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One Big Thing We Are Missing In Online Kids’ Worship Services

By
Dale Hudson
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communicating with the unchurched

During Covid-19, many churches have started offering online kids’ services.  And many have decided to continue offering online kids’ services even after the pandemic lets up.

While I believe online kids’ worship services are making a difference in the lives of kids, I believe we are missing an even greater opportunity to make an impact in the lives of families.

Here’s why I am saying this.

During this pandemic, families have been spending a lot more time together.  That is one good thing that has come out of all this.

And here’s where this can be a game-changer for our ministries.  Families are spending more time together and one way they are doing this is by watching more content (streaming and live) together on TV.

Shows and movies that appeal to the entire family are trending up.  Producers are increasingly going after content that kids and parents can watch together.

An example:

Disney+ launched in 2019, declaring that all of its content would be appropriate for any member of a family.  The strategy is working.  They pulled in 53 million subscribers in their first 6 months.  Their growth in large part was due to the fact that families were having to stay home together.

“TV has become another way to spend time with your family, as opposed to holing up and watching it alone, or parents and kids watching separately.  We have fewer entertainment options right now, so why not make TV one of the things we can do as a family.  What we are going through is trauma, and it’s not going to magically get better.  People are realizing that what is important is family and spending time together.  TV can be a part of that—the right shows can really help people bond, and let them be more of a family through inside jokes about what they’re watching. I think that this trend will continue.”                 Polly Conway, senior TV analyst for Common Sense Media.

Research currently shows that the most in-demand family friendly series globally in 2020 were The Mandalorian, Supergirl, The Simpsons, Doctor Who, Cosmos: Possible World, Black-ish, Parks and Recreation, Star Trek: Discovery, The X-Files and Fresh off the Boat.

Conway went on to say this…

“I think the sense of community that TV can bring shouldn’t be understated,” says Conway. “Now that the water cooler is gone, it’s just your own family talking about what’s going to happen to Baby Yoda. TV gives you something to talk about.”

Another interesting note is this.  The Millennials, who are young parents now, grew up watching cartoons. But here’s the kicker – they have never stopped watching cartoons.  The idea that cartoons are just for kids has been removed.

That being said, here’s where I think we are missing a big win for families.  We are only creating online for kids to watch by themselves.  Kids watch the kid’s worship content and parents watch the adult worship content.  Seldom do they watch together.

What if…what if…what if we changed that and started creating online content that kids and parents watch together.

This fits with what they are doing already…watching content together as I mentioned about Disney+ (the church always seems to be a step or two behind when it comes to cultural shifts).

Create content that helps kids get their parents watching with them.  Add in things like pause and discuss these questions, do this game together and then talk about how it relates to the main truth of the day, watch this interactive, hands on Bible story together, etc.

Write this into the content so kids pester their parents to watch with them.  We all know about pester power.  It will work for this as well.  The content should be written in a way that parents must engage for their kids (and them) to get the most out of it.

Your influence with kids and families will grow as you provide a shared online experience for kids and their parents.  We know that parents are the biggest influence in their kid’s lives.  If we truly want to influence kids, then we must influence their parents.

We all look forward to the day when all kids and families feel safe enough to return to church in person. With the way things are progressing, it looks like this could happen this year.

Even when the majority of kids and families have returned in person, there is still a huge opportunity to use the concept of shared online experiences for kids and their parents.  What if…what if…you replaced the “take home paper” that few if any parents and kids engage with and instead provided on demand follow-up videos from the lesson that parents and kids watch together?

I really believe we are missing this and I believe if we will make the shift to online family content, that we can see great spiritual growth and discipleship happening in their lives.

The time is know.  Seize this opportunity.  I believe it can be a game-changer for your ministry.

Your turn. 

Do you know of any churches that are providing online content that kids and parents watch together?

How can we best engage kids and their parents with an online shared worship experience?

How can we use online content as the new “take home paper” that parents use to disciple their children?

This article originally appeared here.

This Is No Time for Generic Preaching

By
Brandon Cox
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communicating with the unchurched

In Dare to Lead, her wonderful book about vulnerability as the key to influential leadership, Brené Brown proclaims a simple and powerful truth, “Clarity is kind.” (And on the other side of the same coin, “A lack of clarity is unkind.”) In other words, generic preaching can create all kinds of pain, especially when we are vague about the expectations we have of other people. I believe clarity counts for a lot in the arena of preaching. Every congregation needs to hear a clear word of truth and a clear call to action, both personal and corporate. It’s the right and fair thing to do.

Preaching with clarity will inevitably have two effects. On the one hand, our clarity will call people to commitment, and people are hard-wired by their Creator to respond to bold, courageous leadership. And on the other hand, our clarity will also push some people away. It will repel those who cannot come to terms of agreement with what we’ve proclaimed.

Throughout the year 2020, I’ve had a lot of hard conversations in which I’m reminded of the need to preach in neutral. To play the middle. To be generic enough in the message to avoid offensive topics. To offend no one.

Stop Generic Preaching

But preaching a generic message in a neutral voice is a practice rooted in privilege. It’s possible only for those who already live under conditions that are personally favorable, who have an innate desire to avoid disturbing the status quo. In other words, we usually try not to challenge any cultural reality that ultimately benefits us or our peers, especially when those peers are attenders, givers, and volunteers who provide us a sense of significance and security.

It hurts to lose friends, and when you shift out of neutral and begin to move in some new direction, you will inevitably love someone behind. But if you’re going to preach in the tradition of Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, you’re going to have to commit to clarity.

We’re currently living in a cultural climate in which those most vulnerable to a raging and rapidly spreading virus are asking the rest of us to look out for them. People of color who have suffered at the hands of unjust systems and unequal opportunities are wondering if anyone who is privileged or has power will hear their stories and stand with them as allies. Generic preaching is easy, but choosing sides on these issues will cost you. Clarity will cost you. Boldness will cost you.

But clarity is ultimately kind.

Chances are, if you’re a preacher reading this blog post during the year 2020, it has already cost you, hasn’t it? You need to know that it’s okay. You’re not alone. You’re not the only one suffering loss. The only preachers I know who aren’t hurting are those who are sticking to the script. If you’ve been bold enough to go off script, stay on track. If you retreat now, you will have paid the cost for naught.

You’re going to get it wrong sometimes. You’re occasionally going to choose the wrong side. You’re going to step on the wrong toes. Your pride will sometimes take over and replace compassion with arrogance. And when that happens, be willing to be humbled, to learn, and to rest in the grace of God.

But don’t let rejection or the threat thereof drive you into silence or passivity. The world has big problems. Jesus came with bigger answers. And he has called you to be part of the solution – to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God who will always have your back as long as you’re speaking faithfully to his truth and in his voice of love and compassion.

The world needs clarity – especially concerning the good news of the saving King Jesus. This is no time for generic preaching in neutral.

 

This article on generic preaching originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

‘Miracles Breaking Out’—Sean Feucht’s Worship Events Still Going Strong

By
Jessica Lea
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communicating with the unchurched

As the anniversary of the first Let Us Worship event draws closer, worship leader and activist Sean Feucht is still calling the American church to revival—and speaking out about politics.

“MIRACLES BREAKING OUT IN KANSAS CITY!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥” Feucht posted on Instagram. “This is all happening while we are doing the salvation altar call!!!! We weren’t even praying for miracles!”

Since last July, Feucht has been holding outdoor worship services, or “worship protests,” around the country that feature singing, baptisms, and healings. The movement is called “Let Us Worship” because it is a response to the COVID-19 restrictions that have been placed on houses of worship.

In his post, Feucht explained that a woman who had had a toe cut off her foot and who had been told she could never fully walk again “literally just got healed” after someone in the audience laid hands on her. “No pain!” said the woman from the stage, who told the crowd she previously had no feeling in her foot or her leg, but now she does. Feucht pointed to the woman’s bandages and crutches laying on the stage. “This is crazy,” he said. “We haven’t even started praying for miracles!”

Let Us Worship Carries On

Sean Feucht, who has been connected to Bethel Church, launched the Let Us Worship movement last summer after California Gov. Gavin Newsom banned singing in church at the beginning of July. “I remember looking at my wife and I was like, is this still America?” he said. “And I felt like the Lord said, ‘You know what? Just take the party outside…Go to the Golden Gate Bridge, and begin to prophesy.’”

That is exactly what Feucht did. Later that month, he led a worship service at the Golden Gate Bridge that 300 to 400 people attended. “We are going to keep worshiping,” he said. “We are going to keep singing.” Feucht has continued to hold Let Us Worship events across the country in the months that have followed. Thousands have attended the events, and Feucht’s social media feeds feature many testimonies of people coming to faith In Jesus and being healed. The events have also had varying levels of political overtones and at times have caused controversy. 

