A California church filed a federal lawsuit Saturday challenging the state’s restrictions on houses of worship, including what the suit says is a ban on “in-home Bible studies.”

At issue are prohibitions by Gov. Gavin Newsom and state officials on “in-person religious gatherings” in 30 counties, as well as bans on corporate singing statewide. 

Liberty Counsel filed the suit on behalf of Harvest Rock Church and an associated organization, Harvest International Ministry. Each is headquartered in Pasadena. Harvest Rock has multiple campuses. 

Harvest Church requires masks, takes temperatures of attendees and requires the proper social distancing, the lawsuit says. Despite that, the state has imposed a “total prohibition” on religious activities, thus violating its constitutionally protected freedoms of religion, speech and assembly, the suit alleges.

“While the Governor has unilaterally and significantly restricted the number of individuals permitted to ‘gather’ in Plaintiffs’ churches, he has imposed no similar restrictions on the untold thousands of protesters who have gathered all throughout California cities with no threat of criminal sanction, and no social distancing or restrictions whatsoever.” the suit says. “And, the Governor explicitly encouraged such large gatherings of protesters while condemning churches for singing hymns in their churches.”

The…

A Tennessee church that shuttered last month after suffering an outbreak of COVID-19 announced the loss of two senior members to the virus but said they are also experiencing miracles in the pandemic too.

“We have lost two wonderful vulnerable seniors who were with us on Father’s Day and that’s tough. This horrendous virus attacked and we lost Bro. Frank Cunningham as well as Dr. Jimmy Bilbo,” Kelvin Page, pastor of Westmore Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, said in a video announcement on Facebook last weekend.

“Both of these men were special men who are greatly appreciated by the Westmore family. And we have learned from this horrendous virus that we must do all that we can do to protect our vulnerable. We have to. Even when we think that we were doing our due diligence and doing our best, we thought that, it still slipped in. And so we’ve got to do an even better job than what we thought we were doing.”

Cunningham, who died on July 9, was 73, and Bilbo, who passed a day later on…

As many households across America continue to struggle with food and job insecurity, i5 City Church in Glen Burnie, Maryland, partnered with Joyce Meyer Ministries in Missouri and several others over the weekend to distribute some 100,000 pounds of food and two new cars to community members in need.

“We have so many people in need and that are feeling hopeless and lonely, that what better way to get people together than to serve the community?” i5 City Church Pastor Jimmy Rollins told the Capital Gazette at his church Sunday where scores of volunteers had come to help distribute food from the church’s parking lot.

The church, which describes itself as “a group of people crazy enough to believe we can change the world,” draws its mission from Matthew 25:34-36.

“God has called us to be the tangible hands and feet of Jesus. We do this by meeting practical needs in our community. And all this can be seen in our name ‘i5.’ The ‘I’ stands for IMPACT, and the ‘5’…

A former ESPN host sparked a debate about prejudice and politics Sunday by alleging that Americans who vote for President Trump are racist.

The former host, Jemele Hill, is a contributing writer for The Atlantic and host of a Spotify podcast, Jemele Hill is Unbothered. At ESPN, she hosted SportsCenter, His and Hers, and Mike & Mike.

“If you vote for Donald Trump, you are a racist. You have no wiggle room,” Hill tweeted.

If you vote for Donald Trump, you are a racist. You have no wiggle room.

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 19, 2020

The tweet received more than 250,000 likes and was re-tweeted 60,000 times. It also led to more than 45,000 comments.

Some agreed.

“Amen! I concur,” one person wrote.

Amen! I concur 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

— G. Crump (@gcrump21) July 20, 2020

Others, though, said Hill had crossed a line.

“How can you call someone a racist when you don’t know anything about them?” one person tweeted.

How can you call someone a raciest when you don’t know anything about them? Do you know I voted for trump and will vote for him again, and I do not have a raciest bone in my body. Married a beautiful African American woman and have a beautiful mixed daughter.

— Trey (@trey242402) July 19, 2020

“I am voting for President Trump and so is the rest of my Hispanic family,” another person tweeted.

I am voting for president Trump and so is the rest of my Hispanic family…

JUBA, South Sudan, July 17, 2020 (Morning Star News) – Radical Muslims in Sudan took to the streets on July 17 to protest the transitional government’s adoption of amendments to decriminalize apostasy and repeal other Islamist laws.

