In a special mashup podcast this week, two Christian musicians criticize the “woke mob” that tried to “cancel” singer Matthew West because of his recent song about modesty. Alisa Childers of ZoeGirl and John Cooper of Skillet discuss the “Progressive Christian Twitter” backlash against West’s “Modest Is Hottest” video, which West insists was merely satirical.
Childers and Cooper also share insights about the biblical concept of purity and the role parents play in guiding kids’ decisions.
Singers Stick Up for ‘Modest Is Hottest’
“Modest Is Hottest” features West singing to his two daughters about dressing conservatively, preferably in turtlenecks. On social media, the singer described his lyrics as a “lighthearted take on an age-old struggle.”
But the backlash was swift, with many online commenters accusing West of perpetuating false stereotypes and promoting the now-controversial purity culture. West removed links to the song and video, saying he didn’t intend to offend anyone.
After texting about the dust-up, Childers and Cooper decided to join forces and discuss it with viewers. Near the beginning of the podcast, Childers admits she wants to “stick up for Matthew West.” Cooper agrees, saying, “No one has a sense of humor anymore.”
Not wanting your daughters to dress like pop stars or TikTok dancers should be a no-brainer, the two say. They talk about Oklahoma pastor Jeremy Coleman, who posted a “fixed” version of West’s song. Coleman’s lyrics include “Just wear what you want” and “Hold your head up so your crown doesn’t fall off.” He also sings, “If the boys act like pigs, tell ’em gouge out their eyes.”
Critics of purity culture say it’s toxic and even grooms girls for sexual abuse. In an interview with Newsweek, Coleman says, “Telling [girls] to dress a certain way to be ‘less attractive’ is reverse body-shaming. We are in essence telling them that they should be uncomfortable with who they are because of what others, namely men, think of their body.”
Alisa Childers: The Bible Is Our Authority
Childers and Cooper discuss whether purity is antiquated and conclude that Christians can critique that culture without throwing the entire concept “out the window.” Childers, quoting verses such as 1 Corinthians 6:19, says purity is a biblical mandate for both men and women. “Isn’t it possible to encourage our daughters to dress modestly—for lots of reasons, not just because of what it’s going to do to guys—while at the same time helping them understand that they’re not responsible for men’s lust?” she asks.
Following Jesus and denying ourselves, says Childers, “means you die to how you want to always express yourself.” She adds, “That’s something that our culture doesn’t really get.” Childers also critiques the attitude of Pastor Coleman’s musical rebuttal, saying, “The Bible just doesn’t give you that permission” to wear whatever you want, no matter your gender. “Being a Christian,” she says, means “we have the Bible as our authority, not the woke mob.”
Cooper agrees, saying it’s “not correct” to act like the way you present your body “is a non-issue to the Lord,” whether male or female. And it’s “really silly” to say the Bible doesn’t speak to purity issues, he adds. As the father of an 18-year-old daughter, Cooper encourages Christian parents to try to protect their kids out of love.
UPDATED July 9, 2021: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has granted tax-exempt status to the group Christians Engaged, reversing course after receiving national attention for denying the group’s request. Among the IRS’s reasons for its prior decision was that the biblical beliefs of Christians Engaged were associated with the Republican party.
“I am incredibly thankful to the IRS for doing the right thing,” said Bunni Pounds, president of Christians Engaged, “and we look forward to continuing our mission of educating more followers of Jesus to pray for our nation and to be civically engaged. When we stand up, our republic works for all Americans.”
First Liberty Institute (FLI) represented Christians Engaged in its appeal to the IRS. FLI’s Lea Patterson said, “This is truly great news for our client, as well as religious organizations and churches across America. We are grateful the IRS changed course to bring its decision into line with the Constitution and its own regulations.”
Political pressure might have contributed to the IRS’s decision to change course. On June 29, 2021, House Ways and Means Republican leader Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Oversight Subcommittee Republican leader Mike Kelly, R-Pennsylvania, sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, saying they were “shocked” by the IRS’s reasoning in its decision to deny Christians Engaged nonprofit status. The committee, said Brady and Kelly, “will not stand idly by and let the IRS target taxpayers and politicize their religious beliefs.” They requested that Rettig look into “this serious matter” and respond by July 9.
Republican Reps. Jim Jordan, James Comer and Mike Johnson also sent a letter dated June 30 to J. Russell George, Inspector General for Tax Administration. “The IRS’s denial of tax-exempt status to Christians Engaged on the assumption that bible teaching is an activity ‘typically’ associated with Republicans is wrong and outrageous,” they said. “We urge you to immediately review the IRS’s denial of tax-exempt status to Christians Engaged and whether the IRS has denied similarly situated applicants on the basis of constitutionally protected speech.”
ChurchLeaders original article published on June 18, 2021, below:
Christians Engaged, a self-described “educational, Christian and nonpartisan” group based in Texas, is appealing after the Internal Revenue Service denied its request for tax-exempt status.
In a letter last month, Stephen Martin, director of exempt organizations, informed Christians Engaged it is disqualified from nonprofit status because it operates “for the private interests” of the Republican party and its “bible teachings are typically affiliated with” that party. The group, meanwhile, says it merely encourages Christians to get involved with the political process, and it accuses the IRS of “engaging in both viewpoint discrimination and religious discrimination.”
Christian Engaged Denied for Several Reasons
In its rejection letter, the IRS acknowledges that Christians Engaged does indeed “educate voters on what the bible says about issues,” but it concludes that those “educational activities are not neutral.” Instead, “the topics typically are affiliated with distinct candidates and specific political party platforms.”
These include “the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, biblical justice, laws vs. lawlessness, freedom of speech, religious liberty, government and business ethics, human trafficking, fiscal responsibility in government budgeting, defense, borders and immigration, U.S. and Israel relations,” according to Martin’s letter. “Specifically, you are engaged in prohibited political campaign intervention,” he informs Christians Engaged.
These activities include a month-long political activism course, Martin writes, with topics such as “instructing individuals on becoming a citizen lobbyist, working with elected officials and candidates, discerning between the [lesser] of two evils, keeping the Christian soul right when working on politics, practical steps and pitfalls in political activism, [and] how to work with an interest group.”
Note from Randy: Tim Keller writes, “The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us. Because the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.”
It’s hard to imagine more relevant words than these while churches and pastors are still reeling over a year plus of fighting over COVID and politics: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19, NIV). I think this means not only that we should listen when people happen to speak, but also we should ask them the kinds of questions that invite them to speak further and at a deeper and more personal level.
I love this article by Blake Glosson, a student at Reformed Theological Seminary, about the importance of asking others thoughtful questions as a way of ministering to them and showing interest in their lives.
