PODCAST: Popular Nigerian preacher T.B. Joshua dead at 57 (BCNN1 06.07.21)

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According to Newsweek, T.B. Joshua, an influential and controversial evangelist, has died. He was 57. The Nigerian preacher died shortly after conducting a live broadcast on Saturday, according to his official Facebook page. “God has taken His servant Prophet TB Joshua home – as it should be by divine will,” a post on the page read. “His last moments on earth were spent in the service of God. This is what he was born for, lived for and died for.” His death reportedly came hours after speaking at a meeting for Emmanuel TV, the broadcast arm of the church he founded—Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). His final words were said to be: “Watch and pray.” The cause of death has not been revealed publicly. Nigerian social commentator Japheth Omojuwa described Joshua’s death as “a big loss to Nigeria.” Joshua was also a controversial figure. Most recently, YouTube suspended his account in April 2021 over allegations of hate speech after videos showed him trying to “cure” gay people through prayer. In response, Joshua’s ministry page said YouTube had made its decision “in haste” and called on supporters to contact YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to express their “concerns.” Three days later, the preacher told his followers: “What happened is a blessing. I want you to help me pray for YouTube. Pray for them.” The pastor, who was estimated to be worth between $10 and 15 million by Forbes in 2011, faced numerous legal battles after a guesthouse belonging to the SCOAN collapsed in Lagos in 2014, killing at least 115 people, mostly South Africans who had traveled to see the preacher. T. B. Joshua would have turned 58 years old next week. He leaves behind a wife, Evelyn, and their three children.

According to Daily Post of Nigeria, Details have emerged of how popular Nigerian pastor, Prophet TB Joshua died. Reports say the man of God died on his way to the hospital Saturday evening, after performing a church function. TB Joshua, who is the founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, was said to have been sick for two days, before his death. Though the cause of death has not been disclosed, it is believed that the corpse of the prophet has been deposited at the Isolo General Hospital in Lagos. “Yesterday evening, he led a service. He had been ill for the past two days. After the evening performance, he decided to go to the hospital. “On his way to the hospital, he passed away,” a source close to the family revealed to Sahara reporters. The popular pastor died at the age of 57, a few days to his 58th birthday which is June 12. The deceased was born on June 12, 1963, in Arigidi, Akoko axis, Ondo State.

According to The New York Times, One night in 1858, Carter Dowling, an enslaved Black man forced to work without pay at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Northern Virginia, made the brave decision to escape. He made it to Philadelphia, where he met the famed abolitionist William Still. He then continued north to Canada and, after the Civil War, returned to Washington, D.C., where he was able to open a bank account for his children. He eventually went on to work as a labor organizer in Buffalo. To this day, Mr. Dowling’s family line continues. And, most likely for one of the first times in American history, his descendants could receive cash payments for his forced labor. In February, the Virginia Theological Seminary began handing out cash payments to the descendants of Black Americans who were forced to work there during the time of slavery and Jim Crow. The program is among the first of its kind. Though other institutions have created atonement programs, such as scholarships and housing vouchers for Black people, few, if any, have provided cash. (The Times could not verify whether the seminary is the first to provide cash payments.) “When white institutions have to face up with the sins of their past, we’ll do everything we can to prevaricate, and we’ll especially prevaricate if it’s going to have some sort of financial implication,” said the Rev. Ian S. Markham, the president and dean of the seminary, which is in Alexandria, Va. “We wanted to make sure that we both not just say and articulate and speak what’s right, but also take some action — and we were committed to that from the outset.” The checks, about $2,100 this year, will come annually and have begun to flow to the descendants of those Black workers. The money has been pulled from a $1.7 million fund, which is set to grow at the rate of the seminary’s large endowment. Though just 15 people have received payments so far, that number could grow by the dozens as genealogists pore through records to find living descendants.

