US Religious Group Says Haitian Gang Releases 3 Hostages

December 6, 2021

Haiti Hostages — Workers ride out of the gate of the Christian Aid Ministries headquarters in Titanyen, north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. The religious group based in Ohio said that three more hostages were released on Sunday, while another 12 remain abducted in Haiti. The group provided no further details. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A religious group based in Ohio announced Monday that a violent gang in Haiti has released three more hostages, while another 12 remain abducted.

The statement from Christian Aid Ministries said the people were released on Sunday in Haiti and are “safe and seem to be in good spirits.” The group provided no further details.

On Nov. 21, the religious organization announced that the 400 Mawozo gang had released the first two hostages of a group of 17 kidnapped in mid-October. There are 12 adults and five children in the group of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian, including an 8-month-old.

The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang has threatened to kill the hostages unless his demands are met. Authorities have said the gang was seeking $1 million per person, although it wasn’t immediately clear that included the children in the group.

“We are thankful to God that three more hostages were released last night,” said the statement from Christian Aid Ministries, an Anabaptist missions organization based in Berlin, Ohio. “As with the previous release, we are not able to provide the names of the people released, the circumstances of the release, or any other details.”

The group reiterated its request for supporters to devote Monday through Wednesday as days of prayer and fasting “to intercede for those who are still being held as well as those who have been released.”

The release comes amid an ongoing spike in kidnappings in the capital of Port-au-Prince and elsewhere in Haiti, which is struggling to recover from the July 7 presidential assassination, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck in mid-August and a severe fuel shortage.

On Sunday, a gang leader known as “Ti Lapli” posted a YouTube video warning people not to cross in upcoming days through the Martissant community, which has been the site of violent clashes between warring gangs.

“Insecurity has increased,” the gang leader said. “I invite the people of Martissant to stock up on food and gasoline. The next few days will be difficult… We will not remain with our arms crossed in face of those who try to destroy us.”

___

Smith reported from Pittsburgh.

This story originally appeared here.

African Faith Leaders Combat Misleading Theologies That Promise Cures for COVID-19

Fredrick Nzwili

December 6, 2021

african faith leaders — Participants at the 3rd Symposium on Misleading Theologies in Nairobi, Kenya, hold group discussions on Nov. 22, 2021. RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — When some African church pastors ordered their followers to eat grass or gulp petrol or even drink poison-laced water, their congregations have obeyed the instructions, thinking the practices would bring them closer to God.

Many other pastors take their wellness advice a notch higher, claiming to heal conditions such as disability and barrenness and diseases such as HIV and AIDS, and, more recently, coronavirus. It’s not unheard of for pastors to hold their congregations spellbound as they promise to bring the dead back to life.

In recent years the All Africa Conference of Churches, an umbrella group for several Protestant denominations on the continent, has moved to combat theological claims that harm Christians, holding a series of symposiums to educate clergy and unify their churches against faith healing and other practices.

“All these pronunciations, fake testimonies and things like these are really destructive. They are not life-giving, but life frustrating,” said the Rev. Fidon Mwombeki, a Tanzanian Lutheran pastor who is the general secretary of the AACC.

Based in Nairobi, the AACC is the continent’s largest association of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and Indigenous churches and has a presence in 42 countries. It brings together churches, national councils of churches, theological and lay training institutions and other Christian organizations.

The Rev. Fidom Mwombeki, a Tanzania Lutheran pastor who is the general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, speaks at the closing of the 3rd Symposium on misleading Theologies in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 24, 2021. RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili

The Rev. Fidom Mwombeki, a Tanzanian Lutheran pastor who is the general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, speaks at the closing of the 3rd Symposium on misleading Theologies in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 24, 2021. RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili

Since 2019, the group has organized three symposiums in which theologians, clerics and lay Christians have met to explore the subject of misinformation. Some of the themes tackled in the prior conferences include power and authority, wealth and poverty, government regulation of religious organizations, and health and healing.

“If we don’t pay attention, (misleading theologies) will undermine human dignity and put the lives of people at stake. You see in some churches the minister sending people out to eat grass. This is unacceptable,” said the Rev. Bosela Eale of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, AACC’s director of theology, interfaith relations and leadership, at the most recent Nov. 22-24 symposium, held in Nairobi.

The theologians are warning against dangerous teachings and practices, such as: the prosperity gospel; sexual abuses in demonic exorcism and blessing for fertility; the use of toxic substances and liquids in religious rites; and demanding huge sums of money for prayers and pastoral services, among others.

Church Exits, COVID Lead to Steep Budget Cuts for United Methodist Church

Heather Hahn

December 6, 2021

What does a predicted denominational split and an unpredictable pandemic mean for The United Methodist Church’s bottom line?

The General Council on Finance and Administration board grappled with that question as members revisited the denomination-wide budget that will go before the coming General Conference.

The finance agency board already was preparing to send the lawmaking assembly the lowest budget in more than 30 years. On Dec. 1, by an 18-1 vote, the board approved shrinking the proposed four-year budget even further to a total of about $407.3 million for the years 2023-2026.

That marks a cut of nearly 33% — a third — from the budget General Conference approved in 2016 to support denomination-wide ministries.

The current proposal also would be the lowest budget submitted to General Conference since 1988, according to the denomination’s Commission on Archives and History. At the time, the denomination had about 3 million fewer members than today and had yet to establish Africa University, now supported by denominational funds.

Still, board members stressed that the budget proposal remains very much a work in progress and could change further.

They are trying to get a clear picture of what the denomination’s financial base will look like in the near future — and a fog of unknowns clouds their view.

After decades of intensifying debate over LGBTQ inclusion, the coming General Conference faces multiple proposals for a denominational separation.

But no person knows how many congregations will depart if a plan of separation passes. Similarly, no one can say when the deadly pandemic will stop upending lives.

