Editor’s note: This article contains language that some might find disturbing. The purpose of this article on Stedfast Baptist Church is to report news that the ChurchLeaders editors believe is important for the church to know. This article is not an endorsement of the perspectives being reported. 

A letter claiming to be from members of a Texas church notorious for saying that gay people should be executed was reportedly sent to a TikTok influencer who identifies as LGBTQ+ and said that the letter was supposedly from new neighbors.

Among several key beliefs stated in the letter were “that Jewish people and Muslim people are pedophiles” and that “LGBTQ people are groomers and unclean and should be lined against a wall and shot in the back of the head.” The influencer, who was unnerved by the letter, asked followers for “suggested actions.”

“Not your usual content here,” said the TikTok influencer, who goes by the handle @enbyofcrows and whose name appears on the platform as “Crow.” Crow showed viewers a typed letter Crow said had been taped back together after the influencer’s wife ripped it apart in anger. Crow read the repaired letter aloud in a TikTok video, saying it was from neighbors who had moved in recently and lived directly across the street. 

“As devout Christians, we feel it is our duty to reach out to you and spread our faith. We are longtime members of Stedfast Baptist Church,” the letter began, explaining that “our church is one of a growing number of New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist churches spreading across this country.”

Stedfast Baptist Church Denies Sending Letter

Stedfast Baptist Church is a church that has made headlines in recent years for a number of incendiary statements. The church was evicted in February 2022 from a building it was renting in Hurst, Texas, after Pastor Jonathan Shelley said that gay people are “worthy of death.” The congregation then moved to Watauga, Texas. Stedfast was again evicted later that year, and the church subsequently purchased a building in Cedar Hill, Texas.

While in Watauga, church leader Dillon Awes said during a sermon that gay people “should be sentenced with death, they should be lined up against the wall and shot in the back of the head! That’s what God teaches.”

Shelley has repeatedly used homophobic slurs, said that Jewish people “want to destroy everything that’s holy and everything that’s righteous,” and has said that women don’t earn as much as men because “they’re not as good at working.”

RELATED: Church That Supports Executing Gay People, Denies Holocaust Purchases Building Following Multiple Evictions for Hate Speech

Crow first posted about the letter at the end of August and posted additional updates in the weeks that followed. The first of “five main points of belief” stated in the letter is “the King James Bible is the one true version, the inherent Word of God. All other versions are blasphemous. We believe this so strongly that we have Bible burnings as least once a year where we will burn all other versions of the Bible.”

“So far, not overly concerning,” said Crow. “Freedom of speech—get it.”

On Oct. 7, polemical news site Protestia posted a video purporting to show Shelley leading Stedfast members, including children, in burning copies of the Bible when the church was still in Watauga. In a statement to ChurchLeaders, Stedfast said the video actually showed Pure Words Baptist Church in Houston.

The letter went on to say, “We believe that Jewish people and Muslim people are pedophiles and should be cast into the fire,” and, “We believe LGBTQ people are groomers and unclean and should be lined against a wall and shot in the back of the head.”

In June 2022, beloved Pastor Ronald K. Mouton Sr. was shot and killed in an apparent road rage incident. The suspect is currently free on a $500,000 bond. But the victim’s family continues to grieve and await the trial—now set for three years after Mouton’s death—that will hopefully bring justice and closure.

“I know we have to have patience and wait on a backed up system,” Mouton’s twin brother told ABC13. “Losing my brother was very important to me.”

Family Decries 3-Year Trial Delay After Murder of Beloved Pastor Ronald K. Mouton

A family, church, and community lost a beloved pastor in an apparent road rage shooting. Mouton was driving alongside another car on the Gulf Freeway in Houston, and the two drivers were arguing. A witness reported the other driver extended his hand, holding a pistol, outside the car window and shot the pastor, according to Click 2 Houston. Nearby surveillance footage showed a man running back and forth on the sidewalk before Mouton crashed his white car.

One month after Mouton’s shooting, Deshawn Longmire, an Uber driver, was charged with the murder. Police identified the man running back and forth on surveillance footage as Longmire.

Longmire originally told law enforcement that he wasn’t in the area at the time of the murder. But Uber records showed that Longmire was, in fact, at the location at the time of the incident.

Longmire’s trial was initially set for September 2024 but was delayed and set for April 2025. The recent postponement was due to a scheduling conflict with the defense attorney.

The family is frustrated with the trial delay, which the Harris County District Attorney’s office blamed on COVID-19 and Hurricane Harvey. The trial is set to begin in April 2025, nearly three years after Mouton was killed.

