Sept. 28 and 29. Here the 18-wheeler is parked outside Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon. See HARVEST, page 2 See TRAGEDY, page 11 page 5 Entertainment Comedian walks away from secular venues to foster Kingdom By Patti Townley-Covert ONTARIO — For some people, politics and religion may not mix. But for San Bernardino County Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ovitt, they can’t be separated. “As a Christian, I have to live out my life with Christ in it, so everywhere I go, I take Christ with me,” he said. “And certainly law would allow me to include my faith.” From America’s earliest days— when Bible verses were etched in stone on many federal buildings and monuments—Ovitt said he sees no division at all. “I think God has placed me in this position to fill out my purpose in life, which is to let others know about Christ,” he said. With a jurisdiction of 133 square miles and more than 400,000 resi- dents, Ovitt’s had many opportunities to interact with his constituents since first being elected in 2004. The cur- rent vice chair of the county Board of Supervisors, he’s also served as president of the Southern California Association of Governments and for- mer chair and current board member of the San Bernardino County Associ- ated Governments. His resume also includes the chairmanship of the Inland Empire Health Partnership, vice president of the Ontario International Airport Authority and several other boards. Whenever possible, Ovitt said he brings in a biblical message. Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ovitt, a committed Christian who openly shares his faith in the community, serves up a hamburger at the annual barbecue for seniors in Chino. Ovitt also calls bingo numbers during the summertime event. Faith on his sleeve County supervisor not shy about his Christianity See GARY OVITT, page 2

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Christian Examiner newspaper, the Inland Empire Edition, providing local and national news, commentary and a Christian events calendar.

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  • For information about advertising, subscriptions, or bulk delivery, please call 1-800-326-0795

    Inland Empire Edition

    Vol. 24, No. 5 May 2013 www.christianexaminer.com

    FRE

    E

    page 4

    Jennifer BurschAttacks on Christianity demand diligent response

    page 4

    Eric MetaxasTiresome bias: Turning a blind eye to evil

    By Lori Arnold

    LAKE FOREST Three days af-ter announcing that his adult son had ended his protracted battle with mental illness by taking his own life, Pastor Rick Warren of Sad-dleback Church returned to social media to share other deeply trou-bling news.

    Grieving is hard. Grieving as public fi gures, harder. Grieving while haters celebrate your pain, hardest, the Lake Forest pastor wrote on his Facebook page.

    Matthew Warren, the 27-year-old son of Warren and his wife, Kay, died April 5 of a self-infl icted gun-shot wound.

    In spite of Americas best doc-tors, meds, counselors and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided, Warren shared in an email to church mem-bers. Tonight, after a fun evening together with Kay and me, in a momentary wave of despair at his home, he took his life.

    After the incident, Warren con-nected with his church family by posting on his Facebook page, in-cluding the message he posted on April 8 acknowledging the hateful comments. Warrens post caught the attention of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, who addressed the is-sue on her April 9 show saying the development was shocking, its disgusting, and its hard to under-stand. At one point she called the people behind the comments hat-ers.

    In the midst of tragedy, high-profi le pastors are the target of haters

    Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren has been the target of social media attacks since the death of his son by suicide on April 5.

    Im not going to give a voice to the haters because, I mean, boy oh boy, these are people who are really in a dark place, she said, adding that many of the comments ap-peared to take issue with Warrens stand opposing same-sex marriage.

    Warren is not alone in becoming a target during times of tragedy. Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Church in La Mesa, hinted at his own ex-posure to such tactics on an April 6 post on his Facebook page. In the extended post Garlow acknowl-edged Warrens tragedy and then asked the public to pray for Skyline, which has been besieged by a string of tragedies among its staff. Gar-

    By Lori Arnold

    RIVERSIDE When most farm-ers cultivate their fi elds they take to tractors and plows. The folks at Harvest America have taken to an 18-wheeler.

    A semi to reap the harvest? Its been fun, said Scot Cam-

    den, a ministry spokesman for Har-vest Ministries. Weve never done anything like this before. We never really even considered getting a big rig and wrapping it in Harvest America or Harvest art and driving it around to bring people out.

    It certainly draws attention. The rig, dubbed the Harvest America Mobile Theater, is a 53-foot travel-ing billboard of sorts. It is equipped with 27 seats and sound and video equipment, used for a 45-minute presentation that includes a video.

    Its fully kitted out, Camden said. It literally looks like you are walking into a stadium-seated mov-ie theater (with) fold down chairs,

    Harvest America takes mobile approach for publicity

    wall sconces and a 16- by 9-screen at the end of what would be the back of the theater. Its great. Its all in-sulated and air conditioned. Its a great environment to hold a meet-ing in. Its a great way to set up a cool vibe.

    Guests are treated to free pop-corn.

    The mobile theater is the brain-child of evangelist Greg Laurie, the founder of both the Harvest Cru-sades and Harvest Christian Fellow-ship in Riverside, and his executive

    pastor John Collins. The trailer is being used to promote Harvest America, a national simulcast of Harvest Crusade that was launched last year after being developed by Collins.

    The one-night event, held at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, was broadcast live to more than 2,200 locations. In addition to host churches, two television and 600 ra-dio stations picked up the feed.

    This years event has expanded to two nights and will be held Sept. 28 and 29 in Philadelphia.

    Now in its 24th year, the crusade and its fl edgling Harvest America, have registered 391,000 decisions of faith. A key to that success has been pre-crusade pledges by local churches and Christian organiza-tions to help support the work of the crusade teams.

    For the last 23 years weve gone out to communities and held meet-ings in local churches and invited church leaders out to that, Cam-

    den said. But as we are able to message it properly and get out and promote the mobile theater, people understand it.

    In addition to the extensive pub-licity the standout trailer provides, the presentations serve as a catalyst to get churches and other organiza-tions to host simulcast sites.

    One of the strong suits that we are fi nding is that we are able to partner with radio stations across the nation who are wanting to com-bine efforts, Camden said.

    Those stations are not only pub-licizing the theaters stops, but they are also sharing their pastoral and community networks with the Har-vest America team.

    As part of its six-month tour across the country, the theater is stopping at the National Worship Leader Conference, the Southern California Catalyst Conference, Church Growth Conference, the

    The Harvest America Mobile Theater, contained inside a 53-foot tractor trailer, is traveling the United States promoting the national live streaming of the Philadelphia crusade on Sept. 28 and 29. Here the 18-wheeler is parked outside Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon.

    See HARVEST, page 2

    See TRAGEDY, page 11

    page 5

    EntertainmentComedian walks away from secular venues to foster Kingdom

    By Patti Townley-Covert

    ONTARIO For some people, politics and religion may not mix. But for San Bernardino County Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ovitt, they cant be separated.

    As a Christian, I have to live out my life with Christ in it, so everywhere I go, I take Christ with me, he said. And certainly law would allow me to include my faith.

    From Americas earliest dayswhen Bible verses were etched in

    stone on many federal buildings and monumentsOvitt said he sees no division at all.

    I think God has placed me in this position to fi ll out my purpose in life, which is to let others know about Christ, he said.

    With a jurisdiction of 133 square miles and more than 400,000 resi-dents, Ovitts had many opportunities to interact with his constituents since fi rst being elected in 2004. The cur-rent vice chair of the county Board of Supervisors, hes also served as

    president of the Southern California Association of Governments and for-mer chair and current board member of the San Bernardino County Associ-ated Governments.

    His resume also includes the chairmanship of the Inland Empire Health Partnership, vice president of the Ontario International Airport Authority and several other boards. Whenever possible, Ovitt said he brings in a biblical message.

    Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ovitt, a committed Christian who openly shares his faith in the community, serves up a hamburger at the annual barbecue for seniors in Chino. Ovitt also calls bingo numbers during the summertime event.

    Faith on his sleeveCounty supervisor not shy about his Christianity

    See GARY OVITT, page 2

  • 2 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER May 2013 IE www.christianexaminer.com

    Publisher: Lamar & Theresa Keener

    Managing Editor: Lori Arnold

    Advertising: Cynthia Quam-Patterson

    Calendar/Classifi eds: Brittany Keener

    Correspondents: Patti Townley-Covert

    Distribution Coordinators: Lisa Allen, Kim Baker

    Copyright 2013 Selah Media Group

    The Christian Examiner, formerly known as the Christian Times and fi rst established in 1983, is an in de- pen dent Christian news pa per pub lished monthly by Selah Media Group with an audience of Evan gel i cal Christians. It is available in fi ve regional editions throughout Southern California and the Twin Cities. All our regional newspapers are available without charge at Christian book stores, churches, and Christian businesses. Mail sub scrip tions are $19.95/year. The com bined press run monthly is 150,000 copies.

    The Christian Examiner welcomes press releases and news of interest that is relevant to our readership. All unsolicited material is subject to the approval of the publishers and is not returned.

    Viewpoints expressed in the Christian Examiner are those of their respective writers, and are not neces-sarily held by the publishers.

