Police identified the man who was shot and killed by a security guard after targeting CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, on Sunday.
Officials named Brian Anthony Browning, 31, from Romulus, Michigan, as the suspected gunman, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2025/06/23/police-id-suspected-gunman-fatally-shot-at-wayne-church/84315724007/">reported</a>. Browning was the son of a woman who is a member of the church, and he attended two or three services at CrossPointe in the past year. He might have been suffering from a mental health crisis, investigators said, adding that there is no evidence to suggest his alleged actions had any connection with the conflict in the Middle East.
Wayne Police said that the suspect was driving erratically outside the church building before exiting his vehicle and firing his AR-15 style rifle at the church. Browning was also armed with a semi-automatic handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He was reportedly struck by a Ford F-150 driven by a church deacon, giving the security team time to take out the shooter.
Authorities obtained a search warrant for Browning&#8217;s home in Romulus, which is just south of Wayne. At the residence, law enforcement found more rifles, handguns, and ammunition, according to The Detroit News. Browning had no criminal history or previous run-ins with Wayne Police.
Police said that the church&#8217;s security team acted quickly after the gunfire erupted, locking the doors to protect congregants and then engaging with the alleged shooter. One of the security guards was injured after getting shot in the leg. The wounded security guard is in stable condition after undergoing surgery, according to authorities.
&#8220;We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church&#8217;s staff members, who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,&#8221; said Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong.
Around 150 people, many of them children, were in attendance for the Sunday morning service. CrossPointe was holding a special vacation Bible school service, a summer program many churches put on for young children, when the shooter opened fire.
A livestream video of the service showed the Christian worshipers ducking for cover after a security guard told them to evacuate as shots were fired outside the building.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: People fleeing at Crosspointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan after shooting. <a href="https://t.co/jJXi1GXeWR">pic.twitter.com/jJXi1GXeWR</a>
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AZ_Intel_/status/1936828501694300423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on Sunday that the bureau&#8217;s &#8220;leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support.&#8221;

Michigan Church Shooting

Police Identify Suspected Gunman In Michigan Church Shooting

Christians

Church

Michigan

Police

Shooting

A shooter was shot and killed by a security guard after opening fire at a church in Wayne, Michigan, while worshipers were gathered for a service on Sunday.
The assailant was stopped before he could make it inside CrossPointe Community Church when one of the church&#8217;s deacons hit him with his Ford F-150, giving the security guard time to shoot the attacker, according to Senior Pastor Bobby Kelly Jr., The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2025/06/22/security-guard-kills-active-shooter-at-crosspointe-church-wayne-police-say/84307435007/">reported</a>. The security guard was also wounded in the shooting after taking a bullet to the leg, but no one else was injured.
There were around 150 people in attendance when the shooter targeted the church, which is located around 25 miles west of Detroit. A livestream video of the service showed the Christian worshipers, many of whom were children, ducking for cover after a security guard told them to evacuate as shots were fired outside the building. CrossPointe was holding a special vacation Bible school service, a summer program many churches put on for young children. While the shooter was stopped from making it inside the church, he fired multiple shots into the building.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: People fleeing at Crosspointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan after shooting. <a href="https://t.co/jJXi1GXeWR">pic.twitter.com/jJXi1GXeWR</a>
&mdash; AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AZ_Intel_/status/1936828501694300423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to Wayne Police Deputy Chief Finley Carter, the shooter was a 31-year-old man. Kelly said that the man did not appear to be a member of the church.
Local, state, and federal authorities are on the ground investigating the shooting. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino <a href="https://x.com/FBIDDBongino/status/1936841401464947034">wrote</a> on X, &#8220;Our leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support.&#8221;
Kelly said that the church started a security team around 10 years ago in response to threats to churches across the country, according to The Detroit News. The pastor added that before Sunday, CrossPointe had not received any threats of violence.
&#8220;We are sitting ducks to someone who wants to come and do harm,&#8221; he said.

