LGBTQ Artist Semler Joining Christian Band Relient K’s Upcoming Tour

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January 6, 2022

Grace Baldridge, who many know as Semler, is an on-the-rise musician who is openly queer and writes about her Christian upbringing. This week, she announced that she would be joining Christian rock band Relient K as the opening act on their upcoming “Um Yeah Tour,” which starts in February.

“We are super stoked to announce that @gracebaldridge – Semler will be opening up all the shows on the Um Yeah Tour,” Relient K posted on Twitter.

Baldridge made a name for herself in 2021 after two of her EP’s hit the number one spot on the iTunes Christian Albums chart, both times knocking off Grammy Award winning Christian artist Lauren Daigle’s “Look Up Child” from the top spot.

“Um, yeah. I’ll be joining @relientK on tour this year. I fully can’t believe it. Tickets are selling really fast so make your move and see you on the road,” Baldridge tweeted. Baldridge stated that “Relient K is about to have a bunch of gays at their shows this spring now.”

As a daughter of an Episcopalian priest, Baldrige talks about her struggles with same-sex attraction while growing up in a church youth group and regularly uses explicit language on her albums to get her point across. For example, Semler wrote a song entitled “TobyMac” that was released last year and explained her troubles making a mixtape for her girlfriend because all she listened to was Christian music from bands like DC Talk, Relient K, and Switchfoot.

“I wanna make my girl a mixtape of love songs she’d know were just from me. But the only songs I know are Christian, so I have to think strategically,” the lyrics read. In the same song Baldridge writes that “Relient K f**cking got my a** through college.”

Similarly, on her song “Youth Group” from her EP “Preacher’s Kid,” Baldrige includes explicit lyrics to discuss teens having their sexual awakening at a youth group lock-in. ”Youth group lock-ins are really strange concepts that youth group leaders seem to really like. It’s like, ‘Let’s take some repressed hormonal teenagers and put ’em in church and hope they find Jesus overnight,’” she writes.

“Like Jesus is a ghost hidin’ in the church and if you just stay long enough you’ll find him,” Baldrige continues. “But in my experience, the only thing you find is your sexuality…This one’s for the kids who have their sexual awakening at the youth group lock-in; it must have been confusing.”

She then talks about church camp and how it messed her life up, singing, “At church camp youth group, they really tried it on us. Now we’re grown up and we’re f**ked up. Is there still a God we can trust?”

Is Belief in God Compatible With Belief in a Multiverse? Ken Ham Answers

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Jessica Lea

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January 6, 2022

Is the concept of multiple universes, or the “multiverse,” compatible with a Christian worldview? Young-earth creationist Ken Ham says the answer is a clear, “No.”

“There is no ‘multiverse,’” writes Ham in a blog published on Jan. 4, 2022. “This idea is based in atheistic, naturalistic beliefs about the origin of the universe, not on the eyewitness account of history God has given us in his Word.”

Ken Ham is the founder of Answers in Genesis, an apologetics ministry located in Petersburg, Ky., that focuses on the Book of Genesis in the Bible. He is also the founder of the Creation Museum and the life-size Ark Encounter, in Petersburg and Williamstown, Ky., respectively.

Ham wrote his article in response to a different article published three weeks ago in Live Science, titled “How real is the multiverse?” The author is Paul Sutter, a research professor in astrophysics at SUNY Stony Brook University and the Flatiron Institute in New York City. In his post, Sutter wonders, “Is there another you out there, reading this exact same article?”

Ken Ham: The Multiverse Is Unbiblical

According to Brittanica, the “multiverse” is “a hypothetical collection of potentially diverse observable universes, each of which would comprise everything that is experimentally accessible by a connected community of observers.”

In a separate Live Science article, Sutter explains the multiverse in this way:

Multiverse theory suggests that our universe, with all its hundreds of billions of galaxies and almost countless stars, spanning tens of billions of light-years, may not be the only one. Instead, there may be an entirely different universe, distantly separated from ours — and another, and another. Indeed, there may be an infinity of universes, all with their own laws of physics, their own collections of stars and galaxies (if stars and galaxies can exist in those universes), and maybe even their own intelligent civilizations.

It could be that our universe is just one member of a much grander, much larger multitude of universes: a multiverse.

In “How real is the multiverse?” Sutter writes that the multiverse “might be a natural prediction of the physical theories that define the beginning of the universe. Or it might not. It’s tough to say, as new research has shown.” He goes on to describe research focused on the theories of inflation and eternal inflation.

Cosmic inflation is “the theory that the universe underwent a brief period of exponential expansion shortly after the Big Bang.” “Eternal inflation” posits that certain pockets of the universe stopped expanding, but others parts of it have not—indicating multiple universes might exist. In a nutshell, says Sutter, “If inflation is correct, then eternal inflation is also likely correct, and the multiverse might be real.”

Ken Ham notes that the idea of the multiverse has been “popularized in recent movies and shows.” Examples that portray or at least touch on this idea include “Dr. Strange,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

On Epiphany, Pope Francis Urges Catholic Clergy to ‘Take New Paths’

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Claire Giangrave

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January 6, 2022

Pope Francis Epiphany — Pope Francis kisses a statue of baby Jesus as he celebrates an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Jan. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — During his homily for the feast of the Epiphany on Thursday, Pope Francis laid out his hopes for the new year, urging Catholics to set aside “conventional, external and formal religiosity” and embrace the desire to seek “new paths.”

Also known as Three Kings Day, the Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Magi and the revelation of God incarnate in the newborn Jesus. The feast day is observed in Italy on Jan. 6. During a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope used his homily to urge Catholics, especially clergy, to learn from the Magi’s “school of desire.”

