Emmett Till Memorialized in Monument That Includes Chicago Church

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July 26, 2023

(RNS) — For the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., it was the moment he had long awaited and once could not have envisioned.

The older cousin of Emmett Till, Parker is the sole remaining witness to the 1955 kidnapping of the Black teenager, who was dragged from his bed to face a lynching that galvanized the Civil Rights Movement. Now Parker has lived to see the designation of a church in Chicago and two other sites in Mississippi as the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.

“I sat with my family on the night of terror, when Emmett Till, our beloved ‘Bobo,’ was taken from us, taken to be tortured, and brutally murdered,” Parker recalled as he introduced President Joe Biden at a ceremony Tuesday (July 25) at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House before the signing of the proclamation establishing the monument.

“Back then, in the darkness, I could never imagine a moment like this, standing in the light of wisdom, grace and deliverance.”

The new monument will honor Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, in the Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, where Till’s mother insisted on an open-casket funeral so attendees could see what had happened to her son. Photos of his mutilated body were published in Jet magazine and the Chicago Defender, two Black publications.

Mamie Till-Mobley weeps at her son’s funeral on Sept. 6, 1955, in Chicago. (Chicago Sun-Times/AP Photo)

Mamie Till-Mobley weeps at her son’s funeral on Sept. 6, 1955, at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago. (Chicago Sun-Times/AP Photo)

Also designated in the announcement is Graball Landing, near Glendora, Mississippi, believed to be the site where Till’s body was found after white men murdered him after he had been accused of whistling at a white woman. They had attempted to dispose of the body by weighing it down in the Tallahatchie River with a fan blade from a cotton gin. The third site is the county courthouse in nearby Sumner, where two men were acquitted by an all-white jury; they later admitted to their crimes in a magazine interview.

“At a time when there are those who seek to ban books, bury history, we’re making it clear — crystal, crystal clear,” said Biden, drawing applause at the ceremony that occurred on the 82^nd anniversary of Till’s birth.

“While darkness and denialism can hide much, they erase nothing. You can hide, but they erase nothing. We can’t just choose to learn what we want to know. We have to learn what we should know. We should know about our country. We should know everything— the good, the bad, the truth of who we are as a nation,” the president said.

Vice President Kamala Harris voiced a similar sentiment when she opened the noontime ceremony by introducing Parker, who has called Till his best friend.

“Let us not be seduced into believing that somehow we will be better if we forget,” she said. “We will be better if we remember. We will be stronger if we remember because we all here know it is only by understanding and learning from our past that we can continue to work together to build a better future.”

Brent Leggs, executive director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, said he expects the church’s sanctuary will be restored to its 1955 condition and its basement will be modernized to offer tourists videos and other information about the history of the building that dates to 1922.

Synod Raises Hopes for Long-Sought Recognition of Women in the Catholic Church

By

Claire Giangrave

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July 26, 2023

Catholic Church — Digital art pieces created by Becky McIntyre after Philadelphia-area higher education Synodal listening sessions. Images courtesy of Becky McIntyre

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — When Pope Francis called two years ago for a worldwide discussion among rank-and-file Catholics about the main challenges and issues facing the church, the question of women’s ministry and leadership echoed loudly in parishes and bishops’ assemblies.

The question is resounding more loudly as the summit of bishops and lay Catholics known as the Synod on Synodality, scheduled for October, draws near. Participants and observers alike recognize that any conversation about reforming church hierarchy or promoting lay involvement, Francis’ twin goals for the synod, has to include honest exchanges about the role of women.

“It’s not just one issue among others that you can tease out,” said Casey Stanton, co-director of Discerning Deacons, a group committed to promoting dialogue about the female diaconate in the church. “It’s actually kind of at the heart of the synod and we need to take a step forward that is meaningful, and that people can see and feel in their communities.”

Stanton believes that opening the door for women to become deacons — allowing them to oversee some aspects of the Mass but not consecrate the Eucharist or perform other duties reserved for priests such as anointing the sick — could send an important signal to Catholics that the Vatican is listening to their concerns.

The upcoming synod already gives a greater role to women, who will be allowed to vote for the first time in any such meeting. Of the 364 voting participants, mostly bishops, more than 50 will be women. But women were never the intended focus of the synod, a project Francis hoped would inspire discussion of a “new way of being church,” which was interpreted to mean a focus on church power structures and rethinking the privilege enjoyed by clergy.

But by the end of the last phase of the synod, when gatherings of bishops divided by continents examined the topics brought up at the grassroots level, it was clear that the question of women had taken center stage. The document that emerged from those discussions, with the telling title “Enlarge Your Tent,” spoke to the “almost unanimous affirmation” to raise the role of women in the church.

The document described the peripheral role played by women in the church as a growing issue that impacted the function of the clergy and how power is exercised in the historically male-led institution. While it made no mention of female ordination to the priesthood, it did suggest that the diaconate might answer a need to recognize the ministry already offered by women all over the world.

“It’s remarkable the shared cry that came through in ‘Enlarge the Space of Your Tent’ around the deep connection between creating a new synodal path in the church and a church that more fully receives the gifts that women bring,” Stanton said.

When, in June, the Vatican issued its “instrumentum laboris,” or working document that will guide the discussion at the synod, it explicitly asked: “Most of the Continental Assemblies and the syntheses of several Episcopal Conferences call for the question of women’s inclusion in the diaconate to be considered. Is it possible to envisage this, and in what way?”

Attributing the question to the continental assemblies and avoiding the words “ministry” and “ordination” in asking it, said Miriam Duignan, co-director of Women’s Ordination Worldwide, constituted a “preemptive strike” against open discussion of priestly ordination.

This avoids a direct challenge to the Vatican, which has shut down the possibility of women’s ordination many times.

How God Works In Your Life

By

J.D. Greear

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July 26, 2023

A Parable about how God works:When your left elbow itches, what happens? First, the elbow sends a message to your brain that it needs help. Then, your brain receives that intel and interprets it, “Left elbow itches.” Finally, your brain sends a magical power zap directly to the elbow to remedy it. Wait, no? That’s not how it works? Ah, that’s right. Your brain sends a message to your right hand to scratch the itch, caring for the elbow.

