‘Hellfire Club’: Parent Blasted Online After Asking if Adolescent Should Take a ‘Stranger Things’ Water Bottle to Christian School

July 11, 2022

A parent recently asked other parents if it was okay for her 10-year-old daughter to take a satanic looking water bottle inspired by the popular Netflix show “Stranger Things: Season 4” to her Christian school on a London based internet forum Mumsnet.

A number of parents responded, astonished that a parent would even let their young child watch the show.

The Mumsnet user, who goes by flightofthesevenmillionbumblebees, explained that her daughter loves Stranger Things and recently purchased a water bottle with the word’s “Hellfire Club” on it, which is the name of a high school “Dungeons and Dragons” club in the show. The logo contains an image of a devil head.

The popular tabletop role playing game “Dungeons and Dragons” (also known as “D & D” and created in 1974) plays an important role throughout the series. “D & D” has been viewed by many conservative Christians as demonic because of its occult elements. An article by “Focus on the Family’s” entertainment publication “Plugged In” shared that “some former players have said that ‘D & D’ brought them into contact with demonic activity.”

“Stranger Things: Season 4” also shows graphic imagery of an underworld called the “upside down,” which is an alternate world that one could assume represents a form of hell and has creatures called “Demobats.” These creatures strangle and eat humans when they become trapped in the alternate world. The “upside down” is also the home of Vecna, a skull-like demon creature who haunts and kills human prey by entering their thoughts.

The parent also explained that although she sends her child to a Christian school, hers is not a religious family. Thus, she asked if she was being unreasonable in allowing her daughter to take the water bottle to school, since it was merely a logo from the television show rather than a demonic image.

“That is not in anyway about devil worshipping or anything actually related to the devil or religion,” the parent said, comparing the devil emblazoned water bottle to “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars.”

The parent further shared that her daughter was “told off” by a teacher a couple of weeks prior for drawing an image of a devil. The teacher told her it wasn’t “appropriate to be drawing a devil at a Christian school.”

The parent believes that because of the teacher’s prior actions, the school might act similarly when they see the “Hellfire Club” water bottle.

Pastor John Gray Admitted to ER; Wife Aventer Says They ‘Need a Miracle’

Jessica Mouser

July 11, 2022

John Gray, lead pastor of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina, was admitted to the ER over the weekend with a saddle pulmonary embolism. His wife, Aventer, who is co-pastor of the church, shared the news on Instagram and asked her followers to pray for her husband’s life.

“Hello family,” said Aventer Gray in an Instagram post. “My family and I stand in need of a miracle. Please keep my husband…in your prayers.”

John Gray’s Life in Danger

In her post, Aventer explained that after “feeling a little different” for a couple weeks, John Gray went to the ER, where he “was immediately admitted.” The Grays learned John had a “saddle pulmonary embolism in the pulmonary artery and more lung blood clots.”

The pulmonary arteries are responsible for carrying blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs. According to the National Library of Medicine, a saddle pulmonary embolism is a rare type of blood clot that can be life-threatening. Moreover, “saddle pulmonary embolism can be difficult to recognize, and data on its presentation, clinical features, and associated complications are sparse.”

“The Saddle PE is in a position that could potentially end his life if it shifts at all,” said Aventer. “The clot burden is severe and only God is holding it in place.” She said that John would need two types of surgery within the next 24 hours to relieve pressure on his heart, adding, “To place this in perspective, the doctor said that people have come into the hospital dead with this exact scenario he walked in with. The doctor said God has to keep him through the night and he can not move, not even get up to walk to a bathroom.”

Pastor John Gray

John Gray, a former associate pastor of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, is a somewhat controversial figure. In 2019, Gray admitted to having an “emotional affair” with another woman, and in September 2020, Gray apologized to his wife and congregation after new allegations surfaced of an inappropriate relationship. Gray did not address specifics, but said some aspects of the rumors were true and some were not.

Gray has faced several lawsuits in recent years. One of these involved a dispute between Relentless Church and Redemption Church, which had previously owned Relentless’s property. Gray’s church faced a potential eviction until the legal battle was resolved in November 2020.

Religious Couples Who Marry Young, Do Not Cohabitate Are Less Likely To Divorce, Research Finds

Stephanie Martin

July 11, 2022

According to new research, couples of faith who pursue marrying young without living together first have the lowest odds of divorce. These results challenge the conventional wisdom that young adults should be career-oriented during their 20s and wait until they’re more mature to tie the knot.

In a post titled “The Surprising Case for Marrying Young,” sociology professor W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project, reveals that cohabiting couples are 15% more likely to get divorced than couples who don’t live together before marriage.

Wilcox, who conducted the research with Lyman Stone for the Institute for Family Studies, says, “Saving cohabitation for marriage, and endowing your relationship with sacred significance, seems to maximize your odds of being stably and happily married.” He emphasizes the importance of “shared faith,” which “is linked to more sexual fidelity, greater commitment, and higher relationship quality.”

With Relationships, More Experience Isn’t Better

Wilcox points to the example of Joey and Samantha, a Catholic couple who met in New York City and married at age 24. That surprised their peers, who are enjoying independence and focusing on careers. But the pair, who now live in Dallas, say sharing a faith and not living together first has made marriage “so exciting” and “that much sweeter.”

“The religious guys are more long-term guys,” says Samantha, “They’re going to share my morals and my values.” Meanwhile, other potential dates are just “looking to have a good time.”

If you cohabitate first, adds Samantha, you “always see leaving as an option.” And that mindset remains once you’re married. Those partners “always can see that there’s a door to leave,” she says, “whereas since we didn’t [live with anyone beforehand, leaving is] just not an option we would think of.”

Wilcox also cites psychologist Galena Rhodes, who says, “We generally think that having more experience is better…but what we find for relationships is just the opposite.” Instead, having more cohabitation partners sets you up for making comparisons that could undermine your eventual marriage.

Other Research Also Supports Marrying Young

Another project, the “State of Our Unions 2022” report, compares “cornerstone” marriages (between people ages 20 to 24) and “capstone” marriages (between people older than 25). Contrary to popular belief, researchers found that later capstone marriages aren’t necessarily more stable and may even lead to lower-quality relationships.

“Society ought to consider that cornerstone marriages can be just as nurturing, stable, and satisfying as capstone marriages—if not more so for many couples,” says primary author Alan Hawkins. Marrying as teens remains “a significant risk factor,” he points out, but beyond that, “age is not the strong indicator of success in marriage that many believe it to be.”

Colorado Pastor Charged in Connection with Capitol Riot After Former Bible College Classmate Tips Off FBI

Dale Chamberlain

July 11, 2022

Former youth pastor Tyler Ethridge, 33, was arrested in Denver on Friday (July 8) on suspicion that he was involved in the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021. The most damning evidence against Ethridge is content he posted publicly to social media himself.