“They are projections for things we’ve never done before,” said Christine Dodson, GCFA board vice president who serves on the denomination’s Budget Advisory Team. She also is the treasurer and business manager of the North Carolina Conference.

“We don’t have data on how a pandemic and disaffiliation are going to impact our churches moving forward.”

The board does have the educated guesses by leaders of U.S. conferences, the regional bodies that provide the lion’s share of funding for denomination-wide ministries. Both in 2020 and this year, GCFA surveyed conference treasurers, bishops, district superintendents and others to get their best sense of the financial impact of congregational disaffiliations.

Based on this year’s survey, the finance agency now estimates the denomination stands to lose about 25.5% of U.S. local church net expenditures by 2025. That’s a bigger loss than projected in last year’s survey, which only asked for estimates through 2024.

‘Positive’ Christian Nationalism? Christian Leaders Debate Whether the Term Is Redeemable

Dale Chamberlain

December 6, 2021

Over the weekend, conversation among Christian leaders on Twitter began to swell, as a pair of tweets suggested that Christian nationalism can be a good thing if properly defined.

Christian nationalism (CN) has been a major concern for American evangelicals and non-evangelicals alike, given the widespread belief in conspiracy theories among certain factions of the political right, as well as the physical violence that can result from those beliefs. This danger was exemplified by the January 6 insurrection against the U.S. Capitol Building, which melded conspiracy theories and religious language. Much of the imagery that accompanied the insurrection was Christian in nature.

Nevertheless, some conservative evangelicals believe that Christian nationalism is something of a boogeyman that is used to dismiss advocacy of any kind of legislation informed by a Christian worldview. While few would deny that Christian nationalism is problematic for America, some have downplayed its dangers in favor of a more measured definition of the term, arguing that evangelicals can reclaim it as something positive.

‘Positive’ Christian Nationalism

On Thursday of last week, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary student William Wolfe tweeted his working definition of “positive” Christian nationalism, saying, “CN is a biblically-informed political ideology with three main features: (1) it honors Christ as the one true King and commanded preeminent love of all Christians (Deut. 6:5, Matt 22:37-38).”

“(2) It accepts the given reality of sovereign nation states and calls on Americans to love, with a greater love, their fellow American citizens, and to prioritize the wellbeing of America over the general world order and even the international global population (Matt 22:39),” Wolfe continued. “And (3) it establishes, promotes, and/or preserves a Christian morality and ethical framework as the preferred core content of our nation’s culture, values, traditions, civic life, and legal structures without idolizing the state or requiring that all inhabitants be Christians.”

Pastor of First Baptist Church in Lindale, TX, Tom Buck retweeted the thread with his endorsement, saying, “Every Word of THIS.”

Nevertheless, the thread drew criticism, particularly for the second point, which argued that American lives should be prioritized over others.

One person replied, “‘Who is my neighbor?’ Only American neighbors????” Below, another commenter added, “He doesn’t even love American Libs.”

“I’m sure you’re intentions (sic) are good. And I do love America. But please do not confuse legitimate patriotism with Christian nationalism,” replied another. “CN is anti-Great Commission, anti-Great Commandment, and anti-missionial, which I am sure is not your intention. Please don’t try to salvage [the term].”

In light of the criticism that Wolfe’s thread received, Buck later gave a more detailed account of his views regarding “positive” Christian nationalism, saying, “[Wolfe is] not arguing that we should love Americans and completely ignore all other nations. He uses the words ‘greater love’ for our American citizens….@William_E_Wolfe is arguing for a nation’s right and responsibility to prioritize its own citizens.”

Plumber Who Found Money in Wall of Joel Osteen’s Church Upset That Osteen Hasn’t Reached Out

Jesse T. Jackson

December 6, 2021

Joel Osteen — Justin Brackett, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The plumber who recently revealed to the Morning Bullpen at 100.3 The Bull in Houston, Texas that he found hundreds of envelopes filled with cash, checks, and money orders hidden in a bathroom wall of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church is now voicing his disappointment that the megachurch’s pastor hasn’t reached out to him.

Local news station KPRC reported that the plumber, whose name is Justin, shared, “I wanted to hear [Osteen] say, ‘You know, Justin, what you did was right. We understand what you did and what you could have done.’”

Justin further expressed his frustration with Osteen, saying, “I feel like, at this point, I should have heard something. I’m just a little upset.”

The money Justin found is linked to an unsolved 2014 theft, in which Lakewood Church reported $600,000 missing from their safe.

With regard to the money being found in a bathroom wall, KPRC reported that longtime church attendee Benito Rodriguez was actually discouraged when he heard the news. “I was discouraged the first time. I was discouraged, and now I am more discouraged because they found it. It doesn’t make any sense,” Rodriguez said.

Houston Police Department (HPD) released a statement last Friday after the news of the money found within the walls of Lakewood Church had gone viral. The statement read, “About 2:30 p.m. on November 10, Houston police officers were called to Lakewood Church at 3700 Southwest Freeway for a report of property discovered in the building. Church members stated that during a renovation project, a large amount of money—including cash, checks, and money orders—was found inside a wall.”

“Burglary and theft officers responded and began investigating. An undisclosed amount of money was inventoried, documented, and left in the custody of the Lakewood Church since it was property found on its premises,” the statement continued.

HPD acknowledged Justin’s discovery is connected to the 2014 case, saying, “Evidence from the recovered checks suggests this November case is connected to a March 9, 2014 theft report of undisclosed amounts of money at the church.”

“The investigation is ongoing. No other information is being released at this time,” HPD’s statement concluded.

‘God Has Plenty of Good Reasons for Everything He Does’: Tim Keller Posts Cancer Update

Jesse T. Jackson

December 6, 2021

Founding pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Tim Keller, informed the the world that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on June 7, 2020.

