| | Gallup: Number of Americans who believe in God drops to new low | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Monday, June 20, and today's headlines include a Gallup poll on Americans' belief in God, a judge's ruling requiring a Jewish university to recognize an LGBT club, and details on the upcoming film "Reagan." | | Research from Gallup shows that 81% of American adults believe in God, a 6-point drop since 2017. This marks the lowest rate of American adults who say they believe in God since the polling firm started asking the question 75 years ago. When Gallup first asked the question in 1947 and twice in the 1950s and 1960s, 98% consistently said they believed in God. This figure declined to 92% in 2011. "Belief in God has fallen the most in recent years among young adults and people on the left of the political spectrum (liberals and Democrats). These groups show drops of 10 or more percentage points comparing the 2022 figures to an average of the 2013-2017 polls," the poll results say. | Just 72% of Democrats, 62% of liberals, and 68% of young people believe in God, compared to 94% of conservatives and 92% of Republicans, showing that religiosity is a significant determinant of political divisions in the U.S., the report adds. Believers in God are most highly concentrated in the South, with 86% saying they believe in God. The East reported the lowest rate at 78%. The poll, which also inquired about people's beliefs on prayer, found that just 30% of young adults believe God hears prayers and can intervene. Read more.Also of Interest ...Juneteenth: 7 milestones in the struggle to abolish slaveryGary Hamrick: It's 'very unloving' for Christians to affirm friends' LGBT lifestyles | | P.S. Looking for a way to close out your week? Stay in the know with In Case You Missed It, a Friday-only newsletter that features a roundup of the top stories of the week. Subscribe here. |
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| Taiwanese American church shooting suspect charged with hate crime | | David Chou, the 68-year-old Chinese American man suspected of shooting up a Taiwanese American church in California that left one person dead and several others wounded, has been charged with hate crimes by prosecutors. The Office of the District Attorney of Orange County announced last week that they have amended the complaint to add hate crime allegations, finding that "Chou intentionally killed his victim because of his race, color, religion, nationality, or country of origin." Chou is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 19 and will be held without bail. If convicted, Chou could be sentenced to death. Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | 1 dead, 4 critically injured by gunman at Presbyterian church in California; suspect is in police custody Baylor University remembers Dr. John Cheng who saved lives as shooter attacked California churchCalifornia church shooter identified as Chinese immigrant, police call it 'politically motivated hate crime'Pastor, church members hit and tackled shooter at Calif. church luncheon as he attempted to reload | | Judge: Jewish university must recognize LGBT club | | The Jewish Yeshiva University in New York City is not a "religious corporation" and must recognize an LGBT club as the city's anti-discrimination law demands, New York Supreme Court First Judicial District Judge Lynn Kotler ruled. Seven LGBT student activists and allies filed a lawsuit with the New York City Commission on Human Rights in 2020, alleging the university was discriminatory for not recognizing the gay pride group. The Manhattan-based university believes the court's orders violate its religious liberty and would impact many other institutions maintained by religious groups. "The decision permits courts to interfere in the internal affairs of religious schools, hospitals and other charitable organizations," the university told the campus student newspaper, The Commentator. Read more. | | Pastor, author McQuitty journals 'moral education' | | Thirty years ago, Andy McQuitty, who pastors the Texas megachurch Irving Bible Church, started writing down parental words of wisdom in five separate journals—one for each of his five children. Years later, McQuitty has compiled these entries into a single devotional titledYour Best Life Later. In an interview with The Christian Post, the pastor said that he didn't initially expect to publish his personal writings. In light of the "erosion of Christian values," and particularly the attacks on parents who stand against trans and critical race theory ideologies, McQuitty explains that now more than ever, it’s time for parents to take personal responsibility for the "moral education of their children." Read more. |
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| How the triumph of LGBTQ+ activism has negatively impacted the Church | | Michael Brown writes about the change in American culture from respecting the Church to instead condemning it in favor of promoting LGBT ideals. He notes there have been many reasons for this shift over the last 30 years, including Former President Obama's endorsement of gay "marriage" in 2012 and the Supreme Court redefining marriage in 2015, but points out that true followers of Jesus still adhere to the Bible—which condemns homosexuality—and explains this has put believers at odds with today's culture. Brown highlights five ways to combat LGBT activism and its damaging effects on society, including asking God to fill believers with love for those who identify as LGBT, making clear that all people need a Redeemer, and separating the person from the aggressive agenda. Read more. | | Who will be qualified to hear ‘well done, my good and faithful servant’? | | Matthew 25 includes the parable of talents, a familiar passage where a master going on a journey gives bags of gold and responsibilities to his servants, and upon his return does an accounting to determine how they managed what he entrusted them with. Oscar Amaechina discusses the story's underlying meaning in relation to the Great Commission and why Christians must embrace the mandate of "go ye," remembering that there will come a time when each believer will give an account of their stewardship on earth. Read more. |
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| Islamic State behind attacks on Christian villages in Mozambique | | The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Mozambique’s Christian villages that left eight people killed, including by beheading, and several houses burned. The attacks took place in six Christian villages in Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province of Mozambique, between May 23 and May 31. The terror group released photographs of six decapitated bodies and images of the burned villages, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reports. Four of those murdered were Christians. In another wave of violent attacks in Cabo Delgado’s Ancuabe district between June 2 and June 9, nearly 10,000 people were displaced and at least four people were beheaded, Save the Children said. Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | 565K displaced, 2,500 killed amid rise of Islamic extremism in Mozambique since 2017'Fresh wave of violence' in Mozambique driven by radical jihadist extremists; children beheaded: reportISIS extremists in Mozambique enslaved hundreds of women, girls as sex slaves: watchdogMozambique: Islamic extremists behead pastor, force wife to carry his severed remains |
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| 'Spy Kids' actress talks overcoming eating disorder | | Actress Alexa PenaVega, who's known for her leading role as Carmen Cortez in the "Spy Kids" film series, recently joined Sadie Robertson Huff's "Whoa That's Good" podcast to share how God's Word helped her overcome an eating disorder. PenaVega, 33, who is also a Broadway performer and former contestant on the ABC series "Dancing with the Stars," recently penned a book, What If Love Is the Point?: Living for Jesus in a Self-Consumed World. In it, she discusses her successes as a performer, as well as a time in her life when she was "tormented" by an eating disorder before Jesus changed her life for the better. "I really started thriving on what other people thought of me instead of focusing on God. But I was also in a very different season in my life where I wanted a relationship with God, but I definitely didn't have what I have now," PenaVega explained. She also urged anyone struggling with an eating disorder to tell someone, saying that talking about her struggles help break "all those chains." Read more. | | 'Reagan' highlights the 40th president's faith | | "Reagan" is not a faith-based film, but actor Chris Massoglia, who portrays legendary Gospel Hall of Famer Pat Boone in the upcoming biopic, says it will showcase how faith influenced the late president's life. The film, which will mark the first full-length feature film on the 40th president of the United States, is slated for released in 2023. The cast includes Dennis Quaid as Reagan, Penelope Ann Miller as first lady Nancy Reagan, and Jon Voight as the KGB agent who tracked Reagan for decades, among others. During a recent interview with The Christian Post, Massoglia said it was an "honor and privilege" to not only play Boone in "Reagan," but "meeting and learning" from him as well. Read more. | | | | Also of Interest... | | Dennis Quaid to star in new faith-based films produced by Roma Downey, Erwin Brothers Christian singer Moriah Peters-Smallbone to star alongside Dennis Quaid in 'Reagan' | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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