In a press conference on Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asserted that God had nothing to do with the dropping number of coronavirus cases in New York.

According to The Daily Wire, Cuomo, a self-professing Roman Catholic, asserted that “the number is down because we brought the number down.”

He added, “God did not do that. Faith did not do that. Destiny did not do that.”

“A lot of pain and suffering did that,” the Democrat governor continued. “That’s how it works. It’s math. And if you don’t continue to do that, you’re going to see that number go back up. And that will be a tragedy if that number goes back up.”

Cuomo has long been an opponent of Christian conservatives. Last year, he signed a progressive abortion bill into law that allows for abortions up until the moment of birth. The bill’s passage was celebrated throughout New York City by lighting up several buildings, including One World Trade Center, in pink.

Back in 2014, Cuomo implied that conservatives who support the right to life, are pro-assault weapons, and anti-LGBTQ have “no place in the state of New York because that’s not who New Yorkers are.”

Also in New York, last month New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to permanently shut down houses of worship that refused to comply with the city’s lockdown measures.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,…

(RNS) — Russell Moore, the Southern Baptist Convention’s top ethicist, said he saw no problem with churches applying for government loans as part of the coronavirus relief legislation enacted last month.

That legislation provides $350 billion for the Small Business Administration to extend loans to small businesses — and in a government reversal, churches and other houses of worship — facing financial difficulties as a result of the coronavirus shutdown.

The loans can be used to pay staff salaries — including for pastors —  and utility bills and are forgivable, meaning that houses of worship won’t have to pay all the money back if they keep their staff.

Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention, said he saw no First Amendment or church-state entanglement associated with the loans.

In part, he said, that’s because banks would be issuing the loans, not the government.

“I would have a definite issue if you had government aid or government funding of any church,” Moore said. “What’s happening here is a guaranteeing and a backing up of a loan that the government has an interest in because they want to keep the flow of lending going and they want to keep the economy afloat.”

The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation’s largest Protestant denomination with some 47,000 churches.

Still, Moore said in a…

Michigan’s Governor is pulling back regulations on pro-life protestors as long as they are practicing social distancing. Her policy clarification comes after several Michigan residents filed a lawsuit against her and the Detroit Police Department, Faithwire reports.

The dispute began when pro-life activists were protesting and offering information to people outside the Scotsdale Women’s Center and Family Planning in Detroit. Eight officers showed up and told the group’s leader, Andrew Belanger, that they would have to leave because of the Governor’s stay-at-home order.

In a video posted to pro-life advocacy group LiveAction’s website, an officer is heard telling the group, “We’re here for a violation of the stay-at-home order by the governor.”

 He continued, “This isn’t essential to be out right now…Right now, it’s a $500 fine. If you keep this up after that, we’ll take you to jail.

The group protested that the abortion clinic is not an essential service. One of the officers countered that it is a “medical facility.”

After the incident, Belanger, along with Justin Phillips and Cal Zestrow, filed a lawsuit against Governor Whitmer and the City of Detroit. They asked the courts to “protect and vindicate fundamental constitutional rights,” arguing that the fines violated their First…

Presently, many of us are choosing to socially distance in order to play our part in flattening the curve in the fight against the coronavirus.

Among the many things canceled or postponed due to the pandemic, are concerts. As a result, many music artists are responding by holding online concerts or creating virtual renditions of songs.

While she wasn’t the first artist to create a social distancing friendly song, Faithwire reports that Lauren Daigle joined the fray on Sunday, releasing the “social distancing version” of her hit song “Still Rolling Stones.”

The two-time Grammy Award winner released the song with a video made up of clips from each member of her band recording their parts of the song in their respective homes.

“I had so much fun with all my bandmates putting this together for you,” Daigle wrote in an announcement post on Instagram. “From all of us, we hope you enjoy the social distancing version of ‘Still Rolling Stones,’” she added.

The video has been viewed more than 170,000 times.

Other artists who have held or plan to hold virtual concerts include but are not limited to, country star Garth Brooks, who shared a 26 minute virtual concert on his Facebook page; Christian and pop singer Tori Kelly, who participated in the Human to Human organization’s Facebook live show on April 11; Christian rock band Switchfoot, who are releasing daily…

The Department of Justice on Tuesday sided with a Mississippi church in its legal battle against the city of Greenville, which is preventing the congregation from holding drive-in services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Temple Baptist Church in Greenville, Miss., was holding a drive-in service in its parking lot April 8 when eight police officers arrived at the church and began handing out $500 fines to attendees. 

The drive-in service involved fewer than 20 cars that parked far enough apart to practice social distancing. Attendees kept their windows rolled up and listened to Pastor Arthur Scott’s sermon on a lower-power FM frequency. 

The day before the service, Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons issued an executive order banning such assemblies.

Temple Baptist had conducted other drive-in services prior to Simmons’ order.

The Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest “in support of” the church Tuesday.

“The facts alleged in the complaint strongly suggest that the city’s actions target religious conduct,” the DOJ’s brief says. “If proven, these facts establish a free exercise violation unless the city demonstrates that its actions are neutral and apply generally to nonreligious and religious institutions or satisfies the demanding strict scrutiny standard.”

The DOJ “has a substantial interest in the preservation of its citizens’ fundamental right to the free…

Two journalists are facing trespassing charges pressed by Liberty University after they pursued stories regarding the school’s decision to remain partially open amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ABC News reports.

Reportedly, ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis and New York Times photographer Julia Rendleman, visited Liberty University’s campus “without permission” back in March to unearth details about why the school decided to remain open, at least in part, and what life on campus looked like amid the global pandemic.

MacGillis’ article, titled, “What’s it Like on One of the Only University Campuses Still Open in the U.S.?” was published on March 26.

And on March 29, the New York Times published an article titled, “Liberty University Brings Back its Students, and Coronavirus Fears, Too,” featuring Rendleman’s photos.

After both stories were published, LU security forces reportedly collected witness accounts and decided to pursue criminal action against the reporter and photographer.

Elizabeth Williamson, who authored the March 29 NYT piece, is not facing trespassing charges as “eyewitnesses could not be found,” ABC News reports.

Arrest warrants for Class 1 Misdemeanors were signed by Virginia Magistrate Kang Lee against the two journalists, though the journalists have yet to be prosecuted. If convicted, the journalists could face up to a year in jail.

Jerry Falwell, Jr., president…