Colts Center Ryan Kelly, Wife Emma Put Trust in God’s ‘Bigger Purpose’ After Daughter’s Death

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December 23, 2021

This story is courtesy of Sports Spectrum, and is used by permission.

Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly and his wife, Emma, are clinging to their faith as they grieve the unexpected loss of their daughter, Mary Kate.

Kelly missed Saturday’s game against the New England Patriots and later revealed that their daughter died while still in the womb. Emma was 19 weeks along in her pregnancy when they learned that Mary Kate’s heart had stopped suddenly.

“Nothing made me happier than being your Dad,” Kelly wrote on social media. “You gave your mom and I that gift. You were simply a miracle and always will be. I’m sorry you never got to open those sweet eyes and see us or take your first steps but you have angel wings now. You left this world too soon but we know God had a bigger purpose for you.

“Your mom and I find comfort in knowing you’re being loved on by your great grandparents. Thank you for watching over us and your future siblings. I’ll forever wonder who you’d be today. Until we meet again my sweet girl, I love you.”

Emma delivered the baby on Friday, and the couple was able to spend a little time with Mary Kate.

Emma also shared about the heartache on her Instagram page, adding that she “was so angry at first that I had to deliver her, only for it to become the biggest blessing out of this nightmare” to get to hold their daughter.

“These 19 weeks with her opened our hearts & souls more than we ever imagined possible & I’m forever grateful we had some time, earth-side, with the little girl who made us mom and dad,” Emma wrote. “She was tiny, perfect and incredibly loved from everyone who knew she existed. I don’t think we’ll ever understand why God decided to call her home when he did but our faith is unshaken. He knows better than we & she was needed back home, in Heaven.”

Ryan was drafted by the Colts at No. 18 overall out of Alabama in 2016 and has been their starting center ever since. He signed a four-year extension last year that made him the highest-paid center in the NFL. He’s been named to the Pro Bowl twice and was a second-team All-Pro in 2020.

MKK 12/17/2021 🦋 pic.twitter.com/sKJ1Rwj5fJ

— Ryan Kelly (@ryan_kelly70) December 20, 2021

California’s Abortion Sanctuary Plans Decried by Christian Groups

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Alejandra Molina

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December 23, 2021

abortion sanctuary — Demonstrators rally to demand continued access to abortion during the March for Reproductive Justice, Oct. 2, 2021, in downtown Los Angeles. On Dec. 8, 2021, a group of abortion providers and advocacy groups recommended that California use public money to bring people to California from other states for abortion services should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. The report has the backing of key legislative leaders, including Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, a Democrat. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, file)

(RNS) — As California aims to become a sanctuary for out-of-state patients seeking abortions, Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, is calling on Catholics to recognize this as “our moment.”

“We’re in a position here in California where we really have a fight on our hands,” Domingo told Current News, a Catholic news TV show, on Monday (Dec. 20).

Domingo sees this as a moment for Christians to unite in support of local pregnancy resource centers and life-affirming pregnancy clinics and for Catholic parishes to reach out to families and women in need.

“This is just the time for our Catholic community to do more of what we’ve always done and to be very intentional about the fact that we are helping people,” Domingo told Religion News Service. “We are equipped to be able to do that.”

Expecting a rush of pregnant people seeking abortions to flood into California if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the California Future of Abortion Council, which consists of more than 40 abortion providers and advocacy groups, released a list in early December of 45 recommendations for the state to, as Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “support that inevitability.”

“We’ll be a sanctuary,” Newsom said.

Newsom has said some of the report’s details will be included in his budget proposal in January.

The report recommends funding — including public spending — for travel, lodging and child care expenses for those seeking abortion in the state, as well as reimbursing abortion providers for services to those who can’t afford to pay.

Advocates want to expand the number of abortion providers with the proposed California Reproductive Scholarship Corps, open to those training as physicians or nurse practitioners in underserved areas in the state. They also want to require primary care and family medicine education programs to provide training in abortion care.

Thousands of abortion opponents march in the 15th annual Walk for Life across downtown San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2019. The event, which included a Roman Catholic Mass and a rally at Civic Center Plaza, was held close to the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. (AP Photo/Juliet Williams)

Thousands of abortion opponents march in the 15th annual Walk for Life across downtown San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2019. The event, which included a Roman Catholic Mass and a rally at Civic Center Plaza, was held close to the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. (AP Photo/Juliet Williams)

The report also seeks to assess gaps in abortion access in areas of the state primarily served by religiously affiliated hospitals and health systems, stating patients “must be able to access a full spectrum of health care,” including abortion, contraception and gender-affirming care, that “they need and deserve regardless of where they receive their care.”

Abortion providers and allies aim to enact legal protections for abortion patients and providers and combat what they say is misleading abortion information perpetuated by so-called crisis pregnancy centers.

The abortion council’s report cited “The Alliance: State Advocates for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality,” an investigation of crisis pregnancy centers in seven states, including California. It found that “sexuality-related content in (crisis pregnancy center) programs sometimes featured religious and shame-based messages, as well as harmful stereotypes about women, LGBTQ+ youth, and nontraditional families.”

Wary of Omicron, Churches Shift Christmas Services Online

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Jack Jenkins

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December 23, 2021

Christmas Services Online — Washington National Cathedral on June 12, 2015. Religion News Service photo by Sally Morrow

ASHINGTON (RNS) — As the ruthlessly contagious omicron coronavirus variant blazed through the Washington, D.C., area over the past week, the Rev. Timothy Tutt hastily scheduled a series of conversations with leaders of Westmoreland United Church of Christ.

Tutt, senior minister at the Bethesda, Maryland, church, consulted with its COVID task force, an assembly of members of the congregation with medical expertise. He also reached out to leaders of the congregation to gauge the feelings of the community and checked in with other local pastors about their plans.

“There was obviously sadness and frustration, a sense of ‘Oh, no, here we go, again,’” he said.

The church had already canceled its late-night Christmas Eve service and planned to convene its one remaining service that day outdoors — partly to accommodate the presence of children not yet eligible to be vaccinated, partly to allow live sheep to roam around during the Christmas pageant. But as coronavirus cases in the city continued to rise, the congregation decided more action was needed: On Wednesday morning (Dec. 22), leaders announced Sunday services would be virtual for at least the next two weeks.

Churches across the country have made similar decisions in the wake of the omicron variant, with pastors and congregations wrestling with whether to continue in-person worship services during a major Christian holiday or to revert back to virtual services that were a hallmark of the early pandemic.

