The Village Church in Texas has reached a settlement with former church members over allegations that Matt Tonne, a former children's minister, sexually abused their daughter at a church camp event in 2012. The parents alleged that The Village Church, which is led by Matt Chandler, was spiritually abusive in response to their concerns and appeared to be more concerned with the church's reputation. Dallas County prosecutors dismissed criminal charges against Tonne in August 2020, stating "the fact remains that the complainant cannot and has not positively identified [Tonne] as the person who committed [the] offense." Upon settling the civil case, the litigation was dismissed from the Dallas County Court. The charges were expunged from Tonne's record in 2021. In a statement released on Tuesday, the church said, "The safety of our children and the vulnerable among us has been, and remains, our highest priority. After a thorough and lengthy legal investigation, we maintain and firmly believe that we committed no wrong." Read more.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., denounced the FBI raid on the Mar-a-Lago home of former President Donald Trump in a statement posted to his official Twitter account on Monday. McCarthy warned that if Republicans take back control of the House of Representatives in January, they will investigate the Department of Justice. "I’ve seen enough. The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization. When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned. Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar," McCarthy stated. Read more.

The Door Christian Fellowship Ministries of McAllen in Texas has been told it can no longer perform its variation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" musical, a reimagined story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The church, which first performed the play on Friday and had additional performances planned, is accused of heavily editing the script. Senior Pastor Ramon Gutierrez said during a Sunday service that the church received a "license" to perform the play and apologized for any inconvenience. He also thanked an attorney from the "Hamilton" team for allowing the church to perform on Friday. The team says licenses for the musical were not made available. Read more.

Rev. Mark Creech, the executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, discusses the Church in Ephesus as described in Chapter 2 of Revelation. Noting that a loss of love was their "one glaring fault," Creech highlights the importance of standing firm in the things of God but reminds believers of Jesus' warning: "If our vigorous defense of truth and righteousness is not deeply rooted in a loving and redemptive appeal, our candlestick, the light we should provide for a dark world, will ultimately go out." Read more.

In this editorial, Pastor Dan Delzell uses Scripture to describe how sin puts pressure upon people, creating an inner restlessness that prevents peace. Pointing out how David felt miserable about committing adultery and murder, Delzell writes, "It was only when David repented of his sin and confessed it to the Lord that the pressure was lifted from his soul." Read more.

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Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Enrolled Act 2 into law on Friday, establishing the "Hoosier Family First Fund." The new law, which was signed on the same day Indiana's near-total abortion ban was also signed into law, allocates $45 million to "support the health of pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and infants," "to support pregnancy planning, including addressing barriers to long acting reversible contraception" and "to support the needs of families with children less than four (4) years of age who are low income or lack access to resources." Read more.

Olivia Newton-John, who passed away on Monday at the age of 73 following a 30-year battle with breast cancer, shared in one of her final interviews that she made a pact with God when pregnant with her daughter in 1986. During an episode of the "A Life of Greatness" podcast last year, Newton-John shared, "I remember when I was pregnant with Chloe, and I was close to losing her. I went to bed and asked God to save her, and if he did, I would say the Lord's Prayer every night for the rest of my life, and so I have." The star also discussed her faith and whether she'd ever contemplated her death, explaining, "We all know we are going to die. ... I think we spend our lives denying it. It's extremely personal. I find it hard to put into words." Although she identified as a Christian, the actress also expressed views in the past that align with elements of mysticism. During the interview, she ultimately described her belief in life after death, saying, "It's almost like we are parts of the same computer and we go back to the main battery." Read more.