(dramatic music)

- [Wendy] This week onChristian World News.

Jesus is King.

Kanye West has a hit albumand it's all about Jesus.

But it's more than just selling records.

He's taking the gospelmessage across America.

What led to his radical transformation?

- [George] Plus, the deathdefying daredevil Bear Grylls.

Where does Bear turn whenhis feet are to the fire?

See how he conquers fear with faith.

- [Wendy] And they had little in common

until they both survivedattacks on their lives.

How that uncommon bondforged a partnership

that would shatter an evil empire.

- Hello everyone.

Welcome to this week's editionof Christian World News.

I'm George Thomas.

- And I'm Wendy Griffith.

Great to have you with us.

Well, Christian musiccharts have a new voice

at the very top.

Kanye West is certainly shaking things up

with his first faith-based film, or album,

- That's right.- I should rather say album,

which debuted at number oneon the Billboard charts.

- My colleague AbigailRobertson brings us more

on the recent impact faithis having on this megastar

and on people across the country.

- The gospel album, Jesus is King,

is hitting #1 acrossthe major music genres,

with each song landingin Billboard's Hot 100.

Kanye is openly sharing hisradical faith transformation

and helping to lead thousandsto Christ in the process.

- Kanye West works for God.

- [Abigail] Kanye recentlytelling CBS's James Corden

it was Christians in his lifewho never stopped praying

who made all the difference.

- You know, there's a lot of people

that were praying for me when I was,

you know, all the waygone, when I was on the,

you know, at the MTV Awardsholding a Hennessey bottle

running on stage, when Iwas doing creative direction

for certain award shows.

It was people in my familythat were praying for me.

- [Abigail] Kanye admitsto dealing with addictions

like sex and pornography

and believes sharing these life struggles

makes him more relatable tonon-believers exploring faith.

- God's always had a plan for me

and He always wanted to use me,

but I think He wanted me to suffer more

and wanted people to see my suffering

and see my pain and put stigmas on me

and have me go throughall the experiences,

the human experiences.

So now, when I talkabout how Jesus saved me,

more people can relate to that experience.

- [Abigail] He also encouragedthose working on his album

to refrain from thingslike pre-marital sex

and join him in fasting and praying.

- His calling is to evangelize the world,

so he has some great peoplespeaking into his life,

but he needs more, sowe need to pray for him.

- [Abigail] Minister Shawn Bolz,

who attended one of Kanye'srecent Sunday Services,

tells CBN News it's important to remember

the music star is a relatively new convert

and Christians should give him time

as he publicly goes through this process.

- There was probably over 2,000 people

who came to Christ just at Kanye's service

while we were there, who raisedtheir hands for salvation.

And there's people en masse.

There's so many churches in L.A.

that are popping in intoan entertainment culture

to believe in God's dreamfor what He wants to do.

And so I think that we'reabout to see a tipping point

and that where popular culturegoes, all culture goes,

so God is at the head ofthis thing and I'm excited.

- [Abigail] Korie Robertsonof Duck Dynasty fame

took her family to a SundayService in Baton Rouge.

- It was a straight up worship experience

and we loved it.

- [Abigail] Adding, Christiansshould be the first ones

celebrating what's happening.

- This is what we pray for,this is what we hope for,

for Jesus to come into someone's life

and just have an absolute180-degree life change.

- [Abigail] Christianrapper Lecrae tells CBN News

he believes Kanye is sincere.

- At this juncture in time,

I believe he's compelledto tell people about Jesus.

I believe he's compelled tosay, "I found a new faith

"and I'm serious about it."

- In addition to those comingto the Lord at his concerts,

Google is seeing a spike in searches

for scripture passagesand biblical phrases

found in Kanye's lyrics.

Abigail Robertson, CBN News.

- Remarkable story.

- So amazing.

- He is a death-defying adventure addict

who conquers extreme environments.

Reality TV star BearGrylls thrives on danger.

