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‘One of the Greatest Honors’—President Biden Makes Juneteenth a National Holiday

By
Jessica Lea
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juneteenth
Juneteenth Celebration at Emancipation Park 1880 touched up. A group photograph of thirty-one people at a Juneteenth Celebration in Emancipation Park in Houston's Fourth Ward. Reverend Jack Yates is pictured on the left and Sallie Yates is pictured in the center toward the front in a black outfit

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris signed a bill into law that makes Juneteenth a national holiday. It is the first time since Ronald Reagan made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday in 1983 that a new national holiday has been established. Juneteenth National Independence Day is the twelfth legal public holiday in the United States.

The new bill overwhelmingly passed both the Senate and the House. The only opposition came from 14 Republicans in the House who voted against it.

Juneteenth’s History

Juneteenth, which takes place every year on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and was first recognized as a state holiday by Texas in 1980.

In the middle of the Civil War (1861-1865), President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, declaring freedom for slaves in 11 Confederate states. The proclamation did not free all of the slaves in the U.S. (there were about four million), just those in Confederate states that were not under Union control. Slavery was not officially abolished until after the Civil War ended in the spring of 1865 when the 13th Amendment of the Constitution was ratified on December 6 of that year.

Prior to the ratification of the 13th Amendment, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and on June 19, 1865, announced that the slaves in that state were free. Slaves in Texas should have been free already because of the Emancipation Proclamation, but slavery had continued in the state, which did not see much fighting or many Union troops during the war. Some slave owners even moved to Texas, seeing it as a place of refuge.

Regarding the decision to make Juneteenth a national holiday, President Biden said, “I think this will go down, for me, as one of the greatest honors I’ve had as president.” Vice President Harris told those at the bill’s signing, “We have come far, and we have far to go. But today is a day of celebration.”

During his speech at the event, the president said the holiday isn’t just a celebration of the past, but that it also calls for “action today.” Biden continued, “Great nations don’t walk away. We come to terms with the mistakes we’ve made.”

South Dakota is currently the only state that doesn’t recognize Juneteenth as either a state holiday or a day of observance.

Christian author Jemar Tisby, known for his works “The Color of Compromise” and “How to Fight Racism,” celebrated the news, but warned that some will use the decision as an opportunity to downplay or perpetuate the racial brokenness that still exists in our country. “Get ready for appropriation,” he said. “Get ready for commercialization. Get ready for easy narratives of American exceptionalism and tropes about inevitable racial progress, get ready for a white backlash that tries to glorify the Confederacy. Be prepared and protect your joy.”

Jesse T. Jackson contributed to this article.

Catholic Foster Care Agency Wins Supreme Court Verdict

By
Jessica Gresko
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foster care
FILE - This June 8, 2021 file photo shows the Supreme Court building in Washington. A Thursday, June 17, 2021 Supreme Court ruling that favored Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia was far from the constitutional gale wind that would have reshaped how courts interpret religious liberty under the First Amendment. Governmental entities are now on notice that if they want to ban discrimination against LGBTQ persons or anyone else, they had better not allow for any exceptions – or else religious groups will have the right to ask for them, and they'll have a strong case for getting them. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — In another victory for religious groups at the Supreme Court, the justices on Thursday unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency that says its religious views prevent it from working with same-sex couples. The court said the city of Philadelphia wrongly limited its relationship with the group as a result of the agency’s policy.

The ruling was specific to the facts of the case, sidestepping bigger questions about how to balance religious freedom and anti-discrimination laws. Instead, the outcome turned on the language in the city’s foster care contract. Three conservative justices would have gone much further, and LGBTQ groups said they were relieved that the decision was limited.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a majority of the court that Catholic Social Services “seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs; it does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else.”

Roberts concluded that Philadelphia’s refusal to “contract with CSS for the provision of foster care services unless it agrees to certify same-sex couples as foster parents … violates the First Amendment.”

Roberts noted that no same-sex couple has ever asked to work with Catholic Social Services, which is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. If that were to happen, that couple would be referred to one of the more than 20 other agencies that works with same-sex couples, Catholic Social Services has said.

“For over 50 years, CSS successfully contracted with the City to provide foster care services while holding to these beliefs,” said Roberts, one of seven members of the court who is Catholic or attended Catholic schools.

Because of its beliefs, the Catholic agency also does not certify unmarried couples.

In recent years, religious groups have been delighted by victories at the court, often by wide margins. That includes cases in which the court lifted a ban on state aid to religious schooling, gave religious schools greater leeway to hire and fire teachers and allowed a cross to remain on public land. More recently, the court repeatedly sided with religious groups in fights over coronavirus restrictions.

Southern Baptists Approve Abuse Task Force, Say Abusive Pastors Should Be Banned

By
Bob Smietana
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task force
Tennessee pastor and messenger Grant Gaines talks about his proposed task force during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 16, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee. RNS photo by Kit Doyle

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — The newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention got his first marching orders on Wednesday (June 16).

Messengers to the SBC’s annual meeting directed President Ed Litton to set up a task force to address concerns Southern Baptist leaders have mistreated abuse victims and mishandled allegations of abuse.

The denomination’s Nashville-based Executive Committee has hired Guidepost Solutions to review its handling of abuse allegations. The new task force will either take over that review or set up a separate third-party review.

North Carolina pastor Ronnie Parrott and Tennessee pastor Grant Gaines had proposed setting up the task force during the SBC’s annual meeting. Their proposal was initially referred to the Executive Committee during a meeting Tuesday.

But Gaines appealed to messengers — delegates from local churches — and they overruled that decision by a more than two-thirds majority.

Concern over sexual abuse had dominated conversation leading up to the SBC’s annual meeting, which drew more than 21,000 people to Nashville’s Music City Center, including 15,726 messengers.

In early June, leaked letters from former SBC ethicist Russell Moore became public. Those letters included allegations that abuse victims had been mistreated by leaders of the Executive Committee. A leaked “whistleblower report” included an audio clip of Executive Committee president Ronnie Floyd, saying he was not concerned about what abuse survivors say about the SBC’s response to abuse.

“I am not worried about that,” he said. “I’m thinking about the base. I just want to preserve the base.”

A recent report from Rehoboth Baptist Church in Georgia also alleged SBC leaders had failed to look into allegations of abuse against a former staffer at the church who had moved on to allegedly abuse children at other churches. Executive Committee staffers have also been criticized for mishandling the case of abuse survivor Jennifer Lyell. A leaked email from a former Executive Committee staffer referred to abuse advocates as being misled by the devil.