Think about people who make you feel loved. What about them makes you feel this way? Without knowing you (or them), I can almost guarantee that they ask good questions and listen well. As David Augsburger has observed, “Being heard is so close to being loved that most people cannot tell the difference.” Show me a person who asks questions and listens, and I’ll show you a person who makes people feel known and loved.
Sadly, this is an increasingly rare gift. As Stephen Covey observed, “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” In other words, most people don’t actually listen—they wait. They wait for you to stop talking so they can talk. Some of this is a matter of attention span—trained by short videos on social media, minds quickly wander. But at a deeper level, most people are simply more interested in what they have to say than what the other person has to say.
This makes asking questions and actively listening one of the rarest (and most powerful) ways to communicate love. And when we bless others by asking good questions and listening well, we reflect the character and love of God in a unique and powerful way. Question-asking was one of Jesus’s favorite tools. Even though Jesus knew all things (John 16:30)—including people’s hearts (John 2:24–25)—he still asked over 300 questions in the Gospels alone.
Though we know this from experience, we can often feel ill-equipped to actually do it ourselves (and ashamed to ask how). This is particularly true for younger generations, whose social development is often shaped more by social media than genuine human interaction. To that end, here are three principles for question-based conversation.
As a husband and father, one of the tricky parts of leading in your home with teenagers is when two women that you love are at odds – your wife and your daughter. And before you know it, you are found right in the middle of it all.
So how does a husband and father navigate the waters of female drama when it hits so close to home? Here are a few practical suggestions that I have learned firsthand:
Remember, you and your wife are a team, not you and your daughter.
Regardless of who’s right and who’s wrong, always be on guard against ever giving the impression that you and your daughter are on a team against your wife. That will never end well.
Despite any of your daughter’s or wife’s disagreements, always require your daughter’s respect for her mother.
At the same time, make sure that you and your wife are in agreement as ‘coaches’ about the rules of the game and how you will maintain respect toward your kids.
Address concerns with your wife privately, then both of them collectively.
One thing you never want to do is disrespect your daughter’s mother in front of her. This will not help to solve anything but will fuel further drama.
If disagreements escalate and need to be discussed between you and your wife privately, have that conversation between the two of you, not the three of you.
There will be times when your wife is in the right and other times when your daughter may be. Discerning how and when to address these things either privately or collectively can be key to your success.
Lead them towards love and understanding of one another.
Mothers and daughters argue and disagree, oftentimes, not because they are so different, but because they are so similar.
It’s important to help them see that both of their viewpoints have validity, and help them seek to unify around common ground rather than being driven by pride surrounding their differences.
As fathers, God has given us a male perspective and balanced viewpoint to some of our ladies’ emotionally-driven conclusions. Lead with love while not being afraid to put your foot down when necessary.
Dad, whether you like it or not, you’ve been called to referee your family’s drama. Do it wisely and with grace, and it’s a win-win for everyone.
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Romans 12:18
People can’t escape thinking in terms of good and evil; right and wrong; moral and bad. The question Nietzsche wrestled with, and which I have been reflecting on as a result for a few months, is: are these categories real, or are they socially constructed like so many other cultural phenomena?
Let me back up: How do we summarize Nietzsche’s ethic in a way that he may approve of?
I’ve said before that Sir Friedrich was less of a philosopher and more of a sledgehammer, and when you fully grasp the scope of his project, you realize that anything less would have failed outright and his name would have blown away in the winds of history like most everyone else. So what made him rise up above most other notable philosophers? What causes young men to flock to his writings in droves, still today?
Nietzsche, upon declaring that there is no God and the idea of Him was no longer necessary, but had begun dying in the human psyche, gave with it a warning. He cautioned people that if they disposed of God, then they would also dispose of all morals, ethics, and codes of order as we had always known them historically. If you removed (or attempted to) all traces of Judeo-Christian ethics from the world, you would face chaos and violence unseen heretofore.
In other words, he warned that a storm was brewing and that the death of God could very likely send humanity into a free-for-all tailspin reminiscent of the book of Judges where “Everyone did as he saw fit.”
Nietzsche outlined this idea in a book fittingly titled Beyond Good and Evil. He rationed that the ideas of good and evil (as deontological concepts, for you nerds) inherently require a deity to define them, or hand them down to humans.
Put even more simply, if there is such a thing as good and evil, there must be a God who dictates them.
So if there is no god, what are you left with? What Nietzsche constructed to replace morals, as simply as I can understand it, is the idea of strength versus weakness.
Haitian Dieufort Fleurissaint, who pastors a church in Boston, spoke out after Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home around 1 a.m. Wednesday, July 7, 2021. Boston has one of the largest Haitian populations within all of the United States.
The Associated Press reported that Fleurissaint said, “To kill and assassinate a president in his home just shows the level of insecurity in the country and how no one is exempt from the violence. It’s unacceptable.” The Haitian pastor, 59, has lived in the United States since he was 18. He said he called family and friends in Haiti to make sure no one leaves their home for the time being for fear of more “reprisals and unrest” following President Moïse’s assassination. Fleurissaint also heads a Haitian advocacy group.
In a weekly prayer meeting he holds with pastors in Haiti, Fleurissaint said Wednesday’s call focused on the events that have taken place. Fellow pastors in Haiti are “afraid for their lives,” he said.
The Caribbean nation of approximately 11 million people designates more than 60% of its population as living in poverty. In 2020, the U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory advised travelers not to travel to Haiti because of crime, civil unrest, and kidnappings. “The situation is dire. We’re praying for peace in Haiti,” Fleurissaint said.
President Jovenel Moïse Assassination
President Jovenel Moïse’s home was invaded by “well-trained professional commandos” in the early hours of Wednesday morning, resulting in his death and the critical wounding of his wife Martine. She is expected to make a full recovery.
President Moïse, whose security is a specialized unit of the Haitian National Police, was lethally shot twelve times in the planned attack. It was reported that his daughter Jomarlie hid in her brother’s bedroom while the assassins tore through the house looking for her father. Her brother was found tied up alongside a maid, while the couple’s other child was not reported to have been in the home at the time of the attack.
Four of the unidentified assailants were killed by Haitian National Police and six were arrested. One of the men is believed to be a U.S. citizen.
In November 2016, Moïse was declared the winner of Haiti’s presidential election in a controversial win. Since then, his presidency has been plagued with accusations of corruption and ongoing civil unrest, all of which was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Haiti’s Prime Minister Claude Joseph has become acting President for the time being.
Editor’s note: This article refers to acts of sexual violence that some may find disturbing and possibly triggering.
