The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office shared earlier this week that it has requested the assistance of the United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the investigation into Mica Miller’s death, which authorities determined to be a suicide.

“The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with the United States Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation in South Carolina since the early stages of the Mica Miller investigation,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Based on the information gathered during the investigation and jurisdiction reasons, the Sheriff’s Office has requested the assistance of both agencies. No other information will be released at this time.”

Mica (30) was the wife of John-Paul Miller (44), the founding pastor of Solid Rock at Market Common church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

RELATED: SC Pastor Uses Service To Tell Church His Wife Died by Suicide; Family Says She Filed for a No Contact Order and Divorce

On April 28, a day after his wife was found dead at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina, Miller made the shocking announcement at the conclusion of his Sunday sermon that Mica had died by suicide.

“We’re not going to do altar call today,” Miller told the congregation. “Instead, I’m going to have you stand up and I’m going to make an announcement. And after the announcement I’m going to ask that you leave church quietly and don’t talk about the announcement here in the building.”

In the time since Miller made the announcement, Mica’s family and friends have been using social media to question why Mica would have taken her own life and have been disclosing information about the pastor’s character and the couple’s marriage. They even started the hashtag #justiceformica, which has gone viral.

In the days to follow, Miller told The Christian Post that Mica had been diagnosed with “bipolar II, schizophrenic and dependent personality disorder.”

Mica and Miller were married in 2017, when Mica was 21, after an adulterous affair with each other. Miller performed the wedding ceremony for Mica’s first marriage.

RELATED: ‘If I End Up With a Bullet in My Head…It Was [the Pastor]’—Mica Miller’s Siblings Submit Troubling Affidavits

After Mica’s death, it was revealed that she had filed for divorce and had a no contact order against her husband. Less than 48 hours later, investigators said she took her own life.

Last week, Miller’s lawyer released a statement threatening to sue anyone spreading “falsehoods” about Miller, including allegations that he groomed Mica when she was a minor and abused her during their marriage.

In a historic German city, a historic church initially “built for Gregorian liturgical music” was filled with more modern sounds last Sunday. At Heidelberg’s 600-year-old Church of the Holy Spirit on May 12, more than 1,200 worshipers attended two events billed as “Anti-Hero: Taylor Swift Church Service.”

The U.S. pop star, currently on tour in Europe, wasn’t in the building. But a singer and band performed six of Swift’s hits, and pastors quoted other lyrics in the liturgy and message.

RELATED: ‘Lyrics Matter’—Evangelist Shane Pruitt Sounds the Alarm on Taylor Swift’s New Album

The worship services, which skewed younger and more female than usual, were filled with emotion, dancing, and applause. Behind the band, a rainbow-colored banner welcomed an inclusive list of people to the church, which was built starting in 1398.

Taylor Swift Church Service Encourages ‘Encounter and Exchange’

The Church of the Holy Spirit, which attracts millions of tourists every year, launched a “City Church Rock ’n’ Pop” worship series in 2015. Faced with plummeting church-attendance rates in Germany, Pastor Christof Ellsiepen said faith leaders are “giving space to the questions and issues that occupy the younger generations.”

Next month, the Church of the Holy Spirit is hosting a street dance service and a “Church Battle” dance competition.

Swift’s lyrical expression of Christian beliefs makes her music a good fit for the historic church, according to Pastor Ellsiepen. It “has always been a place of encounter and exchange,” he said, so “a pop-music religious service fits so perfectly.”

Regarding Christian themes in Swift’s songs, Pastor Vincenzo Petracca pointed to racism, gender equality, women’s rights, and the hypocritical prioritization of dogma. Although Petracca said those beliefs cause conservatives to label the singer “anti-Christian,” he appreciates that Swift’s faith “knows doubt and inner conflict.”

“Theologically speaking,” added Petracca, Swift “points to the justness of God. For her, faith and action are inseparable.” The emotional worship service moved the pastor, who described staring into “beaming faces.”

During the performance of “Soon You’ll Get Better”—about the cancer battle of Swift’s mom—Petracca noticed tear-filled eyes in the pews. Then sadness turned to joy and dancing with the upbeat closing number, “Shake It Off!”

Are Taylor Swift’s Lyrics and Shows Anti-Christian?