The apostasy law has been used for more than 30 years to persecute those who leave Islam. The government’s adoption this week of the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms Act also allows non-Muslims to drink alcohol and abolishes public flogging as a criminal punishment.

“We [will] drop all the laws violating the human rights in Sudan,” Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari said.

Since the government announced plans for amendments to Sudanese law late Saturday night (July 11), Muslims took to social media to criticize the moves, terming them anti-Islamic and calling for massive demonstrations. Some called for “holy war” against the government for scrapping sharia (Islamic law) provisions.

Today (July 17) limited demonstrations took place in Khartoum, Khartoum North and Omdurman to protest the amended laws.

“Sharia, sharia or we die,” protestors shouted. “Listen you, Hamdok, this is Khartoum not New York.”

Dozens of people reportedly gathered in the protests. Brandishing banners reading, “No to secularism,” they shouted, “God’s laws shall not be replaced.”

Abadalla Hamdok was appointed prime minister by an 11-member sovereign…

Police in Fairfax County, Va., arrested a suspect Saturday in the stabbing of two people at a Bible study at a well-known church in Chantilly.

Both injuries were reported as non-life-threatening.

Chance Harrison, 32, of South Riding was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated malicious wounding, one count of felony assault on a police officer and one count of misdemeanor assault.

Police say Harrison entered Grace Covenant Church in Chantilly in the afternoon Saturday as the church was hosting an educational event. He stabbed one person, a staff member, without provocation, police say. A man then “intervened and also was stabbed by Harrison,” the Fairfax County Police Department said on its blog.

News4 in Washington, D.C. said the event was a Bible study.

“Harrison was subsequently confronted and subdued by Chief [Edwin C.] Roessler and several others. A knife believed to have been used by Harrison was recovered from the scene,” the blog said.

Roessler, who is a member of the church, received minor injuries. He restrained Harrison until other police arrived.

“We are in prayer for all the injured. We are grateful for the courage exhibited that prevented worse from happening” Grace Covenant Pastor Brett Fuller said in a statement. “Lastly, we want to thank the broader community for their outpouring of concern and support in this time.”

Fuller told News4…

A young Christian missionary and pastor lost his life at the hands of a Maoist group in India last week. The group, three armed men and three women, pulled Munshi Dec Tado out of a worship service on his property and shot in the back of the head.

Jaini Munshi Tado, Munshi’s wife, described the circumstances of his death to Morning Star News. She explained that her husband was leading a worship service on the family’s property. Then, three armed men who were accompanied by three women entered the service and interrupted it.

Tado said they, “Shook hands with him at first, then took him by his hand and, after few steps, they tied his hands at his back with a rope. I, my father-in-law, and brother-in-law followed after them, pleading and inquiring as to why they are taking him. They just said they want to talk to him and that we need not worry, they will send him back in a little while.”

They did not send him back. Tado said that after a span of only five to seven minutes, “We heard a gunshot. We immediately ran in the direction to find the body of my husband in the pool of his blood, and the Maoists had gone. I wept bitterly. My husband was gone.”

Sources told Morning Star News that villagers had become upset as 18 families had become part of Tado’s church and had converted to Christianity. The Maoists who took him away left a note in his pocket saying that he had earned money as a police…

Kanye West said at a campaign event for his bid for the presidency that women in Africa should receive a million dollars for each child.

West was speaking at a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina Sunday.

Despite reports that he had dropped from the presidential race, West showed he was still campaigning for the office. He missed registration deadlines in some states to appear on the November ballot, but he is hoping to secure votes as a write-in candidate in those states.

At the rally Sunday, West said he supported legal abortion, but noted that he also believed women who carry their baby to term should be given funds. He said Israel could fund a program in Africa where “everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars, or something in that range.”

“We will fund it with other countries,” West added. “America with other continents. There are Israeli continents that do not believe in this. There are African continents that do not believe in this.”

Despite previously stating that he supports legalized abortion, West later asserted that he is pro-life.

“My mom saved my life,” West said, according to Rolling Stone. “My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would’ve been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy.”

West then added that he initially encouraged his wife, Kim Kardashian West, to abort their first child, North West….