Brooklyn, NY (Nov. 22, 2011) – JahRock’n Entertainment announces the release of I’m A Christian: The Mixtape, available for download at www.jahrockn.com/store.

This mixtape is a collection songs that are mostly “Remixes of the Remixes” by JahRockn’s own HeeSun Lee, SeDa, and some songs also featuring JahRockn’s newest artist Louie Cortez.

The remixes were released originally through the “Rock’n Fresh Fridays” campaign which were remixes of hip hop’s most famous tunes such as Romans Revenge by Nickki Minaj, OTIS by Kanye West and Jay-Z and Soulja Boy’s Speakers Goin’ Hammer just to name a few.

Too often you find remixes replacing lyrics and using similar themes, but this mixtape takes the creativity one more step and provides remixed lyrics along with remixed music.

This is as original as a mixtape gets.

The JahRock’n trio is joined by Grammy and Stellar award nominee Canton Jones, Kingdom Choice award winner D-Maub, Kingdom Choice Award Winner Richie Righteous, Rapper Milliyon (courtesy of CAJO’s Label), Malakai da Truth, Slave, Gauge, Eric Cross, Reflect, and Dre Marshall.

The “I’m a Christian” Tour, kicked off June 25th at Metro Christian Center in Brooklyn, NY and ended in Staten Island on September 16th 2011. The “IAC” Tour helped lead hundred of youth and young adults to a greater knowledge of Christ and His work in their lives. The tour also features Tanisha Renee Brown and Reflect.

About JahRock’n Entertainment

JahRock’n Entertainment is a media company that was established by Chris Belmont in 2005 and is quickly making a name for themselves in the Christian hip-hop/r&b and soul genres. Since then JahRock’n Entertainment has grown into a versatile media company providing studio recording, mixing, and mastering services; music production services; and artist development services.

About HeeSun Lee

Born in Korea and raised in Staten Island, NY, HeeSun uses her gifts as a poet/lyricist/performer to share her experiences. HeeSun displays a vulnerability rarely seen in hip hop.

About SeDa

SeDa is a rare mix of a rapper and singer. Known for performances with Multi Grammy Award winning Pastor Donnie McClurkin, Kingdom Choice Award’s winner of lyricist of the year.

To book SeDa or HeeSun Lee Email: Booking@D2LAL.com or Call (347) 541-4543.

An open letter signed by 36 religious leaders in today’s New York Times has called on Village Voice Media to shut down a webpage reported to be used to traffic children for sex.

“As moral and religious leaders of many creeds and backgrounds,” said the letter to Jim Larkin, CEO and chair of Village Voice media, “we are united in calling on your publication to shut down the Adult section of Backpage.com.” Arrests of adults selling minors for sex via Backpage.com have been reported in 14 states.

The ad was placed in the Times by Groundswell, the social action initiative of Ney York’s Auburn Seminary.

Signers of the display ad in the Times include National Council of Churches President, the Rev. Peg Chemberlin, and NCC General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon.

“We share the opinion of the nation’s 51 Attorneys General that the best way to eradicate your company’s connection with the sex trafficking of minors is to shut down the Adult section of your Web site, as Craigslist did,” the leaders said.

“We know there is much more to be done to end the sex trafficking of minors beyond what we ask of you,” the leaders said. “Ending this practice for good requires a groundswell of people in our business, media, and religious communities joining together in partnership.”

“But we can do something right now to help these girls and boys,” the religious leaders told Larkin and members of the board of directors of Village Voice Media. “Please shut down the Adult section of Backpage.com immediately so that no minor is exploited through advertisements on your Web site.”

The estimated annual revenue from the Backpage adult section exceeds $22 million. Village Voice Media said earlier it has increased efforts to screen for ads featuring minors, but the religious leaders said they believe the efforts have been inadequate.

Clergy wishing to add their name to a letter to Village Voice media can do so at Groundswell here. Other citizens may sign here.

The pastor of a megachurch denied recently a slew of accusations had had been roaming the internet, forwarded e-mails and YouTube claiming that he supports Chrislam.

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church with a membership of 22,000 denied recently that he values, validates or promotes Chrislam in any way. In a blog which often attacks him,Warren posted a statement which said, “Several of the above comments are completely incorrect, based on believing second hand false rumors instead of finding out the facts before speaking up.”

Geoff Surratt of Pastors.com said on his blog, “I have worked for Pastor Rick for the past six months …. and followed his ministry closely for almost 20 years. Pastor Warren is not perfect; he is very open and honest about his challenges and flaws. But his theology is tightly bound to biblical Christianity.”

Merging of Christianity and Islam?