Pornography website XTube has announced that it will shut down on Sept. 5, 2021. Anti-porn activists are celebrating XTube’s demise even as they double down on their efforts to take down its sister site, Pornhub, and the sites’ parent company, MindGeek, for profiting from human trafficking, child sex abuse, and other forms of exploitation.
“XTube’s announced shutdown is more evidence that MindGeek’s exploitation empire is crumbling,” said Dawn Hawkins, CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE). “This is welcome news, given the mounting evidence that MindGeek has hosted and profited from child sex abuse material, rape, sex trafficking, nonconsensual material, sexual violence and other racist and misogynistic sexual content on its myriad of pornography websites. XTube’s closure is a clear victory for the movement to hold Pornhub, MindGeek, and the pornography industry accountable for their facilitation of sexual abuse and exploitation.”
“It’s a sad day for us at XTube, but we have to announce that after 13 years, XTube.com will be shutting down on September 5th,” said the site in an announcement about its closure. “We’re proud of the vibrant community we’ve built since 2008 and we’re grateful to all of you who have shared your content on our platform. Unfortunately, it’s time for us to move on to greener pastures and greater things.” According to NewBytes, XTube was the first porn site to function like YouTube by allowing users to upload their own content. NCOSE says that XTube is a well-trafficked site “that had 10.77 million visits in May 2021 alone.”
Laila Mickelwait, Director of Abolition at Exodus Cry and founder of the #TraffickingHub movement, posted about XTube’s shutdown, saying, “Lesson: If you can’t operate legally, you can’t operate at all. Next up: Pornhub.” #TraffickingHub, which was launched through Exodus Cry, is a campaign to shut down Pornhub, the largest pornography site on the internet.
TheNextWeb reports that XTube is being oddly quiet about its shutdown. It has not made an announcement on its social media pages or blog, but has published the news on its FAQ page. In a statement to TNW about the reason for Xtube’s shutdown, MindGeek said, “Like any tech company, we are constantly evaluating our content offerings and products to best serve our users. XTube has always had a dedicated but small community, and we believe that its users and creators will be better served on one of our existing platforms, where they will be able to take advantage of wider reach and increased visibility.”
Many have pointed out that XTube’s shutdown comes as MindGeek faces a number of lawsuits accusing the company of profiting from various types of sexual exploitation. A class-action lawsuit filed by 34 women on June 17 in California alleges that MindGeek is guilty of crimes including violating federal sex trafficking laws and distributing child pornography. According to the claim, “This is a case about rape, not pornography. It is a case about the rape and sexual exploitation of children.”
A “MUST SEE” NEW VIDEO RELEASE:
Pornhub is complicit in the sex trafficking and rape of women and children. It’s time for Pornhub to be shut down and it’s executives held accountable.
The NCOSE has also filed a class-action lawsuit against MindGeek, accusing the company of profiting from videos of the sexual abuse of minors who were being trafficked. NCOSE has a page that extensively documents the evils of Pornhub here.
Pornhub was also in the news after New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote an op-ed on Dec. 4, 2020, accusing the site of profiting from the sexual exploitation of children. The piece led to Visa, Mastercard and Discover suspending the use of their cards on Pornhub.
“XTube’s decision to close was not made in a vacuum,” said Hawkins. “This decision comes after mounting pressure from legislators, outrage in the media, loss of mainstream corporate support, and survivors stepping forward to demand justice through lawsuits. We hope that XTube’s closing is a harbinger of things to come for MindGeek. We look forward to the day we can announce that Pornhub and additional MindGeek-owned pornography sites are ending.”
NDAs, or non-disclosure agreements, have been tied to many recent sexual abuse scandals, both within and outside the religious community. Now a worldwide movement is working to stop the misuse of NDAs, which activists say squash accountability, transparency and truth.
On Wednesday, a “community of survivors, whistleblowers and activists” launched the NDAfree website and hashtag. “As followers of Jesus,” they note, “we long to see our communities press into the hard work of pursuing truth, promoting transparency and, where possible, seeking reconciliation.”
Resources on the website include FAQs, discussion questions and templates for letters to leadership. Although the advocacy group says it won’t offer legal advice or get involved with specific cases, it promises to share people’s stories so “truth and light” can flourish.
The cornerstone of the site is an NDA-free pledge that churches and Christian organizations can take. The goal is for ministry-based groups to avoid confidentiality clauses and non-disparagement agreements unless there’s “a genuine need to protect intellectual property or personal data.”
A Global Movement to End NDAs
The tech industry originally used NDAs to protect trade secrets and prevent employees from jumping ship to competitors. But the agreements are now associated with protecting an organization’s reputation by imposing consequences on people who speak up. Some churches and Christian ministries even require volunteers to sign confidentiality agreements.
The use of NDAs to silence abuse victims came to light with the Harvey Weinstein case and the resulting #MeToo movement. Recently, NDAs played a role in abuse allegations against the late Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias and controversial pastor Mark Driscoll.
The four members of the #NDAfree launch team live throughout the world. (One previously worked as events director at Zacharias’ ministry, RZIM.) Lee Furney, a member of the launch team who lives in East Africa, says, the campaign is truly “global” and has “no limits.” Furney, an abuse survivor, wasn’t forced to sign an NDA but is familiar with the damage they cause—namely, how they muzzle the truth. And he urges every church and faith-based organization “to be…working out what its policy is ahead of time.”
“We need to read God’s Word and also discern through our conscience what God’s telling us,” says Furney. “What the NDA does is bind the conscience, so if you think God’s telling you, you really need to share this with someone, you can’t do that because there’s all sorts of legal repercussions.” Some NDAs even prevent people from confiding in a Christian therapist, which he calls “just appalling.”
Most NDAs also state that signers can’t tell anyone they signed an NDA, which, as Christianity Today notes, is “cloaking even the secrecy in secrecy.” CT reporter Daniel Silliman tweets that he “reviewed 15 to 20 confidentiality agreements” while writing about them. He discovered that “many are so broad that someone who signs one could be in violation at any time.”
Abuse Survivors Speak Out Against NDAs
On the NDAfree site, abuse survivors and whistleblowers describe being essentially gagged by various legal agreements. Some felt as if they had no choice to sign, saying their family’s livelihood was at stake.
When Lucy Hefford, a missions student in England, signed an NDA, she thought it meant her superiors believed her abuse claim. Instead, she eventually realized they just wanted her to “go away.” Hefford describes an “excruciating” ordeal of having a Christian organization put “reputational damage [above] me as a person.”
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (AP) — A Bible-themed attraction in Kentucky that features a 510-foot-long (155-meter-long) wooden Noah’s ark is planning to begin fundraising for an expansion.
