By Christy Barritt

Canadian School Continues to Give Out Free Bibles

A Canadian public school system will continue to give out free Bibles, despite the protests from one parent.

Gideons International has been giving out Bibles to fifth graders in the Chilliwack, British Columbia school system since 1946. Before receiving the Bibles, the students are given a permission slip to be signed by parents.

One parent said the free Bibles constituted “indoctrination” and “religious marketing” and violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The school superintendent said the matter had been discussed, but that the school would continue to carry on as they’d been doing.

Christians-Only Healthcare Shut Down

A Kentucky judge has shut down a Christians-only health insurance plan, citing that the company doesn’t comply with the state Department of Insurance regulations.

Medi-Share is a medical bill-sharing company based in Florida. The company helps cover medical bills for Christians, and participants pay a certain share every month, much like health insurance.

Kentucky officials began challenging the operations of this company because some who bought into the plan mistakenly believed they were purchasing insurance that would allow them hospitalization coverage, which it doesn’t.

Because of the judge’s decision, Medi-Share can no longer accept money or help pay medical bills for 800 Christians in Kentucky who’d been a part of the program.

Teens, Research, and the Digital World

The digital age may help students with research, but a new survey shows that students are overwhelmed by the amount of information available to them.

Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, in collaboration with the College Board and the National Writing Project, conducted the survey among more than 2,000 middle and high school teachers.

Nearly all of the teachers in the study agreed that the Internet enables students to access a wider range of resources than would otherwise be available. Sixty-five percent agreed that the Internet makes today’s students more self-sufficient researchers. However, 76 percent of teachers “strongly agreed” that Internet search engines have conditioned students to expect to find information quickly and easily.

Another downside to the digital age, according to 71 percent of the teachers surveyed, was that technology often discourages students from using a wide range of sources when conducting research.

Persecution on the Rise

Christians living in the 10/40 Window have been persecuted to a greater extent over the last 10 years.

According to Gospel for Asia, persecution in some countries has increased by 400 percent in recent years. This is why the organization called on Christians to spend an entire day fasting and praying for the persecuted church on November 4 of last year.

The 10/40 Window is a section of the world, between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator, encompassing nations that have been least evangelized and who are among the poorest of the world’s poor. Some of those nations include China, India, Iraq, Egypt, and Sudan.

“Through our prayers, we can be agents of God’s divine healing, hope, and help,” said K.P. Yohannan, GFA founder and president.

Yohannan asked that everyone pray and fast for people living in this area of the world whenever possible.

Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons. 
www.christybarritt.com