Louisiana Pastor Sentenced to 5 Years in Money Laundering Case Involving Nearly $900K in Stolen Funds

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March 1, 2023

Charles J. Southall III sentencing — Screengrab from WDSU

Louisiana pastor Charles J. Southall III, who in October 2022 pleaded guilty to money laundering and obtaining $889,565 through fraud, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Southall will also be required to pay back the almost $900,000, and has been ordered to pay $10,000 to one victim involved in the case within 10 days. Following his prison term, Southall will receive supervised release for a period of three years.

The sentencing judge reportedly said, “We expect more from the people who represent God on earth,” adding that while he is “not the Lord,” Southall “will have to face him later.”

Three victims gave impact statements during sentencing, one of which told the court that Southall “financially raped the church.” Victims also called Southall “a liar” and “a thief,” and said that any good he has done is “now poisoned.”

Pastor of First Emanuel Baptist Church for over 30 years, Southall apparently continued in his ministerial duties after pleading guilty in the case, appearing in the pulpit as recently as Sunday, Feb. 26, and holding a live-streamed Bible study on Tuesday evening—the same day news of his sentencing broke.

At the time of his guilty plea, Southall contended that his case had been misrepresented in the media.

“It was not money laundering, at all,” he said during an online Bible study on Oct. 18. “According to the law, I have made some missteps, and for that I’m remorseful. I’m very concerned. But I accepted the responsibility that they said when I moved the money from the account that I had to an account that I have, that it was wrong. I did not think it was, but it went against federal banking laws.”

The result of an FBI investigation, Southall’s charge centered on several instances in which he allegedly used his position as a pastor to divert donations and other funds for personal use. The fact that he is also a real estate investor enabled him to move funds around without causing suspicion.

Southall allegedly coerced $10,000 out of one congregant and then diverted the funds for personal use, stole $106,408 worth of donations from another congregant given over the course of four years and meant for charity work and capital improvements to the church’s facility, diverted funds from properties owned by the church’s housing ministry, and stole $220,000 from the budget of a Christian charter school, of which he was board president and had planned to open a campus in Baton Rouge. That plan never came to pass.

Steven Curtis Chapman First Contemporary Christian Artist To Earn 50th No. 1 Song

By

Adelle M Banks

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March 1, 2023

(RNS) — Singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman has become the first contemporary Christian musician to have 50 chart-topping songs in his musical genre.

“Don’t Lose Heart” boosted the longtime performer to the history-making stature of 50 No. 1 radio hits.

“I’m completely blown away by the support for this song and for my music, even after so many years,” Chapman said in a statement. “To ever have a number one song at radio as an artist/songwriter is a dream come true, and to have fifty is simply unbelievable! This only happens because of an amazing team and a community of friends around me who have believed in the unbelievable. I’m grateful and humbled beyond words.”

The first time Chapman, 60, had a No. 1 song was with his single “His Eyes” on his 1988 “Real Life Conversations” album.

Other top songs were “Live Out Loud,” “I Will Be Here,” “For the Sake of the Call,” “Dive” and “The Great Adventure.”

Chapman joins the rare musicians with 50 or more top radio hits in their respective genres, including country singers George Strait and Conway Twitty and pop star Madonna.

Chapman’s “Don’t Lose Heart” was released in 2022 as a part of “Still,” his latest album, and addressed the loss and grief his family has experienced.

In 2008, his 5-year-old daughter Maria was killed in a vehicle accident in their family’s driveway.

“Living between heaven and the real world — that’s kind of where I feel like I am right now, longing for heaven more than ever now because I believe that’s where my daughter is,” he told Religion News Service in a 2017 interview when he released his book, “Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story.”

“And yet (I am) still living in a very real world with unfixable things and brokenness.”

In February, Chapman released a new version of “Don’t Lose Heart” featuring country singer Mitchell Tenpenny.

“We are so honored and excited to be a part of Steven’s 50th No. 1 song with ‘Don’t Lose Heart,’” said Holly Zabka, president of Provident Entertainment/Sony Music, in her company’s announcement about the artist. “This unprecedented and monumental achievement for Steven is a testament to the incredible artist and songwriter he is and can only be outshined by the countless lives that have been changed by his music.”

Chapman also has 16 albums listed on the Billboard 200 and has 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards — more than any other artist — along with five Grammy Awards.

He is scheduled to begin a tour on Thursday (March 2), stopping at two dozen locations during the spring.

This article originally appeared here.

Who Will Pay for the SBC’s Abuse Reforms Over the Long Term? No One Knows.

By

Bob Smietana

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March 1, 2023

SBC abuse reforms — People sing at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Anaheim, California, on June 15, 2022. RNS photo by Justin L. Stewart

(RNS) — After years of delay, Southern Baptists passed a series of reforms in 2022 aimed at addressing abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Those reforms included setting up a “Ministry Check” database to track abusive pastors and training churches on how to prevent abuse and to care for abuse survivors.

The plan for reforms, however, did not address who would pay for them over the long haul.

Instead, Send Relief, a partnership between the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board and North American Mission Board that does compassion ministry, provided $4 million in initial funding. That will pay for setting up the Ministry Check website, which could cost as much as $2 million, according to Baptist Press, an SBC news publication.

Paul Chitwood, president of the IMB, and Kevin Ezell, president of NAMB, told Religion News Service in an email that they support the abuse reform and that the Send Relief funding has been “more than adequate for the Task Force’s implementation expenses to date.”

“The IMB and NAMB continue to invest significant resources in doing all we can to ensure that we care for survivors of abuse and protect against abusers,” Chitwood and Ezell told RNS in an email.

“That isn’t going to change. We are confident Southern Baptists will continue this important work.”

