Christian R&B/pop artist Beckah Shae moves up to the next level with Destiny, a smartly-produced showcase for her husky-to-smooth vocals and God-centered songwriting. Shae’s troubled teenage years provide a backdrop for her lyric message of spiritual rebirth and salvation. Tracks like “Hope,” “Gold” and “Destiny” speak eloquently from the viewpoint of a survivor who has struggled on the path to healing. The anthemic “Are You Ready?” and “Show Me” call out to the unsaved in direct, street-wise terms. Shae is confident enough to tweak the Devil (“Supernova”) and openhearted enough to declare her boundless need for God (“Just to Know”). Jack Shocklee’s production, counterpoints insistent club beats with gliding old-school synthesizer tracks to create an ultra-accessible sound that cries out for crossover airplay. Sonic high points include “#putyourloveglasseson” (a steady-swaying jam with an electronic edge) and “Music” (a hypnotic dance number bristling with sly hooks and positive vibes).

“JUST TO KNOW”   Beckah Shae – Just To Know_732119

Two of American’s biggest megachurch pastors – Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter’s House and Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church, both in Texas – will share the same stage at the 2012 International Pastors & Leadership Conference.The three-day conference, scheduled to take place May 3-5 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., promises to address the most pressing needs of today’s church and bring together some of the biggest Christian leaders in the world today. Besides Jakes and Osteen, Bishop Tudor Bismark from New Life Covenant Church in Harare, Zimbabwe, Bishop Noel Jones from the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, Calif., and Dr. Cynthia James, a Christian psychologist providing counseling to more than 140 pastors, will be some of the names present at the event. 

The conference is aimed at both pastors and their wives, as well as church executives and their administrative support staffs, and will present strategies for how to balance the business of church with the spiritual needs of the congregation and community at large. 

What is unique about the event is that it will allow some very prominent pastors, such as Jakes and Osteen, to network and work together, which they do not get to do too often throughout the year with their busy schedules and obligations to their own congregations. Although the conference will have a big focus on senior pastors and look at operational strategies for large churches, it will also have a forum to address the holistic needs of churches of any size. 

“Leadership is not just the exclusive domain of the senior pastor. Rather, it is a responsibility shared among those who lay a solid foundation to ensure a structure’s upward stability and proper functioning at every level,” said Bishop T.D. Jakes in a press release. 

The theme of this year, called “The Mission is Not Impossible,” will address some of the biggest hardships facing pastors today and look at ways to overcome them. Some of the topics on hand will be the uncertain economy, which continues to pose questions for church finances, the moral failure among leaders, and how pastors can build up their congregation and bring their church up to the next level. 

The official website for the event also says that this year there will be more space, more sessions and more empowerment. This year’s conference also includes new workshops such as one featuring live demonstrations in the areas of dance ministry and praise & worship. It promises a more intimate/interactive setting for church leaders and professionals. 

The conference, led by Bishop Jakes, has been gathering leaders from around the world since 1995, and is reportedly one of the most successful annual church conferences in the United States. 

More than 6,000 church leaders from 25 different nations around the world attended the 2011 International Pastors & Leadership Conference last year, where they learned what to do when a crisis strikes and they need to keep their church together. Also staged in Orlando, the conference brought in around $6.5 million to the region, according to the visitors’ bureau. 

Bishop Jakes gives a short preview of the upcoming conference in the clip below, promising that it will be “amazing:”

While the world’s attention is on Israel and Iran in terms of possible military action, an attorney says an Iranian pastor is still in serious trouble and needs the world to petition the government on his behalf.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has received the death penalty because of his alleged conversion from Islam to Christianity, although he insists he was never a Muslim. Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) tells OneNewsNow that during his 863 days of imprisonment, Nadarkhani has been pressured to recant his faith or admit that Mohammed is a prophet. But he has refused to do so (see earlier story).

“We have word out of Iran — and we’ve confirmed this with as many sources as possible because Iran doesn’t even necessarily tell the attorney, doesn’t necessarily tell the family, and it’s not a public execution, so there’s not [an] automatic right of appeal or public appeal — that the execution orders have been issued,” Sekulow reports.