Michigan church shooting

TRAGEDY AVERTED: Shooter Targeting Michigan Church Taken Out By Security Guard

An American missionary in South Africa who was kidnapped during a church service last week was rescued by authorities following a deadly shootout on Tuesday.
After searching for Josh Sullivan, 45, for five days, police received a tip that the missionary was being held in a safe house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha, which is around 20 minutes away from Sullivan&#8217;s church. When authorities approached the house on Tuesday, they saw multiple suspects inside a vehicle who opened fire on police, according to a <a href="https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/selnewsdetails.php?nid=60329" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the South African Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS).
&#8220;The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded,&#8221; the statement added.
Following the deadly shootout, Sullivan was found inside the vehicle &#8220;miraculously unharmed,&#8221; according to authorities. He was later assessed by medics and is in &#8220;excellent condition.&#8221;
While the South African authorities did not share the name of Sullivan in their statement, Pastor Tom Hatley, who oversees Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, where the Sullivans were previously members, shared the news of the missionary&#8217;s rescue.
&#8220;Josh has been released. I just got &#8216;the go ahead to let it be known,'&#8221; Hatley wrote on Facebook, adding, &#8220;Thank you for your support and prayers. Please do not stop praying for The Sullivans. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!&#8221;
Sullivan, a husband and father of six children, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-missionary-kidnapped-at-gunpoint-during-church-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was taken at gunpoint</a> by armed men while he was preaching a sermon at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, just outside the city of Gqeberha, last Thursday. Around 30 people, including Sullivan&#8217;s family, were at the church service when Sullivan was kidnapped, but no one was harmed.
The captors reportedly knew Sullivan&#8217;s name when they entered the church, and Fellowship Baptist Church was the target of threats last year, according to human rights group International Christian Concern, sparking concern that Sullivan was taken because of his faith. However, Reverend Jeremy Hall, who also pastors in the Gqeberha area, said the kidnapping was likely “financially related.”
South Africa has experienced a massive spike in kidnappings over the past decade, jumping 264%. From 2023 to 2024 alone, there were more than 17,000 kidnappings in the country.

Josh Sullivan

‘Miraculously Unharmed’: American Missionary Rescued In Deadly Shootout After Gunpoint Kidnapping

Christianity

Religion

Rescue

South Africa

World

An American serving as a missionary in South Africa was kidnapped at gunpoint by a group of men during a church service in Motherwell, just outside the city of Gqeberha, on Thursday.
Josh Sullivan, a Tennessee native, was preaching a sermon at Fellowship Baptist Church when four masked men armed with firearms stormed into the church, robbed people of their cell phones, and abducted the 45-year-old missionary, according to police, The Straits Times <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/world/us-pastor-abducted-at-gunpoint-during-sermon-in-south-africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Around 30 people were at the church service, including Sullivan&#8217;s wife and six children, when the kidnappers entered the building. No one else was harmed, and only Sullivan was taken captive.
The captors reportedly sped away with Sullivan in his silver Toyota Forerunner. The missionary&#8217;s vehicle was later found abandoned. The U.S. State Department told the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y6xq4ex1ro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a> on Friday that it is aware of Sullivan&#8217;s kidnapping and added that there is no &#8220;greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad.&#8221;
Reverend Jeremy Hall, who also pastors in the Gqeberha area, said the kidnapping was likely &#8220;financially related,&#8221; but there is some concern that Sullivan was targeted for his faith. The kidnappers reportedly knew Sullivan&#8217;s name when they entered the church, and Fellowship Baptist Church was the target of threats last year, according to human rights group International Christian Concern.
Sullivan and his family moved to South Africa in 2018 and planted Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell in 2021. The church is a sister church of Fellowship Baptist in Maryville, Tennessee, where the Sullivans were members before going to the mission field. In the Sullivans&#8217; most recent prayer letter <a href="https://sullivansinsouthafrica.weebly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">update</a>, which was published on March 3, the missionaries said they had just visited fellow missionaries in Mozambique, adding that the &#8220;trip was a wonderful opportunity to see another African country and grow our burden for the African people.&#8221;
Kidnappings have spiked in South Africa over the past decade, jumping 264%, according to the BBC. In 2023-2024, there were more than 17,000 kidnappings in the country. Just two days before Sullivan was taken by armed men, a Chinese national was kidnapped in Gqeberha, according to police.