Paul Chitwood, president, International Mission Board, prays during the Southern Baptist Convention held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Photo by Justin L. Stewart/Religion News Service

Paul Chitwood, president, International Mission Board, prays during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Anaheim, California, on June 14, 2022. RNS photo by Justin L. Stewart

The question of how to pay for reforms long-term became an issue this week after the SBC’s Executive Committee announced it had lost $6 million over the past fiscal year, mainly due to the cost of responding to the sex abuse crisis.

The committee’s unrestricted assets, which had previously totaled just over $12.2 million, dropped by $6 million in the last fiscal year, according to a report during a committee meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, last week.

That kind of loss is “unsustainable,” according to the committee’s auditors.

A spokesman for the Executive Committee said most of the decline is due to short-term expenses, including the 2022 Guidepost sexual abuse investigation — which led to abuse reforms — and legal fees related to a subsequent Department of Justice investigation.

The Executive Committee has also paid the cost of implementing some abuse reforms, including a hotline to report abusers. But the Executive Committee’s reserves cannot sustain those reforms and there’s no current plan for funding abuse reforms long-term.

The Asbury Revival Is Over. What Happens Now?

By

Fiona Morgan

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March 1, 2023

Asbury Rupp — People attend a revival event led by evangelist Nick Hall at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, Feb. 26, 2023. Photo by Fiona Morgan

LEXINGTON, Ky. (RNS) — After more than two weeks and worldwide headlines, revival services at Asbury University in central Kentucky came to an end recently.

But the revival goes on off-campus.

On Sunday (Feb. 26), Minneapolis-based evangelist Nick Hall brought an Asbury-inspired revival event to Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, about half an hour from the Christian school’s campus.

Hall is the leader of Pulse, a ministry that aims to bring “Jesus to the next generation” by hosting big events. He attended the Asbury revival in its first week and said he was overwhelmed by what God was doing.

After the Asbury revival started spontaneously on Feb. 8, the university officially ended revival services on Feb. 23, which was National Collegiate Day of Prayer. During that final service, people prayed over college campuses, asking God to bring revival to the world.

Similar prayer services have been held at other colleges, including Samford University in Alabama, Lee University in Tennessee and Baylor University in Texas.

Asbury President Kevin Brown announced on Feb. 19 that “outpouring” services would move off campus. The school later decided to no longer have a role in those services.

The school decided to end the on-campus services after tens of thousands of visitors flooded the campus and the small town of Wilmore, Kentucky, overwhelming locals and blocking traffic for miles.

“The Asbury team was just fried, and there was decision fatigue, and just burnout,” Hall told Religion News Service. He said Brown told him the school’s leaders felt like Asbury’s role was complete. The school said its hope is that revival continues in other spaces.

On Thursday, Hall still felt God was telling him to continue revival for those who might’ve missed the opportunity at Asbury. So at the last minute, Pulse put together the Rupp Arena event in two days’ time.

“I just met so many people who didn’t get to Asbury who wanted to get there, people who were filled with so much regret because ‘God did something and I missed it,’” Hall said.

The event at Rupp Arena was similar to what happened at Asbury, in that there were no structured sermons. Rather it was a time of worship with simple songs, prayer and repentance. The event went for nine hours. Students from Lee University also shared how God moved in their lives.

People attend a revival event at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. Photo by Fiona Morgan

People attend a revival event at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, Feb. 26, 2023. Photo by Fiona Morgan

At several points, people went up on stage to share testimonies. One Iranian man, who goes by the name of Que, came on stage to share that he was healed at the event. He had come to Rupp Arena in a wheelchair and said he has had problems with his legs since 1998.

“Lately it got really worse and I don’t know what was the reason; I couldn’t walk without the help of my friends,” Que said.

He said a man at the event asked him what he could pray for, and Que told the man he wanted to run again.

“He started praying for me and every time he did, I could feel the Holy Spirit going through me,” he said.

Que then walked across the stage and down the steps with no assistance.

Forrest Limon, a Pulse staff member and young evangelist, said he was inspired by the revival services.

6 Warning Signs of a Toxic Church Culture

By

Carey Nieuwhof

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March 1, 2023

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Every church has a culture. But how do you know if your church culture is toxic? More importantly, how would you know whether you’re creating a toxic church culture as a leader?

I’ve interacted with many church leaders (and readers of this blog), and the sad reality is that there is no shortage of toxic church culture stories and experiences. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And it certainly isn’t always that way.

Leaders are the architects of culture. You create a culture whether you intend to or not.

Part of shaping a healthy culture is being aware of the signs of toxic culture and the signs of health. I blogged about the early warning signs that a person may be toxic here. But organizations have different signs than individuals do.

So how do you know if your church culture is toxic? Believe it or not, the Bible gives incredible practical advice. The longer I lead, the more I use Galatians 5:16-23 as a health check for me personally and for anything I lead. It describes what’s healthy and what’s not, for me as a leader and for the church.

Below, I outline six warning signs that are practical applications of that text.

By the way, this is part 1 of a two-part series on culture that I’ll conclude later this week.

My next post will be on how to create a healthy church culture, and later this week, I’ll email a free PDF of our mission, vision and cultural values at Connexus Church, where I serve, to everyone on my email list. If you want to connect by email, you can sign up to my email list for free here.

6 Signs of a Toxic Church Culture:

1. The politicians win

One sure sign of a toxic culture is that you have to play politics to get anything done. You know things have gotten political in your church when:

Decisions rarely get made the way they’re supposed to be made.
Most decisions happen outside of meetings or any agreed-upon process.
You can’t get a yes without offering something in return.
You have to continually lobby to be heard.
If you’re always jockeying, lobbying and courting favor to get the right decision made, it’s a sign your organization is unhealthy.

