Provocative New Book Claims Recent Discoveries Prove Historical Jesus Like Gospels’ Portrayal

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In a provocative book that challenges two centuries’ worth of skeptical New Testament scholarship, author Robert J. Hutchinson argues that the historical Jesus of Nazareth was very close to being just as the Gospels describe him — a fiery, courageous, charismatic populist who drew crowds by the tens of thousands and electrified all of Palestine with his announcement of God’s kingdom in their midst.

In “Searching for Jesus,” Hutchinson draws together recent scholarship and archaeological discoveries to show that many negative ideas about Jesus paraded in the media every Christmas – for example, that Jesus was a violent revolutionary – are now being rejected by leading secular scholars . . .

Among the developments Hutchinson highlights are:

The 2009 discovery of a first-century house in Nazareth that refutes those who say the village didn’t exist in biblical times.

As an example, he cites the idea that Jesus’ early followers saw him only as a powerful rabbi, noting that recent scientific analysis of the texts shows that the earliest sources of the New Testament spoke of Jesus “standing at the right hand of God.” (Read more from “Provocative New Book Claims Recent Discoveries Prove Historical Jesus Like Gospels’ Portrayal” HERE)

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Crying Newborn Found in NYC Church Nativity Scene

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A wailing newborn baby was found with his umbilical cord attached inside a nativity scene at a Queens church, police say.

The baby was discovered by a maintenance worker at the Holy Child Jesus Catholic Church in Richmond Hill Monday at about noon, according to the New York Police Department . . .

The Rev. Christopher Ryan Heanue told NBC 4 New York the worker was cleaning inside the church when he heard the baby crying inside the nativity scene, which had been set up earlier than usual this year . . .

Inside Baby Jesus’ spot in the manger was a newborn, a few hours old at most, Heanue estimated. Bishop Octavio Cisnero, also there, couldn’t believe his eyes . . .

The church is considered a Safe Haven under state law, which allows a parent to safely leave a newborn baby up to 30 days of age anonymously and without fear of prosecution at suitable locations, like at hospitals, firehouses or police stations. But the law also requires the child to be left with an appropriate person or for someone to be contacted right away. (Read more from “Crying Newborn Found in NYC Church Nativity Scene” HERE)

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Here’s Why Planned Parenthood Is Suing Texas

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Planned Parenthood and 10 of its patients sued the state of Texas on Monday to block officials from cutting off Medicaid funds, calling the state’s actions political and part of a long-term pattern of denying reproductive healthcare to women.

“Women in Texas today have fewer rights than they did when I was growing up, and less access to healthcare,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards told reporters when announcing the lawsuit. “This time, they’re targeting some of the most vulnerable Texans — women who already have the least access to healthcare in the country.”

Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott announced in October that state health officials were kicking Planned Parenthood and its affiliates out of the Medicaid program, which pays for procedures such as cancer screenings, birth control and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

In a statement at the time, Abbott said the state was acting in response to a series of antiabortion videos, which accused Planned Parenthood of profiting from the sale of fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood denies the allegations, and more than half a dozen state investigations have cleared the organization of wrongdoing.

“The gruesome harvesting of baby body parts by Planned Parenthood will not be allowed in Texas, and the barbaric practice must be brought to an end,” Abbott said at the time. “As such, ending the Medicaid participation of Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state of Texas is another step in providing greater access to safe healthcare for women while protecting our most vulnerable — the unborn.” (Read more from “Here’s Why Planned Parenthood Is Suing Texas” HERE)

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Controversy Over Boston High School Student’s Illegal Immigration Tweet

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A local high school cheerleading captain was disciplined after she sent out a tweet about illegal aliens.

She says it was a political statement, not a racial one! FOX25 spoke with the teen who says she was taking a page from Donald Trump. Caley Godino is a senior at Revere High School and she says part of their homework is to watch these presidential debates and her tweet was simply about a hot button issue in the headlines.

“When only 10 percent of Revere votes for mayor cause the other 90 percent isn’t legal,” Godino said in the tweet.

She says it was a response to a tweet from her teacher about the low voter turnout for November’s mayoral race. Caley says she meant her tweet as a political comment not a racial comment.

But after other students complained, the school stepped in. Revere Superintendent Dianne Kelly says the district believes in freedom of speech, but cannot support what she calls insensitive language. (Read more from “Controversy Over Boston High School Student’s Illegal Immigration Tweet” HERE)

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Franklin Graham Slams Charlie Hebdo for Russian Plane Crash Cartoons

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Prominent evangelist Franklin Graham has criticized French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo after it published cartoons mocking the Egypt air disaster, which saw the deaths of 224 people.

As reported by the Gospel Herald, the French magazine first made headlines in February when Islamist gunmen killed 11 people at its Paris headquarters in January after the publication released photos mocking the prophet Muhammad.

Recently, the magazine once again created a buzz, this time for featuring two cartoons relating to the Metrojet plane, going from Sharm El Sheikh to St Petersburg, which crashed in Sinai on October 31, killing everyone on board . . .

On Monday, Rev. Franklin Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, took to Facebook to share his thoughts on the issue . . .

[Read the Facebook post HERE]

“The magazine’s editor said they were a secular, atheist newspaper and that ‘the term blasphemy has no meaning for us,'” Graham noted. “I have news for them-it means something to the rest of the world, and it means something to all those whose lives have been forever changed by that tragic crash. Charlie Hebdo was wrong in mocking Islam, and they’re wrong now.” (Read more from “Franklin Graham Slams Charlie Hebdo for Russian Plane Crash Cartoons” HERE)

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Toddler Dies After Siblings Lock Her in Oven

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Two Houston 3-year-olds who were left home alone Thursday locked their 19-month-old sister in an oven, turned it on and killed her.

