Experts Say the Pandemic May Never End…Unless Churches Do This

May 25, 2021

(RNS) — Science, supply chains and good government policy have brought us to a remarkable point in the battle against the virus: Any adult who wants a vaccine can now get one.

The principal challenge from here is not scientific or logistical but cultural — addressing hesitancy among the large number of Americans who remain skeptical about the vaccine. Already there are reports of public health officials looking to offload excess vaccine supply. Even as the rates of those receiving at least one vaccine have risen to 44% nationally, a number of states in the Deep South have plateaued at around one-third. In places like Mississippi, for example, where vaccination rates are just 31%, there are more than 73,000 doses that haven’t found arms.

A new study conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in partnership with Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), organizations we each run, illuminates a promising path forward: engage religious communities. Residents of many of the most vaccine-hesitant areas in the United States turn out to be remarkably receptive to faith-based interventions.

Despite their current reticence, nearly half (47%) of churchgoing white Evangelicals, and approximately one-third of Black and Hispanic Protestants who are vaccine hesitant, say a faith-based vaccine approach would encourage them to get the shot.

What would this look like? None of the interventions are especially complicated. They include knowing that their pastor or other members received the vaccine, attending an information session about the vaccine at their church, getting assistance with a vaccine appointment from a congregation or having a congregation serve as a vaccination site. (A terrific way for faith groups to learn how to get involved is to attend the online Faiths4Vaccines National Summit happening on May 26.)

And the appeal of these faith-based approaches is not just relegated to religious groups. Twenty-six percent of all vaccine-hesitant Americans, including 44% of all churchgoing vaccine-hesitant Americans, say at least one of these faith-based approaches would inspire them to get vaccinated. Similarly, among what are emerging as the most vaccine-hesitant populations — Republicans, rural Americans and younger Americans under the age of 50 — approximately one-quarter of those who are currently hesitant say these religious appeals would make them more likely to get vaccinated.

For all the talk about the decline of religion in the United States, it turns out faith communities nonetheless retain a fair amount of social trust in critical places and with groups that are behind the vaccination curve.

To be sure, leaders in some faith communities have already been doing their part. There are many encouraging stories of Black pastors hosting vaccination clinics in their churches. And we can actually see the impact of these efforts in the data. African American Protestants who attend religious services frequently are 16 percentage points more likely than those who seldom or never attend to be vaccine acceptant. But it’s clear there is important work to do in other communities. For example, the opposite is true in white evangelical communities, where those who attend churches more frequently are actually less likely to get vaccinated.

This State Just Banned Critical Race Theory From Its Schools

Kimberlee Kruesi

May 25, 2021

banned critical race theory — FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2021 file photo, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee answers questions after he spoke to a joint session of the legislature at the start of a special session on education, in Nashville, Tenn. Lee on Friday, May 5 echoed arguments in favor of a bill that would restrict what concepts on institutional racism can be taught in school, saying students should learn “the exceptionalism of our nation," not things that “inherently divide” people. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is the latest state to ban teachers from teaching certain concepts of race and racism in public schools.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law on Monday a measure that attracted some of the most impassioned debates inside the GOP-controlled General Assembly this year. He signaled his support after it cleared the Legislature, arguing that students should learn “the exceptionalism of our nation,” not things that “inherently divide” people.

“We need to make sure that our kids recognize that this country is moving toward a more perfect union, that we should teach the exceptionalism of our nation and how people can live together and work together to make a greater nation, and to not teach things that inherently divide or pit either Americans against Americans or people groups against people groups,” Lee told reporters at the time.

The legislation, which was amended several times in the final days of the legislative session, of an education bill, takes effect July 1. Among other things, Tennessee’s teachers can’t instruct that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.”

“Impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history” is still permitted under the law, and limits on teacher speech won’t apply when a teacher is responding to a student’s question or referring to a historic figure or group.

However, the penalty for a transgression is steep: The state education commissioner could withhold funds from any school found to be in violation.

While most of the majority-white GOP House and Senate caucuses supported the effort, Black Democratic lawmakers warned that it will make teachers fearful about telling students anything about how race and racism have shaped the nation’s history.

Tennessee’s new law is similar to laws enacted in Idaho and Oklahoma. In Arkansas, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson allowed a version that primarily focused on employee training to become law without his signature.

Republican lawmakers also passed bills about sexual education. Lee signed a requirement that school districts to alert parents 30 days in advance of any instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, and let them opt their student out. Lee also approved legislation allowing parents to view information about contraception included within a family life curriculum, and opt their children out of those lessons as well.

This story originally appeared here.

The George Floyd Trial and the Longing for Justice

Russell Moore

May 25, 2021

A jury in Minneapolis handed down the verdict the entire country has awaited for almost a year: that police officer Derek Chauvin is guilty of the murder of George Floyd. This conviction comes at the end of a year of memorials and protests and marches, not just all over the country but all over the world. This also is a day for all of us who belong to Jesus Christ to reflect on the meaning of it all.

First, we must recognize that ultimate justice was not accomplished, and never is this side of Judgment Day. No jury can resurrect George Floyd—or any of those who died as he did—from the grave. George Floyd is still gone; his family still grieves. The fact that sentencing cannot ultimately answer our sense of the wrongness of what was done is itself a signpost. We are created for a different sort of cosmos than the one in which we live, where violence sometimes seems to create its own morality. Jesus taught us that our sense of justice is embedded in us precisely because we were created by a just God, a God before whom every one of us will one day give an account, where all the secrets of the heart will be revealed.

Second, we must recognize that the sort of justice we see here—the proximate justice of human courts—matters greatly. What happens in our police forces and in our court systems is not a matter somehow distant from us. We are accountable, as a people and as a nation, to see that these structures do what is right and just. The Bible tells us, “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are alike an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 17:15). We are called—in our callings as citizens to whom our governments give account—to the kind of just temporal order that, as the Apostle Paul puts it, commends what is good and punishes those who do evil (Rom. 13:1-4). Today, at least in this case, the court offered justice. And so, the moment ought to prompt those of us who belong to Jesus Christ to express relief that a murder has not gone unpunished, even as we lament the fact that this trial was needed at all, that a man created in the image of God lost his life.

Third, this should remind us of the right—and wrong—uses of authority. Any murder is a tragedy, but there is something even more jarring about this kind of murder. The now-convicted killer stood in a place of unique authority as an officer of the law. Authority is necessary and good. And yet, authority—like every aspect of God’s creation order—can be twisted into something awful. This too is not new. Pharaoh believed himself to be a god, as did Nebuchadnezzar, as did Caesar, as have countless others. When John the Baptist preached at the River Jordan, some who came to him seeking God’s mercy were those with authority—as soldiers and tax collectors for the Roman government. They asked, “What now shall we do?” John did not (nor did Jesus after that) call them to abandon their posts of authority, but instead to act within the limits of righteousness and justice and not out of arbitrary power or self-gain (Lk. 13-14).

One of the reasons this trial has captured the attention of the world is that it is not an isolated incident. We have seen in our history the ways in which over and over again authority has been used not to provide justice but to deny it. The Jim Crow system was created for just this purpose—to see to it that African American citizens were deprived of their God-given civil rights by day and terrorized with impunity by night. Nor have these issues gone away. History by itself cannot wipe away sin and injustice. Thus, we see instance after instance of especially African American men facing danger and sometimes death—often without the endpoint of the sort of verdict this court has handed down. Our structures and systems, of course, belong to us. For them, we are accountable.

We might not know how to fix everything, but we know where we can start. And we must. That will require a long and hard work in our callings as citizens, but also for the church of Jesus Christ—to bear one another’s burdens, with white Christians standing with their African American and other minority brothers and sisters. When one part of the Body of Christ suffers, we all do. If we are, in fact, joined together as brothers and sisters, if we belong to one another, we should act like it.