For example, the city of Seattle closed its Gas Works Park on Labor Day last year ahead of the Let Us Worship event Feucht planned to hold there. So instead, the worship leader held the event in the street next to the park. “They can close down the park, but will never silence the church of Seattle!!!” he tweeted. “We’re calling it a worship protest…It’s going to be epic!” Throughout the year, Feucht has repeatedly flouted cities’ social distancing guidelines and drawn criticism from health officials. 

At his worship protest at the National Mall in Washington D.C. last October, Feucht expressed his support for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett and his opposition to abortion. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) made an appearance at the event and led the crowd in prayer for Barrett. 

Yesterday evening, Feucht posted a video in which he celebrated the news that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is “officially being recalled!” Newsom’s opponents have gathered enough signatures for there to be a recall election this year. “This is big news for Californians,” said Feucht, adding that he’s “so grateful” for the possibility that someone else will be running the state.

Feucht, who recently made stops in Springfield, Mo., as well as in Little Rock, Ark., sees his Let Us Worship events as a way of bringing revival to the American church. “There is a call to return back to your first love,” he said to the crowd in Little Rock. “We’re never going to be the same again!”

Pastor Rudolph Brooks Fraudulently Used PPP Money to Buy 39 Cars, Including a Tesla

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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communicating with the unchurched

Maryland pastor Rudolph Brooks Jr., who is the senior pastor and founder of Washington, D.C.’s Kingdom Tabernacle of Restoration Ministries, has been charged with fraudulently obtaining $1.5 million in Payback Protection Program (PPP) loans. He allegedly used PPP money to purchase 39 cars, one of which was a 2018 Model 3 Tesla that cost $60k.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office released a statement saying the 45-year-old Pastor Rudolph Brooks is facing up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted. The charges also claim he used the funds to purchase property in Baltimore. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has seized 11 bank accounts totaling over $2.2 million.

In 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, over $665 billion dollars in PPP loans were approved and handed out. According to the PPP loan program, Brooks’ purchases are not an appropriate use of PPP loan funds.

To apply for the PPP loans, the pastor used a company called Cars Direct which has him listed as the owner. The company which was forfeited in October 2010, was revived by Brooks in May 2020, two months after congress passed the CARES Act.

An arrest record shows that Brooks received over $1.5 million in PPP loans for his company Cars Direct by falsifying tax forms. Along with purchasing the Tesla, Brooks also purchased a 2017 Mercedes-Benz S Class, a 2005 Bentley Continental, and a 2015 Cadillac Escalade to name just a few of the 39 fraudulent purchases.

Brooks has also been accused of submitting fraudulent tax forms that “reported $724,469 in payments via Forms 1099-MISC and $7,471,630 in total unemployment payments to employees from Cars Direct.” This led the IRS and the State of Maryland to investigate Brooks’ Cars Direct company and later resulted in his arrest.

Senior Pastor Brooks’ The Kingdom Tabernacle of Restoration Ministries website has since been disabled, but other outlets report Rudolph Brooks as “a man after God’s own heart and has a passion for God’s people.” According to The Roys Report, the church website asked their people to “sow a seed“–a phrase commonly used by prosperity gospel churches when asking congregants for money that promises blessings from God in return.

Tim Keller: What the Biblical View of Justice Shows Us About Racism

By
Jessica Lea
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communicating with the unchurched

Is responsibility for sin individual or is it corporate? It’s both, argues pastor and author Timothy Keller in his article, “Justice in the Bible.” This means, therefore, that we must address racism as an individual and a systemic problem. 

“Corporate responsibility is at the very heart of the Bible and the gospel,” writes Keller, while noting that corporate and individual responsibility are not mutually exclusive. “The reality of corporate sin does not ‘swallow up’ individual moral responsibility, nor does individual responsibility disprove the reality of corporate evil and responsibility. There is corporate responsibility, but in the end we are held responsible for the sins we personally commit.”

In a four-article series, Keller lays out a biblical foundation for understanding race, sin, and the Bible’s view of justice. In the first article, “The Bible and Race,” he examines race in the Old and New Testaments, as well as race as it relates to the gospel. In “The Sin of Racism,” Keller explores how racism violates God’s commands and goes against his plan to reconcile all things. Keller also introduces the idea of corporate responsibility for sin in that post. In his third article, “A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory,” Keller covers four justice frameworks—libertarian, liberal, utilitarian, and postmodern—and offers a biblical analysis of each, explaining their shortcomings. 

In his fourth and final article, Keller spells out four aspects of justice in the Bible, one of which is “asymmetrical responsibility.” In doing so, he not only gives us a framework for addressing racism but also offers a view of justice that is arguably broader and richer than what we typically imagine.

Justice in the Bible Requires a Lot From Us

When we think of “justice,” many of us likely think of restitution for wrongs done. However, justice in the Bible is much more involved than simply making a wrong right again. The first principle of biblical justice that Keller presents is somewhat unexpected: “radical generosity.”

“While secular individualism says that your money belongs to you, and socialism says your money belongs to the State, the Bible says that all your money belongs to God, who then entrusts it to you,” says Keller. For example, while the Old Testament law does teach that it is wrong to steal, it also operates on the principle that “property rights are not absolute.”

In fact, the Old Testament principles regarding money and wealth (which Keller believes are still relevant for us today) were specifically designed to care for the most vulnerable people in society, that is, the orphan, widow, and foreigner. Among other biblical examples he cites for the idea of radical generosity, Keller mentions Jesus’ instruction that his followers be “rich toward God,” rather than to accumulate possessions for themselves. Said Keller, 

On the Left, money is the State’s and the distribution to the needy will be involuntary. On the Right, money is yours alone and any giving is voluntary and optional. The biblical teaching makes the primary dimension the “vertical”—the relationship to God.

Keller’s next principle of justice in the Bible is one that readily comes to mind: “equality.” All people “regardless of class, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or of any other social category,” are to be treated as equal.” This is a concept that was “unique and revolutionary in world history,” says Keller. We are not to oppress people, for example, because they are poor or because they are from another race or culture—as the Jews were tempted to discriminate against Gentiles and Samaritans. 

However, justice in the Bible goes beyond simply treating people as equals. God expects us to do more than avoid oppression and discrimination. He wants us to actually advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. This is Keller’s third principle, “advocacy.” 

“While we are to treat all equally, and not show partiality to any (Leviticus 19:15),” says Keller, “we are to have special concern for the poor, the weak, and the powerless.” He also points out that the Bible’s many commands to take care of the poor “assumes the reality of oppression.” Proverbs 22:22-23 warns of this reality when it says, “Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will exact life for life.”

Generation Z Is Turning to the Occult for a Spiritual Path — Here’s Why

By
Religion News Service
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communicating with the unchurched

(RNS) — Jenna Cargle was first introduced to tarot by her mother, a Catholic. “She was always talking about herbs, crystals, astrology and tarot,” explained the 18-year-old Atlantan.

Her mother’s mix of beliefs wouldn’t have attracted attention in many households, where tarot is akin to divination fads such as throwing I Ching or playing with a Ouija board. Not in Cargle’s family, some of whom rejected tarot and other practices as evil. Cargle herself was reluctant to embrace the practice.

Then, when she was 16, said Cargle, “I got comfortable with myself, Catholicism and spirituality. … I was no longer afraid to touch a tarot deck.” Cargle, who now identifies as spiritual but not religious, sees tarot as a tool.

“I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and that there is a set path for everyone. But there are different (possible) endings.” The tarot can help predict those endings, she explained.

Cargle is not alone in her spiritual discovery. Generation Z has been the driving force behind the renewed popularity and mainstreaming of the age-old esoteric system.

As Theresa Reed, known online as The Tarot Lady, put it, “It’s not just for witches anymore.”

Reed, who has been a tarot professional for 30 years, said that the crop of young readers haS demanded “a much needed upgrade,” explaining that their interest has provoked new “inclusive decks and better representation.”

Based on a mix of European Renaissance esoterica and religious symbolism, tarot was first popularized by spiritualists in the 1800s but then found its mainstream  American audience in the 1960s. Since that point, tarot has enjoyed occasional bouts of trendiness. Most recently, sales of tarot decks increased 30% in both 2016 and 2017, according to The New York Times, the biggest bump since the mid-1960s, part of a wider increase in occult and New Age practices.

Tarot and divination can still run afoul of religious people — in 2014, an attempt to retire a law banning “magic arts” in the rural town of Front Royal, Virginia, was met with unexpected backlash from those defending Christian values. But tarot isn’t necessarily a reflection of the decline in the religiously affiliated: according to Pew Research Center, alternative beliefs are popular among even evangelical Christians.

Reed agreed that the stigma of reading tarot is dying down, making it easier for readers of all faiths or none to practice: “Today you’ll see people from all belief systems using tarot.”

Reed believes that the most recent surge is specifically being led by young Black tarot readers and those in the LGBTQ community. “That’s a good thing. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you,” Reed said.

