The United States joined 31 other countries Thursday in signing a document emphasizing the equal rights of men and women and declaring there is “no international right to abortion.”

The Geneva Consensus Declaration was co-sponsored by the U.S., Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Hungary and Uganda and represents 1.6 billion people and every region of the world, supporters of the document said. It was signed during a joint virtual ceremony.

“In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning,” the document says.

The declaration involves three primary issues: promotion of equal rights for women, opposition to abortion for family planning, and the recognition of the need for universal health coverage.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States has defended the dignity of human life everywhere and always,” Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said in a statement. “He’s done it like no other President in history. We’ve also mounted an unprecedented defense of the unborn abroad.”

The Geneva Consensus Declaration, Pompeo said, “protects women’s health, defends the unborn, and reiterates the vital importance of the family as the foundation of society.”

The document declares:

• Any changes “related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the…

President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden displayed sharp differences on coronavirus response, energy, immigration and a host of other issues Thursday night during their second and final presidential debate.

The event at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., was far more civil than the first debate, partially because the candidates’ microphones were muted when it wasn’t their turn to speak. The two candidates agreed on little.

Asserting the nation needs to open back up, Trump said the recovery rate for individuals who contract the coronavirus is 99 percent, and 99.9 percent for young people.

“We can’t keep this country closed,” Trump said. “This is a massive country with a massive economy. People are losing their jobs. They’re committing suicide. There’s depression, alcohol, drugs at a level that nobody’s ever seen before. There’s abuse, tremendous abuse. We have to open our country. I’ve said it often: The cure cannot be worse than the problem itself, and that’s what’s happening. And [Biden] wants to close down. He’ll close down the country if one person in our massive bureaucracy says we should close it down.”

Biden said the nation can “walk and chew gum at the same time.”

“The standard is, if you have a reproduction rate in a community that’s above a certain level, everybody says, ‘Slow up. More social…

Author and megachurch pastor David Platt garnered national headlines back in June 2019 when he prayed over President Donald Trump on the main stage of McLean Bible Church.

The prayer, which came after Trump made an unexpected visit to the D.C.-area congregation, elicited strong reactions from people on social media, as well as within McLean itself.

The fallout from the decision to pray over the polarizing Trump inspired Platt to write and release a new book, titled Before You Vote: Seven Questions Every Christian Should Ask.

Released last month, Platt wrote in the introduction of the book that he felt “compelled to write this short book as we approach a presidential election in our country.”

“I don’t want to see the church further divided or the name of Christ further defamed. Instead, I long to see a united church that exalts the name of Christ in this toxic political climate,” he explained.

“My hope is to fuel deeper affection for Christ while fostering healthier conversations among Christians as we…

John Piper has issued a blistering condemnation of President Donald Trump, warning Christian voters that the president’s “deadly behavior” will lead the U.S. to “destruction of more kinds than we can imagine.”

On Thursday, the influential pastor and writer published what he referred to as a “long-overdue” blog post in which he pondered the implications of the 2020 election. 

Without mentioning Trump by name, Piper said he is “baffled” over the fact that many Christians consider the sins of unrepentant sexual immorality, boastfulness, vulgarity, factiousness, and the like, to be “only toxic for our nation,” while policies that endorse “baby-killing, sex-switching, freedom-limiting, and socialistic overreach are viewed as deadly.”

Piper, who pastored Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for almost 33 years, reminded Christians that “it is not a small thing to treat lightly a pattern of public behaviors that lead to death.”

He pointed out that all of these sins are mentioned in the Bible and are “deadly” enough to…

CBN’s Pat Robertson said Tuesday he sensed God told him President Trump would win re-election but the country subsequently “will be torn apart” and Muslim countries will declare war on Israel.

Robertson, speaking on the 700 Club, said he “was praying on Sunday saying, ‘God please tell me how it’s gonna happen’” and then sensed he had received a “word” from the Lord. CBN News labeled it a prophecy. Robertson himself said it was “according to what I believe the Lord told me.”

“I hope I’ve got the word, but first of all, I want to say without question, Trump is going to win the election. And that doesn’t mean you sit home and don’t vote – that means you get out and do everything you can,” Robertson said.

After Trump wins and is inaugurated in January, Robertson said, “trouble is going to happen.”

“He’s going to be challenged by the Chinese as you couldn’t believe, [he] will be faced probably with some kind of a war,” Robertson said. “The North Koreans are going to have nuclear weapons; they’re gonna threaten us. The Russians are gonna do everything they can. The Turks have got their things going.

“And after Trump is sworn in, we’re going to see civic disobedience in our America that will just be mind-boggling; the country will be torn apart,” Robertson said. “… There will be at…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Christian recording artist Sean Feucht is slated to bring his worship protest tour to the nation’s capital this Sunday (Oct. 25) despite concerns around mass gatherings during a pandemic. 

Feucht’s tour has received widespread criticism from public health officials and other faith leaders who challenge the wisdom of hosting events where neither he nor many attendees wear masks or abide by social distancing restrictions. 

As reported by The Daily Beast, the National Park Service has already approved a permit for the event, which organizers expect up to 15,000 people to attend. The concert is part of Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” tour, which has consisted of sporadic and sometimes impromptu performances — featuring attendees belting out praise songs — at various locations across the country.

The Park Service provided Religion News Service with Feucht’s permit Wednesday afternoon, which grants him use of part of the National Mall from 6:30 am on Saturday, October 24, 2020 to 1:00 am on Monday, October 26. It briefly details a “COVID-19 mitigation plan” provided by Feucht’s team that includes erecting a sign at the table where Bibles are given away, temperature-testing the crew (who will be provided with masks and gloves) and placing sanitation stations near restrooms.

The Park Service noted that a COVID-19 plan…

A pair of Colorado churches won a religious liberty victory last week when a federal judge ruled they could meet indoors without an attendance cap, provided they continue following the state’s social distancing requirements.

At issue are state COVID-19 restrictions that limit the capacity of houses of worship and also require attendees to wear masks. U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Domenico ruled Oct. 15 that both restrictions likely violate “the First Amendment’s guarantee of the free exercise of religion” because the restrictions aren’t neutral and don’t apply to “comparable secular gatherings.”

The suit was brought by Denver Bible Church and its pastor, Robert Enyart, and Community Baptist Church and its pastor, Joey Rhoads. Thomas More Society represented the congregations and the ministers.

“The First Amendment does not allow government officials, whether in the executive or judicial branch, to treat religious worship as any less critical or essential than other human endeavors,” Domenico wrote. “Nor does it allow the government to determine what is a necessary part of a house of worship’s religious exercise. Those fundamental principles, which involve no balancing or second-guessing of public health officials’ scientific analysis or policy judgments, require the court to grant Plaintiffs’ motion.”

Colorado, he said,…

By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post Reporter Follow | Thursday, October 22, 2020

Churches across all denominations are now increasingly turning to online giving as a majority of them report reduced giving in the pews amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Ministry Brands.

The trend was highlighted in results from an online survey of 1,400 church leaders conducted by Ministry Brands, a provider of software, services, and information platforms for churches and ministries, from July to September and published Wednesday in the report Coping with COVID-19: Insights from Church Leaders.

“Overall, almost 60 percent of respondents indicated that a reduction in giving income is one of the top challenges facing their church. This was particularly noticeable among Catholic churches, a full 67 percent of which expressed concern about reduced giving,” said the report which attributed the reduced giving to fewer in-person services.

Churches are now ramping up their ability to collect donations online and congregations that never offered this option before must now help their members adjust to the virtual offering plate.

“Churches and parishes with robust online giving options established before the pandemic have had the greatest…