Most of the West Bank of Jerusalem will be given to a future Palestinian state as part of President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” peace plan for Israel and Palestine.
Source: Trump's 'Deal of the Century' Will Give Palestine 85 to 90 Percent of the West Bank, Israeli Media Outlet Speculates
Hard-line Hindus on Jan. 9 tore down a church building in southern India because it was built on the west side of a village, which they said violated Hindu principles of placement and positioning, sources said.
Source: Hindu Version of Feng Shui Leads to Demolition of Church Building in Southern India
Police in Upper Egypt evicted Coptic priests and shuttered their church building after an Islamist mob converged on the site over the weekend, according to reports.
Source: Muslim Throng Converges on Worship Site of Coptic Church in Egypt
The founding pastor will step back as his megachurch undergoes a peacemaking process to address criticism.
Harvest Bible Chapel announced today that James MacDonald will step away from the multisite church he founded and pastored for over 30 years while the congregation undergoes a “peacemaking process” to improve its organizational structure and reconcile with concerned members both past and present.
In the wake of mounting criticism, MacDonald has taken an “indefinite sabbatical from all preaching and leadership” at the Chicago-area megachurch.
“I am grieved that people I love have been hurt by me in ways they felt they could not express to me directly and have not been able to resolve,” he said in a statement sent to Harvest members. “I blame only myself for this and want to devote my entire energy to understanding and addressing these recurring patterns”
In recent years, MacDonald had seen the “hard times at Harvest”—the title of an investigation published about the church last month—as behind them.
He repeatedly said that past issues over leadership accountability, disgruntled former members and staff, and even his own temperament had improved over the years, and the church had repented of its mistakes dating back as far as 12 years ago.
The fact that the church was “happier and healthier,” Harvest elders said, was part of why they opted to file a lawsuit against their critics in the fall, citing a desire to protect their congregation from further concerns raised by The Elephant’s Debt, a critical blog run by two former members, and Julie Roys, who investigated the church for World magazine.
But the lawsuit and subsequent reporting brought more issues to the forefront and rallied Harvest critics, who raised concerns over financial and organizational …
Source: James MacDonald Takes ‘Indefinite Sabbatical’ from Harvest Bible Chapel
Even with 1 in 4 leaving over politics, college kids are more likely to return after a hiatus than leave for good.
Slightly fewer young adults are dropping out of church after high school, but those who do have more serious reasons for leaving than a decade ago.
In a 2017 LifeWay Research survey released today, 66 percent of Americans between 23 and 30 years old said they stopped attending church on a regular basis for at least a year after turning 18, compared to 70 percent in 2007.
Most young churchgoers skip out on Sundays at some point amid their transition to going to college, moving away from home, or starting their first jobs. LifeWay has found that historically about two-thirds of dropouts return to services once they get older.
But these days, young Christians are more likely to cite weighter political and spiritual concerns as pushing them away from the church, with 70 percent listing such beliefs as a reason for their departure in 2017 compared to about half (52%) 10 years before.
Moving for college remains the top reason young people stop attending church in both surveys, which are based on responses from more than 2,000 young Americans who attended a Protestant church regularly (twice a month or more) for at least a year during high school.
Other popular reasons to include: a perception that church members were hypocritical (32%), disconnect with church life (29%), and lack of student ministry opportunities (24%).
Political rifts between young Christians and their congregations are growing. A quarter (25%) of recent dropouts said disagreements over their church’s stance on political and social issues contributed to their decision to stop attending, compared to 15 percent in 2007.
The follow-up survey came in the wake of the 2016 elections, with partisan divides over President Donald Trump’s victory adding to Generation …
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that an airstrike by the country had hit hundreds of Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria.
Source: Benjamin Netanyahu Confirms Airstrike on Syria
A Swedish man was denied the ability to put Jesus’ name on his license plate because officials said it could “cause offense.”
Source: Swedish Government Denies Man's Request to Put Jesus' Name on License Plate, Says it Could 'Cause Offense'
The transgender father of a 5-year-old boy who wants to be a girl says he did not talk his child into becoming transgender, too.
Source: Transgender Dad Is Raising 5-Year-Old Transgender Child
Muslims in eastern Uganda sent a Christian mother to the hospital with injuries from a beating in one village and tore down a church building in another, sources said.
Source: Christian Mother, Pastor Fear for Their Lives after Attacks in Eastern Uganda
Work on the first-ever church to be built in the modern Republic of Turkey will start next month.
Source: Turkey to Build First-Ever Church in Its Modern Republic