3 Churches in Ukraine Contemplate Faith, Hope and Charity

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April 11, 2022

Easter Ukraine — A man lights a candle during a Sunday service in an Orthodox church in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

BORODYANKA, Ukraine (AP) — It’s almost Easter in Ukraine, where a trio of churches on the far edges of the capital considered faith, hope and charity on Sunday.

In Bucha, shocked into silence by atrocities that left bodies in the streets, about two dozen of the faithful gathered for the service while the exhumation of bodies continued from a mass grave in the churchyard.

In Makarov, a handful of members visited a badly damaged riverside church, at times moved to tears. Small golden crosses for rosaries lay scattered on the floor with the shattered glass.

And in Borodyanka, where Russian attacks ripped a blackened hole in a high-rise apartment building, volunteers and donations filled an almost untouched church a short walk away, while residents lined up at the door for food and other assistance. Many were elderly people who stayed behind while others fled.

On the day when Pope Francis called for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make way for a negotiated peace, church visitors invoked God in recalling their survival.

“Each person who was leaving, from any place, Makarov, Bucha, Hostomel or from Andriivka, the neighboring village which was destroyed to the ground; each one, even those who did not know the Lord’s Prayer, he was speaking to God with his own words,” said Alona Parkhomenko in Makarov, where the church exterior was speckled with bullet holes and the priest warned of falling glass.

The Russian retreat from the region surrounding Kyiv has enabled some of the millions of Ukrainians who fled over the border or to other parts of the country to return home. Some are finding their places of worship damaged or destroyed. Ukrainian authorities in late March said at least 59 spiritual sites including churches, mosques and synagogues had been hit.

In Makarov, the priest, Bogdan Lisechenko, said the church beside the river is in critical condition with spring rains looming. “Now we are taking out the icons, saving them because the water is coming,” he said. “For now, we will close the windows to prevent looting.”

For Easter, which in the Orthodox world is two weeks away, the priest said the blessing will be given in a church in another village that so far has escaped damage in the war.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This article originally appeared here.

Pope Francis Calls for an Easter Truce in Ukraine

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AP News

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April 11, 2022

Pope Francis Ukraine — Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 10, 2022. The Roman Catholic Church enters Holy Week, retracing the story of the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis opened Holy Week Sunday with a call for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace, highlighting the need for leaders to “make some sacrifices for the good of the people.”

Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass before crowds in St. Peter’s Square for the first time since the pandemic, Pope Francis called for “weapons to be laid down to begin an Easter truce, not to reload weapons and resume fighting, no! A truce to reach peace through real negotiations.”

Francis did not refer directly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the reference was clear, and he has repeatedly denounced the war and the suffering brought to innocent civilians.

During the traditional Sunday blessing following Palm Sunday Mass, the pontiff said leaders should be “willing to make some sacrifices for the good of the people.”

“In fact, what a victory would that be, who plants a flag under a pile of rubble?”

During his Palm Sunday homily, the pontiff denounced “the folly of war” that leads people to commit “senseless acts of cruelty.”

“When we resort to violence … we lose sight of why we are in the world and even end up committing senseless acts of cruelty. We see this in the folly of war, where Christ is crucified yet another time,” he said.

Francis lamented “the unjust death of husbands and sons” … “refugees fleeing bombs” … “young people deprived of a future” … and “soldiers sent to kill their brothers and sisters.”

After two years of celebrating Palm Sunday Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica without a crowd due to pandemic distancing measures, the solemn celebration returned to the square outside. Tens of thousands pilgrims and tourists clutched olive branches and braided palms emblematic of the ceremony that recalls Jesus’ return to Jerusalem.

Traditionally, the pope leads a Palm Sunday procession through St. Peter’s Square before celebrating Mass. Francis has been suffering from a strained ligament in his right knee that has caused him to limp, and he was driven in a black car to the altar, which he then reached with the help of an aide. He left the Mass on the open-top popemobile, waving to the faithful in the piazza and along part of the via della Conciliazione.

Palm Sunday opens Holy Week leading up to Easter, which this year falls on April 17, and features the Good Friday Way of the Cross Procession.

This article originally appeared here.

Ukrainian Nuns Open Their Monastery Doors to the Displaced

By

Renata Brito

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April 11, 2022

HOSHIV, Ukraine (AP) — Beneath the ancient beech forests of the Carpathian Mountains, a quiet monastery in the western Ukrainian village of Hoshiv has transformed itself into a giant playground for a dozen children who’ve been displaced by the war with their families.

Nuns at the Greek Catholic Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family, 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Lviv, have granted refuge to some 40 people fleeing fighting with Russian forces in eastern and central Ukraine.

The sound of birdsong and the gentle drone of prayers are a relief for 59-year-old Ryma Stryzhko, who fled from Kharkiv. “It seemed that the planes were flying in the middle of the house. And you could hear the sound of bombing,” she recalled. She often had to duck behind cars as she was going to buy bread or medicines.

“After what we saw, (the monastery) is a paradise.”

The monastery is in itself a symbol of resilience, built after Ukraine’s independence in the early 1990s. The previous monastery in the village had been closed by communist authorities while the area was part of the Soviet Union, and the nuns sent to Siberia.

“All our prayers are now focused on peace in Ukraine, for our soldiers, for those innocent people who died, who were murdered,” said Sister Dominica, the head nun.

Before the war, the 17 nuns led a tranquil life. In addition to their religious duties and charitable work, they also grew mushrooms, made their own pasta and painted icons to decorate the chapel. Now, they run after young children, provide support and counseling to their mothers and cook daily for dozens of guests.

“Everything in the monastery is focused on prayer and order,” Sister Dominica explained. But when the Russian invasion began, they told local officials they could host up to 50 displaced people.

“We adjusted the prayer and work schedule to the people,” she said.

Many of the children who are now laughing and hugging the nuns arrived traumatized.

“In the beginning, they were a little reticent. This is a new place for them. They came from cities where (there is shooting), where there are constant (air raid) sirens,” she said.

But even among these peaceful surroundings, the nuns still get air raid alerts on their smartphones. They warn the rest of the residents by ringing the monastery bells — a less traumatic sound than the loud sirens in the cities — and direct them to the basement.

‘Father Stu,’ the Story of a Boxer-Turned-Priest, Is Mark Wahlberg’s ‘Love Letter to God’

By

Emily McFarlan Miller

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April 11, 2022

Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) in Columbia Pictures' "Father Stu." Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

CHICAGO (RNS) — The setup sounds like a “bad joke,” actor Mark Wahlberg admitted.

