LOUISIANA |
|
In a race they cast as good vs. evil, Christian hard-liners are fired up for Trump
Christian nationalist tours timed to the election showcase the power and ambition of a movement aimed at erasing the separation between church and state. An electric anticipation coursed through a church outside New Orleans where hundreds gathered on a recent night to pray for a victory they saw as just over the horizon, in a president who could bring them one step closer to their vision for a Christian homeland. Covenant Church was already in celebration mode. A light show flashed stars on the ceiling, and the pews filled with people dressed in red, white and blue. In a nod to local tradition, some carried parasols as they paraded down the aisle to a live jazz band. (Washington Post; 10/29/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Christian nationalist tours timed to the election showcase the power and ambition of a movement aimed at erasing the separation between church and state. An electric anticipation coursed through a church outside New Orleans where hundreds gathered on a recent night to pray for a victory they saw as just over the horizon, in a president who could bring them one step closer to their vision for a Christian homeland. Covenant Church was already in celebration mode. A light show flashed stars on the ceiling, and the pews filled with people dressed in red, white and blue. In a nod to local tradition, some carried parasols as they paraded down the aisle to a live jazz band. (Washington Post; 10/29/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Pastor Donnie Swaggart rebukes black Church for endorsing Kamala Harris
Evangelist Donnie Swaggart, the only son of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, is now coming under fire from black Christians after he delivered a scathing rebuke of the black church and Bishop John Drew Sheard, the presiding bishop and chief apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., for endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. “The statement I'm about to make, I'm going to be called a racist and I will be called every name under the sun, but somebody needs to stand up and speak to the black church,” Swaggart began in his critique to members of the Family Worship Center Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his father remains senior leader. “When the largest African American Pentecostal denomination, when that leader stands up and said I endorse that woman, he was saying, I endorse murder, I endorse homosexuality, I endorse lesbianism, I endorse transgenderism, I endorse every evil that Hell could prosper or bring up to [be] right. That's wrong folks!” he said to applause. (Christian Post 10/25/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Evangelist Donnie Swaggart, the only son of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, is now coming under fire from black Christians after he delivered a scathing rebuke of the black church and Bishop John Drew Sheard, the presiding bishop and chief apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., for endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. “The statement I'm about to make, I'm going to be called a racist and I will be called every name under the sun, but somebody needs to stand up and speak to the black church,” Swaggart began in his critique to members of the Family Worship Center Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his father remains senior leader. “When the largest African American Pentecostal denomination, when that leader stands up and said I endorse that woman, he was saying, I endorse murder, I endorse homosexuality, I endorse lesbianism, I endorse transgenderism, I endorse every evil that Hell could prosper or bring up to [be] right. That's wrong folks!” he said to applause. (Christian Post 10/25/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Opinion: What these states get wrong about the Bible and the Ten Commandments
It has been an especially active few weeks for news about religion in public schools. The Texas Education Agency proposed a new curriculum that would incorporate teaching Biblical stories into reading lessons in grades as young as kindergarten. On June 19, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms in the state. One week later, Oklahoma’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters abruptly issued a memorandum requiring all schools in his state “to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum” in grades five through 12, underlining “immediate and strict compliance.” What exactly is going on here? Public schools are not Sunday schools, and families should feel free to send their children to school without worrying about state officials interfering in their choices about religious instruction. These politically conservative state officials are seemingly making a show of testing the limits of government-sponsored religious instruction and exercise in public schools, emboldened by the US Supreme Court’s recent decisions.
(Amanda Tyler; CNN 6/3/24) READ MORE>>>>
It has been an especially active few weeks for news about religion in public schools. The Texas Education Agency proposed a new curriculum that would incorporate teaching Biblical stories into reading lessons in grades as young as kindergarten. On June 19, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms in the state. One week later, Oklahoma’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters abruptly issued a memorandum requiring all schools in his state “to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum” in grades five through 12, underlining “immediate and strict compliance.” What exactly is going on here? Public schools are not Sunday schools, and families should feel free to send their children to school without worrying about state officials interfering in their choices about religious instruction. These politically conservative state officials are seemingly making a show of testing the limits of government-sponsored religious instruction and exercise in public schools, emboldened by the US Supreme Court’s recent decisions.
