Pro-life rally shifts to virtual event amid tension in Washington
This year’s March for Life will look different, organizers announced Jan. 15. The annual event, held every year in Washington D.C. since 1974, will be a virtual event due to heightened pressure on law enforcement in the nation’s capital and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said a small group of pro-life advocates will be invited to march in Washington, but urged other participants to join the event virtually from home.
J.D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, was scheduled to speak at the event and is still expected to do so, Baptist Press reported.
Uncertainty marks relationship between evangelicals and Biden
Ahead of this week’s presidential inauguration, many evangelicals are preparing for a chillier relationship with Joe Biden’s administration due to his positions on key issues on which evangelicals and the President-elect hold vastly different views. Additionally, violence at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 increased tensions across the nation, including among Christians who continue to debate the legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Barna: Black Americans find comfort at church amid feelings of powerlessness
The “State of the Black Church” project by Barna Research found 73% of Black adults in the U.S. agree strongly or somewhat that when it comes to politics, Black people generally feel powerless. But the Black Church is a source of comfort because it is a place where Black people have control over their lives, said 80% of Black churchgoers.
Senators urge denial of PPP loans for Planned Parenthood
A group of U.S. Senators is asking the Small Business Administration to prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving loans designed to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a media report confirmed by the Senators, at least 37 affiliates of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America received more than $80 million in earlier rounds of Paycheck Protection Plan loans, despite being ineligible for the program.
Annual list identifies persecution hotspots
More than 340 million Christians live in places with high levels of persecution against then, Open Doors USA reported in releasing its annual World Watch List. North Korea tops this year’s list of countries with the highest levels of persecution, followed by Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan.
Sources: Baptist Press, Illinois Baptist, Barna Research, Open Doors USA, Pew Forum