The U.S. Supreme Court Monday turned down a much-watched case involving a county clerk who opposed same-sex marriage, although two of the justices criticized the U.S. legal system for suggesting Christians with traditional beliefs are bigots.

“By choosing to privilege a novel constitutional right over the religious liberty interests explicitly protected in the First Amendment, and by doing so undemocratically, the Court has created a problem that only it can fix,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a four-page statement that was joined by Justice Samuel Alito.

The case involved Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk and a professing Christian who ordered her department in 2015 to stop issuing marriage licenses, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Although Davis’ order applied to all couples – and not just to same-sex couples – she was nevertheless sued by those who were refused licenses. Davis had requested an accommodation that did not require her name to be placed on the license of a same-sex couple, due to her strong Christian beliefs. (The state’s executive branch eventually honored her request.)

She lost in district court and at the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Liberty Counsel, which represented Davis, argued she had the legal right under Supreme Court precedent to stop…

Notable Cornerstone Church Pastor and author John Hagee has tested positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement made by his son, Pastor Matt Hagee.

During a livestreamed worship service on Sunday, Matt Hagee told those gathered in-person and online that his father was “diligent throughout this entire COVID pandemic to monitor his health.”

Matt Hagee said that his 80-year-old father tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday, adding that the virus was “discovered very early” and that “his medical team has him under watchful care.”

“He’s feeling well enough to be frustrated with everybody in a white coat and a stethoscope,” he said, getting applause and cheers from the in-person worshipers.

“He wanted me to tell you personally that he covets your prayers and that he asks you to pray for him daily, not only that he make a speedy recovery, but that he looks forward to seeing you again here at Cornerstone very soon.”

Matt Hagee then called upon the Cornerstone congregation to take time during the service to pray both for his father and for everyone battling the coronavirus.

“As it is a…

The Christian Post reports that a Florida-based pastor and his wife were found murdered in Haiti after returning as missionaries for a month.

According to police, Pastor Jean Phillippe-Quetant (57) and his wife, Erna Plancher-Quetant, 54, were both shot to death in their home during an armed robbery by a gang. The invaders ransacked the home and stole many of their things. Their son, Kevin Quetant, stated, “They were in their house where the invader came in and I guess found mom and dad, and shot both of them.”

Their daughter, Tabitha Quetant, also commented, “It just feels surreal. They could have just taken everything and left them alone, they wouldn’t have done anything. If I could speak to them now, I would just say mom and dad I love you and I thank you so much for the way you raised us.”

Jean Philippe-Quetant worked with the First Haitian Baptist Church in Fort Myers, local outlet NBC2 reports.

In Haiti, the couple was working to build an orphanage in addition to a church.

“A lot of people knew our parents as loving, they always loved to give and help first,” Kevin Quetant is reported as saying. The couple has 5 children they left behind. They are trying to bury their parents in Florida in a proper burial for them. They have set up a GoFundMe page to help raise the funds. So far, they have raised over $25,500 out of the needed $28,000 to fly them back and bury them.

Jean Philippe-Quetant…

By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post Reporter Follow | Monday, October 05, 2020

Many young people are leaving the Church today because Christianity has become too judgmental and alienating for them, said lifelong Methodist and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton made the comment while interviewing social justice advocate and Pastor William J. Barber II of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, last week on her “You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton” podcast. 

During the podcast, she argued that “black lives matter” is a “theological statement.”  The Church in America, she suggested, needs to “take a hard look at itself and try to figure out how it can be a real partner in this moment of moral awakening.”

“Jesus and justice are the same thing,” Clinton argued, but there is a “concerted effort by one political party to basically try to own Christianity and it overlooks the role of the African-American church.”

“You know, to say that Jesus and justice are the same thing seems to me to be so obvious. I mean, how can you be a Bible reading person, a church attending person, and not understand how profoundly true that…

In a recent interview with LifeSite News, Actor Jim Caviezel told Christians they need to fight for the truth if they still want to freely practice religion, The Western Journal reports. But not the type of fighting with swords and clubs, the type of fighting that involves telling people the truth and standing firm in it.

“No one has ever rode (sic) to victory on the back of fake moral platitudes. We have to speak the truth boldly,” Caviezel reportedly said. As an example, Caviezel talked about the “barbaric” Christian persecution in the world today while mentioning his upcoming movie, Infidel. He said, “Barbaric Christian persecution is something that still goes on today. The goal would be to create a sense of urgency and relevance to Christians and non-Christians who should be engaged in this issue.”

