Author: Shalem John

At the end of the high-energy praise and worship gathering at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York City, two days before Tuesday’s mayoral election, pastor Michael Walrond welcomed a guest to the stage. “We always let any candidate come as long as they’re willing to do one thing: stay and worship,” Walrond said. The cameras panned to the young politician in the audience. Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old Democratic candidate, then stood before a Black congregation quoting Leviticus 23:22.  “For too long our leaders have practiced a politics of reaping to the edges of the fields. In some cases…

Over the last ten centuries, Nikolaikirche—a Protestant church in Eisenach, Germany—has witnessed its share of war and civil strife, dictators and destruction. But this year, in the encroaching darkness of early autumn, its Romanesque stone arches are bathed in candlelight, emanating from stations set up to invite visitors to pause and say a prayer—for peace, for an end to violence, for reconciliation. The event, held annually in conjunction with the Community of the Cross of Nails and the Coventry Cathedral in England, reminds participants of Jesus’ emphasis on reconciliation and of Christian convictions around finding diplomatic solutions to serious conflicts,…

Birth: 1879 Home Calling: 1949 Native Place : New Holland Country: United States of America Place of Vision: Middle East Daniel in the Bible was a Jewish captive in Babylon, but God elevated him to become the Chief of Governors over the whole province of Babylon. Sometimes God uses his people to change the political situations of a country. John van Ess, known as the ‘The Diplomatic Missionary,’ was one such servant of God who served in the Middle East. Following his graduation from Princeton Seminary, John was sent first to Bahrain to study Arabic and then was posted to…