GOD'S NOT DEAD!

With reports from Syria and Iraq of possible genocide of minority groups and of Christians being martyred for refusing to recant their faith, we are continue to pray for their deliverance. Today, in fact, is a global united day of fasting and prayer for this situation. All this makes us even more aware of the precious freedoms we have in Australia and we thank God for them. But even so, this past week there have been setbacks for religious freedom and freedom of speech in our our own nation.

5 August - The Abbott government backed down on its election promise to strengthen freedom of speech by repealing Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Good News Update 94  Speak up for Free Speech of 9 April 2014 warned what was at stake in this. Read more...

7 August - Senator Eric Abetz, the leader of the Government in the Senate, was badly maligned by the media and the Greens Party for suggesting a possible link between breast cancer and abortion.  Even though there is a growing worldwide body of research to support this link, the Australian Medical Association heavily criticised the Senator for speaking about this serious health issue. Read more ...

8 August - A Scripture Union school chaplain, Troy Williams, was stood down from his role for re-posting on Facebook a quote from a lesbian activist which stated "homosexuality is not normal".  He was ordered to attend a special education forum on LGBTI issues led by a homosexual educator. We include below the latest "Action Alert" by Pastor Brian Robertson which gives more details and urges us to contact the CEO of Scripture Union and the Minister for Education and Training in Tasmania.
 

While all this news can be very disconcerting, we want to declare GOD'S NOT DEAD!  We have a living God who hears and answers our prayers and is at work in the world today. So here we want to share with you a new movie that demonstrates this in a real life setting.

In GOD'S NOT DEAD!, Josh Wheaton, a university student and devout Christian, finds his faith challenged by a dogmatic and argumentative Professor Radisson, on his first day of a class on philosophy.

This movie begs the question "How far would you go...to defend your belief in God"? More than ever Christians across Australia need to link together and declare God's truth in our society. That's why we have launched the Canberra Declaration DOUBLE OUR SIGNATURES CAMPAIGN.

Please watch this short video message of encouragement to you about how you can strengthen the work of the Canberra Declaration in protecting our freedoms. Our first step is to get your ideas for gaining more signatures. We thank 305 of our readers who have completed our survey and over 100 who have volunteered their help. We invite other ideas until 21 August. After this the results and winners will be announced. Click here to do the survey.

This video also includes a trailer of the movie GOD'S NOT DEAD! which opens in Australian cinemas THIS THURSDAY 14 August. To learn more about the movie and its Australian distributor, Five Loaves Entertainment, recently created by a partnership between Koorong and Crossroads, click here.

As Paul wrote to Timothy, "The Spirit clearly says that in the latter times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits ... but we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe" (1 Timothy 4:1,10).

Yours for protecting our precious freedoms,

David Rowsome and Warwick Marsh