Alex Magala, the sword swallower who performed last Friday (April 12) at James River Church’s Stronger Men’s Conference, has released a video telling his side of the story.

Magala made headlines when he was publicly rebuked by controversial Pastor Mark Driscoll for what Driscoll described as a “strip club” performance. In reference to Magala’s performance, Driscoll told conference attendees that a “Jezebel spirit opened our event.” He went on to compare Magala’s performance to Old Testament pagan idol worship.

RELATED: John Lindell Calls Mark Driscoll To Repent for ‘Trying To Destroy James River Church’ and ‘Sow Disunity’ in the Lindell Family

 

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As Driscoll continued to talk through the applause of many in the audience, James River Church lead pastor and conference host John Lindell yelled at him, “You’re out of line Mark…You’re done.” Driscoll then promptly walked offstage.

Lindell and Driscoll later returned to the stage together and apparently reconciled. Driscoll went on to preach another sermon with Lindell by his side.

But in the days that followed, Lindell has called Driscoll to publicly repent, sharing that Driscoll had attempted to cause “division” within the Lindell family and “disunity in the body of Christ.” During a public rebuke, Lindell told James River Church that Driscoll sent messages to one of Lindell’s sons, calling Magala “completely demonic” and a “gay porn, stripper, Jezebel.”

Lindell called Driscoll to repent for, among other things, “refusing to stop the spread of lies regarding Alex Magala, a Christian brother.”

Magala Responds to Lindell Calling Driscoll to Repent

Magala is a two-time Guinness World Record holder, an “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” top performer, a “Britain’s Got Talent” top performer, winner of “Russia’s Got Talent,” and a 2014 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony performer. He also has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

The Stronger Men’s Conference was Magala’s first event in eight months, as he had been rehabbing a torn bicep.

“I am in tears. Recent events just broke my heart and after watching this, made it melt. I am touched and shocked at the same time. I hope we all find peace,” Magala said in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday (April 19).

In another video, Magala explained more about his act, faith, past, and family.

ROCKFORD, Ill (RNS) — In early April, just a few days after Easter, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was filled with sounds of new life.

And hammers.

Two years ago, the church, which has shrunk from a congregation of 400 to a few dozen worshippers, decided to donate its building to the YMCA of the Rock River Valley in hopes the building could be reborn as a local Y. After months of planning and fundraising — the project will cost about $3 million — the rebirth of Good Shepherd finally got underway in late March 2024.

On Tuesday, April 2, the Rev. Eric Lemonholm, pastor of Good Shepherd, and Brent Pentenburg, CEO of the YMCA of the Rock River Valley, took a tour of the 1950s-era church, which is being transformed into Good Shepherd YMCA.

There were smiles all around as a long-anticipated dream was becoming a reality.

“We were once a big congregation in a big building,” said Lemonholm. “Then we became a small congregation in a big building for decades. The congregation knew something had to change.”

In recent years, the people of Good Shepherd, like thousands of congregations nationwide, found themselves dealing with the new math of American religion. In 2000, the median-sized congregation in the United States had 137 people, while today that number stands at about 60, according to data from the Faith Communities Today study. That has left congregations like Good Shepherd with buildings they can’t fill or afford to keep up.

Rather than closing its doors, the congregation at Good Shepherd decided to find a partner to share their space and continue the congregation’s work in the community. When the renovations are complete, the church’s former classrooms will house a fitness center and changing rooms, and the boxy sanctuary will be a brand-new gym.

The congregation will continue to hold services in a small chapel at the new YMCA facility when it opens. In doing so, they’ll become part of a small but growing group of churches who decided to make the Y their permanent home.

“We’ll be the church in the Y,” said Lemonholm, who splits his time between Good Shepherd and another small Lutheran church.

Founded in 1844 as the Young Men’s Christian Association, the YMCA’s official mission is “to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all,” but the group has no official ties to any church or denomination, instead partnering with people from all backgrounds. In some communities, the Christian part of the mission is stressed more than in other communities.

The YMCA’s history and mission often make it a popular spot for startup congregations to meet before they can afford a building of their own. According to Tim Hallman, a former pastor and director of Christian emphasis for the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne, Indiana, several churches like that rent space from the Y in their community.