Expecting our brain to magically cure our elbow itch (without the rest of the body) sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it? But far too many of us tend to do this with the body of Christ. When we pray about a need in our lives, God doesn’t usually zap power directly down from heaven to fix it (though he certainly can). No, the usual way he meets our needs is by moving a member of his body to do the work, through the means of a spiritual gift. We, the members of Christ’s body, are literally his hands and feet.

How God Works In Your Life

You pray, “God, I need direction in my life.” God says, “Ah, that wisdom you’re looking for comes from the Spirit, and that Spirit speaks through members of my body.”

You pray, “God, I need help in my marriage.” He says, “I’ve put the resources to heal your marriage into members of my body.”

You pray, “God, I’m lonely. I’m confused,” and God says, “I’ve put all my help for all these things into members of my body.”

If you want to know how God works, and if you want God to work in your life, you have to be part of the church. When you disconnect yourself from the church, you disconnect yourself from the power of God. How tragic is it to ask God to work in your life while you distance yourself from the portal of his power!

In other words, don’t be a ninja Christian. Sure, ninjas are cool, but they make bad church members. Every pastor knows what I’m talking about here. This is the church member who slips in silently, unnoticed, sitting on the aisle, ready to make their escape as soon as the closing prayer comes. This is the church member who remains unknown to others, not involved in the life of the church.

This is, in other words, a left elbow that thinks it can get along in life without the rest of the body.

The whole point of being part of a church is knowing and being known by others. We should be so involved in each other’s lives that God uses you in the lives of your brothers and sisters and he uses them in yours. Is it uncomfortable sometimes? A little difficult (okay, more than a little)? Absolutely.

But is it worth it? One hundred percent, yes.

This article about how God works originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

How to Handle Chronic Critics in Your Church

By

Charles Stone

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July 26, 2023

Every church has ‘em. The Chronic Critic – the person(s) who simply can’t be pleased. No matter what you do, they have something negative to say. You are not alone when you face chronic critics. Nehemiah, perhaps one of the greatest leaders of all times, was on a mission from God. Yet he faced chronic critics. They could have derailed his God-given mission. They didn’t. And here’s what he did.

Complete this statement:

The last time I was criticized by someone in my church I …

Reacted
Blew up
Screamed
Cussed
Stayed silent and drove my anger inward
Became defensive
Felt embarrased
Listened and learned from the critic
???

Criticism never feels good. Sometimes it’s warranted. Sometimes it’s not. Nehemiah’s criticism from Sanballat and Tobiah was not warranted, yet Nehemiah wisely responded with the Five P’s below.

How to Handle Chronic Critics in Your Church

Nehemiah 4:1-9 tells the story.

Neh. 4:1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,

2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”

4 Hear us, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.

5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.

6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. (NIV)

You’ll recall that God gave Nehemiah a burden to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, a noble task. He obeyed God’s prompting and got criticized for it. The five insights below from Nehemiah’s response to his chronic critics give us a good template to follow when we’re criticized.

1. Prepare for it.

If you want to make a difference for God, you will be criticized, even though what you’re doing is noble. We live in a fallen world and this world’s systems and values oppose the rule of God. If Satan can use criticism to derail you, he will.

The greater impact you have for God, the more you will be criticized, not less. If you try to please everybody, you may avoid criticism, but you’ll be miserable.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism. (Harrison’s Postulate)

2. Pause and pray.

Instead of reacting, retorting, getting defensive, showing the illogic of his critics, Nehemiah first turned to the Lord in prayer (v. 4). The criticism hurt, but he did not even the score. He asked the Lord to bring appropriate judgment.

Prayer takes the sting out of criticism, and when we pause, it gives time for clear thinking to rule rather than reactivity.

Matt. 5:44 … I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer … . (Message)

Why Pastoring Is Harder Today Than in the Past

By

Chuck Lawless

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July 26, 2023

I’m sure that pastoring a church has always been difficult. At the same time, though, it seems much harder today than it was 35+ years ago when I started in full-time pastoral ministry.

Why Pastoring Is Harder Today Than in the Past

Here’s my assessment about why the task is harder:

1. The Internet has influenced church.

Church members now face pornography that comes to them. Angry members create websites to attack church leaders. Even pastors may be tempted to claim as their own somebody else’s material found on the Internet—especially when church members now compare our preaching to heroes they listen to on the world-wide web.

2. Church was more a part of the rhythm of life years ago.

Sure, many people in our community then weren’t church attenders. At the same time, though, many other folks just knew they were going to church because that’s what their family did. They were at least present to hear the Word.

3. “The Bible says” no longer means much.

I can remember when few people openly questioned the authority of the Word, even if they didn’t always follow it. Now, we often have to first explain why we believe the Word at all.

Children’s Ministries That Stand Out: 7 Important Characteristics

By

Greg Baird

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July 25, 2023

What are characteristics of children’s ministries that stand out? We all want our children’s ministries to grow and thrive. We want to move beyond babysitting at church. And we want to involve others rather than doing everything ourselves.

Of course, we all want these things in our kidmin programs. We want momentum, engagement, high participation and, more than anything, impact.

7 Characteristics of Standout Children’s Ministries

Here are a few characteristics I’ve observed of what I call standout children’s ministries:

1. It’s a God thing.

First, here are some quotes from Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales. I think they speak for themselves:

The most important thing is not the work I can do for God. The most important thing is to make God the most important thing.

The impact God has planned for us doesn’t occur when we’re pursuing impact. It occurs when we’re pursuing God.

2. Focus on the Gospel.

We should be all about the Good News, right? Then why do we get so caught up in environment, communication techniques, relationships, curriculum, etc.? Are all those important? They are absolutely critical! But if they don’t ultimately lead to a focus on the Gospel, none of them really means a whole lot.

3. Stay in alignment.

The leaders of your church need a very specific vision. Your children’s ministries must be carefully and intentionally aligned with this vision. Otherwise, sooner or later you’ll no longer be effective and, most likely, will cause dissension.

4. Tell stories to share the vision.

A vision statement up on the wall is great, but it usually won’t inspire response. Recently I saw this quote by Ally Evans:

There are 2 Steps to Growing Your Kidmin: Create a culture of invitation & share stories all the time.

