Just as He Is

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August 2, 2023

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

When Just As I Am plays I immediately feel as if I’m at a church service and some pastor is giving an altar call. Many churches will skip a verse or two when singing a hymn. This baby seemed to get all six verses and sometimes on repeat.

We love the concept of God accepting us just as we are. We don’t have to clean up. We don’t have to start spiritual disciplines, join a church, or really do anything to make ourselves worthy to come to Christ. We can’t. We just come as we are. Period.

And the Lord Jesus accepts us. Warts and all.

A Strange Detail

I stumbled upon an interesting verse today. It’s a strange little detail. I don’t want to make more out of it than is there but it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. (Mark 4:36)

Now, I think what Mark is telling us is that Jesus didn’t make any special preparations for the trip across the lake. Nor did he take a nap before he went. He was physically exhausted.

“Just as he was.”

Mark is the busiest gospel. And here we see the toll it has taken on our Lord. He falls asleep on the stern of a tiny boat in the midst of a crazy thunderstorm. He got into the boat (or stayed in the same boat if you read it that way) just as he was.

Why does Mark tell us this? Why tell us that he went “just as he was”?

Just As He Was

In part, I think Mark is showing us the humanity of Jesus. Because it’s the humanity of Jesus that is a real stumbling block to the disciples in the midst of this storm. They need God in the boat. They need the One who could part the sea.

But what they are confronted with is a sleeping Savior—the Suffering Servant. They wanted mighty, powerful, dead-man raising, demon-casting Son of God. But in this moment that’s not what they got. They get peacefully asleep Jesus. Tranquil in the face of their terror.

“Just as He was.”

That’s why we are in this mess. Tired Jesus. No preparation. No planning ahead. Not waiting until morning. Not letting us get a good night of sleep. He just sent us out onto this lake and then fell asleep.

Ever feel like that?

Ever get mad at Jesus because He’s not doing what you want or being who you think he ought to be?

The disciples took Jesus onto the boat “just as He was” but they didn’t rest there. They attempted to rouse Jesus to becoming who they thought He should be. And this is why he says, “Have you still no faith?”

For Boebert and Greene, Faith—And Christian Nationalism—Sells

By

Jack Jenkins

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August 2, 2023

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., kneels during a worship service led by musician Sean Feucht in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, March 9, 2023, in Washington. RNS photo by Jack Jenkins

WASHINGTON (RNS) — At last summer’s “Family Camp Meeting,” convened at Charis Christian Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the church’s pastor, Lawson Perdue, opened one of the sessions by playing a campaign video featuring Rep. Lauren Boebert driving in a demolition derby. Then Boebert took the stage herself, launching into a nearly hour-long speech that cited Scripture and laced her right-wing political message with religious rhetoric.

“I want to let y’all know, right now is the time for the church to influence the nation,” the Colorado congresswoman said, sparking applause. “This is the vision that our Founding Fathers had from the beginning.”

After she finished, Perdue took the microphone and encouraged the crowd to donate to Boebert’s cause — specifically, her reelection campaign.

“We cannot, as a church, legally give her an offering, but I’m going to tell you how you can give to Lauren,” Perdue said, making sure to recite the URL for Boebert’s website and project it onto the screen.

“I’d like at least 50 people in this room to join me by donating $100 — I’d like to give her at least $5,000 from Charis Christian Center today,” he added, noting he planned to donate himself. “Do it today, so she knows it came from us.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a member of the House Freedom Caucus, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Mixtures of faith, politicking and even fundraising have become common for Boebert and other political figures, particularly Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, both of whom have linked right-wing political personas to conservative Christian movements and leaders. Spurred by polarized politics, forms of conservative Christian faith and overt appeals to Christian nationalism are increasingly used to bolster political and financial support for GOP candidates — sometimes in ways that may run afoul of federal tax law.

Sam Brunson, law professor at Loyola University Chicago and author of “God and the IRS: Accommodating Religious Practice in United States Tax Law,” said the solicitation at Charis Christian Center may violate federal tax law. The IRS website notes nonprofits could lose their tax-exempt status if they endorse candidates or engage in campaign fundraising, declaring they are “absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”

Sam Brunson. Photo courtesy Loyola University Chicago

“It is clearly a problem under the Johnson Amendment,” Brunson said, referring to the common name for the specific prohibition in the tax code. “It clearly violates the rules under 501(c)(3).”

Whether breaking those rules will mean anything is another matter. Brunson pointed to a recent investigation by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune that tracked similar practices at a politically diverse range of churches from across the country. The IRS is known to avoid enforcing the Johnson Amendment, he said, and churches highlighted by the ProPublica/Texas Tribune investigation have generally faced few, if any, legal repercussions.

Neither Charis Christian Center nor Boebert’s office responded to questions about last summer’s solicitation.

Boebert, like many politicians on either side of the aisle, speaks at churches regularly, and Religion News Service did not find examples of her soliciting funds directly from the pulpit. Her speeches during church services often appeal to a broader message, or occur in sanctuaries that are hosting larger political events.

But the line between political rally and church service has blurred in some conservative Christian spaces, particularly those that give voice to forms of Christian nationalism. Perdue wasn’t even the first faith leader to make a funding pitch on Boebert’s behalf: In 2021, Boebert also spoke at the Truth and Liberty Conference, hosted at Charis Bible College, where she attracted media attention for calling on the Almighty to install “righteous men and women of God” to run the government. Evangelist Andrew Wommack, who oversees the political group that organized the conference, stood next to her and encouraged an estimated 1,000 attendees to give $20 to her cause each.

Former President of Baptist State Convention Under Investigation for Alleged Abuse

By

Bob Smietana

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August 2, 2023

(RNS) — The Rev. Bob Stine, former president of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, will be required to answer questions in court in September after police in Madison, Wisconsin, recommended he be charged with sexual assault.