A former Bible college classmate tipped off federal agents to Ethridge’s involvement.

According to Insider, the former classmate told Federal police that Ethridge was “telling everyone” on Facebook about being “on scaffolding outside Nancy Pelosi’s office and inside the chamber.”

The former classmate attended Charis Bible College, a Woodland Park, Colorado, school founded by Andrew Wommack, where Ethridge was also a student. The classmate’s name has not been made public.

Ethridge flew with two other people from Denver International Airport to Philadelphia on January 4, 2021, and drove to Washington D.C. to attend former president Trump’s rally and participate in the subsequent storming of the Capitol building on January 6, according to the arrest report.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said that Ethridge helped to remove barricades outside the Capitol Building and told the crowd to “keep fighting” as protesters engaged in a physical altercation with police guarding the Capitol.

In one video Ethridge posted online, he can be seen getting pepper sprayed and shot with rubber bullets by Capitol police, who were attempting to disperse the crowd.

“I’m probably going to lose my job as a pastor after this,” Ethridge later said in a video from inside the Capitol rotunda, his eyes still apparently suffering the effects of pepper spray. “But what is it going to take? … I think we’re to a point where talk is cheap. If this makes me lose my reputation, I don’t care.”

According to 9News, Ethridge was fired from his job as a youth pastor at a church in Florida less than two weeks later for his involvement in the Capitol riot.

The U.S. Attorney further reported that in a September 24 social media post, Ethridge said, “Don’t be afraid of what they sentence you with. I’m not. I’m ready for whatever I’ll be charged with.”

Naked and Unashamed: Christians Strip Down at a South Texas Nudist Community

Jeremy Lindenfeld

July 11, 2022

(RNS) — Outside the small Texas town of Elsa, a sheet metal fence too tall to see over surrounds a few acres of prime Rio Grande Valley land. In front of the compound’s drab, gray gate, bright orange letters spell out “Nature’s Resort.” The gate opens to reveal a seemingly ordinary community. RVs and small homes line the roads, péntaque and pickleball courts offer residents recreational spaces, and the front office acts as the community’s nucleus.

Nothing looks amiss, except that is, for what’s missing — namely, clothing.

Misty Katz, part owner of Nature’s Resort, finds comfort in shunning clothes. Growing up in South Africa, she was scolded by her parents for undressing in public when her clothes got dirty. She didn’t take those lessons too seriously. More than half a century later, she lives at a nudist (or naturist) resort in South Texas and doesn’t worry about dirty clothes anymore.

For as long as Katz has been a nudist, she has also been a Christian.

Public nudity may seem antithetical to the modesty often promoted by churches, but to Katz, the two go hand in hand. “Believe it or not, we are modest,” Katz says. “Modesty doesn’t mean you have to cover everything up. We don’t display our wares, we’re not adorning various parts of our bodies in a way that’s going to attract attention.”

Her idea of modesty echoes Pope John Paul II’s 1981 book “Love and Responsibility,” in which he writes “nakedness itself is not immodest.” He goes on to explain that immodesty presents itself only when nakedness serves to sexually arouse.

At Nature’s Resort, public nudity is not sexual. “The initial conception is that this is a sexual thing,” Katz says. “People think we’re all out on the front lawn having sex with each other, swapping partners. In fact, if there is any overt sexuality, you see that gate open real fast and somebody is ushered out.”

Some Christian critics of nudism, including Mary Lowman of The Christian Working Woman, see the lifestyle as an affront to God. On her website’s page The Christian Dress Code, Lowman claims “God’s dress code from the beginning has been to cover our nakedness.”

Even still, nudism attracts unlikely allies. Some nondenominational, hard-line conservative clergy accept nudism. Pastor Ron Smith, of McAllen’s Church of the King, vehemently opposes homosexuality, abortion and the transgender community, but when it comes to nudism, his strident views loosen up.

“I think it’s odd, I think it’s strange, but I have no proof it’s sinning,” Smith said. “We have a retired couple that sit in the front row every Sunday that live at a nudist camp. I believe they’re dedicated Christians.”

‘Equivalent to JFK’: Japanese Baptists Lament Abe Assassination

Diana Chandler

July 11, 2022

HOLT, Mo. (BP) – The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe July 7 is likely on par with that of late U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963, Japanese-American Southern Baptist pastor Jonathan Hayashi told Baptist Press.

“First and foremost what a tragic, tragic thing that I cannot remember in my lifetime ever seeing something as tragic happen like this,” said Hayashi, senior pastor of Northern Hills Baptist Church in Holt, Mo. “It’s probably equivalent to JFK. Unheard of.”

Abe, the longest serving Japanese prime minister, from 2007-2020, was shot down during a political speech outdoors in Nara, Japan. Police identified his suspected assassin as 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, an unemployed man who police said confessed to shooting Abe with a homemade gun and is in police custody. The 67-year-old Abe was born into a family of prime ministers and remained “the most powerful figure in Japanese politics, even without any formal title,” the Atlantic wrote in a July 8 editorial.

Peter Yanes, executive director of Asian American relations and mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, lamented the killing.

“It’s a horrific tragedy that shouldn’t happen to any national leader or anyone,” Yanes told Baptist Press. “My prayers go with the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s family and that justice will be served.

“I pray for our churches and missionaries in Japan as they tirelessly share our hope in the Gospel through Jesus Christ and to all our Japanese American churches in serving and providing comfort to their community during this difficult time. Our Asian American Collective leadership and churches will join you in prayers.”

Hayashi, a member of the Southern Baptist Asian American Collective leadership team, said the assassination has sparked fear in Japan. Hayashi also expressed hope in the Gospel.

“Abe was the longest lasting, faithful prime minister,” Hayashi said, “and (for) someone (who) left behind as dynamic of a legacy to be tragically assassinated, there is fear in our country.

“I think at this time though, what an opportunity for Christians to give the hope of the Gospel. I think in (the Japanese people’s) present helplessness, their future hopelessness, for such a time as this, this is an opportunity for the International Mission Board, for missionaries to rise up to give help and hope and healing in the name of Jesus.

“I’ve been praying that Japan, known as a rising sun, the country, would come to know the risen son of God, and I think this is a great opportunity for Christians to rise up.”

Officials Investigate Vandalism, Fires at Maryland Churches

AP News

July 11, 2022

fires — Photo via Unsplash.com @fourcolourblack

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Investigations are underway into several weekend incidents of apparent arson and vandalism at churches in Maryland, authorities said.