We should expect the right use of authority precisely because we know that we have been created in the image of a God we can see in the face of Christ Jesus. God did not ignore the murder of Abel, but heard his blood crying from the ground (Gen. 4:8-11). God did not ignore the groanings of the enslaved Israelites under Pharaoh’s yoke, but heard their cries (Exod. 2:23-25). And we have seen Jesus himself—the son of the living God and the anointed king of the cosmos—act as one with authority (Mk. 1:21), not to serve himself but as the kind of authority for which we long—an authority anchored to righteousness and justice, an authority that hears the cries of the vulnerable, and an authority that comes not to kill and to destroy but to serve (Deut. 17:14-20; Ps. 72; Mk. 10:20-28).

And, finally, we can remember that this verdict matters because George Floyd himself matters. He is not only a symbol of the quest for racial justice in this country—although he is certainly that. He is also a human being created in the image of God. His life matters to God, and should matter to us. Authorities and structures must be accountable for doing what is right not just for the sake of abstract integrity, but because these authorities and structures affect real human lives. And every human life is an awe-striking mystery, pointing us to the God that life reflects and images.

We can thank God for the accountability rendered in this case. We can work to see to it that justice is done in cases like this whenever and wherever they arise around us. We can see to it that no one else ever faces the awful killing experienced by George Floyd and countless others. And, as we do so, we can weep. Even as we are glad for justice done, we should weep for injustices still at work, and for a life that is still gone.

This article originally appeared here.

UPDATE: Wheaton Removes Offensive Language From Missionary Jim Elliot Plaque

Stephanie Martin

May 25, 2021

UPDATED May 25, 2021: Wheaton college announced Monday, May 24, 2021, that it will reword a plaque that hangs in the lobby of Edman Chapel honoring missionaries Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming. This comes after Wheaton president Philip Ryken removed the plaque in March 2021 because it used the word savage to describe the hostile indigenous tribe that killed the peaceful missionaries.

The college’s president said the school wanted to respect the Waorani tribe by not using a word that “has been used historically to dehumanize and mistreat indigenous peoples around the world.”

The statement from Wheaton College said: “The reworded plaque will carry forward the memory at Wheaton College of brave missionaries and their sacrificial witness, while at the same time respecting the Waorani people with whom they shared the gospel of the love of Christ.”

The plaque was given to Wheaton College by the Class of 1949, who were classmates of the slain missionaries. The new plaque will be rededicated this later this fall.

The plaque now reads:

Go Ye and Preach the Gospel

Dedicated to the glory of God and in loving memory of Ed McCully, President of the Class of 1949, and Jim Elliot ’49, also a campus leader. Motivated by God’s love and the Great Commission, together with Nate Saint ’50, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming, they went to the mission field willing for “anything—anywhere regardless of the cost.”

God called them to the rainforest of Ecuador and the Waorani, a people who had never heard the gospel message. Known for their violence to encroaching outsiders and for internal cycles of vengeance killing, they were among the most feared indigenous peoples in South America at the time.

After much preparation and prayer, and weeks of friendly gift exchanges by airplane, the missionaries made peaceful ground contact with the Waorani. On January 8, 1956, as the missionaries anticipated a second friendly encounter, the Waorani attacked. All five men were speared to death—martyrs for the love of Christ.

Their sacrifice was a turning point for the Waorani and an inspiration for evangelical missions globally. Inviting members of the men’s families to live with them, the Waorani responded to the gospel and put down their spears. God’s redemptive story continues as the gospel is still shared among the Waorani to this day.

ChurchLeaders original article written on March 24, 2021 below:

In an effort to “reflect the full dignity of human beings made in the image of God,” Wheaton College has announced it will appoint a task force to review and rephrase an insensitive description on a plaque. The on-campus memorial for five martyred missionaries, including Wheaton alumni Jim Elliot and Ed McCully, references their 1956 killing by “savage Indians” in Ecuador. The formerly unreached tribe had been known as Aucas, which means “savage” in the Quichua language. Now the group calls itself Waorani, also spelled Huaorani or Waodani.

Wheaton president Philip Ryken says the word savage “has been used historically to dehumanize and mistreat indigenous peoples around the world.” Rewording the plaque, he says, “will carry forward the memory at Wheaton College of brave missionaries and their sacrificial witness, while at the same time respecting the Waodani people with whom they shared the gospel of the love of Christ.”

Working to Avoid ‘Unnecessary Offense’ by Using ‘Waorani’

Joseph Moore, Wheaton’s marketing communications director, says administrative leaders decided to take steps to eliminate “unnecessary offense of pejorative stereotypes.” Over the years, he says, they’d received about a dozen comments about the questionable wording. “In the 64 years since the College received this gift,” says Moore, “we have also continued to grow in our understanding of how to show God’s love and respect to others.”

The plaque, dedicated in 1957, was a gift from Wheaton’s class of 1949, of which both Elliot and McCully were members. The missionaries’ story, Moore says, is central to Wheaton’s “mission and identity,” and it’s “a story we want the world to know.”

A task force consisting of various campus representatives is expected to make a recommendation for new wording by May 1. The school’s board of trustees and administrative cabinet will have final say, and a replacement plaque will be installed this summer.

In the year 2000, Wheaton changed its mascot name from the Crusaders to Thunder, noting that the institution didn’t “want to glorify” a violent period of Christianity.

Missions Attitudes Under Scrutiny

A reworded plaque also reflects how views of missions work have evolved. Missionary organizations now avoid what’s called the “white savior complex.” Mission to the World coordinator Lloyd Kim says Western missionaries consider themselves guests and follow the lead of national partners. “We’re trying to dispel the attitude that says, ‘We are the heroes coming to save you,’” he says. “We are coming in as learners.”

Elisabeth Elliot returned to live among the tribe that killed her husband, and its members eventually converted to Christianity. In her writings, Elliot attempted to change perceptions of the Waorani as savages and of Americans as saviors.

Lucy S.R. Austen, who’s writing a biography of Elisabeth Elliot, says evangelical Christians have tended to retell “the same streamlined version of events, with the same triumphal gloss” from the 1950s. “It seems to me,” Austen adds, “that white Americans tended to have a faulty understanding of non-Western cultures when the plaque was given, and that now that we know better, changing the plaque would be a great chance to do better.”

Cultivating Resilience in Pursuit of Racial Justice

Ben Sternke

May 25, 2021

I’ve been reflecting on the need for spiritual resilience recently. Resilience is our ability to recover from difficulties. To “spring back into shape” emotionally and spiritually after a hardship.

Of course, the pandemic has been one long hardship for all of us (but especially for young people, minorities, the poor, and frontline workers), and a lot could be said about that. But I’m also finding that in conversations and action on racial justice that I feel a lack of resilience.

This shows up mostly as a temptation to “tune it out” when I start to feel uncomfortable or when it gets to be “too much.” Instead of tuning out, then, I’m trying to make the best use of time right now and cultivate some resilience in my life and leadership.

Instead of reacting, just breathe.

One example of how I’m learning to do this with my church: Last weekend at The Table we began a Lenten focus on Racism & Repentance, and three times during the sermon I preached from Matthew 23:23-37 (“Woe to you!”), I encouraged our church to do the simple practice of taking slow, deep breaths to ground ourselves in our bodies, especially if they were feeling uncomfortable of agitated.

Just noticing our feelings and breathing through them instead of reacting to them is a vital and necessary first step in building resilience and establishing a foundation for healing and justice. (For more on this, I recommend Resmaa Manakem’s excellent book My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies.)

Receive what you need from God.

One last thing: This week has been particularly stressful for me for a number of reasons, and as I was practicing slow, deep breathing during prayer this morning, I wrote a prayer out of my desire to cultivate a stronger resilience in this season. I hope it helps you do the same.