Wahlberg, who is Catholic, was out to dinner with “two priests and a bottle of wine,” in his telling, when one of the priests pitched him the idea for a movie.

Normally, a priest might approach him for a financial contribution or to help out with a food drive. That’s no problem, he said. But a movie? That he wasn’t so sure about.

It took the priest telling him the story twice — and some encouragement from his wife — before Wahlberg caught a vision for turning the life of the Rev. Stuart Long, a boxer-turned-actor-turned-priest, into a movie.

“I couldn’t find any reason to not want to make it once I was actually smart enough to realize that this was an amazing opportunity not only to tell a story, but to do something that would be more focused on my faith and giving back,” he told reporters last month at a downtown Chicago hotel.

“Father Stu,” starring Wahlberg in the title role, opens Wednesday (April 13) in theaters.

The movie is based on the true story of Long, who experienced a dramatic conversion and later faced serious illness before his death at age 50 in 2014.

"Father Stu" poster. Courtesy image

“Father Stu” poster. Courtesy image

Long had experienced some success as a boxer in Montana before an injury convinced him to move to California to break into the film industry. Instead, he had a brush with the law and then, after a motorcycle accident, with death.

That’s when he felt the call to priesthood.

Overcoming his past wasn’t Long’s only challenge in becoming a priest. During his ordination process, he was diagnosed with an extremely rare and incurable autoimmune disease called inclusion body myositis, which mimics the symptoms of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

He was ordained in 2007 alongside his friend, the Rev. Bart Tolleson, at the Cathedral of St. Helena. In Montana, he served several parishes before moving into and ministering at the Big Sky Care Center in Helena, where he lived when he died.

That’s more or less how it happened, according to those who knew him.

Long’s motorcycle accident was a little different than how it plays out in “Father Stu.” So was his relationship with his girlfriend, who ended up leading him to the Catholic faith, Long’s father, Bill Long, told Religion News Service.

“It’s not like a documentary, but they cover the bases, and they get where they need to be at the end of the movie,” said Bill Long, now 83.

Bill Long is played in the movie by Mel Gibson — something he said he “never in a million years” could’ve imagined. He would’ve picked Nick Nolte or Jeff Bridges for the role, he said, but he was impressed with Gibson’s portrayal. He nailed the Montana accent.

“I actually think Stu’s involved” in making the film, Bill Long said. “I don’t think he’s done playing with us.”

Kathleen Long (Jacki Weaver), from left, Stuart (Mark Wahlberg) and Bill Long (Mel Gibson) in Columbia Pictures' "Father Stu." Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Kathleen Long (Jacki Weaver), from left, Stuart (Mark Wahlberg) and Bill Long (Mel Gibson) in Columbia Pictures’ “Father Stu.” Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

When It Comes to Children’s Entertainment, Will Christians Answer Disney’s Move?

By

Phil Cooke

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April 11, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for The Walt Disney Company and the revelations of just how “woke” many of their employees really are.

In reaction to Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill, the battle lines were drawn, with the strategy of Disney’s leadership revealing just how far the studio is moving toward creating programming that will introduce younger and younger children to LGBTQ+ and transexual ideology.

I’m not here to argue about Disney’s choices, but to encourage Christians that it’s time to step up and produce high quality children’s programming from a Biblical perspective.

In a political reaction, conservative site Daily Wire is committing $100 million to produce Children’s programming featuring traditional values to counter the Disney initiatives.

But it’s also time for Christians to invest in our kids. I can tell you from decades working in Christian media that kid’s programming (particularly on TV) has always been very poor (and that’s being gracious.) There have been plenty of well intentioned attempts, but time after time they’ve fallen woefully short.

But now is the time to act. You can choose to cancel your Disney+ subscription or stop taking your kids to Disney movies, but that still doesn’t offer a better entertainment alternative. Unless we back up criticism with action, nothing much will change, and the options for kids will shrink.

I’m not an expert in children’s programming, but I’m putting the word out that it’s time to make a difference.

Christian investors, producers, and creatives – will we answer?

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Teaching Ministry – “Hook-Book-Look-Took”

By

Eric Geiger

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April 11, 2022

If you have a teaching ministry, when you think about presenting or teaching or delivering a message, is there a helpful framework that guides how you structure the message? Preparing content is critical, but so is preparing how you will deliver the content.

When I was serving as a student pastor and driving to seminary on my day off (long before the luxury of online education), I took a class on teaching the Bible. The text for the class was the book Creative Bible Teaching by Lawrence Richards and Gary Bredfeldt. While I am sure the whole class and the whole textbook were both informational and inspirational, what I most remember and what most impacted me in a tangible way was one sticky framework for teaching. In my teaching ministry I often think back to it when preparing for a message. Here is the one thing that helped me most in my teaching classes: Hook, Book, Look, Took. When thinking about delivering a message, I think about all four elements. Here they are:

Teaching Ministry – A Framework for Messages

1. The Hook

Attention typically follows interest, so a strong hook at the beginning of a message grabs interest and surfaces the need so those listening will be compelled to give their attention.

2. The Book

After grabbing the attention, a teacher should take people to the book—the Word of God. Without the Word, a message is without power. The hook raised a question or a need that the book, the Bible, answers or addresses.

3. The Look

A skilled teacher applies the Scripture to the lives of those listening. The text must be placed in the context of those listening so they can look at the implications for their lives.

4. The “Took”

The “took” is about action, about not merely hearing the Word but doing what it says. After applying the Word to the people’s hearts, they should be called to respond, to act.

While the apostle Paul and Jesus surely did not jot down messages with this framework in mind, two of their most famous messages in their teaching ministry can be used as examples for the rhythm of grabbing attention, taking people to the truth, applying it and calling for a response.

When Paul preached at Mars Hill (Acts 17), he first grabbed the attention of those listening by pointing out the idols in their day (the hook). He then declared the Lord as the one true God (book) who calls for people everywhere to repent (look). Some ridiculed and some believed (took), but the declaration of the message demanded a response.

When Jesus met with the woman at the well (John 4), He used water to grab her attention and show her that she needed more than physical water (hook). Jesus declared the gift and satisfaction of eternal life and Himself as the Messiah (book). He helped her see the emptiness in her own life by asking her to call her husband (look). She was so excited about meeting Christ that she ran to tell others and left her water jar behind (took).

