Harvard’s New Chief Chaplain Does Not Believe in God

August 27, 2021

In a move that trendwatchers say reflects Millennial spirituality, Harvard University’s chaplain corps is now led by a humanist. Greg Epstein, who became the school’s first humanist chaplain in 2005, was unanimously elected to coordinate a 40-member team. The 44-year-old, called the “godfather” of the humanist movement, wrote the bestselling book “Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe.”

Epstein’s colleagues and the students he mentors say the chaplain encourages interfaith dialogue and helps people explore life’s big issues. Others question his appointment at a university with deep religious roots.

Chaplain Greg Epstein: ‘We Don’t Look to a God for Answers’

Greg Epstein, who also serves as a chaplain at nearby MIT, isn’t necessarily an unconventional choice, say colleagues. Margit Hammerstrom, Harvard’s Christian Science chaplain, tells the New York Times: “Maybe in a more conservative university climate, there might be a question like ‘What the heck are they doing at Harvard…?’ But in this environment, it works. Greg is known for wanting to keep lines of communication open between different faiths.”

On Harvard’s campus, chaplains have a visible presence, hosting dinners, providing counseling, and reporting directly to the president’s office. Student Adelle Goldenberg says Epstein “showed me that it’s possible to find community outside a traditional religious context, that you can have the value-add religion has provided for centuries, which is that it’s there when things seem chaotic.”

The leadership Epstein provides “isn’t about theology,” says student Charlotte Nickerson. “It’s about cooperation between people of different faiths and bringing together people who wouldn’t normally consider themselves religious.”

Epstein explains, “We don’t look to a god for answers; we are each other’s answers.” A.J. Kumar, who led a grad-student humanist group on campus, says, “Being able to find values and rituals but not having to believe in magic, that’s a powerful thing.”

Move Reflects Beliefs of Young Americans

According to a recent study, Harvard freshmen are twice as likely as their peers to be atheist or agnostic. But throughout America, young people are increasingly identifying as nonreligious, aka “Nones,” or as spiritual but unaffiliated with a particular religion. Among Millennials, an estimated 40% now consider themselves to be Nones.

That doesn’t mean young people aren’t searching and questioning, however. Says Epstein, “There is a rising group of people who no longer identify with any religious tradition but still experience a real need for conversation and support around what it means to be a good human and live an ethical life.”

United Methodist Leaders Urge Churches to End Boy Scout Charters for Now

Adelle M Banks

August 27, 2021

(RNS) — In light of a recent bankruptcy court ruling about the Boy Scouts of America and sexual abuse claimants, United Methodist leaders are urging their churches to not extend current agreements to sponsor or house local scout troops beyond the end of the year.

United Methodist churches have official ties, known as charters, with about 3,000 troops, the United Methodist News Service reported last fall. Those charters could make churches liable for abuse claims, despite a recent settlement by the Boy Scouts of America.

On Aug. 19, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved an $850 million settlement to resolve some 82,000 sex abuse claims, Reuters reported. The decision could permit the scouting organization to exit bankruptcy by the end of 2021.

But United Methodist officials say it is unclear how chartered organizations, including thousands of their congregations that have sponsored scouting programs, will be affected by the settlement agreement. An ad hoc committee representing the interests of United Methodists remains involved in negotiations about the bankruptcy process. Look into maritimetrustee.ca to know more about how to handle this bankruptcy process easily and effectively.

“The denomination continues to maintain a relationship with the BSA and churches may continue to support scout troops,” reads an Aug. 25 announcement from the United Methodist Communications Office of Public Information.

“However, the ad hoc committee is disappointed and very concerned that the BSA did not include its sponsoring organizations, charter groups, in the agreement with the claimants.”

The committee has recommended that churches with scouting units should not renew charters, which expire yearly. Instead, the committee suggests churches either extend their current charter until Dec. 31 or replace the charter with a facilities use agreement that expires at the end of the year.

The options are viewed as ways to bide time to learn how the bankruptcy will affect congregations.

Alone in the Sky, Pilot and Fiancee Save 17 in Tennessee Floods

Travis Loller

August 27, 2021

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville-based helicopter pilot Joel Boyers had just finished helping his fiancee earn her pilot’s license on Saturday morning, and they were heading home to celebrate, when he received a frantic call from a woman in Pennsylvania. Her brother’s home in Waverly, Tennessee, was underwater and he was trapped on a roof with his daughters. Could Boyers help?

“I thought, ‘How would I feel if I told her I’m not even going to try?’” he said in a Thursday interview. “She just so happened to call the right person, because I’m the only person crazy enough to even try to do that.”

The weather was terrible and Boyers had to contend with hills and high-voltage power lines on the way to Waverly, a small city about 60 miles (96 kilometers) west of Nashville. Just before reaching the town, he set down in a field to get his bearings and realized the internet was down, making it impossible to pinpoint the house he was looking for. He flew on anyway.

“As soon as I popped over the ridge, it was nothing but tan raging water below me,” he said. “There were two houses that were on fire. There were cars in trees. There was tons of debris. Any way debris could get caught, it was. I knew no one was going to be able to swim in that.”

A few people were out in boats, rescuing the stranded, and one person was helping with a jet ski, but Boyers was alone in the sky. He started flying up and down the flooded creek, grabbing anyone he could.

Boyers, who co-owns Helistar Aviation, said he ended up rescuing 17 people that day. He’s proud of that, but said he’s the one who should be thanking them. “I literally prayed just days before this that God would give me some meaning in my life, and then I end up getting this call,” he said.

He has flown over disasters, including floods, before, but “the cops are usually there, and my hands are tied. This time there weren’t any.”

Saturday’s flooding killed 20 people, taking out houses, roads, cellphone towers and telephone lines, with rainfall that more than tripled forecasts and shattered the state record for one-day rainfall. More than 270 homes were destroyed and 160 took major damage, according to the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency.

To perform the rescues, Boyers had to maneuver around power lines, balance his skids on sloped rooftops, and hover over floodwaters. It took all the skills learned over 16 years flying, including for a television news station, for documentaries and for country music stars.

“I don’t want to lie,” he said. “It was almost a little fun for me.”