This isn’t the only trial experiencing delays. ABC13 reported that at the 208th District Court—the court handling Mouton’s case—34% of cases have been pending for more than a year. However, the National Center for State Courts states that 98% of felony cases—such as this one—should be settled within a year.

RELATED: Gateway Church Applying To Join ECFA Amid Class Action Lawsuit Over Allegedly Misallocated Funds

“It ain’t about not understanding death or not understanding that in this life, we leave one another. I get all of that,” Mouton’s twin brother told ABC13. “But to know that his killer has the freedom he has to be around this long, going on three years before it even goes to trial, while we’re suffering to see the end of this, that’s the part that hurts my family more than anything.”

“That sun is hot,” said former President Donald Trump before donning his signature red hat in Coachella, California, over the weekend. Trump held a rally on Saturday (Oct. 12) in the desert city made famous by music festivals, and several Southern California politicians and influencers were in attendance. 

After walking out to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.,” Trump began his characteristically freewheeling speech with the familiar talking points of crime and immigration, criticizing “Kamala, as she calls herself,” for the nation’s woes. 

While most of Trump’s criticism focused on Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump did pause at one point to call President Joe Biden “a weird dude,” in contrast to vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, whom Trump said “has a very good brain.”

Again focusing on Harris, Trump said that he only refers to the vice president by her first name, wrongly pronounced, “because if I say ‘Harris,’ nobody knows who the hell I’m talking about.”

At the end of his speech, Trump argued that election day will “be the most important day in the history of our country” because “we stand on the verge of the four greatest years in the history of our country.”

Prior to Trump’s speech, the rally featured Southern California natives Pastor Greg Laurie and actor Dennis Quaid.

Pastor Greg Laurie Urges Christians To ‘Vote Biblically’

Laurie, who is a well-known evangelist and the founding pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, a multisite church based in Riverside, California, offered an invocation. 

“How many of you are proud to be an American today? Raise your hand up,” Laurie said. As the crowd cheered, Laurie nodded and said, “I thought so.”

“How many of you fly an American flag outside of your house? I do too,” he added. “Some of you fly really big American flags on your trucks; I’ve seen it.”

“You know, there are those who would try to marginalize us who are Christians and call us Christian nationalists,” Laurie went on to say. “And I consider myself a Christian patriot, and I’m proud of that.”

“We’re not trying to impose our faith on anyone else. We want the same First Amendment rights that all Americans have to stand boldly for our faith and say what is true,” Laurie said. “We’re not trying to push that on anyone, but we do want to share it.”

Explaining that “Jesus called us to be both salt and light,” Laurie argued that voting is an essential aspect of a Christian’s role of being a moral “preservative.”

“So I am urging everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ to vote and to vote biblically in this election,” Laurie said. “No election in my lifetime is as consequential as this one, so we all need to engage.”

RELATED: Donald Trump’s Favorite Bible Might Be on the Way to Oklahoma Schools

Laurie then led rally goers in prayer. 

“Father, America was your idea before it was the idea of any man,” Laurie prayed, going on to say that the United States’ wealth and prosperity has allowed it to “be a blessing to the world.” 

“Lord, you’ve blessed America, and we all have benefited from that blessing,” Laurie said. While Laurie prayed a blessing on all political leaders, he prayed “especially for our friend today, President Donald Trump.”

When “Glorious,” the debut album from secular rapper GloRilla, dropped on Friday (Oct. 11), some Christians were shocked to see a collaboration with gospel musicians. The song “Rain Down on Me”—which features Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, Kierra Sheard, and Chandler Moore—is sandwiched between other tracks with explicit lyrics.

Some fans applauded the project, saying it could sow seeds of faith in listeners’ hearts. Others criticized the appearance of Christians working so closely with “sinners.” Franklin, Moore, and Maverick City previously faced backlash for collaborating with secular artists.

RELATED: ‘I’ll Do Better’—Kirk Franklin Tells Lecrae He’s Willing To Be Challenged About His Actions

GloRilla’s Rap Song Asks God To Rain Down Blessings

GloRilla, whose real name is Gloria Hallelujah Woods, goes by glorillapimp on social media. The 25-year-old native of Memphis, Tennessee, grew up a Christian home, sang in the church choir, and was homeschooled until high school.

On the “Tamron Hall Show” earlier this year, the rapper said she initially planned to become a gospel singer and that she and her mother pray for each other. “I always have to put God first in whatever I do,” said GloRilla, and not let “too much negativity get to me.”

