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Why the Deeper Truth About George Floyd and Derek Chauvin Must Matter to You

By
Aaron Ritter
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communicating with the unchurched

“I can’t breathe.”

We first heard those words nearly six years ago out of the mouth of Eric Garner as he lay face down on the pavement of a New York City street. And his dying words certainly produced a national response. Protests erupted around the country and then redoubled the following month after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri. Those two events in the summer of 2014 catalyzed the nascent Black Lives Matter movement that had begun to take shape the previous year after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the death of Trayvon Martin. These past seven years have intimately acquainted us with civil unrest motivated by ethnic division.

And yet, this feels different.

When we all watched George Floyd’s body go limp, something snapped. It seemed to be one of those rare moments when the collective conscience of an entire nation was lit on fire. That conscience had begun to flare up a time or two in recent years, but this past week it was set fully ablaze. Perhaps it was because the coronavirus has changed us and heightened our sensitivities. Perhaps we were primed in the preceding weeks by Ahmaud Arbery and Amy Cooper. Regardless, nearly everyone I know felt something deeply. Sadness. Rage. Determination.

Of course, then the riots and looting started, and as they did, you could feel things change. We all began to gravitate toward different ideological camps. Now that multiple injustices were emerging, each of us had to decide which injustice deserved to be accented. “Yes, X was unjust, but what about Y?” Whatever you substituted for X and Y was pretty telling and definitely contentious.

But before it all completely devolves into the same old political squabbles, can we rescue this moment and let it do a work in us? After all, I believe in a redemptive God. He will bring good out of this. But how? What does he want to do with us? The list is long, but perhaps it begins with identification. I believe that God wants us to identify with others, and to do so in two ways.

***

I mentioned in a sermon a few weeks ago that my daughter has changed me. Before adopting an African American girl, I think I could recognize racial injustice, but it wouldn’t necessarily have a visceral effect on me. I could give a nod toward the unfairness of some racially motivated killing, but it didn’t take the breath out of me as it does now. I certainly have not arrived, but I think I’m beginning to at least scratch the surface of seeing things through black eyes. I’d like to invite you to join me.

I read an essay recently, written in 2016, by a Jamaican man named Garnette Cadogan who moved to New Orleans and eventually to New York as a young man in the late 1990s. It’s a longer read, but well worth your time. He describes what he unexpectedly encountered in those early days in New Orleans:

“Within days I noticed that many people on the street seemed apprehensive of me: Some gave me a circumspect glance as they approached, and then crossed the street; others, ahead, would glance behind, register my presence, and then speed up; older white women clutched their bags; young white men nervously greeted me, as if exchanging a salutation for their safety: “What’s up, bro?” On one occasion, less than a month after my arrival, I tried to help a man whose wheelchair was stuck in the middle of a crosswalk; he threatened to shoot me in the face, then asked a white pedestrian for help.

I wasn’t prepared for any of this. I had come from a majority-black country in which no one was wary of me because of my skin color. Now I wasn’t sure who was afraid of me. I was especially unprepared for the cops. They regularly stopped and bullied me, asking questions that took my guilt for granted. I’d never received what many of my African American friends call “The Talk”: No parents had told me how to behave when I was stopped by the police, how to be as polite and cooperative as possible, no matter what they said or did to me. So I had to cobble together my own rules of engagement. Thicken my Jamaican accent. Quickly mention my college. “Accidentally” pull out my college identification card when asked for my driver’s license.”

What might that do to you if others regularly crossed the street to avoid you? How would you see the world if you experienced just one encounter with police like he described? How would it affect you if your guilt was taken for granted? Soon, race would dominate the way you viewed the world. Most of us who are white aren’t Jim Crow kind of racists, but I think we should understand how it lands on black people when we shrug at the issue that has so defined their experience of reality.

In Acts 6, we read about a situation in the early church in which Greek widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food in favor of the Hebraic widows. Once brought to the attention of the apostles, they organized a system to address this injustice. Specifically, they chose seven deacons to devote themselves to the fair distribution of church resources to the needy widows. The interesting thing, though, is that all seven were Greek. They didn’t create a team that equally represented each ethnicity. Instead, they weighted the representation (fully) toward the neglected group. Did this mean that the Hebraic widows didn’t matter? Of course not. Rather, they recognized a need to give special attention to the minority party. In order to achieve fairness, the needs of one group needed to be highlighted.

Now I can understand feeling the need to guard against certain ideologies. In different contexts, we as a church have highlighted the dangers of critical theory, cultural marxism, identity politics, etc. I see weaknesses in these types of ideologies that can and will yield bad fruit. However, in our emphasis on protecting ourselves from imbalanced ideologies, have we neglected basic compassion? And is that the pattern that Jesus confronted so vehemently?

Okay, but why such anger? Why such destruction? Why not something more civil and peaceful? Well first, let’s not just consider the small minority of looters and rioters. Clearly those people are in the wrong. But rather let’s consider the people that are just plain mad. Can we step into their shoes?

“Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

What if you and/or your family members had repeatedly experienced some kind of bigotry over a number of years? And what if you had repeatedly tried to bring attention to this injustice through peaceful means but had continually felt ignored and dismissed? And what if you believed that bigotry had not simply resulted in discomfort, but in death?

After all, there’s something in each one of us that senses that the unjustified taking of a life requires severe punishment. We can debate capital punishment and how to apply certain biblical principles, but Genesis 9:5-6 clearly demonstrates that human life, made in the image of God, is of great value and cannot be easily discarded. We’re all programmed with that understanding. That’s why we see such emotional responses when life is taken unjustly.

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Harlem by Langston Hughes

And this is especially true when the killing feels personal. White people find it difficult to relate to this because we don’t often see ourselves as a we. When you’re in the minority, though, you tend to develop a close solidarity with others who are like you. You’re family. Another person’s experience becomes your own.

So can we put ourselves in the place of someone who has experienced genuine racism and extremely frightening situations? Someone who has tried to address these situations in a variety of ways but has seen no measurable progress? And someone who identifies very closely with the victims and their families? I think we must. This is our opportunity to truly empathize in a way that perhaps we never have.

***

And yet the black community is not the only group to identify with. Regardless of ethnicity, we must also do the uncomfortable work of considering how much Derek Chauvin is in each one of us.

Likes and Prayers: Social Media Giant Tests New Facebook Prayer Post Feature

By
Emily McFarlan Miller
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communicating with the unchurched

(RNS) — When the unfamiliar pop-up touting a new feature appeared on Robert P. Jones’ Facebook, the CEO and founder the CEO and founder of PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) posted a screen grab to Twitter.

“Wondering what fb algorithm thinks it knows about me?” Jones mused.

The new Facebook feature? Prayer posts. The function will allow members of Facebook groups to ask for and respond to prayer requests.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to Religion News Service that the social media platform is currently testing the prayer post feature.

The idea for prayer posts grew out of the myriad ways users have connected over Facebook while distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the spokesperson.

“Our mission to give people the power to build community extends to the world’s largest community; the faith community,” Nona Jones, head of Global Faith Partnerships at Facebook, said in a written statement to RNS.

“As a local church pastor with my husband, I know very well how disruptive the last year has been for people of faith and the houses of worship that serve them,” Jones said. “This is why we are committed to finding ways to build the tools that help people connect to hope on Facebook.”

In its Year in Review, Facebook noted that the week of Easter and Passover 2020 — which fell in early April, about a month into lockdowns across the country — saw the most group video calls ever on Messenger, Facebook’s private messaging app. It also saw the most Facebook Live broadcasts from “spiritual” Facebook pages.

Prayer posts are being tested within a subset of groups in the United States, according to Facebook. The spokesperson did not elaborate what criteria make up that subset.

Group administrators must opt in to allow members to use the feature, which gives members the option to post prayer requests in the group.

Other members can then click a “pray” button to let the original poster know they have prayed for their request. They also can choose a reaction, leave a comment or send a private message to the poster.

Facebook is also exploring additional tools to support faith and spirituality communities, including its #MonthForGood campaign during the Muslim observance of Ramadan, according to the spokesperson.

This article originally appeared here.

Minnesota Churches Are “Flashpoints” in Standoffs Between Police and Protesters

By
Religion News Service
-
police and protestors
Police stand in formation near Kenyan Community Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis, Monday, April 12, 2021. Daunte Wright was killed in Brooklyn Center on April 11, 2021. Photo by Scott Streble

(RNS) — For more than a week, Simeon Momanyi has worked to strike a balance between abiding by law enforcement and ministering to protesters decrying racism and police brutality. It’s a complex task: Kenyan Community Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he serves as pastor, is adjacent to a police precinct in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, where protests have flared following the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by an officer earlier this month.

What’s more, Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis, lies ten miles from the spot where Officer Derek Chauvin was filmed killing George Floyd last year, sparking a wave of demonstrations across the country. Despite Chauvin’s conviction by a jury on Tuesday (April 20), authorities in Minneapolis have prepared for potential unrest.

But moments before the verdict was read, Momanyi said no matter their decision, he intends to keep his church — which has been offering food and water to demonstrators — open.

“The church is a safe space where healing and hope happens,” he said in a text message. “Regardless of the verdict, the church will always remain open and will continue serving the community.”

From the 2014 racial justice protests in Ferguson, Missouri, to last summer’s Black Lives Matter actions across the country to demonstrations over the shooting of Wright two weeks ago, churches have served as way stations. Many offer water and shade for those who have come out to express their outrage and shelter from police who have at times surrounded houses of worship when protesters take refuge inside.