A Collect for Non-Anxious Presence

Empower me, O Lord, to be a node of compassion and connection today, a place where others feel safe and free to connect to their deepest feelings and desires, so we can together meet with you and repent and trust that you are holding all of us and everything together in your love, and working in all things for our good, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This article originally appeared here.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Sound Techs

Chris Huff

May 24, 2021

How well we work determines the results of our work. In an article by veteran audio guy and Vice President of Sales at Lectrosonics, Karl Winkler tackled what he considers the seven habits of highly effective sound techs. Today, I want to cover these habits and dive deeper into each one.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Sound Techs

1. Have Excellent Organization

Karl’s advice is to establish effective routines for everything you do and to use the simplest tools to get the job done. That is a good way to stay mentally organized. Our job is a bit of a crazy one so organization for us does tend to be more process-oriented.

With that in mind, let’s look at a few ways we can do this.

Mix prep method. – review of songs, review of stage requirements, a very need-oriented process
Stage work – when I work on the stage, I don’t do it randomly, I organize my channels to my stage locations for the musicians and I do things in groups. For example, I’ll put out all of the vocal microphones, then I’ll put out all of the wireless packs. Optionally, I could pull out everything for each musician but I prefer this method instead as I find it easier to track what I need to do next.
Backstage gear organization – this is a big one for me. We use electrical extension cord reels for storing all our cables by type and by length. We have a full upright toolbox with labeled drawers for wired microphones, wireless microphones, di boxes, in-ear wireless units, etc. This means we never have to search for a piece of gear because we know exactly where it’s located.
Console channel organization – believe it or not, there is a standard method for labeling channels. And this method means no matter where you are, if you look at the console in that venue, it will be organized in much the same way. For example, all vocal microphones are in channels next to each other and all guitars are in channels next to each other. There is also a layout for how everything should be located next to each other, such as drum channels next to bass, next to guitars, etc.
Communication organization – This is a big one because there can be a lot that goes on in the days or weeks before the service. For example, we use a planning center for our service schedule but also for our volunteer scheduling. We also send out emails to everyone on the list for that week for updates. In short, everyone involved in the production of the service is up to date on everything.
Finally, a plan for what to do when things go wrong. Yes, I’m putting this under organization because when something goes wrong, chaos can follow. By proactively developing contingency plans, you’ll be organized and know what to do when something does go wrong.

A note on tools: Karl mentioned using the simplest tools to get the job done. I’m not sure if he was talking mixers, rack units, or what. I will say that as we move forward, more and more gear is digital in some way, running a computer instead of the gear and that means we’re learning new tools, keeping them updated with firmware, and always keeping an eye on them. Not that that is bad. But, if I need a piece of gear to do one thing and do it well and I can buy a fancy version that accomplishes the task in a complex way, or a plain version that does it in a simple way, I prefer the gear that uses the simple method. I’d rather punch one button than six.

2. Are Continuously Learning

Karl says, “audio equipment is constantly changing and getting more complex and sophisticated. He also says, “But even without chasing the latest software or hardware solution, we need to be on a path of continual learning in our craft… where art and science meet to create new experiences.

So what does continuous learning look like for us?

To start, know your equipment. Know what each knob or button or interface screen does. I’ve been burned before because a problem occurs because an obscure setting was accidentally changed and I had no idea what to do about the problem.

I get a lot of emails from people asking me how to do something on their mixer when the solution could easily be found via youtube videos, product videos, or dare I suggest online documentation.

But let’s look more at our craft.

What does it take to be great at what we do? We have to know the science of sound, the art of mixing, how to have a servant’s heart, and how to work with other people. If you are in a leadership role, then there’s even more to it.

I’ve recently finished a book on leadership called The Advantage, that helps understand the health of a team and organization and what you need to do — and what you should never do. It certainly applies to sound techs and church sound teams.

I’m reading the exam guide for the CTS-D exam because the more I work in audio production, the more I find myself involved with some aspect of video or lighting.

But I’ll also geek out over a science video on sound that I might stumble across. Not to mention reading about mixing techniques.

If you want to dive into a specific area like learning Dante, then checkout Audinate’s website for free training. If you’re ever available to attend a conference like InfoCom, NAMM, or WFX, check out the available training.

Maybe you need help with one area like mixing vocals, then check out my guide….

Finally, think about learning with a VERY open mind. I’ve taken classes on lighting, video production, and even worship musician classes at some of these conferences not because I directly work in those areas but because they are all part of the live production.

3. Have a Good Attitude

Karl states this quite well. In the article, he’s talking more to the professional audio engineers so I’m going to rephrase his words now, that is to say, “Without a good attitude, you will make enemies and stunt your growth as a tech. But with a good attitude, you’ll be more able and willing to learn, take direction, and properly support the band and the pastor.”

Here’s where I want to step in and add a few points.

I like to think of it this way. If you love your work then you’ll have a good attitude about it. That means being positive, being helpful, and doing your best. And remember, when the band is practice, guess who they are looking at? That’s right…you!

When you have a good attitude, you’re more likely to go the extra mile. This might mean bringing in bagels or something else for breakfast for everyone the morning of the service. Maybe it means you stay late to help a musician with a problem. Our jobs are 50% working with people and 50% working solo.

And what if you do have a bad attitude? What’s the reason for it? Figure that out and start working toward a solution. Maybe there’s a rift between you and the worship leader…talk with them or talk with someone who can help bring resolution and restoration.

Maybe you don’t feel like your work is respected? Why is that? Is it based on a comment someone once said or a lack of regular appreciation? n most cases, it’s a matter of a new perspective so you see the involvement of the congregation in the worship as a sign of a job well done. Maybe if you started complimenting people running lights or video that they would end up thanking you for your efforts.

When you have a good attitude, people want to be around you, help you when you have problems, and are more likely to compliment you. And, as I mentioned, the better attitude you have, the more likely you are to do your best work…and that’s something that definitely gets noticed.

7 Best Practices From the Best Student Ministries

Jeremy Zach

May 24, 2021

At Orange, I have the privilege of working alongside many student ministries across the country. This allows me to learn from the best youth pastors on the planet. The great thing is, I get access to observe what the most impactful student ministries are doing. During the past few years, I’ve been taking notes and want to share my observations with the youth ministry community.

The best student ministries do these things:

1. Create spaces for artists to create.

In You Lost Me, David Kinnaman argues that the church is losing young creatives. I’ve found that successful student ministries provide places for young people to be creative. They encourage and equip kids to create and produce music, short films, poetry, art, websites and graphic design. I talk about how youth pastors can appeal to the young artists in their youth group here.

2. Motivate teens to serve their city and church.

Top-notch youth pastors realize that spiritual development and discipleship starts in the heart. Young people’s hearts must be aligned with God’s heart, which means loving and serving people. And successful youth pastors know how to give students opportunities to demonstrate compassion in their local community and get them to serve ministries within their church. Reggie Joiner asserts that the best way to stimulate faith is to give students an opportunity to have a personal ministry by serving others. Getting kids to serve empowers them and gives them ownership of their student ministry.

3. Maintain and train strong, healthy leaders.

When a youth ministry has strong leaders, success is guaranteed. How is strong leadership a sign of strong student ministries? Because it illustrates:

that the youth pastor has taken lots of time to develop, cultivate and train leaders to relationally connect with kids and help connect them to Jesus. The best youth ministries I’ve seen have an incredible training manual for small-group leaders.
that the ministry values and appreciates its leaders.
that strong, healthy adult leaders will recruit other strong, healthy leaders. Health breeds health.

4. Make small groups the end goal.

Successful student ministries believe it’s their job to create an environment that relationally connects students to a trusted, committed adult. The hope is to form a circle of eight to 12 teens, plus a committed and caring adult who talks to them about life and faith. Everything student ministries do should support the adult volunteer. It doesn’t matter where the small group meets as long as those students connect with an adult.

5. Invite the senior pastor into the student ministry.

The key factor in determining a youth ministry’s effectiveness is the engagement level of the senior pastor. Great student ministries love, honor and care for their senior pastor and vice versa. To have a strong student ministry, it’s absolutely vital to have the buy-in of your senior pastor. Otherwise, the ministry will tank.