You communicate vision by the stories you tell. Drive change, recruitment, parent engagement—virtually everything!—through telling these stories.

Christian Influencers Say ‘Shiny Happy People’ Producers Lied About Docuseries

By

Jessica Mouser

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July 25, 2023

Paul and Morgan Olliges, Christian influencers who appeared in the docuseries “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets,” say the producers lied to them about how they would be portrayed in the show.

In a video reacting to the docuseries, which focuses on the Duggar family and the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), Paul Olliges characterized the way he and his wife were portrayed as a “hit piece of literally being lumped in with the IBLP, with extremism, with cultism.”

Paul and Morgan Olliges Give Their Side of the Story

Paul and Morgan Olliges create longform content on YouTube, where their tagline is, “Honest and entertaining relationship talk!” Their YouTube channel says, “We want our lives to glorify Jesus Christ above all else,” and their videos cover topics including sex, current events, and Bethel Church.

“Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” released on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, June 2, and explores the rise and influence of the Duggar family, as well as the impact of IBLP on the Duggars and many other people. The Institute in Basic Life Principles is an organization that aims to teach people to follow Bible-based concepts so they can lead flourishing lives.

IBLP has come under fire in recent years due to its alleged legalism and fear-based teachings, as well as sex abuse allegations directed at founder Bill Gothard. The docuseries depicts IBLP—and the Duggars as its primary spokespeople—as fostering and perpetuating spiritual and sexual abuse.

In a June 5 video from the Olliges titled, “Our INSIDE Story Being In The ‘Shiny Happy People’ Duggar Documentary,” Morgan acknowledged that “serious wrongdoings” in IBLP should be brought to light and that survivors need healing. “We believe that this docuseries and many alike…all have a purpose,” she said, citing Hulu’s “Secrets of Hillsong” and Discovery+’s “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed” as other examples.

However, such documentaries all “completely fail” at a point, said Morgan, “because they are made by people who are not Christians, who maybe even have a vendetta against Christianity.”

“Every single one of these docuseries has some major problems,” she continued, “one being they almost never interview people who are still firmly walking in faith with the Lord. Or, if they do interview those people, like they interviewed us, they do not allow them to share that faith or where they’re at now…They don’t allow the gospel to be shared.”

NBA Player Adrian Griffin Jr. Tells of God’s Deliverance After Nephew’s Death

By

Stephanie Martin

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July 25, 2023

adrian griffin — Adrian Griffin Jr. shares words of encouragement on TikTok. Screenshots from TikTok / @AG21

Following the sudden death of 2-year-old Jayce Griffin on July 22, members of his family gathered the next day to pray in a Champaign, Illinois, church. Jayce was the grandson of Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin and the nephew of Atlanta Hawks basketball player Adrian Griffin Jr. The boy’s father, Alan Griffin, most recently played pro basketball in Canada.

Jayce’s death is still under investigation. Since it occurred, his mother has been posting extensively on social media and is calling for #JusticeforJayce.

Adrian Griffin Jr. Shares Testimony at Aunt’s Church

On July 23, Jayce’s extended family members gathered at Midwest Believers Church, which is pastored by Trent and Rhonda Cloin. Rhonda Cloin, an aunt of Adrian Griffin Jr., told congregants to “gather around my family” because “our little buddy Jayce, the little boy that’s always at church with me, he unexpectedly went to heaven yesterday.” The church’s Facebook Live broadcast of that service is no longer available to view.

During the service, 19-year-old NBA forward Adrian Griffin Jr. shared his testimony. The former Duke standout, who is outspoken about his Christian faith, didn’t address his nephew’s death, but told worshipers, “I’m an NBA player, and…I’d rather have Jesus than have basketball. I was once full of depression, anxiety, and fear. And I struggled with porn addiction. I struggled with mental battles in my mind where they left me restless at night, and I stayed up at night, you know, just crying.”

After Griffin Jr. shared how God had delivered him, he joined in prayer for other people who are facing difficulties.

Pastor Rhonda Cloin told the The Christian Post that congregants also prayed on Sunday for Jayce’s mother, who wasn’t present. “I just want to make clear,” Cloin said. “Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God has come to give life and life more abundantly. We don’t blame God [for difficulties], but yet, we know in the natural, your hearts hurt. But we’re so thankful we know Jesus. We have that hope. We have his strength.” The pastor concluded, “God is faithful, and he will lead and guide us every step of the way.”

After Toddler’s Death, Mom Seeks Justice for Jayce

Jayce’s father reportedly found him unresponsive on Saturday, and police answered a call about a medical emergency. Jayce was pronounced dead at the hospital. A preliminary autopsy report found no evidence of trauma or foul play. Although a coroner’s report said the boy appears to have died from natural causes, more tests are underway.

Retired Pastor, 83, Arrested After Confessing to 1975 Murder of 8-Year-Old Girl

By

Dale Chamberlain

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July 25, 2023

David Zandstra Gretchen Harrington — Left: Gretchen Harrington, eight-year-old Pennsylvania resident who was murdered in 1975; Right: retired pastor David Zandstra, 83, who has confessed to Harrington's murder (photos courtesy of Delaware County District Attorney’s Office)

Nearly five decades after the murder of 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington, a retired pastor has confessed to the crime and has been arrested. David Zandstra, 83-year-old former pastor of Trinity Church Chapel Christian Reformed Church in Marple, Pennsylvania, is being held without bond.

The daughter of a pastor herself, Harrington went missing on Aug. 15, 1975, while walking to a summer Bible camp. The Bible camp utilized the facilities of Trinity Church Chapel, as well as the nearby Reformed Presbyterian Church, where Harrington’s father was pastor. The two churches and the Harrington’s home were all on the same road in the small township west of Philadelphia.

According to police, Harrington left her home on the day of her disappearance at 9:30 a.m., setting out toward Trinity Church Chapel.

Zandstra had been tasked with leading the earlier morning portion of the Bible camp programming before transporting the children to the facility of Reformed Presbyterian Church. When Harrington did not appear at Reformed Presbyterian Church, her father grew concerned. At 11:23 a.m., Zandstra himself contacted the Marple Police Department to report her disappearance.

In October 1975, skeletal remains were discovered at the nearby Ridley Creek State Park. Police later confirmed that the remains were that of Harrington.