“The journey of life and faith demands a deep desire and inner zeal,” Pope Francis said, adding an off-the-cuff remark that “sometimes we live as if in a ‘parking lot,’” forgetting the “desire that carries us forward.”

The pope encouraged Catholics to ask themselves questions on their faith journey, not only as individuals but as a church. “Have we all been stuck too long, nestled inside a conventional, external and formal religiosity that no longer warms our hearts and changes our lives? Do our words and our liturgies ignite in people’s hearts a desire to move toward God? Or are they a ‘dead language’ that speaks only of itself and to itself?” Francis asked.

In July 2021, Pope Francis issued a decree, also called motu proprio, that applied strong restrictions to the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, which is done in Latin. The Vatican later clarified the restrictions and decried the “sterile polemics” that it raised, saying it’s “capable only of creating divisions.”

Rather than settling for “maintenance,” faithful should welcome the novelty and joy of the gospel, Francis said, adding that “it is sad when a priest has closed the door of desire, sad to fall into clerical functionalism.”

While the pope’s criticism wasn’t only directed toward clergy or die-hard traditionalists, a significant portion of the homily was directed at “closed communities of individuals, bishops, priests or consecrated men and women.”

Many of Pope Francis’ reforms have been aimed at opening the doors of traditionally enclosed Catholic realities, from lay Catholic movements to convents, from the liturgy to the Roman Curia. Just as in society, the church suffers from a “slumbering of the spirit,” the pope said.

“The lack of desire leads only to sadness and indifference, to sad communities, sad priests or bishops,” he added.

Pope Francis bows on the altar as he celebrates an Epiphany mass in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis bows at the altar as he celebrates an Epiphany Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, Jan. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Jan. 6: A Timeline in Prayers

By

Jack Jenkins

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January 6, 2022

Jan. 6 prayer — A man dressed as George Washington kneels and prays near the Washington Monument with a Trump flag on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was many things — an assault on the seat of American democracy, a riot that threatened the lives of elected officials, a medieval-style brawl that left at least five dead and hundreds wounded.

But amid the chaos, Jan. 6 was also an outpouring of religious expression, especially in the form of prayer. Often it was the insurrectionists themselves who were spotted praying, many appealing to the Almighty as they waged their attack. But equally as prayerful were those they threatened — lawmakers and the chaplains who ministered to them, some of whom asked God for protection and safety. And then there were observers — pastors and others who voiced prayers of warning and lament for the violence they witnessed.

These are some of those prayers said in and around the Capitol that day, collected by Religion News Service from videos, public documents, interviews and news reports.

An interfaith group of religious leaders pray outside of Luther Place church on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. RNS photo by Jack Jenkins

An interfaith group of religious leaders prays outside of Luther Place church on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. RNS photo by Jack Jenkins

On Jan. 6, the Rev. Karen Brau began the day around 9 a.m. outside a Lutheran church, huddling with a group of interfaith clergy as they stood around a Black Lives Matter sign. The sign was a replacement for one of several destroyed in the area a few weeks prior when Proud Boys marauded through the streets of Washington. The clergy had gathered on Jan. 6 to offer a counterprotest vigil against Trump supporters as they massed in D.C. Brau explained their collective efforts this way:

(We’re praying for) … our common faith in a God who loves the world, and all of what that means. We’re bearing witness today, because there is a lot of anxiety around this being a day where there is violence and perhaps destruction of spaces and places, and perhaps people will be harmed. We are here bearing witness of peace. So we’re praying. … Today happens to be Epiphany. So on Jan. 6, we’re mindful that this is a day we’re asking for the wisdom of the wise ones who found, by following a star, the Christ Child. And who are also being tricked by (King) Herod, to reveal the place of the child’s birth so Herod could go and give him praise — which was absolutely a lie. We’re also bearing witness that, for the Christian faith, some of these patterns of leaders who are despots continue.

In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, Pastor Paula White leads a prayer in Washington, at a rally in support of President Donald Trump called the "Save America Rally." (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, Pastor Paula White leads a prayer in Washington at a rally in support of President Donald Trump called the “Save America Rally.” (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Florida pastor and White House official Paula White opened the Trump rally at the White House Ellipse around 11 a.m., offering a prayer to attendees, which concluded with a plea for justice to be done:

… God, you said you honor your word and your name above all things. So as we hold you, in covenant with you, today, let justice be done. Let justice be done. Let justice be done. Let we the people have the assurance of a fair and a just election. Hear our cry and turn our hearts to you. God, I pray that you would turn the hearts of those who are in power and position to make decisions, to walk in your wisdom, and to do justly today — for the integrity of democracy. For our nation.

God, we ask right now, in conclusion, for your provision. For your protection. For your power. For an outpouring of your spirit like never before. I secure POTUS — I thank you for President Trump. I thank you that he has stood with Israel. He has stood with life. He has stood for righteousness. He has stood for the most vulnerable. He has stood to alleviate poverty. He has stood for religious freedom. He has stood for safety and protection. He has stood in a place, God, that few men could stand. He has walked in your ways. And as you have allowed me to have a relationship with him and his family for 20 years, right now, as his pastor I put a hedge of protection around him. I secure his purpose. I secure his destiny. I secure his life, God, and I thank you that he will walk in a holy boldness and a wisdom, God, and that you will go before him. You will be his rear guard, and you will go in front of him this day and every day, God. …

For Dying Congregations, a ‘Replant’ Can Offer New Life

By

Bob Smietana

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January 6, 2022

replanting — Pastor Min Lee, right, leads a young group of LA City Baptist Church congregants on a walk through the community to pray for church neighbors. Photo courtesy of LA City Baptist Church

(RNS) — From the time he was a teenager, Min Lee wanted to be a missionary.