Lyrics to “Rain Down on Me,” which features the gospel artists, ask God for protection from enemies plus a downpour of blessings. The first verse begins:

Feelin’ like I’m God’s favoritе,
and that’s the best feeling evеr.
Rain down on me, Father God,
I won’t use an umbrella. (Rain down on me.)
Forgive the ones who play with me,
apparently, they don’t know no better.
At times, I don’t know who to trust,
I randomly rebuke the devil.
It’s hard to talk about my blessings,
they be sayin’ I’m actin’ cocky.
Always and forever humble,
they just don’t wanna see me pop it.
Five feet and I’m praisin’ you
with every inch up in my body.
So I pray you watch my back,
along with those who say they got it.
Watch over my family, Lord,
and watch over all of my partners.
And even though he hate me, Lord,
watch over my baby father.
Watch over my haters,
they the ones that make me go the hardest.
I just want us all to win,
I just want us all to prosper.
Thank You, Lord.

In the bridge, GloRilla sings:

I know I’m a sinner, Lord,
and I know I might sin again.
So thank You for not givin’ up
and still givin’ me the strength to win.
Protect me from the evil
that I can’t see with my eyes.
And if it’s any blessing-blockers ’round me,
help me cut them ties. In Jesus’ name.

On another song, “Glo’s Prayer,” the rapper asks for God’s guidance about how to leave a man. “Prayin’ to the Lord to get this [expletive] off my mind,” she sings.

Fans React to Gospel Artists’ Collab With GloRilla

On social media, fans shared mixed reactions to Christian artists participating in an expletive-filled album. One wondered if it was a prank, while another wrote, “I dunno if this is what the Bible meant by being set apart.” Someone asked, “How is Maverick City on the same album as Sexxy Red? Like what are we doing?”

RELATED: Kirk Franklin and Chandler Moore Join Will Smith for Live Performance at the BET Awards

(RNS) — America’s pastors are tired.

The decline of organized religion, the aftermath of a worldwide pandemic, political polarization — and the burden of caring for their congregation’s soul — have left many clergy feeling burned out and wondering how long they can hang on.

The title of a 2024 report from the Hartford Institute for Research summed up what clergy are saying: “I’m Exhausted All the Time.” Small wonder that about half of clergy had thought about leaving their congregation — or the ministry altogether — in recent years.

“This is a challenging time for all congregations. They’re getting smaller, they’re getting older, they’re not as vital as they once were, and then the pandemic traumas of closing and opening,” said Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute and leader of a five-year study of how COVID-19 affected congregations.

Racial divides and political issues have disrupted faith communities, said Thumma. All these factors have undermined the relationship between religious leaders and their congregations, leading to clergy burnout and discouragement.

That has made it crucial for clergy to pay attention to their mental health, experts say.

While burnout and poor mental health for clergy may often be gradual, the recovery process requires a lot more intentionality, said Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, director of the Duke Clergy Health Initiative at Duke University.

That’s why it’s important for clergy to monitor feelings of being overwhelmed so they can be addressed before becoming a larger issue, she said.

Making plans for incorporating intentional practices can help clergy decrease stress and regain spiritual well-being. During the pandemic, the Duke Clergy Health Initiative partnered with the United Methodist Church for a study on mindfulness practices.

Clergy took eight classes on mindfulness techniques. They participated, on average, for 28 minutes a day for six months. They saw a reduction in stress and an improvement in their heart rate variability — the heart’s ability to recover.

Proeschold-Bell recommended that clergy try a practice called the Daily Examen, which has been practiced by Catholics and other contemplative Christians.

“There’s a little bit of gratitude. And then review the last 24 hours of the day with gratitude, but also to notice what emotions came up for them during that review,” said Proeschold-Bell. “Pray on that with God, and if they felt like they needed forgiveness for anything, to ask for forgiveness from God. And if they needed guidance, pray for that guidance. And then they closed it out with, again, gratitude for the day.”

Other intentional practices include exercise, taking time to eat nourishing foods and getting enough sleep. The most important thing is taking time away from work and its stressors so clergy can connect and meet their physical and psychological need, experts say.

Therapy can also help, said Gary Gunderson, professor of faith and the health of the public at the Wake Forest School of Divinity. Therapists can be great resources for clergy to talk about the issues they are facing without judgment for struggling.

“Pastors and priests, people in ministry, people in caring professions, they carry a lot of suffering,” said Dr. Mary Beth Werdel, director of the Pastoral Mental Health Counseling program at Fordham University.

