As violent protests ensue over the death of George Floyd, Evangelist Franklin Graham is calling for the church to pray.

Graham, who serves as president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association  (BGEA) and heads up humanitarian aid organization Samaritan’s Purse, stressed the importance of prayer in a Facebook post on Saturday.

“As Christians, the greatest weapon and the most powerful defense we have is prayer. Our country needs prayer in a critical way,” he asserted

Graham then called for churches to “have a special time of intercession for our nation in their Sunday morning services”, whether it was online or in person.

“Will you pray, and will you share this with your pastor?” he asked.

Graham continued, imploring the church to pray for peace, perspective, patience and an outpouring of God’s wisdom.

He wrote, “We need to pray for PEACE, because “’the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God’ (James 1:20).

“Pray for PERSPECTIVE, because ‘the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere’ (James 3:17).

“Pray for PATIENCE, because of God’s ‘kindness and forbearance and patience’ toward us all (Romans 2:4).

“And pray for an OUTPOURING of His wisdom and direction for our leaders and officials who are dealing with this…

Hip hop recording artist Lecrae is urging Christians to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus to help heal America’s divisions.

“My heart breaks but I’m not hopeless,” Lecrae wrote on his Instagram account Sunday. “I anticipate God raising up more people to put aside their fears and doubts.”

The post came the same day Lecrae posted an Instagram picture of himself at a protest alongside a written message, “‘Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow’s cause,’ (Isaiah 1:17).” In the picture, he was holding a sign reading, “Justice is a right not a privilege,” while wearing a shirt reading “11 Six” – a reference to Romans 1:16.

In his post addressing the church, Lecrae said Christians can help heal the nation.

“My mama marched in the 60s and 70s. She took me to my first protest as a child after Rodney King was beaten unjustly,” he wrote, referencing the 1991 police beating of a black man in Los Angeles. “I protested in Ferguson. I protested for justice of #mikebrown #freddiegray #tamirrice #ericgarner #sandrabland #philandocastile and others over the last 4 years. Here we are again. Violence and mayhem did not bring their lives back or bring justice. We need real plans. We need more than tweets. We need solidarity. We need the walls around this proverbial Jericho to fall.

“Yes…

All 60-plus police officers in Fayetteville, N.C., took a knee Monday to show solidarity with protesters in what has become a law enforcement trend in recent days.

Police officers in big cities like Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, New York City, Los Angeles and Phoenix, and smaller ones such as Chattanooga, Tenn., and Des Moines, Iowa, have also taken a knee in the past two days.

The Fayetteville Police Department explained its action on Twitter. 

“As a show of understanding the pain that is in our community and our nation regarding equality, the #FayPD took a knee to show that we also stand for justice for everyone,” the department said in a Tweet. “We are committed to listening and treating everyone with dignity and respect. #LoveONE.”

As a show of understanding the pain that is in our community and our nation regarding equality, the #FayPD took a knee to show that we also stand for justice for everyone. We are committed to listening and treating everyone with dignity and respect.#LoveONE pic.twitter.com/X5KAQohN6g

— Fayetteville Police (@FayettevillePD) June 2, 2020

WTVD reported the incident ended with “hugs and hand shakes between the officers and protesters.” Some protesters cried, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.

The rally was protesting the death of George Floyd, who was killed after a Minneapolis officer kneeled on his neck. Two autopsies,…

Thirty-five Black alumni of Liberty University are calling on university President Jerry Falwell Jr. to step down from his role after he tweeted a photo of a person in blackface.

According to Christianity Today, Falwell tweeted that he was “adamantly opposed” to an order from Gov. Ralph Northam that required that masks be worn inside all retail stores, on public transportation and any other indoor places with other people.

“If I am ordered to wear a mask, I will reluctantly comply, but only if this picture of Governor Blackface himself is on it,” Falwell tweeted.

His tweet included a picture of a face mask bearing a photo of a person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan costume. 

Last year Christian Headlines reported that Northam admitted that he was one of the two men in the photograph that was published in a medical school yearbook about 35 years ago.

In response to Falwell’s tweet, 35 faith leaders and former student-athletes sent an open letter to Falwell, saying they would stop donating to the university and stop encouraging faith leaders to speak at the school. The letter said Falwell’s comments “have repeatedly violated and misrepresented” Christian views.

