INTRODUCTION Today is known as Quinquagesima Sunday, reminding us that it is now fifty days before the Easter Day. This means that Lent will begin on the Wednesday of this week which is called Ash Wednesday. Lent, itself, known as Quadragesima (Fortieth), is the period of forty days preceding Easter (excluding Sundays) which represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter” and the austere spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the…
Author: adminacnn
A black street preacher, believed to be a Nigerian man, was arrested in London on 23 February apparently for an alleged “breach of the peace” as he preached the Gospel outside Southgate Underground Station. He was later “de-arrested”, according to a Metropolitan Police spokesman. The preacher pleaded peacefully with two white police officers not to take away his Bible. In a humiliating arrest, they placed his arms behind his back in handcuffs and took the Bible from him and one officer can be heard replying, “You should have thought about that before being racist [sic].” In a verbal exchange recorded in a two-minute…
Vice-Chancellor, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Prof. Dapo Asaju, shares his experiences as a father and administrator with TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN What does fatherhood mean to you? Fatherhood simply means responsibility to oversee the affairs of a family. Any position of responsibility where you exercise oversight as the brain, breadwinner, security person, guide of the family, you are playing the role of a father. To be fatherly is to beget; a father is someone who begets another child. It entails a reproductive responsibility as well as a mentoring responsibility and it comes with lots of administrative responsibilities as well. That is why Apostle…
By Stephen Noll Over the next ten days (late February 2019), two important church synods will take place: one in Rome and one in St. Louis. Guess what they will be about: sex and church order! Not to be outdone, the Church of England General Synod is also meeting, with topics like “safeguarding,” transgender baptism, and “gay conversion therapy.” In this post I shall address the “special General Conference” of United Methodists in St. Louis. Here is a brief preview of the agenda: Last July, the Council of Bishops offered three possible plans for moving forward: the One Church Plan, the Connectional Conference…
“The Pope? How many divisions has he got?” Stalin supposedly asked Churchill in the waning days of World War II. “The Pope? How many Arabic translators has he got?” Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, presumably asked his advisors before signing the document “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” in the UAE, earlier this month with Pope Francis. The Grand Imam speaks the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in Arabic. This is his in-house discourse. He is an open scroll to Sunni Muslims, who comprise 85-90 per cent of the world’s Islamic population. On the other…
An eye surgeon from the Diocese of Peshawar, Khushbakht Peters, on how the united Church of Pakistan is called to exist – and be a source of blessing for many – despite the difficulties faced in the region. The real Church, believers in the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, will remain a minority group all over the World. Maintaining the existence, identity and developing the bridges with the majority community will always be an endeavor for the small Christian minority in the World. Any opportunity to sustain the identity and simultaneously sharing the Good News…
West Malaysia First published in December 2017 Britain’s land-swap with the Dutch, in the early 1800s, resulted in a peculiar anomaly: the Anglican church of Christ Church in Melaka is the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia; but not the oldest Anglican church. Christ Church was built by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1753, but handed over to the Church of England when the British took over. A purpose-built Anglican Church – St George’s Church in Penang – was constructed in 1818. The Church of England in what is now West Malaysia was a predominantly British church. And while it had…
A first print, first edition copy of late Chinua Achebe’s novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ has been purchased for N1 million. NAN reports that the private sale took place on Twitter following a call by Lola Shoneyin, an author, for collectors to purchase the vintage copy. Shoneyin, who is well-known for her book ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’, tweeted the sale via Twitter on Sunday. “Hey, book collectors! My friend is selling a first print, first edition copy of ‘Things Fall Apart’ for N1m. Reply here and she will contact you.” Fans of Achebe’s work took to the comment section…
Although it is commonly mistaken for a vegetable, cucumber is a fruit that belongs in the same family as watermelon, squash and pumpkin. This fruit contains a large amount of water making it low in calories and soluble fibre. With its rich manganese, vitamin B, C, and K, potassium and copper, content, cucumber helps the body avoid nutrient deficiencies. Among a great array of reasons to eat more cucumbers, here are top five picks: Protects the brain Contained in cucumber is an anti-inflammatory flavonol called fisetin, which plays a vital role in brain function. Fisetin helps to prevent memory impairment and protects against…
Nigeria’s 84 million voters will go to the polls next weekend to give their verdict on Muhammadu Buhari. The country is Africa’s most populous, and by some measures has the largest economy on the continent. Nigeria celebrated Mr Buhari’s election in 2015 as not only a resounding rejection of the unpopular Goodluck Jonathan but also the first democratic transition since the return of civilian rule in 1999. Unfortunately, the highlight of Mr Buhari’s presidency appears to have been the gaining of it. The economy struggles, and his pledges to curb rampant corruption have been applied to political opponents. Insecurity remains a pressing issue:…