6. Engage 25% of the parents.

Next, you need to partner with parents. Believe it or not, engaging just one-quarter of the parents on your roster is a huge win. The best student ministries are very intentional in how they engage parents, and it’s all about taking small steps to connect. Over time (three to five years), the best student ministries have a high engagement level of parents who love, trust and support the ministry.

7. Know how to create fun special events.

Great student ministries know how to throw a party that students want to attend. Fun is the name of the game. But the purpose of throwing a fun event is to create a space to deepen relationships. In Playing for Keeps, Reggie Joiner writes, “Fun over time convinces your students you actually like them, and deepens and strengthens your relationship with them.” It’s okay to have fun. In fact, great student ministries know how to have a great time.

Great student ministries aren’t a mystery

Pulling off effective student ministries is pretty straightforward. You don’t need a huge budget, and no magic formula or secret model exists. Instead, just create environments that turn the light on spiritually for students, provide opportunities for them to create and serve, intentionally engage parents, cherish and support senior leadership, train volunteers to care for students, and embrace fun all the time!

And that’s it. Do those things well, and you’ll have great student ministries.

What’s so encouraging to me is the changing metrics for measuring student ministries. These days, the goal isn’t just drawing a crowd or getting a large attendance. Instead, it’s about helping kids experience their faith in a positive, fun, real, warm and welcoming environment. Plus, it’s about connecting them with godly adults who walk alongside them in their spiritual process.

What do you see great student ministries doing? What best practices or patterns create strong, healthy and sustainable youth programs?

Skillet’s John Cooper: ‘Woke Theology’ Is Causing a ‘Civil War’ in the Church

Jesse T. Jackson

May 24, 2021

Lead singer for the popular band Skillet and outspoken Christian rocker John Cooper blasted critical race theory (CRT) in a recent interview with Fox News.

Not one to shy away from biblical truths and what he is learning, Cooper said in the interview that the “woke ideology” of CRT has seeped into the American church.

Civil War in the American Church

“I think we’re seeing a civil war in the American church over social justice,” Cooper said, something he believes began in 2012. He says he researched culture, philosophy, and other things that raised red flags within his personal church circles.

“I knew that I wanted to be a light to the world and I want[ed] to share the Gospel of Christ. And I believe a part of that is loving people, and helping the poor, and so on and so forth. But there were things about the social justice movement that gave me a lot of red flags,” Cooper stated.

Definitions for terms like Black Lives Matter and systemic racism are important to pin down, especially within the church, Cooper said. “It took me several years to realize that people were just changing definitions of terms. You might be talking about justice, and I might be talking about justice, but we might mean two very different things. So, I think some of it is asking for clarification of people’s terminology.”

What Kind of Christian Isn’t Against Racism?

A Christian not against racism would be a strange thing to encounter, Cooper said. “What kind of Christian isn’t against racism?… But I need to know what you mean when you say [you oppose racism], so that I know what I am marching for or what I am standing up for. Can we have a definition of terms?” Cooper added that can only take place by having honest conversations, something that can be challenging in today’s culture.

Cooper said he believes secular terms began to seep their way into the Christian language because the Church took on a timid posture about social-justice issues.

Find Out What’s Making 2 Million Members Flee the Southern Baptist Convention

Bob Smietana

May 24, 2021

NASHVILLE (RNS) — The nation’s largest Protestant denomination continues to get smaller.

There were 14 million Southern Baptists in 2020, according to a new report released Thursday (May 20) by Lifeway Christian Resources, which compiles official denominational statistics. That number is down 435,632 members since 2019 and 2.3 million from 2006, when the Southern Baptist Convention reached 16.3 million members.

Worship attendance was also down about 15%, with 4.4 million people attending in-person services on a weekly basis. That figure was likely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, where churches around the country shut down in-person services to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“COVID-19 clearly impacted in-person attendance,” Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said in a statement announcing the report. “Throughout much of the year, churches tried to find the right balance of both in-person and online events.”

Southern Baptists, long known for denominational infighting, have seen several high-profile departures of leaders in the past year, including Bible teacher Beth Moore, ethicist Russell Moore, and a number of Black pastors. The SBC has also faced controversy over revelations of abuse, disputes over support for Donald Trump and a debate over critical race theory.

The biggest decline in the report was seen in baptisms, a key measure for the evangelical denomination. In 2020, baptisms were down by about half, to 123,160, the lowest number since 1919.

“The last year Southern Baptists saw this few people follow Christ for the first time was 1918 and 1919, when the influenza pandemic was sweeping the world,” said McConnell.

Ronnie Floyd, president of the SBC’s Executive Committee, said the report showed a need for a renewed focus on evangelism, missions and church planting.

“It may take years for us to know the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our churches,” Floyd told Baptist Press. “There are lessons to be learned from 2020 as we put it behind us — such as the vital need for corporate worship, the value of being creative in developing ways to share the Gospel, and how much local communities need our churches to minister in difficult circumstances.”

Total giving to Southern Baptist churches, according to the report, was $11.5 billion dollars, with a reported $1 billion being given to missions.

The report was based on data from 69% of Southern Baptist churches, down from reports in previous years, which drew on data from three-quarters of churches.

This article originally appeared here.

Survey: Surprising Results on Millennial Moms and Faith

Religion News Service

May 24, 2021

Millennial moms — A mother and child in late 2020. Photo by Marcin Jozwiak/Unsplash/Creative Commons

(RNS) — Religion was an important topic of conversation between mothers and their children during the pandemic, according to an annual “State of Motherhood” survey from Motherly, a website focused on millennial motherhood.

The report, released earlier this month, showed that some 31% of mothers said they had discussed religious issues with their children last year. This trailed only gender equality (33%) and racism (46%) as the most discussed issue between children and their parents in 2020.

“Every family has different religious beliefs and differing ideas about how to pass those concepts along to their kids,” said Liz Tenety, a co-founder of Motherly.

Some 23% of millennial mothers said they wished there was information available that reflected their “values, religion or spirituality.” The highest topics of interest were balancing family with career (49%) and the stages of life (43%).

“Millennials are in a record number of interfaith marriages, including those with varying religiosity between partners. In a world where faith is often expressed more personally than shared communally, parents have an opportunity to share their unique beliefs and practices with their kids or to evolve the religious beliefs and traditions in which they were raised,” Tenety said.

Data from the report showed that 12% of mothers surveyed said they had discussed Islamophobia or antisemitism or both with their kids. While not a huge share, that percentage represents a greater swath of people than the combined Muslim and Jewish population of the United States, suggesting the issue is of broad concern for mothers.

Tenety stressed that family conversations about faith stretch over a lifetime, meaning that parents don’t need to be afraid to answer their children’s questions or to admit they don’t have all the answers.

“Parents can talk openly about what they believe and why it matters, and model those practices and rituals with their kids. Kids ask big questions, so don’t be afraid to share your beliefs with your children, or even to say the often-true words, ‘I don’t know the answer, but I love that you ask questions like that,'” she said.

There were other findings in the survey that possibly related to the pandemic: Nearly all mothers (93% ) described being burned out in providing care for their children, a sentiment that may explain why mothers considered paid family leave (73%) and affordable child care (67%) as the most important public policy issues related to motherhood.

The State of Motherhood survey is now in its fourth year. This year’s edition included feedback from 11,000 women who are among the site’s 30 million-plus users.

In March a Gallup poll cast new light on the role of religion in America. That poll found that for the first time in eight decades — since polling on the topic began — less than 50% of Americans belonged to a place of worship.

Edge Research, which ran the survey for Motherly, weighted the findings of Motherly’s online poll by crossing the date with a demographic representation of American mothers based on the U.S. census. From an initial 11,000 mothers who responded to the Motherly survey, the final dataset includes the data from 5,809 moms aged 25 to 40.

This article originally appeared here.

