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Welcome to the How to Stay the Coronavirus Plague Briefing Podcast #13. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International.

Numbers 11:33 said, “And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.”

Matthew Henry said, “reason these Israelites had to refuse this flesh, which was obtained by murmuring, and which, they might easily perceive, by what Moses said, was given them in anger; but those that are under the power of a carnal mind will have their lusts fulfilled, though it be to the certain damage and ruin of their precious souls. 3. How dearly they paid for their feasts, when it came into the reckoning: The Lord smote them with a very great plague, some bodily disease, which probably was the effect of their surfeit, and was the death of many of them, and those, it is likely, the ringleaders in the mutiny. Note, God often grants the desires of his own people in love. He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul, Ps. 16:15. By all that was said to them they were not estranged from their lusts, and therefore, while the meat was in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them. What we inordinately desire, if we obtain it (we have reason to fear), will be some way or other a grief and cross to us. God satiated them first, and then plagued them. To save the reputation of his own power, that it might not be said, “He would not have cut them off had he been able to supply them.” And to show us the meaning of the prosperity of sinners; it is their preparation for ruin, they are fed as an ox for the slaughter.”

Leonard Ravenhill said, “You can’t live wrong and pray right.”

NEWS

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are now at least 7,077 deaths from the coronavirus in the US.

According to CNBC, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday that 2,935 New Yorkers have died from the coronavirus so far with 562 new deaths over the last 24 hours — a 23% jump and the single-biggest daily increase in deaths in the state since the outbreak began a few weeks ago.

According to CNN, President Donald Trump says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is issuing new recommendations advising Americans to voluntarily wear face coverings to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

HOME BUSINESS

2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

Dave Ramsey said, “Over twenty years ago I set out to live the American dream of owning and operating my own business. As a young twenty-something go-getter, I grew my real estate investment business quickly. I started from nothing, and by the time I was twenty-six I had over four million dollars in real estate with over one million dollars’ net worth. We owned and/or managed hundreds of rental units, ran three rehab crews, and quickly grew our little empire. However, I had built the business with too much debt and had managed and led poorly. Our primary lender was sold to another bank, and after looking at our situation, they made the fateful decision to limit their risk by calling all our notes—all at once. I spent the next two and a half years losing everything I owned. We were sued a gazillion times, foreclosed on multiple times, and finally went bankrupt. There I sat with a new baby, a toddler, and a marriage hanging by a thread, a broke and broken man. I was so scared and so scarred that I surrendered. Completely. This is not a book about recovering from failure; although if you are going to lead and/or own a business, you will learn those lessons either in small ways or, sadly, in big ways. However, it is good for you to know the root, the DNA, of our tremendous success in every area of our business in the twenty-plus years following the crash. My total surrender following my failure is at the root of our tremendous success today.”

——

Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.

First, please understand that you are a sinner and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Please understand that because of your sins, you deserve punishment in hell. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death…” This is both physical death and spiritual death in hell.

But here is the good news. John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The phrase “For God so loved the world” means that if you are in this world, God loves you no matter what you have done.

The next phrase, “that He gave His only begotten Son” refers to Jesus Christ. He is God’s son who suffered, bled, and died on the cross for your sins and for mine, and He was buried and rose again.

Our next phrase is “that whosoever believeth in Him”. The word “whosoever” means anybody at anytime. The phrase “believeth in Him” means to trust in Him, to depend upon Him, to rely on Him, or to have faith in Him for your salvation.

Our next phrase, “should not perish”, refers to eternal punishment in a place called hell.

And, lastly, the phrase “but have everlasting life” means to live eternally in Heaven with God.

The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Dear friend, if you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me this simple prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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Welcome to the How to Stay the Coronavirus Plague Briefing Podcast #6. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International.

Deuteronomy 28:59 says, “Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “In carrying out the curses on disobedient Israel, God would undo all the previous blessings He had lavished on her. Whereas Israel had previously escaped the fearful plagues and diseases of Egypt, God would bring them on Israel. He would also bring other kinds of sickness not recorded in this Book of the Law. Whereas God had multiplied her number as the stars in the sky, Israel would be reduced to a few in number. Once she lived in security, but now she would live in anxiety, despair, and in constant suspense and fear for her life.”

