Calexit gets go-ahead to start collecting signatures

Advocates who want California to secede from the rest of the United States were given the green light Monday to begin collecting signatures for their initiative.

California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the ballot proposal had been cleared.

The latest measure would ask voters in 2020 to decide whether to open up a secession discussion. If passed, a second election would be held a year later asking voters to affirm the decision and become an independent country.

Advocates have until mid-October to gather 365,880 signatures of registered voters to get it on the ballot.

Marcus Ruiz Evans and Louis J. Marinelli, co-founders of the group Yes California, said the second vote would show that Californians are serious about secession and would strengthen the case for foreign governments to recognize the state’s independence.

“We realize it may seem like a long time to wait,” Marinelli told The Times of San Diego. “But we need time to have a serious dialogue with the people of California about why they should support the independence referendum by voting yes. The voters need to make an informed decision when they go to the polls to determine California’s political future.”

Evans told CNBC that while his group is progressive, they do embrace some conservative ideals. 

"Calexit is left — we are progressive, and that's why we don't like Trump," Evans said. "But there are some very hardcore Republican concepts to Calexit, including the group saying don't waste our tax money."

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Toronto collision leaves 9 dead, 16 injured; suspect in custody

Nine people are dead and 16 are injured after the driver of a van plowed into multiple pedestrians in Toronto, police said.

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DEVELOPING: Van strikes numerous pedestrians in Toronto

Police say a white van has struck numerous pedestrians in Toronto. The incident happened at the busy intersection of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue, according to the Toronto Police Service. Initial estimates  suggest eight to 10 people were struck. The extent of injuries is unknown and ambulances are on the scene. Photos posted online show multiple individuals on the ground. Toronto paramedics are advising people to stay out of the area of Yonge Street near Finch and Sheppard Avenue.  READ MORE

Are These Undeniable Signs We Are in the End Times?

Are we living in the biblical end times? That's a question that has consistently emerged over the past two millennia, with scores of Christians wondering when Jesus' Second Coming will unfold. It's a topic that famed Christian author Joel Rosenberg has often discussed, as the prophecy expert routinely shares what he believes the Bible says about the end of days.

Rosenberg, author of the new book, The Kremlin Conspiracy, said during a recent appearance on PureFlix.com's Pure Talk that he believes humanity technically entered the last days once Jesus came, died, rose and set the gospel message into motion.

While Rosenberg said the Bible tells us not to date-set, he pointed to signs that he believes indicate that humanity is moving further toward the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

"I don't know when, I don't have a date ... but if you look at all the prophecies ... one wonders," he said. "You see a lot of global chaos .. more Christians have been slaughtered in the last century than at any other time in human history—and that's saying something, because we've been often slaughtered."

It was rebirth of Israel in 1948, though, that Rosenberg believes is quite significant, as he called it one of the "main prophecies" in the Old Testament, pointing back to Ezekiel 36-39 as one of the places where Israel's re-emergence is prophesied.

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RUMORS OF WAR: Israel pulls fighter jets from drill in Alaska amid tensions with Iran

The Israel Air Force has decided to scale back its participation in the Red Flag exercise amid increasing tensions on Israel’s northern border.

“In light of the situational assessment by the air force it was decided to adjust the planes’ participation in the exercise,” a statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said, adding that “Israel’s first participation in the Red Flag exercise in Alaska will take place as planned.”

According to a statement by air force public affairs officer Kitsana Dounglomchan, Israel’s air force decided not to send F-15 fighter jets to the two-week-long drill that will run between April 26 and May 11 out of the Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks and joint base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.

“Despite this change, we are looking forward to hosting the Israeli contingent that will be partaking in Red Flag-Alaska 18-1,” Dounglomchan was quoted by local media as saying.

The Red Flag exercises take place several times a year bringing together US and international forces for drills on realistic simulated combat situations. A statement released by Pacific Air Forces, the Alaskan Command’s higher headquarters that directs the exercise, said that over 60 aircraft “from more than a dozen units” will be taking part in the drill.

