Matt Chandler, lead pastor at the Village Church, Texas, argued in a recent video why some Christians have a wrong impression of what happens in the afterlife.

The video, published last week by the Village Church on YouTube, is entitled “Why We Don’t Go to Heaven in the End,” with Chandler admitting that he had the wrong impression himself when he was growing up.

“I grew up with an understanding that when I died, I would go to Heaven, and that was the end of the story. That I was in Heaven, and was gonna be in the presence of God, and we were gonna sing and there were going to be streets of gold, and there’s going to be a crystal sea.”

He said that he believed that in the afterlife, he was going to be in a “disembodied, ethereal environment, where the Spirit of God was there, God was there in His fullness.”

What is more, he thought that he would be “like an angel or some sort of ethereal body,” rather than a being with a physical presence.

A California church sold their church building and relocated in a new space where beer is served and plans are underway to build a brewery where church services can occur.

“We decided to sell the building, because for us a church is a community and a movement,” pastor Chris VanHall, who leads The Greater Purpose Community Church in Santa Cruz, California, told the NBC affiliate in the Bay Area last week.

“It’s not brick and mortar.”

VanHall’s church community ended up in a food lounge complete with several beer options, a move that reportedly gained them new followers.

He added: “There’s nothing in the Bible that says you can’t drink alcohol in a responsible manner.”

Food lounge owner Andrea Mollenauer, whose business is hosting the church thinks it is a great idea.

“Why not serve beer when they’re reading Bible verses? I thought it was genius,” she said.

Formerly named Garfield Park Community Church, the progressive Disciples of Christ congregation’s “About” section on their Facebook page and website explains that they “will embrace you regardless of your faith, personal life choices, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender…

Pastor Tony Evans has said that the phrase “God never gives us more than we can handle,” which is often cited in times of struggle and loss, can be problematic for Christians.

“Maybe you’ve heard the phrase that God never gives us more than we can handle. There’s a problem with that phrase. If it were true, that would mean we would never face anything that we couldn’t solve in our own strength,” Evans, who’s senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, wrote in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

“If so, why would we ever need God for anything?” he asked.

In a number of other tweets this past week he also touched on the need for people to rely on God.

“When you learn how to locate God in what appears to be His absence, you will learn to trust Him along the dark pathways life often offers,” he posted.

In another message he shared: “When you think about grace, think about its wings — its ability to lift us up and take…

A Baptist pastor says Christians must continue taking to their love ones about Hell, especially those who reject Christianity, but then to also back off and give them space. 

Aaron Menikoff, an author and senior pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, wrote on The Gospel Coalition website Monday that when one wrestles “with the persistent unbelief of family and friends,” there will be times when Satan will ask, “Did God really say there is such a thing as Hell?”

“Don’t tolerate this line of thinking. The doctrine of Hell is tempting to abandon yet crucial to embrace,” he advised.

“God used the doctrine of Hell to save me. When I first heard the Gospel from a high school friend, I pushed back. She pushed back even harder and said unless I repented of my sins and put my faith in Christ, I’d go to Hell,” the pastor recalled.

“I couldn’t believe she said this, much less believed it. Thankfully the Holy Spirit used her conviction and boldness to open my eyes. Months later, I trusted in Christ.”

Menikoff also said that believers should avoid “leaning into the ethical teaching of Jesus while dismissing His teaching on eternal punishment.”

“Christ is not just the Savior; He is the Judge. Please don’t abandon good theology because you don’t like the…

The owner of a popular Tucson, Ariz., restaurant received a letter last week from a former waitress who was so full of remorse over money stolen 20 years ago that she was paying it back — with interest added. Included in the envelope was $1,000 in cash.

“It definitely restores your faith in humanity,” wrote Ray Flores, the son of the owner, on Facebook.

The anonymous waitress didn’t sign the letter but said she pocketed extra cash in the 1990s by not ringing up drinks. She included in the envelope multiple $100 bills. She also said she “grew up in church” and “knew better,” but did it anyway. CBS News reported that El Charro Café is well-known in the area.

“It’s been 20 years, but I still carry great remorse,” the anonymous person wrote. “I am very sorry that I stole from you. Please accept my apology and this money as a repayment + 20 years of interest. May God forever bless you and your family.”

Incredibly, the letter was received one day after the owner, Carlotta Flores, 72, was robbed. Her purse was stolen while she was buying groceries.

The letter lifted her spirits.

“She came up to me and said in Spanish, ‘baby Jesus is still around.’ She hands me an envelope and this money falls out,” Ray Flores told CBS News. “And I say ‘Are you for real?’ Her eyes welled up and she said, ‘Can you believe it?’”

Ray…

A Pennsylvania-based Roman Catholic diocese has released a list of clergy and other church-affiliated figures accused of sexually abusing minors.

The Diocese of Harrisburg announced the release of the list of 71 names, which included 37 priests, three deacons, six seminarians, and 16 others from religious communities.

All of the figures named on the list had ties to the diocese, with the allegations going as far back as the 1940s. The diocese cautioned in its report that those on the list were not necessarily guilty.

“The term ‘accused’ is emphasized to note that the list below includes summations of accusations; the list does not include assessments of credibility or guilt,” explained the report.

Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, head of the diocese, said in a statement on Wednesday that compiling the list came “with great sadness,” because “once again we come face-to-face with the horror that innocent children were the victims of egregious acts.”

“I am saddened because I know that behind every story is the face of a child precious in God’s sight; a child who has been wounded by the sins of those who should have known better,” said Gainer.

The passenger of the Aeroméxico plane who recorded a viral video of the accident credits Jesus for saving all 103 people on board.

Ramin Parsa was recording the takeoff out his window when the plane descended and then crashed. The video shows the plane speeding down the runway when the weather becomes more menacing, with heavy rain and then hail. As the plane crashes, Parsa can be heard praying to Jesus.

“People are screaming, and I was praying – I was praying to de nombre Jesus, de nombre Jesus, so Jesus saved our lives,” Parsa told NBC News.

Parsa wrote on Twitter, “Jesus Christ is alive. He saved me from a plane crash. Forever I’m grateful to Him.” His Twitter bio describes him as “An ex-Muslim whose life the Lord Jesus has changed. I Serve Christ to make His Love known.” He is an author, speaker and evangelist.

The plane was traveling from Durango, Mexico, to Mexico City. No one was killed, and many walked from the plane unharmed before it was engulfed in flames.

An Illinois priest, Father Esequiel Sanchez of Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Des Plaines, Ill., was on the plane. He was celebrating his birthday with friends.

“Yes, I do think it was a miracle,” Sanchez, who suffered multiple arm fractures, told NBC News. “If the plane was traveling a little faster before it hit the embankment or flew a little higher, I…