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===california===
California is a state in the Western United States, lying on the American Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and the Mexican state of Baja California to the south. With over 38.9 million residents across a total area of approximately 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2), it is the most populous U.S. state, the third-largest U.S. state by area, and the most populated subnational entity in North America. The Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas in California are the nation's second and fifth-most populous urban regions respectively. Greater Los Angeles has over 18.7 million residents and the San Francisco Bay Area has over 9.6 million residents. Los Angeles is the state's most populous city and the nation's second-most populous city. San Francisco is the second-most densely populated major city in the country. Los Angeles County is the country's most populous county, and San Bernardino County is the nation's largest county by area. Sacramento is the state's capital city. California's economy is the largest of any state within the United States, with a $3.6 trillion gross state product (GSP) as of 2022. It is the largest sub-national economy in the world. If California were a sovereign nation, it would rank as the world's fifth-largest economy as of 2022, just ahead of India and the United Kingdom, as well as the 37th most populous. The Greater. In California, 55% of adults identify as Christian. This includes a variety of denominations, with the Catholic Church being the largest. While Christianity is still the most prevalent religion in the state, the percentage of Christians has decreased in recent years, according to a recent study from the Pew Research Center. The percentage of Christians in California has been declining, with a decrease from 63% in 2014 and 71% in 2007, according to an Axios study. California is home to a large number of megachurches, which have played a role in shaping Christian culture and influencing other churches across the country. There are 19,950 christian nonprofit organizations in California. Combined, these Californian christian organizations employ 9,659 people, earn more than $2 billion in revenue each year, and have assets of $19 billion
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“A Counterfeit Kingdom”: Adventists Confront Christian Nationalism at Religious Liberty Summit Just days after writing about Adventism and Christian nationalism, I was sitting in the newly-built Paradise Adventist church. The compound—completed this year after the congregation’s previous building was destroyed in the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history—stands as a testament to the community’s resilience. Still, I doubted whether the large sanctuary would fill. Butte County, recently reshaped by California’s Prop 50 redistricting, is a traditionally Republican stronghold in an otherwise Democratic state; in 2024, it voted red on nearly every ballot measure, including for US President Donald Trump. (Spectrum 11/25/25) READMORE>>>> The Bible says MAGA is wrong, pastor argues A video posted by Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines, senior minister of the University Christian Church in San Diego, is getting attention for his refutation of conservative policy preferences that right-wingers often tout as being based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Lines discussed various issues, including termination of pregnancies, “cancel culture” (the Bible, according to Lines, says that people should accept correction from others), and gender. On that last one, he says that the Bible says that gender identity is secondary to identity as a Christian, so focusing on performing masculinity, as many on the right do, is not something that the Bible requires of followers. (LGBTQ Nation 11/17/25) READMORE>>>> 'There really is no escape': Faith leaders help immigrants face court as ICE arrests rise San Diego Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido noticed the way a father held his young daughter and stood close to his wife and teenage daughter in the courtroom. The love and care they had for each other was palpable on Tuesday (Aug. 12), when Pulido accompanied the asylum-seeking family for an immigration court hearing. “As an immigrant, I got emotional because of that connection I have with my own family — I put myself in his shoes,” said the Catholic bishop, who was born in the Mexican state of Michoacán before immigrating to Yakima Valley in Washington as a teenager. He finished high school there, worked picking produce and eventually was ordained a priest. Immigrants are facing court appointments with newly heightened levels of fear as the Trump administration has begun sending agents to detain migrants as they leave the courtroom. If immigration judges dismiss their cases, they can immediately face expedited removal proceedings without a chance to make their case for asylum. Previously, a 10-day response time to the dismissal was allowed. (Religion News Service 8/15/25) READMORE>>>>> Influential evangelical preacher John MacArthur dies at 86 The Rev. John MacArthur, an influential and exacting evangelical preacher, died Monday at the age of 86. He led Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sun