- [Announcer] This is CBN Newswatch.
- Thank you so much for joining us.
I'm Efrem Graham.
The FBI has officiallyconcluded its investigation
into allegations of sexual assault
and misconduct againstJudge Brett Kavanaugh.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
announced late lastnight the vote to confirm
him to the US SupremeCourt will proceed now.
All 100 senators have the chanceto review the FBI's report.
That decision ultimately comes down
to a handful of undecided senators.
Republicans Susan Collins,Lisa Murkowski, and Jeff Flake,
and Democrats Joe Manchinand Heidi Heitkamp
all condemn PresidentTrump's recent comments
about Kavanaugh's accuser
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
The full senate could voteon Kavanaugh's confirmation
as soon as this weekend.
We turn now to Washington,D.C., where Abigail Robertson
is following this story for us today.
Abigail, this processhas been so contentious.
Why so much more so than whatwe saw with Neil Gorsuch?
- Good morning, Efrem.
You're right this hasbeen much more contentious
than the case we saw with Neil Gorsuch,
and the reason being isthat the Supreme Court,
the control of it,
and the direction that it'sheading is at stake here.
When Neil Gorsuch was confirmed,
he was essentially replacing
a conservative for a conservative.
He was filling Antonin Scalia's seat.
Now we have the moderate seat,
Anthony Kennedy's seat,that's up for grabs.
So we have four conservatives,
four liberals, and thenthere's that moderate seat.
Whoever takes that seat
will sway the Court in that direction.
If it's Brett Kavanaugh,
it will most certainlysway toward the right.
- Jenna, some people say Democrats
have overplayed their hand here.
Could that hurt them in the midterms?
- Well, that's what Senator Bob Corker
and others are saying, Efrem.
That seems to be the sentiment
among a lot of Americans as well.
Look, when you have,
when you have the Democrats
leveling these accusationsagainst Brett Kavanaugh
and calling for a special hearing
and then on top of thatan FBI investigation,
and now some of them are saying that this
FBI investigation hasn'tbeen thorough enough.
It sends a message
to voters at home,especially conservatives.
There's now talk that the enthusiasm
pendulum is swinging backinto the Republican's favor.
There's a new Fox News poll out that shows
Heidi Heitkamp of NorthDakota now falling behind
to her Republican counterpart,her Republican opponent.
We'll see this could really backfire
on Democrats if enthusiasm does swing
in Republicans' favorand it mobilizes them
to get out and vote this November.
- We'll be watching.
Thank you so much.
Jenna Browder reporting
from Washington, D.C.,not Abigail Robertson.
Thank you, Jenna.
- [Jenna] Thanks.
- Here's a quick look at some of the other
major headlines we're following
for you today inside the CBN newsroom.
A man shot seven police officers
in South Carolina duringa two-hour shootout.
It was a standoff so dangerous,
police had to use a bulletproof
vehicle to rescue the wounded.
Investigators say the officers went
to serve a warrant in Florence
when the suspect barricaded himself
inside a home and openedfire on the officers.
When it was all over, sevenofficers were wounded.
One officer did not survive that shooting.
A Utah man suspected ofmailing the poisonous
letters to the White House
and Pentagon is now inthe custody of the FBI.
Officials have identified the man
as William Clyde Allen III.
On Tuesday, Pentagonofficials said two envelopes
had been suspected of containing ricin,
and they were isolated
at a Pentagon mail screening facility.
One envelope was addressed
to Defense Secretary James Madison.
The other to the Chief of the US Navy,
Admiral John Richardson.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the letters
appeared to only contain castor seeds
which have to be processedin order to become ricin.
However, charges couldstill be filed against Allen
if it is determined the letterswere intended as a threat.
Operation Blessing is continuing its work
to help victims of Hurricane Florence.
Right now, teams are working
in Newbern and Lumberton, North Carolina,
bringing some much-needed aid.
In Lumberton, nearly 2,000meals are being served
to families each day,
and in Newbern volunteers are working
to muck and gut those homes
that have been damagedby the natural disaster.
Operation Blessing isasking for volunteers
to continue to show up at these
locations to help with this ongoing need.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced
the US is terminating a1955 treaty with Iran.
The friendship treaty regulates
commerce and diplomacywith the foreign adversary.
CBN's National SecurityCorespondent Eric Rosales
has more on the growing tensions
between the United States and Iran.
