June 19, 2019: China stops worship music, Democrat presidential hopefuls speak to religious left, Hong Kong protests have Christian influence
Daily Radio Script - Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
— China ordered churches to stop singing worship hymns.
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Churches must instead sing nationalist hymns, the Chinese government said.
The government-approved Three-Self churches say the approved song book contains songs about loving China, respecting the aged and parents, and celebrating birthdays and funerals.
In one example, they sing, “China is beautiful; China is great; the sons and daughters of China love China. … Bless China, O Lord.”
A Three-Self church director noted, “Such hymns aren’t praising the Lord at all. They are entirely praising the country, and are no different from secular songs. Isn’t the government engaging in dishonesty and deceit?”
— A lawsuit that could've cost churches $1 billion has been dropped.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation decided not to proceed with their lawsuit against the church housing tax allowance because it recognized it would likely lose if the case made it to the Supreme Court.
FFRF claimed that the clergy housing allowance was “unconstitutional” and it gives religious figures “preferential treatment.” But defenders of the allowance argued it made the tax code equitable for similarly situated workers whose housing was tied to their job.
While a district court ruled in FFRF's favor, an appeals court overturned the ruling in March.
— Democrat presidential candidates spoke at a religious left forum.
Nine of the candidates appeared at the three-day Moral Action Congress hosted by The Poor People's Campaign in Washington, D.C.
The front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, argued that a president's job is to persuade people and move them in the right direction, arguing, “You can shame people to do things the right way.”
Senator Kamala Harris said Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan informs her politics.
The parable "is about how do we define neighbor,” she said.
“What we learn in that parable is that neighbor is that person you are walking by who is homeless on the street. The neighbor is some child or young person who is a runaway and who is vulnerable or has been exposed to neglect or abuse. Neighbor is that refugee who arrives on our shores seeking the support of what should be the strong arms of our nation and an embrace, not what we have seen from this administration.”
— The Hong Kong protests have Christian leaders and influences.
Nearly 2 million people gathered in the streets of Hong Kong last weekend.
The protests against mainland China and a proposed extradition bill saw the involvement of Christian leaders.
One of the protest leaders is 22-year-old outspoken Christian Joshua Wong.
In an earlier interview, Wong spoke about how his faith informs his political action, saying, “As Christians, we are not only responsible for preaching the gospel and then waiting to go to heaven when we die. We need to be bringing heaven down to earth."
— Conservatives are hopeful after the Supreme Court vacated a ruling against Christian bakers who refused to make a gay wedding cake.
The First Liberty Institute represented Melissa and Aaron Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, in the case.
First Liberty President Kelley Shackelford said, “The Constitution protects speech, popular or not, from condemnation by the government. The message from the Court is clear, government hostility toward religious Americans will not be tolerated.”
Evangelist Franklin Graham responded, "Pray that the courts give them justice and protect their religious freedom. The Kleins represent all of us. If they lose, we all lose."
To read more stories from a Christian perspective, visit christianpost.com.