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Atheists demand IRS bill churches $1 billion

A demand from atheists that the IRS bill churches and other religious organizations a total of some $1 billion would violate freedom of worship and destroy many congregations, a new court brief contends.

In a case now at the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, churches are seeking to overturn a stunning district court decision by Judge Barbara Crabb.

At issue is the tax exemption provided for employees whose housing is determined by their employer.

That includes pastors of Christians churches and leaders of congregations of other faiths, often referred to as the parsonage allowance.

It provides that a housing allowance is not considered taxable income when the house is for the convenience of the employer. While pastors do benefit, the tax deduction also is available for workers who live overseas, employees of educational institutes, any member or former member of the uniformed services, government workers living overseas, any American citizen living abroad and others.

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School Bus Driver Removed after Leading Prayer…

A Twin Cities-area school bus driver says his rights to free speech and to practice his religion were violated when he was taken off his route for leading students in prayer. The Star Tribune reports that Quality Care Transportation removed George Nathaniel from his route last week. He drove children to Nasha Shkola, a charter school focused on Russian language and culture. Quality Care owner Muk Musa says school officials received complaints that Nathaniel was forcing minors to pray. Nathaniel says he wants to turn people to Christianity, but he never forced students to pray. Musa says Nathaniel isn't fired, but hasn't received a new route either. Nathaniel was fired from driving Burnsville children four years ago for the same reason. He's also a pastor of a Minneapolis congregation.

9 Celebrities That Went Against Their Christian Beliefs

Like many Americans, numerous celebrities were born and raised in Christian households. Tons of A-list celebrities got their start in church choir, went to Catholic schools, or had religious parents. There are great examples of celebrities who took their Christian upbringing with them to Hollywood. These celebrities love to share Jesus with their fans frequently and are open about their beliefs.

However, there are many celebrities that have decided to go against their Christian beliefs. While they were raised Christian, something changed during their life that caused them to distance themselves greatly from the Christian religion. These celebrities have denounced Jesus Christ as their savior and aren’t afraid to let their fans, the media, and the world know. Though once Christian, these celebrities have left the faith for one reason or another and are now practicing other forms of spirituality.

These nine celebrities have been open about their changed beliefs.

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TICK..TICK…TICK … California fault line is ‘tectonic time bomb’ for disastrous earthquake

Residents in the San Francisco Bay Area are living along a fault that is a "ticking time bomb" that could generate an earthquake that could kill hundreds, according to a report released Wednesday.

The U.S. Geological Survey said in a report called the "HayWired Scenario" that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Hayward Fault located under Oakland could kill as many as 800 people and injure up to 18,000.

“This fault is what we sort of call a tectonic time bomb,” USGS earthquake geologist emeritus David Schwartz told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s just waiting to go off.”

Researches said the Hayward Fault is dangerous because it runs through "one of the most urbanized" areas in the nation, stretching along the East Bay from Richmond and Berkeley up north, through Oakland, and spanning south toward Fremont.

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GQ Magazine Puts the Bible on List of Most Overrated Books Ever

The Bible is one of the most overrated books of all time, according to a recent article by GQ Magazine.

The article, written by "the editors of GQ," ranks the sacred text No. 12 on the list of 21 books "you don't have to read."

"Those who have read it know there are some good parts, but overall it is certainly not the finest thing that man has ever produced. It is repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned," the article states.

Fox News religion contributor Father Jonathan Morris called the list and ranking "foolish" and that "it's a shame."

"I think what [GQ] is trying to do is say, 'Hey listen, we need to go [in] a very different direction,'" Morris said.

Other books on the list include "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "The Old Man and the Sea" and "The Catcher in the Rye."

The top-ranked book it says doesn't need to be read is Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry.

Preparations for US Embassy move completed

Israel and the US have nearly completed the preparations necessary to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The historic move is scheduled for May 14.

