A disturbing incident outside Cleveland

A disturbing incident outside Cleveland

VERBATIM:  A man checked out a bunch of Jewish books from a library in the heavily-Jewish suburb of Beachwood and then filmed himself burning them.  The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports that the titles included “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Jewish Solidarity”.  Local Jewish leaders are unhappy.  Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk of Congregation Mishkan Or says “Whoever perpetuated the idea that you can burn us out of Cleveland, picked the wrong community.”  MH SRNN NEWS

Have you read through the Bible more than once?

Have you read through the Bible more than once?

VERBATIM:  If you said “YES” then you are in pretty elite company.  A new poll from LifeWay Research finds that only 9% of Americans say they have made it through all 66 books two or more times.  However, the survey also reveals that a lot of people think the Bible deserves their attention.  44% say it’s a good idea to read the scriptures again and again, and half of respondents say they have read a lot of the Bible — if not the whole thing.  MH SRN NEWS

A Republican senator goes after obscenity

A Republican senator goes after obscenity

VERBATIM:  Mike Lee of Utah has introduced a bill that would update the country’s law governing indecency, in hopes of curbing the explosion of pornography on the internet that is really affecting kids.  Lee says “Obscenity isn’t protected by the First Amendment.  This legislation updates the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age so this content can be taken down and its peddlers prosecuted.”  Some children report seeing pornography before the age of 10.  MH SRN NEWS

America is turning away from the Bible

America is turning away from the Bible

Southern Baptists are getting ready for their summer trip

Southern Baptists are getting ready for their summer trip

VERBATIM:  Messengers from the largest Protestant denomination are set to gather in Dallas on June 8th through the 11th for their annual convention.  It’s an interesting time for the SBC which continues to see modest declines in membership but also increases in baptisms and church attendance.  There is some internal turmoil going into the convention, including the future of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission which is accused by some conservatives of moving left.  MH SRB NEWS

Killing people can save a lot of money

Killing people can save a lot of money

VERBATIM:  That’s the conclusion of a new government study in England which finds that if lawmakers adopt an assisted suicide bill, it would wind up saving the country about 80 million dollars each year.  The report also projects that as more people choose to kill themselves, the savings will increase.  Pro-life advocates and clergymen are expressing outrage at the fact that the British government would even conduct such a study.  A vote on the bill is due this month.  MH SRN NEWS

Another European country embraces assisted suicide

Another European country embraces assisted suicide

VERBATIM:  The Supreme Court of Estonia has ruled that the state must allow people to take their own lives with the help of a doctor, stating that the procedure is a “constitutional right”.  This puts the Estonian legislature in the position of having to draft a bill to make it official.  Assisted-suicide is extending its tentacles all across Europe.  It’s been legalized in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Portugal.  MH SRN NEWS

Americans don’t trust each other very much

Americans don’t trust each other very much

VERBATIM:  According to the Pew Research Center, back in 1972 nearly half of all adults said that most other people can be trusted.  Today only about one-third think that.  Why does this matter?  Pew says “trust is the oil that lubricates the frictions of daily life. Trust makes it easier for people to work together to solve problems.”  Some clergymen are pointing to Matthew 24:12 in which Jesus warned that ” Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”  MH SRNN NEWS

The countdown has begun to the European Congress on Evangelism

The countdown has begun to the European Congress on Evangelism

VERBATIM:  The first one took place in 1966.  The last one was in 2000.  Representatives from 56 European countries and territories are due in Berlin on May 27th to discuss how better to spread the gospel in the fast-changing 21st Century.  The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is the host, and Franklin Graham will be front-and-center.  The theme of this Congress is Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.”  MH SRN NEWS

A sex ed summer camp is canceled

A sex ed summer camp is canceled

VERBATIM:  When the University of Colorado Boulder announced that it would host the event the backlash was immediate.  The camp, which urged children as young as 10 to join in, announced that it would discuss everything “related to sex, bodies, sexuality, bodies beyond the binary, pleasure and self-love.”  The primary sponsor was a local abortion clinic.  The outrage grew to such high levels that UCB says it will NOT be holding the sex ed summer camp afterall.  MH SRNNNEWS

A new charge against Planned Parenthood

A new charge against Planned Parenthood

Support for transgender people in the military is declining

Support for transgender people in the military is declining

VERBATIM:  According to a Gallup poll in 2019, 71% of Americans approved of President Obama’s decision to allow people living as the opposite sex to serve openly in the armed forces.  But in the intervening six years, things have changed.  Support for transgenderism in uniform dropped to 66% in 2021 and today it’s down to 58%.  Meanwhile, the Gallup poll also reveals that nearly 80% of respondents think women SHOULD be allowed to serve in combat roles.  MH SRN NNEWS

