About one in five churches across the United States during the spring of 2019 heard a sermon mentioning abortion, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that showed a disparity between evangelical and mainline churches on the issue.

Nineteen percent of churches heard at least one sermon mentioning abortion, with evangelical Protestant (22 percent), Catholic (19 percent) and historically black Protestant churches (18 percent) being the most likely to include a sermon on abortion during the study period and mainline churches (10 percent) the least likely.

Most sermons were in opposition to abortion, Pew said.

Overall, 4 percent of all sermons in U.S. churches mentioned abortion during the study period, including 4 percent of evangelical sermons, 5 percent of Catholic sermons and 3 percent of sermons in historically black Protestant churches. Two percent of sermons in mainline Protestant churches mentioned abortion.

The survey examined online sermons from more than 6,400 U.S. churches between April 7 and June 1, 2019. The survey period did not include what often is called Sanctity of Human Life Sunday or Pro-Life Sunday, an annual day in January when sermons on abortion are more common.

“While the database is not representative of all U.S. Christian sermons, it offers a window into what many Americans hear each week from the pulpit,” Pew’s Dennis Quinn wrote in an online analysis.

Meanwhile,…

COVID-19 patients given the drug Remdesivir in a government-funded placebo-controlled trial recovered faster and likely had a lower mortality rate, Dr. Anthony Fauci said at the White House Wednesday.

The trial of more than 1,000 individuals was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – which Fauci heads – and involved patients in multiple countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Spain and Greece. 

The average time of recovery for coronavirus patients who were given Remdesivir was 11 days, compared to 15 days in the placebo group. The mortality rate in the Remdesivir group was 8 percent compared to 11 percent in the placebo group – a difference that has “not yet reached statistical significance” but still “trended towards being better,” Fauci said. More data needs to be analyzed to determine if Remdesivir has a statistically significant lower mortality rate, Fauci said.

Overall, the trial produced positive results, Fauci said. Gilead is the manufacturer.

“The data shows that Remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” Fauci said. “This is really quite important for a number of reasons. … What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.”

Remdesivir works by “blocking an enzyme that the virus uses,” Fauci said.

The results of the trial,…

A recent virtual conference highlighted the divide that still exists among some evangelicals about supporting President Trump in his bid for reelection. 

Relevant Magazine reports that at Q2020, which featured talks from popular evangelicals such as Tim Keller, Priscilla Shirer, Ann Voskamp, Andy Crouch, Francis Chan, and Lecrae, Eric Metaxas and David French took part in a dialogue about evangelical backing of the President. Gabe Lyons, the founder of Q, hosted the conversation.

Lyons first asked Metaxas, host of a Christian radio program and author of books on Martin Luther and Deitrich Bonhoeffer, to explain his support for the President and why he feels “like that’s been important during this last election cycle and even moving into a re-election cycle.” Metaxas said that he “despised” Trump when he was running during the primaries, going so far as to write a piece for the New Yorker mocking Trump’s biblical illiteracy.

Metaxas explained that he was turned towards Trump by “the viciousness of the left toward him,” commenting that he has “never seen anything like it in my life.” He referenced the infamous “hot mic moment” behind the scenes on Access Hollywood, which took place in 2005, but became public in October 2016, just weeks before the election. After watching the 11-year-old tape surface, Metaxas said, “that level of…

Although 10 states currently prohibit churches from gathering in worship, most states have some sort of religious exemption and 15 states allow religious gatherings to continue without any limits, according to a new Pew Research Center study of the regulations in all 50 states.

Pew examined how social distancing requirements amid the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted religious gatherings in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Ten states prohibit in-person gatherings of any form: California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, Minnesota, Montana and Vermont.

Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia specify in their orders that “religious gatherings can take place, but only if they are limited to 10 people or fewer,” Pew found. Two other states, Connecticut and Oregon, limit church gatherings to 50 and 25 people, respectively.

Fifteen states allow churches to continue gathering without any limits. Those states are Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

Restrictions in some states, including in California, have sparked lawsuits. 

“Perhaps with such litigation in mind, most other states have carved out exemptions for religious gatherings in their stay-at-home orders or other directives in an attempt to balance religious…

Grammy-nominated Gospel singer, writer, and producer Troy Sneed has died following a battle with coronavirus. He was 52.

According to the New York Daily News, his publicist shared that Sneed had died Monday morning at a Jacksonville, Fla., hospital from COVID-19 related complications.

Throughout his musical career, Sneed released seven solo albums which included hits such as “My Heart Says Yes” and “Work It Out.” Both songs reached the No. 2 spot on the Billboard gospel chart.

Sneed also helped to form a musical group composed of members ages 12 to 18 from the Georgia Mass Choir called Youth For Christ. Sneed received his sole Grammy nomination for their 1999 album Higher.

Sneed also produced Youth For Christ’s hit album, The Struggle Is Over, which reached No.1 on the Billboard gospel chart in 2006.

“Troy was like a brother to me,” Mike Chandler, CEO of Rejoice! Musical Soul Food radio network told Action News Jax. “He was a businessman. He was a husband; he was a father. He was an industry leader, so it’s not just my loss it’s a loss to the whole industry.”

“He was one of the most talented men in our industry, but more importantly Troy was a good person and he did a lot of good work. The world is going to miss him,” Chandler added.

Sneed was born in Perry, Florida on December 14, 1967. He attended Florida A&M University where he played football and later went on to be…

The Abortion Pill Rescue Network, a group that helps women try to reverse the effects of the abortion pill, says it has had a record number of calls.

“We are now seeing over 80% of our callers start the reversal process,” Andrea Trudden, communications director for Heartbeat International, told Live Action.

Heartbeat International oversees the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, The Christian Post reports.

In March, 105 mothers started the process to try to stop the chemically induced abortion from the abortion pill, RU-486.

The increase in calls likely stems from stay-at-home orders because of the coronavirus pandemic. In many states, abortion clinics have been ordered to close.

“We understand this is a stressful time for many, and some women are starting chemical abortion because that is the only option they can see,” Trudden said.

Trudden said many of the calls come from “the abortion facility parking lot or from the car on the drive home because the regret is immediate.”

The abortion pill, mifepristone, blocks the progesterone hormone. A second pill, Misoprostol, causes contractions, cramps and the passing of pregnancy tissue.

“If a mother who changes her mind after beginning a chemical abortion receives supplemental progesterone before taking the second pill, there is a chance to save the baby’s life and continue with a normal pregnancy,” Live Action…