“We want people to be safe, feel safe, and to not feel they have to go somewhere that puts their health at risk,” Tutt told Religion News Service. “We think it’s one way that we can show that we love God and love our neighbors by not exposing people to potential risks — risks they may then expose to others.”

The Rev. Timothy Tutt preaches at Westmoreland United Church of Christ on Nov. 21, 2021, in Bethesda, Maryland. Video screengrab

The Rev. Timothy Tutt preaches at Westmoreland United Church of Christ on Nov. 21, 2021, in Bethesda, Maryland. Video screen grab

The push for online services has been especially strong in and around Washington, where COVID-19 case rates are currently the highest in the country, according to The Washington Post. Although the area is heavily vaccinated compared with many states and early evidence suggests COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant may be milder, experts still fear the lighting-fast spread of the virus could wreak havoc on unvaccinated or immunocompromised populations.

On Tuesday, the Washington National Cathedral — whose policies often set the tone for churches in the area — announced alterations to a litany of planned services. The cathedral intended to scale back some, shift a few online and cancel at least two altogether.

But by Wednesday evening, officials said they were moving all services online during the holiday season.

“As one of the largest churches in America, we routinely welcome more than 15,000 people to celebrate the Christmas holiday,” read a statement from the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of the cathedral. “However, given the spike in infections, I simply cannot justify gathering massive crowds as the public health situation worsens around us.”

A Gift of Christmas Joy for the Children of the Incarcerated

By

Luis Andres Henao and Mariam Fam

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December 23, 2021

Incarcerated Christmas — Walker Baker, 5, of Hagerstown, Md., visits with Santa Claus, portrayed by volunteer Wayne Hutzell, of Williamsport, Md., during Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree event for children of the incarcerated, Sunday Dec. 19, 2021 at Hub City Vineyard church in Hagerstown. The Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree is expected to deliver gifts to about 300,000 kids nationwide this year. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

Kevin Almestica recalls unwrapping a Christmas present at age 5 to find his favorite G.I. Joe action figure with a card from his mom who was serving time at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex.

“That brought me great joy thinking that she was thinking of me,” said the 27-year-old Florida-based photographer.

Almestica’s gift was sent by the Angel Tree program of Prison Fellowship, a nonprofit which partners with churches and volunteers to host toy drives and deliver gifts to children on behalf of their incarcerated parents. It’s part of an effort by some faith groups and congregations to bring Christmas cheer — and connection — to prisoners and their kids.

Angel Tree, Almestica said, helped strengthen a bond with his mother, who died when he was young.

“When I got that gift, it kind of restored that hope that my mom still loved me,” he said.

His mom didn’t want him to grow up in the foster care system and asked a woman who was volunteering with Prison Fellowship to raise him, Almestica said.

Today, Almestica sponsors kids in the program so they can also get presents.

Angel Tree was founded in the 1980s by Mary Kay Beard, a bank robber who, while imprisoned in Alabama, noticed how inmates would sometimes give their kids toothpaste, soaps or socks for Christmas.

“She realized that if she could find some volunteers on the outside who would purchase and deliver Christmas gifts to her children and the children of her colleagues in prison, that she could create a very wonderful experience,” said James Ackerman, president and CEO of Prison Fellowship, which expanded the program nationwide.

The program works with prison chaplains to reach inmates interested in sending gifts to their children. After collecting information on their preferred toys, they send this wish list to thousands of churches that collect donated gifts. Some churches organize Christmas parties where volunteers deliver gifts to children with personalized notes from their incarcerated parents.

“We read these notes and they’re like, ‘Merry Christmas, sweetie, I love you so much. I miss you. I know I’ll see you soon. And don’t forget to brush your teeth every night,’” Ackerman said.

Kids also get children’s Bibles and can sign up for Christian summer camps.

The program can be crucial for parents, said Johnna Hose, who has volunteered for Angel Tree since her release from prison in 2010.

“While I was incarcerated, it was a great feeling knowing that my kids…knew that they weren’t alone, knowing that there is this inspiration and learning about God,” said Hose, who works for a drug addiction treatment center in California.

Her children received presents through her local church and attended summer camp.

“Any kid wants to know that their parent is thinking about them at Christmas time,” she said.

Jessica Lopez-Hermantin recalls wondering whether she would ever speak to her father again after he went to prison. Angel Tree gifts were “an affirmation of my dad’s love, my dad’s constant thinking of me,” she said.

Christian Group Helps Rescue Pakistani Teen Girl From Sexual Slavery

By

Stephanie Martin

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December 23, 2021

After two years in captivity, a 16-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan is back home with her family. At age 14, Sadaf Khan was kidnapped by a distant neighbor who forced her to convert to Islam, marry him, and have multiple abortions.

On a recent episode of Billy Hallowell’s “Edify” podcast, Joel Veldkamp with Christian Solidarity International (CSI) describes Sadaf’s “unbelievably horrible” ordeal, as well as the role his organization was able to play in her rescue.

‘It’s Very Difficult for Christians to Get Justice in Pakistan’

Veldkamp, communications officer for CSI, describes how Sadaf simply “disappeared” from her family’s home in February 2019. “Her parents had no idea where she went,” he says. Then one day they received “a notification from the police, ‘By the way, your daughter converted to Islam and now she’s married to a man who is much much older than she is.’”

The parents faced an uphill court battle in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where Christians are “very much second-class citizens,” Veldkamp says. Sadaf’s parents sued the abductor, who had forged a birth certificate for their daughter, claiming she was 18.

In June 2020, Sadaf appeared in court fully veiled, and the judge didn’t address or question her. Instead, he accepted the forged identification as legitimate. Almost a year later, CSI’s local partner was able to get the case heard in a guardianship court. This April, authorities acknowledged the forced marriage and ordered that Sadaf be sent back to her parents. After CSI facilitated care and counseling for Sadaf, the organization helped her enroll in a beautician trade course.

Veldkamp emphasizes that “it’s very difficult for Christians to get justice in Pakistan,” even in cases like this. Under Islamic law, he says, leaving Islam—even if you were forced into converting—is a “capital crime” and “unthinkable.” So police officers and judges are usually reluctant to cross that “red line,” he says.

Kidnappings of Christian Girls Are Common

In Pakistan, which ranks fifth on the latest Open Doors World Watch List for Christian persecution, such kidnappings and forced marriages are common. Veldkamp estimates about 160 Christian girls disappear from their families each year, though he says pinpointing an exact number is tough.