Child Protective Services records reviewed by KTRK show one child put J’Zyra Thompson in the oven and the other made it “hot.” The baby reportedly kicked the oven door while inside. Attempts to resuscitate Thompson, who had multiple burns, were unsuccessful . . .

J’Zyra’s mom, Racquel Thompson, left her four kids – all under the age of 5 – home alone while she and a boyfriend got food at Domino’s Pizza and filled a prescription at Walgreens, police said.

Frederick Price is the father of at least two of Thompson’s children, and said he may be J’Zyra’s dad, but never took a paternity test to find out. He told KTRK that he hadn’t seen the children in months after failed attempts to contact Thompson . . .

The grandmother of at least one of the children lived in the same apartment complex as Thompson, but Thompson never informed her she was leaving to get food or asked her to watch the kids, according to CPS case workers. Price also said Thompson should have called him. (Read more from “Toddler Dies After Siblings Lock Her in Oven” HERE)

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This Is What Donald Trump’s Children Say Was ‘Family Time’

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Donald Trump has said managing a multibillion-dollar real estate company meant he was often away from his children as they were growing up, but his kids told Barbara Walters they all have fond memories of spending time with their father on the job.

“We grew up walking construction sites,” Ivanka Trump, 34, told Walters in an interview for ABC News “20/20.” “He found a way that was true to him to connect with us that maybe is a little less traditional because he was working so hard…and we are so comfortable in our relationship with our father.”

“He would always sneak me down to get a candy bar in the lobby,” added Tiffany Trump, 22. “Our times together were learning, playing in his office.”

Donald Trump’s four eldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany, spoke with Walters about what it was like growing up with their dad and what they think about his presidential run. Trump’s youngest, his 9-year-old son Barron, did not attend the interview because he was at school.

Trump’s three adult children, Donald Jr, Ivanka, and Eric, all work in their father’s company, The Trump Organization, as Executive Vice Presidents. His eldest son said he remembers their father stopping whatever he was doing to take phone calls from them. (Read more from “This Is What Donald Trump’s Children Say Was ‘Family Time'” HERE)

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A 7th Grade Teacher Just Taught Something That Has Parents Outraged

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A teacher in the Ocean View School district [California] forced her seventh-grade class to sing a song about Islam that implied Allah was the only god.

The teacher used the melody of the song “This Is My Fight Song,” written by Rachel Platten, and altered the original lyrics to fit Islam . . .

Susan Negron, the mother of one of the students, discovered what the teacher had done when her son brought home drawings in a notebook including a stick-figure man saying, “Believe in Allah! There is no other god” and a copy of the lyrics, according to the Orange County Register.

Outraged, Susan’s mother Nichole posted pictures on a Huntington Beach community Facebook page on Tuesday, and later addressed the Oceanview School Board. Susan reportedly said, “I believe that by singing this song, the children feel comfortable believing that maybe Allah is the only god, and maybe that they should start following him. And that I’m not OK with.” (Read more from “A 7th Grade Teacher Just Taught Something That Has Parents Outraged” HERE)

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Hillary Campaign Threatens Comedians For “Disgusting” Routines, Promises Laugh Factory Will Be “Put out of Business”

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In what appears to be a first for a serious presidential contender, Hillary Clinton’s campaign is going after five comedians who made fun of the former Secretary of State in standup skits at a popular Hollywood comedy club.

A video of the short performance, which is less than three minutes, is posted on the website of the renowned club, Laugh Factory, and the Clinton campaign has tried to censor it. Besides demanding that the video be taken down, the Clinton campaign has demanded the personal contact information of the performers that appear in the recording. This is no laughing matter for club owner Jamie Masada, a comedy guru who opened Laugh Factory more than three decades ago and has been instrumental in launching the careers of many famous comics. “They threatened me,” Masada told Judicial Watch. “I have received complains before but never a call like this, threatening to put me out of business if I don’t cut the video” . . .

Masada told Judicial Watch that, as soon as the video got posted on the Laugh Factory website, he received a phone call from a “prominent” person inside Clinton’s campaign. “He said the video was disgusting and asked who put me up to this,” Masada said. The Clinton staffer, who Masada did not want to identify, also demanded to know the names and phone numbers of the comedians that appear in the video. Masada refused and hung up. He insists that the comedy stage is a sanctuary for freedom of speech no matter who is offended. “Just last night we had (Emmy-award winner) Dana Carvey doing Donald Trump and it was hilarious,” Masada said. (Read more from “Hillary Campaign Threatens Comedians For “Disgusting” Routines, Promises Laugh Factory Will Be “Put out of Business” HERE)

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Glenn Beck Reveals What He Believes Obama Meant by ‘Diversifying Neighborhoods’

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Glenn Beck explained Wednesday on The Glenn Beck Radio Program what he believes to be President Barack Obama’s motivation behind taking in a large number of Muslim refugees.

Anyone remember when the president said that he wanted to diversify our neighborhoods?” Beck asked.

The Obama administration determined over the summer that housing in the U.S. needed to be diversified, according to a recent Housing and Urban Development rule. The policy calls on cities to analyze their housing patterns for racial and ethnic biases, as well as “patterns of segregation” every few years . . .

“Everybody said, ‘He’s trying to develop some sort of utopia. I mean, you can’t manufacture our neighborhoods. What are you doing?’ And he said, ‘We need to have our neighborhoods much more diverse. We need America to be a much more diverse nation,’” Beck recounted.

Beck went on to suggest that the government sees accepting an influx of Muslim refugees from the Middle East to be the “perfect way” to make the U.S. “much more diverse” because the State Department — in association with nine other agencies — determines where the refugees will be placed. (Read more from “Glenn Beck Reveals What He Believes Obama Meant by ‘Diversifying Neighborhoods'” HERE)

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