It was also a powerful experience to go through with his fiancee, Melody Among, who acted as his co-pilot, spotting power lines, giving him sips of water and even taking the controls at times. “Her and I will be bonded to those people for life,” he said.

National Dog Day 2021: Meet Petey the Beagle, Associate Pastor and Greeter

Kathryn Post

August 27, 2021

GREEN TREE, Pa. (RNS) — Today, Aug. 26, is National Dog Day, a holiday designated since 2004 to celebrate dogs and encourage adoption. You can view website if you want to give your dog a present.

It’s a day that has special meaning for one of the pastors at Unity Presbyterian Church. Like many people of faith, Pastor Petey once was lost but now is found.

His journey to the church, however, began not in a Bible study or outreach ministry but in a pet rescue.

Associate Pastor Petey, as the congregation affectionately calls him, was a reactive dog when he was first rescued by the Faust family in 2018. Petey soon became a regular visitor to the church office, and through a combination of medication, training and exposure to people, Petey’s calling began to emerge.

“We began noticing him connect with people, and people connect with him … that to me is evangelism,” said Pastor Dennis Molnar, pastor at Unity Presbyterian. “It emerged that he had a definitive calling.”

That calling led the church to honor Petey, a Beagle-Australian shepherd mix, on July 25, anointing and commissioning him as associate pastor for the pet ministry at Unity Presbyterian Church.

On a recent Tuesday, Associate Pastor Petey greeted a visiting Religion News Service journalist with a nuzzle during a meeting at the church. The multi-colored pup with warm, amber eyes then sat calmly at the feet of his owner, Bob Faust, until it was time to take his glamour shots.

One of Petey’s most important roles is to greet attendees at church, which he does outside Unity Presbyterian’s doors each Sunday. By drawing people together, Petey creates a common bond that Molnar says can “spark a depth of conversation you might not normally get to.”

Since 2018, the church has also offered a yearly pet-blessing event — adapted to become a drive-thru event during the pandemic — at which Molnar says 80% of the attendees are from the community.

“In my theology, all creatures, all living things are sacred, because God has created them,” said Molnar. “We’re the ones, I think, who limit our connection of sacredness.”

Church pet ministries are surprisingly common. Some churches hold yearly blessings for pets in the congregation, while some have more extensive programs.

The Gospel Is a Call to Urgency – Do You Feel It?

James Emery White

August 27, 2021

Most of us are familiar with the concept of urgency. It has to do with something that needs immediate attention because of its gravity. One of the challenges facing evangelical Christianity is that we do not seem to feel it is urgent to reach people for Christ. This despite an explicit effort from Jesus to generate such urgency:

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’” (Luke 16:19-28)

When we die, we face either heaven or hell. While the great and final judgment was yet to come for both men in Jesus’ story, it’s clear that immediately upon our death, the fate of our lives is not only sealed but the verdict of that inevitable judgment is set in motion.

Do You Feel the Urgency?

The beggar Lazarus was by Abraham’s side which, along with the concept of paradise, is mentioned in the Talmud as the home of the righteous—the place where the righteous dead go to await their future redemption and vindication. The rich man was in hell (in the original Greek, hades) the place where the wicked dead go to await their final judgment.

And the chasm between the two cannot be crossed.

We do not often let our thoughts travel to such realities. It is uncomfortable. Even chilling. But one person in Jesus’ story had it envelop every fiber of his being: the man in hell.

To such a degree that he experienced a remarkable change in priorities. As I once heard someone observe, five minutes in hell made the rich man a flaming evangelist. Why? Because suddenly he knew it was all for real.

And once he knew this, nothing mattered more than warning those he cared about. He knew that hell was not a figment of someone’s imagination. It was real, and real people go there for eternity. And the man in hell knew that it would take someone going to them, talking to them, making it clear to them.

Hell has a way of making that clear.

We must realize that our friends, our family members, that person in our neighborhood, the person we work with who does not know Christ is in real trouble. We must not see the needs of the world solely in terms of food and clothing, justice and mercy, shelter and companionship.

We must see those needs, to be sure, and meet them—but we must see beyond them to the fallen nature of a world and humanity that produced those needs. We must see eternity waiting to be written in their hearts.

I know of a ministry to young male prostitutes working the streets of Chicago that offers food, shelter, counseling and an array of other social services to help men move out of that degrading lifestyle. Most of us would think that is more than enough, that the greatest issue had been addressed. But not John Green, the founder of Emmaus Ministries, who said, “We do violence to the poor if we don’t share Christ with them.”

And he’s right.

It is difficult to imagine passivity regarding those who have yet to embrace the Christian faith. The Scriptures do not simply speak; they thunder:

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

“I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22)

Passivity was not the model of Jesus.

He went into the world. He spent time with those who were far apart from God. He reached out relationally, built friendships, went into their homes, attended their parties, broke bread at their tables.

His was a life of urgency. And we are called to the same.

This article on a call to urgency originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Francis Chan: What Is the Key to Unity in the Church?

Jessica Lea

August 27, 2021

Unity in the church is important. But so is not compromising the truth. Francis Chan wants to know: How do Christians pursue unity without compromising the essential doctrines of Christianity? And how do we determine exactly what those are? When he posed these questions to Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff and Gospel for Asia Founder K.P. Yohannan, the two men gave Chan an answer he did not expect: Humility is key.

“One day,” said Yohannan, “I said, ‘God, please help me to understand, is there a key to this whole Bible?’ And all I could hear, like the bell going off, was one word: humility, humility, humility. And I’m not a Charismatic.” It was partly through this experience that Yohannan learned that humility is essential to understanding the truths presented in Scripture. He said, “The real place of learning the mysteries of God is becoming nothing.”

How Do We Pursue Unity in the Church Well?

“In the U.S. right now,” said Francis Chan, “everyone creates their own parameters [for defining biblical truth]. And it’s splintering the church more and more and more.” People follow different leaders because the leaders are gifted or have charismatic personalities. “It’s almost a popularity contest,” he said.