Valley for more than five decades. His ministry announced his death on social media. On Sunday, Tom Patton, one of the church’s pastors, told the congregation MacArthur had been hospitalized with pneumonia. (Marietta Times 6/26/25) READ MORE>>>>> In response to the Ted Cruz/Tucker Carlson debate about Israel support, Pastor Bruce Mejia of First Works Baptist Church in Anaheim, CA, offered a strong rebuke of Cruz’s theology. “Ted Cruz, unfortunately, has embraced Zionist propaganda that has infiltrated many churches and led countless believers to think they must unconditionally support the modern state of Israel,” Pastor Mejia told The Dallas Express. “Contrary to the narrative promoted by mainstream Christianity, the Bible does not command believers to support Israel. Many Christians have been conditioned to believe that the promises made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 should be applied to the modern nation-state of Israel. However, the New Testament, particularly Galatians 3:16, makes it clear that these promises ultimately refer to Jesus Christ and, by extension, to all believers.” (Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse…”) (Galatians 3:16: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed… meaning one person, who is Christ.”) “Moreover, Scripture warns against supporting individuals, organizations, or nations that openly reject and blaspheme Jesus Christ. By that standard, the modern state of Israel—which explicitly denies Jesus as the Messiah—falls into this category. Politicians like Ted Cruz should stop misusing Scripture to advance political agendas that are not grounded in the full counsel of God’s Word.” Trump’s Religious Right Propagandists Smear ‘No Kings’ Rallies' Christian-right media outlets, which function as an unofficial public relations operation for President Donald Trump, set out this week to smear in advance the ‘No Kings’ protests being held across the country on Sat. June 14 to protest Trump’s authoritarianism and defiance of the law and Constitution. “As America prepares to honor the birthday of President Donald J. Trump on June 14,” began a screed that ran on the right-wing “America Faith” platform and was republished by the Pentecostal-oriented Charisma News—not even bothering to sustain the official fiction that Trump’s military parade is more about honoring the armed forces than a presidential exercise in self-glorification. The diatribe was written by right-wing southern California pastor Phil Hotsenpiller, who founded American Faith after Trump was defeated in the 2020 election. (People For the American Way 6/14/25) READ MORE>>>>> No Christians Allowed? Tech Company Blocks Nonprofit Discount Over Faith A Christian nonprofit dedicated to teaching biblical principles on human sexuality has taken legal action against a major California-based tech company for alleged religious discrimination. Holy Sexuality, a Christian ministry that produces video courses to help families and young people navigate sexuality through a biblical lens, filed a federal lawsuit against Asana, a San Francisco software company, after it was denied a nonprofit discount on Asana’s project management software. According to the lawsuit, Asana refused to grant the 50% discount specifically because Holy Sexuality is a religious organization—a policy that violates California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. . (California Family Council 2/24/25) READ MORE>>>>> Los Angeles-Area Christians On Frontlines As Wildfires Burn Homes And Churches One of the windstorms blew, and it was like a fireball, and it blew straight toward me. All I could do was just back up, and that was it. I had to get out of there.” Eon Walk — chief financial officer for the Pasadena Church of Christ, also known as the Kinneloa congregation — recounted her experience trying to enter the Southern California church building as the Eaton Fire encroached. She wanted to save the building blueprints and grab a fire extinguisher to stop a nearby bush fire from spreading. But she returned home empty-handed. . (Julie Roys 1/18/25) READ MORE>>>>> Los Angeles-Area Christians On Frontlines As Wildfires Burn Homes And Churches One of the windstorms blew, and it was like a fireball, and it blew straight toward me. All I could do was just back up, and that was it. I had to get out of there.” Eon Walk — chief financial officer for the Pasadena Church of Christ, also known as the Kinneloa congregation — recounted her experience trying to enter the Southern California church building as the Eaton Fire encroached. She wanted to save the building blueprints and grab a fire extinguisher to stop a nearby bush fire from spreading. But she returned home empty-handed. . (Julie Roys 1/18/25) READ MORE>>>>> California wildfires update: Baptist volunteers deployed, Christians urged to ‘get specific’ in prayers California Baptist Disaster Relief chaplains have been deployed as wildfires continue to rage in the Los Angeles area, where the death toll has risen to more than 20 people and over 12,000 structures have reportedly been destroyed or damaged. This week, the number of deaths and amount of destruction is expected to rise as heavy winds may only intensify. The current conditions will make it more difficult for volunteers seeking to help with clean-up