Montgomery County authorities said the incidents took place at three churches of different denominations a short distance away from each other in Bethesda, TV station WJLA reported.

Overnight Sunday, a blaze was apparently set at St. Jane Frances De Chantal Parish, forcing worshippers to attend mass at an alternate location Sunday morning, news outlets reported.

Dozens of firefighters responded to an alarm at the church around 2 a.m. and quickly extinguished the fire, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

The fire involved several pews in the main church area, Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the agency, tweeted. No injuries were reported.

In a statement about the fire, a spokesperson from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said the archdiocese was shocked by the incident but that they are a “resilient community of faith.”

Earlier in the weekend, a fire was set at a Methodist church that was broken into, according to fire officials. Also Saturday, investigators found damaged headstones and broken wood pieces scattered around the vicinity of Wildwood Baptist Church, WJLA reported.

This article originally appeared here.

God’s Mission Has a Church: My Interview With Tabletalk Magazine

Ed Stetzer

July 11, 2022

My friends at Tabletalk asked me to do an interview a few years back. I was glad to agree.

Be sure to subscribe here. Here is the interview:

Tabletalk: Please describe how you became a Christian and your current ministry.

Ed Stetzer: I grew up on Long Island, outside of New York City, in a nominal Irish Catholic home. My sister was the first in my family to hear the gospel and trust Christ. She rode a church bus from our home in Levittown to a small congregation nearby. She heard about grace and mercy and began to share the gospel with the rest of us.

My mother soon became a Christian, shortly before we moved from New York to Florida. I saw something in my mom that I lacked and I wanted—a changed life. Yet her world came apart. A daughter with cancer at age 12. Moving far from home and family. Soon, a divorce. But she had Christ, and He gave her strength.

My mother started attending a mainline Protestant church and then encouraged me (forced me, really) to go as well. Eventually, she pushed me into going to a retreat where she knew the gospel would be shared. In the back of a camp chapel (where the boys sat who did not want to be there), I heard the gospel message as the speaker invited me to trust and follow Christ. On August 13, 1977, I did just that.

I was called to pastoral ministry first as a church planter in Buffalo, N.Y., and Erie, Pa. However, my ministry journey has made many different stops as a pastor, professor, teacher, and strategist.

My current ministry has many aspects. I am president of Lifeway Research, and I also oversee communications and ministry development for Lifeway Christian Resources as a whole. I am general editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum used by half a million Christians each week. I teach at a few seminaries in the area of missiology, and I speak to groups and denominations about mission, evangelism, church revitalization, and church planting. I am also pastor of Grace Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., which I planted with a group of people three years ago.

TT: What does it mean for the church to be “missional”?

ES: Spurgeon once said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.” Though we might want to clarify the language, the impulse is what we need—every Christian is called to live on mission.

So, to be missional means that a church realizes it exists to join Jesus in God’s mission in the power of the Spirit.

Mission is rooted in the identity of God Himself. God is on a mission, and Jesus is the embodiment of that mission. Jesus identifies Himself as being sent more than forty times in the gospel of John. Then, near the end of the gospel of John, He says, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).

The church is sent on mission by Jesus. It’s not that the church has a mission, but rather that the mission has a church. We join Jesus on His mission.

To be missional means that a church realizes it exists to join Jesus in God’s mission in the power of the Spirit.

A missional church is one that seeks to engage all of the church in the activity God has for them—His mission. Our goal should be to move them from just sitting in rows to living in such a way that they are engaged in the work God has for them.

That mission might be in, through, or beyond the church, but it is ultimately rooted in obedience to Christ and obedience to His call.

TT: How does your emphasis on mission affect your own life?

ES: I believe that if you are going to write on leadership, people who know you should consider you a great leader. If you are going to write on ethics, people around you must see you as having the highest ethics. And, if you are going to preach the Bible, you need to be living it out. So, if you are going to write and speak about mission, there ought to be missional activity in your life.

So, for me, I ask myself that question regularly. In the past I was more vocationally focused on missional engagement, whereas now I’m more focused on missional exhortation—but personally, I must stay regularly engaged in mission.

I’m not perfect, and need to do more, but I seek to do that in a few ways:

First, I’m on mission in my neighborhood. I’ve intentionally focused on my eight nearest neighbors, with most of whom I’ve shared the gospel, and seven of eight have come to something related to our church (a small group or worship service), or I’ve shared Christ in their home. I have baptized four of them.

Second, I lead a small group every Sunday night in my neighborhood to reach my neighbors and my community. We study The Gospel Project, live in community, and engage in mission together.

Third, I planted a church and still serve there in a volunteer capacity as lead pastor to reach our community for Christ, serve the hurting, and plant more churches.

We just launched our second campus in a socioeconomically depressed area about twelve miles from our first location.

ERLC Again Opposes Biden’s Action To Protect Abortion

Tom Strode

July 11, 2022

hight_court_ruling — Abortion-rights and anti-abortion demonstrators gather outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. Abortion, guns and religion _ a major change in the law in any one of these areas would have made for a fateful Supreme Court term. In its first full term together, the court's conservative majority ruled in all three and issued other significant decisions limiting the government's regulatory powers. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)

WASHINGTON (BP) – President Biden took further action Friday in his administration’s ongoing effort to offset the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision, and Southern Baptist and other pro-life advocates again declared their opposition.

Biden signed an executive order Friday (July 8) intended to protect access to abortion and reproductive healthcare. The action occurred two weeks after the justices reversed the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion throughout the country. The court’s 5-4 opinion June 24 in Dobbs v. Mississippi Women’s Health Organization returned abortion policy to the states, where it had been before the watershed Roe decision.

The executive order includes directives calling for expanded safeguards for access to drugs that end the lives of preborn children, the establishment of an interagency task force to coordinate protections for abortion access and the assembling of volunteer lawyers to represent women and abortion providers.

Southern Baptist public policy specialist Hannah Daniel told Baptist Press in written comments, “Rather than taking this opportunity to begin building a true culture of life that serves and cares for mothers and their children, President Biden and his administration insist on clinging to a past that saw women preyed upon and the lives of vulnerable children snuffed out.”

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) – which had objected to earlier Biden administration initiatives to protect abortion rights after Roe’s fall – will continue to advocate in opposition to “these actions and will work until a culture of life prevails in our nation,” said Daniel, the entity’s policy manager.

“Government is instituted to protect our rights, including the right to life, and that is the path so many states are pursuing with their laws defending preborn lives,” she said. “Instead of attempting to thwart these policies, they should be replicated in every state and at the federal level.”