In the local church, having to play politics to win is a sure sign there’s sin. When you do what you say you’re going to do the way you said you’re going to do it, you bring health to an organization.

2. What gets said publicly is different from what happened privately

Another sign things are becoming toxic is when what gets said publicly is different than what happened privately.

When there’s spin on every issue and nothing can be said publicly without ‘agreeing’ on what gets said first, things are bad.

Resisting Gossip — Even When It’s ‘Prayer’

By

Matthew Mitchell

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March 1, 2023

Oh, those infamous prayer requests! “We need to pray for Olivia and Liam. I heard that they might be getting a divorce!” Or “I’m calling to ask for prayer for the church board. Something big is happening tonight. The chairman might resign!” How do we keep gossip out of our prayer ministries? This is the most frequently asked question people ask me since I began teaching on resisting gossip.

It’s complicated. We want to encourage intercessory prayer, so we create phone chains and email prayer lists, and we solicit requests from people at small group meetings. However, prayer requests come from sinners, are about sinners and are passed on to other sinners, so there are plenty of opportunities for sinful gossip to enter into the process (Proverbs 10:19).

Here is a mental checklist I developed for managing prayer requests in a careful, godly manner. Before you pass on a request, make sure to: check your facts, check your role, check your audience, and check your heart.

Resisting Gossip — Even When It’s “Prayer”

1. Check Your Facts

Prayer requests can get muddled very fast. If the situation is not something potentially shameful, getting the facts wrong may not be a big deal. If it gets reported that “Cheryl is having her tonsils out,” when Cheryl is really going to have her wisdom teeth removed, it’s embarrassing to the one with the incorrect facts, but not embarrassing to Cheryl. But if we report that “Cheryl got cut from the softball team” or “Cheryl lost her job” or “Cheryl broke up with Jeremy,” and it’s not true, then it could be very damaging.

So, check your facts. Is this info straight from the person it’s about? Don’t transmit hearsay or rumor. Make sure what you are passing on is true.

And remember–don’t say more than you have to. You don’t have to share all of the juicy details. God knows all about it.

2. Check Your Role

Are you the right person to pass on this request? Do the people being talked about want this request to be made known? Would they want it repeated? Is the prayer request confidential? (If so, keep it that way!) Is it your place to pass it on? Should you shoulder this prayer burden alone and not pass it on to others?

Many of us never ask ourselves these key questions, but we should. Sometimes we still need to pray for people who wouldn’t want it–unbelievers who don’t believe in prayer, for example. But, often, simply applying Jesus’ Golden Rule answers a lot of difficult questions: “Do to others what you would have done to you” (Matt. 7:12).

3. Check Your Audience

Some people shouldn’t be trusted with certain prayer requests. Think about the person you are talking with. Are they tempted to be a gossip? Do they seem over-eager to hear bad news? Do they have a reputation for being unsafe with confidences (Proverbs 11:13)?

Be discerning. There may be nothing wrong with passing a request on to Melinda but everything wrong with passing it on to Daryl.

4. Check Your Heart

Sinful gossip is bearing bad news behind someone’s back out of a bad heart. What is your motivation for sharing this prayer request? Is it loving? Is it for the glory of God?

Be honest. Do you actually want to be seen as someone “in the know” with an inside scoop? Do you want to impress your listener? Do you get a surreptitious thrill from sharing the secret? Would you say it differently if the person you’re talking about was present? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, be very careful how you handle information about other people.

Anyone can be tempted to gossip. But we can avoid it if we slow down and evaluate whether we are the right person, with the right motivation, talking to the right audience with the right information. A good prayer request comes from the good stored up in a good heart, and one day, we’ll all have to give an account for the prayer requests we passed on (cf. Matthew 12:35-36). May we be found faithful.

This article on resisting gossip originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

What Does Missional Living Really Mean?

By

Scott Sauls

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March 1, 2023

At our church in Nashville, we have ideas – ideas which we believe come from God – about the purpose and trajectory of spiritual formation. The more invested and comprehensive we are in the various facets of ‘following Jesus,’ the more we will flourish in the world as children of God and kingdom contributors, and be able to engage in missional living. I hope that this list can be as helpful to you as it has been to us as you consider Jesus’ call for you and for the community you are part of.

Missional Living Means Worship And Community

Following Jesus starts with worship and then leads to more worship, both personally and corporately. Just as faith without works is dead, good works separated from active trust in the person and work of Jesus, is also dead. Being about the mission of Jesus means first entering his rest…receiving his easy yoke and light burden of grace. To help encourage pursuit of this reality, we will:

Remind our people often that the only way to become like Jesus is to prioritize being with Jesus daily. The most mundane, ordinary, and common spiritual practices like Bible reading, prayer, and life in transparent community are at the center of this. Apart from (Jesus) we can do nothing.
Emphasize worshiping God with God’s other daughters and sons each Lord’s Day — encouraging our people to order the rest of their lives around worship, versus the other way around. Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another.
Encourage life together among the people of Jesus — the kind that leads to mutual support, the sharing of goods and space, confession and accountability, and participating in one another’s encouragement and character growth.