Televangelist Jack and his wife Rexella Van Impe have monitored what they call Chrislam which they define as a blend of Christianity and Islam. They say that many churches in the U.S. have been trying to promote it as one religion.

In particular, the Van Impes are critical of the organizations Faith Shared, which sponsors an Interfaith Alliance, and Human Rights First, where clergy of different faiths recite one another’s texts during service.

The goal of the two groups is to “counter the misperception, including in the Arab and Muslim worlds, that the United States is a nation defined by the widely covered images of the marginal few who would burn a Qur’an, rather than by a proud and longstanding tradition of religious freedom, tolerance and pluralism,” God Discussion reported.

Van Impe believes that Warren is promoting Chrislam and has accused him of apostasy, noting that Warren was a speaker at an Islamic conference two years before. His claim has been picked up by others and has gone online.

Van Impe mentioned the names of other preachers as well, but learned later that the Trinity Broadcasting Network censored the names. As a result, he issued a statement to Paul Crouch, network founder.

In Van Impe’s statement, published in God Discussion, he said, “Paul you’ve been asking me to come back … Rexella and I have made up our minds. It is not God’s will for our life. We’re going to take a stand. We’re going to preach what we want to preach. We’re not going to be told what we can’t preach.”

Van Impe said, “call me a bigot. I’ll be a bigot for my Jesus any day,” God Discussion reported.

Statement by Warren

Rick Warren said in his statement, published in Pastors.com;

“The so-called “Chrislam” rumor is 100% false. If the guy who started this libelous myth, or anyone else who passed it on, had obeyed our Lord’s command (Matt. 18:18-20) to come directly to me, and then asked what I actually believed – they would have been embarrassed to learn that I believe the exact opposite.  As a fourth generation Christian pastor, my life and ministry is built on the truth that Jesus is the only way, and our inerrant Bible is our only true authority.

“As an evangelist, I spend much of my time speaking to non-Christian groups. You cannot win your enemies to Christ; only your friends, so we must build bridges of friendship and love to those who believe differently so Jesus can walk across that bridge into their hearts.  Besides, it is not a sin, but rather COMMANDED by Jesus that we love our enemies.  In the past 10 years, Saddleback Church has baptized over 22,000 new adult believers- simply because we express love to those who don’t know Christ yet.

“It is nonsense to believe that you must compromise your beliefs, or water down your convictions in order to love someone, or even just treat them with dignity.

“Jesus was called “the friend of sinners” by the legalistic Pharisees because he hung out with (and clearly loved) unbelievers.   I HOPE YOU will 1) Always believe that EVERYONE needs Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  2) Have the courage to associate with nonbelievers in order to love them and bring them to the Savior. 3) Consider being called “a friend of sinners” a Christ-like compliment. 4) Refuse to pass on rumors until you’ve checked for “the truth with the person accused. The false statements above should be removed.”

The U.S. State Department slammed recently moves by the Iranian government to coerce an evangelical Christian pastor to choose between his faith and death.

Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman of the U.S. State Department called on the Iranian government to uphold the human right of Yosef Nadarkhani, the pastor of a Christian house church, to freedom of religion.

“While Iran’s leaders hypocritically claim to promote tolerance, they continue to detain, imprison, harass, and abuse those who simply wish to worship the faith of their choosing,” Nuland told CNSNews.com.

“We join the international community in continuing to call on the Iranian government to respect the fundamental rights of all its citizens and uphold its international commitments to protect them,” CNSNews.com reported.

Nadarkhani was handed a death by hanging sentence last year on charges that he organized church meetings, shared his faith with others, ran a house church and denied Islamic values.

Lawyer faces prison term

Furthermore Nadarkhani’s lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, was sentenced last Monday to a prison term of nine years for “actions and propaganda against the Islamic regime,” and is banned from both working as, and/or teaching law for the next 10 years.

Nadarkhani, who appealed the death sentence, initially thought his appeal was granted in July.

However, the poorly-worded ruling instead indicated that new charges could be filed against him and his family; or the old charges can be sent back to the lower court in Gilan province which handed him the death sentence in the first place, CNSNews.com reported.

In the latter case, the procedure would be for the lower court to determine if Nadarkhani has returned to Islam, in which case he must be released. Otherwise, if still Christian, he will have the “chance” to repent, or face the death penalty.

“In reality, the Supreme Court appears to have added a precondition requiring him to renounce his faith, or face execution,” Andrew Johnston, director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide told CNSNews.com.

Nadarkhani, 33, has been a Christian since he was 19 years old.  Before then he adhered to no faith.

However, because his parents are Muslim, he is automatically considered Muslim under shari’ah law.

