LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The same state social-distancing measures that have ensnarled Rev. John MacArthur in legal proceedings for his refusal to close his church have now delayed a reckoning for the Sun Valley, California, pastor, as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Thursday (Sept. 24) scheduled a hearing until mid-November.

County officials, in a statement, said the decision was due to the current COVID-19 restrictions. 

Los Angeles County representatives requested a hearing for civil contempt against MacArthur, who has continued to hold services at his Grace Community Church despite a ban on large gatherings issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom that includes services in houses of worship.

County officials said the court can’t “adjudicate this issue now because of court rules prohibiting people from being present in the courtroom to combat the spread of the virus.”

Attorneys for MacArthur see the delay as a victory, but county officials say the church “has not been exonerated for its violations.”

“This ruling prevents Los Angeles County’s attempted rush to judgment in its continued prosecution of Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church for courageously exercising their First Amendment rights,” said Charles LiMandri, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, in a statement. The More Society, based in Chicago, is a “national interest,…

Thousands of churches across the United States will pray for repentance and revival on Sunday in response to calls by the leaders of more than 50 churches and ministries to observe Repentance Sunday as the country is going through “division, destruction and degradation.”

“Inspired by Old Testament calls to sacred assemblies, this special day (September 27) marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in the historic Church calendar,” say the organizers on the event’s website.

“This is one of the most sacred days of the year for the Jewish community and an opportunity as the Christian church to practice what Revelation 2 and 3 require, a return to our first love, seeking forgiveness of our personal and corporate sins,” explain the organizers, including Matt Chandler from The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas; Gabe Lyons from Q Ideas in Nashville, Tennessee; John Stonestreet of Colson Center in Colorado Springs; and Francis Chan of Crazy Love Ministries, among others.

During worship services or special evening services on Sunday, churches will pray for repentance “in response to the continued division, destruction and degradation…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis accepted the resignation of high ranking-prelate Cardinal Angelo Becciu from his role as the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, along with the rights of Becciu’s cardinal’s title, on Thursday (Sept. 24).

The Vatican informed journalists with a statement late on Thursday, providing no further details.

The cardinal, formerly a right-hand man of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, was made secretary of state by Benedict in 2013 and held the position until 2017, when Pope Francis moved him to his more marginal job in the department that oversees the progress of candidacies for sainthood.

Becciu is the third cardinal in recent memory to lose the privileges of the red hat, which include the right to attend the conclave that elects the pope. Known sexual predators Theodore McCarrick and Keith O’Brien were also prohibited from exercising their role as cardinals.

“I prefer silence,” Becciu said with a “broken voice,” speaking to local news outlet Il Messaggero after news of his resignation became public.

Known as an astute diplomat and an avid gun collector, Becciu has recently seen his name mentioned in connection with an array of scandals concerning the Vatican’s financial dealings. In 2019, the Institute for Religious Works, also known as the Vatican bank, flagged suspicious activities at the Secretariat of State…

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (RNS) — It was sunny and 73 degrees, the perfect day for a baseball game.

But that’s not why the crowd filled the stands Sunday (Sept. 20) at Four Winds Field in South Bend, Indiana, home of the South Bend Cubs.

They were there for a church service, complete with worship leaders on the third-base line and Scriptures on the Jumbotron.

South Bend City Church — a 4-year-old church that draws on a number of Christian traditions for its music, messages and mantras — has been meeting at the minor league ballpark since the novel coronavirus pandemic threw a curveball into large gatherings like worship services.

“In March, we shut down gatherings pretty quickly, and we’re really, really grateful to work with the Cubs to have a place that’s safe and spread out and be outdoors,” said Jason Miller, lead pastor of South Bend City Church.

Amid stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines, churches across the country have found creative ways to touch base with their members this year.

Many churches have moved online. But, Miller said, it’s not the same when Christianity “is inherently communal.”

“Digital is great. It’s a wonderful tool. But I think we all know the difference between Zooming your parents and hugging them at Thanksgiving,” he said.

Those churches that have continued to meet in person in their buildings have done so with…