When war breaks out in the world, many Christians wonder if it is a sign of the end times and if Jesus’ return is imminent. However, the idea of the rapture is not even in the Bible, says author, speaker, and “Holy Post” cohost Skye Jethani.

“People believe all kinds of things that aren’t actually in the Bible,” Jethani said in a video published Jan. 25. He gave as examples the ideas that the “forbidden fruit” in Genesis was an apple, that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, or that there were three wise men present at Jesus’ birth. “And the rapture?” said Jethani. “Well, that’s actually not in the Bible at all.”

Skye Jethani: We’ve Misunderstood Jesus’ Return

Skye Jethani, who has a Masters of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and who served as a pastor for eight years, specifically addressed the idea that at some point in the future, all believers in the world will vanish because they are “caught up into heaven with Jesus,” leaving unbelievers behind to “face the terrors of the Tribulation.”

RELATED: ‘Hatred of Jewish People’ Is a Sign of the End Times, Says Pastor Greg Laurie

This view of the end times, part of a framework known as dispensationalism, was depicted in the “Left Behind” books series and films. However, said Jethani, the rapture is not mentioned in the Book of Revelation, the primary (although not the only) text Christians refer to regarding what the Bible says about the end of the world. Revelation contains “not a word” on the subject.

Another passage relevant to end times discussions is Matthew 24, one of two texts “rapture advocates go to,” Jethani said. The chapter recounts Jesus explaining his return to his disciples, saying he will return suddenly while people are going about their daily lives. Verses 36-43 of that chapter say:

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.

Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

The common understanding of those who believe in the rapture is that this passage is saying when Jesus returns, he will bring his followers to heaven, leaving unbelievers behind.

But this text compares Jesus’ return to the “days of Noah,” Jethani pointed out, and those who were “taken” in the days of Noah were destroyed in a flood while God saved those who were left. So the common view of what being “left behind” means is a misunderstanding. 

On the Feb. 14 episode of her podcast, Christian actor Candace Cameron Bure interviewed a California couple about their upcoming book “Fighting for Family.” Chris and Julie Bennett, parents of four, spoke about following God’s calling, embracing risk, and making connections to help people battle loneliness.

The Bennetts, both graduates of Baylor University, host the “Finding Family” podcast and founded Welcome Home Lifestyle to create family-themed content. Chris Bennett, lead pastor of Vintage Church Malibu, had been ministering in Oklahoma when the family decided in 2018 to uproot and move to Los Angeles.

RELATED: ‘What A Glorious Day!’—Candace Cameron Bure Celebrates Gospel Focus of Son’s Wedding

Shortly after that, Julie was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer, their housing plans fell through, and the pandemic hit. Instead of returning to Oklahoma, the Bennetts decided to “trust that God was gonna take care of us through the journey,” said Chris.

“We realized faith is very naïve. You know, God will only sometimes tell you enough to get you to say yes,” he said. “And then you step out and you realize, ‘Oh, there’s a lot he didn’t show me.’ But that’s the trust piece…I heard somebody say, faith is spelled R-I-S-K.”

Chris Bennett & Julie Bennett on Opening God’s Invitations

Julie Bennett described their family’s adventures as opening “an invitation from God,” who always proves faithful. God came through for them so often, she said, that “I will take this leap every time.”

God provides “a grace that is sufficient that you didn’t need before you stepped into” his adventure, Chris Bennett said. “I think faith looks really foolish on the outside.” He added, “God’s track record is what’s given me the faith to keep stepping out…The theme we see in Scripture is…whatever we do by faith, God will partner himself with.”

By asking tough questions and wrestling with Scripture, Julie said, God has “always brought me to something better and more whole.” Opening God’s invitations makes his Word come alive, and that Word “begins to create deeper fruit in me and bring more hope.”

Chris & Julie Bennett on ‘Fighting for Family’

In a culture where people are great at fighting with their families, the Bennetts wanted to share practical ways to fight for family. In their book, which releases March 12, they explore God’s heart for families and for lonely people who need community and belonging.