Ed Litton: Systemic Racism Is ‘Obvious,’ but SBC Has ‘Never Condoned’ CRT

By
Jessica Lea
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ed litton
The Rev. Ed Litton speaks during a news conference following his election as the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Nashville. RNS photo by Kit Doyle

In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett, newly elected Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president Ed Litton said that the SBC has neither subscribed to nor condoned critical race theory (CRT). Litton also called the existence of systemic racism—which CRT attempts to address—“obvious.” 

“We’ve never condoned critical race theory,” said Ed Litton, in response to Burnett’s repeated statements that the SBC has accepted the ideology. “We believe in gospel reconciliation.”

Ed Litton: We Need a Better Conversation 

Burnett started her interview by referencing a quote from Pastor Mike Stone. Stone was one of Ed Litton’s competitors in the SBC presidential race, the victor of which was determined at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting. Ahead of the meeting, Stone supported and promoted a resolution declaring that CRT and intersectionality (I) were incompatible with the Baptist Faith & Message. Burnett quoted Stone saying, “Our Lord isn’t woke,” in warning against such secular ideologies, and she asked Litton for his thoughts on SBC members who believe the denomination is “drifting too far to the left.” 

Litton rejected the idea that the SBC was “drifting left,” as well the label “moderate.” Media headlines have framed the SBC as avoiding a “push from the right” by not electing Stone. Said Litton, “I’m very conservative in my faith, my theology…in my politics.” Regarding accusations that some SBC factions are too “woke,” Litton said, “The reality is we’re facing real cultural needs in the cities that we are pastoring and trying to minister to people’s desires, heart’s desires, and needs, and especially their need for the gospel and to know the love of Jesus Christ.”

Litton clarified that the SBC has never endorsed or adopted CRT. “We’ve been very clear repeatedly that it’s a philosophy, it’s a worldview, it’s a way of seeing things in the culture we live in,” he said, “but we do not adopt it. We may teach it in our seminaries only to help pastors understand that it’s a mechanism used in our culture.” 

It is not clear why Burnett believes the SBC had subscribed to CRT outright. Certainly, the ideology has been hotly debated within the SBC over the past several years. Resolution 9, passed during the convention’s 2019 annual meeting, affirmed CRT and intersectionality in a limited way, stating, “they alone are insufficient to diagnose and redress the root causes of the social ills that they identify, which result from sin, yet these analytical tools can aid in evaluating a variety of human experiences.”

Several resolutions related to CRT, including the one Stone supported, were put forth at this week’s meeting. Religion News Service (RNS) reports that about 25% of 40 resolutions put forth were related to CRT in some way. However, the only one adopted was Resolution 2, “On the Sufficiency of Scripture for Race and Racial Reconciliation,” which did not mention CRT.

In her interview, Burnett continued to press Litton on his views on systemic racism, “wokeness,” and how he responds to the disagreements among SBC leaders on these topics. “We need a better conservation about this,” said Litton. “There are people who are afraid of dealing with this issue, and it’s basically recognizing that people of color in our communities are created in the image of God, they have value because God not only loves them, he redeems them, and God wants them in his family.”

In a tweet about the interview, CNN interpreted Litton to be referring to CRT when he said “this issue.” However, it was not clear from the exchange whether Litton was talking about CRT, systemic racism, or something else. 

At a press conference following his election, Litton said, “CRT is a reality in our culture, and I think people are afraid. I don’t think they need to be afraid within the SBC. It is not taught. It is not believed among our seminaries. No one is endorsing it.” But because it is a reality in our culture, Litton said, “We need to understand it. We need to seek to help find justice….We have a higher tool [that] is the Gospel.” 

J.D. Greear’s Legacy as Southern Baptist President: Grappling With Abuse, Pushing Diversity

By
Adelle M Banks
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Greear's legacy
Newly elected Southern Baptist Convention president Ed Litton, left, and outgoing president J.D. Greear take a selfie after Greear pounded the gavel for the last time June 16, 2021, to close the SBC Annual Meeting. Litton will open the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California, with the pound of the gavel. Photo by Robin Jackson/Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — It’s traditional for the Southern Baptist Convention president to serve two one-year terms. But J.D. Greear had a lengthy bonus round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 48-year-old leader of a Durham, North Carolina, megachurch was thrust into the national limelight as the leader of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination while it faced old and new challenges related to race, sex abuse and declining membership.

Here’s a look at his legacy as the SBC’s president from 2018 to 2021:

He grappled with sex abuse allegations in the denomination and acknowledged the need for more action.

Early in Greear’s presidency, Texas newspapers published a joint investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against about 380 current and former Southern Baptist ministers and volunteers. In the waning days of his tenure, leaked letters, including one to him from former SBC ethicist Russell Moore, leveled charges that some denominational leaders were trying to thwart efforts to address such allegations.

“Wish we could have seen more progress on responding to abuse, and current revelations reveal we still have farther to go,” he told Religion News Service via email as he concluded his presidency.

More than a decade ago, SBC leaders rejected a proposal by abuse survivor advocates for a database of offending ministers, staffers or volunteers, citing autonomy of local churches as a factor. But Greear, who has said in the past that some type of a database could be an option, continued to include that possibility.

“Pastors I speak with everywhere want to see it addressed in a way that ensures our churches are safe from abuse and safe for the abused,” he said. “Maybe a database of sorts that tracks leaders, churches, associations, conventions, and entities that have gone through training, vetting, background checks, etc”

Rachael Denhollander Explains the Long Road It Took for the SBC to Agree on a Sexual Abuse Investigation

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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communicating with the unchurched

Devoted Christ-follower, attorney, former gymnast, and sexual-abuse survivor Rachael Denhollander posted a series of tweets detailing her view of what it took to get the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to look into its Executive Committee’s alleged mishandling of sexual abuse claims from victims within their collection of churches.

Denhollander, who led the way in speaking out against her abuser, USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, told her followers that Christa Brown “began pioneering the movement to shine a light in the SBC” well over a decade ago. Denhollander’s tweet was posted just a few hours after the SBC messengers nearly unanimously voted for an independent task force to investigate the SBC’s Executive Committee for its alleged mishandling of sexual abuse claims.

SBC Leaders Called Brown Demonic

Denhollander praised sexual abuse survivor Christa Brown for relentlessly telling the truth over and over in spite of leaders calling her “demonic” and “satanic” and comparing her behavior to that of an abuser. Denhollander said Brown created a “safe place” for the other survivors who came forward and became a guide to help weather the storm that embroiled those who “dared to speak up.”

Brown started a website that tracked SBC abusers and those who tried to cover up the abuse. Denhollander said Brown’s “pioneering” for abuse survivors resulted in “over the course of many years, others began to speak up.”

