58 Percent of Americans Oppose Democrats’ Court-Packing Proposal, New Poll Finds

58 Percent of Americans Oppose Democrats’ Court-Packing Proposal, New Poll Finds


Americans support the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett and oppose the “court-packing” proposal by Democrats to increase the size of the high court, according to new surveys.

A majority of likely voters – 58 percent – say they oppose the proposal to “increase the size of the Supreme Court to include more than nine justices” if Barrett is confirmed and Joe Biden wins the White House, according to a New York Times/Siena survey conducted Oct. 15-18, after Barrett’s hearings before the U.S. Senate. Less than one-third (31 percent) support the concept.

Opposition to court-packing (a term not used in the poll) comes from 89 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of independents/others, according to the poll. More than one-fourth (28 percent) of Democrats oppose adding seats to the Supreme Court.

Biden, the Democratic nominee, said during a town hall last week he was “open” to the concept and would announce his position on court-packing prior to the election, assuming Barrett is confirmed. Some Democrats and liberal pundits have proposed court-packing as a way to counter the influence of Barrett, a conservative who would replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a member of the liberal bloc.

Americans also support Barrett’s confirmation, according to the NYT/Siena survey and a new Gallup poll. Likely voters, by a slim…

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Church donates more than $1M in surplus tithes

The Rev. Howard-John Wesley (C) and his Tithe-the-Tithe team at the Alfred Street Baptist Church, in Alexandria, Virginia. | Alfred Street Baptist Church

One of America’s oldest and largest African-American churches, Alfred Street Baptist Church, in Alexandria, Virginia, announced Tuesday that it has donated more than $1 million in surplus tithes to help a variety of community-based organizations since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“A few years ago we were blessed to be able to donate $1 Million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. That’s why I’m so grateful to God that Alfred Street Baptist Church can continue to be a blessing to so many people in the community throughout our nation during this pandemic,” the Rev. Howard-John Wesley, senior pastor of the historic 10,000-member church, said in a statemement.

The donation was made as part of an initiative called Tithe-the-Tithe, that was started as a direct response to needs that emerged during the coronavirus pandemic for many organizations serving vulnerable communities.

“Clearly there was a lot of concern, dare I say even fear, some panic of what COVID would do. What would our numbers…

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Christian Group Donates $1 Million to Help Jewish Exiles Immigrate to Israel

Christian Group Donates $1 Million to Help Jewish Exiles Immigrate to Israel


A Christian non-profit organization working in Korea has donated $1 million to The Jewish Agency for Israel.

According to CBN News, the money from One New Man Family will be used to help hundreds of Jews immigrate to Israel.

“Troubled times also bring opportunities to build bridges,” said One New Man family president, Pastor Eun Soo Seol.

“By our actions, we are expressing our love for the Jewish people and partnering with God in fulfillment of the biblical prophecy that promises the return of Jewish exiles to the Holy Land ‘from the four corners of the earth,’” he added.

Dvora Ganani-Elad, Goodwill Ambassador to the Christian World from The Jewish Agency for Israel, said it was an “honor” to support Israel.

“Korean Christians are beautiful people inside and out. Many of the 10 million Christians in South Korea see their support of Israel as more than just a moral choice but a Biblical mandate. We are so thankful for their generous support and friendship,” she said.

Shay Felber, director of Aliyah and Absorption for the Jewish Agency, said she expects some 250,000 people in the next five years who want to come to Israel.

“And we need to work together with the government of Israel in order to build a special plan that will help them to make Aliyah,” she said.

Last year, the Jewish Agency reported that from 2010 to 2019 more than 255,000 new…

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44% of evangelicals say the Bible is ambiguous on abortion: What the Bible clearly says about the unborn

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A recent study by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, in partnership with Dr. George Barna, found a number of disturbing trends among evangelicals and Christians at large. 

For example: 

  • 52 percent of evangelicals do not believe in absolute truth. 
  • 48 percent “believe a person who is good enough or does enough good works can earn eternal salvation”
  • 61 percent do not spend regular, daily time with God’s word. 

While those examples are problematic, to say the least, I’d like to focus on two other results I found to be even more disturbing: 

  • 44 percent of evangelicals “claim the Bible is ambiguous in its teaching about abortion”
  • 34 percent say that abortion is “morally acceptable if it spares the mother from financial or emotional discomfort or hardship.” 