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
held nothing back when he said the move
to terminate the 1955 Treaty of Amity
was "39 years overdue."
- Iran has attempted to interfere
with the sovereign rightsof the United States
to take all lawful actions necessary
to protect our national security.
Iran is abusing the ICJ
for political and propaganda purposes.
- [Eric] Pompeo's announcement came
after the International Court of Justice
ordered the United Statesto lift some sanctions
affecting imports on humanitarian
goods and products to Iran.
Hours later, NationalSecurity Advisor John Bolton
announced the US iswithdrawing from yet another
treaty with Iran made beforethe United Nations Court,
a court which Bolton says in ineffective.
- It's closing doors thatshould be open to politicize
the abuse which is what we'veconsistently seen in the ICJ.
- [Eric] Pompeo saysthe US will continue to
provide humanitarianassistance to Iranian refugees
but notes Iran continues touse its money on terrorism.
- The choices that are being made
inside of Iran today to use money
to fund terror around the world,
to launch ballistic missiles into airports
throughout the Middle East,
to arm proxy militias in Iraq
and in Syria and in Lebanon.
Those are dollars
that the Iranianleadership is squandering.
- It's war of words right now.
It was a wise move.
The US should not let anythingimpact its sanctions power.
- [Eric] Iran policy experts say
this is just anotherdiplomatic full court press
by Iran using a 1950s treatyto isolate the US today.
- If Iran upheld half of the things
that the previous governmentsprior to the revolution
agreed to with the USinternational community,
their country would be much better off
than it is today.
- In the face of economic pressure
and international criticism,
the Palestinian Authoritystill vows to spend
every last penny it has topay those who murder Jews.
Financial support to terrorist's families
will continue despite the United States
cutting aid to the PA overso-called pay-to-slay issue.
CBN Middle East Bureau ChiefChris Mitchell explains.
- [Chris] The Palestinian Authority says
taking care of those whomurder Jews is a top priority.
- [Translator] Even if weonly have a penny left,
it will only be spent on the families
of the martyrs and prisoners,
and only afterwards will itspent on the rest of the people.
- Earlier this year,
the United States moved to punish the PA
for this policy known as pay-to-slay.
It put the Taylor Force Act
into effect which cuts US aid until the PA
stops rewarding terroristand their families.
Australia followed suit in July,
but the rest of the world has yet to act.
- The internationalcommunity, first of all,
has to recognize thatthe Palestinian Authority
paying salaries to terrorists
is really a symptom ofthe fundamental problem.
That is that the Palestinian Authority
sees killing Israelis andkilling Jews as something heroic.
- [Chris] Itamar Marcus is the founder
and director of Palestinian Media Watch.
His organization has monitored reports
and speeches from the regionfor more than 20 years.
- The Palestinian Authority has put
these killer on a pedestal.
They've turned them into heroes
and role models forthe Palestinian people.
By now, they can't even back off.
They can't even backtrack.
They are going to keeprewarding these killers
with money that they're getting,
to a large extent, from foreign donors.
- [Chris] These postersprepared by his group
exposed the terrorists and their crimes
while laying out thescope of the payments.
- We've got Abdullah Barghouti,
I would say the most notorious
Palestinian Authoritymastermind of terror.
He built the bombs for suicide bombings
in Sbarro restaurant on Zion Square.
Hebrew University, he killed Americans,
killed Europeans, killedaltogether 67 people.
He's serving 67 life sentences.
These are among the 67people and he's already
also received about $200,000 already,
and he will continue receiving salary,
eventually receiving $31/2 thousand a month.
- [Chris] The Taylor ForceAct is not only a law,
but acts as a symbol as well.
- We created a special posterin memory of Taylor Force,
an American veteran whowas murdered in Tel Aviv.
The person who killed was a terrorist
named Basam Masalha who himself
was killed right afterwardsby Israeli forces.
So Basam Masalha's familyis now rewarded for life.
They've received up to now $13,000.
- [Chris] The 2018 budgetfor rewarding martyrs'
families and woundedis nearly $200 million.
Marcus says this doesn't bodewell for the peace process.
- Until the PalestinianAuthority changes its ideology
and sees murder as murder,
and sees murder as something punishable,
there's no one really to talk to
on the Palestinian Authority side.
- [Chris] Chris Mitchell, CBN News.
