february 2023 |
All text by Zorek Richards
unless otherwise noted |
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| February 27, 2023 |
Feb 27, 2023: Fox News: Tennessee mayor praises Kirk Cameron for 'exceptional' family program and message at public library
"I enjoyed the Kirk Cameron event tremendously on Saturday," Mayor Jamie Clary of Hendersonville, Tennessee, told Fox News Digital on Monday in emailed comments.
"I enjoyed the Kirk Cameron event tremendously on Saturday," Mayor Jamie Clary of Hendersonville, Tennessee, told Fox News Digital on Monday in emailed comments.
Feb 27, 2023: Fox News: Christian school forfeits playoff game against team with trans student: 'Jeopardizes fairness'
One Christian school forfeited to the opposing team in a state championship tournament after it was revealed a transgender student was on their roster.
Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) girls' basketball team the Eagles were set to play against the Long Trail Mountain Lions in game four of the playoffs last Tuesday before the Christian school dropped out of the game and lost their place in the tournament.
Head of School Vicky Fogg argued it was unfair and unsafe for the high school girls to play against a biological male on the opposing team.
One Christian school forfeited to the opposing team in a state championship tournament after it was revealed a transgender student was on their roster.
Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) girls' basketball team the Eagles were set to play against the Long Trail Mountain Lions in game four of the playoffs last Tuesday before the Christian school dropped out of the game and lost their place in the tournament.
Head of School Vicky Fogg argued it was unfair and unsafe for the high school girls to play against a biological male on the opposing team.
"We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players. Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general," (Vicky) Fogg wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.
| February 26, 2023 |
Feb 26, 2023: AP: West Virginia GOP majority House OKs religious freedom bill
West Virginia’s GOP supermajority House of Delegates passed a bill Monday that would create a test for courts to apply when people challenge government regulations they believe interfere with their constitutional right to religious freedom.
West Virginia’s GOP supermajority House of Delegates passed a bill Monday that would create a test for courts to apply when people challenge government regulations they believe interfere with their constitutional right to religious freedom.
Feb 26, 2023: Fox News: Kirk Cameron runs into trouble in Tennessee ahead of patriotic book event: 'Negative pushback'
It wasn't all smooth sailing for actor-writer-producer Kirk Cameron this past week as he and his publisher planned another book-related event at a public library — all part of his effort to offer a "wholesome" alternative to the numerous "drag queen story hours" that have been held in public venues in America over the past few years.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for actor-writer-producer Kirk Cameron this past week as he and his publisher planned another book-related event at a public library — all part of his effort to offer a "wholesome" alternative to the numerous "drag queen story hours" that have been held in public venues in America over the past few years.
| February 25, 2023 |
Feb 25, 2023: USA Today: Measles case in Kentucky linked to viral Christian revival at Asbury University, officials say
A measles case has been identified in Kentucky and is linked to the large, two week-long revival on the campus of Asbury University, a Christian school in Wilmore.
On Friday, state health officials said the Jessamine County resident, who is unvaccinated, attended the Kentucky Asbury Revival on Feb. 18.
Thousands of people from all over the country and globe attended the religious service – which captured the attention of social media users worldwide as the revival went viral on TikTok.
A measles case has been identified in Kentucky and is linked to the large, two week-long revival on the campus of Asbury University, a Christian school in Wilmore.
On Friday, state health officials said the Jessamine County resident, who is unvaccinated, attended the Kentucky Asbury Revival on Feb. 18.
Thousands of people from all over the country and globe attended the religious service – which captured the attention of social media users worldwide as the revival went viral on TikTok.
| February 24, 2023 |
Feb 24, 2023: The Christian Index: Hundreds pray for revival across Georgia campuses on Collegiate Day of Prayer
Across the country on Thursday students gathered to pray and worship as part of the Collegiate Day of Prayer. Organizers encouraged students, and others, to pray on and for every college campus in America.
Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministry was active in organizing events statewide.
Across the country on Thursday students gathered to pray and worship as part of the Collegiate Day of Prayer. Organizers encouraged students, and others, to pray on and for every college campus in America.
Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministry was active in organizing events statewide.
Feb 24, 2023: USA Today: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hid investments for 22 years, SEC says
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an affiliated investment arm will pay penalties and adhere to standard investment-reporting practices after federal regulators accused them of failing to properly disclose the church's stock-market investments worth billions of dollars and other details.
The Securities and Exchange Commission on Feb. 21 charged nonprofit investment firm Ensign Peak Advisors with failing to file required forms that would have fully and properly disclosed the church's stock holdings. Instead, the investment firm submitted paperwork for shell companies that obscured the church's wealth and misstated Ensign Peak's control over the church's investment decisions, according to the SEC.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an affiliated investment arm will pay penalties and adhere to standard investment-reporting practices after federal regulators accused them of failing to properly disclose the church's stock-market investments worth billions of dollars and other details.
The Securities and Exchange Commission on Feb. 21 charged nonprofit investment firm Ensign Peak Advisors with failing to file required forms that would have fully and properly disclosed the church's stock holdings. Instead, the investment firm submitted paperwork for shell companies that obscured the church's wealth and misstated Ensign Peak's control over the church's investment decisions, according to the SEC.
| February 23, 2023 |
Feb 23, 2023: Religion News Service: Will the zeal of Asbury University’s revival connect with God’s justice?
If it stays true to the call of the Hebrew prophets, the Asbury revival won't stop at summoning people to personal piety.
If it stays true to the call of the Hebrew prophets, the Asbury revival won't stop at summoning people to personal piety.
Feb 23, 2023: Baptist Press: Churches respond to action of Executive Committee
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.”
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.”
On a sliding scale of white Christian nationalism, Greene, Boebert and Cruz represent the extreme right wing that believes “the success of the United States is part of God’s plan.” But more moderate varieties exist, not as staunch and more open to accommodating themselves to evolving realities. Nevertheless, conflict persists between what the dominant American tradition is thought to have been and where demographics in the last half century indicate society is headed.
Underlying white Christian nationalism today are a number of factors: demographic changes involving a declining number of white Americans, fear among political conservatives that their power is diminishing, growing secularism and growth in wealth differentials, combined with uncontrolled immigration and toxic racial resentment. All appear in flux; what once were taken as permanent social and cultural hierarchies are now crumbling. As a consequence, we suffer from political and cultural polarization such as has not been seen since the Civil War. -Ron Lora op/ed; University of Toledo 2.23.23
Underlying white Christian nationalism today are a number of factors: demographic changes involving a declining number of white Americans, fear among political conservatives that their power is diminishing, growing secularism and growth in wealth differentials, combined with uncontrolled immigration and toxic racial resentment. All appear in flux; what once were taken as permanent social and cultural hierarchies are now crumbling. As a consequence, we suffer from political and cultural polarization such as has not been seen since the Civil War. -Ron Lora op/ed; University of Toledo 2.23.23
Feb 23, 2023: Rolling Stone: The Christian Nationalist Machine Turning Hate Into Law
The National Association of Christian Lawmakers is enacting its "biblical worldview," one state legislature at a time
The National Association of Christian Lawmakers is enacting its "biblical worldview," one state legislature at a time
Feb 23, 2023: Christianity Today: ‘No Celebrities Except Jesus’: How Asbury Protected the Revival
The shofars didn’t start until Saturday. With them came the would-be prophets seeking to take center stage at the Asbury University chapel where students had been praying and praising God since Wednesday morning; the would-be leaders who wanted to claim the revival for their ministries, their agendas, and celebrity; and the would-be disrupters, coming to break up whatever was happening at the small Christian school in Kentucky with heckling, harangues, and worse.