Lee, who grew up in a Korean American Christian family, said he gave his life to Jesus during a retreat where a missionary from Costa Rica was the guest speaker — which inspired him to think about missionary work as well.

He studied Spanish and ended up spending six months doing missions in Mexico, along with about two years living in a mostly Muslim neighborhood in Toronto. Lee eventually landed in Los Angeles, not far from where he grew up, doing an internship to become a church planter.

Then he ended up at LA City Baptist Church, a small but historic Hispanic congregation floundering after the death of its longtime pastor. Lee started out as a visitor, then was invited first to lead singing, then a Bible study and then eventually became pastor. When he arrived in 2018, the church was down to about a dozen members, most of them elderly. Today the church has closer to 50 people, from a diverse range of backgrounds.

“I thought God was going to call me to be a missionary but instead he sent me to a multiracial church in LA,” Lee said.

LA City Baptist Church is what’s known as a “replant,” an attempt to restore an older, dying congregation to health using some of the lessons gleaned from startup congregations known as church plants. Replanting often involves adding a new pastor who has been trained in how to do outreach, as well as funding and sometimes an influx of volunteers. The idea is to provide resources and new energy to an old congregation, rather than shutting the church down and starting over.

LA City Baptist Church worships together outdoors during the pandemic. Photo courtesy of LA City Baptist Church

Although not widespread, church replanting is growing in popularity and the approach has been adopted by denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention, whose North American Mission Board is supporting Lee’s work to replant LA City Baptist. In 2020, NAMB helped fund 50 such replants, according to the latest data available. The agency hopes to work eventually with about 200 replants a year, said Mike Ebert, a spokesman for NAMB.

According to data from the Faith Communities Today 2020 survey, there are lots of churches in the same boat as LA City. The median worship attendance for congregations is 65, down from twice that number in 2000 — leaving many congregations wondering what their future will look like.

NC Pastor Guilty of Tax and Wire Fraud, Using False Info to Get PPP Loan

By

Stephanie Martin

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January 6, 2022

In federal court this week, North Carolina Pastor Frank Jacobs Sr. pleaded guilty to fraud charges, including providing fraudulent details to receive a pandemic-relief loan. Jacobs, 51, was released on bond and awaits sentencing.

While pastor of Quest Church in Charlotte in April 2020, Jacobs admits he submitted inaccurate information when applying for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Part of the CARES Act, those loans (which could later be forgiven) were intended to support small businesses impacted financially by COVID-19.

Pastor Frank Jacobs Investigated by DOJ

According to court documents, Pastor Frank Jacobs claimed on his PPP application that Quest Church paid more than $135,000 in total wages to five employees—and that the church had withheld federal income tax on those wages. Yet the organization neither reported any paid wages to the IRS nor withheld taxes.

In addition, authorities said Jacobs hadn’t filed individual income tax returns from 2009 to 2013 or from 2015 to 2017, despite receiving letters from the IRS. For tax year 2014, Jacobs now admits he underreported his income and didn’t pay the government “for any tax liabilities.”

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says Jacobs faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine for filing a false tax return. Wire fraud carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence and a $250,000 fine.

In a March 2021 post on the Quest Church Charlotte Facebook page, district missionary Mother Gladene Garland writes about Pastor Jacobs’ upcoming birthday (citing age 54, which differs from court docs and media reports). She encourages church members to abide by 1 Timothy 5:17 and give “double honour” by blessing the pastor with “$108.00 or your very best seed.” Gifts could be earmarked as “Pastor’s Love Offering” or sent “directly to his cash app.”

Government Takes PPP Fraud Seriously

PPP loans, intended to ease financial hardships caused by the pandemic, came with various eligibility requirements and stipulations. Misuse of those funds has made headlines, especially when church leaders are involved. Last April, D.C.-area Pastor Rudolph Brooks Jr. was charged with fraudulently obtaining $1.5 million in PPP loans, using the money to buy 39 cars.

One Year After the Capitol Riot, Many Evangelicals Deny Its Significance

By

Dale Chamberlain

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January 6, 2022

On January 6, 2021, American democracy hung in the balance as an armed crowd of Trump supporters forcefully entered the United States Capitol Building to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election results.

With makeshift gallows constructed outside, many within the crowd chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!” Nearby, someone held a sign that read “Jesus Saves.” Throughout the crowd, Christian symbols such as crosses, Jesus fish, Bibles, and Jewish shofars were a prominent feature. Led by QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley, a group of rioters held a prayer on the U.S. Senate chamber.

As members of Congress were evacuated to a secure location and hundreds of police officers risked life and limb to secure the building, Trump took to Twitter and told rioters, “We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel, but go home, and go home in peace.”

After the crowds had been cleared, Congress returned to the vandalized U.S. Capitol Building to certify the election results. Five people lost their lives, and hundreds more were injured. Since that day, four police officers who were present at the Capitol on January 6 have died by suicide, likely as a result of post traumatic stress.

One year later, many American evangelicals continue to deny the significance of these events.

Almost immediately following the attack on the Capitol, many—including evangelical leaders—began spreading a conspiracy theory that members of Antifa had secretly infiltrated the crowd and were to blame for the violence. Some have since walked back those claims, while others have not.

“There is no doubt the election was fraudulent. That is the same today as yesterday. There is no doubt Antifa infiltrated the protesters today and planned this,” tweeted Christian author Eric Mextaxas on the evening of January 6, 2021. “This is political theater and anyone who buys it is a sucker. Fight for justice and Pray for justice. God bless America!”

On January 6, 2022, Metaxas indicated that his feelings have not changed.