But he asserts that Nadarkhani’s story is not over yet.

“What happens next is there must be another public outcry from the world — from Christians, from non-Christians, from Americans, from people in Europe, from people in Africa — just like there was when we started talking about this story in the early fall,” the ACLJ attorney urges.
Intense prayer is also needed, as Sekulow cannot confirm that Nadarkhani is still alive. But he insists that Christians cannot give up hope, and now is not the time to stop trying.

(USA TODAY) — Complaints that the New International Version of the Bible (NIV) is inaccurate and too gender-inclusive are not going to stop one of the world’s largest Christian resource producers from selling it.

Nashville-based Lifeway Christian Resources voted unanimously to keep selling the NIV Bible, while making clear the company doesn’t endorse it.

That translation was criticized at the 2011 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix. Church representatives there approved a resolution asking Nashville-based LifeWay Christian Resources — owned by the denomination — to take it off its shelves.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE N.I.V. TRANSLATION??

PHILIPPIANS 2:6: The KJB again, clearly declares the deity of Jesus Christ: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery TO BE EQUAL WITH GOD“ The NIV reads, “Who, being in very nature God, DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD something to be grasped,”. The NIV again subtitly perverts the deity of Jesus Christ!

Psalms 119:160 says, “Thy word is TRUE. . .” John 17:17 says, “. . . thy word is TRUTH.” Titus 1:2 clearly says, “. . . God that CANNOT LIE” How could the God of Titus 1:2 be the God of Mark 1:2,3 in the NIV!? IT IS IMPOSSIBLE! For Hebrews 6:18 clearly declares, “. . . it was IMPOSSIBLE for God to LIE” It is impossible for the LIES in the NIV to be the words of GOD! Whose words are they? I’ll give you a hint – Jesus Christ calls him “A LIAR, and the father of it” in John 8:44!

The NIV again openly LIES in 2 Samuel 21:19, “. . . Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.” What 8-year-old doesn’t know that David killed Goliath?

Romans 1:18-32 describes the “path to perversion” and verse 25, describes their decline, “Who changed the TRUTH of God into a LIE. . .”! Not surprisingly, The NIV perverts Romans 1:25 from “CHANGED the truth of God INTO a lie” to “EXCHANGED the truth of God FOR a lie”!

The last few years homosexuality and sexual perversion have “exploded” into the mainstream. Legislation is now pending making same-sex marriages legal. Books such as Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy’s Roommate, promoting homosexuality, are in our schools. According to The Washington Post, bisexuality and homosexuality, are the “in thing” in our public schools. And even churches are now welcoming homosexuals and are even ordaining them in the ministry!

A literary critic on the NIV translation was homosexual author Dr. Virginia Mollenkott. In Episcopal, Witness (June 1991, pp. 20-23), she admits, ”My lesbianism has ALWAYS been a part of me. . .” To no surprise, “sodomite” is completely removed from the NIV. (Deut. 23:17, I Kings 14:24, 15:12, 22:46, II Kings 23:7) And of course, I Cor. 6:9, ”. . . effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. . .” is replaced with the non-offensive “. . . nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders. . .” Notice the NIV in I Cor. 6:9 does NOT condemn “homosexuals” or the “act of homosexuality” - but ONLY “homosexual OFFENDERS”.

HarperCollins is a subsidiary of the global media empire, The News Corporation, owned by Rupert Murdock. The News Corporation empire include Fox Broadcasting, Twentieth Century Fox, and more than 128 newspapers. Fox Broadcasting produces some of the most sexually lewd shows on television. Murdock also publishes the British newspaper, the Sun, notorious for its nude pin-ups.

