Breakaway Anglican Group That Left Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth Wins Property Fight

Ever since the Episcopal Church ordained Gene Robinson as an openly gay bishop in 2003, scores of congregations and five dioceses withdrew from the church over doctrinal differences.

By Yonat Shimron
Religion News Service

The Texas Supreme Court awarded a Fort Worth breakaway group affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America the right to $100 million in church property.

The ownership of the property has been in dispute since the ACNA-affiliate group broke away from the Episcopal Church in 2008.

The ruling on Friday (May 22) is the latest over properties held by breakaway congregations and dioceses that the Episcopal Church has been fighting in court for decades.

The Texas ruling may be the first time that a breakaway diocese has prevailed.

Ever since the Episcopal Church ordained Gene Robinson as an openly gay bishop in 2003, scores of congregations and five dioceses withdrew from the church over doctrinal differences. Many joined ACNA, formed in 2008.

That was the case in Fort Worth, too, where a majority of clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth voted to leave. Both groups continue to call themselves the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.

Across the country, four other dioceses also broke with the national church, including the dioceses of Pittsburgh; Quincy, Illinois; San Joaquin, California; and in 2012, Charleston, South Carolina. In most cases, courts ruled that property titled to the diocese must stay in the Episcopal Church’s hands.

A breakaway group in South Carolina, for example, won the right to its property in a lower court, but that ruling was overturned by the state’s high court. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down an appeal, leaving in place the state ruling and clearing the way for the national church to retake ownership of 29 properties.

“This decision is a disappointment to us all, but as followers of Jesus Christ, we live in hope,” Mayer wrote in a letter to his diocese. 

“Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry joins me in acknowledging our disappointment and urging all of us to be gentle with one another during this trying time, with the important goal of continuing our worship of God and our ministries in this diocese in as uninterrupted (a) manner as possible. Now I, other diocesan leaders, and our legal team have to make decisions about our next steps.”

A spokesman for the Fort Worth diocese affiliated with Anglican Church in North America did not return requests for comment.

That group, led by Bishop Ryan S. Reed, took over an estimated 50 properties, including churches, a camp and several rectories, when it left the national denomination. It now has 56 congregations, according to its website.

The historic Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has 15 congregations and if the ruling stands will lose an additional five buildings, Sherrod said.

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China Bulldozes, Shuts Down Churches amid Pandemic: 'The Government Has Gone Insane'

Ever since the Episcopal Church ordained Gene Robinson as an openly gay bishop in 2003, scores of congregations and five dioceses withdrew from the church over doctrinal differences.

By Yonat Shimron
Religion News Service

The Texas Supreme Court awarded a Fort Worth breakaway group affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America the right to $100 million in church property.

The ownership of the property has been in dispute since the ACNA-affiliate group broke away from the Episcopal Church in 2008.

The ruling on Friday (May 22) is the latest over properties held by breakaway congregations and dioceses that the Episcopal Church has been fighting in court for decades.

The Texas ruling may be the first time that a breakaway diocese has prevailed.

Ever since the Episcopal Church ordained Gene Robinson as an openly gay bishop in 2003, scores of congregations and five dioceses withdrew from the church over doctrinal differences. Many joined ACNA, formed in 2008.

That was the case in Fort Worth, too, where a majority of clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth voted to leave. Both groups continue to call themselves the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.

Across the country, four other dioceses also broke with the national church, including the dioceses of Pittsburgh; Quincy, Illinois; San Joaquin, California; and in 2012, Charleston, South Carolina. In most cases, courts ruled that property titled to the diocese must stay in the Episcopal Church’s hands.

A breakaway group in South Carolina, for example, won the right to its property in a lower court, but that ruling was overturned by the state’s high court. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down an appeal, leaving in place the state ruling and clearing the way for the national church to retake ownership of 29 properties.

“This decision is a disappointment to us all, but as followers of Jesus Christ, we live in hope,” Mayer wrote in a letter to his diocese. 

“Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry joins me in acknowledging our disappointment and urging all of us to be gentle with one another during this trying time, with the important goal of continuing our worship of God and our ministries in this diocese in as uninterrupted (a) manner as possible. Now I, other diocesan leaders, and our legal team have to make decisions about our next steps.”

A spokesman for the Fort Worth diocese affiliated with Anglican Church in North America did not return requests for comment.

That group, led by Bishop Ryan S. Reed, took over an estimated 50 properties, including churches, a camp and several rectories, when it left the national denomination. It now has 56 congregations, according to its website.

The historic Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has 15 congregations and if the ruling stands will lose an additional five buildings, Sherrod said.