He was arrested in Oct. 2009, shortly after he protested the enforced teaching of Islam to Christian children at school.

Johnstontold CNSNews.com, “Pastor Nadarkhani’s life and Mr. Dadkhah’s future both hang in the balance. The international community must act urgently to pressIranto ensure due process in both cases, and that Pastor Nadarkhani in particular is acquitted of a charge that is not in fact recognized under Iranian civil law.”

Iranis a signatory to the International Convention for Civil and Political Rights.

There are an estimated 100,000 Christians inIran, many of them from house churches.

GodTube has been redesigned and rebranded, and now, it is being re-launched with a whole new campaign where people who participate can win cash and prizes.

Starting on May 2, GodTube will begin a flurry of contests, promotions and announcements. The campaign, 30 Days of GodTube, is designed to generate awareness, interest and promote the use of GodTube’s many features, as well as educate users on how to benefit most from the site’s applications, according to Christian Newswire.

On May 2, GodTube will begin a 10-day video scavenger hunt. This is a competition that will be held in the first two weeks of the month. Each day, competitors may win $50, the website said.

In this contest a new clue will be posted at 8 a.m. EST on each day to find the GodTube logo on a video. Once the participants find the logo, they must comment and use the initials VSH. The winner will be randomly selected with the use of Random.org, the website said.

On May 16, entries will be accepted to the flash mob video competition. This is a contest where participants can win $1,500. Any group—a youth choir, dance group or just friends, can create a flash mob (sample flash mobs can be viewed in GodTube) whether it’s a prayer flash mob or any original idea of their choosing, the website said.

The videos have to be original and must not exceed 10 minutes. Music must also be original, or come from an EMI list of approved songs, the website specified.

Another activity, Mad Lib, is interactive and is scripted exclusively for GodTube.com, Christian Newswire said.

Godtube.com offers Christian videos and faith-based content online with sections on sports, Christian news videos, inspiration, Christian music, Christian comedians, and videos that are cute and/or funny featuring children and/or animals. There is also a Prayer Wall where one can post one’s requests, the website said.

GodTube was purchased by Salem Communications Corporation, which is the largest commercial radio broadcasting firm in the U.S. for Christian and family-oriented content and themes, Christian Newswire said.

Lindsey Neidenfeuhr, Brand Manager of GodTube.com told Christian Newswire, “This campaign will help engage our current users and educate millions of other people in a fun and interactive way. GodTube.com is as committed as ever to the original mission of offering a safe and family-friendly place to share videos.”

To date, GodTube.com has some 2.5 million visitors with eight million pages viewed monthly. Some 1,500 new videos are uploaded weekly, at a daily average of 215. Since the site was purchased by Salem Communications Corporation eight months ago, GodTube has had visitors from 228 countries, Christian Newswire said.

Neidenfeuhr told Christian Newswire, “GodTube.com is an alternative for anyone concerned about the vulgar and inappropriate videos available online. Searching the same term on both GodTube.com and YouTube.com will yield completely different results. People can rest assured GodTube.com will garner videos relevant for all ages.”

Fastest growing website

GodTube.com first opened in 2007 and was cited by ComScore as the fastest growing website in August of that year. Salem Communications Corporation has under its wing Salem Radio Network which syndicates news, talk and music programs to some 2,000 radio station affiliates.

Salem also owns Salem Media Representatives, a national media firm for advertising sales, plus Salem Web Network and Salem Publishing, according to Christian Newswire.

For full details on the contests, go to www.godtube.com/30days.

The 42^nd Annual Gospel Music Association Dove Awards was held last Wednesday before a full-capacity Fox Theatre in Atlanta, and will be aired at 7 p.m. this Easter Sunday.

The Dove Awards, which was hosted by Sherri Shepherd of The View, honored the veterans of gospel music, even as it acknowledged the new crop of young talents, watchgmctv.com reported.

The top winner of the night was Francesca Battistelli, 25, who won Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the year (for the second time), and Pop/Contemporary song of the Year for Beautiful, Beautiful, watchgmctv.com said.

Battistelli told the audience, “This is amazing. I don’t know what to say. Thank you to the Lord. He’s the reason we’re all here. Thank you guys for supporting Christian music,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Another artist who won three Doves is singer/songwriter Chris August, who was Male Vocalist of the year, New Artist of the Year, and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for No Far Away, watchgmctv.com said.

August said, “I literally can’t believe it. As a Christian, I’m humbled. You don’t look for awards. You just want to make music and serve Jesus, but as a person who has been working at music for many years, to finally have someone say ‘hey, you did a great job on something and here’s an award for it…’ that’s a pretty cool feeling,” Watchgmctv.com reported.

