Latest news with #Evangelical
NBC News
10 hours ago
- General
- NBC News
Gaza aid centers close for a day as Israel declares roads to sites 'combat zones'
GFH and the new aid distribution strategy have also been roundly condemned by leading humanitarian groups and the United Nations who have warned that Palestinians could be further displaced if they are forced to make their way to distribution sites. They have also suggested it could pose a threat to the independence of humanitarian work. GHF said Tuesday that Rev. Johnnie Moore, an Evangelical leader who has been an adviser to President Donald Trump, had been installed as its executive chairman. His 'appointment comes as GHF's momentum on the ground in Gaza accelerates,' the organization said in a news release Tuesday, adding that since launching operations in the enclave on May 26, its team had delivered more than 7 million meals through 'without incident.' It maintained that there had been 'no incidents of violence recorded at distribution sites.' But ahead of it's operation in Gaza, GHF's former executive director, Jake Wood, quit the organization saying in a statement published by Reuters that it was impossible to implement the plan while also adhering to the 'humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.' Humanitarian groups have warned that while aid has been distributed under GHF, not nearly enough food and other vital supplies are getting into the enclave, which has a population of around 2.1 million, under the new aid system. 'The basic needs of the population in Gaza are enormous and are not being met,' Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement on Tuesday as he called for the 'unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance at scale' to be restored.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
GHF names Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore as Executive Chairman amid expanding aid efforts
Moore was interviewed by The Jerusalem Post earlier in May, where he spoke about Evangelical Christians and support for Israel. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Tuesday appointed Reverend Dr. Johnnie Moore as executive chairman of the US-run aid organization. Moore was appointed twice by US President Donald Trump to serve as a Commissioner on the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the statement on his appointment said. Moore was interviewed by The Jerusalem Post earlier in May, where he spoke about Evangelical Christians and support for Israel. "However, you slice it, about 80-90% of those Evangelicals around the world would think well of the Jewish people and Israel," he explained. He also discussed the importance of Evangelical voices since the October 7 massacre. "Since October 7, the Evangelical community has really taken responsibility to speak up," he said. While there has been considerable pressure from politicians and activists against those speaking in favor of Israel over the past year, Moore said that "I don't know a single Evangelical that flinched in the face of all of that," further noting the confidence the community has in Israel. "We believe the Jewish community is strong. We believe the State of Israel is strong. We believe the State of Israel can handle itself, even if the United States weren't there," Moore said. According to the GHF, since launching operations on May 26, 2025, over 7 million meals have been distributed in Gaza. They noted that no trucks were seized, no mass diversions occurred, and no incidents of violence were recorded at distribution sites. GHF also denied on Sunday that the IDF attacked a food distribution point near Rafah, contradicting widely circulated Hamas reports.