Christian Headlines article continues

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Mobs in India Threaten 16 Christian Families Every Night for Nearly Three Weeks

"I used to get very sick, but since I have started following Jesus, I am completely healthy. I will not leave Christ.”

India Reporter
Morning Star News

Tribal mobs armed with clubs went to the homes of 16 families of a church in Jharkhand state, India every night for nearly three weeks, threatening to kill them if they didn’t return to their animistic Sarna religion, a pastor said.

“The persecutors were going with batons and wooden sticks, not giving the Christians any chance to say no, but emphasising that either they reconvert to the Sarna fold or they would kill them right then and there,” Pastor Sarabjit Bharati of Kirpa Bhavan Salom Church, outside Banjari Patan village in Palamu District, told Morning Star News. “They went to the extent of saying, ‘If these Christians do not accede, leave Christianity and return to our Sarna fold, we will kill them and consequently go to jail for it. We do not mind.’”

Of 16 church families (about 130 people) threatened in one area, Pastor Bharati said two families were terrorized into returning to their ancestral Sarna religion, which involves worship of a creator god called Dharmes and a goddess identified with nature. Including Christian worshippers from surrounding villages, about 250 to 300 people attend Pastor Bharati's independent church.

The mobs ignored all social distancing and shelter-in norms in place to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the 33-year-old pastor said.

“They purposely went in the dark so that none of the [outlying] Christians would be able to reach the families to help and support them. Hapless and alone, these families got very scared,” Pastor Bharati said. “They are not giving them time to think and decide. In so much pressure, a person is unable to think straight and under such circumstances, one tends to submit.”

Christian villagers had faced pressure of expulsion and boycott, but the death threats marked a new level of terror as the mobs arrived at their homes every night for two to three weeks before police warnings put a halt to the threats in early May, the pastor said.

One Christian resident, Malti Devi, said that her family was not able to sleep at night for fear of mob visits.

“Every night we shook with fear with the thought of being attacked and killed by the mob,” Devi told Morning Star News.

RE-CONVERSION

The two families that re-converted back to the tribal Sarna religion, each located in Banaso Imli village of Palamu District, told Pastor Bharati that the mob threats left them no choice, he said.

The Sarna villagers forced them to perform re-conversion rituals and sacrifices, he said.

“They have been made to sign some papers and warned that they would have to pay a fine of 20,000 rupees [US$265] if they ever believe in Jesus Christ or are found attending meetings or Christian fellowships,” Pastor Bharati said, noting that the fine is a huge amount for poor villagers.

But the 15-year-old son of the father of the one of the reconverted families, unidentified for security reasons, said that he would continue following Christ.

“If my father does not want to go to church, he is free, but I will go because I like it there,” he told Morning Star News. “I feel something there that I cannot get anywhere. I am free from all negativity and get much peace. I have been following Christ for almost two years now, though my family has been Christian for the past six years-plus. I used to get very sick, but since I have started following Jesus, I am completely healthy. I will not leave Christ.”

Website: Christian Headlines

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China Forces School Teachers to Renounce Christian Faith or Risk Being Fired

“If teachers hold religious beliefs … this becomes a political problem for the government.”

By Michael Foust
Christian Headlines

Chinese schools are requiring Christian teachers within the nation’s school system to renounce their faith or risk being fired, according to a new report by a religious liberty watchdog.

Bitter Winter, which monitors religious freedom in the country, said the pressure on Christian teachers intensified after Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2018 said one goal of education was to raise the next generation of socialists. The speech was reported by state-run media.

“The state’s control over ideology is becoming stricter and stricter, particularly in the field of education,” a Catholic kindergarten teacher told Bitter Winter. “If teachers hold religious beliefs … this becomes a political problem for the government.”

The teacher told Bitter Winter she has received criticism for her faith in staff meetings. Additionally, the school principal warned her that a “spiritual civilization award” worth several million yuan that was given to the county could be withdrawn if the government learns of her faith.

“I learned that another county had all of its civilization awards revoked because an inspection team discovered two primary school students singing Christian hymns,” the teacher said.

Teachers in multiple provinces have reported persecution for their faith.

Bitter Winter reported:

A school in Heilongjiang province last June threatened to dismiss a teacher “after finding out that she also preached in a house church,” Bitter Winter reported.

“She was told to stop doing that, or the government would punish the entire school.”

A kindergarten teacher in Liaoning province last August was forced to quit after authorities learned she was a practicing Protestant.

School officials in Shandong province last July investigated newly employed middle school teachers to determine if they held religious beliefs.

“The inquiries into teachers and their family members were carried out in secret, without approaching them directly, only talking to no fewer than five people in their workplace, residential community, or school,” Bitter Winter said.