“Jan. 6th is our Reichstag Fire,” Metaxas tweeted, referring to a 1933 attack on the German parliamentary building that Adolf Hitler used as a rallying event to begin consolidating his power. While the attacker worked alone, Hitler blamed the Communist party. Metaxas’ comparison indicates that he believes Capitol rioters operated independently from a political or religious movement.

“Yes, a crazy person committed arson,” Metaxas continued. “But how the Nazis used that as a pretext for brutally crushing all dissent to their satanic evil is the real story. Don’t be fooled.”

“Today marks one year since the attack on our nation’s Capitol. Many people may disagree with me, but I blame the swamp. If the ‘January 6 Committee’ wants to find the truth about who was behind the attack, they don’t have to look any further than Washington and its corruption,” tweeted evangelist Franklin Graham.

Boy Scouts of America Bankruptcy Plan Misses Mark in Vote by Abuse Claimants

By

Randall Chase

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January 6, 2022

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A preliminary voting report in the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy indicates the group’s reorganization plan has failed to win the desired support from tens of thousands of men who say they were sexually abused as children.

The report, filed late Tuesday night, shows 73% of 53,888 valid ballots were cast in support the plan, with just under 27% against. The Boy Scouts were hoping to garner at least 75% of the vote.

Under the rules for a typical Chapter 11 case, the Boy Scouts needed approval of two-thirds of sexual abuse claimants who voted. However, because the BSA plan includes liability releases for non-debtor third parties, including local Boy Scout councils and troop sponsoring organizations, a higher level of support likely will be required. It’s unclear exactly what level of support the BSA plan needs in order to win court approval, but the bankruptcy code requires at least 75% voter approval in cases involving asbestos claims and third-party releases.

A final voting report is due Jan. 17, but the initial results could spell trouble for the Boy Scouts of America’s goal of compensating survivors for decades of child sexual abuse by Scoutmaster and others while being able to emerge from bankruptcy on sound financial footing and continue the Scouting movement.

“We are encouraged by these preliminary results and are actively engaging key parties in our case with the hope of reaching additional agreements, which could potentially garner further support for the plan before confirmation,” the Boy Scouts said in a statement.

Opponents of the plan, including the official committee appointed to represent all abuse claimants, said the vote shows the Boy Scouts’ proposal was inadequate.

“This was a poorly constructed plan driven by a group of lawyers who wanted to achieve a quick, cheap bankruptcy settlement,” said Jason Amala, an attorney whose law firm represents more than 1,000 claimants. “Many of these law firms signed up clients under engagement letters where they did not even agree to represent their client if the case had to be pursued outside of bankruptcy.”

John Humphrey, co-chair of the official abuse claimants committee, said abuse survivors understood the plan does not adequately compensate them.

“The prospect of litigation against the BSA, its local councils, chartered organizations, and their respective insurers will not dissuade those who have spent lifetimes seeking justice,” Humphrey said in a prepared statement. “The Boy Scouts tout the Plan and the settlements as historically high. When considered from the perspective of the individual abuse survivor, the settlements are historically low.”

Meanwhile, attorneys continue to gather information and take depositions from opposing parties in advance of a hearing to begin Feb. 22 to determine whether Judge Laura Selber Silverstein should confirm the plan.

The plan calls for the Boys Scouts and its roughly 250 local councils to contribute up to $820 million in cash and property into a fund for abuse claimants. They also would assign certain insurance rights to the fund. In return, the local councils and national organization would be released from further liability for sexual abuse claims.

The plan also includes settlement agreements with the BSA’s two largest insurers, Century Indemnity Co. and The Hartford. Century and affiliated companies would contribute $800 million into the fund in return for being released from further liability for abuse claims, while The Hartford would pay $787 million. Other insurers have agreed to contribute about $69 million.

The Century settlement provides for additional contributions from the BSA and its local councils on behalf of chartered troop sponsoring organizations such as churches, civic clubs and community groups. They include a $40 million commitment from the local councils and additional potential payments of up to $100 million from the BSA and local councils attributable to growth in membership because of chartered organizations’ continued sponsorship of Scouting units.

Former Baptist Youth Pastor Gets 20 Years After Child Molesting Plea

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AP News

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January 6, 2022

GOSHEN, Ind. (AP) — A former northern Indiana youth pastor was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges that he molested several boys.

Scott Christner, who had previously served as a youth group leader in Goshen for First Baptist Church, pleaded guilty in November to several child molesting charges.

An Elkhart County judge sentenced him to three 9-year sentences for felonies, ordering him to serve 20 of those years in prison with seven years suspended.

Christner’s attorney had argued for a sentence of probation only.

He had admitted molesting several young boys between the ages of 11 and 13 between May 2012 and January 2017, WNDU-TV reported. Several victims came forward with allegations against him in 2019.

One of Christener’s victims and some of the other youths’ parents attended Wednesday’s hearing and became visibly frustrated when Christner apologized for his actions, WSBT-TV reported.

Some parents wrote letters to the court, while others took the stand, telling the court about the mental and physical trauma Christner’s actions had caused their children.

This article originally appeared here

Ransom Freed Some Missionary Hostages in Haiti, Workers Say

By

Peter Smith

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January 6, 2022

Missionary Hostages — FILE - Visitors are granted entry at Christian Aid Ministries in Berlin, Ohio Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. On Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, workers for the Ohio-based missionary organization have confirmed that an unidentified person paid ransom to free three of their kidnapped colleagues from a Haitian gang under an agreement that was supposed to have freed all 15 of the captive group in early December. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar, File)

(AP) — An unidentified person paid a ransom that freed three missionaries kidnapped by a gang in Haiti under an agreement that was supposed to have led to the release of all 15 remaining captives early last month, workers for their Ohio-based organization have confirmed.