Taylor Swift, 34, is a self-described Christian who has said believers shouldn’t tolerate any kind of inequality or oppression. Church leaders who’ve referenced her as an example of how to attract enthusiastic attendees have come under fire.

RELATED: ‘Tuesdays With Taylor’ Student Bible Study Connects Taylor Swift Lyrics With Scripture Verses

As ChurchLeaders has reported, Swift’s recent songs and performances have alarmed some Christians, who call her music and messages dangerous.

“The Chosen,” Season 4, and the docuseries, “Jonathan & Jesus,” each received a nomination for a K-LOVE Fan Award, The Chosen announced on Monday, May 13. Winners will be announced May 26 at the K-LOVE Fan Awards Weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Exciting news: The Chosen Season 4 has been nominated for a @klovefanawards in the ‘Film Impact’ category,” said The Chosen on X, formerly Twitter. “You get to decide if we take home the title. Vote for us now at http://klovefanawards.com.”

Exciting news: The Chosen Season 4 has been nominated for a @klovefanawards in the “Film Impact” category. You get to decide if we take home the title. Vote for us now at https://t.co/gF2qTItvef.

We’re in good company; Jonathan & Jesus was also nominated in the “TV Impact”… pic.twitter.com/wy4MuO2Qms

— The Chosen (@thechosentv) May 13, 2024

“We’re in good company,” the post continued. “Jonathan & Jesus was also nominated in the ‘TV Impact’ category (you can watch it on @PrimeVideo)!”

RELATED: ‘The Chosen’ Wins K-Love Fan Award; Dallas Jenkins Shares ‘Jesus Is the Only Answer’ in What Appears To Be a Hopeless World

‘The Chosen,’ Season 4, Nominated With ‘Sound of Freedom,’ ‘The Blind’

The K-LOVE Fan Awards is a fan voted awards show that aims to “create a fan experience that celebrates and promotes artists, athletes, authors and entertainers who, with excellence, engage and impact popular culture for Jesus Christ.”

This year’s show will take place at the Grand Ole Opry. Nominees include Christian artists and groups, worship songs, books, and podcasts. Fans can vote for their favorite nominees here.

Last year, the finale of Season 3 of “The Chosen” won the K-LOVE Fan Award for Film & Television Impact. This year, that category has been split into two in order to give “more faith-based visual media titles the opportunity to shine.”

“The Chosen,” Season 4, was nominated in the Film Impact category. The other nominees in that category are “After Death,” “Big George Foreman,” “Journey to Bethlehem,” “Ordinary Angels,” “Sound of Freedom,” “The Blind,” and “The Shift.”

“Jonathan & Jesus” is a docuseries that explores the growth of “The Chosen” following Season 2 and which focuses on what it is like for actor Jonathan Roumie to play the role of Jesus. At times Roumie has found the experience to be overwhelming, particularly as he has encountered fans who respond to him as though he were actually Jesus. However, the actor also sees playing the part as a gift.

“There’s definitely a responsibility,” Roumie told a tour guide while visiting Notre Dame, “but I also feel it’s a joy for me to get to do my job as an actor and get to play the person that has the most meaning in my life, the person that I love beyond anything or anyone.”

Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, held its 2024 commencement ceremony on Friday (May 10). The ceremony featured Christian music star TobyMac, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, and reality television star Willie Robertson. 

This was the first commencement ceremony held under the leadership of new university President Dondi E. Costin. Jonathan Falwell, who is the son of Liberty University founder Jerry Falwell Sr. and serves as the university’s chancellor, praised Costin during the ceremony, saying that Costin “had a pretty good freshman year.”

Costin assumed leadership at Liberty during a tumultuous season for the university. Jerry Falwell Jr., the university’s former president, resigned in 2020 amid questions of his fitness for leadership and scandalous reports of an affair between his wife, Becky, and then-business partner Giancarlo Granda.

Liberty University has also endured several legal battles resulting from allegations that it failed to protect students from sexual assault and mishandled sexual assault claims. Earlier this year, the school agreed to pay a historic $14 million fine to the United States Department of Education for violations of campus safety law regarding the prevention of and response to sexual abuse. 

Despite these controversies, Liberty University remains one of the largest and most influential Christian universities in the nation, honoring roughly 29,000 graduates on Friday. 

