RELIGION HEADLINES THR 2-19

(SRN NEWS)-

(  )  A fiery explosion ripped through a church in upstate New York on Tuesday.  The blast injured five people, including the pastor and firefighters who responded to a report of a gas odor in the building.  New York State Police are investigating the explosion, which sent thick plumes of black smoke into the air at the Abundant Life Church in Boonville.  Firefighters were dispatched to the scene, and four people were in the basement when the furnace turned on, triggering the blast.  The church, about 50 miles northeast of Syracuse, was reportedly heated by propane cylinders.  Officials say the building sustained catastrophic damage.

(  )  The annual march to Easter Sunday is underway.  Different churches have found various ways of calculating the traditional 40 days of Lent, but the number itself is important.  It connects to the biblical symbolism of the number 40, typically used for times of testing, judgment, purification or renewal.  Most directly, it alludes to the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness after his baptism, in preparation for his public ministry.  During Lent, the faithful focus on prayer and other devotions, as well as charitable deeds and fasting.  People frequently give up something for Lent.  These days that might mean reducing screen time.

(  )  Pastor Greg Laurie will hold a Harvest Crusade in Canton Ohio this summer.  The one-night evangelistic event is set to take place June 13th at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.  Laurie, who leads the Harvest megachurch in California, holds several such events each year.  It will be free and open to the public and will feature Christian recording artists including Chris Tomlin and Jeremy Camp.  Laurie says “We’re seeing a remarkable openness to spiritual things among this generation.  My prayer is that the Harvest Crusades add fuel to the fire, so to speak, of the spiritual awakening we’re seeing across our nation.”

(  )  Gay rights groups are suing the Trump administration for removing a rainbow Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument.  That New York site commemorates the Gay Rights movement and was established during the Biden administration.  The flag was first displayed in 2022 and was the first such banner to fly permanently on federal land. After removing it this month, the park service cited a January memo that limits the agency to displaying the Stars and Stripes, and the POW-MIA flag.  The lawsuit claims that the rainbow flag provided “context” to the memorial and that its display is “essential.”