A new analysis shows that some 13.7 million people have been provided with healthcare and other social services from faith-based organizations following President Donald Trump’s executive order protecting religious liberty.

The analysis from Family Research Council says that in the first year since Trump signed an executive order promoting free speech and religious liberty on May 4, 2017, there has been a “tangible impact on the protection and priority of religious freedom throughout the executive branch.”

Trump’s executive order called for all executive agencies to respect and to protect the freedom of organizations and individuals to engage in religious speech.

The executive order also provided direction to the Department of Health and Human Services on how to best “address conscience-based objections” to Obamacare contraception and birth control mandate, which required many faith-based employers to provide health care plans to employees that may have violated the company’s religious beliefs.

Then in October 2017, the Trump administrations expanded exemptions to the HHS mandate, protecting faith-based nonprofits and for-profit companies.

“Many organizations are now covered by the exemption and will remain free to serve,” said Travis Weber, the director of FRC’s Center for Religious Liberty. “At a minimum, this includes the…

Leaders in the Kentucky Baptist Convention have endorsed a recommendation to end the convention’s cooperation with dually aligned churches that continue providing support to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the wake of CBF’s new policy ending a ban on LGBT employees.

Last Saturday, The KBC Mission Board and Administrative Committee endorsed a recommendation offered by the KBC Credentials Committee that would make it so KBC congregations that give to CBF will no longer be considered in cooperation with the state affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Committee on Credentials was directed following reports of CBF’s new hiring policy allowing for LGBT individuals to apply for non-leadership positions to review the situation involving CBF (that has 1,800 member churches) and KBC (which has 2,400 member churches), and make a formal policy recommendation at KBC’s annual meeting in November.

The Synod of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia on Thursday passed a motion that for the first time allows clergy to offer blessings to couples in same-sex relationships, though it did not change its definition of marriage.

Anglican Taonga, which is the official news service of the regional Anglican church, said that the province has undergone “earnest debate” over the issue of human sexuality for the past 50 years.

Motion 29, as the provision is called, preserves the church’s teaching that marriage is solely a union between one man and one woman, but opens the door for individual bishops to offer “a non-formulary service” which will allow for gay couples to be blessed.

The changes also will remove disciplinary action for clergy who agree to offer such blessings.

A motion to bless same-sex relationships was put forward at the 2014 Synod gathering, and in the 2016 Synod the province established that the changes on blessings would be additions to the rite, rather than doctrinal changes.

Good news has come in the fight against Boko Haram militants in Nigeria. The Nigerian Army has revealed that nearly 1,000 Boko Haram hostages, primarily women and children, have been freed and 50 extremists have been killed in battle.

The Nigerian Army made the announcement on their Twitter page:

“ARMY RESCUES OVER 1000 BOKO HARAM CAPTIVES. Troops of 22 Brigade deployed in operation LAFIYA DOLE has rescued over 1000 hostages from the Boko Haram Terrorists enclave,” read the post.

The Christian Post reports that Boko Haram has been terrorizing Nigerian citizens, including many Christians, since it rose to prominence in 2009. Perhaps most notably, the group took captive 276 Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, most of whom have since been rescued.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to fight the militants and drive them out of the country.

The Nigerian Army supported Buhari’s aim when it tweeted:

“We wishes to remind the public of its resolve to rout out BH & rescued all hostages. The public is also advised to report any suspicious character to the appropriate authority for prompt action. However, the rescued persons are being attended to in a military medical facility.”

Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock/Kylieellway

Publication date: May 9, 2018

North Point Community Church Senior Pastor Andy Stanley has stated that Christians need to “unhitch” the Old Testament from their faith.

In the final part of a recent sermon series, Stanley explained that while he believes that the Old Testament is “divinely inspired,” it should not be “the go-to source regarding any behavior in the church.”

To justify this, Stanley preached last month about Acts 15, which described how the early church decided that Gentile converts did not need to strictly observe Jewish law to become Christians.

“[First century] Church leaders unhitched the church from the worldview, value system, and regulations of the Jewish scriptures,” said Stanley.

“Peter, James, Paul elected to unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures, and my friends, we must as well.”

Stanley argued that it had to be done for the same reason the church in Acts 15 did so, which was so that “we must not make it difficult for those Gentiles who are turning to God.” 

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