In a prerecorded message, TobyMac said that attending Liberty “changed the design” of his life. 

“Everything I thought I was gonna do got just wiped off the map, and God redirected me, right here on this campus,” TobyMac said. He went on to recount how he met Michael Tait and Kevin Max while attending Liberty. The trio went on to form the Christian band DC Talk.

TobyMac added, “It all began here—the dream that we could do music.”

“I would say to students here, ‘Wait for God to open doors,’” he said. “Wait for God to open the doors and tell him that you’ll just step through them when he opens them—and be willing to be a servant.” 

During his address, Mike Pompeo congratulated graduates and emphasized the importance of military service. 

“Liberty and faith are sacred things and they are worth being defended,” Pompeo said. “And throughout now 250 years of American history, our nation has always depended on the willingness of incredible young men and women and their families to sacrifice for it, to fight for it, and even to give their lives for it.”

Pompeo went on to say that “over 40,000 Liberty students are part of our military community.” He also said that 20% of all military chaplains are graduates of Liberty and that 2,000 of the 2024 Liberty graduates are on active duty.

Pompeo said that Liberty’s strong ties to the military is “logical; it makes sense.” He added, “This university takes pride in its support of our military heroes.”

RELATED: Liberty University Board of Trustees Appoints Chancellor and President

Later in the ceremony, Liberty University awarded Senator Tim Scott with an honorary doctorate of humanities, after which Scott delivered remarks to graduates. 

SÃO PAULO, Brazil (RNS) — Conservative Christians are accusing the pop star Madonna, who gave a free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach May 4, of including satanic rituals in the show, with catastrophic consequences for Brazil.

The concert, the last stop on Madonna’s The Celebration Tour, drew more than 1.6 million Brazilians and fans from neighboring countries and was aired in its entirety on Rede Globo, the national TV network.

Besides a diverse cast and some sexual play that LGBTQ+ Brazilians and other minorities said spotlighted their communities, the show projected images of Brazilian human rights icons, including Marina Silva, an advocate for rainforest preservation and Brazil’s minister for the environment, and Marielle Franco, an activist and politician who was assassinated in 2018.

Evangelical Christian pastors and digital influencers with ties to former President Jair Bolsonaro have attacked the concert and posted dozens of videos on social media with analysis pointing out purported diabolical behavior and attacks on the Christian faith. They have connected the concert’s licentiousness with unprecedented floods that have devastated cities in Rio Grande do Sul state and killed 147 people.

RELATED: Brazilian evangelical Christians disrupt pre-Lenten partying with ‘Gospel Carnival’

A video by motivational speaker Pablo Marçal, who combines career insights with Christian ideas, said Rede Globo, a target of the Brazilian far-right in Brazil for its criticism of Bolsonaro during his time as president, said showing “that pornographer” during the flooding “disrespected the Brazilian people that were drowning and dying.”

Marçal said that juxtaposing the two was equivalent to “making offerings with the corpses from Rio Grande do Sul. Anyone with a basic spiritual understanding knows what happened,” Marçal said in the video.

Baptist Pastor Aloizio Penido, a prominent Christian leader from the city of Juiz de Fora, told Religion News Service that the concert was “an insult to God,” and that the images drew an “association with the worst possible segment in society.” He pointed to a picture of Che Guevara and “other anti-Christian leaders.”

(RNS) — As Elizabeth Neumann watched the events of Jan. 6 unfold, the former assistant secretary for threat prevention and security policy in the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans at the Department of Homeland Security was horrified. Reared in conservative Christian communities, she found herself deeply disturbed by the violence, but also the preponderance of Christian flags waved by insurrectionists and the prayers some shouted as they attacked the U.S. Capitol.

“You had this intermixing of Christian ideas, symbols and Scriptures, somehow justifying this violence that happened on Jan. 6,” Neumann said in a recent interview.

Months before, Neumann had resigned from the Trump administration, claiming the then-president was dismissive of domestic terrorist threats. In the years since, she has grown increasingly convinced that conservative Christians are being exploited not just by politicians, but also by extremist groups, giving rise to a dangerous form of faith-infused radicalism.

In a new book, “Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace,” Neumann chronicles this exploitation and offers ways to prevent further radicalization. She recently spoke with RNS to discuss her findings and share where she finds hope for the future.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What drove you to write this book?

