Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
In today's edition:
- Only Half of Self-Identified Christians Plan to Attend Easter Sunday Services
- Family Groups Warn of 'Explosive' Consequences if Supreme Court Affirms Gay Marriage
- Russell Moore to Lead Southern Baptist Ethics Commission
Only Half of Self-Identified Christians Plan to Attend Easter Sunday Services
One in five Americans still may not know whether they'll attend Easter services on Sunday -- and nearly 40 percent say they won't be attending church at all Easter weekend, including about half of those who say they rarely go to church, according to a new LifeWay Research survey, Christianity Today reports. Previous LifeWay surveys have found that Easter is among the top three highest-attended Sundays of the year for most churches, but this year's survey found that "just over half of self-identified Christians say they will attend Easter services. Protestants (58 percent) and Catholics (57 percent) are most likely to say they plan on attending Easter services, followed by 45 percent of nondenominational Christians."
Family Groups Warn of 'Explosive' Consequences if Supreme Court Affirms Gay Marriage
As the Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in the case of Hollingsworth v. Perry -- the challenge to California's Proposition 8 -- and Wednesday in United States v. Windsor -- the effort to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act -- pro-family groups across the nation are expressing concern over the ramifications for the country if the Supreme Court rules in favor of gay marriage, the Christian News Network reports. "This would be a devastating setback for our country," said Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality. "This would be the Roe v. Wade of the homosexual issue." Attorney Stephen Crampton of the Christian legal group Liberty Counsel said: "The ramifications for all of society would be absolutely explosive. I think we have not taken adequate stock of what we're playing with here. This is a radioactive kind of issue." The men explained that the consequences would reach much farther than just the issue of marriage and would essentially affect every area of society -- such as businesses, schools, churches and dissenting Christians. "[Gay activists] will leave no stone unturned into trying to turn society into a monolith that is supporting, and in effect worshipping, at the altar of homosexuality," Crampton said.
Russell Moore to Lead Southern Baptist Ethics Commission
The Southern Baptist Convention has selected Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, to be the next president of its Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), WORLD Magazine reports. Moore, 41, will succeed Richard Land in the post dedicated to addressing public policy and the nation's social and moral concerns. Land praised the choice, saying in a statement: "Dr. Moore is a godly Christian minister, a devoted husband and father, and convictional, committed Baptist. His excellent academic preparation, combined with his keen mind and his tender heart for God and His people, make him a person uniquely suited to serve our Savior and Southern Baptists in this crucial role at such a critical moment in our nation's history." Moore has been dean and senior vice president for academic administration at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., since 2004. He also teaches Christian theology and ethics.
Publication date: March 28, 2013