- Coming up, we hearfrom Dr. Russell Moore
on how the best practices to keep
your family afloat inthis storm-tossed culture.
We've got that sortfor you coming up next.
Welcome back.
When it comes to your family,
do you ever feel likesomething's just not right?
In his latest book,
Dr. Russell Mooreaddressed the rough waters
families face and how theycan keep from capsizing.
Our Jennifer Wishon brings up this story.
- You know the saying you can
pick your friend but not your family?
The memory of a family member can inspire
spontaneous laughter at the grocery store,
bring you to tears or both.
Family life is hard,
but Dr. Russell Moore says that's normal.
- I think that thetemptation is to somehow
think that if we just love Jesus
or if we're just good people
that we're not going to have
these difficult timesthat come with family.
In reality, that's neverwhat Jesus promised us.
He said to us that our lives
within the family areabout carrying the cross.
That's means that every interaction
that we have within the family
is an opportunity to pour oneself out,
to sacrifice one's selfin service to others.
- [Jennifer] Dr. Moore is president of the
Ethics on Religious Liberty Commission,
the public policy arm of theSouthern Baptist Convention.
In his latest book, TheStorm-Tossed Family,
Moore says focusing on the cross
will help prevent families from capsizing.
- What we see in the cross is that through
hurt and through vulnerability,
often we see the glory of God.
- [Jennifer] One ofthe reasons family life
is such a challenge, he believes,
is the constant spiritual warfare.
- It's because the marriagerelationship, for instance,
is designed after that pictureof Christ in the church,
and the relationshipof a child to parents,
or to a larger extent in family,
is a picture of God who is father to us,
Ephesians Chapter Three says to us.
So of course the spiritual forces,
the principalities of powers,
as the New Testament callsthem, would rail against that.
They don't like the picture of that.
What you see happening with the family,
in every generation,every age, all the time,
it's similar to what one would see
with someone trying totake apart a gospel tract
because that's what the family is.
- [Jennifer] In thisdigitally-connected era,
families often feel their relationships
have become unplugged and depression
can set in when scrolling through
seemingly perfectfamilies on social media.
- [Russell] You'll have people who think
that somehow theirentire worth is built up
in whether or not their family pictures
are Instagram-able enough,
whether or not theirchildren succeed enough.
People aren't usually going to
present on social media, "Guess what?
"Aunt Flossie has anotherrestraining order against her,"
or "my child has been grounded again,"
or "I'm afraid that my spouseand I are going to divorce."
People are going to do that,
but sometimes when we seejust the shiny presentation,
it can cause this kind of comparison.
The sense is becauseI'm having difficulty,
that means that I'm not succeeding.
When in reality,
some of the most Biblically-grounded
and thriving and flourishing
families think they're failing.
They think they're failingbecause it's very difficult
and they're facing allsorts of challenges.
- [Jennifer] Moore says his books
typically grow out of the questions
he's working through as ahusband, father, and pastor.
He says family issues are constant.
- Family is not, is not, again,
just a biological accident.
Family is picturing something.
God is picturing in thefamily the fatherhood of God.
He's picturing in the family the gospel,
the union of Christ and his church,
the newness of new birth.
All of those things
are pictured within the family structure.
- We need to rely on thechurch, Moore writes,
and instead of dividingourselves into groups
like singles, your marriedcouples, and seniors,
Moore suggests we're all facing
similar issues and needto rely on each other.
Jennifer Wishon, CBN News.
- And you can find moreon Dr. Moore's book
wherever books are soldor you can find a link
where you can get it atour website, CBNNews.com.
It's a disturbing trend,
many young people leavingthe Christian faith.
But an effort called Dare2Share
is looking to nip that in the bud.
It is teaching teenagers,
those who believe onhow to love their faith
and how to easily evangelize.
It's called Dare2Share and the founder,
Greg Stier, told Paul Strand he believes
it could ignite and awakening
all across the country.
- Greg, tell us, what is Dare2Share?
- You know, at Dare2Share,we train and equip,
mobilize teenagers to share the gospel,
and October 13th, we'redoing Dare2Share Live,
which is one event in 97 cities.
Literally, from Fairbanks,Alaska, to Puerto Rico,
students will be simultaneously
motivated, trained, equipped,
and turned loose to sharethe gospel of Christ.