efforts, said Coy Webb, crisis response director for Send Relief, a ministry of the North American Mission Board and International Mission Board. “FEMA has declared all the fire sites hazardous. This means that they will need to complete phase one before any organization will be allowed into the area to begin clean-up. This cannot begin until fires are out,” he noted. (The Baptist Paper 1/13/25) READ MORE>>>>> Pope assures spiritual closeness to LA fire victims In a message sent through his Secretary of State to the archbishop of Los Angeles, José Gómez, Pope Francis assures his "spiritual closeness" to all those affected by the fires. "Entrusting the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, His Holiness sends heartfelt condolences to those who mourn their loss. He likewise prays for the relief efforts of the emergency service personnel and imparts his blessing to all as a pledge of consolation and strength in the Lord." Some 180,000 people have been evacuated. The death toll is currently limited to 11 though it is thought it could rise as more victims are discovered. The disaster caused the cancellation of US President Joe Biden's visit to Rome, where he was due to meet Pope Francis on January 10. President Biden, 82, will hand over power to Donald Trump on January 20. . (Aleteia 1/11/25) READ MORE>>>>> |
April 1, 2024: Fox News reported: An LGBTQ+ drag group held a "Hunky Jesus" and "Foxy Mary" costume contest in San Francisco on Easter Sunday, appearing to mock Christians on their most holy of holidays. The "queer and trans nuns" known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence held their annual costume competition in Dolores Park on Sunday with thousands reported in attendance, including at least one state lawmaker. Contestants dressed as "playful, lewd reinterpretations of Jesus and Mary" competed against each other in drag and dance performances, according to the SF Gate.
2024 Pew Research for California
May 2, 2024: Christian Post reported: Gavin Ortlund, former senior pastor of the 100-member First Baptist Church of Ojai in Ojai, California, who now ministers full time via his Truth Unites channel on YouTube, said MacArthur’s ideology on mental health is “destructive.” He further noted that MacArthur’s ideology on mental health is common among American Evangelical culture and it’s something that needs to be better addressed.
July 15, 2024: ShastaScout reported: Bethel’s Senior Prophet Kris Vallotton referenced the Clement prophesy yesterday morning, calling Trump’s survival “providence to the providence, max.” Vallotton told the congregation “there’s a wrong spirit in the land,” and suggested that this might not be the only attempt that will be made on Trump’s life. “I feel like the spirit of vengeance is on our country,” he said, “and if we’re not careful, we’ll be swept up in this hatred.” Like Johnson, Vallotton has a long history of support for Trump. In 2019, he instructed the congregation to oppose Trump’s impeachment. In 2020, he inaccurately prophesied that Trump would win the presidential election. He apologized after the Electoral College confirmed Biden’s win. Yesterday, Vallotton appeared to temper his previously vocal support for Trump with a call to prioritize faith over politics. “I want to point out that Donald Trump is not the answer to our moral crisis,” Vallotton said, “Joe Biden is not the answer to our moral crisis . . . If we’re not really careful, we’ll be calling for a king,” Vallotton said, “and we have a king. His name is Jesus.” (ShastaScout 7/15/24) Read More>>>>> January 24, 2023: Religion News reported: How Southern California helped birth white Christian nationalism. Bradley Onishi became a Christian at age 14 when his eighth grade girlfriend invited him to a Bible study at her church in Yorba Linda, California, just south of Los Angeles. Ten years later, he would serve as its youth minister. Over that decade, he writes in his new book,
“Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism — And What Comes Next,” Onishi grew to see his faith as less about Jesus and more about perpetuating a certain myth of the United States, one that he says forms the bedrock of white Christian nationalism. February 23, 2023: Baptist Press reported: Several churches deemed “not in friendly cooperation” with the SBC have responded to action taken by the SBC Executive Committee earlier this week. The recommendation from the SBC Credentials Committee regarding Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., came “on the basis that the church has a faith and practice that does not closely identify with the Convention’s adopted statement of faith, as demonstrated by the church having a female teaching pastor functioning in the office of pastor.”
March 30, 2023: Religion Unplugged reported: Disgraced Hillsong founder Brian Houston has been charged with drunk driving in southern California, the latest of several legal charges facing the former megachurch pastor. Newly uncovered court records reveal that Houston was arrested in Newport Beach, California, for driving under the influence of alcohol on Feb. 26, 2022. The case filed in the Superior Court of California in Orange County also charges Houston with driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or more and failure to display two license plates on his vehicle.