The shofars didn’t start until Saturday. With them came the would-be prophets seeking to take center stage at the Asbury University chapel where students had been praying and praising God since Wednesday morning; the would-be leaders who wanted to claim the revival for their ministries, their agendas, and celebrity; and the would-be disrupters, coming to break up whatever was happening at the small Christian school in Kentucky with heckling, harangues, and worse.
Feb 23, 2023: WALB: Ga. Christian School students spend a day helping a domestic hunger-relief charity
Second Harvest of South Georgia is the leading domestic hunger-relief charity organization in the region.
Over 40 students from Georgia Christian School (GCS) in Valdosta donated their time to fill about 1,000 boxes to be donated to senior citizens all across southwest Georgia.
Second Harvest of South Georgia is the leading domestic hunger-relief charity organization in the region.
Over 40 students from Georgia Christian School (GCS) in Valdosta donated their time to fill about 1,000 boxes to be donated to senior citizens all across southwest Georgia.
Feb 23, 2023: Religion Media Centre: Churches ‘critical’ in supporting Ukraine’s people
British people are being urged to step up their support for Ukrainian refugees as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of their country approaches.
The British public donated £400m to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine appeal in the year since war broke out on 24 February 2022, with the government match-funding £25m of that.
British people are being urged to step up their support for Ukrainian refugees as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of their country approaches.
The British public donated £400m to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine appeal in the year since war broke out on 24 February 2022, with the government match-funding £25m of that.
Feb 23, 2023: WKYT: Asbury University revival comes to an end
The 16-day spontaneous spiritual revival on Asbury University’s campus is in its last day in-person.
The non-stop praise and worship have been going on for almost 400 hours.
“At the end of service, students were dismissed; a few students lingered, and we had a really strong sense that we should
worship, and the more that we worshipped, we can sense God’s presence,” said Wimore resident George Dumaine.
Dumaine says after the first day, the right ingredients were present to keep the spiritual fire burning.
“And then God breathes his breath of life into a room it will just self-sustain for as long as people remain humble, remain unified,” Dumaine said.
The 16-day spontaneous spiritual revival on Asbury University’s campus is in its last day in-person.
The non-stop praise and worship have been going on for almost 400 hours.
“At the end of service, students were dismissed; a few students lingered, and we had a really strong sense that we should
worship, and the more that we worshipped, we can sense God’s presence,” said Wimore resident George Dumaine.
Dumaine says after the first day, the right ingredients were present to keep the spiritual fire burning.
“And then God breathes his breath of life into a room it will just self-sustain for as long as people remain humble, remain unified,” Dumaine said.
Feb 23, 2023: Gospel Coalition: Hearts Strangely Warmed at Asbury
On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, some students at Asbury University lingered after the usual morning chapel service to pray a little longer, worship together, and bask in the felt presence of God’s peace and love. More students joined in. Hundreds of hours later they were still meeting, and thousands of pilgrims were on their way to Wilmore, Kentucky, to experience a remarkable, ongoing season of spiritual renewal. The university has called it an “outpouring”; the seminary across the street has referred to it as an “awakening”; the internet has picked it up and called it a “revival.”
On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, some students at Asbury University lingered after the usual morning chapel service to pray a little longer, worship together, and bask in the felt presence of God’s peace and love. More students joined in. Hundreds of hours later they were still meeting, and thousands of pilgrims were on their way to Wilmore, Kentucky, to experience a remarkable, ongoing season of spiritual renewal. The university has called it an “outpouring”; the seminary across the street has referred to it as an “awakening”; the internet has picked it up and called it a “revival.”
| February 22, 2023 |
Feb 22, 2023: Religion Unplugged: ‘Jesus Revolution’: A Well-Intentioned Revival Movie That Struggles To Be Both Inspiring And Truthful
(REVIEW) “Jesus Revolution” is well intentioned, but its storytelling is too weak and its message too dishonest to inspire a true vision on how to start or maintain a Christian revival in the modern world.
(REVIEW) “Jesus Revolution” is well intentioned, but its storytelling is too weak and its message too dishonest to inspire a true vision on how to start or maintain a Christian revival in the modern world.
Feb 22, 2023: World Council of Churches : Ukrainian Council of Churches calls for day of national fasting and prayer
“Millions of believers pray for an end to the war every day…” notes the message which also reflects that, as the war rages on, more civilians and soldiers are dying every day.”
The Ukrainian Council of Churches is calling on all denominations of Ukraine to declare and hold a national fast and prayer in their religious communities with round-the-clock prayer vigils, and active performance of works of charity.
“Millions of believers pray for an end to the war every day…” notes the message which also reflects that, as the war rages on, more civilians and soldiers are dying every day.”
The Ukrainian Council of Churches is calling on all denominations of Ukraine to declare and hold a national fast and prayer in their religious communities with round-the-clock prayer vigils, and active performance of works of charity.
Feb 22, 2023: Reformanda: What Happened to the Gospel of Grace?
Not long ago, I picked up a book by James Montgomery Boice titled Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? Boice was one of the greatest evangelical leaders of the 20th century. He pastored 10th Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2000, he announced to his church that he had cancer and he died a few months later at the age of 62. He died June 15, 2000, and evangelicalism lost one of its most faithful leaders. |
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Feb 22, 2023: Religion News Service: How big Christian nationalism has come courting in North Idaho
Earlier this month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican, addressed the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, whose purview runs from this small resort city up along the Washington state border. Before she spoke, a local pastor and onetime Idaho state representative named Tim Remington, wearing an American flag-themed tie, revved up the crowd: “If we put God back in Idaho, then God will always protect Idaho.”
Earlier this month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican, addressed the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, whose purview runs from this small resort city up along the Washington state border. Before she spoke, a local pastor and onetime Idaho state representative named Tim Remington, wearing an American flag-themed tie, revved up the crowd: “If we put God back in Idaho, then God will always protect Idaho.”
| February 21, 2023 |
Feb 21, 2023: Beautiful Christian Life: What Is the Spiritual Gift of Discernment?
Discernment is hard work. It’s not a special gift God plunks into some people’s hearts and keeps from others. It takes opening God’s word on a regular basis, immersing ourselves into the grander narrative of Scripture (not just grabbing random verses here and there), and studying it. Let’s not make light of this skill. Rather, let’s encourage one another to grow in it by opening the Bible together.
Discernment is hard work. It’s not a special gift God plunks into some people’s hearts and keeps from others. It takes opening God’s word on a regular basis, immersing ourselves into the grander narrative of Scripture (not just grabbing random verses here and there), and studying it. Let’s not make light of this skill. Rather, let’s encourage one another to grow in it by opening the Bible together.
Feb 21, 2023: Religion News Service: Southern Baptists oust Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church for naming a female pastor
Saddleback Church, the megachurch long led by Rick Warren, has been ousted from the Southern Baptist Convention for naming a woman to its pastoral team, against SBC teaching.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee decided on Tuesday (Feb. 21) to approve the recommendation from the denomination’s credentials committee that the Lake Forest, California, church “be deemed not in friendly cooperation with the Convention, 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.”
Saddleback Church, the megachurch long led by Rick Warren, has been ousted from the Southern Baptist Convention for naming a woman to its pastoral team, against SBC teaching.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee decided on Tuesday (Feb. 21) to approve the recommendation from the denomination’s credentials committee that the Lake Forest, California, church “be deemed not in friendly cooperation with the Convention, 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.”
