| | Poll highlights Evangelical beliefs about worshiping alone | | Curated for you byCP Editors | | Good afternoon! It's Thursday, September 22, and today's headlines include a poll on Evangelical views on private worship, the renaming of a section of a Pennslyvania street in honor of the first African American to be ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church, and the American Library Association's latest comments on book banning. | | A new survey from Lifeway Research has revealed that 66% of Americans believe that "Worshipping alone or with one's family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church." Americans with Evangelical beliefs (41%) were the most likely to disagree with that statement compared to respondents without Evangelical beliefs (20%). In 2020, 58% of respondents agreed with the statement, while just over 52% agreed with the statement in 2014. The study, which was sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, surveyed more than 3,000 Americans throughout the month of January. | | Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell attributed the uptick in agreement, at least in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Religious identity, beliefs and behavior are interrelated. When in-person church attendance behaviors were interrupted and habits were broken, it affected some Americans’ beliefs about the need to gather with other believers to worship," he explained. The study also found that 60% of U.S. adults believe that religious beliefs are "a matter of personal opinion" and "not about objective truth," with McConnell noting, "Many Americans think about God as if He had only revealed Himself in a vague, nondescript way. They seem to fill in the gaps with whatever they want to believe." 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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| Podcast: Disturbing stats on pastors’ beliefs about biblical truth, eternity | | In this episode of "The Inside Story," Christian Post reporter Ian Giatti discusses recent survey results that revealed that one-third of senior pastors believe a person can get to Heaven by being a good person. "I wish I could say I am shocked," Giatti says. "So many churches now are kind of moving away from a grounding in biblical theology and moving into other things." Listen now. | | Philadelphia honors first black Episcopal priest | | Philadelphia, Penn., has renamed a section of Lancaster Avenue in honor of the Rev. Absalom Jones, the first African American to be ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church. The renamed section includes the Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, a church with roots that date back to the 1790s when Jones led the congregation. It is believed to be the oldest historically African American Episcopal congregation in the United States. The Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw, rector of St. Thomas church, told The Christian Post, "It is our hope that people embrace Absalom Jones' legacy of being an abolitionist. Also, his legacy of love, liberation, equality, advocacy, inclusion and spirituality." Read more. |
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| 7 lessons I want my kids to learn from watching my marriage | | In this editorial, TakeCharge Executive Director Sheila Qualls shares seven lessons she wants her children to learn from observing her marriage. Among the bunch: how to apologize and how to forgive quickly. Read more. | | The confusion about boundaries between men and women in churches | | Church Answers CEO Thom S. Rainer discusses Billy Graham and the commitment he and his wife made to not be alone with a person of the opposite sex. In reflecting on the life of Graham and his love for his wife, Rainer shares several ways people can establish ground rules for preventing moral failures with members of the opposite sex, including by asking what Jesus would do, avoiding pornography and reading the Bible every day. Read the full list here. |
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| Some kids wait years to be chosen by sponsors. Now it’s their turn to take action. | | Kids now have the chance to choose you as their sponsor. This puts the power in the hands of our brothers and sisters in developing countries — honoring their dignity as equals and celebrating our belief in Christ by loving our neighbor no matter who they are, or where they live. | | It’s a simple switch in our thinking that gives value and honor to everyone involved —acknowledging that these kids have the power to change our lives, too. | | Instead of you choosing from hundreds of pictures of children who need sponsors, your picture goes to the kids, and one of them will choose you. | | You can step into this life-changing connection, one that empowers the child and their community for a future filled with opportunities. Better yet? Because of World Vision’s community-focused solutions, for every child you help, four more children benefit, too. | | Learn more about being #chosen at worldvision.org/Chosen | | |
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| Association offers explanation for uptick in book bans | | The American Library Association claims that efforts to ban or restrict books in school libraries are on the rise amid parents' concerns about sexually explicit material depicting child sex and pedophilia. In a Friday press release ahead of Banned Books Week, a September event geared toward raising awareness about frequently challenged books, the organization says it documented 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources between Jan. 1 and Aug. 1, accounting for a total of 1,651 unique titles. The group's president, Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada, argued that such attempts reflected "coordinated, national efforts to silence marginalized or historically underrepresented voices and deprive all of us—young people, in particular—of the chance to explore a world beyond the confines of personal experience." Family Research Council's Meg Kilgannon pushed back on the ALA president's comments and accused the organization of promoting itself as "oppressed" when it's responsible for the systems that influence the reading materials provided to children. "And the fact that they can tolerate no parental input on that whatsoever, I think, says all you need to know," Kilgannon said. Read more. | | Also of Interest... | | SPLC accused of pushing kids book that says kids can trans identify at age 2, sexualizes childrenTexas school district to remove Bible, other 'challenged' books from library shelves for reviewFlorida school board rejects 2 sex-ed books after parents voice objectionsMichigan library loses 84% of its funding over objections to LGBT books |
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| LeAnn Rimes says latest album a 'reclamation of God' | | Country singer LeAnn Rimes says her new album, god's work, is a "reclamation of God for herself." Rimes, who started working on the album three years ago, says the album is "genre-bending" because it features various artists, including Ziggy Marley, Aloe Blacc, Ben Harper, and Sheila E., among others. Rimes told Forbes that she "ran from the word God for a long time," explaining, "I was raised Southern Baptist and my frustration was we’re brought up with these messages of love, acceptance, community and forgiveness, but no one’s living them to the fullest." Now, the artist hopes her music will highlight the collective experience of being "God's work." Read more. | | Matt Hammitt documentary shows son's health journey | | Award-winning Christian singer Matt Hammitt, formerly of the band Sanctus Real, has released a new film that gives viewers a glimpse into his son’s chronic illness and how it has impacted their family. "Bowen's Heart" follows the life of Hammitt's son, Bowen, through his third open-heart surgery due to being born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Produced by Rhyme & Reason Films, it offers viewers a glimpse into the struggles a family endures as they put their trust in God to carry them through. In an interview with The Christian Post, Hammitt explained, "[T]here is a power to our words and our testimony, and telling what God has done that is undeniable. So we hope that as we share this testimony, it does continue to reach people." Read more. | | | | | | | | Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors |
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