| | Nat'l Prayer Breakfast will be 'smaller,' new group hosting | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Friday, Jan. 27, and today's headlines include changes to this year's National Prayer Breakfast, five facts in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Pastor Andy Stanley's comments comparing the faith of gay churchgoers to most Christians. | | There are several changes in store for the National Prayer Breakfast this year, including to its format. The annual tradition, which dates back to 1953, is held every first Thursday in February and often features speeches by special guests and the president of the United States. A new organization known as the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation will oversee the event, with the attendees being limited to members of Congress, the Biden administration, their families and constituent guests. The event will also be held at a facility that is part of the Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C., rather than a hotel, as has been customary in past years. | | Mark Pryor, a former Arkansas attorney general who served in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2015, serves as president of the board of the new Foundation. In an interview with CP, he explained that the changes were made as a the result of "ongoing discussions" in "the House and the Senate" over the last decade. "There's been conversations about whether we should take the National Prayer Breakfast and set it up in a single purpose entity. Before this, it was never an entity," he said. "It legally wasn't an entity, it wasn't a corporation, it wasn't a nonprofit, it wasn't a foundation, it was—what was it? It was just an event." Although previous breakfasts have seen as many as 3,500 guests, Pryor noted that confirmed attendance for this year's National Prayer Breakfast is around 250, with "RSVPs still coming in." No international figures were invited. Pryor said that this was "not really anti-international as much as" a reflection of Congress' desire to "return the National Prayer Breakfast back to its origins." He also noted that the event will still "be a time of unity" and "nonpartisanship," adding that "this country needs some moments of unity and hopefully this will be one of those." 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! |
|
| Listen to the CP Daily Podcast |
|
|
| Holocaust Remembrance Day: 5 facts | | Friday marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, an annual intentional observance that honors the memory of the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust. This year's United Nations ceremony for the day will center on the theme of "Home and Belonging," highlighting "the humanity of the Holocaust victims and survivors, who had their home and sense of belonging ripped from them by the perpetrators of the Holocaust," the U.N. explained. This article from CP details five important facts about Holocaust Remembrance Day, including why it is observed on Jan. 27 for the international observance, why that date differs for Israel, and how much Americans know about the World War II-era genocide. Read the full list now. | | Church plans to teach banned AP African American Studies course | | Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., has offered its church as a space to teach AP African American Studies after the state's Department of Education informed the College Board that it was not going to add the course to the state's Course Code Directory due to content the DeSantis administration considers "indoctrination." In an interview with CP, Pastor Andy Oliver explained the church's invitation, saying, "We have an important job as Christians to know our history, to know the history of harm specifically that African Americans have experienced in this country. I lead a congregation that sees it as a central part of our faith to stand with those who are marginalized and oppressed because that's where Jesus always located Himself." He also clarified that his church "will foot the bill" for the course, calling it a method of evangelism. In a Jan. 12 letter to the College Board, Florida's Education Department wrote that the course doesn't comply with state law. The state's Stop WOKE Act outlines a list of concepts that schools must not teach because they constitute discrimination based on "race, color, national origin, or sex," including instruction advancing ideas insisting that members of one such group are morally superior to members of another, as well as the idea that "a person, by virtue of his or her race, color, national origin, or sex is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously." The ideas prohibited by the Stop WOKE Act correspond with the ideology of critical race theory. Read more. | | Study: Minority parents value college degree more than white parents | | New data from Pew Research Center shows that just 29% of white parents view a college degree as extremely or very important for their children compared to 70% of Asian parents, 57% of Hispanic parents, and 51% of black parents. The findings come as many have questioned the validity of higher education, including comedian and political commentator Bill Maher, who slammed college as a "racket" on his political talk show on HBO. Jean Eddy, president and CEO of the national nonprofit American Student Assistance, told CP she is not surprised that parents are considering degree alternatives when it comes to mapping the financial success of their children. "[M]ore and more young people are increasingly skeptical of the high school-to-college route and desire more flexible post-secondary education pathways," Eddy stated, noting that there were 662,000 fewer students enrolled in undergraduate programs in the spring of 2022 compared to the previous year. Read more. |