Denhollander and the Caring Well Curriculum

When SBC leaders reached out for Denhollander’s help in developing ‘The Caring Well‘ curriculum, a unified call to action for churches to confront the abuse crisis, she said she suggested a couple critical steps for immediate action. Step one, she said, was “an audit of the convention to gather data related to abuse and mishandling, and to identify trends and patterns to inform meaningful steps forward.” The second step was “an investigation into actions of elected, appointed or paid staff or leaders of the Convention, related to abuse & mishandling of abuse.”

Thinking it would take years for her suggestions to see the light of day, Denhollander said that although the SBC Executive Committee “stonewalled and refused all offers of help” abuse survivors continued to speak up.

She shared that SBC messengers Grant Gaines and Todd Benkert reached out for help to draft their now-passed motions to “clearly articulate their goals without running afoul of SBC parliamentary rules.”

“Sound theology and SBC polity is not, and never has been, in opposition to meaningful steps to reform. All that is needed are leaders willing to ask those who can help ‘how do we get this done?’ and then fighting for it,” Denhollander said.

Change is slow but it’s not wasted, she said, and added she is grateful for what she witnessed happen at the SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville this week. “The work is not done,” she said, “but we’ll do it, together.”

Read Denhollander’s Entire Twitter Thread Below:

Today, SBC messengers voted to conduct a convention-wide audit of abuse and mishandling, and also to investigate the actions of convention leaders related to sexual abuse. It’s a critical step, but what what I want you to really see, is what it took to get here:

Well over a decade ago, @ChristaBrown777 began pioneering the movement to shine a light in the SBC. At great personal cost, she told the truth over, and over, and over. Leaders called her demonic, satanic, as bad as an abuser, but still she fought for the truth and survivors.

She wrote a book and began a website tracking SBC abusers and coverup. When other survivors like @ThigpenTiffany came forward, Christa was the safe place, and the one to guide survivors through the storm that was coming when they dared to speak up.

Together, survivors like Tiffany, @Dave_Pittman and others spoke up. A very few seasoned advocates, like Christa and @BozT fought for them and spoke the truth. @DianeLangberg pioneered understanding and responding to trauma in the church. The response was often vitriolic.

For Father’s Day: Most of Us Have Spotted Records

By
Joe McKeever
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communicating with the unchurched

“…you honor your sons more than Me…” (I Samuel 2:29). Eli was an indulgent father, and God held him accountable for it.

“O Absalom, my son. My son, my son Absalom. Would God I had died in your place! O Absalom, my son, my son” (2 Samuel 18:33). David could be a wonderful father at times and an absentee parent at other times. A lot like us.

Often when doing the funeral of an older man, I’ll see adult children showing varying degrees of love and sadness and even anger. So, sometimes in the service I will say, “Fathers are human. Sometimes they get it right and leave great memories and bless their families. And sometimes they get it wrong, just as the rest of us do. May I suggest that you appreciate your dad for what he did right and forgive him for what he failed to get right. Surely, you will want your children to do that with you.”

Love your dad. Appreciate what he got right. Forgive him where he didn’t.

On Facebook yesterday, I wrote of a scary/unforgettable memory concerning our oldest son, Neil. He was three years old and had jumped to me in the swimming pool where I, the pastor, had taken a bunch of teenagers. Keep in mind this was at the deep end of the pool. Eleven feet deep! As I caught him, something unexpected happened. His weight and momentum took us down…and down…and down. It was so frightening. I kept thinking, “I’m drowning my child!” and, “I’m going to have to pump water out of his lungs!” Finally—after what seemed to be minutes—my feet touched the bottom and I sprang up. As we came out of the water and I lifted him onto the side of the pool, he said, “Whew, Dad! That was a long time!” He was fine, but I was a basket case! So scary.

At the conclusion of my post, Neil wrote something to the effect that he always trusted his dad and mentioned a number of instances when he had pushed the envelope and I had been there. And then, his younger brother chimed in.

“Dad, do you remember the first time you took me sledding?”

I did not. “Son, you’ll have to remind me.”

“On a rare snow day” (we lived in Mississippi) “you borrowed a sled and we drove to the Cockrell’s because they had a nice hill. You parked the car at the end of the driveway and told me to go down the hill first—but I was afraid I would crash into the car. You said, ‘Go ahead and I’ll catch you.’ Well, you may have slowed me enough to prevent serious injury but I ended up with my head under the car.” I said, “Wow. I don’t remember that.” He responded, “I can’t believe I trusted you,” and added a smiley-face.

Marty was funning me, but the memory is still alive and well in his heart and mind, and that was surely over 40 years back. (I’m so sorry, my beloved son! Forgive me.)

Love your dad. Appreciate what he got right. Forgive him for the times he didn’t.

Every dad has a spotted record. Sometimes he is a hero, a champion, and sometimes he seems selfish and small-minded. Sometimes he is superman, at other times not just Clark Kent but Lex Luthor maybe.

Father’s Day sermons are a good time to remind people to appreciate their fathers, not because they are perfect but because they got so much of this right. After God took my dad in 2007, the best cure for my grief, which could be overwhelming, was to start giving thanks for all the things he got right. There were so many of those.

Pastors in Crisis: Reasons Why So Many Ministers Are Considering Quitting Vocational Ministry

By
Dr. James Scott, Jr.
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communicating with the unchurched

After a year of great challenges that have included weathering a global pandemic and its many effects, widespread and ongoing civil unrest, and a contentious election season among a string of issues, America is reeling as it begins to move toward an unknown “new normal.”

One of the effects of the past year is an unprecedented number of ministers saying they are considering quitting vocational ministry. 2020 was an especially harsh year of ministry for pastors, and 2021 hasn’t yet turned out to be any easier.

Scott Free Clinic has been working on the front lines of the mental health disaster and spiritual needs coming out of the pandemic, and part of that has included trying to respond to a record need and demand for “Pastor Care,” which is Christian clinical counseling specifically for vocational and bi-vocational ministers. In order to address ministers wrestling with whether or not to continue in ministry, we need to understand some of the reasons why they have been so deeply impacted by events over the past year. Following are some of the reasons Scott Free Clinic has seen as to why some ministers are so overwhelmed, based on our service to ministers, as well as other reports from other sources:

Depth of impact on lives, and therefore on ministry.

For some people, the pandemic was a mild disruption — they were able to work from home, didn’t lose any income, and the hardest part of the past year were the social distancing restrictions, something some people actually thrived in. But for others, their lives were rocked to the core — family, friends, church staff and church members died from the COVID-19 virus, others became very sick from it and barely survived. Others lost jobs, incomes, homes, friends, and social connections; they became isolated and alone. Conflict between spouses and family members, as well as church members, increased. All of this demanded a massive amount of shepherding and pastoral care from ministers. For many pastors, the demand for shepherding was greater than they had ever experienced before, and that has led some to consider quitting.