(Amanda Tyler; CNN 6/3/24) READ MORE>>>>
Why Character Doesn’t Matter Anymore
Louisianans defending their support for a Nazi propagandist and former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan because he’s allegedly “pro-life” is not just a “lesser of two evils” political transaction. The words pro-life Nazi—like the words pro-life sexual abuser—change the meaning of pro-life in the minds of an entire generation. (Christianity Today 3/22/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Louisianans defending their support for a Nazi propagandist and former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan because he’s allegedly “pro-life” is not just a “lesser of two evils” political transaction. The words pro-life Nazi—like the words pro-life sexual abuser—change the meaning of pro-life in the minds of an entire generation. (Christianity Today 3/22/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Speaker Johnson's close ties to Christian right — both mainstream and fringe
Mike Johnson's surprise rise to the speakership after weeks of bitter party infighting was cause for celebration for Pastor Dutch Sheets. "God has given us a miracle in the election of Congressman Michael Johnson to this position. He's a godly man, raised up for such a time as this," Sheets said in his Oct. 27 "Give Him 15" daily prayer broadcast. "I do not know him, but have several friends who do, who attest to his qualifications, integrity and heart for the Lord." (Susan Davis/NPR 11/15/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Mike Johnson's surprise rise to the speakership after weeks of bitter party infighting was cause for celebration for Pastor Dutch Sheets. "God has given us a miracle in the election of Congressman Michael Johnson to this position. He's a godly man, raised up for such a time as this," Sheets said in his Oct. 27 "Give Him 15" daily prayer broadcast. "I do not know him, but have several friends who do, who attest to his qualifications, integrity and heart for the Lord." (Susan Davis/NPR 11/15/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Media mock Mike Johnson for using porn accountability software with son: 'creepy'
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been taking flak from some corporate media outlets for having used an accountability software to prevent himself and his teenage son from watching pornography. Johnson, a member of Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana, explained to members of the congregation in 2022 during a panel about technology how both he and his teenage son at the time were using Covenant Eyes, a subscription-based software that can be downloaded on computers and mobile devices to monitor websites and alert an accountability partner to any questionable content. (Jon Brown/Christian Post 11/8/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been taking flak from some corporate media outlets for having used an accountability software to prevent himself and his teenage son from watching pornography. Johnson, a member of Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana, explained to members of the congregation in 2022 during a panel about technology how both he and his teenage son at the time were using Covenant Eyes, a subscription-based software that can be downloaded on computers and mobile devices to monitor websites and alert an accountability partner to any questionable content. (Jon Brown/Christian Post 11/8/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Who is Mike Johnson? New U.S. House speaker belongs to GOP’s religious conservative wing
Before a relatively short time in elected office, new U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana was a constitutional lawyer deeply involved in religious causes.
Prior to a short stint in the Louisiana Legislature, Johnson spent two decades as a public interest lawyer mainly representing clients in so-called religious liberty litigation, he said in an interview with C-SPAN shortly after joining Congress in 2017. He worked in private practice for the Kitchens Law Firm in North Louisiana, and also did work for the conservative Christian group Alliance Defending Freedom, according to a 2015 article in the New Orleans Time-Picayune. (Jacob Fischler/Nebraska Examiner 10/25/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Before a relatively short time in elected office, new U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana was a constitutional lawyer deeply involved in religious causes.
Prior to a short stint in the Louisiana Legislature, Johnson spent two decades as a public interest lawyer mainly representing clients in so-called religious liberty litigation, he said in an interview with C-SPAN shortly after joining Congress in 2017. He worked in private practice for the Kitchens Law Firm in North Louisiana, and also did work for the conservative Christian group Alliance Defending Freedom, according to a 2015 article in the New Orleans Time-Picayune. (Jacob Fischler/Nebraska Examiner 10/25/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
June 23, 2023: Baptist Press: SBC annual meeting helped mobilize new generation of Southern Baptists
NEW ORLEANS (LBM) – Equipping students to be mature followers of Jesus who impact the campus and become catalysts for advancing the Gospel globally is at the heart of the mission of Baptist Collegiate Ministries across Louisiana, according to Mark Robinson.
