| | Atheists refute claims abortion bans violate religious freedom | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Monday, Jan. 9, and today's headlines include atheist pro-life advocates who are pushing back against lawsuits alleging that state abortion bans violate religious freedom, First Citizens Bank reaching a settlement with Celebration Church founders Stovall and Kerri Weems, the death of pastor and author Jack W. Hayford, and Sadie Robertson Huff's comments during Passion 2023. | | Atheist pro-life advocates are pushing back against lawsuits alleging that state abortion bans and restrictions violate religious freedom and promote a Christian definition of life, saying that the right to practice one's faith does not justify "human rights violations." Several states have moved to ban or restrict abortion following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer, prompting lawsuits that assert such laws promote a sectarian view of where life begins. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that 34 lawsuits have been filed against abortion bans in 19 states, with 31 pending at trial or appellate levels. | | Monica Snyder, who serves as executive director of Secular Pro-Life, an organization comprised of atheists and agnostics, told The Christian Post that the belief that a zygote is the first stage of life for human organisms "is not a religious belief," adding, "It's a biological fact. You don't need to be religious to recognize biological facts, and you don't need to be religious to believe all humans are morally valuable." Synder says that "freedom of religion is important, but it doesn't justify human rights violations. Abortion violates human rights by killing human beings. Freedom of religion doesn't justify it." Kelsey Hazzard, an atheist attorney and the founder of Secular Pro-Life, shared similar thoughts, writing, "Religious freedom has its limits, and the death of a child lies beyond that limit. The American legal system has encountered an analogous issue: may Jehovah's Witnesses condemn their medically fragile sons and daughters to death because they believe that blood transfusions are sinful? No one doubts the sincerity of that religious belief, but the answer is no: the child's right to life takes precedence. Likewise, the right to life must take precedence over religious, unscientific beliefs about ensoulment at birth." Continue reading. | | P.S.Get rewarded for sharing our newsletters! Sign-up for the CP referral program—the more you share, the more you earn. Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to get started today! |
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| Pastor left paralyzed after icy fall | | A Minnesota pastor is partially paralyzed after slipping and falling on ice in front of his church. Pastor David Kent of Christian Life Center in Golden Valley told KSPT, "Took one slip, I was down on the ground. My hands, my arms, my legs were all paralyzed." Kent underwent emergency spinal surgery immediately following the Dec. 16 accident but remains paralyzed in his arms and legs. "I serve a mighty big God. He’s able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all that we’re able to ask. So, I have total faith. My God is a healer," Kent told CCX Media. The pastor's in-patient rehab will cost around $3,900 daily, with the family explaining they "typically would never ask" for money from friends, family and the community. "However, David has given so much of himself that we are now asking the community to give back. We do not have the resources required, but we know that anything is possible when we all band together." Read more. | | Bank settles lawsuit against Celebration Church founders | | First Citizens Bank has reached a settlement with Celebration Church founders Stovall and Kerri Weems and multiple companies they control for defaulting on more than $700,000 in loans. The settlement comes some six months after the bank sued the founders and former leaders of Celebration Church for defaulting on the loans. The Weems are still involved in a legal battle with the church over a Black Hammock Island home they purchased as a parsonage, as well as a defamation lawsuit the couple filed following the release of an internal investigation commissioned by the church that painted them as abusive leaders who exploited church staff and finances until they were forced to resign. Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Judge dismisses Pastor Stovall and Kerri Weems’ defamation lawsuit against Celebration ChurchPastor Stovall Weems steps down from Celebration Church after filing lawsuitCelebration Church sues to evict Stovall and Kerri Weems from million dollar waterfront homeCelebration Church report paints founders Stovall and Kerri Weems as abusive, mentally troubled |
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| Damar Hamlin reminds us that Americans pray in times of crisis | | Dr. Michael Brown reflects on the millions of Americans who have prayed for Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin and how people—even atheists—still turn to God in times of crisis. Brown discusses how NFL vet and TV host Dan Orlovsky publicly prayed on TV for Hamlin and was praised for doing so, with Brown noting, "This is what happens when we realize that we need help outside of ourselves. People pray, and prayer is welcomed rather than ridiculed. The reality is that we always need God." Read more. | | Enough with the fake friendships | | In this op-ed, Robin Schumacher discusses surface-level friendships and why a superficial friendship with Jesus is the worst of them all. "The 'God /Jesus is your friend sermonette, which bypasses repentance, obedience, self-denial, and a call to personal holiness is extraordinarily popular today because it’s laced with the same superficiality as our social media-induced fake acquaintance-making. God becomes another personality we attach to loosely and is looked upon in a how-do-I-benefit-from-you manner," he writes. Read more. |
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| Leading From A Place of Rest | | Hurry is not God’s best for leaders. Many are leading under the influence of their stressed-out and overwhelmed lives. We struggle and strive to see God’s call on our lives fulfilled and to reach more people with His message of hope. All the while, we are daily withering under the pressure of family demands, careers, and ministry obligations. There will always be pressure in leadership, but it should never be the place you lead from. | | Our society has cultivated a mindset of resting after completing the work. The problem is the work never gets done... Read more. | | |
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| Jack Hayford, pastor and writer of ‘Majesty,’ dies at age 88 | | Jack W. Hayford, the prominent pastor, author and seminary chancellor who wrote the popular Christian worship song "Majesty," died at 88. Hayford, who survived a bout with polio as a child, viewed his healing as a sign that he was meant to become a pastor. Throughout his career, he helped found The King’s University and Seminary, where he served as chancellor, and served as the founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, Calif., for decades. He was also the president of The Foursquare Church from 2004 to 2009. Hayford authored several books and hundreds of songs, most notably the 1978 song "Majesty," which has been recorded and performed numerous times. Read more. |
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| Sadie Robertson Huff: Personal, spiritual lives aren't separate | | "Duck Dynasty" star Sadie Robertson Huff took to Passion 2023 to call on attendees to repent if their spiritual lives don't align with their personal lives. The podcaster and social media influencer stressed that Christians should invite Jesus into every aspect of their lives and shouldn't be afraid to "shine their light" by preaching about God anywhere, whether in class or at work. "We say all the time we want revival to happen, 'God, bring revival.' I just wonder, why isn't it happening? I don't think it's because God is not doing His job. I think it's because we are not responding to ours," she stated. Read more. | | Pussycat Dolls singer shares abortion regrets | | Former Pussycat Dolls singer Kaya Jones shared during a recent Students for Life of America's "Speak Out with Christine Yeargin" podcast episode that she regrets the three abortions she had over the course of a decade. Jones said she was on birth control the first time she got pregnant and described herself when she had her first abortion as being "very young, in the music industry, not receiving any guidance other than what I believed." When she got pregnant a second time, she will told to "get rid of it" and "because I had already gone through an abortion previously, I didn't think it was that big of a deal." Jones openly discussed the side effects she suffered as a result of her second and third abortions, adding, "Each one I've had to pray about, each one I've had to talk to God about, it has been a very private journey in getting my well-being mentally, emotionally, spiritually intact." Now, she wants other women to know how "damaging" abortion is. "You will regret it your whole life. … Even if I become a mother tomorrow and am happily married and all is well, I'm still going to regret the three children I did not have," said Jones, who was baptized in May 2021. "There's a lot of regret. Nothing can make that go away other than God Himself when you lay it at His feet and ask for salvation on these issues." Read more. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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