(1) Jerry Falwell, Pistol Whipped Preacher, by William Willimon
***Willimon attempts a smack-down on concealed carry within the church. He writes: “Maybe President Falwell knows more than Jesus about these matters, and maybe Jesus was just plain wrong in what he said about enemies, turning cheeks, etc. I would be the last to say that to Our Lord.”
In contrast, I’ve got a pastor friend who believes it is the duty of pastors to carry a “Glock for their flock” while preaching.
An honest question here—If someone came into your church’s worship service while you were in the pew, which preacher would you want behind the pulpit?
(2) Catholics shouldn’t try to convert Jews, says new Vatican document (RNS)
The Vatican has said that Catholics should witness to their faith but not undertake organized efforts to convert Jews, a significant step forward in the once tense relations between the two faiths. The document released on Thursday (Dec. 10) by the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews also pushed for greater efforts to fight anti-Semitism.
In its most explicit commentary on evangelization regarding Jews, the document said Catholics should take a different approach to Judaism than other religions.
“In concrete terms this means that the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews,” said the document, titled “The Gifts and Calling of God are Irrevocable.”
(3) South Carolina evangelicals coalescing around Cruz, by Katie Glueck (Politico)
“It seems the evangelicals are coalescing,” said David Lane, an influential unaligned evangelical leader, who hosted Cruz on Monday at a private Pastors and Pews event in Greenville, speaking of Cruz’s support both in Iowa and South Carolina. “It does seem Cruz has got the momentum, and 60 days out that’s a good thing to have.”
He noted that Cruz is organized in all of South Carolina’s 46 counties, just as he is in all of Iowa’s 99 (he’s organized in every county in the first four voting states).
“He’s cooking with gas,” Lane added.
…A big part of Cruz’s strategy, in South Carolina and nationally, is to emerge as the consensus choice of evangelicals and other conservative Christians. To that end, in South Carolina, Mike Gonzalez is leading an initiative to recruit in each county a pastor who will then be tasked with turning out more Christians for Cruz. That echoes an approach Cruz has already taken in Iowa, where efforts are underway to tap a pastor in all 99 counties.
(4) Baptists condemn Trump’s call for ban on Muslims entering U.S.
“Baptists, of all people, should oppose Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims, added Baptist Standard Editor Marv Knox.
“For generations, Baptists were a persecuted minority—both in Europe and in America,” Knox said. “Baptists were imprisoned, and some were killed, for refusing to baptize their children and for insisting on the right to worship and serve God according to the dictates of their consciences.”
That’s why Baptists became champions of religious liberty, he added.
“For 400 years, Baptists have advocated on behalf of people of all faiths—including those our foreparents called ‘Turks,’ whom we now call Muslims,” Knox said. “Any current Baptist who supports Trump’s proposed ban desecrates this holy legacy.
(5) Meet Kanye’s Pastor, by Tyler Huckabee (Relevant Magazine)
***The nephew of the famous NYC pastor David Wilkerson (The Cross and the Switchblade) is famous for being a pastor to the famous.
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