March 29th, 2024

Christianity Today

125 POSTS

Exclusive articles:

Church IS Essential: SCOTUS Gets It Right on Religious Liberty

SCOTUS' injunctive relief nods toward religious liberty by challenging New York City’s COVID-19 restrictions on in-person gatherings.

There’s No Pandemic Pause in Religious Persecution, Says Poland Ministerial

The 3rd annual conference to promote international religious freedom, held virtually, highlights how governments have exploited COVID-19.

Waiting on the Lord… and the Trump Biden Ballot Count

With no clear presidential victory in sight, blessed are those who wait on the Lord and battleground states' ballot counts.

Your Biblical Devotional is Not the Bible

Devotion is not just feeling, but action. So, while they are inspirational and motivational, daily devotionals are not replacements for the Bible.

Are Coronavirus Church Closings a Form of Persecution?

Church closings due to COVID-19 have been unsettling for many. But, do these closings constitute Christian persecution?

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Trolls Band Together in Theaters November 17th

Nothing's Stronger Than Family Harmony About This holiday season, get ready...

Are State Laws the Solution to Kids’ Access to Porn?

As data continues to show the harms of viewing porn, particularly for children, support for stricter legal limits on pornographers has grown.

The Burial: A Glimpse Into the Life of William Gary

The Burial: Based on a True Events About Inspired by true...

Pandemic Restrictions Had No Lasting Effect on Churches, Study Finds

Even in states where regulations were severe, most congregations moved on quickly. Jeff Schoch was ready to be done with COVID-19 health safety regulations. Like most ministers in the US, the pastor of Crossroads Bible Church in San Jose, California, did his best to comply with the many pandemic rules imposed by state and local governments. But as soon as they were lifted, he wanted to put them all behind him. He quickly tore down the state-mandated signs about social distancing, hand washing, and masks. “I got rid of every visual reminder in the church,” Schoch told CT. “I was anxious, personally, to make that a memory.” Across the country, Protestant congregations are dealing with the long-term impacts of the pandemic. A new, extensive study by Arbor Research Group and ChurchSalary, a ministry of Christianity Today, found that a lot of pastors are still in crisis. Some furloughed staff members haven’t gone back to work. And even when attendance numbers have rebounded, there are still people missing from many congregations. Christian leaders will likely be grappling with the fallout from COVID-19 for years to come. But, surprisingly, state-level pandemic restrictions had no measurable, lasting impact on American churches. Even in places like San Jose—where the county government imposed some of the strictest rules in the country, the restrictions changed frequently, and authorities aggressively went after churches they said failed to comply—pastors like Schoch were able to just move on. The data doesn’t show any adverse effects from the government regulations. Eric Shieh, a research consultant for Arbor Research, said that surprised him. “You would think that the restrictions made things tougher for churches. They didn’t meet as much, and so you’d ...Continue reading...
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