Dr. Albert Mohler recently suggested that having women serve in pastoral leadership has never “made sense” to “the vast majority of Southern Baptists” and expressed his desire for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to put the question to bed once and for all.

Mohler’s comments came in the context of a panel discussion hosted by the Kenwood Institute, which is a ministry of Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. The Institute exists to “strengthen Christ’s church, a pillar and buttress of the truth, by promoting and defending the whole counsel of God’s Word in the Reformed and Baptist traditions.”

The panel featured Mohler, who is the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), Colin Smothers, who is director of the Kenwood Institute and executive director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), and Denny Burk, who is a professor at SBTS, president of CBMW, and a board member of the Kenwood Institute. 

A considerable portion of the discussion centered on the merits of the so-called Law Amendment, which was proposed by Virginia pastor Mike Law at the SBC’s annual meeting in 2023 and would update the denomination’s bylaws to allow a church to affiliate with the SBC only if it “affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”

Currently, churches must have a “faith and practice which closely identifies with the Convention’s adopted statement of faith” in order to affiliate with the SBC. And the denomination’s current statement of faith, called the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 (BFM2000), states, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.” 

By this standard, the SBC has disfellowshipped several churches for ordaining women to the pastorate, most notably Saddleback Church. 

Nevertheless, some questions remain about how closely a church must align with the BFM2000 with regard to women serving as pastors, particularly when women are not elders or lead pastors but serve as pastors over students and children or preach from the pulpit during Sunday services under the authority of an elder board. 

Mohler and others who agree with him have argued that the Law Amendment will remove such ambiguity and bring a close to the conversation in the SBC. Furthermore, it will make it untenable for churches with a more moderate approach to women in pastoral leadership to continue associating with the SBC. 

In order to be ensconced in the SBC constitution, the Law Amendment needs to be affirmed at two consecutive annual meetings. It was initially affirmed at the denomination’s 2023 meeting in New Orleans, and it will either be adopted or rejected in Indianapolis in June. 

RELATED: Survivor Responds to SBC Abuse Reform Task Force’s Plans for New Nonprofit ‘Abuse Response Commission’

“If this amendment were to fail, I don’t think this issue would go away at all,” Mohler said. “It would continue, and then every single year, there will be some call to take action on this, to clarify this, and I don’t see that as healthy for the Convention.”

On Monday (Feb. 19), the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF) announced its plans to launch an independent non-profit organization to handle abuse reform within the SBC.

The announcement was made by Josh Wester, Chairman of the ARITF and lead pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, during the Executive Committee’s (EC) opening plenary session Monday night.

West said that the task force has “endeavored for the last seven months to bring Southern Baptists a plan for abuse prevention and response that is biblical (because that’s what God requires), helpful (because it actually works), responsible (so it makes things better, not worse).”

“And above all else, we’ve aimed to make it simple,” Wester added.

RELATED: Hiding Behind Issues of Polity, SBC Leaders Ignored, Silenced, Ostracized Sexual Abuse Victims for Years, Report Says

“Sexual abuse is horrible,” Wester said. “Survivors have taught us how much pain and damage it causes.”

Wester shared that the ARITF has been “working to ensure that every Southern Baptist Church has access to free tools and resources to help them prevent and respond to abuse,” no matter the size of the church.

Wester said that as time passes since Guidepost’s investigation, Southern Baptists might feel “fatigued or weary” regarding the issue of sexual abuse and be tempted to just move on. “But here is the truth,” Wester said. “This issue isn’t going away. It’s a sin problem. And it runs deep.”

It’s not a theology problem, Calvinist problem, Arminian problem, small church problem, large church problem, old guy problem, or a young guy problem, Wester explained, going on to name alleged sexual abusers Paul Pressler and Aaron Ivey.

West said that “time itself isn’t going to solve this problem” and those who hope the problem will simply go away won’t protect anyone or “make any of our churches safer.”

RELATED: Texas SBC Pastor Aaron Ivey Fired for ‘Clear Pattern of Predatory Manipulation’

He then shared the three objectives the ARITF identified last August: expand the Ministry ToolKit, get those with a criminal conviction or civil judgment against them added to the Ministry Check website, and find a long-term home for abuse reform.