See - Sada Elbalad
2 days ago
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Egypt's Grand Mufti Receives Rev. Andrea Zaki for Eid al-Adha Greetings
Mohamed Mandour Grand Mufti of Egypt and President of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, Dr. Nazir Mohammed Ayyad, received Rev. Dr. Andrea Zaki, President of the Evangelical Community in Egypt, and his accompanying delegation to exchange Eid al-Adha greetings. Dr. Ayyad highlighted the visit as a testament to Egypt's strong national unity and the vital role of religious institutions in countering extremism through rational, human-centered discourse. From his part, Rev. Dr. Zaki expressed his appreciation and praised Dar al-Ifta's leadership in promoting tolerance and serving as a respected voice both nationally and internationally. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Huckabee wants to remove his yellow pin, because it would mean all the hostages came home
The US ambassador to Israel also attended the dedication of an ambulance donated by Evangelicals. One would expect the dedication of an ambulance to take place in the parking lot of a hospital, health clinic, or the organization to which the ambulance was donated - but not in a museum. However, there are always exceptions to the rule, and the bulletproof ambulance donated to Magen David Adom by Samaritan's Purse and Harvest Christian Fellowship was dedicated at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem just a few hours prior to the onset of Shavuot. The date and the venue were not coincidental. King David, who made Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish people, was born on Shavuot, and the museum bears his name. The ambulance which was the 42nd donated by Samaritan's Purse since October 2023 massacre by Hamas, was dedicated in the presence of scores of MDA personnel, including MDA global president and former Israel ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan past and present MKs and local authority officials, numerous Evangelicals including US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, US embassy staff, three generations of the family of Reverend Franklin Graham, the President of Samaritan's Purse, Senior Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship Greg Laurie, and some dozen stills and video photographers. Also present were returned hostages and members of hostage families including Karina Engel, who, with her two daughters, were abducted by Hamas and returned in November 2023 with the first of the released hostages. Her husband Ronen, an MDA volunteer, was murdered by Hamas and taken to Gaza, where his body is still in captivity. An ambulance in his memory was dedicated in January 2024. Engel told her story with tears streaming down her face and her voice choked with emotion. She has developed a special relationship with Graham and his wife, who both hugged her when she finished speaking. Huckabee said that when he came to Israel, he was asked what he wanted to do during his tenure. Pointing to the yellow ribbon pin on his jacket, he said that he wanted to take it off and never have to wear it again, because that would mean that all the hostages had come home. Huckabee is familiar with the Samaritan's Purse, where his wife Janet has been a volunteer for years. He had high praise for the Evangelical aid organization, which he said, shows up wherever there is a calamity in the world and continues to help people who are in harm's way. Referencing the saying in Jewish tradition, that he who saves a single life is as one who saves a whole world, Erdan said that through Samaritan's Purse and Harvest Christian Fellowship, many lives and many worlds had been saved. What they have done, he added, is a powerful proclamation that Israel is not alone. 'You answered hatred with hope,' he told the Evangelical leaders. There was no better place than Jerusalem for the dedication of the ambulance, he said, because Jerusalem is the city holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and MDA staff and volunteers are made up of people of all faiths. Erdan also pledged that Israel will never waver in its determination to defeat terror, and will never rest until all the hostages have been brought home. He declared that 'Israel's fight is civilization's fight against terrorism and radical extremism.' Graham had been curious as to when the first ever hostages were taken prisoner and abducted, and found the answer in the Scriptures in Genesis 14, where Lot is taken hostage and Abraham goes to rescue him. Graham described Abraham as 'the first responder of his generation.' Listing some of the things that Samaritan's Purse has done, Graham gave credit to many of those present. When President Isaac Herzog had asked him to provide an ambulance for the north of the country, he had turned to Laurie and had impressed on him that the ambulance had to be delivered immediately. In addition, 14 severely damaged ambulances were replaced. Samaritan's Purse also concerned itself with people evacuated from their homes and placed in hotels. Instead of giving them food parcels, Samaritan's Purse gave them gift cards so that they could buy what they wanted and needed. The organization also thought of other ways to help. To determine the needs, Graham has been a frequent visitor to Israel. Laurie considered it a privilege and an honor to be able to help Israel. 'We want to say to the People of Israel and to the Jewish People generally, that we stand with you, and that we want to do something tangible.' Quoting the biblical blessing given by God to the Children of Israel, Laurie said: 'We are an extension of the blessing of the Lord.' He was also proud of the fact that (in 1948) the US had been the first country to recognize Israel's legitimacy. In the face of antisemitism, Laurie has spoken aggressively on university campuses across America. MDA Director General Eli Bin recalled that when watching President Donald Trump's inauguration on television, he had caught sight of Graham, and had sent a WhatsApp message to Erdan asking whether this was indeed their Reverend Graham. When Eldan confirmed that it was Graham, Bin's reaction was, 'Now we have two Israel ambassadors in the US.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With Letter to Trump, Evangelical Leaders Join the AI Debate