Jason Crabb also capped the night with three Dove Awards, as did Point of Grace, the AJC said. The Group of the Year Award went to NEEDTOBREATHE, the Baptist Press said.

Not bleeped

Shepherd, who hosted the show, told AJC that it will be a nice change for her to be able to praise God and not be bleeped. “I love the Lord. I truly, truly love the Lord and I love following Him,” the co-host of The View said.

Shepherd told AJC that she is a great fan of Christian music, favoring Mary Mary, Franklin and TobyMac. She also has a soft spot for Natalie Grant, whose song Held helped her survive the near death of her prematurely born son.

Shepherd told AJC, “Music can renew your faith and uplift you more than words can. This music has gotten me through some stuff. I can’t believe God is so good.”

Special honors

A special tribute was given to Sandi Patty for her lifetime achievements, through a rendition of her songs performed by Battistelli, Grant and Audrey Assad, Baptist Press said.

Patty said, “I was sitting there thinking there has been a lot of life lived since the beginning. I understand God’s grace and His forgiveness in a way that perhaps when I won my first Dove Award 30 years ago I didn’t understand,” Baptist Press reported.

Also highlighted during the show was Steven Curtis Chapman, who with wife Mary Beth has worked hard to promote adoption and orphan care. Curtis performed with Mac Powell of Third Day, and Mark Hall of Casting Crowns, singing Children of God, an adoption-themed song, Baptist Press said.

Another key performance during the program was that of Kenny Rogers who sang The Rock of Your Love together with Point of Grace, the Baptist Press reported.

Presenters include NFL stars Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers and Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos. Tebow told AJC that meeting some of his favorite musicians was “definitely inspiring.”

A message from an anonymous source on an internet forum sparked twitter messages, internet searches and news articles saying that the earth may experience having two suns for two weeks, anytime between now and within a million years.

The rumor, which was sparked by a forum reference to the star Betelgeuse (the second largest star in the Orion galaxy) also set the internet humming with links to the apocalypse, Luke Skywalker, the Mayan calendar and the devil, News.com.au said.

Discovery News said that “Betelgeuse hit the news when research revealed the star was shrinking. But as pointed out by astronomers, this shrinkage could be part of a natural cycle, or it could be that Betelgeuse isn’t symmetrical.”

Discovery News did say that Betelgeuse is dying and eventually it will explode as a supernova—it is just not going to happen anytime now.

Night becomes day

The Telegraph also said that Betelgeuse is nearing the end of its life. The second largest supernova from the Orion constellation (second to Rigel), it is located 640 light years away from the earth. It is so bright that if it explodes “night will become like day for one to two weeks.”

The Daily Mail compared the event to a scene from Star Wars, saying that people on earth may, like Luke Skywalker, sees two suns (as he did on Tatooine). However, The Daily Mail added that the bursting of the star will not be harmful to the earth.

An article in News.com.au mentioned a prediction in the Mayan calendar of a time when the earth experiences two suns. It also said Betelgeuse is derived from an Arabic phrase, “yad Al Jauza” referring to the hand of a woman who is supposed to control the universe.

Brad Carter, senior lecturer of physics at Australia’s University of Southern Queensland told News.com.au that the supernova may explode any time between the end of the year and within the next million years.

Carter said, “This old star is running out of fuel in its center. This fuel keeps Betelgeuse shining and supported. When this fuel runs out the star will literally collapse in upon itself and it will do so very quickly.”

Carter said the earth will “have incredible brightness for a brief period of time for a couple of weeks and then over the coming months it begins to fade and then eventually it will be very hard to see at all,” News.com.au reported.

Nonsense

Discovery News said, however, that the prospect of the star exploding in 2012 is “nonsense” and said either way, what the earth will experience will just be “a safe firework display and not a roasting.”

Astronomer Phil Plait wrote in Discover that while Betelgeuse will indeed explode someday, it will happen “maybe not for a hundred thousand years,” adding that a rumor from an unnamed source on a forum is not credible enough to start the countdown.

Plait wrote in Discover, “I’ll wait until I hear from named scientists with published or publishable data before I start to wonder if the star is about to blow.”

Plans are afoot for a Christian evangelical center to be built in lower Manhattan in response to the Cordoba Initiative’s Ground Zero Mosque.

Ground Zero Cross at the World Trade Center site--constructed from the rubble of the buildings./Hey Paul

The 911/Christian Center is a $1 million dollar project that is being undertaken by Bill Keller, a Florida televangelist who runs LivePrayer.com, an evangelical site with 2.4 million subscribers.