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Feb 21, 2023: Gospel Coalition: 20 Quotes from the New Book About Tim Keller
In his new book Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation, Collin Hansen surveys the family members, friends, professors, pastors, and authors who shaped The Gospel Coalition’s cofounder. Get your copy of this fascinating deep dive into Keller’s life and influences. Here are 20 quotes to whet your appetite. |
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| February 20, 2023 |
Feb 20, 2023: Christianity Today: TIU Announces Plans to Move Undergrad Program Online
When hundreds of college students at Trinity International University (TIU) pack up their dorm rooms at the end of the semester in May, they won’t be coming back to the suburban Chicago campus. Athletes won’t suit up in their white and blue Trojan uniforms anymore. Undergrads won’t get to study together in the library, share meals in the dining hall, or experience other rhythms of campus life.
When hundreds of college students at Trinity International University (TIU) pack up their dorm rooms at the end of the semester in May, they won’t be coming back to the suburban Chicago campus. Athletes won’t suit up in their white and blue Trojan uniforms anymore. Undergrads won’t get to study together in the library, share meals in the dining hall, or experience other rhythms of campus life.
Feb 20, 2023: Religion News Service: Beth Moore tries to untangle her ‘all knotted-up life’ in new memoir
There’s a downside to going someplace where everyone knows your name.
Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore discovered that reality in the months after making a public break with the Southern Baptist Convention, which had been her spiritual home since childhood.
There’s a downside to going someplace where everyone knows your name.
Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore discovered that reality in the months after making a public break with the Southern Baptist Convention, which had been her spiritual home since childhood.
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| February 19, 2023 |
Our Founders felt that religion was something sacred and should always remain so by being kept off-limits to political wolves in sheep’s clothing.
--Frank Breslin
--Frank Breslin
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Feb 19, 2023: Dissident Voice: Christian Nationalism vs. the Separation of Church and State
We have a long tradition in America of Separation of Church and State that prohibits government’s promotion of religion on the one hand, and interference with its free exercise on the other. In their refusal to establish a state church or to favor one religion over another, the Founding Fathers didn’t think that religion was bad but that there was something amiss in human nature, a certain tendency, a will to power and a lust for domination, that always bore watching. |
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Feb 19, 2023: L'Observateur: Catholicism is under attack by the FBI
The good news is that attorney generals all across America, including Louisiana’s Jeff Landry, have stepped in to challenge the anti-Catholic bigotry of the FBI. Twenty state attorney generals have demanded the FBI ceased and desist: “the investigating and surveilling Americans who have done nothing more than exercise their natural and constitutional right to practice their religion.” This group goes on to charge that “anti-Catholic bigotry appears to be festering in the FBI, and the Bureau is treating Catholics as potential terrorists because of their beliefs.”
The good news is that attorney generals all across America, including Louisiana’s Jeff Landry, have stepped in to challenge the anti-Catholic bigotry of the FBI. Twenty state attorney generals have demanded the FBI ceased and desist: “the investigating and surveilling Americans who have done nothing more than exercise their natural and constitutional right to practice their religion.” This group goes on to charge that “anti-Catholic bigotry appears to be festering in the FBI, and the Bureau is treating Catholics as potential terrorists because of their beliefs.”
Feb 19, 2023: Argus Leader: Dreiske: Religious freedom or religious fear?
As an active member of my Jewish Community as well as the Interfaith Community in Sioux Falls, I am greatly concerned about how the religious fear of one religious group is being imposed on the religious freedoms of our religiously diverse communities in South Dakota.
Religious freedom, according to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, says everyone in the United States has the right to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all. Religion is a set of communal beliefs, practices and perspectives that affect and provide direction for the believer’s life. It is a lens in which we see and interact with the world around us. Freedom is the power to be who we are without hindrance. Fear is the belief that something is dangerous.
As an active member of my Jewish Community as well as the Interfaith Community in Sioux Falls, I am greatly concerned about how the religious fear of one religious group is being imposed on the religious freedoms of our religiously diverse communities in South Dakota.
Religious freedom, according to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, says everyone in the United States has the right to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all. Religion is a set of communal beliefs, practices and perspectives that affect and provide direction for the believer’s life. It is a lens in which we see and interact with the world around us. Freedom is the power to be who we are without hindrance. Fear is the belief that something is dangerous.
February 19, 2023:
Elizabeth Neumann, chief strategy officer for Moonshot, a tech company that aims to counter online violent extremism, disinformation and other harms, told the Denver post that Christian Nationalism began picking up steam around 2015 amid a rising narrative of purported persecution of Christians. “I see Christian nationalism as the gasping, dying breath of the older generation in America that is afraid that Christians are going to be replaced,” she said.
In short, Christian Nationalism has self interest for self and country in its goals. Christianity is just a cheap garnishment designed to be a prop for the Biblical illiterate who call themselves "Christian." When Jesus said "Take up your cross and follow me," He was not confusing the cross nor himself for country.
Elizabeth Neumann, chief strategy officer for Moonshot, a tech company that aims to counter online violent extremism, disinformation and other harms, told the Denver post that Christian Nationalism began picking up steam around 2015 amid a rising narrative of purported persecution of Christians. “I see Christian nationalism as the gasping, dying breath of the older generation in America that is afraid that Christians are going to be replaced,” she said.
In short, Christian Nationalism has self interest for self and country in its goals. Christianity is just a cheap garnishment designed to be a prop for the Biblical illiterate who call themselves "Christian." When Jesus said "Take up your cross and follow me," He was not confusing the cross nor himself for country.
| February 17, 2023 |
Feb 17, 2023: Christian Post: Rock Church Pastor John Blanchard agreed to psychosexual assessment to dismiss prostitution case
Despite once expressing no objection to sealing records pertaining to a child sex solicitation charge against Rock Church International Pastor John Blanchard, the Chesterfield County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in Virginia now opposes that idea as a special prosecutor considers whether the case should be reopened amid a cloud of controversy.
Despite once expressing no objection to sealing records pertaining to a child sex solicitation charge against Rock Church International Pastor John Blanchard, the Chesterfield County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in Virginia now opposes that idea as a special prosecutor considers whether the case should be reopened amid a cloud of controversy.
Feb 17, 2023: Alabama Baptist: ‘God is moving’: 10 observations from Asbury revival
Most of you are aware the Feb. 8, 2023, chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, has yet to end … seven days later. Night and day, people gather for worship and prayer.
As a boy, my dad was a seminary student in Louisville and pastored a church in Frankfort, around 30 miles from Asbury. In 1970 revival broke out at this small Christian college. In that chapel service 53 years ago, students began pouring to the altar.
Revival broke out.
Most of you are aware the Feb. 8, 2023, chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, has yet to end … seven days later. Night and day, people gather for worship and prayer.
As a boy, my dad was a seminary student in Louisville and pastored a church in Frankfort, around 30 miles from Asbury. In 1970 revival broke out at this small Christian college. In that chapel service 53 years ago, students began pouring to the altar.
Revival broke out.
| February 16, 2023 |
Feb 16, 2023: Religion News Service: Nikki Haley says she’s Christian, but it’s complicated
In the opening seconds of Nikki Haley’s video launching her 2024 presidential bid this week, she described her upbringing in the South: “I was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. Not Black, not white, but different.” The words are accompanied by a childhood photograph of Haley, with her mother and turban-wearing father smiling behind her.
In the opening seconds of Nikki Haley’s video launching her 2024 presidential bid this week, she described her upbringing in the South: “I was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. Not Black, not white, but different.” The words are accompanied by a childhood photograph of Haley, with her mother and turban-wearing father smiling behind her.
