Posts by Steve Rabey
Tim Ballard Quietly Leaves Two Anti-Trafficking Nonprofits

“Sound of Freedom,” the independent film about Tim Ballard, who founded the anti-trafficking nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad, is a big hit in theaters. But Ballard, OUR’s former CEO, quietly left the nonprofit before the film was released amid an internal investigation, according to Vice, which was first to report the news.

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Unheralded Voice of the Truth Celebrates Half Century of Arabic-Language Ministry

After a recent 50th anniversary dinner for about 250 workers, partners, friends and donors, the Voice of the Truth ministry offered to share some of its achievements

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Come and See Foundation Debuts App and Translation Efforts for ‘The Chosen’

The Come and See Foundation — a nonprofit founded in October by veterans of Christian publishing, retailing and Bible translation — seeks to reach one billion people with free versions of the mega-popular series “The Chosen” in hundreds of different languages.

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California Megachurch Members Now Hold Majority On City Council

Members of Bethel — the 11,000-member northern California megachurch famous for elaborate healing services, Bethel Music and musician Sean Feucht’s nationwide worship protests against COVID restrictions — now hold the majority on the Redding City Council after November’s elections, according to nearly complete vote counts.

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Christ for All Peoples Pares Back Mission To ‘Bring The Gospel Of Christ To Every Door’

A newer web page says the Saturate campaign no longer seeks to reach every door in the country by 2020, instead seeking to reach fewer households over a longer time frame: “Christ For All Peoples and Saturate USA Is Dedicated To Reaching 120 Million Homes In The U.S. By 2027.”

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San Francisco Pauses Program Forwarding City Workers’ Donations To Christian Groups

San Francisco has put a pause on its annual Heart of the City Combined Charities Campaign after questions about whether city employees’ donations should flow to Christian nonprofits that support biblical views on human sexuality, according to articles in The San Francisco Chronicle and The San Francisco Standard.

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Bloomberg: Surge In Giving To Donor Advised Funds Helps Wealthy, Not Poor

Bloomberg’s bottom line: “A small but growing number of wealthy Americans (have) discovered how to bypass rules designed more than a half-century ago to ensure philanthropists stay accountable for the billions of dollars in tax breaks they receive each year.”

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Christian Charity Compassion International Innovates To Seek ‘Compassion of Tomorrow’

NFTs. Online gaming. Cryptocurrency. Compassion International is exploring these and other innovations as it connects with new supporters and prepares itself for Web 3.0, the Metaverse, and beyond. With fewer Americans donating to charity, the 70-year-old, $1 billion ministry is working to find new ways to engage younger believers.

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World Vision Gaza Director Sentenced to 12 Years in Controversial Terrorism Case

On Tuesday, the director of Christian ministry World Vision’s work in Gaza was sentenced to 12 years in prison for allegedly transferring ministry funds to the terrorist organization Hamas. Mohammad el-Halabi, who has already spent six years in prison as his trial waged on, plans to appeal the decision.

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Critics Condemn Israel’s Guilty Verdict For World Vision Gaza Director

Six years after Israeli authorities arrested the director of World Vision International’s work in Gaza and charged him with diverting money to the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas, a court in Beersheba found him guilty of terrorism charges last week, citing classified information that has been kept from the public.

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Pro-Life Speaker Jennifer Christie’s Career Unravels Over Unverified Sexual Assault Claim

Jennifer Christie’s story of giving birth to a child conceived through rape was set to be published in a book from Focus on the Family and Tyndale House, and she signed a contract with Ambassador Speakers Bureau. Now, the book and speaking contract have been canceled amid concerns of the veracity of her story.

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Senate Hearing Examines Political Role Of Tax-Exempt Organizations

Politicians from both parties benefit from the abuse of the tax code, but they differ over who’s responsible, claiming that those on the other side are guilty of the greatest abuse. But they agree on one thing: Abuse has skyrocketed since 2010 and the Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United decision.

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Christian Billionaire Philanthropist Bill Hwang Charged with ‘Historic’ Stock Scam

Bill Hwang was hailed as part of a new evangelical donor-class for donating nearly $80 million to dozens of evangelical ministries. But his fortune — which, it turned out, was based on lies, heavy borrowing and risky stock bets — blew up in March 2021, when he was unable to pay creditors. Hwang was arrested April 27, 2022.

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Indebted Andrew Wommack Ministry Wants Out Of Taxable Student Housing Agreement

TV preacher Andrew Wommack’s ministry racked up $25.9 million in debt building the $99 million campus of Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, up in the mountains west of Colorado Springs. Wommack now wants to tear up an agreement he made with the city a decade ago to build campus student housing as a taxable private enterprise.

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Agape Flights Plane Serving Missionaries Attacked And Burned In Haiti

Missionaries throughout Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas look forward to the weekly arrivals of planes flown by Agape Flights, a Florida ministry that shuttles mail, medicines, cargo, relief supplies and other resources. But one of its planes was burned in Haiti by demonstrators protesting the country’s increasing violence and kidnappings.

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Christian Schools International Wants To Aid Ukrainian Students, Families and Teachers

Half of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children have been displaced in the month since Russia invaded, said the U.N. Children’s Fund on March 24. The Association of Christian Schools International is seeking donations to help some of these children, their families, and Christian schoolteachers and school personnel who have fled their homes.

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Eric Metaxas Says Vetting Guests Is Not His Job In Defamation Lawsuit Testimony

Metaxas and other conservative Christian media figures are being probed about their practices in a defamation lawsuit filed by Eric Coomer, an executive with Dominion Voting Systems. In a deposition for the case, Metaxas said he had done little to verify claims aired in the broadcast that Dominion had rigged elections in the U.S., Mongolia, and Venezuela.

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