An American Bible Society report shows that Scripture engagement has fallen during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the 10^th annual State of the Bible report, Scripture engagement is directly tied to in-person church participation.

“Faith communities have demonstrated incredible resilience, innovation and empathy through the pandemic. But this survey reveals that a big opportunity still remains for Christian organizations to make an impact on Scripture engagement,” said American Bible Society president and CEO, Robert Briggs.

“Despite nearly every individual in the U.S. having access to the Bible, engagement has decreased. That’s been a consistent trend over the past few years, and the trend has accelerated since January 2020throughout the pandemic. The Church must transition from ‘survival’ mode back into ‘discipleship’ mode, and, yes, that’s going to take even more innovation.”

A 2019 report found that about 35 percent of American adults said they never used the Bible outside of a large church service or mass. In January, that number stayed about the same, but by June 2020, that same number dropped to 31 percent.

Respondents said they found it hard to maintain a study with the Bible during the pandemic as stay-at-home orders and other restrictions closed churches across the nation.

Americans who said they use the Bible daily fell to just one in 10, the lowest number on record…

As Iran continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, internal strife and its conflict with Israel, many of its Muslim citizens are turning to Jesus Christ.

According to CBN News, despite the Iranian government issuing a show of force by conducting executions, such as the killing on Monday of Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd who was accused of spying for the CIA and Israeli intelligence, many Muslim Iranians are converting to Christianity, a move that could get themselves killed or arrested as well.

“This is a regime that’s facing a possible rebellion in the near future, regime officials talk about it, so they are executing a lot of people to put fear into the public,” Alireza Nader, an Iranian expert with Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told CBN News.

Nevertheless, many Iranians are fed up with its Islamic government and are turning to Christ by the thousands.

“That’s why we are calling this a pandemic of hope,” said Mike Ansari, director of operations for Mohabat TV, a popular Christian satellite channel in Iran. The outlet has recorded a tenfold increase in online conversions as opposed to this time in 2019.

CBN News notes that since the coronavirus pandemic hit Iran in March, there have been 3,000 conversions to Christianity each month.

“We are registering around 3,000 personal decisions by Iranian Muslims to leave Islam for Christianity during this revival,” Ansari said.

“People…

An online fundraiser for the family of a Texas pastor killed in a roadside accident passed the $250,000 mark Wednesday thanks to donations from friends, acquaintances and even individuals who didn’t know the minister.

John Powell, the pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in New Caney, Texas, was killed Saturday on a highway when he was hit by a semi-truck while helping a stranger who was stranded on the side of the road. He was 38.

Powell was survived by a wife, Katherine, and four young children.

A GoFundMe account set up for the family passed $250,000 Wednesday and stood at $262,000 Thursday morning. More than 2,500 people had donated.

Andrew Walker, a family friend who set up the account, said he was astonished by the outpouring of support. Walker is a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which Powell attended.

“The global body of Christ is a living portrait of Romans 12:15: ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep,’” Walker tweeted.

To my utter astonishment, a few minutes ago, the Go Fund Me set up to care for the family of John Powell crossed $250K. The global body of Christ is a living portrait of Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” https://t.co/ziDVXMLl1a

— Andrew T. Walker (@andrewtwalk) July 22, 2020

On the GoFundMe page, Walker said Powell was “a devoted husband and an incredible…

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced an agreement with Pfizer for production and nationwide delivery of 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, assuming it receives approval by the FDA.

The agreement between Pfizer and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense also will allow the federal government to acquire an additional 500 million doses.

The announcement was the latest step in Operation Warp Speed, a Trump administration project that has a goal of distributing a vaccine nationwide by January 2020.

The Department of Defense will deliver the vaccine to the U.S., which has a population of 320 million.

President Trump, in remarks at a Wednesday news conference, called it a “historic agreement.”

“This is another crucial step in our effort to develop, manufacture and distribute a vaccine in record-breaking time – really a very small fraction of the time, based on previous schedules. … I want to thank everybody involved,” Trump said. It’s been an incredible process.”

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech said Wednesday they are set to begin the final phase (Phase 3) of clinical trials in late July. A news release said they are set to receive “regulatory approval as early as October 2020” and to “manufacture globally up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020 and potentially more than 1.3 billion doses by the…

JOS, Nigeria, July 22, 2020 (Morning Star News) – Muslim Fulani herdsmen on Monday (July 20) killed 11 Christians in an attack in Kaduna state, Nigeria, the latest of more than 50 members of Baptist, ECWA and Catholic churches slain since June 12, sources said.

More than 50 armed herdsmen invaded Gora Gan village, in the north-central state’s Zangon Kataf County, on Monday at about 7 p.m., setting dozens of houses on fire, according to the Rev. Isaac Ango Makama, vice chairman of the local chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Seven other Christians were injured in the attack and were receiving treatment at General Hospital in Zonkwa, and many others are missing, he said. Corpses of those killed were taken to the morgue of the same hospital.

The attack brought to more than 500 the number of Christians taking refuge at a camp for the displaced, said Ezekiel James, one of the officials manning the camp.

“We currently have 559 displaced Christians at the Zonkwa Town Camp,” James told Morning Star News by text message. “They are Christians who escaped the attack against Gora Gan village and other villages in the past few days. These internally displaced Christians are in dire need of food items, drugs, and facilities to treat those who are traumatized.”

Sunday

The attack brings to more than 50 the number of Christians killed in Muslim Fulani herdsmen…

In his strongest comments on the subject in months, President Trump Tuesday urged Americans to wear masks, saying the coronavirus pandemic likely will “get worse before it gets better” in the United States. 

“We’re asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask,” Trump said at a news conference. “Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. They’ll have an effect. And we need everything we can get.”

President @realDonaldTrump: “We’re asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask.” pic.twitter.com/pfpssIqJjH

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 21, 2020

Later, he returned to the same subject: “We’re … asking Americans to use masks, socially distance, and employ vigorous hygiene – wash your hands every chance you get – while sheltering high-risk populations.”

Trump, who discussed masks several times during the coronavirus briefings in April, has been criticized by some for not promoting them enough in recent weeks. He wore a mask publicly while visiting Walter Reed National Military Medical Center July 11, and on July 20 tweeted a photo of himself wearing a mask. On Tuesday, he re-tweeted a video of his news conference comments about masks.

We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face…

Acknowledging founder Margaret Sanger’s ties to the eugenics movement as well as her “racist legacy,” Planned Parenthood of Greater New York said Tuesday it would remove her name from a building and also work to scrub her name from an honorary street sign.

Sanger’s support of eugenics has long been criticized by pro-life activists. She died in 1966.

Sanger opened the first Planned Parenthood clinic in 1916 and is considered the founder of the national organization.

In a statement, the New York Planned Parenthood chapter said the announcement “reflects the first of many organizational shifts to address Sanger’s legacy and system of institutional racism, which negatively impacts the well-being of patients, staff and PPGNY’s broader communities.”

“The removal of Margaret Sanger’s name from our building is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood’s contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color,” said Karen Seltzer, board chair at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. “Margaret Sanger’s concerns and advocacy for reproductive health have been clearly documented, but so too has her racist legacy. There is overwhelming evidence for Sanger’s deep belief in eugenic ideology, which runs completely counter to our values at PPGNY. Removing her name is an important step toward…