Whatever its source, the trend has likely been intensified by the pandemic. “I believe due to social media growing and (now) all of us being quarantined, the word on tarot has spread quickly,” said Cargle, who said she reads for friends as well as herself.

Barbara Moore, an acquisitions editor at Llewellyn Worldwide, one of the leading publishers and distributors of decks, agreed that there is a noticeable upswing in interest. Moore said that Llewellyn is now publishing six new decks per year, which is double from a few years back. “We are (specifically) seeing a demand for more diversity in tarot decks,” she said.

“While the pandemic has definitely been a major factor for the current surge, there are other forces at play,” explained Moore, including digital media and self-publishing.

“Independent venues and crowdfunding have opened up a whole new world of tarot and oracles. Because these options are not under the same sales requirements as a traditional publisher, it is a way for more specialized, unique or experimental decks to come to life,” she said.

The Simplicity Tarot, an inclusive deck created by New York City-based reader and spiritualist Emilie Muñiz, was crowdfunded and was so popular that she created a second “Red Rose” edition. Muñiz has since contracted with U.S. Game Systems for a mass printing.

A related form of divination called oracle decks has also been gaining popularity, specifically with younger readers. Moore explained that oracles are a good resource for people looking for daily comfort without having to spend time memorizing tarot’s esoteric system. They are particularly attractive to young people just beginning a spiritual journey, she added.

The growing interest in both types of decks has forced an Atlanta-based metaphysical store, Phoenix and Dragon, to completely rearrange its space. The tarot display, which now holds well over 128 decks and 60 kits, was moved to a larger room near the store’s front.

Owner Candace Apple said, “The surge in sales is definitely fueled by the 18- to 25-year-olds searching for their spiritual path and answers to the challenges they are facing in an uncertain world.”

Although her most popular deck is still the century-old Rider-Waite-Smith, Apple said, “The popular new aesthetics (in deck theme and art) reflect more forward movement than nostalgia of the past.”

Like Cargle, Apple names social media as the main factor behind the surge. “My book and deck buyer, Preston, scans the related TikTok posts to determine the strength in the newly introduced decks.”

Platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are the most common places for young readers to discuss and share their practice. All three are visually oriented and therefore conducive to tarot.

For all of social media’s power, however, tarot’s pull still has much to do with its aesthetic, which has expanded over the centuries from traditional esoteric depictions to Manga and pop culture. Even in its most modern form, tarot still holds its fundamental imaginative power. Cargle began reading with Vanessa Decort’s Sun and Moon Tarot deck, which was a gift from her mother. But she has since moved to Tarot of the Divine, attracted by the art of creator Yoshi Yoshitani, which, Cargle said, helps her to intuit what the cards are saying.

This article originally appeared here.

Prominent UMC Church Sees Pastor’s Reassignment as a ‘Hostile Takeover, Leaves Denomination

By
Emily McFarlan Miller
-
United Methodist Church
The Rev. Jody Ray delivers his sermon at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in Marietta, Georgia, Sunday, April 18, 2021. Video screengrab

(RNS) — The largest United Methodist church in the Atlanta metropolitan region announced it is leaving the denomination over the reassignment of its lead pastor.

Earlier this month, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson reassigned the Rev. Jody Ray, pastor of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in Marietta, Georgia, to a newly created position related to racial reconciliation in the North Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Rather than leave the church, where he has served since 2016, Ray announced at a virtual press conference Monday morning (April 26) that he was surrendering his credentials as an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.

“Unfortunately, my options were to accept the move, take a leave of absence or surrender my credentials,” he said. “That’s not consultation. It’s just notification, and it violates both the spirit and letter of the covenants that bind us together.”

Along with Ray’s announcement, Rustin Parsons, co-lay leader of the congregation, said that the congregation has decided it will not accept a new pastor and that its administrative council had unanimously approved a resolution directing church leadership of the church to proceed with the disaffiliation process.

“Given the recent actions of our bishop and the direction of the United Methodist denomination, both the leadership and members of Mt. Bethel strongly believe it is time for us to part ways with the denomination,” Parsons said.

“It is our hope that our disaffiliation will be amicable, orderly and timely. We long to go our separate way in peace so we can give our full attention to being the church God has called us to be in this community, the greater Atlanta area and our missions around the world.”

In the meantime, Mt. Bethel’s Staff Parish Relations Committee has hired Ray to be the church’s chief executive officer and lead preacher, according to the church.

Church leaders said Monday that Haupert-Johnson hadn’t given a reason for reassigning Ray, though the pastor said, “Many people know my heart for the important matter of racial reconciliation.” The pastor had not requested the change, which he called “unforeseen and disruptive,” and the congregation reportedly asked the bishop to allow him to remain.

Had the bishop engaged the pastor in conversation about shaping the position and given him time to pray about it, the outcome may have been different, Ray said.

“I will not engage in trying to read the bishop’s mind for why she has taken this hasty and ill-conceived action, but I do know she has undermined her credibility with the people of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church and jeopardized both the health and vitality of this congregation that is a beacon of hope and light in this community and beyond,” he said.

In a pastoral letter published online Monday, Haupert-Johnson said the North Georgia Conference announces new appointments every spring. This spring alone, the conference has announced 70 new appointments, according to the bishop’s letter.

“The reassignment of a pastor is not done out of spite. The placement of a pastor is not done as a form of punishment. The reassignment of a pastor is not designed to persecute,” she wrote.

But when the district superintendent called Ray to discuss his new appointment, she said the pastor responded that he did not accept the position and hung up on the superintendent. Since then, the church has “cast this as a ‘hostile takeover’ by an evil, ungodly woman bishop and denigrating The United Methodist Church,” Haupert-Johnson wrote.

“This reckless behavior has caused a great deal of pain to the congregation and threatens its covenant with The United Methodist Church,” she added.

This isn’t the first time Mt. Bethel, a 175-year-old church with two campuses in the Atlanta area, has made headlines.

In 2016, Atlanta NPR station WABE reported the church’s former choir director, Ira Pittman, had filed a federal complaint saying he was forced to resign from the job because he is gay.

That year, the United Methodist Church’s global decision-making body, the General Conference, voted to hold a special session to decide matters of LGBTQ inclusion in the denomination — which has come up at every General Conference since the 1970s.

That special session approved what’s known as the Traditional Plan, which strengthened the denomination’s existing bans on the ordination and marriage of LGBTQ United Methodists.

In the pushback that followed, a group of 16 United Methodist bishops and advocacy group leaders from across theological divides negotiated a proposal to split the denomination, called “A Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation.”

The proposal would commit $25 million over the next four years to form new, conservative “traditionalist” Methodist denominations. Churches and conferences would be able to vote to join those new denominations and take their properties with them.

Last month, the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a conservative group that had backed the Traditional Plan and organized to leave the denomination if it had not passed, unveiled its plans for one such traditionalist denomination: The Global Methodist Church.

But the 2020 General Conference — and any vote on the proposal to formally split the United Methodist Church — has been pushed back to August and September of 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parsons, the lay leader at Mt. Bethel, referred to the “long, contentious and destructive debate over theological and ethical matters” within the denomination during Monday’s press conference.

“It is widely known our denomination stands on the brink of a major division,” he said.

The church made clear in a FAQ on its website, however, that the root of its conflict with the bishop is not over differing stances on LGBTQ inclusion. Rather, it said, church leadership feels Haupert-Johnson did not properly consult with the church or its pastor before reassigning Ray.

Wesleyan Covenant Association President Keith Boyette, who helped negotiate the proposed protocol, described Mt. Bethel as “a very prominent church in our movement,” but said he had no insight into the church’s decision beyond what was said at the press conference.

The church hosted the association’s 2018 Global Gathering, and it likely would join the Global Methodist Church next year if the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation is approved by the General Conference, according to the Wesleyan Covenant Association website.

With the delay, United Methodists are anxious and want a decision, Boyette said. But the process and the cost to disaffiliate is “significant,” he added.

“The Wesleyan Covenant Association is not encouraging churches to disaffiliate except in unusual circumstances, like what has been presented for Mt. Bethel. There, we understand why a church will not continue to be part of a system that is taking actions that the church itself regards as being injurious,” Boyette said.

This article originally appeared here.

Dallas Megachurch Pastor Todd Wagner Resigns, Cites Pride as the Reason

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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communicating with the unchurched

Todd Wagner, co-founder of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, announced his resignation on Sunday after a season of chaos and conflict. Wagner has pastored the megachurch since their first corporate gathering in November 1999.

A statement from the elder team at Watermark Community Church stated that senior pastor and elder Todd Wagner, who has served the church for 22 years, submitted his resignation on April 17, 2021. The elders shared that Wagner and his wife “had been seeking the Lord for over a year to discern what their next step of faithfulness would be, and through conversations with family, friends, fellow Elders and their community, God gave them clarity that now was the time for a transition.”