If a book, a class or a seminar provides me with one framework, one strong took, the investment of time and money is worth it in my opinion. Hook-Book-Look-Took has been a helpful one for me. Hook the listeners so they sense a need to listen. Bring them to the book that ultimately transforms. Help them look at their own lives in light of the message. Your teaching ministry can challenge them to respond.

This article on your teaching ministry originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Bobbie Houston’s Role at Hillsong Church ‘Made Redundant’; Brian Houston Airs Grievances Online

By

Dale Chamberlain

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April 10, 2022

Brian Houston Bobbie Houston — Pictured: Brian and Bobbie Houston announcing Brian's stepping aside from pastoral duties in January 2022. Screengrab via YouTube.

On Friday (April 8), former global senior pastor of Hillsong Church Brian Houston took to Instagram to publicly express his frustration with the church’s global board for how they have handled transitioning the role of his wife, Bobbie, who served alongside Houston as co-pastor.

Bobbie Houston also created Hillsong’s annual women’s Colour Conference and launched the Colour Sisterhood, an advocacy ministry for vulnerable and marginalized people. No formal announcement had been made regarding Bobbie Houston’s future at Hillsong alongside Brian Houston’s resignation in March.

In an Instagram post on Friday, Brian alleged that Bobbie had been “made redundant” via text message.

“After 39 years of exemplary service and extraordinary faithfulness and fruitfulness, this is the communication Bobbie received from the Hillsong Church board as she is made redundant (effective immediately) through no choice of her own,” Houston wrote. “This [is] just 3 weeks after she hosted her 26th year of Colour Conferences. (A total of 118 conferences around the world.)”

“She has relentlessly served God and served people as she stood side by side with me for four decades leading Hillsong Church, faithful in the good times and the tough times alike,” Houston continued. “And we are supposed to act like this is all ok. It’s not! Our beautiful church is losing its soul.”

In the image, which is a screenshot of a text conversation, an unknown contact wrote, “Dear Bobbie, I wanted to text to let you know that I will be sending an email shortly regarding your employment. Please let me know if you would like to talk about it or if you have questions.”

Bobbie’s response, which is only partially visible in the screenshot, begins, “I don’t even have words to express how cold and callous this has all become…”

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Hillsong Global Board responded to Brian Houston’s public accusations in an email sent to Hillsong Church members on Saturday.

In that email, the board explained that the now-public text message had been sent as a follow up to a previous “difficult and challenging” discussion the board had with Bobbie Houston regarding her future at Hillsong Church. The board further explained that the message was sent out of “genuine care” as an “opportunity for further discussion.” According to the board, the implication that they had made Bobbie “redundant” via text is false.

R.C. Sproul: What Is the Unpardonable Sin?

By

R.C. Sproul

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April 9, 2022

Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation. (Mark 3:28–29)

I cannot tell you how many times in my teaching career very distraught Christians have come to me to ask about the unpardonable sin and whether they might have committed it. I suspect most believers have asked themselves whether they have done something unforgivable. It is not surprising that many people struggle with this issue because the precise nature of “the unpardonable sin” is difficult to discern and many theories about it have been set forth through church history. For instance, some people have argued that the unpardonable sin is murder and others have said that it is adultery, because they see the serious consequences that those sins wreak on the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage. But I can speak with full assurance that neither of those sins is unpardonable. There are two reasons for my assurance. First, Scripture shows us examples of people who committed these sins and were forgiven. Exhibit A is David, who was guilty of both adultery and murder, and yet, after his confession and repentance, he was restored fully to his state of grace. Second, and more important, when Jesus taught on the unpardonable sin, He said nothing about murder or adultery.

Amen

What, then, did Jesus say? He began in a radical way by saying, “Assuredly, I say to you.” Sometimes evangelical Christians who want to express agreement with something they have heard from a preacher or a teacher will say “Amen.” The word amen is transliterated from the Hebrew amein, which means “truth” or “it is true,” so those saying “Amen” are agreeing with what they have heard. But instead of giving His teaching and waiting for His hearers to say “Amen,” Jesus Himself said “Amen” before He gave His teaching. The word translated as “assuredly” here is the Greek equivalent of the word amein. In other words, Jesus announced that He was about to say something true. This was a way of saying, “Now hear this.” He was giving great emphasis to the teaching He was about to utter.

What is Blasphemy?

Jesus then stated that “all sins” can be forgiven, including “whatever blasphemies”—except for the specific blasphemy of the Spirit. Luke’s account of this teaching is even more specific: “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven” (Luke 12:10).

At this point, we need to define blasphemy, and this verse from Luke gives us a clue as to what it is. The two phrases “who speaks a word against” and “who blasphemes” are parallel. Blasphemy, then, involves speaking a word against God. It is a verbal sin, one that is committed with the mouth or the pen. It is desecration of the holy character of God. It can involve insulting Him, mocking Him, or dishonoring Him. In a sense, it is the opposite of praise. Even casually using the name of God by saying, “Oh, my God,” as so many do, constitutes blasphemy. We can be very thankful that the unpardonable sin is not just any kind of blasphemy, because if it were, none of us would have any hope of escaping damnation. All of us have, at many times and in many ways, routinely blasphemed the name of God.

Blasphemy Against the Son of Man

Jesus’ statement that “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him” seems shocking in light of the abuse and mistreatment He later went through, culminating in His execution on a Roman cross. But we must remember how, as He hung on the cross, Jesus looked at those who had delivered Him to the Romans and mocked Him as He was dying, and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). Even though these men opposed Christ to the point of executing Him, there was still hope of forgiveness for them. Likewise, in the book of Acts, Peter told the people of Jerusalem that they had delivered Jesus to the Romans and denied Him, but he added, “I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers” (Acts 3:17), and he called on them to repent. So, on at least two occasions, the New Testament makes it clear that forgiveness was possible for those who despised Christ so much that they killed Him. These accounts verify Jesus’ assertion that any sin against the Son of Man could be forgiven.

Blasphemy Against the Spirit

But what of blasphemy against the Spirit? To understand this difficult saying, we need to see that it came in the context of Jesus’ opponents charging Him with doing His work by the power of the Devil rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, they were not slandering the Spirit—not quite. Their statements were directed against Jesus. So, He said to them: “You can blaspheme Me and be forgiven, but when you question the work of the Spirit, you are coming perilously close to the unforgivable sin. You are right at the line. You are looking down into the abyss of hell. One more step and there will be no hope for you.” He was warning them to be very careful not to insult or mock the Spirit.