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when we reject the idea of absolute truth and increasingly spend less time in Scripture, our beliefs will increasingly diverge from the Lord’s. 

But the Bible is anything but ambiguous on the value of children, both in the womb and after birth. 

What does the Bible say about the unborn?

Psalm 139:13 states, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Psalm 22:10 makes clear that “from birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”

If you want to discount those passages by arguing the psalms are speaking poetically, note that God tells Jeremiah “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). 

The prophet Isaiah echoes those sentiments: “This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself” (Isaiah 44:24). 

The Old Testament law further makes clear that God sees the unborn…

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Michigan Pastor Resigns over Pro-Trump Congregation

Michigan Pastor Resigns over Pro-Trump Congregation


A Christian Reformed Church pastor from Holland, Michigan has stepped down from his position due to the large support that his congregation has for President Donald Trump.

On Oct. 11, Keith Mannes delivered his final sermon to East Saugatuck CRC, after serving as its pastor for four years in his 30 years as a pastor in the Reformed Church.

Mannes explained to the Holland Sentinel that he first felt a personal disconnect when Trump first announced his presidential run in 2015.

“From the time he came down the escalator,” Mannes said of the internal conviction. “It’s only been building ever since. From the beginning, I thought there’s something about this man and the instrument that he is for a lot of things that are just very not Jesus.”

Mannes’ discomfort with the president would continue to grow, especially in controversial moments surrounding Trump.

One moment includes Trump’s 2017 comments following a violent protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he said that there “were fine people on both sides,” while also condemning neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

Mannes also brought up Trump’s photo op in front of St. John’s Church in Washington D.C. As Christian Headlines previously reported, in June, after nearby protesters were tear-gassed by law enforcement, the president walked to St. John’s Church and posed with a Bible for a photo op.

The pastor was…

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‘I’m Thankful That He’s my Savior,’ Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Says after Season-Ending Injury

‘I’m Thankful That He’s my Savior,’ Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Says after Season-Ending Injury


Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott says he’s excited about “God’s plan” for his life following an ankle injury that ended his season barely one month into the NFL schedule.

Prescott, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016, suffered a fracture to his right ankle Oct. 11 that required surgery. He was a fourth-round selection out of Mississippi State.

A smiling and upbeat Prescott recorded an Instagram video Oct. 15 updating fans on his health, saying he is “excited for God’s purpose and God’s plan.”

“I know it’s bigger than anything that I see, or could have imagined. But I’m trusting Him,” Prescott said. “My faith is doubled down more than ever, and I’m thankful that He’s my Savior and He guides me in life, so I know through Him, all of this will be possible and all this will be a great comeback and a great story.”

Prescott recorded the video while he was on his way to a medical checkup, post-surgery. He said he’s “doing well” and in “great spirits.”

“I can’t thank you enough for all your love, your support, your prayers over the last few days,” he said. “They’ve been more than overwhelming – from teammates, to family, to friends, to fans I don’t know, to former and current players around the league, and players around all sports, I just want to say thank you….

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Rush Limbaugh Says His Faith Is Giving Him Strength: ‘I Have a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ’

Rush Limbaugh Says His Faith Is Giving Him Strength: ‘I Have a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ’


Talk show host Rush Limbaugh said Monday he has taken comfort in his faith during his ongoing battle with lung cancer, which he said has progressed “some” according to recent scans.

Limbaugh was diagnosed with advanced cancer in February and told his audience Monday he did not think he would make it to Oct. 1.

“There is no way back in January and February that I had anything but hope that I would still be alive on this day, Oct. 19, and that I would be fully productive working,” he said. “… I didn’t share that with anybody.”

Limbaugh has stage 4 lung cancer. Doctors won’t tell him how long they think he has left to live, he said. Without treatment, doctors said he would have died within a couple of months following the diagnosis, Limbaugh said.

His most recent scans showed “some recent progression” of the cancer.

“It’s not dramatic, but it is the wrong direction,” he said.

But Limbaugh says his faith – and his belief that God’s in control – gives him comfort.