For Pakistani Christians, he explains, children are the “apple of their parents’ eye” and the “pinnacle of life’s achievements”—especially because Christians receive so little social support in that country.

First Trans ELCA Bishop Suspended by Lutheran LGBTQ Advocacy Group for ‘Racist Words and Actions’

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Dale Chamberlain

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December 23, 2021

Megan Rohrer, the first openly trans minister to be ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), as well as the first trans minister to serve in the role of bishop, has been suspended by Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM), an LGBTQAI+ advocacy group that operates within the ELCA. Rohrer’s suspension is the result of allegedly “racist words and actions.”

Officially formed in 2007, ELM began as a movement to oppose an ELCA policy that required gay-identifying clergy to remain celibate in 1990. A key influencer in the ELCA’s 2009 decision to allow partnered members of the LGBTQ community to serve as clergy, the advocacy group now provides “support to LGBTQIA+ people seeking to become rostered leaders in the Lutheran church.”

In a statement, ELM said that Rohrer’s suspension was in “response to an existing pattern of behavior from Bishop Rohrer that misaligns with ELM’s Mission, Vision, and Values…specifically as it pertains to being an anti-racist organization.”

As a result of Rohrer’s suspension, ELM has asked Rohrer to remove all references to the ELM from their publications, biographies, articles, and reports. The ELM will no longer Rohrer include its sponsored events and will create a new trans affinity group on Facebook to replace groups that Rohrer had previously created or moderated.

In the statement, ELM did not specify Rohrer’s allegedly racist offenses, but did say that the suspension was connected to “recent harm done by the Sierra Pacific Synod Council and Bishop Rohrer to the Latinx community in Stockton, CA.” ELM explained that they had been mulling the suspension for much of 2021, leading to the creation of a formal accountability team and process.

“The Accountability Team has attempted to work with Bishop Rohrer to specifically address how the bishop’s racist words and actions have harmed members of the ELM staff, board, and community. In September, Bishop Rohrer declined the Accountability Team’s invitation for continued work to repair these relationships,” the statement said.

“It is not lost on us, as an organization advocating for queer inclusion in the church for 30+ years, that the election of a trans Bishop was a dream for some until now,” the statement said. “Until recently, we have not had the explicit values or demonstrated capacity to facilitate an accountability process of this magnitude. ELM’s articulated commitment to anti-racist action contains a spiritual mandate to address the dynamic of race within our own community.”

The statement went on to explain that a refinement of the expressed values and accountability processes of the ELM led to “the choice to engage in a process meant to bring about right relationship and repair the harm that has been done intra-communally. Although Bishop Rohrer was the first person we have invited to this process, they will not be the last. Accountability is affixed as a pillar of ELM’s pursuit of justice.”

N.C. Sheriff Won’t Remove Bible Verse From Office, Tells FFRF He Is ‘Afraid of Burning in Hell’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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December 23, 2021

sheriff_bibleverse — Photo from Facebook @Columbus County Sheriff's Office

Columbus County Sheriff Jody Greene, who oversees the county’s 54,000 residents in North Carolina, has come under fire from the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) for displaying a Bible verse on the wall of the Sheriff’s Office.

The Bible verse Greene has displayed on the wall is Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

In a letter from FFRF on December 6, 2021, FFRF staff attorney Christopher Line expressed that this is the second time in less than a year that the FFRF has found a “constitutional violation” within the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. The first, reported on January 26, 2021, was in regard to the Sheriff’s Office “promoting Christianity on its official Facebook page.”

According to Line, the sheriff never replied to the complaint, and the FFRF is still awaiting a response for the Sheriff’s Office posting “Merry Christmas to all and happy birthday to our Lord and Savior” to their Facebook page in 2020.

“A concerned Columbus County resident has reported that the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office has a large Bible verse display in its building,” Line’s letter reads. “Our complainant reports that the Sheriff’s Office displays ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13‘ on the walls in one of its hallways. We write to ask that the Sheriff’s Office remove this religious sign from its property in recognition that it represents an unconstitutional endorsement of Christianity.”

Line says that the Bible verse on the wall alienates 24 percent of Americans who are non-religious, urging the Sheriff’s Office to “recognize its obligation to provide all citizens with an environment free from religious endorsement by removing this exclusionary display.” Line also asked them to stop promoting Christianity on their Facebook page.

Greene responded on the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page after local news affiliate WECT News 6 ran a report detailing the complaint, sharing that he believes the attack regarding the Bible verse is political, given that 2022 is an election year.

The Sheriff clarified that the Bible verse was place on the wall after he took office and was paid for with private funds, saying, “The verse is one of my favorite Bible verses, and it seemed fitting for all the adversity I have had to endure. It is very motivational to me and my staff. Here at the Sheriff’s Office, we work hard in everything that we do.”

Greene shared that prayer is something he and his deputies practice regularly in the office, saying, “Before we execute a search warrant, or any service that puts our people in immediate harms way, (sic) we ALWAYS go to the Lord with a group prayer. ALWAYS!”

Too Many Christians Have a ‘Santa Claus Theology,’ Says Derwin Gray

By

Dale Chamberlain

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December 23, 2021

On Wednesday, former NFL player and lead pastor of Transformation Church Derwin Gray shared a clip from a recent sermon on Twitter, describing what he believes to be a problem for many Christians today: Santa Claus theology.

As someone who played in the NFL for six years, holds a Doctor of Ministry degree, and who founded and pastors a growing church in Indian Land, SC, Gray is someone who knows how to perform at a high level. However, Gray shared with his church in a December 12 sermon that the Christian life isn’t about how well you can perform.

During his sermon, Gray led the congregation in a rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” singing, “You better watch out; you better not cry. You better not pout; I’m telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town.”

As the congregation chimed in, applause broke out, which led Gray to say, “Thank you! You didn’t leave me hanging!”

“You’re like, ‘Why are you singing that song,’” Gray went on to say. “Here’s why: because that’s the theology that everybody lives by. We think God is Santa Claus, and he’s going, ‘You’ve been naughty. You’ve been nice. Have you done enough for me to give you the presents that you want? I’m watching you all the time, waiting for you to mess up, because, you know, if you’ve been naughty, you’re getting a lump of coal. If you’ve been nice, you’re going to get exactly what you want.’”

“And so what we do is we have Santa Claus theology, which is a theology of performance,” Gray continued. “It’s a theology that says, ‘Well, God, if I’m good enough, I won’t get a lump of coal in my situation, in my circumstances, and all my dreams will come true.”