Feb 16, 2023: Current: The First Twitter Revival?
It is not the first revival at Asbury, a college connected to the Wesleyan-Holiness wing of American evangelicalism. Similar multi-day revivals took place on campus in 1950 (lasting 118 hours), 1970 (144 hours), and 1992 (127 hours). As I write, the current spiritual awakening is entering its 182nd hour. It has gone on longer than the so-called Cane Ridge Revival, an 1801 Kentucky revival that went on for about a week and played an important role in triggering the decades-long “Second Great Awakening.” (The site of the Cane Ridge revival is about forty-five miles northwest of Wilmore.)
It is not the first revival at Asbury, a college connected to the Wesleyan-Holiness wing of American evangelicalism. Similar multi-day revivals took place on campus in 1950 (lasting 118 hours), 1970 (144 hours), and 1992 (127 hours). As I write, the current spiritual awakening is entering its 182nd hour. It has gone on longer than the so-called Cane Ridge Revival, an 1801 Kentucky revival that went on for about a week and played an important role in triggering the decades-long “Second Great Awakening.” (The site of the Cane Ridge revival is about forty-five miles northwest of Wilmore.)
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Feb 16, 2023: Answers in Genesis: Church of England “Explores Gender Neutral God”
What happens when a professing church becomes more concerned with pleasing men and bowing to the current cultural fads than with pleasing God and “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)? Well, what happens is a quick slide into error, false teaching, and—eventually—apostasy. And that’s happening to so many denominations right before our eyes. Consider this headline: “Church of England explores gender neutral God.” |
Feb 15, 2023
The Church of England is facing backlash for exploring the idea of God being gender-neutral. In this episode of Answers News, our hosts Ken Ham, Bryan Osborne, and Dr. Georgia Purdom share their perspectives on this topic as Bible-believing Christians.
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Feb 16, 2023: The Guardian: We need to talk about extremism and its links to Christian fundamentalism
The announcement yesterday that Queensland police now consider the Wieambilla attacks to be a “religiously motivated terror attack” connected to a Christian extremist ideology should constitute a seismic shift in our understanding of the terror threat in Australia.
The announcement yesterday that Queensland police now consider the Wieambilla attacks to be a “religiously motivated terror attack” connected to a Christian extremist ideology should constitute a seismic shift in our understanding of the terror threat in Australia.
Feb 16, 2023: Argus Leader: Christian film 'Jesus Revolution' to debut in Sioux Falls with Celebrate Church connection
A Christian film starring Kelsey Grammer will make its worldwide premiere in Sioux Falls next week.
The film, "Jesus Revolution," is "based on the true story of a spiritual awakening that originated in the early 1970s in a community of teenage hippies in Southern California," according to a press release from Celebrate Community Church.
The film will debut on 10 of the 12 screens at Century East at Dawley Farm on Feb. 21 before its nationwide opening on Feb. 24.
A 5 p.m. red carpet event will have appearances from a director and producer of the film, as well as Mayor Paul
A Christian film starring Kelsey Grammer will make its worldwide premiere in Sioux Falls next week.
The film, "Jesus Revolution," is "based on the true story of a spiritual awakening that originated in the early 1970s in a community of teenage hippies in Southern California," according to a press release from Celebrate Community Church.
The film will debut on 10 of the 12 screens at Century East at Dawley Farm on Feb. 21 before its nationwide opening on Feb. 24.
A 5 p.m. red carpet event will have appearances from a director and producer of the film, as well as Mayor Paul
Feb 16, 2023: Billboard: A Cappella Group Says Concert at Florida Christian College Canceled Over Member’s ‘Lifestyle’
“It has become clear to us, from a flood of correspondence from students and members of the public, that these concerns related to the sexuality of member of our group,” the six-member group said in a statement. The letter on the Singers’ site noted that they have performed at PCC before and that they signed a contract to play there again “in the knowledge that this is a fundamentalist Christian institution,” adding that their belief is that “music can build a common language that allows people with different views and perspectives to come together.”
“It has become clear to us, from a flood of correspondence from students and members of the public, that these concerns related to the sexuality of member of our group,” the six-member group said in a statement. The letter on the Singers’ site noted that they have performed at PCC before and that they signed a contract to play there again “in the knowledge that this is a fundamentalist Christian institution,” adding that their belief is that “music can build a common language that allows people with different views and perspectives to come together.”
| February 15, 2023 |
Feb 13, 2023: The Daily News: Orthodox Church offers 'new' denomination of Christianity
Christianity is often thought of as occurring in two forms: Protestant and Catholic, but there’s always been a third way — one which claims to be the oldest and only ‘Apostolic church.’ The Orthodox churches (Russian, Syrian and Greek — a total of 15 self-governing patriarchies) make these bold claims and challenge all Christians to consider them.
To adherents, Orthodoxy is seen as the fixed point in the religious universe. Its liturgy, icons and rituals trace back countless centuries.
The only new thing here may be the flux of individual believers who have transitioned from their previous commitments to Protestant or Catholic churches.
Christianity is often thought of as occurring in two forms: Protestant and Catholic, but there’s always been a third way — one which claims to be the oldest and only ‘Apostolic church.’ The Orthodox churches (Russian, Syrian and Greek — a total of 15 self-governing patriarchies) make these bold claims and challenge all Christians to consider them.
To adherents, Orthodoxy is seen as the fixed point in the religious universe. Its liturgy, icons and rituals trace back countless centuries.
The only new thing here may be the flux of individual believers who have transitioned from their previous commitments to Protestant or Catholic churches.
Feb 15, 2023: Religion News Service: A 300-year-old church hopes to connect with spiritual but not religious neighbors
For three centuries, Trinity Episcopal Church has tried to meet the spiritual needs of the small community of Southport, Connecticut, about an hour and a half outside of New York.
For three centuries, Trinity Episcopal Church has tried to meet the spiritual needs of the small community of Southport, Connecticut, about an hour and a half outside of New York.
Feb 15, 2023: Mission Box: Samaritan’s Purse Airlifts Emergency Mobile Field Hospital to Turkey
Ken Isaacs – Vice President and Programs and Government Relations, Samaritan’s Purse:
Samaritan’s Purse is responding to the horrible earthquakes that just happened in Turkey and Syria killing thousands of people. What we are focused on is sending a tier free hospital, that means it has two operating rooms and about 52 beds. We call it an emergency field hospital. We have it packed and prepared in boxes in our warehouse and we’re flying it over. Please keep the people of Turkey in your prayers and please pray for us as we do all that we can to help in Jesus’ name in this area that has been devastated by these earthquakes.
Ken Isaacs – Vice President and Programs and Government Relations, Samaritan’s Purse:
Samaritan’s Purse is responding to the horrible earthquakes that just happened in Turkey and Syria killing thousands of people. What we are focused on is sending a tier free hospital, that means it has two operating rooms and about 52 beds. We call it an emergency field hospital. We have it packed and prepared in boxes in our warehouse and we’re flying it over. Please keep the people of Turkey in your prayers and please pray for us as we do all that we can to help in Jesus’ name in this area that has been devastated by these earthquakes.
| February 14, 2023 |
Feb 14, 2023: Newsmax: Kirk Cameron to Newsmax: AOC's Christian Super Bowl Ad Slam 'to Drive Ratings'
Former television star and Christian activist Kirk Cameron told Newsmax on Monday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's criticism of a Super Bowl ad promoting Jesus Christ is part of the left's attempts to break down the very principles the nation is founded on and to just "drive ratings."