Christians and The Unpardonable Sin

Humanly speaking, everyone who is a Christian is capable of committing the unforgivable sin. However, I believe that the Lord of glory who has saved us and sealed us in the Holy Spirit will never let us commit that sin. I do not believe that any Christians in the history of the church have blasphemed the Spirit.

As for those who are not sure they are saved and are worried they may have committed the unpardonable sin, I would say that worrying about it is one of the clearest evidences that they have not committed this sin, for those who commit it are so hardened in their hearts they do not care that they commit it. Thanks be to God that the sin that is unpardonable is not a sin He allows His people to commit.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

3 Warning Signs Politics Is Becoming Your Religion

By

Eric Geiger

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April 9, 2022

In his classic work The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis writes from the perspective of a senior demon giving instructions to a less-experienced demon on how to get someone to reject their Christian faith. Screwtape, the senior demon, advises Wormwood, his nephew and the younger demon, on how to get “the patient” to turn from God. John Stonestreet’s recent and insightful article reminded me of one particular tactic that Screwtape advocates.

Let [your patient] begin by treating … Patriotism or Pacifism as part of his religion. Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the ‘cause,’ in which Christianity is valued chiefly because of the excellent arguments it can produce in favour of the British war-effort or of Pacifism.”

Stonestreet highlights the pattern:

“Note the progression: first, politics is part of religion. Then, politics is the most important part of religion. Then, religion becomes part of politics. It’s genius.”

The divergent political sides were pacifism or patriotism – to avoid the war or engage the war. And the way Wormwood could shipwreck the Christian faith of “the patient” was not to get the patient to believe one side or the other, but to get “the patient” to make one side or the other his whole religion.

Clearly as Christians we do not want our politics to become our religion. We want to engage politically because we care for our country, because we pray for our leaders, and because we know the policies that are set impact people and the places we live and love. But we don’t want politics to become our dominant belief system, the thing that captures our hearts and drives us. So, how can we recognize the drift in our own hearts? How do we know if politics has become our religion or is becoming our religion? Here are three warning signs:

1. Politics is what you are most passionate to speak about.

When religious leaders told Peter and John that they had to stop speaking about Jesus and His resurrection, they replied, “we can’t help but speak about the things we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Peter and John were in a politically divisive time. The Jewish people were under Roman rule, and there were differing parties and approaches among the Jewish people. But those arguments and perspectives was not what compelled Peter and John. What they could not contain was their excitement for Jesus. Jesus is who they could not keep quiet about. Whatever you love the most you cannot help but speaking about. If “we can’t help but speak about the things we have seen and heard” describes your politics, then politics is your religion. If you find yourself in conversations with friends and neighbors and you are most passionate about repeating what you heard on the news or read online, then politics is becoming your religion. If you are more eager to speak about politics than Jesus, politics is your religion.

2. Your enemy is the other political viewpoint / side.

The Scripture reminds us that our real enemy is Satan and the cosmic powers of darkness. ^“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12). If your enemy is the flesh and blood of the other political party or the other political viewpoint, then politics is becoming your religion. A common enemy holds a powerful uniting factor, but as believers in Christ our common enemy is our Satan, sin, and shame. If we make flesh and blood the ultimate enemy, our hearts have drifted. If we frame other believers in Christ who view things differently than we do, the flesh and blood of our own spiritual family, as our enemy then we have made politics are religion.

3. You live as if there is an enduring city here.

If you believe or behave like you have an enduring city or kingdom here, you have made politics your religion. You do not have an enduring city here. The Scripture reminds us, “for we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come” (Hebrews 13:14). When we forget that our ultimate citizenship is in heaven, we have made politics our religion.

Sadly, our hearts can drift from God towards something less than God. My heart has and will in the future. I am prone to wander. And politics being so dominant in our culture provides an attractive pull. Here is how you know you have drifted: If you are more passionate to speak about politics than Jesus, if you treat your real enemy as the “other side,” and if you live as if this world is your home then politics has become your religion. You have been nursed away from loving Jesus with all your heart, soul, and mind.

Good news: You can repent and come back to the only One who can quench the longings of your soul, the One who has an eternal city prepared for you.

This article originally appeared here.

8 Reasons From Tim Keller Not to Give a Megachurch to a Single Successor

By

Jessica Lea

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April 8, 2022

In recent posts to Facebook and Twitter, Dr. Tim Keller shared his thoughts on the disadvantages posted by the megachurch model. Keller, who is founding pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, gave eight reasons why he and other church leaders chose to multiply Redeemer into several congregations, “rather than give the megachurch to a single successor.”

“Megachurches have some design deficits,” said Keller, explaining his first reason. “In general, they are poor places for formation and pastoral care due to their size. In our current cultural moment that is a deadly problem because Christians are being more formed by social media than local Christian community. We need thick communities and the size of our churches factor into that.”

Tim Keller: Multiple Congregations Are Better

Tim Keller’s second reason to avoid leaving a congregation as a megachurch is that the church leader who succeeds a megachurch’s founder is put at a disadvantage. “That person is always excessively and sometimes harshly compared in every way to the founder,” said Keller. “It’s lose-lose for them and the movement.”

The third and fourth reasons Keller gave sound all too familiar and pertain to a church being dependent on a gifted, charismatic leader.

When megachurches grow quickly under one leader, Keller explained, “they usually depend too much on the gifts and personality of that founder so the sooner that addictive dependence is broken, the better.” At the same time, “often the founder comes to see the church as their personal possession,” the result being that founders “often never want to leave, nor do they know how to well. It is good to leave sooner rather than later as a spiritual discipline.”

An advantage of handing off a megachurch to multiple leaders is that doing so allows the body of Christ the opportunity to benefit from diversity in its leadership. “Because I was able to hand off Redeemer to a more diverse group of leaders–instead of one white American,” said Keller, “Redeemer has now been led by Sr Pastors who were Chinese, Korean, British, and Nagamese/Lebanese. All, though solidly united on Reformed theology, bring their distinct-enriching cultural perspectives, experiences, and wisdom.”

Keller’s sixth reason is that structuring a church under smaller congregations puts less of a strain on the church’s leaders. Said Keller, “Because smaller congregations must make use of a greater percentage of lay persons’ gifts & talents there is less dependence on staff.” There are also likely to be fewer people who are merely consumers versus actively participating in the life of the church.

Bart Barber Addresses SBC Presidential Race; Others React to His Candidacy

By

Stephanie Martin

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April 8, 2022

Texas Pastor Bart Barber, a newly announced candidate for the Southern Baptist Convention presidency, shared thoughts about the election in a Twitter video Thursday. Instead of focusing on his visions for the SBC, Barber began by offering four reasons “why I love my friend Tom Ascol”—another presidential contender.

Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, also expressed hopes for a civil campaign centered on plans for the SBC’s future.

What Bart Barber Admires About Tom Ascol

In a 10-minute video, filmed while driving, Barber points out four traits he admires about Ascol, a Florida pastor. First, Ascol loves Jesus, theology, and the Scriptures, says Barber, pointing to his friend’s “strong education in the Word of God.” Second, “Tom has survived a lightning strike, which you can’t say about many people” and which reflects his “amazing stamina and perseverance.”

Next, “Tom has prayed for me and has publicly called on other people to pray for me at some difficult moments in my life.” Barber expresses gratitude, adding, “I don’t forget things like that.” Finally, “Tom is not afraid to go to a microphone” at SBC meetings, unlike people who complain yet “never lean into our polity…and try to use the process” to effect change.

Barber acknowledges that high-profile elections now come with the risk of people “digging up dirt” and besmirching candidates’ character. But that “has no place among brothers and sisters,” he says, and “I don’t want anyone doing that on my friend Tom.” If anyone does, Barber plans to call them out on social media, noting, “I intend to still be friends with Tom Ascol when all this is over.”

As for criticism that comes his way, Barber tells his friends not to “feel any burden to defend me.” Before stepping into the ring, he and his family “counted the cost,” he says, and he’s determined to be “reflective” about criticism and “open to finding out fault in my own heart.” If he runs and loses, Barber says, “maybe God uses that to help me grow spiritually.”

Positive Reaction to Bart Barber’s Candidacy

In response to Barber’s message, John Roland tweets, “What an inspiring video focused on civility, Biblical fidelity and humility. I am thrilled! May God richly bless you.” Pastor Brent Hobbs tweets, “I’ve seen Bart in some highly stressful, difficult situations. Both publicly and privately. His character and integrity are excellent. Beyond reproach.”

Sam Rainer calls Barber “A godly man. A great pastor. A genuine leader.” And Pastor Jerad File tweets, “Bart Barber is a good man. … He’s a regular pastor, not at a mega church—by definition, not elite. I don’t always agree with him … but he is a trustworthy conservative unifying figure.”

Pastor Mike Leake tweets, “If you had told me 10 years ago that both @bartbarber and @tomascol had been running for president and that I would happily endorsed Bart, I’d have said you were crazy. He was part of the ‘other team.’” The switch, Leake writes, is due to the common theme of Barber’s “integrity” and “conviction” plus his fairness and willingness to listen. “I believe this is the kind of leadership we need in our polarizing time,” says Leake, adding that he is “placing character and lived theology over tertiary doctrine.”

ERLC Criticized by Some SBC Leaders for Calling KBJ Appointment a ‘History-Making Moment’

By

Dale Chamberlain

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April 8, 2022

Ketanji Brown Jackson ERLC — Left: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Right: ERLC, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

On Thursday (April 7), the United States Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Jackson was confirmed by a 53-47 vote, with three Republicans joining every Senate Democrat in supporting the appointment.

Set to replace Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, Jackson will become the sixth woman to ever serve on the country’s highest court. She will become the third Black justice to serve, and the very first Black woman to become a Supreme Court justice.

While Jackson was able to win three Republican votes, the confirmation process has been marked by a number of controversies. Jackson’s detractors have accused her of being lenient in sentencing sex offenders and have expressed suspicion that she may be an advocate of critical race theory. Jackson sought to refute both claims during her confirmation hearings.

Conservatives and pro-life advocates have also expressed grave concerns about how Jackson may rule in cases involving abortion. Though she has not publicly expressed how she may interpret the law in such cases, she was nominated by President Joe Biden, who has been vocal about his express goal of codifying Roe v. Wade.

Despite these concerns, Jackson’s appointment has been lauded, even among some conservatives, as a pivotal moment for diversity and inclusion on the nation’s highest court.

The SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) tweeted a quote from acting president Brent Leatherwood regarding the historic nature of the appointment, which was originally given in a news story.

“Despite the philosophical and legal differences individuals like me will have with her, Judge Jackson’s confirmation is a history-making moment. We should appreciate it as such,” Leatherwood said. “If we lose the ability to do that, we lose something that makes America an exceptional nation.”

“I pray that as she joins the nation’s highest court, she will decide cases about human dignity, religious liberty, and protection of the family based on the fundamental principles of our country,” Leatherwood went on to say.

The statement sparked debate online, with some Southern Baptist leaders calling for the defunding or dissolution of the ERLC. As the public policy arm of the SBC, the ERLC is funded by contributions local Southern Baptist churches make to the Cooperative Program.

“If your church hasn’t defunded the @ERLC by now, what are you waiting for,” said Texas SBC pastor Tom Buck. Others compared Jackson’s appointment to the “history-making” actions of dictators like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

Brian Houston’s Daughter: Sundays Are the ‘Hardest Day of the Week for Me Right Now’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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April 8, 2022

Laura Toggs, Hillsong Church youth pastor and daughter of Brian Houston, posted last week on Instagram, sharing how hard Sundays have been for her since her father announced his resignation as Hillsong Church’s senior global pastor on March 23, 2022.

Houston, who started a year long sabbatical in January, made the announcement following an investigation by Hillsong Church’s board regarding two separate occasions involving inappropriate behavior toward two women. The board’s findings showed that Houston had “breached the Hillsong Pastor’s Code of Conduct.”

“Oh Sundays, always been so sweet. But might be the hardest day of the week for me right now,” Toggs said posted next to a photo of the church celebrating the day she was born.

“So many people from church affectionately and often remind me of this day,” Toggs wrote. “Early on Sunday morning, beautiful people from our humble little suburban church hung up ‘its a girl’ and celebrated my birth [that] day.”

“I’ve always felt immense love from the place I call home and I think this picture has formed a huge part of me,” Houston’s daughter continued.

Telling her followers that she has always been a “church girl,” she explained that their church “isn’t without flaw, but we’re a spiritual family of faith that are growing together in Christ. And I’ve literally grown up here from the day I was born. And it’s been mostly very beautiful with Jesus at the center. My dad went from the hospital to the pulpit on this day. Very special moments. I’ll always be a church girl.”

Two days before Houston’s resignation was announced, Toggs posted an image that read, “My Jesus is…A healer. A restorer. A reconciler. That’s who He is. That’s what He does.”

Houston sent an email to Hillsong Church members last week wherein he apologized for scandals, encouraging the church that “the best is yet to come” and assuring members that he won’t let his mistakes define him.

