On Thursday, a California judge issued a restraining order against John MacArthur and his Grace Community Church holding massive indoor worship services. Three days later, on Sunday, Sept. 13, the pastor and church defied that court order by gathering thousands…
Here’s practical help for mental health during the pandemic
It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in psychology to determine that months of social and political strife combined with a deadly pandemic have negatively impacted mental health nationwide. In fact, it takes only a brief Google search to learn that just…
Oregon is burning while most white Christians deny climate science
The smoke permeates everything. Even with every door and window closed tight. The whole house smells like smoke. This week, Oregon has erupted in wildfires. Nearly a million acres are burning, and unusual winds from the east have blown the…
Judge issues COVID restraining order against defiant MacArthur and church
In a case that combines the global pandemic with the grievances of religious conservatives that they face persecution, a California Superior Court judge on Sept. 10 issued a temporary restraining order against Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church in…
Federal judge flunks DeVos effort to divert relief funds to private schools
For the third time in two weeks, an attempt by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to divert federal coronavirus relief funds from public schools to private schools has been stopped by court order. Federal District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich…
Q&A with Christen Green Kinard on pandemic church communications
Christen Green Kinard says she has no formal religious education, but as the child of career missionaries, she knows the right things to educate churches about their online ministry during the pandemic. Kinard is a communications professional and daughter of…
MacArthur asserts ‘there is no pandemic’
The Los Angeles megachurch pastor who has been at war with the city, county and state over COVID-19 health and meeting restrictions told his congregation last Sunday the truth has finally come out: “There is no pandemic.” The congregation of…
The train of conflict is coming to a church near you
As a child, my neighborhood friends and I loved to play on a train track near our house. Foolish, I know, but quite fun and exhilarating. We learned to tell when a train was coming long before it actually appeared….
Churchgoers say they’ll return to in-person worship
Churches leaders needn’t worry about losing faithful members to virtual services after the coronavirus outbreak subsides, recent polling suggests. “Just 2% of the pre-pandemic regular attenders think that in the long run they will watch services online or on TV…