Church Steeple

American Missionary Kidnapped At Gunpoint During Church Service

Crime

There was a time in my life when I lived in the shadow of terror — not just as a distant observer, but as someone who felt its grip firsthand. I was born into a world where radical Islam was not just a belief system, but a way of life — a force that dictated what I could wear, how I could think, who I could marry, and whether I lived or died. I have seen the face of oppression up close. I have felt the cold breath of death whispering lies of hopelessness into my soul.
And yet, by God’s grace, I escaped. I ran from that life and stepped onto foreign soil, hoping to leave the nightmare behind. But the nightmare was not confined to one land, it has followed me. It has followed us all.
I came to America believing I had reached a place of true freedom — a nation that stood tall in the face of tyranny. Today, however, the more I watch, the more I realize America is sleeping.
I see the same signs I saw growing up. I recognize the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/radical-islams-long-game-of-propaganda-in-the-west-is-over-because-of-trump">rhetoric</a>, the infiltration, and the subtle shift in public sentiment that paves the way for radical ideologies to take root. America needs to wake up.
<h3>Telltale Signs Of Radical Infiltration</h3>
I spent years brainwashed by radical Islam — a system that taught me to see the world through the lens of hatred, victimhood, and power. And now, I see the same toxic poison seeping into the West.
The warning signs are clear:
<ul>
<li>Weaponized victimhood: Radical groups manipulate emotions to justify violence. They claim oppression while seeking to destroy the very system that offers them refuge.</li>
<li>The rise of anti-American and anti-Semitic rhetoric: This is no accident. College campuses, media outlets, and even political leaders amplify messages that erode national unity and biblical truth.</li>
<li>Propaganda disguised as tolerance: What begins as an appeal for “understanding” slowly turns into a demand for compliance.</li>
</ul>
This is not speculation. I have witnessed this same strategy destroy nations. I have watched entire governments bow down to ideologies that despise them, only to be consumed by the very monster they tried to appease.
<h3>Why The Resistance To Border Security?</h3>
Why is there such a backlash against strengthening America’s borders? The answer is simple: When light is shined into darkness, the enemy panics.
In the <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2028&amp;version=NIV">book of Acts</a>, the Bible shares a story about the Apostle Paul becoming shipwrecked on the island of Malta. When Paul gathers wood and builds a fire, a hidden viper lunges and bites his hand. The fire exposed what had been hidden — a deadly, silent enemy, slithering beneath the surface. This is exactly what is happening today.
When leadership enforces stricter immigration policies, the vipers slither out, <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/voices/hamas-mask-slips-evil-exposed-with-israeli-hostage-returns.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealing their true colors</a>. When corruption is called out, the ones who benefit from it are the loudest in their opposition.
For too long, our enemies have gleefully watched America, knowing we were too distracted, too divided, too passive to see what was happening right in front of us. The moment we begin to take action, however, they cry out in rage.
Make no mistake: they are afraid because they know their time is running out.
<h3>The Cost Of Weak Immigration Policies</h3>
I know what it’s like to be a desperate immigrant seeking freedom. I also know what it’s like to live in a nation destroyed by lawlessness.
America’s weak and lawless immigration policies have:
<ul>
<li>Allowed radical jihadists to walk freely into our cities</li>
<li>Enabled human trafficking and child exploitation at unprecedented levels</li>
<li>Weakened national identity, making Americans question national patriotism</li>
<li>Provided sanctuary for those who seek to destroy us from within</li>
</ul>
This is not about hate. This is not about closing doors to the needy. This is about preserving a nation that was built on biblical values and protecting the people who call it home. If we do not act now, we may not recognize America in 10 years.
<h3>What Must Be Done?</h3>
Many Americans do not recognize the warning signs because they have never lived under a radical regime. America cannot afford to remain blind any longer. It is time for stronger border security. It is not racist or unloving to protect our home.
It is also time for American Christians to take a stand. This is not just a political battle; it is spiritual warfare. It&#8217;s time for the Church to wake up. Yes, Christians are called to love the foreigner, but we are also called to protect our borders and to stand for righteousness, even when the world calls us intolerant. We are called to expose darkness, not coexist with it.
As the Apostle Paul <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%205&amp;version=NIV">wrote</a>, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” This is our moment. The fire has been lit. The vipers are being exposed.
The battle for America’s soul is not over. The question is: Will we fight? Or will we simply go back to sleep?
* * *
Işik Abla is the President and CEO of <a href="http://isikabla.com/">Işik Abla Ministries</a> (IAM). Abla was born in Turkey and raised as a Muslim. She eventually fled to America. Işık Abla Ministries leverages the power of TV and radio broadcasting, social media, and innovation to preach the Gospel in Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Indonesian, and English.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-ANNIVERSARY