- I love this guy, butthere's another side

to this international icon.

CBN Contributor Chuck Holtonrecently sat down with him

to talk about his newestbook, "Soul Fuel."

- [Chuck] Bear Grylls'name has become synonymous

with adventure, and he'smade a career on television

surviving the most extremeenvironments imaginable.

But off camera, he's alsoa businessman, author,

and father of three boys.

Many of his more than 20 books

deal with the death-defyingexperiences of his life,

but his most recentwork, titled "Soul Fuel,"

is a book of short devotionals

aimed at those who don't feel comfortable

with organized religion.

- I didn't really mean it to be public.

I wrote this book because these,

I try and do something everyday at the start of the day

and I've just writtendown notes over the years

of things that have helped me.

So "Soul Fuel" is that;it's what I do every day,

a little bit of food and fuel for in here

to help me face the battles of the day

and to face it in an empowered way

and where I secretlyfind my strength from.

It's rooted in Christ's teaching,but it's all about love.

- [Chuck] The last timeI sat down with Grylls

was seven years ago todiscuss his autobiography,

"Mud, Sweat, and Tears."

During that interview, Bear described

how he came to trust Jesus as his savior.

- I always had a natural faith as a kid

where I just kinda knew God existed

and it felt very free and pretty wild

and natural and it wasn't religious.

But then I went to schooland, suddenly, I kind of,

it all became much more religious

and I kinda thought,"Oh, I don't like this,"

and it was all about churchgoing

and people telling you not to smoke

behind the bike shed when you're age 12.

- In the book, you said Iwasn't really interested

in the God of endless school assemblies.

- I thought, "Oh, you know, if that's God,

"then maybe I've got thewhole kinda deal wrong,"

and I kinda ditched my faith.

I think age about 16, I lost my godfather,

who was like my second fatherto me, who'd lived with us.

We were super close.

And totally out of the blueand it was a real shock to me.

And I remember just, Imean wanting to pray,

but not knowing how to.

And I remember sitting up in this tree

and then saying a very simple prayer

that said, "Will you be that friend to me

"that you were when I was fiveor six and it felt natural?

"Amen."

And that was actually theprayer of finding a faith.

- [Chuck] Many of thedevotions in this book

come out of his adventures since then.

But he says those pale tothe tough times we all face.

- You know, I've never met a strong person

who hasn't had a hard road a little bit.

And I think there's an element to that.

I think of faith when we're put under fire

or we're scared or we're grieving

or we're facing some illness or whatever.

In a way, those are the times

where the fluff gets blown away

and the religious stuff gets blown away

and the really important stuff,

which is "I'm beside you, Iwill help you, I will hold you,"

which is what the message of faith is.

- [Chuck] And his hopeis that it will lead

more young people tothat same simple faith

he found as a boy.

- It's about in here and trying to connect

with what's up there and walk in that.

Faith is quiet and it's broken

and it's in that brokenness,finding a connection

with the Almighty to say, "Ilove you and you're forgiven

"and you'll find home here andyou'll be strengthened here."

- [Chuck] For CBN News, I'm Chuck Holton.

- [George] Coming up, an uncommon bond

that changed the modern world.

(dramatic music)

- Hello, this is Pat Robertson.

The Bible tells us that there'sgreat power in God's word.

Hearing, speaking, andobeying the word of God

will transform your life.

That's why I recorded TheTransforming Word, Volume III,

Proverbs: Verses of Wisdom,Favor, and Anointing.

- [Announcer] TheTransforming Word, Volume III

will deepen your faithand help you discover

the promises God has for you.

- I encourage you to listento these verses often

and say them aloud with me.

You will find honor, guidance, favor,

and the wonderful abidingpresence of the Lord.

Let the powerful word of God

transform your heart, mind, and life.

- [Announcer] Get TheTransforming Word, Volume III

audio CD and The Three Blessings DVD.

Call now or go to CBN.com.