Because influential people can gain followers while saying whatever they want, there is a variety of “theologies” thwarting unity in the church by presenting different views on any number of topics, such as sexuality, divorce and remarriage, and the Eucharist. This seems strange to Chan given that for 1,500 years the church was unified in its position on these issues. “This is ridiculous,” he said, “this can’t be the way.”

Chan is not simply pointing his finger at other leaders for creating problems with unity in the church, nor does he assume that people promoting wrong doctrines are doing so because they have bad motives. Chan said that he himself is guilty of coming to wrong conclusions about Christianity and promoting them without considering the teachings of the early church or seeking accountability from other believers.

When he looks back at his own life and sees times when he promoted wrong ideas, Chan believes that he was sincerely pursuing Jesus during those times. He had a true love for God when he trusted him in high school, and of his later time in seminary he said, “I really believed coming out of seminary that I was fighting for God.”

In seminary, Chan was taught a particular theology and that other theologies were “off.” He now realizes that he had a loyalty to a certain tradition because he came to know Jesus through that tradition. But that does not mean everything in that doctrinal system is correct.

How then can we know what is correct? When Chan became a believer in Jesus, he was taught that if he wanted to know the truth, the foolproof method was to study Scripture for himself. But what happens when multiple individuals study Scripture for themselves and all of them arrive at different conclusions? Isn’t it arrogant for each person to assume that he or she must be the one who is right? “After a while,” said Chan, “you start going, okay, so who arrives at truth? Is it the guy that’s most intelligent? Is it the person that’s closest to God? Because everyone’s getting alone in their office and coming to different views.”

Hanegraaff agreed that studying Scripture for oneself is important, but added that the church, the body of Christ, is an essential part of how people arrive at true doctrine. “I cannot come up with an interpretation that stands in opposition to that which God has mediated through his body by the precious Holy Spirit,” he said.

Chan nodded and responded, “That was a new thought to me, believe it or not.” Previously, he had always thought that what Hanegraaff was describing was trusting in tradition instead of God’s Word. “I had no thought of being saved into the church,” said Chan. “It was about me seeing a message from the Scripture about how I could go to heaven.”

But Chan began to see some inconsistencies in this way of thinking. For example, sometimes a person will leave Chan’s church because Chan and the elders have confronted him about sin in his life. When that happens, it seems arrogant to Chan that the person would think he knows better than his pastor and all the elders combined. “But then it hit me,” said Chan, “‘Do I do that with the early church fathers?’” In other words, if Chan were to study Scripture on his own and come to a conclusion different from the early church fathers, would it not be arrogant for him to assume he must be right?

What’s the Purpose of Pastors?

Tim Challies

August 27, 2021

The Bible knows nothing of lone Christians, of believers who are willfully independent from a local church. Rather, Christians gather in communities to worship together and serve one another. And as God commands his people to gather in community, he also commands them to be led—led by men called and qualified as pastors or elders (terms the Bible uses interchangeably). As we progress through a series of questions about things we as Christians often take for granted, we now come to the question of church leadership and ask, “What’s the purpose of pastors?”

In the church today we find a number of common views of the role and purpose of pastors. Unfortunately, some of these, though perhaps well-intentioned, are unbiblical. Here are two prominent views that both fall short of what the Bible teaches.

Purpose of Pastors – CEO’s?

The first is the pastor as CEO. According to this view, the pastor’s primary purpose is to keep his organization (i.e., his church) running smoothly and growing steadily. Like the Chief Executive Officer within a corporation, he must apply sound business principles to his operation and will find success when he satisfies the desires of church attendees and experiences numerical growth. Those who hold this view claim that the “pastor as shepherd” view threatens to stunt the growth of a church and is impractical for the challenges of our day. Though shepherding care is good and necessary, it should be carried out by church members or ministry leaders so the pastors can focus on the challenges of leadership. Carey Nieuwhof explains, “Saying the model of pastor-as-CEO is bad for the church is like saying leadership really doesn’t matter. It’s also saying business should get all the best leaders… If all we do is recruit pastors who love to care for people until they die, the church will die.” The task of the pastor, he says, is to lead, “to take people where they wouldn’t otherwise go.”

Purpose of Pastors – Priests?

The second view is the pastor as priest. According to this view, the pastor is a kind of spiritual guru whose purpose is to take sole or primary responsibility for all of the church’s ministry. In that way, he serves as a kind of mediator between God and his people. While few evangelicals would actually vocalize their adherence to this view, many tacitly hold it when they only go to their pastor for prayer and spiritual care. They may feel that the prayer and ministry of church members are somehow less effective than the prayer and ministry of their pastor. This view may also affect evangelism, as believers downplay their own ability to share the gospel and instead only focus on bringing unbelieving friends to church to hear the pastor, as if this is the only means through which God works.

Addressing the Error

While it is true that the wise pastor will learn practical strategies for leadership, and while it is true that all truth is God’s truth, the pastor as CEO view has dangerous implications for pastoral ministry. In Jeramie Rinne’s powerful critique, he insists that this view eventually and inevitably reinterprets the church through a business or organizational lens. It is true, of course, that churches “have business aspects. Churches often use financial officers and budgets, employees and personnel policies, facilities and insurance, workflow diagrams and goals, bylaws and committees.” All of these are within the scope of a healthy church. But “the problem arises when these businesslike elements become part of a comprehensive business model for the congregation that ignores biblical teaching. It might look something like this: pastor = president/CEO; staff = vice presidents; members = shareholders/loyal customers; visitors = potential customers.”

John Piper has also warned of the danger of this view, saying, “The professionalization of the ministry is a constant threat to the offense of the gospel. It is a threat to the profoundly spiritual nature of our work. I have seen it often: The love of professionalism kills a man’s belief that he is sent by God to save people from hell and to make them Christ-exalting, spiritual aliens in the world.” This view teaches Christians to interpret and evaluate churches like businesses. It teaches them to evaluate pastors like they evaluate CEOs, so their performance becomes more important than their character. They fail to consider that of all the biblical qualifications for pastors, there is just one related to skill. All the others are related to his godly character.

