In a rare interview spree, megachurch pastor Andy Stanley of North Point Ministries is speaking out on his church’s decision to not gather until 2021 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stanley made the announcement earlier this week and the decision made international news headlines, according to Christianity Today. For Stanley, creating certainty in the midst of a confusing crisis can give church members a path forward.

“I announced to our churches that we would not be meeting publicly for the next three Sundays. Some pastors called and said, ‘What do you know that we don’t?’ I said, ‘I don’t know anything you don’t. I just know that clarity in the midst of uncertainty is the way forward,’” Stanley said on the Stetzer Leadership Podcast.

The Atlanta-based pastor also recognized that his church staff was spending their limited resources and energy to create a service for only 20% of the congregation when that time could be redirected to creating an online community that could reach nearly all of them.

“… This is really my mission decision. It’s not based on emotion. It’s on point with our mission to inspire people to follow Jesus. It’s a very outsider-focused decision instead of an insider-focused decision,” he said.

Stanley and his leadership surveyed their congregations across multiple campuses to get a pulse on member’s feelings…

A liberal-led boycott of Goya Foods has sparked a conservative backlash, with more than $250,000 raised in less than four days to purchase Goya products for food banks.

Casey Harper, a television producer in Arlington, Va., set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe.com after U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats called for a boycott of Goya when its CEO appeared at the White House July 9 and said the U.S. was “blessed” to have President Trump.

Goya CEO Robert Unanue made the comments at Trump’s signing of the Hispanic Prosperity Initiative. Unanue – who said he prays for Trump – also announced Goya was donating 2 million pounds of food to food banks to assist families impacted by the pandemic.

Goya’s products are a staple in many Hispanic homes.

Harper, a producer for Sinclair and Eric Bolling, set up the fundraiser with an initial goal of $10,000. As of Wednesday morning, it had netted $255,000.

During the Obama administration, Unanue also appeared at an event with First Lady Michelle Obama.

“What if we rise up to say no to cancel culture AND feed the hungry at the same time?” Harper asked in his initial post. “… GOYA is facing a boycott that could cost the CEO his job. The liberal mob is coming for anyone who disagrees. Cancel culture at its worst. We need to have our voice heard!”

Harper said he personally spent $225.29 on GOYA…

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is expected to be in the hospital for a few days after undergoing a medical procedure.

According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court said in a statement that Ginsburg, 87, was being treated for a possible infection.

 “The Justice is resting comfortably and will stay in the hospital for a few days to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment,” the statement said.

Ginsburg went to a hospital in Washington on Monday for fever and chills. She was then taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to undergo a medical procedure to clean out a bile duct stent. The stent had been placed nearly a year ago as part of her treatment for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas.

The Supreme Court said Ginsburg “is resting comfortably and will stay in the hospital for a few days to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment.”

Trump said Tuesday he hadn’t heard of Ginsburg’s hospitalization.

“I wish her the best. I hope she’s better,” he said.

In May, Ginsburg was taken to the hospital for an infection caused by a gallstone. She was able to participate in arguments the Supreme Court heard by phone.

Last August 2019, Ginsburg completed her fourth treatment for cancer, the AP reports. A routine blood test discovered the tumor. The three-week radiation therapy ended in August. She also had the bile duct stent placed.

In December 2018, Ginsburg underwent…

Hagia Sophia, a museum known for its religious roots in Christianity in Istanbul, Turkey, will become a mosque. Many political and religious leaders have expressed outrage over the controversial decision.

According to the Christian Post, the Hagia Sophia was erected as a Greek Orthodox Church in A.D. 537. The cathedral would go on to bear tremendous religious and historical significance as it was considered to be the seat of Eastern Christianity for 900 years until its subsequent transformation into an Ottoman mosque in the 15th century after Istanbul was captured by Sultan Mehmed II, the Conqueror.
Then in 1934, all worship at Hagia Sophia was banned as it was turned into a museum by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

BBC News reported that the decision to turn the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque was made after a court ruling that took away it’s museum status.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended the decision at a press conference last week, stating the country utilized its sovereign right.