VERY IMPORTANT! For the REAL PROOF Check out this link to HarperCollins

Now where is Don Wildmon when we really need him? Don was quick to boycott Kmart because subsidiary, Waldenbooks sold Playboy and Penthouse. Kmart can’t “hold a candle” to the “filth” spewed by The News Corporation. Why isn’t Don boycotting Zondervan and the NIV? Friend, every time you purchase the NIV you are giving to people who produce pro-homosexuality, pornographic material — AND THE SATANIC BIBLE! ”Can two walk together, except they be AGREED?” Amos 3:3

Jesus Christ plainly said in Matthew 7:17-18:

Even so every GOOD tree bringeth forth GOOD fruit; but a CORRUPT tree bringeth forth EVIL FRUIT. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a CORRUPT tree bring forth GOOD FRUIT. (Matthew 7:17-18)

Do you think Jesus Christ was LIEING?
Do you really believe God would ALLOW His HOLY word to be “owned” by that group? “. . .for what fellowship hath RIGHTEOUSNESS with UNRIGHTEOUSNESS? and what communion hath light with darkness?”2 Cor. 6:14

Do you actually believe God would ALLOW His Holy Word to published by the same ungodly people who publish the Satanic Bible?

Being born again, not of CORRUPTIBLE seed, but of INCORRUPTIBLE, by the WORD OF GOD, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23)
Isn’t it EQUALLY amazing that the King James Bible is the ONLY Bible that is not OWNED by men?

That’s right! The King James Bible has no COPYRIGHT ownership! It’s copyright is the CROWN COPYRIGHT which ALLOWS it to be published by ANYONE, ANYTIME! Without asking ANYBODY for permission!

“. . .but the word of God is NOT BOUND.” 2 Timothy 2:9

ISAIAH 14:12: The KJB reads, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O LUCIFER, son of the morning!. . .” The NIV PERversion reads, ”How you have fallen from heaven, O MORNING STAR, son of the dawn. . .” The NIV change “Lucifer” to “MORNING STAR”.

BUT WAIT. . . I thought the Lord Jesus Christ was the MORNING STAR?

Doesn’t Revelation 22:16 say, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and MORNING STAR“.

The NIV CLEARY AND BLATANTLY makes LUCIFER — The Lord Jesus Christ! WHAT BLASPHEMY! WHAT PERVERSION! And Christians claim the NIV is a “better translation”!

ISAIAH 14:15: The King James Bible condemns Lucifer to hell: “Yet thou shalt be brought down to HELL . . .” The NIV does NOT condemn Lucifer to HELL! The NIV reads, “But you are brought down to theGRAVE. . .” We all go to the GRAVE! Why doesn’t the NIV want Satan in hell?

And what do they do with “hell”? Take PSALM 9:17 for example: The King James reads, ”The wicked shall be turned into HELL. . .” The NIV, reads, ”The wicked return to the GRAVE. . .” We ALL “return to the GRAVE”! By removing “hell” the NIV perverts Psalm 9:17 into nonsense!

In the New Testament the NIV zaps out “hell” 9 times. And what “clearer” “easier to understand” word does the NIV “update” hell with? Five times they use – HADES! (Matt 16:18, Rev 1:18, 6:8, 20:13,14) What “common person” understands HADES? Everybody knows what HELL is! Do you know what HADES is? Hades is not always a place of torment or terror. The Assyrian Hades is an abode of blessedness with silver skies called “Happy Fields”. In the satanic New Age Movement, Hades is an intermediate state of purification! Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines HADES: ”the underground abode of the dead in Greek MYTHOLOGY“. The NIV perverts your Bible into MYTHOLOGY!

Proverbs 30:6, reads, “ADD THOU NOT unto his words . . .”

And just in case you missed it, GOD’S LAST WARNING is Revelation 22:18,19, ”. . . If any man SHALL ADD unto these things. . . And if any man shall TAKE AWAY FROM THE WORDS of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life. . .”

And Jesus Christ, in Luke 8:12, gives a clear aim of Satan, “. . . then cometh the devil, and TAKETH AWAY the word . . .”

The NIV PERversion completely “TAKETH AWAY” Matthew 17:21, 18:11, 23:14, Mark 7:16, 9:44, 9:46, 11:26, 15:28, Luke 17:36, 23:17, John 5:4, Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7, 28:28, Romans 16:24 and 1 John 5:7!

After Mark 16:8 the NIV says, “The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.” ZAP-There goes another 12 verses! And by the way, that is absolutely untrue! The book, The Last Twelve Verses of the Gospel of Mark, by Dean Burgon contains over 400 pages of documented evidence for Mark 16:9-20, that has never been refuted, nor ever will!