    Advertising in the Christian Examiner is open to anyone desiring to reach the Christian community. Reasonable effort is made to screen potential advertisers, but no endorsement of the publishers is implied or should be inferred. The publishers can accept no responsibility for the products or services offered through ad ver tise- ments. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any ad ver tis ing.

    Deadline for submission of ad copy, calendar events, and articles is the 15th of the month preceding publication for the San Diego edition and the 18th for the other editions.

    Address all correspondence to: Christian Examiner, P. O. Box 2606, El Cajon, CA 92021

    Phone (619) 668-5100 Fax: (619) 668-1115 E-mail: [email protected]

    Advertising and Bulk Delivery Information (619) 668-5100 or 1-800-326-0795

    Opportunity for6ENDORSs%XHIBITORSs!DVERTISERS

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    The Harvest America Mobile Theater has a small display area in the lobby and an inside theater with tiered seating that accommodates 27.

    HARVESTContinued from page 1

    annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Harvest Crusade Kick-off event in Philadel-phia, Lancaster (Pa.) Bible College, several seminaries, prayer break-fasts, lunch gatherings, pastors meetings, Christian concerts, a fi lm

    studio, a Honda dealership and sev-eral NASCAR events.

    Praise the Lord that we have al-ways had successful pastoral leader-ship meetings to promote an event, but we feel that this is a new way to attract both church leadership and also to attract the public out to a meeting, Camden said. It helps us because we are able to not only hold a meeting at a location but,

    while we are there to (also) adver-tise the event.

    Although the theater is headed toward the East Coast, it will be back in time for the Aug. 23 to 25 crusade at Anaheim Stadium, plus other locations if time per-mits.

    For more information, visit www.harvest.org/crusades.

    One of his favorite annual events to speak at is the San Bernardino County Children and Family Services adoption day. On that day between 70 and 100 adoptions take place, usually at the Ontario Convention Center. Since Ovitt and his wife, Sue, adopted their daughter, Amanda, he offers fi rsthand appreciation for how important adoption is to an individual family. He also tells the crowd how, according to the Bible, for those of us who have embraced God, were all adopted into His family.

    Most of the people he speaks to seem to appreciate his values.

    They keep inviting me back year after year, he said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. Maybe they see God through me and are willing to forgive me because of the spirit in which it is offered.

    That same gentle spirit helps Ovitt convene conversations around a variety of issues. As a district supervisor, he might initiate discussions about a vision for the county, solutions for healthcare issues or how to serve spiritual leaders.

    Church plays such an important role in the community, Ovitt said. Not only is it important to me as a Christian, but its important for our churches, even those that may not believe the same way. We want to give them the opportunity to come and work together for the benefi t of the community.

    One way he promotes that dia-logue in the fourth districtwhich includes the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Montclair, Ontario and a portion of Uplandis through an annual Pastors Appreciation break-fast.

    Pastors too often are not ap-preciated, Ovitt said. They dont have much of a chance for some-one to say thank you, and they have a tough job. So we bring them to-gether and say thank you for what youre doing, and how can we help you minister to people?

    While this springtime event re-spects all faiths, Ovitt clearly states his belief in a risen Savior. Chris-tians, Mormons, Muslims, and are given a Bible verse and encouraged to share around their tables what that Scripture says to them.

    A willing partnerOvitt is joined in his public wit-

    ness by Chief of Staff Larry En-riquez, who for almost two decades

    has been involved in the commu-nity as senior pastor of Community Christian Fellowship and Ontarios Police Department chaplain. Bring-ing that experience to bear in the Fourth District for the past two years, Enriquez considers his role ripe with spiritual possibilities.

    Gary and I both believe that all the relationships were able to at-tract in this position are the grace of God and not an accident, the pastor said. So we trust those have some kind of greater effect for the kingdom. Were not always sure what they mean until we look back. But the big picture is heres what God has done and is doing.

    Recently Enriquez started a Things That Matter discussion group of community leaderssome believers, some not. At fi rst they discussed county issues among other topics, but Enriquez said he wanted to focus more on soul is-sues. So he began emailing group members things to think about. Topics such as where does virtue come from? lead to the question of worldviews and what works.

    By looking at the roots of life, we examine why were having prob-lems, he said.

    According to Enriquez, its the connection with the county that permits him to initiate such conver-sations.

    Not because Im such a great thinker or speakerIm not in the equation, he said. Whats in the equation is this seat of offi ce that God has allowed us for a moment.

    So he and Ovitt use that position to bring people to a better under-standing of life and ultimately of who Christ is.

    Patriotic outreachSometimes they engage their en-

    tire church in outreach. Since 1998, Ovitt said hes ridden in Ontarios 4th of July parade, which is located near the home Ovitt shares with his wife, Sue, who serves as president of the Ontario/Montclair school board.

    We just want people to come over and celebrate our country and our Christian foundations, the su-pervisor said.

    So the church started putting on a picnic that includes a pancake breakfast and barbecue. Passers-by are encouraged to join the celebra-tion and help themselves.

    For more information, visit www.sbcounty.gov/bosd4/

    GARY OVITTContinued from page 1

  • IE May 2013 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER 3www.christianexaminer.com

    By Lori Arnold

    EL CAJON More than three-quarters of Americans believe val-ues and morals are declining, with one-third attributing it to a lack of Bible reading. At the same time, two-thirds believe the Bible con-tains everything a person needs to live a meaningful life, but nearly six in 10 dont personally want the Bibles wisdom.

    The confusing and confl icting responses are from the annual State of the Bible survey, commissioned by the American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Research.

    Its not surprising to me because I am aware of the problem that people say one thing but they do something else, Edward J. Herrel-ko, vice president of academics at Southern California Seminary, said of the poll, released on March 26.

    The survey, conducted in January using telephone and online ques-tioning, also concluded that the average household has 4.4 Bibles, while one in six people said they purchased a copy of the Bible last year. In addition 80 percent of re-spondents said the Bible is sacred.

    Herrelko, a biblical theology ex-pert who closely monitors Chris-tians and culture, said the fi ndings show a major disconnect among Americans. He points to the 80 per-cent of the respondents who say the Bible is sacred and the 61 percent who indicated a desire to read the Bible more.

    If that were true we should have a very different landscape in America, he said. As you follow the trends that are going on in this whole conversation they are say-ing a lot of things, but they are not following it up with action, the professor said. They are telling you what they want, what they wish, what they think should be, but its obviously not as important as it ap-pears to be on paper.

    He said some of the results could be attributed to what he called the anonymous phenomenon.

    People are more likely to tell you what they think you want to hear in a poll, Herrelko said. Its easy to talk about things. Its harder to do things. So polls give people a comfortable ability to, in their own head, sound like, Yeah, the Bibles important, Yeah, the

    Bible survey hints at wider changes in cultural normsBible is sacred, Yeah, I know we need to read it more and Yeah, morals are declining, and We need do something about it. They get a warm, fuzzy feeling from saying all of those.

    Herrelko said it was signifi cant that 77 percent of those polled said they believe morality is on the de-cline and 32 percent cite the cause as a lack of Bible reading. At the same time, 58 percent shunned its wisdom.

    That shows that people are rec-ognizing there is a problem, but I still think there is a disconnect, he said. Its one thing to recognize a problem; its another thing entirely to solve the problem. People are not yet committed to solving the problem. They are committed to recognizing it, talking about, being vocal about it but they are not com-mitted to changing it.

    Broader implicationsThe seminary administrator

    went on to say that the study re-veals much more than Bible read-ing habits by providing insight into disconcerting issues such as respect and integrity.

    We are not only used to getting what we want, when we want, but weve now become a society that gives false platitudes and lip service to things, he said. Weve begun to tell people what they want to hear. We dont actually sit and think.

    He said he believes the poll re-sults demonstrate a failure to put any sincere effort into actually sift-ing through the questions.

    As a society it shows our lack of a willingness to ever go below the sur-face on signifi cant issues, Herrelko said. We kind of nod our head in

    agreement and go do our normal, routine thing.

    Thats one of the biggest de-clines in society. Weve lost a sense of ownership over our own actions. Everything we do, whether its rou-tine or mundane, should be done well.

    A slow declineSociety has arrived at this point,

    he said, through a gradual slide, infl uenced by as many as a dozen different factors, among them rela-tivism.

    Its the cultural infl uence of relativism, basically the belief that you cant have absolutes, which in itself, ironically, is an absolute state-ment, Herrelko said.

    Churches also bear some respon-sibility, he said, adding that they have not always done a good job of reaching their communities.

    They are caught in a struggle of (questioning) How much do I capitulate to culture, the instruc-tor said. Its hard enough to stand against one or two forces, but to stand against a dozen things?

    Going forward, Herrelko said he would like to know more about why people arent reading the Bible, especially given that 88 percent of households own a Bible.

    To me thats almost comical be-cause usually the biggest obstacle to things is accessibility to them, he said. The question that needs to be addressed, the question be-hind all of this, is why arent people who own a Bible reading the Bible. What is it that has stopped people from reading the Bible?

    To see the survey, visit www.americanbible.org.

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  • 4 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER May 2013 IE www.christianexaminer.com

    Over the past couple of decades, Americans have watched as their individual and religious freedoms have slowly been modifi ed, taken away or replaced by governmental mandates or legislation.