The Dane County district attorney’s office said the case involving Stine, pastor of Midvale Baptist Church in Madison, is under review. No charges have been filed.

“The DA’s Office has received the referral from Madison Police Dept,” the DA’s office said in an email about Stine. “He is scheduled to appear for an Initial Appearance on 9/7/23 at 8:30 AM.”

Police have investigated allegations that Stine inappropriately touched children during a group visit to a state park in 2021, according to television station WISC in Madison. That investigation led the state’s Department of Children and Families to revoke the license for Kid’s Best Child Care, a day care run by Midvale Baptist, in late June.

“The Department has received credible information that licensee Robert Stine is the subject of an investigation, which has resulted in referral to the Dane County District Attorney’s office for criminal charges of sexual abuse of a child,” said a letter from DCF to the church, posted online by WICS. “The Department has concluded that these findings substantially relate to the care of children and have created a condition that directly threatens the health, safety, and welfare of children in care.”

The church’s day care facility was reportedly shut down in April. Neither Stine nor his attorney responded to a request for comment.

According to his bio on Midvale’s website, Stine is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has been pastor since 2007. He is also a former leader of the Baptist Student Union at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

Despite the investigation, Stine’s bio remains on the church website and the television station reported that he has continued to preach at the church, though videos of recent services were recently reportedly removed from the church’s YouTube page.

Stine had been president of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention until May, when he resigned because of the police investigation, said Leo Endel, the convention’s executive director.

Endel said the convention is cooperating with the investigative process and had been waiting to see if Stine would be charged with a crime. Now that the investigation is public, Engel said that the convention’s board is being notified. Endel said that he’d also notified a consultant who is helping the convention address sexual abuse in church as well as the Southern Baptist Convention’s credential committee.

“Our practice has been that as soon as charges are filed or there is public news, we get the word out among our people to try to prevent any other future incidents,” he said.

Vice President Harris Critiques Florida’s Slavery View at AME Churchwomen’s Meeting

By

Adelle M Banks

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August 2, 2023

Vice President Harris — Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the African Methodist Episcopal Church Women’s Missionary Society, Aug. 1, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. Video screen grab

(RNS) — In a speech to a women’s convention of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Tuesday (Aug. 1), Vice President Kamala Harris responded to a written invitation from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss the state’s controversial standards for teaching the history of slavery in public schools.

“I’m here in Florida and I will tell you there is no roundtable, no lecture, no invitation we will accept to debate an undeniable fact: There were no redeeming qualities of slavery,” she said to applause and cheers at the quadrennial convention of the Women’s Missionary Society of the AME Church in Orlando.

The state’s 216-page listing of social studies academic standards twice refers to instruction including “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

“Let us agree that it is a sign of strength, not of weakness, for leaders to have empathy, to be concerned about the suffering of others, and let us also agree that our faith requires action,” the vice president said. “It requires that we fight for what we know to be true, for what we know to be good and for what we know to be right.”

DeSantis, a candidate for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, offered a meeting “given your grave concern (which, I must assume, is sincere) about what you think our standards say.” The letter, dated July 31, said the meeting could include William Allen, a member of Florida’s African American History Standards Workgroup and an adviser to the governor.

Harris opened her remarks recalling recent words she heard from her pastor, the Rev. Amos C. Brown, leader of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church: “As people of faith, we are called to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God,” she said, echoing the biblical Book of Micah.

She said the society members she was addressing follow that prophet’s request.

“You care for the sick and feed the hungry,” she said at the convention, which had 3,000 registered attendees. “You organize to stop the horror of gun violence. You help Americans register to vote so they can make their voices heard.”

Harris urged them to continue to protect “hard-fought, hard-won freedoms” in the nation.

“Just consider: In states across our nation, extremists attack the freedom to vote. They pass laws to ban drop boxes, to limit early voting, to make it illegal to offer food and water to people who are standing in line for hours to simply cast their ballot,” she said. “Bishops, whatever happened to love thy neighbor?”

Harris said she felt “at home” among the AME Church members as she recalled her own Christian upbringing in Oakland, California.

“Growing up, I attended 23rd Avenue Church of God, and my sister Maya and I, we sang in the choir, of course went to Sunday school and gathered with family and friends in the basement of our church to eat food prepared by loving hands,” she said, describing churches as settings to share and find faith. “In moments of uncertainty and confusion, when the way is not clear, it is faith that guides us forward, faith in what we often cannot see yet know to be true.”

Harris also used the speech to criticize laws that have limited abortion access and LGBTQ rights.

“And, all the while, these same extremists refuse to pass reasonable gun safety laws to keep our children and places of worship safe, reasonable gun safety laws like the type Mother Emanuel has fought too long for,” she said, referring to the AME church in Charleston, South Carolina, where the pastor and eight others were killed when a white supremacist opened fire during a Bible study in 2015.

Don’t Just Pray — Become a PRAYING Church

By

Brady Boyd

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August 2, 2023

Most churches pray, but not all are praying churches. Most churches pause during their gatherings to pray, sometimes out of ritual, but certainly out of sincerity. But how does a church make the leap to become a praying church, where prayer is the engine and fuel behind every spiritual advancement?

5 Steps to Becoming a Praying Church

1. Prayer is modeled.

Prayer is caught more than taught. Praying pastors model a prayerful life and those that are influenced by them tend to lead a prayerful life of their own. Some years ago we tried 21 days of prayer and fasting, with prayer meetings happening 24 hours a day.

2. Prayer is first.

In a praying church, the first response to any difficult situation is to pray. When there is still no solution, the answer is to pray again. Repeat as needed.

3. Prayer is proactive.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he told them to first ask for God’s Kingdom to come to the earth. Later in the prayer, he told them to ask for daily bread. It is true that the most attended prayer services are normally after a national or local crisis and that is certainly warranted. However, we should be proactive in our prayers, asking now for the Kingdom to come.