Some educators might be—understandably—concerned that artificial intelligence (AI) is going to destroy their jobs. However, Biola University is a Christian institution that is leaning into the challenges and opportunities AI presents by exploring how to use AI’s disruption in the most redemptive way possible.

“We have launched what we think is the first interdisciplinary AI Lab in a Christian university,” said Dr. Michael Arena, dean of Biola’s Crowell School of Business. Arena is on the faculty of the AI Lab and spoke to ChurchLeaders at Gloo’s second annual AI and the Church Hackathon that took place in Boulder, Colorado, from Sept. 13-15. 

RELATED: Gloo Holds 2nd AI & the Church Hackathon, Focusing on ‘Redemptive Technology’

Arena acknowledged there are qualities that make AI “scary dangerous,” particularly when it comes to the possibility of technology replacing human relationships or our relationship with God. When it comes to post-secondary education, Arena said that “a lot of faculty, a lot of staff are like, ‘Oh no, this is going to destroy education.’”

It would be easy to see the dangers of AI and conclude “we’ve got to run from this and hold it off, extend its implications as long as ever.” On the other hand, educators could respond with a “proactive stance…and engage in it and better understand it and learn.” It could have a destructive impact on education, Arena said, “but it actually might also make education better.”

Biola University’s AI Lab Is a Resource Hub

At this year’s AI and the Church Hackathon, more than 200 attendees from the U.S. and other countries came together on 40 teams to compete for cash prizes by creating AI solutions that will support human flourishing and thriving churches. A number of thought leaders sat down with ChurchLeaders to discuss the purpose of the hackathon and how believers and church leaders should view and engage with AI.

“How do we steward AI? How do we lean into it? How do we truly better understand it and engage with it, as opposed to run from it?” Arena asked. 

Arena’s purpose in attending hackathon had to do with “catching the energy, connecting, building the network of like-minded people both in tech and ethics and really just sort of amplifying and accelerating the way we can develop AI.” His particular focus was on how to “develop students to use AI from a business standpoint.” 

Arena believes Christians should draw some clear lines on how AI should and should not be used. “I think we ought to declare some things,” he said, noting that AI “will never, ever substitute a human relationship.”

Also, while AI can be an extremely useful tool for pastors for some tasks, such as gathering information, Arena said, “We should never allow AI to strip us away from the revelatory power of praying for the Holy Spirit’s presence while we’re studying Scripture.” 

“As Christians, we’ve got an obligation to start thinking about, how do we safeguard AI?” he said. “But also, how do we get really, really disciplined about what we’re uniquely made to do and what parts of ourselves are we not willing to give up? Not because AI can’t do it but because we shouldn’t let AI do it.”

RELATED: Pastors, Don’t Let Your Fear of AI Cause You To Miss This Moment, Say Experts

In a recent sermon, Oregon Pastor Jesse Lusko shared an inspiring account of talking to actor Joaquin Phoenix about Jesus. On Sunday (Oct. 5), Lusko described the encounter with his father’s favorite actor—the day before his father’s funeral several months ago.

Editor’s note: This article contains references to sexual abuse.

While concluding a sermon series about Jonah, Lusko, pastor of Counterculture Church in Portland, preached about vengeance and forgiveness. Being victimized can turn people into hateful “mirror images” of their oppressors, he said.

As an example from pop culture, the pastor pointed to the Batman villain Arthur Fleck. After being beaten down repeatedly, Fleck “finally snaps and decides he’s going to get his vengeance,” so he becomes the Joker. Lusko then segued into his run-in—and gospel-centered conversation—with the actor who played the Joker.

 

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Joaquin Phoenix Hears About Jesus From Jesse Lusko

This spring, after Lusko’s father died of cancer, the pastor gathered with family members—including his brother, fellow pastor Levi Lusko—for a funeral. The day before the service, Jesse Lusko entered a coffee shop, where a friend informed him he’d been standing in line with Joaquin Phoenix.

Because Phoenix was his father’s absolute favorite actor, Lusko said hello and shared how much his father admired Phoenix’s work. The actor offered condolences and revealed that his own father had died of cancer too.

“I also shared with him my dad’s story of coming to Christ,” Lusko said during his sermon. “That my dad had experimented with tons of drugs, that he’d hitchhiked around the United States, that his mom had died of brain cancer, that his stepdad was murdered by his business partner.”

“That’s all a true story,” said Lusko. “My dad had come to Christ, and Joaquin was blown away by that story.”