Over the last 17 months, Keller has provided updates of his treatment and what doctors are telling him. During a recent update in September, Keller shared that his physician had increased his chemotherapy after discovering a “mystery lump” that tested cancerous.

Last Friday afternoon, Keller told his Twitter followers that God has his reasons for everything He does, saying that he is still very ill.

“I have Stage IV pancreatic cancer. But it is endlessly comforting to have a God who is both infinitely more wise and more loving than I am,” Keller wrote. “He has plenty of good reasons for everything he does and allows that I cannot know, and therein is my hope and strength.”

Keller’s post has received over 46,000 likes and over 2,000 replies, many of whom encouraging Keller that they were praying for him.

Keller thanked those who have been praying but explained that the post wasn’t written for that purpose, saying, “I deeply appreciate prayer for my situation! But my main purpose in the last post was to show that having a God who in some ways is beyond our comprehension (especially regarding evil and suffering) is more of a spiritual strength than it is an intellectual problem.”

During a 2020 interview Keller gave with Pastor Nicky Gumbel, the popular author and teacher said that he doesn’t fear dying but fear’s leaving his wife behind. Keller told Gumbel, “I don’t know what day I’m supposed to die, but it’s good and it’s perfect.”

Pastor’s and Leaders Encourage Keller

Dr. Russell Moore tweeted a request for prayers on Keller’s behalf, saying, “This man means the world to a *lot* of us. Would you stop and pray for him right now?”

Southern Baptist Convention’s president Ed Litton tweeted, “Our brother Tim, this glorifies God! Stand firm in the Lord and the power of His might. Fight on our brother.”

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s newly appointed director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement, Daniel Darling, called Keller one of his heroes, writing, “Please pray for @timkellernyc. He’s one of my heroes. I’m thankful for his life and ministry.”

Pastor James Merritt posted, “Praying for you great man of God!!”

Giving Thanks to the Father

Rebecca VanDoodewaard

December 6, 2021

Rushing children to urgent care for stitches is not a fun aspect of parenting. Even when the blood has been running down their face, they fight the doctor coming at them with needle and thread. Not once has my child sat still and stayed quiet during the procedure, then turned with a smile to thank me. That wouldn’t be human nature. My children thank me for things that they perceive as pleasant, not things that hurt.

Perhaps that is part of the reason that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 commands us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” If it weren’t commanded, we wouldn’t do it. It’s not human nature to give thanks in all circumstances. But for believers, this practice should be a growing facet of our regenerate nature.

Just as my children cannot understand how stitches will help a cut, so we often cannot see the effects of our circumstances. Perhaps they are for our good; perhaps they are for the good of those around us. Maybe they simply, somehow, bring glory to God. As Job found out, God doesn’t owe us an explanation. He does, though, kindly assure us that He will work it all for good, even as He commands thanksgiving.

Matthew Henry, after somebody stole his wallet, wrote down several thanksgivings in that circumstance: “1) I am thankful that he never robbed me before. 2) I am thankful that although he took my wallet, he did not take my life. 3) Although he took all I had, it was not much. 4) I am glad that it was I who was robbed, not I who did the robbing.” Though he didn’t give thanks for the robbing itself—for the act of robbing itself was sin—he gave thanks in this hard situation. The reality of God’s protection and ultimate kindness was bigger than the reality of the theft.

The text gives us solid reason for cultivating such a perspective: “This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). The will of God, which is our sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3), includes persistent thanksgiving to God. But here, the will qualified: it is God’s will “in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18). God’s will for us is undivided from our Savior, just like His covenant love (Rom. 8:39). The New Testament often uses the phrase “in Christ” to describe believers. The term “Christian” is rare. Instead, Scripture often calls God’s elect those who are “in Christ” (e.g., Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 2:17; Gal. 1:22; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2). Just as we who believe the gospel are in Christ, so God’s will for us is in Him. The grace that brought us into union with Jesus is also the grace that wills us home to Him, dangers, toils, and snares notwithstanding.

And perhaps that last little phrase—“for you”—contains similar sweetness. When we are in Christ, circumstances don’t happen to us. Because the will of God in Christ Jesus is for us, so our circumstances will be for us. Of all people, only those who are in Christ have this grounding assurance: anything we go through happens for us, not to us. Surely this is something for which we can give thanks, in spite of grief or pain. It moves us from the stance of victim to beloved child. It lets us see things such as stitches not as torture but as medical care. It allows us to see that the difficulties of this life, though real and hard, are not ultimate. If the Father is for us, then everything else must be subservient to that reality. When the Spirit creates a Godward orientation in us, thankfulness will be able to flow, even in hard times.

This article about giving thanks originally appeared here and is used by permission.

The Holiness of God and the Sinfulness of Man

R.C. Sproul

December 5, 2021

Two things that every human being absolutely must come to understand are the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. These topics are difficult for people to face. And they go together: If we understand who God is, and catch a glimpse of His majesty, purity and holiness, then we are instantly aware of the extent of our own corruption. When that happens, we fly to grace—because we recognize that there’s no way that we could ever stand before God apart from grace.

One word that crystallizes the essence of the Christian faith is the word grace. One of the great mottos of the Protestant Reformation was the Latin phrase sola gratia—by grace alone. This phrase wasn’t invented by the 16th-century Reformers. Its roots are in the theology of Augustine of Hippo, who used it to call attention to the central concept of Christianity, that our redemption is by grace alone, that the only way a human being can ever find himself reconciled to God is by grace. That concept is so central to the teaching of Scripture that to even mention it seems like an insult to people’s intelligence; yet, if there is a dimension of Christian theology that has become obscured in the last few generations, it is grace.

