California police are investigating the death of a bishop known for his peacemaking efforts and work with low-income and immigrant communities as a murder. Los Angeles Auxiliary David O’Connell, 69, was found dead with a gunshot wound to his upper body at his home in Hacienda Heights by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies responding to a medical emergency call on Saturday, according to the Orange County Register. Archbishop José H. Gómez of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of L.A., expressed shock and sadness at the news of O'Connell's death, describing him as a "peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant." A prayer service and vigil hosted by the Sacred Heart Church were held for the Irish-born bishop near his home on Sunday afternoon. Read more.

An Indiana woman has been sentenced to two years in prison for stealing more than $500,000 from the business accounts of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church and School in Indianapolis over 13 years while she served as business manager there, the Justice Department announced. Marie Carson, 72, used the funds for vacations and gambling. Federal Judge Tanya Walton Pratt also sentenced Carson to two years of supervised release following her jail stint and ordered her to repay the money in restitution. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zachary Myers praised the decision, saying it sends "a clear message to those who might seek to steal, defraud, and embezzle: we will find you, you will be prosecuted, and you will be held accountable." Read more.

In this editorial, Samuel Sey shares why he believes Christians should be cautious when it comes to developing their views on the worship event occurring at Asbury University. Having grown up in churches where revivals were the norm, Sey describes how the majority of people went back to their unrepentant sin just weeks later. Sey highlights how Asbury University is part of the revivalist movement—a term not found in the Bible—and points out that there does not appear to have been a clear presentation of the Gospel during the continuous service. Cautioning against attacking those who question the event, Sey notes that progressive Christian Tim Whitaker has endorsed the event, saying that LGBT students are there "worshipping" and are hopeful that it will spark progressive changes at the school, adding that LGBT students have told Whitaker Asbury protects them from "conversion therapy." Sey concludes, "[I]n desperation for any semblance of hope for our culture—some Christians have abandoned all discernment and they're eager to idolize anything or any 'revival' that professes Christ." Read more.

John Stonestreet and Shane Morris discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to significant losses in church attendance across the U.S., with many choosing not to return post-pandemic. The authors reflect on the importance of in-person discipleship and worship, writing, "Our lives in Christ are just as physical as marriage. If you wouldn't try a purely virtual relationship with your spouse, you shouldn’t try a virtual relationship with Christ or His people. Both require and deeply involve our bodies, and Christ could not have made this any clearer than He did by placing a family meal at the center of Christian worship, commanding us to 'take and eat.'" Read more.

With a renewed interest in revival, we must understand the characteristics of a "genuine" spiritual awakening. Download your FREEcopy of "Oh God, Would You REND the Heavens," or listen to the audio. Learn More

Priests and others within the Portuguese Catholic Church sexually abused more than 4,800 children over the past 70 years, according to an investigation report that calls the findings the "tip of the iceberg." Investigators believe more than 100 priests suspected of child sexual abuse are still active in church roles. The report states, "It was thoroughly demonstrated that an indeterminate number of victims did not report the abuse to the Catholic Church." Most cases occurred on more than one occasion against the same child. In 96.9% of cases, the abuser was male. The abuser was a priest in 77% of cases. The investigators validated 512 victim witness statements through an online survey and "estimate that the 512 victims knew of or were in contact with close to 4,300 other victims." Bishop Josè Ornelas issued a statement apologizing for the church's failure to grasp the magnitude of the problem, and he promised more transparency in the future, adding that child sex abuse is a "heinous crime." Read more.

Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., offered prayers for former President Jimmy Carter during their Sunday morning service in response to both the church where Carter, 98, taught Sunday School for decades and The Carter Center announcing on Saturday that the former president would stop further "medical intervention" and enter into hospice care. "Lord, we’d be amiss this morning if we did not lift President Carter to you," a church member said in a prayer from the pulpit. "Lord, we pray that you be with his family (and) those around him. And God, we thank you for his service to this nation." The former president shared that he was at peace with death after his brain cancer diagnosis in 2015. "I obviously prayed about it. I didn’t ask God to let me live, but I asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death. And I found that I was absolutely and completely at ease with death," he explained. Leaders from around the country responded to the Saturday announcement, including Bernice King, CEO of The King Center in Atlanta and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., who praised Carter for his "compassion for all people." Read more.

During the 30th annual Movieguide awards, "Running the Bases" stars Brett Varvel and Gigi Orsillo said they're grateful they can use their acting skills to spread the hope of Jesus. "It's just a humbling thing to know that you're a small part of being able to proclaim hope and truth into this dark society that we live in. At its core, 'Running the Bases' is a movie that, not only is uplifting and can inspire hope and encouragement in people's lives, but it's a movie that stands on the firm Word of God of truth and life in Christ," said Varvel. Orsillo echoed similar thoughts, adding, "There's so much darkness in media these days, it's the perfect time for believers to rise up and tell stories of hope and goodness and point people to the Lord through film and TV." The film tells the story of a small-town baseball coach who "uproots his family to coach at a large school but it gets ugly when the superintendent makes him the target of his anger toward God." It is currently available for streaming and will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray & 4K UHD everywhere movies are available on Feb. 21. Read more.