Website: Christian Headlines

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Iranian Man Reconvicted of Membership of a ‘Zionist Evangelical Christian’ Group ‘Hostile to Regime’

In his ruling, Judge Sadati referred to the findings of the intelligence agents of Iranian armed forces...for acknowledging that a Bible verse from the book of Philippians had been sent to his phone by a Christian satellite TV channel. 

By Article 18
Christian News

(Article18) — An Iranian Anglican Church member has been reconvicted of membership of a “Zionist Evangelical Christian” group “hostile to the regime” at his retrial, and convicted of the additional charge of “propaganda against the state.”

Ismaeil Maghrebinejad, 65, was informed of the verdict on Saturday following his retrial the previous Saturday at the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz.

Judge Seyed Mahmood Sadati reached the same verdict as in his initial February ruling by giving Ismaeil a two-year sentence for “membership of a hostile group”, but added an additional year in prison for “propaganda against the state”.

While it is likely that Ismaeil will only have to serve the longer sentence of two years, he also faces an additional three years in prison for his January conviction at a civil court for “insulting Islam”, which he would have to serve separately.

Ismaeil, who is appealing against all three convictions, initially faced four charges after his arrest in January 2019 – also “apostasy”, for which he could have faced the death sentence.

That charge was dropped during a November 2019 hearing, but the other three charges were found “applicable”, although the charge of “propaganda against the state” was not cited in his 27 February conviction, so it appeared that it had been combined with the other charge of “membership of a hostile group”.
Why the retrial?

Judge Sadati called for the 9 May retrial himself, saying he had been unhappy with his initial verdict and wanted to make some “corrections”, giving hope to Ismaeil and his family that the judgment may be quashed.

However, despite the protestations of his lawyer, Farshid Rofoogaran, that Ismaeil had “in no way, shape or form been a member of any hostile organisation”, he was given an even stiffer sentence.

In his ruling, Judge Sadati referred to the findings of the intelligence agents of Iranian armed forces, who were responsible for his arrest, and Ismaeil’s alleged “admission” of guilt – for acknowledging that a Bible verse from the book of Philippians had been sent to his phone by a Christian satellite TV channel.

A printout of the verse was shown to him in the court, which he acknowledged, after which he was dismissed from the room.

His lawyer, Mr Rofoogaran, proceeded to argue that the court had not been presented “with one single reason, piece of evidence or document that would justify the verdict issued”.

He added that the indictment was “very vague” and “lacked any supporting statement”, and that Ismaeil’s only “crime” had been to receive a message from a Christian satellite television channel; he hadn’t even forwarded it to anyone.

“Even if those groups that have Telegram or WhatsApp channels are accepted as ‘hostile’,” Mr Rofoogaran said, “receiving messages without forwarding them to anyone else does not constitute membership of that organisation.”

Christian News continues here

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Pastor Says Chicago Mayor Took ‘Soviet Styled’ Action in Attempt to Shut Down Service

"Our church has gone out of its way to follow CDC guidelines and we have cooperated fully having online services, outdoor services, and practicing all social distancing requirements."

Cornerstone Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois. 
Facebook/Cornerstone Baptist Church

By Michael Gryboski
Christian Post

A Chicago pastor likened city officials to "Soviet styled KGB" agents after the mayor ordered police to shut down an in-person worship service at his church on Sunday. 

Courtney Lewis, the pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church of Chicago, sent a letter of complaint to U.S. Attorney John Lausch on Tuesday. In the letter, which was seen by The Christian Post, Lewis described the attempted shutdown of his service.

Lewis says in the letter that police attempted to enter the church during the Sunday service that was attended by about 45 people, all of whom were following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's social distancing guidelines, he said. 

"They came with three squad cars two unmarked Durangos and a mayor representative's car," wrote Lewis. "Like the Soviet styled KGB, they knocked on our locked doors; the only thing [Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot] hasn't done 'yet' is beat the doors down and arrest our members."

Lewis said the church's doors were locked as a "normal safety precaution we take each service to protect our members from the escalating gun violence in Chicago."

According to the pastor, the police officers' actions came under the direction of Lightfoot, who is enforcing a statewide ban on religious services of more than 10 people during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Lewis said that health concerns over the church's in-person service are unwarranted since they followed social distancing guidelines.

"Our church has gone out of its way to follow CDC guidelines and we have cooperated fully having online services, outdoor services, and practicing all social distancing requirements," Lewis added in the letter.

"We are even taking members' temperatures on the way in our church doors. We are not allowing our elderly to attend services. We are trying to follow the laws of man as much as reasonably possible but when the laws of man conflict with the laws of God I as a Pastor have a duty to follow the laws of God."