Evangelical Christianity Is Seen As ‘an Absolute Joke,’ Warns Francis Chan

Stephanie Martin

May 24, 2021

As the church heads into what he calls “a new season,” pastor and author Francis Chan is urging leaders in evangelical Christianity to encounter God and to make worship sacred and reverent again. In a message last week at the Exponential Reset Summit, Chan addressed the recent wave of high-profile Christians who have “deconstructed,” or left the faith. He also encouraged pastors to focus more on the vertical nature of faith and worship.

Evangelical Christianity: So Many Are ‘Walking Away’

At this year’s online Reset Summit, speakers addressed ways to “lead with confidence in the post-COVID church.” Chan spoke of the troubling trend of well-known Christians who have publicly abandoned the fold.

“I am seeing so many people, friends of mine who were in ministry, who are just saying they don’t believe, or they’re walking away,” says Chan. “And I just think that’s crazy. We’re seeing people that we look up to, leaders fall. We’re seeing the world look at evangelical Christianity as an absolute joke right now,” he adds. “Every day you can just jump on Instagram…and someone is saying, ‘I’m not a Christian anymore.’”

As ChurchLeaders has reported, recent faith-renouncers include Paul Maxwell, Josh Harris, Marty Sampson, Jon Steingard and Abraham Piper. Heated divisions, both within evangelical Christianity and in the country, also are contributing to the tensions.

In America’s churches and denominations, says Chan, a “lot of Isaiah 29:13” has been evident lately. “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me,” reads that passage (NIV). “Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”

Chan explains that true encounters with God have been lacking. Going through the motions and merely listening, he says, don’t equate with or lead to life-changing interactions with our heavenly Father. One way Chan himself has been seeking to encounter God more deeply is by exploring the incarnational view of the Eucharist.

Encounter God During This ‘New Season,’ Says Francis Chan

With many pandemic-related lockdowns now ending, Chan says opportunities abound for the church. “This is a new season,” he tells pastors and leaders. “And all of this, people walking away and fighting and angry about everything and so opinionated, is because they’ve spent too much time in our presence, and in our evangelical talk, talk, talk, talk presence and not enough time before a holy God and sacred and reverent, silence and awe and just recognizing their oneness with him.”

Chan warns faith leaders, “Don’t get away from your own encounter with God.” As the next step, he says, “We have to make sure we get people to encounter [God], and that their fear of God is not just a commandment that was taught to them by us.”

An important lesson from the pandemic that Chan points to is “there’s just way too much of this horizontal [interaction] going on.” In order to “keep these people with us,” he says, “we have to direct people to [God and] do a better job of bringing sacredness back into our worship.”

That vertical approach to faith will be vital as Christians face future challenges, says Chan. “The world is going to get worse. Persecution is going to get worse. And when [believers are] alone with [God], is there enough of this awe and enjoyment of him, and a fear of him that they can survive anything?”

How Can We Nicely Kick Kids Out of Church?

Christina Embree

May 24, 2021

Perhaps you’ve wondered about how to nicely kick kids out of church. You wouldn’t be the first one to wonder.

A few weeks ago, I shared a post about a card a church had given out inviting parents who brought their kids to “enjoy the remainder of the service” in the lobby so others could “engage with the sermon.” This past week, another children’s ministry group I am a part of had a similar conversation regarding if a church is large and streaming on-line, what card they should hand out to parents if kids are loud in the main service.

Apparently this is a new thing? To kick kids out of church?

I had not heard of this practice of handing parents cards to invite them to leave the service until recently, but twice in one month made me decide to some digging. What I found was disheartening, at least for me, about wondering how to kick kids out of church.

I found stories of parents being told that children younger than seventh grade were not “allowed” in the main auditorium (Source).

I found articles by leading people in the children’s ministry world listing the reasons why children should not be in the corporate worship service (Source).

I found articles written by pastors describing why their church chooses not to welcome or even allow children to congregational worship times (Source).

I could go on but I’m sure you get the idea.

I’d love to say that this information was new to me, but it’s not. But, like all of us, I get into my little bubble, my echo chamber, and I wanted to think that since I first was made aware of these types of policies and actions, that things had changed.

I wanted to believe that over the past decade as more and more research has emerged about the absolute importance of intergenerational relationships and shared space for prayer and worship and creating a sense of belonging for all generations to the larger church body has come out, that churches would have examined these practices and worked to transition out of them.

I wanted to think that the examples of Scripture, of Jesus welcoming children and rebuking the disciples for turning them away, of Paul addressing children in letters that would be read in the general assembly, of all the Old Testament times of gathering where all of Israel was present, had been prayerfully considered and embraced by the American church.

And I had hoped that as a community of faith, we would have recognized that the very continuation of our faith is dependent on generational discipleship, not a curriculum or a program, but one generation passing on their faith to another generation through times of mentoring, prayer and communal worship.

Instead, I found this question being asked: “How can we nicely invite the children to leave?”

Doesn’t that mean how to nicely kick kids out of church? Oh Church, what is happening?

Even if a church is not actively working to create a culture of welcome and participation that doesn’t target their communal worship to one or two generations but actively seeks to minister to the full body as one congregation…even if that is not happening…actively working to bar children from being in the congregational assembly with their parents and their church seems unbelievably counterintuitive to a faith that is literally passed down from generation to generation.

But we have an amazing children’s program?

Great, that’s wonderful. Children need times of age-specific ministry and teaching that is appropriate to their level of understanding. But they also need meaningful time with their church, hearing the words of the sermon, watching the adults worship God, participating in the acts of worship, and being present in the midst of the assembly. One does not negate the other. To sacrifice one for the other is not an answer; it’s just a new problem.

But kids are a distraction?

First, that saying needs fixed. Kids are not a distraction; they can sometimes be distracting. As Dr. John Trainer has said, ““Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.” And, so what if there is a distraction during the service? That’s part of life. Distractions come in many shapes and forms and not all of them children. Are we going to remove anyone and everything that causes distraction? Of course not, but we will ask the children to leave.

But this is the way we’ve always done it?

No, it’s not. This idea of removing children from the corporate worship service and splitting everyone up in the church by their age or life experience is not the way we’ve always done it. In fact, it’s relatively new in the life of the church (think 50-70 years old). For generations and generations, faith was a shared experience of all ages.

But it works for our church?

Okay, I get that. It is the easiest way for a church to operate. Curriculum is made for age-specific ministries. Services are geared towards adults between 25-65. It’s all set up in our systems and cultures to “work” this way.

But here’s the thing.

What works in our “church” may not be what works for the Church. The kingdom of heaven, according to Jesus, belongs to “ones like these”, the children. In fact, Jesus says, “Truly unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

There simply has to be more. There has to be a place for the little ones to come. And not “come” to a place where nearly everyone looks like them, but come to a place where they are part of something bigger and they can belong to a faith community.

If there isn’t room for them in our little corner of the Church, there will be room for them somewhere else. They will find somewhere to belong. We don’t need to figure out how to kick kids our of church.

And at least our invitation for them to leave will have been kindly worded and printed nicely on a card.

This article about how to nicely kick kids out of church originally appeared here.

COVID at Church: Is Church Attendance Linked to Higher Rates of Coronavirus?

The Conversation

May 24, 2021

The lockdowns that almost every state went into in order to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 interrupted nearly every aspect of Americans’ lives. Businesses were shuttered, schools closed and social groups stopped meeting as scientists rushed to understand the pathways through which the virus spread.

One of the most controversial parts of the lockdown strategy in the United States was the closure of churches across the country.

But as an analyst of religious data, I believe the latest evidence appears to point to the clear conclusion that there was a correlation between attending church and the spread of COVID-19.

COVID at Church: Closures and Backlash

Public health experts strongly urged churches to cease congregational meetings during the worst parts of the pandemic, noting that religious services were an ideal vector to spread the virus. They pointed to incidents such as that in March 2020 when a choir practice in a church resulted in 87% of attendees being infected with COVID-19, and two members losing their lives.

