Recently, Comedy Central started censoring episodes of South Park after the network and the producers of the series received a large number of violent threats from radical Muslims.  In fact, in one recent episode every instance of the words "Prophet Muhammad" was bleeped out by the network, and whenever the character of Muhammad appeared in the episode it was covered by a large block labeled "censored".  The producers of South Park were upset about this censorship, but apparently Comedy Central is taking no chances when it comes to dealing with Islamic extremists.  However, apparently making fun of Jesus is still fair game on Comedy Central.  In fact, Comedy Central is developing an entire animated series that mocks Jesus Christ.

Yes, that is right.

An entire animated series that does nothing but mock and degrade and make fun of Jesus Christ.

The working name of the show is  "JC", and it is scheduled to be a half-hour show about Jesus wanting to escape the shadow of his "powerful but apathetic father" and live a "normal" life in New York City.

What in the world?

It is being reported that the show will depict God as being preoccupied with playing video games while Jesus tries to adjust to life in the big city.

How disgusting is that?

How dare they openly mock the God of the universe?

But that is exactly what they plan to do.

They are scared to death to make fun of Muhammed, but Comedy Central's head of original programming Kent Alterman considers making fun of Christianity to be "comedy in purist form"....

"In general, comedy in purist form always makes some people uncomfortable."

Yes, I am uncomfortable with someone mocking my God. 

But this is not new for Comedy Central.

Jesus has been openly mocked on South Park and on other Comedy Central shows for years and years.

But still millions of Christians have no problem watching that filth.

But we should expect that the mocking of Christianity will get even worse.

In Matthew 24, Jesus told us that in the last days "you will be hated by all nations because of me" and that "the love of most will grow cold", so we should not be surprised when these things happen.

By the time all of this is over, Christians and Christianity are going to be greatly hated around the world.

If you watch carefully, you can see the persecution starting to grow around the world.  You can see hearts growing cold from the hardness of sin. 

God is being pushed out of all aspects of public life in the United States, just like He is in most other nations around the globe.

In fact, Franklin Graham recently said that he believes that Christians in America may lose the right to preach the gospel outside of the walls of a church during his lifetime....

"I think its coming to this country where we (will) have the freedom to preach inside a church wall, but we will lose the freedom to do it outside. That day will probably come – maybe in my lifetime."

The truth is that things are going to get a whole lot worse than even Franklin Graham is imagining.  Those who follow Jesus Christ and stand up for righteousness are now commonly depicted as "evil" or "deluded" or "morally wrong" on television, in movies, in our popular music and all over the Internet.  Standing up against abortion and homosexuality and sex before marriage will now get you labeled as being part of a "hate" group.

The sad thing is that Christians have participated in constructing this godless society, and now we are so amazed when our children grow up completely godless.

But we should not be surprised that record numbers of  young people are turning away from the Christian faith.  We recently examined how young people are dramatically leaving Christianity and are rapidly being secularized on our sister site.... 

Our public schools teach our children day after day after day that they evolved from monkeys, that abortion, sex before marriage and homosexuality are perfectly moral and that anyone who disagrees is a bigot.  Then they go home and they are surrounded by entertainment for the rest of the day (television, radio, video games, Internet, movies) and the overwhelming message regarding the Christian faith in these forms of entertainment is that either Christianity is irrelevant, not true or should be openly mocked.

The tide of public opinion is radically shifting against the Christian faith.  Those who still hold to Biblical Christianity should expect that persecution will only get a lot worse as time rolls forward. 

It is time that we started learning from the great martyrs of the past in order to start preparing ourselves for what is coming.  One great book that we recommend is Extreme Devotion by The Voice Of The Martyrs.  That book contains a ton of amazing testimonies from persecuted Christians that have gone before us.  There is a lot that we can learn from them. 

Since the first century, millions upon millions of Christians have been slaughtered for their faith, and Christians all over the world are being killed for their faith today.