Intergenerational Worship Is NOT . . .

By

Christina Embree

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August 2, 2023

It seems like whenever the topic of multigenerational or intergenerational worship gets brought up, a lot of concerns and assumptions start being expressed. Recently, someone directed some comments towards me that included many of those assumptions such as, “Intergenerational worship doesn’t meet the developmental needs of children and/or adults” and “Kids need to have their own space” and “We can’t dumb down the service just so kids can be there.”

Each of these concerns is fraught with a backdrop of suppositions and presumptions about what it could mean to have all ages gather for a time of intergenerational worship. And rather than address each of these individually, I thought I’d share some thoughts regarding what intergenerational worship is not and what intergenerational worship is.

Intergenerational Worship is NOT…

1. Putting kids in the sanctuary

If the goal was just to put children and youth in the sanctuary, then creating a new service geared to them and separate from the rest of the body would make sense. But that’s exactly the opposite of what intergenerational worship is. The whole point is to create space for all generations, old and young and in-between, to worship together.

Creating a new service or maintaining an existing service that targets one specific generation can’t accomplish this goal. It’s not just about putting seats in the seats; it’s about engaging the entire body of Christ in the work of the people (liturgy) or, in other words, the corporate community worshiping God together.

2. Glorified Kid’s Church

Some people express the concern that if children and youth are welcomed into the service, they’d have to start doing “kids stuff” like singing songs with motions and eating goldfish during the super-short, kid-appropriate sermon.

Intergenerational worship is not old people pretending to be kids or young people trying to act old. If that happened, it would be a total disservice to the whole point of intergenerational worship which has at its heart a desire to help kids and youth and adults and elderly be a part of the church as it is, whatever that looks like, and to experience all the parts of church that make it unique to their church tradition (such as liturgy, songs, Scripture reading, celebratory practices like baptism and communion, and all the other rhythms that make each worship service unique).

Christian Subculture and a Look at What Jesus Would (Really) Do

By

Henry Zonio

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August 1, 2023

What are your thoughts about Christian subculture? Read on for a hot take about this controversial topic.

I once watched the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, with celebrities accepting award after award. When Miley Cyrus (aka, Hannah Montana) was named Favorite Female Singer and Favorite Female TV Actress, she thanked her “Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.” Now, nothing is wrong with doing that. But why make a point of it? It’s almost as if she had to say it to legitimize her standing in the “I’m-a-Christian” club.

OK, maybe I’m being harsh. But anyone can say they’re a Christian. What’s even worse than saying something like that when accepting an award is the response by the evangelical community. “Oh, look! Hannah Montana is a Christian! It’s OK now to watch the show and buy her CDs!”

We jump up and down and celebrate “yet another Christian shining their light in evil Hollywood.” We celebrate that she’s part of the club … until she messes up. Then we throw her out of the Christian subculture. “Oh, we don’t let our kids watch that show. Can you believe what she did? And her father … and he says he’s a Christian. Tsk, tsk, tsk …”

Christian subculture: What are we doing?!

We have Christian-ized everything from video-upload websites to popular video games. You may wonder, “What’s the harm in doing stuff like that? Don’t we want to have Christian alternatives to the world?” I don’t know anymore.

We’re so busy creating a subculture called evangelical Christianity, we get obsessed with sanitizing everything so it’s acceptable. Yet we don’t go out and engage our communities and build relationships with people who need Jesus. Then we pass that attitude on to our children.

I remember Kid Nation episode four, titled “Bless Us and Keep Us Safe.” If you never watched the show, it aired in fall 2007. A group of kids went to a New Mexico ghost town to see if they could run it without adults.

The kids quickly separated into different belief camps. The most vocal were the Christians. I wish I could say I was proud of this. But most of their statements were “Christians rule!” and “Christians are better!” These kids polarized themselves into a group and ostracized others simply because of different belief systems. It was completely foreign to these kids to be respectful of other beliefs while holding on to their own.

At the end of the episode, many of the Christian kids finally entered into conversations about faith or lack thereof. The sad thing is, most were confused about their beliefs. Many of us would say, “Well, they didn’t receive enough truth. We didn’t teach them apologetics and enough Bible stories. We didn’t teach them to be deep in their spiritual walk.”

How Country Singer Walker Hayes Went From Being an ‘Alcoholic Atheist’ to a Sober Believer in Jesus

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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August 1, 2023

Billboard Music Award-winning country artist Walker Hayes recently shared how God transformed him from being an “alcoholic atheist” to a sober believer in Jesus.

The 43-year-old father of six shared with Fox News Digital that he starting drinking alcohol at the age of 13 and didn’t sober up until eight years ago.

“I’m eight years sober this October,” Hayes said. “I woke up one day when I was working at Costco. I was working at Costco from 4 to 11 and then writing and then playing shows. And man, it caught up to me.”

Hayes explained that he “woke up one Saturday, and I just felt like I was going to die.”

“I felt like, physically, if I did one more day, something was wrong. And so I stopped [drinking], and then one day turned into two, and then two turned into a week. And then a week turned into a month,” he continued. “And then I did the whole high on sobriety thing and got into working out and stuff, kind of traded a bad addiction for some good ones. But then the good ones, they become bad also, so I went through that process.”

Hayes praised his friend, Craig Allen Cooper, whom he now calls a brother, for showing him the gospel and leading him to faith in Jesus.

The singer met Cooper after Cooper’s wife invited Hayes’ wife, Laney, to church and insisted that the family attend. Hayes, who once described himself as an atheist, told Fox News Digital that he went to church that day drunk.

Nevertheless, that encounter began a friendship that God used to impact Hayes’ life and draw him to repentance. Cooper showed Hayes what it meant to take care of someone’s needs.