NEW ORLEANS (LBM) – Equipping students to be mature followers of Jesus who impact the campus and become catalysts for advancing the Gospel globally is at the heart of the mission of Baptist Collegiate Ministries across Louisiana, according to Mark Robinson.
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 17, 2023: Guardian: Republicans take aim at risque jokes and romance novels with anti-sex bills
Laurie Schlegel, a Republican state senator who drafted the Louisiana law, is a sex-addiction therapist educated at Baptist seminary, who opposed transgender students from being on sports teams that align with their gender. Schlegel’s anti-LGBTQ+ views fit with the broader goal of the laws, according to Carolyn Bronstein, a professor of media studies at DePaul University.
“These laws are really not about controlling minors’ access to violent pornography … In the conservative world view, pornography is information about LGBTQ identity, abortion, gay marriage,” said Bronstein.Eight states have justified their actions by saying that porn is “creating a public health crisis”. Louisiana’s bill claims that pornography “may lead to low self-esteem, body image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages … impact brain development … shape deviant sexual arousal, and lead to difficulty in forming or maintaining positive, intimate relationships, as well as promoting problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and addiction.”
Laurie Schlegel, a Republican state senator who drafted the Louisiana law, is a sex-addiction therapist educated at Baptist seminary, who opposed transgender students from being on sports teams that align with their gender. Schlegel’s anti-LGBTQ+ views fit with the broader goal of the laws, according to Carolyn Bronstein, a professor of media studies at DePaul University.
“These laws are really not about controlling minors’ access to violent pornography … In the conservative world view, pornography is information about LGBTQ identity, abortion, gay marriage,” said Bronstein.Eight states have justified their actions by saying that porn is “creating a public health crisis”. Louisiana’s bill claims that pornography “may lead to low self-esteem, body image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages … impact brain development … shape deviant sexual arousal, and lead to difficulty in forming or maintaining positive, intimate relationships, as well as promoting problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and addiction.”
Dec 1, 2022: Our Sunday Visitor: New Orleans archbishop prays for murdered priest, missing worker
The head of the Archdiocese of New Orleans spoke of horror and pain in a Nov. 30 statement, following what police believe is the killing of a retired priest and possibly a church worker in the archdiocese.
“The horror of the events that have unfolded here in Covington is beyond shocking,” wrote Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond in the statement posted on the website of the archdiocese after local police confirmed that one of two burned bodies found Nov. 28 is that of retired priest Father Otis Young, of St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington, a suburb of New Orleans.
The head of the Archdiocese of New Orleans spoke of horror and pain in a Nov. 30 statement, following what police believe is the killing of a retired priest and possibly a church worker in the archdiocese.
“The horror of the events that have unfolded here in Covington is beyond shocking,” wrote Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond in the statement posted on the website of the archdiocese after local police confirmed that one of two burned bodies found Nov. 28 is that of retired priest Father Otis Young, of St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington, a suburb of New Orleans.
June 8, 2022: Christianity Daily: Conservative Baptist Network's Pastor Brad Jurkovich Must Turn Over Financial Records Amid Controversy: Judge
A Louisiana pastor and his church are in the midst of a controversy involving finances and bylaws at First Baptist Church.
Church members at First Baptist Church in Bossier, Louisiana have filed a lawsuit against the church, alleging that Conservative Baptist Network Pastor Brad Jurkovich had diverted funds allotted for missions to a conservative Baptist group. Now, the church has been ordered to submit almost a decade's worth of financial records to its former members.
A Louisiana pastor and his church are in the midst of a controversy involving finances and bylaws at First Baptist Church.
Church members at First Baptist Church in Bossier, Louisiana have filed a lawsuit against the church, alleging that Conservative Baptist Network Pastor Brad Jurkovich had diverted funds allotted for missions to a conservative Baptist group. Now, the church has been ordered to submit almost a decade's worth of financial records to its former members.
