Monthly News Roundup (10.26.23)

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Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

This episode is our monthly news roundup for October. In this episode, we’re talking about a march in Dallas of former homosexuals, the number of Americans who want to read their Bible more, and the New York Times issuing an apology for reporting false information about a hospital bombing in Gaza.

STORY #1 – Rainbow Revival: Ex-LGBT Men and Women March in Dallas, Tell Their Powerful Stories of Freedom

“Men and women who once identified as LGBTQ and now as new creations in Christ believe their community is seeing a revival like the Jesus People movement of the 1960s and 70s.

“Rainbow Revival-Freedom March, a diverse group of former LGBTQ individuals from across the nation, celebrated with praise, worship, prayer, evangelism, testimonies and baptisms over five days at Dallas-area churches and at a prophetically significant location downtown.”

[…]

“Standing with members of the Body of Christ at Rainbow Revival, men and women shared their stories of leaving the LGBTQ lifestyle during a reunion, rally and march on October 18-22.

“‘We’re here to proclaim our testimonies of coming into the kingdom of God,’ said Lindsey Kiser, a Dallas prayer leader and author.

“Sharing her testimony, Kiser said her former identity as a lesbian faded over time as Jesus revealed truth to her. She shared wisdom from God about sexuality and gender, as well as the adversary’s lies and deception around LGBTQ.” (CBN News)

Related material:

STORY #2 – More than Half of Americans Want to Read the Bible More: New Research

“More than half of Americans say they wish they read the Bible more but say they fail to do so for a number of reasons, including a lack of time.

“That’s according to the latest release from the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible report, which shows that 52 percent of Americans say they wish they read the Bible more. Meanwhile, 14 percent of Americans say they increased their Bible use in the past year.” (Christian Headlines)

Related material:

STORY #3 – NY Times Makes Major Admission in Editor’s Note About Palestinian Hospital Story

“The New York Times took the ‘rare’ step of releasing a ‘stand-alone editor’s note’ Monday addressing a controversial report about a deadly attack on a Gaza hospital, Mediaite reported.

“The statement centered on a truly sobering report from last week — coverage of an explosion during which hundreds were purportedly killed at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. The tragic event came as the Israeli war was heating up after Hamas slaughtered 1,400 Israelis in a surprise Oct. 7 attack.

“The immediate reaction in media and among activists across the globe was to speculate about the cause of the deadly assault, an event impacting countless children and families.

“And that’s where The Times’ report comes into play.

“The newspaper stated in its editor’s note that coverage of the deadly event on Oct. 17 was led by ‘claims by Hamas government officials that an Israeli airstrike was the cause and that hundreds of people were dead or injured.’

“But, while many around the world began to blame Israel for the hospital blast, the Jewish state was quick to deny responsibility, stating, instead, evidence showed the rocket came from the Palestinian side.

“In fact, Israel said Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group, was liable, with U.S. and other intel finding evidence to back Israel’s claim.

“As a result of the initial coverage and debates that followed, some critics asserted media outlets relied too much on Hamas’ original account and didn’t hold back or properly frame the potential the blast could have come from within Palestinian territory. The Times addressed this in its lengthy editor’s note.

“‘The early versions of the coverage — and the prominence it received in a headline, news alert and social media channels — relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified,’ it read. ‘The report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was.’

“The Times noted it continued to update its coverage as details became available, but conceded the outlet’s editors ‘should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified.’” (Faithwire)