|
|
| Andy Stanley and his troubling message as spiritual shepherd of the flock | | Christian Post Executive Editor Dr. Richard Land discusses Andy Stanley and his recently resurfaced comments on homosexuality, including the assertion that gay people who attend church have more faith than most people. After Stanley casually dismissed Scriptural passages, he declared, "But just, oh my goodness, a gay man or woman who wants to worship their Heavenly Father, who did not answer the cry of their heart when they were 12 and 13 and 14 and 15. God said, 'No,' and they still love God!" Land expresses concern with these sentiments, writing, "Frankly, this is an astounding statement from a leading Evangelical pastor. When God did not answer 'the cry of their heart,' is he saying that God was wrong in not accepting their sexual orientation, or is he saying that God should have answered their prayer by changing that orientation? Either option is blasphemous." Land shares why he believes Stanley has drifted from his biblical foundations and provides insight on how to meaningfully witness to LGBT individuals without compromise. From LGBT people to drug addicts, Satan-worshippers and prostitutes, Land describes how his church in the 1970s "never turned anyone away ... However, we made it clear that we loved and accepted them because Jesus did, but that neither Jesus nor we accepted those things in their lives that were condemned as sinful by our Savior." Read more. | | American life expectancy continues to fall | | Despite the U.S. spending more on healthcare than any other country, the life expectancy of Americans continues to drop, write John Stonestreet and Kasey Leander. A report from the CDC has revealed that the life expectancy of Americans fell by approximately seven months in 2021, marking the lowest point in two decades. In this op-ed, the authors discuss the rise in "deaths of despair" and how Americans are "increasingly lonely, purposeless and prone to reckless behavior." To help combat such despair, Christians should follow the greatest commandment by loving God and loving our neighbors. "As we obey, we turn both upward and outward. The upward turn both reveals and offers purpose. The outward turn offers a joy that is far better than momentary pleasures," they conclude. Read more. |
|
|
| The Storms Have Only Just Begun | | This decade has been and will continue to be the stormiest and most chaotic season any of us will face in our lifetimes. In less that three years we have experienced at least five major storms: a pandemic, widespread economic devastation (twice), a war in Europe that threatens the world, and societal breakdowns which are tearing our country apart. | | At this rate, we will suffer through fifteen more storms before the end of the decade! Are you prepared for more of the same? Read More | | |
|
|
| Andy Stanley: Gay churchgoers 'have more faith than a lot of you' | | A May 2022 clip of megachurch Pastor Andy Stanley asserting that gay individuals who attend church have more faith than most Christians has gone viral. "A gay person who still wants to attend church after the way they've been treated, I'm telling you, they have more faith than I do," Stanley stated during the sermon. The pastor, who leads the multi-site North Point Ministries and North Point Community Church based in Alpharetta, Ga., acknowledged multiple passages of Scripture that condemn homosexuality as sin but appeared to suggest that rather than a failure to repent on behalf of LGBT individuals who go to church, it was God who didn't change their hearts. "I know the verses; I know the clobber passages, right? We got to figure this out. And you know what? I think you are," he asserted. Stanley, who is the son of Pastor Charles Stanley, has garnered controversy for his comments about homosexuality before. In 2015, he declared that local churches should be the "safest place" for students to discuss anything, including same-sex attraction. In 2018, he told his congregation they should "unhitch" their theology from the Old Testament and that it should not be the "go-to source regarding any behavior in the church." Read more. |
|
|
| Podcast: Neal McDonough talks End Times film | | Actor Neal McDonough took to "The Edifi Podcast" to discuss his starring role in "Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist." The film, which depicts what life might look like after the biblical rapture, is directed by Kevin Sorbo, who also stars in the movie. McDonough also opened up about his faith and how God has blessed his life, saying that he is incredibly "humbled" by all he's been able to accomplish. "Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist" is in theaters now. Learn more and listen to the podcast here. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again on Monday! -- CP Editors |
|
|
|