“You know, I wake up every day and thank God that I did. I go to bed every night praying I’m gonna wake up. I don’t know how many of you do that, those of you who are not sick, those of you who are not facing something like I and countless other millions are. But it’s a blessing when you wake up. It’s a stop-everything-and-thank-God…

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Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church Holds First In-Person Church Service Since Quarantine

Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church Holds First In-Person Church Service Since Quarantine


Joel Osteen’s Lakewood church held its first in-person service since March, The Christian Post reports.

It was at 25% capacity and masks were required in addition to social distancing, but for the first time since March, the church met in-person and not online.

Joel Osteen preached his sermon on being conquerors in Christ and spreading hope in this time of uncertainty. “I felt like God put in my spirit it was time to come back… God has raised up Lakewood for this time. Hey, when does the world need hope any more than now?” He said in his sermon.

Joel Osteen told the congregation that his reach grew more than ever under quarantine, and that on easter the church reached 12 million people.

The service started with a praise and worship song and the auditorium was filled with people. Osteen stepped up to the front of the stage and greeted the audience saying how thankful he was they could all worship together. “It’s better when we’re together,” he said.

In his sermon, Osteen preached about how we are currently in a time where doing the right thing and following God is important.

“You don’t have to be perfect. We’ve all made mistakes. It’s not so much about your performance. It’s about your heart. Keep God first place. Do the right thing when it’s hard. Say no to things that are pulling you down … God is saying to you what He’s saying to Joash (2…

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Torlonia Collection of Ancient Marbles Displayed in Rome – Urban Christian News

In this undated photo made available Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, ancient Greek and Roman marble statues are seen prior to going on display in the newly refurbished Villa Caffarelli, one of the Capitoline Museum’s exhibition spaces overlooking the ancient Roman Forum, in Rome. One of the most important private collections of ancient Greek and Roman marble sculptures is going on display Monday as part of the Eternal City’s 150th anniversary celebrations. (Fondazione Torlonia via AP)
In this undated photo made available Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, ancient Greek and Roman marble statues are seen prior to going on display in the newly refurbished Villa Caffarelli, one of the Capitoline Museum’s exhibition spaces overlooking the ancient Roman Forum, in Rome. One of the most important private collections of ancient Greek and Roman marble sculptures is going on display Monday as part of the Eternal City’s 150th anniversary celebrations. (Fondazione Torlonia via AP)

ROME (AP) — One of the most important private collections of ancient Greek and Roman marble sculptures is going on display in Rome as part of the Eternal City’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

The 90 works from the Torlonia Collection were opening Monday in the newly refurbished Villa Caffarelli, one of the Capitoline Museum’s exhibition spaces overlooking the ancient Roman Forum. Organizers said there were plans to offer to lend the works to other museums, but said the coronavirus pandemic had put those plans on hold for now.

The 620-piece Torlonia Collection is considered one of the greatest private collections of classical art, featuring marble busts, reliefs, sarcophagi and statues. It was begun by one of Rome’s 19th century patricians, Prince Alessandro Torlonia, and was created in part from archaeological excavations of the Torlonia family’s various estates in Rome.

The selections presented in the new exhibit recount the history of the collection’s growth itself and include the 1884 catalogue the prince commissioned to show off his collection when he opened his own museum to house…

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Christian Girls Become Target for Sex Traffickers

Christian Girls Become Target for Sex Traffickers


Last month, U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr announced that more than $100 million in federal grants will go to fighting human trafficking, according to the Associated Press. Task forces, as well as nonprofits helping survivors, will receive the grants to continue their work.

“This is one of the top enforcement priorities of the department and we’re on the forefront of this fight,” said Barr in Atlanta with presidential adviser Ivanka Trump and Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

The announcement came only a few months after the Trump administration awarded the Justice Department with an additional $35 million to provide safe housing for trafficking survivors.

Georgia’s governor and his wife, Marty Kemp, have made the abolition of sex trafficking a priority in their state.

“The governor and the first lady here have been second to none in the nation in taking this fight on and working closely with the federal government and I really appreciate that,” Barr said.

Already, grants have allowed states to hire agents to investigate trafficking claims. Michael Yeager, U.S. Marshal for northern Georgia, praised the work of his fellow agents who recently rescued 26 children and located 13.

“We’re trained to hunt fugitives, so we’ve changed that and parlayed that into now hunting these children,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Ohio, officers rescued 35 missing children, according to

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