Category: modern church

Supreme Court Is Taking Up Obamacare contraceptive mandate Again

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By agreeing Friday to hear a new case on the Obama contraception mandate, the Supreme Court will consider a different aspect of religious freedom and workers’ rights.

CHR Comment: This case represents an important decision about religious rights in the United States since the burdens imposed by the government are so difficult for small religious organizations, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, to oppose. The case will likely set an important precedent as the United States has moved toward large government programs and policies that can easily tramp individual and small group rights.

Source: Why Supreme Court is taking up Obamacare contraceptive mandate again – CSMonitor.com

Houston’s Gay Rights Measure Turned Back by Religious Conservatives

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LGBT Americans are looking for more protections, and so are religious conservatives. The challenge, legal experts say, is to find a way out of all-or-nothing politics. Utah might show one way.

CHR Comment: Efforts to pass new measures were hindered by problems in the legislation, which religious conservatives pointed out to the voters. Christians in Houston are concerned for their religious freedoms. The article references the “Utah Compromise” as a way of passing protections for homosexuals and also protecting religious freedoms.

Source: Houston’s angry debate over gay rights can be avoided. Here’s how. – CSMonitor.com

World’s Tallest Church Building Nears Completion

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Barcelona basilica should be finished by 2026, except for a few touches.

CHR Comment: Out of deference to God, the building is a little shorter than the nearby mountains. After 130 years of building, four different architects, and surviving the Spanish Civil War, the project is nearly complete. The article includes a link to the basilica’s website.

Source: Barcelona basilica nears completion after more than 130 years

Refugees Remembered by Interfaith service on Lesbos

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The Greek island of Lesbos has been struggling to care for the Syrian refugees who’ve reached its shores. Now, it’s struggling to find space to bury the ones who haven’t.

CHR Comment: Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Muslim clergy will hold an interfaith service to commemorate the many who have died.

Source: The cemeteries on Lesbos are full. But refugee families still need to bury their dead. | Public Radio International

Christianity in Iraq Could Be Eradicated in Five Years

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CHR Comment: An Aid to the Church in Need representative predicts that the c. 260,000 Christians in the region could be martyred or forced to emigrate if the ISIS Caliphate continues to grow. The article questions what Christians in other parts of the world should or could do to help Iraqi believers.

Source: ‘Convert or Die’: In a caliphate-ridden Iraq, Christians face ultimate choice | Fox News

“Amen Corner” in American Culture

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Campaigns occasionally get compared to religious movements, so it’s not surprising to see the term ‘amen corner’ in greater use.

CHR Comment: The phrase refers to the practice in Baptist and similar traditions of affirming point in the pastor’s sermon by saying aloud, “Amen.” A related term would be “Preaching to the choir,” which is usually a well-spring of Amens.

Source: When things get tough, politicians look to the ‘amen corner’ – CSMonitor.com

Pres. Candidate, Ben Carson, Believes God Created Us

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Carson: The more you know God the more you know the way things work, including human body.

CHR Comment: Presidential Candidate, Ben Carson, spoke at a Madison, TN megachurch on Sunday and described his personal belief that God created human beings. According to the article, Carson is a Seventh Day Adventist, a type of Baptist. Below you will find a link to the Cornerstone church’s website, which shows that it is an Assemblies of God church. They are conservative Pentecostals who have become very involved in Republican politics.

Source: Ben Carson touts creationism during Nashville speech

http://www.cornerstonenashville.org/who-we-are/history/