Missional Living Means Public Faith

Our life in the world is meant to be an expression and extension of our worship. In other words, worship moves out from Sunday into our Monday through Saturday lives as well. As carriers of heaven’s DNA and the aroma of Jesus in his world, we want to carry his grace, truth, and beauty into all of the places where we live, work, and play — primarily through:

Parties. We want to live hospitable, life-giving and celebratory lives by opening our church, homes, and lives in such a way that strangers become friends, and friends become family. We have to celebrate.
Loving friends and neighbors well. We want to intentional, thoughtful, and creative about being the ‘first responders’ wherever opportunities exist to extend the kindness, love, support, and hope of Jesus to people who are hurting, lonely and alone, and feeling ashamed. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Public forums and conversations (some church sponsored and others in living rooms and public spaces) about things that matter to us and also to friends and neighbors who do not believe as we do. Subjects of common interest like sexuality, race and class concerns, family-related issues, the arts, politics, loneliness, and anxiety / depression are a few examples of subject matter. Whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God, AND As some of your own poets have said…

Missional Living Means Integration Of Faith and Work

Because so many people spend the majority of their waking hours working — whether as a volunteer or for hire – we want to help our people see that their work, whether for hire or voluntary, is a dignified calling from God. The workplace is a primary realm for following Jesus and loving the world. We express these truths by:

Affirming that all creative work — work that takes raw material and makes something new for the benefit of the world and the human community — is an expression of God’s creativity through people who bear his image. God created…and it was good.

Affirming that all redemptive work — work that fights decay and seeks the restoration and healing of people, places, and things — is an expression of God’s redeeming grace, also through people who bear his image. All creation groans…eagerly awaiting freedom. Jesus is making all things new.
Launching the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work in the Fall of 2015.

Missional Living Means Mercy and Justice

Because the poor in spirit are called ‘blessed,’ and because Jesus gave special attention to the poor, the weak, the under-served, the overlooked, and those living on the margins, we too will dedicate time, energy, service, and a significant portion of our church’s financial resources to mercy and justice efforts. We will do this by:

Repeatedly emphasizing the importance of the poor, the weak, the overlooked, and the under-served in the economy of God’s kingdom.
Creating intentional, supportive space in our community for children and adults with special needs.
Forming partnerships and providing financial support to Nashville’s ‘best in class’ mercy and justice organizations.

So there you have it: missional living!

What about you? What does missional living look like in your life and community?

This article on missinal living originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

‘This Is a Revival Season’ — Sean Feucht Announces ‘7 Days of Prayer’ on Capitol Hill

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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February 28, 2023

Sean Feucht Revival Initiative — Screengrab via YouTube @Sean Feucht

Through his ministry Hold The Line, Sean Feucht is launching a “7 Days of Worship and Prayer” revival initiative, which will take place on Capitol Hill starting on March 2 and will culminate on March 9 with a livestreamed worship service from inside the U.S. Capitol building.

In a video published on Tuesday (Feb. 28), Feucht said that “revival in America is no longer wishful thinking. It is now becoming our reality. As the early rumblings of awakening are being felt across the nation, we are gathering on Thursday March 9 in the ceremonial heart of the nation, the U.S. Capitol rotunda, for a strategic time of worship and prayer.”

The seven days leading up to March 9, Feucht explained, are intended to mobilize “an army of prayer warriors.” Every morning at 8:30 a.m. on Capitol Hill and at Camp Elah, Feucht’s Washington, D.C., ministry headquarters, Christians will prayer walk to the front of the U.S. Capitol and pray for revival and awakening.

“We’re believing for a wave of God’s power to hit the U.S. Capitol and everybody that it represents,” Feucht said.

Feucht told ChurchLeaders that he believes we are living in historic times. As he, his family, and team prayed and fasted at the end of 2022, he felt like the Lord told him that this is going to be a “historic season of revival.”

“We’re already living in the in the confluence of two to three years of charging across America with ‘Let Us Worship,’ a movement that was born in the in the middle of the pandemic,” Feucht explained. “300 bold worshippers stood in a locked down city of San Francisco during a shelter-in-place order and declared a new Jesus people movement is coming to America. That was our declaration at the height of the pandemic.”

During that time, Feucht told ChurchLeaders that he and his team were getting assaulted by Antifa, fined by cities, disowned by friends and pastors, and receiving hate-filled messages from those both inside and outside the church because of their defiance of pandemic-related orders.

With what recently took place at Asbury University earlier this month and the positive reception of the newly released “Jesus Revolution” film, Feucht said, “It feels like we’re coming into the season of fullness, where those promises that we prayed and declared across America are coming to pass.”

The outpouring that took place at Asbury University amazed and excited Feucht, especially since it was student-driven and not influenced by celebrities.

“If God can do it in that little town at that little university, he can do it anywhere,” Feucht said. What took place at Asbury University has been like a “flashpoint that’s ignited faith in people across America. And now we’re hearing of these little pockets, these little remnants that are breaking out, and I’ll tell you, as one that’s traveled to 180 cities since the pandemic happened, every region in America has a remnant.”

Scott Sauls: Facing Regret and Hurt in Ministry

By

Jason Daye

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February 28, 2023

As pastors and ministry leaders, how do we address in a healthy way, our own feelings of regret, pain, shame, even our feelings of being a hypocrite, because we know where we fall short, while others are placing us on a pedestal? In this week’s conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by Scott Sauls, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Scott has written six books, including his latest, Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen. Together, Scott and Jason look at our tendency to emphasize the positive while minimizing the pain and suffering in our own lives and ministry, even though it’s in those places where God does His most transformative work. Scott also shares some of his personal struggles with anxiety and depression as a pastor, and what God has taught him through those experiences.

FrontStage BackStage Podcast Guest Scott Sauls

Watch the entire episode here.

Keep Learning

Looking to dig more deeply into this topic and conversation? Every week we go the extra mile and create a free toolkit so you and your ministry team can dive deeper into the topic that is discussed. Find your Weekly Toolkit here… Love well, Live well, Lead well!

Podcast Links

Video links to this week’s episode – easily share with the ministry leaders in your church
Audio links to this week’s episode – easily share with the ministry leaders in your church
Additional resource links from this week’s conversation – so you and your team can easily find what is mentioned or referenced
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‘The Chosen,’ Candace Cameron Bure, Dolly Parton Win at This Year’s Movieguide Awards

By

Jessica Lea

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February 28, 2023

“The Chosen,” Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2 won the Epiphany Prize for Most Uplifting Movie at the 30th annual Movieguide Awards, which aired Sunday, Feb. 26. Candace Cameron Bure and Dolly Parton were among the other winners at the ceremony.

“Wow,” tweeted The Chosen on Feb. 27. “Last night, Movieguide awarded its Epiphany Prize for Most Uplifting Movie to The Chosen Season 3, Episodes One and Two. It’s an honor, and we’re thankful.”

Wow. Last night, Movieguide awarded its Epiphany Prize for Most Uplifting Movie to The Chosen Season 3, Episodes One and Two. It’s an honor, and we’re thankful. pic.twitter.com/l6AhG4vGl7

— The Chosen (@thechosentv) February 27, 2023

‘The Chosen’ Among Winners at Movieguide Awards

The Movieguide Awards takes place every year around the same time as the Academy Awards, which typically air in March (this year’s Academy Awards ceremony will air on March 12). The 2023 Movieguide Awards took place on Feb. 10 and aired on Sunday.

Sometimes referred to as “The Christian Oscars,” the Movieguide Awards honors “the best family-friendly movies and TV shows of the previous year.”

“Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV,” said Movieguide in a press release announcing the 2023 nominees. “Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.”

Terry Crews hosted the ceremony, which was held at the Avalon Theater in Hollywood. “The Chosen,” Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2 was nominated in the Best Family Movies and the Epiphany Prize Movies categories. Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in the series, was nominated for the Grace Award in Television, but Candace Cameron Bure took home the award in that category for her movie, “A Christmas…Present.”

“This award honors the most inspirational performance that best displays God’s grace toward us as human beings,” said Bure in an Instagram post celebrating the news. “My heart is full of gratitude and love.”

Christian High School Girls Basketball Team Forfeits Tourney Spot Due to Trans Opponent

By

Stephanie Martin

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February 28, 2023

Rather than play a girls basketball team that has a transgender athlete on its roster, a Christian high school in Vermont forfeited a state tournament game, thereby losing its spot in the competition. The girls team at Mid Vermont Christian School in White River Junction was slated to play Long Trail on Feb. 21. But because Long Trail has a player who was born male but now identifies as female, MVCS withdrew from the tournament.

“We believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” says Vicky Fogg, head of MVCS. “Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”

Girls Basketball Team Forfeits Game

MVCS sent a letter about its decision regarding the girls basketball team to Lauren Thomas, assistant executive director of the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA), the state’s governing body for school sports. “I have received calls [from schools] asking for best practices and how to go forward knowing they were going to play a team with a transgender female on it,” she says. “We just supported our stance and our best practices through our inclusivity statement.”

One of the VPA’s “diversity, equity, and inclusion” standards is to have “proactive talk tracks for transgender athletes.”

According to Vermont’s Agency of Education, “Transgender and gender nonconforming students are to be provided the same opportunities to participate in physical education as are all other students. Generally, students should be permitted to participate in physical education and sports in accordance with the student’s gender identity.”

The agency adds, “Participation in competitive athletic activities and sports will be resolved on a case-by-case basis.” As for bathrooms and locker rooms, the agency says transgender students shouldn’t be prohibited from using any facility that “conflicts with the student’s gender identity.”

Conflicts have arisen at other Vermont schools recently. Last fall, a middle school girls soccer coach was suspended for “misgendering” a transgender player; he’d written a personal post online, defending his daughter who was uncomfortable with the biological-male player in the girls locker room. Some female students at the same school were banned from a locker room when they objected to a biological male’s presence.

Tickets for SatanCon 2023, ‘The Largest Satanic Gathering in History,’ Sell Out

By

Dale Chamberlain

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February 28, 2023

SatanCon Sold Out — Screengrab via YouTube @SatanCon-Official

The demand for gatherings catered to satanists is apparently high. SatanCon 2023, a convention organized by The Satanic Temple (TST) and billed as “the largest satanic gathering in history,” has sold out of tickets.

The convention is set to be held in Boston on April 28-30, and its theme will be “Hexennacht in Boston.” Hexennacht is one of the five religious holidays TST celebrates, a German feast that takes place every April and commemorates the canonization of Saint Walpurga.

TST has promised that SatanCon will be a “weekend of blasphemy and remembrance,” and it will feature lectures, panels, live entertainment, and a “Satanic Marketplace.”

Sessions include a retrospective on TST from founders Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry, as well as lectures on topics including “Deconstructing Your Religious Upbringing,” “Reclaiming the Trans Body,” and “Satanism and the BIPOC Experience.”

The conference will also offer multiple sessions on the history of satanism and demonology.

TST announced via an Instagram post that the event had sold out, encouraging attendees to purchase tickets for an entertainment event called “Impius Conventus,” which will take place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 29. That event will feature Maddelynn Hatter, reality television personality and drag performer.

In addition to commemorating the tenth anniversary of TST’s founding, the conference is dedicated to Boston mayor Michelle Wu “for her unconstitutional efforts to keep TST out of Boston’s public spaces.” TST brought a lawsuit against the city of Boston in 2021 after being denied multiple requests to deliver the invocation at a City Council meeting, citing an alleged First Amendment violation on the basis of their stated religious beliefs.

A previous SatanCon event was held in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was dedicated to Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane and city council member Suzanne Klapp, who also denied the group’s request to deliver the invocation at a City Council meeting there. TST also sued Scottsdale but ultimately lost that legal battle.

Though TST employs satanic imagery, the organization is a nontheistic institution that uses Satan as a satirical symbol of their skepticism and adversarial relationship with the cultural dominance of Christianity.

According to their website, the “mission of The Satanic Temple is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits.”

R.C. Sproul: Can I Be Forgiven If I’ve Had an Abortion?