Leonard Ravenhill said, “The Church right now has more fashion than passion, is more pathetic than prophetic, is more superficial than supernatural.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Revelation 2:18-24 says:

18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

2 Samuel 24:9-15 says:

9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,

12 Go and say unto David, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

15 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

1. Mr. President, God is not going to allow you to open up the country or even part of the country successfully by Easter, neither will most churches be packed on Easter Sunday morning as you would like. That is a great thought but that will not be happening. Therefore, we are calling on you to go ahead and shut down the nation completely and immediately for at least a full thirty days. Please understand Mr. President even though you may be very smart when it comes to politics and the economy, this is not a political issue and this is not an economic issue and it is really not a medical issue, it is a spiritual issue. And until the spiritual issue of sin in the church, in the government, and in the nation is dealt with, the plague will not be stopped.

2. As I have already told you, if you want this plague to be stayed or stopped, you need to ask Franklin Graham, Jack Graham, Tony Evans, Dwight McKissic, John MacArthur and Anne Graham Lotz to lead a massive nationwide prayer time morning, noon, and night, each day in churches across the nation and publicly at the White House. And basically what you can do is have Franklin Graham or someone appointed by Franklin Graham to open up your briefing everyday with prayer. As you know Mr. President, this is not unprecedented as many presidents in the past have done something similar. We do not want to get into this with you, you can let Paula White keep her job so she can support her family but you need to remove her from over your advisory council and replace her with Franklin Graham or someone else. And these people and others need to lead all churches to publicly denounce all of the sins that are common in the church today such as: adultery, fornication, taking God’s blessings for granted, unthankfulness, ungratefulness, child molestation, and the church’s increasing support of homosexuality, homosexual marriage, homosexual adoption, and the homosexual agenda.

3. You need to immediately roll back everything that President Obama has done regarding having the government to sanction homosexuality, homosexual marriage, and the homosexual agenda, including starting something in the lower level courts that would go to the Supreme Court to overturn the decision regarding homosexuality, homosexual marriage and the homosexual agenda just as you did about abortion. You must understand Mr. President, that God hates all sin but He especially has a problem with the abomination of homosexuality because it is a satanic attempt to turn God’s world upside down. You need to take back and apologize for what you said in support of homosexuality, homosexual marriage, and the homosexual agenda. And you need to immediately remove the openly homosexual Ambassador Richard Grenell from over United States National Intelligence. Mr. President, one of the main reasons why God worked a miracle and put you in office was to turn back the foolishness that President Obama started of sanctioning men with men and women with women and to this point you have not done so probably because of your friend and mentor Roy Cohn who was an openly homosexual man and died of AIDS and because of your daughter and son-in-law who have many dealings with the homosexual community. If you don’t do what I’m telling you, you will go down in history as one of the worst presidents along with Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter and you will lose your legacy just like Obama has lost his legacy.

NEWS

According to the AP, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first leader of a major nation to contract COVID-19.

According to the AP, health officials said Britain had 14,579 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 759 people have died — 181 deaths in 24 hours, the country’s highest daily toll yet.

According to Daily Mail, Italy has reported 919 new deaths from coronavirus, the highest number of fatalities any country has reported in the space of 24 hours since the outbreak began late last year.

CHURCH

Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Jason Helopoulos said, “A Christian home must be centered upon Christ, and if it is centered upon Christ, then it will be filled with worship. Most Christians are aware of the importance of secret and corporate worship, but fewer have even heard of family worship. What is family worship? It is pretty simple. Tonight, sit down with your family on the couch or at the dinner table. And then pray together, read the Bible together, and sing a great hymn of the faith together. There are many reasons for doing family worship, but let us just mention a handful. Family worship glorifies and honors God. Family worship has the wonderful effect of centering our homes upon Christ.” And daily Family worship will not always make family life easier but it should be better. And it will give each family the grace to deal with other family members providing each family member is saved.

——

Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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A federal judge has ordered a Christian music promoter to pay back nearly $1.6 million in investor funds he promised would be used to put on Christian music festivals but instead used to pay down debt. 

In a 23-page judgment Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John H. Rich III of Maine said 56-year-old Jeffrey Wall and his company, The Lighthouse Events LLC, are liable for the disgorgement of over $1,589,815 in profit gained from defrauding investors.

Additionally, the judge ordered the payment of over $200,000 in interest and imposed civil penalties of $1,589,815 against both Wall and Lighthouse Events.