It actually came out of an interview that I gave to POLITICO in February 2021, a month after Jan. 6. They asked about what we saw on Jan. 6 from the Christian community. A cross on Capitol grounds. People praying over bullhorns in the Senate gallery. Placards with different Bible verses. In December, before Jan. 6, you had the Jericho March, where they tried to play out the Israelites marching around Jericho and praying over Washington that we’re going to ‘defeat the evil.’

On Jan. 6, you felt your community had completed a “rage-filled metamorphosis into violent extremists.” Terms like radicalization and extremism are common in your work, but can you say more about your choice of words?

Somewhere in the POLITICO interview, I labeled it Christian extremism. I hadn’t given much thought to that label, but I definitely felt as if we had Christians present who were demonstrating extremist activity and belief.

I spend some time introducing the reader to the way the counterterrorism community views extremism. I offer a definition of extremism and radicalization and then try to help people understand what the evidence shows us about why somebody radicalizes.

If somebody says, ‘This is the most consequential election of our lifetime. If Donald Trump doesn’t win, then the country’s gonna go to hell. So, therefore, I’m going to go vote for Donald Trump,’ that is not extremism. The premise is maybe not healthy, spiritually or psychologically, but it’s not extremism. But if somebody’s ‘therefore’ is, ‘I’m gonna go monitor polling places wearing my military fatigues and carrying my AR-15, just to make sure no funny business happens,’ you’re moving into intimidation and harassment and also into something that’s illegal. That’s the difference.

You note in the book that white nationalism and Christian nationalism movements have taken advantage of Christian communities. How did we end up here?

Some are coming from legitimate places of fear and grievance. The sexual ethic in this country has changed drastically in the last 10 years. Obergefell v. Hodges (the Supreme Court decision establishing marriage for same-sex partners) is a key moment. The law of the land used to adhere to a traditional biblical sexual ethic and it kind of changed overnight. We’re still catching up as a community to try to understand what that means.

In that great uncertainty, we can become really vulnerable to extremists. Extremists are really good at painting black and white pictures, and they offer this certainty that comes from some form of hostile action.

As the Christian community identifies itself with that political right, they’re also intermingling with extremists. That confluence is where there’s great danger. Most people are not going to go be violent extremists, but if we want to reduce the amount of violence in the country, we need to reduce the exposure to extremism.

FINLEYVILLE, Pennsylvania (RNS) — At first, the Rev. Ken Barner thought it was the sound system.

Tucked in a back room just behind the sanctuary of Crossroads Ministries, Barner was preparing to enter the stage for the evening service on Saturday (May 11), when he heard what sounded like a freight train. Then the lights flickered and Barner realized the noise was coming from outside.

“I’m thinking, we’re gonna lose this building,” said Barner in an interview on the steps of the church Monday morning.

RELATED: ‘Hallelujah Territory’—Oklahoma Baptist University Sustains Severe Tornado Damage But No Injuries

His wife Rhonda was singing “The God Who Stays,” a contemporary Christian hit by Matthew West, when Barner and other church leaders snapped into action, ushering the nearly 100 congregants down the stairs to the basement. Luke McClain, pastor of ministry development, was hit with shards of glass as two sanctuary windows blew out, but no one was seriously injured.

A tornado pulled the roof off a section of Crossroads Ministries Church in Finleyville, Penn., on Saturday evening, May 11, 2024. (Photo courtesy Crossroads Ministries)

It wasn’t until the group emerged from the basement roughly 30 minutes later that they discovered a tornado had blown off their church’s steeple, flinging it into the parking lot where it had smashed several cars.

Located just off a main road in Finleyville, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Crossroads Ministries is a nondenominational Protestant church that meets in a brick building built in 1972. It typically draws between 500-600 people across its three weekend services, according to the pastors. On Saturday, infants, 90-somethings and a few first-time visitors were all part of the roughly 100 people in attendance.

“It’s a true cross-section of Pittsburgh,” said Barner, who has been on staff since 1990 and became senior pastor in 2015. “We’re Yinzers. It’s Steeler country here.”

The pastor said there was no warning that the church was in the path of a tornado — while he was aware of storms predicted to land farther north, in Finleyville, sports games, birthday parties and church events went on as usual, Barner said, until the storm blew through.

