A California missionary and a French journalist abducted in Niger by an Islamic terrorist group have been released. Jeffery Woodke of McKinlyville, who was abducted in Oct. 2016, was released this month, per a Facebook update from his church, Arcata First Baptist Church. Woodke served as an aid worker with Youth With A Mission. French reporter Olivier Dubois, who was abducted by the same group in April 2021, was also released. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan took to Twitter to say that he was "gratified" to hear of their releases. "I'm relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity. The U.S. thanks Niger for its help in bringing him home to all who miss & love him. I thank so many across our government who've worked tirelessly toward securing his freedom," Sullivan added. Details about what led to the releases remain unknown. However, a government official told reporters that no ransom was paid and that the releases came as a result of years of advocacy, according to USA Today. Read more.

Pensacola Christian College is mourning the loss of 19-year-old freshman Jadon Goins, who was killed by a truck that drifted onto the sidewalk and struck the teenager on Tuesday. The driver was reportedly believed to be under the influence of alcohol. In a statement provided to CP, the school outlined how emergency medical services and Escambia County Sheriff's Office personnel transported Goins to a local hospital after the truck hit him. "While receiving medical care, the student died from the injuries," PCC wrote in the statement. Students met on campus that evening for a prayer gathering, where counseling services were also provided. WEAR-TV reported Wednesday that Oscar Daniel Martin, 59, of Pensacola has been charged with homicide-negligent vehicular manslaughter, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Goins' parents, who have been doing missionary work in Honduras since 2004, shared news of their son's death on Facebook on Tuesday, writing, "It hurts to write this but our trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ and we know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord for the son of God. We trust that God wants to use this moment for His good purposes." Read more.

Despite knowing that it is unwise to "bite the hand that feeds you," many Christians do precisely this when they grieve the Holy Spirit by sinning, writes Pastor Dan Delzell. In this op-ed, Delzell discusses temptation, sin, and the importance of confessing one's sins and seeking God's will. "The Holy Spirit leads everyone who is willing to be led," he writes. Read more.

In this week's "Ask Chuck," Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley responds to a reader who is concerned about the banking crisis. Bentley outlines several strategies for protecting your finances during this time of banking uncertainty, including making sure your money is in an institution that is FDIC-insured, diversifying your investments, and building an emergency savings account. Read more.

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Cornerstone Church of Caledonia, Mich., the largest United Methodist Church congregation in the state, has voted to leave the mainline Protestant denomination over its ongoing debate over homosexuality and same-sex marriage. The church, which has satellite campuses in Grand Rapids and the city of Wyoming, voted 616-9 in favor of disaffiliation, with two abstentions. An article on the UMC Michigan Conference website notes that Cornerstone Pastor Ken Nash still wants to work with the UMC on certain efforts. "We like being networked and connected," said Nash, as quoted by the conference. "We love the idea of connectionalism. So this isn't a renegade spirit that we have. We want to have a connection in the future. It just doesn’t have to be as formalized." The pastor added the congregation has "a Methodist heart" and realized they "can have a gracious exit" because of Michigan Bishop David Bard. Read more.

United Methodists in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have begun the process to leave the denomination as a wave of congregations in the United States have recently voted to disaffiliate amid a schism over homosexuality. Delegates of the UMC Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference voted 40-20 in an online meeting last week to allow regional church bodies to take the first steps toward departing from the second-largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. Regional bodies of Central Russia, Northwest Russia and Belarus Provisional, the Eastern Russia and Central Asia Provisional, and the South Russia Provisional annual conferences will be allowed to become self-governing entities. The four conferences, which are comprised of 66 churches across Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Estonia, are led by Bishop Eduard Khegay. The delegates also voted down a proposal to allow regional bodies within the Central Conference to change their rules to allow the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of openly gay individuals. Read more.

In the "Doctrinal Note on the Moral Limits to Technological Manipulation of the Human Body" released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Doctrine on Monday, the governing body labeled gender transition surgeries as contrary to the "created order" ordained by God and proclaimed that Catholic hospitals must not perform them. The document noted that modern technology "offers an ever-increasing range of means—chemical, surgical, genetic—for intervening in the functioning of the human body, as well as for modifying its appearance," describing its role in curing "human maladies" as a "great boon to humanity." However, it clarified that such advances have also led to the creation of "interventions that are injurious to the true flourishing of the human person," asserting that "careful moral discernment is needed to determine which possibilities should be realized and which should not, in order to promote the good of the human person." According to the bishops who signed the document: "The soul does not come into existence on its own and somehow happen to be in this body, as if it could just as well be in a different body. A soul can never be in another body, much less be in the wrong body. This soul only comes into existence together with this body." Read more.

West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler has canceled an on-campus drag show planned for later this month, citing the Bible and other religious texts to support his decision. The March 31 drag show was advertised as an effort to raise money for LGBT nonprofit The Trevor Project. Describing TTP's stated goal of suicide prevention as a noble cause, Wendler wrote, "WT endeavors to treat all people equally. Drag shows are derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the stated intent. Such conduct runs counter to the purpose of WT. A person or group should not attempt to elevate itself or a cause by mocking another person or group," adding, "I do not support any show, performance or artistic expression which denigrates others—in this case, women—for any reason." He concluded his letter by quoting Matthew 7:12—"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets"—as well as similar proverbs from Buddhism and Judaism, adding that he believes the WT community should live up to this universal standard of "law of reciprocity ... in every known religion and society on the planet." Spectrum, WT's student-led LGBT organization, complained that Wendler expressed his faith and called on him to reinstate the drag show. Read more.