About half of the 50 states have enacted or are soon expected to enact abortion bans throughout pregnancy or at some stage of pregnancy. Already, 17 state prohibitions are in effect after Roe’s reversal, although judges have blocked enforcement of four of the bans for the time being, the ERLC reported in an article published Friday at its website.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, charged Biden “has once again caved to the extreme abortion lobby, determined to put the full weight of the federal government behind promoting abortion. Long gone is the Democratic Party of ‘safe, legal, and rare.’”

Biden, who had decried the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe as “outrageous,” repeated on Friday the criticism he has offered on multiple occasions. He denied the decision was “driven by the Constitution” or “driven by history.”

Since June 24, the president has called for Congress to codify Roe into law through an exception to the Senate’s filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to end debate and take floor action on legislation but is improbable with the chamber’s current makeup. He also has urged voters to elect enough senators to establish expansive abortion rights in federal law.

Senate Moves To Include Women in Military Draft; Southern Baptist Opposition Long Established

Scott Barkley

July 11, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – A renewed effort to include women in the military draft is making its way through the Senate with conservatives voicing their opposition.

When a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was introduced in June 2016 for women to become eligible for the draft, Southern Baptists responded at that year’s annual meeting in St. Louis by adopting a resolution opposing the step. Messengers again stated their opposition at the 2019 gathering with a resolution on expanding the Selective Service to include women.

The provision in the 2016 NDAA was eventually stripped out at the last moment in favor of a commission to study the future of the draft. It appeared the section would pass last year, but was once again dropped after closed-door negotiations.

The current version once again includes an amendment that requires the registration of women for Selective Service.

Each year the NDAA determines military policy as well as the manner in which the military’s budget will be spent. It is created by the Senate Armed Services Committee and House Armed Services Committee. Last month the Senate committee voted 20-6 to require women to register. A following version of the NDAA advanced by the House did not contain the provision.

Interim Ethics & Religious Liberty President Brent Leatherwood told Baptist Press today that the ERLC’s position on the subject hasn’t changed since issuing a white paper about it last year.

The document acknowledges that men and women are “equal in value” but “distinct [in] physical and psychological differences.”

“Women placed in combat would be a risk to themselves, to the men around them, and consequently, to our nation,” it said. “Men are psychologically prepared to protect, while women desire to nurture. Asking a woman to take the place of a man in protecting a nation is not only dangerous, but dishonors the role of men and women.”

All combat jobs were opened to women in 2015.

“Southern Baptists wish to express deepest gratitude to those courageous men and women who have served, as noted in the 2016 SBC resolution,” the ERLC stated. “We are grateful for all women who have chosen to serve their country in the military, but make the distinction that forced service is both dishonorable and unbiblical.”

Versions of military conscription have existed in America dating back to the Revolutionary War. Induction to fill military vacancies in both peacetime and conflict ended in 1973, but the Selective Service System remained in a “standby” role in case of national emergency.

Registration was suspended altogether from 1976-1980 in an era of “deep standby.” However, President Jimmy Carter issued Proclamation 4771 in July 1980 shortly after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, resulting in mass registrations that month as well as in January 1981.

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Why Everyone Needs Compassion

Scott Sauls

July 11, 2022

Why Everyone Needs Compassion

If the Bible was a party, Ecclesiastes would be the party pooper.

The author of this unique book also comes from a unique situation. He is very powerful and very rich. Concerning power, he is a beloved king with many servants, and has more wives and concubines than he can count. When he tells them to leap, they ask, “How high?” When he summons them into his office or dining area or bedroom, they arrive not a moment too early and not a moment too late. Concerning riches, this man doesn’t just have a house, but many houses. Very large houses. He doesn’t just have a garden, but many gardens. Very lovely, well-tended gardens. He doesn’t just have pools, but many pools. And wardrobes. And luxury dining. And the best furniture. He also has a supreme intellect. And fame. And unparalleled success in all that he does. In a word, he has it all.

There is one more thing that the author of Ecclesiastes has in abundance: Misery. Somehow, and possibly to our surprise, he finds it nearly impossible to enjoy his many “blessings.” Here are just a few examples of the anguish he expresses:

Concerning work and success:
“What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? … All things are full of weariness … I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors … for apart from [God] who can eat or who can have enjoyment? … I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.”[1]

Concerning knowledge and wisdom:
“He who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”[2]

Concerning possessions and pleasure:
“I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself … I had also great possessions … I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines … I kept my heart from no pleasure … and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind.”[3]

Concerning money:
“[My] eyes are never satisfied with riches … He who loves money will not be satisfied with money … a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them.”[4]

Concerning everything:
“All is vanity.”[5]

If this powerful, wealthy, famous king were a modern celebrity and was caught saying these sorts of things, one imagines that we might take to social media and criticize him for feeling miserable. “Poor little rich guy having a pity party,” we might say to ourselves and each other. “Must be hard living in all those mansions, having all that sex, hosting all those parties, eating all those fine meats, counting all that cash. Must be rough with all those people waiting on you hand and foot. Such a hard life. How do you do it?”

It is worth repeating. The green grass of other people’s lives lies to us.

A few years ago, I was invited to speak at a conference which took place at a luxury resort on the coast of California. The resort was nestled in the midst of one of the world’s wealthiest neighborhoods, with curated opulence and natural beauty everywhere. During a break, my wife and I decided to go for a walk down the coast, where we were able to view scores of multi-million-dollar mansions up-close. At one point, I turned to her and said, “Must be tough for these people to have to live like this.” In her characteristic gentleness and wisdom, she responded, “Yes, you’re right, Scott. It is tough for these people. Remember how you tell our congregation all the time that every person we meet is fighting a hard, hidden battle? That also includes people living in opulent mansions on the California coast, does it not?”

In an essay about celebrity life and culture, one New York journalist observed:

“I pity celebrities. No, I do. The minute a person becomes a celebrity is the same minute he/she becomes a monster … now they have become supreme beings and their wrath is awful. It’s not what they had in mind. When God wants to play a really rotten practical joke on you, he grants you your deepest wish and then giggles merrily when you suddenly realize you want to kill yourself … [These celebrities] wanted fame. They worked, they pushed … The night each of them became famous they wanted to shriek with relief. Finally! Now they were adored! Invincible! Magic! … The morning after the night each of them became famous they wanted to take an overdose of barbiturates. All their fantasies had been realized, yet the reality was still the same. If they were miserable before, they were twice as miserable now … The disillusionment turned them howling and insufferable.”[6]

The journalist’s thesis is supported by a long list of people who ascended to fame, fortune, and all the things that go with it, but whose lives ended prematurely and tragically as a direct result of their misery. As Ann Voskamp has eloquently written, no human soul was made to bear the weight of fame and celebrity except the soul of Jesus. Only he has the capacity and character to be on a pedestal and not be tarnished by it. Only he belongs on a pedestal, because the chief end of all creation is to glorify and enjoy him forever.[7] We, on the other hand, were made to worship and not be worshiped, to stand in awe not be the objects of awe, to bow and not be bowed unto.