Among the preparations are road signs, as well as an access road for the Embassy built behind the current US Consulate.

The new Embassy will be an interim embassy facility in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem, converting what is currently used as a US consulate into a temporary embassy. It will house US Ambassador David Friedman's office, and a small portion of the staff currently located at the embassy in Tel Aviv.

The Arnona compound will be expanded, with the addition of a new annex, likely by the end of 2019.

On Thursday, a report claimed that US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner would represent the administration at the Embassy's opening ceremony.

'Mission complete': Kim Jong-un halts any further nuclear & missile tests, shuts down testing site

North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs have allowed it to secure strategic stability and peace, so there is no need for additional missile and nuclear tests anymore, Kim Jong-un has proclaimed.

"From April 21, 2018, nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile tests will be discontinued," the Korean Central News Agency cited Kim as saying at a plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling Worker's Party of Korea (WPK).

Furthermore, since North Korea's nuclear test center has "completed"its mission, it "will be discarded in order to ensure the transparency of the nuclear test suspension," KCNA reported.

Announcing the new course, the ruling party has declared that North Korea "will never use nuclear weapons, unless there is nuclear threat or nuclear provocation to our country, and in no case we will proliferate nuclear weapons and nuclear technology."

In the announcement, North Korea noted that the "suspension of nuclear testing is an important process for global nuclear disarmament." Therefore, North Korea is willing to join international denuclearization efforts.

North Korea's last major missile test took place on November 29. Pyongyang announced at the time that it had tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile known as the Hwasong-15 that could reach the entire continental United States.

US President Donald Trump, who has traded insults and threats with Kim since taking office, tweeted that the latest decision by Pyongyang is "good news for North Korea and the world," calling it "big progress."

China has also hailed the move, expressing hope that Pyongyang will continue towards the path of denuclearization and "political settlement" on the Korean Peninsula. "Denuclearization of the peninsula and lasting peace in the region are in line with the common interests of the people of the peninsula," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. 

South Korea also praised the decision. The president's office called it "meaningful progress for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which the world waits for."

The European Union's foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, also called North Korea's announcement a step in the right direction. She called the move "a positive, long sought-after step on the path that has now to lead the country's complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization."

Japan, however, was less excited about the announcement. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that while he wants to "welcome these positive moves," he wondered "if this will lead to the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of its nuclear arsenal, weapons of mass destruction, and missiles." 

The extraordinary development comes just ahead of Kim's meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in later this month. The announcement also follows US Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo's recent secret meeting with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang.

Trump is also preparing to meet Kim in the coming weeks. He has stressed on a number of occasions that Washington would keep up its "maximum pressure" campaign on North Korea until it agrees to denuclearize.

"Our campaign of maximum pressure will continue until North Korea will denuclearize," Trump said on Wednesday. "As I have said before, there is a bright path available to North Korea when it achieves denuclearization in a complete and verifiable and irreversible way. It will be a great day for them, it will be a great day for the world."

Meanwhile, the director of the anti-war Answer Coalition, Brian Becker, told RT that Kim's announcement to halt the missile tests was a "big step" because it "is removing all of the obstacles, the impediments, that would stop a possible, real, major development on the Korean Peninsula, bringing the Korean War to an end finally, all these decades later." He added that Pyongyang "wants a peace treaty and it wants to be able to trade and it wants to be economically integrated into the world economy."

China confronts Australian warships in disputed South China Sea as World War 3 fears loom

AUSTRALIAN warships were confronted by the Chinese navy as the vessels passed through the disputed South China Sea. The Chinese navy was conducting military exercises when they sent the Australian ships a “robust” response, defence sources said.

Australia’s HMAS Anzac, HMAS Toowoomba and HMAS Success were challenged by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s navy as they were transiting towards Vietnam for a three-day goodwill visit.

Defence sources said the confrontation occurred while China was conducting live-fire drills along its southeast coastline – where expert have feared World War 3 could break out.