At the time, a witness reported to police that she had seen Harrington on the day of her disappearance speaking to the driver of a vehicle similar to Zandstra’s. When questioned by police, Zandstra denied having seen Harrington on the day of her disappearance.

Soon the case went cold.

However, in January of this year, investigators conducted an interview with a sexual abuse survivor who identified Zandstra as her abuser. The survivor, who said she was best friends with Zandstra’s daughter and would often attend sleepovers at the family’s home, recounted to police an incident when she was 10 years old and awoke to find Zandstra groping her groin area.

The survivor also recalled that another child in her class at school was nearly kidnapped twice, and she had expressed in her diary in 1975 that she believed Zandstra was the culprit.

Last week, investigators interviewed Zandstra, who had since moved to Marietta, Georgia, regarding these allegations. When presented with the testimony of the sexual abuse survivor, Zandstra admitted to seeing Harrington walking alone on the morning of her disappearance.

Christian Singer Tori Kelly Rushed to the Hospital Due to Blood Clots Near Vital Organs

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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July 25, 2023

According to multiple reports, Christian singer Tori Kelly was rushed to the hospital Sunday night after she collapsed while out with friends.

The Grammy Award-winning and Dove Award-winning singer is being treated for blood clots after doctors discovered them throughout her body and near vital organs. Some reports share that Kelly has been in and out of consciousness since being admitted to the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Kelly was interviewed by Harvest Christian Fellowship’s senior pastor Greg Laurie during their Easter service in 2018.

Laurie asked his Twitter followers to pray for Kelly, sharing a clip of their interview.

“Let’s all be praying for @torikelly. She is in the hospital due to blot clots. They say it’s serious,” Laurie wrote. “Tori is a believer in Jesus Christ and I know she and her family will appreciate your prayers for her.”

During her interview with Laurie, Kelly shared that church was always a part of her life, and she had believed that Jesus was her personal Lord and Savior from a young age.

“I think I was like nine when I started singing in church on stage, and so yeah, church was always a big part of my life and Jesus was a big part of my life,” Kelly told Laurie.

Nevertheless, Kelly explained that there were times when she would look back on her younger years and question if she really believed in who Jesus was or if her belief was just a part of her childhood.

“Our walks can be up and down. And it’s a whole journey, but I think looking back to when I was about five years old, there’s a story I vividly remember,” Kelly said. “My aunt was babysitting me, and we were walking across the street and she was like, ‘You got to look both ways. We don’t want you to get hit by a car or anything.’ And I just so confidently said, ‘It’s fine. I’ll just go to heaven. If I die, it’s okay.’ And it kind of freaked her out a little bit.”

In her “I Am Second” video, Kelly said that Jesus is her “everything,” and if all of her career accomplishments were to vanish, it wouldn’t matter. “Through Christ, I can just be myself and just be surrounded by his love,” she said.

Churchgoers Less Familiar Than Pastors With Deconstruction, More Likely To See It in Their Pews

By

Marissa Postell Sullivan

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July 25, 2023

desconstruction — Photo credit: Ben Lambert / Unsplash

Many churchgoers are not familiar with the term “deconstruction,” but if they are, they’ve likely seen it within the church pews they sit in on a regular basis.

A Lifeway Research study of Protestant churchgoers in the United States found more than 1 in 3 (36%) are familiar or very familiar with the concept of deconstruction. Meanwhile, more than 1 in 4 (28%) have not heard of the term before.

A similar Lifeway Research study shows pastors are more likely to be familiar with deconstruction. Among U.S. Protestant pastors, more than 2 in 5 (46%) are familiar or very familiar with the concept of deconstruction, and 14% have not heard the term.

However, among those who have heard of the term, churchgoers are more likely than pastors to say they have seen attendees of their church methodically deconstruct their faith (37% v. 27%).

“It’s not surprising the majority of churchgoers are not very familiar with the term ‘deconstruction,’ since it often describes a person’s private journey or one that’s shared within a limited social set,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.

“The fluid nature of the term and its affinity among those on social media or podcasts distances it from many Christians. The term can be used both to represent a total abolishing of one’s faith or to describe one’s personal questioning and working out their salvation to greater faith.”

Familiarity With the Term

There is a correlation between the churchgoer’s age and their familiarity with the term “deconstruction.” Churchgoers over the age of 65 are the most likely to say they have not heard the term “deconstruction” before (51%) and the least likely to say they are familiar or very familiar with the term (12%). The younger the churchgoer, the more likely they are to have heard the term before and be familiar with it.

Similarly, younger pastors, those 18-44, are the most likely to say they’re very familiar with deconstruction (36%), while pastors 65 and older are the least likely to possess that same level of familiarity (12%).

“The study did not ask churchgoers the characteristics of those they see deconstructing their faith, but strong age patterns in those noticing the dissection of their faith imply it is more common among those under age 50,” McConnell said.

African American pastors are more likely than white pastors to not have heard of deconstruction (24% v. 13%). Within the pews, however, white churchgoers (33%) are among the most likely and African American churchgoers (16%) are among the least likely to say they’re not familiar with the term.

Churchgoers with evangelical beliefs are less likely than those without these beliefs to be familiar or very familiar with the term “deconstruction” (33% v. 39%) and more likely to have not heard the term before (32% v. 26%).

Christian Charged With Blasphemy Under Pakistan’s Terrorism Law

By

Morning Star News

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July 25, 2023

Imran-Rehman-faces-blasphemy-charges-under-Pakistans-anti-terrorism-laws-Jubilee-Campaign- — Imran Rehman faces blasphemy charges under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws. (Jubilee Campaign)

LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – A judge is allowing a Catholic to be charged with blasphemy under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law, which his attorney said is “illegal and illogical.”

Attorney Rana Abdul Hameed said Lahore Anti-Terrorism Judge Abher Gul Khan on July 6 rejected his application seeking the elimination of the terrorism charges against 32-year-old Imran Rehman, arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from Lahore on Sept. 14, on allegations that he had shared a blasphemous message in a WhatsApp group. The First Information Report (FIR) was registered the same day.

The government is working on draft amendments to allow blasphemy cases to be tried under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws, but at present they do not come under their purview, Hameed said.