Lighthouse Events, which came to existence as a limited liability corporation in 2015, described itself as a Christian ministry that promoted, organized and hosted Christian music conferences and festivals throughout the New England area. Wall is its founder and sole member.

The company allegedly operated in an unincorporated fashion for seven years before 2015.

But in April 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Wall and Lighthouse of defrauding nearly 150 investors solicited to become “financial partners” of the company.

SEC alleged that from January 2014 through October 2018, Wall and Lighthouse fraudulently raised over $3.1 million in unregistered offerings from over 149 investors to promote Christian music concerts in the region.

In its complaint, the SEC said Wall and Lighthouse falsely told potential investors that their funds would be used only to promote and host Christian music concerts and even guaranteed repayment of their investments without informing them of Lighthouse’s financial struggles due to high interest from short-term loans and declining ticket sales.

According to the SEC, investor funds were used for other expenses such as paying Lighthouse’s existing debt and making payments to earlier investors using new investor funds.

Wall and Lighthouse were accused by the SEC of violating anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Act of 1934.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Samuel Smith

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Hobby Lobby is facing criticism for reopening stores in states where governors have issued stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus.

The arts and crafts retail giant says its business constitutes an essential service since it’s a supplier of education materials.

Business Insider reported that Hobby Lobby resumed business in Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado and North Carolina. The publication obtained a copy of a memo by Hobby Lobby Senior Vice President Randy Betts that instructed store managers on what to say if authorities questioned them about being open.

At a Hobby Lobby location in Garland, Texas, the store reportedly posted mandatory social distancing rules on its doors, stating: “Operating as an essential business Offering PPE Mask supplies, educational supplies, office supplies, and various components for at home small businesses.”

On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state was adhering to advice from the Trump administration and the CDC to extend the self-quarantine through April 30 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state and save lives. The order mandates where residents can go and names locations they must avoid, including nursing homes and long term care facilities.

In Wisconsin, Hobby Lobby reopened a store in Kenosha, but authorities shut it down on Tuesday after it was said to have broken the “Safer at Home” mandate, according to news station WTMJ-TV.

“Your business, or identified portion of the business, must cease operation or be in violation of the order,” a letter from the Kenosha police to the store read. “Please comply with this order to avoid legal action.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Brandon Showalter

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The CARES Act highlights contain provisions that will affect US businesses and the stock market in a big way, making it important for investors to pay attention and be educated about what is in the CARES Act and what it means for their family and their portfolio. To help shed some light on the CARES Act highlights that investors should know about, Inspire Investing has partnered with our tax advisors at Hayashi and Wayland to provide the following information about the CARES Act. (This information is provided for educational purposes only and should not be considered as tax or investment advice. Please consult your personal tax or investment advisor to discuss your individual situation.)

The $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security “CARES Act” represents the largest economic relief package in American history[1].  The CARES Act contains sweeping provisions that have powerful implications for American families and the US economy at large, both because of the gargantuan amount of money that will be flooding the US economy and also because of certain investment related directives that temporarily change the rules for retirement accounts, charitable giving and more.

The CARES Act was designed to offer assistance to individual taxpayers, business owners, and the entire economy to try to revive itself from the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the business closures, layoffs and economic suffering that has followed.  This relief plan will offer assistance to tens of millions of American households affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

We have outlined the CARES Act highlights below:

INDIVIDUAL PROVISIONS

One-time, non-taxable payments

These payments will be made to taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is under $75,000 (single), $112,500 (head of household) and $150,000 (married). Single or head of household taxpayers will get $1,200.  Married taxpayers will get $2,400.  In addition, for each child 16 years old or younger, you will get an additional $500.  Above these income figures the payment decreases. Single taxpayers earning $99,000 or married taxpayers who have no children and earn $198,000 will not receive any payments.  A family with two children will no longer be eligible for payments if its income surpassed $218,000.  Payments received are not considered taxable income to the recipients.

You will not be able to get a payment if someone claims you as a dependent, even if you are an adult.  In any given family and in most instances, everyone must have a valid Social Security number in order to be eligible.  There is an exception for members of the military.

You can find your adjusted gross income on Line 8b of the 2019 1040 Federal tax return.  And if you already filed your 2019 taxes and provided direct deposit information for a refund, it will be deposited that way into your account.  If you have not filed your 2019 tax return, your 2018 return will be used for determination.  If you would prefer to have your 2019 tax return considered over your 2018 tax return we would recommend that you file 2019 as soon as possible.

If you are ineligible for the payment due to your income being in excess of the limits for 2019, you may benefit once you file your 2020 taxes because the payment is technically an advance on a tax credit that is available for 2020.

It is not clear yet when and how physical checks will be mailed to those who will require that.  Information from different sources at this time say anytime from the end of April to the end of May.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Robert Netzly

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On Monday, I learned that thousands of pastors and ministry leaders around the United States were on Zoom calls (the new normal for millions of Americans), conference calls, and webinars learning about the government’s new Payroll Protection Program for churches, ministries, and the not-for-profit sector.

As a ministry leader, we received a direct offer to participate that came following a contact from our bank. We are faced with a similar decision as many of you. Here is the summary report from our CFO:

I received a phone call this afternoon from (omitted), Sr. VP for Commercial Banking. (He) wanted to be sure that Crown is aware of the Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Loan Program for which it qualifies. The written guidelines from the SBA are expected to be released either later today or tomorrow. (He) will send me a copy of the guidelines once he receives them. Some time-sensitive
information:

• The loan window will open for applications this coming Friday, April 3rd and will close in June.
• Demand is expected to be very high.
• Once the $350 billion in allotted funds are gone, no additional funds can be allocated under this SBA program.
• Expectations are for them to “sell out” quickly.
• The maximum loan would be 250% of Crown’s average monthly payroll costs based on February 15th headcount levels and adjusted for employees earning over $100K/year.
• Interest rate would be .5% APR for a 2-year rate.
• Some, but probably not all, of the loan could be forgiven if there is not a reduction in the number of employees or a reduction greater than 25% in wages paid to employees or payrolls are restored afterwards.

In terms of full disclosure, the program is being rolled out through the banks who will receive an administration fee. (Anonymous) Bank does have at least two incentives to promote the SBA loans:1) they are being paid a fee to originate and manage the loan (which can later be sold on the open market), and 2) The loans can help stabilize their customer base with government guaranteed loans and lessen the economic shock that many are reeling from.

If Crown wants to participate in this program, it will probably need to act quickly. The Crown board will need to decide before Friday if we are going to request the loan through (Bank) to have the best opportunity to receive funds. While no one is sure, it will probably take at least three weeks for funds to be disbursed.”

We qualify for approximately a $250,000 loan/grant. That is very significant to us and is worthy of a measured decision. I am sure many of you are faced with a similar decision; for some, the stakes may be much, much higher.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Chuck Bentley

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A Christian homeschool mother who was arrested in Cuba for refusing to send her children to government-run schools has been released after over 11 months in prison. Her husband remains imprisoned. 

Pastor Adya Expósito Leyva confirmed that she was released from a women’s prison in Guantánamo last weekend.

Expósito Leyva was jailed along with her husband, Pastor Ramon Rigal, last April for homeschooling their children.

According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the couple homeschooled to avoid sending their kids to the government schools that promote socialism and atheism.

They were sentenced for crimes such as “acts against the normal development of a minor.”

USCIRF reports that Rigal remains in prison to serve a two-year sentence and is slated to be released in 2021.

Journalist Robert Jesus Quinones Haces is also imprisoned for allegedly trying to cover the couple’s legal trial. According to USCRIF, Haces was sentenced for “disobedience.”

“While we welcome the release of Expósito and are particularly relieved that she can be reunited with her children, we believe that she should never have been imprisoned in the first place,” USCIRF Commissioner and civil rights lawyer Anurima Bhargava said in a statement.

“The charges brought against her and her husband are part of the Cuban government’s harassment, discrimination, and arbitrary detention of individuals simply seeking to practice their religion.”

Rigal and Expósito Leyva serve as representatives of Abundant Faith Ministry International headquartered in Nicaragua.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Samuel Smith

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Question: Is it ever permissible to ration health care in a medical crisis? If so, under what moral circumstances should it be allowed?

Unfortunately, it appears, that despite the best efforts of our elected leaders and the heroic efforts of the medical community, the coronavirus pandemic may very well create a tidal wave of seriously ill patients that will simply overwhelm the capacity of some local hospital facilities to adequately meet the needs of all the critically ill patients who seek treatment.