Atheists want their own National Day of Prayer

Atheists want their own National Day of Prayer

VERBATIM:  Maryland Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin has introduced a resolution to set aside May 4th as the National Day of Reason.  He’s acting on behalf of the Congressional Freethought Caucus and the move is being celebrated by atheist groups such as the Freedom From Religion Foundation.  In fact, the resolution has very little chance of ever being adopted as Raskin has been introducing it annually for quite some time — to no avail.  MH SRNN NEWS

Montana protects its public employees

Montana protects its public employees

VERBATIM:  Republican Governor Greg Gianforte has signed a measure that bars the state or any locality from forcing teachers, professors and other government workers from having to use the pronouns of transgender co-workers.  The Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal group, is cheering the new law.  Senior Counsel Matt Sharp says “No one should lose their job or face punishment at work for declining to say something they believe is false. MH SRN NEWS

Some good news for the Presbyterian Church in America

Some good news for the Presbyterian Church in America

VERBATIM:  Over the past year, the conservative denomination saw increases in membership, professions of faith and overall giving.  This is in stark contrast to the more liberal Presbyterian Church USA, which saw another year of decline, including a sharp drop in total membership.  While more and more Americans are becoming non-religious, those who ARE faithful seem to be seeking membership in more conservative organizations and not more liberal ones.  MH SRN NEW

A church-state battle is taking place in New Jersey

A church-state battle is taking place in New Jersey

VERBATIM:  Christ Episcopal Church wants a permit to build a homeless shelter on its property.  The Toms River City Council says NO, and is now trying to acquire the church campus and turn it into a public park.  The council has voted to purchase Christ Episcopal or seize it under the provisions of eminent domain.  The congregation says it will not sell.  In fact, Christ Episcopal is held in trust for the Episcopal Church USA, which will probably wind up in court against the city.  MH SRN NEWS

America’s churches are getting ready for Mother’s Day

America’s churches are getting ready for Mother’s Day

VERBATIM:  You probably know that the most popular dates for people to attend worship are Easter and Christmas — but do you know what comes in 3rd?  Yep.  Mother’s Day.  LifeWay Research finds that Protestant pastors tab that day as the third busiest event for their congregations — Father’s Day doesn’t even make the list, by the way.  It’s also one of the most expensive holidays of the year with Americans spending 34.1 billion dollars on mom.  MH SRN NEWS

The United Methodist Church continues to fight over gay marriage

The United Methodist Church continues to fight over gay marriage

VERBATIM:  The denomination’s highest court says the local pastor, NOT the church elders, has the final say over whether or not a same-sex wedding can take place in a local UMC church.  There had been a dispute going on in the Arkansas Conference involving some church trustees who wanted to ban gay marriage ceremonies in their building.  The UMC has already undergone a major split over the issue of homosexual unions and gay ordination.  MH SRN NEWS

What is truth?

What is truth?

VERBATIM:  Pontius Pilate wasn’t the only one who couldn’t figure that out, apparently.  A new study from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University reveals that 66% of American adults either reject or doubt the existence of any absolute moral truth.  The even more devastating result of the CRC poll is that 61% of people who attend Protestant churches in this country ALSO reject or doubt the existence of absolute moral truth.  MH SRN NEWS

IBM dumps DEI

IBM dumps DEI

VERBATIM:  Add the giant tech company to the growing list of major firms that have decided to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs under pressure from customers.  Critics of DEI say it promotes transgenderism and other aspects of the LGBT agenda, amongst other things.  President Trump is also campaigning against DEI, vowing to purge the federal government of such programs.  IBM is following the lead of Pepsi, Mastercard and Johnson & Johnson.  MH SRN NEWS

A mixed report for the Southern Baptist Convention

A mixed report for the Southern Baptist Convention

VERBATIM:  America’s largest Protestant denomination has released its annual numbers and they reveal that membership is down to its lowest level in half a century.  However, amongst those folks who ARE Southern Baptists, regular church attendance is UP and the number of annual baptisms continues to climb since bottoming out during the pandemic.  The SBC now has 12.7 million members, about a quarter-of-a-million less than before.  MHN SRNN NEWS

Most people believe in God

Most people believe in God

VERBATIM:  Much has been made of the growing number of individuals all around the globe who are “followers of no particular religion”.  But that doesn’t mean there are a lot more atheists around.  According to a new poll released by the British and Foreign Bible Society and United Bible Societies, the vast majority of the people on earth believe in some kind of supreme being.  Atheists, by contrast, make up a tiny percentage of the world population.  MH SRN NEWS

White Evangelicals are standing by President Trump

White Evangelicals are standing by President Trump

A new report on Canada’s burning churches

A new report on Canada’s burning churches

VERBATIM:  It comes from the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and it’s the first professional assessment of a rash of arson attacks on houses of worship in the country over the past several years.  The report concludes that the rate of attacks on Canada’s churches has doubled since 2021.  Experts at the Institute say the alleged discovery of unmarked graves at Catholic schools in Canada — a story which has since been debunked — appears to have triggered the surge in arson attacks.  MH SRN NEWS