Unparalleled criticism from their congregations.

Criticism is a common consequence of being a church leader, but most pastors receive more support and encouragement than they do criticism (or else they don’t last long in that local church). But things have changed dramatically for many pastors over the last year, chiefly in the widespread level of unrestrained criticism they are receiving. Many pastors say it’s as if they “can’t do anything right” because they’re getting criticized for just about any direction they lead or decisions they make. If leaders require masks to attend a service they are criticized, if they don’t they are also criticized. If they only hold services online they are criticized, but if they have in-person services they are criticized. They’re criticized for wanting to continue online services even after in-person meetings resume, or they’re criticized for thinking online services won’t be as important then. The criticism has been so pervasive and persistent that this is a primary reason why some pastors are considering quitting.

Suddenness and scope of change.

The pandemic didn’t force “slight” change, it forced dramatic changes. Pastors were forced to change some of their thinking about several things related to ministry, they were forced to learn new skills, they were forced to develop new habits, and they were forced to work longer and harder — all of this because the times demanded it. That has caused many pastors to feel so overwhelmed and disoriented some think quitting would be the way out.

How to Deliver a Sermon – 9 Preaching Tips

By
Brandon Hilgemann
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communicating with the unchurched

Effective preaching is more than just about what you say. It’s also about how you say it, and not every preacher knows how to deliver a sermon. Too many sermons fail not because of bad content, but because of bad delivery. No matter how experienced you are, you should never stop learning. You should always be a student of sermon delivery because there is always room to improve.

So here are nine tips from my book Preach and Deliver that every pastor needs to know.

How to Deliver a Sermon

1. START FAST

The first words from your mouth should be powerful. They should compel your audience to want to hear more. What are you talking about? Why should I care? How does this impact me? These are questions people in the audience want to know.

People in the audience are only going to give you a minute to decide whether they want to listen or think about all the other things they have to do. Instead of sliding into your sermon, you need to start with a bang—like a bullet from a gun.

2. BE THE SAME ON STAGE AND OFF

How to deliver a sermon? The moment you step on that platform, your life is in the public eye. People will judge you on everything you say and do. You need to be the same person on stage and off. Far too many pastors fall because their private life doesn’t line up with their preaching life.

Authentic preachers stand on the stage, rip open their chest and reveal their heart to the congregation. Everything they say and do comes from deep within them. It’s not an act. It’s who they are deep inside, even when nobody’s watching.

3. LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYE

Your eyes are a powerful tool. When you look at people, they look at you. It makes the message personal. You aren’t just speaking into the abyss; you are speaking to them.

When you look at everyone, you connect with no one. But when you focus on one, you connect with everyone. Eye contact signals engagement, confidence and trust. Trustworthy people look you in the eyes. Liars look away.

4. VARY YOUR PACE AND TONE

How to deliver a sermon includes the realization that variety grips our interest. Sameness, like the sound of a babbling brook, lulls us to sleep. Don’t be afraid to raise your voice for excitement, make sound effects when telling a story, whisper in a tender moment, or stand in silence for a few seconds.

Moving your voice, like moving your body, captures attention. People need space to think, and variety to keep their attention. A great message wrapped in a monotone voice is a tragedy.

5 Strategies for Summer Church Services

By
Tony Morgan
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communicating with the unchurched

I’ve been peppered in recent weeks with questions about summer church services and how to address the summer slump in attendance. Folks have been asking about service times, numbers of services, series planning, etc. Let me share some thoughts I’ve gathered over the years.

5 Strategies for Summer Church Services

1. Should we consider reducing the number of services?

If you have multiple services where your attendance is dropping below 50% of your seating capacity, I think that’s an option you should strongly consider. The risk of losing critical mass and having empty services with little energy is far worse than the challenge of adding back services in the fall when attendance rebounds.

2. Should we consider changing the time of our summer church services?

If you’re trying to hold services anytime before 9, I’d encourage you to use the summer to test-drive new service times. You’ll likely find more success moving closer to noon rather than starting before 9…unless you’re reaching older folks. If that’s your focus, ignore this advice.

By the way, we get really hung up on changing service times. It’s not that hard. Take a week to let your leaders know. Have your leaders communicate with the volunteers. Then tell your church. It should only take a couple of weeks to shift services. For those that don’t get the word, it’ll only take one visit for them to learn the new time. It’s not that big a deal. And, changing service times is actually a healthy way for your church to remain open to the changes needed to reach people outside the faith and outside the church.

3. Should we shut down summer church services for a portion of the summer?

Believe it or not, I was working with a church recently that has made it a tradition to shut down for the month of July. You heard me right. There are no services and no ministry gatherings during the month. Folks are encouraged to embrace family time and connect in the community. I’m not ready to try that one, but, since someone else has done it, you now have permission to try something outside the box.

By the way, one side benefit is that some folks go visit other churches. That means only the folks that really love your mission, vision and values will be back in August. Honestly, if someone finds a church that’s a better fit for who they are, I think that’s a win for everyone.

4. Should we adjust our seating for summer church services?

If your attendance begins to drop well below 80% of your seating capacity and you have flexible seating, I’d encourage you to remove seats during the summer. A couple of things might happen. First, if your normal summer crowd shows up, folks will be sitting closer together and closer to the front and that will encourage more engagement in the worship and teaching. That’s a good thing. Secondly, more people might show up than you expected. If so, you can pull out extra chairs at the last second. If that happens, it’ll help build excitement because folks will recognize the larger crowd was unexpected. That’s also a good thing.

5. Should we resign ourselves to low attendance in the summer and wait to promote a series until fall?

Absolutely not. Think about it. Most churches are slowing down in the summer. If you do a big series in the summer, you’ll be doing the unexpected. You’ll be differentiating yourselves from the rest of the crowd. It’s a great opportunity to catch people’s attention. LifeChurch is the perfect example of this. They’ve established traction with a couple of big series each summer. First, they offer their One Prayer series. Then they follow that up with their “At the Movies” series.

Don’t assume people won’t show up in the summer. They will if you’re intentional about how you approach what you offer.

Need Children’s Ministry Volunteers? How to Recruit New Team Members

By
Dale Hudson
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communicating with the unchurched

At a recent Kidmin Conference, I taught about how to invite people to join your program’s volunteer team. To get the creative juices flowing, I asked attendees to design prototype recruitment posters. The goal was to illustrate the principles I’d described for when they need children’s ministry volunteers.

