The post Joel and Victoria Osteen’s Devotional 14 July 2019 – The Joy of the Lord is our Strength appeared first on Flatimes.
Joyce Meyer Devotional 14 July 2019 — Nothing But Christ
The post Joyce Meyer Devotional 14 July 2019 — Nothing But Christ appeared first on Flatimes.
Bishop says change to NI abortion law would be tragedy
Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, John Sherrington has argued that changes to the Northern Ireland abortion amendment contradict the Church’s teachings.
In a statement he said: “Last year there were over 200,000 abortions in England and Wales, extending this to Northern Ireland would be a tragedy for lives not yet born.
“The Church’s consistent affirmation that human life begins at conception emphasises this unique beginning of human existence. The challenge that faces our society today is to recover an understanding of the immeasurable good of each unborn child and to value his or her life with even greater respect.”
He added: “A legal framework for the protection of unborn human life is an important statement about the respect due to each and every child and about the society in which we live.”
Abortion is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland, which means that the Assembly in Northern Ireland has the authority to make its own abortion law independent of the Government in Westminster.
Bishop Sherrington has condemned parliament for pushing forward amendments to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill in the House of Lords and threatening to undermine devolution.
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Andrew Wommack Devotional 9 July 2019 – Be Filled
The post Andrew Wommack Devotional 9 July 2019 – Be Filled appeared first on Flatimes.
Why Smaller Churches Are Making a Comeback
Smaller churches are poised to make a comeback.
I’m serious. I see too many signs and indicators to believe otherwise.
For certain, I know the bad news. The median size of a church has declined from around 100 to 70 in worship attendance in a decade. That means one-half of all American congregations have fewer than 70 in worship attendance.
And I am aware that more people are attending larger churches today than they were 20, 15, 10, and 5 years ago. To be clear, I am aware that around 8,000 churches close every year.
Yes, I know those facts. But I feel the winds of change. Before we look at those change factors, let’s look at the size of churches in America. I cannot be absolutely certain about these numbers, but there are a lot of good bodies of research by some good organizations (National Congregations Study, Faith Communities Today 2015, 2014 Religious Landscape Study 2014 by Pew Research, and others).
| Smaller Standard | 0 to 49 worship attendance | 40% of churches in America |
| Larger Standard | 50 to 124 worship attendance | 27% of churches in America |
| Mid | 125 to 249 worship attendance | 18% of churches in America |
| Large | 250 to 499 worship attendance | 8% of churches in America |
| Very Large | 500 to 999 worship attendance | 4% of churches in America |
| Mid Mega | 1,000 to 1,999 in worship attendance | 2% of churches in America |
| Mega | 2,000+ in worship attendance | Less than ½ of 1% |
Two-thirds of churches have an attendance under 125. The smaller church is the norm, not the exception. And though the news has not…
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Ninth Circuit Blocks Trump Rule Defunding Planned Parenthood
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court overturned a major pro-life legal victory by once again blocking a Trump administration that could lead to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from losing much of their federal funding.
At issue is a new rule by the Department of Health and Human Services that prohibits Title X family-planning funds from being used to “perform, promote, refer for, or support abortion as a method of family planning.” It also requires Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to financially and physically separate their abortion facilities from their non-abortion services. Critics, like Planned Parenthood, call it the “gag rule.”
Planned Parenthood and its allies filed suit against the department. They were joined by the attorneys general of 20-plus states.
Although a three-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had allowed the rule to go into effect, a larger or “en banc” panel of the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday blocked the rule and said it would hear the case. The decision will be made by 11 judges, according to Courthouse News.
A two-paragraph order from the court said a “majority of non-recused active judges” had ordered that the case be heard by the larger panel. The earlier decision by the three judges “shall not be cited as precedent by or to any court of the Ninth Circuit,” the order…
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