    The situation we face reminds me of the frog that is placed in a cold pot of water. When the water slowly heats up, the frog has become so comfort-able there that he doesnt even realize that he is being boiled alive!

    As Christians in America, we have a lot of freedoms for which we should be continually grateful. Our Consti-tution promises us that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or pro-hibiting the free exercise thereof. These statements are known as the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.

    However, it is up to us to stand up for these liberties that we enjoy and make sure that they do not slowly disappear. Our present actions will directly affect the future reality for generations to comethis fact alone should prod us forward in defense of what we believe and what makes this nation so great.

    As an attorney with Advocates for

    Faith & Freedom, I see examples of how our fundamental constitutional lib-erties are currently being challenged in the courts:

    Hostile classroom attacks

    For several years, I devoted myself to the defense of an Orange County high school student named Chad Farnan, who suffered through almost daily anti-Christian and anti-religion rants from his Ad-vanced Placement European His-tory teacher.

    Chad took a tape recorder to his classwhich many students regu-larly do to record the lessonsand some of the teachers statements he captured on tape are astonishing. Just two examples:

    When you put on your Jesus glasses, you cant see the truth.

    Religion was invented when the fi rst con man met the fi rst fool.

    We believe that this case was vi-tally important because, for years, we had heard from teachers who

    were being admonished or even disciplined for having Bibles on their desk, wearing a Chris-tian-themed T-shirt or praying with a student.

    Now when we had a teacher who was attack-ing religion (Christi-anity specifi cally), the school did nothing to reprimand or punish this teacher. We believe that

    the teachers statements unjustly vio-lated the Establishment Clauseand a district court agreed with us, stating that this teacher did, in fact, violate the Establishment Clause when he expressed an unequivocal belief that creationism is superstitious nonsense.

    However, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned this decision and declared that the teacher could not be held respon-sible, simply because there was no law or clear precedent that a teach-er is liable for his or her statements in the classroom.

    Even though the fi nal decision in this case is not what we had hoped for, I am extremely proud of Chad

    and honored to have fought with him. Our case garnered national media, and we had much support from students and parents from Chads school. I will continue to take a stand against hostile attacks on Christianity, because I believe in our constitutional liberties and do not want to see them gradually taken away from us.

    Silencing ChristiansThree men, including a pastor,

    went down to their local DMV of-fi ce to read the Bible aloud to passers-by, something that they had done previously as a ministry. On this particular day, however, the men were arrested by an offi cer who, after ripping the Bible from the pastors hands, said that the men could not preach to a captive audience.

    There is no actual penal code that says anything like that, so the offi cer then decided to charge the men with impeding an open busi-ness. The problem here was that the men were standing at least 50 feet away from the building, which wasnt even open at the time. So, hoping to make something stick,

    the police offi cers fi nally cited the men with trespassing.

    We are defending these men because we believe that, as Ameri-cans, we possess freedom of speech. Even if we would choose a different method for sharing the gospel, we believe that Christians must de-fend their right to spread the Good News. If we dont defend it now, we might fi nd our options for sharing the gospel greatly restricted in the near future.

    Standing fi rmRecently there was an incident at

    Florida Atlantic University, where a professor put his students through an exercise where they were in-structed to write the name of Je-sus on a piece of paper, put it on the ground and stomp on it. One student refused to do the assign-ment and said he was subsequently threatened with suspension.

    After the media storm that ensued, the university put the professor on academic leave and banned the stomp Jesus exercise from all fu-ture classes.

    The mainstream media ignored the story for weeks until bloggers and tweeters forced them to talk.

    Criticizing the media for bias when it comes to coverage of reli-gious and cultural issues is, sadly, all-too-easy. There are so many ex-amples to choose from.

    Just this past weekend, after weeks of blogs, tweets, and other online commentaries charging me-dia bias, the mainstream media has been forced to talkhowever re-luctantlyabout Kermit Gosnells murder trial.

    Last month, Gosnell, a Penn-sylvania abortion doctor, went on trial for seven counts of fi rst-degree murder. The seven alleged victims were babies, survivors of late-term abortions accidentally born alive. Gosnell killed the infants in a man-ner that simply defi es human de-cency, much less description.

    In addition, he is also being tried in connection with the death of a

    woman who died after a botched late-term abortion.

    Ill spare you the rest of the grue-some details and, instead, quote some of the reactions to the inves-tigations discoveries. Philadelphia District Attorney, R. Seth Williams, said, My comprehension of the English language cant adequately describe the barbaric nature of Dr. Gosnell, and he added, Pennsyl-vania is not a third-world country. Williams, a Democrat, regards Gos-nells actions as so heinous that he is seeking the death penalty.

    The mayor of Philadelphia, Mi-chael Nutter, opined, I think its quite clear that, if these allegations are true, weve had a monster living in our midst.

    What the UKs Daily Mail is call-ing the House of Horrors is the stuff of R-rated horror movies on steroids. Small wonder that the British tabloids cant get enough of the story.

    All of which makes our medias almost-complete disregard of the story all the more remarkable. As my friend Kirsten Powers noted in her USA Today column, A Lexis-Nexis search shows none of the news shows on the three major national television networks has mentioned the Gosnell trial in the last three months.

    This should be front page news, she wrote. And, of course, shes absolutely right. Shes also spot-on when she contrasts the me-dia silence over Gosnells late-term abortions to the non-stop media hysteria over Rush Limbaughs attack of Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke. Folks, if that story generated a fi restorm of outrage, what should we reasonably expect

    about this story?So why this lack of

    coverage? As another friend of mine Rod Dreher put it, It is impossible to over-estimate how sacred the media hold some sacred cows. And abortion rights, like same-sex marriage, is among the most sa-

    cred. The fear that a story might give aid and comfort to causes fa-vored by social and religious con-servatives drives them to downplay stories like this one.

    At the same time, most of us would rather not know the truth about abortion on display in the Gosnell trial. As Randy Alcorn wrote recently, Abortion is, in fact, the ruthless killing of an innocent human being. Thats what it always has been, and thats what it always will be. When Planned Parenthood

    and NOW and politicians deny this, they are simply lying. There is nothing new about this. If you are surprised to discover, as in the case of this Pennsylvanian abortion clinic, that those who kill babies for a living are really not very good people, my question is: Where have you been and what have you been thinking goes on in these clinics?

    We Christians need to face these facts squarely, so let me encourage you to please go to BreakPoint.org and watch my colleague John Ston-estreets latest Re Series video deal-ing with the Gosnell trial.

    And kudos to those who helped force the mainstream media to tell some of the truth about this ugly, wicked, destructive sin called abor-tion.

    2013 Prison Fellowship. Metax-as is the voice of Breakpoint, a radio commentary, formerly featur-ing the late Chuck Colson.

    There are many successful liber-als, so why do so many of them wish to subsidize failure for the poor, in-stead of showing them how to suc-ceed?

    Take Dr. Ben Carson, as one ex-ample. Dr. Carson, the renowned neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., is en-joying a certain amount of celeb-rity unrelated to his profession for speaking his mind about how indi-viduals and the nation might suc-ceed if more Americans were less dependent on government.

    Dr. Carson, who is African-Amer-ican, has been denounced as insuf-fi ciently black because he wont toe the liberal line when it comes to big government and the implication that those in the African-American voting bloc, huge supporters of the Democratic Party, who fall below the poverty line, cannot succeed without it. The fact that many have not succeeded with government has apparently escaped the notice of his critics.

    Speaking with Megyn Kelly on Fox News America Live, Dr. Carson ad-dressed some of the slurs tossed at him, saying they are what you might expect to hear on a third grade playground. He ap-pealed to his detrac-tors to move beyond such rhetoric and lets have a real discussion about the real facts. If somebody disagrees, lets talk about why they disagree, lets talk about the pros and cons, lets see if we can fi nd some accommodation.

    That is precisely what the left does not want to do, because to have such a discussion would ex-pose liberalisms failure to solve the problems of poverty and educa-tionto cite just two examplesthrough government.

    MSNBCs Toure Monday has called Dr. Carson a token black friend to the Republican Party. I

    dont recall Carson ever saying he be-longs to the Repub-lican Party, do you? Even so, labels should not defi ne the man. What Carson is saying and what he repre-sents ought to be the beginning point for the discussion he is trying to initiate.

    Dr. Carson dismissed one sugges-tion he might be an Uncle Tom this way: Well, obviously they dont know what an Uncle Tom is because they need to read Harriet Beecher Stowes novel Uncle Toms Cabin. Youll see that he was very, very sub-servient, kind of go along to get along type of person. Obviously, thats not what Im doing.

    Obviously. In the Kelly interview, Dr. Car-

    son hit his main point about liberal reaction on subjects ranging from Obamacare to higher taxes: They feel that if you look a certain way

    then you have to stay on the planta-tion.

    Isnt such a personal attack also a form of racism? All whites dont think alike, why should all African-Americans be expected to?

