Weekly briefing: George Floyd's death, Jon Steingard leaves faith, Trump's order against social media censorship | | | | We've compiled the top stories of the week. Here's what you need to know: | | George Floyd’s death sparks outrage, protests nationwide | | The death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who begged for his life as a police officer kept his knee pinned to Floyd’s neck, sparked national outrage this week, with protests turning violent over the last few days. | | Influential Christians were among those who expressed their heartache and horror after a video of Floyd’s last moments circulated online. | | “Sick to my stomach after watching video of police taking the life of #GeorgeFloyd I’m sure some say ‘well, you need to see the whole video.’ But context won’t change what I feel deep in my spirit right now. What I just saw is WRONG and EVIL on every level.” — Christian artist Matthew West | | President Donald Trump asked the FBI and Department of Justice to expedite an investigation into Floyd’s death. | | The officer, Derek Chauvin, who was fired along with three others, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter Friday. | | Read: Why speaking out against the killing of George Floyd is a pro-life issue | | Christian artists, bandmates respond to Jon Steingard renouncing faith | | After Jon Steingard, frontman for the Christian band Hawk Nelson, declared that he no longer believes in God, Christian artists and his fellow bandmates offered encouragement and messages of love. | | Seventh Day Slumber, Tenth Avenue North and Jeremy Camp said they were here for him. Hawk Nelson bandmates said, “God is still for Jon.” | | “WE are called to Love one another unconditionally, as God loves us. We should also encourage and challenge one another in our Faith, seeking truth.” — Hawk Nelson | | Trump signs executive order to punish social media censorship | | President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday urging federal agencies to hold social media companies accountable for censoring political viewpoints. | | He called out platforms like Twitter, saying they are not neutral when they engage in “editorial decisions” to edit, suppress or ban content. | | The order comes as many Christian individuals and organizations voiced concerns about their posts being censored. | | Ill. eases restrictions on religious services after churches appeal to Supreme Court | | Days after two Illinois churches asked the U.S. Supreme Court for an injunction so that they can hold services on Pentecost Sunday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker eased restrictions to allow in-person worship services at 25% capacity, or a 100-person maximum. | | The new guidelines come after the city of Chicago sent letters to three churches, threatening to temporarily close them if they continued to gather more than 10 people for worship. | | Interview | | Sports co. loses millions during pandemic, owners trust God and launch new business | | Pray for | | Families of those killed in attacks by Islamic rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo | | New releases | | | | Albums: | | Revival’s in the Air by Bethel Music (May 29) | | Change (live) by Bright City (May 29) | | Books: | | Rod Carew: One Tough Out: Fighting Off Life's Curveballs by Rod Carew with Jaime Aron (May 12) | | Adoption Through the Rearview Mirror: Learning from Stories of Heartache and Hope by Karen Springs (May 21) |
| | Evangelism 101 students complete unconventional service projects to share the Gospel | | Hannah Ulrich filled plastic eggs with candy and printed Scripture verses and delivered them around her neighborhood on Easter Sunday. | liberty.edu | | The coronavirus pandemic made the transition to fully online education a challenge for Liberty University residential students, including many students taking the school’s required Christian Life and Evangelism course. The course, required for all incoming freshmen, teaches students the basic fundamentals of servant evangelism and how to share the Gospel with non-believers. Assignments involve students sharing the Gospel with a non-believer and serving a non-believer in a tangible way in the name of Jesus. Evangelism professor Dr. David Wheeler said he didn’t panic when state guidelines for social distancing were announced in mid-March and students still had these assignments to complete. “My first response was, ‘OK God, you’re in control and there’s something here you want to do, and we just have to figure it out,’” he said. “We don’t have a choice and we can’t change it, so let’s just make this the best we possibly can.” | | | | Wheeler said he immediately began brainstorming ideas with his graduate assistants, student workers, and fellow ministry associates. The team created a running list of servant evangelism ideas that it shared with the students, including buying groceries for elderly neighbors, writing encouraging notes with gift cards for essential workers, donating blood, and providing free child care for families of essential workers. “We started thinking, ‘Well, we’re at home and we can’t do anything else, so why don’t we get involved in helping our neighbors?’” Wheeler said. Read More |
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