Samuel Smith

Latest

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  May 21, 2020

  'Bet you stay home now you hypokrits': Miss. church destroyed in suspected arson attack

  A Mississippi church that filed a lawsuit against a town ban on worship gatherings was destroyed by a fire Wednesday morning that investigators believed to have been set as an act of arson.

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  May 21, 2020

  Calif. megachurch initiative distributes $44K in groceries to families in need

  Many churches across the United States are partnering with local organizations to provide food to hundreds of people in need in their communities as the coronavirus pandemic has caused economic frustration and hunger for many families. 

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  May 21, 2020

  France's top court strikes down Macron's ban on religious gatherings

  France’s supreme court for administrative justice has ruled that the government’s absolute ban on religious gatherings in hopes of stopping the spread of COVID-19 is unlawful and ordered the government to relax restrictions on religious worship. 

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  May 20, 2020

  India forces detained American pastor to pay $50K before he’s allowed to return home

  A Tennessee pastor, who was detained in India for seven months before returning to the United States Tuesday, was forced to pay over $50,000 to secure his release, his lawyer said. 

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  May 19, 2020

  Over $153K raised for churches impacted by COVID-19 during celebrity benefit simulcast

  Over $150,000 were raised to help churches struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic during a charity simulcast event last Friday co-sponsored by Right Now Media that featured Christian leaders, celebrities and athletes. 

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  May 19, 2020

  Churches leave Mennonite denomination over theology, LGBT stance

  Congregations from three Anabaptist churches in Ontario have left the over 100-congregation Mennonite Church Eastern Canada over theological concerns, some of which relate to issues of sexuality and salvation. 

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  May 19, 2020

  New Labor Dept. guidelines protect the beliefs of faith groups in grant programs

  U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued new guidance barring the department, service providers and state agencies from discriminating based on religious belief in a move aimed at improving the ability of faith-based organizations to participate in grant programs. 

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  May 17, 2020

  At least 620 Nigerian Christians killed so far in 2020 by Boko Haram, Fulani: NGO report

  A Nigerian civil society organization estimates that about 620 Christians were killed and hundreds of homes, as well as churches, were damaged in Nigeria since the beginning of the year as attacks carried about by Fulani radicals and Islamic terrorists continue. 

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  May 16, 2020

  Evangelical leaders urge Congress to protect churches from coronavirus lawsuits

  Prominent evangelical figures, including Franklin Graham and Kirk Cameron, have urged Congress to give churches immunity from lawsuits that could come in response to decisions to resume in-person services and activities during the coronavirus pandemic. 

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  May 15, 2020

  ERLC praises new 'safe harbor' rule protecting churches that received small COVID-19 loans

  The Small Business Administration and the U.S. Treasury issued a “safe harbor” this week to churches, businesses and other organizations that received small coronavirus relief loans under the CARES Act and now fear that their loan requests could be considered unnecessary.