Beijing’s hostility in the South China Sea has been growing with recent satellite images showing it has been aggressively investing into upgrading infrastructures and deploying resources in the region’s disputed islands.

The Australian Prime Minister has blasted any attempt by the Chinese to interfere with Australia’s right to travel through the South China Sea. “in accordance with international law”.

Malcolm Turnbull said: “We maintain and practice the right of freedom of navigation and overflight throughout the world and, in this context, we're talking about naval vessels on the world's oceans, including the South China Sea, as is our perfect right in accordance with international law.”

Meanwhile an Australian Department of Defence statement added: “The Australian Defence Force has maintained a robust program of international engagement with countries in and around the South China Sea for decades.

"This includes bilateral and multilateral military exercises, port visits, maritime surveillance operations and ship transits."

Australian defence officials would not confirm whether the confrontation took place – but added three of their warships had arrived in Ho Chi Minh City for a three-day goodwill visit on Thursday.

China’s Ministry of Defence hit back at the reports, saying they “are different from the facts”.

A ministry spokesman said: "The reports from Australia are different from the facts.

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California Gov. Jerry Brown To Ban Sales Of The Bible

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Sales of the Holy Bible and Biblical based teaching is set to be banned in California in the near future thanks to Governor Jerry Brown and the state assembly who have combined to force a bill through the state assembly that claims the Bible promotes hate speech against gays, lesbians and transgender people.  

Assembly Bill 2943 will threaten the freedom of religion and First Amendment rights of Christians in California. Using the state’s “consumer fraud statute” to restrict religious freedom and free speech, the bill seeks to ban sales of the Bible because it includes verses that fall outside what Gov. Brown considers “acceptable teaching” on sexuality issues.

The controversial bill, which will also ban any form of speech or written material that promotes traditional Christian views on marriage and sexuality, has already made its way through the California state assembly after it was approved on the floor Thursday. The bill now goes to the state Senate for a vote.

Randy Thomasson with SaveCalifornia.com says the bill is extremely broad and will affect just about anything helping people seek religious guidance.

“This is very expansive, very tyrannical and absolutely squashing free speech, religious freedom and basic choice of people. This is an anti-freedom, anti-American bill,” Thomasson told CBN News.

Essentially, churches and Christian schools that share Biblical teaching on the subject will be open to lawsuits.

CBN News asked Thomasson if this bill will lead to a ban on Bibles or even books from other faiths like the Koran.

“Well, you could see this law going into effect. A church bookstore selling the Bible, of course, selling a book about marriage or sexual purity… You could see a member of the public or even a member of the state government coming and saying, ‘Hey, that’s illegal,’” Thomasson answered.

If AB 2943 clears California’s Senate and is signed into law, it will negatively impact Christian counselors, bookstores, church conferences, as well as medical and health professionals. The bill also seeks to ban Biblical based counseling for those seeking Christian guidance, as the traditional Christian counseling does not fit into Gov. Jerry Brown’s “contemporary scientific” view of the world.

Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, told CBN News that what makes this bill especially dangerous is that California often leads the charge in pushing the LGBTQ legislative agenda. While some changes have been overdue and just, many others infringe on ordinary Americans’ constitutional rights.

“People have the right to seek the counsel of their choice, but this bill substitutes the government for personal choice. The implications are staggering, and the result is harmful,” Staver told CBN News.

Former Muslim Who Hated Christians Plants First Church Town Has Seen in 700 Years

A man is helping take the gospel to the four corners of the earth by planting the first church a town in Kosovo has seen in 700 years.

It's a story with an unlikely beginning.

Urim Bogaj grew up in a Muslim family that hated Christians.

But everything changed when his aunt converted to Christianity in 1999 just after a bloody war rocked the small Southeastern European country.

She shared her new faith with 15-year-old Urim, who found it hard to accept.

"It was hard to listen to her. To receive what she had to say. We always knew that Christians were serpents. Serpents were evil. I did not want to become a Christian," he told Peter Wooding from the Global News Alliance.