“It’s a theology—you ready?—of frustration. It’s a theology of exhaustion. Because you can never satisfy Santa Claus,” Gray said.

“Instead of a Santa Claus, performance-based theology, I’ve got some really good news. Jesus, Israel’s Messiah…the eternal Son of God along with the Father and the Spirit, came to earth in the womb of a teenage girl in Bethlehem. And here’s why,” Gray said. “Because we’re all naughty, and we’re all not nice. And all of us fall short of the glory of God. That’s why He came.”

In sharing the clip to Twitter, Gray said, “So many of us live by a Santa Claus theology, believing that God will love, accept, and bless us if we are good enough. Jesus came because we are naughty and not good enough. Life in God’s Kingdom, [experiencing] God’s love is a free gift.”

Watch Derwin Gray’s full sermon below.

Catholic Bishop Criticizes Satanic Temple Holiday Display at Illinois Statehouse

By

Heather Greene

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December 23, 2021

(RNS) — The Satanic Temple of Illinois’ contribution to a holiday display in the Illinois Statehouse rotunda in Springfield Monday (Dec. 20) — a swaddled baby version of the deity Baphomet — has drawn fire from the local Catholic bishop, who requested that the temple not be included.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki said in his Nov. 30 remarks at the installation of the Statehouse’s Christmas Nativity scene that satanism “should have no place in this Capitol or any other place.”

The Baphomet figure, designed by artist Chris Andres, sits alongside a Christmas tree, the Nativity scene and a menorah.

“Many religions present symbols of their faith at the Capitol. Rather than view these as competing displays, we want the community to appreciate the rich diverse tapestry of beliefs and cultures,” said the Satanic Temple’s director of campaign operations, Erin Helian, in a statement.

This is the third time the Satanic Temple Illinois has participated in the Statehouse’s holiday display, but the first time it has attracted this much controversy, according to Minister Adam, a leader at the Satanic Temple Illinois, who said, “The state has been easy to work with.”

Adam said Paprocki’s condemnation of the Baphomet display “came out of left field,” calling it “divisive.” The temple hadn’t applied yet when the remarks were made.

Temple members weren’t the only ones to publicly respond. Nathan Maddox, “a lawyer who advises on which displays may be erected,” wrote in an op-ed for the State Journal-Register that he declined the bishop’s request and would not reject the temple’s application.

“I do not want to be able to tell someone their beliefs are offensive and may not be expressed in the Capitol building, nor do I want to live in a country where government officials have such power.”

A baby Baphomet, brought by the Satanic Temple Illinois, is included in a holiday display in the Illinois Statehouse rotunda in Springfield, Illinois, Dec. 20, 2021. Photo by Tanooki S. for the Satanic Temple Illinois

When the group finally scheduled the installation, members invited the community to attend, specifically welcoming Paprocki. “The Illinois state Capitol is a place of religious plurality and unity,” Adam told Religion News Service. “We want to celebrate all people.”

More than 50 onlookers attended the installation of Baphomet, of whom only 10 were members of the temple, he estimated. Among them were protesters who sang and chanted prayers. Some held banners saying “Satan has no rights!” and “Begone Satan! Mary Crushes the Serpent!”

The group of protesters was organized, in part, by the American Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, described on its website as “an organization of lay Catholic Americans concerned about the moral crisis shaking the remnants of Christian civilization.”

Also in attendance was Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey and his wife, Cindy. In a public Facebook post, Bailey, who is running for governor of Illinois, said, “I met with other prayer warriors at the Capitol today to pray for our state.”

Bailey also linked social policy to the temple’s installation. “We have all been appalled by some of Springfield’s extreme and evil legislation, but just when we thought it couldn’t get worse … they are going to allow a satanic display in YOUR rotunda at the Capitol,” he wrote.

In past years, the temple’s display was a snake wrapped around an arm and a hand holding an apple. The sign read “Knowledge is the greatest gift.”

Despite attempts to disrupt the installation ceremony, members of the Satanic Temple Illinois were unfazed by the protesters’ presence, even calling the singing “beautiful.”

Adam delivered his own prayer, calling for his group’s god to bring “wisdom, justice and rationality to these chambers.”

While temple members were disappointed that Paprocki declined their invitation to attend, they were “grateful that some of his flock attended,” Adam said.

“What better way to show unity than to welcome those who oppose us in the spirit of coming together this holiday season.”

This article originally appeared here.

Pastor Asks Federal Court to Sanction Immigration Officials

By

Jack Jenkins

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December 23, 2021

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The pastor of a historic New York church is asking a federal court to sanction immigration officials, arguing they offered “false or at best misleading” accounts in response to a lawsuit and put her at risk of arrest in Mexico under false pretenses as she aided asylum-seekers.

“They consistently lied or hid information,” the Rev. Kaji Douša, a United Church of Christ minister and pastor of Park Avenue Christian Church in Manhattan, told Religion News Service in an interview.

Douša, a veteran immigrant rights activist, previously served as the chair of the New York City-based New Sanctuary Coalition. As part of her work in January 2019, she participated in a 40-day, faith-led “sanctuary caravan” to Tijuana, Mexico, near the U.S. border, where Central American asylum-seekers were gathered. While crossing the border, Douša was detained and questioned for more than an hour by customs officials.

A few months later, NBC published leaked documents that suggested that the federal government had built a database of more than 50 activists, journalists and lawyers for use by various agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Douša’s name and image appeared with a yellow “X” across her face in the database, just above an indication that her SENTRI pass, which allows for expedited screening along the border, had been revoked.

In July 2019, she filed a lawsuit against U.S. immigration officials claiming that putting her on a watchlist and surveilling her violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and her First Amendment right to conduct her ministry, which included officiating at marriage ceremonies for migrants at the border.

Her legal team’s latest claim, filed on Dec. 8, points to a recent internal report from the Department of Homeland Security that details how a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official emailed Mexican authorities in December 2018, asking them to bar at least 14 U.S. citizens from entering the country, saying they “lack(ed) the proper documentation to be in Mexico.”

Documents obtained in the legal discovery process for her suit against the government showed Douša was among those on the list.

However, when the CBP official was interviewed for the internal report, the official revealed they had “no knowledge of whether they did or didn’t have documentation.”

The filing describes the email as an “unprecedented and profoundly improper communication directing a foreign government to take adverse action against named U.S. citizens, including Pastor Dousa, on false pretenses.”

“My government making me unsafe in Mexico is pretty unheard of,” said Douša.