    If government were the solution and not the problem, shouldnt we expect that the amount of money spent on anti-poverty pro-grams$15 trillion since 1964, ac-cording to a CATO Institute analy-sismight have moved the needle on poverty? Instead there are nearly as many poor people today as there were 49 years ago. According to the Wall Street Journal, Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assis-tance Program, as the modern-day food-stamp benefi t is known, has soared 70 percent since 2008 to a record 47.8 million as of December 2012. Government as solution isnt working and Dr. Carson wants to discuss why. For this he is attacked?

    The nightmare for liberals would be if Ben Carson became a role model for the poor instead of a

    target. If more of the poor had mothers like his (and maybe active fathers, which he didnt have), who focused on reading and discipline, more might grow up to be like him. They might reject the lie that they are incapable of succeeding be-cause of their circumstances.

    In addition to Carsons remarks about government dependency, he is also under attack for his unortho-dox positions on same-sex marriage and evolution, which the National Review Online reports has led to a petition being circulated at Johns Hopkins Medical School asking that he be disinvited as commence-ment speaker. That would add cen-sorship to racism.

    The late newsman David Brinkley said, A successful man is one who can lay a fi rm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.

    By that standard, Dr. Ben Carson is building a mansion.

    2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

    Cal Thomas

    Eric Metaxas

    Why do liberals fear success?

    Tiresome bias: Turning a blind eye to evil

    Jennifer Bursch

    Attacks on Christianity demand diligent response

    See BURSCH, page 11

  • IE May 2013 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER 5www.christianexaminer.com

    By Lori Arnold

    MONTEREY When Christian comedian Stephen B takes the stage he often envisions a hardpan land-scape where other performers see an audience.

    You get on the tractor and you break up that land, you break up the soil, Stephen B said. Thats what humor does. It opens us up and makes us ready to receive whatever message you have there. Humor opens and softens us up so we can plant that seed that we hope the Holy Spirit will help grow.

    Stephen B can lead the tilling ex-pedition with confi dence because hes already plowed his own with-ered territory, weeding it of blithe self-centeredness and worldly dis-tractions imbued by drug and alco-hol use.

    At one point I thought I was a Christian, but I dont think I really was because it was like I accepted Christ, said Yeah, lets do it, and then fi ve minutes later I was off into the world doing all the worldly things and acting like a fool.

    The defi ning moment for Stephen B, a comedian for 32 years, arrived when he met his future wife, Jane, a head-injury survivor.

    I saw in her eyes what I always wanted in faith, he said. I saw the love of Jesus Christ in her eyes when I looked at her.

    Although married 25 years, Stephen B. said it still took about a dozen years for him to fully understand the essence of Christianity that shaped his spouse.

    I was a very self-centered indi-vidual, he said. When I met her, she

    PHOTO BY RANDY LICHT/ BOREL PHOTOGRAPHY

    Christian comedian Stephen B has walked away from the secular trappings of the industry to focus on ministering to the Kingdom. Although hes mighty serious about his faith in Jesus Christ, he isnt afraid to make fun of the crazier elements of life. He will appear at Spirit West Coast in August.

    Last LaughComedian walks away from secular venues to foster Kingdom

    was everything opposite of what I was. After a while I started realizing, Wow, Im ripping her off. I began to change. I began to see what Jesus Christ was really about.

    Much of his spiritual growth also came from several mentoring relation-ships, including one with his pastor, who led him through deep studies of the Scriptures.

    When I stand on stage and I talk about my act and I talk about my testi-mony everything is 100 percent true, grounded in faith, and I am about as amazed about it as anyone else is hear-ing it, he said. God shows me miracles on a daily basis, and the most important thing for me to do is share that with other people to give them hope.

    On friendly turfAlthough always a clean comedian,

    Stephen B eventually walked away from the more lucrative secular industryin which he opened for Weird Al Yankovic, Michael Bolton and Skilletto focus his performances at churches and other Christian outlets. He will be a featured comedian at Spirit West Coast set for Aug. 1 to 3 in Monterey.

    Spirit West Coast is, honestly, the most energizing, exciting venue Ive ever worked, the entertainer said. That was a real eye opener for me the fi rst time I did Spirit West Coast the amount of young people there and how many of them enjoyed my show. Im 53 for goodness sakes. I was like, Wow, thats pretty cool. I walked on

    air for like three days. It was wonderful, but there is a responsibility that comes with that.

    As a committed follower of Jesus Christ, Stephen B said he takes seri-ouslyeven if his approach isntthe need to use his gifts to foster the Kingdom,

    When I stand up on stage, this isnt me stepping outside of Christianity to make a bunch of people laugh; it is me jumping in with both feet talking to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and others who happen to be in the audience and sharing with them where Ive been, where Gods taken me and laughing at ourselves but we are aware of the fact that God is calling us to something else.

    Mocked and scornedStephen Bs stand has come at a cost

    as he has been shunned and mocked by those in an industry that has become increasingly vulgar. Bookings are also more diffi cult since hes narrowed the venue pool.

    All the carnal desires, we prefer that over to holiness because it is easier, he said. So this entertainment juggernaut coming out of Hollywood, in television and movies, sitcoms, everything that is out there, is all catering to carnal minds, because number one it is easy to sell.

    While others continue to sell toxic products, Stephen B vows to continue plowing fertile ground.

    I am completely, 100 percent, sold out to being the best Christian I can be, and I am really bad at it sometimes, he said. Im probably Im my own worst critic, but where Im bad at it is usu-ally between my own ears. I dont act

    What: Spirit West CoastWhen: August 1-3, 2013 Where: Monterey, CaliforniaArtists: More than 50 artists (7 stages) including Newsboys, Tenth Avenue North, Jeremy Camp, Audio Adrenaline, The City Harmonic, Matthew West, Building 429, Firefl ight

    Speakers: Reggie Dabbs, Bob Lenz, Nick Hall, Reid Saunders

    Also: Comedians Bob Smiley and Stephen B, worship, action games, seminars, local artists, Veggieland and Childrens Fun Zone, camping

    Tickets: Single day and full event passes available. Group and military discounts.

    Web: spiritwestcoast.org

    out in public. Im not this kind of guy who comes home and kicks his dog. Its usually in my brain where I start thinking, Well maybe I dont have to do this. You try to make concessions. The most important thing for me to do is to remain focused.

    Even if, fi nancially, everything falls apart for me, and even if by the worlds standards, Im not successful, I know that if I am following my heart and where God is leading me that I am incredibly successful in His world because Im taking the talents Hes given me to serve Him.

    For more information, visit www.stephenb.net.

  • 6 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER May 2013 IE www.christianexaminer.com

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    Utah

    By Lori Arnold

    SAN CLEMENTE From the cliffside bluff above Interstate 5 in San Clemente, Pastor Paula Ferris has a sweeping view of the ocean and a stand-alone cross that serves as a hid-den cell tower providing supplemen-tal income to St. Andrews United Methodist Church.

    The one-time security of the sur-plus revenue had turned into a night-mare, however, after Sprint decided to decommission its Nextel site, leav-ing behind the tower structurean unanticipated liabilityfor the con-gregation of 350 to absorb.

    It quite literally has become Ferris cross to bear.

    They have abandoned the site, pulled all their stuff, Ferris said. They claim they have fully decom-missioned it but, in fact, they have not fulfi lled their lease contract at all. They have completely violated and breached their contract, but they have no incentive to do anything about that.

    Thirty miles south, North Coast Church in Vista is awaiting the fi n-ishing touches on its new water tow-er cell structure that will generate enough income to pay for two youth department interns. Despite the re-sources that come with a 9,000-mem-ber church, executive Pastor Charlie Bradshaw said the congregation opt-ed to hire an outside adviser to over-see the complex negotiations and installation.

    They tapped Tower Seekers, a Carlsbad-based ministry that assists churches and other non-profi ts as they navigate through the maze of regulations involved in leasing space for wireless cell towers. Ministry founder Mike Ritter said the towers can generate anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 a month in revenue, with leases as long as 30 years.

    We didnt know that Tower Seek-ers was a very ministry-driven orga-nization when we went with them, but weve been very pleased and surprised that it is, Bradshaw said. Its a unique ministry that Mike has launched that is able to help church-es.

    Ritter and his team are also trying to assist St. Andrews as it determines what recourse to take over its Nextel cell site. Ritter, who was not involved in the initial contract involving the Orange County congregation, said its imperative that churches under-stand all potential scenarios before signing on to become a cell tower landlord.

    In this situation with cell towers there is a lot to know, he said. The fi rst thing that should be done, any-time there is an issue that comes up with a prospective cell site or a cell site lease thats in place, is just to stop. Dont assume what you are being told is totally true. Im not saying they are not telling the truth. Im just say-ing they are not giving you the whole truth. There is information out there.

    A case in pointIn the St. Andrews case, Ritter

    and Ferris maintain that the contract wording offered the church no pro-tections when Sprint decided to de-commission nearly 10,000 Nextel 2G towers because the system is now ob-solete. Sprint, seeking to streamline the mammoth process, announced last year it was hiring outside vendors to work with each of the landlords. Ritter said in many instances the ven-dors are encouraging the landlords to leave the site structures in place, saying doing so makes the sites more attractive to other cell carriers.