Former television star and Christian activist Kirk Cameron told Newsmax on Monday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's criticism of a Super Bowl ad promoting Jesus Christ is part of the left's attempts to break down the very principles the nation is founded on and to just "drive ratings."
Feb 14, 2023: Religion News: Why students at a Kentucky Christian school are praying and singing round the clock
“This has been an extraordinary time for us,” Asbury President Kevin Brown said during a gathering on Monday, more than 120 hours into what participants have referred to as a spiritual revival.
The revival has disrupted life and brought national attention to Asbury, an evangelical Christian school in Wilmore, Kentucky, about a half-hour outside of Lexington. Videos of students singing, weeping and praying have been posted on social media, leading to both criticism and praise from onlookers. News of the revival has also drawn students and other visitors to the campus to take part in the ongoing prayer and worship.
“We’ve been here in Hughes Auditorium for over a hundred hours — praying, crying, worshipping and uniting — because of Love,” wrote Alexandra Presta, editor of The Asbury Collegian, the school’s student newspaper, who has been chronicling the services on campus. “We’ve even expanded into Estes Chapel across the street at Asbury Theological Seminary and beyond. I can proclaim that Love boldly because God is Love.”
“This has been an extraordinary time for us,” Asbury President Kevin Brown said during a gathering on Monday, more than 120 hours into what participants have referred to as a spiritual revival.
The revival has disrupted life and brought national attention to Asbury, an evangelical Christian school in Wilmore, Kentucky, about a half-hour outside of Lexington. Videos of students singing, weeping and praying have been posted on social media, leading to both criticism and praise from onlookers. News of the revival has also drawn students and other visitors to the campus to take part in the ongoing prayer and worship.
“We’ve been here in Hughes Auditorium for over a hundred hours — praying, crying, worshipping and uniting — because of Love,” wrote Alexandra Presta, editor of The Asbury Collegian, the school’s student newspaper, who has been chronicling the services on campus. “We’ve even expanded into Estes Chapel across the street at Asbury Theological Seminary and beyond. I can proclaim that Love boldly because God is Love.”
Feb 14, 2023: Charisma: Jim Garlow: Is Asbury Revival the Third Great Awakening?
People across social media are calling out what is going on at Asbury University as the start of a revival. Jim Garlow was one of the first people to post about the Asbury University revival and what he was hearing from leaders at the auditorium. I sat down with Garlow to talk about whether or not this move of God is the start of the Third Great Awakening.
"I'm praising God. This is a remarkable moment that we've cried out for. Now we'll see what God's going to do with this. I think this could be the big one, the one we have longed for, the revival that could go global," Garlow says.
People across social media are calling out what is going on at Asbury University as the start of a revival. Jim Garlow was one of the first people to post about the Asbury University revival and what he was hearing from leaders at the auditorium. I sat down with Garlow to talk about whether or not this move of God is the start of the Third Great Awakening.
"I'm praising God. This is a remarkable moment that we've cried out for. Now we'll see what God's going to do with this. I think this could be the big one, the one we have longed for, the revival that could go global," Garlow says.
Speaking plainly about death gives us more opportunities to highlight the future hope of resurrection. The Bible tells us death is awful but also that love is stronger than death (Song 8:6). Do you feel the power of that promise? Love beats death.
When I look for softer ways to speak about death, I muffle the shouts and cheers of resurrection victory. But when I acknowledge how harsh and horrible death is, I get to wave my finger in the face of that tyrant and say, “O death, where is your sting!”
That’s why I’d rather say “death” and then stand defiant in resurrection hope. No matter how many times that foe robs us of our friends and loved ones, no matter how gaping the hole of our own future gravesite, we can look that ancient enemy in the face knowing the decisive battle has already been won—when the last enemy is defeated, death itself will be swallowed up by the grave (1 Cor. 15). In Adam, all die. In Christ, all will be made alive.
So remember, Jesus didn’t come to conquer a friend. He didn’t come to ease our “passing.” He came to conquer and overturn death forever. “Passing away” language doesn’t do justice to the power of our enemy or the promise of our hope. -Trevin Wax; Gospel Coalition 2.14.23
When I look for softer ways to speak about death, I muffle the shouts and cheers of resurrection victory. But when I acknowledge how harsh and horrible death is, I get to wave my finger in the face of that tyrant and say, “O death, where is your sting!”
That’s why I’d rather say “death” and then stand defiant in resurrection hope. No matter how many times that foe robs us of our friends and loved ones, no matter how gaping the hole of our own future gravesite, we can look that ancient enemy in the face knowing the decisive battle has already been won—when the last enemy is defeated, death itself will be swallowed up by the grave (1 Cor. 15). In Adam, all die. In Christ, all will be made alive.
So remember, Jesus didn’t come to conquer a friend. He didn’t come to ease our “passing.” He came to conquer and overturn death forever. “Passing away” language doesn’t do justice to the power of our enemy or the promise of our hope. -Trevin Wax; Gospel Coalition 2.14.23
| February 13, 2023 |
Feb 13, 2023: Christianity Today: David Platt: We Take the Gospel to the Nations, as the Nations
Over ten years ago, David Platt wrote his bestseller Radical, which encouraged American Christians to disentangle their faith from the American dream. In the years since, he and the church he pastors, McLean Bible Church in metro Washington, DC, have navigated their fair share of political and cultural tensions, including contentious elections, pandemic-era divisions, and debates on racial injustice. In Don’t Hold Back: Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully, Platt reframes these events for discouraged leaders and disillusioned believers alike. Author Kaitlyn Schiess spoke with Platt about what he’s learned pastoring a church through treacherous political waters.
Over ten years ago, David Platt wrote his bestseller Radical, which encouraged American Christians to disentangle their faith from the American dream. In the years since, he and the church he pastors, McLean Bible Church in metro Washington, DC, have navigated their fair share of political and cultural tensions, including contentious elections, pandemic-era divisions, and debates on racial injustice. In Don’t Hold Back: Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully, Platt reframes these events for discouraged leaders and disillusioned believers alike. Author Kaitlyn Schiess spoke with Platt about what he’s learned pastoring a church through treacherous political waters.
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| February 12, 2023 |
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Feb 12, 2023: Argus Leader: South Dakota's Republican Party is dangerous to individual rights
Groups, which are faith based Constitutional movements that are a “political movement that embraces far-right nationalism and the forceful suppression of any opposition, all overseen by an authoritarian government (10-20-2020, CBS News Leslie Gorstein.),” − this is ChristoFascism.Look to the HB 1234 that allows public funds to be spent at private (and religious) schools). Again, the right GOP, legislators, and associated groups will support the destruction of public schools. 
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| February 11, 2023 |
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Feb 11, 2023: Charisma: Faith-Based Groups at Border Stand Against Federal Persecution
When four Republican congressmen accused Catholic Charities USA of violating federal law by providing food, clothing and shelter to migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, the organization quickly fired back, calling the allegations "incredibly disturbing," "fallacious and factually inaccurate." Instead of endangering people, as the lawmakers suggested in a Dec. 14 letter that accuses Catholic Charities USA of "aiding and abetting illegal immigrants," the humanitarian work "is mandated by the gospel" and saves lives by caring for "vulnerable people on the move," a statement issued by the organization declared. |
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| February 10, 2023 |
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Feb 10. 2023: NPR: 'He Gets Us': A Kansas campaign spent $20 million on Super Bowl ads to rebrand Jesus Christ
Titled “The Influencer,” the 30-second video was posted on YouTube in April and has racked up nearly 12.2 million views so far. It’s just one piece in the billion-dollar “He Gets Us” ad campaign, funded by what had been a quiet, wealthy non-profit called the Servant Foundation, an Overland Park entity that does business as The Signatry. |
Apr 14, 2022
Jesus had a point of view. His message of acceptance and love countered the dogmas and beliefs of his time. This created animosity toward him from those in positions of power. So much so, that they sought ways to silence him. But that didn’t stop Jesus from doing what he felt was right. He stood firm in his convictions even when it was unpopular or even dangerous. Ultimately, it cost him his life. But to the dismay of those who executed him, his message of peace and love grew even stronger after his death. And that message continues today because it is founded in this truth—every life is of infinite worth and should be valued as such.