“There’s no legal provision yet for trying blasphemy accused under anti-terror laws,” he told Morning Star News. “The FIA’s act of including Anti-Terrorism Act sections in the FIR is completely illegal, yet the judge has denied our plea.”

The charges against Rehman, who worked at a ticket office of the Lahore Metro Bus System, are baseless, he said. Rehman was charged under Sections 295-A, 295-B, 295-C and 298 of Pakistan’s blasphemy statutes, Section 109/34 and Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, and sections 6(2)(1), 7, 8 and 9 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.

Rehman denies that he shared blasphemous content on social media. Calling the charges against him under the anti-terrorism act “illogical and illegal,” Hameed said he will file a motion with the Lahore High Court to drop the terrorism charges.

Suspects accused of blasphemy under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), especially those belonging to vulnerable and marginalized groups, suffer severe trauma and are subjected to unfair trials, Hameed said.

“This unjust labeling of blasphemy accused as terrorists creates a perception that the accused poses a serious threat to society not only as a blasphemer but also as a terrorist,” he said. “My client is under severe mental pressure as he is imprisoned in a barrack where four out of six prisoners suffer from mental illness. These false accusations and label of being a suspected terrorist are taking a toll on both his mental and physical health, and it’s important that the courts realize the injustice being meted out to the poor man.”

Joseph Jansen, an advocacy officer at the Jubilee Campaign, said Rehman was father to two minor girls and was the sole breadwinner for the family.

“His family is deeply distressed and concerned for his well-being,” Jansen told Morning Star News. “They allege that Rehman was subjected to severe torture and forced to confess to a crime he did not commit.”

The rights advocate said that police in Pakistan were continuing to register blasphemy cases under ATA in violation of the intended mandate of the law.

“Rehman’s case underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive review of the laws and procedures related to blasphemy accusations to ensure fairness, protect the rights of the accused, and prevent potential abuses of power,” Jansen said.

Moreover, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are incompatible with international human rights standards, he said.

“The accuser who levels blasphemy allegations against any person is bound to prove malicious intent, but this stipulation is missing in legislation and is not taken into account during blasphemy trials,” Jansen said.

On June 17, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Economic Affairs Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq signed an agreement with leaders of the extremist Islamist party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) that would allow blasphemy cases to be tried under the country’s anti-terrorism law.

The agreement stipulates that punishment under Section 7 of the ATA would apply to suspects charged with committing blasphemy under the Pakistan Penal Code’s Section 295-C against making derogatory remarks about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.

The government also agreed to establish a “Counter Blasphemy Wing” under the FIA to take action against the dissemination of “blasphemous content” on the internet. In addition, the agreement calls for speedy trials of blasphemy suspects, as well as a swift appeals process.

A Muslim lawyer of the Supreme Court, Asad Jamal, told Morning Star News that derogatory remarks about Muhammad under Section 295-C do not fall under the definition of terrorism, and that the purpose of the ATA is to curb sectarianism.

In Targeting Catholic Charities, Republicans Amplify Right-Wing Catholic Fringe

By

Jack Jenkins

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July 25, 2023

WASHINGTON (RNS) — On Capitol Hill, a handful of Republican lawmakers are threatening to reduce or eliminate funding for Catholic Charities and other faith-based groups who offer aid to immigrants at the Southern border.

The members of Congress, who are echoing the campaigns of deeply conservative Catholic groups that vow to “#defund the bishops,” have already succeeded in inserting their agenda into legislation passed by the House earlier this year. Another attempt to zero-out appropriations for a key Department of Homeland Security program supporting faith-based border efforts is awaiting a vote in Congress.

In December, Republican Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, penned a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In the letter, co-signed by Reps. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin and Jake Ellzey of Texas, the lawmakers complained that the Biden administration was “allowing non-governmental organizations … the freedom to aid and abet illegal aliens.” In addition, lawmakers also sent letters to Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Service and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service demanding they preserve documents “related to any expenditures submitted for reimbursement from the federal government related to migrants encountered at the southern border.”

Contacted by Religion News Service at the time, Anthony Granado, vice president of government relations at Catholic Charities USA, said, “We have not seen such a level of direct … attack against Catholic Charities USA.”

In May, when Gooden penned another letter to Mayorkas, this time with Rep. Tom McClintock of California and Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, they accused the NGOs that use federal funds to aid immigrants of creating an “incentive” for illegal immigration and demanded access to a broad swath of records about DHS funding practices.

Days later, Gooden published an open letter to House colleagues that accused NGOs, including faith-based groups, of abusing their tax-exempt status by “play(ing) a disturbing role in the inflow and spread of illegal immigration throughout the country.”

Gooden, who worships at a Church of Christ congregation, expressed particular frustration with FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program — which is transitioning to an effort titled the Shelter and Services Program — that reimburses NGOs and local governments for offering certain aid to migrants. He singled out a number of faith-based groups in his solo letter, such as Jewish Family Services and LIRS, but criticized Catholic Charities at length.

For his part, Tiffany recently called for Catholic Charities USA to testify before the Judiciary Committee to explain “what they’re doing down on the border to facilitate this illegal immigration,” according to Bloomberg Government.

In a phone interview last week, Lee Williams, chief programs officer for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, called the lawmakers’ allegations “preposterous” and “dangerous.” He also pointed out that LIRS aids immigrants after they are processed and released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, work that is funded by private money.

Catholic Charities, for its part, receives ample government funds annually and operates as a network of local charities. In addition to anti-poverty programs, Catholic Charities also works with immigrants — including efforts to offer humanitarian aid to migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border.

It’s work that, not long ago, Republicans in Congress nearly uniformly praised. In 2014, amid a spike in border crossings by unaccompanied minors and mothers traveling with children, a delegation of Republican lawmakers led by talk-show host Glenn Beck visited a Catholic Charities respite center based in a church in McAllen, Texas. Sen. Ted Cruz, East Texas Rep. Randy Weber and then-Rep. Louie Gohmert, among others, toured the center and, in Beck’s case, donated toys to children.

“I want to thank Catholic Charities that are working to care for these children and care for these families,” Cruz told reporters at the time.

Weber was similarly effusive, quoting Scripture while describing the center’s work as a fulfillment of “the church’s role.”