By

R.C. Sproul

-

February 28, 2023

Since the Bible mentions an unforgivable sin, there has been much speculation concerning its specific identity. Some people have jumped to the conclusion that abortion is the unforgivable sin, because murder is one of the most heinous of sins and abortion has been considered a form of murder. Is this a valid conclusion concerning the unforgivable sin? No.

Without delving into the theological technicalities, let me say categorically that there is no biblical evidence to support the idea and considerable evidence to deny that abortion is the unforgivable sin.

King David was guilty of murder; for his personal gain, he conspired to have Uriah killed. David wanted to marry Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. David’s remorse over his sin is a model of biblical contrition. His prayer of repentance in Psalm 51 is classic. We have every reason to believe that, even after his compound sins of adultery and murder, David was forgiven and restored to fellowship with God. There is no less reason to believe that those who undergo abortions may be forgiven, too.

When God forgives us, we are forgiven. When God cleanses us, we are made clean. That is a cause for great celebration.

To experience the profound liberation of forgiveness, one must simply go to God and confess the sin with a humble heart and a contrite spirit. Contrition involves a genuine and godly sorrow for having disobeyed God. It differs from the repentance of attrition, which is a false form of repentance motivated by a fear of punishment. Attrition is seen in a child who, when he sees a paddle in his mother’s hand, is sorry that he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. True repentance acknowledges the reality of the guilt and does not try to justify it. Anyone who approaches God with true humility, contrition, and an earnest resolution not to commit the sin again will surely receive the forgiveness of God.

We often hear the question, “If you had the opportunity to live your life over again, what would you do differently?” Sometimes people answer by saying they would do everything exactly the same. I have a hard time believing that. All of us have things in our past for which we are ashamed. In my case, there are things I have said that I wish I hadn’t spoken. But once a word escapes from my lips, I cannot call it back. It is like an arrow released from a bow. I can change my words or apologize for my words, but once they are uttered they cannot be recalled. What has been done cannot be undone. It is a matter of history.

Though what I have done cannot be undone, I can be forgiven. Forgiveness is one of the marvels of God’s grace. Its healing power is magnificent. If a woman has been involved in abortion, God does not require that she spend the rest of her life walking around with a red “A” on her chest. He does require that she repent of her sin and come to Him for the cleansing of forgiveness. When God forgives us, we are forgiven. When God cleanses us, we are made clean. That is a cause for great celebration.

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. (Isa. 1:18)

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Pastor Attacked After Invitation to Christian-Muslim Debate

By

Morning Star News

-

February 28, 2023

bible — Photo credit: jannis_noe / Unsplash.com

NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – A pastor invited to participate in a religion debate by mosque leaders in Uganda was attacked after his arguments ostensibly led to 37 Muslims accepting Christ, sources said.

Muslims who apparently converted to Christianity were among those who assaulted Pastor Arthur Asadi Babi, 42, on Feb. 10, he said. He was hospitalized for eight days in Mbale city’s Nakaloke ward with injuries to soft tissue in his neck, a broken leg, a bone fracture in his hand and swelling of his private parts, said Bishop Michael Okia of the area’s Living Stream Church of Christ.

“We received an invitation letter from the sheikh of Nakaloke mosque, who organized the debate in Nakaloke ward in Mbale city,” Okia told Morning Star News. “I decided to send Pastor Babi to debate with the Muslims because of his scholarship skills in the Koran and the Bible.”

Pastor Babi and a team of Christians began participating in the second week of the two-week debate, on Feb. 9, and on the second day he presented a defense of Christianity using the Koran with responses from the Bible on the uniqueness of Christ as the Son of God and the only way to God the Father, the bishop said.

“On Feb. 10, at the end of his defense, the pastor made an appeal for a response from the audience to believe in Christ,” Okia said. “Surprisingly, 29 adults and 8 children gave their lives to Christ Jesus, all Muslims.”

Pastor Babi said he was attacked immediately after apparently leading the Muslims to Christ.

“From nowhere, Muslims started throwing stones, and then with sticks and clubs attacked me by beating me, including the new Muslim converts who had embraced the Christian faith,” Pastor Babi told Morning Star News. “I was hit on my right hand and left leg while some tried to strangle me. One Muslim kicked me and injured my private parts, which is still in pain to date.”

A church member, Ben Yasiini, was able to rescue him and also suffered minor injuries, a tearful Pastor Babi said, adding that he was able to identify two of the assailants.

The pastor received treatment at Grace Medical Center in Mbale and was discharged on Feb.18.

Converting from Islam seven years ago, Pastor Babi is a married father of six children, ages 3 to 17.

As his church is only four kilometers from the mosque, Okia said leaders are still assessing whether to file a police report.

The assault was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.

This article originally appeared here.

Bishop Scott Jones Moves From ‘Extreme Center’ of UMC to New Global Methodist Church

By

Emily McFarlan Miller

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February 28, 2023

(RNS) — Bishop Scott Jones isn’t the first United Methodist bishop to join the Global Methodist Church since the theologically conservative denomination launched in May, but his exit from the UMC has arguably caused the greatest stir.

That’s partly because of the unique position his family holds in Methodism and the “extreme center” position he had staked out within the United Methodist Church.

For some, it also casts a different light on his retirement, just days before he joined the GMC, as head of the Texas Annual Conference where about half of its churches — more than any other conference in the United Methodist Church — likewise left the denomination.

“The Jones family is truly one of the first families of Methodism in our church,” said Will Willimon, a retired United Methodist bishop and a professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina.

Willimon added, “This family has been a family of leaders of our church, and it’s such a shock to have one of the members of the family leading churches out of our church.”

Jones’ late father, S. Jameson Jones, Jr., was president of the Iliff School of Theology in Denver and then dean of Duke Divinity School — two United Methodist schools.