Consider these names: Novelist Ernest Hemingway. Fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Painter Mark Rothko. Nirvana front man Curt Cobain. Each one, at the peak of his fame and fortune, committed suicide. Consider also the popular singers Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and the famous actor Heath Ledger. Each one, also at the peak of fame and fortune, died from a drug overdose. Likewise, Elvis Pressley, dubbed by many as “the king of rock and roll,” died of what was believed to be a barbiturate-induced heart attack.

Several years ago, I heard the famous singer, Mariah Carey, give an unexpected answer to a question that was asked of her at the peak of her career. At the time, she was reported to have scored more number one hits than anyone in the history of music except Elvis and the Beatles. When asked what remained for her to achieve, what goals she had not reached, she replied with a one-word answer: “Happiness.”

Indeed, every person you meet—or don’t meet—is fighting a hard, hidden battle.

This includes those who are poor and destitute. It includes those who are middle class, making it from paycheck to paycheck. And, lest we forget, it includes those who are rich and famous and have achieved all of their wildest dreams and more. As it has been said, “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”[8]

Compassion anyone?

This article originally appeared here.

4 Rules for Christian Fight Club

Derek Rishmawy

July 11, 2022

christian fight club — Adobestock #242267677

If you’ve ever had an “intensely engaged” discussion with a friend in class, or on a Facebook thread, blog or Twitter-battle, you’ve engaged in polemics. Now, you needn’t worry that this is a particularly un-Christian activity. A friend of mine recently pointed out that Christians have always argued and always will—for good reason. Thinking through history, some of the greats in the church have been polemicists: Athanasius, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and many others were willing to throw down over truth. They were great precisely because they could argue, not despite it. Call it the rules of Christian fight club.

That said, it’s wise to think through our basic attitudes and approaches to polemics as a people, especially within the body. We should regularly ask ourselves “How am I going about this discussion? Is my attitude consistent with Christian virtue? Are my words in conformity with Jesus’ command to love neighbor as self?”

Here are three qualities or attitudes that should define our approach to whatever discussion we engage in, and one that shouldn’t.

4 Rules for Christian Fight Club

1. Playful.

One quality in short supply in our polemics today is playfulness, a certain amount of mirth and good humor. It’s that kind of light-hearted reasonableness that G.K. Chesterton embodies in his works like Orthodoxy and Heretics.

To say that his arguments are playful is not to admit they aren’t “serious,” dealing with significant issues. No, it is to recognize they are clearly not driven by fear or pride, but rather a humble self-forgetfulness and joy deeply rooted in the Gospel. His ability to sport and laugh at, and with, his interlocutors managed to communicate both disagreement with and real fondness for them.

This is not an excuse for being flippant, disrespectful or condescending.

When your heart is filled with confidence in God, it allows you to speak with humor and grace, knowing that whatever the outcome of the argument, you’re securely held in the arms of your Father because of the Son.

One of the benefits of engaging your intellectual “opponents” with this attitude is that it is attractive. So often, people are used to dealing with Christians arguing out of their insecurities or pride which drives them to be snippy, harsh, humorless and retaliatory. Nobody wants to listen to someone like that, or end up believing whatever they’re arguing for.

The Gospel should lead to a confident good-naturedness that, on the one hand, respects the other person, and at the same time, allows you to take yourself less seriously.

Christian fight club rule #2 is on the next page.

Glenn Packiam: Why Christians Avoid the Phrase Supernatural God

Glenn Packiam

July 10, 2022

Christians believe in a Triune God who created the cosmos, and who stands in some way outside of it, or beyond it. But is that a supernatural God? But to call God “holy” is to acknowledge that God is completely “other” than anything else. He is not simply separated from created things by degree but in kind. The Creator is not on the same spectrum as the creation; He is on His own spectrum. This is all summed up in the Hebrew and Christian confession that God is “holy.”

Supernatural God or Holy God?

But to confess this “otherness” of God is not to speak of a supernatural God. Webster’s defines the supernatural in two ways: “of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit or devil”; or, “as departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature, or attributed to an invisible agent (as a ghost or spirit).” So, yes, in one sense God is supernatural; His existence is “beyond the visible order of the observable universe.” But the language of “natural” and “supernatural” leans on a framework which divides the “natural” world from the “supernatural” world, a view which emerged during the Enlightenment, particularly when Sir Isaac Newton outlined his mathematical principles of natural philosophy out of the conviction that there is a deep created order to the world, and to name these laws was to glorify God.

Ironically, these principles were used to effectively relegate God “upstairs” and humans “downstairs.” Deism, the formal name for this view, accepted that the order in creation owed its origins to a creator, but that like any good invention, it did not require its inventor to keep running. Deism eventually led to post-Enlightenment rationalism, which rejected miracles both in Scripture and in contemporary life. After all, why would a God make rules only to suspend them whenever He liked? Why set the world up like a great clock only to move the hands at a whim? And if interventions were needed to correct the mechanism, how good was its design to begin with? (Voltaire, Spinoza and Hume are examples of a few philosophers whose skepticism led to a ‘de-miraclizing’ of the New Testament.) In one sense, it was Newton’s faith-driven science that led to the rejection of faith in the West.

What we are left with now are the remnants of warring worldviews—one which claims the belief in a supernatural, and one which argues against it on the basis of scientific discovery. It seems we are at an impasse. But I suggest it’s time to re-examine the very framework which divides reality in “natural“ and a “supernatural“ one.

Listen to how the Hebrew poets and prophets talked about the relationship between God and His world:

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (Psalm 24:1-2)

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! (Psalm 57:5)

And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)

God is holy AND His glory fills the earth! The Enlightenment taught us to see the world (and the phenomena in it) as either natural or supernatural. The Hebrews did not see a supernatural God; they saw God as above and beyond His creation, and yet somehow also within it.

As it turns out, not only is this view of the world better theologically, it actually coheres with science, but a more up-to-date science. My supervisor, David Wilkinson, is a brilliant and godly man who earned a double PhD in Astrophysics and Systematic Theology. A CT article captures his thoughts on miracles and science from his book on prayer:

Quantum theory tells us that the small-scale structure of the world is, in the words of Christian physicist John Polkinghorne, “radically random”: “By that he means it is unpredictable and nothing like a mechanical clock,” says Wilkinson. “It is a world that is unpicturable, uncertain and in which the cause of events cannot be fully specified.”