After John 7:52, the NIV, reads, ”The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11″ ZAP-There goes another 12 verses!

Matt. 12:47, 21:44, Luke 22:43 and 22:44 are all removed in the footnotes!

That’s 45 complete verses the NIV removes from the text or in the footnotes!

The NIV removes wonderful Bible “terms” like remission, regeneration, impute, propitiation, new testament and many others!

Despite God’s clear warnings about “taking away” from His words – the NIV removes 64,576 words! Over 8 percent of God’s word is “TAKETH AWAY”!

That equals REMOVING the books of Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi, Colossians, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, I Peter, II Peter, I John, II John, III John, Jude and more - COMBINED!!! The equivalence of ripping out OVER 30 BOOKS of the Bible!

In case you think it’s insignificant words like “thee” and “thou”? The NIV removes major portions of at least 147 verses!

Here’s a small (very small) sampling of words removed in the NIV!

Matt. 6:13, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Matt. 15:8, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth”
Matt. 19:9, “and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”
Matt. 20:7, “and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.”
Matt. 20:16, “for many be called, but few chosen.”
Matt. 20:22, “and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with”
Matt. 25:13, “wherein the Son of Man cometh.”
Matt. 27:35, “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet They parted my garments among them and upon my vesture did they cast lots”
Mark 6:11, “Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”
Mark 10:21, “take up the cross.”
Luke 1:28, “blessed art thou among women”
Luke 4:4, “but by every word of God”
Luke 4:8, “get thee behind me Satan”
Luke 4:18, “he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted”
Luke 11:2-4, “Our … which art in … Thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth… but deliver us from evil”
John 1:27, “is preferred before me”
John 3:13, “which is in heaven”
John 3:15, “should not perish”
John 11:41, “from the place where the dead was laid”
John 16:16, “because I go to the Father”
Acts 10:6, “he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do”
Acts 15:18, “Known unto God are all his works”
Acts 20:24, “But none of these things move me”
Acts 23:9, “let us not fight against God”
Rom. 8:1, “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”
Rom. 13:9, “Thou shalt not bear false witness”
I Cor. 6:20, “and in your spirit which are God’s”
I Cor. 11:24; “Take eat… broken”
II Cor. 10:4, “but mighty through God”
Gal. 3:1, “that you should not obey the truth”
Eph. 5:30, “of his flesh, and of his bones”
Phil. 3:16, “let us mind the same thing”
I Tim. 6:5, “from such wthdraw thyself”
Heb. 7:21, “after the order of Melchisedec”
I Pet. 1:22, “through the Spirit”
I Pet. 4:14, “on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified”
I John 4:3, “Christ is come in the flesh”
I John 5:13, “and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God”
Rev. 1:11, “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last”
Rev. 5:14, “him that liveth for ever and ever”
Rev. 14:5, “before the throne of God”
Rev. 21:24, “of them which are saved”

Jesus Christ says, in Luke 4:4, “. . . It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD of God.” But not according to the NIV! In fact, the NIV even “TAKETH AWAY” the last half of Luke 4:4 - “BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD”! And Jesus Christ was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 to Satan! Does the NIV PERversion seriously think the Lord Jesus Christ does NOT know Duet. 8:3???

LIE 2) The NIV is easier to read and understand. 
FACT: According to a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level research study, The King James Bible is by far the easiest! Out of 26 different categories – the King James graded easier in a whopping 23! In selected analysis, the KJB average grade level was 5.8 – the NIV was 8.4! (New Age Bible Versions, Riplinger, pp.195-209)

LIE 3) Older and more reliable manuscripts have been discovered since the King James Bible.
FACT: Dr. Sam Gipp writes, “The fact is, that the King James translators had ALL OF THE READINGS available to them that modern critics have available to them today.” (The Answer Book, Gipp, p.110) And furthermore, it is a well documented fact that 90 – 95 per cent of all readings agree with the King James Bible!