“Like all our mosques, the doors of Hagia Sophia will be wide open to locals and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims,” he added.

Erdogan also noted that starting July 24, Muslims will be allowed to begin praying inside the building.

Despite its transition to a Mosque, Turkish officials asserted that Christian symbols will not be removed.

Turkey’s President…

Several churches and statues of religious figures were badly damaged in separate incidents across the nation over the weekend.

Law enforcement is currently investigating these incidents in light of the recent protests over statues and monuments.

In Florida, one man crashed his car into the foyer of Queen of Peace Catholic Church before pouring gasoline in the church and setting it on fire, Fox News reports.

The Catholic church was in the midst of conducting its Saturday morning mass at the time of the incident. After setting the building ablaze, the suspect sped away in his vehicle but was eventually caught and taken into custody by police.

24-year-old Steven Anthony Shields was arrested on multiple charges including attempted murder, arson, burglary, and evading arrest.

According to an affidavit report, the suspect in custody told law enforcement officers his actions were “awesome” and that he was on a “mission,” referring to himself as the “king.”

A detective was told by Shields that he took issue with the Catholic Church and did not take his medication for his schizophrenia diagnosis.

While the church’s foyer was immensely burned by the fire, the church was able to safely continue its Mass service.

Meanwhile, on Saturday around 4 a.m., a church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles California was also set ablaze.

San Gabriel church in Los Angeles had been undergoing renovations in…

A recent event at Bethel Church involving a Lord of the Rings-like staff and a line from the film has sparked a social media debate over its appropriateness.

The moment took place toward the end of the two-hour “Transformation NOW!” event on June 12 that featured multiple speakers, including Bethel Church pastor Bill Johnson, addressing ethnic reconciliation and social justice. It was livestreamed on Bethel.TV, YouTube and Facebook Live. The congregation is located in Redding, Calif.

A Twitter video of the moment has been viewed more than 300,000 times.

Marlyne Barrett, a pastor at Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, held the wooden staff on stage, surrounded by the speakers.

“I am an artist,” said Barrett, an actress known for her role in NBC’s Chicago Med and Chicago Fire. “… One of the movies that has really touched my heart is Lord of the Rings.”

Barrett referenced the night’s speakers and how they had impacted and inspired her to help bring the body of Christ together. She then mentioned a scene in the film trilogy in which Gandalf battles a demon known as Balrog on a bridge over a hellish-like abyss. In the scene, Gandalf holds his staff and shouts, “You shall not pass!” Half the bridge crumbles, and Balrog falls into the abyss.

Speaking of the “racist spirit in America,” Barrett said, “We are going to lift the staff — and we’ll command the spirit, not…

Christians across China continue to be persecuted by Communist officials in the ongoing crackdown against houses of worship.

Bitter Winter reports that at least 400 Three-Self and house churches were either demolished, shut down or repurposed in Shangrao City of Jiangxi Province. Additionally, video footage shows a cross being removed from the rooftop of a Shangrao church.

 “The central and provincial governments planned to send a team to focus on rectifying Christianity in Yugan county,” a local preacher told Bitter Winter.

He was also told that his church’s cross had to be removed otherwise it would be destroyed.

“If we didn’t do it, the church could have been demolished when the team came,” the preacher added.

Bitter Winter also noted that many of Three-Self churches were transformed into activity centers or libraries.

One director of a Three-Self church reported that local authorities were ordered by the central government to rectify all state-run churches under no exceptions. He told Bitter Winter that churches built or approved after 2014 were told to shut down, despite some of the churches having necessary permits.

In May, a local church built off of the donations of its congregants was destroyed in the Guangxin District.

A Seventh-day Church venue was also forcibly demolished in Huanggu town in the Guangxin district.

One preacher of a Three-Self church who had its cross removed told Bitter…