Mistrust of faith groups that work with immigrants, but in particular Catholic Charities, has been growing in right-wing circles since at least February 2022, when CatholicVote, a conservative political group, sued the Biden administration in an effort to acquire copies of “all communications between the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol” and various Catholic bishops and Catholic Charities entities — including the respite center in McAllen.

The antipathy for Catholic Charities came up again last summer, when Michael Voris, founder of the conservative Catholic website Church Militant, interviewed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a self-described Christian nationalist and former Catholic who converted to evangelicalism. Voris, whose organization has referred to Catholic Charities as an “enemy of the people,” complained to Greene about the American bishops supporting immigrant aid through religious agencies such as Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities. Greene responded by framing the work as “Satan controlling the church.”

Most recently, in Washington on Thursday (July 20), members of the Deposit of Faith Coalition, a group of activists who object to the direction the U.S. Catholic bishops are taking and accuse them of “standing with Marxists,” called on Congress — and particularly appropriations committees — to stop granting contracts to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities.

Addressing the crowd from a podium at the National Press Club that read “#DefundtheBishops,” Sheena Rodriguez, head of Alliance for a Safe Texas, insisted that Catholic Charities was one constellation of groups “incentiviz(ing) mass illegal migration worldwide” and “creating a modern-day slavery scheme.”

The gathering attracted only a small crowd, but their ideas have gained a footing on Capitol Hill. In April, Rodriguez was invited to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on border security, arguing that unaccompanied minors at the border were being mistreated under the Biden administration.

After her testimony, Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, pointed out that Rodriguez was among the crowd that surrounded the U.S. Capitol when rioters attacked the building on Jan. 6, 2021, although there is no evidence Rodriguez entered the building that day. She had also taken part in the Christian nationalism-themed Jericho March at the Capitol the day before.

The movement to defund Catholic agencies also found its way into the GOP’s signature border security bill passed in May, known as the Secure the Border Act. It included a provision that would cut all funding to the Shelter Services Program.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposed the Secure the Border Act for multiple reasons, including how it treats DHS funding streams to NGOs. The bishops sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to vote against it. Sister Donna Markham, a Catholic nun who oversees Catholic Charities USA, also wrote a letter to congressional leadership at the time decrying the proposed cuts, saying they would “dismantle the public-private infrastructure currently in place to manage the humanitarian crisis at the southern border and its impact throughout the country.”

The bill passed the House largely along party lines, with Gooden, Tiffany and Weber all voting in favor.

The bill has little chance of passing the U.S. Senate, where Democrats enjoy a majority, but Gooden’s movement persists: Last month the House Appropriations Committee unveiled a DHS appropriations bill, which, like the border bill, eliminates funding for the Shelter and Services Program.

Markham said in a statement to RNS that the work of respite centers along the U.S.-Mexico border should be uncontroversial and invited members of Congress to tour their facilities.

“This work is humanitarian and motivated by the teachings of the gospels; it is not political, and it should not be controversial,” Markham’s statement read.

This article originally appeared here.

7 Problems When Church Leaders Retreat Into Isolation

By

Chuck Lawless

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July 25, 2023

Over the past several months, I’ve read several articles about isolation among church leaders. Sometimes that isolation has been the result of COVID expectations, but this problem preceded the pandemic. Many church leaders—particularly those who have been overworked or wounded—have found themselves retreating into isolation. Here are some problems with that approach:

Isolation distorts God’s design for us. God created us in such a way that it is not good for us to be alone (Gen 2:18). He made us with a need for a relationship with Him and with others He created. Isolation distorts that plan.
Isolation can quickly become self-centered. Unhealthy isolation is indicative of our being in protection mode—that is, we often retreat to guard ourselves against further pain—and it’s not a far distance between self-protection to self-centeredness. Even, that is, when we have no desire to be self-absorbed. . . .
Isolation often leads to downward spiral. Retreat often leads to even deeper retreat. Or, we at least allow ourselves to go too far in the wrong direction before we ask for help. Neither step leads to renewal and hope.
Isolation makes us more vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. When we walk arm-in-arm with others, we help protect each other from the fiery darts of Satan. When we walk alone, there is no one to guard us and no one to pick us up when we fall.
It is in isolation that folks often fall. This point, of course, corresponds directly with #4 above. Isolation often equals hiddenness—and hiddenness often marks a fall. In fact, I can’t think of many stories of a church leader falling without first doing something in isolation. Secrets are almost always a red flag.
Isolation gets in the way of doing the Great Commission. Obviously, it’s hard to be a gospel witness among our neighbors and the nations when we’re avoiding most people in the first place. Isolation is one of Satan’s subtle lures to keep us from telling others the good news.
Isolation weakens the local church body. According to 1 Corinthians 12, every member of the church matters. No matter what role each member carries, everybody has a role to play—and those who are not carrying their responsibility wound the entire body. Seldom is an isolated member functioning fully and sacrificially within the church.

If you find yourself retreating into isolation, I encourage you to reach out to someone. Trust somebody enough to ask for prayer. Know that I am praying for anyone who reads this post today. Don’t get caught in the devil’s trap.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

The Counsel and Care of the Elderly

By

Nicholas Batzig

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July 25, 2023

Deep down in our hearts, we all like to convince ourselves that we are more knowledgeable and wiser than we actually are. This is why Scripture raises the warning about being “wise in your own eyes” (Prov. 3:7). Pride manifests itself in a thousand subtle ways in our hearts. Add to this the fact that we live at a time of remarkable societal pride. Society feeds the pride of young men and women by telling them that they can change the world–regardless of God-given giftings, intellect, upbringing, associations, providential encounters, guidance, or hard work. Society tells us that the elderly are a burden to progress. While there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), ours is an increasingly narcissistic culture. This is nowhere more evident than in our disdain and disregard of the elderly.

I have seldom heard younger individuals speak about getting counsel from older and wiser men and women throughout my life. I often think of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, who “abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him” (1 Kings 12:8). Presently, we hear exponentially more snide and demeaning comments by younger individuals about those who have gone before them than we have in bygone decades. In our superior wisdom, we like to convince ourselves that the elderly need to get out of the way and let us lead. The Scriptures point us in the opposite direction.

