Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac became the first NBA player to stand for the national anthem Friday, telling reporters in postgame interviews he was compelled to do so because of his Christian faith.

Up until Isaac’s stance, every NBA player had kneeled with teammates in a show of unity for racial justice. The league restarted its season last Thursday.

Isaac, who is black, told reporters he “does believe in Black Lives Matters” but also believes the answer to society’s problems is Christ.

Isaac, who was the Magic’s first-round draft pick in 2017, also didn’t wear a Black Lives Matter t-shirt.

“A lot went into my decision and part of it is … that kneeling or wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt don’t go hand in hand with supporting black lives,” Isaac said during post-game comments.

Isaac then transitioned to faith.

“My life has been supported through the Gospel of Jesus Christ [and] that everyone is made in the image of God and that we all fall short of God’s glory. Each and every one of us, each and every day, do things that we shouldn’t do and we say things that we shouldn’t say. … We dislike people that we shouldn’t hate and dislike. Sometimes it gets to a point where we point fingers, about whose evil is worse. And sometimes it comes down to simply whose evil is most visible,” Isaac said.

“So, I felt like I wanted to just take a stand….

(RNS) — Brenda Davies, host of the popular “God is Grey” Youtube channel and podcast, received a cease and desist letter earlier this month from the lawyers of Isaac and Angie Tolpin of Courageous Parenting ministries, in response to mention of the Tolpins in a video discussion about Christian parenting.

In the May 18 video, “We Did It Out of Love,” which has garnered more than 270,000 views on Youtube, Davies interviewed Stelle Jacobson, daughter of Christian author Matt Jacobson, about her father’s promotion of corporal punishment.

Matt Jacobson has co-written several Christian parenting books with his wife, Lisa Jacobson, including “100 Ways to Love Your Son” and “100 Ways to Love Your Daughter.” Jacobson also founded FaithfulMan.com, whose About page calls followers to win “the war on everything good and true regarding biblical marriage and family.” The website’s articles cover topics such as why Christian kids should save kissing for marriage.

In the video, Stelle Jacobson described her father’s corporal punishment as abusive and said the abuse has resulted in her feeling unsafe around men.

“Basically the theory is if it doesn’t hurt enough — if you don’t hurt your child enough, they won’t repent,” she said during the video.

Matt Jacobson did not respond to request for comment.

The video linked Matt Jacobson’s teaching about…

HOUSTON — Lakewood Church, led by Pastor Joel Osteen, has partnered with World Vision, Houston-area churches and local nonprofits to distribute over 12,000 boxes of fresh food, provided by farmers facing financial hardship during the pandemic, to the hungry.

The partnership, part of the Fresh Food Box Program, began soon after COVID shutdowns began. The program has fed over 860,000 Americans through 70 hub locations. Unlike some food drives, Fresh Food Box gives recipients fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products supplied by farmers who otherwise could not sell their goods due to the economic impact of COVID-19.

“World Vision was in Houston for two years helping rebuild after Hurricane Harvey,” Reed Slattery, national director of World Vision U.S. programs, told The Christian Post. “We noticed how in need the area was. During the pandemic, we know folks aren’t…

County officials have allegedly threatened Grace Community Church in California with fines and possible arrest for reopening his church in defiance of lockdown orders from Gov. Gavin Newsom during the pandemic. Still, Pastor John MacArthur has vowed to continue in-person services.

“We will obey God rather than men,” MacArthur said in a video statement Friday. “We’re going to be faithful to the Lord and we’re going to leave the results to Him. Whatever happens is going to be what He allows to happen. But He will be on our side because we will be obedient and faithful to His word.”

“We will not bow to Caesar,” he added. “The Lord Jesus Christ is our king.”

Officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have threatened MacArthur with “repercussions such as fines and even possible arrest” if his church doesn’t comply with state orders, the Rev. Franklin Graham, president of…

Christianity is a faith with a long and detailed history, with numerous events of lasting significance occurring throughout the ages.

Each week brings the anniversaries of great milestones, horrid tragedies, amazing triumphs, and everything in between.

Here are three things that happened this week, Aug. 2-8, in Church history. They include the death of a controversial Catholic theologian, the martyrdom of an early church leader, and France abolishing state-sponsored church tithes.

Over half of Protestant churchgoers have difficulty understanding Scripture when they read it on their own, highlighting the need for communal Bible study, a new report revealed. 

A new poll from LifeWay Research, in partnership with Explore the Bible, found that 57% of Protestant churchgoers say the Bible is “challenging” when read alone.

However, nine in 10 churchgoers agree they can usually understand how a passage of Scripture is relevant to them, and four in five express confidence in their ability to help others with doubts about the truthfulness of Scripture.

“Churchgoers are ready to defend the Bible as true and as a faithful moral standard,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “But most admit they stumble on understanding the specific meaning as they read.”

The survey of 1,002 American Protestant churchgoers conducted Sept. 20-27, 2019, also highlighted churchgoers’ attitudes toward Bible study. The poll found that 93% say they enjoy exploring a passage of Scripture to understand its…

Worship artist Sean Feucht believes that the coronavirus prohibitions on holding church services is a double standard and that the United States is on the brink of a revival.

In an interview with Fox & Friends, Feucht noted that he is participating in and helping lead gathering outside the four walls of the church, in the open air.

“It’s not just beaches,” he said. “We’re going under bridges, we’re meeting in fields, really anywhere we can gather and spread out and worship, we’re finding those places. It’s summer time in California, it’s just such an amazing movement that we’ve seen so much momentum on.”

Feucht, who recently ran for Congress in California but lost in the primary, is a worship leader with an extensive missionary background and is the founder of Hold the Line, an activist movement aimed at engaging the church and millennials, urging them to become more politically active.

He has been taking the power of worship to the streets where tragedies have happened, including the place where George Floyd was killed while…