“You have belittled staff, students and parents, you have defended inappropriate behaviors of politicians, encouraged violence, and disrespected people of other faiths,” they wrote, advising…

Monday marked the second annual Global Coptic Day in which President Trump expressed support for the persecuted Coptic Church in Egypt.

According to the Christian Post, President Trump addressed the event in a special message.

“This year, as we celebrate the second annual Global Coptic Day, we recognize the vital role faith, prayer, and service have in our lives, especially as we continue to face the challenges posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic,” Trump shared in a statement.

“We join with people of faith from every corner of the world in asking God to place his healing hand on those fighting the virus and to comfort those who are mourning the loss of a friend or a loved one,” he continued.

The president then highlighted the significance of international religious freedom, noting that “far too many people [all over] the world face persecution on account of their faith.”

“We must ensure that we are using every tool at our disposal to ensure that every man, woman, and child feels safe and secure to worship according to their conscience and beliefs—no matter where they live,” he continued.

“I hope today’s observance is filled with prayer and joy, and provides those celebrating with a renewed sense of purpose and faith. May God bless each of you,” the president concluded.

The inaugural Global Coptic Day started on June 1, 2019, through…

The U.S. Senate chaplain asked God to “inoculate our nation against hate, sin and despair” in a prayer Monday that referenced the death of George Floyd, the ongoing protests and the coronavirus pandemic. 

Barry C. Black, who has served as chaplain since 2003 and is respected by both sides of the aisle, delivered the prayer at the beginning of Monday’s Senate session.   

“Eternal God, who has placed our tears in a bottle, today, we weep,” Black prayed. “We weep because every death diminishes us. We weep because of the grief of George Floyd’s family. We weep because of the explosive impact of deferred dreams. We weep because of the potentially catastrophic consequences of peaceful protesting during a pandemic. 

“We weep because justice delayed is justice denied. We weep because of the paralysis of analysis that often impedes Your prevailing providence. We weep because of our personal culpability during these tragic times. We weep because of our sins of commission and omission. We weep because we know You are weeping. 

“Today,” he prayed, “use our lawmakers for Your glory. May they strive to find a vaccine to inoculate our nation against hate, sin and despair. We pray in Your merciful Name. Amen.”

Black, a Seventh Day Adventist, is the author of five faith-themed books, including From the Hood to the Hill: a Story of Overcoming (2006). The…

High schools throughout Connecticut could lose federal funding if they allow biological boys who identify as girls to compete in girls-only sports, according to a new Department of Education letter that labels such athletic competitions a violation of Title IX.

The May 15 letter from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) became public last week, putting the issue of transgender athletes once again in the national spotlight.

CIAC policy allows biological boys who identify as girls to compete in girls-only events, even if they have not taken testosterone-suppressing hormones as is required on the NCAA and international levels. Transgender girls in Connecticut have won 15 state track titles. 

The Department of Education letter – as Christian Headlines previously reported – claims the policy violated Title IX because female athletes were “denied the opportunity to compete in events that were exclusively female” whereas male athletes were “able to compete in events that were exclusively male.” 

But the letter also threatens CIAC and districts with a loss in federal funding. Negotiations and conversations with the CIAC and the districts failed to reach an agreement, the Department of Education letter says.

“Based on the failure of the CIAC, Glastonbury, Bloomfield, Hartford, Cromwell,…

The brother of George Floyd addressed the riots in an impassioned speech at a prayer vigil for his brother in Minneapolis on Monday.

Faithwire reports that Terrence Floyd urged for the termination of the riots at the site where his brother died last week after a police officer pinned him to the ground, placing his knee on his neck for several minutes.

“I’m not over here blowing up stuff,” he said in response to the riots. “What are y’all doing? You’re doing nothing. That’s not going to bring my brother back,” he said.

He likened the violent riots to drinking, stating that it “might feel good for the moment, but when you come down, you’re gonna wonder what you did.”

“My family is a peaceful family,” Terrence Floyd asserted. “My family is God-fearing. Yeah, we’re upset. But we’re not gonna take it, we’re not gonna be repetitious.”

“Do this peacefully, please,” he pleaded. “My brother moved [to Minneapolis] from Houston, and I used to talk to him on the phone. He loved it here. … I highly doubt — no, I know — he would [not] want y’all to be doing this.”

Floyd also urged the people to educate themselves on who they will vote for as it would make a positive difference.

Floyd concluded his speech by leading the crowd in chanting, “Peace on the left, justice on the right,” followed by back and forth chants of “George…