While churches are being threatened with fines for holding in-person worship services during the state's stay-at-home order, Lightfoot recently defended her decision not to abide by lockdown orders after it was revealed that she went to a salon for a haircut while other salons were forced to remain closed. Lightfoot suggested that she didn't have to abide by lockdown orders because she's "the public face of this city" and is giving interviews on national news shows.

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'Bet You Stay Home Now You Hypokrits': Mississippi Church Destroyed in Suspected Arson Attack

Smoke rises from the ashes of First Pentecostal Church of Holly Springs, Mississippi after it was burned down
  on May 20, 2020. | Screenshot: WMC5

By Samuel Smith
Christian Post

A Mississippi church that filed a lawsuit against a town ban on worship gatherings was destroyed by a fire Wednesday morning that investigators believed was set as an act of arson.

According to local news reports, firefighters responded to a fire at First Pentecostal Church of Holly Springs around 2 a.m. on Wednesday. Responders arrived to find the church building engulfed in flames. 

Fox 13 reports that investigators found cans of spray paint on the ground with graffiti on the pavement of the church parking lot. The graffiti in the parking lot reads: “Bet you stay home now you hypokrits (sic).”

“We do believe that based on the evidence and what we have seen at the scene and on top of the hill this was an arson,” Marshall County Major Kelly McMillan said, according to the news station. 

Pastor Jerry Waldrop, who has pastored the church for over 30 years, told news station WMC5 that it's “hard to wrap your head around the idea that someone may have orchestrated this or done this.” 

Waldrop said the church has “no enemies that we know of.”

“We don’t know anyone that we even think could be capable of doing something like this,” he said. 

Waldrop told Fox 13 that he's unsure of what to do because the church building is now destroyed. 

“We are going to keep the faith, and we're going to keep doing what we have always done, and maybe not on this location,” Waldrop said. “I'll get with our faithful people, and maybe we'll rent a building or whatever we need to do for the time being.”

In a press conference Wednesday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he's going to keep track of the arson investigation. 

First Pentecostal Church had filed a lawsuit against the city of Holly Springs, which barred worship gatherings as part of its safer-at-home policies enacted to combat the spread of coronavirus. 

Although Reeves included houses of worship as essential entities that can be open to more than 10 people in a statewide order, officials in Holly Springs have deemed churches to be non-essential. 

Police in Holly Springs previously disrupted an Easter service and a mid-week Bible study at the church and reportedly told attendees they could be slapped with criminal citations.  

In late April, a federal judge sided with the church and ruled that its congregants have the right to hold drive-in services. However, the church’s legal push for the right to have full in-person services is still pending. 

Christian Post report continues here

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The Incredible Ways Prayer Totally Transformed This Public High School

"It's been nothing short of extraordinary ... students caring for each other, students praying for each other and students doing everything they can to show Christ's love for each other."

By Billy Hallowell
Pure Flix Insider

Students and principals at an Indiana high school are crediting prayer for helping to totally transform both academics and civility among members of the student body.

Claim Your Campus, a group that encourages kids across America to pray for their schools, released a recent video showing students and an administrator at Marion High School in Marion, Indiana, revealing how prayer has totally changed their school.

The defining moment came when students at Marion High School — an institution that has struggled with academics and frequent fights — decided to buckle down and pray for positive academics, less violence, and more bold Christ followers.

"When I got here, we were averaging a fight probably every few days," Principal Keith Burke said in a video interview. "Kids were thinking that fighting was OK."

Watch to see how prayer transformed Marion High School:

In the end, though, Burke said prayer ushered in something transformational, with the school soon becoming A-rated in academics and with those fights nearly disappearing.

"We, as administration, like to think it's because we have all the answers but that's not the case," he said. "It's been nothing short of extraordinary ... students caring for each other, students praying for each other and students doing everything they can to show Christ's love for each other."

Pure Flix Insider continues here

Ex Muslim Once Chanted 'Death to America!' Now, He's Saving Iranians

"Jesus changes lives," he said. "He transforms our lives ... our society."

Billy Hallowell
Pure Flix Insider

Dr. Hormoz Shariat is on a mission to help bring Iranians to the Christian faith—an effort that was birthed from his family's personal pain and suffering. (Screengrab image: via Pure Flix Insider)

Shariat, founder of, Iran Alive Ministries, has spent years creatively spreading the Gospel in Iran. Through satellite broadcasts, ministry training and other innovative means, the evangelist is ingeniously delivering the Gospel to the Muslim-majority nation.