Meanwhile, the pastor as priest model neglects a key doctrine recovered by the Protestant Reformers: the priesthood of all believers. While Luther and the other Reformers affirmed the office of the elder or pastor, they also emphasized that, through Christ, we are all ministers of the gospel and all have access to God. God continues to call men to pastoral ministry, but he also calls every Christian to minister to one another. This view minimizes the New Testament’s emphasis on the role of the pastor as the one who equips believers so they can carry out the work of the ministry. Ephesians 4:11-12 expresses this: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” The truth is, we are all ministers. Some are set apart to lead as pastors, but we are all called to minister.

What the Bible Says About the Purpose of Pastors

The Bible assures us that pastors exist to shepherd God’s people in local churches until Christ returns (1 Peter 5:1-5). The calling of the pastor is inextricably tied to the biblical metaphor of a shepherd tending to his flock of sheep. Alexander Strauch says, “If we want to understand Christian elders and their work, we must understand the biblical imagery of shepherding. As keepers of sheep, New Testament elders are to protect, feed, lead and care for the flock’s many practical needs.”

Continue

Pastors Leading Small Groups – 5 Important Tips

Ron Edmondson

August 26, 2021

Since the beginning of Grace Community Church I have personally led a small group study, many times meeting in our home. Cheryl and I have loved each of our groups. Some of our best friends in life have come from these groups. I hear from pastors who don’t want to lead a group or feel that they shouldn’t, but from my experience, I believe in pastors leading small groups.

Pastors leading small groups models them for the church
Pastors leading small groups keeps a pastor close to people
Pastors leading small groups helps a pastor know the real thoughts of people with the church

5 Suggestions for Pastors Leading Small Groups

1. Fellowship

We don’t just do group with our group. We do life with our group. Recently we went to a ballgame together, because one of the members of our group coaches the local university baseball team. We periodically suspend group just to fellowship together. The closer our group grows to each other, the more relevant our Bible studies seem to be and the better we are at sharing our hearts with each other.

2. Serve

With our most recent group, we started serving together once a month. We help feed families at a local ministry. It’s been a great commitment for our group and we’ve grown closer together and learned to better appreciate all God has given us as individuals and as a group.

3. Access

With a large church, I can’t always be available to everyone in the church, but those in my small group always have access to my time. They have my cell phone and permission to contact me at anytime. We’ve walked through multiple tragedies and struggles with people in our groups. They begin to see me as a fellow group member during those times, far more than they see me as their pastor.

4. Be authentic

I have flaws, too. Hopefully my preaching reveals that also, but my group especially knows it to be true. Cheryl and I don’t hide the fact that we have personal struggles. The longer our group is together the more real they find us to be. In fact, they realize we aren’t that different in our struggles from the struggles life brings them.

5. Let others lead

I try not to have all the answers. The expectation at first may be that I do, but I don’t. This is not the time for me to show my Biblical knowledge. (Some in my groups have had as much or more than me.) This is the time to learn the Bible together, without the pressure on any of us to be smarter than the others. I like to hand off teaching responsibilities when possible. It raises new leaders, spreads the responsibility around the group, and emphasizes the fact that everyone is part of the discipleship process.

Pastors, jump in the middle of this ministry. It will help you and your church!

This article about pastors leading small groups originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Suicidal Teen: What Youth Leaders Need to Know

Megan Hutchinson

August 26, 2021

It’s been heavy in our youth group this past month, with one suicidal teen after another. A 15-year-old guy made one last desperate call just as he was about to pop 100 Advil. A 14-year-old girl texted me, saying, “I don’t know how to talk about how I feel so many things all bottled up inside me and I think I am at the point of just bursting out.” And a depressed 12-year-old wrote a letter in blood, wanting to end her life.

A Suicidal Teen: Our Immediate Response

Here’s the bottom line. If you think you have a suicidal student, you must act now. By law, you have 24 hours to report it. But here’s the good news. (Really, there is good news? YES!) The average suicidal episode lasts around 30 days. So if you’re able to stand by that student through this period of time, you will likely have helped save his or her life! That’s good news.

So often, we youth workers feel ill-equipped to deal with the threat of suicide. If you’ve been around students very long, then you know that you never know what to expect. We have to be prepared for the worst—suicidal teen threats and attempts—as best as we can.

The guidance below is proven to work.

Practical Questions to Ask: S.L.A.P.P.

When assessing the severity of a potential suicidal teen, many trained professionals use the S.L.A.P.P.* acronym. I use this every time I suspect someone is threatening his or her own life. Use this helpful acronym as a way to assess the risk at hand and potentially save a life:

S – How SPECIFIC is the plan?

“Yeah, my dad’s guns and ammo are in the cabinet, and I’m doin’ it Friday night out by the ravine” is more urgent than “I dunno—there are lots of ways I could do it.”

L – How LETHAL is the method?

A gun represents even greater urgency than a drug overdose. Although both are potentially lethal, the latter does offer a small window of opportunity for someone to intervene.

A – How AVAILABLE is the method?

“I’m jumpin’ off the bridge this Friday” is less urgent than “I’m holding the gun as we speak.” Both clearly are cause for action, however.

P – What is the PROXIMITY of help?

“I’m in my room, and my parents are downstairs watching TV” is more hopeful than “I’m at our summer cottage, and no one’s around me for miles.”

P – Have you had PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS?

“This is my fourth time trying to kill myself” is different from “This is my first time.” Although you must take both extremely seriously, it’s more likely that a parent or guardian is aware if a suicidal teen made previous attempts.

*I’ve added the extra P for previous attempts, because this is an extremely important question. It also helps with assessment.

Thankfully, the three students from the beginning of this article are alive today. In part, that’s due to loving, caring youth workers who stood by them, helped them find professional help, and gave them a sense of hope. The journey continues for these kids and for any depressed or suicidal teen. So as servants of Christ, let’s remember to be in it with these precious lives for the long haul.

Suicide Bombers Strike Kabul Airport; ‘Panicked’ Afghan Christians Still Trying to Leave

Jessica Lea

August 26, 2021

Christians and other vulnerable populations are being barred from government flights out of Kabul, Afghanistan, according to reports, as the situation in the country deteriorates. Thursday, suicide bombers staged two attacks near the Kabul airport, killing at least 72 people, including 12 U.S. service members, and wounding many more.