Hayes shared of a time after the families became neighbors when the singer lost his record deal and fell on hard times financially—so much so that the family’s minivan was repossessed, leaving them without a vehicle that could transport their family of eight. It was then that Cooper gave Hayes his own minivan to use.

Cooper showed Hayes how much he himself needed Jesus, which in turn showed Hayes his need.

All of ‘The Chosen,’ Season 4, Could Premiere in Theaters, Says Dallas Jenkins

By

Jessica Mouser

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August 1, 2023

The Chosen Season 4 — Screengrab from YouTube / @TheChosenSeries

Season 4 of “The Chosen” could debut in theaters in its entirety, according to the show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins. In a livestream celebrating the conclusion of the filming of the newest season, Jenkins and the show’s star, Jonathan Roumie, answered questions from fans and Jenkins gave a first look at two scenes from Season 4.

“We are actually quite exhausted,” said Jenkins. Roumie acknowledged that he is ready for a break, saying, “I’m ready to be done. It’s been quite a ride this season. It’s going to be an amazing season.”

“I actually think that this is going to be the most impactful season we’ve ever done, emotionally and spiritually,” Jenkins said.

‘The Chosen,’ Season 4, Is ‘Deeper’

At the beginning of the livestream, Jenkins celebrated the recent press “The Chosen” has gotten because of its exemption from the ongoing actors strike, as well as its success on Amazon Prime and its recent feature on the cover of TV Guide. The director also encouraged people to buy virtual tickets to the upcoming ChosenCon event in October.

Jenkins announced that, while this news is not yet certain, it is possible that all episodes of Season 4 (which will release in late January or early February) will come out in theaters before going to streaming. Previously, the show has only released a couple of episodes at a time in theaters. “I am genuinely shocked,” Roumie responded. “I had no idea. That’s amazing.”

While Jenkins thought filming Season 3 was more difficult than filming Season 4, Roumie thought that Season 4 was more challenging, citing how much walking the actors had to do in bad weather with wind and dirt constantly blowing in their faces. There are not as many large-scale miracles portrayed in Season 4, but both men agreed that it is “deeper.”

Jenkins said that the theme of Season 3 was Jesus’ words, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” But, said Jenkins, ”In this season, Jesus is weary and heavy-laden.” As the story of “The Chosen” approaches Holy Week, the weight of his task hits Jesus, namely, that he is going to die and that no one really understands his mission. Roumie even got emotional at unplanned times during filming. He said that Season 4 has been the hardest to act “hands down.”

Regarding Jenkins’ and Roumie’s plans once “The Chosen” completes all seven seasons, Jenkins joked, “Can we nap for about a year?”

NBA Player Jonathan Isaac Celebrates Launch of Apparel Company To Provide Alternative to ‘Woke’ Brands

By

Dale Chamberlain

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August 1, 2023

Controversial NBA player Jonathan Isaac has officially launched his UNITUS apparel company, which is centered on “faith, family, freedom, and the pursuit of true greatness.”

Outside of his performance on the court, the 25-year-old Orlando Magic forward is well-known for his opposition to the Black Lives Matter organization and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

In 2020, shortly following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Isaac stood alone during the national anthem before a game as his teammates knelt while wearing t-shirts that read “Black Lives Matter.”

When asked about his decision not to kneel with his teammates, Isaac said, “Racism isn’t the only thing that plagues our society, that plagues our nation, that plagues our world. We want to to get past not only racism but everything that plagues us as a society. I feel like the answer to it is the gospel.”

Isaac later authored a book titled “Why I Stand,” in which he recounts “a series of divine connections and a willingness to follow Christ.”

Not long after his decision to stand alone during the anthem, Isaac was in the headlines again—this time for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Of that decision, Isaac said, “Viewing it, it seemed forced.”

“It seemed that there was so much pressure in doing it. I don’t see the wisdom in putting something into my body that’s not going to stop me from getting the virus or transmitting it,” Isaac went on to say. “That is why I decided to be the only player on my team to not get vaccinated.”

In light of these public battles over social issues, Isaac was motivated to create a line of sports apparel that was distinctly “anti-woke.”

“Retail brands have the freedom to go woke,” Isaac tweeted to announce the launch of UNITUS. “We have the freedom to create an alternative.”

“UNITUS is a sports and apparel company, and the basis of it, for me, is freedom,” Isaac said in a video interview that was posted alongside the tweet. “You have companies that are in that field that made a conscious decision to either attack or undermine Christian values, you know, conservative values and things like that.”

In Portugal, Pope Francis Will Sow Seeds of His Legacy

By

Claire Giangrave

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August 1, 2023

Volunteers are lifted up by others after a Mass celebrated for volunteers from around the world in Estoril, outside Lisbon, Portugal, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The volunteers will be working during the World Youth Day from Aug. 1 to Aug. 6, with the presence of Pope Francis. The event is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of young Catholic faithful to Lisbon. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — When Pope Paul VI became the first pontiff to set foot in Portugal in 1967, the church and world were in turmoil.

Deep fractures spurred by the Second Vatican Council, the massive 1962-65 summit aimed at reconciling the church with the growing secularism of the time, commanded his attention.

When Pope Francis visits Portugal for the World Youth Day celebration Wednesday (Aug. 2-6), he will lay the groundwork for another, potentially seismic, church event.

In October, the Vatican will host a gathering of bishops and lay Catholics, the synod on synodality, to address the main challenges facing the institution — from the sexual abuse crisis to the role of women and inclusion of LGBTQ faithful.

Francis will address nearly 1 million Catholics gathered for World Youth Day, a festival initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1986 and centered around prayer and music. Considered the largest Catholic event in the world, the pontiff will have the opportunity over several days to meet and talk to young people between the ages of 16 and 35 from all over the world.

“I hope to see a seed of the world of the future in Lisbon,” Pope Francis said in a video message published July 27, in which he set his prayer intentions for the youth festival. “A world where love is at the center, where we can feel like brothers and sisters.”