Unlike some faith leaders and religious communities that have voiced full-throated support for racial justice demonstrators over the past year, Momanyi explained his church does not “necessarily take sides” regarding the demonstrations and has closed its doors when evening curfews went into effect.

Even houses of worship that don’t take sides have been flashpoints, however. Momanyi’s is one of at least two congregations that has found itself at the center of standoffs between police and racial justice demonstrators over the past week, both in Brooklyn Center. The churches’ involvement with the demonstrations went viral over the weekend when a photo of police officers surrounding Kenyan Community Adventist was shared widely on social media.

The pastor told Religion News Service his congregation has opened its doors to offer a place of respite during daytime demonstrations. Kenyan Community Adventist coordinates with different community-based organizations in the area to allow volunteers to stand outside to offer food and water to protesters.

“If someone wants to pray, or just a place to rest during the day, they can come in,” he said.

Momanyi said that while daytime demonstrations have been peaceful, a different group has often appeared in the evening that frequently engages in direct confrontations with police.

While he doesn’t know the exact circumstances surrounding the image of police surrounding his church, he has a theory.

5 Helps Available to Every Man Responding to Temptation

By
Vince Miller
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communicating with the unchurched

Vince Miller’s new book, Battling Repetitive Sin, is a field guide for every Christian man who wants practical advice on how to stand against temptation. He’s an authority on men’s ministry. In this excerpt, Pastor Miller details five principles regarding temptation and how to deal with it.

In the third temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:9-13) , the Tempter uses Jesus’s strategy against him. The Devil resorts to using scripture, which Jesus has done every time in responded to temptation. The Tempter actually quotes a couple of scriptures from Psalms and uses them out of context. While it’s presented as a promise to Christ for this moment, the Psalmist never intended it to be used in this manner. But why does he do this? Because the Tempter knows the truth, and he knows the context of the truth, and he hopes that Jesus will act on his distorted presentation of the truth. In the end, he is hoping Jesus will self-justify an ungodly course of action.

While this wasn’t so alluring to Jesus, it is to us. When we are at our weakest, self-justification is the Tempter’s big appeal. We have thoughts that stir around in our mind and then we look for evidence to substantiate a course of action that benefits ourselves. Have you ever had those thoughts? Have you ever thought:

  • No one will know.
  • I’ll do it just this one time.
  • A little bit won’t hurt.
  • I won’t do it again.
  • Most people do it anyway.
  • It’s my right.
  • I deserve it.

If you have ever had one of these thoughts, then you know what self-justification is. We have all done it. I have done it. It’s appealing to pursue our way instead of God’s way. And this is a great test of our personal faith.

But notice how Jesus responds: “And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Luke 4:12) Jesus calls it how he sees it. Not a test just of him, but a test of God. And Jesus throws the Tempter the haymaker.

5 Helps Available to Every Man Responding to Temptation

1. Temptation is common.

Everyone is going to encounter temptation. Even Jesus Christ experienced it. Don’t be surprised about it. You are going to experience some today.

2. Temptation can be resisted.

Now I know Jesus is God, but he demonstrates we can resist it as humans. And you will not every time—but with help from the Spirit and Scripture we can resist more effectively.

3. Temptation is not a sin.

Throughout this situation Jesus never sins. And Satan knows he cannot make Jesus sin. Neither can he make you sin. He can, however, lead you right up to edge of it, but this is not a sin.

4. Temptation strikes when we are weak.

Satan came to Jesus when he was weakest, and he does the same in our life. It’s when we are hungry, angry, lonely, and tired that temptation seems strong.

5. Temptation is battled with scripture.

You may have noticed, but Jesus uses scripture every time he’s tempted. Actually, he selects texts from a rather small section of scripture in Deuteronomy chapters 6-8. And we, when we encounter temptation, need to go to scripture. In temptation we should run to God’s Word and lean on it for help and direction in the battle.

 

This article is an excerpt from Vince Miller’s book, Battling Repetitive Sin, and is used by permission.

How to Lead When You Lack Clear Direction and Vision

By
Dan Reiland
-
communicating with the unchurched

If you are not clear about vision or direction, don’t panic, God is still with you.

This experience of being temporarily “in the wilderness” and you can’t see what’s next is more common than you might imagine.

The important thing is not to allow yourself or your team to settle in and accept it as “the way things are.”

The first thing to do is figure out the reason why.

There are many possibilities, each one is personal and nuanced, but they often land in one of these five categories.

  • The church just experienced an unexpected transition.
  • The church underwent a traumatic issue.
  • The leadership is tired.
  • The church is in a rapidly changing community.
  • The leaders need a personal leadership breakthrough.

It should not take long to figure out the vision lacks clarity. That shapes your discernment process, and in some cases, the actual vision.

Right now, COVID fits within the second category. That is definitely traumatic, but it’s time to start rising above it.

It’s been nearly impossible to see more than 30-90 days out in front, but life is starting to become clearer, and that allows you, and all of us, to see farther out. Even if it’s just 6-9 months, that is progress!

While you are waiting on God for direction and vision clarity, focus on increasing the spiritual health of your church.

How to start moving forward while you are pursuing clarity in direction and vision:

1) Focus on the Great Commission.

Every evangelical church in the world shares the same mission, to lift up the name of Jesus and develop disciples who follow Him fully.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

The Great Commission, or often referred to as the mission, is the universal purpose of the Church.

Your vision represents the unique focus of your church. It is the expression or the fire, fuel, and flavor that demonstrates how you go about the mission in your community.

While you are asking God to clarify your vision, focus on the Great Commission!

This is not a place to remain indefinitely, but there is no problem at all with focusing on the Great Commission while you work on adding your unique vision to it.

2) Get good at the basics.

You know the basics.

The big picture basics of the church are:

  • Lift up the name of Jesus and redemption in His name.
  • Love people well who are both inside and outside the church.
  • Communicate biblical grace and truth.
  • Help people mature in their faith.

The organizational basics of the church are:

  • Invite people to church.
  • Greet people with a generous spirit of hospitality.
  • Provide an uplifting worship experience.
  • Follow up with guests well and consistently.
  • Create a simple and attractive process for people to grow in their faith.

Take time while you are working on your unique vision to improve any or all of the above points.

Make your church better while you ask God to help you make your church bigger.

You could invest several months here, making your church stronger and increasing spiritual health.

3) Develop the culture to focus outward rather than inward.

Every church, over time, will drift inward if not purposefully and intentionally leading in an outward direction.

That’s not an indictment; that’s just human nature.

Further, it’s an unintended by-product of really good relationships. People who grow to love and care for each other begin to focus on each other.

Don’t lose the long-term and caring relationships in your church, but redirect them outward to invite others in.

It’s like the all-to-familiar story of small groups.

They do their job so well; they become ingrown. The leader is so good and the people so caring that almost unperceptively, it becomes all about just those in the group.

The source of that problem is something good, so tap into the good and turn the force outward before it’s stuck focused on self.  At that point, it is difficult to change.

*What is your church doing in the community that reaches people, touches hearts, and changes lives – including people who may never attend your church?

4) Build teamwork and community over silos and division.

As a leadership coach, all too often, even in good churches, I see teamwork and community begin to erode, usually due to sustained pressure and problems.

Leaders can and do get tired when buried under the weight of unending problems.

When teamwork and community begin to erode, that results first in silos (teams doing their own thing,) then eventually it degrades further into division.

Take practical steps to build teamwork.

  1. Cultivate an open and honest culture.
  2. Focus on the same goals together.
  3. Help each other solve problems.
  4. Share resources, not equally, but in the best way for the church to make progress.
  5. If there is gossip, end it.
  6. Establish accountability according to responsibilities.
  7. Take time to laugh and play together.

5) Form a team to help solidify a fresh new vision.

God may speak directly to you about direction and vision. But God is not limited in how He communicates. Sometimes He works through you and your key team together.

If you are the senior pastor and have a lead team, be open and honest about the lack of direction and much-needed clarity of vision. After all, they already know.

Remember, this is only temporary, and you have plenty to work on while you establish a fresh vision.

NOTE:  If you are a campus pastor, department head, or a volunteer, for example, leading a small group, make sure your vision fits under, supports, and is fully aligned with the overall vision of the church.

In fact, your specific vision starts with the overall vision; your role is to add only enough uniqueness to make sure that it’s clear and relevant to the group you lead.

God may speak directly to you about direction and vision. But God is not limited in how He communicates. Sometimes He works through you and your key team together.

This article originally appeared here.

‘Justice’ ‘Thankful’ ‘Relieved’ – Faith Leaders React to Guilty Verdict in Derek Chauvin Trial

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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communicating with the unchurched

George Floyd‘s brother Philonise prayed and had faith that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin would be convicted for killing his brother on May 25, 2020. Everyone knows that murder sparked protests and riots across the nation. Floyd’s brother and family’s prayers were answered by the 12 jurors who found Chauvin guilty on all three charges (second-degree murder, third-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter) on Tuesday April 21, 2021.

Philonise told reporters that he felt “relieved today that I finally have the opportunity…for hopefully getting some sleep.” He referenced that technology was “the difference” that helped convict former officer Chauvin.

Faith Leaders and Influencers React to the Derek Chauvin’s Guilty Verdict

Faith leaders and Christian influencers immediately reacted to Derek Chauvin‘s guilty verdict, many of whom used the words “justice,” “relieved,” “thankful,” and “work to be done.”