The prophet Habakkuk was upset during one period in Jewish history because he saw the enemies of the people of God triumphing, the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering. He raised a lament, saying: “Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof” (Hab. 1:12). He went on to a affirm the holiness of God, and how God cannot tolerate evil: “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong ” (Hab. 1:13a).

This is anything but characteristic of the human condition. We can tolerate what is wrong. In fact, if we don’t tolerate what is wrong, we can’t tolerate each other or even ourselves. In order to live with myself as a sinner, I have to learn to tolerate something that is evil. If my eyes were too holy to behold iniquity, I’d have to shut my eyes anytime I was with someone else—and they would see in me a man who has besmirched the image of God.

Habakkuk then asked, “Why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (v. 13b). He couldn’t fathom how God could endure and be patient with human evil. Yet, we can’t tolerate the idea of God’s being upset about human evil; we become antagonistic toward the idea of a God who is so holy that He might turn His back from looking at someone or something that is sinful. That is the dilemma that Scripture sets before us: We have a holy God whose image we bear and whose image it is our fundamental responsibility as human beings to mirror—yet we are not holy.

What Is The Appropriate Age for Baptism?

Bob Ditmer

December 5, 2021

When is a child old enough to make a profession of faith? Is there a minimum age for baptism?

That’s the essence of a question asked of Mark Driscoll, pastor of The Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In the video, Driscoll and his wife Grace answer a question from one of their members who wrote that her 4-year old daughter asked to be baptized. The writer asked Driscoll if that was a good idea considering the girl’s age.

The Driscolls said they also had a child who asked for baptism at around the same age. They consented after asking several questions of their son to find out if his conviction was true and if the child understood his profession of faith.

Driscoll said he initially discounted baptizing his son at such a young age because children often seem interested in something but due to immaturity the enthusiasm doesn’t last. As he put it, “Sometimes kids say, ‘I want to be a pumpkin or an astronaut.’ Ok, we’ll see tomorrow.”

Is there an appropriate age for baptism?

The Driscoll’s advice is that parents are in the best position to determine a child’s heart and should make that decision. To help them in their conclusion he says if a child’s profession and evidence of faith appear true, there is no reason not to allow baptism or the taking of communion.

Tim Challies, pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto raises three points in answering the question about the appropriate age for baptism.

3 Tips Before Baptizing

It is wise to wait to baptize a child until he has reached a certain level of maturity. He believes such criteria typically correspond to the teen years, and more typically, the mid-to-late teen years.
Delaying baptism does not mean we should consider childhood conversions or baptisms invalid.
Pastors ought to take every opportunity to meet with children to speak to them about their souls.

He also believes there are benefits to delaying baptism for children who profess faith; it allows membership in the church to proceed logically from baptism so that every baptized believer can immediately serve as a fully-functioning member of the church. It accounts for the uncertainty that may attend childhood conversions. It calls on parents to lead their children and to understand that their children are not being disobedient in waiting for baptism. And it esteems baptism as a one-time act to be anticipated as a public, credible, mature profession of faith.

Whatever your church’s stance on child baptism, if you have a child asking about baptism, be grateful that they are showing a spiritual interest that comes from God. Then help them understand the responsibility and blessing of the revelation as you help guide them in their spiritual growth.

11 Books on Prayer Every Christian Should Read at Least Once

Andrew Hess

December 4, 2021

These 11 books on prayer will challenge your view of prayer, the church, and God. More than anything, they will bolster your powerful prayer life in ways you cannot even imagine.

Must-Read Books on Prayer for Every Christian

The Hidden Life of Prayer by David McIntyre

Excerpt:

“As we present ourselves before the Lord in prayer, we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit – we yield to the inward impulse, and the divine energy commands our being. Our plans, if we have formed them at the dictation of nature, are laid aside, and the purpose of God in relation to our lives is accepted. As we are Spirit-born, let us be Spirit-controlled: ‘If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

2. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill

Excerpt:

“The world is not waiting for a new definition of the Gospel, but for a new demonstration of the power of the Gospel…The tragedy of this late hour is that we have too many dead men in the pulpits giving out too many dead sermons to too many dead people. Oh! The horror of it!”

3. Prayer by Tim Keller

Excerpt:

“Prayer is awe, intimacy, struggle—yet the way to reality. There is nothing more important, or harder, or richer, or more life-altering. There is absolutely nothing so great as prayer.”

4. The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer

Excerpt:

“Men must do God’s work in God’s way, and to God’s glory, and prayer is a necessity to its successful accomplishment.”

5. Praying with Paul by D.A. Carson

Excerpt:

“All of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down, except on our prayer lists.”

6. A Call to Prayer by J.C. Ryle

Excerpt:

“Praying and sinning will never live together in the same heart. Prayer will consume sin, or sin will choke prayer.”

7. A Praying Life by Paul Miller

Excerpt:

“The persistent widow and the friend at midnight get access, not because they are strong but because they are desperate. Learned desperation is at the heart of a praying life.”

8. Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney

Excerpt:

“I have learned to . . . season my prayers with the word of God. It’s a way of talking to God in his language—speaking his dialect, using his vernacular, employing his idioms. . . . This is not a matter simply of divine vocabulary. It’s a matter of power. When we bring God’s word directly into our praying, we are bringing God’s power into our praying.”

9. Praying by J.I. Packer

Excerpt:

“The more we appreciate the holy love of our God in Christ, the more we will realize what sinners we are, and the more we realize what sinners we are, the more we will appreciate the holy love of the Father, the Son and the Spirit, and the more real our praying will then become.”

10. The Power of Prayer and Fasting by Ronnie Floyd

Excerpt:

“The core message of the New Testament is that the power of God changes lives, transforms points of view, moves nations, and makes people new creatures.”

