| | Thursday, January 20, 2022 |
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| Church & Ministries | | Indiana pastor, elders accused of covering up child sex abuse resign amid investigation | | An Indiana church's pastor and three of its elders have resigned amid an investigation after being accused of failing to appropriately address reports that the pastor’s underaged family member had sexually abused up to 15 children. Ken de Jong, who serves as Immanuel Reformed Presbyterian Church's provisional moderator, said the resignations were submitted "very reluctantly." Although there are no criminal charges filed against the pastor and three elders, ecclesiastical charges are pending against them amid regional and national investigations within the denomination, according to the Indy Star. |
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| Politics | | SCOTUS questions Boston's refusal to fly Christian flag at City Hall | | The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in the case of Harold Shurtleff, et al. v. Boston, MA, et al., which centers on whether Boston city officials wrongfully denied a request to fly the Christian flag at City Hall. Shurtleff, who runs Camp Constitution, an organization that runs Constitution Day and Citizenship Day events at City Hall and is focused on enhancing "understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage" requested to fly the Christian flag outside of City Hall on Constitution Day 2017. Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver, a prominent Christian conservative lawyer whose organization helped represent Shurtleff, argued before the justices that, "After 12 years, with 284 flag-raising approvals, no denials, and usually no review, one word caught the attention of a Boston official: the word ‘Christian’ on the application." |
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| Opinion | | Op-ed: Suicide is now a public health epidemic, not a personal problem | | Exclusive Columnist Hedieh Mirahmadi discusses a recent report from the Surgeon General that found that teenagers are more at risk of suicide in the wake of the pandemic than ever before in America's history. In discussing how mental health has consistently been an issue with bipartisan support, Mirahmadi calls out the Biden administration for "[missing] the mark" by turning the mental health conversation into an issue of gun control instead of improving access to mental health services, establishing programs that address the root causes of suicide, and eliminating COVID restrictions that have led to trauma, financial and emotional instability, and isolation. |
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| U.S. | | Feucht secures new book deal following HarperCollins controversy | | Worship leader and activist Sean Feucht has secured a new book deal following his claims of being dropped by HarperCollins over his "political views." Feucht made headlines last week after taking to social media to state that the publisher decided to "cancel" his book, but told The Christian Post Wednesday that he is "excited to announce that I have signed a new deal with Regnery that includes better terms than my agreement with HarperCollins." |
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| World | | North Korea no longer the worst persecutor of Christians on Open Doors' World Watch List | | For the first time in over 20 years, North Korea is not listed as the worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on persecution watchdog Open Doors USA's influential World Watch List. Afghanistan has now topped North Korea as "the most dangerous place on the planet to be a Christian," with Open Doors CEO David Curry explaining that his organization takes into account “on-the-ground expert consensus about what’s happening around the world to Christians who are targeted simply for their faith.” |
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| Church & Ministries | | Evans decries COVID-19 vaccine mandates, cites Romans 14 | | Pastor Tony Evans voiced opposition to vaccine mandates in a sermon this month, saying that Americans should be free to choose what chemicals they put in their bodies. “Our issue is against mandates, not against vaccinations if you choose to, and there are a whole lot of biblical reasons for that ... Feel free to do what the Bible says. The whole Romans 14 says you are free to choose.” Click the image to watch the sermon in full. |
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| Living | | Leadership expert shares tips for leading well in disruptive times | | Tim Elmore, an expert on developing leadership skills for people in all walks of life, advises the skill sets that are needed most right now to thrive are those that fall under social and emotional intelligence, warning that people today are "feeling more than they’re thinking." Click to read the interview in full. |
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