On Thursday (Aug. 3), Francis will meet with members of the Argentine group Scholas Occurrentes, aimed at promoting encounter and dialogue. The next day (Aug. 4), he is scheduled to conduct a Via Crucis, or stations of the cross, with young people at the festival. On Saturday (Aug. 5), the pope will lead a vigil near the Tago River in a nature reserve not far from Lisbon. In the same location, the pope will preside over the closing Mass for World Youth Day.

This will mark the first World Youth Day since 2019; the festival was halted for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Vatican, more than 700 bishops and 20 cardinals will attend. Some 20,000 volunteers from 200 countries are expected.

A delegation from Russia and Ukraine is also expected. When Pope Francis asked for faithful to pray for him as he embarked on this trip during his Angelus prayer on Sunday (July 30), he also mentioned the conflict taking place in Ukraine and asked the Russian “brothers” to restore the Black Sea grain trade deal.

The Russia-Ukraine war also occupies the pontiff’s mind as he prepares to meet with Catholic youth.

“We are at war,” Francis said in his message. “We need something different. A world that is not afraid to bear witness to the gospel. A world where there is joy, because if us Christians don’t have joy then we are not credible, and no one will believe us.”

Few places are as closely associated with the message for peace than the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared in 1917 to three shepherd children. In the apparitions, Mary is believed to have asked the children to pray the rosary to bring World War I to an end.

How Sean Feucht Helped Bring the Devil’s Music to Indiana’s State Capitol

By

Heather Greene

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August 1, 2023

Sean Feucht The Satanic Temple — Satanic Planet performs in Brooklyn, New York, in April 2023. Photo by Becky DiGiglio

(RNS) — A conflict between The Satanic Temple and musician and Christian activist Sean Feucht is poised to escalate as the Temple prepares to host its first Let Us Burn concert in the Indiana State Capitol on Sept. 28 at noon.

The concert is meant to offer an alternative to Feucht’s Christian-themed concerts being held at or around state capitols.

Shortly after announcing the Let Us Burn concert, the Temple received a cease-and-desist letter from Feucht’s lawyers demanding it stop using the tour logo in promoting the event, citing trademark infringement.

“Your use of the ‘Let Us Burn’ and its corresponding logo is a violation and infringement of the Ministry’s duly registered trademarks, as ‘Let Us Burn’ is a confusingly similar mark,” read the letter from Feucht’s lawyer.

Feucht also protested the concert in spiritual terms.

“The devil always tries to counterfeit the authentic,” he tweeted in mid-June.

In a more recent statement to RNS on Monday, he said, “You know you’re doing something good for the Kingdom of God when your opponent is literally Satan.”

For the past three years, Feucht has been touring the country, putting on concerts and rallies, often in public spaces. Those concerts began as protests to COVID lockdown rules known as “Let Us Worship,” but they’ve since taken on a more Christian nationalist tone. This past spring, Feucht teamed up with the right-wing youth organization Turning Point USA to launch a Kingdom to the Capitol tour of statehouses.

The first event was held March 17 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The latest events were held outside Oregon’s and Idaho’s statehouses.

In a July interview with The Washington Times, Feucht said that it is essential for Christians to step outside the four walls of the church and bring worship to every state capitol.

“We believe this is a season for revival for our nation,” the tour’s website reads.

All of the tour events were held outside, with the exception of the May 7 Indianapolis concert, which was hosted within Indiana’s statehouse. Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” concert ran 90 minutes and was attended by Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. During the concert, Feucht said a blessing over Crouch.

Following the event, members of The Satanic Temple, a nontheistic 501(c)(3) religious organization known for its political activism, took notice.

Riley Phoebus, head of the Indiana Congregation of The Satanic Temple, sent an inquiry to Tracy Jones, the state’s director of events, asking to schedule its own concert event inside the capitol.

“That stage is as much ours as it is his,” said Phoebus. The application was rejected because, as Jones’ email response read, the “type of event was not permitted.” Phoebus responded by “demanding equal opportunity to do what Sean did,” she told RNS in an interview. The state did not budge.

Then the Temple’s lawyers stepped in.

Falwell Jr. Sues Liberty University, Alleging Trademark Infringement of Falwell Sr.’s Likeness

By

Jack Jenkins

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August 1, 2023

Jerry Falwell Liberty University — FILE - In this June 20, 2005, file photo, the Rev. Jerry Falwell speaks at the SBC Pastors' Conference in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

(RNS) — Jerry Falwell Jr., the former president of Liberty University, is suing the school, arguing administrators are committing trademark infringement by using the late Jerry Falwell Sr.’s likeness without consulting with the family.

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court last week on behalf of Falwell Jr. and the family trust, accuses the school of misappropriating “for itself” the name and image of Falwell Sr., the conservative Christian evangelist who co-founded the evangelical university in 1971.

“The University has now-repeatedly distributed advertising and promotional materials that use the JERRY FALWELL trademark—as well as Dr. Falwell’s name and image—in a manner that is likely to leave consumers confused as to the relationship between Liberty University and the JERRY FALWELL brand and the Falwell Family Trust,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit claims the school has already created a custom font based on Falwell Sr.’s handwriting for advertising purposes and even created a hologram of the late evangelist. It also notes the school’s intention to create a Jerry Falwell Center on campus as a welcome center for future students, a move it alleges also infringes on the trademark.

Falwell Sr., a pastor and nationally known televangelist who emerged as a prominent political figure in the 1990s, ran the school until he died at his desk in 2007. It struggled financially during his tenure but rebounded under his son, Falwell Jr., who invested heavily in online education. During his tenure Liberty became one of the largest Christian schools in the country.