His brother, L. Gregory Jones, now the president of Belmont University, previously served as dean of Duke Divinity School, arguably Methodism’s premier seminary.

And one of his three children, Arthur Jones, is senior pastor of a United Methodist Church: St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas, which is currently negotiating to leave the UMC.

Both Arthur Jones and Greg Jones declined to be interviewed for this article.

“So when you talk about family involvement, there is a lot of that,” Bishop Jones said, who after seminary got his Ph.D. in religious studies from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

He wrote his dissertation on the history of biblical interpretation and John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, because, he said, “I recognized that how Christians interpret the Bible is the most controversial question in Christianity today.”

That question is at the heart of a controversy that has haunted the United Methodist Church for decades and has led to the current split: whether to ordain and marry LGBTQ Christians.

In 2020, delegates to the global UMC’s General Conference were expected to consider a proposal to split the denomination, but the meeting was subsequently delayed three times due to the pandemic. After the third pushback to 2024, the Global Methodist Church, which is against ordaining LGBTQ clergy and marrying same-sex couples, split from the United Methodist Church earlier this year.

The Impossibility of Being a Pastor

By

Jeff Christopherson

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February 28, 2023

impossibility of being a pastor — Lightstock #482203

Editor’s Note: This article is the second in a series exploring seven temptations of the western Church, based on Jeff Christopherson’s novel, “Once You See.” Read Part 1 of the series here.

Every pastor who regularly preaches has wondered, “Did that message make a difference? Will anything happen?”

We’re all together in this. We often wonder. A lot. We preach and we pray and we hope. But every now and then, often on a Monday, deep in the pit of our stomach we honestly question, “Is this really it? Is this really the plan?”

All of us have been here.

I was speaking at a seminary to a varied audience of students, professors, and administrative staff for their annual “missions emphasis.” My opening salvos were a few slides that depicted the ground we have given away in the past decade. Church attendance, down. Church to population ratios, sliding in the wrong direction. Biblical belief amongst churched people, evaporating. Baptisms, down. Society’s sentiment toward helpfulness of churches, falling off the cliff. The bad news was not difficult to find.

I let all that depressing news settle in for a moment.

My next slides spoke of costs associated in educating each student in attendance. Students now learned that their tuition fees only covered a small fraction of their share in the vast expense associated in a sophisticated educational complex. An army of donors, denominational investments, and countless sacrifices from faithful believers were needed to backfill the costs of each student’s education.

My final slides spoke of the actual price to report one baptized new believer. The math was simple. Add up all the reported expenses of all the churches and divide that number by the baptisms reported. The most recent research showed that each new disciple in America cost $1.55 million.

A collective “gasp” was audible.

I then asked a rhetorical question. “And after graduating, how many of you are planning to serve in a local church?” I knew that most students in attendance would not be entering pastoral ministry but choosing some ancillary religious vocation.

I continued, “For the minority of those in this room who sense a calling to lead God’s people in the local church, the road ahead looks difficult. Much tougher than in previous generations.”

And then I asked the question, “And do you know how to ensure that we stay on our negative growth trajectory? And do you know how to guarantee that your education was a waste of all the kingdom dollars invested in you?”

The room was quiet.

“By graduating from this seminary, landing a church, and becoming their minister. By committing yourself to ‘excellence’ in your ministry. By becoming a pro. By becoming ‘needed’ and ‘required’ and somehow ‘essential’ to the church’s mission. That will cement your place in the status quo, and that will be your contribution to the hardening of the arteries of the body of Christ in North America. Because that is not your sacred calling from Jesus Christ. Your calling is far less glamorous. And it’s far less about your personal excellence. In fact, it’s far less about you at all.”

“Your calling is to equip His body, not to perform for God’s people. It is to multiply His laborers into His harvest fields, not to add your puny labors to a task which was Divinely assigned to the whole Body of Christ. It is to decrease in your significance, not to increase your platform. It is to discover and develop and deploy the people of God into the redemptive mission of God.”

10 Leadership Lessons From the Proverbs

By

Dale Chamberlain

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February 28, 2023

leadership lessons in Proverbs — Adobestock #496958481

Leaders are learners, and great leaders are constantly seeking wisdom from those who have gone before them.

If you are a young pastor who is aspiring to great leadership, your shelves are probably chock full of leadership books to help you improve your skills in leading your family, your ministry team, your church, or all of the above.

I have quite a few of those books myself. But of all the leadership books I’ve read, Proverbs is probably my favorite.

Here are 10 leadership lessons from the book of Proverbs.

1. Great Leadership Starts With Integrity

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
(Proverbs 28:6)

Leadership has to start with leading yourself well. You may be skilled, charismatic, or gifted, and those things may serve you well and advance your influence. Nevertheless, those abilities will only get you so far if you have not cultivated integrity.

In fact, a lack of moral and spiritual integrity will invariably be the ultimate demise of a leader, regardless of their abilities or charisma.

2. Great Leaders Work on Sharpening Their Skills

Do you see someone skilled in their work?
They will serve before kings;
they will not serve before officials of low rank.
(Proverbs 22:29)

Important as integrity is, emphasizing it as the first among many virtues a great leader has does not negate the fact that great leaders are also great at their jobs. They practice their skills, pursue further education, and constantly evaluate themselves for improvement.

No one wants to follow a leader who doesn’t work as hard as them or doesn’t do as good of a job as them. Conversely, a worker who is skilled will eventually be recognized as a leader who is worth following and looking up to.

3. Leaders Set the Temperature of the Room

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
(Proverbs 29:2)

Growing up, my dad would often remind me, “What you do affects other people.” This axiom is immeasurably more true for leaders. What you do affects other people; who you are affects other people—even the emotional energy you carry into a room or meeting space affects everyone else in the room.