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Feb 10, 2023: Christianity Today: Data Shows that Americans Are Spiritually Open
Max Lucado and David Kinnaman see both obstacles and opportunities in our cultural moment
Max Lucado and David Kinnaman see both obstacles and opportunities in our cultural moment
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Feb 10, 2023: Christian Post: Evaluating John MacArthur’s rationale for limited atonement
MacArthur's controversial teaching on Lordship Salvation has been addressed by numerous people over the years, myself included. The prominent pastor also espouses the disturbing theory of limited atonement, which states that Jesus did not die on the cross for everyone, but only for believers. Feb 10, 2023: Religion News: His popular blog debunks Christian myths. With the profits, he does the Christian thing.
Bart Ehrman’s blog regularly disabuses readers of their preconceptions about Christianity and its origins. No, the devil does not appear in the Garden of Eden — or anywhere in the Hebrew Bible (though the word “Satan” appears elsewhere a handful of times). |
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Feb 2023: Texas Monthly: THE PASTOR OF DALLAS’S FIRST BAPTIST ON W. A. CRISWELL, DONALD TRUMP, AND GOD HIMSELF
Jeffress, who grew up in the north Dallas suburb of Richardson, had spent his childhood attending First Baptist. “I studied every sentence of Dr. Criswell’s sermons, and I read all of his books,” Jeffress told me. “When I was fifteen, God called me to become a pastor, and I remember going to see Dr. Criswell to tell him what God was leading me to do. And he said, ‘Well, Robert, I want you to spend your summers learning every part of this church. I want you to work in the children’s area, the mission area, the music program . . . because one day, I believe, it will all be yours.’ He knelt down with me and prayed that God would prepare me to become the pastor of First Baptist Church.”
Jeffress, who grew up in the north Dallas suburb of Richardson, had spent his childhood attending First Baptist. “I studied every sentence of Dr. Criswell’s sermons, and I read all of his books,” Jeffress told me. “When I was fifteen, God called me to become a pastor, and I remember going to see Dr. Criswell to tell him what God was leading me to do. And he said, ‘Well, Robert, I want you to spend your summers learning every part of this church. I want you to work in the children’s area, the mission area, the music program . . . because one day, I believe, it will all be yours.’ He knelt down with me and prayed that God would prepare me to become the pastor of First Baptist Church.”
| February 9, 2023 |
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Feb 9, 2023: The Times of Israel: Raised Jewish, Michigan GOP leadership candidate now says she’s a Messianic Jew
Lena Epstein, who previously presented herself as Jewish but faced criticism after hosting Messianic ‘rabbi,’ admits she has been baptized ‘into the Christian faith’ Feb 9, 2023: Leonardo Blair: Christian Post: Before shooting his teacher, 6-year-old allegedly threatened to kill student with gun at recess
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| February 8, 2023 |
Throughout history, politicians have used religious language to win elections. One world leader was particularly good at it:
"In this hour I would ask of the Lord God only this: that He would give His blessing to our work, and that He may ever give us the courage to do the right. I am convinced that men who are created by God should live in accordance with the will of the Almighty. No man can fashion world history unless upon his purpose and his powers there rests the blessings of this Providence."
That may sound like an ideal leader, but that speech was given in 1937 by the Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler. In his speeches, he challenged people to love their neighbors, to care for the poor and sick, and to take a stand against violence.
“His speeches were filled with hope,” says Ray Comfort, the author of Hitler, God & the Bible. “He says ‘I’m going to restore the glory.’ He also said that ‘I believe I am acting in the sense of the Almighty Creator.‘”
In public, Hitler often referred to himself as a follower of Christ. Even today, many people still believe the Holocaust was carried out in the name of Christianity, but what was the real relationship between God and Hitler?
“Adolf Hitler was the nastiest, most hate-filled, almost wickedest man in history,” says Comfort, “and to say that he was a Christian is to be tremendously ignorant, or to be disingenuous.”
"In this hour I would ask of the Lord God only this: that He would give His blessing to our work, and that He may ever give us the courage to do the right. I am convinced that men who are created by God should live in accordance with the will of the Almighty. No man can fashion world history unless upon his purpose and his powers there rests the blessings of this Providence."
That may sound like an ideal leader, but that speech was given in 1937 by the Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler. In his speeches, he challenged people to love their neighbors, to care for the poor and sick, and to take a stand against violence.
“His speeches were filled with hope,” says Ray Comfort, the author of Hitler, God & the Bible. “He says ‘I’m going to restore the glory.’ He also said that ‘I believe I am acting in the sense of the Almighty Creator.‘”
In public, Hitler often referred to himself as a follower of Christ. Even today, many people still believe the Holocaust was carried out in the name of Christianity, but what was the real relationship between God and Hitler?
“Adolf Hitler was the nastiest, most hate-filled, almost wickedest man in history,” says Comfort, “and to say that he was a Christian is to be tremendously ignorant, or to be disingenuous.”
| February 7, 2023 |
Feb 7, 2023: Baptist Press: Univ. cancels Ken Ham after LGBT group ‘put up a fuss’
Christian apologist and creationist Ken Ham has been dropped from the speaking lineup of a public university after a campus LGBT group complained to event organizers, Ham said in a Feb. 6 press release.
Ham was to speak March 5 at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond on “Genesis and the State of the Culture,” in an event organized by the UCO Student Association (UCOSA). But UCOSA cancelled the event when a pro-LGBT group objected, said Ham, founder of the Answers in Genesis (AiG) apologetics ministry that built the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.
Christian apologist and creationist Ken Ham has been dropped from the speaking lineup of a public university after a campus LGBT group complained to event organizers, Ham said in a Feb. 6 press release.
Ham was to speak March 5 at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond on “Genesis and the State of the Culture,” in an event organized by the UCO Student Association (UCOSA). But UCOSA cancelled the event when a pro-LGBT group objected, said Ham, founder of the Answers in Genesis (AiG) apologetics ministry that built the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.
Feb 7, 2023: Religion Unplugged: Why Do Modern Christians Favor, Or Oppose, Same-Sex Marriage?
(OPINION) THE QUESTION:
Why do 21st century Christians favor, or oppose, same-sex marriage?
(OPINION) THE QUESTION:
Why do 21st century Christians favor, or oppose, same-sex marriage?
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Feb 7, 2023: Grand Forks Herald: Lloyd Omdahl: America not founded as Christian nation
The Constitution turned out to include compromises that the God of the New Testament would not accept. If God had a hand in this process, He would not have tolerated counting His black people as three-fifths of human beings for purposes of representation in Congress. The reason many so-called Christians need to believe in the myth of a Christian Founding is that they need it to justify a collection of deviant beliefs now found acceptable under the umbrella of Christian Nationalism. Nationalism is not Christianity; Christianity is not nationalism. But the idea that nationalism could be Christian gives license to an array of destructive beliefs. |
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Feb 7, 2023: Religion News: New Tim Keller Center for Apologetics hopes to help churches reach a changing country
“This is the largest and fastest transformation of religion in American history,” said Collin Hansen, vice president for content and editorial director for the Gospel Coalition, an evangelical group that produces resources for churches. “The demographics don’t suggest any positive turn around the corner.”