    A 50-foot cross on the hill behind St. Andrews United Methodist Church hides some of the antennas of a former Sprint Nextel cell site. The San Clemente church is in the midst of a disagreement with a wireless company on how it decommissioned the site.

    Christian ministry helps churches navigate tricky cell tower leases

    This is not true at all, Ritter said. The only shred of truth in that is that there is a possibility that the equip-ment shelter could be used and the permit that was granted by the city or county may have some value to an-other potential tenant.

    Ritter said the vendors are also ask-ing landlords to sign a general release that shifts all liability to the landlord.

    (St. Andrews) has a huge 50-foot cross sitting up on the bluff, he said. They would accept responsibil-ity under this scheme. If that cross somehow falls and causes signifi cant damage all kinds of horrible things could potentially result from that. Anyway you look at this, its a just bad, risky situation for a landlord, espe-cially for churches and non-profi ts.

    Ferris, who was transferred to the church after the original lease con-tract was signed, said she wished the church had known about Tower Seek-ers before entering into that deal. In hindsight, Ferris said having a lease agreement with the company is com-

    pletely worthless.We cant make (Sprint) do any-

    thing, she said. They just dont care, so theyre not fulfi lling the contract. They are not sending us the money they owe us. To decommission the site they have to remove the building and everything in its entirety because we dont want an eye sore there, slow-ly degenerating.

    They can just mound a big bunch of paper on us and make it not worth it. We are a small enterprise. Our budget is just right around a half a million. We are a church of about 350. They can make it too expensive for us to take them to court.

    Kelly Schlageter, a spokeswoman for Sprint, acknowledged that the company is in the process of upgrad-ing the Nextel equipment into the next generation of 3G and 4G LTE networks.

    Sprint is working to develop a mu-tually agreeable solution with St. An-drews, as we are in all of the locations where Nextel sites are located, she

    said without elaborating further.While Ferris and Ritter contem-

    plate their next step with that cell site, Tower Seekers has already success-fully renegotiated a lease for another company on behalf of the church.

    Were really grateful, Ferris said. It turned out to be a very good thing.

    Complex issuesRitter, who is paid on commission,

    has also helped renegotiate contracts for congregations in Long Beach and Moreno Valley, both of which were being paid as much as 25 percent un-der current market value.

    Complicating matters for church-es, Ritter said, is that lease agree-ments involve a highly specialized segment of real estate law, and each wireless company has its own contract language.

    In addition to the monthly reve-nue, congregations should consider if the lease provides for an annual rate increase, refusal rights for third-party lease sales, access guidelines that pre-vent maintenance and repairs during worship service hours, options for on-site visual impacts and clearly defi ned legal ramifi cations.

    Most landlords are approached with these (contracts), usually with the comment that Hey this is stan-dard language. This is what we use with everybody, so you shouldnt be too concerned about it. A lot of these leases get signed without any kind of review or revision at all, Ritter said.

    Churches, he said, are prime can-didates for tower leases because they are usually located in desirable resi-dential areas and have enough real estate to add the sites without too much impact to their facilities.

    Ritter, a licensed attorney and real estate agent, established the minis-try after working in the industry for years.

    Jesus created it, he said. He di-

    rected me to this, and He had been preparing me for years to actually get involved in this. We have the experi-ence. We have the Kingdom in and mind and are trying to make sure good decisions are being made.

    Representing the underdogThe industry expert said he was

    moved to help churches about sev-en years ago after discovering that churches were increasingly turning to the cell tower industry to help un-derwrite their ministries.

    Most of the churches are always looking for ways to fund ministry and to serve their community and further the Kingdom, he said.

    There are churches that have re-ported to me that, without the reve-nue thats coming in, they may not be able to survive. There are some that really count on this. It is the main avenue for them to continue serving their community and providing min-istry.

    Ritter said his goal is to help churches come away with a plan that provides the best opportunity to wid-en their ministry outreach.

    We talk about good stewardship, he said. Jesus taught in the parable of the talents about taking the bless-ings that He has given and doing well with them. Thats what this is really about. If the opportunity comes along for funding from an outside source, we feel theres an obligation to take a good look at it and get help if you need it and make the most of the situ-ation. Otherwise you are squandering a potential gift.

    Ferris is already a believer.Im a pretty good negotiator, but

    Im not a lawyer, she said. It always looks good when you are looking at the income, but the odds of ending up like us are good.

    For more information, visit www.towerseekers.com.

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  • IE May 2013 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER 7www.christianexaminer.com

    BIRTHCHOICE OF TEMECULA

    Information: 951.699.9808 x103 or 951.551.5428 Register: www.Active.com/donate/BCWalkforLife2013

    For downloadable forms: Click on Get Involved at www.birthchoicetemecula.com

    Send donations to:Birth Choice of Temecula, Attn: Walk for Life 2013, 27488 Enterprise Circle West, Suite #4, Temecula, CA 92590

    at Calvary Chapel Bible College39407 Murrieta Hot Springs Rd., Murrieta

    Saturday, May 1111:30 am - 3:30 pm

    WalkLife forBefore I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5

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    Come for food, fun, exercise

    LAKE ARROWHEAD The fi fth annual So Cal Singles Retreat will be held June 21 to 23 at Calvary Chapel Conference Center Twin Peaks, in the mountains near Lake Arrowhead.

    Special guests for the weekend include comedian Nick Arnette, who will perform and serve as emcee ,and speakers Meri Crouley, a television host and evangelist; Tim and Saman-tha Keller, authors who specialize in relationships and dating; and singles pastor Phillip Myles.

    Known for his clean and clever com-edy, Arnettes comic style is described as friendly and light-hearted. The author of two popular joke books, Arnette has worked with some of the biggest names in comedy.

    Crouley is the host of the Now is the Time television program and president of Destiny Studios, which is developing several motion pictures, in-cluding the Lonnie Frisbee Story. She founded Youthwave Explosion, which hosts large outreach concerts. She is the author of When God Speaks.

    The Kellers wrote Love, Sex & Dat-ing ... and What God Has to Say About It, and they will use information from their upcoming book to lead discussion groups at the retreat. Tim Keller is the campus pastor at Mariners Church Mission Viejo.

    Myles, the singles pastor at Christs Church of the Valley in San Dimas, is the author of Becoming a Discipler: 5-Session Seminar for Christian Men and They That Wait...7 Biblical Principles for Seeking Your Divinely Appointed Mate.

    Guests will be treated to topical workshops, contemporary praise and worship times, a prayer room and other activities.

    The conference leadership team includes representatives from singles ministries across the region in an effort connect retreat attendees back to their ministries.

    Registration for the event is $195, which includes housing and fi ve meals. For more information, visit www.socalsinglesretreat.com or call (909) 767-9470 or (951) 440-4201.

    So Cal Singles Retreat set for June 21-23

    Christian Examiner staff report

    ANAHEIM The Gospel Brunch, a mainstay of the House of Blues venues across the country, will unveil its revamped program in Anaheim on Mothers Day after partnering with Christian music icon Kirk Franklin.

    The reinvented program comes as the intimate music venue cel-ebrates its 20th anniversary. With Franklins infl uence, the show is said to be infused with the same kind of contemporary energy that made Franklin the biggest selling Gospel Music artist in the world.

    For two decades House of Blues has been a special place for fans and performers to share musical moments, memories and meals un-like any other place in the world, said its president, Ron Bension. As we head in to our next 20 years we wanted to make this Sunday tradi-tion even better by showcasing the greatest gospel music of yesterday, today and tomorrow with someone amazing like Kirk Franklin.

    According to Bension, Franklin has spent the past few months heavily engaged in creating the new Gospel Brunch experience, visiting many of the House of Blues clubs in person while tailoring each show to fi t the clubs individual market. In recreat-ing the brunch, Franklin sought to present a show where guests would be treated to an uplifting live music and dining spectacle designed to bring them to their feet, have them

    clapping, singing and creating unfor-gettable memories.

    House of Blues Gospel Brunch is an American institution, so I am honored to be working hand-in-hand with them to revitalize the ex-perience for music fans of all ages, Franklin said. This has really been a labor of love for me, and Im ex-cited for everyone to see what weve created when we kick things off on Mothers Day.

    The all-you-can-eat Gospel Brunch is a non-denominational, participative celebration of gospel music created as a way to help pa-trons wipe away the weeks troubles and inspire the week ahead. Its trademark buffet features south-ern specialties and morning feast favorites such as cornbread muffi ns and maple butter, Creole chicken and shrimp jambalaya, chicken and waffl es and carving stations.

    House of Blues was founded in 1992 and now has locations across the country, including Los Ange-les, San Diego, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Chicago, Cleveland, Myrtle Beach and Or-lando. Each features current sound and lighting technology in custom designed environments that bring fans as close as possible to the art-ists. Every locations restaurant is adorned with signature original folk artpart of the worlds largest collection.

    For more information, visit www.houseofblues.com.