LIE 4) The NIV is more accurate.
FACT: The KJB is a literal word for word translation. When the translators had to add words for sentence structure they are in italics. The NIV uses “dynamic equivalence”. Rather than a word for word translation, they add, change and subtract to make the verse say what they “thought” it should! The Preface to the NIV even says, “. . .they have striven for more than a word-for-word translation. . .”

Focus on Harvard sensation Jeremy Lin once again brought faith-talk and basketball analysis simultaneously together, this time via NBA legend Earvin Magic Johnson during ESPN/ABC’s TV coverage of the New York Knicks’ victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Johnson, who is rated the greatest NBA point guard of all time (ESPN 2007), now serves as a pro basketball commentator and analyst for the network. Although already a big fan of Lin, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Hall of Famer said after the game there should be no question as to the legitimacy of the Knicks’ point guard.

During a game summary wrap-up between fellow analysts, including Jon Barry, Johnson said before commercial break, “Like Jeremy Lin says, ‘God is good.’”

Johnson tweeted after the game: “There shouldn’t be anymore questions as to whether @Jlin7 is legit so are the Knicks.”

Earlier in the week, a game-winning shot by Lin over the Toronto Raptors inspired Johnson to tweet: “Everyone should be a believer in @Jlin7 after his shot to win the game tonight.”

Although Johnson does not talk about his faith often on television, his reference to God on Sunday is not a surprise to many in the Los Angeles area who have followed his career and life.

In 1991, at a press conference in Los Angeles, he announced that he had contracted HIV. His career with the Lakers came to a halt while he focused on treatment for the disease in which the medical field was still doing early research.

Johnson says today that he has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, according to the Christian publication Connection Magazine.

“I thank Him every chance I get – on my knees praying,” said Johnson, as reported by Connection.

Johnson, who leads the Magic Johnson Foundation, is a member of West Angeles Church of God in Christ. He was drawn to the church by his wife, Cookie, according to Connection.

While displaying his patented Magic smile, he lavished praises on Lin during Sunday’s broadcast in which Lin scored 28 points with 14 assists in the 104-97 win over the defending champion Mavs.

“What makes him for real is that he loves to compete,” Johnson said. He explained to viewers that Lin plays unselfish ball and that other Knicks players, like Carmelo Anthony, who will be joining the starting rotation soon, need to adjust to the guard’s game, not vice versa.

Lin’s first eight starts in the NBA is remarkably comparable to the same number of first starting lineup assignments for some Hall of Fame point guards. Lin has 200 points and 76 assists in his starts, while Isiah Thomas had 184 points and 51 assists. Johnson scored 147 with 57 assists, and John Stockton had 80 points and 82 assists.

Analyst and former NBA player Jon Barry admitted that he was skeptical about Lin early on. However, things changed after the game on Sunday.

“I’m totally bought in now. The way he competes … the way he plays. The Knicks can’t take him off the floor. He is big time. I’m all in on this guy, Jeremy Lin,” Barry said.

Sean “Diddy” Combs, music and entertainment mogul, announced on Tuesday that he will launch a new cable network called Revolt.

The announcement came after Combs hinted at the launch on his Twitter page all morning.

“Big announcement coming at 10 a.m. EST! Stay Tuned,” the music mogul tweeted to more than four million followers.

The announcement came in the form of a video posted to Combs’ official YouTube channel, PTWITTYTV.

“The revolution will be televised. Today is a very, very big day,” Combs said. “I’m here to announce my new cable network, Revolt.”

Combs is working with Comcast, the nation’s largest cable television provider, who will carry Revolt on some of its local cable systems, The New York Times reported. According to the report, Comcast has been actively working to increase minority channels within its network recently.

Combs thanked the network for their efforts to increase the number of minority owners.

“I’d first like to say thank you to Comcast, Comcast Diversity Council and NBC for recognizing the importance of minority ownership in cable television,” Combs said in the Revolt announcement. “When I was growing up I used to watch television all the time and I would wonder why don’t those people look like me, or talk like me or walk like me? Thank you to Comcast; my hat goes off to you for being the first to step up.”

In his introductory video, Combs said the network would be dedicated to artists.