Jan 28, 2022: Baptist Message: Bahamian church campus nearly restored
A Louisiana Baptist-led effort to help St. Matthew Baptist Church rebuild three years after Hurricane Dorian leveled their facility is nearing completion......"Louisiana Baptists have done a great thing for this community because they could have never accomplished this on their own,” Louisiana Baptist Mission and Ministry Director John Hebert said. “This community is remote, and it would have taken a decade or more for these people — with no homes to live in themselves — to reestablish the ministry at St. Matthews. What we’ve done is given these people in Pelican Point a jump on their ministry by a decade so they can continue to offer their community a hope for the future.”
A Louisiana Baptist-led effort to help St. Matthew Baptist Church rebuild three years after Hurricane Dorian leveled their facility is nearing completion......"Louisiana Baptists have done a great thing for this community because they could have never accomplished this on their own,” Louisiana Baptist Mission and Ministry Director John Hebert said. “This community is remote, and it would have taken a decade or more for these people — with no homes to live in themselves — to reestablish the ministry at St. Matthews. What we’ve done is given these people in Pelican Point a jump on their ministry by a decade so they can continue to offer their community a hope for the future.”
May 16, 2022: Christianity Today: First Pastor to Defy COVID-19 Lockdowns Wins in Court
Tony Spell, the first pastor to publicly defy COVID-19 lockdown orders, has won his legal battle against the state of Louisiana two years later.
The state Supreme Court decided 5 to 2 on Friday that the governor did not have a good reason to block Spell’s Oneness Pentecostal church from meeting for worship while other venues received exemptions from public health restrictions.
A 2020 executive order in the Bayou State prohibited gatherings of more than 50, and a subsequent order limited groups to 10, following the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention early in the pandemic. Both orders carved out exceptions, however, for airports, grocery stores, factories, office buildings, and other meetings deemed “essential.”
It is a violation of the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion to offer legal exemptions to secular groups and not religious ones, the Louisiana court found.
Tony Spell, the first pastor to publicly defy COVID-19 lockdown orders, has won his legal battle against the state of Louisiana two years later.
The state Supreme Court decided 5 to 2 on Friday that the governor did not have a good reason to block Spell’s Oneness Pentecostal church from meeting for worship while other venues received exemptions from public health restrictions.
A 2020 executive order in the Bayou State prohibited gatherings of more than 50, and a subsequent order limited groups to 10, following the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention early in the pandemic. Both orders carved out exceptions, however, for airports, grocery stores, factories, office buildings, and other meetings deemed “essential.”
It is a violation of the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion to offer legal exemptions to secular groups and not religious ones, the Louisiana court found.
Sept 16, 2022: Religion News: In ad blitz, watchdog group projects political heft of nonreligious Americans
The campaign includes billboards featuring portraits of residents of the swing states of Michigan, Louisiana, Missouri and others, and the legend 'I’m an atheist and I vote' along highways in their respective regions. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit watchdog on separation of church and state issues, has launched a campaign aimed at calling attention to the growing political voice of nonreligious Americans.
This effort, which will launch officially on Saturday (Sept. 17) to honor the 235th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, is a continuation of the organization’s “independence from religion” campaign that began on the Fourth of July.
The campaign includes billboards featuring portraits of residents of the swing states of Michigan, Louisiana, Missouri and others, and the legend 'I’m an atheist and I vote' along highways in their respective regions. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit watchdog on separation of church and state issues, has launched a campaign aimed at calling attention to the growing political voice of nonreligious Americans.
This effort, which will launch officially on Saturday (Sept. 17) to honor the 235th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, is a continuation of the organization’s “independence from religion” campaign that began on the Fourth of July.
October 19, 2022: Christian Post: Louisiana minister admits to defrauding churchgoers, school of nearly $900K
The Rev. Charles Southall III, the 64-year-old pastor of the First Emanuel Baptist Church in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, pled guilty to one count of money laundering on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey of the Eastern District of Louisiana.10.19.22
The Rev. Charles Southall III, the 64-year-old pastor of the First Emanuel Baptist Church in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, pled guilty to one count of money laundering on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey of the Eastern District of Louisiana.10.19.22