The Psalmist declares that the godly man or woman “bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green (Psalm 92:14). David explains that younger generations need elderly saints to teach them about the might and power of God. He wrote, “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” In a similar way, Moses charged Israel to “remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you” (Deut. 32:7).

It would serve us well to remember the old adage, “Older men have wisdom, younger men have zeal.” We need the wisdom of the elderly and the zeal of the youth. While God has often used young individuals in remarkable ways throughout church history (e.g., the Reformers, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Andrew Gray, David Brainard, etc.), there are ample examples of foolish and rash young zealots. Even the great Augustine–when he was older–wrote a book of retractions regarding things he had written when he was young. The more we seek the counsel of the elderly when we are young, the better position we will be in to avoid the snares and mistakes they made.

The principle of honoring the elderly is bound up in the fifth commandment. When God commands you to “honor your father and your mother,” He is charging you to respect all superiors in age and rank. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.64 explains, “The fifth commandment requires the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.” This is the way in which God has structured the world in which we live. If we are to fill our place in this generation in a God-glorifying way, we are to do so with great respect for the elderly.

It is not simply in our disdain for the wisdom of the elderly that we show our pride–it is also seen in our disregard for them. Carrying for widows is one of the foremost marks of godliness in Scripture (James 1:27). With all the talk of justice in our current milieu, I never hear people talking about caring for widows in their need. Over years of visiting church members in nursing homes or assisted living homes, I have often sat and listened to elderly saints tell me that their children rarely come to see them. How indifferent have we become as a society that we are comfortable sequestering our parents away in a facility without visiting them? Our churches should prioritize ministry to the elderly as they do ministry to the youth.

A time is coming when you may be able to say with David, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). Such a statement is born from years of experiencing the sustaining, delivering, and providing grace of God through many trials and challenges. Until that time, I would humbly encourage younger men and women to seek the counsel of the elderly, to honor and respect them, and to care for them in their time of need.

Fresh Encounter: Experiencing God’s Power for Spiritual Awakening

By

Mark Howell

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July 25, 2023

Based on the 2009 revised and expanded version of Fresh Encounter, written by Henry & Richard Blackaby, this DVD-driven study can be used effectively in off-campus small groups or on-campus Bible studies. Best known for Experiencing God, the Blackabys have a reputation for delivering studies that are both memorable and life-changing.

There are 7 sessions on the DVD; an introductory segment and 6 sessions. Each of the DVD sessions are presented in an interview format. The session host, singer and author Kelly Minter, guides the Blackabys through a discussion, each 15 to 20 minutes long, that provides instruction on the topic.

Fresh Encounter is a “homework in advance” study. After the introductory session, participants are guided through a series of daily homework assignments designed to lay the foundation and prepare them for the weekly group meeting. There are many “show up and enjoy the teaching” studies. This is not one of them. Much like the earlier Experiencing God study, much of the power of this study is in the personal investment made in these daily homework assignments.

Sex Positive Parenting and What That Means for Your Family

By

Andrew Linder

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July 24, 2023

Sex positive parenting … That phrase may raise eyebrows or wrinkle foreheads. What does it mean, and how will it affect your discussions with children about God-honoring sexuality? Read on for insights about an important topic.

Parents (and kidmin workers): Take a deep breath and lighten up, because we’re talking about sex. It’s going to be okay, I promise!

Our sexuality is ingrained within our very fabric. God created us with sexual drives and desires, and they’re a good thing. So why is the topic of sex so taboo in many Christian families and homes?

If you’re a Millennial, does this scenario sounds familiar? Growing up, your family rarely discussed the topic of sex. In fact, the word was forbidden. You inadvertently had the impression that sex was bad and dirty, and you would be too, if you ever had sex. Words associated with sex were all negative. Don’t. Bad. Sinful. Impure. Inappropriate.

Our parents knew that sex wasn’t a bad thing. (Because we’re all here, right?) But they found it very difficult, almost unnecessary, to paint sex in a positive light. Maybe they were afraid of us knowing too much or engaging in sex too soon. Parents of previous generations could often get away with hiding the topic of sex from children. But that’s just not the case anymore.

Why Sex Positive Parenting Is So Important

Times have certainly changed. That’s due to the sinful nature of humans and the saturation of sex in our culture. As parents, we no longer have the convenience of ignoring the topic of sexuality. If we fail to talk to our kids, someone else certainly will.

I firmly believe that Christian families should use sex positive parenting. But many of us who grew up in Christian homes likely grew up in a sex negative environment. Maybe that wasn’t on purpose, but it’s what inadvertently resulted.

So we need to consider what pattern is healthy and biblical. Have the hush-hush nature and negative connotations about sexuality in the home been beneficial for us in the past? Will it be for our children and our families both now and in the future?

Yes, we need to protect children’s innocence. But we also need to balance our level of honesty and naiveness with what our kids know, hear, and see at younger and younger ages. Even if we don’t talk to them about sex, they’re already thinking about it. And they already know more than we think they know.

Are You Using Sex Positive Parenting?

Here’s a good way to assess what kind of sex environment exists in your home. Simply ask your kids these questions. Then consider their honest responses.

“Is sex a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Is it okay for us to talk about sex?”
“What does God think about sex?”

Their answers might surprise you but will help you understand the type of culture you’re creating. Proper and improper ways of addressing this certainly exist. But the most important thing is that we are addressing it. And the best place to start is with the Bible.

When God created Adam and Eve, He created them naked and unashamed (Genesis 1:25). After the fall, however, nakedness and shame went hand in hand. Because of that, we naturally shy away from open-ended conversation about sex.

Love Lessons: What I Learn From Spending Time With Teenagers

By

Brooklyn Lindsey

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July 24, 2023

I love spending one-on-one time with teens in my youth ministry. Recently I reorganized my schedule to spend more time with leaders as well as students. That may seem like a no-brainer for a youth minister. But it’s amazing how quickly time can slip by doing other important church-related tasks.

Being with kids and investing in them is why I’m in ministry. I forget that sometimes, so the occasional restructure is in order. Maybe you need one too?

If you think you don’t have the 5 extra hours to sit face to face with the people you’re called to lead and invest in, then read this blog. Thanks, Aaron, for such a fantastic post! We all need these clarion calls.