The Ark Encounter said Wednesday that it would take about three years to research, plan and build a “Tower of Babel” attraction on the park’s grounds in northern Kentucky.
A release from the Ark Encounter park said the new attraction will “tackle the racism issue” by helping visitors “understand how genetics research and the Bible confirm the origin of all people groups around the world.” No other details were given on the Babel attraction or what it might look like.
Answers in Genesis, the ministry behind the ark, raised private funds to construct and open the massive wooden attraction in 2016. The group preaches a strict interpretation of the Earth’s creation in the Bible. The group also founded The Creation Museum, which asserts that dinosaurs walked the earth just a few thousand years ago, millions of years after scientists say they went extinct. That facility is just south of Cincinnati in Boone County, Kentucky.
The Ark Encounter’s expansion plans also include an indoor model of “what Jerusalem may have looked like in the time of Christ.”
The Ark Encounter said attendance is picking up after the pandemic lull in 2020, with up to 7,000 visitors on Saturdays, according to the news release.
Josh Duggar’s cousin, Amy King, recently censored a photo of her son, Daxton, that she had posted on Instagram. While King did not mention Duggar directly, she included a warning to parents to keep predators in mind when posting pictures of their children online, saying she has a “new set of eyes” for such concerns.
“I posted the unedited version,” said King of her toddler, “and then I thought to myself is that too much skin? He’s just shirtless. 🤔 and then I thought you never know who is seeing this picture and what they are thinking and now I’m going to be extra careful and protect him!” King’s current picture shows Daxton in a pool with a blue heart emoji covering his chest.
“I encourage all parents to be very careful on what we post from now on,” said King. “I now have a new set of eyes and I’m more of [sic] aware of how someone can use anything for evil. It’s the sad truth, but something worth sharing for sure.”
Amy King Speaks Out
Amy King’s post was likely a reference to her cousin, Josh Duggar, who was arrested in April and faces felony charges for possessing child pornography. Duggar and his family are famous for being featured on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” which was cancelled in 2015 after allegations came to light that years beforehand Duggar had molested two of his sisters and three other girls. On June 29, 2021, TLC cancelled the spin-off show “Counting On,” which followed the older Duggar children as they navigate adulthood. In a statement, the network said, “TLC feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately.”
Josh Duggar is currently out on bail pending trial and is staying with family friends LaCount and Maria Reber. Duggar is not allowed to be around any minors, except for his own children while his wife, Anna, is present. Josh and Anna are currently expecting their seventh child together. Duggar’s trial had been scheduled for July 6, but was recently pushed back till Nov. 30. Duggar was denied a request for his trial to be pushed back to February 2022.
King herself appeared on “19 Kids and Counting,” where she was portrayed as a rebel—a characterization she now says was harmful and unfair. “Growing up I’ve never had a police record, I’ve never done drugs, I’ve never done anything that would label me as a wild or crazy cousin,” King told TODAY Parents in a May interview. “It played with my emotions and then I realized, I’m fine.”
King said she is concerned about Josh Duggar’s children and observed that Scripture has strong words for those who cause children harm. “There’s a Bible verse that says it’s better to hang a millstone around your head and jump into the ocean than to hurt one of these precious little ones,” she said. “To look at my little guy who is 19 months old, my heart and my brain cannot comprehend that. It blows my mind. It’s heartbreaking and disgusting and evil. It’s so evil. I want nothing to do with it.”
King emphasized her desire for justice to be done, alluding to another Bible passage: “I will just say that whatever you do in the darkness comes out in the light. If you’re going to look at such disgusting and sickening images, justice has to be served.”
2. During COVID, some families drifted away in terms of commitment and involvement.
3. During COVID, you gained many new families, but they remain largely online.
4. After COVID, your current in-person attendance is running at about half or less than it was pre-COVID.
All of which means there is a fifth reality for almost every church:
5. Here, at the end of COVID and the reopening of the world, you need to reboot your church.
I chose the term “reboot” purposefully as I believe it really is the most appropriate word. A reboot is different than just returning to in-person events. That’s just turning on the lights and opening the doors as if nothing happened. But during the last 15 months, some things did happen. No church just reopened their doors and went right back to the way things were before. Why? Because we need a lot more than a reopening.
We need a reboot.
A reboot is more purposeful, more intentional, more systemic than a reopening. In computing terms, rebooting is:
“The process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either cold (alternatively known as hard), in which the power to the system is physically turned off and back on again causing an initial boot of the machine, or warm (or soft) in which the system restarts without the need to interrupt the power. The term restart is used to refer to a reboot when the operating system closes all programs and finalizes all pending input and output operating before initiating a soft reboot.”
Or think of it this way: A hard reboot “means that the system is not shut down in an orderly manner, skipping file system synchronization and other activities that would occur on an orderly shutdown.” A soft reboot, or restart, is when “the operating system ensures that all pending I/O operations are gracefully ended before commencing a reboot.”
There was nothing graceful about the onset of COVID, just as there is nothing as simple or easy as a soft restart at its end. It was a hard, cold shutdown, and we now face a hard, cold reboot.
This post is written to my pastor’s wife. She is my wife.
It could be to anyone married to a pastor. It’s hard work.
In fact, I’ve said this before, but the spouse of the pastor may be the most difficult job in the church at times.
But, this one is to my wife. (You’re welcome to read along.)
I’ve also said this before—I have the perfect pastor’s wife. Younger pastor’s wives, if you want to learn how to do it, I’d submit my wife as an example.
Three years ago we ventured out—again—this time into church revitalization. Church planting was hard—God allowed us to be part of two plants—and this would prove to be our toughest assignment. And there have been many in our years together. Some days, especially early when change seemed rapid, Cheryl came home in tears many Sundays because people took the emotions of change out on her instead of me. (I’ve never understood that cowardly move, but it happens.)
Yet, God’s been faithful and Cheryl has been faithful. And, for the overwhelming portion of people, the church has been faithful. I couldn’t have done what I’ve been called to do without all of them.
But, second only to God, Cheryl deserves my applauds. Not that she’d ever expect it. That’s one of the reasons she’s so great—she just faithfully loves and serves others—but because it’s right for me to honor her. And I have this public opportunity, so here goes.
Cheryl, here are 10 “Thank yous” to the pastor’s wife:
Thank you for following me where God leads me—without complaining, or resisting, or refusing to move even though life was very comfortable where we were and the future looked very uncertain where we were going. Truth is, you are usually ready to walk by faith before I am. What a blessing!
Thank you keeping confidences. Thank you for biting your tongue when someone complains or criticizes unjustly. Thank you for knowing more “junk” than most people should, and never sharing it with anyone, yet being my closest confidant.