Falwell Jr. resigned as president of the evangelical Christian school in 2020 in the wake of a series of scandals involving his family, including allegations that his wife, Becki, had a years-long sexual relationship with a business associate.

Asked about the lawsuit, a Liberty spokesperson said the school prefers not to comment on active litigation but sent along a statement to provide context. The spokesperson argued Falwell Sr.’s name is “synonymous with Liberty University, and for decades has been used across campus, including on buildings such as the Jerry Falwell Museum and the Jerry Falwell Library.”

In addition, the spokesperson alleged the lawsuit is a response to a request made by Falwell Jr. for Liberty “to pay $7 million dollars for his permission to continue to use the name of Liberty’s founder for the next four years” and allow the former president to maintain “total editorial control of Liberty’s use of the name of Liberty’s founder.” The school, the spokesperson said, denied the request.

“Liberty University is confident it will ultimately prevail in this case and the university will be able to maintain its use of the name of its founder,” the statement concluded.

This article originally appeared here.

How To Read 200 Books a Year

By

James Emery White

-

August 1, 2023

Read 200 Books in a Year — Adobestock #538843311

Want conviction? Try the title of this article: “In the time you spend on social media each year, you could read 200 books.”

Ouch.

But is it true?

Yes, I believe for most people, it is. Here’s the four-step process:

1. Do Not Quit Before You Start.

Many will see “200 books” and immediately think, “I can’t!” or, “It’s just not possible.” All that does is guarantee that (for you) you won’t, and that it’s impossible.

2. Do the Math.

As author Charles Chu notes, the average American reads 200-400 words per minute. The typical non-fiction book has 50,000 words.

Here’s the math: 200 books at 50,000 words per book equals 10 million words. Ten million words at 400 words per minute equals 25,000 minutes. 25,000 minutes equals 417 hours.

I know, you’re thinking: “417 hours?! No one has that kind of time.”

Which just means you’re now ready for the third step.

3. Find the Time.

It was the famed business author Jim Collins who first challenged me about finding time for what matters most. He said that most of us don’t need more “to do” lists, but rather “stop doing” lists. That a lack of time does not war against something like reading, but rather that we are filling our time with things other than reading.

Now to Chu’s point. The average American spends 609 hours a year on social media and 1,642 hours watching TV. Once again, let’s do the math. That’s 2,250 hours a year combined. If you took all of those hours and instead spent them reading, you wouldn’t read 200 books a year. You would read more than 1,000 books a year.

So we have the time. Lots of it. In excess.

5 Essentials for Today’s Church To Thrive

By

Dan Reiland

-

August 1, 2023

If you quietly believe your church isn’t that different today than two years ago, consider that because the culture has dramatically changed, people see, perceive, and experience your church differently.

That reality is unavoidable.

The essential question is — Are people experiencing the difference in your church that you want them to experience?

In most cases, the difference is shaped by nuance, how you say what you say, how you treat people, and the values and convictions you stand for – not your programs.

The new church is people over methods. Yes, it’s always been about people, but we have leaned heavily into models and methods for decades, and while they will still serve you well, people must come first.

As little as twenty-five to thirty years ago, society looked at the local church, generally speaking, with favor. It was seen as good even for many that didn’t go themselves. Today, the church (again, in general) is often seen as something unnecessary, irrelevant, or maybe even questioned.

It’s my observation that people are considering things of a spiritual nature more and more because, intuitively, they’re at a loss for answers in a world that increasingly doesn’t make sense.

Turning the tide is not easy, and it’s a long road ahead, but it’s unquestionably doable! I have great faith in the Church because I have faith in a great God.

So, where do we start?

Start where people are and meet them with the gospel.

The great search today is for:

Peace over anxiety
Truth over opinions
Meaning over superficial
Joy over anger
Freedom over addiction

The longer the absence of peace, truth, meaning, joy, and freedom continues, the greater the discontent.

Therefore,

Many are deciding if they will pursue God.
They are deciding if they will trust and value “church.”
And among them, some will consider trying your church.

More than ever, people are searching for answers, and you have them. Your church carries the truth of the gospel, the grace of your community, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we continue to become better at what we are good at, the church will continue to be the hope of the world.

Current culture is more complex, it’s changing rapidly, and we must keep up.

The church is good at these things on the following list, but we must get better.

5 Essentials for Today’s Church to Thrive

1. A Spirit of Grace and Kindness That Permeates the Culture

The great void in current culture is grace and kindness. Thankfully, we see it in action, but it’s not the overall tone in most communities.

Digital Icons or Concrete Words – How to Communicate our Content?

By

Yvon Prehn

-

August 1, 2023

Technology has given us tools to communicate our message beyond our wildest dreams, especially in our ability to communicate with images. As a result of this, channels of communication have sprung up (Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube) that are primarily image-based. In the past (though this will be hard for younger church communicators to imagine) a quality image cost hundreds of dollars to buy and sometimes hundreds more to reproduce it in a quality church communication. It obviously isn’t that way anymore. Hundreds of thousands of digital images, digital icons, are free to use in any way we want.

We know that in general (and it’s very general — there are always exceptions: ask any age person with a serious Pinterest addiction) that younger generations tend to like the more image-based channels; older generations are more text-based.

No matter what tools we use to create our message, no matter what channels we use to share it, the one thing that never changes is our core content. Our content, permeated with the truth of the entire Bible and culminating with a call to salvation and discipleship in Jesus, must be the anchor and ultimate purpose of our communication ministry. It takes many pieces in many forms to completely share that message, but we need to keep that in mind.

Digital Icons or Concrete Words?

Here is one of the greatest challenges, controversies and problems confronting church communicators today: the mistaken priority use of images over carefully crafted words to communicate our content. It doesn’t matter what technology channel we use, the issue of the communication value of words vs. digital icons is the same.

Digital icons can hit us with emotion and delight, but their actual message can be harder to pin down. Just because images are cheap, easy and fun to use today doesn’t mean they on their own get our message across.

