EVENT: Christianity & National Security: Exploring Government’s Divine Vocation

Source: Institute on Religion and Democracy

There is so much confusion across the spectrum among Christians about how to address their faith on global statecraft and the deployment of power. Some on the left demand absolute pacifism. Some on the right sanction automatic military force. Too many Christians, particularly Protestants and Evangelicals, forget there’s a centuries-long tradition of Christian thought on Just War and other aspects of state force that should counsel how we address these issues without giving specific dogmatic answers. We hope this conference will be the first of many to gather Christians and others for robust conversation about how to think as people of faith who aspire to an approximate justice and security for our nation and the world.”
-IRD President and Providence Editor Mark Tooley

Who: Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy

What: Leading scholars and practitioners of political theology and national security examining essential historic Christian teaching about God’s purpose for government, starting with its vocation for security and public order.

Where: Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center
3800 Reservoir Rd NW, Washington, DC 20057

When: September 29-30, 2017, 9 a.m. (EST)

The Institute on Religion & Democracy’s quarterly publication Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy will host a groundbreaking two-day conference at the Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center in Washington, D.C. on Christians and National Security.

Conference speakers will address issues such as Just War teaching, nuclear weapons, Reinhold Niebuhr, Christian Realism, nationalism, international human rights, American Exceptionalism, torture, and terrorism. This event is open to all, but is especially aimed at Christian young people who are graduate students or early career. Cost is $149, including two lunches and two breakfasts, or $75 for one day. Scholarships are available to students and clergy.

Speakers include: Walter Russell Mead (Bard College & The American Interest), Joseph E. Capizzi (Catholic University of America), Thomas Farr (Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service), Joseph Hartman (Georgetown University), Emilie Kao (The Heritage Foundation), Matt Kroenig (Georgetown University), Marc LiVecche (Providence & Institute on Religion and Democracy), Joseph Loconte (The King’s College & Providence), Timothy Mallard (U.S. Army), Jennifer Marshall (The Heritage Foundation), Paul Marshall (Baylor University & Hudson Institute), Robert Nicholson (Philos Project & Providence), Eric Patterson (Regent University), Keith Pavlischek (Providence), Daniel Strand (Arizona State University & Providence).

Make sure to purchase tickets ASAP for this for groundbreaking two-day event at: https://providencemag.com/christianity-national-security/

For hotel rooms, contact Joseph Rossell at 202-682-4131 or jrossell@TheIRD.org.

Satan Clubs Dying and Good News Clubs Growing

Source: Child Evangelism Fellowship

Tacoma, WA - September 22, 2017 (God Inspires News) -- Atheists disguised as members of the Satanic Temple ended their short-lived after-school program at Point Defiance Elementary School in Tacoma. After their publicity stunt, their first meeting took place December 2016, with only one child joining the monthly club.

The intention of this group was to target schools that host Good News Clubs, scare the faculty and especially the community so that they would be denied permission to hold their Satan Club and with that the Good News Club would be pushed out as well.

In 2001 the US Supreme Court ruled overwhelmingly that Good News Clubs can take place on elementary public school campuses after the last bell rings and have equal treatment. Every child that attends a Good News Club has a parental permission slip.

Moises Esteves, Vice President of Child Evangelism Fellowship said, “The Satanic Temple erected a 10-foot, 300-pound red pentagram in Boca Raton, Florida accompanied by the words: ‘May the children hail Satan.’ This is the reason the Tacoma club ended. Parents know that children today are confronted with many difficult issues such as violence, drugs, bullying and gangs. The last thing parents want for their children is for them to attend a Satan Club.”

As the Satan Clubs are closing down, about 4,500 Good News Clubs are starting up this new school year all over the USA. Over 180,000 children will be enrolled in a high energy club that includes Bible stories, songs, games, etc. Children will receive moral and character development as well as learn respect for authority, based on biblical principles.

Esteves stated, “Principals love Good News Clubs, because it makes their job easier. As the children learn about God and the importance of loving and respecting others, their behavior improves. Better behavior means better education.” One principal said, “Since the Good News Club has been a part of our school, the office referrals have decreased.”

Worldwide Child Evangelism Fellowship teaches over 6.4 million children on a weekly basis in 74,324 Good News Clubs.

Football Coach Seeks En Banc Rehearing Following Extreme, Far-Reaching Opinion by Three-Judge Appeals Panel

Source: First Liberty Institute

Seattle, WA - September 21, 2017 (God Inspires News) -- Attorneys for First Liberty Institute today filed a petition on behalf of their client, football coach Joe Kennedy, requesting an en banc rehearing of Coach Kennedy's case by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. If granted, eleven active Ninth Circuit judges—including the chief judge—would hear Coach Kennedy's case and issue a decision.