The group came up with loads of great ideas—and in record time. Their simple yet powerful posters reflect several key concepts to remember when you need children’s ministry volunteers:

  • Invite with vision, not need.
  • Invite people to the “why” of “what” you do in children’s ministry.
  • Keep in mind that people want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They’ll be drawn toward an important vision.
  • Attract volunteers by providing a fun, family-like atmosphere.
  • Remember: Jesus calls us to make disciples, not volunteers.

Check out these 18 poster and slogan ideas for when you need children’s ministry volunteers:

1. Been there? Done that? Walk with me?

2. Invest in Our Children, Inspire Christian Leaders

3. Join the Party!

4. Jump In: Create a Ripple, Change a Life

5. Come Sail With Us

6. Plant the Seed Today, See the Impact Tomorrow

7. Partner With Us!

8. Follow Me As I Follow Christ

9. We Believe in KIDS: Join the Movement!

10. Change a Life … It Could Be Your Own

11. Plant Seeds and Help Empower the Next Generation

12. Join the Team

13. Become Someone!

14. Come Join the Party

15. Come Join Us As We Sail to Jesus

16. Dream With Me!

17. I Am Alive Because Someone Cares

18. A Little Goes a Long Way

Bonus! If you prefer ready-made volunteer recruitment materials, here are four free posters. They reflect a philosophy of inviting people to join your church’s children’s ministry team through vision instead of need. Note: Click the photos below to download the posters and adjust them to fit your specific ministry and needs. (Disclaimer: We have no affiliation with any advertisers at the free file-hosting site.)

This article for people who need children’s ministry volunteers originally appeared here.

Saddleback Church’s Ordination of Women Pastors to Be Considered by SBC Committee

By
Adelle M Banks
-
ordination of women
Southern Baptist Convention messengers attend the annual meeting, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at the Music City Center in Nashville. RNS photo by Kit Doyle

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — A committee that determines whether churches are conforming to Southern Baptist Convention affiliation rules will consider whether Saddleback Church, a prominent California congregation led by bestselling author Rick Warren, can continue in fellowship with the SBC after Saddleback recently ordained three women pastors.

Shad Tibbs, pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Trout, Louisiana, made the request on Tuesday (June 15), the first day of the Southern Baptists’ two-day annual meeting.

Tibbs called on the SBC to “break fellowship with Saddleback Baptist Church, as they have ordained three ladies as pastors, and all other churches that would choose to follow this path. At the very least, I am asking that the validity of this matter be looked into.”

Saddleback, which does not have “Baptist” in its name but is one of the largest churches affiliated with the SBC, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

President J.D. Greear, who was officiating at the afternoon session when Tibbs made his motion, said the challenge would be filed with the credentials committee.

Saddleback’s ordinations of three longtime staffers on Mother’s Day weekend drew criticism from prominent Southern Baptist leaders and praise from supporters of women in ministry.

Local associations or state conventions have removed several churches after they appointed women as pastors, but the SBC, the national body, has not.

Tibbs cited the Bible and an article of the denomination’s faith statement, the Baptist Faith and Message, last updated in 2000, which says, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

Tibbs cited a verse from 1 Timothy in the New Testament, as the faith statement does, which says, “I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet.”

According to the SBC bylaws, the credentials committee considers such requests and makes a recommendation to the Executive Committee if it concludes the church “is not in friendly cooperation.” If the Executive Committee decides the church is no longer welcome, its ruling will be made public. If a church should appeal such a decision, messengers at an annual meeting could decide whether to sustain the ruling.

Bob Smietana contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared here.

Black Community Has New Option for Health Care: The Church

By
Carrie Antlfinger
-
Black community
In this photo taken May 5, 2021, Melanie Paige closes her eyes as she gets her first COVID-19 vaccination at her church, St. Matthew Christian Methodist Episcopal, in Milwaukee. It's one of the churches that was part of an effort with Pastors United, Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope, Souls to the Polls and the local health clinic Health Connections to get people vaccinated directly in churches. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Every Sunday at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. Joseph Jackson Jr. praises the Lord before his congregation. But since last fall he’s been praising something else his Black community needs: the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We want to continue to encourage our people to get out, get your shots. I got both of mine,” Jackson said to applause at the church in Milwaukee on a recent Sunday.

Members of Black communities across the U.S. have disproportionately fallen sick or died from the virus, so some church leaders are using their influence and trusted reputations to fight back by preaching from the pulpit, phoning people to encourage vaccinations, and hosting testing clinics and vaccination events in church buildings.

Some want to extend their efforts beyond the fight against COVID-19 and give their flocks a place to seek health care for other ailments at a place they trust — the church.

“We can’t go back to normal because we died in our normal,” Debra Fraser-Howze, the founder of Choose Healthy Life, told The Associated Press. “We have health disparities that were so serious that one pandemic virtually wiped us out more than anybody else. We can’t allow for that to happen again.”

Choose Healthy Life, a national initiative involving Black clergy, United Way of New York City and others, has been awarded a $9.9 million U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant to expand vaccinations and and make permanent the “health navigators” who are already doing coronavirus testing and vaccinations in churches.

The navigators will eventually bring in experts for vaccinations, such as the flu, and to screen for ailments that are common in Black communities, including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, AIDS and asthma. The effort aims to reduce discomfort within Black communities about seeking health care, either due to concerns about racism or a historical distrust of science and government.

The initiative has so far been responsible for over 30,000 vaccinations in the first three months in 50 churches in New York; Newark, New Jersey; Detroit; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta.

James MacDonald Unleashes Vitriol Against Journalist, Calling Her a Liar, Sl** and Apostate

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

James MacDonald, the former megachurch pastor who’s been embroiled in scandal and controversy for several years, is lashing out against independent journalist Julie Roys. MacDonald, who was fired from Chicago-area Harvest Bible Chapel in February 2019 and disqualified from ministry, calls Roys a liar and apostate, discredits her work, and describes her website as a “millstone ministry.”

ChurchLeaders has reported extensively on MacDonald’s fall from grace, which involves accusations of financial mismanagement, bullying and even death threats. MacDonald has had harsh words for previous critics, but now he’s using Twitter and his blog to target solely Roys, whom he calls “a cancer on the body of Christ.”

James MacDonald Justifies Use of Vulgar Language

In his posts, MacDonald uses the hashtag #JRgossipslut, calls Roys “JuLiar,” and lists Bible verses about harlots and whores to defend his use of sexual terms to warn against evil.

On Tuesday, MacDonald tweeted: “So grateful to be healthy and happy in the Lord to where I can finally wade into the filth from JuLIE Roys. … Gosh she is just filthy with gossip as fact and at very best half the story.” He accuses fellow leaders of not exposing the work of “non-journalist” Roys, whom he claims is “NOT a christian.”

