May 8, 2020: Ahmaud Arbery killing, jailed Texas mom, New Believer’s Bible
Friday, May 8, 2020:
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post.
— Pastors, evangelical leaders condemn Ahmaud Arbery killing
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Prominent pastors and evangelical leaders are calling for justice in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was jogging in a south Georgia neighborhood when he was gunned down by a white former police officer and his son on February 23. The father and son have not been since the shooting.
S. Lee Merritt, an attorney for the Arbery family, says the two men “must be taken into custody pending their indictment.” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp tweeted that “Georgians deserve answers” and pledged to send resources to the investigation.
In a lengthy op-ed, Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said that “under any Christian vision of justice, there is no situation in which the mob murder of a person can be morally right, nor grounds for a person to be chased down and shot by private citizens.”
— Texas Supreme Court orders release of mom jailed for reopening hair salon
The Texas Supreme Court has ordered the release of a Dallas hair salon owner who was sentenced to jail by a judge on Tuesday after she reopened her shop days before the governor lifted lockdown orders on nonessential businesses.
Shelly Luther said she needed to reopen her salon because she would not have been able to feed her children without doing so. Her sentencing of seven days in jail and a $7,000 fine came on the same day that Abbott announced that salons, gyms, and other businesses can begin reopening their doors on Friday.
— Pastor Robert Jeffress launches 40-day anti-coronavirus prayer campaign
Texas Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas has launched a 40-day prayer campaign and is urging Christians to join him daily to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Known as the “4:01 Challenge,” the observance calls on people to pray at 4:01 p.m. every day for the next 40 days.
The time of day was inspired by Psalm 4:1, which reads: “Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”
— Kentucky church over ban on in-person services; AG requests to join
A Kentucky church filed a lawsuit in federal court against Governor Andy Beshear and a top health official over orders prohibiting in-person worship services even though the church has put in place social distancing precautions.
Tabernacle Baptist Church of Nicholasville filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky seeking an injunction against March 19 and March 25 orders banning mass gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Greg Laurie’s New Believer’s Bible hits 10 million in sales milestone
A version of the Bible geared toward recent converts to Christianity recently achieved 10 million in sales.
Tyndale House Publishers announced Wednesday that the New Believer’s Bible had reached the milestone, being honored with a Diamond Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.
The New Believer’s Bible was originally released in 1996 and uses the New Living Translation, with notes written by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California.
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