But the closures were met by a massive backlash among conservative Christians who believed that executive orders closing religious institutions were a clear violation of the First Amendment’s freedom of religion protection. Some places of worship simply ignored state closure orders. As the pandemic wore on and people tired of socially isolating, many churches, mosques and synagogues began to reopen.

Although this was bad news from a public health perspective, it meant social scientists were able to investigate whether churchgoing during the pandemic did indeed lead to a higher level of infection. And in March 2021, the Cooperative Election Study released the results of a survey it fielded in October of 2020. The annual survey of the American public saw a total of 61,000 respondents quizzed over a number of topics.

Alongside a question about their level of church attendance, respondents were asked if they had been diagnosed with COVID-19 during the past year. Because of the highly partisan nature of the response to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, the sample was divided into Republicans, Democrats and independents.

The trend in the data is unmistakable – the more frequently someone goes to church, the more likely they were to report that they had been diagnosed with COVID-19 during the first seven months of the pandemic.

Just 3% of Republicans and 4% of Democrats who never attended church were more likely to respond that they have been infected. Among those who attended church multiple times per week, nearly 11% of Democrats had tested positive for the coronavirus, while 8% of Republicans reported the same.

The Ageless Worship Song ‘Because He Lives’ Turns 50 – Listen As Carrie Underwood Sings It

Jesse T. Jackson

May 21, 2021

Bill and Gloria Gaither have been singing Christian music together since the early 1960’s and have composed over 800 songs. One of those songs, the ageless “Because He Lives,” was written 50 years ago in 1971. The Gaithers were preparing for the birth of their third child, Benjy, when they penned the song that has impacted churches throughout the world. The Gaithers wrote ‘Because He Lives‘ during a time of uncertainty and explained to Baptist Press that their goal was to provide “hope” to the world that their soon-to-be born son would inhabit.

Bill told Baptist Press that he and his wife just wanted to create a song of hope that would resonate with people. But they had no clue just how God would use it. “I don’t think we understood the depth of what we wrote at the time when we wrote it,” said Bill Gaither.

Gloria reflected on the popular culture during the time they wrote the song saying, “The drug culture was in full swing, existential thought had obviously saturated every area of our American thought, the cities were seething with racial tension, and the God-is-dead pronouncement had giggled its way all through our educational system.”

‘Because He Lives‘ has the timeless relevant lyrical phrase:

We can face uncertain days because He lives
And because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Bill explained the meaning behind the lyrics, saying, “Children of God are not meant to live in paralyzing fear. God did not mean for us to live in fear. We are people of faith, not people of fear.”

Gloria, who was 29 when they wrote the song, said she wrote the second verse first before writing the rest. Her explanation brings fresh understanding to the song’s personal lyrics:

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
and feel the pride and joy he gives,
but greater still the calm assurance.
this child can face uncertain days
because He Lives.

Mrs. Gaither believes the personal lyrics are what made the song so successful because others can immediately relate to it.

Gloria explained the hope Jesus’ resurrection continues to give Christ-followers in this world. “The resurrection is not a one-time event,” she said. “It is a principle for all time that life wins. A child can face uncertain days, not because the world is stable, but because the resurrection is true.”

Even if your church doesn’t sing songs from hymnals anymore, it’s likely you either know or have heard the classic, beloved 50-year-old tune — and you might even be humming it right now. You can hear Carrie Underwood sing the song here.

‘Because He Lives’ Recorded by Popular Artists

The Gaithers have written other songs that were recorded by popular musicians like Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. Recently David Crowder, Tori Kelly, and Johnnyswim recorded the hymn for a Passion City Church Easter service in 2020. Crowder recorded a version of ‘Because He Lives‘ that featured Bill Gaither on his 2014 deluxe album release of ‘Neon Steeple.‘ Multiplatinum recording artist Carrie Underwood recorded her version of ‘Because He Lives’, which was released in March 2021 on her album ‘My Savior.’ Harry Connick, Jr. also released his version of ‘Because He Lives‘ in 2021 on his new album ‘Alone With My Faith‘.

Billy Graham and Queen Elizabeth: The Truth About Their Surprising Friendship

Jennifer Hooks

May 21, 2021

The Reverend Billy Graham, who died February 21, 2018, was one of America’s most respected and beloved Christian evangelists for more than 60 years. Graham preached to an estimated 210 million people around the globe. Despite his globally documented fame as a celebrity evangelist, there remain some intriguing and lesser-known facets of his life, one of which is the surprising friendship between Billy Graham and Queen Elizabeth.

Billy Graham’s Powerful — and Fraught — Friendships

That transcontinental relationship, which was a plot-point favorite in season 2 of Netflix’s lauded series, The Crown, is reentering the spotlight with the release of a new PBS documentary centered on Graham: “American Experience: Billy Graham.” The two-hour film, according to The New York Times, exposes Graham’s interest in politics and “portrays a preacher drawn to power like a moth to flame.”

For his part, Graham expressed regret for his political involvement and power-based relationships in interviews before his death with Christianity Today. (Media scandals included photos of Graham and others posing in prayer on the White House lawn and a recorded conversation where Graham expressed anti-semitic views in a recorded meeting with Richard Nixon.)

“It was naïve of me, I suppose,” Graham said in the interview, “to think that such a close relationship with a President would never be used to serve his political ends. But searching my soul now, I honestly believe my intentions were uncomplicated by personal aims or ambitions.”

Following the Nixon scandal, Graham said he grew more reluctant to offer political advice to presidents.

To biographer William Martin, author of A Prophet of Honor, he said: “Inside the Beltway is a different world. That’s the reason I don’t go there anymore if I can help it….I don’t go to Washington much, and I don’t go to the Hill much. I used to have lots of friends that I’d go back and see—congressmen and senators—but for years I haven’t done that. I just don’t want to go. I feel God has called me to a much higher calling.”

Billy Graham and Queen Elizabeth — A Quiet Friendship

With the Queen, though, Graham found a powerful but behind-the-scenes ally who also shared his deep faith. And the Queen found someone she could talk freely with about her faith, something Royal Family members typically don’t do publicly.

“People don’t know how the queen struck up this friendship with an old-time American evangelist,” said Robert Lacey, The Crown’s historical consultant, said in an interview with Town & Country magazine while promoting his book, The Crown, The Official Companion. “People don’t know that almost certainly every night the queen kneels beside her bed and says her prayers because that is what her mother did, we know, and her grandmother before her, and that’s how she was brought up.”

The Queen not only offered kinship and shared faith to Graham, she loved to hear him preach. She invited him to preach at Windsor Castle in the Royal Family’s private chapel. She invited him to lunch afterward, and their years’ long friendship was took off.

“Whenever he came to England [the Queen] would invite him to preach, and often when she came to America — the Queen would come to America more often than people realize, on private visits to see the race horses in Kentucky — and she would often visit with Billy Graham because they had the same fundamental Christian faith,” said Lacey.

Graham said in his autobiography, Just As I Am, “After preaching at Windsor one Sunday, I was sitting next to the Queen at lunch. I told her I had been undecided until the last minute about my choice of sermon and had almost preached on the healing of the crippled man in John 5. Her eyes sparkled and she bubbled over with enthusiasm, as she could do on occasion. ‘I wish you had!’ she exclaimed. ‘That is my favorite story.’ “

Graham went on to write: “No one in Britain has been more cordial toward us than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II…Almost every occasion I have been with her has been in a warm, informal setting, such as a luncheon or dinner, either alone or with a few family members or other close friends.”

Once a Persecutor, Now a Christ-Follower — Former Muslim Finds Jesus During Ramadan

Lindy Lowry

May 21, 2021

Something happened that Roman, now a former Muslim, never expected: tears, prayers to Jesus, repentance and joy. Sitting in a service in a Baptist church, the man who had devoted his life to persecuting Christians became a follower of Jesus.

This article first appeared here.