RELATED: Impromptu Worship Service Breaks Out Among Contestants From ‘The Voice’

Later that day, Lusko saw the actor again, in a hotel gym. Phoenix ended up “chasing me down” and requesting a photo together, the pastor said, because he was touched by the story of Lusko’s father.

The two men talked about Joaquin Phoenix playing Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line.” The 2005 movie depicts how Cash’s producer balked at the musician playing for criminals at Folsom Prison, fearing it would alienate his Christian fans. “We believe in Jesus,” Lusko told Phoenix. “We believe in his grace. My dad believed in that, and I just want to pray God’s greatest grace over you.”

Unite US keynote speaker Jennie Allen recently shared that hundreds of students from the University of Mississippi responded to a call to put their faith in Jesus and be baptized.

“He’s doing it again and again! It’s too good,” Allen posted on social media beside an image of a student she had just baptized.

“Ole Miss, you absolutely blew us away tonight,” Unite US said on Instagram. “The Pavilion was packed with 6,500 college students hungry for something more. College students, we are so proud of your boldness to let go of the things that have been holding you back from all God has in store for you.”

RELATED: ‘God Is Moving’—Unite Keynoter Jennie Allen Shares Video of Baptisms at University of Tennessee

“We are cheering on every single student who made the life-changing decision to follow Jesus tonight–this is just the beginning,” the post continued. “God is on the move in this generation!” The posted featured images of students getting baptized in the back of pick-up trucks.

According to its website, United US is a “movement of college students united to lift the name of Jesus” that started on Sept. 23, 2023, after “thousands of students gathered at Auburn University’s Neville Arena” to lift of the name of Jesus. Since then, the movement has gained momentum, allowing it reach other campuses across the nation.

 

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Christian artist Forrest Frank, who just won this year’s New Artist of the Year award at the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards, posted that he was able to witness first hand what God is doing at the 13th ranked party school in the nation. “7k students from one of the top party schools showed up last night to represent Christ and get freed,” said Frank. “Huge thanks to @jpokluda @jennieallen for letting me tag along at @unite_us…can’t wait to see what God does next!!”

RELATED: ‘Over 12,000’—Sean Feucht, Saddleback Church, Zoe Church Participate in ‘Largest Synchronized Baptism in History’

Worship leader Sean Feucht replied to Frank’s post, saying, “That’s POWERFUL brother!!!!!! We’re seeing this too! There is SO MUCH HOPE for the campuses of America right now!!!”

Evangelist Franklin Graham took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris in a recent statement to Premier Christian News, going as far as to say Harris’ policy positions are “anti-Christ.”

Graham, who is the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, is the president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). He is also a long-time supporter of former President Donald Trump. 

Graham has stood behind his support of Trump amid criminal indictments and sexual abuse allegations, and he told Premier Christian News that it would be “a great problem for the church if [Harris] was elected” because he “hasn’t seen any evidence of faith in her life.”

While Graham contends that his support for Trump and opposition to Harris is keeping with his father’s beliefs and values, a diversity of opinion exists on the matter, including within the Graham extended family.

RELATED: ‘As the 47th President, [Trump] Will Keep His Word,’ Franklin Graham Says Before Leading Prayer at RNC

Evangelicals for Harris, a political advocacy group seeking to mobilize American Christian to vote for Harris, has featured archival footage of Billy Graham in its attack ads about Trump. In these ads, Evangelicals for Harris use the late evangelist’s words to argue that Trump is morally unfit for leadership. 

Jerushah Duford, a granddaughter of Billy Graham and niece of Franklin Graham, has lent her voice to support the group. In a Zoom call in August, Duford said that the 2024 election is a “pivotal point in our country’s future.”

“One of my grandfather’s favorite verses was Micah 6:8. What an incredible reminder of what the Lord requires of us: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly,” Duford said, seeking to draw a contrast between the Christian values of her grandfather and Trump having “bragged about assaulting women” and his “excuses for Jan. 6” and “for convicted assault and 34 felonies.”

“I’ve always stated that my president doesn’t have to be a Christian,” Duford said, “but I am and will be watching for my faith leaders to support actions that reflect mercy, justice, and humility, and for my faith leaders to rebuke actions that are the antithesis of that.”

RELATED: ‘He’s Wrong’—Trump Reveals Franklin Graham Told Him His Speeches Would Be Better If He Didn’t Cuss

Franklin Graham has taken exception to the likeness of his father being used to attack Trump and support Harris. In a social media post, he said, “The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris. They even developed a political ad trying to use my father @BillyGraham’s image. They are trying to mislead people.”