That reality led Hansen and his colleagues to launch the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, a new initiative designed to help pastors and other Christian leaders adapt to a “post-Christendom culture.” Named for influential evangelical writer the Rev. Tim Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, the center hopes to support “a new generation of bold evangelists and effective apologists who will communicate the unchanging gospel for a changing world.”
“This is the largest and fastest transformation of religion in American history,” said Collin Hansen, vice president for content and editorial director for the Gospel Coalition, an evangelical group that produces resources for churches. “The demographics don’t suggest any positive turn around the corner.”
That reality led Hansen and his colleagues to launch the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, a new initiative designed to help pastors and other Christian leaders adapt to a “post-Christendom culture.” Named for influential evangelical writer the Rev. Tim Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, the center hopes to support “a new generation of bold evangelists and effective apologists who will communicate the unchanging gospel for a changing world.”
| February 6, 2023 |
Feb 6, 2023: AzCentral: 'I felt very unsafe': Gay fathers confronted at Arizona religious school accepting vouchers
Don Williams and his husband, Jose Ortega, were told by the pastor of a religious Queen Creek school where Williams' daughter is a student that gay couples are not welcome on campus, the couple said.
"He made it clear to us that people bring their kids to him to stay away from people like us," Ortega said.
The confrontation at Heart Cry Christian Academy shows how, as publicly funded education vouchers blur the lines between public and private education, anti-discrimination provisions that protect families enrolled in district and charter schools may not apply.
Don Williams and his husband, Jose Ortega, were told by the pastor of a religious Queen Creek school where Williams' daughter is a student that gay couples are not welcome on campus, the couple said.
"He made it clear to us that people bring their kids to him to stay away from people like us," Ortega said.
The confrontation at Heart Cry Christian Academy shows how, as publicly funded education vouchers blur the lines between public and private education, anti-discrimination provisions that protect families enrolled in district and charter schools may not apply.
Feb 6, 2023: Denny Burk: Jinger Duggar Vuolo Takes on Bill Gothard… and Wins
In any case, I saw an interview on Friday that piqued my interest about the world of Gothard and the Duggars. Allie Beth Stuckey interviewed one of the adult daughters of the Duggars, Jinger (see below). Jinger has just written a book detailing her life as a Gothardite and her recent renunciation of his teaching. It’s titled Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear (Thomas Nelson, 2023). After watching the interview two days ago, I bought the book and devoured it. I could hardly put it down.
In any case, I saw an interview on Friday that piqued my interest about the world of Gothard and the Duggars. Allie Beth Stuckey interviewed one of the adult daughters of the Duggars, Jinger (see below). Jinger has just written a book detailing her life as a Gothardite and her recent renunciation of his teaching. It’s titled Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear (Thomas Nelson, 2023). After watching the interview two days ago, I bought the book and devoured it. I could hardly put it down.
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Feb 6, 2023: Seeking The Kingdom: Participating in the counter-cultural kingdom
You’re probably noticed the disconnect between what God intends and life as we know it. If not, ask a Ukrainian. Fighting and killing are not the Life-giver’s intentions. Stockpiling resources while others starve is not life as Providence intends. So, how do we close the gap? |
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| February 4, 2023 |
Feb 4, 2023: Gospel Coalition: Why Falling Religious Attendance Could Be Increasing Deaths of Despair
The Story: In America, attendance at religious services is falling and deaths of despair are increasing. Could the two trends be connected?
The Story: In America, attendance at religious services is falling and deaths of despair are increasing. Could the two trends be connected?
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“All roads in the Bible lead to Romans, and all views afforded by the Bible are seen most clearly from Romans, and when the message of Romans gets into a person’s heart there is no telling what may happen.” --JI Packer “The only true freedom, the only freedom that can truly satisfy, is the freedom to do what we ought as human beings created by God according to his plan.” --Pope John Paul II |
| February 3, 2023 |
Feb 3, 2023: The Critic: The end of Christendom
It may seem odd to ask whether there is anywhere that Christianity can call home. 2.4 billion people call themselves Christians, and Christianity is the dominant faith of the USA, which remains the world’s hegemonic military and economic power. Christianity is likewise the leading faith of Africa, where the population is swiftly growing, with ¼ of the world’s inhabitants set to be African by the year 2050. In China, Christianity has spread rapidly in the past decades, and if trends continue China may become home to as many as 100 million Christians by 2050.
It may seem odd to ask whether there is anywhere that Christianity can call home. 2.4 billion people call themselves Christians, and Christianity is the dominant faith of the USA, which remains the world’s hegemonic military and economic power. Christianity is likewise the leading faith of Africa, where the population is swiftly growing, with ¼ of the world’s inhabitants set to be African by the year 2050. In China, Christianity has spread rapidly in the past decades, and if trends continue China may become home to as many as 100 million Christians by 2050.
Feb 3, 2023: Baptist News Global: SBC Executive Committee member once again criticized for sexually crude social media posts
For the second time in 16 months, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has been called out for crude and sexually charged social media posts.
Guy Fredrick is a pastor and associational leader from Sheboygan, Wis. In October 2021, he was roundly criticized for a Facebook post that made a crude joke about workplace sexual harassment. That happened while the Executive Committee, on which he serves as a trustee, was weighing serious legal concerns about allegations of sexual abuse in SBC churches and agencies had been mishandled and ignored.
For the second time in 16 months, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has been called out for crude and sexually charged social media posts.
Guy Fredrick is a pastor and associational leader from Sheboygan, Wis. In October 2021, he was roundly criticized for a Facebook post that made a crude joke about workplace sexual harassment. That happened while the Executive Committee, on which he serves as a trustee, was weighing serious legal concerns about allegations of sexual abuse in SBC churches and agencies had been mishandled and ignored.
February 3, 2023:
In 1971 the Southern Baptist Convention found that 81.7% of pastors and 76.3% of Sunday school teachers surveyed believed that churches should lead efforts to solve air and water pollution problems. Concern about the environment had been building, and pushed by evangelical leaders like Francis Schaeffer, Pat Robertson, even Falwell's "Moral Majority."
In the early 1990s, segments of the religious right tried turning eco-friendly philosophies into action. The Southern Baptist Convention held an environmental seminar in 1991 at which Francis Schaeffer’s Christian environmental stewardship views were repeated. This effort, however, faced an insurmountable obstacle.
In an attempt to crush increasing international cooperation to address human-caused climate change, U.S. political conservatives launched an anti-environmental campaign. Conservative think tanks and special advocacy groups denied the reality of human-caused global warming, and some even supported conspiracy theories alleging that environmentalists wanted to create a one-world government. I remember this and accepted this right wing notion at the time....and a book by Rush Limbaugh (who I thought was awesome at the time) gave affirmation. Always remember..as a former right winger I can tell you that "facts" are not as relevant as "affirmation." You can be totally wrong about something but if get someone...sometimes anyone...to give you affirmation...then that's good enough😒🤔).
Besides finding an audience in secular conservative Americans, these outreach attempts found a home among the traditionally politically conservative religious right supporters. Anti-environmental messages increasingly relied on ridicule, which some leading pastors endorsed. Jerry Falwell, one of the founders of the religious right movement, for instance, began calling environmentalists “tree huggers” as early as 1992. At Pat Robertson’s Regent University’s newspaper, political cartoons mocked sympathy for the environment as left-wing extremism.
