(RNS) — Jemar Tisby and Pastor Tyler Burns, co-hosts of the five-year-old Pass the Mic podcast, are used to dispensing their views on black Christian life from behind the microphone.

In the wake of the death of George Floyd under the knee of a white policeman, the leaders of the nine-year-old The Witness: A Black Christian Collective find themselves trying to speak to white believers.

On Thursday (June 4), Tisby, the author of “The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism,” and Burns, lead pastor of New Dimensions Christian Center in Pensacola, Florida, talked to Religion News Service about race relations and policing and what people — including white evangelicals — need to do differently as the country faces these issues anew.

“A lot of times white people, in particular, like to treat racial justice like a light switch that they can flick on and off,” said Tisby, who hopes this time around that won’t happen.

“It is not enough for us to simply say nice things at this moment,” added Burns, who has taken to the streets in protests in Pensacola. “Black people are tired and we’re going to continue. That’s just the history of who we are. But we cannot do this alone. It’s impossible for us to do this alone. And so we need co-laborers and we need allies.”

The interview, a portion of which is set to be featured on Religion News…

Saying the “focus is now on healing” America, Vice President Mike Pence took part in a listening session Friday with faith and community leaders at a Maryland church that highlighted strategies to bring the country together following the death of George Floyd. 

“My prayer is that we as a nation have ears to hear — to listen to one another, and open hearts,” Pence told the leaders. “I’m really here to listen.”

Most of the leaders in the room were black.

Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., who is black and serves as the pastor of host Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., said Floyd’s death was “representative of an almost 400-year history and challenges that we’ve had.” Jackson’s father, he said, was “threatened at gunpoint” by a Florida state trooper more than 60 years ago. The gun discharged, sending a round over the father’s head that temporarily deafened him. Jackson’s family moved out of the South because of the incident.

“So, this administration did not create this problem with this backdrop, but it has the opportunity to heal it,” Jackson said.

Pence referenced the Trump administration’s signing of the criminal reform bill and its champion of expanding educational opportunities – policy positions he said assists the black community.

“This was all in an effort to address what have been the historic inequalities in our African…

Editor’s note: A previous headline incorrectly indicated that the lawsuit had been won. This has been updated as there is no clear indication whether the suit is still pending now that a result has been achieved in favor of the churches.

Two Oregon churches had filed a lawsuit May 26 against Governor Katherine Brown’s COVID-19 restrictions on churches. Nine days later, the governor has relaxed those restrictions, and churches are planning how to reopen safely for services.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit that represented Edgewater Christian Fellowship and the Roseburg Church of God of Prophecy in the case, said that the restrictions unfairly limited churches as opposed to other secular institutions, like restaurants and retail stores.

The ADF explained that under the restrictions, a group of 25 people could gather at a dine-in restaurant for a meal Sunday, but if those same people gathered in a church for worship, they would face penalties. Pastors of those churches could be jailed for up to 30 days and face a fine of $1,250.

“The problem is the governor is treating people in a secular setting one way, but if they happen to do the exact same act in a religious setting, then it becomes a problem,” said Ryan Tucker, senior council at the Alliance Defending Freedom.

According to an OBP report, the church leaders worried that “drive-in services and online…

Minnesota native Mike Lindell, who is the founder and CEO of MyPillow could very well be running for governor in 2022.

CBN News reports that Lindell told News Max his reason for running is due to the poor response that Minnesota’s leaders have had over the death of George Floyd and the riots that followed.

“If God has me do it, I will do it,” Lindell told the news site. “I just see things that are so poorly run, and they could be done a lot better. 

“It might come down to, ‘if you want something done right, do it yourself,'” he added.

The MyPillow founder noted the Minneapolis police officer behind George Floyd’s death should have been immediately arrested.

According to Minnesota law, a suspect can be detained for up to 48 hours prior to facing charges.

“There are bad people in all walks of life, including police,” Lindell said.

He also addressed the “very poor leadership” from Mayor Jacob Frey, state Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Gov. Tim Walz in preparing for the violent riots following George Floyd’s death.

“It’s sad because I think our leadership could have been a lot more prepared,” Lindell said.

“Prepare on a big scale, better to have too many (National Guardsmen) than too few,” he added.

Politico reports that Lindell’s run for Minnesota governor would have President Trump’s backing as he has encouraged the MyPillow founder to run.

Back in March, Lindell made an…

President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week that earmarks $50 million for religious freedom programs around the world.

CBN News reports that under the order, named Advancing International Religious Freedom, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will create action plans for countries to help eliminate religious persecution. The money will go to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“Religious freedom, America’s first freedom, is a moral and national security imperative,” the order states. “Religious freedom for all people worldwide is a foreign policy priority of the United States, and the United States will respect and vigorously promote this freedom.”

The order comes as religious persecution, including against Christians worldwide, continues to rise. According to Open Doors USA’s 2020 World Watch List, North Korea, Afghanistan and Somalia are the most dangerous countries for Christians.

USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa praised the executive order, saying the organization was “grateful for the President’s leadership in advancing religious freedom around the world.”

“Americans have always believed our first freedom is the freedom of religion, and it is a key component of our national security strategy,” Barsa wrote. “Whether in response to genocide committed against Christians and Yazidis in Northern Iraq, or the ethnic…

A pastor in Chicago led a peaceful protest earlier this week, calling for an end to police brutality and racism.

According to Religion News Service, Rev. Chris Harris, of Bright Star Church in Chicago, organized the peaceful demonstration in which other religious leaders also participated.

“We showed them we can do it peacefully in Chicago,” Harris said.

Across the nation, more religious leaders are stepping up to participate in protests. The demonstrations come after a black man in Minneapolis died after a white police officer pressed his knee into the man’s neck.

The march, led by Harris, traveled down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in a neighborhood on Chicago’s south side. The neighborhood, Bronzeville, was a long-standing home for Africans Americans between 1915 and 1970. 

“We expected Chicago to show up. And it did: South Side, West Side, North Side, everybody came, peaceful, no drama,” Harris told Religion News Service afterward.

“That’s what the church should represent. That’s what the temple should represent. That’s what the synagogue should represent. That’s what the mosque represents. That’s what the Baha’i temple represents. Chicago represents that, and we did it in the black metropolis, the great migration. That’s pretty amazing.”

Rev. James Meeks, of Salem Baptist Church, also participated in the march.

“It’s so important that people of faith put their faith on…