On his website, MacDonald details her supposed bias and “deception,” saying Roys didn’t adequately report on his previous acts of repentance. He also takes issue with various financial dealings, including an audit. After listing other detractors and enemies (including people who support Roys), MacDonald focuses squarely on Roys, saying she “works for … ‘the father of lies’” and is “the single catalyst for all this destruction.”

MacDonald says he’s “brokenhearted” to unleash on Roys, calling his posts “extreme action borne of extreme circumstance.” But he adds that he doesn’t believe she “is saved or due any Christian courtesy” and tells readers to “stay tuned” for more posts about her.

Tirade Against Julie Roys Isn’t Winning MacDonald Any Fans

Julie Roys responds to each accusation by citing her previous reporting. “MacDonald’s claim about my failure to report his September 2014 [repentance] statement is not true,” she writes, pointing to her original World magazine exposé. She also walks through financial details that MacDonald disputes.

Roys describes responses to the tirades as “overwhelmingly negative.” Comments on social media express dismay—and concern—about MacDonald’s attitude and language. “I don’t understand what’s happened to you, but it’s been very sad to watch,” one Twitter user writes. “You have to stop this madness.” Another tweets, “I don’t presume to know you, but your social media presence indicates you are unwell.”

Other people say MacDonald’s approach is unbiblical. “Not only is this…textbook gaslighting,” someone tweets, “but it is beyond foolish to think it squares with the Scriptures.” Another writes, “Not even Joseph used such language when he could have when [Potiphar’s] wife falsely accused and imprisoned him. Brother, please leave this off the social media…. This is not Christian conflict resolution.”

Based on reactions so far, MacDonald’s attack campaign seems to be backfiring. “With how hard you are trying to discredit @reachjulieroys with your hateful rhetoric,” someone tweets, it “tells me there is more truth in her article [than] what she’s reporting on.” Another writes, “We don’t need the contextual framework or the clarifying minutiae. Faux-tough guy intimidating tweets like this are the smoking gun that MacDonald is more in the wrong than [Roys].”

UPDATE: Well-Known Christian Baker Charged With Violating Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Law

By
Bob Ditmer
-
communicating with the unchurched

UPDATED June 17, 2021: The well-known Christian baker, Jack Phillips, of Masterpiece Cake Shop, was back in court on June 16, 2021, for refusing to make a cake for a person celebrating a gender transition.

Phillips denied a request from Autumn Scardina, who wanted the baker to make a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside. Phillips said he wouldn’t make the cake because of the message behind it.

Denver District Judge A. Bruce Jones found Phillips guilty of violating Colorado’s anti-discrimination law. Judges Jones said, “The anti-discrimination laws are intended to ensure that members of our society who have historically been treated unfairly, who have been deprived of even the everyday right to access businesses to buy products, are no longer treated as ‘others.’ ” The violation will cost the Christian baker a $500 fine.

One of the attorneys representing Scardina said, “This is about a business that is open to the public that simply says to an entire class of people in the community that your identity, who you are, is something that is objectional.”

Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization that says it is “the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, marriage and family, parental rights, and the sanctity of life,” will appeal the ruling.

In an article published about Phillips on Alliance Defending Freedom’s site, it says, “Every American should have the freedom to live and work according to their beliefs without fear of government punishment.” Explaining that Phillips serves everyone at his bakery, but “what he can’t do is create custom cake art that celebrates events or expresses messages in conflict with his religious beliefs. And now, he is once again being threatened with punishment for exercising this freedom. It is time to leave Jack alone.”

ChurchLeaders original article written on August 15, 2018, below:

After being told by the highest court in the land that it had openly disparaged a baker’s Christianity, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission is going after the baker and his beliefs again.

On the day that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cake Shop, who refused to bake a cake for a same sex wedding, Autumn Scardina, who says he is a man becoming a woman, asked Phillips to create a custom cake celebrating his “coming out.”

Phillips refused and Scardina, a family law attorney, filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

The commission said Phillips was again in violation of state law for insisting that he will not “design custom cakes that express ideas or celebrate events at odds with its owner and staff’s religious beliefs.”

This is the same state agency that was publicly rebuked by the U.S. Supreme Court for its exhibited hatred of Christianity in the Masterpiece Cake case only weeks ago.

In the 7-2 ruling the justices wrote the “Civil Rights Commission’s consideration of this case was inconsistent with the state’s obligation of religious neutrality.”

Masterpiece Cake Sues Colorado

Alliance Defending Freedom filed a federal lawsuit late Tuesday night against the commission on Phillip’s behalf, over the state’s second attempt to compel him to bake a cake with a message that violates his religious beliefs.

He’s suing the commission for violating his constitutional right to live out his religious beliefs and his right to due process under the law.

“The state of Colorado is ignoring the message of the U.S. Supreme Court by continuing to single out Jack for punishment and to exhibit hostility toward his religious beliefs,” ADF’s Kristen Waggoner said in a statement. “Even though Jack serves all customers and simply declines to create custom cakes that express messages or celebrate events in violation of his deeply held beliefs, the government is intent on destroying him—something the Supreme Court has already told it not to do. Neither Jack nor any other creative professionals should be targeted by the government for living consistently with their religious beliefs.”

The complaint points out that because of Colorado’s attack on Phillips, he has received a number of requests for cakes “featuring Satanic symbols, depicting sexually explicit materials and promoting marijuana use.”

“It is now clear that Colorado will not rest until Phillips either closes Masterpiece Cakeshop or agrees to violate his religious beliefs,” the complaint reads. “The state’s continuing efforts to target Phillips do not just violate the Constitution; they cross the line into bad faith. This court should put a stop to Colorado’s unconstitutional bullying.”

The lawsuit also claimed the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 4 decision on the 2012 matter “vindicated” Phillips.

The Colorado Civil Rights Commission is a seven member board that is appointed by the governor with members confirmed by the state Senate to four-year terms. The current commission is made up of three Democrats, two unaffiliated members and one Republican. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is also named in the suit.

UPDATE: Supreme Court Sides With Christian Foster Care Agency in Dispute Involving Gay Couples

By
Stephanie Martin
-
catholic social services
Sharonell Fulton, the lead plaintiff in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, has decades of experience in the foster care system and has fostered 40 children.

UPDATED June 17, 2021: In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has ruled in favor of Catholic Social Services (CSS) after the city of Philadelphia suspended foster care referrals to CSS because the agency refused to work with same-sex couples. Christian organizations in the U.S. have released statements celebrating the decision in the case of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.

