In a year defined by racial tension and pandemic hysteria, Pastor Levi Lusko believes God is calling His people to abandon their idols and experience true joy.

Lusko, lead pastor of Fresh Life Church, a multi-site church in Montana and Utah, told The Christian Post that he, like millions of other Americans, has found 2020 to be an “incredibly difficult” year. 

But amid the pain, anxiety, and uncertainty, Lusko, who recently released his latest book, Take Back Your Life: A 40 Day Interactive Journey to Thinking Right So You Can Live Right, believes God is calling His people to “true joy.”

“God is calling us to try joy. I believe that’s the predominant thing He’s trying to stir in our hearts this year,” he said. “In the very early days of March, April, and May, I felt God really calling me to true joy. Sometimes, we have to have those counterfeit sources of joy stripped away from us to experience true joy.”

Lusko admitted that his “biggest go-to idol” is control.

“But I’m out of control,” he said. “None of us can control this pandemic. By having…

Christianity is a faith with a long and detailed history, with numerous events of lasting significance occurring throughout the ages.

Each week brings the anniversaries of great milestones, horrid tragedies, amazing triumphs, and everything in between.

Here are three things that happened this week, Aug. 23-29, in Church history. They include the death of Increase Mather, the birth of a prominent supporter of the early Methodist movement, and the ordination of famed Baptist preacher W.A. Criswell.

Responding to some members who accused him of “bowing to Caesar,” Pastor Andy Stanley of Atlanta’s North Point Community Church explained why his church decided to suspend services until 2021. The decision, he said, is not “left-wing, Marxist agenda,” but based on what’s central to the Christian faith.

In a video message, Stanley said the megachurch’s decision is based on the true stance of the Christian faith.

“We did not suspend services because of government pressure; there was none,” he emphasized. “We’re not afraid, we’re not bowing to social, cultural or political pressure.”

There’s a storm of confusion right now due to three things, the leader of the multi-campus church pointed out.

One, everything is politicized, he said. There are no neutral topics right now — from school reopenings to masks and the virus; everything is politicized and no one is neutral, he explained.

Two, he said, cancel culture is prevalent. “If you say something I don’t like … or agree with, I’d discount everything you’ve ever said and everything you’ve ever accomplished in your life,” he noted.

Stanley told church members he’s been…

Millennials and Generation Z are facing some of the greatest challenges at this moment thanks to the disruption and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing demonstrations for racial justice. Engaging with and discipling teens and young adults can be equally challenging. Here are five trends about these generations, according to a Barna analysis.

While young people are questioning their place in the new reality they are living in, half of the pastors say they are struggling in their ministry to kids and youth right now, says the evangelical Christian polling firm Barna Group, which looked at how the Church has come alongside emerging generations and helped them navigate change, based on decades’ worth of its research.

One: The Church must help younger generations wisely navigate screen time

Daily screen usage by millennials and Gen Z has significantly increased during the pandemic, and 85% of pastors are concerned about it, Barna has found. But 86% of pastors say their church does not have a plan to teach on wise tech usage.

The study uses the term “Digital Babylon,” which David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock, co-authors of the Barna report…