They'll have a Dare2Share Live app.
So a student in Fairbanks, Alaska,
can talk to a student in Puerto Rico
'cause they're getting the exact
same training at the exact same time.
On that app, you'll be able to see
a map of the United States self populate
with all the gospelconversations happening.
We just believe it's time for revival.
We believe there's ageneration of teenagers
that want to be about a cause,
and the ultimate cause isthe gospel of Jesus Christ.
We'll train them, equip them,
we'll have Shane & Shane, The Skit Guys,
Zane Black, Flame therapper, myself, others,
but there'll be liveworship bands in every room,
live trainers in every room,
and we're gonna train, equip,
and unleash them with thegospel of Jesus Christ
to shake this nation withthe good news of Jesus.
- What time is this even on October 13th
and where exactly would teens go
if they want to get involved with it?
- Yeah, it's at 9:00 a.m. West Coast start
and at noon East Coaststart, so, it's truly live.
There's no delay,
and if they would goto Dare2ShareLive.org,
that's Dare, the numbertwo, Dare2ShareLive.org,
they can find out all theinformation they need about it.
We really encourage them
to bring their youth groups out
because we're gonna begoing out to collect
canned food for local rescue missions,
but also sharing thegospel and the process.
The goal for this is notjust an exciting rally call,
but a revival.
Our hashtag is Rock Your City,
so we just believe the citiesacross the United States,
97 are gonna be rocked
with the power of thegospel of Jesus Christ.
Encourage everybody to set their alarm
for 10:13 a.m. every day
and pray for revival on October 13th
that God will bring a sweeping revival.
- Is this the first yearthat you're doing this,
this nationwide simulcast?
- We did it last year in 68 sites.
We were able to train10,000 students in a day.
This year, we're prayingfor 25,000 teenagers
to be trained, equipped, andmobilized in a single day.
- Throughout the day, what is happening?
Are kids going out to witness?
I mean, is this stuff happening live
and then do you wrap it all up
with people sharing what's happened?
- Exactly, so in the morning,
everybody gets trained and equipped.
It's interactive back and forth.
Again, there's livetrainers in every room.
It's not just a simulcast,
we have live worship bands in every room.
So we're worshiping and singing,
and then we're energizing
and equipping them to share the gospel.
We give them a two-hour lunch break
where they go out had share the gospel.
Grab some lunch, collect cannedfood, then they come back.
We share testimonies and then we have
a nationwide prayer service
that's happening simultaneously
where we're all calling out to God
for revival in our nationand in our schools.
- We are now in a technological age
where everybody all over the place
can come together andget trained like this
at one time and do this all together.
- We are shocked on how excitingand how well it's working.
The Kingdom of God isforcefully advancing.
I believe our best days foryouth ministry are ahead.
I believe God's gonna unleash a revival
in the nation and around the world,
and he's gonna choose to use the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise,
and there's nothing morefoolish than American teenagers.
So I just believe arevival's gonna unleash.
- Okay, thank you so much.
Greg Stier with Dare2Share,we appreciate it.
Again, everybody, that's October 13th.
God bless you, Greg.
- Thank you.
- That's October 13th,
but today is Bring YourBible to School Day.
Students across the country will be
using this opportunity tocelebrate religious freedom.
The event is sponsoredby Focus on the Family
and it's aimed at encouragingstudents to share their faith.
We want you to send usyour images and videos,
and we will feature themright here on CBN Newswatch.
You can visit CBNNews.com tolearn more about the event.
Stay with us, we'll be right back.
(dramatic music)
Netflix has obtained therights to the classic
C.S. Lewis book The Chronicles of Narnia.
Three of the books havepreviously been made into movies.
With Netflix, this is the first time
the rights to all seven books
have been held by the same company.
It's not clear whether Netflix
plans to make them intoa series or movies.
In a statement, C.S. Lewis's stepson
said he is looking forwardto working with Netflix
to make Narnia adventures cometo life all over the world.
It is time now for your Thursday Thankful.
I hope you will join me inthis prayer of gratitude.
Lord, thank you for allthe benefits of the cross,
but in this moment, thanks for healing.
By your stripes, I am healed,
and that is possibly never more clear
than when I have just overcome an illness.
In that moment, health isclearly wealth beyond measure.
With that word, I encourage you
to make this a thankful Thursday.