The Rev. Kaji Douša as she appears in an alleged government database. According to documents leaked to NBC, the yellow "X" indicates her SENTRI status has been revoked. Image courtesy of Kaji Douša

The Rev. Kaji Douša as she appears in an alleged government database. According to documents leaked to NBC, the yellow “X” indicates her SENTRI status has been revoked. Image courtesy of Kaji Douša

Idaho Church Window Once Depicting Robert E. Lee Now Honors Black Female Bishop

By

Adelle M Banks

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December 23, 2021

(RNS) — An Idaho church has replaced a stained-glass window honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee with an image of the first African American woman bishop elected in the United Methodist Church.

The new window, prominently featuring Bishop Leontine T.C. Kelly, was installed in the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise on Dec. 7. Kelly, who died in 2012 at the age of 92, was the first African American woman elected to the episcopacy by a major religious denomination.

The decision to replace the window was made around the time of the fifth anniversary of the massacre at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Church in South Carolina — in which nine people were murdered in 2015 by a white supremacist during a Bible study. The cathedral’s leadership wanted to take action to demonstrate its members supported racial justice.

“We recognize this section of our window is more than a benign historical marker,” the UMC church’s leaders wrote in a 2020 statement explaining its plans. “For many of God’s children, it is an obstacle to worship in a sacred space; for some, this and other Confederate memorials serve as lampposts along a path that leads back to racial subjugation and oppression.”

The leaders said their plans were further solidified after the 2020 killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor sparked Black Lives Matter protests.

The old window, which featured Lee alongside Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, was deconsecrated last year.

The new window also includes the last names of Bishop Elias Galvan and Bishop Roy Sano to highlight the historic election of the UMC’s first Hispanic American bishop and first Japanese American bishop, respectively. Along with Kelly, the two were consecrated in the church’s sanctuary in a 1984 ceremony.

The Rev. Duane Anders, senior pastor of the church, said the congregation hopes to give the old window to the Idaho Black History Museum in Boise to be used as an education tool. The church spent about $25,000 from earnings on endowed funds to pay for the new window.

A new stained glass window featuring Bishop Leontine T.C. Kelly in the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise, Idaho. Photo courtesy of Cathedral of the Rockies

A new stained-glass window featuring Bishop Leontine T.C. Kelly in the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise, Idaho. Photo courtesy of Cathedral of the Rockies

“Many are happy that the window has been placed and the Lee window removed,” he told Religion News Service in an email. “Only hate is from folks outside of the church that have not been on the journey of repentance.”

The new window places Kelly’s figure in a row of stained glass depicting the Apostle Paul; Athanasius, fourth-century bishop of Alexandria; and German monk Martin Luther. Within the panel that features Kelly, Galvan and Sano, there also is a small image of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

As people nominated whose image should be included in the new pane, Anders said King’s name was mentioned often. Adding the civil rights leader’s image was in keeping with the other original windows that include small remembrances of historical figures, Anders said.

Rick Warren: 12 Keys to a More Powerful Prayer Life

By

Rick Warren

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December 23, 2021

Years ago, an old saint shared with me 12 powerful prayer principles from the life of Jesus Christ. It made such a difference in my personal prayer life.

Principles of Powerful Prayer

There are only 17 references to Jesus praying and most of them are in the book of Luke.

1. The principle of ILLUMINATION.

Luke 3:21-22 says, “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My Son whom I love. With You I am well pleased.’” The setting here was Jesus’ baptism and this is the first recorded example of Jesus praying, and we see in the book of Luke three results of His praying.

Heaven opened up.
The Holy Spirit came down.
The Father spoke.

These are three results when we make contact with God in our prayers. Symbolically, heaven opens up and we receive God’s blessing. The Holy Spirit fills our lives afresh. And the Father speaks to us. If you’d like to know the Spirit’s power in your life, if you’d like God to speak to you, you must practice the powerful prayer life of Jesus.

2. The principle of ISOLATION.

Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” “Often” means it was His habit. He did it in places where He was all by Himself. I believe this is absolutely essential. We need to spend time alone with God every day. Jesus returned again and again to a lonely place. Find that place where you can get alone with God, where you can be isolated and pray aloud and let God speak to you.

3. The principle of CONCENTRATION.

Luke 6:12 says, “In those days Jesus went out on the mountainside to pray and He spent the night praying to God.” Notice it says, “He spent the night.” Some of the greatest lessons of my prayer life have been nights that I have spent in prayer. My decision to marry my wife was made in a prayer meeting all night with one other person. Sometimes when I pray it takes just a few minutes for me to get my thoughts collected. Sometimes it takes a long time for me to even get in the mood. I’ve found that it’s important to spend extended blocks of time with God. This powerful prayer enables you to concentrate on what He wants you to do and His will for your life.

4. The principle of INSULATION.

The Bible says, “Once when Jesus was praying in private, the disciples were with Him.” Notice that the disciples were with him but He still found time for personal prayer. This is an important principle because there’s not always time to get alone by yourself. There are times when you can’t be isolated. I think of this as kind of an incubator verse. Babies can be in the middle of a busy hospital, but they can be incubated in a situation that protects them from the hustle and bustle around them. Sometimes I find as a pastor I just can’t get alone, but I can have an attitude of isolation or insulation and I can be silent even in the middle of a traffic jam. My prayer can overcome the interruptions when I put myself in an attitude of insulation.

5. The principle of TRANSFORMATION.

We find this in Luke 9:28-29. “He took Peter, John and James with Him and went up on a mountain to pray. As He was praying the appearance of His face changed and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightening.” Prayer changes you. Do you think it’s possible to spend so much time with God that when you come away your face shows it?

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “We all with unveiled faces behold the glory of the Lord.” As we look on Him “we are transformed from one degree to another.” The word in that passage is the word katoptrizo. It’s the only time that word is used in the entire Bible. It means ”to seriously look at, to contemplate, to meditate, to gaze on like somebody gazing in a mirror.” As we gaze on the word, as we reflect on the word, like a mirror reflects, we become more and more like Christ. And we’re transformed.

6. The principle of EXEMPLIFICATION.

Luke 11:1 says, “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place and when He finished one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.’” Notice it does not say “teach us how to pray,” which is often misquoted. It says “teach us to pray.” I would suggest that this is a dangerous, powerful prayer to pray. We should not pray this request unless we really mean it, because God will often use trials and hardships and difficulties to teach us to pray.