While persecution in the United States is not that bad yet, the truth is that the Scriptures promise us that the persecution of Christians will be absolutely horrific in the last days.  Now is the time for all of us to start preparing ourselves mentally to be able to endure whatever persecution we are to face while we are still on this earth.

Did the headline above get your attention?  It should.  The truth is that approximately 400,000 U.S. nonprofit organizations, including thousands of Christian ministries, are just weeks away from losing their tax exemptions.  Why?  Well, a very sneaky provision buried in a 2006 pension reform bill required all nonprofit organizations to file tax forms the following year.  Prior to that, only nonprofit organizations that had revenues of $25,000 or more had to file tax returns.  The problem is that hundreds of thousands of nonprofit organizations did not realize this.  This new provision, which was deeply embedded in the 393 pages of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, also instructed the IRS to revoke the tax exemptions of all nonprofit organizations that failed to file tax returns for 3 consecutive years.

Well guess what?

The three years are just about up and hundreds of thousands of nonprofit organizations are about to experience a financial doomsday.

The New York Times recently quoted Diana Aviv, the president of the nonprofit trade group Independent Sector, as saying the following about the impact that this deadline is going to have....

"It’s going to be an unholy mess once these organizations realize what’s happened to them."

And that is what this is.

A gigantic mess.

Have the Christian ministries and organizations that you are affiliated with been filing tax returns with the IRS?

Are you sure?

If not, they may be about to lose their tax exemptions.

The reality is that many politicians in Washington have been trying to figure out for a long time how to start sucking some revenue out of the nonprofit world.  In particular, many liberals have long resented the tax exemptions that churches and other religious organizations have enjoyed.

But coming out and openly proposing a repeal of the tax exemptions for churches and religious organizations would not be popular at all.

So they have to find backdoor ways to do it.

The truth is that it would be really easy for Congress to repeal this stupid provision so that hundreds of thousands of nonprofit organizations do not suddenly lose their tax exemptions.

But they aren't going to do it.

They have got thousands upon thousands of unsuspecting victims in their legislative trap and that is just where many of the folks in Washington want them.

The reality is that we have become a nation that has so many thousands upon thousands of laws that it is literally impossible to comply with them all.

Trust me on this - I went to law school. 

So what should a ministry do that finds itself trapped by this situation?

Well, you need to contact the IRS immediately and try to get this straightened out.

For those individuals who are very upset about this, you can try contacting your representatives in Congress, but with Barack Obama and the Democrats in control, the odds that this provision will be repealed are somewhere between very slim and none.

The truth is that this is yet another example of how the U.S. government is literally getting their fingers into every aspect of our daily lives.  But as we move into the last days things are going to get far worse.  Right now in America we are only facing "soft" persecution.  In other areas of the world they are already facing torture and death for the cross, and that will happen in this country some day as well.  But in the midst of the persecution millions will turn to Yahshua (Jesus) and be saved.  This is going to be one of the most exciting times in all of history to be alive, so let us be thankful and let us take the gospel forward no matter what the opposition is.

The church in America is a complete and total mess.  A shocking new poll of the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States has revealed that only 39 percent of the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.

39 percent?

Yes, 39 percent.

This figure comes from the latest "Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians" report which was recently released by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

What is even more stunning is that when you look at only the pastors, the numbers are even lower.

Only 35 percent of the pastors surveyed agreed with the statement that "only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved."

So almost two-thirds of the pastors in the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States believe that there are other ways to be saved other than through Jesus Christ.

At this point it would be really east to jump all over the Presbyterians, but the truth is that this type of apostasy is common in many Christian denominations.

For example, USA Today recently reported on an almost unbelievable new survey that found that 52 percent of American Christians believe that eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

So not only do a majority of Presbyterians not believe that Jesus is the only path for salvation, a majority of Christians throughout the United States believe this as well.

In fact, a different survey taken last year by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 57 percent of evangelical Christians in the U.S. believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life".

What in the world?

What is happening in our churches?

How far have we gotten from the basics of the Christian faith?

