A Florida county will now allow atheists to give invocations at the start of government meetings and was ordered to pay $490,000 as part of a recently agreed upon legal settlement.

The Brevard County Board of Commissioners reached a settlement with a group of plaintiffs who were prohibited from giving invocations at the meeting.

The plaintiffs will now be allowed to give invocations, according to an announcement by Americans United for Separation of Church & State.

The county will also dole out $430,000 in court costs and legal fees, as well as $60,000 in damages to the plaintiffs.

Alex J. Luchenitser, associate legal director for Americans United who helped represent the plaintiffs, supported the settlement.

“This settlement protects the religious freedom of everyone in Brevard County. No one should be excluded from participating in local government because of their beliefs about religion,” said Luchenitser in a statement released Tuesday.

In 2014, David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community and other leaders asked to do an invocation at the beginning of the Brevard County Commissioners meeting.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

Hebrews 3:12-14 “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”

Why do we cling to error, even when the truth is so clear?  Perhaps it is because we prefer a certain formula that we find comforting.  We prefer to believe that it’s just “one and done.”  But is that really an honest interpretation of the scripture?  Shouldn’t we be impartial and interpret the scripture without bias?  That would be wise.  The Spirit of God leads us in these things.

Today we consider the issue of salvation and continuance, or in other words: “Are we once saved always saved?”

According to the scriptures, this is not a reasonable exegesis based on key scriptures like John 15, Hebrews 3:12-14, Revelation 3, and many others.

The simple theme of John 15 is that of continuance, or “abiding” in Christ.  To abide means to remain.  Jesus urges us to “remain in me.”  And then he says in response “then I will remain in you.”  It’s a fairly simple formula, we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, through faith, and then we must continue in the faith, remaining and walking with Jesus throughout our whole lives, overcoming sin, living in victory, and living out holiness in all we do.  This is the teaching of the new testament.

But unfortunately some today teach a dangerous false doctrine of “once saved always saved.”  This is the idea that once you get saved you can never lose it no matter what you do.  You can leave church, you can never come back, never read your Bible, never do anything related to Jesus, and then you’re still saved.  Interesting isn’t it?

We often see so many come to Christ, but then they never follow through.  They don’t continue in the faith.  They don’t dive into discipleship, and study of the word, and prayer.  Because often they’ve been left with a false impression, much like what has sometimes been inferred by child baptism, or even adult baptism, that it’s “one and done.”  And thus someone would say, “well I was baptized when I was 28, or 2, so I’m good.”  And we’ve left people who are now in danger of eternal hellfire and darkness, with the impression that they are really eternally saved.  What a terrible danger! What a terrible thing to teach followers of Jesus.  Who will hold us accountable if we teach such a false way?

SOURCE: Christian Post, Justin Steckbauer

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Amid an ongoing court case scrutinizing the use of puberty-blocking drugs on minors who self-identify as transgender, the U.K.’s National Health Service is revisiting its rules that allow children to take experimental drugs without parental approval.

Youth who are diagnosed as having gender dysphoria or show signs of distress about their bodies are permitted to begin transitioning after as few as three therapeutic assessments and without parental input or approval, The U.K. Sunday Times reports.

Expert sources told the outlet that the advice given within The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in north London, the U.K.’s lone gender identity clinic, lacks scientific evidence and comes “from clinicians with close links to transgender groups.

“Existing NHS treatment draws heavily on international guidelines that recommend approaches in care for gender dysphoria. An NHS contract with the Tavistock trust issued in 2016 says that it will ‘conform’ or ‘broadly conform’ to standards of care issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health in 2012. These say that they reflect the best available science and ‘professional consensus,” the U.K. Sunday Times added.

Dysphoric youth are encouraged to develop “autonomy” in making decisions, self-declare their gender status, and can use hormone blockers as early as age 12. Most youth who begin down the path with puberty suppressants go on to cross-sex hormones and many pursue surgery.

The review of the regulations comes on the heels of an announced review of experimental hormone drugs by a team of doctors, the findings of which will be published later this year.

Both the review of the NHS rules about when children can begin transitioning and the heightened attention to the medicalization surrounding transgender identities is believed to be occurring in part because of recent developments in a court lawsuit against the Tavistock clinic.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Brandon Showalter

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

It seems like every time we turn on the news, we see anxiety-inducing tragedies. From the horrific loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter recently to the spreading panic of the coronavirus, it seems like something is out to get us. When faced with the encroaching darkness, some even wonder if there’s Someone who is trying to wipe us off the planet.

I’m certainly no stranger to this feeling. As a young woman trapped in an abusive marriage, I was sure God wanted me dead. I lived in constant fear that God would strike me down at any moment. I hardly left my home, isolating myself in my misery.

You see, I had made some mistakes in my youth, turning my back on my Christian upbringing and willfully entering into a sinful relationship with my high school sweetheart. Fast-forward a few years, and I was married to that same man, who turned out to be a horrific abuser. I was sure God was punishing me for my sin and that His ultimate plan was to kill me.

So when we face tragedy, frightening disease, or even abuse, does God want us dead? Of course not.

When I chose to walk away from God to choose my own path, I removed myself from communication with Him, therefore allowing Satan to use my external circumstances to warp the truth of God’s love for me. I had closed the door to God and accidentally opened the door to evil.

Satan used my fear and the brainwashing that takes place in abuse, and pointed it toward God. God never wanted me dead, but Satan did. And while I wallowed in my misery, God was patiently calling me back to Him.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Autumn Miles

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Leaders of the Church of England unanimously passed a motion apologizing for past racism, in particular regarding the treatment of African and Asian immigrants.