This comes after Wagner recently returned in January from a leave of absence in September 2020 to work on prideful sin that was increasingly becoming visible to church members. During his address to the Watermark Community Church congregation in September, Wagner told them that there was “no hidden sin, there’s no sexual impropriety, there’s no financial issue, there’s no physical altercation, there’s no foul language, and there’s no holes in the wall. My marriage is great, my kids and I are doing amazing…but I have not been leading with the usual grace in my relationships with my closest friends…It has always been my ditch to be short and irritable. Invalidating at times and impatient enough that it was happening with more frequency that it was noticeable…and I didn’t hear them when [people] started to tell me about it.”

“Pride is not simply being overly impressed with yourself and who you think you are in terms of accomplishment, looks, or position,” he said during his September confession. Wagner continued explaining what the pride looked like that God was revealing in himself. He said, “It has most often to do with the position of your heart. It’s got to do with not listening, not being as hard on yourself at times you’re with others. It’s not humbling yourself to listen to others. It’s not thinking of God first and others first.”

On Sunday April 25, 2021, Wagner sat with the elders of Watermark Community Church on the stage and told the congregation, “We are fully convinced today that in the interest of Christ, for me and for my family, and for Watermark in this next season, it would be best served by me ending my season in serving as pastoral elder of Watermark Community Church.”

An emotional Wagner told the congregation, “Serving you in this role has been the greatest privilege of my life,” and he thanked God and Watermark Community Church.

Wagner will continue to assist the elders and will remain a member at the church. When asked what his plans were next, he jokingly responded he heard the children’s ministry needed volunteers.

Before Wagner’s announcement, Elder David Leventhal also announced he had resigned on March 26, 2021 due to loss of trust he had in Wagner’s ability to lead. Leventhal’s resignation was in response to what seemed like the elder team’s direction of keeping Wagner in his role after his leave of absence from September.

Levanthal and Wagner will serve together on the Elder Emeritus Team and are looking how each will “best serve” the church’s mission in the future. Leventhal shared with the congregation that Wagner and he are good, saying, “There’s no anger, there’s no wrath, there’s no malice or slander between us…I love Todd and I know that he loves me. I want you to know that Todd and I are at peace.”

“Men can disagree and still love one another, and still honor and obey God.”

Watermark Community Church is a church that helps equip other churches using various trainings such as marriage enrichment, leadership training, grieving kids and teens, and more. The church is still scheduled to hold their Church Leadership Conference this week, although some are questioning that decision.

“Why would a church that lost 4 of its 6 elders in the past 6 months, including its senior pastor, be hosting a conference for church leaders,” investigative reporter Julie Roys asked on her Twitter page. Another person likened Watermark’s situation to what Harvest Bible Chapel went through with former pastor James MacDonald.

The situation Watermark Community Church has been navigating through this passed year also eerily resembles what Mars Hill Church in Seattle went through in 2014 with their former pastor Mark Driscoll. Driscoll how is now the pastor of The Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, apologized to his Seattle congregation a couple of months before announcing his resignation. He said, “I’m very sorry for the times I’ve been angry, short or insensitive. I’m very sorry for anything I’ve done to distract from our mission by inviting criticism, controversy or negative media attention.” Driscoll founded Mars Hill Church that grew to over 14,000 people at 15 locations.

Read the Watermark Community Church’s Elder team’s statement here.

Pride Will Destroy You

Pride is a sin. Pride will destroy anyone; it doesn’t care if you are a non-Christian or a follower of Jesus Christ. Pride doesn’t care if you are a Christian who serves the church where no one knows your name or if you’re the lead pastor who preaches on a Sunday morning. Pride will creep into your heart slowly and take permanent residency without knowing you’re entertaining its deadly ambitions. Kill pride before it takes root in your heart, before it makes you ineffective for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and possibly turns you away from God. Here are 41 signs you might have pride in your life and not even be aware of it.

What If God Doesn’t Want Us to Go Back to ‘Church, Life as Usual’?

By
Megan Briggs
-
repent
YouTube @Pulse

Francis Chan had a message for believers and non-believers alike during a brief message on “Perspective in the Pandemic: Leader Check-In.” Chan joined 50 other evangelical leaders–musicians, speakers, and pastors–in a 10-hour livestream session to give some Christian perspective on the pandemic. The heart of Chan’s message urged those watching to repent and to consider that perhaps when all of this is over we shouldn’t get back to “church as usual, life as usual.”

“What if God is taking us to a different place?” Chan asked from a balcony in Hong Kong, where he and his family are currently living. “Many of us are anxious to get back to normal. I hope your anxiety is not just so you can go back and get busy with so many things,” Chan explained.

Are We Entering the End Times?

In his quintessential manner, Chan emphatically pleaded with those watching that now is the time to evaluate their lives and relationship with God. When a virus threatens to take you and those you love, it puts into perspective verses of Scripture like James 4:13-14: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Chan shared a story about a friend who decided to leave his wife for another woman during this time. The evangelist and author shared his incredulous reaction: “You’re going to do that now?!” He said he has a hard time wrapping his mind around how people could choose to continue in sin during this time of uncertainty. Although he says he was never one to proclaim the end times is near, Chan says perhaps “this could be the beginning of the end.” Speaking to the unprecedented nature of these times we’re living in, Chan says “God is doing something now that I’ve never seen in my lifetime…It feels like we’re headed into a new season.” 

Indeed, Chan implies that if God is moving us into a new season, it would be unwise to try and reestablish life as we once knew it. “I hope this is a time of growth for you,” Chan told those watching. This is a time when we should be reminding ourselves that Scripture says “to live is Christ and to die is gain” and to ask: Do I really believe that?

“Please get right with the Lord,” Chan said, imploring people to repent. “I’m begging you to think about humbling yourself,” Chan said, referencing James 4:10. 

Continuing this thought, Chan said if we are indeed in the end times, the last thing we should be doing is hoarding goods. He compared the current situation to the story in Luke 12 where a rich “fool” is storing goods and food in his barns. God tells the rich man his life is going to be taken from him that night, yet he was so consumed with storing up these goods that will prove useless to him. The lesson for us in this parable is that it’s ok to have riches, but we are to be generous with what God has given us. It’s “not a time to hoard,” Chan explained.

This Virus Is Showing Us How Unprepared We Are

Moving on to the subject of isolation and lock down, Chan wonders “could [this] be a blessing in disguise for some of you?” Chan, who recently moved to Hong Kong with his family so they could do more ministry work in Asia, said the isolation and quarantine has forced him to spend more time with God. While he is usually traveling to speak and minister all over the world, Chan says he hasn’t gone anywhere in the last month–a massive diversion from his normal routine. 

Asking viewers to think about their own situations, Chan posed this question: If you were truly isolated all by yourself, even without the Bible, would you be ok? We have the internet right now so we are not truly isolated, but if we were, Chan asked those watching if they would be able to lead themselves in their walk with the Lord, or even lead others to Christ. Perhaps we are not prepared for such a situation, Chan said. “I believe this virus has taught us how unprepared we are.” 

One good thing he’s seen from the virus and the resulting isolation is that more people are reading the Bible for themselves. 

Chan believes this season should also change the way pastors preach. We no longer have the luxury of giving nice, lighthearted sermons that are softened with jokes on either side. “My little self-help tips are not enough anymore,” Chan explained. Instead, the thing people need right now are messages straight from Scripture. 

SentinelOne Control’s Anti-Malware Employs AI to Sense Zero-Hour Threats

By
Nick Nicholaou
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communicating with the unchurched

Malware, in all its forms, is a constantly moving and evolving threat. Protection is essential! My firm, MBS, recently changed its anti-malware spec to a solution called SentinelOne Control because it appears to be the strongest protection against ransomware and all other forms of malware.

The Challenge

Most anti-malware solutions rely on constantly-updating ‘signature’ files that help it recognize malware. This is relatively effective for known malware. But because the threat is constantly evolving, the challenge is how to quickly identify new malware and its method of attack. Those new attack mechanisms usually have their greatest impact when they are new – before they’re widely recognized as malicious.

Those new attacks are referred to as “zero-hour” threats. Barracuda Networks defines a zero-hour threat as “one that hasn’t been seen before and doesn’t match any known malware signatures. This makes it impossible to detect by traditional signature-matching solutions.”

SentinelOne Control – What Sets it Apart

A recent real-world example that got a lot of press was the March, 2021 Microsoft Exchange vulnerability. Our team was testing SentinelOne Control before that vulnerability was known about – zero hour. We had SentinelOne Control running on a client’s Exchange server we host, and it notified us of suspicious activity. That allowed us to contain and protect all of our hosted Exchange servers by alerting us to something that wasn’t in any signature files and wasn’t even widely known about.

