Christian comedian John Crist will release a Netflix special, “I Ain’t Prayin’ For That,” on Thanksgiving.

Crist told The Tennessean that Christian comedy “has gotten a bad rap in the past because it’s very passive, and it’s not honest.”

“It’s like knock-knock jokes type humor,” he said. “What we’re bringing to the table is another level of honesty, and maybe transparency, that I think does make some people uncomfortable.”

Crist’s comedy points to nuances and quirks in the Christian church, but he said he doesn’t joke about core Christian beliefs.

“There’s nothing funny to me about Jesus on the cross or the Virgin Mary, things that are very at the center of our belief system,” he said. “But if your pastor is dressed like he’s on ‘MTV Cribs,’ I’m gonna make fun of that. I worked in a church last week that had ‘Pastors Only’ parking spots, which in my estimation, is, I think, 100 percent everything that Jesus as a person was against.”

Crist’s first gig was at a Chili’s restaurant in 2009. He gained popularity through his online videos, including “Millennial International,” “Every Parent at Disney” and “7 Signs You Grew Up Christian.”

“There’s so much healing that takes place every night at our show,” Crist said in an interview earlier this year.

“Last year, a mom told me, ‘I’ve got…

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up the case of a Christian high school student who claims her constitutional rights were violated when she was forced to write on a worksheet, “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” 

The justices, without comment, refused Oct. 15 to hear an appeal of the case from the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which had ruled the teacher at La Plata High School in Charles County, Md., did not violate the free speech or religious rights of the student, Caleigh Wood. She was in the 11th grade at the time and refused to complete the assignment. She received a failing grade. 

“The Supreme Court has recognized the secular value of studying religion on a comparative basis,” the Fourth Circuit ruled in February.

The Thomas More Law Center represented the student. 

Wood and her classmates viewed PowerPoint slides, one of which stated, “Most Muslims’ faith is stronger than the average Christian.” They also were told to fill out a worksheet about the “Five Pillars” of Islam. It was on that worksheet that students were required to write, “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” The profession of faith is called the Shahada.

Thomas More alleged that the assignment violated the Establishment Clause by “impermissibly endors[ing] and advanc[ing] the…

Burger King is the latest restaurant chain to tease Chick-fil-A for being closed on Sundays and to face the wrath of Chick-fil-A’s customers.

Burger King posted a simple message on its Twitter account Friday that was immediately taken as a reference to Chick-fil-A and even to Kanye’s new Chick-fil-A-themed song, Closed on Sunday, which was released the same day. 

“open on sunday,” the Burger King tweet read. 

open on sunday

— Burger Town (@BurgerKing) October 25, 2019

Chick-fil-A’s restaurants have been closed on Sundays since founder Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in 1946.

“Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose – a practice we uphold today,” Chick-fil-A’s website says. 

The top comments on Burger King’s Twitter feed were from Chick-fil-A fans.

“And Chick-fil-a still out sells Burger King with a 6 day week @BurgerKing,” one person wrote. 

And Chick-fil-a still out sells Burger King with a 6 day week @BurgerKing

— Marc Crouse (@MarcCrouse) October 26, 2019

“I would rather have a glass of water for lunch on Sunday and wait for chick fil a to open Monday than eat at a burger king,” another wrote. 

I would rather…

Singer Selena Gomez, who just released a new single this week, took to Twitter Tuesday not to promote her latest project, but to share about her faith in Jesus. 

“Literally just laying down and thanking Jesus,” she posted before going on to reference a difficult season without shedding light on the circumstances.

“Where my father has taken me and placing me is exactly where I am meant to be,” she added. “He said to me ‘Selena hold on, I hurt when you hurt. I cry when you cry but I will NEVER, EVER leave your side. Work with me, walk with me and watch how I do it.’ He always surprises me and I re-fall in love with Him every single time.”

pic.twitter.com/iDGIV1CyR2

— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) October 23, 2019

In 2014, the singer-actress acknowledged she had lupus and has sought treatment for anxiety and depression. Three years later she received a kidney transplant. Gomez also had numerous high-profile break-ups with on-again-off-again boyfriend Justin Bieber, who married Hailey Baldwin in a civil ceremony 13 months ago, but just held a public wedding last month. As Christian Headlines reported, Bieber shared about his own relationship with Jesus in a Sept. 2 post on Instagram.

“We have the greatest healer of all and his name is Jesus Christ,” Bieber posted at the time. “And he really heals. This is it. It’s time that we…

3. He Is a Staunch Advocate for the Separation of Church and State

According to a supporters’ website, Feel the Bern, “Bernie Sanders supports people’s right to freely congregate, practice, and express their faith. To protect both personal religious freedoms and civic equality, Bernie advocates for the separation of church and state, which allows Americans to honor diversity, respect personal autonomy, and voluntarily choose to practice or abstain from religious faith.”

The site said Sanders also believes “public laws ought to be independent of any one particular faith to maximize religious freedoms for all.” But those protections, in his view, end when it comes to perceived discrimination.

“Religious freedom is not a right to discriminate,” according to Feel the Bern.

That philosophy drove Sanders to vote against the 2001 Community Solutions Act, “which allows federal funds to go to religious organizations that proselytize while providing social services and that engage in employment discrimination based on religion.”

He also opposed the 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which ruled business owners cannot be forced to provide contraceptive coverage through the Affordable Care Act if doing so violates their religious beliefs.

“Bosses should not be able to impose their religious beliefs on their employees,” Sanders said in a statement after…