So, suggests Wilkinson, there’s plenty of room for God to act, because the system isn’t closed at all. He can “push” electrons here and there and alter the course of events in the world without breaking any of the laws of nature. The problem is that too many theologians simply don’t know enough about physics and are stuck with out-of-date science. Quantum theory doesn’t answer all our questions, Wilkinson says cautiously, but it “may be one dimension of how God works in the world.”

How to Double Your Volunteers in One Month

Dale Hudson

July 9, 2022

Do you need more volunteers? Of course you do. I have never met a children’s ministry that didn’t need more volunteers.

The big question…how can I get more people to join our team?

Let’s talk about this. I am going to share some strategies you can use to get lots of new volunteers. You can even double your volunteers in one month.

Strategy #1 – Everyone Bring One

What if you challenged your team members to each bring one more person to volunteer? They know people you don’t know. They can influence people you can’t influence. If you decide to do this, you need to make it a big deal. Present it. Promote it. Passionately pursue it.

And of course, you need to lead the charge. As the leader, you should enlist many people to join the team. If you are effective in this, your team will follow your lead.

I remember when I presented this challenge to our volunteers. One of our volunteers enlisted 85 new people to serve. Yes, you read that correctly. 85 new volunteers. One volunteer. Fired up about bringing people on board to volunteer.

Strategy #2 – Church-Wide Push

I normally encourage churches to steer away from making stage announcements for more volunteers. It can come across as needy or desperate. People are not drawn to desperation. No one wants to get on the Titanic. But they will get on board when you present a compelling vision. This is where the church-wide ask comes in to play.

Let’s say you have a big family event coming for the entire church. Fall Festival. Easter. VBS. Christmas services and happenings.

As you prepare for these big events, have the Pastor make a big ask for people who are not serving to step up and serve one time. Present the impact they can have for serving at the big event. Have people sign-up. After they serve, do a push to enlist them to serve all the time. I have personally saw retention rates as high as 85% when using this strategy.

Strategy #3 – Make Direct Asks

Personal one-on-one asks. You have not because you ask not. Make asking people to volunteer one of your top priorities each week. If you will be consistent and make it a priority, you can bring multiple people on the team each month.

Stategy #4 – Dream Board

It helps to have a visual picture of what a full team looks like. Take some poster-boards and write down all of the volunteers you’d like to have. Dream big. What would the board look like if you could have all the volunteers you could ever want?

Once you have that vision in place, start working to fill it up. One spot at a time. One person at a time. Ask. Ask. Ask. Week in and week out. Do that and one day you will look up and have lots of new volunteers in place.

Ron Edmondson – 7 Thoughts About Introverts

Ron Edmondson

July 9, 2022

Whenever I post about the subject of introversion I hear from fellow introverts. Some of these are apparently even more introverted than me. And, that’s a lot of introversion.

I usually am addressing introversion in leadership, but in talking with a young pastor after one of these posts I discovered there was another issue we needed to address. This particular pastor was having some issues at home with introversion. He had managed to be extroverted for his church, but when he got home, he had nothing left to give. He felt the tension. He wanted to push through it, but he didn’t know how. He didn’t want to talk about his day. He didn’t want to share what he was thinking. He was done. Words spent. Empty.

His wife was growing increasingly impatient with a lack of intimacy in communication, limited social life and simply feeling left out of part of his life. Of course, I only heard his side of the story. He knows what he needs to do, but he doesn’t know how to do it. Her side of the story (according to him)—she doesn’t understand how he can be so introverted—even when it’s with his family.

I get it. I really do. So this post is to the families of introverts. There are a few things I’d love to say to you. I hope they are helpful.

Here are seven words to families of introverts:

We aren’t crazy.

Sometimes you think we are, don’t you? Be honest. When we don’t talk for long periods of time—even when we are with people—you assume we must have a few screws loose somewhere. We probably do—as you possibly do—we are all desperately in need of grace. But introversion isn’t one of the things that make us crazy. We aren’t weird—OK, again, some of us might be, but not just because of introversion. In fact, you may not know this, but there are lots of introverts around. Lots. Mega lots. You may even have overlooked some of us because we aren’t always trying to get your attention. We may appear extroverted in public, often because it’s our job, but there are lots of us who are really introverted.

It isn’t personal.

We don’t not talk because we don’t want to communicate with someone. We don’t talk because we are introverted. We need to have something to say. We probably think a lot more than we say. It’s hard not to take it personally though, isn’t it? But, it most likely has little to do with you when we don’t talk to you as much as you wish we would.

We do love you.

This one is huge. The crazy thing about introverts—that I know some have a hard time believing—is that most of us really do love people. A lot. More than you can imagine. In fact, the measure of extroversion or introversion, from what I can tell, has no bearing on the degree of love a person has for others. That’s a whole other side to a person’s personality and character. If one expectation you have of love is talking a lot, you’re going to be disappointed at times. But, this may help to know—for some introverts, one expectation we have of love is giving the people we love time to not have to talk. (Figuring out how to balance those expectations is tough, isn’t it?)

We need time to recharge.

The amount of time is relative to the amount of extroversion we had to do to get to the opportunity for introversion and the degree of introversion we have. But, all of us need that time. We may even crave it. This is especially true after very extroverted events or settings. For my pastor friend I mentioned above, that’s Sunday afternoon following a Sunday morning. (Funny how Sunday afternoons always follow Sunday mornings.)

Preparation helps.

If you give introverts advance warning, we can often better prepare for conversation. We can gear up for it. I know that may be difficult to grasp for especially extroverted people, especially when it involves people we love so much. Please understand, though, that introversion impacts how we relate to others—not how we feel about them. I love my wife. More than anything. And, she shares my calendars so, thankfully, she knows the times I am more likely to revert to my introversion preferences. I find, however, that my wife and I having a routine time where we interact together at night is the time I’m ready to dialogue with her best about my day and hers. And, she loves this time. I do too. Seriously. It works better for me because I’m prepared for it—actually looking forward to it—and it works better for her because I actually talk. And, want to.

We don’t have a right to ignore you.

Do I need to repeat that one? I will. We don’t have a right to ignore you. And, my introverted friends can get frustrated with me if they want to, but we don’t. You can expect communication. Relationships are built on communication. We just have to figure out how to make it work with your personality and ours. We can do that, can’t we? And, you can tell them I said it. Get an outside party (such as a counselor) to help you if you need it. We can’t expect people to ignore their personality—and we should work to respect other people’s personalities, but we can expect two people in a healthy relationship to find a balance that allows healthy, intimate conversation—at a level that meets the needs of both in the relationship.

Activity often produces conversation.