The General Synod passed the motion on Tuesday, with the motion focusing on a group of immigrants known as “Windrush Generation.” The generation were minority British citizens from the Caribbean who immigrated to the United Kingdom between the years 1948 and 1971. They were named after the ship Empire Windrush, which brought 500 of them in 1948.

According to the motion, the Synod offered a “lament” and apology for “the conscious and unconscious racism experienced by countless black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Anglicans in 1948 and subsequent years, when seeking to find a spiritual home in their local Church of England parish churches …”

The motion also called for, among other things, the Archbishops’ Council to research the impact of discrimination, gratitude for the contributions racial minorities have made to the Church, and for an “independent person external to the Church” to investigate how the ecclesiastical body can better achieve racial reconciliation.

The General Synod also called on the church body to “resolve to continue, with great effort and urgency, to stamp out all forms of conscious or unconscious racism.”

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby delivered a speech before the General Synod, informing them that the problem of racism still remained.

“I’m ashamed of our history and I’m ashamed of our failure. There is no doubt when we look at our own Church that we are still deeply institutionally racist,” stated Archbishop Welby, as reported by the BBC.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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The backing of voters who never attend religious services helped propel Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to victory in the New Hampshire Democratic primary election Tuesday while Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar surprised many with a third-place showing aided by religious voters. 

Nearly 3,000 Democrat voters in New Hampshire took part in exit polls after they cast their ballots. They were asked several questions about who they voted for, their identity, age, job, race, education level and even how often they attend religious services.

Among 11 percent of voters who say they attend religious services weekly, Klobuchar was the favorite even though she sits in sixth place in the Real Clear Politics average of national primary polling with just 4.6 percent support.

Klobuchar, a 59-year-old attorney, received just under 20 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, as of Wednesday afternoon. She was backed by 28 percent of voters who attend religious services each week.

Pete Buttigieg, a gay Christian and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who finished second in New Hampshire and won the Iowa Caucus, received 16 percent of voters who said they attend religious services weekly.

Meanwhile, 15 percent of weekly service goers backed Sanders and 14 percent said they voted for former Vice President Joe Biden, who finished fifth in New Hampshire.  Just 8 percent of weekly service goers said they voted for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Warren finished fourth in the New Hampshire primary.

But among the 37 percent of respondents who said they attend religious services “occasionally,” Buttigieg (26 percent) was the favorite.

Twenty-three percent of “occasional” religious attendees said they voted for Klobuchar, 20 percent said they voted for Sanders and 14 percent said they voted for Biden.

Warren again struggled with this demographic as she picked up just 7 percent of support among occasional service goers.

Among the 51 percent of voters who said they “never” attend religious services, Sanders was the clear favorite as he won 34 percent of the demographic. Biden was least favored among those who never attend religious services with only 4 percent.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Samuel Smith

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Just over a week after leaders of a Minnesota church were accused of trying to get rid of older adult members from one of their campuses in an effort to attract a younger crowd, a new study from Barna suggests reaching the next generation is one of the biggest problems pastors in local churches worry about today.

When presented with a list of possible challenges facing their church as part of Barna’s State of the Church 2020 project announced earlier this month, just over half of Protestant pastors, 51%, said “reaching a younger audience” is a major issue for their ministry.

Some 34% of pastors ranked the issue as a top three concern for their church while 12% said it was their No. 1 concern.

The church leaders also noted “declining or inconsistent outreach and evangelism” as a major issue which some 50% of respondents agreed is a problem they are grappling with.

More than one-third of pastors say “declining or inconsistent volunteering” is an issue facing their ministry today, with about one-quarter saying it’s one of their top three problems. Similar proportions also expressed worry in regard to “stagnating spiritual growth.”

Some 23% of pastors also cited “lack of leadership training and development” as a major concern facing their church today. Previous studies by Barna showed that some 85% of pastors today are older than 40 and nearly 70% of pastors agree that “it is becoming harder to find mature young Christians who want to become pastors.”

Overall, Barna also found that three-quarters of Catholic priests agree that “reaching a younger audience” is a major issue facing their parish today with nearly half ranking it as their top concern.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leonardo Blair

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People playing the arcade game “Whack-A-Mole” use a rubber hammer to force plastic moles back into hiding. It’s similar to what a powerful Hindu group is doing to India’s Christians.

“The Hindu nationalist movement, the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) … has organized a nationwide network of people to report Christian activity,” Voice of the Martyrs USA spokesman Todd Nettleton says.  What is the RSS?

“They want to have radical Hindu nationalists stationed in every one of India’s villages… watching for Christian activity, watching for the Gospel to be going forward, and then actively trying to strike that down.”

Persecution of religious minorities spiked when Prime Minister Modi came to office in 2014 and has maintained record highs ever since. A report issued last fall describes more than 1,000 attacks on Christians between 2014 and 2019.

Religious freedom violations aren’t severe enough yet to garner India a “Country of Particular Concern” designation by the USCIRF. However, as described here in the Commission’s 2019 report, the USCIRF is keeping a close eye on the world’s largest democracy:

Over the last decade, conditions for religious minorities in India have deteriorated. A multifaceted campaign by Hindu nationalist groups like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang (RSS), Sangh Parivar, and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) to alienate non-Hindus or lower-caste Hindus is a significant contributor to the rise of religious violence and persecution. Those targeted by this campaign—including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and lower-caste Hindus—face challenges ranging from acts of violence or intimidation to the loss of political power, increasing feelings of disenfranchisement, and limits on access to education, housing, and employment.

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Katey Hearth

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