Credit - Getty Images/iStockphoto—Andrea Danti Two Evangelical Christian leaders sent an open letter to President Trump on Wednesday, warning of the dangers of out-of-control artificial intelligence and of automating human labor. The letter comes just weeks after the new Pope, Leo XIV, declared he was concerned with the 'defense of human dignity, justice and labor' amid what he described as the 'new industrial revolution' spurred by advances in AI. 'As people of faith, we believe we should rapidly develop powerful AI tools that help cure diseases and solve practical problems, but not autonomous smarter-than-human machines that nobody knows how to control,' reads the open letter, signed by the Reverends Johnnie Moore and Samuel Rodriguez. 'The world is grappling with a new reality because of the pace of the development of this technology, which represents an opportunity of great promise but also of potential peril especially as we approach artificial general intelligence.' Rodriguez, the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, spoke at Trump's first presidential inauguration in 2017. Moore, who is also the founder of the public relations firm Kairos, served on Trump's Evangelical executive board during his first presidential candidacy. The letter is a sign of growing ties between religious and AI safety groups, which share some of the same worries. It was shared with journalists by representatives of the Future of Life Institute—an AI safety organization that campaigns to reduce what it sees as the existential risk posed by advanced AI systems. The world's biggest tech companies now all believe that it is possible to create so-called 'artificial general intelligence'—a form of AI that can do any task better than a human expert. Some researchers have even invoked this technology in religious terms—for example, OpenAI's former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, a mystical figure who famously encouraged colleagues to chant 'feel the AGI' at company gatherings. The emerging possibility of AGI presents, in one sense, a profound challenge to many theologies. If we are in a universe where a God-like machine is possible, what space does that leave for God himself? 'The spiritual implications of creating intelligence that may one day surpass human capabilities raises profound theological and ethical questions that must be thoughtfully considered with wisdom,' the two Reverends wrote in their open letter to President Trump. 'Virtually all religious traditions warn against a world where work is no longer necessary or where human beings can live their lives without any guardrails.' Though couched in adulatory language, the letter presents a vision of AI governance that differs from Trump's current approach. The president has embraced the framing of the U.S. as in a race with China to get to AGI first, and his AI czar, David Sacks, has warned that regulating the technology would threaten the U.S.'s position in that race. The White House AI team is stacked with advisors who take a dismissive view of alignment risks—or the idea that a smarter-than-human AI might be hostile to humans, escape their control, and cause some kind of catastrophe. 'We believe you are the world's leader now by Divine Providence to also guide AI,' the letter says, addressing Trump, before urging him to consider convening an ethical council to consider not only 'what AI can do but also what it should do.' 'To be clear: we are not encouraging the United States, and our friends, to do anything but win the AI race,' the letter says. 'There is no alternative. We must win. However, we are advising that this victory simply must not be a victory at any cost.' The letter echoes some themes that have increasingly been explored inside the Vatican, not just by Pope Leo XIV but also his predecessor, Pope Francis. Last year, in remarks at an event held at the Vatican about AI, Francis argued that AI must be used to improve, not degrade, human dignity. 'Does it serve to satisfy the needs of humanity, to improve the well-being and integral development of people?' he asked. Or does it 'serve to enrich and increase the already high power of the few technological giants despite the dangers to humanity?' To some Catholic theologians, AGI is simply the newest incarnation of a long-standing threat to the Church: false idols. 'The presumption of substituting God for an artifact of human making is idolatry, a practice Scripture explicitly warns against,' reads a lengthy missive on AI published by the Vatican in January. 'AI may prove even more seductive than traditional idols for, unlike idols that 'have mouths but do not speak; eyes, but do not see; ears, but do not hear', AI can 'speak,' or at least gives the illusion of doing so. Yet, it is vital to remember that AI is but a pale reflection of humanity—it is crafted by human minds, trained on human-generated material, responsive to human input, and sustained through human labor.' Write to Billy Perrigo at