New Creation: Safe From Men’s Prying Eyes

By

Nicholas Batzig

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December 23, 2021

Everybody knows that virgins don’t conceive! Mary certainly knew that. After all, she asked the Angel Gabriel at the announcement that she would conceive and bear a Son, “How can this be, since I do not know a man” (Luke 1:34)? The answer is, of course, the same as that which is given to the question surrounding the mysterious miracle working of God at creation. Here, it is the mysterious miracle working of God in the new creation. “The Holy Spirit…will overshadow you” (Luke 1:25). Just as the Spirit hovered over the waters of creation, so He hovered over the virgin Mary at the great work of bringing about the new creation through the incarnation of the Son of God. The Scriptures are replete with instances in which the Holy Spirit was actively working to foreshadow the new creation in a manner similar to that by which He had worked at the original creation. Consider the following:

Creation

“The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” are some of the first words of Scripture. With each creative word, the Holy Spirit was bringing about what the Father had ordained and the Son had spoken into existence. The Scriptures are clear that the Holy Spirit is the creative agent of the Godhead. Concerning all living things, we read, “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth” (Ps. 104:30). The importance of the Spirit’s role in creation is understood as we consider His role in the work of the new creation.

Typical New Creation

When God destroyed the world with floodwaters (i.e. the undoing of creational blessing), He covered the world with the waters that He had separated when He created the world. With the flood, there was judgment and curse with the same waters from which life and blessing had once emerged. When God had mercy on Noah and those with him in the Ark, He sent a strong wind to blow across the face of the waters. Stephen Dempster makes the following important observation: “Following the flood, which is represented as a return to the pre-creation chaos of Genesis 1:2, a new creation occurs with the presence of the Spirit of God pushing back the primal waters (Gen. 8:1).” The Hebrew word for “wind” and “Spirit” are one and the same—or, at least, have the same root. There is an intentional relation of the wind and the Spirit by our Lord Jesus in His regeneration discourse with Nicodemus in John 3.

The next typical act of re-creation (or new creation) in Scripture is the Exodus. When God brings Israel through the waters of the Red Sea, it is hard for us not to see the similarity of language between the creation account and this great typical act of redemption in the OT. We are told that God caused the waters to blow back by a strong wind. In the same way as the waters were parted at creation, so they were parted at the Exodus. Then, dry land appeared. The Holy Spirit was effecting this typical new creation. Israel coming through the Red Sea, and their enemies being destroyed in the waters (as God’s enemies had been destroyed in the flood water) was a picture of death and resurrection. There were to come through the waters and be a new people to the Lord God.

New Creation

It should not surprise us to find the Spirit at work from the very beginning of our Lord Jesus’ life and ministry. The Spirit was the One who filled Mary, Elizabeth and Zacharias as they prophesied about the Redeemer and His forerunner. However, the great appeal to the Holy Spirit in the incarnation comes when the Angel Gabriel told Mary that “the Holy Spirit…will overshadow you.” As He hovered over the waters at creation, the flood, the exodus, so now He would come over the womb of the virgin and begin the work of bringing about the new creation through the incarnate Christ. Sinclair Ferguson captures the relationship between the miracle of creation and the miracle of the incarnation so well when he notes:

We are meant to be staggered…We tend to pride ourselves that we know this so well; and we say, “It doesn’t stagger me that He was virgin born.” It staggered Joseph that He was virgin born. It staggered Mary that He was virgin born. “She pondered these things.” It staggered Matthew; and, it ought to stagger us. We ought to understand that this is a singularity in the history of the universe, that this is unique, because this is Emmanuel—this is God entering our world. Of course, God has been present working in history, governing history; but what happens here is that He actually becomes part of history. And, if I may say so, He becomes the tiniest part of history—the One who threw the stars into their places, who created the vast cosmos is coming into the womb of the virgin Mary through the secret work of the Holy Spirit, in the sheer tininess of embryonic form, in the total dependence on His humanity upon His mother, in the long months in the fetal position; and then coming forth from His mothers womb in a cave, back of a house; this is the mystery of the incarnation; this is the supernatural work of God. And yet, we understand as Christian believers that this—the great miracle—is simply all of a piece with the first miracle. What was the first miracle? Creation out of nothing! Creation out of absolutely nothing—this world, people, the planets, the stars, everything, designed from the immensity and brilliance of the mind of our Lord Jesus Christ and then brought into being by through His powerful word. He who creates cosmos out of nothing is well able, in the mystery of His purposes, to give His Son, into our world, by means of conception in the womb of a virgin.

Resource for Families: Family Fun Paper Nativity

By

Andrew Linder

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December 23, 2021

Each Christmas, our church tries to provide parents with some type of fun and engaging activity to make Christmas meaningful and memorable with their kids.

Today, I’m providing you with two free options that I think you and your kids will enjoy together. Use one… or both. Or pass them on to others.

This one was a hit (provided by Daniel Swartz, shared with permission). If your kids love hands-on fun, this family activity will make for an evening of fun and discussion…
Family Fun Paper Nativity.

The Family Paper Nativity activity is a guided craft that helps families explore the nativity story in a fun and engaging way.

For some great family discussion and unique Christmas ideas, try this one together…
How to Celebrate Christ On Christmas Morning.

This discussion guide will help you discuss the true meaning of Christmas with your children.

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

This article with the Family Fun Paper Nativity originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Godly Parent exists to come alongside parents just like you to provide biblical principles and practical tools to help you raise your kids to become everything God created them to be. If you’re a parent with kids still at home, a ministry leader or volunteer, a grandparent or just simply someone who cares deeply about investing in and reaching the next generation, we hope you’ll find this content helpful.

Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem: A Free Bible Lesson for Kids

By

ChildrensMinistry.com

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December 22, 2021

In this creative Christmas lesson, Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem, children learn about the important journey that occurred before Jesus was born. Children will discover that God had important plans for Jesus’ earthly parents. And he has important plans for each of us, too!

Use the Bible study below in Sunday school classes or children’s church as Christmas draws near. It works especially well with preschoolers and lower-elementary students.

Christmas Lesson for Kids: Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem

Scripture: Luke 2:1-5

You’ll need:

copies of the activity page (1 per child)
sandpaper
sugar cubes (1 per child)
glue
crayons

Write children’s names on their pages. Set out the sugar cubes, glue, and crayons. Cut the sandpaper into strips that will fit on the illustration of the road.

Instruct children to color Mary, Joseph, and the donkey as you talk. Tell the story of how Mary and Joseph had to travel to Jerusalem (found in Luke 2). Explain that God had a special plan for Jesus, Mary’s baby. God had a plan for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem. The only problem was that Jesus’ family lived very far away from Bethlehem!