“Kabul is falling apart and our people are panicking,” Jason Jones told Catholic News Agency (CNA) in a statement published Wednesday, Aug. 25. Jones is a film producer and the director of The Vulnerable People Project, which is working to help evacuate refugees from Afghanistan. The United States’ withdrawal deadline is Aug. 31.

Said Jones, “The next 72 hours are going to be very dark. Kabul has descended into chaos and confusion and our citizens and friends are collapsing into despair. People are being contacted by the State Department and told to go to the airport only to be sent away.”

“I’ve started receiving panicked emails from Afghan Christians through their Western contacts,” said the Center for Religious Freedom’s Nina Shea. “They are not being allowed to board USG (U.S. government) flights in Kabul. I’m advising them to try to board Glenn Beck’s flights instead.”

Suicide Bombers Strike Kabul, Afghanistan

Thursday morning Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed reports of an explosion outside of the Kabul airport. Later Kirby said, “We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate [an airport entrance] was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.”

Two suicide bombers, as well as some gunmen, were involved in the attack, which an anonymous U.S. official attributed to the Islamic State—a group more radical than the Taliban. As of this writing, at least 140 people are reported wounded and 72 dead, including 11 U.S. Marines and one Navy medic. U.S. service members are also counted among the wounded.

Prior to the attack, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, as well as the governments of several other western nations, warned citizens to stay away from the airport, and the Abbey Gate entrance specifically, due to intelligence reports of credible security threats.

Aid Groups Assist in Kabul, Afghanistan

With only days left until the evacuation deadline, a variety of aid groups have been working to rescue people from Afghanistan.

John Cooper and Skillet Won’t Play Venues Mandating COVID-19 Vaccination

Jesse T. Jackson

August 26, 2021

John Cooper — Photo credit: Jesse T. Jackson

The Popular Christian rock band Skillet announced Tuesday that it wouldn’t play at venues that mandate concertgoers be COVID-19 vaccinated to attend shows.

Starting September 12, 2021, Skillet is scheduled to embark on a 23-city tour spanning the United States. Lead signer and Cooper Stuff Podcast host John Cooper took to social media to explain the band’s decision.

“Because of the delta variant, a lot of venues are rethinking their policies and instituting new things. A lot of venues are instituting vaccine mandated shows,” Cooper said, “where you have to have a vaccine or you can’t get into the concert.”

The outspoken rocker said performing at venues that mandate vaccines is something he is “unwilling to do.” The other members of Skillet, Cooper’s wife and guitarist Korey, drummer Jen Ledger, and lead guitarist Seth Morrison share the same sentiment as their lead singer.

Speaking about the group’s decision, Cooper said, “I know this is going to make some people happy [and] it’s going to make some people mad.” The Sick of It singer shared that he does not want to make people mad, “but it is a matter of conviction for me.”

Breaking down what the band’s convictions about mandates means, Cooper told fans that the band will only be playing concert venues that allow non-vaccinated attendees to bring a negative COVID-19 test result to gain entry to the show.

“I’m not going to lie to you guys,” Cooper said, “I don’t like this either. It is not ideal.” The Awake & Alive to Truth: Finding Truth in the Chaos of a Relativistic World author laid out two options the band is currently faced with. Option one is to cancel the tour and option two is to play venues that allow fans to bring a negative test result for those who aren’t vaccinated.

“I know this is going to make people disappointed on all sides of the fence for all sorts of different reasons. That’s not my aim,” Cooper said. “It’s just a really difficult time.”

Cooper said Skillet wants to treat fans to a great rock show and has no intentions of disappointing people with their upcoming tour decision. While some churches have announced they require proof of a COVID-19 vaccination in order to gather within their buildings doors, Cooper indicates that not wavering in his convictions will result in not being able to please everyone.

Skillet Fans React

Cooper’s explanation on Instagram alone has been viewed over 82,000 times and resulted in hundreds of comments, most of which praise Skillet for its decision and for not bending on their convictions.

One commenter wrote: “I LOVE THIS!!!! Thank you for the clarification, I’m with you 100%. Choices are so so important. PROUD OF YOU.”

While another said, “I respect you even more for sticking to your own convictions even through this. Rock on, and more importantly God bless you all.”

“Love this!!! We need more bands, singers, professional sports teams to STAND UP and refuse to play if stadiums are going against our health rights by denying us entertainment due to our vaccine status,” one fan said. “THANK YOU for using your platform to do so! Hoping you guys get a killer tour!”

Some vaccinated fans spoke up for venues requiring negative tests: “I’m vaccinated, and I am in no way standing on a soapbox to change anti-vaxxers minds. However, to say that proof of a negative test is wrong, too, doesn’t sit well with me. Venues are doing their best to keep people safe and healthy. Also, from what I’ve seen; most anti-vaxxers are also anti-maskers. So one COVID-positive person can infect an ENTIRE arena. I guess that’s why I don’t see any Philly venues on your list…because most if not all of them are requiring at least a negative test.”

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How Success Led to a ‘Test of Faith’ for Newly Engaged Olympic Champion Sydney McLaughlin

Stephanie Martin

August 26, 2021

Adding to her memorable summer, American track star and outspoken Christian Sydney McLaughlin announced yesterday that she’s engaged. The 22-year-old hurdler and sprinter, who won two gold medals and set a world record at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, shared a photo of the proposal from boyfriend Andre Levrone Jr., a former NFL wide receiver.

Days before revealing that happy news, McLaughlin posted a heartfelt video, opening up about the negativity, criticism and lack of respect she’s faced despite her success on the track. Although the athlete says she doesn’t “live for the approval of people anymore,” she admits that hurtful words and rejection are a “test of faith.”

Sydney McLaughlin: Fame Is ‘Toxic’

On Instagram Monday, McLaughlin posted a 10-minute video she recorded in June, days after setting a world record at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Oregon. Her initial intent, she writes in the caption, was to vent frustration; then she realized there’s a deeper message to share about how Christ is molding her. “Even in triumph, there can be tribulations,” she writes. “But how you respond, and the lens in which you view those situations provides an opportunity for growth and change.”