    Christian entertainment icon Kirk Franklin has teamed up with House of Blues Gospel Brunch to revamp the venues meal and music experience. The inaugural show featuring Franklins infl uence will be unveiled at Mothers Day brunches across the country.

    Franklin lends name, infl uence to House of Blues Gospel Brunch

  • 8 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER May 2013 IE www.christianexaminer.com

    Associate through Ph.D.s#REDITFORLIFEEXPERIENCE

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    Have your event list ed FREE!Send us your Christian activity/event for next month, and well list it in THE CAL EN DAR at no charge. The deadline is the 18th of the prior month. Send to the Christian Examiner, P.O. Box 2606, El Cajon, CA 92021. Or fax to 1-888-305-4947. Or e-mail to [email protected]. We regret we cannot list Sunday morn ing services.

    MORE EVENTS online now at

    Future events for the Inland Empire not listed in this issue. Events for LA County, Orange County and San Diego County. Weekly and monthly ongoing meetings: Bible Studies, Evangelism,

    Fellowships (Men, Women, Seniors, Singles, Youth, MOPS), Motor-cycle Ministries, Music/Entertainment, Prayer Groups, Recovery and Support groups (Alcohol, Divorce, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Food, Sexual, Grandparenting, Grief, Celebrate Recovery, The Most Excellent Way, and many more), Seminars/Classes, Health/Fitness.

    THRU MAY 19Anne of Green Gables. Fri 7:30pm; Sat 2:15pm & 7:30pm; Sun 2:15pm, LifeHouse Theater, 1135 N Church St., Redlands, $7-18 lifehousetheater.com

    MAY 2 THURSDAYNational Day of Prayer ndpsandiego.org, nationaldayofprayer.org

    LA National Day of Prayer Breakfast for pastors & church leaders, featuring Dr. David Jeremiah. 9am, Universal Hilton Hotel, Hosted by KKLA kkla.com

    National Day of Prayer. 12-1pm, 14000 City Center Dr., Chino Hills. Hosted by Calvary Chapel Solid Rock (909) 606-7856

    MAY 3 FRIDAYRecovering from Loss, Crisis and Trauma, with Dr. H. Norman Wright. 6:30-9:30pm, Crosspoint Church, 28753 Via Montezuma, Temecula, $15 [email protected]

    MAY 4 SATURDAY Grief, Crisis and Trauma Training, with Dr. H. Norman Wright. 8:29am-3:30pm, Crosspoint Church, 28753 Via Mont-ezuma, Temecula, $25-49 [email protected]

    Moreno Valley Womens Connection. 9am, Moreno Valley Ranch Golf Club, 28095 John F. Kennedy Dr., Moreno Valley, $12 (951) 333-4292

    Truth Is Apologetics Youth Conference, with Sean McDowell, Brett Kunkle & more. 1-5pm, The Packinghouse Am-phitheater, 27165 San Bernardino Ave., Redlands, free (909) 793-8744

    Christian Social, 17+. 6pm, Men & Women On the Move Ministry, 25620 Eucalyptus Ave., Moreno Valley, $10 (951) 378-1703

    Rockshow Comedy Tour, with Tim Hawkins & Bob Smiley. 7pm, Calvary Community Church, 5495 Via Rocas, Westlake Village, $18-25 1-888-780-1116, trinitycommunications.org

    MAY 9 THURSDAYJohn Pearson, speaker at The Barnabas Group. 5-8:45pm, Cal Baptist University, 8432 Magnolia Ave., Riverside barnabasgroup.org

    MAY 10 FRIDAYHis Voice, Mens Chorus: Southwest Gospel Concert. 6:30pm, First Baptist Church, 26089 Girard, Hemet (951) 658-7133

    Mothers Day Movie Night, for entire family, Mars Needs Moms. 7pm, At the Crossings, 7094 Robin Nest Ct., Eastvale atthecrosings.com

    MAY 10-11 FRI-SAT29th Annual Homeschooling Convention & Expo, with Michael Farris, Greg Harris & more. California Center for the Arts, Escondido cfssd.org

    MAY 11 SATURDAYWalk for Life, with Birthchoice of Temec-ula, 11:30am-3:30pm, at Calvary Chapel Bible College, Murrieta. DJ, games, and more birthchoicetemecula.com

    His Voice, Mens Chorus: Southwest Gospel Concert. 6:30pm, Southwest Christian Church, 28030 Del Rio Rd.,

    Temecula (951) 658-7133

    MAY 13 MONDAYGlendora Christian Womens Connection Luncheon. 11am-12:30pm, Via Verde Country Club, 1400 Avenida Entrada, San Dimas (909) 609-5102

    MAY 14-17 TUE-FRIGeneral George Washington, an Edu-cational Musical for schools. 9:15am & 11am, LifeHouse Theater, 1135 N Church St., Redlands, $7 lifehousetheater.com

    MAY 17 FRIDAY2013 Promise Tour, featuring Sanctus Real & other special guests. 7pm, Cor-nerstone Community Church, 34570 Monte Vista Dr., Wildomar, $15-25. To benefi t Rancho Damacitas Childrens Home (951) 302-7597

    MAY 17-18 FRI-SAT16th Annual So-Cal Festival & Sale for World Relief. Fri 4-9pm & Sat 7am-4:30pm, Pacifi c Christian Center, 800 W. Arrow Hwy, Upland. To support Mennonite Central Committees efforts around the world socalfestivalandsale.org, (909) 981-1965

    MAY 18 SATURDAYCommunity Rummage Sale. 7am-1pm, Community Christian College, 251 Ten-nessee St., Redlands. Hosted by The Village in Redlands Retirement Home (909) 794-9880

    A Woman After Gods Own Heart, Con-ference, with Elizabeth George. 8am-3pm, Revival Christian Fellowship, 29220 Scott Rd., Menifee, $25 (951) 672-3157

    2nd Annual Fellowship Picnic in the Park. 10am, Cucamonga Guasti Regional Park, 800 N Archibald Ave., Sc. 3, Ontario, $10. Hosted by Your Sisters in Christ Ministries (909) 293-9170

    Spring Festival. 10am-3pm, Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 891 W. Blaine St., Riv-erside gethsemanelutheranchurch.com

    Spring Sing, with Evidence, Herb Henry Family, Johnson Family, the Weather-fords and more. 12-6pm, First Southern Baptist, 840 N Shattuck Pl., Orange, $13-16. Presented by WSGMA (714) 693-7684, wsgma.com/artist

    MAY 19 SUNDAYFreedom-Up Spring Fest Concert Series 2013, with Pawnshop Kings. 6-8pm, The Packinghouse Amphitheater, 27165 San Bernardino Ave., Redlands, free (909) 793-8744

    MAY 22-26 WED-SUNMind Cure 2013, with Eric Walsh, Magna Parks, Neil Nedley, Paul Coneff & more. Hyatt Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Rd., Irvine. Presented by Breach Builders mindcure2013.com

    MAY 23 THURSDAYGold of Grace Luncheon, music by Re-demption. 11:30am, 1515 S. Glendora Ave., Glendora, $7 (626) 338-3962

    MAY 25 SATURDAYRedemption Hymn-Sing. 6pm, White Avenue Baptist Church, 675 S. White Ave., Pomona, free (909) 263-7347, redemptionministry.net

    MAY 26 SUNDAYFamily and Friends Day, Praising God To-gether. 3:30pm, Mount Moriah Baptist Church, 18991 Mariposa Ave., Riverside (951) 780-2240

    Freedom-Up Spring Fest Concert Series 2013, with Tyrone Wells. 6-8pm, The Packinghouse Amphitheater, 27165 San Bernardino Ave., Redlands, free (909) 793-8744

    MAY 31 FRIDAYAn Evening with Ben Tankard. 7pm, Prin-ciples of Faith Christian Center, 17977 Mer-rill Ave., Fontana, free (909) 829-2055

    JUN 1-30The Three Musketeers. Fri 7:30pm; Sat 2:15pm & 7:30pm; Sun 2:15pm, LifeHouse Theater, 1135 N Church St., Redlands, $7-18 lifehousetheater.com

    JUN 1 SATURDAYMoreno Valley Womens Connection. 9am, Moreno Valley Ranch Golf Club, 28095 John F. Kennedy Dr., Moreno Valley, $12 (951) 333-4292

    SoCal Aglow Leadership Arising, with Kathy Sanders. 9am-6:30pm, Radisson Hotel, 2200 E Holt Blvd., Ontario, $45 (760) 868-2103

    Christian Social, 17+. 6pm, Men & Women On the Move Ministry, 25620 Eucalyptus Ave., Moreno Valley, $10 (951) 378-1703

    Christian Comedy Bash: Laughfest, with Jammin Jay Lamont, Aaron Edwards, The Great Omar & Lamont Bonman. 7pm, Principles of Faith Christian Center, 17977 Merrill Ave., Fontana, $10 (909) 829-2055

    JUN 2 SUNDAYFreedom-Up Spring Fest Concert Series 2013, with Divide & Nick Dog. 6-8pm, The Packinghouse Amphitheater, 27165 San Bernardino Ave., Redlands, free (909) 793-8744