Pastor Greg Laurie urged Christians to speak up on behalf of the Jewish people, calling the amount of support for Hamas he’s seen following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel “shocking.” Laurie believes that “the rise of antisemitism is a real sign of the times.”

“The Bible tells us in the end times that Israel would be isolated and ultimately, she would be attacked from her neighbor to her north, identified as Magog,” Laurie told Billy Hallowell in a Feb. 14 interview on CBN News. “Many scholars believe Magog is modern-day Russia. I would tend to agree with that.”

“Magog” is a term that appears several times in the Bible, notably in Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20. In February 2022, Laurie posted a video where he shared why he believes “Magog” represents modern-day Russia and what he sees as the “prophetic significance” of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

RELATED: Pastor Greg Laurie: ‘The Second Coming Is Different From the Rapture’

Laurie told Hallowell that even if Russia isn’t Magog, “This large force will attack [Israel] and God says he’s going to intervene on her behalf. But I would say the rise of antisemitism is a real sign of the times. And I have to admit…even I have been shocked by the extreme antisemitism we’ve seen recently.”

Greg Laurie Appeals to Pastors

Greg Laurie is senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, a church with multiple locations based in Riverside, California. His life was recently dramatized in the movie, “Jesus Revolution.”

“When Israel was attacked on Oct. 7 by this horrible terrorist organization, Hamas, it was a very coordinated attack that left 1,300 people dead, many taken hostage,” Laurie said. “And so that was shocking. But what has been as shocking perhaps is protests around the world, largely among young people in favor of Hamas.”

Laurie said he can’t believe that in 2024, people are chanting “phrases like ‘gas the Jews,’” an apparent reference to a chant that allegedly took place Oct. 9 in Sydney, Australia, at a pro-Palestinian protest. Reports that protesters chanted, “Gas the Jews,” have not been verified; however, deputy commissioner Mal Lanyon of the New South Wales police told media there is evidence of other offensive chants at the protest, including “f*** the Jews.”

“The Holocaust was not that long ago,” Laurie said. “There are still people alive today that remember the Holocaust.” And now we are seeing “the same kind of mentality, this hatred of Jewish people.”

One week after a woman opened fire at Lakewood Church in Houston, Pastor Joel Osteen spoke of God’s protection during an incident that “could have been so much worse.” Though a shooter entered the premises of the megachurch, she didn’t make it inside the sanctuary.

“I celebrate what the security team did,” Osteen told worshipers on Feb 18. The shooting “didn’t have the word ‘mass’ before it, and that’s the grace of God. I thank God for that.”

RELATED: Lakewood Church Shooter Had History of Mental Illness; Shooter’s 7-Year-Old Son in Critical Condition

Off-duty officers killed the suspect in the Feb. 11 shooting. The suspect’s 7-year-old son, who was shot in the head, remains in critical condition.

Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen on Heroes & Miracles

During worship on Feb. 18, Osteen prayed for everyone involved in the shooting. He told congregants God would use Lakewood Church to help people heal from the traumatic event.

The officer who helped “neutralize” the suspect was “really a hero,” Osteen said, because he was outgunned by the suspect’s AR-15 style rifle. “That was certainly a miracle,” he said. When the shooting occurred, Osteen had just finished greeting people in a lobby and was heading downstairs to change clothes.

“Some technicians came running out. Their eyes were big, like there had been some kind of incident. I thought, ‘What in the world?’” Osteen told a reporter. The pastor waited in his office about 20 minutes, and then Houston’s police chief texted him to make sure he was okay.

Although Lakewood has a strong security plan in place, Osteen said the church is always looking for ways to improve. While praying during the service, he became emotional about the “mentally ill” woman who “lost her life” and the fact that she brought her child along. “I guess it’s just pretty overwhelming to me,” Osteen admitted.

Victoria Osteen, the pastor’s wife, said the Feb. 18 service was about “reclaiming what is ours” and “reclaiming the space.” Attendees told reporters they weren’t fearful and wanted to support their pastor and his vision for the church.