SentinelOne Control’s difference is that it also uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to analyze suspicious activity. That success story prompted us to finalize our research and change our anti-malware spec to SentinelOne Control.

Cost

Through an arrangement with our preferred solution distributor, pax8, and because my firm (MBS) isn’t allowed in its by-laws to make money on hardware and software it recommends, Christian churches and ministries are able to get SentinelOne Control for less than $3/computer/month!

There are a couple of caveats:

  1. To get SentinelOne Control for that low price you need to setup a pax8 account via the form at mbsinc.com. This not restricted to MBS clients! Any Christian church or ministry can do this!
  2. SentinelOne Control is not a simple installation. You may have an IT department who can do it, or an IT vendor who can. If not, MBS is available to help at its normal hourly rate. To get help from MBS, simply email support@mbsinc.com.

We recommend running a good anti-malware solution like SentinelOne Control on every computer— Windows, Linux, and macOS— and server.

 

Nick Nicholaou is author of Church IT: Using Information Technology for the Mission of The Church and is president of MBS, an IT consulting firm specializing in church and ministry computer networks, VoIP, and private cloud hosted services. You can reach Nick at nick@mbsinc.com.

Ten 2020 Movies With Spiritual (But Not Always Christian) Angles Guaranteed to Spark Conversations

By
Religion News Service
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communicating with the unchurched

(RNS) — The most blatantly spiritual title of 2020, Pixar’s “Soul” turned out to be a bait and switch. With inventive, almost casually brilliant animation, Pixar invented a “before life” realm where souls have to earn their ticket to Earth. The cosmological setup and the nature of the soul are prime subject matter for religious themes, yet there’s nary a nod to religion, just Disney-Pixar’s patented brand of self-realization.

Movies that have the most to say about spirituality almost always end up taking place close to the ground, even, like Oscar contender “Minari,” among those covered in sweat and dirt, struggling for a better future — tomorrow, hopefully, not just in the hereafter.

With this premise in mind, the RNS staff offers its list of 10 movies from last year — spiritually minded or not, Oscar-nominated or not — that caught hold of some truth about faith or glimpsed the spiritual in the stories they told.

Undercover Christian Family in Jerusalem Outed for ‘Covert Missionary’ Work

By
Stephanie Martin
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communicating with the unchurched

A Christian family who reportedly integrated into an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem is being outed for conducting missionary work in Israel and thereby breaking the country’s anti-proselytizing law. Beyneynu, a group that keeps tabs on missions activities in the country, announced over the weekend that it’s been “investigating the case of a covert missionary” in the French Hill neighborhood “for many years.” The revelation was sparked by “one of the missionary’s children proselytizing in school.”

Beyneynu says it had kept the case quiet while working to verify evidence. “We did not want the father to move to another neighborhood [to continue his work], and we wanted to get his citizenship revoked,” says Yoni Kayman, a community member with knowledge of the investigation.

Family Allegedly Conducting Missionary Work in Israel 

The man, identified only as Michael, is reportedly from a Christian family in New Jersey. His late father, who presided at Christian weddings and has links to a Mennonite congregation, was buried in a non-Jewish cemetery.

Michael’s family, whom Kayman says “looked completely ultra-Orthodox,” has been in Israel since at least 2014. When Beyneynu confronted Michael that year about conducting missionary work in Israel via social media, he reportedly confessed his identity and said he’d stop. The organization lost track of the family, who somehow then integrated into French Hill.

In that community, Michael served as a rabbi, priest, scribe, and even a mohel, performing circumcisions. His children attended Orthodox schools and were “partners” in the ruse, according to Beyneynu. Only when a daughter recently slipped up and mentioned Jesus to a classmate did the organization make its investigation public.

“For five years, we have been supporting them,” says Kayman of Michael’s family, “paying for their groceries, school buses, for everything, and they deceived us.” When the wife recently died of cancer, community members collected tens of thousands of dollars for the family. Though Michael’s wife claimed to be descended from Holocaust survivors, no proof has been provided, according to Beyneynu.

Community in Shock Over the Deception

Shannon Nuszen of Beyneynu says the organization was obligated to verify all information before making its findings public. “We can’t inculpate an entire family of being missionaries without scrutinizing every detail first,” she says. “It can cause damage to future generations.”

Nuszen says the burden of proof rests with Michael, who’d also need to obtain a permit from Israel’s Interior Ministry. “They have no proof that they’re Jews,” she says, “while we have proof that they’re non-Jews.” Beyneynu says the family apparently forged documents allowing them to emigrate under the Law of Return, the 1950 law that grants Jews worldwide the right to live in Israel and gain Israeli citizenship.

Michael’s current job is at a Jerusalem gym with ties to a Christian organization. Investigators say he’s been deleting social media posts and pulled his children from the community’s religious school.

Many evangelical Christians are strong supporters of Israel, but the country isn’t necessarily considered a missions field. Israeli laws forbid gift-giving that’s meant to prompt conversions, as well as any proselytizing aimed at minors without parental permission.

Seattle Pacific University Faculty Vote No Confidence in Board Over LGBTQ Exclusion

By
Yonat Shimron
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communicating with the unchurched

(RNS) — The faculty of Seattle Pacific University, a Christian school associated with the Free Methodist Church, has taken a vote of no confidence in its board of trustees after members of the board declined to change its policy prohibiting the hiring of LGBTQ people.

The no-confidence vote, approved by 72% of the faculty, was the latest in a series of escalating clashes between faculty, students and the school’s governing board. Faculty and students also want the school to drop its statement on human sexuality, which declares marriage between a man and a woman as the only permitted expression of human sexuality. Of the 213 who voted, 153 faculty voted for the motion, 47 were opposed, and 13 abstained.

The board of trustees issued a statement last week saying it would not change its employment hiring policy, which excludes LGBTQ people from full-time positions. It has not yet responded to the no-confidence vote.

“The board recognizes that fellow Christians and other community members disagree in good faith on issues relating to human sexuality, and that these convictions are deeply and sincerely held,” the board chair, Cedric Davis, said in an April 12 statement. “We pray that as we live within the tension of this issue, we can be in dialogue with the Seattle Pacific University community.”

The board also indicated it was taking its stand because it wanted to continue to maintain its ties to the Free Methodist Church, a small denomination of about 70,000 in the United States and 1 million around the world. The Free Methodist Church has eight affiliated educational institutions, including Azusa Pacific, Spring Arbor and Greenville universities.

“Right now the board is the last remaining group that has not yet come to recognize that LGBTQ individuals can be faithful Christians, and as faculty and staff they would play positive roles on our campus, if we can hire them,” said Kevin Neuhouser, a professor of sociology at Seattle Pacific who is also the faculty adviser for Haven, the student club for LGBTQ students on campus.

Neuhouser said the school was engaged in a larger discussion of trying to discern what it means to follow Jesus. “Is it being faithful to include or exclude?” he asked.

The most recent conflict began in January when an adjunct nursing professor filed a lawsuit accusing the university of refusing him job opportunities because of his sexual orientation.

Jéaux Rinedahl alleged in the lawsuit that when he applied for a full-time, tenured position as an associate nursing professor, Seattle Pacific rejected his application because he’s gay.

The status of LGBTQ faculty and students at Christian colleges and universities has been roiling many campuses.

Last month, 33 LGBTQ students or former students at federally funded Christian colleges and universities filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education alleging widespread discrimination at 25 Christian colleges and universities, including Protestant, Latter-day Saint and Seventh-day Adventist schools.

One of the 33 students named in the suit is a trans man who attended Seattle Pacific, where he said he was harassed, humiliated and forced to sign a statement saying he knew he was “breaking lifestyle expectations.”

In 2015, two Mennonite schools, Eastern Mennonite University and Goshen College, announced they were updating their nondiscrimination policies to allow the hiring of married gay and lesbian faculty. They also withdrew from the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, though they maintain their Christian identity.

The Free Methodist Church formed in 1860, when it broke away from the larger Methodist Church over slavery. Free Methodists were abolitionists who also believed in women’s ordination. In the 20th century, it became more conservative. The denomination does not contribute financially to the school.

Last week, about 200 students held a vigil on campus to mourn what they called discriminatory practices toward LGBTQ people and to outline a series of demands.

Leah Duff, a 21-year-old senior at Seattle Pacific who considers herself queer, said she was disappointed in the board decisions and determined to continue to fight against the board and what she described as its discriminatory policies.

“It’s a smack in the face to have this reiterated that you want to take my money but I can’t be gay,” she said.

Duff said the students and alumni are planning a campaign to discourage donations to the school, cut its ties to community organizations and work to decrease enrollment at the school.

The school does not require students to sign a sexuality statement.

This article originally appeared here.