“To every single wonderful person who has called Hillsong Church home, I have let you down so badly and sorry will never be enough to express my sorrow,” Houston wrote.

Houston is facing charges of concealing child sex offenses relating to his late father. The charged were brought against him by the New South Wales Police Force last September. The former pastor pleaded not guilty to the charges in October 2021 and is awaiting his time in court to defend his innocence.

Sean Feucht Leads a Worship Rally in Front of Disney’s Headquarters; Tells ChurchLeaders ‘It’s Time for the Church To Be Bold’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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April 8, 2022

Sean-Feucht-seanfeucht-Twitter — Screengrab via Instagram @seanfeucht

Led by Christian author, activist, musician, and founder of Hold the Line Sean Feucht, hundreds of people gathered yesterday in front of Disney’s headquarters in Burbank, CA to protest the corporation’s recent stances on gender and sexuality.

Protestors held signs that read, “Dis-Needs to STOP,” “Stop mousing around with our kids,” “God gave kids to parents, not government,” “Disney is Demonic,” “Parents pay attention,” “Let kids be kids,” and “Disney is destitute.”

Feucht tweeted, “Parents Fight Back—We sent a message: DON’T MESS WITH OUR KIDS,” then suggested a possible protest at Disney’s Orlando, FL and Anaheim, CA locations next.

Playing on a flat bed truck, Feucht and his band sang worship songs with the crowd of peaceful protestors outside the Alameda gate of the Disney Studio Lot, where Disney’s headquarters is located.

He was also joined by pastor Rob McCoy of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park, CA, who addressed the crowd, encouraging the church to awaken to its responsibility. After McCoy, pastor Samuel Deuth from Awakened Church in San Diego, CA challenged the parents, specifically fathers, to stand up and defend their children and lead their families while reading Joshua 24.

Other leaders spoke to the crowd, including a testimony from a man that grew up with two moms, and a current Disney employee who is a cast member. The longtime employee thanked those in attendance for their courage and shared that it has gotten “very political and it’s gotten very hard to be who you are. It’s gotten very hard to be someone who had conservative values—someone who believes in the right to choose. Somebody who believes it’s okay to stand up for righteousness.”

Feucht’s 11-Year-Old Daughter Prays

Keturah, Feucht’s 11-year-old daughter, joined her father on the stage and prayed.

“She’s the reason why I’m here,” Feucht told the crowd. He shared that when he held her in his arms when she was born, he knew that his life was more about her destiny than his own. He said that news outlets can shred him apart for what he is doing, but Feucht said he doesn’t “give a rip—I’m living for the next generation.”

“They can call us white nationalists. They can call us racist. They can call us homophobic,” Feucht said. “They can call us whatever…but they’re never gonna get me to stop fighting for my kids! Nothing is gonna get me to stop fighting for my kids!”

Feucht explained that he believes his daughter’s generation has been one of the most assaulted generations in human history, saying, “They’re dealing with crazy amounts of propaganda. They’re dealing with crazy amounts of indoctrination in the schools and tv…This generation is going to bring revival to the earth. This generation is going to crush the head of the serpent. That’s why the enemy is coming after them with such fury.”

Priest Dies From Stabbing on Seaside Promenade in Egypt

By

AP News

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April 8, 2022

CAIRO (AP) — A knife-wielding man mortally wounded a Coptic priest in an attack at the popular seaside promenade in the northern city of Alexandria on Thursday evening, Egypt‘s interior ministry said.

The ministry said the priest died while being treated for his wounds. It said the suspected attacker had been arrested.

The priest was identified by the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria as Arsanious Wadid, 56. It said he had served at a local parish.

Sectarian violence is not uncommon in Egypt, where an Orthodox Christian minority, the Copts, is believed to be among the world’s oldest Christian communities.

Christians make up more than 10% of Egypt’s mostly Muslim population. Violence between communities occasionally erupts, mainly in rural communities in the south. Islamic extremists have also targeted Christians in the past.

Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb, who heads Egypt’s Al-Azhar — the highest institution of Sunni Islam in the Muslim world — condemned the attack, warning that such acts “might instigate religious wars.”

“The Grand Imam affirms that homicide is a major sin that arouses God’s wrath and is punishable in the afterlife,” read the statement posted on Al-Azhar’s Facebook page.

On Friday, the Coptic Church posted photos on social media showing dozens attending Wadid’s funeral at the Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria. Priests stood around the open casket, a bible was placed on the slain priest’s chest and a cross around his neck.

In a statement, the Coptic Church mourned him as “a martyr” who was killed in a “treacherous” act.

This article originally appeared on APNews.com.

Senate Confirms Jackson as First Black Woman on High Court

By

Tom Strode

-

April 8, 2022

WASHINGTON (BP) – The U.S. Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson Thursday (April 7) as the first African-American woman on the country’s highest court.

The evenly divided Senate voted 53-47 for Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, with three Republicans joining all Democrats in support of the federal appeals court judge. She will replace Associate Justice Stephen Breyer upon his retirement when the high court adjourns this summer.

Confirmation for President Biden’s first nominee to the Supreme Court came despite opposition from every GOP member except Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah. Some Republican opponents expressed disagreement with her judicial philosophy or her sentencing decisions in child pornography cases. Pro-life advocates expressed concerns about her anticipated rulings on abortion rights.

Jackson’s confirmation apparently will not change the ideological makeup of the high court, which is normally considered to have a 6-3 division in favor of conservatives. Breyer was typically aligned with liberals on the court. Biden’s selection of Jackson and assessments from both sides of the political aisle have helped prompt the assumption she also will be part of the liberal wing.

“Despite the philosophical and legal differences individuals like me will have with her, Judge Jackson’s confirmation is a history-making moment,” said Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “We should appreciate it as such. If we lose the ability to do that, we lose something that makes America an exceptional nation.”

In written comments, Leatherwood said he prays “that as she joins the nation’s highest court, she will decide cases about human dignity, religious liberty and protection of the family based on the fundamental principles of our country.”

Jackson, 51, will become the fourth female justice on the Supreme Court when she succeeds Breyer, marking the first time it has had that many women at the same time among its nine members. She will join Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett. Jackson will be the youngest current justice except for Barrett, 50, who was nominated by President Trump in 2020. She also will be the sixth female justice in the high court’s history, joining the current members and previous justices Sandra Day O’Connor and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

A judge on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, Jackson becomes the third African American confirmed to the Supreme Court. She joins the late Thurgood Marshall, who served as an associate justice from 1967 to 1991, and current Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, who has been on the court since 1991.