(inspirational music)

- [Efrem] I'm Efrem Grahamand this is Studio 5.

Cruise with me as Idiscover the good things

happening in the world of music,

sports, television, and movies.

- The fact that Ryan Coogler

was gonna be directing the film,

I knew that somethingspecial was gonna happen.

- [Efrem] We'll chat with artists

at the forefront of entertainment

and explore the connection

between popular culture and faith.

- I asked my pastor, I said, "Well,

"does that mean I'msupposed to be a preacher?"

He says, "Well no, youalready have a pulpit."

- [Announcer] Watch Studio5 Wednesday night at 9:30.

- [Announcer] As the worldwatches from the outside.

- It's a big diplomatic tug-of-warhere in the Middle East.

- [Announcer] Go inside thestory with Jerusalem Dateline.

- Israeli archaeologists aretalking about a discovery

that could change the thinkingabout the Temple Mount.

- [Announcer] Join CBN Jerusalembureau chief Chris Mitchell

and get the biblical perspective

on the events shaping the world.

- What starts in Israel thenends up going to other places.

- [Announcer] Watch Jerusalem Dateline

Friday night at 9:30 onthe CBN News Channel.

- Well President RonaldReagan and Pope John Paul II

had little in common until both leaders

were shot by would-be assassins

within just weeks of oneanother back in 1981.

- Yeah, that shared near-death experience

created a very strong bond between them,

which led to historic events.

It is all the subject of a new film.

Efrem Graham brings us the story.

- It's one of the last knownstories of the 20th century,

how President Ronald Reaganand Pope John Paul II

worked together to bring down communism

and end the Cold War.

It's a story now told in anew documentary film called

"The Divine Plan."

In the spring of 1981, assassinsshot both President Reagan

and Pope John Paul II,just six weeks apart.

Both men nearly died.

- Both of them lost half their blood.

One 60%, estimate, one 60%, one 50%,

and some of the facts comefrom The New York Times.

- They both said to one another,

this Protestant presidentand obviously Catholic pope,

they said to one anotherthat they believed

that God had spared their lives.

Because they should've bled to death.

They both should've died.

- [Efrem] While the pope and president

had admired one another from afar,

the assassination attemptsdrew them together.

When meeting for the first time

at the Vatican the following year,

they confided in each other

their belief God had sparedtheir lives for a reason.

That reason?

To defeat communism.

In private, Reagan put a name on it,

The Divine Plan, or The DP.

- And DP was a code word he always used

with his own cabinet, Casey and other.

When they'd say DP, it was a code word

because they felt like certain things

were always occurring insome kind of higher design.

So when he confessed to JohnPaul II that he felt like,

not that he didn't have a faith,

but that his faith mission was galvanized

by that assassination.

John Paul II agreed with him

and they were unitedfrom that point forward.

- [Efrem] On the surface,

the two men appeared tohave little in common.

- John Paul II, 'causehe only knew of Reagan

through Western media,

actually was suspect about himbeing a bit of a warmongerer

'cause if you listened toWestern media at the time,

so he wanted to meet,

on top of this, he wantedto meet Reagan face-to-face

to see if he was a man of peace.

But after that meeting, he told his peers

that Reagan was a man ofpeace, we can partner with him.

- [Efrem] Robert Orlando,

who wrote and directed"The Divine Plan" says

they quickly discovered strong agreement

on the bedrock principlesof faith, freedom,

and human dignity.

- They also both suffereda lot in their lives.

By the time he was 21,he describes himself

as very much alone, andall the people he had loved

had died already.

- [Efrem] Although they visitedin person only five times,

President Reagan and Pope John Paul

began a rich correspondence,and through it,

developed an extraordinary bond.

From the Polish solidaritymovement in the pope's homeland

to the fall of the Berlin Wall,

"The Divine Plan" shows howthe president and the pope

persevered together inprayer and diplomacy

until Soviet communismultimately unraveled.