A Win for Catholic Social Services 

“We are pleased that the Supreme Court has overwhelmingly affirmed the First Amendment religious liberty rights of faith-based adoption ministries,” said Herbie Newell, president of Lifeline Children’s Services, a Christian child welfare agency in Birmingham, Ala. He continued:

If the state pushes out religious organizations who serve the greater society and the most vulnerable, this will result in greater inequality and a steeper burden for the state. The Biblical beliefs that compel our organization, and the families that partner with us to adopt kids, are beliefs that should be respected by the government. The Christian community in America is eager and ready to fulfill our calling to serve the vulnerable and adopt children; I’m glad the Supreme Court has clearly affirmed our contribution in this needed work.

Jedd Medefind, president of Christian Alliance for Orphans in Washington, D.C., said:

This Fulton ruling means that people of diverse convictions can still serve side by side for the good of vulnerable children in our communities. We can ensure a clear, dignified path for all who wish to foster or adopt, including LGBT+ individuals, while also ensuring that faith-inspired agencies and families can continue to serve without being forced to violate their religious beliefs. 

READ: LGBTQ and the Church Podcast Series: A Conversation We Need to Have

The Supreme Court justices were unanimous in their decision about the case, but they were not united in their reasoning. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, in which he was joined by six of the nine Supreme Court justices. Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch wrote separate concurring opinions. Justice Amy Coney Barrett also wrote a separate concurring opinion, in which she was joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Stephen Breyer, who joined in all but the first paragraph.

In his concurring opinion, Alito expressed serious concerns that the decision does not do enough to protect religious liberty. “This decision might as well be written on the dissolving paper sold in magic shops,” he said. “After receiving more than 2,500 pages of briefing and after more than a half-year of post-argument cogitation, the Court has emitted a wisp of a decision that leaves religious liberty in a confused and vulnerable state. Those who count on this Court to stand up for the First Amendment have every right to be disappointed—as am I.”

ChurchLeaders original article written on November 4, 2020, below:

As votes from yesterday’s election continue to be tallied, the U.S. Supreme Court hears its first case with a new 6-3 conservative majority that includes Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett. In Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, foster parents who serve through a Catholic agency claim they face religious discrimination because city officials require agencies to place children with same-sex couples.

Two years ago, officials in Philadelphia suspended foster-care referrals to Catholic Social Services (CSS), a longtime placement agency associated with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The city claims CSS violates its contract by refusing placements in gay households, thereby discriminating against the LGBTQ community. CSS, meanwhile, says its First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and religion are being violated.

6 Things Ministers Teach That Are More False Than True

By
Dr. James Scott, Jr.
-
communicating with the unchurched

If ministers don’t teach the truth, trusting them with anything they teach becomes difficult (at best). That’s likely one of the reasons why the Apostle Paul wrote the following:

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:15.

A problem in the 21st century is that it has become too common for what many ministers teach to include some things that just are not true, and these things often don’t even come from scripture. These tidbits may have a sliver of truth in them, but a sliver of truth in a full slice of falsehood is really teaching something that is not reliable.

Here are a half dozen examples of some popular things ministers teach that are more false than true:

We learn more from failure than success.

This is heavily parroted in church leadership circles, and I think most ministers who include it in their teaching do so without serious consideration of its validity, they’re just saying what some “guru” has claimed. It is true that for some people, experiencing failure can be one way of eventually learning how to be successful. But it is also true that MANY people are devastated by failure and don’t quickly bounce back and learn a lesson needed to then move on to “success.” For some, failure is so devastating it wipes out both their resources and any confidence in moving forward. For others, the failure is so deep and painful they don’t want to ever take risks again. Ministers can talk about and treat failure too lightheartedly. A better statement: It is possible to learn from failures and still move forward to success.

Fifty percent of all marriages fail.

Ministers routinely quote this as fact, but it isn’t true. In fact, it has never been true in America! Continuing to quote it paints a dark picture of marriage for both those who are married and to all those single people who begin to question if they should even consider marriage if it’s that bad! To my fellow ministers, PLEASE do yourself a favor and BUY and READ Shaunti Feldhahn’s book, “The Good News About Marriage.” Shaunti is a devout Christian who is a Harvard-trained researcher and, in this book, clearly details her research revealing this claim regarding the divorce rate to be F A L S E. That’s GOOD NEWS you need to know about. You can find my original review of the book by clicking here. A better statement: In spite of what you often hear, not only do a large majority of marriages succeed, a strong majority of people say they are happy in their marriage.

When God Burns Your Bridges

By
Dr. James Scott, Jr.
-
communicating with the unchurched

It was recorded that sometime in the late 1800’s the Duke of Cambridge stated, “Any change, at any time, for any reason, is to be deplored.”

To that many would say a hearty, “Amen!”

Problem, though.

We know life is not static, change happens all the time, whether it is invited or not. Yet some of our most trying times are when we push against the more significant changes in our lives. There are times when God leans into our lives and burns our bridges, making it so that we cannot hang on to the status quo or return to the “good ol’ days.”

At some point it is important to accept the fact some things never go back like they were.

These are times when God has burned our bridges, and we either push forward and forge a new reality or we fail radically.

Such a situation is recorded in the Old Testament about the life of King David after he had sinned with Bathsheba and had devised her husband, Uriah’s, death. David’s desire for Bathsheba at any cost was not a position and heart condition God found acceptable in His servant, so he burned some bridges for David …

“Then David confessed to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.’ After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused. Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. ‘He wouldn’t listen to reason while the child was ill,’ they said. ‘What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?’ When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. ‘Is the child dead?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ they replied, ‘he is dead.’ Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate. His advisers were amazed. ‘We don’t understand you,’ they told him. ‘While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.’ David replied, ‘I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, “Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.” But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.’ Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as the Lord had commanded,” 2 Samuel 12:13-25.

Sometimes our plots do not benefit us. Sometimes our children become ill. Sometimes healing does not come. Sometimes God burns our bridges so there is no return to “better times” or “better days.”

When David’s child had died, he understood that he, alone, was responsible for the pain he had caused himself and for this critical need for change. Now he understood some things never go back to like they were. It was time to push forward and forge a new reality.

Kent Crockett writes this odd story in “The 911 Handbook” …

Two construction workers had taken a lunch break and opened up their lunch boxes. One of them looked inside his box and said, “Not baloney again! I can’t believe it. I hate baloney. This is the third time this week I’ve had baloney. I can’t stand baloney!” The other worker said, “Why don’t you just ask your wife to make you something different?” He replied, “I don’t have a wife. I make my own lunch.” The fact is, most of the baloney in our lives we put there ourselves. If we ever want life to be any different from the same old baloney we keep serving ourselves, then we must break out of doing the routine.

When we push against needed change in a battle to remain static, understand you’re inviting God in to burn some bridges in your life to push you forward for your own best interests.

Are you wrestling with the future by clinging to something in the past? Are you refusing to acknowledge that something in your life will never again be like it was? Why not trust God today to help you move forward into a future that has new and fresh blessings for you?