That is gonna do it for thisedition of CBN Newswatch.
Remember, you can findmore of our exclusive
coverage of the issues youcare most about at CBNNews.com.
We would love to know what you think about
the stories you've seen here today.
You can do that by emailing
Newswatch@CBN.com, and of course,
you can always reach out andtouch us on Facebook, Twitter.
- I expect that we'll hear
that the conclusions of the expert
prosecutor who questioned both witnesses
at last week's hearing aren't reliable
or that the FBI's investigation
was not infinite or endlessenough for their liking.
So let me make it very clear.
The time for endless delay
and obstruction has come to a close.
- The full senate could vote
on Kavanaugh's confirmationas soon as this weekend.
The death toll in Indonesia's tsunami
and earthquake disaster in now
more that 1,400 and it's expected
to soar as rescuers search
through the debris and landslides.
(speaks in foreign language)
- There is a growing desperation
amongst survivors of the massive
7.5 earthquake and thetsunami that followed.
More than 70,000 aredisplaced and living in tents.
Their homes flattened and destroyed.
The wait for help hasled to looting and chaos.
Clean water, food, and medical help
among others are badly needed.
Despite difficulties in logistics,
Indonesia's Operation Blessing
managed to bring aid to survivors in Palu.
They brought in boxes of food, medicine,
and gave medical helpto the sick and injured.
This mother is relieved
that an Operation Blessing doctor
can dress the stitched forehead
of her son before it gets infected.
This lady's wounded leg is finally
being treated after she sprang it
while running from falling debris.
The team also reachedSigi Biromaru District
where the quake leveled a church,
killing more than 30youngsters having Bible study.
There are still many worse hit areas
isolated due to damagedroads and landslides.
Operation Blessing teamsare pushing to reach
more survivors in theseareas in the coming weeks
and bring them much-needed help,
and to let them know
that there are people who care about them.
Lucille Talusan, CBN News.
- The Ottoman Churchtried to overrun Europe
centuries ago but they were
turned back at the gates of Vienna.
Today, Turkey is againestablishing a presence in Europe,
recently dedicating one of the
largest mosque on the continent.
This time in Cologne, Germany.
Dale Hurd has this story.
- The new Cologne Mega Mosque
is an important editionto Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan'snetwork of European mosques,
and it's part of what some warn
is a dangerous and growingfifth column inside Europe.
But when Erdogan arrived in Germany
to christen the new mosque,
what began as a welcome
with military honorswent downhill quickly.
The lavish televised ribboncutting was marred by protest.
This German protester said,
"When I heard that Erdogan
"will receive a statereception, I was appalled.
"He slaughtered Kurds, invaded Syria,
"and imprisoned hundreds
"of thousands without court orders."
Erdogan got a cold receptionfrom Germany's president.
German leaders had already
backed out of attendingthe mosque opening,
and in Erdogan's press conference,
a journalist protesting over jailed
reporters in Turkey was forcibly removed.
While Germany allowed the giant mosque,
the Austrian government has shut down
Turkish mosques and expelled 60
imams in June because they were being
funded by the Turkish government
and because these photosfrom inside a mosque
showed Turkish childrenbeing trained to be martyrs.
The leading expert on Turkey's network
of mosques and Islamicassociations in Europe
Abdullah Bozkurt calls themErdogan's Fifth Column.
- What we have been seeingin the last couple of years,
an increase activity on the part
of the Turkish governmentto turn to mosques
that were financed bythe Turkish communities
or by the Turkish government,
or imams deployed directly from Turkey
to serve as sort of political operatives.
- [Dale] Bozkurt warnsthat mosques like this
are the basis for a proxy force
that can strike inside Europe.
- And joining us now is CBN
Senior InternationalCorespondent Dale Hurd
with more on this story.
Why does Germany and other
European nations allow these mosques?
- I think in Germany's case,
they don't have a lot to prevent it,
but, I mean, this is an example of,
there's a lot of stupidity on some levels
in Europe in very intelligent countries.
Germany is highly intelligent,
one of the mosttechnological-advanced countries,
and yet in terms of immigration,
they've done what some couldargue are some stupid things.
In 2016, they allowed in a million
refugees into a country their size.
It's ill advised.
I think that also it's a fear of racism
or a fear of looking Islamophobic
that keeps them from restricting this.
- Now you used the term proxy force.