11. The Valley of Vision

Excerpt:

“I live here as a fish in a vessel of water, only enough to keep me alive, but in heaven I shall swim in the ocean. Here I have little air in me to keep me breathing, but there I shall have sweet and fresh gales; Here I have a beam of sun to lighten my darkness, a warm ray to keep me from freezing; yonder I shall live in light and warmth forever.”

We would love to hear if you’ve read books on prayer that have changed your life. What books on prayer would you add to this list?

‘God Delusion’ Author Richard Dawkins Signs Declaration Against Gender Transitions for Children

Jessica Lea

December 3, 2021

Evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins has signed a declaration that outlines numerous problems with the concept of “gender identity” on the grounds that it infringes on women’s rights and harms children experiencing gender dysphoria.

“Men who claim a female ’gender identity’ are being enabled to access opportunities and protections set aside for women,” says the Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights. “This constitutes a form of discrimination against women, and endangers women’s fundamental rights to safety, dignity and equality.”

The declaration’s authors express dismay at how the idea of gender identity is being used against children, saying that the “use of puberty supressing drugs, cross-sex hormones, and surgery on children” are “harmful practices.”

Richard Dawkins Supports Declaration

“Please sign the Declaration on Women’s Sex-based Rights,” tweeted Richard Dawkins on Nov. 29. “I have just done so.”

Please sign the Declaration on Women’s Sex-based Rights. I have just done so.https://t.co/QmJ1uzNY3k

— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) November 29, 2021

Dawkins is an emeritus fellow of Oxford University’s New College and has been a longtime critic of religion. He has described religious beliefs as a virus infecting the mind and has devoted a significant amount of energy throughout his career toward attempting to show that religion is not only foolish, but dangerous.

One of Dawkins’ best-known books is “The God Delusion,” which was published in 2006 and became an international best-seller. The description for the book on Amazon states that it “makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong but potentially deadly.”

It is interesting, therefore, to see Dawkins aligning himself with some views that many Christians would agree with around the topics of sex and gender. The declaration Dawkins signed is a product of the Women’s Human Rights Campaign (WHRC), “a group of volunteer women from across the globe dedicated to protecting women’s sex-based rights.”

The declaration states that the rights of women are based in their biological sex, not their gender identity. Misconstruing the two, write the authors, leads to discrimination and violence against women: “We oppose all forms of discrimination against women and girls that result from replacing ‘sex’ with ‘gender identity’ in law, policy, and social practice.”

The document elaborates various ways that the rights of women are being infringed upon by the concept of gender identity. According to the authors, women are discriminated against when biological males pursue motherhood through surrogacy, participate in women’s sports, enjoy the societal protections offered to women, join women’s associations, and are allowed in domestic violence shelters. Furthermore, the authors say that women must not be discriminated against by being prevented from expressing their views on gender identity.

The declaration also takes a strong stand against children transitioning to another gender:

The concept of “gender identity” is increasingly used to “gender reassign” children who do not conform to sex stereotypes, or who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Medical interventions that carry a high risk of long-term adverse consequences on the physical or psychological health of a child, such as the use of puberty suppressing hormones, cross-sex hormones, and surgery, are used on children who are not developmentally competent to give full, free and informed consent. Such medical interventions can cause a range of permanent adverse physical health effects, including sterility, as well as negative effects on psychological health.

Idaho Professor Doubles Down on Comments That Women Should Not Be Engineers, Lawyers or Doctors

Stephanie Martin

December 3, 2021

Political science professor Scott Yenor isn’t backing down on controversial comments he recently made at a conservative conference. Yenor sparked outrage for claiming that feminism threatens family life and America as a whole. But instead of backing down, he’s doubling down—and receiving angry voicemails as a result.

At the National Conservatism Conference in Orlando on October 31, Yenor, author of “The Recovery of Family Life: Exposing the Limits of Modern Ideologies,” spoke about “the political and personal evils that flow from feminism.” He argued that family life must be “thoroughly sexed,” with men encouraging women “to be secure with feminine goals of homemaking and having children.”

Yenor added, “Every effort must be made not to recruit women into engineering, but rather to recruit and demand more of men who become engineers. Ditto for medical school, and the law, and every trade.”

Scott Yenor’s Comments Are Misogynistic and Discriminatory, Say Critics

Last week, a Boise woman posted a TikTok video featuring portions of Yenor’s speech, including his claim that “independent” females are “more medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome than women need to be.” Yenor’s words reveal insecurity, she argues, adding, “Scott can’t be happy if he has to compete with women because he’s a mediocre white man.”

Although a university spokesperson defends Yenor’s right to free speech, other people say his message isn’t only outdated but concerning. An Idaho Statesman editorial calls the tenured professor “a workplace liability” and says the school should investigate grading practices to see if he has “put his misogynistic views into discriminatory practice.” The newspaper asks, “What parents would want to send their daughters to a school where one of its professors thinks women shouldn’t be there?”

Yenor, who criticizes public education for indoctrinating students, caused an uproar in 2017 when he said transgender advocates were trying to “undermine parental rights.”

Professor Scott Yenor Defends His Views

Yenor, a married father of five, took to Twitter to defend his views. In a video response, he says that “so-called independent and empowered” women are merely independent of family and empowered for “midlevel” jobs. That tradeoff isn’t worth it, he argues, because families have become weaker and women face “addiction, suicide, misery, crime, pain, and purposelessness.”

While feminists “celebrate their nastiness” and “medicate their loneliness,” says Yenor, Americans should “build a country where men act with responsibility and purpose.” He concludes, “We should elevate the importance of family life for both men and women in America.”

Michael Bublé, Kris Jenner Part of $40M Investment in Christian Meditation App Glorify

Jessica Mundie

December 3, 2021

(RNS) — On Thursday (Dec. 2), Glorify, an app meant to help Christians strengthen their daily connection to God, announced it will be receiving $40 million of Series A funding to support its growth.