Thank you for being my biggest encouragement and never making the church wonder where your support is. Even when the message stinks, you pretend it is wonderful! Even if you think I’m doing wrong, your message to others is one of support.
Moving to the next generation of small group discipleship certainly accelerates speed, but there’s something else even more important. You can hardly watch any screen without receiving the ubiquitous message about 5G technology like the ones by Circles Life Australia. Every mobile phone company and manufacturer touts 5G. Every device down to your Wi-Fi enabled toothbrush talks about being part of the Internet-of-Things, IoT, revolution that needs 5G’s voracious speeds. And with $2.7 trillion already spent on 5G deployment, the pressure to migrate to 5G is only going to get greater.
What is 5G technology?
5G is the fifth generation of mobile networking. It is a new kind of network to connect virtually everyone and everything including people, phones, watches, cars, workout equipment, where you left your keys.
5G is over 10 times faster than the current networks. For example, a two-hour movie downloads in about six minutes on current technology, compared to 3.6 seconds on 5G[1].
Faster seems like it’s the nature of progress and technology. It’s like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, “I feel the need for speed.” Faster computers, faster Wi-Fi, faster everything.
Faster Small Group Discipleship?
But when it comes to small group discipleship, should we be pressing “the pedal to the metal” to accelerate? We think the only possible answer is yes, and it comes from Jesus himself.
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
Matthew 28:19
This is not a suggestion, it’s a straight-forward command that we are to be actively pursuing and achieving. Our priority starts with “going” coupled with “making disciples” through small groups. Making disciples is not a second-tier, lower priority. It is something that we are to be actively committed to each and every day. We are to “disciple” with energy, efficiency, and all possible speed.
To do anything less, to pass off small group disciple making to a subcommittee, to something less than our core motivation is to turn our backs on the One we say we worship. To not disciple via small groups is to turn our attentions and affections away from Jesus, our God and Savior, and bow to another, lesser god.
Yes, we need to accelerate:
· Making small group discipleship opportunities available.
· Deep small group discipleship and commitments required.
· Opportunities for people to “stretch their wings” and fly.
· Encouragement for discipleship attempts and success.
· Recovery from failure and “getting back up on the horse.”
So, let’s agree that we need accelerated 5G Small Group Discipleship. But there is one aspect about 5G that we haven’t talked about.
5G Small Group Discipleship “Range”
You’re probably thinking that with the march of technology and progress, not only are 5G speeds 10 times faster, but the towers can be 10 times farther apart. Sorry to disappoint, but with 5G, towers move from a range of 10 miles down to about 1,000 feet, or 2% of the current 4G range. So, it will require between 5,000 to 20,000 5G towers just to cover Manhattan.
You can look at this range limitation as a curse or a blessing. We choose blessing because reducing the distance moves you closer. With mobile communication, closer always translates into reduced power requirements and dropped calls. With 5G Small Group Discipleship, closer also moves responsibility, accountability, and decision-making close to where the people and problems are.
Isn’t this what the Apostles did?
Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
Acts 6:3
From a small group discipleship standpoint, closer is always better.
· Greater communication
· Greater sharing
· Greater intimacy
· Greater transparency
· Greater accountability
· Greater emotional and physical efficiency
Slow, the New Fast
But faster does not always equate to better. Just like there has been significant planning and investment in 5G deployment, there needs to be significant investment in 5G Small Group Discipleship. And not just in money.
We need to be willing to make significant relational investments. And this takes time. There is no substitute for going deep through relationships that are paired with life experience and accountability.
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.
Matthew 14:28,29
As Jesus discipled Peter, they spent lots of time together. Jesus provided opportunities for faith and life to collide, letting Peter try out his faith “legs” in the stormy waters of life. Jesus was also there to catch Peter as distraction lead to fear, followed by sinking. This was immediately followed by additional discipleship training, correction, encouragement, and other faith-stretching experiences.
5G Small Group Discipleship Conclusions
To reach the world for Jesus, to fulfill his Great Commission, we need to accelerate small group disciple-making with greater resources and decision-making at the point of contact. 5G Small Group Discipleship will look different from traditional, legacy models.
· It will be the top priority of the church, not just expressed in mission statements and committee reports, but from the pulpit, in web site placement and emphasis, in assigned resources.
· Every staff and leadership person will be in the process of being discipled and discipling with accountability.
· Small group discipleship will be seen as something to aspire to, the natural pathway to spiritual maturity and leadership both as a Christian and within the church.
· But while accelerating small group discipleship speed and opportunities, there will be a natural pace to deepen relationships and accountability.
Yes, we truly do need a next-generation approach to disciple-making. We definitely need 5G Small Group Discipleship.
This article on small group discipleship originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
Brian Phipps contributed to this article. He is Founder/President of Disciples Made and co-author of “Find Your Place.”
Dear fellow youth worker, I want you to know I said a prayer for youth leaders this morning. My own need for encouragement sparked that prayer, but I hope these words (and my words to God) boost your spirits as well.
This morning I was staring at the wall, even though I needed to tackle a bunch of emails and tasks before 5 a.m. I was a little hungry and a lot tired from recent toddler-induced all-nighters, so my mind kept wandering. I gazed at our wedding pictures and thought to myself, “So that’s what we looked like before we had children!”
In that state, I was really tempted to just have a game night with our middle schoolers that evening. It seemed much easier than talking about the Holy Spirit. But then I realized this is just a moment of distraction.
Life is like this. It ebbs and flows. It fires fast and quietly slows. We wonder how we got ourselves into a few messes we didn’t really have time for. Meanwhile, we daydream about a few other things we’d rather be swimming in. And the awesome beautiful reality of our everyday walking-around life is waiting for us to wake up and dive in.
So I needed a little prayer. And I’m guessing an all-around prayer for youth leaders is always a good idea. If you pray for me, I promise I’ll pray for you. (Sorry about the Michael W. Smith reference. I totally didn’t mean to do that…unless you really like that song. Then I totally meant to do that.)
My prayer for youth leaders includes these petitions:
For your friendships to grow deeper and your ministries to thrive in healthy ways.
For your homes to be messy and for that to be okay.
That your conversations are full of grace.
That you’re able to say “no” a few times today so you can say “yes” to what matters most.
For the strengthening of your influence and leadership abilities.
For your awesome families. May your spouse or significant other overflow with blessings and full cups.
That God will bless your amazing kids (both biological and ministry-logical).
For you to adopt someone into your family who’s a bit invisible.
That you will know someone and love someone more than you love yourself.