Suspect’s Former Mother-in-Law: ‘Her Brain Was Broken’

In a Feb. 14 Facebook post, Walli Carranza, the suspect’s former mother-in-law, shared a photo of Samuel, her grandson, in a Houston hospital. The boy “lost a major part of what makes us who we are…a portion of his frontal lobe,” she wrote. Samuel went into cardiac arrest “multiple times,” Carranza added, and doctors don’t yet know his prognosis.

Carranza also used her post to lambaste politicians “who claim to be ‘pro-life’” but also support “unbridled gun rights.” She called for red-flag laws and for the repeal of the Second Amendment, writing, “The 1^st [Amendment] means too much to allow the second.”

(RNS) — Put two Southern Baptists in the same room and before long they’ll find something to fight about.

For most of their history, members of the denomination have fought over the Bible, politics, race, sex, gender roles, music, dancing, Calvinism and almost anything else they can think of.

All that feuding has overshadowed their surprising ability to work together. For nearly a century, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program — which pools money to fund missions, evangelism and seminaries — has been a remarkable success, collecting more than $20 billion since 1925 and becoming the lifeblood of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

But as the Cooperative Program approaches its 100th anniversary in 2025, the trust that made the program possible has frayed. Southern Baptists have faced a sexual abuse crisis that has undermined confidence in denominational leaders. Feuds over politics, race and the role of women in the church — which parallel the polarization of American culture — have dominated recent denominational meetings and caused some churches to withhold their mission giving.

More may follow suit, angered at a proposed rule change — known as the Law Amendment — that would bar churches with any women leaders who hold the title of pastor, whether they are a children’s pastor or a church’s senior pastor. Passing the amendment could lead hundreds of churches to be expelled or to leave because they disagree.

Not passing it could also lead to an exodus.

“We are going to lose some people regardless of what happens,” said Adam Wyatt, a Mississippi pastor and member of the SBC’s Executive Committee. “What does that mean long term? I don’t know.”

Whatever happens will likely affect the Cooperative Program, which is already facing pressures as churches have reduced the percentage of money they share with the denomination.

In the 1980s, SBC churches gave about 10% of their income to the Cooperative Program. Today, they give less than 5%, meaning national ministries like the SBC’s seminaries and mission boards — which get about a quarter and a third of their income from the Cooperative Program, respectively — have had to rely more on direct giving that bypasses the denomination.

For example, in fiscal year 1982, the SBC’s national entities received $102 million from the Cooperative Program, or the equivalent of more than $300 million today, when adjusted for inflation. In fiscal year 2022 — reported in the SBC’s 2023 annual report — those entities received $195.9 million from the Cooperative Program.

Giving to the Cooperative Program for this year is currently down about 2% — and 3.6% under budget, according to the SBC Executive Committee. A pair of special offerings that go directly to the denomination’s missions board have also dropped, resulting in a combined decrease of about 4% in giving from last year.

The number of Southern Baptists has also declined significantly over the past two decades, from a high of 16.3 million members in 2006 to 13.2 million members in 2023. That decline includes nearly half a million members from 2022 to 2023 and 1.5 million since 2018. Fewer members means fewer givers.

McKenna Breinholt, a 25-year-old singer from Gilbert, Arizona, captured America’s heart after performing “There Was Jesus” by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton on last night’s season premiere of “American Idol.”

“I FINALLY made the decision to try out for this next season of American Idol,” Breinholt shared on Instagram last month. “This has been a dream of mine for a long time now and I am proud of how far I have come. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity I was given to be able to even audition!”

Breinholt continued, “Today is exactly one month away from the season premier [sic] and y’all better tune in to see if I got the golden ticket or not!! :).”

Breinholt told the “American Idol” judges that she was adopted and had discovered that her birth mother was a singer named Amy Ross Lopez. When Breinholt turned 21, she started searching for her birth mother and discovered that Lopez had passed away in October 2013 due to complications from lupus.

“I found [out] I was adopted as early as I was able to understand it,” Breinholt said. “My mom struggled for several years trying to get pregnant and eventually they decided to go through the adoption process.”

RELATED: Daughter of Grammy-Nominated CCM Artist Stuns ‘American Idol’ Judges With Original Song

“I have the best family in the world,” she added. “They’ve always supported me.”