The person who made the payment was not affiliated with Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, and the workers say they don’t know who the individual is or how much was paid to the gang, which initially demanded $1 million per person. Internal conflicts in the gang, they say, led it to renege on a pledge to release all the hostages, freeing just three of them instead on Dec. 5.

The accounts from former hostages and other Christian Aid Ministries staffers, in recent recorded talks to church groups and others, are the first public acknowledgement from the organization that ransom was paid at any point following the Oct. 16 kidnapping of 16 Americans and a Canadian affiliated with CAM.

CAM officials had acknowledged at a news conference Dec. 20 that an unaffiliated party had offered to provide ransom money, but at the time they refused to say a payment had been paid.

In subsequent remarks, officials said the group had opposed paying cash ransom on principle, though it did make an offer of food boxes that the captors rejected. Eventually CAM accepted a third-party offer to negotiate with the gang.

“In the course of this whole thing, there was Christian Aid Ministries’ no-ransom policy,” Philip Mast, a CAM Executive Committee member, said in a recent talk at Mt. Moriah Mennonite Church in Crossville, Tennessee.

But “there was a donor who offered to take the negotiations and deal with the situation, and so CAM accepted that offer, and it was turned over to another party to deal with it,” he continued. “Yes, there was ransom paid, but I don’t think (the gang members) had the intention of releasing the prisoners.”

His and others’ accounts, which The Associated Press gained access to this week, are archived at PlainNews.org, an online news source for conservative Anabaptists such as Mennonites, Amish and Brethren, who comprise the core of CAM workers and supporters.

One of the ex-hostages, Austin Smucker, said in a recorded talk that a gang member “promised that we were all going to be going home in the next few days” after the Dec. 5 release of three hostages, but that did not happen.

Barry Grant, CAM’s field director in Titanyen, Haiti, said the captors “reneged” on the deal.

Smucker and Grant both said they learned gang members refused to release all the hostages to try to force the Haitian government to free their imprisoned leader.

The 400 Mawozo gang seized the 17-member group of missionaries, which included young children, as they were traveling home from a visit to a CAM-supported orphanage in Ganthier, in the Croix-des-Bouquets area.

Two hostages were released in November for medical reasons, and the last 12 suddenly turned up Dec. 16.

While CAM officials have described it as a dramatic escape, a Dec. 30 column in the Yonkers Times of New York cited an unnamed source as saying the gang deliberately left the door unguarded and allowed the 12 to walk to freedom in fulfillment of the ransom deal.

The person, whom the paper described as someone with “direct and detailed knowledge” of the case, said if the gang hadn’t allowed them to leave, someone would have reported the escapees before they reached safety.

However ex-hostages have continued to say, in detailed and consistent accounts, that they escaped during a narrow window of opportunity under fear of being recaptured or shot. They said recent rains had led the guards to congregate on the more sheltered side of the house, away from where the hostages nudged open a barricaded door and sneaked out for an overnight trek for miles through mud, thorns and mountainous terrain.

They also spoke of what they characterized as a divine deliverance, saying that a guard miraculously was blinded to evidence of their tampering with the door despite looking directly at it, and that neither villagers nor dogs reacted as they through the gang-controlled territory.

A CAM spokesman declined further comment. Haitian police have declined to comment on the kidnappings, and the gang’s leaders have not given interviews.

The U.S. State Department declined to comment beyond thanking “our Haitian and international partners as well as the U.S. interagency for their assistance in facilitating their safe release.”

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

This article originally appeared here.

Pastoral Plagiarism: 10 Do’s and Don’ts

By

James Emery White

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January 6, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Someone brought something to my attention recently. A young woman on our staff came across a talk, given by a pastor, on a church’s website. It was a clear case of pastoral plagiarism.

It was my talk.

He had delivered it, largely verbatim, from a manuscript purchased on the ChurchandCulture.org website. There was no verbal attribution ever given. Perhaps most egregious was his telling of my personal vignettes as if they were his own.

She dug into a few more, and found almost every talk for the last two-and-a-half years had been one of my talks.

I called him on the phone, and we talked about it. To his credit, he wasn’t defensive but repentant.

Then it happened again this week. Someone stumbled onto a talk on a church’s website, and it was one of my talks.

Again, almost completely verbatim.

This is serious.

A pastor of a large church in our city lost his job when one of the members of the church heard a talk on the radio by a well-known radio preacher. The pastor had given the same talk earlier that week in the church, without attribution. The member told an elder, the elder looked into the matter and discovered a pattern of plagiarism.

What are the “rules” of pastoral plagiarism for communicators?

I’m not sure we know because they aren’t as spelled out as they are in the academic world. But I think we can—or at least should—agree to the following 10 commandments:

The Do’s and Don’ts of Pastoral Plagiarism

1. Do take inspiration from another person’s talks.

2. Do allow yourself to be informed by another person’s research.

Questions About Gaming Culture and Social Media for Kids of All Ages

By

Michael Guyer

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January 5, 2022

Video games and social media occupy the time of both young and old. Teenagers lead the way in engaging with others on these platforms. However, adults are increasingly active on games and apps. These developments aren’t necessarily negative. Yet Christians need to ponder some important questions about gaming culture and social media.

Video games, such as the ones on linkw88moinhat.net, foster creative-thinking and provide a way for people with similar interests to connect. Social media has brought about new ways to stay connected and communicate. However, like the rest of creation, gaming culture and social media usage are subject to sin. They often enable the idols of our hearts. And sometimes they provide a place to display our rebellion against God. Far too often, we engage these media without considering the real-life consequences.

Every Christian must evaluate their own heart and the influence of video games and social media. For some people, this may mean eliminating or at least limiting their use. Regardless, answers will come only through intentional reflection.

So ask yourself the following diagnostic questions about gaming culture and social media. Or use them to engage the teens you serve in youth ministry.