And there’s even more…
The Instagram creeper in me prays that your photos are seasoned with good food and funny moments. That your posts reveal life, laughter and little obsessions, from dirt bikes to glowing city lights.
In my prayer for youth leaders, I’m asking God to give you what you need today. And for you to have fun doing whatever you find yourself doing. To serve in ways that give you life. And to always know you are deeply loved.
I’m praying you will know that God loves you not for what you do or for how many kids walk through the door but simply because you’re you. I’m praying that you know you are worth Jesus to God. That’s something youth ministers don’t hear very often because we’re usually the ones saying it.
May God bless you with purity of heart and mind today. With clarity and strength. With a catalytic converter that turns your doldrums into passionate service.
So we’re up and at ’em. We’ve got dragons to slay. But in the meantime, it’s comforting to know that we took time to say a prayer for youth leaders.
(Oh, and cheers to Michael W. Smith and the rhyming, whimsical Dr. Seuss. I appreciate the ways you’ve subtly influenced this post!)
Shortly after announcing they were on their way to the hospital, Wilkerson posted on Instagram asking for prayers for their first daughter and newest family member. The proud papa said, “This is my daughter. Never knew a love like this. Keep praying for Waylon, she was admitted into the NICU due to trouble breathing. We are fully confident she’s fine but praying for her breathing and for her stay in NICU to be brief. Grateful for the incredible care she’s receiving!”
A few days after Waylon was born, Wilkerson preached on July 4th. Leading up to that Sunday, he told his followers their prayers are working. He shared a praise report that “their faith is high,” and said they got to hold their daughter. ”It’s got me excited to preach tomorrow,” he said.
Later that day, their newborn’s feeding tube was removed and it was reported she was getting better. “The best 4th of July of my entire life,” Wilkerson said, including a photo of him holding Waylon next to mom DawnCheré.
On Monday, baby Waylon’s IV was removed and she was taken off oxygen. Wilkerson updated his followers, saying the baby would remain in the NICU a couple more days for monitoring, but that they are “celebrating the progress…Keep praying until she is home with us.”
The pastor, who officiated Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s wedding, posted a photo on Wednesday of his wife and him heading to the hospital to bring Waylon home. “Don’t tell me God won’t do it,” he told his 923k followers.
Vous Church
Vous Church was born out of the church Wilkerson’s father pastors in Miami that started as a youth/young adult ministry. The program hosted by Trinity church was called The Rendezvous which was later shortened to Vous.
The growing church notes on its website that Vous’s mission is “to create a church in Downtown Miami that would be a home to all ages and represent the diversity of our beautiful city.”
Wilkerson’s Reality Television Show
In 2015, Rich and his wife starred in a reality television show title ‘Rich in Faith‘ on Oxygen, the network founded by Oprah Winfrey. “No matter what you think about it, it’s the language of our culture,” Wilkerson said, referencing reality TV shows during an interview. “We want to be people who are trying to take every opportunity to spread the message of faith.” The series that only lasted one season followed the life and ministry of the megachurch pastors as they planted Vous Church.
(RNS) — The isolation of 2020 and 2021 compounded many traumas of Americans’ private and social lives. As communities of faith reopen their doors, faith leaders can see the toll that this pandemic has taken. In the polite social interactions or prayer requests, leaders are squarely facing a litany of losses due to illness, financial insecurity and political distrust. People of faith are still processing the other epidemics of police brutality and systemic racism.
But in small groups or in 1-to-1 pastoral care sessions, the fear of domestic violence and psychological aggression has crept into conversations and prayer requests.
Even by conservative estimates, this crisis of violence affects every faith community, and every faith leader. The recent growth in online resources available to clergy due to the pandemic has opened up conversations across faiths and countries about domestic violence and how to address it.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men experience sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Rates of domestic and intimate partner violence for those within LGBTQ communities are even higher.
In addition, an average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States — more than 12 million women and men during a single year.
As a consulting producer on a film series, ” Healing the Healers: Domestic Violence,” I viewed many hours of candid conversations between colleagues who have been touched in some way by domestic violence, as spiritual care providers or as survivors themselves. Hearing the testimony of fellow faith leaders and educators brought home to me the critical role that clergy play in responding appropriately. I also experienced several uncomfortable moments when I realized my own ignorance in not recognizing abuse that was in plain sight when I served as a parish minister.
The Rev. Tawana Davis, a survivor and the host of the film series, recalled advice she got from a trusted mentor: “Don’t let the Bible be the belt that beats you” — that is, be alert to ways that sacred texts have been misused to support violence. Our faith communities have so often been that belt.
In the series, educators and clergy grapple with the toughest questions facing faith leaders and care providers. What about forgiveness — what does it mean in the context of those who perpetuate violence? How does a faith leader respond to the entire family system, in order to keep a victim or survivor safe? When is marriage counseling a dangerous, even fatal, recommendation? How have clergy allowed silence and shame in even talking about the topic?
UPDATED July 7, 2021: Canadian Pastor Tim Stephens was released from the Calgary Remand Centre on Thursday July 1, 2021, and reunited with his family after spending 17 nights in jail for holding worship services that disobeyed COVID-19 public health orders.
Stephens was released on the day the government removed COVID-related restrictions throughout the area.
“I’m thankful that the restrictions are done and descended,” he told Rebel News. “Including the court orders that go along with that.”
“I’m thankful for God. I’m thankful that he’s built His church. That He’s sustained our church at Fairview Baptist Church through this time. I’m thankful that He strengthened me, my wife, and our family. Through this, people have come to know the saving love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through this, people have been strengthened in this country; around the world. And so these many reasons I’m thankful…of course there’s still a road ahead of us for justice, for truth, for our province…I continue to have a joy now that I can be out and pastor my church and be with my family and see what the future has in store.”
Stephens is currently scheduled to appear in court on July 14, 2021, which will determine whether he will face any further consequences for disobeying the government’s COVID-19 health orders.
Watch the video of Stephens being reunited with his family on the day of his release below:
Pastor Coates and Others Attend Rally Outside of Pastor Tim Stephen’s Prison
UPDATED June 25, 2021: On June 19, 2021 a peacefully rally was held outside of the Calgary Remand Centre were Fairview Baptist Church’s Pastor Tim Stephens is being held.
Stephens was arrested on June 14, 2021 for violating COVID-19 restrictions. This marks the second time in less than a month Stephens has had to go to jail for disregarding Alberta Health Services orders.
Supporters for Stephens gathered outside of the facility he is being kept at holding signs that read, “Stand in freedom. Open your church. Christ is King.” They also sang worship songs, prayed, and listened to preaching from other pastors.