In the video, the runner reveals that people’s lackluster response to her pre-Olympics accomplishments really hurt. “The people I thought would be the most excited for me literally almost didn’t even care,” she says. “I find it really disrespectful that you can do everything right, and it’ll never be enough.”

McLaughlin’s “tank would be so empty” if she were living for worldly glory rather than God’s. “We were not made to be famous,” she says. “It’s toxic. … I would just like a little bit of respect.”

Critics, McLaughlin says, have attributed her success to her physical appearance, her skin shade, and even her large following on social media. “People reject truth,” she says. “I know they’re not rejecting me. They’re rejecting Jesus living in me.” The athlete adds, “I want to glorify God, and I want to be a good example to people, but our world only accepts ignorance.”

Last year, McLaughlin posted a video of her baptism at a Los Angeles beach.

McLaughlin to Levrone: ‘You’re the Perfect Man to Lead Me’

In yesterday’s post about their engagement, Sydney McLaughlin describes her future husband as someone who “possesses everything I’ve prayed for” and “the most God-fearing, passionate, honest, loving, hard working, protective, and genuine man I’ve ever met.”

Will the ‘Taliban Lite’ Respect Afghan Women’s Rights?

Religion News Service

August 26, 2021

(RNS) — For 20 years, Afghan women have laid the foundation for equality as they emerged from behind the closed doors of their homes and went on to serve as parliamentarians, policewomen, judges, activists and teachers.

Now, with the return of the Taliban, equality looks more like a mirage in a desert.

When they took over Afghanistan on Aug. 15, the Taliban declared that they were not the hardcore Taliban that ruled before, but a more accommodating “Taliban lite.” When asked about women’s rights, they offered reassurance that “women will get their rights provided they are within an Islamic framework.”

But Afghan women, who tend to be more accomplished and educated than the Taliban soldiers, don’t trust the group’s proclamations. “We want actions, not words; substance and not slogans,” one female activist said.

So the urgent question is, will this new “Taliban lite” play by the historic Islamic rule book, which emphasizes social justice? Will they forgive their adversaries as the Prophet did when he entered Mecca? Or will they — as in the past — misread or distort Islamic doctrine to deprive women’s rights?

The Quran, first among all the major sacred texts, introduced gender inclusive language. For example, in Surah Al-Ahzab 33.35 w e read:

“For Muslim men and women / For believing men and women / For true men and women / For men and women who are Patient and serene / For men and women who Humble themselves / For men and women who give In charity / For men and women who fast / For men and women who Guard their chastity, and For men and women who are In constant remembrance of God / For them God has prepared / Forgiveness and great reward.”

Court Upholds Death Sentence for Church Shooter Dylann Roof

Meg Kinnard and Denise Lavoie

August 26, 2021

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court Wednesday upheld Dylann Roof’s conviction and death sentence for the 2015 racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation, saying the legal record cannot even capture the “full horror” of what he did.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond rejected arguments that the young white man should have been ruled incompetent to stand trial in the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. Authorities have said Roof opened fire during the closing prayer of a Bible study at the church, raining down dozens of bullets on those assembled. He was 21 at the time.

In his appeal, Roof’s attorneys argued that he was wrongly allowed to represent himself during sentencing, a critical phase of his trial. Roof successfully prevented jurors from hearing evidence about his mental health, “under the delusion,” his attorneys argued, that “he would be rescued from prison by white-nationalists — but only, bizarrely, if he kept his mental-impairments out of the public record.”

Roof’s lawyers said his convictions and death sentence should be vacated or his case should be sent back to court for a “proper competency evaluation.”

The 4th Circuit found that the trial judge did not commit an error when he found Roof was competent to stand trial and issued a scathing rebuke of Roof’s crimes.

“Dylann Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship. They had welcomed him. He slaughtered them. He did so with the express intent of terrorizing not just his immediate victims at the historically important Mother Emanuel Church, but as many similar people as would hear of the mass murder,” the panel wrote in is ruling.

Randy Alcorn: Heavenly Minded Living

Randy Alcorn

August 26, 2021

A wealthy plantation owner invited John Wesley to his home. The two rode their horses all day, seeing just a fraction of all the man owned. At the end of the day the plantation owner proudly asked, “Well, Mr. Wesley, what do you think?” After a moment’s silence, Wesley replied, “I think you’re going to have a hard time leaving all this.”

All of us form attachments. All of us have a place we call home. The question is, do we think and live as if this world, or the next world, is our home? Are our minds on Earth or Heaven (which one day will be on the New Earth)? The plantation owner was attached to the world he was in. Wesley was attached to the world he was going to.

Perhaps you’ve heard it said, “He’s so heavenly minded he’s of no earthly good.” Yet Scripture commands us to set our minds on Heaven. It says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2).

When we’re properly heavenly minded, we’ll be of maximum heavenly and earthly good. But when we are too earthly minded, we will ultimately bring no good to Heaven or this present earth.

This article about being heavenly minded originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Who Defines the Real Lives of the Real World?

Nicholas Batzig

August 26, 2021

When I was a teenager, MTV aired a show called “The Real World.” It ran from 1992 to 2017. It was a reality television show in which young adults lived together in a staged environment. They talked about sex, abortion, AIDS, religion, drugs, politics, and death. It was meant to stir the culture to have real conversations and live real lives. The only problem? None of represented real lives. It was staged. It was a manufactured, make-believe production stage. However, in many respects it fueled the fake world in which Westerners live on social media.

Many Westerners are incredibly myopic. Nearly 8 billion people inhabit this planet. Less than 500,000,000 of them live in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom combined. However, since a majority of the well-funded and influential academic institutions, organizations, and media outlets stem from these three countries, we have learned to live in our own cultural bubble. In so many countries on the face of this fallen world violence is par for the course, women and children are raped, men are regularly murdered by violent militia, water and natural resources are in seriously short supply, and governments police the lives of the citizens. Recent events in Afghanistan should serve to open the eyes of those who think their Twitter battles over intersectionality are the real battles needing to be fought. While the Western world busies itself with debates over gender pronouns, the rest of the world rages on.