By 1993, the idea of Christian environmental stewardship had all but disappeared from the rhetoric of the religious right. In its place emerged firm opposition to environmental protection efforts, including the denial of anthropogenic climate change, which the majority of this community supports today. Then, also, came Rush Limbaugh (whom I first heard on the radio when living in Colorado Springs in the early 90s) and the beginning of the end of political civility. (some of this is embellished from an inspired article at Word & Way).
In 1971 the Southern Baptist Convention found that 81.7% of pastors and 76.3% of Sunday school teachers surveyed believed that churches should lead efforts to solve air and water pollution problems. Concern about the environment had been building, and pushed by evangelical leaders like Francis Schaeffer, Pat Robertson, even Falwell's "Moral Majority."
In the early 1990s, segments of the religious right tried turning eco-friendly philosophies into action. The Southern Baptist Convention held an environmental seminar in 1991 at which Francis Schaeffer’s Christian environmental stewardship views were repeated. This effort, however, faced an insurmountable obstacle.
In an attempt to crush increasing international cooperation to address human-caused climate change, U.S. political conservatives launched an anti-environmental campaign. Conservative think tanks and special advocacy groups denied the reality of human-caused global warming, and some even supported conspiracy theories alleging that environmentalists wanted to create a one-world government. I remember this and accepted this right wing notion at the time....and a book by Rush Limbaugh (who I thought was awesome at the time) gave affirmation. Always remember..as a former right winger I can tell you that "facts" are not as relevant as "affirmation." You can be totally wrong about something but if get someone...sometimes anyone...to give you affirmation...then that's good enough😒🤔).
Besides finding an audience in secular conservative Americans, these outreach attempts found a home among the traditionally politically conservative religious right supporters. Anti-environmental messages increasingly relied on ridicule, which some leading pastors endorsed. Jerry Falwell, one of the founders of the religious right movement, for instance, began calling environmentalists “tree huggers” as early as 1992. At Pat Robertson’s Regent University’s newspaper, political cartoons mocked sympathy for the environment as left-wing extremism.
By 1993, the idea of Christian environmental stewardship had all but disappeared from the rhetoric of the religious right. In its place emerged firm opposition to environmental protection efforts, including the denial of anthropogenic climate change, which the majority of this community supports today. Then, also, came Rush Limbaugh (whom I first heard on the radio when living in Colorado Springs in the early 90s) and the beginning of the end of political civility. (some of this is embellished from an inspired article at Word & Way).
| February 2, 2023 |
Feb 2, 2023: Gospel Coalition: What Are Theologians For? The Case of Karl Barth’s Adultery
Most theologians and historians have engaged with Barth’s work without having to address the question of his relationship with his assistant, Charlotte von Kirschbaum, for the simple reason that no one could confirm whether their relationship was anything more than professional. With the recent discovery of Barth’s private correspondence with Kirschbaum, the ongoing romantic affair has become incontrovertible.
Most theologians and historians have engaged with Barth’s work without having to address the question of his relationship with his assistant, Charlotte von Kirschbaum, for the simple reason that no one could confirm whether their relationship was anything more than professional. With the recent discovery of Barth’s private correspondence with Kirschbaum, the ongoing romantic affair has become incontrovertible.
Feb 2, 2023: Religion Dispatches: CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST LEGISLATOR INTRODUCES ANTI-TRANS ‘MILLSTONE ACT’ SUGGESTING BIBLICAL RETRIBUTION
Abiblical death sentence. In America, in 2023, a legislator has proposed The Millstone Act, which he openly confesses “was named in reference to Matthew 18:6, ‘but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.’”
America embraced the separation of church and state as a core, fundamental value precisely to prevent religious despots from abusing government power to impose their personal religion on all of us. But Oklahoma State Senator David Bullard is a Christian nationalist out to make Oklahoma into a Christian state.
Abiblical death sentence. In America, in 2023, a legislator has proposed The Millstone Act, which he openly confesses “was named in reference to Matthew 18:6, ‘but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.’”
America embraced the separation of church and state as a core, fundamental value precisely to prevent religious despots from abusing government power to impose their personal religion on all of us. But Oklahoma State Senator David Bullard is a Christian nationalist out to make Oklahoma into a Christian state.
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| February 1, 2023 |
Feb 1, 2023: Evangelical Focus: “Freedom of religion is seriously violated by the Belarusian regime”
A survey by Forum 18 shows that “violations of the human rights have increased since fraudulent presidential elections and the regime's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine”.
A survey by Forum 18 shows that “violations of the human rights have increased since fraudulent presidential elections and the regime's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine”.
Feb 1, 2023: Missions Box: Why Are so Many Christians Killed in Nigeria?
More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces a vast humanitarian catastrophe, as a wave of religiously motivated violence nurtured in Nigeria has swept across the region, targeting Christian populations at an alarming rate in countries like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Niger. Signs of jihadist expansion are also clearly visible in Mozambique , Congo DR and other countries. This is the disturbing finding of Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List.
More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces a vast humanitarian catastrophe, as a wave of religiously motivated violence nurtured in Nigeria has swept across the region, targeting Christian populations at an alarming rate in countries like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Niger. Signs of jihadist expansion are also clearly visible in Mozambique , Congo DR and other countries. This is the disturbing finding of Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List.
Feb 1, 2023: Missions Box: Parenting Today’s Teens with Mark Gregston Announces Exclusive Live Simulcast Event with Special Guest Kirk Cameron
Parents have new allies in “Growing Pains” star Kirk Cameron and parenting expert Mark Gregston. The duo announce a live simulcast event on February 18, 2023. This exclusive one-day event will provide parents across the country the opportunity to learn from two fathers who have dedicated their lives to making this world a better place for their teens. Parents will be equipped with parenting strategies for building stronger relationships with their teens that will last for eternity.
Parents have new allies in “Growing Pains” star Kirk Cameron and parenting expert Mark Gregston. The duo announce a live simulcast event on February 18, 2023. This exclusive one-day event will provide parents across the country the opportunity to learn from two fathers who have dedicated their lives to making this world a better place for their teens. Parents will be equipped with parenting strategies for building stronger relationships with their teens that will last for eternity.
Feb 1, 2023: RiddleBlog: The OC -- A New Burned Over District? The Bible Teachers
The Chuck Swindoll of the late 1970's was one of the best expository preachers I have ever heard. When I first became aware of the buzz, and then finally settled the question as to whether or not I was going to be a Christian, the time came to find a church and join. There was little question that my choice was going to be EV Free. The preaching and teaching at Calvary Chapel was repetitive and weak, and places like Melodyland (and later the Vineyard) were just too wild to suit my tastes. My family had attended the Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton off and on back in the days when Wes Gustafson was still pastor, and when the church was still located on Woods Ave. This was well before Chuck Swindoll arrived in the OC in 1971 from Irving, TX.
The Chuck Swindoll of the late 1970's was one of the best expository preachers I have ever heard. When I first became aware of the buzz, and then finally settled the question as to whether or not I was going to be a Christian, the time came to find a church and join. There was little question that my choice was going to be EV Free. The preaching and teaching at Calvary Chapel was repetitive and weak, and places like Melodyland (and later the Vineyard) were just too wild to suit my tastes. My family had attended the Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton off and on back in the days when Wes Gustafson was still pastor, and when the church was still located on Woods Ave. This was well before Chuck Swindoll arrived in the OC in 1971 from Irving, TX.