July 31, 2019: Pastor drops Joshua Harris from book, Katy Perry's legal trouble, Trump meeting with black pastors

Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.

— Shocked by Joshua Harris' statements, pastor removes foreword from book

A pastor who wrote a book on fighting pornography addiction has announced that he’s asked Zondervan book publishers to remove Joshua Harris’ foreword from future publications of his book.

The removal from Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace is due to Harris’ recent announcement that he is separating from his wife, is no longer a Christian, and now supports same-sex marriage.

Saddened and shocked, Pastor Heath Lambert who leads First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, said he: “knew there was no way for me to continue to have his forward be associated with my book.”

https://www.christianpost.com/news/shocked-by-joshua-harris-statements-pastor-removes-foreword-from-book.html

— Jury finds Katy Perry’s hit ‘Dark Horse’ copied Christian rap song 'Joyful Noise'

A California jury concluded that pop superstar Katy Perry’s hit song “Dark Horse” is guilty of copyright infringement, copying the Christian rap song, “Joyful Noise.”

Marcus Gray, professionally known as Flame and the co-creators of his Christian rap song, filed a lawsuit over Perry's single “Dark Horse” featuring Juicy J, which became a hit when it was released in 2013. They maintained Perry's song copied the beat from their 2008 song "Joyful Noise" featuring Lecrae.

Todd Decker, a musicologist, broke down the underlying beat in both songs. While Perry's attorneys argued that the musical pattern is too short and common to be copyright protected.

After studying the two songs, Decker concluded that Perry "borrowed" the underlying beat from "Joyful Noise" and the jury ultimately agreed.

The verdict means the case has now moved forward to the damages phase.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/jury-finds-katy-perrys-hit-dark-horse-copied-christian-rap-song-joyful-noise.html

— Trump holds meeting with black pastors amid Rep. Cummings, Al Sharpton tirade

President Donald Trump met with a group of predominantly black inner-city pastors at the White House on Monday after a weekend of blasting one of the more prominent African American members of Congress and the city he represents.

Along with Vice President Mike Pence, Trump met with a group of about 20 clergy as they discussed the progress the administration is making on a number of issues impacting inner cities such as employment, criminal justice, prison re-entry and opportunity zone initiatives.

The meeting comes almost a year after Trump met with a group of inner-city pastors last August to discuss similar issues to help their communities.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/trump-holds-meeting-black-pastors-amid-rep-cummings-al-sharpton-tirade.html

— ‘He’s wearing the youth pastor’s salary’: Celebrity preachers called out for wearing expensive watches

Celebrity preachers made national headlines a few months ago for their expensive sneakers, now a new Instagram account is calling attention to their pricey watches with some pushing retail value of nearly $40,000.

Approximately 30 celebrity preachers are already featured on the account called ProphetsnWatches where they’re seen wearing time pieces ranging from less than a hundred dollars to tens of thousands.

Megachurch Pastor T.D. Jakes, who recently announced the launch of his Jakes Divinity School, is featured on the platform wearing a $13,000 Cartier Santos 100 XL 18-karat yellow gold watch.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/hes-wearing-the-youth-pastors-salary-celebrity-preachers-called-out-wearing-expensive-watches.html

— South Dakota law mandates all public schools display national motto 'In God We Trust'

A new South Dakota law that mandates the display of the national motto “In God We Trust” in public schools is now in effect.

According to the law, state public schools must display the motto in a manner that is approved by school principals and is at least 12 inches by 12 inches in size.

“In God We Trust” became the official motto of the United States on July 30, 1956, when President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law that also imprinted the motto on national currency.

In recent years, secularist organizations have attempted to have the motto removed from U.S. currency and elsewhere, arguing that “In God We Trust” violates church and state separation.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/south-dakota-public-schools-display-in-god-we-trust.html