“The job of the pastor is to lead, feed, guide and protect his congregation. And at times, we have to do that physically,” said Barner. “All I could think about was, let’s get everybody to safety.”

Hunkered in the basement hallway, Barner led the congregants in prayer and quoted Psalm 46 as they waited for the storm to pass. “The Lord is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble,” he recounted to RNS.

Soon, personnel from emergency medical services and the local fire department were on the scene. Fearing that the entire building would collapse, they led congregants into the adjacent building, which holds the school’s gymnasium, to assess potential injuries. Aside from minor bruises and cuts, everyone was unscathed.

Duane Chapman, better known to most as “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” has released a book titled “Nine Lives and Counting: A Bounty Hunter’s Journey to Faith, Hope, and Redemption.” In it, he recounts how God has “rescued, saved, and redeemed” him despite his mistakes.

“This book is about my faith in God and my walk with God,” Chapman told ChurchLeaders.

In the book, Chapman explains how “through the turmoil and the things I’ve been through…God has rescued, saved, and redeemed me.”

“The one thing I have said is after someone reads this book, and they don’t believe in God, good luck to you,” Chapman added. “[My life] is incredible miracle after miracle…It’s not luck. It is miracles from G-O-D.”

RELATED: ‘Dog’ Chapman Has Message for Brian Laundrie Following Gabby Petito Coroner’s Statement

Chapman was raised in the church from a young age but later made decisions that resulted in him being convicted of third degree murder. He shared that while serving his time in jail, he “came back to God” but still wasn’t completely dedicated.

That all changed after his wife, Beth, died of cancer in 2019 and he made a “deal with God,” asking God to bring him a wife. “I can’t find my own car coming out of Target,” Chapman joked.

When he was at one of the lowest point in his life, Chapman cried out, “God, please bring me my Eve.”

Not long after his plea, Chapman met his now-wife, Francie, while getting his driveway fixed. When they talked on the phone, Francie, not knowing who Chapman was due to the fact that she doesn’t watch much television, told him that she had recently lost her husband to cancer and was running his business. Chapman immediately broke down in tears.

An emotional Chapman went on to tell ChurchLeaders that one of Francie’s friends told her, “You’re going to meet Dog the Bounty Hunter and you’re going to help change lives for the world together.”

RELATED: Dog the Bounty Hunter Brings Judges to Tears Singing ‘Amazing Grace’ on ‘The Masked Singer’

A year-and-a-half later, Chapman and Francie got married.

With decades of ministry experience, Cathe Laurie shared encouragement to each mom at Harvest Christian Fellowship on Mother’s Day. She and her husband, Greg Laurie, have two sons—Jonathan, who serves on staff at Harvest, and Christopher, who lost his life nearly 16 years ago.

“Give your pride-filled ego a timeout,” offered Cathe.

Greg Laurie Posted Cathe Laurie’s Thoughts on Mother’s Day

With her son, Pastor Jonathan, looking on, Cathe took to the platform of Harvest Christian Fellowship to address the moms in church on Mother’s Day.

“Who doesn’t aspire to be a good mom?” asked Cathe Laurie.

She recognized that the end goal could look different depending on what mothers read. Moms can focus on ultra-nutritious and organic food, academics, sports achievements, or even brand-name and coordinated clothing.

“Whatever circles you happen to fill your heart with—those are going to be the ones that are going to tell you how to be a good mom,” Cathe explained.

Beneath all of the various approaches to motherhood, there seems to be an underlying question all moms are asking themselves.

“What if I fail?” Cathe asked.

Moms second-guess themselves constantly, asking questions like, “Am I doing this right?,” or, “Am I doing enough?”

Cathe offered encouragement to every mom, saying, “Jesus is enough.” She continued, “None of us is ever going to do it perfectly. There’s only one perfect person who’s ever lived and will ever live—and that is Jesus.”

“You take those ‘mommy fails’ to the foot of the cross, to our Savior who is not only able to give us eternal life but to give us that guilt-lifting, joy-fueling grace that only Christ promises,” Cathe said. She went on to give moms a few things to do.

Referring to Jeremiah 29:11, she first encouraged each mother to remember that the same God who began the good work and called them to motherhood will “complete what he has promised.”