| | Dr. Richard Land addresses the 'Christian nationalist' debate | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Thursday, September 8, and today's headlines include Dr. Richard Land weighing in on the "Christian nationalist" debate, Bishop Lamor Whitehead's defamation suits against two online personalities, a teacher in Ireland who was suspended for not utilizing gender-neutral pronouns, and an interview with author and podcaster Annie F. Downs. | | The Christian Post Executive Editor Dr. Richard Land says the Left-leaning American media has invented the phrase "Christian nationalism" to undermine the fundamental relationship between Christians and this nation as defined in the U.S. Constitution. "I think it is a tactic by the Left and their toadies in the media to suppress patriotic beliefs and to suppress the idea that America is a unique country," Land says. Land, who also serves as president emeritus and adjunct professor of theology and ethics at Southern Evangelical Seminary, rejects the term. "To be a patriotic American does not make you a Christian nationalist," he notes. "To believe God has played a unique role in our history, or that America is a unique nation, does not make us Christian nationalists." Land, who notes he is a proponent of the separation of both Church and State, says he believes "the freedoms guaranteed to us in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution belong to everyone, regardless of their faith." Land further describes why he believes America was not founded a Christian nation, explaining, "I believe we were founded by people who were Christians or were operating out of a Christian worldview." Continue reading. | | P.S. Get rewarded for sharing our newsletters! We are excited to announce 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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| Christian fire chief continues yearslong battle over dimissal | | First Liberty Institute has filed an appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of Ron Hittle, a California fire chief who was dismissed from the Stockton Fire Department over a decade ago after attending a megachurch leadership conference. The move comes after District Court Judge Troy Nunley, an Obama appointee, sided with the city in March. In July 2010, Hittle was instructed to attend leadership training and subsequently joined three other staff members in attending the Global Leadership Summit. First Liberty Senior Counsel Stephanie Taub says the conference does not just include speakers representing Christian values, having featured such figures as Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. "But it didn't matter that it was a quality leadership conference," Taub told CP. "If they had concerns, maybe they could have talked about it with him or maybe charged it to PTO, like they did for a few other members of the fire department. But instead, they just fired him." Read more. | | Whitehead's defamation suit claims he lost income, members | | Brooklyn Bishop Lamor Whitehead, who was robbed of some $400,000 or more in jewelry while delivering a sermon at Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches in New York City in July, has slapped two popular online personalities with $20 million defamation lawsuits each following the loss of church members and income after they allegedly painted him as a scammer and drug dealer. Larry Reid, whose "Larry Reid Live" show has a following of more than 200,000 people on Facebook alone, is accused of writing online that Whitehead scammed people out of money and "will be locked up in about three months." De’Mario Jives of the "King Jives Show" faces a similar lawsuit. In a statement to CP, Reid said the filing feels "personal," adding, "This filing is [Whitehead's] way of hitting back. He said in a post that the filing was ‘his turn now.' The complaint is his temper tantrum and an attempt to stay in the media and change the media’s view of him." Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Brooklyn pastor robbed of jewelry being sued for allegedly scamming parishioner of life savingsBishop Lamor Whitehead explodes after jewelry heist is compared to Tyler Perry movieGunmen rob pastor, congregants of over $1M in jewelry during service, leaving them ‘traumatized’ |
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| Has Biden helped us rediscover forgiveness? | | Retired Pepperdine University law school professor F. LaGard Smith writes about student loan forgiveness and recent social media trends likening the Biden administration's plan to Scripture and Jesus' teachings in Matthew 18:21-35. "Is Derek Chauvin beyond forgiveness for killing George Floyd? Or the arsonists and looters who destroyed businesses during the Black Lives Matter riots? ... If forgiving student debt is a Christlike virtue, would Biden ever extend that same Christlikeness to pardon Trump, helping unite a divided nation? Do we exercise selective forgiveness, demanding godly forgiveness only when it suits our purposes?" Smith asks. Read more. | | Troubling new research on political bias and bigotry | | Dr. Lucian Gideon Conway III discusses racist statements and behaviors from some liberals expressing disdain toward blacks and Jews. Utilizing data that shows 77% of African Americans believe that "the Bible is the Word of God" and that 90% of Jews in the United States show support for Israel, in a recent study researchers asked participants what they thought about the resulting representative sets of group members. "The data could not be more clear: Many liberals really dislike both African Americans and Jewish persons who possess these highly representative traits, and conservatives like them just fine," Conway says, noting a core issue is that conservatives are rightly called out for bigotry and biases but an equal standard is not applied when liberals behave the same. Read more. |
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| What's Next in A Post-Roe World | | Female lawmaker who authored Mississippi's abortion ban reveals what's next in a post-Roe world. | | Don’t Miss This! Volume 3 of The Christian Post Magazine | | The Christian Post Magazine is a digital magazine published quarterly with feature stories from the award-winning CP Newsroom. | | Each issue includes 10+ feature stories along with graphics and designs by CP’s design studio. | | The CP Magazine is currently offered for FREE to subscribers who have an account on christianpost.com. If you are not sure whether you have an account, create a free account here. | | |
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| Ireland: Teacher suspended for not using trans pronouns, violating court order | | Enoch Burke, an Evangelical teacher who teaches German, history and politics at Wilson's Hospital School in County Westmeath, Ireland, has been arrested for continuing to show up to work despite being suspended for refusing to use gender-neutral pronouns to address a trans-identified student. A petition calling for Burke's release had garnered nearly 10,000 signatures as of Thursday morning. "I am here today because I said I would not call a boy a girl," Burke told the High Court Monday, according to the petition. "Were I to obey the order of the board of management and the order of the court, I would have to accept that sticking by my belief in male and female is wrong. It is not something I will do. It is in violation of my conscience," he added. Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | Teacher suspended for not using trans pronouns secures temporary court orderVirginia teacher fired over refusal to use trans pronouns appeals case to state Supreme CourtTeacher placed on leave for opposing transgender pronouns sues Virginia school district |
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| WATCH: Annie F. Downs says it's time to have fun | | Bestselling author and podcaster Annie F. Downs recently chatted with The Christian Post to discuss why it's time for people to prioritize having fun again. The author's latest book, Chase The Fun: 100 Days to Discover Fun Right Where You Are, helps readers do just that by identifying what they find fun and implementing it into their daily lives. "Fun requires a level of vulnerability, whether it's jumping in a swimming pool, or trying a new recipe or trying a new restaurant. It all just requires a level of vulnerability. We really need that," says Downs, who also believes Jesus was fun, as evidenced by John 2: "[N]o one's inviting a bunch of 20-year-old guys that aren't fun to their wedding." Watch the full interview here. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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