    JUN 5 WEDNESDAYWomens Connection, luncheon. 11am-12:30pm, Calimesa Country Club, 1300 S Third St., Calimesa, $12 (951) 845-8082, (909) 795-2796

    JUN 5-7 WED-FRIWriting Unto the Glory 2013 Writers Workshop, with Eric Metaxas and Barbara Nicolosi-Harrington. 9am-5pm & 7-9pm, Bethel Church, 933 College View Dr., Redding, $75-129/person or $200/couple (530) 351-7536, bcrr.us/wutg

    JUN 6 THURSDAY

    2nd Annual Appreciation Luncheon, Be the Shield. 11:30am, March Field Air Museum, Riverside. Presented by The Salvation Army (951) 653-9131

    JUN 6-8 THU-SAT30th Annual Christian Home Educators Convention, with Ken Ham, Doug Phillips, and Elizabeth Smith. The Disneyland Hotel & Convention Center, 1150 W. Magic Way, Anaheim 1-866-599-6674, cheaofca.org

    JUN 7 FRIDAYThe Mantle of Helps with Crosby E. Har-ris Jr. 7pm, Principles of Faith Christian Center, 17977 Merrill Ave., Fontana, free (909) 829-2055

    Hillsong UNITED, in concert. 8pm, Hol-lywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles transparentproductions.com

    Five Iron Frenzy. 8pm, Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles transparentproductions.com

    JUN 7-9 FRI-SUNMiracles and Deliverance Crusade, with Bishop Robin Dinnanauth. 7pm, Courtyard Marriott Los Angeles Westside, 6333 Bristol Pkwy., Culver City, free r (310) 400-9742, obinhealingministry.com

    JUN 9 SUNDAYFreedom-Up Spring Fest Concert Series 2013, with Chris Lizotte & Marc Ford. 6-8pm, The Packinghouse Amphitheater, 27165 San Bernardino Ave., Redlands, free (909) 793-8744

    JUN 14 FRIDAY Israel Houghton and New Breed, in con-cert, 7-9pm, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, $15-25 tsatickets.org

    Switchfoot, in concert. 7:30pm, San Diego County Fair, Del Mar, free with fair admission or $23-34/reserved sdfair.com, ticketmaster.com

    JUN 15 SATURDAYRun/Walk for Life, hosted by A Womens Care Center. 7am, Industry Expo Center, 16200 Temple Ave., City of Industry, $30/registration (909) 628-6848

    JUN 16 SUNDAYFreedom-Up Spring Fest Concert Series 2013, with Doyle Dykes. 6-8pm, The Packinghouse Amphitheater, 27165 San Bernardino Ave., Redlands, free (909) 793-8744

    JUN 19 WEDNESDAYThird Day, in concert. 7:30pm, San Diego County Fair, Del Mar, free with fair admis-sion or $23-34/reserved sdfair.com

    JUN 19-22 WED-SAT38th Annual Exodus Freedom Confer-ence, with Alan Chambers, Lisa Bevere, Mike Haley & more. Concordia University, 1530 Concordia W, Irvine 1-888-264-0877, exodusfreedom.org

    JUN 21-23 FRI-SATThe C.S. Lewis Summer Conference, for readers, writers & mere Christians, with Peter Kreeft, James Como, Steve Bell & more. University of San Diego, San Diego cslewis.org, 1-888-CSLEWIS

    MAY 4 SATURDAY (cont.)

    MAY 11 SATURDAY (cont.) MAY 18 SATURDAY (cont.)

  • IE May 2013 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER 9www.christianexaminer.com

    5th Annual SoCal Singles Retreat. Cal-vary Christian Conference Center, Twin Peaks, $195-245. Hosted by Single + Passion Ministries socalsinglesretreat.com, (909) 767-9470

    JUN 28 FRIDAYCasting Crowns, with Laura Stor y, in concert. 7pm, The Packinghouse, 27165 San Bernardino, Redlands transparentproductions.com

    JUN 29 SATURDAYFishfest 2013, with Casting Crowns, Third Day, Phil Wickham, Laura Story, Audio Adrenaline, Jake Hamilton & more. Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Irvine fi shfestla.com, transparentproductions.com

    9th Annual Gospel Festival, with Mary Mary & Dottie Peoples. 7:30pm, San Diego County Fair, Del Mar, free with fair admission or $23-34/reserved sdfair.com, ticketmaster.com

    JUL 10-12 WED-FRIActiv8 Conference, We Speak to the Future, with Planetshakers, Raul Ries, Larry Neville & more. Anaheim Con-vention Center, Anaheim, $99-125 activ8conference.com, 1-888-980-5116

    JUL 12-14 FRI-SUNSingles Safari Retreat. Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, Packages starting at $205 (714) 622-4977, spectaculareventz.com

    JUL 22-24 MON-WEDJesus Culture Conference. Gibson Am-phitheater, Los Angeles, $90-129 je-suscultureconferencela.eventbrite.com

    JUL 28 SUNDAYAn Evening with Amy Grant, with special guest Brandon Heath, Greek Theatre, Los Angeles ticketmaster.com, 1-800-745-3000

    AUG 1-3 THU-SATSpirit West Coast, with Newsboys, Tenth Avenue North, Jeremy Camp, The City Harmonic, Jamie Grace, For King and Country, Moriah Peters, Nick Hall, Reggie Dabbs & many more. The Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey spiritwestcoast.org

    AUG 23-25 FRI-SUNSoCal 2013 Harvest Crusade, with Greg Laurie. Angel Stadium, Anaheim harvest.org

    SEP 28-29 SAT-SUNHarvest America 2013 with Greg Laurie. Streamed nationwide from Philadelphia harvest.org

    OCT 22-NOV 2Christian Singles Hawaii Cruise on Ce-lebrity Cruise Lines (couples welcome) christiansinglesfunevents.com, (714) 622-4002

    JUN 21-23 FRI-SAT (cont.)

    Be the Shield event honors Army volunteers

    RIVERSIDE The Salvation Army of Moreno Valley will host Be the Shield, its second annual apprecia-tion luncheon at 11:30 a.m. June 6 at the March Field Air Museum.

    The event will mark the organiza-tions accomplishments over the past year and will include recognition of major donors and volunteers.

    For more information, send an email to [email protected] or call (951) 653-9131.

    Sisters bring back annual park fellowship

    ONTARIO Your Sisters In Christ Ministries will hold its sec-ond annual Fellowship Picnic in the Park at 10 a.m. May 18 at Cu-camonga-Guasti Regional Park.

    The theme for this years community outreach is God Said, based on Luke 14:13-24. According to event organiz-ers, the day is designed to bring the whole family out to enjoy live music, games, arts and crafts, community re-sources, giveaways and prizes. A variety of guests will perform.

    The event is free, but parking is $10. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch. The parks features include fi shing on its two lakes, picnic facilities, an aqua cy-cle, pedal boat rentals, volleyball courts, horse shoe pits, playgrounds and the Zero Depth Water Park.

    Your Sisters In Christ Ministries is a local organization that is commit-ted to community fellowship.

    The park is located at 800 N. Ar-chibald Avenue, Space 3.

    For more information, call (909) 293-9170.

    Redemption gospel has 2 May concerts

    POMONA Redemption Minis-tries, a Southern Gospel group, will present two concerts in May.

    The fi rst will be during the Gold of Grace Luncheon, set for 11:30 a.m. May 23 at Grace Church of Glendora, 1515 S. Glendora Ave. Tickets to the event, for adults 18 and up, are $7 and can be reserved by calling (626) 338-3962. The deadline to register is May 17.

    The second performance will be at the Redemption Hymn-Sing at 6 p.m. May 25 at White Avenue Bap-tist Church in Pomona. There is no charge for that event. The church is located at 675 S. White Ave. For more information, on the hymn-sing, call (909) 622-2234. For more information on the group, visit www.redemptionministry.net.

    Laughfest comedy bash returns to Fontana

    FONTANA Principles of Faith Christian Center will host Chris-tian Comedy Bash: Laughfest at 7 p.m. June 1.

    Designed as a family event, the show will include special guests Jammin Jay Lamont, from Ameri-cas Got Talent; Aaron Edwards, of Back By Popular Demand; illusion-ist The Great Omar; and comedian Lamont Bonman.

    Tickets are $10. Doors open at 6 p.m.

    The church is located at 17977 Merrill Ave.

    For more information, visit www.pfccsite.org or call (909) 829-2055.

    Reptiles featured at Gethsemane festival

    RIVERSIDE Gethsemane Lutheran Church will present its Spring Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 18.

    The event will include a rep-tile show, games, music and food.The church is located at 891 W. Blaine St.

    For more information, visit www.gethsemanelutheranchurch.com or call (951) 684-6446.

    Rummage sale will benefi t senior village

    REDLANDS The Village at Redlands Retirement Home will hold a community rummage sale from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18 at Community Christian College.

