Tag: American Christianity

World’s Largest Christian University Allows Concealed Firearms

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The president of Liberty University urged his students Friday to carry concealed firearms on campus, adding to diverse university rhetoric on the issue of gun control.

CHR Comment: Christian traditions differ significantly on the issue of bearing arms. For example, many Anabaptist groups are committed to pacifism. The Falwell family church, Thomas Road Baptist Church, is affiliated with the Baptist Bible Fellowship and the Southern Baptist Convention. English Baptists have traditionally supported self-defense, the right to bear arms, and just war.

Source: Liberty University students urged to carry guns. Do other schools agree? – CSMonitor.com

Christmas Controversy at Tennessee University

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Message encouraged employees to ensure holiday party not “Christmas party in disguise.”

CHR Comment: Dolores Gresham, Mike Bell, and other congressional law makers expressed disappointment that Chancellor Cheek’s instructions about diversity on campus seemed to undermine the celebration of Christmas, a Christian holiday.

Source: Lawmakers want Tenn. university chief to resign after holiday post

Prayer Described as Inaction

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The front cover of New York’s ‘Daily News’ for Thursday takes a strong stance against how some politicians are reacting to the San Bernardino shooting with calls for prayer instead of tighter gun control laws.

CHR Comment: Christians may too easily say, “I am praying about it” or “I will pray for you” instead of “fixing” things, as the front cover of New York Daily News complains (see second link below). Yet ruling out prayer as part of the solution is also unhelpful. Underneath the headlines are differing views about the problems of gun violence and mass shootings in America. One group sees gun laws as the source of the problem or part of the solution. Another group sees mental health care as the trigger to the problem. By faith, Christians may view prayer as sincere action and seek God’s guidance on what they should do to address this very real issue in modern life.

Source: ‘Daily News’ provokes with cover on Calif. shooting: ‘God isn’t fixing this’

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gop-candidates-call-prayers-calf-massacre-article-1.2453261

American Christians Remain Divided Over Abortion

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In February 2013, as she prepared to re-open a Wichita women’s health clinic shuttered since the 2009 shooting death of Dr. George Tiller, Julie Burkhart looked out the window of her home and saw protesters.

CHR Comment: The article opens by referring to the shooting of Tiller, an abortion provider, who was an active member of his church. The latest violence against Planned Parenthood was not purely religious but seems to have come in part from the shooter’s mental illness. Christians differ on whether abortion is about health care for women (liberal view) or a violation of the commandment, “You shall not kill/murder” (conservative view). Conservatives Christians condemn violent acts against abortion providers, though the article lists some exceptional cases where people with religious motives have attacked.

Source: Threat of violence ever-present at abortion clinics, advocates say

African American Christians and Donald Trump

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Donald Trump sounded enthusiastic following a meeting with black pastors in New York on Monday amid controversy over whether they plan to endorse the billionaire businessman’s presidential bid.

CHR Comment: African American Christian leaders have sharply different views of presidential candidate, Donald Trump. The conservative-liberal divide so far focuses on things that Trump says rather than on specific decisions or treatment of minorities, such as questioning his fairness in business dealings or philanthropy.

Source: Donald Trump enthused after meeting with black pastors – CNNPolitics.com

Pizza Delivery Man Tipped $700 in Publicity Stunt

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This Ohio church’s random act of kindness snowballed into something huge.

CHR Comment: A similar event took place in October (see second link below) with Pastor Markle of Sycamore Creek Church in Pickerington, OH. This more recent event was with Pastor Wright of Life Point Church in Mentor, OH. As noted earlier, these acts appear to be publicity stunts rather than simple acts of kindness. It is not yet clear whether the churches are related to one another or whether the Mentor church is borrowing the practice from the Pickerington church.

Source: Pizza guy tipped $700; church learns later how it helped

https://churchhistoryreview.org/2015/10/17/church-tips-driver-1000-for-5-99-pizza/

Religious People Are More Likely to Be Veterans in the U.S.

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Religion and military service go hand-in-hand. Here’s the data.

CHR Comment: Tobin Grant demonstrates that American veterans are significantly more likely to be church goes than those who are not religious. Evangelical Protestants and members of historically Black Protestant churches are most likely to be veterans.

Source: Religious people are more likely to be veterans: Two graphs on veterans in American religion – Corner of Church and State

Real Evangelicals Believe These 4 Things

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Researchers should define Evangelicals by their beliefs, not by their political demographics, the church they attend or what they self-identify as, the NEA and LifeWay Research have determined.

CHR Comment: The researchers began with seventeen statements and narrowed it to four. Oddly, none of the statements of faith are about the Trinity, perhaps assuming that doctrine or trying to accommodate non-creedal groups.

Source: Real Evangelicals Believe These 4 Things

Amish Man Runs Fast Marathon in Traditional Slacks and Suspenders

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Stolzfus said he turns to running whenever he’s tempted to sin.

CHR Comment: Leroy Stolzfus nearly qualified for the Boston Marathon for his age group! He mixes the modern and American running movement with his traditional Amish beliefs and practices, which results in an interesting expression of faith and culture.

Source: Amish man runs fast marathon in traditional slacks and suspenders

How Do Americans See Sacred Texts?

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Americans see the Christian Bible and the Muslim Quran in very different ways.

CHR Comment: The survey focuses on the Bible and the Quran and whether these texts are beneficial or harmful to American life. Not surprisingly, the Bible is much preferred, though the author proposes that there will be an increasingly negative view of the Bible in the future.

Source: How Do Americans See Sacred Texts? New Data From LifeWay Research | The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer