(RNS) — Zondervan, the Christian media and publishing company, is suspending promotion of two books and indefinitely halting a documentary by popular Enneagram teacher and best-selling author Christopher Heuertz after allegations by nearly three dozen people who saw or experienced “spiritual and psychological abuse” by him.

A spokesman for Zondervan said a foreword and endorsement written by popular social scientist Brené Brown would be removed from Heuertz’s latest book, “The Enneagram of Belonging: A Compassionate Journey of Self-Acceptance.”

The decision by Zondervan follows a public post on the platform Medium signed by 33 women and men who wrote that Heuertz “has harmed many people and we cannot remain silent anymore.” Many others have since corroborated the accusations and added their stories.

The June 10 post described a pattern of spiritual and psychological abuse by Heuertz, a liberal Christian active in social justice causes as well as the contemplative tradition borrowed from Catholicism. He is an expert on the Enneagram, a model of the human psyche based on nine personality types that has exploded in popularity in certain Christian circles.

Heuertz apologized publicly on his webpage, saying, “I failed to maintain suitable boundaries in some of my friendships with women.”

“We are suspending any promotion of ‘The Sacred Enneagram’ and ‘The…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at a cabinet meeting over the weekend that Israel is preparing to start a new housing development in the Golan Heights named after President Donald Trump.

According to CBN News, Settlement Minister Tzipi Hotovely also confirmed the move on Facebook, saying the community will be named “Ramat Trump,” which is Hebrew for “Trump Heights.”

Israel claimed the formerly Syrian Golan Heights after a war in 1967. They formally annexed the region in 1981. According to Time Magazine, most of the “international community” believes the annexation is illegal “under international law.” However, Trump signed an executive order in March 2019 stating that the United States recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

During the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said his nation would “begin practical steps in establishing the community of Ramat Trump on the Golan Heights, Israel’s sovereignty over which was recognized by President Trump.

Trump made the announcement during a Netanyahu visit to the United States in the leadup to last year’s elections in Israel. Netanyahu announced the decision to name the new settlement after Trump on the President’s 74^th birthday. Netanyahu tweeted, “Happy Birthday President @realDonaldTrump! You’ve been an INCREDIBLE friend to Israel and you’ve done extraordinary things for the Jewish state for…

Over the last 12 years, the teaching of creationism in public high schools across the U.S. has declined while the time devoted to teaching the theory of evolution has sharply increased, a new study finds.

The study, titled “Teaching evolution in U.S. public schools: a continuing challenge,” was released by Evolution: Education and Outreach, a peer-reviewed journal that seeks to advocate for the comprehensive teaching of evolutionary theory, last week.

According to the Christian Post the study was conducted by political science professor Eric Plutzer of Penn State University alongside Glenn Branch and Anne Reid from the National Center for Science Education, a California nonprofit that equips teachers in teaching evolution and climate change.

The study relied on surveys of 752 public high school biology teachers.

The NCSE noted that the study was meant to “replicate a similar national survey that Plutzer and his colleagues conducted in 2007.”

The 2019 study found that from 2007 to 2019 in U.S. public schools, there was a 60 percent increase in the average number of class hours geared towards teaching evolution and a seven percent increase in teachers who chose not to teach on creationism or intelligent design at all.

“We find a 60 percent increase in the mean number of class hours reported as devoted to human evolution, from 4.1 to 7.7 class hours,” the…

Racism is “contrary to the evangelical Gospel,” some two dozen evangelical scholars said in a statement released this week.

“Today’s situation requires more than a statement, but certainly no less than a statement, said the “Evangelical Statement on the Gospel and Racism,” according to the Christian Post. “As evangelical academic voices, we condemn racism as contrary to Scripture and to the evangelical gospel.”

Signees of the statement included members of the Evangelical Theological Society’s executive committee. ETS is a professional association of scholars, teachers, pastors and students committed to the written expression of theological thought and research.

Some of the members part of the statement include Craig Keener, ETS president and Asbury Theological Seminary professor; Gregg Allison, Southern Baptist Theology professor; and Al Mohler, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president. Mohler is also ERS president-elect and program chair.

More than 150 teachers and church leaders have signed the statement.

The mission is to “listen, mourn, speak, and act in accordance with the gospel in our own lives, in our institutions, in our churches and in our communities.

“As we grieved over recent events in our communities, we realized that although a statement is insufficient, it is necessary.

“We are compelled to declare that the Gospel stands…

Over the weekend, Grammy award-winning artist Chance the Rapper had a heated scuffle with pastors on social media about the church’s response to racial injustice.

According to Relevant Magazine, the exchange began after the singer, whose full name is Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, asked his Christian followers on Twitter why the church has long refused to speak on the topic of racism.

He wrote, “Why don’t we as a church explicitly address White Supremacy and racism on Sundays? Why don’t we engage the truths of America and how it’s values are antithetical to the Gospel?”

Bennett continued, “Is it not directly the responsibility of the Church to dismantle and defeat White Supremacy? Is equality not the basis for forming the body of Christ?”

I’m sure I’m gonna get replies from nonbelievers but I’d like to ask my Christian followers out there: Why don’t we as a church explicitly address White Supremacy and racism on Sundays? Why don’t we engage the truths of America and how it’s values are antithetical to the Gospel?

— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) June 13, 2020

Bennett, who has long been outspoken about his Christian faith, responded to his followers with thoughtful responses and questions until someone tagged several pastors to discuss the matter further with the Chicago based rapper.

The first to respond was Pastor Phil…

Planned Parenthood officially endorsed Joe Biden for president on Monday, saying women who need “safe and legal abortion[s]” cannot afford four more years of President Trump.

The endorsement was made in a two-minute video by Planned Parenthood Action Fund featuring acting president Alexis McGill Johnson. Biden also appeared in the video, saying he “will protect women’s constitutional right to choose.”

“I’m proud to stand with you in this fight,” Biden said.

Johnson told National Public Radio “this is literally a life and death election.”

“We felt like we can’t endure another four years of Trump; we have to do everything we can to get him out of office,” Johnson said.

In the video, Johnson applauded Biden’s record while criticizing that of Trump.

“Americans need a president who will empower women, families and young people,” she said in the video. “When Joe Biden was vice president, more people got insurance coverage than ever. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, birth control, STI testing [and] cancer screenings were all covered.”

Trump, Johnson said, “has tried to tear down our progress, making it harder to access birth control, sabotaging the Affordable Care Act, blocking access to care and Planned Parenthood, appointing a record number of judges opposed to reproductive rights.”

“The last four years, our most fundamental rights,…

CHICAGO (RNS) — Dave Dummitt said “no” to Willow Creek Community Church twice.

When the Chicago-area megachurch first reached out to him about stepping into the role of the senior pastor, Dummitt worried it was “not an environment that I felt like I could serve very well.”

The church hadn’t had a full-time senior pastor in nearly two years, ever since founding pastor Bill Hybels resigned amid allegations of abusing power and sexual misconduct. Though Hybels has denied those allegations, an independent group of Christian leaders found them credible.

Hybels’ successors and Willow Creek’s entire elder board later resigned over the church’s handling of the allegations.

Dummitt thought the new elder board might try to micromanage the next senior pastor.

He thought the church might need a “shepherding, relational leader,” which isn’t what he called his “unique gift.”

In the end, he said, the people of Willow Creek, based in South Barrington, Illinois, drew him to the church.

“Once you get to know the people of Willow Creek, it’s hard not to love the people of Willow Creek,” he told Religion News Service in a recent interview.

Dummitt, who recently preached his first message online as senior pastor of Willow Creek, talked to Religion News Service last week about stepping into his new role amid pandemic and protests, rebuilding trust at Willow Creek and his…