This may sound strange unless you’ve experienced it, but as an introvert, I talk more—and am more comfortable doing so—when I am being physically active at the same time. Walking with Cheryl helps us communicate better. Our communication is strengthened when we have an activity we do together regularly. So, we walk often. Almost daily. It’s good for our health and our marriage. Certainly we walk enough so she feels we’ve communicated. What’s an activity you could do with your introverted family member which might produce more (and better) conversation? (Play a board game, go hiking, take a drive, etc.)

Here’s the disclaimer. Not all introverts are alike. Just as not all extroverts are alike. And, there are varying degrees of introversion and extroversion. It’s important not to put people into boxes—and that’s not what I’m trying to do here. Maybe the best follow up to this post is a conversation with your introvert on how the two of you could communicate better. More than anything, as a relationship counselor and pastor, I want to help people better communicate. Sadly, I’ve sat on the outside of dozens of relationships in trouble and communication is almost always one root of the problems in the relationship. This post isn’t counseling—and my intent was a very soft approach, but the issue here is huge for some couples. Don’t be afraid to get help if needed.

This article originally appeared here.

Innovative Youth Ministry: Why Your Program Must Adapt to Survive

Religion News Service

July 8, 2022

Innovative youth ministry is essential for the 21-century church. Check out this commentary about innovative youth ministry. Then consider how your program can innovate to survive!

A Commentary on Innovative Youth Ministry

Gen Z is no longer engaging with religious institutions in prototypical ways, though majorities say they’re religious or spiritual.

Traditional forms of youth ministry are losing their effectiveness. Attendance numbers at weekly worship are down across the board, and anecdotally, pastors, youth ministers and campus ministers are almost universally reporting greater difficulty in accessing and engaging Gen Z. Currently, 40% of 13- to 25-year-olds claim no religious affiliation or institutional trust in religion, continuing a decades-long trend of erosion.

Although many have rushed to proclaim these trends as evidence of declining demand from young people for religion, we firmly believe that’s the wrong story.

Innovative Youth Ministry Recognizes Cultural Shifts

The reality is that our world has undergone a significant shift in the last 20 years. The decline of institutional trust, increasing demographic diversity and rise of social media among many other factors mean that young people are operating in a much different social environment than the one that gave rise and success to the program-driven models of youth ministry that have dominated the church landscape for the last 50 years.

As Megan Dobbins wrote in the blog “The Rebelution”:

For years, the American Church has approached youth ministry as a numbers game. “Whatever gets them in the door” has been the anthem, turning the church ‘relevant’ in order to connect. Cool lights were installed, loud music was played, all the pizza was bought, and a room filled up with teenagers to give us a thirty-minute motivational speech about how fun it is to be a Christian. This has gone on for more than four decades … (but) we are now faced with an entirely new phenomenon and a new generation.

Gen Z is no longer engaging with religious institutions in prototypical ways, though majorities say they’re religious (71%) or spiritual (78%). According to Springtide Research Institute’s State of Religion & Young People 2021, most don’t attend weekly worship services, and only a quarter (27%) say they attend a youth group.

However, Springtide also found that about the same number of young people have gotten more religious over the last five years as those who have become less religious. They’re simply not conforming to existing frameworks for what it means to be a typical “Christian,” “Muslim” or even “atheist.”

Gen Zers are more likely to engage with art as a spiritual practice (53%) than prayer (45%), more likely to engage in yoga and martial arts as a spiritual practice (40%) than attend a religious group (25%), and more likely to practice being in nature (45%) or meditation (29%) as spiritual practices than study a religious text (28%).

‘Shazam!’ Star Shares How God Showed Him Love After He Was Suicidal

Jessica Mouser

July 8, 2022

“Shazam!” star Zachary Levi was close to taking his own life several years ago, when he encountered the radical love of God. In an interview with Faithwire’s Billy Hallowell, Levi shared his experience navigating trauma and what he has learned about God’s unconditional love.

“I completely fell apart,” said Levi, describing a time in his life when he had moved to Austin, Texas, at age 37 to build a movie studio focused on artists. “I was surrounded by darkness and had nothing but lies being spewed into my ear, lies that I had heard before but nothing as intensely as I was feeling in Austin.”

He didn’t know what to do or how to move forward. “I really genuinely just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up any more,” he said. But it was through this crisis that God revealed to Levi what it means to truly love and be loved.

Zachary Levi on How God Brought Him out of Darkness

Zachary Levi is an actor known for his roles in films such as “Tangled,” “American Underdog,” and “Shazam!” as well as the television series, “Chuck.” He joined Hallowell to discuss his new memoir, “Radical Love: Learning to Accept Yourself and Others.”

Levi believes that the way most people, even Christians, understand love is not really love. Most of us love people who love us back. But Jesus challenged this idea of love in Matthew 5:46-48 when he said:

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Love is radical, said Levi. True love accepts people exactly as they are, no matter what they have done.

Another misconception people tend to have about love is that they think of it as “graduated like.” But love is not liking another person a lot, says Levi. “Love is simply to acknowledge that there is a miracle in this other person,” and people are miracles worthy of love no matter how broken they are. Levi was clear that loving another person does not mean that we have to like them, nor does it mean that we excuse their bad behavior. We can draw boundaries while still loving others.

These were lessons, however, that it took Levi some time to learn. Because of trauma he experienced as a child, he dealt with anxiety and depression and has had trouble loving himself and other people.

“It took me a lot of healing and a lot of forgiveness to get to the point where I could forgive and love my mother, for example,” said Levi, who explained that his mother was a “major contributor” to his life trauma.

Sadie Robertson Huff on Modesty: Christian Culture Makes It ‘Hard To Talk About’

Jesse T. Jackson

July 8, 2022

Reality television star, author, and award winning podcaster Sadie Robertson Huff answered questions from fans alongside her husband Christian in the latest episode of the “WHOA That’s Good Podcast.”

The couple encouraged those listening to use wisdom while listening to their answers, saying, “If we say something that doesn’t align with what you agree with, that’s okay, throw it out the window. Go ask a parent about it. Go ask a mentor. Go ask a pastor. [We are just] two people who love each other and love the Lord doing our best to give you advice for the things that you all have questions [about].”

One fan asked, “I feel this pressure to show more skin so people think that I’m pretty or dress cute. There is a pressure from our culture to wear less and show more. I want to know how you balance dressing cute, but staying modest. And also why is modesty so important to talk about in Christian culture?”

Sadie said that living in a culture that wants you to “wear less” clothing and “show more” skin makes girls feel pressured into dressing in a certain way to get attention. “Because all the guys seem to like the girls that don’t wear anything. You’re like, well, if I’m covered up and they’re never going to notice me and they’re never going to like me…but the right guy and the right people are actually going to treasure you for the purity that you have and treasure you for the modesty that you have.”