However, Urim continued reading the Bible and eventually gave his life to Christ.

His family was shocked by the news of his conversion. Despite this, he shared the gospel with them and his entire family renounced Islam.

Now, he has planted a church in Malisheve, the first one the majority Muslim town has seen in 700 years.

"There were challenges. There were different problems. Persecution of every kind," he said.

Urim is calling on the global community of believers to pray for the work he is doing there.

"As the first generation of Christians, we need your prayers to pray for us to be standing strong for Christ...to finish the race and go to the end."

California School District Says Parents Can’t Opt Children Out of Controversial Sex Ed Courses

Do you want your kids in “sexual education” classes that promote abortion and homosexuality? If you’re a parent who lives in Orange County, California, you might not have a choice.

The State of California is about to launch a sex-ed program that exposes young children to a long range of sexually explicit content.

In 2015, California enacted the California Healthy Youth Act, which implemented sexual education in the school systems. The act includes numerous provisions that many would perceive as controversial, including teachings on abortion and homosexuality. The act states that its purpose is to teach students how to develop “healthy attitudes” on “gender [and] sexual orientation.” The program also teaches students about different contraceptive methods while promoting “objective discussion” about “parenting, adoption, and abortion.”

RedState contributor and Orange County resident Kira Davis pointed out that the state will also be circulating a study guide on transgenderism. They are using the transgender children’s book “I am Jazz,” along with a “sexual health toolkit” to teach the students.

The very explicit “sexual health toolkit” comes funded by George Soros-connected Tides Center, and teaches children how to have sex, using objects such as sex toys and anal lubricant. The “toolkit” goes into detail describing things such as “anal intercourse,” “phone sex,” and others as “common sexual behaviors.” It describes abstinence in a negative connotation, explaining that “abstinence” and “virginity” can mean doing a plethora of sexual activities but not having intercourse.

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Missionary Tortured by ISIS Led 40 to Christ

Charged with being a spy, Czech missionary Petr Jasek endured a 14-month imprisonment in Sudan where he was tortured by fellow cellmates. But Jesus supernaturally imparted peace during his confinement and he became a bold witness, winning many to Christ.

In his role as the Africa regional director for Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), Jasek went to Sudan to document the persecution of Christians, which was happening in the Nubah Mountains in clashes between the government and rebels.

He was detained by the Sudanese police at Khartoum Airport in December 2015. It seems immigration staff found a duplicate passport Jasek carried for security purposes, which led to his immediate arrest and imprisonment.

"I arrived at this cell at about 1:30 a.m.," he told VOM. He found the cell overcrowded, with people covering the floor. "They had to squeeze a little bit so they would create some small room for me to lie down on the floor."

The conditions were sparse. "I had no blanket ... two extra T-shirts and one extra pants and a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap; that was all."

Guards refused him blankets or a mattress, because he was from the Czech Republic and they told him they thought he should be used to cold weather.

At 5:30 a.m. he was awakened by the Islamic call for prayer. All six of his cellmates began praying fervently. "They showed me a place behind them where I was supposed to stand while they were praying. The rule is that me as a Christian, I had to stay behind them so they would not look at me while they are praying."

After the prayers, they identified themselves as DAESH, the Arabic acronym for ISIS. All his cellmates were ISIS fighters!

"Two days later they started to openly torture me and beat me ... I was hit with their fists into my face many times. They called me 'filthy pig' or 'filthy rat.'"

One of the ISIS fighters barked an order: "Filthy pig, come here."

"I decided at first I would not respond to these rude names and when I did not respond, I got hit with a wooden stick they unscrewed from the sweeper that was there to clean the floor."

Jasek was hit on the head, shoulders and fingers or they kicked him in the stomach and back with their boots. "At that time I was really thinking about the Lord Jesus what He had to go through when He was arrested and they also were beating Him with a wooden stick and were ridiculing Him, slapping Him.