Keller told DNAinfo.com, “If they can put a mosque near Ground Zero, we should be able to put a Christian center near Ground Zero and give people a choice.”

Keller said the center will be near Ground Zero and include a 9/11 prayer room, classrooms, offices and a 300-seat area.

The 911/Christian Center will not be as lush as the Cordoba House, the mosque to which Keller refers.

Cordoba House, which is a joint project of the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative, will be a 13-story mosque and community center, and will require the demolition of an existing 152-year-old building.

Keller said that the 9/11 Christian Center wants to present an alternative to Islam, not to confront it.

“My whole thing is to get into the marketplace and not battle Islam for souls but battle Satan for souls,” he said according to Charisma.  “Rather than a [protest] event we’re going to have an ongoing work of God right there because the Bible says you combat the darkness with the light.”

It is slated to open by January with the goal of bringing more people to Jesus Christ. In the interim there will be weekly services at the Embassy Suites hotel starting Sept. 5, DNAinfo.com reported.

Millions of Christians are using iPods, iPhones, Androids, BlackBerry phones and other types of handheld technology for spiritual purposes.

iPhone--Photo credit Wikipedia/Wikimedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

With an iPod Touch, one can download a number of faith based apps including the St. James Bible (or other translations), a prayer list request organizer, or Questions to God, according to appolicious.

Some people have their iPod or iPhone in hand even before getting out of bed, so they can pray or look up Saint A Day. Other times they may read Psalms, Catholic News Service says.

Software developers are making hundreds of applications available that can translate in different languages or even decode ancient texts, or sound the alarm to remind one to pray, KansasCity.com says.

Industry observers see potential growth in this niche projecting some $25 billion by 2015, KansasCity.com says. Overall, users of handhelds are expected to reach one billion worldwide by 2014, Catholic News Service says.

Nuns and devout Catholics can now say the rosary on their own, anywhere, with a handheld–tapping an audio by the Daughters of St. Paul and with some 18 pictures to depict the mysteries of the rosary, Catholic News Service says.

A theology professor uses apps to translate ancient biblical writings. It can also be used to study the Hebrew language. There are also apps for academic lectures and scholarly work, KansasCity.com says.

Daniel Johnson, president of Wisconsin Lutheran College says, “There’s not been a time in the history of man when it’s been as convenient to focus on one’s relationship with the Lord,” KansasCity.com says.

Many churches and denominations are pondering ways by which the technology can be used to reach the young and to spread the gospel. Worshippers in churches, synagogues and mosques often use handhelds, KansasCity.com said.

One woman noted that when she used to read the Bible in a coffee shop after work, people would notice and strangers would approach her. With her handheld she can do the same thing in a coffee shop, and nobody takes note, KansasCity.com says.

In one sense that is a good thing in that there is more privacy. On the other hand, she has less opportunity to share the gospel with seekers, or to meet new Christians who approach her because they see what she is doing, KansasCity.com says.

Salem Web Network has acquired GodTube.com and tangle.com, affirming its leadership in Christian content online, as well as in radio and publishing.

Salem Web Network is part of Salem Communications Corporation, a leader in U.S. radio broadcasting, online content and media focused on Christian and family content, Market Watch said.

SCC owns 96 radio stations, with 58 of them in 22 of the top 25 markets. They also own Salem Radio Network which syndicates programming to some 2,000 radio stations; and Salem Media Representatives, a nationwide media advertising sales company, Market Watch said.

Salem Web Network provides conservative Christian content.  Under its wing are Christianity.com, Crosswalk.com, OnePlace.com, Hot Air.com and BibleStudyTools.com, Market Watch said.

With the acquisition of GodTube.com and tangle.com, SCC will command the largest Christian online video sharing network and the largest Christian social network with some 1 million visitors monthly, and some 800,000 registered users, MarketWatch said.

GodTube.com and tangle.com together provide a social network connecting Christians, videos, music by leading Christian musical artists, bible reading online, and a Prayer Wall where people can upload their prayer requests, Christian Post said.

Tom Perrault, senior vice president of Salem Web Network called both brands pioneers, and said “…we have plans to aggressively grow both over the next several years,” Christian Post said.

Rick Killingsworth, the network’s executive vice president of New Media, said the sites will provide professional quality videos for users, which as of now is a niche that can be exploited in network content, Christian Post said.

Killingsworth said, “This acquisition gives us the leadership position overnight, while also opening up significant new multi-media advertising opportunities,” Christian Post said.

Currently, trends indicate some 33 billion video views, as opposed to 15 billion searches monthly, with U.S. consumers watching videos online at an average 12.71 hours monthly, Market Watch said.