While things like gender debates rage on in the make believe world of Western social media (with Christians being excoriated for their views on male headship in the home and church), the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan reminds us that there is an Islamic patriarchy that makes “dishwashing” debates look like something akin to kindergarteners yelling at each other on the playground during recess. Women and children are begging to be rescued from Afghanistan. This is in no way whatsoever meant to downplay the real evil of real abuse in our own country. Real evil needs to be fought wherever it appears. However, we must also come to terms with the fact that many are not living in the real world when they rant about how often a Christian husband should be washing and folding the laundry. My friend and fellow PCA pastor Alton Hardy offered some reflections on this matter. He wrote:

This is the difference between real Christian men of God versus men who are unregenerate and breed death and mayhem wherever they go:

Notice how women and children are helpless in the face of men who do not hold to the teachings of Ephesians 5:21-32. What religion do these Taliban men espouse? Their god allows for them to rape women and kill without mercy. Millennials pay attention to what is happening in this situation in Afghanistan and see real evil on display. There will be no mercy and no reconciliation. There will be no other view to be held. You will not be able to choose your gender or live contrary to the dominant religious ideology. You either submit or physically die. Under this ideology, men rule with brute force, there is no room for any kind of feminist debate or conversation.

Many have been taught to hate America values of freedom, capitalism, democracy and the notion to be whatever you desire to pursue. The [Afghan] people are trying to leave their country of birth so that they will have freedom of choices. Women are basically nonhuman and only available to meet the needs of unregenerate and lustful men.

It will take real men somewhere in this story that is unfolding, in order to reclaim that country. If not, then it will be what it will be. War is brutal and men have been engaging in it since the beginning of time. It will be a battle of the wills to break men like the Taliban. . .

We had better wake up to the real world in which we live. There are realities in North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran (the list goes on and on) that would leave you terrified every single day of your life. The sad reality is that while many pontificate over fabricated evils on social media in the Western world, the better part of those enduring extreme suffering in the Middle East, North Korea, and Africa never get a voice on social media. Most of what we rant about in our bubble is child’s play compared to the real evils of real lives in a fallen world.

When we do come to recognize the real world in which we live, we will be more inclined to spend our time and energy praying for those who live in countries very much unlike America. We will commit ourselves to telling others about the One who came into this dark and fallen world to die at the hands of brutal men in order to redeem sinners. We will be eager to see the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ operative in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We will expend our time, prayers, and resources seeking to fuel world missions. America has long had the unique opportunity to send missionaries into the real world – real lives – for the conversion of the nations.

In 1988, J.I. Packer delivered a lecture titled, “The Christian and God’s World: The Battle for America’s Soul.” He wrote:

“I see the United States as having at this time a unique role in the world at both levels of Divine operation. . .What it boils down to is, that among the larger nations, only the United States has both the manpower and the money to sustain Evangelical world mission for the next generation, and this gives America an uniquely important role in the global strategy of the kingdom of God at the present time.”

While I praise God that He put me in the freest nation in the history of the world, I also recognize that I belong to a greater nation–a nation that transcends time and geographical boundaries. As Christians, we must always remember that we belong to a greater spiritual nation made up of brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, China, North Korea, England, Germany, Iran, Ghana, Morocco, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, etc. After all, we will eternally be a chosen nation of believers from every tongue, tribe and people. Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior–the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are savingly united to Jesus Christ, that is the realest world in which to live truly real lives.

This article about real lives originally appeared here as “The Real World,” and is used by permission.

Sunday School Teacher Duties: Be In-the-Know for Success

Mimi Patrick

August 25, 2021

Hooray! You’re going to teach Sunday school! What an exciting job! I know that’s a lot of exclamation marks, but I do love Sunday school. Children make lifetime memories in these classes. As Christians, we often develop our knowledge of God during Sunday school. But now you’re probably asking: What exactly are my Sunday school teacher duties?

If you’re new to teaching Sunday school, you may feel overwhelmed or unsure of yourself. That’s perfectly normal. We’ve all experienced nervous butterflies.

So what are your expected Sunday school teacher duties? To be honest, the answers depend on your church’s kidmin program. For the best answers, talk to someone who’s in charge or experienced. In the meantime, I’m happy to share what I know.

Sunday School Teacher Duties: Your Top 3 Responsibilities

1. Study, Study, Study: Know the Bible

Study to show thyself approved. Kids will question everything! And if you don’t study, they’ll ask questions about things you aren’t prepared for. Carefully review the Sunday school lesson and supporting materials before class. Read, pray, and make notes. Prayer and study are crucial.

2. Prepare: Know the Lesson Plan

Don’t wait until the day before Sunday school to study the lesson. Flying by the seat of your pants isn’t a recommended practice. Dig deep into the week’s lesson. You never know what great things you’ll uncover to share with your class.

Also remember to provide supporting crafts. Reinforcing a lesson this way keeps little hands busy. Prepare craft supplies ahead of time so kids will have exactly what they need for a take-home item. It can be as simple as a bookmark or even a puppet. Test Sunday school crafts and Bible games beforehand, because it’s easy to forget items unless you’ve tried it yourself.

3. Support Your Church’s Sunday School Program

Continuity also is among your Sunday school teacher duties. Tie lessons to the larger program, also known as a scope and sequence. Don’t go rogue! It’s probably fine to step away from the program once in a while. But don’t make that a common occurrence. Make it easier for parents by teaching different grade levels or different classrooms the same thing.

Everyone learns differently, that’s true. And you may not be super excited about teaching Jonah again, but remember: You’re part of a team. Sunday school teacher duties include representing the children’s ministry program with excellence. That means teaching the agreed-upon lessons and activities.

Feel free to have fun with classroom decorations, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Children will love your creativity, and parents will be grateful for your hard work.

As you learn and master your Sunday school teacher duties, always remember: You can do it! And even if you don’t hear “thank you” every week, you’re making an eternal difference in young lives.

This article originally appeared here. It was written by Mimi Patrick from Ministry-To-Children.