According to LifeSiteNews, Caviezel also asserted that “Christians should be at war with secular extremists, declaring that this is ‘a war that needs to be fought and must be won.’” He also said that slavery and suffering have existed throughout most of Christianity’s history. But, if Christians don’t fight today, “You’ll wish that you never even knew what democracy was. This Christian way of living will soon be gone. We’re talking about massive, massive persecutions.”

Caviezel’s new film, Infidel, is about an American Christian who was…

The Trump administration is proposing the annual refugee admissions ceiling be set at 15,000 in Fiscal Year 2021.

In Fiscal Year 2020, which ended on Sept. 30, the annual refugee admissions goal was 18,000 refugees. According to Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, of that target, only about 65 percent were allotted admissions.

According to the Evangelical Immigration Table, Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief, said the refugee admissions cut was “deeply concerning.”

“The White House has made explicit promises to protect persecuted Christians abroad,” he said. “Sadly, we have not seen these promises honored through a robust U.S. refugee resettlement program that has been a lifeline of protection for persecuted Christians.”

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, called the change in admissions an “embarrassment.”

“Our nation has a great tradition as a beacon of liberty to those fleeing for their lives from terror and tyranny. Persecuted Christians, and others, will be harmed by this closed door. Obviously, we cannot take in unlimited numbers of refugees, but the dwindling number of those we do take is far below the level where America could and should be in leading the world in compassion for those in peril.”

Vignarajah said the lower admissions goal means that…

On Thursday, the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) published a top 50 list of Christian allies, including prominent evangelicals and former politicians, who “conveyed their deep love and support for the State of Israel which stems from their faith.”

Topping number one on the list is evangelist Paula White-Cain, the adviser to the White House on Faith & Opportunity Initiatives. Cain also serves as the chair of the evangelical advisory board in President Trump’s administration.

According to IAF, Cain is known as “the President’s pastor and is fiercely pro-Israel.”

“My deeply held faith and conviction has aligned me to stand with and support Israel in every possible way. The God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob made a covenant with the Jewish people and promised them a nation,” Cain said.

”That nation, Israel, is the foundation and birthplace of my Christian faith” she explained. “I also stand with Israel for geopolitical reasons. Since 1948, the nation of Israel has been America’s staunchest ally in the Middle East. I proudly support Israel and the Jewish people.”

Evangelist Franklin Graham, the son of the late Rev. Billy Graham and the founder of Samaritan’s Purse, came in 22nd on the list.

IAF commended Graham for his leadership of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian humanitarian aid organization that “has met the needs of poor, sick, and…

The number of full Bible translations hit 700 in recent weeks, although due to the speed at which translations have been released, no one is sure which one was the first to reach the mark.

Wycliffe Bible Translations and the American Bible Society both celebrated the news, saying it’s a major milestone in advancing the gospel. The 700 total involves complete Bibles with all 66 books translated. Partial translations (such as New Testaments) are not included.

James Poole, executive director of Wycliffe Bible Translators, said the milestone “represents the tremendous work that Bible translators are doing across the world.”

“Every time we hear of the Bible being translated into another language, we know that means that for the first time the people in that language group can fully access the complete picture of God’s story,” Poole said. “It’s good to take a step back and realize what this 700th Bible means: 5.7 billion people who speak 700 languages now have the Bible in the language that speaks to them best. That is a remarkable figure and continues to grow.”

Wycliffe said it’s “impossible” to know which one was the 700th because there were “several launches of physical Bibles” and “several being made available online and via apps, all at about the same time.”

An American Bible Society blog quoted data saying the number of languages with the full Bible…

The Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on Christianity is continuing on in the region. This time, it is over selling books.

Christian bookstore owner Chen Yu was fined almost 30,000 dollars for selling “illegal” books in China’s Zhejiang province’s Taizhou city. The Christian books were imported from Taiwan and the U.S., among other countries, The Christian Post reports.

According to an article from persecution watchdog group, International Christian Concern, “On September 1, 2019, Chen, who operated his online bookstore in Zhejiang province’s Taizhou city, was detained for selling unapproved religious publications imported from Taiwan, the US, and other countries. Consequently, the police launched a nationwide investigation to track down the bookstore’s customers through sale records and confiscated their purchased books.”

Last week, Chen received a sentence of seven years in prison and the Chinese Communist Party’s Linhai City Public Security Bureau will burn all 12,864 books in his bookstore. His iPhone was also confiscated.

According to Disrn, the Chinese Communist Party has begun to search for all Chen Yu’s customers to destroy what they’ve bought.

This isn’t the first time the Chinese Communist Party has targeted Christians.

Christian Headlines previously reported that China has been censoring religious leaders to make sure they don’t mention “God” in…