Efrem Graham, CBN News.

- It really was a special relationship,

a divine relationship.- A divine plan indeed.

And you know, clearly,the enemy did not want

- That's right.- communism to fall,

but God did.- Amen.

- Praise God.- Well this coming March,

CBN is bringing you theepic story of St. Patrick.

This brand new movie wasfilmed on location in Ireland.

- Yeah, it features"Lord of the Rings" actor

John Rhys-Davies.

Here's a look at the trailer.

(waves crashing)(seagulls squawking)

(gentle music)

- [Patrick] It was not my grace, but God,

who conquered in me andwho resisted them all,

that I might come to the Irish nations

to preach the gospel.

- The preconception thatwe've got about St. Patrick

is completely wrong.

(woman shrieks)(dramatic music)

Ireland was a place of barbariansat the end of the world.

- [Man] Get going, boy.

- [Woman] It is slavery for life.

- [God] Patrick, you areto travel to your homeland.

- Patrick.

(Patrick sobs)

- Patrick! (sobs)- You're alive, you're alive.

- [Priest] To hear the call

to go back to Ireland terrified him.

It was asking a lot ofthis man to do this.

- [Father] This doesnot have to be, Patrick.

- It is the will of God.

Go into all the worldand preach the gospel.

Who among you heeds the call?

- Why would this man put himself in danger

among enemies who do not know God?

- People thought thatthis mission was crazy,

that his efforts to Christianize Ireland

were doomed to failure.

- Tell us this secretyou know about Patrick.

- [Priest] Things in the pastcan come back to haunt us.

(dramatic music)

(heavy breathing)

- Take him.

- It is time to go.

- I'm not finished.

No!

- [George] Up next,the five-foot superhero

who was called the Moses of her people.

The life story of Harriet Tubman.

It is now up on the big screen.

We'll have that story in a moment.

(dramatic music)

- [Shawn] It's about the competition.

- I kind of put that pressure on myself

and I think people had expectations.

- [Shawn] It's about overcoming.

- We use this phrase allthe time, keep chopping.

Keep practicing hard.

- [Shawn] It's about going the distance.

- You know, I think as afather, it's my job to lead.

Just be the best husbandand father I can be.

- [Shawn] Watch Going theDistance with Shawn Brown

Saturday night at 7:30on the CBN News Channel.

(rhythmic music)

- Orphan's Promise iscommitted to loving and serving

at risk children, to helpingkeep families together,

and to creating opportunities for strong

and sustainable communitiesaround the world.

We're working in over 60countries around the world,

and with your help, we can do even more.

There's an old Africanproverb I love that says:

If you want to run fast, run alone,

but if you want to run far, run together.

At Orphan's Promise, we want to run far

so we can touch thelives of as many orphaned

and vulnerable children as possible.

But we don't want to go alone.

We're out to change theworld one child, one family,

one community at a time.

Will you join us?

(uplifting music)

(child giggles)

- [Announcer] CBN presents

The Transforming Word, Volume III.

- [Pat] Those who walkin wisdom are kept safe.

The wise inherit honor.

- [Announcer] Take a journeythrough the book of Proverbs

with Pat Robertson inthis dynamic audio CD.

You'll learn biblical principles

for gaining wisdom, favor, and anointing.

Plus, as a special bonus,you'll receive a DVD

of Pat's teaching, The Three Blessings.

Call now to get TheTransforming Word, Volume III

and The Three Blessings today.

- Welcome back to CBN Newsand Christian World News.

She was called the Moses of her people.

Former slave Harriet Tubman

became the greatest UndergroundRailroad agent of all time.

- Now her extraordinary lifestory is up on the big screen.

Recently, Efrem Graham satdown with the film's director

and stars to bring us thisbehind the scenes look

at the movie "Harriet."