“I’m going to give the artists this channel. It’s your channel, your opportunity to show your art the way you want to show your art,” he said. “Uncut, raw, uncensored, … a channel that will give new artists an opportunity to be seen and heard, new visual directors to be seen and felt, producers of all colors, shapes and sizes. This network will represent you and the soul of music that has been missing for a long time.”

Although Combs expressed excitement for the possibilities that the new Revolt network would create, he admitted that it would be hard work.

“I take a lot of pride having experience, credibility, authenticity and relationships to make Revolt T.V. the number one name in home music on television,” Combs said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s going to be a marathon not a sprint, but I will not stop until we’re on top.”

Combs, who also executive produced the documentary “Undefeated” that recently earned an Oscar nomination, said he is thankful to God for the opportunities.

“Nominated for an Oscar AND announced my cable channel all in one week,” Combs tweeted. “God really IS the GREATEST! If you believe — you can do anything!”

LYRICS:

Verse:

Hello world its me
Mr. L-I-F-E-S-T-Y-L-E
Yea, the leader of the LIFERs
speak and breathe life on them bones that’s the driest
Uh huh, my glass half full people
defying gravity, down ain’t where we pull people
Only here to lift up like body builders
With godly wisdom… from the body builder
Death and life are in the power of the tizzounge
need some encouragement then you should prolly give some
See… u reap what u sow
we stay sowin’ life so you already know
Wooooh, life more abundant
John 10:10 so you know we ain’t bluffin’
LifeNations’ in the buildin’ and its evident
We can’t be stopped and his tomb is our evidence

Chorus:

This is the life
It feels good to be unstoppable when you live life to the fullest
Through him everything is possible
All my LIFERs put your L’s up to the ceiling,
If your feeling how I’m feeling
Caz life feels so good, from the suburbs to the hood
LifeNation stand up
This is the life

Verse:

We give vertical praise…pronto
And we be game changers…rondo
Enemy know our name, no john doe
Heavens our palace this earth is just a condo
We in this world but not of it
Act the same way in the private or the public
Christ is the sponsor, we on Gods budget
He got everything so we don’t need for nothin’
Yeeeaah, feelin’ real distinguished,
hotter than lava but cool as some penguins
Genius he is, for him we live,
gave his life for us, so back to him we give
Everything, put that on everything
He got us fly so high no mary jane
The verdict is in, we’ve been given life we are lifers with a life sentence

LIFERs(LifeNation) ft. Sky Manzanetti   09 LIFERs (LifeNation) (Prod. by Black Knight)

A new report compiled by several former Education Department insiders for the Pioneer Institute warns that the Obama administration is imposing a national school curriculum, even though the law doesn’t allow it, by making trades with districts seeking waivers from other program requirements. “In three short years, the present administration has placed the nation on the road to a national curriculum,” said the authors of the reported called “The Road to a National Curriculum: The Legal Aspects of the Common Core Standards, Race to the Top, and Conditional Waivers.”

“By leveraging funds through its Race to the Top fund and the Race to the Top Assessment Programs, the [Education] Department has accelerated the implementation of common standards in English language arts and mathematics and the development of common assessments based on those standards,” the authors said. “These standards and assessments will create content for state K-12 curriculum and instructional materials. “The department has simply paid others to do that which it is forbidden to do,” the report continued. “This tactic should not inoculate the department against the curriculum prohibitions imposed by Congress.” The authors are Robert S. Eitel and Kent D. Talbert, with help from Williamson M. Evers. Eitel is a founding member of Talbert & Eitel, an education law firm in Washington, and he advises clients on education-related legislation, regulations and cases. From 2006 to 2009 he was deputy general counsel of the U.S. Department of Education.