Russell Moore who is the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission associated with the Southern Baptist Convention said [Twitter]: “Grateful for justice rendered in Minneapolis. Let’s remember today the family of George Floyd. And let’s work together for a new era of racial justice and American hope.”

Former NFL tight end and author Benjamin Watson said [Twitter]: “Tears of sadness and joy. The last year weighed heavily on us all. Justice does not bring the dead back to life but it does protect those who deserve protection and punish these who are deserving. Hasten the day when it is commonplace that the justice system work as it should.”

Samaritan’s Purse CEO and president Franklin Graham wrote [Facebook]: “The verdict is in and Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in the death of George Floyd. Our legal system has worked and justice is being served. I hope all of America and our law enforcement will learn from this tragedy, and that we will become a better nation. My prayer is that our country will come together. I hope Christians will set the example and lead the way. Jesus told His disciples, ‘This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you’ (John 15:12). George Floyd’s life mattered—every life matters to God.”

Esau McCaulley, who is an assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, in an article published by the The New York Times said: “I am relieved about the guilty verdict in Mr. Chauvin’s trial. ‘Happy’ is the wrong word when a life has been lost. Juries can’t raise the dead. One court case can’t restore the distrust that lingers in the hearts of many Black and brown Americans. A single decision is important, but it can’t fix a system. There is still work to do. Mr. Floyd’s family may have some measure of peace, but he was taken from them nonetheless.”

Southern Baptist Convention‘s president J.D. Greear told the Baptist Press: “I know that for persons of color, today’s verdict ties into long-standing questions about justice and equal treatment under the law. As we said in the wake of this incident almost a year ago, we cannot remain silent when our brothers and sisters, friends and/or people we seek to convince of Jesus’ love are mistreated, abused or killed unnecessarily. I have prayed for our leaders as they sought justice and am thankful for their work to that end.”

Author and speaker Trillia Newbell said [Twitter]: “Sorrowful and thankful for justice. Such a difficult year.”

Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, Dwight McKissic said [Twitter]: “Without the video, it would have been a different verdict. Thank God for today, but we still have a long way to go.”

Ed Stetzer, who is the executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College and a well-known author, posted on his social media [Twitter]: “Thankful for the verdict in the #DerekChauvinTrial. Praying that the family of #GeorgeFloyd finds comfort today.”

Benjamin Watson Slams Planned Parenthood’s ‘Reckoning’ With Racism As ‘Hollow’

By
Jessica Lea
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communicating with the unchurched

The recent attempt from Planned Parenthood’s president and CEO, Alexis McGill Johnson, to distance the organization from its racist founder is essentially meaningless, says former NFL player Benjamin Watson.

“It is time for Planned Parenthood to take the next step, or their denunciation of Margaret Sanger rings hollow,” said Watson, who is Vice President of Strategic Relationships at Human Coalition, a non-profit dedicated to ending abortion in the United States. Human Coalition is affiliated with Human Coalition Action, a public policy advocacy organization. 

“Whether [Planned Parenthood’s leaders] personally identify with Sanger’s ideology or not,” said Watson, “they continue to carry out her mission, by serving as the leading executioner of our children. The same Sanger they claim to disavow would applaud their efforts and results, as a disproportionate percentage of Black children have been killed in Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinics.” 

Alexis McGill Johnson on Margaret Sanger

On April 17, the New York Times published an op-ed by Alexis McGill Johnson titled, “I’m the Head of Planned Parenthood. We’re Done Making Excuses for Our Founder.” The founder of Planned Parenthood was Margaret Sanger, and the subheading of McGill Johnson’s article states, “We must reckon with Margaret Sanger’s association with white supremacist groups and eugenics.”

McGill Johnson acknowledged that in addition to promoting eugenics, Sanger spoke to the women’s auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan and conducted human birth control trials in Puerto Rico, “where as many as 1,500 women were not told that the drug was experimental or that they might experience dangerous side effects.”

“We will no longer make excuses or apologize for Margaret Sanger’s actions,” said McGill Johnson. Planned Parenthood is now attempting to distance itself from Sanger by acknowledging and condemning her “harmful choices,” as well as by renaming various awards and centers that formerly bore Sanger’s name. The steps the organization is taking include the following:

We have invested in training designed to give everyone, from the board room to the exam room, a foundational understanding of how race operates. And we are establishing new diversity, equity and inclusion standards for affiliates seeking to be a part of the Planned Parenthood Federation. Achieving health equity requires fighting the systemic racism that creates barriers to sexual and reproductive health care. 

McGill Johnson said that Planned Parenthood did not want to be “a Karen,” nor is the organization “virtue signaling.” Rather, she said, “We are committed to confronting any white supremacy in our own organization, and across the movement for reproductive freedom.”

Alexis McGill Johnson’s ‘Reckoning’ Falls Short, Say Leaders

While Human Coalition Action recently called on Planned Parenthood to deal with its racism, leaders say that Alexis McGill Johnsons’s apology fails at being an actual reckoning. “Acknowledging a racist history does not absolve them of the blood on their hands, as they continue to take full advantage of victims of the racism they decry,” said Watson.

“There’s no redeeming Planned Parenthood’s tainted origins and current day racist practices,” said Rev. Dean Nelson, executive director of Human Coalition Action. Nelson expressed gratitude that Planned Parenthood had acknowledged Sanger’s racist views, but added, “You cannot acknowledge the racist person and history without admitting to the racist vision that has resulted in nearly 80 percent of Planned Parenthood’s abortion facilities being located within walking distance of minority neighborhoods.” 

Dr. Deborah Honeycutt, who chairs the board of Human Coalition Action, said Planned Parenthood promotes a “culture of death” and that McGill Johnson’s op-ed does nothing to alter that:

Planned Parenthood has contributed to the harm of women of color for decades, and Alexis McGill Johnson’s so-called “reckoning” does nothing to change that truth. They have failed to confront the white supremacy within its organization, as they continue to aggressively prey on Black and brown communities with abortion. Destroying human life contributes to a culture of death and injustice, and Planned Parenthood will always be known for killing a generation of minorities, just as Margaret Sanger dreamed that it would.

Clarification: A previous version of this article said that Benjamin Watson is vice president of Human Coalition. Watson is Vice President of Strategic Relationships.

Church Leaders Seek Home Depot Boycott on Georgia Voting Law

By
AP News
-
home depot
FILE - In this March 25, 2021, file photo African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Reginald Jackson announces a boycott of Coca-Cola Co. products outside the Georgia Capitol n Atlanta. Jackson says Coca-Cola and other large Georgia companies haven't done enough to oppose restrictive voting bills that Georgia lawmakers were debating as Jackson spoke (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

ATLANTA (AP) — A group of religious leaders is calling for a boycott of Georgia-based Home Depot, saying the home improvement giant hasn’t done enough to oppose the state’s new voting laws.

African Methodist Episcopal Bishop Reginald Jackson said the company has remained “silent and indifferent” to his efforts to rally opposition to the new state law pushed by Republicans, as well as to similar efforts elsewhere.

“We just don’t think we ought to let their indifference stand,” Jackson said.

The leader of all his denomination’s churches in Georgia, Jackson met last week with other Georgia-based executives to urge them to oppose the voting law. But he said he’s had no contact with Home Depot, despite repeated efforts to reach the company.

Home Depot spokesperson Margaret Smith said the company has helped employees register to vote, helped employees work at polling stations and provided plexiglass dividers for polling stations.

“We’ve decided that the most appropriate approach for us to take is to continue to underscore our statement that all elections should be accessible, fair and secure and support broad voter participation, and to continue to work to ensure our associates in Georgia and across the country have the information and resources to vote,” Smith said in a statement.

The company is Georgia’s largest by revenue, profit and employees.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp called the boycott “absolutely ridiculous” on Twitter. At a news conference later, he said Jackson was a “partisan” and his call for a boycott unfairly “targeted” workers at Home Depot.

“They did not ask to be in this political fight,” Kemp said. He added, “This insanity needs to stop.”

Opponents of the new law say it will restrict voting. It requires proof of identification to request an absentee ballot, cuts days for requesting an absentee ballot, shortens early voting before runoff elections, limits drop boxes, allows the state to take over local election offices and bars people from handing out food and water to voters within 150 feet (45 meters) of a polling place.

Supporters say the bill was demanded by Republican voters alarmed by former President Donald Trump’s claims about fraud and makes absentee balloting more secure, provides a permanent legal basis for drop boxes and expands mandatory weekend early voting days.

Jackson earlier trained criticism on the Coca-Cola Co., but the Atlanta soft drink titan later spoke out forcefully against the law and helped arrange Jackson’s meeting with corporate leaders.

“We believe that corporations have a corporate responsibility to their customers, who are Black, white and brown, on the issue of voting,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t make any sense at all to keep giving dollars and buying products from people that do not support you.”

He said faith leaders may call for boycotts of other companies in the future.

Boycotts in the past have aimed to pressure business leaders to push elected officials to change, but it’s not clear Republicans will respond this time. Georgia lawmakers took an unsuccessful vote to strip a jet fuel tax break from Delta Air Lines after that company attacked the law. Some GOP lawmakers demanded that Coca-Cola, which provides free drinks at the state capitol, remove refrigerators from their offices. Kemp and others have repeatedly attacked Major League Baseball for removing its All-Star Game from the Atlanta Braves stadium, blaming Democrats for economic losses. Some members of Congress propose revoking the league’s antitrust exemption.

Jackson acknowledged retaliation, but said that if companies stand together, “there is no way Republicans will go after them.”

This article originally appeared here.