In John 14:6, Jesus told us the following....

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

There is no other way to salvation.

Just think about it for a minute.

If there was any other way for our sins to be forgiven, then why did Jesus need to die on the cross?

If there were many other ways to salvation, then the death of Jesus on the cross was totally unnecessary.

Jesus could have simply come down to earth, pointed out a bunch of other ways to get to heaven, and then could have gone back up to heaven without ever having to deal with the cross.

But the truth is that there was no other way for our sins to be paid for.

Jesus Christ, being the sinless Son of God, died on the cross to pay for the sins of all humanity.

All other religions reject this, and most of them involve jumping through "hoops" and doing good works of some kind or another in order to try to obtain the favor of a deity.

But the reality is that without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ there is no path to heaven.

Without Jesus to pay for our sins we are all still guilty.

Why can't Christians in the United States understand this?

The truth is that the church in America is a complete and total mess.  But we knew that these days would come.  2 Timothy 4:3 tells us this.....

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

There were also other results from the PC(USA) survey that were almost equally as shocking.  Just consider these numbers....

*Only one in six members and even fewer ministers believe that the Bible is to be taken literally, word for word.

*Only 44 percent say that they have had a "conversion experience" when they committed themselves to Christ.

So what are we to make of all this?

The reality is that the PC(USA) is not the only denomination out there that is a total mess.

Most churches do not teach Biblical Christianity anymore.

Most churches do not teach the basics of the Christian faith.

Perhaps you attend one of those churches.

If you are confused about what the Bible says about God and about salvation, then we encourage you to check out the new website that we are putting together that answers some of the most basic questions about the Christian faith.

In particular, we would encourage you to read an article that we put together entitled "What Does The Bible Say About Salvation?"

The truth is that the Bible is very clear about God's plan of salvation, and it is the most important message that any of us will ever hear.  If you do not know where you would go if you died tonight, please do not let another day pass without finding out what God has to say about your future destiny. 

Nothing could be more important.

Did that headline get your attention?  It should.  A new law is dangerously close to becoming law in the U.K. that would essentially outlaw evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism.  Not that "The Equality Bill" specifically designates those faiths as illegal in the legislation itself.  Rather, the bill outlaws specific beliefs and practices that are fundamental to both evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism.  In fact, experts are saying that "The Equality Bill" would create a volcanic eruption of litigation in U.K. courts and would ultimately force those who wish to continue to practice anything that even looks like traditional Christianity to go underground.

So just what is the Equality Bill? 

The Equality Bill allegedly aims to consolidate all existing anti-discrimination laws into a single legal framework.  However, it actually goes much farther than any "anti-discrimination" laws in the U.K. have ever gone before.

On the surface, this legislation seems like a good idea.  After all, who wants to discriminate against old people or people of other races?  You can read a summary of this legislation put out by backers of the bill right here.  It actually contains a few good proposals. 

But it is also a vicious attack on traditional Christianity.

The Telegraph quotes a top level official from the "Ministry for Equality" as saying the following when he was asked whether the Equality Bill would lead to legal action between churches and atheists....

"Both need to be lining up [their lawyers]," he said. "The secularists should have the right to challenge the church."

Secularists should have the right to challenge the beliefs and practices of the church?

What in the world?

So exactly what would the Equality Bill mean for churches in the U.K.?

Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics would be wide open not only to lawsuits but also to unlimited government fines and even criminal prosecution if....

*They are found to discriminate against homosexuals or transsexuals in any area of employment - including the hiring of pastors and priests.

*They are found to discriminate against homosexuals or transsexuals in any preaching or teaching. 

*They are found to discriminate against hiring married men or women as priests as the Roman Catholics have done for centuries.

*They are found to insist that pastors or priests remain celibate (as in the case of Catholics) or only have sex within marriage (as in the case of evangelicals).

*They are found trying to prevent any of their clergy from entering into same-sex civil partnerships.