Show children the donkey in the picture. Describe how God used the donkey to help Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem. The donkey helped carry Jesus’ family from their hometown to Bethlehem. Encourage children to glue a sugar cube in Joseph’s hand near the donkey’s mouth to thank the donkey for being part of God’s special plan.

Have children glue the sandpaper on the road. It’s a reminder that God planned a path for Mary, Joseph, and the donkey to take. Remind kids they can know that God has a special plan for each of them. Encourage kids to show the “Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem” activity page to their families as a reminder that God has special plans for everyone.

God’s Plan for You

Ask:

What special plans did God have for Jesus?
How did the donkey help make those plans happen?
What kinds of plans do you think God has for you?

Say: God had big plans for Jesus. He has plans for each and every one of you, too.

Pray: God, we thank you for having an important plan for every one of us. Help us obey you and your plans. In Jesus’ name, amen.

This Bible lesson is from Coloring Creations: 52 Creative Bible Lessons. Looking for more Bible lessons? Check out these ideas!

This Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem lesson originally appeared here.

Al Mohler Discusses How Parents Can Navigate Santa Claus and Nativity Scenes

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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December 22, 2021

Last Friday, theologian and president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Al Mohler answered some tough Christmas related questions from his listeners on his podcast “The Briefing.”

One listener asked how Christian parents should raise children in the culture of Santa Claus, and another questioned whether nativity scenes violate the second commandment not to fashion any graven images.

Should Christian Parents Talk About Santa Claus?

A father of three boys named Dustin asked Mohler, “What do you do with small children in the question of Santa Claus, particularly when in the home, you’re not talking about Santa Claus but everyone in the culture is and many of your relatives are, and the children might be confused?”

Mohler suggested not to discuss Santa Claus as an imaginary person yet speak of the real story of Saint Nicholas. “It was he and the legend that he gave children gifts that has come down throughout history and has been transformed,” Mohler said.

“It’s been commercialized. It’s been consumerized. It has been, well, you name it,” Mohler continued. “Santa Claus is now a major figure. But the reality is that there is something you’re able to say to a child which is, ‘You know, there was an early Christian who lived long ago who was very kind to children and gave gifts.’”

Mohler also said, “But the reality is, you don’t have to say there never was a Santa Claus, you just have to say, ‘Our attention at Christmas isn’t towards any particular human being at all.’” Explain to your children that stories about a man riding a flying sleigh pulled by reindeer delivering presents down chimneys aren’t real and instead tell them about the birth of Jesus.

“Christmas is about the baby born in Bethlehem’s manger and that is something that took place, not just as a story, but is true,” Mohler said.

Explaining that his suggestion comes from his experience as a father and now a grandfather, Mohler said, “I think it might not be most helpful just to say Santa Claus is not real and Jesus is real, because you really need to start backing that up with some arguments and talking about the consequences of whether or not Jesus is real or Santa Claus is real.”

Being honest with children regarding Santa Claus is Mohler’s suggestion. Tell them the truth about the world’s fixation on Santa Claus and all the fictional stories it has made up about him, Mohler explained.

Mohler concluded his answer by saying, “The reality is that Christians need to be generous. The reality is that Christians need to love children. And so, we don’t have to go around talking about how much we don’t believe in Santa Claus. We go around talking about how much we do believe in Jesus.”

Young Pastor and Wife Die in Car Crash Days Before Christmas; Couple’s Newborn Survives

By

Dale Chamberlain

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December 22, 2021

Hunter and Lexi Wilkes — Photo from Facebook.

Hunter and Alexis “Lexi” Wilkes, who were both 21, were fatally struck in a car accident in Panola County, Texas on Sunday when a 2008 Dodge Ram towing a trailer collided with them in the middle of an intersection.

The young pastor and his wife were both pronounced dead at the scene, while their two month-old son was taken to the local hospital where he was found to be in stable condition, sustaining only a minor bruise.

The driver of the Dodge, who has been identified as 79 year-old Jerry Galloway, was also taken to the hospital and is also in stable condition, according to a local CBS affiliate.

The couple was on their way to Eastside Baptist Church of Gary, Texas from their home in Minden, Louisiana. Hunter Wilkes served as an associate and youth pastor at Eastside Baptist Church. He was also a student at Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute & Seminary.

Raymond Walker, pastor of Eastside Baptist Church, told KSLA that he learned of the tragedy after that morning’s Sunday service. When the couple didn’t arrive for Sunday school, he assumed that he had forgotten that Wilkes told him that they would be away that morning, as it was so close to the Christmas holiday. Walker planned on checking in on the couple after church, but received a call with the news just as service was being dismissed.

“Right now I say we’re just pretty much in shock,” Walker said. Going on to describe Hunter and Lexi’s enthusiasm for serving, Walker said that the positivity they embodied had refreshed his own enthusiasm after 31 years of ministry.

“And so a lot of that has helped me through this time. Because it’s easy to get bitter in this world, but they’ve been a blessing,” Walker said.

One of the couples’ students, Ty Ransom, posted a tribute to Hunter and Lexi on Facebook, saying, “I am still at a loss of words. This new little family was any good word you can think of; sweet, loving, kind, caring, joyful, etc.”

“The Lord has a reason and plan for everything, although we may not know His reasoning right now, we do know Hunter and Lexi are in a magnificent and better place,” Ransom went on to say. “Please keep Hunter and Lexi’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers throughout this heartbreaking time, and please pray for [their son], for he lost his amazing Mom and Dad.”

According to the church’s Facebook page, a viewing is set for Hunter and Lexi on Wednesday evening, December 22, with a memorial service to be held on December 23 at First Baptist Church in Minden, Louisiana.

‘Angel of Death’: White House Criticized for Bleak Holiday Prediction for Unvaccinated Americans

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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December 22, 2021

White House Unvaccinated — Photo from YouTube: @The White House

Last Friday during a White House press briefing, President Biden’s COVID-19 task force coordinator, Jeff Zients, addressed the nation alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky. While Dr. Fauci and Dr. Walensky gave updates regarding the latest findings and recommended practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Zients began the briefing by warning the unvaccinated that they might die this holiday season.

Explaining that the new Omicron variant is “more transmissible” than previous COVID-19 variants and that the White House’s medical experts believe it will lead to “a rise in cases,” Zients said that “unlike last winter, we now have the power to protect ourselves.” Zients conveyed that the current vaccines are effective, “especially,” he said, “for people who get the booster shots when they are eligible.”