    The event is a fundraiser for The Village at Redlands. The Village was founded in 1988, when four area churches Bethany Reformed Church, 1st Christian Reformed Church, Highland Christian Re-formed Church and Hope Prot-estant Reformed Churchcame together to develop a retirement community to care for the senior population.

    The sale will include furniture, clothes, toys and collectibles.

    The college is located at 251 Tennessee St.

    For more information, visit (909) 794-9880.

    SoCal Aglow meets on June 1 in Ontario

    ONTARIO Aglow Internation-al will present SoCal Aglow Lead-ership Arising! from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. June 1 at the Radisson Hotel.

    Kathy Sanders, leader develop-ment director for the organization, will be the guest speaker.

    The $45 registration fee includes a buffet luncheon.

    The hotel is located at2200 E. Holt Blvd.

    For more information, call (760) 868-2103.

    Summer camp teaches teen entrepreneurship

    IRVINE The annual Teen En-trepreneur Academy, a one-week residential camp for high school students designed to prepare them as future business leaders, will be held July 14 to 19 at Concordia University.

    Through the camp, Students learn how to realize the business ideas or the passion in their hearts for business that the Lord has given them. Stephen Christensen, Con-cordias business instructor and entrepreneur expert, along with other business faculty and success-ful business leaders will facilitate the camp.

    During their entrepreneurship training, student teams will write business plans and learn best business practices and biblical principles for starting a business.

    Enrollment for the camp, which is limited to 50 high school stu-dents, is $495 and includes room, board, books, fi eld trips and classes.

    For more information, send an email to [email protected] or call (949) 214-3198.

    Irvine conference to study mental health

    IRVINE Mind Cure 2013, a mental health conference spon-sored by Breach Builders Ministry, will be held May 22 to 26 at the Hy-att Irvine.

    According to organizers, some of the nations leading professionals will discuss legitimate resolutions, including prayer and meditation, to the growing issues of mental

    Come and grow your relationship with God and fellowship with other Christian Singles for a fun Summer getaway June 21-23. Hundreds of Christian Singles have attended and so can you and your friends! Beautiful facility, hotel-style rooms, activities galore.

    Register online at SoCalSinglesRetreat.com#ALLORs-INISTRY-AIL3P GMAILCOM

    Jammin Jay Lamont, a former contest on NBCs Americas Got Talent, will be one of the featured performers at Christian Comedy Bash: Laughfest, to be held June 1 at Principles of Faith Christian Center.

    See CONFERENCE, page 11

  • 10 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER May 2013 IE www.christianexaminer.com

    How to personally know GodRealize that you are a sinner.No matter how good a life we try to live, we still fall miserably short of being a good person. That is because we are all sinners. We all fall short of Gods desire for us to be holy. The Bible says, There is no one righteousnot even one (Romans 3:10 NIV). This is because we cannot become who we are supposed to be without Jesus Christ.

    Recognize that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead.The Bible tells us, But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8 NIV). This is the Good News, that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place when we least deserved it.

    Repent of your sin.The Bible tells us to repent and turn to God (Acts 3:19 NIV). The word repent means to change our direction in life. Instead of running from God, we can run toward Him.

    Receive Christ into your life.Becoming a Christian is not merely believing some creed or going to church. It is having Christ Himself

    take residence in your life and heart. If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9 NIV).

    If you would like to have a relation-ship with Jesus Christ, simply pray this prayer with complete sincerity.

    Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe you died for my sins and rose again. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess you as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

    If you just prayed that prayer and meant it, Jesus Christ has now taken residence in your heart! Your decision to follow Christ means God has forgiven you and that you will spend eternity in heaven. The Bible tells us, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 NIV).

    To put your faith in action, be sure to spend time with God by reading your Bible, praying, getting involved in a Bible-preaching church, and telling others about Christ.

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    Harold E. Miller, BrokerDRE# 00403837

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    Rancho Cucamonga: Sanctuary seats 225, kitchen, classrooms, $2,500 per month

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    CHURCHES FOR RENT CHURCHES FOR SALE Religious sites for sale in Colton, San Bernardino, Fontana, Yucca Valley and Covina. Available for shared use beautiful church in East Whittier. Churches wanted LA, Orange, SB & Riverside Counties. www.churchwanted.com shows religious property for sale or lease in So. Calif. Free consulta-tion regarding your church value, potential share of your building, relocation needs. Call Raphael Realty (213) 999-9939 or email [email protected]. If youre a religious group, we can help. 30+ years of experience. Members of CA and National Assoc. of Realtors DRE#00713881.

    CHURCHES WANTEDCh urches Wanted: For sale or lease; We have buyers waiting. Experienced Church Special-ist, member of National and California Association of Realtors. Need help? Call Western Brokerage at (909) 822-2923 or Henry at (951) 529-2330. Email [email protected]; www.westernbrokerageco.com. DRE License # 00761467.

    EDUCATIONBankruptcy or Immigration Paralegal. Training, certifi cate & placement. $395 (626) 552-2885.

    HELP WANTEDAdmin. Assistant needed to work from home on computer, for Christian College. $9 an hour, part-time, to start call 1-855-FINDWISDOM.

    SERVICESLive-in housekeeper wanted: Experienced. Free Room/Board for domestic services; cooking, clean-ing, errands, miscellaneous. Licensed /Insured with own vehicle. Moreno Valley home. Mature female. No smoking, drugs, drinking. Background check. Call (213) 440-4835.

    SINGLESChristian singles activities for Southern California dinner-dances, cruises, New Years Eve dance, fun activities. Visit ChristianSinglesFunEvents.com or call (714) 622-4002.

    VACATION RENTALSLake Arrowhead Vacation HomesGreat for Families, Retreats, Reunions. (562) 427-9810.

  • IE May 2013 CHRISTIAN EXAMINER 11www.christianexaminer.com

    UPLAND MANOR

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    health.In addition to the industry

    experts, ordinary people who have experienced real victory over mental health challenges will make presentations.

    Topics include how to cultivate healthy relationships; develop good eating habits; enhance emo-tional intelligence; improve gener-al intelligence; memory and social relations; increase motivation; overcome depression and anxiety; and relieve stress.

    In addition to the workshops, other conference highlights in-clude brain-enhancing music, discussion about brain develop-ment nutritional facts and meals featuring some of the best gourme, plant-based meals prepared by some of most experienced chefs in food service and nutrition.

    Breach Builders focuses on health evangelism, city mission work and discipleship through training, tools and resources.

    For more information, visit www.mindcure2013.com or call (951) 538-9984.

    Activ8 conference looks to the future

    ANAHEIM The Activ8 Con-ference, designed to fuel and equip pastors, ministry leaders, volunteers and teens, will be held July 10 to 12 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

    The theme of the conference, sponsored by Praise Chapel In-ternational, is We Speak to the Future and is based on Acts 2:17.

    Conference activities include, worship concerts, networking and connecting. Workshops will ex-plore church planting, discipleship making and evangelism. Special events are also planned for chil-dren ages 6 to 11.

    Speakers for the conference include Raul Ries, pastor of Cal-vary Chapel Golden Springs and founder of the Somebody Loves You evangelistic outreach; Sonny Arguinzoni, founder of Victory Outreach, a church multiplica-tion movement with more than

    700 churches; and Larry Neville, senior leader of Praise Chapel International, a family of church planting fellowships that has ties to more than 2,000 churches and ministries worldwide.

    Martin Smith, lead singer for genre-defi ning band Delirious, will lead worship. With Smiths in-fl uence, the group has garnered a number of Dove Awards, Grammy nominations and earned RIAA certifi ed gold selling status. The father of six has written numerous best-selling songs, I Could Sing of Your Love Forever, Shout to the North and Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?

    For more information, and to register, visit www.a8conference.com.

    Biola has neuroscience and the soul seminar

    LA MIRADA The Center for Christian Thought at Biola Univer-sity will host the free conference Neuroscience and the Soul from May 10 to 11.

    The conference will concentrate on how contemporary sciences are now addressing questions about human nature once thought only to be accessible through philoso-phy and theology.

    The featured plenary speak-ers will be John Cooper, Calvin Theological Seminary; Joel Green, Fuller, Theological Seminary; William Hasker, Huntington Uni-versity; William Hurlbut, Stanford University; Timothy OConnor, Indiana University; Brad Strawn, Fuller Theological Seminary; Rich-ard Swinburne, Oxford University; J.P. Moreland, Biola University; and Dean Zimmerman, Rutgers University.

    Among the topics to be explored are Whose Interpretation? Which Anthropology? Biblical Herme-neutics and the Body-Soul Debate; On Doing Without a Soul: A New Testament Perspective; The Brain, Consciousness and Human Meaning: Case Studies from Neu-roscience; The Dialectic of Soul and Body; and Christian Theol-ogy, Science and the Human Soul.

    For more information, visit cct.biola.edu/events/registration.

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    This is a great victory, and it happened because Christians were outraged by the incident and spoke up. What would have happened had local pastors, reverends and Christians stayed silent? The professor might still be using this exercise with impression-able students now and in the future.

    Sometimes, it can be diffi cult to take a stand for what we believe to be truth, based on Gods Truth. It can feel like we are in th