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Gleanings: November 2021

News of Christians around the world.

Tetiana Shevereva / Unsplash / Edits by Rick Szuecs

Death row prayer case goes to court

The United States Supreme Court stayed the execution of a Texas man who wants his Baptist pastor to lay hands on him and pray as he’s put to death. John Henry Ramirez murdered a convenience store clerk in 2004, stabbing the man 29 times in the process of stealing $1.25 to buy drugs. In prison, he committed his life to Christ and became a member of Second Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. Ahead of his September 8 execution date, Ramirez sued for the right to have his pastor touch him at the time of death. The court will consider it next term.

RZIM claims First Amendment protection

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) has asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit by donors alleging the misuse of funds, because the apologetics organization is registered as a church. According to RZIM’s lawyers, the First Amendment prohibits the court from ruling on “purely ecclesiastical assertions,” such as whether Zacharias conformed to the “moral standards of ‘real’ Christian leaders” or whether the RZIM board exercised appropriate oversight over the famed apologist. According to an RZIM-funded investigation, the late apologist used a humanitarian fund to pay four massage therapists, at least one of whom said he used the money to pressure her to have sex.

Christians disagree over economic protests

Evangelicals are divided over the protests that have roiled Colombia since the proposal of a tax bill that would raise the cost of daily essentials, such as eggs and chickens, while giving more breaks to corporations. On a livestreamed show, pastors of the Misión Carismática Internacional megachurch warned real social change can only happen through prayer and personal conversion. A statement from the Iglesia Cristiana Casa Sobre la Roca network of 32 churches, on the other hand, invoked a noble history of Christian protest going back to Dietrich Bonhoeffer in World War II while reminding believers, “No somos pirómanos, sino bomberos” (“We are not arsonists, but firefighters”).

Billy Graham and Charles Spurgeon banned

A court in the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine has determined books by Billy Graham and Charles Spurgeon are “extremist” and will now be banned. The Door is Open, by Spurgeon, and Born to Die, by Graham, were seized from the Council of Churches Baptist near the town of Sverdlovsk, near the Russian border. There are now 26 titles on the “State List of Extremist Materials,” including the Jehovah’s Witness magazine The Watchtower and a Russian-language translation of the Gospel of John. According to the Ukrainian government, the Luhansk government is an occupying administration of the Russian Federation and is receiving aid from Russia as armed conflict between the rebels and Ukraine continues.Kenya

Alternatives to orphanages pressed

A Kenyan man who was raised in an institution with 150 other children and only two caregivers per shift asked the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child to end support for orphanages. “Instead of removing children from their families because of poverty, why don’t you address poverty within the family to ensure that the children continue to enjoy the care of their families,” Stephen Ucembe said via video. He is backed by Faith in Action, an evangelical-led coalition of child welfare organizations that advocates for more family options. American Christians give about $3.3 billion to international orphanages annually.

Church facilitates thousands of vaccinations

A Mennonite megachurch, in cooperation with local authorities, is vaccinating about 8,000 people against COVID-19 per day. The vaccines are provided by the government of the city of Semarang, and Jemaat Kristen Indonesia’s Injil Kerajaan (Holy Stadium) provides the facilities, pays 100 workers to assist the medical professionals, and gives away free lunches. The church is also providing space for people who need to quarantine. Deaths and infection rates started to fall in Indonesia in September as vaccines became more widely available. Most of the people who have received vaccines at Injil Kerajaan have never been inside a church before.

Hillsong founder facing charges

Hillsong founder Brian Houston stepped down from the church’s governing board amid criminal allegations that he covered up sexual abuse committed by his father, Frank Houston. According to prosecutors, the elder Houston abused a boy in the 1970s, and when the younger Houston learned about it in 1999, he tried to hide it. Brian Houston denies the charges “vehemently.” According to church leaders, he confronted his father, contacted Assemblies of God denominational leaders, forced his father to retire, and ultimately made a public announcement about the allegations. Frank Houston died in 2000. The charges against Brian Houston carry a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison. He will continue to serve as global senior pastor, preaching in Australia and around the world.

Star paid not to stir controversy over faith

Brazilian soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is paid hundreds of thousands of euros every month if he avoids statements of “religious propaganda that could damage the image and unity” of the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. Neymar, popularly known by his first name, is currently one of the highest-paid soccer players in the world and has been quite outspoken about his faith. He once told reporters, “Life only makes sense when our highest ideal is to serve Christ.” His current contract, however, includes a clause that pays him more than €540,000 (roughly $630,000) per month to avoid declarations of faith.

Also in this issue

Historically, Americans almost universally believed churches were good for communities. Even families that were not particularly devout leaned heavily on congregations in the 19th century to educate their children both in letters and in moral foundations. That amity has faded, of course, with declining church attendance. But a growing body of social science and medical research suggests corporate worship is not merely good for our souls but also for our bodies and minds. Our cover story this month explores why the abandonment of church could constitute a silent public health crisis.

Cover Story

The Riddle of Church Loneliness

Cover Story

Empty Pews Are an American Public Health Crisis

The New Head of the World Evangelical Alliance Wants to Talk

Actually, God Is Doing an Old Thing

How Scripture Keeps Surprising Me

News

Duke University Study Finds More Sin in the Rain

Our November Issue: Worship With Benefits

We Need a Savior More Than a State

Editorial

The Antidote to Celebrity Church Is Mere Church

The Church Needs Reformation, Not Deconstruction

The New Prison Ministry Lies in Bible Education

Reply All

Testimony

My Body Is a Temple, Not a Fighting Machine

Excerpt

You Can’t Slay the Giant Anxiety with Mere Willpower

News

A Court Win for One Pro-Life Med Student Raises Concerns for Others

News

The New President of an Evangelical University Has a Question: ‘What Would Booker T. Washington Do?’

News

Jesus Loves the Brown Pop-Eyed Atewa Slippery Frog

Churchgoers May Remember Song Lyrics Over Sermon Quotes

The Great Commission’s Greatest Hits

Review

God Loves a Persistent Pray-er

Review

The Inhuman Consequences of Satan’s Oldest Lie

New & Noteworthy Books

View issue

Our Latest

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As Malibu Burns, Pepperdine Withstands the Fire

University president praises the community’s “calm resilience” as students and staff shelter in place in fireproof buildings.

The Russell Moore Show

My Favorite Books of 2024

Ashley Hales, CT’s editorial director for print, and Russell discuss this year’s reads.

News

The Door Is Now Open to Churches in Nepal

Seventeen years after the former Hindu kingdom became a secular state, Christians have a pathway to legal recognition.

Why Christians Oppose Euthanasia

The immorality of killing the old and ill has never been in question for Christians. Nor is our duty to care for those the world devalues.

China’s Churches Go Deep Rather than Wide at Christmas

In place of large evangelism outreaches, churches try to be more intentional in the face of religious restrictions and theological changes.

The Holy Family and Mine

Nativity scenes show us the loving parents we all need—and remind me that my own parents estranged me over my faith.

Wire Story

Study: Evangelical Churches Aren’t Particularly Political

Even if members are politically active and many leaders are often outspoken about issues and candidates they support, most congregations make great efforts to keep politics out of the church when they gather.

News

Investigation to Look at 82 Years of Missionary School Abuse

Adult alumni “commanded a seat at the table” to negotiate for full inquiry.

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