Ed Litton: ‘I Had Permission, Which I Think Means It’s Not Plagiarism’

Jesse T. Jackson

August 25, 2021

Southern Baptist Convention [SBC] president Ed Litton recently came under fire at the end of June 2021 after a series of videos were released accusing him of plagiarizing other pastors’ sermons.

One particular video focused on a Romans sermon series given by former SBC president J.D. Greear. The video showed clips of Greear preaching his sermon series in 2019, then Litton preaching his sermon series in 2020. As the clips alternate back and forth, the similarity of Litton’s words, phrases, illustrations, and outlines to Greear’s are evident.

Litton ‘Clears The Air’

Pastors Jared Cornutt, J. Allen Murray, and Matt Henslee had Litton on their “The Potluck Podcast” this past Monday to discuss some of the controversy surrounding him the past couple of months.

Litton was asked to share his heart regarding the leaders within the SBC who are calling for his resignation, not only as the 63rd president of the SBC but also as the senior pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama.

In an attempt to “clear the air,” Litton said he understands why people have concerns and alluded to what has been publicized as contributing to those feelings.

“Most of it centers around a Romans series that we did last year,” Litton explained. “When we were outlining the series, as a responsible part of pastoring a preaching is if you’re going to preach through something, you want to outline what you’re going to cover for each week.” The senior pastor shared that during the process of doing so, he remembered that Greear had preached on Romans. Litton called Greear and asked if he could see how Greear had outlined the series. “In that process [my friend Greear] not only gave me permission to [view his outline], he said that if any material at all [can be used], you’re welcome to it.”

Saying he was grateful that Greear had offered all his Romans’ sermon material for use, Litton said, “I had no intention doing anything with it except I enjoy listening to him and I enjoy how he handles certain things in teaching.”

Students Protest Christian High School in CO for Allegedly Forcing Out Two Coaches for Being Gay

Stephanie Martin

August 25, 2021

Dozens of students at Valor Christian High School, one of Colorado’s largest religious high schools, walked out of class Tuesday, protesting that administrators allegedly forced out two coaches for being gay.

Last weekend, volleyball coach Inoke Tonga took to social media to describe how he resigned after officials at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch confronted him about his sexual orientation. After Tonga went public, a former Valor lacrosse coach revealed that a similar thing happened to her three years ago.

Now some of the school’s 1,200 students, along with other members of the school community, are speaking out against what they call discrimination. Meanwhile, Valor defends its “beliefs pertaining to sexuality and marriage” and says Tonga “has misrepresented many aspects of this matter.”

Former Valley Christian High School Coaches Speak Out

Tonga, who was set to begin his second year on Valor Christian High School’s coaching staff, says the campus pastor and athletic director confronted him about a Facebook post he’d made regarding his sexual orientation. “They said I had two options: The first option was to denounce that I was gay,” he says, and the second was to resign. “They told me, ‘We’ll give you…however long it takes for you to accept our help to be healed and…become a child of God.”

Tonga says Valor officials offered to help him with his “spiritual battle” and said “it was a danger” for him to work with young people. They also said, according to the coach, that “parents pay too much money to have their kids be coached and taught by someone like you who identifies as a gay man.” Yearly tuition at Valor is more than $21,000.

After deciding to resign, Tonga says he’s receiving support from students that is “very humbling.” The coach adds, “I know I can be a gay man and a child of God.” On Facebook he writes, “My identity will not be defined by a few men in a room full of self-righteous egos, who will never be worthy enough to tell me my worth. The lack of love these men and others have for me is fulfilled by the eternal love that my God has for me.”

After Tonga’s story made the news, former Valor Christian High School lacrosse coach Lauren Benner posted about her experience of being forced out because of her sexual orientation. School officials had said they received an anonymous tip about her same-sex relationship, leaving Benner shocked that “I was being questioned about something that was so incredibly personal.” Benner says she felt cornered and resigned, and in her goodbye email from her school account, she wasn’t allowed to reveal her reason for leaving.

UPDATE: More Local Governments in China Offering Cash Rewards for Reporting ‘Illegal Religious Activities’

Stephanie Martin

August 25, 2021

UPDATED August 25, 2021: Christians in China are in danger of being turned in by their neighbors for “illegal religious activities” in multiple areas of the country, according to a new report. In the city of Qiqihar in Heilongjiang province, informants can now earn up to 1,000 yuan or $150.

According to China Christian Daily (CCD), on Monday, Aug. 9, the Meilisi Daur District United Front Work Department published “The Reward System For Reporting Illegal Religious Activities Offences.”

People can report violations by email, letter, or phone call, and the stated purpose of these reports is to “strengthen the control of illegal religious activities in the district, prevent any COVID-19 cluster resulting from religious gatherings, mobilize the public to engage in preventing, suppressing illegal religious activities, and ensure a harmonious and stable religious landscape.”

“Under the new reward scheme in Qiqihar,” says CCD, “whistle-blowers can earn from 500 to 1,000 yuan for reports about unqualified religious personnel, unauthorized trans-regional activities, preaching and distributing printed religious works, audio-visual products outside places of worship, unauthorized donations, or private house gatherings.”

CCD said that similar reward systems had been implemented last year in several other places in China, including city and county governments in six other provinces. According to International Christian Concern, even though authorities “do not specify which religion they are targeting, it is self-evident that house churches are being suppressed.”

ChurchLeaders original article written on April 5, 2019, below:

In China’s ongoing crackdown against Christianity and other religions, authorities in the city of Guangzhou are now paying citizens to turn in their faith-practicing neighbors. People who report “illegal religious activities” can receive cash rewards up to $1,500 in U.S. dollars while remaining anonymous.

The measures, announced March 20 by Guangzhou’s Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, target Protestant “house churches” but will likely affect Catholics and people of other faiths too. The tactics are expected to spread beyond Guangzhou.

“Now here in China we live in a Big Brother atmosphere,” says one newly baptized Christian.

Christians in China in Danger From Neighbors

For more than a year, Chinese authorities have tried to gain more control of faith practices, targeting “unregistered” Protestant churches, rewriting the Bible, and demolishing “unapproved” Catholic churches and mosques. The Christian faith seems to be flourishing amid the persecution, even as it’s being driven more underground.

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