After Faith Groups Express Outrage Over Refugee Cap, Biden Reverses Course

By
AP News
-
refugee cap
A South Sudanese refugee girl with a baby on her back carries a foam mattress to the communal tent where they will sleep, at the Imvepi reception center, where newly arrived refugees are processed before being allocated plots of land in nearby Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, in northern Uganda, on June 9, 2017. The number of South Sudanese refugees sheltering in Uganda has reached 1 million, the United Nations said on Aug. 17, 2017, a grim milestone in what has become the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

WASHINGTON (RNS) — President Joe Biden’s administration has reversed a decision to keep in place a historically low cap on refugee admissions left by Donald Trump, saying it will raise the ceiling next month after faith-based groups initially decried the move as an “abandonment of our ideals.”

Biden signed a memorandum Friday (April 16) aimed at speeding up refugee admissions this year — but that memorandum does not increase the so-called refugee ceiling, something the president has pledged to do when speaking to religious audiences.

Although the memorandum leaves open the possibility of raising that number should the United States resettle the maximum 15,000 refugees this year, news that the ceiling will at least temporarily remain at that historic low was met with disappointment by many religious communities, including the faith-based groups that partner with the federal government to resettle refugees.

By Friday afternoon, The Associated Press and CNN reported the Biden administration has reversed course, announcing plans to lift the Trump-era refugee cap next month in the wake of widespread pushback from allies.

The White House confirmed to Religion News Service on Friday that officials intend to revisit the refugee ceiling sometime in the coming days, saying in a statement, “We expect the President to set a final, increased refugee cap for the remainder of this fiscal year by May 15.”

Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization and advocacy for evangelical Christian refugee resettlement agency World Relief, called raising the refugee ceiling “an essential first step” to rebuilding the U.S. refugee resettlement program after cuts made by the Trump administration.

Soerens was one of many religious leaders who expressed outrage at initial reports Biden planned to leave the cap in place, referencing the president’s campaign slogan and declaring, “This is a breathtaking betrayal of the plan to ‘build back better.'”

He added: “As a Christian, I’m reminded I should never have, as the psalmist said, put my ‘trust in princes’ (Ps 146:3), but if I’m honest, I fully trusted President Biden’s commitment to rebuild the refugee resettlement program: he literally wrote a foreword to a book by a Catholic priest on refugees.”

Soerens’ sentiments were echoed in an email by Jenny Yang, vice president for advocacy and policy at World Relief.

“The President has effectively abandoned his commitment to help refugees around the world by keeping the refugee ceiling at 15,000 for this fiscal year, backtracking on the promise he made in February to raise the refugee ceiling to 62,500,” Yang wrote.

Adding, “President Biden is keeping the lowest refugee ceiling ever set in the history of the program which means the President is continuing Trump’s draconian policies that shut the door on those fleeing persecution.”

Barely two weeks into his presidency, Biden signed a different executive order he said would “begin the hard work of restoring our refugee admissions program” and position his administration to raise the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. from 15,000 to 125,000 in its first full fiscal year, which begins in October. (By comparison, former President Barack Obama set that number at 110,000 his last year in office.)

Afterward, the president presented a plan to Congress that would raise the ceiling on refugee admissions to 62,500 people this fiscal year.

That’s a commitment Biden has framed in terms of faith, when, in the days after his election, he confirmed to a Catholic group that works with refugees his intent to raise the refugee ceiling.

In recent weeks, faith-based groups raised concerns that the Biden administration had not yet made any changes to the refugee policy it inherited from the previous administration. That delay meant canceled flights and expired medical clearances for hundreds of people waiting to come to the U.S.

“The effects have been felt by some of the most vulnerable people around the world with hundreds of refugee flights being cancelled and many being sent back to refugee camps. In order to truly strengthen the program and reach the eventual goal of resettling 125,000 refugees, the President must do better to restore U.S. leadership in refugee protection especially when we are facing the world’s worst refugee crisis since World War II,” Yang wrote.

Six of the nine agencies contracted by the U.S. government to resettle refugees are faith-based: World Relief, Church World Service, HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), Episcopal Migration Ministries, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Several officials with those groups said they were grateful for the changes Friday’s memorandum does make.

Among them was Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, who said the memorandum will allow more refugees to come to the U.S. from African and Muslim-majority countries. The Trump administration had prioritized resettling Iraqis who worked with U.S. troops and others facing religious persecution.

“However,” Vignarajah said, “it is deeply disappointing that the administration has elected to leave in place the shameful, record-low admissions cap of its predecessor.”

She added, “Progress rarely comes in leaps and bounds; while we are encouraged by incremental progress towards restoring our humanitarian reputation, there is far more work ahead to reclaim global leadership.”

Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of Jewish refugee resettlement group HIAS, said he also was “relieved” by Biden’s decision this week to expedite some refugees and disappointed by his refusal to raise the refugee ceiling.

“We’re in a global refugee crisis,” he said. “This is a time to demonstrate real leadership — and this is not real leadership.”

Hetfield argued that Biden has “decided to keep the handcuffs on that Trump gave him” and expressed bafflement that it has taken the president so long to act on the issue.

“Every person is created in the image of God, and for the administration to book 715 refugees on flights and then not allow them to come here because President Biden took two months to sign a piece of paper, it’s not respectful of human dignity,” he said. “You can only imagine how it made those refugees feel.”

Meredith Owen, director of policy and advocacy for Church World Service, said there is “no moral reason” to keep the refugee cap at 15,000, adding, “nor was there any morality in the significant delay in restoring regional allocations.”

“The harm caused by the delay cannot be overstated — thousands of refugees who were ready for travel to the United States last month have seen their medical and security checks start to expire. This means that they will have to wait months — if not years — to actually be resettled in the United States and reunited with loved ones,” she said.

Bill Canny, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services office, also said he was “pleased” by some of the new measures but was more measured about initial reports that the cap would remain.

“We expected more than the cap that the previous administration put on,” he said. “We will continue to dialogue with and press the administration to increase that cap.”

The reason for its initial turnaround on raising the refugee ceiling remains unclear.

The New York Times cited an unnamed senior administration official as suggesting the shift was due to concern that an uptick in border crossings has already overwhelmed refugee services at the Department of Health and Human Services. But as the Times and faith-based immigrant rights advocates pointed out, the refugees in question are processed by a different system altogether.

One State Department official pointed out to The Associated Press that they have a lot to rebuild after cuts made by Trump to the U.S. refugee resettlement program.

All six faith-based refugee resettlement agencies were forced to close offices or programs across the country. Many staff members — some of whom came into the country as refugees themselves — lost their jobs.

On a call hosted last month by Refugee Council USA, its interim executive director, John Slocum, admitted, “There’s so much to be done.”

But, Slocum said, “We can do it at the same time. We can walk and chew gum.”

This article originally appeared here.

GA Woman to Be Expelled From Church Because of Same-Sex Relationship

By
Stephanie Martin
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communicating with the unchurched

Based on a disciplinary letter she received from elders, an Atlanta-area woman will soon be kicked out of her nondenominational church for having a lesbian relationship. Krystal Cox, a recently divorced mom, began dating a woman and publicized it on social media.

In December, elders from Woodstock Church of Christ sent Cox a letter requesting “an opportunity to discuss with you this situation and the condition of your soul.” Because she didn’t respond, the elders sent another letter on April 1. Cox posted that letter to Instagram with the caption “I can’t wait for my denouncement ceremony.” She added the hashtags #loveislove and #bye.

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

Elders Urge Krystal Cox to Repent of ‘Sinful Behavior’

In the latest disciplinary letter, four elders write, “We feel it is crucial to remind you that our Lord considered it vital that no one can be involved in homosexuality and be in a pleasing relationship with God.” They give an April 30 deadline for Cox to express repentance and a “desire to be forgiven of your sinful behavior.”

If that doesn’t occur, the elders add, they’ll announce on the following Sunday that they’ve “withdrawn fellowship” from Cox after making efforts to urge repentance. “Your name will be removed from our membership role [sic] until you decide to make your life right with the Lord,” the letter states. After fellowship is withdrawn, it adds, “Christians must not interact with you except to encourage you to repent and seek forgiveness.”

The church and its elders haven’t responded to requests for interviews. Woodstock has removed its social media accounts, so commenters are expressing anger about the situation via Google reviews. One recent post says, “This place is absolutely the worst. God’s love is not conditional and we are all sinners.”

Krystal Cox: ‘How Can People Think This Is So Wrong?’

Krystal Cox says it’s “not my intent” to have people now say “ugly things” about the church. “I just really don’t want anything bad to come out of this,” she tells a local TV station. “I want it to be good.”

But Cox admits feeling “kind of enraged” when she opened the latest letter. “Why am I getting picked on and getting called out when everyone has sin?” she asks. “The fact that they’re going to point it out and release my personal business to the entire congregation…and tell them that I can no longer come there, I just don’t feel like that’s right.”

Cox, who says she has no plans to return to Woodstock Church of Christ, writes on Instagram that she’s happier than she’s been in years, “finally free,” and in love with a woman who “completely fulfills my soul.”

A Tennessee church recently faced a similar situation when a letter it sent to a lapsed attendee went viral. Before disabling its website, Woodstock explained online that it attempts to operate as a New Testament Church. Regarding the position of elder, it notes, “These men are shepherds of this congregation, and their primary interest is helping the souls of this congregation reach heaven together.”