Do you mean an actual military force?
- Yeah, my interview used proxy force
and he was referring, I think,
to overall troublemakers,people that could,
they could commit acts of terrorism,
they could build political parties
and voting blocs inside ofGermany and other countries.
They can intimidate Turksthat already live there.
They are soldiers for Erdogan.
- Does this have an importantsymbolism for Turkey
because it was unsuccessful
at invading Europe hundreds of years ago?
- That's a good question.
I am sure ti does and you do see,
in Turkish media,
things harkening back to that.
I think that this has avery pragmatic purpose
for the Turkish leaders.
There are a lot of Turks who were
invited into Germany afterWorld War II as a workforce.
They're there now, there's a lot of them,
and this is a way to control them.
This is the way to have theirfoot in the door in Europe.
- A story we'll continue to watch.
Dale Hurd, Senior InternationalCorrespondent, thank you.
Still lots more aheadhere on CBN Newswatch.
Let's check in now with George and Emily
to see what's makingheadlines around the world.
This week on Worldbeat,
is Turkey's president tryingto become an Islamic sultan?
We'll take a look at theimplications of his rise to power.
- Plus could the American pastor
being held in Turkey soon be a free man?
The very latest on theplight of Andrew Brunson.
(triumphant music)
- Hello, everyone, this is Worldbeat,
the show where we tell youwhat's happening in the world.
- And also how you can pray about it.
Well, today, George, we'retalking about Turkey,
a country that has a longtradition of secularism,
but is increasingly embracinga radical form of Islam.
- That's right, Emily.
In the recent years,
the Turkish governmentof Recep Tayyip Erdogan
has been cracking downon individual freedoms
and arresting those whospeak critically of Islam.
Since 2003, Erdogan has overseen
the building of thousandsof mosques across Turkey.
In fact, just this past week,
he opened Europe's largest mosque
in Germany funded by Turkish government.
Erdogan's strong embrace of Islam
has many analysts wonderingif he views himself
as a new caliph or sultan of Islam.
Joining me to discuss thatquestion is Dr. Aykan Erdemir,
a former Turkish lawmakerand now a senior fellow
at the Foundation forDefense of Democracies.
Thanks for coming on this show.
Does Erdogan see himself asIslam's new caliph or sultan?
- At the same time and at this point,
I think Mr. Erdogan sees himself
as Turkey's one and only ruler.
Probably, he has some dreams of
a neo-Ottoman grandeur.
He sees himself inlight of Ottoman sultans
who also happened to be caliphs
beginning with the 16th Century.
Erdogan's mission is not only
to socially engineer Turkey into a more
Islamic-oriented countryand society, but also,
he hopes to be the opinion leader
and the strong man of theIslamic world as well.
- Last week, he inaugurated Europe's
largest mosque in Cologne, Germany.
What is Erdogan's Islamic ambitions?
- Now again, Erdogan'sambitions aborad are twofold.
On the one hand, he reachesout to the Turkish diaspora.
There are over three million German
citizens and residentsof Turkish background.
Erdogan sees himself as a patron
of the Turkish diaspora around the world,
but at the same time,
beyond Turkey's ethnic brethren,
Erdogan also tries to reach outto Muslims across the globe.
He comes from the MuslimBrotherhood tradition.
He wants to be, again,
the patron of Muslim Brotherhood's
movements and political parties
around the Middle East and North Africa.
His building activity across the globe
is linked in part to his diaspora outreach
and in part to hisoutreach to the Muslims.
- Dr. Erdemir, the outlookfor Turkey's economy
continues to look gloomy.
Inflation is in double digits.
It's currency has plummeted.
How are Turks reactingto their economic woes?
- Now traditionally, when wetake a look at Turkish history,
we see that economic downturns
often result in government change.
In fact, Erdogan himself came to power
in 2002 in the wake of a similar
economy crisis, but this time,
something is different and that is
for the first time in Turkish history,
a government controlsover 95% of the media.
Erdogan controls the messaging in Turkey.
Although the economy crisis,
the worse in Turkey's history
has hit Turkish consumers hard,
because of the way in which the media
manipulates the news,Erdogan manages to control,
continuous control inpolitics, in economy.
It's still, I think,
early to tell what might be
the outcome of the ongoing economy crisis,
but Erdogan, let's keep in mind,
has a very strong media empire
as well as a repressive apparatus.