Love Teens Where They’re At (Literally)

I love being with teenagers in their environments at school. One on one, I hear reminders of where they were and what they were doing before coming to hear a 20-minute message on Wednesday nights. I discover what I’m really asking when I request they consider not eating for 30 hours.

Today, as I walked to a cafeteria table with the sweetest young lady, she asked, “Why do you want to spend all your money on us?” I’m glad I got to answer her, because it was a great reminder for me to say it out loud.

“I want to spend time with you whenever I can because sometimes at church I don’t get to have a personal conversation, and it matters to me how you’re doing. It’s worth some lunch money. You are worth some lunch money.”

Later she told me how she decorated her room in a wolf theme. And how she got an ice cream sandwich for Christmas. She paused just long enough to let me squirm in the “I have no idea what you’re talking about youth pastor stare.” Then she half-smiled and let me know it’s an android tablet. Cool!

She wanted to know so much about me, including my hobbies and what I liked most about church. She really got me thinking! This amazing girl wanted to know my likes and dislikes. Who takes so much interest in another human being like that? Teenagers do.

What I Love About Teenagers

I love how teens are in the moment and how they listen. How they can jump from one topic to the next. I love how forgiving they are. I love being with them.

Does ‘Barbie’ Push an ‘LGBTQ Agenda’? Not Really

By

Jessica Mouser

-

July 24, 2023

Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for the “Barbie” movie.

Despite the alarms sounded by some conservative media outlets, the new “Barbie” movie, which released on July 21, does not contain any LGBTQ storylines, nor does it have any overtly queer characters. The movie does have a heavy-handed message, however, about the power dynamics between men and women.

“The new BARBIE movie forgets its core audience of families and children while catering to nostalgic adults and pushing transgender character stories,” said a July 10 article from Movieguide.

Yet while the film does have at least one transgender actor, there are no transgender characters. In fact, Matthew Huff, associate entertainment editor for Parade, told NBC News, “For a movie that spends so much time dissecting gender norms and highlighting the importance of diversity, I really wish ‘Barbie’ had openly acknowledged queer people.”

‘Barbie’ Movie Is Not for Kids

“Barbie” is a frothy visual spectacle (and an extended commercial for Mattel) that achieves its fair share of well-earned laughs. Margot Robbie is perfect as Stereotypical Barbie, who lives in a paradise where everything revolves around her. Barbieland is populated by Barbies of every variety, each of whom has her own dreamhouse, and who hold every important societal position, including those traditionally held by men.

One Barbie is president, another is a lawyer, and another is a Nobel Prize winner. Because the Barbies have achieved this ideal of female empowerment, they assume all women in the Real World have as well.

The existence of the Kens in Barbieland is to give meaning to the Barbies. The primary Ken, played by the scene-stealing Ryan Gosling, is enthralled by Stereotypical Barbie and lives for her to notice him. Every day is a good day for Barbie, the movie’s narrator (Helen Mirren) tells us, but Ken only has a good day if Barbie looks at him…and Barbie isn’t all that interested. When Ken asks to stay the night (he is not sure what they would do together), Barbie says she can’t because it’s girls night. And every night is girls night.

One night during a bash at her dreamhouse, Barbie shocks everyone, including herself, by saying she has been thinking about dying. The next morning, she wakes up to bad breath, a cold shower, expired milk, cellulite and—GASP—flat feet. In desperation, she goes to see Weird Barbie, who gets her name because she has been played with too hard by her little girl in the Real World. Weird Barbie explains that to solve her problems, Barbie must journey to the Real World and find the girl who has been playing with her.

Despite being based on a children’s toy, “Barbie” is not a kids’ movie. It’s not that it has content that is extremely inappropriate, but there is adult humor and, with a PG-13 rating, children are clearly not its target audience.

A ‘Barbie’ World Is a Woman’s World

In addition to the warning from Movieguide, another came from author Peachy Keenan, who called the film “The Pink Menace.” “‘Barbie’ is the slickest, most visually appealing, and therefore insidious, packaging of feminist clichés and trans grooming we’ve seen yet,” Keenan wrote.

‘I Barely Touched the Lady’—James MacDonald Addresses Assault Charges in Recent Interview

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

July 24, 2023

Last week, Baptist News Global published an interview with James MacDonald, founder and former senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. In the interview, MacDonald discussed his arrest in California earlier this year for allegedly assaulting a 59-year-old woman during a traffic altercation.

On March 22, MacDonald accidentally struck the woman’s vehicle while attempting to parallel park his truck. Police reported that as the woman got out of her car to confront MacDonald, he allegedly “jumped out of his truck and attacked the victim.”

As MacDonald allegedly assaulted the woman, his truck rolled backwards and struck the vehicle parked behind it. A statement from the police said that witnesses stopped MacDonald from leaving the scene until the authorities arrived.

MacDonald was arrested on one count of “assault by means likely to produce great bodily harm and one count of battery with serious bodily harm.” He was released that night after posting bail. The woman was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

“I barely touched the lady in front of me. She jumped out of her car and came running at me,” MacDonald told Baptist News Global. “And I was so startled that I jumped out of my car and didn’t even put it in park. And it rolled into the person behind me, and I reached toward this lady.”

MacDonald said that he must have blacked out because he has been trying to “piece together” what happened that day. “I think I blacked out and I fell. The reason I know is because I fell to the ground. I never put my hands underneath me.”

The former pastor, who grew a church plant of 18 people meeting in a local high school in the late 1980s to a multicampus megachurch of over 13,000 worshipers, now preaches to 40 to 50 addicts and their family members every Saturday night in a garage.

“We call the property Rock Bottom, because that’s where I’ve been and that’s where these men are,” MacDonald said. “And I’m so happy in it. And that’s the good thing that’s going on.”

MacDonald, who in the interview said he attempted to resign from Harvest Bible Chapel, was removed from his senior pastor position on Feb. 13, 2019, for what church elders characterized as “engaging in conduct…contrary and harmful to the best interests of the church.”

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1. Prepare for it.

2. Pause and pray.

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1. The Internet has influenced church.

2. Church was more a part of the rhythm of life years ago.

3. “The Bible says” no longer means much.

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1. It’s a God thing.

2. Focus on the Gospel.

3. Stay in alignment.

4. Tell stories to share the vision.

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