Associate Pastor for Victoria Baptist Church, Trevor Stephens who is Tim’s brother said, “We as pastors have been given a command by God that we must obey Him and He has called the church to gather. The message is to the government that we will continue to gather despite their edicts.”
Raquel Stephens, Tim’s wife, told Rebel News “We’re just really grateful for everyone that’s come,” referring to those that gathered showing support for her husband outside of the prison facility he is being held at. “Most of all we’re just thankful that most of these people here recognize the Lordship of Christ and are here to testify to that.”
Mrs. Stephens shared that it was easier for her husband this time compared to his last arrest because he knew what to expect this time, but “for us [family] knowing that it’s going to be longer is obviously more difficult. But I think he’s prepared us to suffer well, to testify to the goodness of God and His goodness and sovereignty in the midst of all the things he leads us through.”
GraceLife Church’s Pastor James Coates who also spent days jail (35), many of them in isolation, for also violating COVID-19 health orders was at the peacefully rally and told Rebel News that Stephens has “got to keep his eyes on Christ and hold fast to the Word of God. Spend as much time in prayer as he can and just look to the one who is just and as he entrusts himself to a faithful judge he can have full confidence that in the end this injustice will be addressed.”
While encouraging those in attendance to continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ Coates warned them he believes the government strongholds are going to worse for Christians. He said, “The whole thing is going to come down, and we are going to claim Christ all the way to the grave. And we are going to preach the Gospel to all those who hate Him and hate us, and we’re going to appeal to them to be reconciled to God. And may God work through His grace by our preaching to reconcile hearts to Himself.”
GraceLife Church still doesn’t have possession of their property that contains their worship facility which was seized by authorities in early April of this year.
Stephens’ scheduled court date on June 28, 2021, which will hopefully result in him being released.
UPDATED June 17, 2021: Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in Southeast Calgary was arrested on Monday for a second time because he violated COVID-19 rules for holding an outdoor church service.
Authorities said the arrest came after “repeated calls from concerned citizens regarding church services,” and that Stephens deliberately disregarded public health orders as he hosted a service that broke social distancing protocols and gathering capacity limits.
A news release by Alberta Health Services stated; “It is only when significant risk is identified or continued non-compliance is noted that AHS resorts to enforcement action…It is important to understand that law enforcement recognizes people’s desire to participate in faith-based gatherings. However, as we are still in a global pandemic, we all must comply with public health orders in order to ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing.”
As Stephens was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car while his family watched in the driveway, his wife asked one of the officers, “You want to arrest me and take me away from them too?” pointing to her children. The officer responded, “I have no reason to arrest you, alright. So I’m going to leave it at that. Okay?”
Reaching his hand through the steel-barred police car window to hold his children’s hands while they loudly wept, Stephens said, “Bye, guys.”
ChurchLeaders original article written on May 19, 2021, below:
Recently arrested Pastor Artur Pawlowski gave listeners a stark warning in an interview with Rebel News: “They’re going to come after you; it’s just a matter of time.”
Artur Pawlowski told reporter Adam Soos, “We have become political prisoners in Canada because we dare to challenge their corruption…if they can do this to me they can do this to you and anyone that they wish.”
The Polish-Canadian pastor and his brother David were arrested on May 8, 2021 and charged with “organizing an illegal in-person gathering.” Their crime was holding a church service that violated COVID-19 protocols. After approximately 40 plus hours in jail, they were both released.
The Pawlowskis Detail Their Jail Experience
The pastor said the jail cells they put the pastors in didn’t have mattresses, pillows, or blankets–just bare concrete. “If you want to torture someone, deprive them of sleep. And that’s exactly what they did.” Explaining that after sitting on just concrete for 10 hours straight your body starts to hurt, and it’s very uncomfortable.
After there was a shift change, the pastor and his brother’s experience changed drastically. The new staff sergeant said, “This is wrong” in regard to the way they were being treated. He gave them Bibles, mattresses, and even made coffee for them. Instead of being treated like an animal, Artur Pawlowski said these guards “treated us like human beings.”
Artur Pawlowski shared that one jailer mocked them for their faith. The jailer would walk by their jail cell and wave his hands back and forth in the air saying, “Praise the Lord” as he laughed and pointed at them.
The brothers were transferred to another facility which Artur Pawlowski called “hell.” “I thought all of this is about health…about keeping people safe,” he said, “What a hoax…what a big fat lie,” because he said they were thrown in with 30 other inmates in a filthy cell. The brothers were told that they “were there for our safety and for the safety of Albertans in the middle of a pandemic.” This seemed contradictory to COVID-19 regulations they keep being told they are violating.
Police Followed the Pawlowskis Home
After their release, Artur Pawlowski claimed they were followed by the police in a helicopter and asked why? He wondered if it was to make sure this pastor doesn’t “feed another homeless man on the way home!”
“When is this insanity going to end? They’re doing this to me. They’re going to come after you; it’s just a matter of time,” Artur said. “I think we have fallen very, very low in our country.”
Artur Pawlowski is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday May 17, 2021 for a contempt of court order, which he says was never presented to him.
Watch the full interview Artur Pawlowski gave after his release here.
Pastor Tim Stephens Arrested on Sunday
On Sunday May 16, 2021, Fairview Baptist Church’s pastor Tim Stephens was arrested in Calgary after leading the 11 a.m. worship service. Like Pawlowski, Stephens was arrested for breaking COVID-19 public health rules that only allow a maximum of 15 people indoors with social distancing guidelines while wearing masks. Stephens has since been released.
Stephens wrote an article posted on the church’s website stating, “Restricting the church to 15 people — which essentially restricts the church from gathering — is against the will of Christ and against the conscience of many who desire to worship the Lord of glory according to his Word.”
Alberta Pastor Disagrees With Disobeying Restrictions
Rev. Ray Matheson is a retired pastor who is now a congregational care associate at First Alliance Church in Calgary, Alberta, is not supportive of Pawlowski and Stephens’ actions. Matheson said, “I feel very sad about what these pastors are doing…it gives Christianity a bad name. I think those pastors believe they are doing the right thing, but I believe they’re misguided and they’re not following the principles of Scripture or the example of Jesus.”
In an interview with Postmedia’s Licia Corbella, Matheson told her, “Our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world would not call what is happening here persecution….Health restrictions placed upon us still allow us to worship God and follow all the essentials of our faith.”
(RNS) — Julianna Zobrist, a Christian author, singer and Instagram influencer, says she is focusing on raising her children and won’t discuss her acrimonious divorce from a former baseball star and World Series MVP.
Zobrist’s estranged husband, Ben Zobrist, has sued the couple’s former pastor, alleging the pastor had a sexual relationship with Zobrist’s wife and claiming the pastor had abused his spiritual influence.