After finding out her birth mother was a singer who performed locally in Bisbee, Arizona, just a few hours away from Gilbert, Breinholt said she “instantly knew where I got my ear from and where I got my voice from—it just all clicked.”

Breinholt made contact with her entire birth family in the summer of 2023 and discovered that they all sing.

“My birth family was looking for me for probably the last eight years,” she shared. “Knowing that I have another family out there who’s equally excited to know and love me was amazing.”

RELATED: ‘Christian Chris Stapleton’ Wows ‘American Idol’ Judges With Rendition of Zach Williams’ ‘To the Table’

Breinholt explained to the judges she had only spoken to members of her birth family on FaceTime but had plans to meet them in person in the next few weeks.

An Australian pastor is back in the pulpit following an alleged attempt on his life from a family member. Pastor Ian Wilkinson of Korumburra Baptist Church in Victoria was the sole survivor of a poisonous beef Wellington lunch that claimed the lives of three people, including Heather Wilkinson, his wife of over four decades. 

The allegedly intentional poisoning was perpetrated by Erin Patterson on July 29, 2023, and the main target appears to have been her estranged husband, Simon Patterson. The deceased include Simon’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson. 

Simon opted not to attend the meal, which was ostensibly scheduled as a reconciliation effort between family members for the sake of Erin and Simon’s two children, according to Independent. Instead, Simon took the children to a movie. 

Erin Patterson prepared the beef Wellington dish with death cap mushrooms, which are highly poisonous. One day after consuming the meal, all four victims fell ill and were taken to the hospital. Heather Wilkinson and Gail Patterson died on Aug. 4, 2023. Don Patterson died one day later on Aug. 5, 2023.

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Although Ian Wilkinson survived, he needed to spend months in the hospital recovering.  

Detectives initially believed it was possible that the poisoning was accidental, and Erin Patterson fiercely maintained her innocence, telling reporters that she was “so devastated” that her children had lost their grandparents. 

However, after detectives determined that no other health alerts had been reported by Victoria’s Health Department and no mushroom sellers reported customers have any issues, along with the fact that a neighbor came forward to disclose that Erin Patterson was an experienced forager who routinely picked mushrooms in the area, authorities decided to move forward with charges. 

On Sunday, Feb. 11, Ian Wilkinson returned to his church, making his first public comments since falling ill. His return also marked the celebration of his 25th year as pastor of Korumburra Baptist Church.

“At the start of the week, it was six months since Heather and Gail and Don went to be with the Lord,” Wilkinson told the congregation, according to Daily Mail. 

RELATED: After Kansas City Shooting, Pastor Urges Faith Leaders To Be Prepared & Available

“And yesterday was our 45th wedding anniversary, so it’s been a pretty big week. But I am grateful for all that God has given me, God has done through me,” Wilkinson added. 

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, a group which advocates advocate for separation of church and state, and other House Democrats are speaking out against Speaker Mike Johnson’s sponsorship of a controversial pastor as a guest chaplain and accusing Johnson of importing a radical brand of Christian faith into the House.

On Thursday (Feb. 15), 26 lawmakers, led by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman of California, sent a letter to Johnson and the House Chaplain’s Office expressing outrage that Jack Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in California, was allowed to deliver the House’s opening prayer on Jan. 30, in an appearance sponsored by Johnson, who is an evangelical Christian.

The letter raised questions as to why Hibbs was approved as a guest chaplain at all, given that the pastor lives in California, not in Johnson’s Louisiana district.

“He was violating the guidelines by bringing in someone who wasn’t even his constituent,” Huffman told Religion News Service.

“Pastor Hibbs is a radical Christian Nationalist who helped fuel the January 6th insurrection and has a long record of spewing hateful vitriol toward non-Christians, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community,” read the letter.

The Freethought Caucus and other liberal members have been wary of Johnson, who formerly served as a lawyer for a conservative legal group. Some have expressed concern that he could use his position to further conservative Christian and Christian nationalist causes.