Questions About Gaming Culture & Social Media Usage

Video Games & Gaming Culture

What’s the typical content of the games you play?
How would you evaluate the time you spend playing video games?
How does playing video games affect your heart? your attitude toward others?
Are you honoring Christ in how you interact with others online or in your gaming community?
Does a particular game consume your thoughts throughout the day?
Do you use game-playing as a means to avoid facing certain problems, responsibilities or people?

Thank You Gift for Volunteer: Handmade Presents to Show Appreciation

By

ChildrensMinistry.com

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January 5, 2022

Are you looking for a great way to tell volunteers just how much you appreciate them? Have you run out of ideas for a thank you gift for volunteer?

Maybe you dream of giving your ministry assistants something different and more personal. But the budget is drained and you’re strapped for funds. Or, as usual, time is tight.

We’re here to help! Add a personal touch to volunteer thank you gifts with these four heartfelt, handmade ideas. Anyone can make them—and have fun while doing so!

Pro Tip: Don’t wait for a holiday or end-of-year celebration to express gratitude for children’s ministry volunteers. Use these creative ideas to make a thank you gift for volunteer to cherish any time of year.

Thank You Gift for Volunteer: 4 Ideas They’ll Love

1. Class Collage

This heart-melting craft is easy to assemble—and kids love to help.

Time and Budget: Low impact

Supplies:

copies of a variety of photos from different children’s ministry events
5×7 picture frames (1 per volunteer)
5×7 pieces of card stock (1 per volunteer)
glue sticks
scissors
preprinted Bible verse trimmed small enough to fit within each frame

Choose the photos you’ll arrange in the collage. (For teachers, you may want to use images of the kids they teach.) Trim the photos, and glue them to card stock. Then glue the Bible verse across the bottom of the card stock. Leave space for the margins, which the frame will cover. Allow the glue to dry. Then place the collage into the frame.

G3 Ministries President’s Church Leaves the SBC; Beth Moore Jokes She Started a Movement

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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January 5, 2022

On Tuesday (Jan 4), Pastor Josh Buice of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia tweeted that “sometimes, separation is the best option,” and shared a statement in which he explained why his church is separating from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

Buice is the founder and president of G3 Ministries, which stands for “Gospel, Grace, and Glory.” According to their YouTube page, the ministry was formed to educate, encourage, and equip people for the work of ministry and the glory of God. G3 holds an annual conference to equip pastors and Christians. Over 5,500 people attend.

The pastor received his M.Div. and D.Min in expository preaching from the SBC’s Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Like fellow outspoken SBC pastors Tom Buck from Texas’ First Baptist Church of Lindale and Mike Stone from Georgia’s Emanuel Baptist Church, Buice has been known as one of the most conservative voices within the SBC.

Buice has served as the pastor for three different SBC churches. Pray’s Mill Baptist Church is the church where he and his wife, Kari, grew up as children.

Pray’s Mill Baptist Church has been a longtime member of the SBC, but Buice shared that “in recent days we came to the conclusion that there was no profitable path forward for us within the SBC and we made the decision to officially separate.”

In explaining the reason for Pray’s Mill Baptist Church’s departure from the SBC, Buice cited a “devious deconstruction plan” that some leaders have been working behind the scenes to accomplish. Recent scandals, controversies, and divisions led to the decision to break away from the 176-year-old denomination.

The G3 Ministries’ president wrote a small section commending the SBC for the good it has done. Buice said that he was appreciative of the many SBC seminary professors who invested in him and helped prepare him for ministry. Buice also mentioned the “many good pastors and local churches who have been healthy and profitable in supporting Christian education and church planting for many years within this network that we know as the SBC.”

Buice claims that evangelicalism is “not well,” including the SBC. According to Buice, the SBC has shifted from a theologically conservative denomination toward a more leftward [liberal] direction, especially over the last four to five years.

“The biggest catalyst to this leftward movement undoubtedly was the acceptance of the social justice agenda which has resulted in the greatest downgrade in our modern era of church history,” Buice said. “Any denial of this downgrade is simply a refusal to report the facts about where the SBC is today, where the SBC was yesterday, and where the SBC is moving tomorrow.”

It was during a 2018 meeting in Texas with a group that assembled to discuss the problems of social justice that Buice noted as the time the shift to a more liberal theology within the SBC began to pick up the pace.

According to Buice, that meeting exposed many SBC institutions and leaders to a “devious movement,” and “the top tier SBC leaders continue to double down on their positions. They have sought to deflect charges of theological capitulation and rigorously work to protect their positions through cultural virtue signals and theological word salads.”

Christian Sect Comes Under Scrutiny in Connection to Devastating CO Wildfire

By

Jessica Lea

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January 5, 2022

twelve tribes — Front porch of a home burned by the fire. Bmurphy380, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The investigation into the cause of wildfire that devastated Boulder County in Colorado last Thursday has drawn attention to property owned by a Christian sect called the Twelve Tribes. A shed on the group’s property in Boulder, Colo., was reportedly aflame before the wildfire took off.

“The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing,” said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle in a press briefing on Monday, Jan. 3. “It’s being supported by experts from the Forest Service, who are experienced and highly talented in investigating major fires in other states. And I don’t have any updates on that investigation right now other than to say it is in full force and full swing.”

When asked if the Twelve Tribes property was part of the investigation, Pelle responded, “It is and it will be and that is widely known and understood. So is the area around it. So we haven’t eliminated or honed in on any one specific thing. It’s an open investigation, we’re going to do it right, it’s going to take some time.” The sheriff noted the investigation will be extended and require patience. “We’re going to take our time and be methodical,” he said, “because the stakes are huge.”