This article originally appeared here.

What Is Purity Really All About, According to God?

By
Brooklyn Lindsey
-
communicating with the unchurched

A student recently asked a loaded question through eyes of pain. I don’t know what the pain was or what had happened, but she asked in longing: What is purity? She said, “I’m wondering how something not pure can ever be pure again.”

The question also came with fear that I’ve noticed before. A teenager wants to share the details of their journey with someone safe. But what they’ve seen and felt in the church makes them wonder if it’s ever safe to be real, honest and imperfect.

Shouldn’t the church be the safest place on the planet for a kid to ask a question such as what is purity? There should be no better place to ask why or to find care. So here’s my attempt to talk about what is purity to kids who wonder if they’ll be okay.

What Is Purity: A Scriptural Look

Isn’t it ironic that the word pure has become so confusing? I’m sorry it can make you feel sad about who you are or what you’ve done or gone through. There’s a holy type of sorrow, a grace God gives us for our failures before we ask to be forgiven. This sorrow serves as a guide map back to his love and freedom. This is a better sorrow—one that leads to wholeness and healing.

But sorrow that comes from feeling ashamed in confession isn’t from God. That type of sorrow wasn’t meant for your heart. God loves, forgives, receives, wants and adores you. He waits for you to turn to him and never gives up. The first thing on our lips when you walk through the church doors or when we bump into you at the mall should be “God loves you.”

If there was a time that made you feel unsafe on your journey with Jesus, it was probably because we messed up the message. I pray you’ll find that there’s enough grace to wrap around your entire situation. Not just some of your situation but all of it.

I hope you feel and grow to believe that God loves you beyond your mistakes. Also know that your purity is so much more than your sexuality. When people discuss what is purity, they tend to talk about sexual things. Things that tend to happen on dates, in cars, at movie theaters, at parties, after parties, outside, on the street or in the quietness of home.

Purity includes your sexuality, yes, but it isn’t trumped by your sexuality. It’s not the end game of your purity. It’s part of your purity.

Purity Involves Surrendering Your Heart

What is purity? Purity may have something to do with what you do with your parts, but it has more to do with how much you’ve surrendered your heart. Nothing can take away the purity God gives to you. That’s because no one can reverse the effects of Jesus’ love and forgiveness. If you need it, it’s yours. You can ask for it.

Purity is a condition of flawlessness. The sobering and somewhat comforting news is that we all start off like Linus, holding his dirt-wad blanket. We’re scruffy and flawed in sin.

Being human equals being in need. We’ve all messed up. Jesus is the only One who hasn’t messed up. He carries us to God in the only way that perfects us again. Jesus carries our purity in bags of mercy, and his very sacrificial offering covers all your sin—all my sin—everyone’s sin. The gift of God is a flawless forever life in Christ.

So even in your imperfection, God is making you perfect in the arms of his Son. It’s never too late to ask to be made perfect again.

‘We Did It!’—Abuse Survivors Win Victory in SBC Executive Committee Investigation

By
Jessica Lea
-
communicating with the unchurched

A motion to put an independent task force over the investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee (EC) has been adopted. The news comes after Mike Stone, one of the EC members accused of mishandling sexual abuse allegations, lost the SBC presidential race—and had a controversial exchange with survivor Hannah-Kate Williams. 

“By a nearly unanimous vote #SBC21 voted to approve a far-reaching investigation of the Executive Committee and their actions in regard to sexual abuse,” tweeted SBC Voices. Advocates and survivors, such as Tiffany Thigpen, posted tweets celebrating the news:

Pastor Philip Betancourt, a whistleblower who recently released audio indicating top SBC leaders were reluctant to address sexual abuse within the denomination, tweeted, “Huge breakthrough as #sbc21 just overwhelmingly approved the @DGrantGaines motion to have a task force to supervise the third party investigation of the @SBCExecComm. This is an essential step to ensure transparency as we seek the truth!”

The EC posted a statement in response to the news, saying that it “thanks the messengers for their passionate concern.” The EC, along with new SBC president Ed Litton, will “work to expeditiously implement today’s motion. “

Hannah-Kate Williams Talks With Mike Stone

The motion that the SBC messengers adopted is the work of Grant Gaines, pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Dr. Ronnie Parrott, pastor of Christ Community in Huntersville, N.C. Among other stipulations, the motion says that the independent investigation into the EC’s alleged mishandling of sexual abuse must be taken out of the hands of EC and given to an independent task force. You can read Parrott and Gaines’ motion here. 

Gaines introduced the motion to messengers Tuesday as survivor Hannah-Kate Williams stood by him, and it was then referred to the EC since it deals with internal operations. Wednesday morning, however, messengers overruled this decision and granted Gaines’ request not to refer the motion to the EC due to the conflict of interest. The motion was approved for debate and a vote, which took place Wednesday afternoon.

The adoption of Parrott and Gaines’ motion is significant because the EC, already under a cloud of suspicion, rejected an opportunity Monday to consider giving greater transparency and accountability to the independent investigation it had commissioned. The actions the EC refused to consider Monday included steps that eight SBC sexual abuse survivors, including Thigpen and Williams, had specifically requested in a signed statement. 

Hannah-Kate Williams had made copies of that statement and was passing them out Monday when she had a disputed interaction with then-presidential hopeful Mike Stone. Williams is a survivor of abuse at the hands of an SBC leader, and a leaked letter written by Dr. Russell Moore has accused Stone of suppressing investigations into sexual abuse within the SBC. 

Writer Jonathan Krohn posted a thread of tweets Monday, saying: “Moments ago, @PastorMikeStone told @freedomsbride — just outside the #SBC21 convention hall — that she was ‘doing harm’ to the denomination. As she walked away in tears, pastors and messengers came up to shake his hand and wish him luck tomorrow. When I tried to talk to Stone, he took his wife by the arm, saying he couldn’t talk as he was going to pick up his kid — saying he only does interviews through a private booking firm.”

Hannah-Kate Williams herself told Nation World News, “He said I’m doing more harm than good to the Southern Baptist Convention, and I’m not doing right by survivors, and he said the Southern Baptist Convention is bigger than my problems.”

Reporter Chris Moody confirmed parts of Krohn’s account: “I saw her a few moments later. Can confirm she was left crying in the hallway of the #SBC21. Messengers came around to comfort her.” 

Pastor and author Griffin Gulledge said he arrived immediately after the interaction and witnessed Williams in tears. “I have just left being with Hannah-Kate,” he said, “because I walked up immediately afterwards and she was sobbing. Multiple other pastors corroborated. I don’t care where you land or what team you’re on in this convention, anything short of comforting words for victims is unacceptable.”

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