40 Days for Life to kick off in more than 500 cities
An annual prayer initiative focused on the sanctity of life will start this week in 588 cities, according to 40 Days for Life organizers. The number of locations is the largest since the campaign started in 2007, The Christian Post reported. Pro-life advocates will pray outside abortion clinics seven days a week, Sept. 23 through Nov. 1.
“The desire to help women and their unborn children is at an all-time high despite nearly five decades of legalized abortion,” said Shawn Carney, president and CEO of 40 Days for Life. “The pro-life movement gets larger and younger by the day and that is illustrated in this record.”
Potential SCOTUS nominee could face questions about faith
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, believed to be in the running for a 2018 Supreme Court nomination, has re-emerged as a likely nominee after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Religion News Service reported that Barrett, a Catholic, was asked about her faith and how it influences her work during her confirmation hearing for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. If nominated, Barrett’s religious beliefs could be a major focus of the confirmation process.
>Related: Court vacancy puts spotlight on abortion again
California church won’t fight state restrictions
North Valley Baptist Church has accrued $112,000 in fines for violating state restrictions on indoor worship and singing. Pastor Jack Trieber said the church will obey the restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, and will move worship services outdoors. Santa Clara County has said it will not forgive the fines.
>Related: Grace Community Church Pastor John MacArthur says ‘bring it on’ after LA threatens jail time
Graham’s Washington gathering focused on prayer
“I don’t have entertainment; I don’t have music,” said evangelist Franklin Graham. “We are coming to pray, to pray for our country, our leaders.” The Sept. 26 prayer march will start at the Lincoln Memorial and conclude at the U.S. Capitol. It’s an opportunity for Christians to come together and cry out to God, amid deep divides in the country, Graham told The Christian Post.
Survey shows deepening divides on race issues
The percentage of Americans who say the U.S. has a race problem decreased between 2019 and 2020, Barna reported, and their recent data shows a similar trend among people who identify as Christians. In 2019, 40% of white self-identified Christians said the country definitely has a race problem; the percentage decreased to 33% this year. Among black self-identified Christians, the percentage rose from 75% to 81%.
Barna also reported white Christians say they are less motivated now to address racial injustice in our society than in 2019.
Christian ethicists decry reported operations at detention center
Reports of nonconsensual hysterectomies performed at a Georgia immigrant detention center led Christian leaders to call for a federal investigation into the charges. Leaders of the Evangelical Immigration Table said the allegations, if true, are “an affront to our pro-life ethic.”
“[I]f anything approaching the allegations of this whistleblower complaint happened, everyone involved should be held accountable,” said Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Sources: Christian Post, Religion News Service, Baptist Press, Barna Research