Julianna Zobrist said in a statement Tuesday (July 6) that she would not address those claims, saying she refused to “divert my energy to slinging mud and publicly reveal personal details of my previous relationship in order to score sympathy points.”
Instead, she said she would focus her attention on the couple’s three children.
“It’s tempting to retaliate or seek revenge when someone decides to hurt, slander, or lie about you,” she wrote in the statement posted on Instagram. “Especially in public. It’s difficult to remember that those who harm us are acting out of their own pain. Wounded people need healing, and that’s what I pray finds every person who is so lost in their pain that they resort to inflicting harm on others.”
Zobrist is the host of the “Read with Jules” book club, a subscription discussion club for women; author of “Pull It Off,” a book on faith and embracing “your authentic self”; and a Christian singer. She is also co-author, with Ben Zobrist, of “Double Play,” a book on family and faith.
She and her husband have both filed for divorce in Tennessee. Their former pastor has been subpoenaed as part of the divorce proceedings, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Ben Zobrist’s lawsuit against the couple’s former pastor includes copies of text messages, in which the former major leaguer says his wife accused him of “emotional, verbal, and spiritual abuse,” a claim he denied.
“Can’t be 2,000 miles away from her and kids while she’s thinking that about me. I have owned every bit of my sin, but I will not own the abuse angle,” Ben Zobrist told the couple’s former pastor in a text message.
The former major leaguer, who played baseball at two Christian colleges, was named MVP of the 2016 World Series after helping the Chicago Cubs break their long-standing championship drought.
Liberty University in in Lynchburg, Va. Photo by Taber Andrew Bain/Creative Commons
(RNS) — A former NFL player who served as a diversity officer at Liberty University has sued the Christian school for $8 million, claiming his firing violated the Civil Rights Act and the Virginia Human Rights Act.
In a complaint filed Friday (July 2) in federal court for the Western District of Virginia, Kelvin Edwards, a former executive vice president of management efficiencies and diversity, alleges that he was fired because Liberty’s acting president, Jerry Prevo, does not value diversity.
Edwards was hired in the summer of 2020, according to the complaint, to take a leadership role in the Office of Equity and Inclusion, which seeks to keep the school “free from unbiblical and unlawful discrimination.”
The job offer included a $275,000 salary, a $1,500 monthly car allowance, scholarships for Edwards and his family, and a new home, according to the complaint. To take the job, Edwards states that his wife life left a teaching job and he left a job at a car dealership in Texas, where the family formerly lived.
The complaint alleges that the school committed to Edwards for 10 years during the recruiting process.
A former Liberty University football star who went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, Edwards cited his close ties to the Falwell family in a news release announcing his return to the school.
The hiring of Edwards and football coach Turner Gill at Liberty was touted as part of the school’s “ongoing efforts in diversity,” according to the news release, dated Aug. 4, 2020.
“I warmly refer to Liberty’s founder, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, Sr., as my ‘father’ not only because of the intimate relationship and mentorship between us, but also because current President Jerry Falwell and I formed a fast and easy brotherhood as college dorm mates,” Edwards said. “My wife, Tiawna, and I are excited to continue our relationship with Liberty University and to uphold the charge of building Champions for Christ.”
Jerry Falwell Jr. resigned as president of Liberty three weeks after Edwards was hired.
Not long afterward, the complaint alleges, Liberty’s acting president, Prevo, told Edwards there was “confusion” about his role.
“It became clear that Prevo did not believe in diversity efforts based at Liberty,” the complaint alleges. “In fact, during that same time frame, Mr. Edwards heard Prevo comment there were ‘too many people’ in diversity and inclusion.”
The complaint also claims that only two of 28 executives and senior leaders at Liberty are African American.
In a statement Monday to a local television station, the school said that “Liberty University rejects the claims of Kelvin Edwards and will prove them false through the legal process.” The statement also said Prevo had determined that hiring Edwards was “among his predecessor’s mistakes” but claimed the school had tried to find him another job with the institution.
The school said that it is committed to diversity and that Prevo has increased the budget for diversity efforts. “The University and its president are fully committed to racial and ethnic inclusion and diversity throughout Liberty, including on its faculty, in its student body and staff, and on its executive team,” the statement read.
According to the complaint, Edwards was terminated from his role in October 2020.
Liberty suedJerry Falwell Jr. in April, seeking millions for breach of contract. That suit was filed in state court.
The impact of the pandemic has been felt in local churches all across the country. From models of pastoral care to changes in giving patterns to the logistics of worship gatherings, every church has had to grapple with how we navigate this ever-changing landscape. For some churches these shifts will lead to closing the doors permanently, others will lean into innovative ways of ministering, and many will view themselves as a restart, of sorts, focusing on fresh opportunities to reach people in their communities with the heart of a new church plant.
David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, shared that up to 20% of churches could permanently close as a result of the challenges of the pandemic by early 2022. While it remains to be seen if this prediction will hold true, there is ample evidence that churches are struggling with both keeping people engaged in God’s mission and reaching new people, two critical elements of a healthy church. In the most recent Unstuck Church Report (Q4 2020), churches reported being only slightly down in small group involvement however they showed a 56% decrease in the number of people baptized and a 44% decrease in the number of new people being added to their ministry databases. While tending to the needs of congregants was vital and appropriate at the outset of the pandemic, and ongoing pastoral care is needed, we find ourselves over a year later drifting from the missional call to reach others with the hope of Jesus. Yet it is precisely that life-transforming hope that our neighbors need, and not just need, but it is what they are seeking in these times of uncertainty.
So, where does the church go from here, when “here” is still awkward and anxious and “there” is unfamiliar and unknown? This is the question the pandemic has given us; a question which cannot be answered with sweeping statements, as the context of every local congregation is unique. However, there are some signposts, broad indicators, and common ground—rooted in the very nature of the church herself—which together provide a way we can all begin to approach the near future of the church.
1. The mission of the church has not changed. Jesus made it clear that his followers were to be witnesses of the gospel message, introducing people to Jesus and engaging in the relational ministry of making disciples. This was the mission of the early church and this same mission has been handed down, generation after generation, across the globe, as the clarion call of the church. Over her history, the church has endured a number of pandemics and other crises, both local and global. Throughout, the mission has remained the same: Point people to Jesus, invite them into Christ’s community, and walk with them through a life of discipleship. Regardless of what is happening all around us, we are called to reach new people and invite them into God’s family.
Joby Martin joins “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast” to discuss what happens when a church leader has truly been run over by the “grace train" and understands the profound love and grace of God.
