A Mississippi city at the center of a row about drive-in churches has revised its policy on the issue. The Greenville City Council has clarified that the unique format of worship gathering – which has been employed by churches to protect congregants from spreading COVID-19 – is permitted providing that car windows remain fully up.

Mayor Errick D. Simmons was forced to make the revisions after the Department of Justice threw its weight behind a church that sued the city over the restriction. On April 8, around 20 members of Temple Baptist Church gathered in their vehicles were shocked to be accosted by police officers and cited with $500 fines for their behavior. Though the fines were later rescinded, the furor over the case – and what it means for First Amendment rights – continued.

Ryan Tucker of legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which has been representing Temple Baptist, thanked the city for “dropping its unconstitutional ban.”

“Public officials are right to care about public health and safety during the coronavirus crisis, but they are wrong when they treat churches more harshly than others in government orders related to it,” Tucker said in a statement.

“We commend Greenville for dropping its unconstitutional ban, which prohibited drive-in church services but allowed similar types of activities, such as eating at drive-in restaurants. That…

(RNS) — A conservative law firm launched a “ReOpen Church Sunday” initiative this week, calling on churches to begin gathering in person again despite reports of the deadly novel coronavirus being spread during worship services.

The campaign is organized by Liberty Counsel, which created a website for the initiative encouraging Christian leaders to begin holding in-person worship the weekend of May 3 — just days ahead of the National Day of Prayer on May 7.

“There’s a lot of practical ways that churches can begin thinking through the process of reopening and, at the same time, protecting the health of all of its participants in the community — and then giving other alternative options,” Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, told Religion News Service.

Staver’s campaign suggests churches take a phased approach, allowing some worshippers to gather in person while maintaining social distancing but also providing options for people to participate from their cars or, if they belong to an at-risk population, at home via livestream. The campaign’s website also contains a list of suggested safety measures, such as sanitizing worship spaces and checking temperatures at the door.

“We’re encouraging this to begin the process of reopening, not to fill the sanctuaries to maximum capacity,” he said.

Staver, whose group also represents a Florida pastor recently arrested after continuing to…

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says President Donald Trump will try to delay the November election because of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Fox News, Biden said Trump will try to move the election to give him more time to convince voters to select him.

“Mark my words, I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can’t be held. That’s the only way he thinks he can possibly win,” Biden said in an online campaign event, according to a pool report.

In early April, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top disease expert, said he “can’t guarantee” that it would be safe to physically vote at polls in November.

“There is always the possibility, as we get into next fall and the beginning of early winter, that we could see a rebound,” he said.

Biden said Trump is already trying to “undermine” a November election by blocking emergency funding to the U.S. Postal Service.

“We have to make it easier for everybody to be able to vote, particularly if we are still basically in the kind of lockdown circumstances we are in now,” Biden told about 650 donors. “But that takes a lot of money, and it’s going to require us to provide money for states and insist they provide mail-in ballots.”

Trump has said mail-in voting is “horrible” and “corrupt.” He also claimed that mail-in ballots were open to…

Movie buffs who finish I Still Believe and want to learn what happened in the next chapter of Jeremy Camp’s life can do so thanks to a new book.

In Unison, by Camp and his wife, Adrienne, tells how the Camps met, why they fell in love, and how they’ve seen their marriage grow over the years. Essentially, it picks up from an emotional scene in the movie’s final minutes, in which Adrienne’s character tells Jeremy’s character she was impacted by the testimony of his first wife, Melissa, who died of ovarian cancer.

That scene, Adrienne told Christian Headlines, “actually happened” in real life.

After Melissa’s death, Camp met Adrienne, who was the lead singer for the Christian rock group The Benjamin Gate, while on tour together.

Adrienne had heard Melissa’s story while listening to Jeremy’s on-stage testimony.

“I was deeply impacted and changed by both Jeremy and Melissa’s faith,” Adrienne said. “That really caused me to be protective of this story and in a sense, an advocate for it. Because along the way, I just felt if I was one of those people that was so deeply touched, who am I to stand in the way of that powerful testimony reaching others?”

Still, Jeremy wasn’t her type, as In Unison says. Adrienne had always assumed she would marry an artist – maybe a “painter, sculpter or photographer – perhaps tall, skinny and oozing creativity,” the book…

Tonight, Dave Ramsey will lead a virtual event based on proven principles from Financial Peace University – the tried and true personal finance course that has helped nearly 6 million people get out of debt, save money and build wealth over the last 25 years. Recently, Dave provided Christian Headlines an interview and offered a look into what the virtual event will entail. For Dave Ramsey and the Ramsey team, they have been clear that people of faith will get through the tough season that American’s may find themselves in.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What advice would you give to families who may feel hopeless in what is happening financially to them?

Dave Ramsey: This too shall pass. I’ve been doing this a long time – through 9/11, through the financial crisis of 2008, and now this horrible virus, and here’s what I’ve learned: Americans are both resilient and rebellious. We are going to get through this. You just need a plan. So, start by looking at the facts. Fear is never a great financial advisor. If you lost your job, find something – anything – to bring money in. There are plenty of places hiring right now. It may not be the dream job, but it’s important to do what you can to protect your four walls – food, utilities, shelter and transportation. Then make minimum payments on what you can and stockpile cash. If you…

President Trump on Wednesday pointed to the “wonder of God’s creation” in celebrating Earth Day and helping plant a tree with First Lady Melania Trump.

The president and his wife helped plant a maple tree on the south lawn of the White House on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and two days before Arbor Day. Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence also took part in the ceremony.

This year’s Earth Day celebration, Trump noted, is taking place amid a pandemic.

“In this time of trial, the beauty of springtime fills us with the peace and the hope of renewal,” Trump said in remarks prior to the planting of the tree. “… On this special occasion, we are renewing our strong national commitment on conserving the wonder of God’s creation. One of the most important ways we uphold this tradition is by protecting our priceless national parks and our public lands.”

Although the national parks have been mostly closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump said they will begin reopening “in line” with the White House’s guidelines for opening up America.

“On this Earth Day, we celebrate that America leads the world in environmental stewardship,” Trump said. “… [W]e continue to have among the cleanest air and cleanest water anywhere on the planet Earth.”

Trump also noted the country’s participation in the One Trillion Tree Initiative, which seeks to have one…