A Former Muslim and His Encounter With Jesus

“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29: 12-13)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8)

The words of God in the Old and New Testaments remind us that our God wants to see all of His creation come to a saving knowledge and trust in Him through Jesus. And that when we seek Him and His Kingdom, we will find Him. While the holy month of Ramadan is often a month of increased pressure for Christians whose faith stands out more than usual during this time, God continues to work in peoples’ hearts and bring them to Him. During Ramadan, many Muslims will earnestly seek God through prayer and fasting and the practice of giving charitable gifts.

In Central Asia believers, especially former Muslims, live under increasing persecution from a variety of sources, from dictatorships to a surrounding culture generally dominated by Islam. In many of these contexts, being a Jesus-follower is extremely difficult. But we know that God is not slowed by dictators or cultures—Jesus has the power to break into any context and change hearts and lives.

From Persecutor to Christ-Follower

A few years ago, Christians, especially those from a Muslim background, were the No. 1 target for Roman*, a devout Muslim in Kazakhstan. He considered them “betrayers of the real faith.”

“By ‘betrayers,’ I meant Christians with a Muslim background,” he says.

Roman had no problem confronting, challenging and persecuting Christians. He was like many fasting Muslims during Ramadan who intentionally confront Christians, drilling them with questions about their faith with the purpose of tripping them up and even making them question their faith.

Last year during Ramadan, Roman went a step farther to express his devotion to Islam. He decided to pay a visit to the local Baptist church in the area for the sole purpose of interrupting “betrayers of the real faith.”

“I went to the church service during Ramadan because I considered myself to be a devout Muslim,” he says. “I [wanted] to prove my faith to Allah.”

UPDATE: California Must Now Pay $1.35 Million in Harvest Rock Church Settlement

Stephanie Martin

May 21, 2021

UPDATED May 21, 2021: The state of California must now pay $1.35 million in legal fees as part of a settlement in a lawsuit involving Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministries.

“We have won the fight! In response to Harvest Rock Church’s lawsuit, the full and final settlement was approved today through the District Court,” said Harvest Rock Church in a Facebook update on May 17. “When the enemy’s tactic was to silence the body of Christ, God placed courage in our Pastor’s heart to stand and fight! Today, we stand on the side of victory, not only by the Supreme Court but also the District Court! He who began a good work, will carry it on to completion!”

The United States District Court for the Central District of California approved a settlement that compels California to pay “reasonable attorney’s fees and costs necessarily incurred in this case.” The fees were incurred by Liberty Counsel, who represented Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry in a suit against Gov. Gavin Newsom over COVID-19 restrictions on houses of worship.

In addition to paying over $1 million dollars in legal fees, said Liberty Counsel, “Under the settlement, California may no longer impose discriminatory restrictions upon houses of worship.”

See the following articles for further reading on this story:

Church Claims California Is Targeting People of Faith With Lockdowns

Los Angeles County Lifts Ban on Indoor Worship, Thanks to SCOTUS

SCOTUS Delivers Another Church Win, This Time for California

ChurchLeaders original article written on July 22, 2020, below.

In an ongoing religious liberty battle, a multi-campus church in California is suing the state for unfairly targeting houses of worship while encouraging statewide protests. Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church (HRC), part of Harvest International Ministry (HIM), filed a lawsuit Saturday, claiming that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s temporary ban on singing in churches and gathering for in-person worship and in-home Bible study is unconstitutional.

HIM, with 162 churches in California, is being represented by Liberty Counsel, which says its request for a preliminary injunction is being expedited in federal court.

Liberty Counsel: State Can’t ‘micromanage’ worship

HRC emphasizes that Gov. Newsom’s pandemic-related orders place unreasonable burdens on religious expression while he’s simultaneously encouraging mass protests against racial injustice. Its lawsuit states: “The governor cannot claim a compelling, legitimate, or even rational interest in his orders when he has permitted and encouraged mass gatherings of thousands of protesters to engage in the very activity he claims poses a massive danger to California if it takes place in plaintiff’s churches.” Throughout the summer, Newsom has publicly thanked protesters and even taken steps to protect their rights.

Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, says Newsom “cannot disregard the First Amendment and ban all in-person worship in private homes and churches. Nor can the state micromanage the form of worship by banning singing or chanting. The governor is not the High Priest over all religions.” Staver says, “There [are] not two First Amendments—one for protests and one for houses of worship,” adding that Newsom’s “discriminatory treatment is unconstitutional.”

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Newsom’s July 1 order limited attendance at indoor worship services to 100 and banned singing and chanting. As the virus spread, however, shutdowns resumed July 13, with all indoor worship services and gatherings once again shuttered in some California counties. Also included in the shutdown are gyms, salons, malls, and indoor protests. The state cites research suggesting that “the odds of an infected person transmitting the virus are dramatically higher [at indoor operations] compared to an open-air environment.”

Harvest Rock Church: Not Gathering ‘is disobedience to the Lord’

In its filing, HRC contends it’s unable “to fulfill its vital ministry and sincere religious beliefs without gathering together in person,” adding that online services aren’t effective. The church also maintains that not meeting for corporate worship “is disobedience to the Lord for which [the church] will be held divinely accountable.” Times of trouble, it adds, call for even louder singing than usual.

On Facebook, HRC posts, “This is a defining hour in American history.” The congregation, it notes, “is rallying…to take a stand against the unprecedented overreach from an elected official telling the church how to worship.”

In a message posted online, HRC Pastor Chê Ahn says, “There is something larger at play here; there is a spiritual battle that is taking place over our nation and over our state.”

Though most Facebook comments support the church, one says: “You are NOT fighting the first amendment. It is NOT discriminatory to work to save lives! You do NOT need a building to be the church. Please, I beg you, stop unnecessarily risking people’s lives. I know people [at Harvest], and I do not want them at risk because of your poor leadership and mixed-up priorities.”

‘Christ Born of Mary’–Excavation Reveals First Evidence of Christian Settlement Near Nazareth

Stephanie Martin

May 21, 2021

According to Israel Antiquities Authority, a recent excavation unearthed the first proof of ancient Christian life during the Byzantine era in the Jezreel Valley, which includes Nazareth. Prior to construction of a new road in northern Israel, archaeologists and local volunteers discovered a 1,500-year-old Greek inscription reading “Christ born of Mary.”

The inscription, which also mentions the early Christian bishop Theodosius, was on a stone portion of a doorway to a Byzantine church. Though archaeologists say discovery of a church in this area isn’t necessarily surprising, it “closed the circle” by providing evidence of Christians’ presence there.

Israel Antiquities Authority: A Blessing and a Charm

The entire inscription reads: “Christ born of Mary. This work of the most God-fearing and pious bishop [Theodo]sius and the miserable Th[omas] was built from the foundation – -. Whoever enters should pray for them.” Theodosius, a regional archbishop, encouraged the construction of churches and likely donated funds to that particular building, experts say.

Researchers discovered two rooms with geometric mosaics on the floors. They found the partially destroyed, seven-line inscription on a stone that had once served as a doorway lintel but was then repurposed as a wall.

“As a blessing, the inscription must have originally stood at the entrance of the church, where people could see it,” says archaeologist Yardenna Alexandre. “However, it was now found incorporated in the walls; therefore, we know that the stone was reused as construction material. Likely the building collapsed and was rebuilt.” Numerous earthquakes hit the region in the late fifth century.

“The inscription greets those who enter and blesses them,” says Leah Di-Segni of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “It is therefore clear that the building is a church, and not a monastery. Churches greeted believers at their entrance, while monasteries tended not to do this.” Di-Segni adds that the phrase “Christ born of Mary” served as a type of good luck charm, intended to ward off the so-called “evil eye.”

Why This Discovery Is So Important

The find is significant, say experts at the Israel Antiquities Authority, because it confirms Christianity’s presence during the early Byzantine era. “This is the first evidence of the Byzantine church’s existence in the village of et-Taiyiba,” says Dr Walid Atrash, “and it adds to other finds attesting to the activities of Christians who lived in the region.” Previously, remains of a church from the Crusader period had been uncovered at that site.