"I became like their slave," he told VOM. "I was really [made] to wash their clothes, wash all the dishes, clean the toilet with my bare hands. They were just making fun of me. I did not resist."

"I could clearly see the Lord Jesus and how He suffered for us."

Then Jesus imparted something to him that was amazing and unexpected, considering the circumstances. "I received a wonderful peace at that time and surprisingly, when I was physically attacked I was experiencing the greatest peace in prison time ever, all these 14 1/2 months.

"I could even pray during these beatings for my family members, I could pray for other fellow prisoners and I was not moved to the point when I used to be before, because I had this peace from the Lord at this time of the physical attacks on my body.

When Jasek began to exalt and and glorify the Lord's name during his beatings, this made them even more furious. "They decided to torture me even in much worse way.

"Eventually, they decided to do waterboarding to me. It's a way of torture where a person lays on his back and they cover his mouth and pour water, which gives you the feeling that you are getting drowned.

The Sudanese guards had not intervened to stop Jasek's torture, because they were intimidated by the ISIS fighters. "It is [thought] that if these Islamists get released they will get revenge on those guards."

Jasek didn't have access to a Bible during his captivity, so he meditated on Scriptures he memorized as a young person.

"I was literally asking the Lord that He will keep my mind sound and that I wouldn't lose my mind through the situation," Jasek said. "The Holy Spirit kept reminding me some of the verses that I had memorized. This was just enough for me, to give me enough strength everyday to pray," he told VOM.

He also thought about Jesus' teaching about loving enemies. He was startled when he heard his abusers weeping late at night when they could not sleep.

"They were crying. They were also missing their family members. They were also crying to God for help," he recounted. "That allowed me to easily continue to pray for them. I was praying for those fellow prisoners, the interrogators, for the guards, for the prosecutors and for the judge, that the Lord would reveal Himself as the Lord, Savior and God."

Remarkably, one of the guards intervened to prevent the waterboarding. Jasek said he felt the Lord used the guard to move him out of the cell.

"Later on I told the guard that he saved my life and we became close friends," Jasek said. "I gave my email address and I started to share the gospel with him. He was very passionate. I told him that if he ever makes it to Europe, he can stay at my house and we will take care of him."

Then Jasek was moved to another prison where conditions were even worse.

"We were squeezed in a small room—15 by 18 feet. There were sometimes 40 of us. That was the situation and I was able to lead 40 Eritrean refugees to Christ," he said. "It was like new revelation for me. I started to be courageous and openly shared the gospel with other fellow prisoners. Later on, that resulted in them putting me in solitary confinement again."

Shortly after being placed in solitary confinement, Czech consular officers were able to bring him a Bible.

"I didn't have to do anything else but read the Bible all day. I could not read the Bible all day because I could only read when there was enough light, which was about 8 [a.m.] ... until 4:30 p.m. I had to stand reading on the bars so that I could have enough light. I was so hungry for Scripture. I read from Genesis to Revelation within three weeks."

Jasek noted that he gained a profound "new understanding of Scripture."

He was eventually removed from solitary confinement and moved to a larger prison that can hold about 10,000 people.

"I went from solitary to a cell where there were like 100 people in one cell," he explained. "We were squeezed. There were 75 beds. Only 75 could have a bed and 25 had to stay on the floor."

Amazingly, guards at the new prison allowed him and two incarcerated Sudanese pastors to hold worship services.

"The first day I came to the chapel to spend time in Scripture with the Lord. They asked me to preach. I would preach once a week, sometimes twice a week," Jasek said. "Of course, they were monitoring us and they were reporting what we were teaching about. There were two other pastors from Sudan and we knew that nothing worse could happen to us."

Preaching in prison allowed Jasek and the other pastors to witness to "people that were hopeless."

"They were real criminals — murderers, rapists, thieves, drug dealers. It was such a wonderful time," Jasek said. "They responded to our teaching. We were just teaching the gospel. It was so wonderful to see the changed life of those who dedicated their lives to Christ."