“We know that some of these hate preachers were very involved in inciting people to attend on January 6, and giving them a religious permission structure that contributed to the violence,” Huffman told Religion News Service. “To now have those people not only have zero accountability for what they said and did … but to be given the prestige of a congressional invocation … should be alarming to people who care about this threat to our democracy, as well as the continuing attack on church-state separation.”

The letter detailed a long list of Hibbs’ inflammatory statements throughout his career, including his suggestion that Islam is used by Satan as a “vehicle” to bring about the Last Days; that a “true Jew” is one who worships Jesus; and that transgender people are part of a “sexually perverted cult.”

Hibbs gave voice to a Christian vision of the country’s future in his prayer before Congress, calling on God to bestow wisdom on lawmakers present because a “coming day of judgment draws near when all who have been and are now in authority will answer to you, the great judge of heaven and of Earth.”

Hibbs, a well-known figure in conservative political circles, frequently hosts conversations with Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, a right-wing advocacy group that has sought to enlist pastors in its efforts to push conservative political views. Kirk, in turn, has championed Hibbs, and the pastor has often appeared on radio programs with Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

The lawmakers pointed to remarks Hibbs delivered to his congregation days before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, that “there is no president-elect,” referring to Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election. Hibbs, who participated in the pro-Trump rally that day but did not go to the Capitol, told Perkins, “This is what you get when you eject God from the courts and from the schools,” according to NPR.

In addition to Huffman, the signers of the letter include U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Jerrold Nadler of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rosa L. DeLauro of Connecticut. The signers represented Christians, Muslims, Jews and secular humanists.

(RNS) — The African Methodist Episcopal Church’s top officials have called for the U.S. government to halt all its funding of Israel, citing the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians in the Hamas-Israel war.

“The Council of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Church calls on the United States Government to immediately withdraw all funding and other support from Israel,” reads a statement issued on Wednesday (Feb. 14), the 264th anniversary of the birth of the historically Black denomination’s founder, Richard Allen.

“Since October 7, 2023, in retaliation for the brutal murder of 1,139 Israeli citizens by Hamas, Israel has murdered over 28,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. The United States is supporting this mass genocide. This must not be allowed to continue.”

The statement was signed by Bishop Adam J. Richardson, senior bishop of the denomination; Bishop Stafford J.N. Wicker, president of the bishops’ council; Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield, chair of social action, and Bishop Francine A. Brookins, co-chair of social action.

Bishop Harry L. Seawright, the leader of the AME’s Alabama district, said in a Thursday interview with Religion News Service that he and other bishops also supported the statement, which he said reflects the denomination’s stances on social action.

“We have always tried to take a social stand against injustice, unfair treatment of all people,” he said.

Seawright said he was not aware of any other Black denominations that had adopted the same stance. Bishop Vashti McKenzie, a retired AME bishop and the president of the National Council of Churches,  an organization of Protestant, Orthodox, evangelical and historic African American churches, told Religion News Service that she believed the AME Church was the first national denomination to take this step.

In January, Progressive National Baptist Convention President David Peoples declared his denomination’s stance in favor of a cease-fire at a news conference at the Lorraine Motel, the Memphis, Tennessee, site where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.

But on Thursday, he told RNS he is not taking the stance the AME Church has. “I’m not going that far,” he said, though he said he agrees with those who think U.S. military funding to Israel should be tied to verified humanitarian conditions and an exit strategy.

The AME’s statement comes in a week of continuing calls for cease-fire and humanitarian aid for the victims of the war that began on Oct. 7 with a Hamas attack that killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel, according to authorities there; 28,000 Palestinians have since been killed in retaliation, health officials in Gaza estimate

In a Monday (Feb. 12) letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, a diverse group of faith leaders requested that any legislation providing U.S. funding for Israel include humanitarian aid for Palestinians. The signers include leaders of the NCC, National Association of Evangelicals, the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Sojourners, the National African American Clergy Network and Masjid Muhammad in Washington.

“Ending the extraordinary suffering and death of Palestinian civilians is essential to Israel’s long-term security and to peace and stability in the region,” wrote the signatories, who added that they recognize Israel’s right to defend itself and they seek the release of hostages held by Hamas.