“Until now,” says Atrash, “we didn’t know for certain that there were churches from this period in this area.” The settlement in the town of Taibe isn’t mentioned in the New Testament, he adds, but it’s “unsurprising” that a Byzantine-era church was unearthed there. This “Christ born of Mary” inscription has “closed the circle, and now we know there were Christians in this area during this era,” Atrash says.

The Byzantine period occurred during the fifth to seven centuries, and Muslims invaded the Jezreel Valley region in the year 636. “The modern Arab village grew around [this structure], and some remains are still visible,” says Alexandre.

Mediating in Gaza Conflict, Egypt Seeks Broader Influence

Samy Magdy

May 21, 2021

Gaza — French President Emmanuel Macron waves good-bye to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi after their talks at the Elysee Palace, Monday, May 17, 2021 in Paris. U.N. Security Council diplomats and Muslim foreign ministers convened emergency weekend meetings to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest single attacks in nearly a week of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt on Thursday reasserted itself as an indispensable mediator in the Middle East after it successfully brokered a cease-fire deal in the short but costly Israel-Hamas war that killed scores of people and caused much destruction in the Gaza Strip.

In Cairo, state media said the halt in the fighting would take effect in the early hours of Friday, and that two Egyptian delegations would head to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to follow up on the deal’s implementation.

It’s the latest instance in which Egypt has served as a mediator between Israel and Gaza’s ruling militant Hamas group, which have fought four wars in just over a decade. Egypt borders both Israel and the Gaza Strip, and has been a key player since Israel withdrew troops from Gaza in 2005 and Hamas seized the territory in 2007.

Sine the outbreak of the latest, 11-day war, Egypt worked to provide a framework that both sides could agree on, according to diplomatic officials. It was not immediately clear what the terms of the cease-fire were, but its success is likely to bolster the country’s diplomatic credentials.

“By virtue of geography and its ties to all parties, Egypt is unique in this matter,” said Michael Hanna, the U.S. program director at the International Crisis Group. “And of course, it seeks to demonstrate its regional relevance and influence to all parties concerned, including the United States.”

The role Egypt played in mediating the conflict could help improve the strained ties between President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s government and the new U.S. administration. President Joe Biden spoke for the first time on Thursday with the Egyptian president since being elected, according to el-Sissi’s office, hours before news that Israel had agreed to the Egyptian proposal.

Former President Donald Trump and el-Sissi had forged a close bond, but Biden’s administration has raised concerns over the Egyptian government’s human rights record.

According to the White House, the two leaders discussed Gaza cease-fire efforts and agreed and that the two leaders would stay closely in touch. Biden was to address the cease-fire developments later on Thursday in Washington.

The diplomatic win in Gaza could also gain Egypt some regional prestige in its rivalries, including with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE last year moved to establish ties with Israel.

Egypt fought four wars with Israel between 1948 to 1973. The two former enemies normalized ties in 1980, and since then have increasingly cooperated on security issues. Israel has praised el-Sissi’s government for its help, and in turn allowed Egyptian forces greater freedom near the border to fight militants in Sinai.

Cairo’s ties with Hamas have at times hung by a thread. Egypt, along with Israel, continues to enforce a blockade that has devastated the Gazan economy. Hamas is a militant Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political Islamic movement banned in Egypt, and Egypt’s pro-government media often depict Hamas as a threat. Still, Egypt has repeatedly been an intermediator for Hamas, working out cease-fires in the previous three Hamas-Israel conflicts and easing other crises with Israel.

3 Huge Ways I Whiffed on the Pandemic

James Browning

May 21, 2021

Trial is often another word for opportunity. We are tried to find out what we are made of. We may be revealed to be made of wood, hay, stubble, or pure gold. Going through a trial like the pandemic revealed the church in the United States. It also revealed me and it turns out I’m mostly made of soggy fried chicken and stale coffee.

2020 was an opportunity to show my community what I was made of. It was an opportunity to be a hero of the faith. Instead, I whiffed in 3 areas.

1. I overestimated my adaptability and the adaptability of others.

In March of 2020, like so many others, I began working remotely. Or more accurately, I returned to remote work. Most of my career, I had been working from home and preferred it that way. My home office had a huge beautiful monitor, a desk I built myself, and most importantly of all, a private bathroom.

I had spent 10 years working from home before taking a corporate job and heading into an office every day. When the pandemic hit, we all went home. For me, it was a return to my comfort zone. For most others on my team it was a stressful and isolating new paradigm. It took me about 8 months to understand that.

My team was stressed. They had good attitudes, they continued to be productive, and our division grew and had an excellent year. But by the end of 2020, we were all stretched thin. For the first time in my life, I vacillated between anxiety and frustration. I had heartburn for the first time and it extended throughout the fall. And worst of all, I allowed my stress to isolate me. I didn’t want to be a complainer, but neither did I extend much grace to others who were going through the same thing. I thought I was going to thrive returning to working from home, instead I spent a year annoyed with the people who were most feeling isolated and stressed.

2. I gave into division.

Like many people in 2020, I had “OPINIONS” about politics. And my political “OPINIONS” affected my view of the church. I began 2020 by working on a meditation project with my small group, in an effort to be spiritually disciplined and focused on the kingdom of God. Flash forward a few months and I’m focused on Twitter which is nearly the opposite of the Kingdom of God and honestly one of the lesser social medias. I knew this was a bad idea, much in the same way that I know I should floss. Guess who spent too much time online and has poor gum health…yup, this guy.

It doesn’t have to be Twitter for some, it could be any social media, or the news, or even the people you hang out with. But many of us gave into division. I knew that division is a big sin (honestly, all sin is divisive). But here I was letting the world get me fired up when I could have been doing something better…like flossing.

3. I whiffed on loving my community.

This is a little embarrassing, but one of my biggest pandemic successes was the fact that I bought early on GameStop stock, and sold high. That kind of investing is almost always a bad idea because you have to really be lucky to time it right. However, in hindsight it always seems easy. The obvious opportunity during the greatest period of isolation in recent history was to build community with those who were most feeling anxious, stressed, angry, or isolated by the pandemic. I missed that opportunity.

The plaque now reads:

Working to Avoid ‘Unnecessary Offense’ by Using ‘Waorani’

Missions Attitudes Under Scrutiny

Instead of reacting, just breathe.

Receive what you need from God.

A Collect for Non-Anxious Presence

7 Habits of Highly Effective Sound Techs

1. Have Excellent Organization

2. Are Continuously Learning

3. Have a Good Attitude

The best student ministries do these things:

1. Create spaces for artists to create.

2. Motivate teens to serve their city and church.

3. Maintain and train strong, healthy leaders.

4. Make small groups the end goal.

5. Invite the senior pastor into the student ministry.

6. Engage 25% of the parents.

7. Know how to create fun special events.

Great student ministries aren’t a mystery

Civil War in the American Church

What Kind of Christian Isn’t Against Racism?

Evangelical Christianity: So Many Are ‘Walking Away’

Encounter God During This ‘New Season,’ Says Francis Chan

Apparently this is a new thing? To kick kids out of church?

Doesn’t that mean how to nicely kick kids out of church? Oh Church, what is happening?

But we have an amazing children’s program?

But kids are a distraction?

But this is the way we’ve always done it?

But it works for our church?

But here’s the thing.

COVID at Church: Closures and Backlash

‘Because He Lives’ Recorded by Popular Artists

Billy Graham’s Powerful — and Fraught — Friendships

Billy Graham and Queen Elizabeth — A Quiet Friendship

A Former Muslim and His Encounter With Jesus

From Persecutor to Christ-Follower

Liberty Counsel: State Can’t ‘micromanage’ worship

Harvest Rock Church: Not Gathering ‘is disobedience to the Lord’

Israel Antiquities Authority: A Blessing and a Charm

Why This Discovery Is So Important

1. I overestimated my adaptability and the adaptability of others.

2. I gave into division.

3. I whiffed on loving my community.

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