Twelve Tribes Under Scrutiny

The Marshall and Middle Fork fires, some of the most calamitous in Colorado’s history, appear to have started the morning of Thursday, Dec. 30. The wildfire spanned over 6,000 acres and destroyed more than 900 homes. Around 34,000 people had to evacuate the area, and many have not yet been able to return.

Pelle said that teams are assessing the safety of re-entry and that people can check online for regular updates. Authorities are still trying to locate two missing people, which is “very, very difficult work” due to debris, heat, and the need to work by hand with small tools.

While it is not disputed that a fire started on property owned by the Twelve Tribes, it is not clear if that fire was the source of the wildfire or if there were another cause. ChurchLeaders has reached out to the Twelve Tribes for comment and will update this article in the event of a reply.

The Twelve Tribes movement was founded by Eugene and Marsha Spriggs, who started a Bible study for youth in Chattanooga, Tenn., in 1973. Some attendees lived with the Spriggs, who had a coffee house ministry and also opened a restaurant called The Yellow Deli.

The Spriggs began holding their own services after the church they had been attending, First Presbyterian Church, cancelled services for the Super Bowl. Eugene Spriggs, who had never been ordained, performed baptisms. At the time, they called their ministry Vine Community Church. Members began to face opposition from their community during the latter half of the 1970s, with some labeling the group a cult.

‘Sure. I’ll Be Saved. Why Not?’: Elon Musk Discusses His Work, Life, and Faith With the Babylon Bee

By

Dale Chamberlain

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January 5, 2022

Elon Musk recently appeared on the Babylon Bee podcast to discuss a wide range of topics, including renewable energy, wokeness, taxes, the prospect of founding a candy company, the Metaverse, rocket science, aliens, the existential risks of advanced AI, and the teachings of Jesus.

The Christian satire site has had a friendly online relationship with the tech mogul for some time, with Musk tweeting about Babylon Bee and the Babylon Bee at one point having an “Elon Musk” tier of donation support.

In the video interview, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, Editor-in-Chief Kyle Mann, and Creative Director Ethan Nicolle sat down with Musk to pick his brain over the course of about 90 minutes.

Early in the conversation, the issue of “wokeness” was brought up, which the Babylon Bee leaders and Musk agreed is an enemy to comedy.

“Generally, I think we should be aiming for like a positive society. And, you know, it should be okay to be humorous,” Musk said with a White Claw in hand. “Wokeness basically wants to make comedy illegal, which is not cool.”

“At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful,” Musk went on to say. “It basically gives mean people…a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue.”

Musk did not elaborate on how he defines wokeness. However, he did provide as an example the recent criticism directed toward comedian Dave Chappelle for making jokes that many believed to be transphobic.

“The left is almost this religion now, where they’re so serious and they believe what they believe with such intensity that for us to make fun of them, for them it’s like you’re making fun of God or salvation,” said Mann in response to Musk’s remarks. “So they’re almost the new religious right, in our view.”

Later in the conversation, the group began discussing Musk’s vision for space travel, and Musk shared why the prospect of colonizing other planets is so important to him.

Sam Rainer: The Number One Rule of Church Revitalization

By

Jessica Lea

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January 5, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Sam Rainer: The Number One Rule of Church Revitalization

Sam Rainer serves as president of Church Answers and is a cofounder of Rainer Publishing. He is lead pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Bradenton, Fla., and writes, teaches, speaks, and consults on a variety of church health issues. Sam also cohosts the popular podcasts Rainer on Leadership and EST.church. His new book is “The Church Revitalization Checklist: A Hopeful and Practical Guide for Leading Your Congregation to a Brighter Tomorrow.”

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Sam Rainer

► Listen on Apple
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► Listen on YouTube

Key Questions for Sam Rainer

-What are some of the common mistakes that leaders make when church attendance is declining?

-What is the difference between somebody who is a longstanding pastor of a church that needs revitalization versus somebody who’s coming in to do revitalization?

-How did the “black swan” event of COVID-19 impact your revitalization plans? What advice would you give about revitalization in light of what we’ve gone through the last two years?

-What will be the greatest challenge to church growth in the coming years?

Key Quotes From Sam Rainer

“Most of the churches that are out there need revitalization.”

“If you’re talking about this phenomenon that we’re all experiencing of just being a smaller church, I think the answer is not to look so much at attendance as just a lag metric, but more to think about your lead metrics: What can you do in order to increase your attendance?”

“How many phone calls do you make in a week? How many times have you shared your faith this week? How many times have you challenged people in your church to get involved in a group so that they’re better connected? So it’s more about the things that lead to the attendance that are more important than the attendance itself.”

“A lot of churches are hanging on by their fingernails, but there are very strong fingernails. So, you know, every week can feel for a lot of churches like, is this going to be the last week? And yet year after year, decade after decade, it’s like every week we felt like it was the last week. And yet here we are 10 years later.”

“One of my favorite questions to ask people in churches is, ‘What gets you most excited about your church?’”

“The more that you can be unified about pushing outward in some way, the better your church is going to be.”

Bible Engagement Augments SBC January Discipleship Emphasis

By

Diana Chandler

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January 5, 2022

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) – When COVID-19 gathering restrictions hampered Sunday worship, Long Hollow Baptist Church Pastor Robby Gallaty already had an answer: offsite small discipleship groups immersed in Bible reading.

“With COVID now, in an environment where the church building is unable to be used in the same manner that it was pre-COVID, discipleship (groups) which used to be an option is now a necessity,” he said. “Because now you can’t come and gather in large groups in a building in a room. You have to gather in small groups in a home or in a coffee shop.”

Long Hollow’s gender-specific discipleship or D-Groups of three-to-five people allowed members to continue in discipleship until and after mass onsite meetings resumed.