*They are found to be trying to prevent their pastors or priests from having sex change operations, living openly promiscuous lifestyles or engaging in any other form of sexual expression.

So essentially, if the Equality Bill is fully implemented, no religious organization is the U.K. will be able to preach or teach against sexual immorality, will be able to discriminate against the sexually immoral when hiring clergy or will be able to take a formal moral stand against sexually immorality in any way whatsoever.

Some analysts are even claiming that if the Equality Bill is adopted, all hiring for church positions that do not spend at least 51 percent of their time leading worship and preaching would be subject to regulations that would ban discrimination against those from other religions.  So, for example, a Baptist church would be forced to consider an Islamic candidate for a position that ministers to the youth but that also performs other non-teaching functions much of the time as well.

Basically the Equality Bill would be a total nightmare for both evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics in the U.K.  The fact that the law is written in such vague terms would open up the floodgates for all kinds of endless litigation.  If the Equality Bill becomes law, free speech and free expression in churches in the U.K. would be deeply chilled as church leaders struggle with the never ending threat of lawsuits, fines and criminal prosecution.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly preach against sexual sin would be over.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly have any say over the sexual behavior of their clergy would be over.

The days when churches in the U.K. could openly discuss what the Bible says about "right" and "wrong" would be over.

Thus this would essentially mean that end of legal evangelical Christianity and legal Roman Catholicism in the U.K.

That sounds quite dramatic, but that is the truth of the matter.

In fact, Baroness O'Cathain, a Tory lawmaker and an evangelical Christian, said last week that the Equality Bill is the "single most damaging Bill to come before the House in my 18 years as a Member".

Are you starting to get the idea?

We are living in the last days, and the truth is that Christian persecution is exploding all over the world.  Christians in western nations have always thought that it was something that happened "over there", but now Christian persecution is moving forward with blinding speed in places such as the U.K.

Ultimately, there will be no escaping persecution.  If you plan to be a Christian in the last days you will face persecution as long as you are on this earth.

You better get ready for it.

If you are a Christian and you are not already being persecuted, you will be soon.

A play depicting Jesus as a gay man was performed in front of a packed church sanctuary in California last weekend.  Only a handful of protesters demonstrated outside of The Church of the Foothills in Santa Ana, California during the performance.  The play, which is entitled "Corpus Christi", depicts Jesus as a gay man living in the 1950s in Corpus Christi, Texas.  This is yet another sign of how close to the last days we actually are.

The "pastor" of  The Church of the Foothills, Michael Holland, made the following comments regarding the decision by his church to host the play....

"The Bible does not condemn homosexuality as an orientation, it condemns certain homoerotic acts which had nothing to do with people being in love, like we're doing today."

"Jesus was about love and inclusion and affirming people as children of God, and that's what we're doing tonight."

The Church of the Foothills has hosted same sex marriage rallies in the past and held the very first same sex wedding in the Tustin area back in June.

Just what in the world is going on when the vast majority of Christians are no longer shocked to hear about a play that depicts Jesus as a homosexual?

Just what in the world is going on when that play is actually performed inside a packed church?

The truth is that a huge number of churches have completely abandoned the Bible and have instead surrounded themselves with "pastors" and "priests" who will tell them whatever they want to hear.

In 2 Timothy 4:3, the apostle Paul told us that days like these would come.... 

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

The hour is late and we are living in the last days my friends.  The church mentioned above is just one example of the rank apostasy plaguing the church in America.  The truth is that the vast majority of "ministers", "pastors" and "priests" currently "serving" in the United States should immediately resign.  The truth is that the majority of churches in the United States should immediately close their doors in disgrace. 

The "church" in America is in an advanced state of apostasy.  Very few churches in the United States ever preach about sin, judgment, heaven or hell anymore.  Very few churches in the United States believe in the basic doctrines of Scripture anymore.

That is why so many people are leaving these dead denominations.  Nobody should sit there and listen to these jokers as they openly deny the Word of God.  If you are sitting there in a dead, apostate church it is time to get out.