One of the most remarkable parts of Shariat's story are the roots from which his ministry emerged. A native of Iran and an ex-Muslim, he once chanted "death to America" in the streets.

But Shariat's entire life changed when he left Iran during the Islamic Revolution and arrived in America to study. In addition to newfound academics, he also discovered true faith.

"I got saved in America," he said, noting that his heart and mind profoundly changed. "I love America."

Shariat said his ministry took root after his 16-year-old brother was arrested and held for two years by Iranian leaders. Rather than release the teen, the government put him to death.

Listen to Shariat's harrowing story by Clicking Here.

"One day they executed him," Shariat said. "[They said], 'Come and get his body. We shot him and by the way you have to pay us for killing him.'"

Tragically, Iranian officials demanded that his parents even pay for the bullets. When asked how Shariat managed not to be overcome with hate, he noted that he was a new Christian at the time.

"It wasn't easy. It was a struggle ... I grieved," he said, noting that he wanted to initially take revenge, but he remembered the Gospel message. "During those two to three days of mourning ... I felt I heard the voice of God in my heart that those who killed my brothers are not my enemies. There is one enemy, that is satan. They are captives in the hands of my enemy."

So, rather than revenge, Shariat chose mercy and love. And while he already had a passion for evangelism, his brother's death gave him a true mission to share the Gospel with one million Muslims. Years later, he has now shared the Bible with millions.

Shariat has been spreading the Gospel through Iran Alive Ministries, noting that his ministry reaches throughout the Middle East, but is particularly pertinent to Farsi speakers.

A resident of the US, Shariat said he often receives death threats because of his ministry—but he's not backing down.

"Jesus changes lives," he said. "He transforms our lives ... our society."

Website:  Pureflix Insider

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Muslim Gang Killed Christian Man Because He Kept 'Preaching the Gospel of Jesus' to Them

But Nnadi, who was studying to become a priest, preached to the gang members from the first day he was kidnapped.

By Michael Foust
Christian Headlines

A kidnapped seminarian was murdered by a Nigerian gang leader earlier this year because he would not stop preaching the gospel to his Muslim captors, the gang leader says.

Michael Nnadi and three other seminarians were kidnapped from the Good Shepherd Seminary in Kaduna, Nigeria, in January and held for ransom.

But Nnadi, who was studying to become a priest, preached to the gang members from the first day he was kidnapped. Sun News Online interviewed gang leader Mustapha Mohammed, who said Nnadi “kept preaching and told him to his face to change his evil ways or perish.”

Nnadi “did not allow” Mohammed “to have peace as he continued preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to him even when he knew they were not of the same faith,” Mohammed told Sun News Online. Mohammed “did not like the confidence displayed by the young man” and killed him.

The gang members initially demanded a N100 million ransom ($250,000 USD), although that later was reduced to N10 million ($25,000 USD). They targeted the seminary because they believed it would have lots of money.

Nnadi was the only one killed.

He was kidnapped Jan. 8, and his body found on the side of the road Feb. 1.

“These kind of kidnappings are becoming very common in Nigeria,” International Christian Concern reported.

Despite making ransom demands, gang members “still often end up killing the victims or holding them for years,” ICC said.

“Now that the Nigerian Government has a confession from one of the kidnappers, it is expected that he will be held accountable and all of those that he can identify will also be arrested and put into prison,” ICC reported. “If the Nigerian government fails to enforce even this basic law, they will show that they have no power or control over their country.”

Website:Christian Headlines

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DOJ Sides with Church Busted, Cited by Cops for Having 16 People in 293 Seat Building

There is 'no pandemic exception to the Constitution and its Bill of Rights,' the federal government's Statement of Interest argued.

By Martin Burger
Life Site News

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is supporting the case of Lighthouse Fellowship, a Protestant community in Chincoteague, Virginia, that was served a summons for holding worship services amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a Statement of Interest filed on Sunday, the DOJ explained that governments are in a position to take necessary and temporary measures to meet genuine emergencies. However, “there is no pandemic exception to the Constitution and its Bill of Rights.”

On Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, Lighthouse Fellowship had conducted a worship service with a congregation of 16 people practicing so-called social distancing in a facility that seats more than 200.

As reported by Liberty Counsel, which represents Lighthouse Fellowship in court, “a local police officer entered the church. He gave no introduction and did not ask for the pastor. He abruptly said they could not have more than 10 people spaced six feet apart.”

After the service, “two police officers entered the church in full mask and gloves and asked to speak with the pastor. They issued Pastor Wilson a summons and informed him that if he had service on Easter, and if more than ten people attended, everyone would receive the same summons.”