The funding is led by a16z, a venture capital firm, with participation from SoftBank Latin America Fund and K5 Global, an investment firm. There are also several prominent celebrity investors, including Michael Bublé, Kris Jenner and Jason Derulo.

“It’s just a ridiculously exciting time,” said Ed Beccle, co-founder of London-based Glorify. “I feel like I am constantly pinching myself.”

Beccle said this money will mostly go to two places: hiring talented employees to build Glorify’s team and user acquisition, which includes buying ad space for promotion and product development. Beccle also said they want to develop their prayer section, making it easier to share and ask for prayers on social media through the app.

“It’s time to turn Glorify into something that is a little more viral and shareable,” said Beccle.

The app, which Beccle said has seen most of its growth over the past six months, is designed to bring users closer to God through daily meditation and prayer. When basic users open the Glorify app they see an inspiring daily quote, followed by a short Bible passage and devotional reading. Subscribers, who pay $9.49 monthly or $63.99 annually, get access to the full daily worship experience, including a daily audible reflection and other premium content like meditations, declarations and prayers.

Funding from high profile investors like Bittrader means the faith-based technology space is growing, said Beccle. Celebrity investors like Bublé and Jenner, who have both been candid about their faith, were exactly the type of people Beccle and his co-founder, Henry Costa, wanted to work with, he said.

“We always kept front of mind that we only really wanted to let people in if they shared our values,” said Beccle.

In a statement provided to Religion News Service, Bublé said: “Prayer has been such an important part of my life. With Glorify, we now have the tools to find moments throughout the day to connect with God on our own terms.”

Currently, Glorify has 937 reviews on the Apple App Store and a 4.9 rating. Beccle said Glorify stands out from other mindfulness and meditation apps, like secular Calm and Headspace or Christian Abide, because of the community it is trying to build.

“What we want to do with Glorify is really build deep, tight-knit, meaningful communities where every interaction has a reason and has a purpose,” said Beccle.

This article originally appeared here.

Why ‘Sorcery’ Was the Fastest-Growing Search Term on Bible Gateway in 2021

Emily McFarlan Miller

December 3, 2021

Sorcery — Searching "sorcery" on BibleGateway.com. RNS photo by Kit Doyle

(RNS) — The topics people search for each year on Bible Gateway are always interesting, according to Jonathan Petersen, content manager of the website.

But this year’s may be the “most intriguing,” Petersen wrote on the site.

Searches for the words “sorcery” and “sorceries” saw the biggest spike, increasing 193% over the last year on Bible Gateway, which allows users to read and search the text of multiple translations of the Bible.

And that doesn’t appear to be because witchcraft is increasingly becoming mainstream, even trendy.

Rather, Petersen wrote, curiosity over what the Bible has to say about sorcery is related to heightened interest in the Greek word “pharmakeia.” He pointed to its definition in the Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament: “employment of drugs for any purpose; sorcery, magic, enchantment.”

“Pharmakeia” appears in Galatians 5:19-21: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The word also appears in Revelation 18:23, which reads in part, “By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.”

More recently, it has appeared in debates over COVID-19 prevention measures, particularly opposition by some charismatic and evangelical Christians to vaccines against the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Perhaps most prominently, Sherri Tenpenny — an osteopathic doctor and longtime anti-vaccine activist who appears on the Center for Countering Digital Hate’s “Disinformation Dozen” list — used the term this past year during her Instagram Bible study “Happy Hour with Dr. T.”

“What about Jesus healing the sick with his hands and with prayer? Our Lord would have never turned to the pharmakeia, the sorcerers, overlooking his father’s results,” Tenpenny said.In a March 25 video, Tenpenny took aim at pastors, priests and rabbis who closed their houses of worship during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and later opened them as vaccination centers, “pleasing the pharmakeia, the sorcerers, no doubt,” she said. In an April 8 video, she again mentioned church leaders opening their sanctuaries to “sorcerers” to administer COVID-19 vaccines, which she believes are “experimental genetic modification tools” that will “permanently mark” recipients.

Christian singer and former “American Idol” contestant Danny Gokey also referenced “pharmakeia” in a series of tweets earlier this week linking COVID-19 vaccines to the “mark of the beast” mentioned in the biblical book of Revelation.

‘The Giving Manger’ Launches New Christmas Tradition — And 5 Million Acts of Kindness

Emily McFarlan Miller

December 3, 2021

giving manger — The Giving Manger box set. Courtesy photo

(RNS) — When Allison Hottinger and Lisa Kalberer’s children were small, the sisters had no trouble coming up with ways to make the Christmas season feel magical for them. What was more difficult, Kalberer said, was making it feel meaningful.

That is, until Hottinger remembered an unusual holiday decoration she’d seen at a friend’s house when she was a little girl: a small wooden manger. When she asked about it, her friend told her that whenever her family did something kind, they added a piece of straw to the manger.

The sisters, who were raised in a Christian home, searched stores and the internet but couldn’t find anything like it. So they created their own.

This Christmas, they’re celebrating 5 million acts of kindness all over the world, inspired by what they call “The Giving Manger.”

“It is a constant stream of messages from people with little tiny kids who thank us for just having something that’s focused on the real meaning of Christmas,” Kalberer said.

“They’re able to have really sweet and wonderful conversations about Christ and about the real reason we celebrate because they’re not just focused on Santa or elves or things like that. They’re talking about Christ’s life, and they’re talking about his example, and those are the things that just bring us to tears.”

The Giving Manger wasn’t an immediate hit with the sisters’ kids, though, she recalled.

Hottinger’s husband created the first manger in their garage. Hottinger bought straw for it from a craft store.

When they presented it to their five children, they were less than enthused.