June 14, 2023: Religion News Service reported: Delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting affirmed a decision to expel two Southern Baptist churches, including Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, because they employed women as pastors. The churches had appealed to the meeting, the denomination’s ruling body, to be allowed to remain.
August 3, 2023: Screen Rant reported: "Jesus Revolution" tells the story of Greg Laurie and how he was involved in the Jesus movement in California during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The movement was an evangelical Christian movement characterized by the increase of religion in the state, thanks to the blend of counterculture with Evangelicalism. The 2023 Christian drama film pulls inspiration from the autobiographical book of the same name that the real Greg Laurie co-wrote in 2018. Plus, the church depicted in the movie is based on a place of worship that exists in real life. Joel Courtney stars as Laurie in the film, and the rest of the cast includes Kelsey Grammer as Chuck Smith, Jonathan Roumie as Lonnie Frisbee, Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Charlene McDaniel, Anna Grace Barlow as Cathe Martin, and Nic Bishop as Dick. Along with Courtney's Laurie, Grammer's character Chuck Smith is an instrumental figure in the movie and is based on a real pastor. As a matter of fact, the church that Greg and Cathe stumble upon in Jesus Revolution is inspired by Smith's chapel.
September 25, 2023: Christian Post reported: A California-based synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has elected its first-ever openly gay bishop, over a year after the regional body removed its first-ever trans-identified bishop from office. At the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly last week, Pastor Jeff R. Johnson of Berkeley, California, was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the regional church body.
October 4, 2023: NBC News reported: In California the same month, a school board member who had advanced a policy banning LGBTQ pride flags from classrooms told followers they were engaged in “a spiritual battle” for their children.
November 19, 2023: Orange County register reported: Christians and climate change: Southern California churches preach very different messages. Crews started installing solar panels this week on the red tile roof at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach. Pastor Mark Davis said the project, once complete, should easily power the church’s entire 7-acre campus. In the previous year, many of St. Mark’s 550 members attended a meeting, in keeping with Presbyterian doctrine, to vote on taking out a loan to finance the $200,000 solar project. There was some spirited debate about the financial implications, Davis said with a chuckle, but in the end members gave the project an enthusiastic green light. They see the panels as key to St. Mark’s goal of going completely carbon neutral by 2030. July 13, 2020: Baptist News Global reported: While many Republicans decry the state of the party today, California provided the staging ground for creating the American evangelicalism that we now know, and California continues to be a prominent center of evangelicalism in American culture. June 18, 2019: CalMatters reported: How Redding, California, became an unlikely epicenter of modern Christian culture: God brought Golibé Omenaka to Northern California. The journey started in Manchester, England, when he encountered the teachings of a Redding-based megachurch called Bethel, and took off when a friend prophesied that God had called Omenaka to Bethel. Specifically, God called Omenaka to the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, where the 24-year-old would undertake a spiritual transformation and be trained in miraculous healing. |
June 24, 2016: KCET reported: How Los Angeles Helped Make the U.S. an Evangelical Nation: Carey McWilliams once called Louis Adamic Los Angeles’ greatest “prophet, sociologist and historian” of the 1920s. Adamic loved California not so much because of the famed climate, though that certainly didn’t hurt, but more because he found it a source of endless entertainment and absorption, and not always toward the good. “Actually, and in spite of all the healthful sunshine and ocean breezes, it is a bad place ... full of curious and wild and poisonous growths.” For the skeptical Adamic, “decadent religions and cults” served as warning of such perils. “Hardly a day passed … that I was not stopped in the street and handed a religious tract,” he noted. L.A. might be “the essence of America” but it was a cacophony of faiths, a veritable ecclesiastical jungle. By the 1920s, Los Angeles hosted a particularly fervent strain of Christianity today referred to as evangelicalism, but it took decades to develop before reaching a true mass audience through the likes of Aimee Semple McPherson, Bob Shuler, and Los Angeles native Charles E. Fuller. The rise of Pentecostalism in the Azusa Street Revival during the first decade of the 20th century, the establishment of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Biola) near its second, and the ascension of the famed Aimee Semple McPherson and her Echo Park Angelus Temple in the century’s third decade, the 1920s, demonstrate this arc.