The DOJ compared the restrictions imposed on religious gatherings by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, to those on many businesses.

“Because the executive orders prohibit Lighthouse’s sixteen-person, socially distanced gathering in a 225-seat church but allow similar secular conduct, such as a gathering of 16 lawyers in a large law firm conference room, the governor’s executive orders may constitute a violation of the church’s constitutional rights to the free exercise of religion,” the DOJ stated.

“The ultimate question for this Court, then, is whether the Commonwealth’s prohibition on in-person religious worship exceeding ten people to Lighthouse’s sixteen-person gathering—while exempting all non-retail businesses and others from the ten-person limit—furthers a compelling interest, and whether there is no less restrictive measure the Commonwealth could use to achieve that interest while allowing the church to hold its services,” the federal government’s Statement of Interest summarized.

“The Commonwealth cannot treat religious gatherings less favorably than other similar, secular gatherings,” explained G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

On April 24, Lighthouse Fellowship had filed a complaint against the governor.

Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel said at the time that Northam had “clearly discriminated” against the community “which provides essential physical, emotional and spiritual services.”

According to Staver, Lighthouse Fellowship “does not have internet and cannot flip a switch to broadcast online. Even if it could go online, many of the people the church serves do not have internet. Pastor Wilson protected the health and safety of the 16 people that attended on Palm Sunday by requiring them to be spread far apart in the sanctuary. But because the church had six more people than the 10 allowed by the governor, the pastor is being criminally charged.”

Life Site News continues here

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Kansas City Mayor Repeals Order That Forced Churches to Record Churchgoers' Information

Liberty Counsel broke the story after being contacted by concerned pastors. The story went viral quickly...

By Libetry Counsel
Charisma News

In his Executive Order 20-01, with an effective date of May 6, Kansas City Democrat Mayor Quinton Lucas ordered that houses of worship and some other "non-essential" operations record the names and contact information of any person who stays inside for 10 minutes or longer. The name and contact information were required so that the Kansas Department of Public Health could "quickly trace, test, and isolate individuals" if some who may have been exposed to someone who may have COVID-19 attended the "religious gatherings." 

If the person refused to provide a name and contact information, the person must be refused entry. Failure to abide by violations "of any provision of this Order constitutes an imminent threat, creates an immediate menace to public health, and shall be considered a violation of Section 50-155 of the City's Code of Ordinances."

Liberty Counsel broke the story after being contacted by concerned pastors. The story went viral quickly and now, as a result of the public outcry over this unconstitutional provision, Kansas City reversed the Fourth Amended Order and issued a Fifth Amended Order on May 4. Under the new order released yesterday, the recording of names and contact information is no longer mandatory. The Fifth Amended Order encourages religious groups to record names and contact information, but it is now voluntary.

Kansas City imposed a 10/10/10 rule on "religious gatherings" and some "non-essential" operations that would begin to have limited operations on May 6. The three 10s stood for allowing no more than 10 people inside or 10% of building capacity (whichever is greater) and recording the names and contact information of any person who remained inside for 10 minutes or more. Essential operations were, and remain, exempt.

In this Fifth Amended Order, issued yesterday, the last 10—the recording of names and contact information for attendees—was made voluntary. The amended order now states: "Attendees are not required, however, to provide their names or contact information at any religious gathering." The recording of names and contact information was also removed from the other "non-essential" operations. However, the Fifth Amended Order still imposes the 10/10/10 rule and no more than 50-person limit on outside religious gatherings, the latter of which is not imposed on any secular gathering.

During a press conference regarding the Fourth Amended Order, Mayor Lucas confirmed that it applied to houses of worship. "Religious gatherings like weddings, church services and funerals can resume with 10 people inside a location and 50 people outside, as long as social distancing is maintained and names and contact information of attendees is kept" (emphasis added).

Charisma News report continues here

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95-Year-Old Pastor and WWII Vet Prompts More Than 250,000 to Pray: 'The Spiritual Awakening Has Begun!'

"Two years ago I thought I was going to die at the age of 93. I was very sick and asked the Lord to let me die," Lunsford said. "I wanted to go to heaven, but God said, 'Not yet!'"

Image Source: Mud Creek Baptist Church/Rev. Fred Lunsford

By Andrea Morris
CBN News

One North Carolina pastor, who has preached at revivals for more than 70 years, says God told him to pray for a spiritual awakening in America.

Rev. Fred Lunsford, a World War II veteran, became ill two years ago and asked God to end his suffering. The 95-year-old said God revealed His purpose and plan while he prayed.

"Two years ago I thought I was going to die at the age of 93. I was very sick and asked the Lord to let me die," Lunsford said. "I wanted to go to heaven, but God said, 'Not yet!'"