(RNS) — Michael Flynn, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser and a driving force behind the ReAwaken America Tour, has a new show he’s taking on the road, a 127-minute hagiographic documentary chronicling his fight against the “Deep State” — a shadowy cabal of government operatives that Flynn insists are fixated on destroying him and his former boss.

“I’m surprised they haven’t killed me,” Flynn tells the camera in “Flynn.” “I’m surprised they’ve let me continue to live.”

“Flynn,” the film, poses as a straight-laced documentary but is starkly silent about Flynn’s current mission: spreading the gospel of Christian nationalism and preparing his followers to wage spiritual warfare, starting by taking over local politics.

The film’s goal seems to be to rewrite history and bolster Flynn’s credibility as a spiritual leader. After all, to Flynn’s followers, the “Deep State” isn’t just a political enemy, it’s a spiritual one, and the only way to serve God and save America is to destroy it.

According to Flynn’s narrative in the film, his Deep State troubles really began in 2010, when the lieutenant general, then director of intelligence for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, published a frank assessment (via private think tank) of ongoing intelligence failures in Afghanistan. That report rankled the powers that be, according to the movie — in reality, the report was well-received and endorsed by the secretary of defense at the time.

But from that point on, Flynn claims, “they” were on a mission to silence and destroy him via “baseless” accusations and fraudulent prosecution efforts.

In that sense, “Flynn” might be considered a counter to the 2022 Frontline/PBS documentary “Michael Flynn’s Holy War,” which told the tale of a once-respected lieutenant general who had served in the Obama White House as well as Trump’s before getting pulled into QAnon conspiracy theories, shady foreign dealings and Christian nationalism. Instead “Flynn” mythologizes its subject as a renegade who perseveres against all odds, standing up to malevolent forces in defense of “the truth.”

“He’s the only person who could have withstood this type of evil, this unfathomable domestic evil, and beat it, too,” said Flynn’s sister, Clare Flynn Eckert, as the camera panned to a gold statue of an angel holding a sword in front of an American flag. “He was meant for this time.”

The film premiered April 5 at a community center in Sarasota County, Florida, and will screen at 32 other locations, mostly municipal buildings, barns and church halls, across 25 states in the next two months. Tickets start at $35, but for $200 you get a photo op with Flynn and a “Flynn” film swag bag.

So far, the screenings seem to have attracted decent crowds and have featured prayer circles and drawn QAnon influencers as well as state senators, including Arizona State Sen. Wendy Rogers.

A week after the film became available on Amazon, it had sold over 4,000 copies, climbed to No. 31 in Movies and DVD, and No. 1 in the “Special Interests” category, beating out the Ken Burns National Parks collection, a line-dancing instructional DVD and the musical “Annie.”

Besides the film’s glaring absence of any mention of Flynn’s yearslong “ReAwaken” tour, which has taken Christian nationalism to suburbs and small towns across the country to recruit an “Army of God,” the film also fails to touch on the violent Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

Author and theologian Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin defended Christian ministry Cru from criticisms about its stance on gender and sexuality and also called the news about scholar Dr. Richard B. Hays’ apparent shift to an affirming stance “​​exceedingly disappointing.” 

“I actually find Cru’s position to be extremely orthodox and quite helpful in difficult circumstances,” said McLaughlin, “because you’re talking about a large organization that’s working on a whole range of campuses and on all sorts of other contexts as well but trying to be clear and faithful when it comes to what the Bible teaches.”

McLaughlin shared her views in a recent interview on “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast,” where she discussed her upcoming book, “Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships? Examining 10 Claims About Scripture and Sexuality.”

RELATED: Rebecca McLaughlin on Whether Christians Can Agree To Disagree About Same-Sex Relationships

Rebecca McLaughlin: Cru Is Drawing a ‘Clear, Orthodox’ Line

Cru, short for Campus Crusade for Christ International, is an nondenominational non-profit known for its ministry on college campuses. Its mission is to “win, build and send Christ-centered multiplying disciples who launch spiritual movements.”