If and when that happens, what are Christian doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators to do? What does Christian morality allow them to do? Historically, in modern Western civilization when there is such a crisis and there is insufficient life saving care available to treat all patients who are imperiled, a triage system is implemented.

A triage system assigns highest priority to those critically ill patients who most immediately require medical care if they are to have any hope of survival and recovery. The second group in triage are those patients who do not have life threatening illnesses or injuries and thus can wait for medical treatment to become available. This second group is triaged and seen as care becomes available.

The third triage group comprises those patients who are deemed to have sustained mortal injuries or their illnesses have progressed to the state where they have an almost certain probability of dying even if they were given the treatments that are given to group one. The patients in this group are the ones labeled “do not resuscitate” because of their almost certain terminal status and are merely made as comfortable as possible until they expire.

Now, as Americans, of whatever faith, we all pray that it does not come to that in any of our hospitals during the “Great Pandemic of 2020.” But if and when this sad and lamentable state of affairs does eventuate in some of our hospitals, American culture is not at all prepared to react in as Christian way as we would have earlier in our history.

The most crucial question that must be asked when confronting a triage model is “what are the criteria being used to make the decision to relegate some patients to the ‘do not treat’ category as opposed to receiving the urgent care they desperately need immediately?” Any evaluative criteria other than the individual medical condition of each patient must be rejected as prejudice and a denial of the innate dignity of each and every human being. Of course, no racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination must ever be used to disqualify someone from treatment.

Unfortunately, because of the significant inroads of the nefarious and treacherously named “quality of life” ethic in our culture, which argues that some lives aren’t as worth living as others, it would apply categories such as advanced age or mental or physical challenges in patients in any age group. Such thinking is starkly utilitarian, morally repugnant and the antithesis of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which assigns equal and reverential value to each and every human life as made in God’s image (Gen.1:26-27).

SOURCE: Christian Post, Richard Land

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Hours after he was arrested for holding worship services during the coronavirus pandemic in violation of a “safer-at-home” order Monday, leader of River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, Florida, pastor Rodney Howard-Browne, said he’s now getting death threats and shots were fired at the church’s sign.

Howard-Browne made the claims during a Facebook Live broadcast where he said the threats were stirred by “religious bigotry and hatred” in the media which forced him to make his Twitter and Instagram accounts private, and he called police to report the shots fired at the church.

“The media are stirring up every kind of religious bigotry and hatred right now. People firing shots last night at the church sign from the highway. We went this morning there was no bullet holes. We did report it but the police say unless you can show where the bullet landed, but I mean the guys, security were there. They could hear the gun going off and then the death threats, to the ministry and to the staff. It’s beyond the pale. So people have basically, literally lost their ever-loving minds,” Howard-Browne said.

It was not immediately clear which sheriff’s office was called to report the attack on his church but an official at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which announced his arrest Monday, told The Christian Post that they have no record of the alleged gunfire incident at River at Tampa Bay Church.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Howard-Browne was arrested at his home in Hernando County around 1:30 p.m. Monday for intentionally and repeatedly hosting church services with hundreds of members in attendance, despite knowing he was in violation of orders set in place by President Trump, the Gov. of Florida, the CDC and the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group.

The specific second degree misdemeanors Howard-Browne was arrested for are unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules.

His actions were a direct violation of Executive Order 20-05, which went into effect on March 20, limiting gatherings, including faith-based gatherings, to less than 10 people. He was also violating the Safer-At-Home Order, which went into effect on March 27, advising Hillsborough County residents to remain in their homes as much as possible to create greater social distancing and reduce the spread of the new coronavirus, the sheriff’s office said.

Officials explained that on Friday, and again on Sunday, personnel and legal staff from the Sherriff’s Office spoke with attorneys representing the church in an attempt to educate them on the orders in place and the dangerous environment they were creating for their members and the community, but Howard-Browne and his church leaders chose not to comply.

“His reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week in danger,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “The River at Tampa Bay has an advantage over most places of worship, because they have access to technology that allows them to live stream their services over the internet and broadcast television for the more than 4,000 members to watch from the safety of their homes.”

Howard-Browne, who is now being represented by Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family, said his decision to keep his church open is in defense of the First Amendment.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leonardo Blair

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