Words are the primary carriers of content, of clear propositional truth. Words, however, are difficult to wrangle into meaning. It takes work, thought, planning and editing with words to even approximate clear communication.

‘We Are Never Going To Be Friends’—JoJo Siwa on Candace Cameron Bure’s Traditional View of Marriage

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

July 31, 2023

JoJo Siwa Candace Cameron Bure — (L) JoHo Siwa screenshot via YouTube @Nick Viall (R) Candace Cameron Bure Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dancer, singer, actress, YouTuber, and outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ community JoJo Siwa recently discussed her internet clash with Christian actress Candace Cameron Bure last year.

Siwa’s comments about the dispute came in the context of an interview on Nick Viall’s (“The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette”) podcast, “The Viall Files.”

The kerfuffle began after Siwa posted a TikTok video accusing Bure of being the “rudest celebrity” she had ever met. Siwa’s video was montage of celebrities with titles like “celebrity crush,” “nicest celebrity,” and “coolest celebrity. However, Bure was placed in a category that caused both her and her fans to question why the “Dance Moms” star felt that way.

Siwa was referencing a time when she was young and attempted to get a photo with Bure during a red carpet premiere of “Fuller House.” Siwa said that the “Full House” star told her, “Not right now.” Siwa said she thought nothing of the exchange until she walked back to be with her mom and saw Bure taking pictures with other kids.

After the two talked on the phone and Bure apologized, the dust seemed to settle. That is, until Bure made a comment regarding traditional marriage upon leaving the Hallmark Channel to join Great American Family.

Bure’s comment was in response to a question asked by The Wall Street Journal as to whether her new network would feature LGTBQ+ love stories like her previous network had begun to do.

“I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core,” Bure said.

Siwa, who is queer, took to social media once again, describing Bure’s comments as “rude and hurtful to a whole community of people.”

At one point during her recent interview, Viall asked Siwa what scares her most about society today. She replied, “How serious people take things.”

Siwa then encouraged listeners to make peace instead of fighting over things, reminding them that life is precious: “We don’t know when it’s going to be our last moment. I try to live every day not upset about something. Not fighting about something. Not angry about something.”

Viall segued into asking Siwa how things stand with Bure and her today.

“It’s interesting,” Siwa said.

Siwa then gave some backstory, explaining that she has nothing against religion.

“I grew up super religious. And I mean, I still have faith. I still believe,” she said, adding that there is nothing wrong with making movies that depict “traditional marriage with a man and a woman.”

Siwa said that she took issue with Bure’s comments regarding traditional marriage because she believes Bure was trying to “put down LGBTQIA, and she was specifically going to make movies that had no representation of LGBTQIA—which is fine—but it’s fine if you’re doing it because it isn’t your movie’s storyline.”

“But when you’re doing it out of spite to say that too much is about LGBTQ right now—‘you guys suck, and I want to make a movie about traditional marriage and you’re not traditional’—that got to me a little bit,” Siwa shared.

‘It’s Amazing How Far You Can Go’—Florida Man Charged in $35 Million Ponzi Scheme Targeting Retired Church Members

By

Janna Firestone

-

July 31, 2023

Brent Seaman, founder and CEO of Accanito Capital Group, is accused of a Ponzi scheme that raised nearly $35 million. According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), “Many of these investors were elderly, retired, and connected” to a Naples, Florida, church “where Seaman was an active member.”

In a press release, the SEC charged “Seaman of Naples, Florida, and various entities he managed for fraudulently raising approximately $35 million from at least 60 investors through an unregistered securities offering.”

Seaman and his numerous businesses are formally charged with “violating the registration provisions,” “violating the antifraud provisions,” and “violating the broker-dealer registration provisions.”

Brent Seaman Is Charged in a $35 Million Ponzi Scheme

“From approximately June 2019 until September 2022, Seaman told investors he would use their money to invest in technology companies and to trade currencies and commodities,” according to the allegations. “Seaman falsely promised annual returns ranging between 18 and 48 percent and described the investments as ‘safe’ and the returns as ‘guaranteed.'”

“As alleged in our complaint, Seaman targeted church members with false claims of success,” said Eric I. Bustillo, director of the SEC’s Miami Regional Office. “This action reflects a deep commitment to pursue those who prey on vulnerable investors.”

Seaman sought out retired members of his church and solicited investments. Many unsuspecting and trusting individuals gave up their life savings for a chance at extensive, unbelievable returns.

According to LinkedIn, Seaman’s company, Accanito Capital Group, gives clients the “opportunity to operate on an enterprise scale while growing.” The company invests in tech companies using money from private investors.

Seaman shared his own motto, “Businesses don’t grow; relationships do.” He continued, “And, that is evident in all that I do. I am a connector of people, and you could say I am obsessed with the mission.”

“It’s amazing how far you can go just because someone believed in you,” Seaman posted on Facebook.

Jana Seaman, wife of Brent Seaman, is listed as a “relief defendant.” When the SEC suspects someone is in possession of fraudulent funds, that person, while not formally accused of fraud, might be ordered to relinquish said money.

Seaman and his businesses have agreed to settle “without admitting or denying the Commission’s allegations and subject to court approval.” The courts will also decide “whether it is appropriate to order [the defendants] to pay disgorgement with prejudgement interest and a civil penalty.”

Allegations Include That Brent Seaman Boasted of His Luxurious Lifestyle

The SEC stated, “Seaman solicited investors by touting his proven success investing in currencies when, in reality, he was losing millions of dollars of investors’ money and his currency trading was always unprofitable.”

However, it was important to keep up appearances for future investors. “Seaman also allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars for himself, in part to purchase luxury automobiles and to pay for trips on private planes,” according to the SEC.

