J.I. Packer, one of the most influential theologians of the past century and the author of Knowing God and more than 40 other books, died July 17. He was 93.

Born in England, Packer served as a professor at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia from 1979 until 2016, when he ended his public ministry due to failing eyesight (macular degeneration).

Although Anglican, Packer had a huge influence on evangelicals; his books were widely assigned and read in Christian colleges and seminaries around the world.

He signed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy in 1979.

Among his most popular books were Knowing God (1973), A Quest for Godliness (1990), Fundamentalism and the Word of God (1958) and Concise Theology (1993).

He often told his students, “Theology, friends, is doxology.”

Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Calif., said Packer was “a man who had an enormous impact on my life.” Mohler was an 18-year-old young man in the late 1970s who was “trying to figure out what it meant to be a Christian” when he discovered Packer.

“It was reading J.I. Packer’s book, Knowing God …. [that] made a decisive difference in my life,” Mohler said. “For the first time, I had someone talk to me about what it meant to know God – to recast the Christian devotional life … as not only knowing about God but knowing God.”

I…

(RNS) — The Rev. C.T. Vivian, a minister and advocate for civil rights who worked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died Friday (July 17) in Atlanta.

Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian was 95. His daughter, Denise Morse, confirmed his death, describing him to Atlanta TV station 11Alive as “one of the most wonderful men who ever walked the earth.”

He died of natural causes, business partner and friend Don Rivers told the Associated Press.

Vivian’s social justice work preceded King’s, as the Missouri native nonviolently and successfully protested segregated lunch counters in Peoria, Illinois, in 1947. He later became part of King’s executive staff at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta. 

Late in life, Vivian continued to contribute to the civil rights cause, serving in his late 80s as the president of the SCLC. 

In between his times at that civil rights organization, Vivian was active on issues of equality for decades, on the ground in marches and in lecture halls teaching about democracy and racial justice.

Vivian was honored in 2013 at age 89 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, alongside media mogul Oprah Winfrey and former President Bill Clinton.

“The Rev. C.T. Vivian was a stalwart activist on the march toward racial equality,’’ says the White House citation read before President Barack Obama bestowed the medal on Vivian. “Whether at a lunch counter, on a…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Faith leaders are speaking out against the federal government’s decision to begin executing federal prisoners, decrying the Trump administration’s decision to end a nearly two-decade-long moratorium on the federal death penalty.

The outcry comes as the U.S. Department of Justice carried out its second execution on Thursday morning (July 16), killing 68-year-old Wesley Purkey by lethal injection after he was convicted in 2003 of raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl as well as killing an 80-year-old woman.

Purkey’s death followed the Tuesday execution of Daniel Lewis Lee, who was convicted for his involvement in the killing of a family of three. A third execution was scheduled for Friday. These constitute the first uses of capital punishment by the federal government since 2003.

Faith leaders say the federal government’s use of the death penalty, which resumed after a 2019 push by the Justice Department, is out of step with their faith.

“So much for the ‘pro-life’ administration,” the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author, wrote in a Facebook post. “The taking (of) a life is always immoral. So is the taking (of) a life to punish the taking of another life. This is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the death penalty is ‘inadmissible.’ It is an assault on the dignity of the human person and on human life.”

More than…

Liberty University is suing the New York Times for the newspaper’s handling of the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Christian Headlines previously reported, the New York Times published an article in March decrying the school’s decision not to fully shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the article, the Times claimed that nearly a dozen LU students were sick with coronavirus like symptoms. 

LU responded to those claims noting that it was untrue and requested a retraction be printed or legal action would be taken.

According to Fox News, during a broadcast of Hannity on Wednesday, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr. confirmed that the school had indeed filed a lawsuit against the newspaper.

“Not only are they a bigoted bunch of liars, and also [a] BuzzFeed type clickbait publication now,” Falwell told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “But they’re also stupid because they came on campus. We had 25, at least, ‘No Trespassing’ signs everywhere, and they were dumb enough to take pictures of the signs and publish them.

“So, we got warrants out for their arrest and they had to cut a deal with a local prosecutor to keep from going to jail,” Falwell added. “That’s how dumb they are.”

The Times piece, entitled “Liberty University Brings Back Its Students, and Coronavirus Fears, Too,” reported that the man in charge of LU’s student health service, Dr. Thomas…

Christian children’s book author Matthew Paul Turner announced on Friday that he and his wife, Jessica Turner, are getting a divorce on account that he is gay.

Simultaneously coming out and announcing his divorce in an Instagram post Friday afternoon, the When God Made the World author noted that after turning to prayer and seeking counseling, the couple has made the decision to go their separate ways. 

He wrote, “While we’re best friends and thoroughly love doing life, parenting, and pursuing our dreams together, ending our marriage is necessary because I am gay.

He continued, “Being gay isn’t a new discovery for me. However, as someone who spent 30+ years in fundamentalist/evangelical churches, exploring God through conservative theologies, I lived many days overwhelmed by fear, shame, and self-hatred.”

Turner went on to note that despite becoming LGBTQ+ affirming in his faith long ago, the process of accepting himself took much longer.

“For the first time in my life, despite the sadness and grief I’m feeling right now, I can say with confidence that I’m ready to embrace freedom, hope, and God as a gay man,” he asserted.

Turner then thanked his soon-to-be-ex-wife for her love and support through this process and noted that he would not have been able to accept himself “without Jessica’s undying grace and support.”

“I fell in love with her 17 years ago and still…

After endorsing the Obama/Biden Democratic ticket in 2008 and 2012, the National Association of Police Organizations endorsed President Trump this week for president and thanked him for his support in recent months.

The lobbying organization, often called “NAPO,” represents more than 1,000 police units and associations and 241,000 law enforcement officers. It was founded in 1978.

“Our endorsement recognizes your steadfast and very public support for our men and women on the front lines, especially during this time of unfair and inaccurate opprobrium being directed at our members by so many,” wrote Michael McHale, NAPO president, in a July 15 letter to Trump. 

The letter listed several items of agreement between the organization and Trump, including:

• “your directing the Attorney General to aggressively prosecute those who attack our officers;
• “your signing into law the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act;
• “your advocacy and signing into law the legislation which permanently authorized funds to support 9/11 first responders and their families; 
• “your revitalization of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program to help reduce violent crime; and
• “your unflagging recognition that America’s law enforcement officers, just like any other citizens, have Constitutional rights, too.”

“NAPO is pleased to support your re-election campaign for President, and we are…