People are looking to you. Do what you can to ensure that they rejoice at the thought rather than groan about it. This goes for your moral integrity, as well as your general demeanor and attitude.

4. Wise Leaders Constantly Ask for Advice

Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
(Proverbs 11:14)

Although everyone looks to the leader for the answer to whatever challenge lies ahead, the leader should feel no obligation to have all the answers. While the leader is called upon to make the final decision, that decision should never be arrived at without the advice of others.

Wise leaders cultivate relationships with trusted confidants, both inside and outside of their immediate context, whom they can lean on when facing an important decision. Making leadership decisions in a vacuum without any outside input is a dangerous place to be.

Seniors Are More Tech-Savvy Than You Think

By

Phil Cooke

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February 28, 2023

One of the most common arguments against introducing contemporary design and new technology into churches, ministries and nonprofits is what I call “The Senior Myth.” That’s the idea that there cannot be tech savvy seniors. According to this way of thinking, seniors don’t like contemporary music or design and generally aren’t interested in current culture. And since they are the biggest donors and supporters of many of these organizations, we don’t want to rock the boat by “hipping things up.”

Tech Savvy Seniors

For decades, I’ve fought the Senior Myth—in fact, it’s easily one of the most frustrating challenges I’ve faced as a media consultant. But over and over I’ve proved the theory wrong, and now, Pew Research agrees.

In one study, Pew Research revealed that while seniors adopt technology at lower rates than the general public, they are more digitally connected than ever. In other words, they may not be the earliest adopters, but they love technology far more than we think.

Outdoor Games for Teenagers: Oodles of Outside Youth Activities

By

Stephanie Martin

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February 27, 2023

Outdoor games for teenagers will be in high demand now that spring is around the corner. When the weather warms up—and when games involve lots of activity or lots of mess—moving them outside is wise. Active games for teens get kids moving, build bonds, and often tie into lesson points.

When kids know they’ll be playing games, having fun, and learning practical Bible truths, they’ll be eager to attend youth group. Plus, they’ll probably bring friends along too!

Online you can find a wide variety of outdoor games for teenagers. We’ve provided a bunch below to help you get started.

As you review these outdoor youth group games, consider several factors. For example: How big is your group?
What supplies do you have handy?
Will you need extra volunteers for certain games?
What safety rules do you need to set beforehand?
How might the game tie into your weekly lesson or message?

If you do a bit planning, outdoor games for teenagers can be a huge hit. So check out these activities, and get ready for lots of outside fun!

Try These Outdoor Games for Teenagers

Preteens and teens are sure to love these outside games:

27 Teen Games for Outdoors

At this site, you’ll find all kinds of active outdoor games teens will love.

27 More Games, Focused on Team-Building

These outside activities for teens help build bonds among youth group members.

Wet Outdoor Games for Teenagers

When the sun’s shining and kids need to cool down, play these 10 water games.

Dry Outdoor Games for Teenagers

When you don’t want kids to get wet, play these 7 fun outdoor games instead.

Active Outdoor Games for Teens

You’ll need special supplies for these physically active games.

Jen Wilkin Responds to Criticism of Her Views on Sending Children to Public Schools

By

Jessica Lea

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February 27, 2023

Author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin has responded to criticisms of views she expressed in a Feb. 19 discussion regarding whether Christian parents should send their kids to public schools. The conversation was part of The Gospel Coalition’s “Good Faith Debates” series.

“It seems my recent remarks on public school are being misrepresented, so I’d like to clarify,” said Wilkin in a Twitter thread on Saturday. “I get it, it was an hour-long debate, and in an age of short attention spans, clips and tweets can too easily obscure the flow of a longer argument. So, here we go.”

[Thread] It seems my recent remarks on public school are being misrepresented, so I’d like to clarify. I get it, it was an hour-long debate, and in an age of short attention spans, clips and tweets can too easily obscure the flow of a longer argument. So, here we go:

— Jen Wilkin (@jenniferwilkin) February 25, 2023

Jen Wilkin’s Thoughts on Public Schools

Jen Wilkin, a Bible teacher and mother of five, was joined by Dr. Jonathan Pennington, a pastor, professor and father of six, to debate the question, “Should Christian parents send their children to public schools?”

Wilkin is in favor of sending children to public school, and she said that her “perspective is heavily autobiographical.” All five of her children went to public school and had positive experiences. She also has many family members who are public educators.

“You can imagine that as someone who was in full-time, outward-facing ministry, that was met with a lot of raised eyebrows through the years,” said Wilkin, who noted that people tend to assume someone with a large family and “strong religious convictions” is going opt for homeschooling or a private Christian school. “We didn’t.”

“We did choose public school out of conviction,” said Wilkin, “but I always like to make clear up front that we did not have any special considerations in that our kids did not have learning disabilities, there were no special concerns that might have played into that decision for us.”

The Wilkins also lived near quality schools and could provide their kids with a good education in the public school system. “I would never say everyone should choose public school,” said Wilkin, “but I would say that we should try really hard to if at all possible because we believe in the public school ideal. We believe that education is a right, it’s necessary for human flourishing, it’s good for society. It’s a mark of civilization.”

Wilkin explained, “We believed that our participation in the public school system was directly related to loving our neighbors, and so if we could opt in at all, then we absolutely wanted to, so we did.”

Wilkin emphasized that she and her husband were highly involved in their children’s lives and in their experience in public education. When they chose to send their children to public schools, they did so with the conviction that people’s worldviews come from their homes. She and her husband did “not think that it was a simple matter of just sending them off to get educated…and the church would pick up the slack.”

“We definitely had lots of conversations about everything that they were learning and the social elements as well,” she added.

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