So Hottinger started by doing small acts of kindness for them, placing a piece of straw in the manger when she put their shoes away or picked up their toys. Pretty soon, they joined in, wanting to create a soft bed for the clay baby Jesus they placed inside on Christmas Day.

When friends and neighbors began asking for something similar, Hottinger and Kalberer launched a Kickstarter for a boxed set that includes a small wooden manger, a clay Jesus and about 50 pieces of straw, as well as a picture book, titled “The Giving Manger,” that explains the tradition, with illustrations by artist Emily King.

The 2015 crowdfunding campaign reached its $15,000 goal in just 72 hours, Kalberer said.

‘Sinning in the Rain’: New Study Finds Crimes Go up When It Rains on Sundays

Bob Smietana

December 3, 2021

Crimes — Photo by Viacheslav Bida/Unsplash/Creative Commons

(RNS) — To help people avoid sin, pastors often advise prayer, going to church and reading the Bible or other religious books.

They might also want to get a few umbrellas.

A forthcoming study from the Review of Economics and Statistics found that the more it rains on Sunday mornings, the more white-collar, drug- and alcohol-related crimes there are.

More rain means fewer people go to church, said the study’s author, Jonathan Moreno-Medina, assistant professor of economics at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The decline in church attendance is correlated with an increase in yearly rates of arrests for certain kinds of crime, including embezzlement, fraud, drug possession and driving under the influence.

“The results suggest that church attendance reduces the prevalence of substance-related crimes and white-collar crimes,” the study found. “At the same time, there is a lack of evidence supporting the notion that church attendance alleviates serious crimes, such as murder, robbery or rape.”

Moreno-Medina said he has long been interested in discussions about the impact religion has on the broader culture. Some people argue religion can solve all of society’s problems, he said. Others argue religion is irrelevant.

For this new study, titled “Sinning in the Rain,” he was hoping new data sources, such as Google’s Popular Times, would allow him to measure changes in religious behavior and to see what effects those changes had. He also relied on the American Time Use Survey, which helped him identify when people are at church — usually on Sunday mornings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. He then looked at rainfall during those times as well as arrest rates overall, curious to see what he would find.

“I didn’t know what exactly I should expect,” he said.

“It can readily be corroborated that Sundays are the days when fewest crimes are committed and that there is no jump in crime right after the time of church,” Moreno-Medina argues in the study.Moreno-Medina said a number of factors, including weather, have been shown to affect crime rates. For example, he said, hotter weather is sometimes correlated with more violent crimes. The calendar also plays a role: Other studies have found that fewer crimes occur on Sundays than on other days of the week.

A number of previous studies have found a connection between crime and religious behavior. In 2018, a group of sociologists looked at 40 years of studies about the impact of religion on crime and found “certain aspects of religion reduce participation in criminal activity.”

“In addition,” the study concluded, “the specific ways in which these factors are associated with crime reduction have not been comprehensively identified.”

Florida Pastor Accused of Molesting Two Teens Dies by Suicide

Dale Chamberlain

December 3, 2021

66 year-old pastor David Rowan was found dead in a parking garage on Thursday, December 2 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Rowan was on trial for allegedly molesting two teenage girls while serving as a guest speaker at a local church in 2014. He was awaiting the jury’s verdict at the time of his death.

According to the Murfreesboro Police Department, police responded to a call at the Rutherford County Justice Center Parking Garage on 223 Maple Street in Murfreesboro around 11:43 a.m. on Thursday and found Rowan’s body in his car on the second floor of the structure.

The cause of death was a single gunshot wound. No foul play is suspected, and police have made a preliminary determination that Rowan died by suicide.

According to Yahoo! News, Rowan’s 2014 sexual abuse victims were two sisters, aged 14 and 15. They came forward with “compelling and credible disclosures” that led to Rowan’s arrest and subsequent charges in 2018.

According to the website of Faith Baptist Church in Milton, FL, Rowan had been actively serving as pastor of the church, even with his pending charges. It is unclear how long he served as pastor for Faith Baptist. He can be seen on the church’s YouTube channel preaching as late as Sunday, November 28.

In a Thanksgiving service sermon on November 21, Rowan said, “The truth will stand, my dear friends, when the world is on fire. Thank God for the truth of the word of God.”

“If anyone has ever experienced [depression], find things to be thankful for, and your depression and gloom will flee,” Rowan later said. Rowan delivered the sermon a mere 11 days before his death.

According to police, the circumstances of Rowan’s death are still subject to an ongoing investigation.

Plumber Finds 500 Envelopes of Money in Wall of Joel Osteen’s Church

Jesse T. Jackson

December 3, 2021

George Lindsey is the co-host of the morning show the Morning Bullpen at 100.3 The Bull in Houston, Texas. During a recent segment, the show asked listeners to call in and tell them about items of value they had found. Lindsey said they had been “blown away” by the responses, particularly a story regarding Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church.

Houston’s local news station, KPRC, posted audio from an anonymous caller who said he did some work for Lakewood Church.

“There was a loose toilet in the wall and we removed the tile,” the plumber said. “Went to go remove the toilet, and I moved some insulation away, and about 500 envelopes fell out of the wall and I was like—oh wow.”

After finding the stashed loot, the plumber alerted Lakewood Church’s maintenance supervisor, telling 100.3 The Bull, “I went ahead and turned it all in.”

The plumber then shared with the morning show hosts about an ongoing 7-year investigation by the Houston Police Department (HPD) into $600,000 that had been stolen from a safe at Lakewood Church in 2014.

The amount of money discovered by the plumber wasn’t mentioned, but the odd story got Lindsey intrigued as to why the money was hidden in the wall and whether the two events are connected.