Oscar Nominee Minari Spotlights Korean American Faith and the Role of the Church

By
Emily McFarlan Miller
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communicating with the unchurched

(RNS) — So much about the Oscar-nominated film Minari felt familiar to Jessica Min Chang.

“It shows scenes, conversations and household items that almost any Korean American immigrant family of a similar era will resonate with at some point,” said Chang, chief advancement and partnerships officer at The Field School in Chicago.

There’s the way the Yi family, its main characters, switch seamlessly between speaking English and Korean.

There’s also the film’s portrayal of religion, echoing the centrality of faith for many Korean Americans and their experiences of church, both the community found in the Korean American church and the shaky welcome in majority-white churches.

“For many Korean American immigrants, the church has been a central place for community,” said Chang, whose parents led a Korean American church when she was growing up in California.

“ Minari ” tells the story of the Yi family, a Korean American family that moves to an Arkansas farm, depicted as a kind of Eden, in search of the American dream. Along the way, they interact with a white, charismatic Christian farmworker and seek connection at a white, rural church.

America Magazine, a Catholic publication, described “ Minari ” as a “grounded, lightly comedic portrayal of the many varieties of American Christianity, without any preachiness, neither accepting nor rejecting the forms of faith on offer.”

The film is written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and loosely based on his upbringing in Lincoln, Arkansas, where, he told NPR, his parents would drop off Chung and his sister at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln to make friends and learn English.

Chung’s own faith comes out in the film in “the way that I choose to look at people,” he said during a Q&A for Fuller Seminary’s Brehm Center in Pasadena, California. For him, that meant avoiding caricatures of southern Christians and showing all the characters “in their humanity.”

“I feel like a lot of our spirituality is worked out in our relationships with other people and the way we choose to look at other people,” the filmmaker said.

The film premiered last year at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded the Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. It also won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film earlier this year and is nominated for six Oscars this weekend (April 25), including best picture, best director for Chung and best actor for Steven Yeun for his portrayal of Jacob, the patriarch of the family, who — like his biblical namesake — wrestles with God.

Chang saw a screening of “Minari” late last year, watching it back to back with another Oscar nominee, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which tells the story of a white Yale Law School student’s Appalachian family.

She was struck by how both films told deeply American stories.

“Minari,” though, is distinctly Korean American and “cathartic for Korean Americans in that we get to experience glimpses of our memories on screen in a Korean American way,” she said. For non-Korean Americans, she added, it offers an opportunity to see one family’s story presented “with a level of intimacy and nuance that’s usually reserved for other stories.”

The church plays an important role in that story, not just for the Yi family in the film, but for generations of Korean Americans.

“The Korean American church was a source of support, finding resources and experiencing connection and camaraderie,” Chang said.

At her parents’ church, she said, that looked like shared meals after every Sunday service. She remembers congregants gathering for prayer at 5 a.m. and her father preaching seven times a week.

“They sought the Lord because it was so hard. They kind of clung to their hope,” she said.

The Korean American church boomed after 1965, according to Daniel D. Lee, academic dean for Fuller’s Center for Asian American Theology and Ministry and assistant professor of theology and Asian American studies. But, he said, it actually has a much longer history, with Korean American churches in Hawaii and California dating back to 1903.

1.3 Million People Have Responded to the Gospel From Just This One Event…’People Are Hungry for God’

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

Over 1.3 million people responded to the gospel during one Good Friday event this year. Author and evangelist Nick Hall posted about the amazing response on his Instagram page a week after PULSE’s Good Friday Global Evangelistic Broadcast. Hall is the Founder of PULSE, a ministry aimed at spreading the gospel and making disciples all over the world. 

The Good Friday event broadcast has been seen in 186 countries, 24 territories and was translated into 39 languages. Some estimates say the event reached over 200 million people.

Call Centers Overwhelmed With Those Who Have Responded to the Gospel

Hall revealed that since the event, their call response centers have been overwhelmed with calls and texts from people all around the world who have shared with PULSE their desire to follow Jesus. The evangelist shared that a call center in India that is connected to 26,000 churches “was overwhelmed with people’s hunger for God.”

In a conversation with ChurchLeaders.com, Hall unpacked how they have and currently are equipping churches around the world to meet the discipleship need of those making decisions for Jesus. “We are doing everything possible to connect every person to a local church where that is possible,” Hall said. They are with church planting and missions networks around the world to have follow up materials in all 39 languages. Those in restricted areas make it more challenging, but Hall said they are “connecting digitally and through individual believers leading house movements” to train up new believers in Christ.

Hall said he has never seen anything like this before. He said, “For many years, I have had opportunities to share the gospel all over the world. But never before have I seen something as incredible as what happened this year on Good Friday and Easter Weekend.”

“Far from this being about PULSE, this is about Jesus being lifted high through the global body of Christ – the Church,” Hall wrote in his Instagram post and gave all glory to Jesus for the decisions being made.

Hall reiterated to ChurchLeaders.com that PULSE’s teams have been “overwhelmed by the hunger for Jesus” and he didn’t deny that they have their “work cut out” for them to build an infrastructure to meet the need God has allowed them to be a part of. He said, “Our goal is to continue equipping local churches with the best contextualized discipleship methods going forward.”

Why So Many Have Responded to the Gospel

In an article he wrote, Hall explained why he believes so many have responded to the gospel now. He said, “I believe the global COVID-19 pandemic, political and economic uncertainty, and the reality of racism and injustice have eroded peoples’ trust in the things of this world.”

Hall said, “People are asking questions” and are seeking to find someone “who understands the pain we are facing and offers purpose and healing.” The good news of Jesus Christ is where they are finding that someone.

Humanity is experiencing revival and reckoning like never before. And I believe there has never been a greater opportunity to show the world the love of Jesus than the one we have right now.

Hall asked people to join in praying for the response teams taking the calls and texts from those acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. He said, “Please join us in praying for the response teams that have been overwhelmed by the spiritual hunger demonstrated by such a wave of gospel response.”

Encouraging other leaders working in the trenches during a time most pastors in our current world have never had to experience, Hall shared with ChurchLeaders.com “I believe the ministry of presence has never been more needed than it is today, and the local church is the hope of the world!!! The more we get back to leaving the 99 for those hurting and broken souls, the more I believe we will experience the revival we have been praying for!”

God at Work With Others Who Have Responded to the Gospel

ChurchLeaders.com recently reported that Long Hollow Baptist Church has baptized over 1,000 people in the last four months. Pastor Robby Gallaty told ChurchLeaders.com that Long Hollow Baptist Church has worked for five years to develop a strong discipleship program. They did not know that God was preparing them to be ready for the revival He had in store for them.

Pastor Gallaty said, “Just like God poured out His spirit on us, He’s looking for people who want to get serious and press into Him and believe again that He can still do these things in their churches.”

Breaking News: SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on the Thomas More Law Center v. Becerra Case

By
Scott Blakeman
-
communicating with the unchurched

After a long journey through the legal system, the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) finally has its day at the highest court in the land.

The TMLC case is at the Supreme Court because California requires all nonprofit organizations who solicit donations in the state to disclose the names and addresses of major donors to the state’s attorney general’s office on an annual basis, even though it has no compelling need for the information. What’s more, the office has a history of carelessly leaking donor names and addresses online, opening the possibility that donors experience harassment and intimidation for engaging in activity protected by the First Amendment.

These protections matter, and that’s why ADF is representing TMLC before the Supreme Court today.

Under the First Amendment to the Constitution, we are guaranteed the freedom of association. That means we all have the freedom to choose which groups or causes we associate with, which includes whom we donate money to.

But think about this scenario for a moment. If you knew your private information and the organizations you support would be exposed to politicians like the attorney general of your state and the public, you may think twice about donating to those organizations. In today’s hyper-partisan environment, where cancel culture seems to lurk around every corner, there are potential risks to supporting organizations and causes that aren’t in vogue or don’t conform to the cultural zeitgeist. If the right of donor privacy is degraded, every time you want to support a charity or a non-profit organization whose mission you believe in, you would have to first ask yourself, “is it worth the risk?”

We’ve seen what happens when someone’s personal information is released online with the intent to cause them harm. When it’s private entities or individuals that reveal this information, it’s known as “doxing.” Doxing has ruined careers and resulted in public shaming, and it hurts people and causes across the ideological spectrum. When it’s the government’s fault that donor information is revealed, it’s more than “doxing”—it’s a violation of the First Amendment.

The bottom line is that all Americans should be free to peacefully support causes they believe in without fear of harassment or intimidation. Their information needs to be kept private for the sake of their safety and liberty, and for the sake of our democracy.

California officials are undermining these cornerstones of our country, and the Supreme Court will have the opportunity to rule against this.

Your voice matters. To show your support for donor privacy, click here and sign the statement today.