Christian, her husband, is more strict than she is on what she wears sometimes “in the sense of just respecting me for who I am,” Sadie shared. “I’m actually so appreciative of that because he’s not wanting me to go show my body to the world, because that’s between us. That’s a respect thing that he has for me and for our marriage. I’m really grateful, because also you don’t want to go out like in some type of way that is attracting people for the wrong reasons.”

Modesty is a respect for yourself and a respect for the people around you, Sadie said.

Sadie gave an example of working out, sharing that she goes to an all-girls gym, so she wears whatever she wants. But when she has to go to a gym where men are present, she is careful about what she wears in order to respect the men who are there.

“I don’t want them to be looking at me a certain way, and I want to respect myself and I don’t really want guys to be looking at me that way,” she said.

“I am secure in who I am, and I’m secure in my husband who loves me as I am,” Sadie said, explaining that this wasn’t always the case. She explained that she used to fear that if she dressed more modestly than other girls that her husband would take notice of them and not her.

“I don’t feel that way at all anymore,” Sadie said. “I actually feel like my husband loves me and respects me for me being confident and not having to show off my whole body in order for me to feel loved and appreciated.”

President Biden Signs Executive Order Protecting Abortion Access, Calls Supreme Court ‘Out of Control’

Jesse T. Jackson

July 8, 2022

biden_abortion_access — Screengrab via YouTube @PBS NewsHour

On Friday (July 8), President Joe Biden signed an executive order protecting access to abortion and contraception. The executive order comes two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Biden criticized the Supreme Court during his live address, describing their reversal of Roe as not “driven by the Constitution.”

“The truth is today’s Supreme Court majority that is playing fast and loose with the facts,” Biden said, claiming that medicine shouldn’t be frozen in “the 19th century” and arguing that Roe sought to protect women from unsafe abortions.

The President urged Americans to vote Democrat this November, saying, “The only way to fulfill and restore that right for women in this country is by voting, by exercising the power at the ballot box.” Biden went on to express his belief that the country needs two pro-choice senators and a pro-choice house to “codify Roe as federal law.”

The Supreme Court’s decision shows that they won’t protect women’s rights, Biden claimed. “The court now practically dares the women of America to go to the ballot box and restore the very rights they’ve just taken away.” The President shared that he believes women will turn out in record numbers during November’s election to reclaim abortion rights.

Biden promised that he would sign a law that codifies Roe as soon as it comes across his desk. He also warned that Republican governors, state legislators, and what he described as “Republican extremists in Congress” are determined to “impose the harshest and most restrictive [abortion] laws seen in this country in a long time.” The 79-year-old president believes strict abortion laws put women’s lives at risk, saying that the Supreme Court’s decision and strict state abortion laws are “giant steps backwards.”

The President used rape and incest as reasons someone should be allowed to get an abortion, citing the recent case of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who was six weeks pregnant and had to travel to Indiana to get an abortion after being raped. Biden believes that the abortion may have saved her life.

“Does anyone believe that it’s Ohio’s majority view that that should not be able to be dealt with or in any other state in the nation? A 10-year-old girl should be forced to give birth to a rapist’s child?” Biden scornfully questioned. “I can tell you what—I don’t.”

The aforementioned case has sense been in question and is still being under the process of being fact-checked.

“This executive order directs the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, to ensure all patients, including pregnant women and girls experiencing pregnancy laws, get emergency care they need under federal law, and the doctors have the clear guidance on their own responsibilities and protections—no matter what state they’re in,” Biden explained.

Bethel Church Selling ‘Declarations Clicker’ To Tally Daily Prayers

Dale Chamberlain

July 8, 2022

declarations clicker — Bethel Church's Leaders Conference in 2019 (photo by Bree Anne via Unsplash)

Neo-charismatic megachurch Bethel Church, located in Redding, California, is selling a product on their website that some may recognize from the local Little League field. The “Declarations Clicker,” which resembles a baseball pitch counter, is meant to help Christians keep track of their daily prayer declarations, with Bethel encouraging users to make at least 100 declarations a day.

The product is being sold in partnership with Igniting Hope Ministries, a Christian motivational speaking group led by Steve Backlund.

Igniting Hope Ministries, Bethel, and Declarative Prayer

Described on his website as “a prolific encourager, catalytic author, joy activator, and revivalist teacher,” Backlund is the author of “Declarations: Unlocking Your Future,” a book about declarative prayers, wherein a person decrees or declares something true, or something they want to be true, over their life.

“You may be wondering, ‘What are declarations and why are people making them?’ or maybe, ‘Aren’t declarations simply a repackaged ‘name it and claim’ heresy?’ Declarations answers these questions by sharing 30 biblical reasons for declaring truth over every area of life,” the book’s description reads. “Steve Backlund and his team also answer common objections and concerns to the teaching about declarations. The revelation this book carries will help you to set the direction your life will go.”

Bethel’s online store describes the Declarations Clicker as “a powerful and practical tool to help believers renew their minds with truth by helping them tabulate the number of times they speak biblically based declarations.”

Quoting Bethel Church senior pastor Bill Johnson as having said, “physical obedience brings spiritual release,” the product description goes on to say that many people “have found that the physical act of clicking a tally counter while speaking declarations dramatically increases faith in the truth being spoken.”

“As you augment what you speak with the declarations clicker, you will transform what you believe, which will ultimately change what you experience in life (Romans 12:2),” the description reads. “Start renewing your mind with your words of hope today and watch your life be transformed!”

In a section describing how to use the Declarations Clicker, the listing says, “Give yourself a click on your declarations clicker for every declaration of truth you speak. Set a personal goal for how many you want to say a day.”

Further encouraging users to purchase Backlund’s book about declarative prayer, the listing suggests that a person commit to speaking at least 100 declarations over their life every day for 30 days.

“Many have done this and have sent Igniting Hope Ministries incredible testimonies,” the description says.

John Gray’s Life in Danger

Pastor John Gray

With Relationships, More Experience Isn’t Better

Other Research Also Supports Marrying Young

4 Rules for Christian Fight Club

1. Playful.

Christian fight club rule #2 is on the next page.

Supernatural God or Holy God?

Strategy #1 – Everyone Bring One

Strategy #2 – Church-Wide Push

Strategy #3 – Make Direct Asks

Stategy #4 – Dream Board

Here are seven words to families of introverts:

We aren’t crazy.

It isn’t personal.

We do love you.

We need time to recharge.

Preparation helps.

We don’t have a right to ignore you.

Activity often produces conversation.

A Commentary on Innovative Youth Ministry

Innovative Youth Ministry Recognizes Cultural Shifts

Zachary Levi on How God Brought Him out of Darkness

Igniting Hope Ministries, Bethel, and Declarative Prayer

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