In a post to his blog, Ligon Duncan, chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary, encouraged the Mississippi legislature to take down the current state flag.

Asked for his opinion on the state’s flag by Mississippi’s Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, Duncan shared that while he sympathized with those who wish to keep the history of Mississippi alive, he loves his neighbors and wants “all of us, together, to be able to be proud of our State Flag.”

Duncan recalled his family’s Confederate history, noting that his ancestors fought for the Confederacy and “their descendants have been re-fighting ‘The War’ ever since.” He also shared that he grew up reading Lee’s Lieutenants as a child and served as a U.S. Senate Page under J. Strom Thurmond, who opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Despite his family’s ties to the Confederacy, Duncan asserted that the “1894 Flag” was created as a symbol of “opposition to equal civil rights for our fellow Black citizens.”

The Mississippi Ordinance of Secession clearly states and promotes the unequal treatment of Black people, using the “1894 Flag” as a symbol of oppression. Duncan encouraged believers to die to self in order to honor our neighbors.

“We are asking almost half the population of our State to salute a symbol that has (undeniably) been used for well over a century to indicate…

As China recovers from COVID-19, the lingering effects of the virus on the country and believers in China can still be felt. Recently, Christian Headlines was granted an exclusive interview with an underground missionary and resident of China to help explain the effects of the virus on the country and people of faith. Because China is a closed country to the gospel, we have withheld the missionary’s identity and the name of their missions organization out of an abundance of safety.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

What has life been like in China post-COVID-19?

China has been gradually returning to normal life with restrictions lifting across the country, but citizens are still very wary of a potential second wave of coronavirus cases, particularly in the original epicenter, Wuhan. As the country opens for business again, China has had to be much more vigilant about international visitors and their own nationals returning home with the virus.

To ensure there isn’t a second outbreak at the epicenter, China is now testing all 11 million residents of Wuhan. While a prudent course of action, long lines of residents queuing to be tested show little regard for physical distancing.

Travel restrictions inside China are gradually lifted. There are still partial lockdowns in some areas, counties and villages, but the situation varies from place to place. In some…

Senate Democrats blocked a policing reform bill this week.

According to CBN News, the vote was 55-45. The Justice Act, which was proposed by Republican senators, needed 60 votes to pass.

“My hope, my prayer, is that after this bill fails today … we can start on the path of bipartisanship,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.

The proposal comes after weeks of protesting and demonstrations calling for a change in police policy and acts of racism.

The proposal would create a national database of police use-of-force incidents, restrict police chokeholds, and develop training practices and commissions to study policing and racism.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said he was disappointed that the bill did not advance and challenged Democratic senators to propose changes to the bill.

“If you don’t think we’re right, make it better, don’t walk away,” Scott said.

He later tweeted that he offered Democratic senators the ability to make at least 20 amendments, but “they walked out.”

“Don’t let anyone convince you this was about debates or amendments. It’s about politics, and a refusal to find a solution,” he tweeted.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said Democrats are purposely trying to “divide” the Senate and “fight a new civil war in our culture, day and night, without end.”

“Our voters sent us here to make things better,” he said. “To rebuild. To heal. But that’s not what we’re doing. No, for the last several weeks,…

Bethel worship leader turned activist Sean Feucht is calling out social media platforms for censoring his praise and worship related posts.

According to CBN News, Feucht took to Twitter to call out Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for promoting violent content of civil unrest but censoring his non-violent posts about worshipping God.

“While @Facebook @instagram @Twitter promote the content of violence, rioting & destruction, they are actively CENSORING worship, prayer, peaceful protest & anything going against their fear-mongering narrative,” Feucht wrote.

“My feed and many others is (sic) proof. #ChangeTheNarrative,” he asserted.

While @Facebook @instagram @Twitter promote the content of violence, rioting & destruction, they are actively CENSORING worship, prayer, peaceful protest & anything going against their fear-mongering narrative.

My feed and many others is proof.#ChangeTheNarrative

— Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) June 23, 2020

Feucht went on to post a screenshot that appears to show a notice from Instagram explain that his content had been removed for violating community guidelines. The story, he said, was “from a peaceful worship rally.”

“This is what we come to in America!” Feucht went on to exclaim. “Instagram is now classifying my WORSHIP videos as “harmful or false information”

“Religious Liberty? Freedom of Speech? Big Tech censorship?”…

The Trump administration issued an executive order Wednesday that seeks to improve the foster care system with several strategies, including increased oversight and an improved partnership between state agencies and faith-based organizations.

More than 400,000 children are in foster care nationwide, with 124,000-plus waiting for adoption.

“Every child deserves a family. Our States and communities have both a legal obligation, and the privilege, to care for our Nation’s most vulnerable children,” the executive order, signed by President Trump, reads. “… Too many young people who are in our foster care system wait years before finding the permanency of family.”

Among other things, the executive order:

• Encourages “robust partnerships between state agencies and public, private, faith-based, and community organizations.” It requires the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “issue guidance to Federal, State, and local agencies on partnering with nongovernmental organizations.” It further requires the secretary to “make clear that faith-based organizations are eligible for partnerships under” federal law.
• Increases federal oversight of the foster care system and requires the HHS secretary to publish a report within one year of the “recent available counts of children in foster care” and “counts of children waiting for adoption.”…

COVID-19 has already influenced the future trajectories of businesses and organizations—the church is no exception. And specifically, predominately African American churches have been impacted in different ways. Our recent data show that over nine in 10 Black Church churchgoers (92 percent)—that is, attendees of primary Black Protestant denominations who have been to church at least once within the past six months—agree that their church responded well to the pandemic. However, small Black Churches are very worried about their ability to thrive long-term.

This data is just the beginning of research we will continue to uncover in the upcoming months as we partner with  Rev. Dr. Brianna K. Parker (of Black Millennial Cafe),  Urban Ministries, Inc., Movement Day, American Bible Society and Compassionto learn more about the State of the Black Church.

Overall, Black Churchgoers Agree That Their Churches Have Responded Well to the Pandemic

Church leadership across the board has had to remain nimble in this time of uncertainty, responding to shifting regulations and perceptions while also considering the physical, economic and emotional impact the crisis has had on their attendees. For the most part, churches in Black Protestant denominations receive positive remarks for their approaches, with over nine in 10 Black Church congregants (92 percent) agreeing that their church…

The U.S. Senate confirmed the 200th federal court nominee of President Trump on Wednesday, continuing a fast pace that exceeds any Republican chief executive in modern history.

The Senate confirmed Cory T. Wilson to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on a vote of 52-48, bringing the number of successfully nominated Trump judges to 200: 53 appeals court judges, 143 district court judges, two Supreme Court justices and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges.

The 53 appeals court judges is the most of any president in a single term since President Carter. The 200 confirmed judges is more than any Republican president in a single term in modern history, outpacing Presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Reagan and Nixon.

“The appointed judges … are among the finest legal minds who will interpret the law as it is written, not make it up based on their own politics and policy preferences,” Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network tweeted. Severino is an author who clerked under Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Trump, she said, has “has DELIVERED on his promise to appoint constitutionalist judges, saving us from hundreds of policy-driven, liberal judges that a President Hillary Clinton surely would have appointed.”

“The 200-judge milestone is a tremendous accomplishment and will have an impact on our federal courts for decades to…