Zients reassured those who have already been vaccinated that even if they test positive for COVID-19, they would most likely experience little to no symptoms.

Speaking on behalf of the White House, Zients said, “We are intent on not letting Omicron disrupt work and school for the vaccinated. You’ve done the right thing, and we will get through this.”

The White House spokesman then reiterated President Biden’s words from a day earlier, which painted a bleak picture for those who are not vaccinated, saying, “For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.”

“So, our message to every American is clear,” Zients continued. “There is action you can take to protect yourself and your family. Wear a mask in public, indoor settings. Get vaccinated, get your kids vaccinated, and get a booster shot when you’re eligible.”

A few days after the press briefing, White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain doubled down on Zients’ words after New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi tweeted, “Who is this for? Unvaccinated Americans are not going to be persuaded by messaging like this.”

“The truth is the truth,” Klain responded to Nuzzi.

How Some Leaders Responded

Gabriel Hughes, Associate Pastor of First Baptist Church in Lindale, Texas, responded to the White House’s words, saying, “Pandemic Panic Propaganda: ‘For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.’ The Bible: ‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ —Philippians 1:2“

‘Hung or Burnt’: Orthodox Presbyterian Pastor Jokes About Killing Women Pastors and Theologians

By

Dale Chamberlain

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December 22, 2021

Nick Barnes — Screenshot from Twitter @CAHutch1990.

A South Dakota pastor is making waves on Twitter after posting offensive comments about women pastors, preachers, theologians, and leaders. In a number of tweets, Nick Barnes, who identifies himself as a minister within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), joked about killing women in church leadership as a way of removing them from their positions of influence.

Barnes, who boasts a “forthcoming book upon Westminsterian Roles/Duties of Men and Women, being contrary to the current Zeitgeist plaguing us,” made his remarks in response to a tweet from Associate Editor of Faithfully Magazine Timothy Isaiah Cho, who asked Twitter users to share their favorite Christian women thinkers and ministers. Barnes’ retweet read, “I’m stuck in between burnt or hung.”

Barnes’ tweet has been removed by Twitter for violating community guidelines. However, the retweet and ensuing thread were captured in a number of screenshots.

“But even better than that is repentant ones that take care of their home, love their husband and kids. Being silent in the church,” Barnes continued. Even after receiving pushback, Barnes doubled down, saying, “Channeling my 16th-17th century Puritan or Reformer. Down with the Quakers and the Anabaptist witches.”

“I guess I forgot drowned. That was another common solution back then,” Barnes added.

Before Barnes’ response was removed, Cho retweeted it, saying, “This is despicable. What a great denomination you’re a pastor of.”

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor David Schell replied to Cho with a link where Barnes could be reported to the OPC of the Dakotas clerk, saying, “Somebody’s stated clerk is going to find a note from me when he checks his email this morning. I know the Presbyterian Church USA and the OPC don’t agree on much, but I really hope ‘probably don’t burn or hang women you don’t agree with’ is among them.”

In response to Barnes’ thread, Presbyterian Church in America pastor Chris Hutchinson said, “Twitter took down Pastor Barnes’s ‘joke,’ but we need to know this sort of culture exists in too many of our churches.”

“Whatever your church polity, please find ways to honor and value women. And keep an eye on the ways violent rhetoric works its way into your church culture,” Hutchinson added.

Twitter took down Pastor Barnes’s “joke,” but we need to know this sort of culture exists in too many of our churches.

Whatever your church polity, please find ways to honor and value women. And keep an eye on the ways violent rhetoric works its way into your church culture. pic.twitter.com/P6sjgJaO4e

— Chris Hutchinson (@CAHutch1990) December 22, 2021

United Methodists to Join in Plan for Boy Scouts Bankruptcy

By

AP News

-

December 22, 2021

FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2020, file photo, a statue stands outside the Boy Scouts of America headquarters in Irving, Texas. Congregations affiliated with the United Methodist Church have agreed to contribute $30 million to a fund for victims who say they were molested as youngsters in the Boy Scouts of America, an attorney said Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Congregations affiliated with the United Methodist Church have agreed to contribute $30 million to a fund for victims who say they were molested as youngsters in the Boy Scouts of America, an attorney said Tuesday.

A committee representing United Methodist churches that sponsored Scouting activities also agreed to help raise an additional $100 million for the fund.

Jessica Lauria, an attorney for the BSA, told Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein about the planned agreement during an online hearing Tuesday in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware. Lauria said the United Methodist-affiliated churches would receive protected party status, which means they would be released from further liability for abuse claims.

The proposed trust is expected to grow to more than $2.6 billion and would be the largest sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history.

More than 82,000 sexual abuse claims have been filed in the bankruptcy case. Victims who say they were abused must vote by Dec. 28 on a Boy Scouts reorganization plan.

Judge Silverstein had originally scheduled a hearing starting Jan. 24 to consider the voting results and to decide whether the plan meets the requirements of the bankruptcy code and should be approved. But on Tuesday, the judge pushed the hearing start date to Feb. 22 to give attorneys more time to prepare.

Tuesday’s announcement involving United Methodist churches comes a week after attorneys said a tentative settlement was reached with one of BSA’s largest insurers, Century Indemnity Co. and affiliated companies had agreed to contribute $800 million into the fund in return for being released from further liability for abuse claims.

Other agreements involve another major Boy Scouts insurer, The Hartford, and the BSA’s former largest troop sponsor, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church. The Hartford has agreed to pay $787 million into the victims’ fund, and the Mormons have agreed to contribute $250 million. In exchange, both entities would be released from any further liability involving child sex abuse claims.

The BSA is continuing to negotiate with Roman Catholic-affiliated churches that sponsored Scouting units.

The Boy Scouts, based in Irving, Texas, sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020, seeking to halt hundreds of individual lawsuits and create a fund for victims who say they were sexually abused as children.

This article originally appeared here.

‘It’s Very Difficult for Christians to Get Justice in Pakistan’

Kidnappings of Christian Girls Are Common

Principles of Powerful Prayer

1. The principle of ILLUMINATION.

2. The principle of ISOLATION.

3. The principle of CONCENTRATION.

4. The principle of INSULATION.

5. The principle of TRANSFORMATION.

6. The principle of EXEMPLIFICATION.

Creation

Typical New Creation

New Creation

Christmas Lesson for Kids: Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem

God’s Plan for You

Should Christian Parents Talk About Santa Claus?

How Some Leaders Responded

New Articles

New Podcasts