Mark Yarhouse: How to Pastor Someone Who Has Gender Dysphoria

By
Jason Daye
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communicating with the unchurched

Dr. Mark Yarhouse is a clinical psychologist who has devoted his life to researching and assisting people as they navigate the complex relationship between their sexual or gender identity and their Christian faith. He leads the Sexual and Gender Identity Institute at Wheaton College, where he also serves as a professor and the chair in psychology. Mark is also currently the chair of the task force on LGTBQ issues for Division 36 of the American Psychological Association. He has written extensively on topics of gender identity and faith, including his latest book, Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today’s Youth.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Dr. Mark Yarhouse

► Listen on Apple
► Listen on GooglePlay
► Listen on Spotify
► Listen on Stitcher
► Listen on YouTube

Other Podcasts in the LGBTQ and the Church Series

Juli Slattery: This Is How the Church Can Begin the LGBTQ Conversation

Gregory Coles: It’s Possible to Be Same-Sex Attracted and Fully Surrendered to Jesus

Ed Shaw: How God Has Used Same-Sex Attraction to Equip Me As a Pastor

Sean McDowell: Scripture Is Very Clear About God’s Design for Sexuality

Rachel Gilson: How Jesus Helps Me Say No to My Same-Sex Desires

Caleb Kaltenbach: Do You See the LGBTQ Community Through God’s Eyes?

Preston Sprinkle: Jesus Left the 99 to Pursue the One—And That Means Trans People

Laurence Koo: A Call for the American Church to Welcome Single (LGBTQ) Believers

Key Questions for Dr. Mark Yarhouse

-What do we know and what do we not know about where gender dysphoria comes from? 

-What are the biggest needs you are seeing in the church right now related to sexuality and gender identity?

-What would you say to Christ-followers who believe that the Bible prohibits them from fellowshipping with someone who claims to be a believer, but is pursuing transitioning?

-What is the most effective way for pastors to engage people who struggle with gender dysphoria?

Key Quotes from Dr. Mark Yarhouse

“Gender dysphoria is the experience of distress that can be associated with a lack of congruence between a person’s biological sex and their gender identity.”

“I do think the church is at its best when it can do a couple things simultaneously…I think you do need a biblical starting point and firm scriptural foundation for the church. But then I think you are also going to need a winsome way of presenting that to a culture that is pretty skeptical of the church.”

“You need Christians with ‘convicted civility,’ and I would just add to that, convicted civility seasoned with compassion for the people who are navigating these questions around gender and sexuality. If you don’t have a heart for people, it’s going to be very hard for you, I think, to really be part of their journey.” 

“The average Christian in the pew may tell you what they believe, but they don’t know why they believe what they believe. So you obviously want pastors who have done that homework…but I don’t know that a single pastor should think of themselves as a Long Ranger who has to rethink the whole thing over again.” 

“There’s a global Christian witness in this area, there’s a historical Christian witness in these areas.”

“How are you conversant with the broader culture, which is very diverse?…How do you engage with others who disagree with you in a winsome manner, with that convicted civility, seasoned with compassion? I think that’s often the thing that’s missing.” 

Greg Laurie Answers ‘Is the COVID-19 Vaccine the Mark of the Beast?’

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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communicating with the unchurched

Harvest Christian Fellowship‘s senior pastor and popular author Greg Laurie answered the question, “Is the vaccine the mark of the beast?” on his social media pages Monday.

He bluntly gave his answer, “No!” Then he shared how he knows the COVID-19 vaccine isn’t the mark the Apostle John mentions in Revelation 13. “When people take the actual mark of the beast, which of course is 666, they will know they’re taking it,” he said.

Pastor Laurie explained that the mark of the beast is a pledge to the Antichrist and the antichrist hasn’t been revealed yet.

“Jesus Christ returns for His church and catches us up to heaven [1 Thessalonians 4:1],” he said, and then the antichrist will be known.

Quoting 2 Thessalonians 2:6-11, Pastor Laurie unpacked how Christ will reveal and destroy the Antichrist.

“When you take the mark, and I’m talking to someone maybe in the future, if you were to take the mark, you would know you’re taking the mark. The Bible says an angel will fly through the heavens saying don’t take the mark of the beast. So if you take it, you know you’re taking it.”

The mark will be popular and probably will be influenced by celebrities telling people, “It’s cool do it,” he said, but “we’re not there yet.”

The antichrist hasn’t been revealed yet, so “don’t spend your time worrying about if you’ve taken the mark,” the bestselling author told his viewers. “Focus on Jesus Christ and following Him.”

That doesn’t mean that the time of Christ’s return and the uprising of the antichrist isn’t near. Laurie shared his thoughts that “the technology for this mark is effectively here,” so look up, he said, “Your redemption draws near.”

Bible Answer Man Would Agree With Greg Laurie

In July of last year, months before a vaccine was even released, Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff addressed the question “Could a COVID-19 vaccine be the mark of the beast?”

Hanegraaff told his audience that people shouldn’t be fearful of vaccinations but “with fear and trembling, resist the temptation to be conformed to the evil systems of this world, systems that play fast and loose with biblical monikers and traffic in selling and sensationalism.”

Read the Bible Answer Man’s article here.

Barring Women as Church Leaders May Be Bad for Their Health, New Study Finds

By
Bob Smietana
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banning women
Photo illustration by Christopher Ross/Pixabay/Creative Commons

(RNS) — Going to church is generally touted as good for the soul.

But there is also evidence church attendance can be good for your health — unless, that is, you are a woman at a church that bars women from preaching or other leadership roles.

A new study published in the American Sociological Review has found that women who attend churches with such restrictions report worse health than those who attend churches with women in leadership roles.

The study suggests sexism can counter some of the health benefits associated with religion, said co-author Patricia Homan, an associate professor of sociology at Florida State University.

“Women who attend sexist congregations have the same health as those who do not attend religious services at all, and have worse health than women who attend inclusive churches,” said Homan.

A number of past studies have shown that taking part in religious services and belonging to a religious community can be associated with better health outcomes. Regular worship attenders are less likely to smoke, may be less likely to use drugs and may live longer than those who don’t attend services.

That health effect of religion appears to be tied to active participation in a church. Those who have religious beliefs but don’t attend can report poorer health outcomes. (Atheists, by contrast, also seem to report better health.)

Gender discrimination, on the other hand, can be associated with poorer health outcomes. In a previous study, Homan looked at the effects of what she called “structural sexism” at the state level. She found that states that had fewer women political leaders, larger gaps in wages and workplace participation between women and men, and a larger percentage of conservative Christians had higher levels of chronic health issues.

For this new study, Homan and her co-author, Amy Burdette, a professor of sociology at Florida State, wanted to see if sexism counters the health benefits of religion. To do this, they drew from two nationally representative sources of data: the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study.

The GSS collects data about religion, gender, marital status and health, among other factors. The National Congregations Study collects data about local congregations, including data on the roles women are allowed to play in those churches.

The samples collected by the two studies are linked. In 2006, 2012 and 2018, the GSS collected data about how often respondents attended religious services, then asked attenders to identify their specific congregation. That data was used to create a nationally representative list of congregations for the NCS.

The researchers looked at three different measures of sexism, using four questions included in the 2006 and 2012 waves of NCS: Could women teach a co-ed class, could they preach at the main worship service, could they serve on the governing board of the church, and could they be the main leader? Those questions were used to sort into what the researchers called either “sexist” or “inclusive” congregations.

Churches that banned women as the main leader (50%) were labeled as sexist. So were congregations that only allowed men on the governing board (14%). Homan and Burdette also looked at all four questions — and rated congregations on how many restrictions on women were in place. Those with more than two limits on women were labeled as sexist.

They then matched churches in both the sexist and inclusive categories with health data about individuals who attended those churches from the GSS.

The GSS asked participants to rate their overall health using this question: “Would you say your own health, in general, is excellent, good, fair, or poor?”  Their answers were then rated on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being poor and 4 being excellent.

Women in inclusive churches had an average self-reported health score of 3.03. Women in sexist congregations had an average score of 2.79.  That difference is equivalent to a person having at least three years of additional education (which has been shown to impact health)  or at least 15 years’ difference in age, said Homan.

“We found that only women who attended inclusive congregations got that health benefit from religious participation,” Homan told Religion News Service. And the more restrictions there were on women’s participation in the life of a congregation, the worse the reported health outcomes were. There was no conclusive data showing whether or not sexism had any effect on men’s health in the study.

The role of women in churches has been the subject of a national debate over sexism in religious groups. Southern Baptist Bible teacher Beth Moore made national headlines after telling RNS she no longer identified with that denomination after years of controversy over sexism, abuse and racial divides in the church.

Homan said she has a great deal of respect for Christians who hold so-called complementarian beliefs — the idea that men and women are equal in God’s eyes but have different roles in the church and at home. She grew up in a Southern Baptist family and attended complementarian churches for years as an adult and had a good experience.

The study also seemed to draw a line between complementarian beliefs and sexist structures in religious groups.

“Complementarianism provides a clear guide for the acceptable roles of men and women within gender-traditional religious groups, but the reality is more complicated. Rather than being simple-minded victims of patriarchy, numerous studies show that conservative religious women display a great deal of agency within church and home,” the authors wrote.

Homan said her research of sexism and health outcomes at the state level prompted her to follow up with the study in religion and health and she can’t deny what they found: Policies and practices that limit women’s participation can undermine the health benefits associated with church attendance.

“The full equal participation of women in church and society is important for the health and well-being of everyone,” Homan said.

This article originally appeared here.

