“What does Bill C-4 criminalize? Why have some Canadians objected to (or applauded) the language of the bill? And why are Christians worried about aspects of the bill’s language?” - TGC

See also in UK: Over 500 UK church leaders prepared to face criminal charges if conversion therapy is banned

This is from the first draft of my book The Words of the Covenant: New Testament Continuity. Read the series.

“The Supreme Court of Louisiana announced Tuesday that it will hear a case on whether criminal charges should remain against controversial Pastor Tony Spell for violating Gov. John Bel Edwards’ order against gatherings of more than 50 people during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.” - CPost

“We asked a variety of pastors this difficult question. They all emphasized that every church situation is unique and that there is no single ‘right’ answer. But here’s how fellow leaders from across the country approach this issue in their own church contexts.” - CToday

“It is no secret that the Presbyterian Church in America is in turmoil…. There may come a time when the Presbyterian Church in America needs to split. But until that time comes it should not splinter.” - Ref21

“The Lord’s suffering is our example, not that we should follow the exact same kind of sufferings as he did (i.e. we aren’t called to literally die on a cross), but that we should follow his manner in our own sufferings” - Don Johnson

“…among New Testament Greek scholars, there is no controversy here, which is quite telling, since they have devoted decades of their lives to studying the language. How is it that people who cannot read a word of Greek know better?” - Michael Brown

On Stillness, Part 2: Thinking in the Silence

“Jesus Christ is the final word by which God has revealed His redemptive purposes in the world, a revelation to which nothing can be added.” - DeYoung

In my service for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, one of the things I set out to accomplish this fall was to study the subject of Hanukkah in order to bring special messages on that topic.

With God’s help, I was able to do so in three churches, along with sharing the material in a Bible study group that I teach regularly—and I have greatly enjoyed the experience!

“The high court heard oral arguments regarding the constitutionality of Maine’s school-choice program, and several of the justices appeared skeptical of the state’s defense of its refusal to include schools that teach their religious beliefs.” - BPNews

“A new study from Lifeway Research finds close to 3 in 4 Americans believe Jesus was born in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. Even more say Jesus is the son of God the Father, but less than half believe Jesus existed prior to being born on that first Christmas.” - CToday

“majorities of almost every religious group believe there are no valid religious reasons to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, including Hispanic Catholics (68%), other Christians (68%), Jewish Americans (67%), Hispanic Protestants (64%), white Catholics (62%), … Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (60%), Black Protestants (59%), white mainline Protestants (56%) and other Protestants of color (51%).” - RNS

“She is also a vocal opponent of sexual abuse in the church, most notably in the Southern Baptist Convention and other evangelical circles. Last month, she made headlines for supporting Liberty University students who reported sexual abuse.” - RNS

“A year-end report is a celebration of impact that answers the question, ‘How did God allow us to participate with Him in the past year?’ Who wouldn’t want to communicate that with their church?” - Lifeway

She was a host and leader of Christian house church … The most straightforward explanation of who her “children” were, is that they are members of her household and congregation.

When we think of the story of Jesus’s birth in the little town of Bethlehem, we envision a beautiful and peaceful scene with shepherds and wise men gathered around a manger, worshipping the young Christ. But that’s not the whole picture! Matthew reminds us that the birth of Christ was not only associated with happiness and hope but also with feelings of profound sorrow and deep despair. In the second chapter of his Gospel, he recounts a tragic event that followed the birth of Christ, which Christian tradition refers to as “the Massacre of the Innocents.” In an attempt to kill the Christ-child, King Herod ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under two-years of age.

“In its 2021 State of Giving report released Monday, the ECFA … showed that while cash giving to member churches dipped slightly amid the pandemic and lockdowns in 2020, giving to other types of ministries increased.” - CPost

“There had been existing policies at Megan Nauman’s church to prevent sexual abuse, but the Caring Well Challenge helped identify a predator in their midst, she said.” - BPNews

“No matter whom God ordains to function as America’s elected representatives, Christians’ mission remains the same: to make disciples. Based on Biblical principles, we submit to, respect, and pray for God-ordained authorities …. Our purpose is, therefore, to address all issues by how they affect churches” - Mike Hess

“The U.S. government labeled China’s treatment of the Uighurs as a ‘genocide’ during the final days of the Trump administration, a designation that has been upheld by the Biden administration.” - CPost

How to read what the wood, glass, and stone say about God. - CToday

“…when Paul writes to Timothy of a solitary Mediator, a single Mediator, with a capital ‘M,’ he’s referring to that Mediator who is the supreme Intercessor between God and fallen humanity. This Mediator, Jesus Christ, is indeed the God-man.” - R.C.Sproul

“David’s story feeds into Jesus’ proverb: ‘all who take the sword will perish by the sword’ (Matthew 26:31). Jesus was telling Peter who began fighting to defend him from being taken to the cross. It was a time when lots of people thought it was right to use violence to fight for independence.” - Mark Horne

The church I now pastor had, before my time, a tradition of Santa Claus giving out candy at the church Christmas Dinner. We handled the situation by eliminating the dinner (everyone is too busy anyway). In time, we had some people who were very anti-Santa. Some people brought up their children to believe in Santa Claus, others used the Santa motif, but taught their children it was pretend, and then others, like us, were concerned that if our children found us untruthful about Santa, would they think that Jesus is also a myth?

“We endorse no social theory or philosophy and we never will. And we’re not asking anyone to apologize for the color of their skin.” - CPost

“Many Christians despise the Enlightenment for its denigration of the authority of the church and trust in the Bible, while many academics castigate the Enlightenment for its elevation of neutrality instead of narrative and equality instead of equity.” - TGC

“His fellow soldiers assumed he wouldn’t survive his wounds—and he nearly didn’t. Eventually, he was sent back to the US in a full body cast and spent thirty-nine months in recovery. He had lost all mobility in his right arm and hand, and getting dressed in the morning would be a challenge for the rest of his life.” - Denison

“Overall, 28% of U.S. adults say people convicted of crimes spend too much time in prison, while 32% say they spend too little time and 37% say they spend about the right amount of time” - Pew

“Churches have typically grown through vertical growth, meaning that they try to get everyone to attend the ‘Sunday morning service at one site together.’ In this COVID world, smaller is better for gathered worship, and smaller is made possible by offering alternatives to gather at times other than Sunday morning in the same place.” - Rainer