Majority Leader Charles Schumer of New York told the Senate before Thursday’s vote the “milestone should have happened generations ago,” but today it is “taking a giant step toward making our union more perfect.”

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said April 4 Jackson’s qualifications “are second to none.”

“Judge Jackson has the temperament, the acumen, the skill and the kind of attributes we demand from a Supreme Court nominee,” he said. “She is dedicated to protecting judicial independence, to advancing freedom and liberty, and to making the court, its work and its decisions accessible to all Americans.”

In explaining his opposition, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said March 25 after the Judiciary Committee hearing concluded he is “sadly unable to vote for this confirmation.”

“Judge Jackson has impeccable credentials and a deep knowledge of the law, but at every turn this week she not only refused to claim originalism as her judicial philosophy, she refused to claim any judicial philosophy at all,” said Sasse, a member of the Judiciary Committee, in a written statement.

Middle Church to Begin Meeting in Synagogue on Easter as It Awaits Restored Building

By

Adelle M Banks

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April 8, 2022

(RNS) — When Middle Collegiate Church was devastated by fire in December 2020, the rabbi of a Manhattan Reform synagogue 10 short blocks away responded, along with many others.

“I was heartbroken and I reached out to the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis and I said: Anything you need, we will provide it,” Rabbi Joshua Stanton of East End Temple recalled in a recent interview. “Your loss is felt well beyond your community. Your heartbreak, we share in. And we’re here for you, however possible.”

Lewis remembered those words as she considered the best location for her church’s hybrid worship to continue this spring.

Now, on Easter Sunday, Stanton intends to share a special blessing from his synagogue’s podium as their congregations embark on a one-year pilot relationship the two faith leaders hope will last until Middle Church is rebuilt. Lewis expects that could occur in about three years and said plans will be shared on Easter, a fitting announcement for the day Christians celebrate their belief in Jesus’ resurrection.

The multiethnic church met for a few months in late 2020 at the site of an Episcopal parish before a COVID-19 spike put Middle Collegiate back into an all-online mode.

“We had a collegial relationship with East End and it just felt like a revolutionary thing to do, to partner with our Jewish colleagues in this way,” Lewis said in a Wednesday (April 6) interview.

Stanton said the synagogue dropped two-thirds of its usual rental price for the arrangement and then a donor paid most of the third that was left. Lewis said that amounts to about $16,000 for the first year, “so basically it’s a gift.”

“It is an incredible act of generosity and trust to make space in their community for us to tabernacle with them,” she said, noting their worship services being on different weekend days “makes it easier just to share space.”

Rabbi Joshua Stanton, left, and the Rev. Jacqui Lewis on Sept. 10, 2017, at Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan. Photo courtesy of Joshua Stanton

Rabbi Joshua Stanton, left, and the Rev. Jacqui Lewis on Sept. 10, 2017, after Stanton was a guest preacher at Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan. Photo courtesy of Joshua Stanton

She and Stanton, who have swapped pulpits in the past, are discussing possible ways to share more than a building, including children’s programs, adult education and a racial justice trip to the South with youth from both congregations.

“The dreams we have are his community and my community working on an anti-racist
justice agenda together that helps dismantle antisemitism and anti-Asian, anti-Black racism in our nation,” she said.

Stanton, likewise, said he looks forward to new opportunities, starting with the unusual sharing of space with a Christian congregation and continuing, perhaps, with cooperating in volunteer programs that pack meals for hungry people in their city.

“I think we’re going to march together, we’re going to pray together, we’re going to learn together, we’re going to do community service together,” he predicted. “We’re going to live out our values together even as communities that have different histories, different paths of belief and different ways of prayer.”

The Kingdom and the NGO: Vatican Financial Trial Exposes Internal Rivalries

By

Claire Giangrave

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April 8, 2022

vatican financial trial — In this March 21, 2021, file photo, a nun stands in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The long-running prosecution of high Vatican officials for a real estate investment gone wrong has produced a few historic, shocking and even titillating moments, from Pope Francis’ decision to allow a cardinal of the church to be indicted to the intimations, denied by that same cardinal, that his relationship with a female security consultant was more than advisory.

But some of the most intriguing testimony came last week as Monsignor Mauro Carlino, a former official of the Vatican’s powerful Secretariat of State, raised the veil on the widely known but rarely glimpsed rivalry between the Secretariat and the Vatican bank, involving secret surveillance, alleged blackmail and good old-fashioned backstabbing.

The monsignor admitted to Vatican judges that he had commissioned surveillance of important bank officials, as well as one of Pope Francis’ closest advisers.

Culturally the Secretariat and the bank are very different institutions. The Vatican bank, officially called the Institute for Religious Works, is run by laypeople and non-Italians at that, and has tried to shake off a well-deserved reputation for financial scandal in recent years by adopting global standards of transparency and accountability.

The Secretariat, the seat of the church’s secular sovereignty, is the province of cardinals, archbishops and other clerics. It handles relations with other states, Vatican diplomacy and the government of the departments and offices that make up the Roman Curia. Its decisions have largely yielded the scandal behind the current trial.

Carlino is among 10 defendants facing trial for their part in the controversial purchase of prime real estate in London’s Chelsea neighborhood that has cost the church well over $300 million from a fund earmarked for the pope’s charitable works. Among the others are Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a former sostituto, the secretary of state’s chief of staff, and Carlino’s onetime boss, and an Italian businessman named Gianluigi Torzi.

As the investment soured, Francis removed Becciu, who had overseen the purchase of a majority stake in a fund that owned the London property, replacing him with Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra. Pena Parra oversaw the Secretariat’s turbulent efforts to take full ownership of the property in Chelsea with the help of Torzi. But in brokering the deal, Torzi held onto 1,000 voting shares of the fund, giving him ultimate control over the property’s disposition.

In the spring of 2019, Pena Parra was frantically looking for a way to exit the arrangement with Torzi. He asked the Vatican bank for a loan to pay the businessman $17 million for his controlling shares as well as to pay off $120 million in debt on the London apartment house. Pena Parra’s request was seconded by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, in a letter to the bank.

In late May of 2019, the Vatican bank’s president, French investment banker Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, approved the loan, Carlino told the judges. “The pope approved, the sostituto was happy the affair was concluded,” he said, “and then a communication arrives stating that after all (the loan) wasn’t approved.”