Of Terror and Testimonies: Living Through the Derek Chauvin Trial

By
Religion News Service
-
Derek Chauvin
People participate in a rally outside of the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Monday, April 19, 2021, after the murder trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin advanced to jury deliberations. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

(RNS) — The morning is already hot, thick. Alone at my kitchen table in the dark, I light a candle — “Gardenia,” it smells of late fall, of cinnamon and creamed oranges — and I close my eyes to pray.

But there is no prayer.

There are words. But they are not mine. “I stayed in my body.” Words from a testimony at the Derek Chauvin trial — a trial I could not watch, only read in glimpses.

There is a voice. But it is not God’s. It is Kiese Laymon, one of my closest friends and a fellow writer, on the phone, “I’m just glad to be alive. I’m just glad we here.”

And there are images. Not of heaven but of the closest I’ve ever come to hell. Images, so fresh in my memory, of blue scrubs and blood, dark hands and light hands pressing on my wife’s stomach. “Girl,” a nurse says jokingly to ease the tension, “this yo life.”

I open my eyes and shake my head, as if such a motion could erase what I feel in my body, as if my mind is an Etch A Sketch.

I wish it were that easy. These past weeks have made me tired. I am more than tired: I am terrified, the kind of terrified that messes with your sleep, your ability to pray, to read, to think, to feel creative and healthy.

***

Four terrifying, bewildering days in the hospital and then our daughter, Ava, is born. We are so tired. We are so happy. I am still afraid. All of my fears about Black women and childbirth and the love of your life slipping out of your grasp had met me in the cold, dark, lonely hospital room.

The hospital elevator doors open for me and an older white lady is inside. She grabs the collar of her pink shirt to wipe at tears. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” I say.

“I’m sorry, ” she says again anyway. “My brother is on the fourth floor. They said he’s not going to make it.”

She looks old enough to be my grandmother, but she cries young enough like a child in the middle of having something snatched from them. “What’s your brother’s name?” I ask. She tells me his name and more. She tells me how much she has lost, how much COVID has taken from her. She tells me about all the ways she is afraid and how she grabs the cross on her neck and holds it tight and prays for herself and for everybody who has lost like her.

I know none of this is normal. I know people are afraid just like I am, and some of them are alone, and some of them have found ways to cope, and some of them have not. All of us are in that hospital because something had changed the order of things in our life.

***

“What’s good fam?” Kiese on the phone. We catch up, and then, as we so often do, we start talking about football, about names on the backs of jerseys, and Black bodies under white lights, and old memories we both have of our bodies doing things we can only dream of doing today. I forget we are in a pandemic. I forget how much we’ve all lost, all the terrible things that have happened to us. I believe it’s all going to be alright.

I read him some sentences from the book I am writing. He says, “hmmmm.” And I hope it is the type of hmmm that turns Black books into bestsellers. I finish reading. “Dawg,” he says. “Owwwweeee.” I know what that means. I feel inspired, loved, seen. I feel what we have all needed to feel in moments like this, when we are forced to feel our losses and rarely enjoy our wins. I want Black wins. Real Black wins. “Aye, big bruh,” I say. “I appreciate that fo’ real, fo’ real.”

Kiese laughs. “I’m just glad to be alive,” he says. “I’m just glad we here.”

When we finish talking I realize that’s what I’ve wanted to keep near and return to again and again. I want to know the things we lost are not greater than the things we hold on to. I want to believe what we’re doing now is not just creating good art but actually loving others, and doing good, and growing up, and getting better, and holding out for more than what’s around us.

“To encounter oneself,” James Baldwin writes, “is to encounter the other: and this is love … If I can respect this, both of us can live. Neither of us, truly, can live without the other.” This daily encounter, Baldwin says, is the heavy, tattered glory of the gift of God.

***

I have been thinking a lot about encounters lately. The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis cop who murdered George Floyd last year, has been thrumming in the background of all this. I couldn’t and can’t and won’t bring myself to watch it. Am I failing George and us by not being there? I don’t know, but I know how terrible it was to see him crying “Mama, Mama,” succumbing under the weight of a white man, who neither cared about George nor his mama nor any of us who watched, and prayed and suffered a deep and terrifying memory.

“I did call the police on the police. Because I believe. I witnessed a murder.” This is from the testimony of Donald Wynn Williams II, who was present that day when Chauvin encountered Floyd.

A murder. A deadly encounter.

“No, you can’t paint me out to be angry,” Williams told the defense lawyers who tried to characterize him as an agitator at the scene. “I grew professional,” he said. “And I stayed in my body.”

He stayed in his body. We stayed in our body. George, beautiful George, did not stay.

I remember another body. A little Black girl marching in protest last June after Floyd’s death. Her eyes beautiful and stern and sharp, her teal short-sleeve shirt pressed to her fragile frame, her jacket around her waist as a tulip, a mask upon her chin, her head bent to the side, screaming, screaming: No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace! My mind is full of memories, from even before my birth, of little Black girls and little Black boys and Black mothers and Black fathers screaming those same words, in the same cadence, over the same, cold, loved, dying, dead Black bodies.

Why should she have to be so strong as to bear the weight of these deaths, the weight of such memories on her heart and her shoulders and in her arms as she raises them and puts them down and lifts them up again?

***

My two-year-old son, Asa, is awake now. He comes up to me as I sit at the kitchen table. “Daddy, Daddy,” he calls out to me. I pick him up. My wife walks in. I smile at her. “I love you,” I say. “I love you.”

Asa’s smile widens, his brown skin glistens like the dew of the morning. He grabs my face with both hands and says, “Look!”

There is nothing to look at, just the empty, open space of our kitchen.

“Look!” He is turning my face to his toys. He has put his train tracks together, the magnetic blue trains connecting to one another, and says, “I did it! I did it!”

He is so happy, so proud of himself. He is so free. He has no care but to experience as much pleasure and peace and play as he possibly can. He does not yet have to feel what I feel. And I am so happy he does not have to.

I let myself imagine one day I might tell him, “Look!” and on the other side there will not be dead Black bodies. There will not be Black girls screaming and Black men testifying and Black women weeping and alive Black boys trembling and shaking.

I imagine we will not have to be witnesses to death but witnesses to life, to possibilities, to joy.

And if that day does not come, and if he has to be like one of the students in Minnesota who walked out of school for George, and if he has to be like the little one crying out for another, and if he has to call a friend in the midst of struggle, and hold his loved ones when they are afraid, I will be okay because I would have taught him love. And if any of us are worth loving, then we are worth remembering, and if we are worth remembering, then we are worthy of whatever anyone can do to remind ourselves of this: Black people deserve love. Black people do not deserve death.

(Danté Stewart is a writer and student at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. Connect with him at  dantecstewart.com  and  @stewartdantec. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)

This article originally appeared here.

Phil Vischer: Jesus Flipped Tables…But Should We?

By
Jessica Lea
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communicating with the unchurched

Jesus flipped tables over in righteous anger during his ministry—but if that’s your favorite thing about him, you’re missing the point. That was VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer’s point in a recent Twitter thread.

“If table-flipping Jesus is our favorite Jesus, we’ve lost the plot,” said Vischer. “If Pharisee-insulting Jesus is our favorite Jesus, we’ve lost the plot.”

Vischer did not by his phrasing mean to imply that there is more than one Jesus we can follow, but rather to indicate the danger of missing the point of who Jesus is and why he came. The Twitter thread generated hundreds of comments and thousands of likes, which Vischer found surprising.

The debate is not too shocking, however. It has not been unusual over the past few months to see people online justify hostile behavior based on the fact that Jesus flipped tables in righteous anger.

Jesus Flipped Tables…And Carried His Cross

All four gospels record Jesus entering the temple in Jerusalem and “cleansing” it. You can find accounts in Luke 19:45-46, Mark 11:15-18, and Matthew 21:12-13. The latter passage says:

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

The Gospel of John specifically mentions that Jesus made a whip before driving people out. John 2:13-17 says:

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

For some reason, quite a few people have taken these passages as justification for violent or aggressive behavior. We at ChurchLeaders noticed that multiple people cited Jesus’ cleansing of the temple as a rationale for the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol earlier this year. Note that the following comments are not debating who was responsible for the violence—rather, they are about the fact that it took place at all.

“The Jesus in the bible would have clean [sic] that house and more,” said one Facebook user in response to this post. Another commented, “The Jesus of the Gospels made a whip, over turned tables and drove out those who abused a sacred house by turning it into a place to make money for themselves!”

Yet another user said, “That [U.S. Capitol] building is a temple and constructed as such. Jesus went into a temple and flipped over tables…Man up and realize that while this may not have been the time …there are times. Stop acting like it is always a bad thing.”

People are also using the fact that Jesus flipped tables to justify aggressive rhetoric. And this phenomenon is not unique to ChurchLeaders, as is clear from Relevant magazine’s decision to publish an article in March entitled, “Jesus’ Flipping Tables Isn’t an Excuse for Your Online Rants.”

Pastor Apologizes for Saying ‘Wives Who Let Themselves Go Cause Husbands to Stray’

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

Updated April 20, 2021: Pastor Stewart-Allen Clark posted a statement apologizing to his First General Baptist Church for preaching a sermon in February to his congregation that was also streamed live on the internet. In the sermon, he suggested wives who “let themselves go” are the reason husbands stray sexually.

Pastor Clark said he was “deeply sorry” to all the ladies in the community and those online viewing the livestream. He said his remarks were “insensitive” and “unbiblical.”