"An en banc rehearing by the Ninth Circuit is necessary, given the extreme, far-reaching opinion issued by the three-judge panel," Mike Berry, Deputy General Counsel for First Liberty. "If the current decision stands, a teacher could be fired for wearing a yarmulke to school. A coach could be fired for bowing his head in prayer when a player is hurt."

In August, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit held that a school district in Washington state could ban Coach Kennedy from silently praying alone for 15 to 30 seconds following a football game.

"Banning coaches from praying just because they can be seen is wrong and contradicts the Constitution," said Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of First Liberty. "We hope the Ninth Circuit will recognize the significance of this case. The future of private prayer hangs in the balance."

Coach Kennedy's case has received national attention and support from political and religious leaders, including President Trump and Franklin Graham.

To learn more about the case, visit CoachKennedyFacts.com.

First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.

PRRI Releases Largest Survey of American Religious and Denominational Identity Ever Conducted

Source: Public Religion Research Institute

Washington, D.C. - September 8, 2017 (God Inspires News) -- With aging white Christian groups now accounting for fewer than half of the public and non-Christian groups constituting the country's youngest religious communities, the future of American religion will likely look strikingly different than its past. A massive new survey out today from PRRI reveals seismic shifts in the religious landscape over the last few decades, including the sharp growth of the religiously unaffiliated—a category that includes atheists, agnostics, and those who do not identify with any particular religion—along with racial and ethnic changes that are transforming nearly all major Christian denominations.

These are among the major findings from "America's Changing Religious Identity," a report released today by PRRI. The report is based on findings from PRRI's 2016 American Values Atlas, the single largest survey of American religious and denominational identity ever conducted, based on interviews with more than 101,000 Americans from all 50 states conducted across 2016. The report includes detailed information about religious affiliation, denominational ties, political affiliation, and other demographic characteristics.

"This report provides solid evidence of a new, second wave of white Christian decline that is occurring among white evangelical Protestants just over the last decade in the U.S.," says Robert P. Jones, PRRI CEO and author of The End of White Christian America. "Prior to 2008, white evangelical Protestants seemed to be exempt from the waves of demographic change and disaffiliation that were eroding the membership bases of white mainline Protestants and white Catholics. We now see that these waves simply crested later for white evangelical Protestants."

Today, only 43% of Americans identify as white Christian, and only 30% as white Protestant. In 1976, roughly eight in ten (81%) Americans identified as white and Christian, and a majority (55%) were white Protestants.

Fewer than one in five (17%) Americans now identify as white evangelical Protestant, but they accounted for nearly one-quarter (23%) of the public just a decade ago in 2006. Over the same period, white Catholics dropped five percentage points from 16% to 11%, and white mainline Protestants have shed an equal number, decreasing from 18% to 13%.

More evidence that America's future is less white and less Christian: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and the religiously unaffiliated are all far younger than white Christian groups. At least one-third of Muslims (42%), Hindus (36%), Buddhists (35%) and religiously unaffiliated Americans (34%) are under the age of 30. Slightly more than one in ten white Catholics (11%), white evangelical Protestants (11%), and white mainline Protestants (14%) are under 30.

The report also explores the shifting cultural center of the Catholic Church, the nation's most and least religiously diverse states, and the religious profiles of America's racial and ethnic groups.

View the topline, methodology, and additional analysis by clicking here...

A Christian Response to the Memorial Debate

Source: American Pastors Network

Washington, D.C. - September 3, 2017 (God Inspires News) -- The Charlottesville, Virginia, area is still working to heal after a racially charged and violent protest where one woman was killed more than a week ago. That eruption caused other cities to consider removing statues, monuments and other pieces of history that may cause conflict.

The American Pastors Network has been paying close attention to these unsettling events around the nation, and praying about how APN state chapters can provide a positive presence.

APN President Sam Rohrer says that leaders for the newly organized Virginia Pastors Network (VAPN, www.vapastors.net) have worked to serve as intermediaries during this tumultuous time. Likewise, leaders for the North Carolina Pastors Network (NCPN, www.ncpastors.net) have also been impacted, after Duke University recently removed a vandalized statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee from the front of Duke’s chapel in Durham, N.C.

“Pastors and churches simply must serve as peaceful and grounded voices of reason in these turbulent times,” Rohrer said. “Both Christians and those who may be far from God will look to the church for its response about ways we can come together to begin the healing process in our fractured communities. It is a critical time for churches to come together and for pastors to stand for truth.”

Rohrer added that every memorial holds a powerful teaching moment for children and young Americans. When they ask, “what is this?” and “why is this here?” it is an opportunity to recognize how the sinfulness of mankind always produces a tension between human beings.

“It is the ideal time to teach how—through Jesus Christ the Redeemer of mankind—all people, regardless of color, nationality or station in life, can realize their intrinsic value before God,” Rohrer said. “Isn’t this the ideal time to demonstrate that no one race, color or people group have any singular claim to truth? Isn’t this the very time to teach that unity is achieved at the foot of the cross when we agree with God about Jesus Christ and that He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life?

“So what should we be asking?” he continued. “Why do we have memorials? Why must we oppose their removal? Mustn’t we take a deep breath—everyone—and ask for God’s guidance at this time? What does God say about memorials? What must we as Christian citizens do if this mindless dash to destruction is to be stopped? As we look back, what perhaps have we as Christians done to prepare our culture for such a dangerous time? Memorials, when erected by the support of the people or culture at any given point in time and out of respect for those people in that time, should remain. To attack a legitimately erected memorial is to attack our fathers and grandfathers and to say that we know better today than anyone before us thought was worthy.”

Facing conflict in its state, leaders for the Virginia Pastors Network are aware of the great duty to help unite Virginia’s people—both inside and outside the church—in times of unrest and uncertainty.

“It is important for Christians to be leaders, not only in helping stabilize unrest in society, but in shaping society as a whole—to reflect godliness as a culture,” said VAPN President Steven Harrelson. “Our nation today is very reactive and volatile. Christian leaders have the responsibility to speak truth boldly and in love. I am convinced that the one thing that will unite men and women of every color is Jesus Christ—the One who loves and died for all mankind without prejudice. Bible-believing Christians have been divided on matters of color for long enough, and it is time to stand and show the world what Jesus meant when He said, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’”

As other cities and states consider the removal of what may be viewed as controversial or offensive, NCPN President Dave Kistler, also a co-host on APN’s “Stand in the Gap Today” radio ministry, said that while healing and reconciliation are needed, scrubbing history is not the answer.

“What is so disturbing about the Duke decision, as well as all other removal decisions across the nation, is that it is all being done based on flawed thinking,” Kistler said on a recent “Stand in the Gap Today” radio broadcast. “First, it is being done based on political correctness. In an effort to be more socially accepted, we are throwing away the very history of our nation. Additionally, the attempt to connect the multiplicity of confederate statues across the land to their erector’s racist motivations is a brazen stretch. Acknowledgment of one’s history is not equal to approval of the same. What will be offered next on the altar of political correctness?”

NRB President, Members Sign Historic ‘Nashville Statement’ on Sexuality

Source: National Religious Broadcasters

Note: Shonda Ponder, Chief Coordinator of God Inspires Ministry has also signed this.

Nashville, TN - September 1, 2017 (God Inspires News) -- Dr. Jerry A. Johnson, President & CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, joined more than 100 evangelical leaders – including at least 15 NRB members – as original signatories to The Nashville Statement expressing evangelical convictions about human sexuality released today.

The statement, with 14 affirmations and denials, addresses issues of human sexuality “in the hope of serving Christ’s church,” as the preamble states.

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood led the effort to draft the statement by convening an August 25 meeting in Nashville of evangelical leaders and scholars, including Johnson, held in conjunction with the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s annual conference.

“In order to be truly for the world, when the world is going in the wrong way, you must be against the world,” said Johnson. “Athanasius knew this when he positioned himself contra mundi. For the good of our world, we must position ourselves, with The Nashville Statement, against the sexual heresy that is the spirit of our age.”

The Nashville Statement, CBMW has noted, comes 30 years after the organization released its founding document – the Danvers Statement.

CBMW President Denny Burk said, “The spirit of our age does not delight in God’s good design of male and female. Consequently, confusion reigns over some of the most basic questions of our humanity. The aim of The Nashville Statement is to shine a light into the darkness – to declare the goodness of God’s design in our sexuality and in creating us as male and female.”

Johnson said the Nashville Statement affirms what NRB asserts about sexuality in its own Statement of Faith.

“I am honored to be an original signatory of this statement and gladly did so because it reflects well the convictions on sexuality of National Religious Broadcasters expressed in our own Statement of Faith. In light of that, I encourage all NRB member organizations and leaders to join me in signing the Nashville Statement.”

NRB members also among the original signatories include: Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor of Parkside Church and Bible Teacher on Truth for Life; Michael L. Brown, Founder & President of the FIRE School of Ministry; Dr. James Dobson, Founder and President of Family Talk; Ronnie Floyd, Senior Pastor of Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas, and President of the National Day of Prayer; Jack Graham, Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and Speaker for PowerPoint Ministries; Richard Land, President of Southern Evangelical Seminary; John MacArthur, Pastor-Teacher of Grace Community Church and President of Grace to You; James MacDonald, Founding and Senior Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel; Russell Moore, President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council; Thom S. Rainer, President & CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources; Dennis Rainey, President, CEO, and Co-founder of FamilyLife; R.C. Sproul, Founder & Chairman of Ligonier Ministries; Don Sweeting, President of Colorado Christian University; and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, CEO of Revive Our Hearts.

The entire text and list of signatories of the Nashville Statement is available online: www.NashvilleStatement.com.