6 Reasons to Oppose California’s Demand for Private Donor Information

By
Sarah Kramer
-
communicating with the unchurched

Earlier this month, over 40 organizations filed “friend-of-the-court” briefs at the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Alliance Defending Freedom’s client, Thomas More Law Center (TMLC). TMLC is challenging a California mandate that requires charities, to hand over the names and addresses of their major donors to the state government every year.

Among those that filed the 40 briefs were some unusual allies:

  • American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Human Rights Campaign
  • People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and 125 other nonprofit organizations
  • The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which directly represents around 300,000 members and indirectly represents more than 3 million companies and professional organizations
  • 22 states
  • 24 Family Policy Organizations
  • The United States government

With such a diverse list of groups from across the country and across the ideological spectrum, it’s clear that donor privacy is not a partisan issue. And as the recently filed briefs explain, there are a lot of reasons to oppose California’s demand for private donor information—regardless of your political leanings.

  1. California’s mandate threatens our constitutional freedoms.

As the ACLU and others wrote in their brief: California’s mandate “risks undermining the freedom to associate for expressive purposes. That freedom, in turn, is fundamental to our democracy, and has long been protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments…. [T]he compelled disclosure of an expressive association’s members or supporters threatens to chill free association, because people may refrain from exercising those freedoms rather than expose themselves to government reprisal or private retaliation.”

Keeping donations private is a way to protect our constitutional freedoms, advance the common good, and allow the diversity of ideas. And it’s one reason why Americans are considered some of the most generous givers in the world.

  1. The U.S. has historically protected private speech and association.

“The ‘right to remain anonymous” is a core First Amendment freedom, recognized since the Founding … when ‘Founding-era Americans opposed attempts to require that anonymous authors reveal their identities,’” pointed out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in its brief. In fact, “[a] large part of the debate among the founding generation regarding the ratification of the Constitution took place anonymously.”

Supreme Court precedent protects these rights as well. In NAACP v. Alabama, the Supreme Court blocked the State of Alabama from demanding that the NAACP turn over its membership lists to the state. Releasing those names could have compromised their safety and willingness to express their views in the Jim Crow South.

  1. There’s no need for states to collect information regarding private financial giving.

A brief filed by 22 states explains: “As sister states with virtually indistinguishable law-enforcement and anti-fraud interests, our collective experience is uniform and unequivocal: we don’t need this sort of compelled collection of donor information for legitimate law enforcement purposes, and its stockpiling is unlikely to lead to any outcome other than mischief and chilling of speech. We therefore do not seek to collect it.”

The California Attorney General’s office admitted that it hardly ever uses supporter information for any purpose. So, it’s hardly a surprise that so many agree: Charities like TMLC shouldn’t be forced to put themselves and their supporters at risk by disclosing information about private financial giving.

  1. California has historically failed to take proper precautions with this sensitive information.

As PETA, along with 125 other nonprofit organizations wrote: “the Attorney General admitted that its registry ‘is underfunded, understaffed, and underequipped when it comes to the policy surrounding Schedule Bs.’ …. ‘Underfunded, understaffed, and underequipped’ are hardly three adjectives synonymous with effective protection of confidential information.”

At one point, anyone could use a web browser to access confidential documents in the Attorney General’s database. While not technically classified as “public,” anyone could view these documents by simply altering a single digit at the end of a URL. Additionally, nearly 1,800 of these confidential documents were accidentally mislabeled as “public”—making them generally accessible.

  1. Protecting donor privacy advances the common good.

A brief filed by 24 Family Policy Organizations notes that nonprofits “provide a unique and vital public service to their communities by effectively identifying and meeting local needs with expertise and combined resources…This critical social role benefits from donor anonymity… allowing nonprofits to focus their time and resources on the mission of the organization.”

The services provided by nonprofits help countless individuals and benefit entire neighborhoods. If nonprofits are required to disclose donor information, they could lose revenue. With fewer resources, they wouldn’t be able to serve communities in the same capacity. When we maintain donor privacy, that ultimately benefits the common good.

  1. Collecting the private, confidential information of donors puts them in danger.

The nonprofit group ChinaAid has a unique perspective on this, noting in its brief that “[t]he risks posed by California’s blunderbuss mandate are felt acutely by nonprofits, like ChinaAid, that face down powerful nation-states for human-rights violations. Increasingly, such nation-states surveil and attack their opponents across borders—in what has become known as ‘transnational repression.’” For example, ChinaAid’s president has received public death threats from China.

If the government requires nonprofits to reveal their donors’ personal information, Americans will have to live in constant fear that they will be harassed, intimidated, or worse because of the causes they support.

PETA agrees. The ACLU agrees. Twenty-two states and the U.S. government agree.

Every American should be free to support causes they believe in without fear of harassment or intimidation. This principle is especially important during this time of increased polarization in our country. There aren’t many current issues that receive a broad range of support from across the ideological spectrum, so it’s refreshing to see such unity on this issue.

We can all do our part to uphold donor privacy. Visit thegivingcase.com for additional information. You’ll find resources created specifically for church and ministry leaders, videos, and more.

You can also show your support for keeping donor information private by signing this statement today.

The Church Must Be a Place of the Second Chance … Starting with Returning Citizens

By
James Ackerman
-
communicating with the unchurched

In a culture so focused on dismissing people who have made mistakes, the Church has an opportunity to reflect something very different—forgiveness and a second chance. One group of Americans who need this type of grace are former prisoners who have paid their debt for committing crimes.

Returning citizens can face hurdles after prison that limit their access to housing, occupational licensing training, gainful employment, housing programs, student loans, and the right to vote. In some states, these barriers can cripple the ability to earn income to provide for a family.

In 2017, my organization, Prison Fellowship®, established April as Second Chance® Month to raise awareness about the barriers faced by the estimated 70 million Americans who have a criminal record. I have been fortunate to see story after story of God’s hand working in prisoners’ lives, but there are still barriers that need to come down after men and women leave prison. Once released, individuals with a criminal record can face up to 44,000 documented legal restrictions, not to mention social stigma, that keep them from reaching their full potential after they have paid their debt to society.

The fight to give people a second chance needs to involve the entire Christian community. God is patient in giving us second chances—we should reflect His grace by doing the same. The words of Isaiah, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression,” remind us of God’s unwavering commitment to justice. And as followers of Christ, our faith calls us to action and accountability—to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

Here are three practical ways that Christians can join this movement of justice:

Host a Second Chance Sunday at your church

Promote a welcoming culture for people with a criminal record by hosting a Second Chance Sunday during a designated Sunday. On April 11th, we hosted a virtual Second Chance Sunday service that included music from Hillsong East Coast and a special sermon about second chances by Pastor Jon Kelly of Chicago West Bible Church.

You may be surprised that there are people with a criminal record in your church. With an estimated 1 in 3 American adults having one, it’s practically guaranteed. You can recognize Second Chance Month during your service simply with an announcement and second chance testimony, or by dedicating your entire service and sermon to the topic and inviting a time of prayer for impacted citizens and families. Challenge your congregation to memorize scripture on justice and compassion such as Ephesians 4:32 which says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Promote employment opportunities

Finding a job is one of the most challenging barriers someone faces after leaving prison. Whether you are a business owner or manager, or have connections with a company that is hiring, you have the opportunity to help returning citizens rebuild their lives. With the gifts that we have received from God, it’s our responsibility to use them to help those around us.

One example of this barrier is Rick, who lost his job after his employer performed a background check and saw his criminal history. “What people see is what they see on paper,” he told me as he worried about providing for his family. Financial struggles can create outside pressures to revert back to a life of crime, but deeply rooted, healthy relationships—and a steady job—can help break destructive cycles.

Spend quality time with returning citizens

You’d be surprised how impactful your friendship and time can be to someone exiting the prison system, as they try to navigate this new world on the outside. I Peter 4:8-9 says, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint.”

Pastor Kelly, who was himself incarcerated, once said, “The people in church welcomed me to their dinner table, which is the most sacred space. I was a part of this community, and it had nothing to do with my story or my past; it was just a sincere love for me.”

“We often feel the need to go start this program, or we need to go do this or do that, but at the end of the day… just offering your dinner table and doing life with someone, and allowing them into your world is the way to go.”

Being invited into the homes of those in the church community allowed Pastor Jon to witness a healthy marriage and see how a godly man is called to lead his family.

This year, around 600,000 people will be released from prison. All of them will face legal barriers that make it difficult to reintegrate and more likely for them to revert to behavior that led them to prison in the first place. Set an additional place at your table, at your job, or in your church for them. Let’s make sure that these folks aren’t brushed aside and forgotten. They deserve a second chance.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Is Not Linked to the Mark of the Beast, But a First-Century Roman Tyrant Probably Is

By
The Conversation
-
mark of the beast
Kimon Berlin, user:Gribeco, via Wikimedia Commons

(THE CONVERSATION) The mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has led to concerns from some people that can be described as rational: What are the side effects? How effective will the shot be? And then there are those who are worried that the vaccine will brand people with the “mark of the beast” as described in the New Testament’s Book of Revelation.