He also apologized for embarrassing the church with his comments and took full responsibility for his actions. He reported that he is receiving help from a professional counselor in addition to meeting with an accountability partner.

Having been on a leave of absence since February 28, 2021, he wrote, “I sincerely ask for your forgiveness and to be restored as your pastor.”

Pastor Stewart-Allen Clark’s full statement that is posted on the church’s website is posted below:

Dear Church & Community,

On Sunday, February 21, 2021, I delivered a sermon about men’s needs in the marital relationship. In the sermon, I made insensitive remarks about women and made statements deemed unbiblical. To the ladies within the church, ladies in the community, and those viewing our Livestream; I want to say I am deeply sorry for any and all pain or distress that my words brought on you. I want to say to the church that I’m truly sorry that I embarrassed you. I have no one else to blame but myself, and I own the hurt I have caused to both people inside and outside the community. Since February 28, I have taken a leave of absence. I am meeting regularly with a professional counselor. I have secured an accountability partner, and we are and will continue to meet regularly. I recognize and understand that what I said was imprudent and discourteous. I sincerely ask for your forgiveness and to be restored as your pastor. I genuinely believe this is the best way forward.

Sincerely Yours & His,
Stewart-Allen Clark

The Deacons from First General Baptist Church also released a statement:

We, the deacons of the First General Baptist Church of Malden, Missouri, offer this unreserved apology to our congregation, our surrounding communities, our denomination, and the followers of Jesus Christ everywhere. As deacons we became complacent. We accepted God’s blessings toward our church as signs of His favor without adequately attending to our responsibility that the complete principles, truths, and love of Christ are presented from our church’s pulpit. We bear the blame for not offering our pastor counsel, correction, and restoration when errors or inappropriate content was presented. We are called to model Christ’s love through forgiveness and restoration toward our Pastor. This is our goal and we encourage the congregation toward the same love and forgiveness. We should all pray for the unity and harmony of our body that we could advance the cause of Christ in our own lives, in the life of our congregation, and in the lives we are called to witness in the surrounding communities. Let us all trust Christ that He will accomplish His purposes for the Glory of His Kingdom.

ChurchLeaders’ original article written on March 3, 2021 below. 

Pastor Stewart-Allen Clark of First General Baptist Church in Malden, Missouri, is trending on social media and making national news for preaching a sermon in February suggesting that wives who “let themselves go” is the reason husbands stray sexually.

In a clip captured on YouTube from his sermon before it was deleted by the First General Baptist Church, Pastor Clark is heard saying, “This is why I don’t do marital counseling anymore,” as he tells his congregation if a wife would ask “what can I do?” about a husband that’s been “looking around” Clark’s bold and honest response would be “weight control.”

Showing a picture of former model and former First Lady Melania Trump, Clark said “I’m not saying every woman can be the epic trophy wife of all time like Melania Trump…not everyone can look like that. Amen!” Then he emphatically said, “But you don’t need to look like a ‘butch’ either.” In the clips from YouTube, it doesn’t show whether Clark mentions that Mrs. Trump’s husband, Donald Trump, has been accused of “looking” at many other women while he has been married to her.

“How important is this?” Clark asked while referring to a wife’s weight in a marriage. He said, “I have a friend…he has put a divorce weight on his wife…that’s how important it is.”

Clark then explained that he told his son the reason women wear make-up and perfume is because “they’re ugly and they stink…you don’t want to be ugly and stink!”

The congregation can be heard laughing when Pastor Clark mentioned scientists have discovered a food that diminishes a woman’s sex drive, “It’s called wedding cake,” a joke he stole from the internet.

Unfortunately this isn’t the first time Clark has made outrageous statements in a sermon. Another clip resurfaced on Facebook from an older sermon where he says, “If I were a woman, I’d want to be beautiful…and I wouldn’t just want to be beautiful, I’d want to be hot.” This resurfaced video has other similarities to the aforementioned sermon.

On March 1, 2021, the General Association of General Baptists posted on their Facebook page that Clark has resigned as association moderator. He was scheduled to be at their July 2022 meeting.

The Executive Committee of the General Baptist Council of Associations said the sermon Clark gave “included comments that are not consistent with the positions and values of General Baptists…General Baptists believe that every woman was created in the image of God, and they should be valued for that reason. Furthermore, we believe that all individuals regardless of any other factors are so loved by God that Christ died for them.”

General Baptist Ministries explained that each of the General Baptist Churches are autonomous from the national organization, and the denomination does not have the authority to remove any pastor or church leader in a local congregation. The Executive Committee did recommended that the Council of Associations and the MoArk Presbytery research the statements and take appropriate action.

On March 2, 2021, First General Baptist Church’s Deacon Ministry posted a statement on their website saying, “Pastor Stewart-Allen Clark has taken a leave of absence and is seeking professional counseling.”

At the time this article was published, First General Baptist Church has removed their Facebook page, their YouTube videos, their Vimeo videos, disabled their website’s contact page, and Pastor Clark’s personal Facebook page.

The clips of Pastor Clark’s sermon can be watched below: 

Bill Ending Religious Vaccine Exemption Now Heads to Senate

By
AP News
-
religious vaccine exemption
State Rep. Whit Betts, R-Bristol listens to the vaccination exemption discussion during session at the State Capitol, Monday, April 19, 2021. The Connecticut House of Representatives on Monday was expected to pass a contentious bill that would end the state's long-standing religious exemption from immunization requirements for schools. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

AP News A contentious bill that would end Connecticut’s long-standing religious exemption from immunization requirements for schools, beginning with the 2022-23 school year, now awaits action in the state Senate.

The legislation passed on a 90-53 vote in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives just before 3 a.m. on Tuesday, following more than 16 hours of sometimes combative debate. No date has been set yet for when the Senate, which is also controlled by Democrats, will vote on the same bill.

The House vote marked the furthest the legislation has progressed in Connecticut, where lawmakers have debated the concept over the past several years. Some Republican opponents argued the bill was unnecessary, an overreach by state government, and an attempt to impede the religious liberties of potentially thousands of children. Yet mostly Democratic supporters said it was a necessary step to prevent future outbreaks of disease.

“We’ve seen a slow and steady increase in exemptions from required childhood vaccinations. We do not know when community immunity might be compromised,” said Democratic House Majority Leader Jason Rojas of East Hartford, who compared the situation to the early days of the coronavirus pandemic when “far too many elected officials denied or didn’t acknowledge that there was a pandemic underway,”

He said any exceptions to the state’s mandatory vaccination rules “must be limited and based on science and public health guidance. And that is why we are here today.”

About a half-hour before finally passing the bill, House members passed a Republican amendment that makes it clear that students who are now exempt from immunizations because of religious reasons to continue to be exempt if they transfer from one public or private school in Connecticut to another, or to a different school district in the state.

That action came hours after another amendment was passed grandfathering in any students with an existing religious exemption, beginning with kindergarteners. The bill had originally grandfathered students in grade 7 and higher with current exemptions, but some Republicans and Democrats raised concerns about how that would affect the education of those children, given the prospect they could be kicked out of school for not being vaccinated.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont reiterated Tuesday that he’s prepared to signed the legislation into law, if it passes in the Senate.

“We saw there was a very strong vote in the legislature, which I consider (to be) in support of vaccinations and doing everything we can to encourage, in this case students, to get vaccinated, with obviously the necessary medical exemption,” Lamont said. “And I think it sends a strong signal, which I appreciate. Get vaccinated.”

The legislation stems from an uptick in the number of families in Connecticut who have sought a religious exemption from a host of childhood vaccinations, ultimately lowering the vaccination rate in as many as 100 schools at one point to under 95%. Critics questioned whether why the state wasn’t trying to improve vaccination rates in those particular schools. Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Department of Public Health reported that an unvaccinated child from Fairfield County contracted measles while traveling internationally.

Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, co-chair of the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee who raised concerns about misinformation about vaccines on the internet, said “it’s reasonable to assume” many parents are using the state’s religious exemption because they’re worried about vaccine efficacy and safety.

“It’s a belief, even if it’s not a specific religious one. But it’s a problem, a growing problem,” he said. “Vaccine hesitancy is becoming a direct and serious threat to the public health. It demands a proactive approach, not a reactive one. … We need to act and act before we have an epidemic, an epidemic that we can prevent.”

Roughly 7,600 children in grades K-12 currently have religious exemptions in Connecticut, lawmakers said. There was debate over how many children in the future would be impacted by the legislation, despite the grandfathering measures. Many Republicans raised concerns about what will happen to the 683 children in pre-K and daycare that are currently using the religious exemption, as well as future students that would have sought a religious exemption from required vaccinations in order to attend school.

“This body is attempting to remove the religious liberties of 8,000 children in this state because the good chairman says they have a choice,” said Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, referring to Steinberg, who said children with compromised immune systems cannot choose to get a vaccine while many with religious exemptions can.

“What choice does a kindergarten child have in the prospects of their religion? Little, I would say. Little,” he said. “So throwing those children out of school, it’s not based on their choice, it’s based on the choice of the people in this chamber, people who should know better.”

Connecticut is currently one of 45 states with a religious exemption from childhood vaccinations. The medical exemption will remain in place available for families. There are currently more than 1,000.

Connecticut lawmakers have considered removing the religious exemption for vaccinations for several years and it’s been an emotionally charged debate. Both legislators who support and oppose the legislation have reported receiving hostile emails and social media posts over the issue.

This article originally appeared here.

The Post-Pandemic Small Groups Boom Is on the Way!