In February 2017, he was granted a presidential pardon and Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir ordered his immediate release. He returned to the Czech Republic on Feb. 26, 2017.

During the time Jasek was interrogated by the jihadis in prison his wife was in a Bible study back home and the leader stopped the study to pray for the "situation that he is right now in."

"They stopped reading and started to pray for the Lord's presence over the situation," Jasek said. "When I came home, I realized that was exactly the time when I was on my knees before the Islamists and they were beating me. But I was experiencing a supernatural peace."

"I came for four days to Sudan. But I was there 445 days," Jasek told VOM. "When you think about all the hardships and seeing what the Lord was able to do through us, then what else can we say but the Lord's ways are much better than our ways."

"We know from the words of apostle Paul that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. I felt like I received my life back. I was first threatened to be sentenced to be executed. [Then] later on, life imprisonment. Then, my life was returned back to me. I told the Lord, 'My life does not belong to me anymore. It belongs to the Lord.'" 

San Francisco Church to Hold Beyoncé Mass; Pastor Insists ‘We’re Following in the Way of Jesus’

A San Francisco church will host a "Beyoncé Mass," featuring songs from the pop star that congregation members will be invited to sing along to, and one of its pastors is insisting that the event goes hand in hand with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

"I know there are people who will say using Beyoncé is just a cheap way of trying to get people in the church," the Rev. Jude Harmon, director of innovative ministries for Grace Cathedral, an Episcopal Church, told SFGate on Tuesday.

"But Jesus used very provocative images in the stories he would tell to incite people to ask hard questions about their own religious assumptions. He regularly provoked. We're following in the way of Jesus."

Harmon, who is also the founder of Vince, a weekly contemporary worship service project espousing progressive theology, insisted that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's music "opens a window into the lives of the marginalized and forgotten — particularly black females."

He pointed out that 2018 has seen "so much conversation about the role of women and communities of color, we felt a need to lift up the voices that the church has traditionally suppressed."  

"The beauty of Beyoncé's music is she explores those themes in an idiom that is accessible to everyone," the pastor continued. "We can use it as a conversation starter. That's what it's designed to be."

Grace Cathedral, the site of one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous sermons in 1965, plans to hold the "Beyoncé Mass" on April 25.

The service will feature a sermon by the Rev. Yolanda Norton, assistant professor of the Old Testament at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Norton teaches a course there titled "Beyoncé and the Bible."

The Grace Cathedral website has featured articles exploring how Knowles-Carter's career is relevant to the Gospel.

A blog post by the Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young addressed the pop singer's Super Bowl 50 half-time performance and her apparent homage to the Black Panthers movement. The pastor said that it left people debating whether it was disrespectful to law enforcement, or a "prophetic message about racial injustice."

"These observations from the very recent Super Bowl had me thinking at Ash Wednesday about how Christians form moral judgments. How does faith inform our opinions about what is happening around us?" Young wrote at the time.

Although Knowles-Carter has talked about her prayers to God and has worked with pastors on projects, such as helping those affected by Hurricane Harvey in and around her hometown of Houston in August 2017, she has also been criticized by some Christians for her provocative performances.

During the February 2017 Grammy Awards, she dressed and performed as Roman, Hindu, and African goddesses, which did not sit will with some theologians.

Charlie Self, a professor at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary of Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, told The Christian Post at the time that Knowles-Carter's performance was a "triumph of visual captivity over the hearing of the Word of the Lord."

He said that the performance was a snapshot of the ongoing struggle concerning idolatry, immorality, and injustice.

"A problem emerges the moment you change your deity," Self said.

"And the minute you change your deity, you change your morality. Now what you have is a set of activities focused on fertility, focused on the forces of nature. But what makes today's paganism worse is that at least in ancient times they were for good crops and babies. Now, we kill the babies and have replaced intimacy with God with personal and sexual pleasure."