He asked God, "Why are you leaving me here?" He said God answered him by saying He was "leaving him here to pray for a spiritual awakening!"

Since that day two years ago, Rev. Lunsford has not stopped praying for a spiritual awakening. In his personal prayer garden located in the mountains of Marble, NC, he has prayed for a spiritual revival.

"He (God) extended my years for a reason, and He wanted me to pray for spiritual awakening and to get as many people praying as I could," Lunsford said. "God spoke into my heart, and I yielded to it. It's not me; it's the Lord."

Rev. Greg Mathis, a pastor at Mud Creek Baptist Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina prayed with Lunsford this past January in the prayer garden.


"As we prayed that day, I felt God in a way that I hadn't experienced in a long time," Mathis said. "Heaven came down and the area in which we were praying could barely contain us. Rev. Lunsford closed our time by uttering these words, 'Thank you, Lord, the spiritual awakening has begun!' He said those words came from God.'

CBN News article continues here

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Creative Ways Christians Are Getting the Gospel Into North Korea as Mystery Surrounding Kim Jong-Un Looms

"There is a church in North Korea. It doesn’t look anything like our churches, when we gather together with believers in the United States"

By Dan Andros
Faithwire

Christians activists are pursuing aggressively creative ways to bring the Gospel into beleaguered North Korea as conflicting reports of their leader, Kim Jong-Un, swirled in the media last week.

Voice of the Martyrs radio host Todd Nettleton spoke with Faithwire recently about the tactics being pursued by VOM and partner organizations to reach the lost (and trapped) in the authoritarian nation.

(Discussion of tactics begins around the 6 minute mark):

“There is a church in North Korea. It doesn’t look anything like our churches, when we gather together with believers in the United States,” Nettleton said. “One of the challenges for Christian parents is when do I tell my children about Jesus Christ? Because if my children say the wrong thing at school I’m going to go to prison.”

“Obviously, we can’t send missionaries to North Korea. But the Gospel is getting in creatively. One of the things VOM does is attaches Bibles to helium filled balloons and then floats those balloons across the border into North Korea,” Nettleton explained. He went on to say that the balloons have GPS trackers so they can tell where they landed, which helps determine the chances it was picked up by a citizen.

Nettleton also said radio broadcasts are utilized to reach North Koreans, and during those broadcasts they’ll read the Bible – but they do it in a very specific way: slowly and deliberately. The reason? “So that the people in North Korea can write down what they’re hearing. Simply having somebody read the Scriptures over the radio waves, for many Koreans that will be the only Bible they ever have.”

North Korean defectors are also being trained to share the Gospel back into the country through phone conversations back home. So, while missionaries aren’t able to stroll into North Korea but Christians are doing the Lord’s work in creative and effective ways.

Nettleton also discussed a letter writing campaign for a deacon (Zhang Wen Shi) who was arrested by North Korea for “defaming the regime” in North Korea and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Here’s the story from VOM’s Prisoner Alert website.

Faith Wire report continues here

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

Church Leaders to California Governor: We're Reopening on Pentecost

"We're not the problem here. But we've been deemed nonessential. We've been kicked to the curb."

Gov. Gavin Newsom / Reuters

By Jenny Rose Spaudo
Charisma News

Several church leaders announced Thursday, May 7, that they will reopen their churches on the Day of Pentecost, May 31, despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom's continued lockdown. The group, led by Pastor Dan Carroll and Pastor Matt Brown, represents 1,500 churches in California

Gov. Newsom's plan to reopen the state schedules churches to reopen in the third stage, a time for which has not yet been specified.

Dan Carroll, senior pastor of Water of Life Community Church, says the churches are not trying to be rebellious with their reopening. During a press conference outside the church building, Carroll said the plan for reopening involved following all the CDC's guidelines and taking every safety precaution.

"Our churches are part of the solution," Carroll says. "We're not the problem here. But we've been deemed nonessential. We've been kicked to the curb."

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Carroll tells Sun that churches across California are providing masks to health care workers and food for needy families in their communities, yet they're being prohibited from meeting together for religious services. Carroll says this is a problem for those who are in difficult situations and are struggling emotionally from not being able to gather with fellow believers. 

He recounts a widower who attends his church that he ran into just a few days prior. When he asked the widower how he was doing, the man burst into tears.

"I just can't function without my church," the widower told Carroll.

Charisma News article continues here

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

Chinese Pastor Who Refused to Join State Church Charged With ‘Subversion’

It is more likely that Pastor Zhao’s detention was a result of his refusal to be affiliated with the state-mandated protestant church of China; otherwise known as the “Three-Self Patriotic Association.”

