The Michigan Annual Conference for the United Methodist Church will hold a special session to determine whether to forward to the denomination’s next General Conference a highly publicized plan to separate the UMC over LGBT issues.

Last month, UMC leaders and activists of diverse theological views announced their support for a measure called the “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation,” which among other things would allocate $25 million for theologically conservative Methodists who adhere to biblical standards of marriage and sexuality to vote to leave the UMC and create their own denomination.

Bishop David Bard of the Michigan Conference announced Wednesday that his regional body will hold a special session on March 7 to consider the protocol legislation.

According to a conference statement, the special session will not amend the proposed legislation, but will simply vote either in favor or against the protocol.

If passed, the protocol legislation will then go to the denomination-wide General Conference, scheduled to be held May 5-15 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Michigan United Methodists gathered for this special session of annual conference will decide if we want to serve the wider church by forwarding this legislation. Delegates to General Conference will decide what to do with the legislation,” said Bard in a blog entry on Tuesday.

“I am calling our annual conference into special session because I believe in this liminal season, the delegates to General Conference need the opportunity to consider every good option for the future of our church.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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A federal judge ruled this week that the city of Boston, Massachusetts, does not have to raise a Christian flag at City Hall Plaza even though the city has raised flags representing other cultural and social groups, including flags indicating support for LGBT rights. 

U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper, an Obama-appointee, issued an order Tuesday denying summary judgment to a Christian man who sued the city in 2018 after the city government rejected his request in 2017 to fly a Christian flag on a public flagpole outside City Hall.

The plaintiff, Harold Shurtleff, runs the organization called Camp Constitution. Camp Constitution exists to “enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage.” The organization hosts annual Constitution Day and Citizenship Day events at City Hall.

But Shurtleff’s request for the Christian flag (featuring a cross in the upper lefthand corner) on Constitution Day (September 17) 2017 was denied by the city on the basis of a policy that gives discretion to the city to determine which flags can fly.

Shurtleff believes that the city’s rejection of the flag equates to censorship of the Christian viewpoint.

The city of Boston raised nearly 300 flags by private organizations on the City Hall flagpole between 2005 and 2017, according to court documents. The conservative religious freedom legal group Liberty Counsel, which is representing Shurtleff, argued that the flagpole is designated by the city as a public forum for private speech.

According to Liberty Counsel, the city had never censored any flag until Shurtleff’s request to fly the Christian flag on Constitution Day 2017.

Casper rejected the plaintiff’s argument that the flagpole is designed to be a public forum for private speech, saying that the “display of flags outside City Hall is government speech.”

“The [then-head of the property management department Gregory Rooney] had never considered a religious flag prior to the Plaintiffs’ application,” the judge reasoned in her ruling.

“There are no additional facts in the record that would suggest any improper preference for non-religion over religion or selective treatment of any person or group based on religion. The City did not alter its procedures for review of flag applications because of Camp Constitution’s request, instead, Camp Constitution’s request presented a novel issue for the City’s consideration, which the City considered consistent with its practice and policy.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Samuel Smith

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Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has again garnered attention for his views on abortion, this time with an exchange between himself and “The View” co-host Meghan McCain.

On Thursday’s episode of “The View,” McCain asked Buttigieg about earlier comments he made claiming that the Bible says life does not begin before the first breath, and so it can be interpreted that abortion is acceptable.

“In my circles it was passed around everywhere because I think the interpretation from pro-life people like me was that you meant a baby actually being born,” said McCain.

“You know there’s a lot of controversy with Governor Northam and what it means and what time a woman should be able to have an abortion. I just wanted you to clarify because I found that statement to be pretty radical.”

Buttigieg responded by saying that he was just explaining that there are different interpretations of Scripture and morality on the abortion issue.

“We live in a country where it is extremely important that no one person have to be subject to some other person’s interpretation of their own religion,” he said.

McCain then brought up partial birth abortion and what limits he supported on abortion, to which the Democratic candidate said that he did not believe the government should be involved in setting any limits on abortion.

“My point is that it shouldn’t be up to a government official to draw the line, it should be up to the woman,” said Buttigieg, who received loud applause from the studio audience.

Buttigieg also defended the practice of late-term abortion, arguing that it presents a situation in which “a woman was expecting to carry the pregnancy to term” only to find out that she must make a “terrible choice” due to unexpected complications.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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Dear Chuck,

I have a jaundiced eye about the World Economic Forum’s view of the world. What are the economic issues that concern you?

Not impressed with Davos

Dear Not Impressed,

While the World Economic Forum has its shortcomings, it may surprise you that I think there is some good that comes out of Davos each year that is helpful to Christians.

What I find helpful to learn from Davos is what the world’s elite are concerned about. While I may or may not agree with their solutions, they often surface issues that merit our attention. Here are two of the many issues they are concerned about that caught my attention. Following these, I give a list of my economic concerns.

Disruptive Technology – Heaven or Hell

History expert, Yuval Harari, issued a stern warning about three global risks ending with his perspective of the ever growing and expanding invasion of technology:

“In Davos we hear so much about the enormous promises of technology – and these promises are certainly real. But technology might also disrupt human society and the very meaning of human life in numerous ways, ranging from the creation of a global useless class to the rise of data colonialism and of digital dictatorships.