Talbert is co-founder of Talbert & Eitel, and provides legal services to colleges and universities, accrediting agencies and professional organizations. He was from 2006-2009 general counsel to the Education Department. Evers is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and specializes in research on education issues. He was from 2007-2009 the U.S. assistant secretary of education for planning, evaluation and policy development. He also was a senior adviser to then-Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. The Pioneer Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, privately funded research group that supports scholarship on Massachusetts public policy issues. The authors said the federal agency is using “waiver conditions” for various requirements – “a power that Congress has not granted” – to set up the national standards. “Given the intense desire of most states to escape the strict accountability requirements of the [Elementary and Secondary School Education Act], most states will agree to the department’s conditions in order to obtain waivers. By accepting the department’s conditions, these states will be bound indefinitely to the Common Core standards, [Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers-SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium] assessments, and the curriculum and instructional modules that arise from those assessments,” the report said. “As already evidenced by the eleven states that have already applied for waivers, most states will accept the Common Core standards and the PARCC-SBAC assessment consortia conditions. Once this consummation occurs, the department will not permit a state to walk away from that commitment without the state losing its coveted waivers. “It is also highly doubtful that states will turn away from the Common Core standards and assessments after making the heavy investment that these initiatives require,” the report said. “In the view of the authors, these efforts will necessarily result in a de facto national curriculum and instructional materials effectively supervised, directed, or controlled by the department.”

The authors suggest a multifaceted response to Obama’s agenda, including that Congress “should immediately pass legislation clarifying that the department cannot impose conditions on waivers requested by states under ESEA.” Further, congressional committees should hold hearings on the Race to the Top and related programs “to ascertain the department’s compliance” with various requirements. Congress also should determine whether it needs to strengthen the legal ban on federal involvement in elementary and secondary curriculum programs and members of Congress should have the Government Accountability Office review and identify faulty efforts, the report said. The study comes from the Pioneeer Institute’s Center for School Reform, which tries to boost education options for parents and students and ensure accountability in public education. The launch of ESEA in 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson brought about huge advances in federal involvement in education, except that the Education Department generally followed the rules not to be involved in curriculum over the years. In 2009, that changed. “Actions taken by the Obama administration signal an important policy shift in the nation’s education policy, with the department placing the nation on the road to federal direction over elementary and secondary school curriculum and instruction,” the report warned. Even though there were protections for local control of education, “at the direction of the present administration … the department has begun to slight these statutory constraints.” The report said through its administrative authority, “The department has created a system of discretionary grants and waivers that herds state education authorities into accepting elementary and secondary school standards and assessments favored by the department … these standards and assessments will ultimately direct the course of elementary and secondary study … running the risk that states will become little more than administrative agents for a nationalized K-12 program.” Obama’s administrators are moving that direction even though the law bans federal instrusion into any “direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institute, school, or school system, or over the selection of library resources, textbooks, or other printed or published instructional materials…”

The report details how common standards began as a voluntary effort on the part of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, simply defining what students should know in order to graduate from high school. Then Obama had the Race to the Top grants require districts to adopt the Obama standards in exchange for participating. The winners “adopted or indicated their intent to adopt” the standards, the report confirmed. That raised concerns, with Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott telling Sen. John Cornyn, “I believe that the true intention of this effort is to establish one set of national education standards and national tests across the country. Originally sold to states as voluntary, states have now been told that participation in national standards and national testing would be required…” Weeks later, the Education Department confirmed that, stating its assessment standards will be used “to meet the assessment requirements” in federal programs. “Through the Race to the Top Assessment Program, the department displaces state assessment autonomy with new common assessments for all states in the consortia, directed and influenced by $362 million in federal funds and program requirements,” the report said. Additionally, the Obama administration is using school requests for waivers from various requirements to leverage states into a long-term national system of curriculum, “notwithstanding the absence of legal authority.” “Any state effort to untether from the conditions imposed by the department in exchange for having received an ESEA waiver will certainly result in the department revoking the waiver. Like the dazed traveler in the popular Eagles’ song ‘Hotel California’ states, they can check out any time they like, but then can never leave,” the report said.

“As of today, we cannot confirm that Pastor Youcef is alive,” said executive director Jordan Sekulow. “With Iran now dominating international headlines because of its military actions, it’s clear Iran may have decided to move forward by issuing an execution order, knowing that the world’s attention is focused elsewhere right now. We also know that Iran’s top officials can reject the execution order and release Pastor Youcef if they so desire. We will keep the international pressure on Iran to free Pastor Youcef.”)

Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been sentenced to death for apostasy. (Photo: ACLJ)

(CNSNews.com) – In what it described as “an extremely dangerous turn of events,” the American Center for Law and Justice said Monday it had learned from contacts inside Iran that Youcef Nadarkhani, the Christian pastor on death row for “apostasy,” looks increasingly likely to be executed.

“Pastor Youcef’s case had been stalled due to increased international pressure and the Iranian court’s request that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, decide Pastor Youcef’s fate,” said ACLJ executive director Jordan Sekulow.

“Now, because Pastor Youcef has continually refused to give into the regime’s demands that he renounce his Christian faith, the likelihood that the Iranian regime will execute him increases by the day.”

Nadarkhani, a married father of two young children, was arrested in October 2009 and has been sentenced to hang for “apostasy.”

His death sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court last July, but three months later the case – which was making waves internationally – was referred to Khamenei. The supreme leader was expected to make a ruling on whether the pastor, who embraced Christianity at the age of 19, was an apostate under Islamic law (shari’a).

The case appears to have unsettled the Iranian regime, which unlike some other Islamic governments insists in international forums that it respects the rights of religious minorities, and it tried various approaches to resolve the matter quietly.

Late last year, advocacy groups said they had received unconfirmed reports indicating that the case had been delayed – by anywhere from four months to a year – to provide more time to persuade Nadarkhani to recant his faith in Jesus Christ.

In mid-January, Christian Solidarity Worldwide said it had learned that authorities in Rasht, Nadarkhani’s home city in the north of the country, had offered him freedom in return for agreeing to declare that Mohammed was a messenger sent by God, an apparent to secure an indirect repudiation of his faith. It said Nadarkhani had declined the offer.

“Just as the initial conviction of Pastor Nadarkhani is illegal under Iranian law, the recent offer made by the authorities in Rasht is a violation of the Iranian constitution, and of international covenants to which Iran is a signatory that guarantee freedom of religion and freedom to change one’s religion,” said CSW chief executive Mervyn Thomas.

Sekulow of the ACLJ, which has led advocacy efforts in the U.S. on the pastor’s behalf, said Monday it was more critical than ever to increase the pressure on Tehran to overturn the death sentence and release Nadarkhani.

The ACLJ is continuing to work with Pastor Youcef’s attorney in Iran, the State Department, and Members of Congress in an effort to save Pastor Youcef’s life.”

On Friday, Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) introduced in the House of Representatives a resolution condemning the Iranian government “for its state-sponsored persecution of religious minorities” in violation of international covenants and calling on Iran “to exonerate and immediately release Youcef Nadarkhani and all other individuals held or charged on account of their religion.”

The resolution, which was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has Republicans and Democrats among its six co-sponsors – Reps. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Frank Wolf (R-Va.), John Carter (R-Texas), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).

The ACLJ is urging Americans to sign a new petition, urging all members of Congress to support the resolution. Around 30,000 had done so by early Tuesday.

“We are very grateful for the support of those Members of Congress who are standing for religious liberty and freedom and demanding that Iran release Pastor Nadarkhani immediately,” said Sekulow.

Iran’s treatment of Nadarkhani was condemned by the White House last September and by the State Department in July.

Last month, Nadarkhani’s case was featured during a 90-minute debate on human rights in Iran in Britain’s House of Commons.

Lawmakers discussed the pastor as well as other imprisoned Iranian Christians, and also heard about the plight of the Baha’i, who are also frequently accused of apostasy despite in many cases having been Baha’i adherents for many generations.

A British government representative undertook to raise the concerns at the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) when it holds its next session, in March.

The Geneva-based council has in the past examined Iran’s human rights record, with Western nations leading the criticism and Tehran’s Islamist and leftist allies defending it.

In an official submission to the HRC in 2010, Iran stated that members of permitted religious minority groups – Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians – “within the limits of the law, are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education.”

“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and all Muslims are duty-bound to treat non-Muslims in conformity with ethical norms and the principles of Islamic justice and equity, and to respect their human rights,” it said.

Last March the HRC, for the first time since being created in 2006, appointed a special investigator to monitor the Iranian situation. The vote passed in the 47-member council by 21-7, with Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Pakistan and Russia opposed.