News and Prophecy Staff

“From twin pro-gay Supreme Court rulings, to the president of the United States referencing ‘our gay brothers and sisters’ in his inaugural address, to the first male pro athlete coming out of the closet, 2013 has been a ‘banner year’ for gay rights” (YahooNews, December 2, 2013). “Years of campaigning started paying off at warp speed, prompting Fred Sainz of the Human Rights Campaign to call 2013 ‘the gayest year in gay history’” (ibid.).

Last week, tensions erupted in the East China Sea when China declared an air defense perimeter around a group of islands currently controlled by Japan but claimed by China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan (BBC, November 28, 2013). China also announced that its air force was prepared “to deal with all air threats” from unidentified aircraft (ibid.).  The air defense zone amounts to a claim to all the territory and resources within the contested perimeter.

As a result of the “deal” brokered by the U.S.

“Christianity is just a ‘generation away from extinction’ in Britain unless churches make a dramatic breakthrough in attracting young people back to the faith, the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has warned” (Telegraph, November 18, 2013).

“POPE FRANCIS has inspired a surge in attendances and confessions in the Roman Catholic Church, reversing decades of decline... In the eight months since he was chosen, cathedrals in Britain have seen a rise of about 20% in congregations, drawing in both new and lapsed members… Attendances at the Pope’s weekly address [in Rome] have surged to 85,000 last month against 5,000 for his predecessor, Benedict XVI” (Sunday Times, November 17, 2013).