“The twin revolutions of infotech and biotech are now giving politicians the means to create heaven or hell, but the philosophers are having trouble conceptualizing what the new heaven and the new hell will look like. And that’s a very dangerous situation.

“If we fail to conceptualize the new heaven quickly enough, we might be easily misled by naïve utopias. And if we fail to conceptualize the new hell quickly enough, we might find ourselves entrapped there with no way out.”

There is certainly an ominous concern and interesting choice of metaphors in Dr. Harari’s perspective. Fortunately, we are not looking to technology as our Savior.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Chuck Bentley

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Hollywood actor and Christian filmmaker Corbin Bernsen attended the 28th annual Movieguide Awards where he talked to The Christian Post about the divisiveness he sometimes sees between believers and nonbelievers.

Bernsen has worked in Hollywood for half a century and more recently has been creating and starring in faith-based entertainment. However, he is not using his influence in Hollywood to convert people to what he believes.

“I think my journey, is not about, ‘I’m Christian, come to Jesus.’ I’m not that. I have my own relationship with God, my own relationship with Christ — that’s the way it works for me. I have my very special, private relationship,” Bernsen said last month while walking the red carpet of the popular award show which honors faith and family content.

“What we see today, this sort of clash of believers [and] nonbelievers, of any faith really. People over here are like, ‘I don’t want any of that stuff. I don’t care what package you put it in or what you want to call it, I don’t want it,’ “The Resident” star illustrated.

Bernsen, who is gearing up for the Valentine’s Day release of the new “faith-friendly” movie “First Lady,” went on to say that the separation of believers and nonbelievers is critical.

“That collision has become dangerous and venomous. It’s not that I want one side to accept the other, and the other to accept the other, but I think we have to come to a place of mutual respect.

You’re never going to solve all the problems, things that Christians want legally, other people don’t want,” he told CP.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Jeannie Law

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

Prayer is hard! It takes work. I often feel guilty that I don’t pray enough. Even when I do, I wish I prayed longer. When my prayer life is lacking, rushed and forced, it unfortunately becomes a last resort instead of a first response.

Prayer is the one thing that can have the greatest impact on our lives and the lives of others, yet it becomes an option, not an absolute. Prayer is a discipline we need, want and value. It gets pushed aside to the never-ending demands and busyness of life. This can minimize and marginalize our prayer lives. Prayer becomes a 911 call — a plea for help — instead of a continual conversation with our Lord. There’s nothing wrong with 911 prayers, but when they become our only prayers, then there is something wrong.

Often, when I ask people about their prayer life, I usually get a similar confession. We like the effects of prayer but not the hard work of prayer. We want the results, benefits and blessings without the surrender, sacrifice and sweat. We resort to microwave prayers instead of Crock Pot prayers. Quick and short instead of slow and long. God longs for us to commune with Him. Instead, we give him “quick words of prayer.”

The crazy thing is I have never met someone who says they feel great about their prayer life. Engaging God through prayer can be an ongoing battle. Recently, I talked with a friend who started a prayer ministry 20 years ago and has mobilized 20,000 full-time prayer missionaries. He spends over 25 hours a week in their prayer room and, guess what, he told me he struggles with praying! We are never satisfied with our prayer life because there is always room to grow when it comes to praying.

Unfortunately, learning how to pray doesn’t come naturally. I believe the best way to learn is from a mentor. Barry Spofford, who passed away in 2015, was my spiritual mentor who taught me how to pray. For 23 years, I had the joy and honor of serving on staff with Barry and starting Fellowship of Christian Athletes in many countries around the world. God used Barry as a spiritual coach to show me the importance of spiritual disciplines, especially prayer. Spending hours of prayer on my knees with Barry, I saw God move mountains. I learned how to pray, not just talk about prayer.

When we met, Barry slipped off his Timex watch, set the timer for an hour, put the watch on the table, and then dropped to his knees. No talk; just prayer. He modeled how to pray right away, instead of waiting, which was the key. He lived by the motto, “Pray it, don’t say it.” He seized the moment and prayed instantly. Barry taught me the power of constant, unbroken, continual, spontaneous prayer. Activating prayer was as simple as calling upon the Lord at all times.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Dan Britton

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A newly introduced proposal in Utah requires pornography to come with labels warning of “addictive sexual behavior” and “low self-esteem” among other ill effects in the latest legislative push against porn.

According to state Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Highland, the proposed label on pornography circulated in the Beehive state warns of impairment of “brain development, emotional development, and the ability to maintain intimate relationships,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday.

Exposure to porn may also result in “the improper objectification of and sexual violence towards others, among other numerous harms,” Brammer’s label would also say.

“The idea is we’ve already found that … exposing minors to pornography can be extremely damaging,” Brammer said, drawing inspiration from a California measure, Proposition 65, which required warning labels on products that contain certain cancer-causing chemicals.

“We’ve already made that finding as a state. So [the bill] says, well, let’s put a warning label on pornography, and we’re going to enforce it the same way that California’s Prop 65 is enforced,” he said.

Defenders of pornography often do so on First Amendment grounds. The lobbying arm of the pornography industry and longtime foe of anti-porn activists is called the Free Speech Coalition.

Brammer’s bill stipulates such warning labels ought to be displayed on the cover of any pornography print publication or shown for at least 15 seconds prior to the viewing of online explicit videos or images.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Brandon Showalter

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