“Don’t you want to know what happened? I mean, they stole the money, but they didn’t get it out of the wall,” Lindsey told KPRC. “Did they have an accident, you know what I mean? It’s like, why did they never go back? If it’s that money, why did they never go back?”

Lakewood Church released a statement saying, “Recently, while repair work was being done at Lakewood Church, an undisclosed amount of cash and checks were found. Lakewood immediately notified the Houston Police Department and is assisting them with their investigation.”

The Houston Chronicle reported on March 11, 2014 that Lakewood Church released a statement to church members saying that cash, checks, and credit card information was stolen from the church’s safe. A spokesperson for the HPD confirmed that $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks were stolen. The church’s statement urged its members to keep a close eye on their bank accounts in case their credit cards were used for fraudulent purchases.

Lakewood Church said that the stolen funds were fully insured. According to KPRC, in 2014 Crime Stoppers of Houston offered a $25,000 reward for anyone who had information that would lead to the arrest of the person who stole the church’s money.

The F.A.S.T. Family Check-In

Ben Watt

December 3, 2021

No doubt you’ve asked your child or teenager, “How was your day?” or “How are you doing?” only to receive a one-word answer like “fine” or “good.” Sometimes if we push for more, and they push back. “What do you want from me? I said I was ok.”

In other circumstances, our children may not feel heard. It’s not that we don’t care, but we don’t know how to engage with them well in conversation. So what is a loving parent who truly wants to know their child’s feelings and thoughts to do? Let me introduce you to a great idea for engaging your kids in more meaningful conversation! It’s called the FAST family check-in.

The acronym, F.A.S.T., is borrowed from the support group community (Feelings, Actions, Sobriety, Threats), but we’ve adapted it and redefined the letters to help foster deeper and more edifying conversations as a family.

“F” Stands for “How Are You Feeling?”

I always remind everyone that “ok” and “fine” are not feelings. Use words like tired, happy, sad, mad, joyful, content, nervous, etc. The answer could be broad and recount your general feelings that day or week, or it could be more specific describing how you are feeling right now. As parents, don’t use your child’s answer against them. Just listen and if you feel it necessary, follow up with a good question about what made them feel that way. Do not get defensive if they are feeling angry or hurt. Answering this question must not come with consequences – protect everyone’s freedom to be honest.

“A” Stands for Action.

What action have you taken to learn more about, grow closer to, or serve God today? The answers we’ve heard range from… reading my Bible, or studying my memory verse, to helping the neighbor return their garbage cans to the house. The point is to encourage each other to be intentional about growing and serving the Lord, not to demean or condemn those who failed to take any positive action that day.

“S” Stands for “I’m Sorry.”

This is an opportunity to make things right with anyone in the family that you may have hurt, offended, disrespected, disobeyed, cheated, etc. I often remind our kids that it’s ok if there’s nothing they need to apologize for. They don’t need to invent something. “I can’t think of anything I need to apologize for” is a great answer! Sometimes the facial expressions of others in the family will reveal the one speaking has perhaps forgotten about an issue they need to make right. In this case, I may ask, “_____ is there something your brother/sister/parent did that’s bothering you?” The goal is reconciliation, not retaliation. This is occasionally the most precious part of the check-in as I, my wife, or one of our children humbly admit our faults and seek forgiveness publicly.

“T” Stands for Thankfulness.

We are looking for each person to share anything they are thankful for that happened that day. This helps us see the good gifts God has put in our lives every day and avoids vague, stale answers like “family” or “food.” Of course, we’re thankful for those things, but we’re trying to go deeper. Everyone should be able to come up with at least one thing.

Enslaved to Porn: Why I Returned Again and Again to Pornography

Luke Gilkerson

December 3, 2021

There’s a historical event that illustrates what my pornography addiction was like. During a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1973, robbers held several hostages for six long days. During this time, a curious thing began to happen: The hostages began to show signs of sympathy for their captors. Even after the ordeal was over, one of the hostages later became good friends with one of the robbers. The criminologist assigned to help police with the case coined the term “Stockholm Syndrome.” Enslaved porn is like that.

While there is considerable discussion surrounding the exact nature of this phenomenon, there have been several reported cases of the syndrome; some hostages seem to form powerful emotional attachments to their victimizers as an internal defense mechanism.

Israel longs for Egypt.

By way of analogy, we can see Stockholm-like symptoms in the attitudes of the Israelites during their wilderness years.

Only weeks after they watched God open the Red Sea, they were murmuring against God when they ran out of provisions. They thought about their life back in Egypt—the bread, the pots of meat (Exodus 16:1-3).

Wasn’t this the same group of people who groaned because of their slavery (Exodus 2:23)? Why, instead of remembering the cruelty of Egypt—the task masters, the heavy burdens, the centuries of toil making bricks under the hot sun, the ruthless slaughter of their children—did they remember pots of meat?

My longing for porn.

I have been just as guilty of the same lunacy when it comes to my own habitual sins—like my love affair with pornography.

Yes, in my sober moments, I could see the ugliness of my pornography addiction for what it was. But there were many times I rushed back to porn like a dog to its vomit. In the moment of indulgence, I was blind to the shame and oppressiveness of my addiction—or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that I saw the shame of it, but it somehow seemed less ugly to me.

Something in me wanted to have a pornography addiction, wanted the slavery. Enslaved to porn.

Longing for Pornography Addiction?

Over the years, I’ve pondered why this is, and here are my observations…

Who do you trust?

God made Israel many promises of deliverance. If they trusted God, He would bring them out of slavery into a land of blessing. But “the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened” (Hebrews 4:2).

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“F” Stands for “How Are You Feeling?”

“A” Stands for Action.

“S” Stands for “I’m Sorry.”

“T” Stands for Thankfulness.

Israel longs for Egypt.

My longing for porn.

Longing for Pornography Addiction?

Who do you trust?

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