Cru has received public criticism from some quarters recently for its approach to sexuality. One notable example was in November when Dr. Rosaria Butterfield spoke at a convocation at Liberty University and accused Cru of promoting “lies” about sexuality.

Butterfield is an author, speaker, former gay activist, and former tenured professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University. At one point in her life, she identified as a lesbian, but that changed after she trusted in Jesus as a result of a Christian couple’s friendship and hospitality. 

In her speech, Butterfield said some groups were promoting “lies,” including the idea that being attracted to the same sex is not a sin if people do not act on that attraction and that “people who experience same-sex attraction rarely if ever change and therefore should never pursue heterosexual marriage.” In addition to Cru, Butterfield named Revoice and Dr. Preston Sprinkle’s ministry, which she called “heretical.”

In response to a request for comment at the time, Cru directed ChurchLeaders to its position on sexuality and gender on its website. That statement says that God created people male and female, that believers are called to sexual purity, and that sexuality is corrupted by the Fall. Regarding same-sex attraction, the website says: 

We believe that same-sex attraction is contrary to God’s design for human sexuality. It represents a disordering of sexual desire in our fallen condition, which is neither morally neutral nor good. From a discipleship perspective, we also believe that all Christ-followers, including those who experience same-sex attraction, need encouragement, support, and love as they walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and battle temptation (Gal 6:2).

Mandisa Lynn Hundley, better known as just Mandisa, died at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday (April 18) at the age of 47.

She was a Grammy Award-winning Christian artist and a two-time recipient of the K-LOVE Fan Award.

A representative for Mandisa told ChurchLeaders, “We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased. At this time, we do not know the cause of death or any further details. We ask for your prayers for her family and close-knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.”

Mandisa first became a household name after she competed on Season 5 of “American Idol.” She finished in ninth place after surviving Judge Simon Cowell’s critique of her weight after her audition. She struggled with her weight throughout her career but later praised Cowell for his comments.

RELATED: Mandisa Shares Battle With Suicide on GMA: ‘God Saved My Life Quite Literally’

“My journey with my weight has been publicized [from] the moment that Simon Cowell made fun of me on national television,” she said in a 2013 interview with “Entertainment Tonight.” “The world was talking about my weight and while I hated it then, I look back now having lost a hundred pounds [and] I’m so thankful that happened. I’m thankful that Simon did that.”

The “Overcomer” singer recorded multiple songs that reached the charts not only in the Christian market but in the secular market as well.

Mandisa collaborated with TobyMac, Kirk Franklin, Michael W. Smith, Jon Reddick, Matthew West, and Jordan Feliz. She was a regular opening artist for TobyMac and would often join him onstage to sing “Lose My Soul.”

In 2017, Mandisa shared on “Good Morning America” that she struggled with depression and became suicidal after her close friend died of cancer, leading her to go into hiding for nearly three years.

“I was this close to listening to that voice that was saying, ‘You can be with Jesus right now Mandisa, all you have to do is take your life,’” she told host Robin Roberts. “It almost happened,” said the artist. “But God, he stepped in and saved my life quite literally.”

K-LOVE chief media officer David Pierce said, “Mandisa loved Jesus, and she used her unusually extensive platform to talk about him at every turn. Her kindness was epic, her smile electric, her voice massive, but it was no match for the size of her heart.”

New information is emerging about the suspects charged with kidnapping and murdering Jilian Kelley, 39, and Veronica Butler, 27. As ChurchLeaders has reported, the four defendants—now being held without bond—belong to a religious anti-government group called God’s Misfits. This week, news surfaced that suspect Tifany Machel Adams, 54, is the GOP chair for Cimarron County, Oklahoma.

Adams is also the paternal grandmother of Butler’s two children, ages 6 and 8, who are at the center of an ongoing custody dispute. The last weekend in March, Butler had driven to pick up her children from Adams, taking Kelley along as a visitation supervisor. When Butler and Kelley failed to return, an extensive search ensued.

After two weeks, remains thought to be those of the missing women were found in rural Oklahoma. Those remains have now been positively identified as the bodies of Kelley and Butler. According to court documents, evidence from the scene indicates the women suffered violent deaths.