“Just the fact that we can still gather in a COVID world in discipling relationships,” he said, “this is not an option to the church. This is the future of the church.”

As the Southern Baptist Convention emphasizes Christian discipleship this January on its official 2022 calendar, Gallaty encourages fellow pastors to capitalize on the emphasis on goals inherent with the New Year by building discipleship through Bible engagement.

“Particularly in January,” Gallaty encourages leaders, “capitalize on this season of time, because people are more likely to make resolutions and commitments in January than they would be other times of the year.”

Bible engagement strengthens discipleship by fueling Christian living, studies show.

Gallaty pointed to Lifeway Research on Bible engagement’s impact on a Christian’s ability to make life changes encouraged through discipleship.

“Those who engaged in the Bible, it actually affected every other spiritual discipline in a positive way,” he said, “meaning that Bible engagement was the tide that raised all the ships at port.

“People who read the Bible are more likely to give. People who read the Bible are more likely to serve. People who read the Bible are more likely to fast. People who read the Bible are more likely to … worship. You just think of the spiritual disciplines.”

The American Bible Society’s 2021 State of the Bible report supports the findings that Bible engagement births fruit of the Spirit in daily living.

“We realized that if that’s the case,” Gallaty said, “then we need to create tools and resources to help people get into the Word.”

Virginia Church Continues Revitalization a Year After Pastor’s Death

By

Timothy Cockes

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January 5, 2022

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (BP) – Members of Pinecrest Baptist Church continue to trust God during their church’s revitalization, despite enduring the tragic loss of their senior pastor Reggie Hester a little more than a year ago.

Hester was working as a regional catalyst for the SBC of Virginia when he began serving as the transitional pastor at Pinecrest in 2015. He became full-time pastor in 2016, while still working part-time with the SBCV, specifically in church revitalization.

Tragedy struck when Hester died unexpectedly from a heart attack Dec. 19, 2020, at age 54.

Stephen Day, associate/next generation pastor at Pinecrest, joined the staff shortly after Hester became the full-time pastor. Day grew up in the youth group of the church Hester was pastoring at the time, and said he now wants to help carry on the vision of his spiritual mentor at Pinecrest.

“You can’t revitalize a church unless God is the foundation,” Day said. “It’s hard work, but it’s simple work of getting people focused back on what the mission of the church is.”

Day said Hester was moving the church forward both practically and spiritually, and those practical and spiritual methods came together in the form of quarterly worship nights which Pinecrest began holding in early 2021.

Hester and Day had been working on practical changes to the church since early 2020 while the church was not meeting in person due to COVID-19.

The two renovated the church’s sanctuary by improving the facility’s lighting capabilities and adding other tools used during worship services.

The new facility was first used for the quarterly prayer and worship nights the church began to host to promote unity after Hester’s passing.

Praying and seeking a vision for the church is one of the main spiritual practices Hester emphasized that the church wants to carry on.

“Prayer has been huge for us, and we needed to make sure we stayed united in prayer,” Day said. “You can have the best strategy and plan but if you don’t have the power of God, then good luck.”

Day said Pinecrest’s growth over the past year has not been so much numerical as it has been in gaining a deeper understanding of the promises of God.

“Whenever your senior pastor dies, you have a lot of unknown questions and the future is still unknown for us, but I think the Lord calls you into a deeper abiding relationship with Him and His promises and character no matter the circumstance,” he said.

Rusty Small is a revitalization strategist for the SBC of Virginia. He believes Hester’s legacy extends far beyond Pinecrest.

“Reggie had become an encourager to pastors all over the state, but especially in the eastern part of the state in regards to revitalization,” Small said. “He was a great encouragement to discouraged pastors to help move them from discouragement to vitality so they could be the appropriate minister in their context.”

Small worked with Hester to create a state revitalization cohort project, where pastors of revitalizing churches met together for training and development.

The program began as a 12-church cohort meeting together for one year, and is now expanding to become a 20-church cohort meeting for two years.

A goal for Small is to be able to offer revitalization resources and training to any SBCV church that desires it. Small hopes Hester’s ministry legacy can be carried on through the cohort.

“Due to the pandemic, I think the churches in Virginia are as in need of revitalization now as they’ve ever been,” Small said. “I certainly deeply miss that Reggie’s not a part of the present efforts, but I’m thankful I was able to spend a season of my life with him.”

University of Florida President Says He Will Resign in 2023

By

AP News

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January 5, 2022

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — University of Florida President Kent Fuchs announced Wednesday that 2022 will be his final year in office and that he plans to return to the classroom.

Fuchs, 67, said in a video address that he informed Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini of his decision last August, and they agreed to make it public this month. He said he will stay on until a replacement is chosen, which he expects will be in early 2023. He then plans to teach electrical and computer engineering.

“I am so grateful for the privilege I have had to serve UF,” Fuch said in the video.

Since taking office in 2015, Fuchs has raised UF’s profile as one of the nation’s top public universities, added 600 members to the faculty and raised over $4 billion from donors. But the last few months have been marked by controversy as his administration barred three professors from testifying in a lawsuit on behalf of civic groups challenging the state’s new election laws, which they say would restrict voting rights.

Fuchs’ administration said such testimony would put the school in conflict with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who pushed the election law. More than half of the university’s trustees are appointed by the governor.

The professors sued and Fuchs reversed the position in November, saying the professors could testify if they did it on their own time and didn’t use school resources. The professors have continued their lawsuit, saying they want assurances against imposing further restrictions on faculty members doing work as outside experts.

Before coming to UF, Fuch served as provost at Cornell University after teaching electrical and computer engineering there, at Purdue University and the University of Illinois. He has a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a master’s and doctorate from Illinois and a masters of divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

This article originally appeared here.

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