Archives For border crisis

The Briefing: Popular author ‘no longer a Christian’

Meredith Flynn —  July 30, 2019

‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’ writer announces ‘massive shift’ away from faith
A week after announcing his separation from his wife of 20 years, author Joshua Harris posted online that he’s no longer a Christian. “By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian,” Harris wrote on Instagram July 26. “Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now.”

Harris wrote the pro-courtship book “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” in 1997, chronicling his relationship with his future wife.

Village Church sued for neglect in sexual assault case
A Southern Baptist church in Texas is facing a $1 million lawsuit that claims it hasn’t done enough to resolve sexual assault that occurred at a church camp in 2012. The suit against The Village Church says the church acted with “conscious indifference or reckless disregard” for a woman referred to as Jane Doe.

Former Village staff member Matthew Tonne was arrested in January on charges of indecency with a child and is awaiting trial, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Willow Creek struggles to move forward after Hybels
Christianity Today reports Willow Creek Community Church held a meeting in July to try to find closure more than a year after the resignation of founding pastor Bill Hybels, who stepped down in April 2018 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. The Chicago megachurch’s elder board also resigned, and the church has since seen declines in giving and attendance, according to CT.

Baptists travel to U.S. border on ‘fact-finding mission’
Marshall Ausberry and Todd Unzicker met with immigrants in Mexico and Baptist leaders on both sides of the border to find out how the SBC can minister there amid the growing crisis. Ausberry, the SBC’s first vice president, and Unzicker, an associate pastor at The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, will report their findings to SBC President J.D. Greear as he formulates ideas for Baptist ministry at the border.

Quiz sheds light on Americans’ religious knowledge
87% of Americans know an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in God, but only 24% know Rosh Hashana is the Jewish New Year. And just under half think “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is one of the Ten Commandments. Those are among the findings of Pew’s quiz of American adults on a variety of religious topics.

Sources: The Christian Post, The Dallas Morning News, Christianity Today, Baptist Press, Pew Research Center

In Briefing, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,
permalink

The Briefing: HIV specialist sees God in case, despite setbacks

Meredith Flynn —  July 15, 2014
Hannah_Gay

“…I learned many, many years ago that God is far too big for me to understand Him, but at the same time that His love for mankind is just as far beyond my comprehension,” Dr. Hannah Gay told Baptist Press. “So I trust Him even when I don’t understand.”

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

The news that a child believed to be functionally cured of HIV once again has the virus growing inside her “felt like a punch to the gut,” the specialist who treated the child told CNN.

But Hannah Gay also said God is evident in the details of the case.

“For confidentiality reasons I cannot share any of those details publicly but there are many and they have helped to not just reaffirm my faith in God,” Gay told Baptist Press, “but to actually strengthen it.”

The associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Mississippi Medical Center was credited in March 2013 with achieving a “functional” cure of the child born with HIV, meaning the virus couldn’t be detected by standard clinical tests. But tests this month revealed the more than two-year remission is over.

Gay, who has credited God with the functional cure, said she’s learned to trust Him even when she doesn’t understand current circumstances. Read the full story at BPNews.net.

Moore: Compassion needed at border
The church’s response to the border crisis “cannot be quick and easy,” wrote Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. “But, for the people of God, our consciences must be informed by a Kingdom more ancient and more permanent than the United States.” Read his column at RussellMoore.com.

LifeWay poll: 56% of Americans want more movies with Christian values
In a year where faith-based movies have seen success at the box office, LifeWay Research found a majority of Americans say they want more such films, although adults under 30 were the age group least likely to agree. In other movie news, 20th Century Fox has released the trailer for October’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings.”

Pew defines ‘closely held’ corporations
Wondering what the Supreme Court meant by “closely held” businesses in their recent decision on Hobby Lobby? Pew Research released this explanation of the label.

Illinois students serving in Chicago, Oklahoma
The All-State Youth Choir is on tour this week, and heading to Oklahoma after a concert at Six Flags in St. Louis today. Follow them at www.Facebook.com/IllinoisBaptist.

In Briefing , , , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink