(Christianity Today) Efrem Smith became a church planter and served as founding pastor of Sanctuary Covenant Church, a multiethnic congregation in North Minneapolis. Author of The Post-Black and Post-White Church: Becoming the Beloved Community in a Multi-Ethnic World, he is now co-pastor of Bayside Church Midtown, an intentionally diverse congregation of 3,500 in Sacramento. … [Read more...] about Efrem Smith: White Evangelicals Need to Humble Themselves
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Ted Cruz: Politicians Who Want to Keep Churches Closed ‘Hate Faith’
(Faithwire) Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) said this week political leaders vying to keep churches closed amid the coronavirus pandemic “hate faith.” The conservative lawmaker made the comment during a Facebook Live interview with the First Liberty Institute on Thursday. “There are these politicians on the left who hate faith, who have a demonstrable antipathy to people of … [Read more...] about Ted Cruz: Politicians Who Want to Keep Churches Closed ‘Hate Faith’
Southern Baptist Leaders Issue Joint Statement on the Death of George Floyd
(Baptist Press) Southern Baptist leaders have published a statement grieving the recent death of George Floyd and calling for the end of "racial inequity in the distribution of justice in our country." The statement, co-authored by SBC president J.D. Greear and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary president Jamie Dew was unanimously signed by all SBC officers, entity … [Read more...] about Southern Baptist Leaders Issue Joint Statement on the Death of George Floyd
Meet Eight Pastors Who Pushed to Keep Their Churches Open
(RNS) Almost as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic began, a tug of war developed between federal, state and local policymakers and a small group of sometimes angry Christian pastors bent on holding in-person services. But as stay-at-home restrictions were gradually lifted and the definition of “essential services” expanded, a second wave of church leaders appealed to the First … [Read more...] about Meet Eight Pastors Who Pushed to Keep Their Churches Open
Pandemic Delays UMC’s General Conference and Its Pending Schism
(ChurchLeaders) One of the many repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic—which has now killed more than 100,000 Americans—is that the country’s largest mainline Protestant denomination is stuck in limbo. This month, the United Methodist Church (UMC) was scheduled to hold its quadrennial General Conference in Minneapolis, with a debate about homosexuality causing a … [Read more...] about Pandemic Delays UMC’s General Conference and Its Pending Schism