- Can you talk a little bit
about the impact that therise of ultranationalism
and religious fundamentalism is having
on Turkey's minority faith groups?
- Yes, Erdogan, in his rise to power
was mostly messaging around
what he called a Muslim Democratic vision.
That messaging used to be quite
tolerant of Turkey's ethnicand religious minorities.
In fact, Erdogan even spoke
against nationalism and exclusion,
but as a consolidative power.
As he turned to Turkey's far right
nationalists as an ally,
Erdogan himself became
an increasingly intolerantand prejudice ruler.
Especially since Turkey'saborted coup of July 2016,
we have seen increasing
scapegoating, smearing, and targeting
of Turkey's religious minorities.
Particularly, Turkey's dwindling
Jewish and Christian communities.
We have also seen a spike in
dubious political charges
against members of religious minorities.
One high profile case, of course,
is that of US pastor Andrew Brunson.
He has been smeared inTurkey's pro-government media.
He has been framed withfabricated evidence by,
you know, witnesses who aresecret, you know, not named,
and also by a six- orseven-page indictment
which is full of ludicrous charges.
I think that bestepitomizes the precarious
condition of Turkey'sreligious minorities.
- Okay, terrific, Dr. Aykan Erdemir,
thank you so much for coming on the show.
- Thanks for having me.
- Well, American pastor Andrew Brunson
has been in prison in Turkey since 2016,
but will freedom come soon?
That's the big question.
American leaders hopeBrunson will be released
at his next court date on October 12th.
However, Turkey appearsto be doubling down.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
blasted the US Mondayfor leveling sanctions
against Turkey and accused Brunson
of having ties to terrorism.
He said, "We are determined to fight
"this twisted attitude that has attempted
"to impose sanctions on our country
"by using a pastor who has dark ties
"to terror groups as the pretext."
Well joining me now for more
is CBN New Middle EastBureau Chief Chris Mitchell.
Chris, what do you makeof Erdogan's harsh words
against the US and his accusation
that Brunson has dark ties to terrorism?
- Well, Pastor Brunson doesn't have
any dark ties to terrorism.
He's been a pastor for about25 years inside Turkey.
He's ministered in Izmirwhich is ancient Smyrna.
He actually, in the last few years,
has been reaching out to many
of the Kurdish refugees who came
as a result of the Syrian civil war.
So there's a lot of conspiracy theories,
and the other guest alluded to that,
inside Turkey that has really smeared
the reputation of Pastor Brunson,
but ties to a dark side of terrorism,
certainly not the case.
- And Chris, we knowthat we are just several
days out from PastorBrunson's next court date.
The US wants him released.
Turkey is pushing back.
What can we expect on October 12th?
- Well certainly, a lot of people
are praying for the finalrelease of Pastor Brunson.
I know there was a possibilityof a deal earlier this year.
That fell through, and actually,
I believe President Trump was a bit
disappointed in President Erdogan
because he thought a deal had been struck.
So there's hope, anyway,
for a lot of people thatOctober 12th could be the date
that Pastor Brunson finally is released.
- And Turkey has charged Brunson
with the crime of Christianizationand sharing his faith.
Why is he such a threat in Turkey?
- Well, as I said,
he really wasn't a threatto anybody in Turkey.
He wasn't part of this coupthat was in the summer of 2016.
If there's any threat, hewas preaching the gospel.
As the other guest alluded to,
really the Islamization of Turkey
has really been the big news
ever since PresidentErdogan has consolidating
his hold on power and trying to make it
much more of an Islamicpower and also exporting,
as we the mosque going in Germany
and spreading it throughout
what had been a more secular Turkey.
Now it's becoming a muchmore Islamist Turkey.
- [Emily] And how is the Brunson family
coping in the midst ofall this persecution?
- Well, it's been very difficult,
but now he's out of a Turkish jail
and now he's under house arrest,
which is a much better condition for him.
He can be with his wife,but I think his wife,
Pastor Brunson, and Iknow people that I have
talked to that arefriends with the Pastor,
they see this in a growing,
it's not just Pastor Brunson.
They see that he could be like
the Apostle Paul that hasbeen arrested for his faith,
but really being used by the Lord
to really raise the sight of Christianity
inside Turkey which is one of the least
evangelized countries in the whole world.