Bible Engagement Drops 21 Percent Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Finds

By

Diana Chandler

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April 8, 2022

Bible Engagement — Photo via Unsplash.com @Sixteen Miles Out

PHILADELPHIA, (BP) – Americans are less engaged with the Bible and are less likely to say the Bible influences their lifestyle than in previous years, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in its 2022 State of the Bible report.

Scripture engagement is down 21 percent from 2021. Only 49 million Americans fit the ABS criteria of Scripture engaged in 2022, down from 64 million in 2021 and 71 million in 2020.

On an ABS scale of 1-6, Americans’ perception of how much Scripture impacts their behavior has steadily declined since the early days of the pandemic, registering 3.35 in 2022, down from 4.13 in June 2020. Pre-pandemic, Americans registered 4.39 in Scripture-impacted behavior.

“Perhaps the Bible has been neglected or simply taken for granted as people dealt with the challenges of reassembling their lives after a disruptive pandemic,” the ABS wrote in the report released April 6. “A significant number of people say they ‘never seem to have enough time’ to read the Bible. But we also find that attitudes are changing. This year, more people say that America would stay “about the same” if no one read the Bible. This news provides a challenge for everyone involved in Bible ministry.”

Nearly 26 million Americans either stopped interacting with the Bible altogether or reduced their Bible usage, ABS said.

Christian leaders must recognize the implications of this unique moment in history and respond strategically, ABS Director of Ministry Engagement John Farquhar said in the report.

“The data (and our personal experiences as leaders) tell us that American adults – particularly Christian adults – are struggling to live out their faith in a social context that has been upended by the pandemic,” Farquhar said. “They do not see a way to connect their faith to meaningful action through generosity, community and relationships.”

He encouraged innovation, energy and deep compassion in ministry at this time, and work that reconnects people to Christ-centered relationships and service.

ABS will reveal the findings of the 2022 report in increments, releasing one additional chapter each month throughout 2022. Upcoming chapters will examine The Faith of our Mothers, Hope and Flourishing in America, The Bible and Society, Faith Across the Generations, Digging In (a deep dive into how people use the Bible), and A Generous Life, ending with a wrap up of findings and the research agenda for 2023.

“Every year the State of the Bible brings a fresh perspective on the reality God already knows,” ABS President and CEO Robert L. Briggs said. “Our purpose is not merely to satisfy curiosity, or to cause either panic or celebration. It’s a starting point. Where do we go from here? What is God calling us to do in response to this reality, to advance toward the future point God has in mind.”

The 2022 report, conducted in collaboration with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, is based on 2,598 responses from a representative sample of adults 18 and older in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The study was conducted online and on the telephone Jan. 10-28.

Chapter 1 of the report is available for free download here.

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Anglicans Say Leaders Botched Response to Allegations Against DC Priest

By

Kathryn Post

-

April 8, 2022

(RNS) — On Tuesday (April 5), a group of self-identified survivors and advocates who attended an Anglican church in Washington, D.C., published an open letter saying diocesan leaders mishandled their allegations of spiritual abuse. The letter asks the leaders to apologize to the reported victims and discipline the accused priest, the Rev. Dan Claire.

“Rev. Claire betrayed pastoral confidences, misused his ecclesial authority to control and manipulate people under his pastoral authority, disclosed and misused mental health histories in order to discredit people, and ostracized and slandered parishioners who attempted to challenge any of his questionable behavior,” the letter on the anti-abuse platform ACNAtoo says. It also cites allegations of “victim blaming and defamation in cases of sexual impropriety.” Claire said he isn’t permitted to speak with Religion News Service due to the ongoing process.

RNS spoke with four reported survivors for this story. Due to fear of retaliation, they requested to be kept anonymous. RNS has confirmed their identities and association with the church.

The reported survivors are former members of Church of the Resurrection in D.C. — known as “Rez” — in the Christ Our Hope Diocese. They claim diocesan leaders, including Bishop Steven Breedlove, have failed to adequately hold Claire accountable and have not centered the needs of survivors. Breedlove did not respond to a request for comment.

“I can assure you that we have taken and will continue to take all accusations of abuse and the spiritual and emotional well-being of the accusers with full seriousness, and will persist in working towards a compassionate and God-pleasing resolution of this very painful situation,” the Rev. Arthur L. Going, canon for spiritual health, told RNS in an email.

With churches scattered between Maine and North Carolina, Christ Our Hope Diocese was originally a church planting network in the Anglican Church of Rwanda that joined the Anglican Church in North America in 2015. The ACNA split from the Episcopal Church in 2009, largely in dissent of the latter’s acceptance of LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriages.

According to the open letter, several unrelated spiritual abuse and pastoral misconduct allegations against Claire were submitted to Breedlove throughout 2020, prompting Breedlove to reach out to a bishop at another diocese, requesting help to “secure an investigation team” on Breedlove’s behalf, according to the open letter. Ten reported victims and additional witnesses were interviewed in the independent investigation from April-September 2021, resulting in a final report to the diocese that, the open letter said, was never shared in full with reported victims.

After the investigation, Breedlove, along with other diocesan leaders, presented seven “allegations” or “broad areas of complaint” to Claire in a November meeting, according to a December 9, 2021, email from Breedlove obtained by RNS.

But months later, a Feb. 12, 2022, letter sent from Breedlove and other diocesan leaders to reported survivors and advocates seemed to question the investigative process, saying it was “insufficient and incomplete.” The report itself, they said, “obscured the narrative of the events involved in the complaints and did not allow for adequate analysis” and “made it impossible to come to reliable conclusions.” As a result, the leaders had decided to “set it aside.”

The alleged survivors were stunned — after the diocese presented Claire with general allegations, they anticipated the investigation would yield tangible consequences.

“After the diocesan council reviewed this lengthy, in-depth report, even if it wasn’t quite all in the proper technical format, I don’t think there was a question that there were serious problems with this guy,” one former Rez employee who wished to remain anonymous told RNS. “To throw that out because of a technicality after the fact was pretty egregious.”

Church of the Resurrection purchased this historic church building in Washington, D.C., in January 2021. Image courtesy of Google Maps

The Rev. Matthew Wilcoxen, a former associate rector of Rez and a witness in the original investigation, said he believes the investigation was not fair to Claire. Though he hasn’t seen the final report, he told RNS he has seen parts of the report where his testimony was included and said his statements about Claire were “slanted’ and given a “negative interpretation.” He added that Claire wasn’t presented with the opportunity for counsel or an advocate and “was never presented with concrete allegations prior to the investigation, and so was not able to call relevant witnesses.”

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