According to The Daily Beast, Allen West is stepping down as Texas GOP chairman after less than a year on the job, he said Friday. The move further fueled speculation that West could be mulling a run for governor, taking on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in a primary challenge next March. Earlier this week, Abbott was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. West has criticized Abbott for not being conservative enough, and protested outside the governor’s mansion last fall against COVID-19 restrictions. In a press conference, West declined to confirm his plans. “I have a service heart,” West said in response to a reporter’s question about seeking office. “Many men from Georgia, many men from Tennessee, came here to serve the great state of Texas… We will make sure to let you know when we want to. Why not? Maybe even something congressional… My timeline is in my head and it’s not in yours yet.” In his remarks, West also railed against protections afforded transgender children, said he was “humbled and honored” to have advanced Texas’ “constitutional carry” gun law, and that he was proud of the so-called heartbeat bill, which forbids abortions beginning as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected—sometimes as early as six weeks, which can be before a woman even knows she is pregnant. When West took control of the Texas GOP, he adopted a new slogan for the party, “We are the storm,” which mirrors language used by the QAnon conspiracy movement. West later denied any connection to QAnon.

According to Fox 5 DC, A 15-year-old girl was sentenced Friday in the fatal carjacking of a Washington, D.C., UberEats driver. FOX 5 reports that the girl, who pleaded guilty to murder last month, will be left in the hands of D.C. Youth Rehabilitation Services until she turns 21, the maximum sentence permitted by law. As part of the girl’s plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop a carjacking charge. The girl was arrested in March after attempting to carjack an UberEats driver with another teenager. But the crash turned deadly when, during the robbery, the car crashed, leaving the driver dead near the wreckage. Reports at the time indicate the girls were armed with stun guns. The sentencing comes a day after her accomplice, a 13-year-old girl, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Her sentencing is scheduled for next month, though the maximum sentence also permits her to be held until 21. Her carjacking charge was also dropped.

According to ARTnews, Archaeologists have unearthed King Herod’s basilica in Israel’s Ashkelon National Park—and cracks found in the marble floor indicate the building was destroyed in an earthquake in 363 AD. According to ARTnews, the 2,000-year-old structure had a huge main hall that would have been used for religious ceremonies but also for social and business events. Herod, who is portrayed in the Bible as a ruthless tyrant who tried to kill the baby Jesus by ordering the death of all children under the age of two, served from 37 to 4 B.C. The Israel Antiquities Authority says it plans to rebuild the basilica and the adjoining theater.

According to the Associated Press, The Senior Bowl and the NFL will hold a pre-draft combine for top prospects from historically Black colleges and universities next January. The inaugural HBCU combine, scheduled for Jan. 28-29 in 2022, will be similar to the NFL combine with interviews and on-field and medical evaluations. It will be held at the University of South Alabama and feature select players from four HBCU conferences — the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — and other HBCU institutions. The first scheduled HBCU combine was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. An HBCU scouting committee, comprised of current and former league executives, will evaluate and select the participants. The Senior Bowl will provide medical and football personnel to collect pre-draft information. The game is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2022. “Over the years, the Senior Bowl has served as a showcase for some of the top Black college football players in America, including seven of our game’s 56 future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this event will help many more HBCU players secure further attention and exposure from all 32 teams,” said Jim Nagy, the game’s executive director. No HBCU players were drafted in 2021, and the only one picked in 2020 went in the seventh round. Alabama State offensive lineman Tytus Howard was a first-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2019 after participating in the Senior Bowl. “Throughout NFL history, HBCU athletes have exemplified a standard of excellence both on and off the field,” said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations. “The HBCU Combine is part of honoring that legacy and making every effort to accelerate exposure of HBCU draft prospects to all NFL clubs. The game is better when all have the opportunity to compete.”

You can read these stories and more at BlackChristianNews.com .

In closing, remember, God loves you. He always has and He always will. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you don’t know Jesus as your Saviour, today is a good day to get to know Him. Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead for you. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart and He will. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Thanks so much for listening and may God bless your day!