♪ Wade in the water children ♪

- [Efrem] This is thelast known photograph

of Harriet Tubman, takenabout a month before she died

in Auburn, New York,where she's also buried

with the simple epitaph:Servant of God, Well Done.

The incredible life storybehind these five final words

begins here in DorchesterCounty, Maryland,

where she was born into slavery in 1822

and named Arminta Ross.

Today, there's a new mural

just outside the town's Tubman Museum

and a regular crowd of touristshere to see and learn more

about the beautiful, bold, bad black woman

called the Moses of her people.

- She was a formerly enslaved woman

who took her own freedom.

- Biographer Kate Clifford Larson

shares Harriet's story in"Bound for the Promised Land,

"Harriet Tubman: Portraitof an American Hero."

Rattle off a quick resumefor me of Harriet Tubman.

Who was this five-foot tall woman?

- She was the middlechild of nine children

of Ben and Rit Ross.

She had four brothers and four sisters.

And she had this intensity about her,

this love for her family,love for her community,

profound, deep faith, thatguided her and protected her.

All of those things made this woman

that became the greatest

Underground Railroad agent of all time.

- [Man] I think I'm gonnaback it off a little bit.

- [Efrem] That agent's storyis now a major motion picture,

directed by Kasi Lemmons.

(dramatic music)

- [Man] There's not much time.

You got to be miles awayfrom here 'fore dawn.

- Where is she?

- [Man] Follow that north star.

If there no stars, just follow the river.

Listen for them.

(horse whinnies)(dog barks)

Fear is your enemy.

- Whoa.

Easy now.

- I'm gonna be free or die.

- It's almost like myaction film, you know,

that's what I say.

This is my superhero film.

- [Efrem] Harriet's superpower?

Traveling more than 100 miles on foot

at least a dozen times tofree more than 70 slaves.

(dramatic music)

- I don't know if you knowhow extraordinary this is,

but you have made it 100 milesto freedom all by yourself.

Would you like to pick a newname to mark your freedom?

- Harriet Tubman.

- Seeing your film,reading more about her,

it still stuns me that she was illiterate.

- Yeah, and remained illiterate.

She never learned.

She said she didn't have a talent for it.

But also, she had a moreimportant communication.

Yeah, she knew thingswithout having to read them.

But, I mean, it just seems

incredibly inconvenient to us now.

- [Efrem] Tony Award-winningactress Cynthia Erivo

plays the role of Harriet.

- Mary Broadess is your master.

- [Efrem] And fellow Broadwaystar, Leslie Odom Jr.,

plays the role ofabolitionist William Still.

- Rescuing slaves requiresskill and careful planning.

It requires reading, Harriet.

Can you read a sign or a map?

Can you read at all?

- I put my attention ontrying to hear God's voice

more clearly.- And you know

what would happen if you got caught?

They would torture youuntil you pointed them

right to this office.

You got lucky, Harriet.

- Cynthia, what would yousay the greatest lesson

Harriet Tubman taughtyou in doing this film?

- That even when you feelsmaller, insignificant,

that you probably havemore power than you know.

That I have more strength and a will in me

in order to change the world

than I have to offer this world,

yeah.

- Because even in terms of stature,

I mean--- She was five-foot.

- And you're about?

- 5'1".(Efrem laughs)

- Papers.

It says here you're fiveand a half feet tall.

You ain't more than five feet.

(dramatic music)

- Must've worn my high boots that day.

- I'd venture to say that, for many of us,

you are introducing us to William

because we did not know about him.

- Sure.- Who is he?

- Sure.

William is known as the fatherof the Underground Railroad.

He was an abolitionist, awriter, a brilliant man.

And a friend to Harriet Tubman.

He was really the last stopon the Underground Railroad,

on this great network.

And there's nothing more you can do.

- Don't you tell me what I can't do.

I made it this far on my own.

God was watching, but my feet was my own,

running, bleeding,climbing, nearly drowned,

nothing to eat for daysand days, but I made it.

So don't you tell me what I can't do.