Seaman’s Facebook page includes many posts showcasing the family’s luxurious lifestyle—including sports cars, exotic vacations, recreational vehicles, and private jets. He also challenged readers to take risks in life. When supporting a local boat detailer, Seaman’s post boasts, “everything comes full circle. you can either be predator or prey. another one checked off. on to the next.”

“Life is too short to be driving boring cars,” Seaman said when sharing an image of his high-end sports car. “If you are not driving your dream car, then go back to work. Hard work…”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brent Seaman (@brentaseaman)

Lauren Daigle Shocked That People Are Criticizing ‘Sound of Freedom’: ‘This Is Insane’

By

Jessica Mouser

-

July 31, 2023

lauren daigle — Screenshot from Instagram / @ lauren_daigle

It makes no sense that people are criticizing “Sound of Freedom,” which aims to bring awareness to the crime of child trafficking, says Christian artist Lauren Daigle. Daigle recently saw the movie starring Jim Caviezel and shared her thoughts on it in an Instagram video.

“I went to see the movie ‘Sound of Freedom,’ and I have a lot of thoughts,” said Daigle in a video she posted at the end of last week. The artist said she wants to discuss “some things I found very interesting,” one of which is that “people are having to defend this movie.”

“This is insane to me,” said Daigle, adding, “Children being harmed should never be something we question that we need to defend or not…I do not understand.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lauren Daigle (@lauren_daigle)

Lauren Daigle Sees Connection to Judges 19

Lauren Daigle clarified that she knows no one involved in “Sound of Freedom” and her video is not a paid partnership. She simply went to see the movie with her friends and afterward thought, “Holy cow, something needs to happen.” The artist shared that she got involved in advocacy for human trafficking victims while she was in college at Louisiana State University (LSU). During that time, she and her friends would host 5K races to raise money for The A21 Campaign.

“I already had a tug on my heart for this years and years ago and really felt deep connection to that,” Daigle said. In fact, she was a Child and Family Studies major at LSU and had planned to go to law school to do pro bono law for trafficking victims. Her mother suggested that Daigle see “Sound of Freedom” because of her past advocacy.

Daigle, who recently released the first part of her new, self-titled album, commented on the controversy surrounding “Sound of Freedom,” saying, “I saw a lot of pretty inflammatory news articles and headlines and people trying to shut this film down.”

Some critics have accused the movie of supporting the QAnon conspiracy theory, in part because of lead actor Jim Caviezel’s support for the movement. The movie, however, does not promote QAnon, and its distributor, Angel Studios, denies any association with the conspiracy theory.

“I never in a million years thought that this would be something that people could actually split hairs about, that people could actually argue about,” Daigle said. “Children being put in harm’s way by the people, a.k.a. adults, that are supposed to be protecting them in life—this should never be up for question. This should never be up for debate.”

‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star John Schneider Writes a Daily ‘Letter to Heaven’ to Deceased Wife

By

Stephanie Martin

-

July 31, 2023

Months after his wife’s death, actor and country singer John Schneider made his first Hollywood appearance, where he spoke emotionally about widowhood. The “Dukes of Hazzard” star, whose Christian film credits include 2012’s “October Baby,” revealed he has been working on a new album about his wife, titled “We Are Still Us.”

As ChurchLeaders reported, Schneider’s wife, Alicia Allain, died in February at age 53. She was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago and had been told she had about five years to live. The couple, who married in 2019, collaborated on songs and films through Louisiana-based John Schneider Studios.

John Schneider’s New Album Will ‘Be Healing’

Last week, John Schneider, 63, appeared at a musical performance by Dee Dee Sorvino, widow of actor Paul Sorvino. Speaking to The Daily Mail at the event, an emotional Schneider described his upcoming album as “the best thing I’ve ever done.” Although the music “hurt so bad” to write and sing, he said, “the final product is going to be healing for those who are [grieving], of which, statistically speaking, two people get married, one of them is going to die first.”

Schneider added, “We all think that cancer and losing your spouse are things that happen to other people. No, these are things that can happen to you—in my case, way too soon.” The musician and actor said he plans to do “remarkable, great things because of this [loss], not in spite of it.”

Every day on social media, Schneider posts a “letter to heaven” addressed to Allain, whom he nicknamed “Smile.” Since her death, he has discovered “there’s a huge demographic of people who’ve lost a spouse out there, and people are afraid to talk about it,” he said. “So we really have no support system.”

Although Schneider never dreamed he’d be a widower at this point in his life, he said he’s determined to serve as “a well-educated support system for people who lost the loves of their lives.”

John Schneider: ‘It’s OK To Love Someone That Much’

Fighting back tears, Schneider told The Daily Mail, “People need to know it’s OK to love someone that much. In fact, it is how you should feel about your spouse.” To anyone who questions whether their spouse feels that way, Schneider advised, “Well, maybe they do and you’re just too busy in life to realize it.” He added, “If I can help one couple out there realize that they are perfect, then this will not have been in vain.”

A Strange Detail

Just As He Was

5 Steps to Becoming a Praying Church

1. Prayer is modeled.

2. Prayer is first.

3. Prayer is proactive.

Intergenerational Worship is NOT…

1. Putting kids in the sanctuary

2. Glorified Kid’s Church

Christian subculture: What are we doing?!

‘The Chosen,’ Season 4, Is ‘Deeper’

1. Do Not Quit Before You Start.

2. Do the Math.

3. Find the Time.

5 Essentials for Today’s Church to Thrive

1. A Spirit of Grace and Kindness That Permeates the Culture

Digital Icons or Concrete Words?

Brent Seaman Is Charged in a $35 Million Ponzi Scheme

Allegations Include That Brent Seaman Boasted of His Luxurious Lifestyle

Lauren Daigle Sees Connection to Judges 19

John Schneider’s New Album Will ‘Be Healing’

John Schneider: ‘It’s OK To Love Someone That Much’

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