The mark of the beast – a cryptic mark in Revelation which indicates allegiance to Satan – has been invoked by fringe Christian figures throughout the pandemic in reference to what they deem to be the evil of masks and vaccines. It ranges from the seemingly metaphorical likening of vaccine passports by a Republican House representative to something like “Biden’s mark of the beast” to the more literal interpretation that those getting a vaccine would be marked as followers of Satan.

It is tempting to dismiss such beliefs out of hand. After all, it is a fringe idea promoted by conspiracy theorists. But the idea has gained enough traction that some medical establishments have felt the need to address it head on. Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare, for example, states in an online fact sheet that “the COVID-19 vaccines do not contain … The Mark of the Beast.”

As a scholar of early Christian literature, I would note that the mark of the beast in Revelation has throughout history been misunderstood as referring to various events and phenomena. Its connection to the COVID-19 vaccine is but the latest example of such misunderstanding.

Moreover, I argue that the mark in Revelation is best understood in the first-century context in which it was used, as a polemic against the Roman Empire.

Reading Revelation with first-century eyes

The Book of Revelation is a complicated text. Written toward the end of the first century by an author who calls himself John, the text is filled with symbolic imagery that has mystified readers for centuries.

Using visions of angels and demons, death and destruction, John tells a story of an ongoing cosmic battle between good and evil that will end with good triumphing eventually. The beast and its mark are both understood by this author to be evil, and they are some of the most well-known and most misunderstood parts of his story.

In Revelation 13, John describes the beast as having seven heads and 10 horns, a leopard’s body, the feet of a bear and a lion’s mouth. The beast in this text is powerful, Satanic and is an object of worship.

There is also a second beast that promotes worship of the first. The most notable thing about the second beast is that it causes people to receive a mark on their forehead or right hand with “the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

John concludes this chapter with a riddle: “Let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.” (Rev 13:18).

The beast and the empire

Throughout history, this number has been used to demonize phenomena that readers are either wary of or don’t fully understand. It should come as no surprise, then, that some have tried to connect the COVID-19 vaccine to the mark in a similar way.

This interpretation is problematic, however, and for two reasons: First, the COVID-19 vaccines are modern phenomena that the author of Revelation and his earliest readers would have no familiarity with. Second, there is another explanation for the beast and its number that makes far more sense historically.

Many biblical scholars maintain that the first beast is a symbolic representation of first-century Roman emperors. In this reading, each head would represent one emperor. While there is some debate in scholarship on which specific emperors the author of Revelation is alluding to, there is fairly widespread agreement that Emperor Nero is one of them.

This conclusion is drawn not only from other references to Nero in Revelation, but also from his reputation in the first century for persecuting Christians in Rome.

In A.D. 64, when Nero was emperor, a great fire took hold in Rome and burned for nearly a week. Roman historians Suetonius, Cassius Dio and Tacitus claim that Nero himself was the one responsible for igniting the blaze, Tacitus adds that Nero attempted to free himself of blame by placing guilt on the Christians living in the city.

Nero’s number

There are a number of other points in Revelation where the author seems to allude to Nero. There is a possible reference to the great fire of Rome later in the text, for example, in Revelation 17:16. John’s description of one of the beast’s heads being “wounded” may likewise be a reference to Nero’s death, which Suetonius describes as a self-inflicted stab to the neck.

But perhaps the clearest reference to Nero in Revelation is the infamous “666,” the number of the beast that constitutes the beast’s mark.

Past, not future

Although there has been much speculation over the number’s significance in the past, there is a growing body of scholars who believe it to be a direct reference to Nero.

There is a well-known practice in the ancient world called “gematria,” in which letters are assigned numerical values. This allows authors to refer to individuals by using “the number of their name,” rather than their actual name. And biblical scholars have long noted that in Hebrew characters, the numerical value of Nero’s formal title – Caesar Nero – is 666.

This, along with the other allusions to Nero in Revelation, leaves little doubt, I argue, as to who the author is referencing with this number.

There is, however, one piece of this riddle left, and that is what exactly the mark of the beast in Revelation is. Given the symbolic nature of the book as a whole, the reference to being marked on the forehead or hand is likely not something to be taken at face value.

More important is John’s claim that no one would be able to buy or sell anything without having the mark that bears the name of the beast. So, what does one need to buy and sell that would also have the name of the beast on it? One possible answer to that question is money – and we have numerous examples in the archaeological record of Roman coinage that bears the name Caesar Nero.

[Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.]

One of the reasons that Revelation is often confusing to those trying to interpret the book today is that they frequently are trained to see it as a book about the future, when in fact it is primarily a book about the past. Clearly, John and his first-century readers would have been able to know the answer to “What is the mark of the beast?” in their first-century context. Otherwise the text wouldn’t have made much sense to anyone when it was first written.

In other words: when John gives his “number of the beast” riddle to readers in the first century, he anticipates that it is a riddle they will be equipped to solve in the first century.

While some may have lingering questions about COVID-19 vaccines, the question of whether those vaccines are linked to the mark of the beast shouldn’t be one of them.

_____________________________________________

Written by Eric M. Vanden Eykel, Ferrum College 

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.

Christians Should Change How They Talk About People With a Criminal Record

By
Religion News Service
-
criminal record
Two men read and discuss the Bible together. Photo courtesy of Prison Fellowship

(RNS) — I joined the staff of Prison Fellowship in 2016 with a decade of experience as a prison ministry volunteer. Our founder, Chuck Colson, was a mentor of mine, and I shared his vision for restoring those in prison. But I paid little attention to the names I used for people I was here to serve. I used common terms like felon, offender, convict and shrugged it off — until I understood that labels have the power to shape how people with a criminal record view themselves and how society thinks of them.

Language shifts aren’t new, but they are important to underscore personhood and get away from an “us versus them” mentality. On the other side of every label we give, there is a human being made in the image of God. Men and women who have been involved in the justice system are not the sum of their conviction history.

Prison Fellowship might be the first group to survey Americans regarding their use of the term “returning citizen” for people coming out of prison. According to the Barna poll results, around 1 in 4 Americans claims to be familiar with the term, which is widely used in the justice reform community.

Among those who identify as practicing Christians, a majority are open to using more positive, person-first language, with only 23% preferring traditional labels like felon or offender. Among these, men are much more likely than women to prefer traditional labels (30% versus 17%), as are evangelicals (33%) and those with higher incomes (36%).

Coming from the world of Hollywood and media, I thought headlines like “Drug-Dealing Ex-Convict Becomes a Pastor” packed a punch. The language was dramatic and jarring, especially in light of the new identities that so many of our program graduates embody (e.g. hardworking employees, doting parents, good citizens). But some mindful colleagues of mine challenged me to realize the impact of using such words.

Convict and offender clearly tie someone to the worst thing they’ve ever done. The word inmate is generally paired with a prison ID on a uniform (“inmate 12345”), inevitably reducing the one wearing it to a number. Even to call someone an addict is to verbally equate the person with the habit. (Some victims of crime even prefer to be called survivors, because they want to see themselves as who they really are and not what happened to them.)

Language changes culture, and culture changes law, not the other way around. And if we as Christians don’t change the culture, who will? There are 1 in 3 adults with a criminal record in the United States today facing untold obstacles to a second chance after paying their debt to society.

We believe people have inherent, God-given worth; our language must affirm their personhood. They are people with a criminal record, incarcerated men and women, people who struggle with addiction or troubled pasts. This is not a cry for political correctness. It is a call to create a culture that upholds people’s potential, rather than one that holds them back with harmful stereotypes. Words should affirm their whole identity, including their capacity to change and grow.

Since 2017, Prison Fellowship has recognized April as Second Chance® Month, a nationwide celebration of second chances and an effort to unlock bright futures for people who have paid their debt to society. At one event last year, we met a man named Lance who had served time in prison after causing a car accident that took his best friend’s life. He was open about his story, from recovering from alcohol addiction and serving a sentence to struggling to forgive himself and find housing and employment.

As Lance shared: “I will sit down (in a job interview) and say, ‘Look, I’m going to tell you exactly who I am to start this conversation, so you know who you’re dealing with. I have a felony.’ (These) people see me around town, and they’ll say to me, ‘I had no idea.’ That’s kind of the point. The point is that I’m a person, and you know me as a person.”

I remember the heroes of the Bible we look up to, not in spite of their worst choices, but because of God’s power to redeem their lives. Serving him, the ultimate author of second chances, the church has a role to play in pursuing a more restorative justice system. Names clarify the world around us and carry the weight to redeem or condemn. It’s a heavy truth I’ve learned to embrace. It can be as simple as using different language tonight at your dinner table.

(James Ackerman is president and CEO of Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners and their families. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

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