COVID-19 Is Disrupting Americans’ Engagement with Scripture

Jul 28, 2020 by

COVID-19 Is Disrupting Americans’ Engagement with Scripture

by Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition: The Story: A recent survey reveals how COVID-19’s disruption of in-person church attendance is directly impacting Scripture reading. The Background: At the beginning of 2020, polling by the American Bible Society and Barna Group found that Scripture engagement by adults in the U.S. had risen to 70.9 million, its highest level since measurement by the two organizations began in 2011. A follow-up survey in June, though, showed that the COVID-19 crisis has...

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Is it really crazy to ignore ‘the science’ on coronavirus?

Jul 20, 2020 by

Is it really crazy to ignore ‘the science’ on coronavirus?

by Will Jones, Faith and Politics: Well-known theologian Tom Wright has said it is “crazy” to ignore the science on coronavirus, calling it both “fascinating and worrying” that some Christians are reluctant to believe the scientific community’s expert opinion on the disease. What Dr Wright is failing to acknowledge is that the scientific community does not have one expert opinion on coronavirus and there is no such thing as “the science”. There are instead a variety of viewpoints put forward...

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Churches tackle the real Covid-19 fallout – loneliness and isolation

Jul 17, 2020 by

Churches tackle the real Covid-19 fallout – loneliness and isolation

by Archbishop Cranmer: The news and media are dominated by the economic fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic. Will the recovery it be V-shaped, U-shaped, or L-shaped? Will the recession last two years or 10? The economy grew 1.8% in May, after shrinking by a colossal 25% since Covid-19 descended.That, frankly, isn’t very hopeful: 5.5% was expected. So it’s looking like a U-shaped recovery. Or even an L-shaped non-recovery. Whatever, we’re looking at the worst recession in 300 years, with the...

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Welcome to the Age of Unreality

Jun 27, 2020 by

Welcome to the Age of Unreality

by Ed West, UnHerd: It’s hard to believe but June 2020 is still not over yet. To me, it’s felt like the first time in my adult life that I’m living through history; strangely, even 9/11 and its aftermath didn’t feel quite so portentous, nor the whole Brexit saga. But the major emotion I feel is one of unreality, not helped by the fact that I’ve met a total of about five adults over the past three months. It feels unreal, and rather like I’m living in one of these medieval periods of crisis...

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Churchgoers in Morecambe ask for MP’s help in getting Covid-19 worship restrictions lifted

Jun 24, 2020 by

Churchgoers in Morecambe ask for MP’s help in getting Covid-19 worship restrictions lifted

By Gayle Rouncivell, Lancaster Guardian: (Hat Tip: Rev Julian Mann) Although churches have been allowed to reopen for private prayer, any measures to meet as a congregation are unlikely to be possible until at least July 4. This is because meeting as a group inside a building of any sort is not currently deemed safe by the scientific advice at this stage of the pandemic. However, Mr Morris has been sent a letter asking for his help in changing these plans. Human Rights: a key issue As a...

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Pressing Pause on the Global Transgender Youth Pandemic

Jun 11, 2020 by

Pressing Pause on the Global Transgender Youth Pandemic

by Jean C Lloyd, Public Discourse: A pandemic exposes many truths. Radical surgeries on healthy bodies with the hopes of improving body dysphoria are in fact elective and are neither essential nor life-saving. When COVID-19 began to crash over the United States, leaders responded by placing their states and communities on pause, suspending everything possible, including non-essential surgeries and medical care. During this time, my friend’s mastectomy for aggressive breast cancer was deemed...

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