RELATED: ‘Suspicious’ Disappearance of Pastor’s Wife and Friend Has Multiple Agencies Searching

Kelley’s husband, Heath Kelley, is pastor at Hugoton First Christian Church in Hugoton, Kansas. In June, he is slated to begin serving at Willow Christian Church in Indianola, Nebraska.

Cimarron County GOP Official Charged With ‘Senseless Crime’

Adams was reportedly elected as Cimarron County GOP chair last year. When asked to comment on the charges against Adams, Oklahoma State Sen. Nathan Dahm, chairman of the state GOP, said:

While we at the Oklahoma Republican Party have no personal relationship or knowledge of the individuals who have been accused in this senseless crime, we have been made aware that Ms. Adams was previously elected by a handful of people to the role of chair in her county.

Dahm called the situation “tragic” and asked for prayers for the family—especially the “innocent children” involved.

According to an affidavit, investigators said Adams was trying to keep her grandchildren away from her son, who is in drug rehab, and from Butler. A custody hearing had been scheduled for April 17.

The other three defendants are Tad Collum, Cole Twombly, and Cora Twombly. All four are charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder.

An Oklahoma judge ruled that the suspects be held without bond because “proof of evidence or presumption of guilt is great” and because they have “the resources to flee if given the opportunity.”

According to a prosecutor’s motion, Adams admitted to investigators that she was responsible for the women’s deaths. Investigators also said the teenage daughter of Cora Twombly described hearing the suspects plot the murders.

RELATED: Suspects in Murder of Pastor’s Wife and Friend Are Members of ‘God’s Misfits,’ a Religious Anti-Government Group

Churches Request Prayers for Survivors’ Families

Pastor Heath Kelley’s current and future churches are requesting prayers for the victims’ families. On the Hugoton First Christian Facebook page, an administrator posted Thursday (April 18):

On behalf of the Kelley Family they would like to send a huge THANK YOU and appreciation to all their family, friends, church family, community and surrounding communities for the outpouring of love in prayers, hugs, food, supplies, visits and donations. Each one has been a blessing and they are humbled by your love and generosity.

The post continued: “The family would also like to share with you the following song that Jilian had been listening to on repeat over the past few months, ‘Whatever It Takes’ by Stephen Stanley.”

A North Carolina man has been arrested and charged with felony secret peeping after being caught on camera placing his phone under a woman’s skirt in a Greenville Target on Monday. Prior to his arrest, Thomas Elliott was on staff at Opendoor Church in Winterville and a volunteer at Eastern Elementary School in Greenville.

Elliott, 21, was apprehended after a Target customer noticed that he was behaving suspiciously and began filming him. In a video captured by this Good Samaritan, Elliott can be seen crouching down and placing his phone on the floor beneath the skirt of another female customer. 

The Good Samaritan then immediately confronted Elliott, calling upon a Target employee to get law enforcement involved. Elliott was later arrested. 

Following a review of store security footage, police said that Elliott may face two additional felony secret peeping charges. 

RELATED: Former San Jose Youth Pastor Charged With Multiple Sex Crimes After Years of Parental Complaints

In a statement to WNCT, Pitt County Schools said that it was alerted to Elliott’s arrest on Monday, adding, “We can confirm that the individual was a volunteer at Eastern Elementary School.”

“We are disturbed and deeply concerned by video footage of the individual that has been shared on social media and news outlets, and based on the footage, the individual will not be returning to our campuses as a volunteer or hired as an employee,” the statement continued.

Pitt County Schools said that Elliott had passed a background check before being allowed to volunteer at the school. 

Similarly, Megan Holland, lead pastor of communications at Opendoor Church, told WNCT, “Safety and security are of utmost importance to us. We are taking this situation extremely seriously. Thomas Elliott was immediately terminated upon notification of his arrest on Monday.”

“Additionally, he is no longer permitted on our properties,” Holland continued. “We continue to seek God’s wisdom in the aftermath of this situation. We pray for God’s healing and redemption for all those affected.”

RELATED: Suspects in Murder of Pastor’s Wife and Friend Are Members of ‘God’s Misfits,’ a Religious Anti-Government Group

The church did not disclose what role Elliott had served in prior to his termination.