By
Allen White
-
communicating with the unchurched

COVID separated the church. The church did not “close,” because the church is a body of believers — not a building, not a service, not an institution. The church couldn’t gather for in-person meetings: worship, small groups, or anything else, but the church never closed. Many small groups went to Zoom or other online platforms — synchronous or asynchronous. While many groups tolerated meeting online, some have discovered the opportunity of online groups to connect to others who are far from them and far from God. But Zoom fatigue set in quickly. I predict there’s a coming small groups boom, because online groups are just not the same as in-person groups. Right now you are in an unprecedented moment.

Small Groups Are About to Boom!

People have been separated and in their houses for a long time. Of course, restrictions and attitudes vary across North America. While some churches still haven’t regathered for groups or worship, I know of one church that never stopped their in-person services. I’m not judging right or wrong. I’m just saying “different” restrictions and attitudes. While this is also my first global pandemic, this is where I see things going in 2021 with small groups.

People Will Warm Up to In-Person Gatherings Gradually

While Coronavirus numbers are declining, they haven’t disappeared. In most places the rate of infection is still higher than it was a year ago. While vaccine shots in arms are accelerating quickly, there is still some uncertainty, reluctance, or resistance to vaccines. Lastly, people have spent 12 months immersed in the stress and fear of a global pandemic. It will take them a while to turn things around. But there are hopeful signs.

When the President of the United States announced in his speech on March 10, 2021: “If we do this together, by July the 4th, there’s a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your back yard or your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day. That doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together but it does mean small groups will be able to get together…But to get there we can’t let our guard down. This fight is far from over.”

Politics aside, words from the leader of the free world are powerful. These words will do much to help people overcome their fear. The President of the United States is advocating for small groups.

In the meantime, what do you do? Do you just write off the spring semester? I don’t think so. This is the time to experiment. What are your people open to? How are they willing to participate in small groups? Pilot something. Gather groups of vaccinated folks. Be patient with those who are unsure. Try a new approach to online groups. If you’re not sure what your people might be open to, our church-wide assessment can help you find the right direction to go.

People Will Be Gone All Summer

Once people are confident to get out, they will be almost completely gone. They will be on vacation and will enjoy weekends away. Don’t be disappointed if the return to in-person worship is slow. It’s slow for every church right now.

Summer isn’t a great time to launch small groups anyway. You could try more social gatherings or service projects, but even then your people will be gone for the most part. That doesn’t mean to avoid trying something. It just means not to expect dramatic numbers over the summer.

I’m not suggesting that you raise the white flag for summer, but your people taking a much needed break will create an even bigger fall launch. Use your summer to prepare for fall. Recruit coaches for new group leaders. Create your own video-based curriculum.

Small Groups Boom Will Be in the Fall

Your people have been apart for a long time. Their need for community is higher than ever. By fall, they will be ready for in-person small groups at a level you’ve probably never experienced. Barring a fourth wave of the virus, vaccine-resistant variants, or continued restrictions, people will be ready in reconnect in small groups like never before.

Are you ready? How will you make the most of this opportunity growing out of the small groups boom? This is not the time for business as usual. This is not the time to roll out the same tired small group strategies you’ve used year after year that produce the same results. What are people willing to say “yes” to this fall?

Final Thoughts

We’ve had a year, haven’t we? I hope we never have another year like this past one again. But the pain of the last 12 months is producing an unprecedented opportunity. Are you ready to make the most of that opportunity?

This article about the small groups boom originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

TN Church Sees Over 1,000 Baptisms in Four Months–‘Prayer Births Revival’

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

Over 1,000 baptisms have happened in four months at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee.  The church’s senior pastor, Robby Gallaty, said in an interview with Faithwire.com that he has “never seen anything like this before in my life” after seeing 1,051 people baptized over the last 16 weeks.

Out of that number, 201 of those baptisms happened on Easter weekend alone. Many of the baptisms were spontaneous rather than planned. Pastor Gallaty said, “They heard the gospel and responded.”

There has been a steady increase in baptisms at Long Hollow over the last couple of years; 2018 saw approximately 125 baptized and in 2019 about 250. The pastor said, “This is nothing I’ve coordinated or a sermon series has brought about.”

“I’m convinced prayer births revival and revival births prayer.”

Becoming a “Praying Church”

Years ago, Gallaty read a quote from Leonard Ravenhill: “The problem with the American church today is that pastors don’t pray.” Gallaty said he took offense to that and asked, “What do you mean I don’t pray?” That is when the Lord began to convict Gallaty of his personal prayer life. He was convicted that he wasn’t pressing into God for hours at a time.

On top of this call to prayer, Gallaty’s friends Jared Wilson and Darrin Patrick both committed suicide less than a year apart. Gallaty shared that both of them had sat at his dining room table six months prior to their passing. “None of these guys set out to end the ministry that way…both of these guys I would say like some of you right now who are watching you would say, ‘I’m not burnt out..stressed…I’m fine.’ Those are the famous last words before the wheels fall off…and I realized that was me.”

It was then that the Lord told him to press into “silence and solitude.” Twenty minutes turned into forty minutes that turned into two hours a night in prayer before the Lord.

“I want to move from a church that prays to a praying church,” Gallaty said and explained how big the difference is between those types of churches. A church that prays just prays for events, but a praying church couches everything in the church from start to finish in prayer. For example, there is prayer before the sermon, during the sermon, after the sermon, and during the invitation.

Long Hollow set up a 24/7 prayer movement that God used to prepare the church for what He was about to do, Gallaty said.

Gallaty Shares How God Spoke to Him Directly

Gallaty shared the key part for every minister and every Christian. “I went to the porch every night to sit with the Lord thinking that He was going to fix the problems in my church,” he said and was really frustrated. “If this is what Christianity is: running a church, keeping people happy, keeping people from leaving, keeping people not mad, keeping deacons happy, keeping staff happy. I just said there’s got to be more to the Christian ministry than this.”

He wasn’t going to move from his porch. He told ChurchLeaders.com, “Every great movement of God begins without moving. I said God I am not going to move from this porch until You are willing to move.”

“Lord, You fix the problems in my staff…I need You to fix the problems in my church…I need You to fix the deacons…I need You to fix the country,” Gallaty shared. Revealing that two months into his front porch prayer time, he said the Lord told him, “The problem is not with your church…it’s not with your staff…the problem is you.”

Francis Chan: Unity in the Church Is Far More Than Just ‘a Cute Idea’

By
Jessica Lea
-
communicating with the unchurched

Unity in the church is not an option for followers of Jesus, says Francis Chan. And if we are failing in this endeavor, one question we should ask is if we really know God—or if we just know a lot about him. 

“I am not at all pushing unity at the expense of truth, nor am I pushing unity at the expense of morality,” Chan told author and pastor Skye Jethani on a recent episode of the Holy Post podcast. “God loves truth and hates lies. He loves holiness, and he hates sin.” However, people who are adamant about standing for truth and fighting sin have a tendency to downplay unity as “a cute idea, rather than an absolute command from a holy God and the desire of his heart.”

Said Chan, “There has to be a way that we fight for truth, we fight for holiness, as we are eager to maintain the unity of the faith.”

Unity in the Church Means Being Friends with THOSE People

Chan said that when he was in seminary, he was warned not to fellowship with people in certain Christian circles whom he was told were false teachers. “During my seminary years, there was a lot of warning about the charismatics,” he said, “We really just had to warn people about anyone who believed in the gifts of the Spirit and make sure that people do not speak in tongues or prophesy…everything was just logic and reasoning.” 

Chan’s teachers also warned him against Roman Catholics, who were supposedly idol worshippers. The result was that Chan became a person who was “really afraid of other groups and afraid of how they might be destroying the body of Christ.” 

But his perspective shifted when he actually got to know people who were Catholic and  charismatic. For example, Mike Bickle, director of the International House of Prayer, was “public enemy one” when Chan studied him in seminary. But, said Chan, “the more I saw the humility of his life, his knowledge of the Word of God…his frustration with the excesses in some of the people in his circle,” the more Chan wanted to learn from him.

Another person who surprised Chan was Matt Maher, the author of the worship song, “Your Grace Is Enough.” Chan was shocked when he learned that Maher was Catholic. “I start to realize that I generalize people, put them in these groups,” said Chan. He would think, “Oh, because you’re charismatic, because you’re in this Roman Catholic group, then these things are true of you.’” The problem with that mindset is that by generalizing groups, he was making false assumptions about individual people. Chan said that he has experienced similar unfair judgments from others, such as when people assume he is arrogant because he hangs out with Reformed conservatives.

While we must take the pursuit of unity in the church seriously, Chan stressed that we should not try to come up with a “master plan” for this pursuit. Rather, we need to begin from a place of being absolutely humbled before God. “Let’s just start with humility,” said Chan, “Let’s start with understanding what we’ve been invited into.” When we recognize what God has actually done for us, “this should absolutely change everything” because we will have a profound love for our brothers and sisters who have also been loved and welcomed by a holy God. 

Jethani pointed out that many people would not really disagree with that point, but yet we still see a significant lack of the unity in the church God is calling us to pursue. Chan agreed most people would not overtly disagree with his call to humility before God. But, he countered, the real question is whether or not people live out what they say they believe.

In John 17:20-23, Jesus prays to God for unity in the church:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

When Chan was a new believer, he memorized John 14-17 down to the exact wording. But the fact he memorized those words did not mean he really knew what they meant. “I’ve known in an intellectual sense this passage,” he said. “But I have not known this passage.” 

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