- This is the first theatrical film

on the life of Harriet Tubman.

Why do you think it's taken this long?

- Well I know that therehave been many attempts

up until this point.

Even this film itselftook a very long time.

It was written 20 years ago

and really didn't startseeing the light of day

until 10 years ago, and it was three years

from the moment Debra found me.

So it's taken it's time,but I think, you know,

Kasi and I like to jokethat maybe Harriet decided

that now is the time for her.

- [Efrem] And for a woman who believed

in God's perfect timing,that's no surprise.

Efrem Graham, CBN News,Dorchester County, Maryland.

- [Announcer] From Washington DC,

uncompromising stories, interviews,

and analysis from veteran journalists.

David Brody.- Escalating fight.

- Jenna Browder.- Chose his words carefully.

- Ben Kennedy.- Plan to join him.

- And Amber Strong.- For impeachment

grows a little bit louder.

- [Announcer] Bringing you thepolitical news that matters.

- We get out and tell the story

of the progress that we'remaking in this country.

- [Announcer] Watch Faith Nation

weeknights at six on the CBN News Channel.

(dramatic music)

(patriotic music)

- [Announcer] On the Homefront.

- Thanks for joining usfor CBN's On the Homefront,

where we highlight what the men and women

of America's military doto defend our country.

CBN honors the men andwomen in our military

with an initiative calledHelping the Home Front.

It partners with churchesacross the country

to meet the needs oftheir military families

from repairing homes towiping out medical bills

for wounded veterans.

- [Announcer] On the Homefront.

Tuesday morning at 10:30.

- [Pat] The Lord gives wisdom.

From His mouth comesknowledge and understanding.

He holds success in store for the upright.

He is a shield to thosewhose walk is blameless.

For He guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.

- [Announcer] Pat Robertsonrecords this dynamic audio CD,

The Transforming Word,Volume III, available now.

(upbeat music)

- Meet the pastors whoare preaching the gospel

in a fresh, fearless way.

I'm Roberto Torres-Cedillo.

Join me each week for Next Gen Voices

and watch God transform a generation.

- Well finally this week,Christians from South Africa,

they're blessing Israel

with a biblical musical.- That's right.

It happened recently with a performance

of a Broadway-style showbased on the book of Daniel.

CBN Middle East CorrespondentJulie Stahl has that story.

- [Julie] They call Daniel the Musical

a gift of friendship fromSouth Africa with love.

- The whole musical was great.

It's for the purpose ofbringing it to Jerusalem.

Part of the message that we'vebrought from South Africa

is that the vast majorityof South Africans

are people that relate withJudeo-Christian values,

more than 80%, and that's not reflected

in our government's policies.

- [Julie] Creator andproducer Joe Niemand says

South Africa's stance against Israel

isn't good for his country

and hopes this gift canbegin to change that.

- When God promised Abraham

that He would bless thosethat would bless Israel,

that that is the word of God.

So for us, it's not political.

It's about believing theword of the God of Israel

and thanking him on it.

- [Julie] The musical, performedat the Jerusalem Theater,

aims to blend the biblical story of Daniel

and his three friends from Jerusalem

with an African style.

- [Joe] In the compositions,there are flavors

of Middle Eastern harmony, butthe arrangements are African.

- [Julie] Niemand wrote themusical in less than six months,

miraculously found atheater on short notice,

and began rehearsals.

- [Joe] I almost feel likeI'm dreaming, you know.

It's been such a compressed time

and with so many incredible miracles

that needed to happen and it's happened.

- [Julie] The musical wasclearly a gift well received,

and producers hope it willcontinue to bless Israel,

South Africa, andnations around the world.

♪ Hallelujah ♪

- [Julie] Julie Stahl,CBN News, Jerusalem.

- Well folks, thank youso much for joining us

for this week's editionof Christian World News.

- Until next week, from all of us here,

goodbye and God bless you.

(dramatic music)