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  • December 31, 2019

Archives For December 31, 2019

The Briefing: New guidelines for school prayer

Meredith Flynn —  January 21, 2020

Trump administration announces initiatives to protect religious freedom
President Donald Trump said Jan. 16 his administration is taking “historic steps” to protect the right to pray in public schools. On National Religious Freedom Day, the administration released new guidance for school prayer for that will require state departments of education to report public charges of religious discrimination to the U.S. Department of Education, CNN reported.

The new guidelines also add a section on the Equal Access Act, which denies federal funds to public schools that prohibit student meetings based on religious, political, or philosophical content.

Illinois lawmaker urges churches to pray for Springfield
State Rep. Dave Severin says Illinois lawmakers need prayer. So, he’s urging churches to sign up and sit in the House gallery when the legislature is in session. The Republican from Marion has launched a Pray for Springfield Facebook page, which links to a calendar that shows dates the House is in session and if a church group is scheduled to be in the gallery.

Pastoral politics mostly a mystery, survey says
Most Americans who attend religious services at least a few times a year say the sermons they hear have about the right amount of political discussion, and they generally agree with clergy about politics. But 45% also say they’re not sure if their clergy members are Republicans or Democrats, according to research by Pew Forum.

Church planter facing deportation
A Southern Baptist church planter in California will likely return to England at the end of this month, leaving behind a growing church. Obed Brefo and his wife, Elena, are planting King’s Cross Church in one of the least churched neighborhoods in San Diego. The pastor, who hopes his family can return to California early next year, will utilize guest speakers and video messages during his absence, Baptist Press reports.

Multiracial congregations on the rise
The share of multiracial churches in the U.S. has grown from 6% in 1998, to 16% in 2019, according to Religion News Service. The number of black, Hispanic, and Asian clergy leading multiracial congregations has also increased, RNS reports, while fewer white clergy members are leading multiracial churches.

Sources: CNN, Pew Forum, Illinois Baptist, Baptist Press, Religion News Service

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The Briefing: What young people want most

Meredith Flynn —  January 14, 2020

Home ownership tops list of goals for young Americans
More than half of current 18-35-year-olds hope to own a home in the next 10 years, according to a Barna survey of what the researcher calls “the connected generation.” The surveyed group, comprised of both Millennials and members of Generation Z, also puts marriage (41%) and parenthood (33%) in their top five goals.

Baptist Press debunks George Soros/ERLC claims
The Southern Baptist Convention’s news service published an Jan. 9 explainer about rumors linking the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission with progressive billionaire George Soros. A Breitbart.com article Dec. 11 linked Soros with the Evangelical Immigration Table, a nonpartisan coalition of which the ERLC is a part. But the evangelical group has never received funding from Soros, BP reports.

Most states willing to accept refugees
President Donald Trump’s new policy on refugees requires state and local governments to opt-in to continue to receive refugees, and many have done so, Christianity Today reports. Forty-one states and 86 local governments have filed letters of consent with the federal government, while Texas became the first state to reject resettlement. CT reports the Evangelical Immigration Table played a pivotal role in lobbying states to receive refugees.

Former students sue seminary over marriage policy
Two former Fuller Theological Seminary students are suing the school for what they say is a violation of anti-discrimination. Fuller, located in Pasadena, Calif., holds marriage to be a “covenant union between one man and one woman,” according to its Sexual Standards policy. Former students Nathan Brittsan and Joanna Maxon say they were expelled for being in same-sex marriages.

‘Jeopardy’ answer sparks Israel/Palestine debate
A contestant’s answer about Jesus’ birthplace was ruled incorrect on a recent episode of “Jeopardy.” But the fallout was more than the $200 Katie Needle lost for answering “Palestine” as the site of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

After Needle’s answer was rejected, a fellow contestant rang in and answered “Israel,” which was credited as the correct answer. The show may have fixed the mistake (Needle’s score was increased by $200 when Jeopardy returned from a commercial break), but the debate is still going online, with many commenters noting the Church of the Nativity is located in the West Bank.

Sources: Barna, Baptist Press, Christianity Today, CBS News, Christian Post

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The Briefing: Methodists announce plan to split

Meredith Flynn —  January 7, 2020

United Methodists divide over LGBT marriage and ordination
The media has largely focused on LGBT issues in reporting on the United Methodist Church split, writes evangelical columnist David French, but, “The true fracturing point between mainline and evangelical churches is over the authority and interpretation of Scripture.”

An 8-page statement titled the “Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation” likely will govern the divide of the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination. The plan, which will need approval from the UMC’s legislative body this spring, gives $25 million to conservative congregations toward the formation of a new denomination that opposes gay marriage and ordaining LGBT clergy.

>Related: “If the new denomination takes its orthodoxy on mission,” missiologist Ed Stetzer wrote, the Methodist traditionalist group “may create new paths we all can learn from.”

President rallies evangelical voters amid deepening divides
At the inaugural “Evangelicals for Trump” rally Jan. 3 at a Miami megachurch, President Donald Trump sought to shore up support from Christian voters after a Christian magazine editorial supported his impeachment. “Evangelicals and Christians of every denomination and believers of every faith have never had a greater champion…in the White House than you have right now,” Trump said at the rally at El Ray Jesus Church.

The event and the President’s “Evangelicals for Trump” coalition were announced the day after now-retired Christianity Today editor Mark Galli wrote that Trump should be removed from office.

7 key abortion stories from the last decade
Just ahead of the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has released its list of seven of the most important abortion stories from 2010-2019. Leading the list: the trial of late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell, whose eventual conviction on first-degree murder charges received almost no national media coverage.

As church membership declines, churches use tech to connect with new audiences
At a time when just half of all Americans belong to a house of worship, more and more churches are using online resources to gather people and address spiritual needs, USA Today reports. “In the beginning, a lot of churches thought the internet would hurt and keep people from coming,” said an online campus pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. “But it’s actually one of the best ways to reach new people.”

Sources: French Press, Christianity Today, Baptist Press, Christian Post, ERLC, USA Today

 

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