- [Emily] Wow, and do you see
future crackdowns on Christians in Turkey?
- It's very much a possibilityand I'll give you an example.
We interviewed one of thepeople from Erdogan's,
not Erdogan's, but Pastor Brunson's church
and there's a concernthat there will be others.
For example, we actually had to hide
his identity because hecomes in and out of Turkey.
So I think that some people are concerned
that this could portend a growingcrackdown on Christianity.
- Chris, quickly, is Turkeya growing risk to Israel?
- Very much so.
I think it's a member of the,
it supports the Muslim Brotherhood.
It supports Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
I think the rhetoric against Israel
is pretty stern sometimesby President Erdogan.
I think it does represent athreat to the Jewish state.
- Chris, you know, this is the segment
that we talk about prayerfor the nation of Turkey.
How do we pray for theBrunson family right now?
- Well, I would say, George,
that in the midst of this,
that they would remain strong,
that his faith would remain strong.
It's been a physical, emotional,
and certainly a spiritual ordeal
for Pastor Brunson and the whole family.
I would pray for the,
that God would give them strength
throughout the midst of this ordeal.
- Chris, how do we pray forChristians in Turkey right now?
- I would say for boldness
and they could be bold in the midst
of really an oppressive government
against religious freedom and that they
would have boldness and that the gospel
would continue to go forth
to those that are strongbelievers that are inside.
Many of them, by the way, former Muslims.
- Okay, terrific, we aregonna get ready to pray.
We need to understand that in Turkey,
less than half a percent of Turkey's
80 million population ismade up of Christians.
So it truly is a very, verytough situation for them.
Chris, it's great to have you here.
Would you mind prayingfor Brunson's family
and then Emily will pray forthe Christians in Turkey?
- Sure.
Father, we just ask for Pastor Brunson,
his wife, his family, whole family,
that you would strengthenthem during this time.
Just undergird them with spiritual,
emotional, and physical strength.
Lord, we just pray forChristians around the world
to support them, intercede for them.
We do pray for hisrelease this October 12th
and that his situation can be used
to propagate the gospel inTurkey and around the world.
- And Lord, we just lift up
the Christians in Turkey right now.
God, we pray that youwould give them boldness,
that you would give them courage,
that you would protecttheir witness to you, Jesus.
We pray that even though that they face
the threat of persecution,
that they will continueto spread the gospel,
that they will ministerto their Muslim neighbors,
Lord, and you will just be there,
your presence will rest there in Turkey,
in the Christian community,
and that you will continue to uplift them
in Jesus' name we pray.
- Also pray for the flood of refugees
who are coming from Syria, Afghanistan,
Iraq, all of them findingshelter in Turkey.
Many of them are believers.
Many of them are fleeing
persecution from neighboring countries,
I pray that you will encourage them
and may they be an encouragement
to the body of Christ in Turkey.
We pray this all in thename of Jesus Christ, amen.
Well folks, that is it for thisweek's edition of Worldbeat.
My thanks to our guestsin Washington, D.C.,
and my colleague Chris Mitchell.
- Until next week,goodbye and God bless you.
(triumphant music)
- That is a look at Worldbeat.
We'll be right back with much more
CBN Newswatch right after this.
Country music artist Brad Paisley
is opening a free grocery store
in Nashville, Tennessee,for families in need.
The singer and his wife teamed up
with Belmont University,a Christian school
and Second Harvest FoodBank on the project.
The store aims to providefood for 3,000 people a year,
and will provide on-the-job training
along with healthcare and legal aide.
Well, today is BringYour Bible to School Day.
It is a chance forstudents across the country
to celebrate religious freedomand to share their faith.
It is sponsored by Focus on the Family.
We want you to send us yourimages and videos from the day.
We'll feature them righthere on CBN Newswatch.
Be sure to visit CBNNews.comto learn more about the event.
Right now, it is time foryour Thursday Thankful.
Take a moment to consider the things
we often overlook orsimply take for granted
like walking, talking, or even breathing,
and then join me in thisprayer of gratitude.
These words come from a simple psalm.
Lord, you are good.
You've been so good,even better than good.
You're been so good to me.
Take a moment today tosincerely count your blessings,
the simple things, and give God thanks.
With that word, I encourage you
to make this day indeeda very thankful Thursday.
That is gonna do it for now
on this edition of CBN Newswatch.
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