By William Maule, Author
Faithwire

A pastor who refused to align with the communist authorities in China has been arrested and charged with “subversion.”

CHINA MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

Zhao Huaiguo, pastor of Bethel Church in Cili county near Hunan’s Zhangjiajie city, was formally detained on April 2, according to a report at Radio Free Asia.

Zhao’s wife Zhang Xinghong said police raided the family home early on the morning of March 14.

“The state security police came after seven in the morning … and took Pastor Zhao away,” she explained. “Then they held him under criminal detention on suspicion of incitement to subvert state power.”

Zhang added that she beloved the police were targeting him because “he had posted or forwarded something from overseas to do with the coronavirus epidemic.”

“They said something about circumvention tools for getting over the Great Firewall,” she added, referring to the communist state’s monitoring of the public’s internet usage. “It was something to do with the epidemic in Wuhan, with possibly something political in there as well.”

It is more likely that Pastor Zhao’s detention was a result of his refusal to be affiliated with the state-mandated protestant church of China; otherwise known as the “Three-Self Patriotic Association.”

Zhang explained how state security officers returned to the family home on April 15, confiscating many of Pastor Zhao’s church-related documents.

“They had a search warrant with them, and they said that hundreds of copies of church materials … study materials and photocopies were illegal,” she said.

Zhang also revealed that officials had warned her not to hire a lawyer from out of town, noting that her husband’s case would be fast-tracked.

“I kept thinking, you’ve detained him and now you’re telling me you have his best interests at heart?” she said.

“I told them this was unacceptable, and he said I could get a lawyer from anywhere, but that a local lawyer would be better for [Zhao].”

Pastor Zhao remains in custody at this time, though his exact location is unknown.

Website: Faithwire

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

New York Is Charging Samaritan’s Purse Income Tax After the Charity Worked for Free

“Everybody in the city of New York knows about the tent hospital. We are there in Jesus’ name,” he said. “It’s just something God has done and it’s given us the opportunity to magnify His name in the middle of a crisis.”

By Tre Goins-Philliips
Faithwire

Samaritan’s Purse has no expectation of receiving a single penny for the weeks of work they did in Central Park to combat the coronavirus. But now New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is asking them to pay up.

Earlier this week, the Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the nonprofit organization, told Faithwire, “They’re the ones who called us originally,” referring to officials with the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. “We didn’t call them; they called us,” he continued. “And we agreed to go and we have not charged them one penny. All of our services have been paid by God’s people.

Samaritan’s Purse workers were on the ground, setting up a 68-bed field hospital right after receiving the call, and now they’re being held financially liable for their goodwill because, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), he’s “not in a position to provide any subsidies right now.”

So even though New York lawmakers and hospital executives asked workers to come from out of state to help in the fight against the coronavirus, they will now have to pay state taxes — even on income they might have made from their home state while they were temporarily living in New York, according to WPIX-TV.

“We have a $13 billion deficit,” he said during a press conference Tuesday. “So there’s a lot of good things I’d like to do, and if we get federal funding, we can do. But it would be irresponsible for me to sit here looking at a $13 billion deficit and say I’m gonna spend more money, when I can’t even pay the essential services.”

The issue first arose when Samaritan’s Purse arrived in Central Park on April 1.

Ken Isaacs, vice president of programs and government relations for the faith-based humanitarian group, told WPIX-TV he first learned about the tax issue when the organization’s financial comptroller called him about it.

“I said, ‘What?’” Isaacs recalled. “[The comptroller] said, ‘Yeah, there’s a law. If you work in New York state for more than 14 days, you have to pay income tax.’ I didn’t know that.”

More than the money, though, Isaacs told the local news outlet he and his fellow Samaritan’s Purse staffers are concerned about “the bureaucracy, and the paperwork, and I think that once that’s unleashed, once you start filing that, you have to do that for, like, a whole year or something.”

Lawrence Spielman, a certified public accountant in New York City, told WPIX-TV groups like Samaritan’s Purse, which is headquartered in Boone, North Carolina, “will have to register in New York and do withholding here in New York.”

It’s difficult to separate this matter from the backlash Samaritan’s Purse faced from a loud minority of progressive politicians in New York City who were angered by the group’s Christian bonafides, particularly regarding the mainstream biblical perspective that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.

Despite having provided free medical care to more than 300 patients fighting coronavirus infections, state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D) described the faith-based group’s relationship with Mount Sinai as “poisonous” and New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson found it “extremely troubling” Samaritan’s Purse was ever in New York to help.

Faithwire article continues here