America Can’t Ignore The Warning Signs Of Radicalization

America Can't Ignore The Warning Signs Of Radicalization

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Islam

Opinion

Radical Islam

Southern Border

Today, every American, whether Democrat, independent, or Republican, ought to pray for President Trump’s success, because then you are praying for the success of the United States of America.
That doesn&#8217;t mean you have to agree with all his policies. It doesn&#8217;t mean you have to agree with everything he does. I&#8217;m not going to agree with everything he does.
But it does mean that for the sake of the country, I hope and pray President Trump will be precisely the kind of president that America needs: a president who relies on common sense; a president who does not just seek momentary victories, but also seeks long-term victories; a president who restructures the systems that need restructuring; and cleans out the deadwood in need of cleaning out.
I think President Trump takes all of that seriously; he seems to already be taking on the task before him. It is a very serious approach. It is a moment of optimism, but it also is a moment of determination. 
The Republicans need to hit the ground running. They need to get to work on the one-bill strategy. They need to make the Trump tax cuts permanent and to loosen regulations dramatically.
They need to fire an enormous number of people in the executive branch. They need to restore our nation&#8217;s border and deport illegal immigrants, particularly criminal illegal immigrants. They need to restore the semblance of sanity in a country that completely lost its sanity under Joe Biden.
The stakes are really high because America doesn&#8217;t get opportunities like this particularly often.
It is very rare to get a second bite at the apple. I think there has been a lot of despair. In 2020, I was one of the people who felt that despair when Joe Biden took the White House. You get a second chance so rarely, but the American people are getting a second chance with President Trump.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2120-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
My prayers today are with President Trump, with the members of his excellent cabinet, with the members of his administration, with the members of his family. My prayers are with the country today, as I think everyone&#8217;s ought to be. President Trump has pledged a big agenda — a big, robust agenda — and some of it&#8217;s going to start taking place today.
But it&#8217;s not just going to require the efforts of President Trump, because the country doesn&#8217;t rise and fall on one man. It rises and falls on the American people and their elected representatives. That means members of Congress need to help push forward the Trump agenda in pragmatic fashion. It means the Senate needs to push forward President Trump&#8217;s agenda in pragmatic fashion.
Yes, there will be give and take, and push back, and no bill is going to be perfect. I hope that conservatives get more out of these bills than members of the Left do. That&#8217;s my hope.
But for us, the American people, this is our opportunity. This is our opportunity to thrive. It&#8217;s an opportunity for merit to take the floor once again. Freedom is being restored. Free speech is being restored; free markets are being restored.
Take this opportunity to go to church. Take this opportunity to get in touch with your neighbors. Take this opportunity to recapitulate what made America great in the first place. Things like free minds, free speech, community values, and rule of law. Those are the things we should all be praying for under the incoming Trump administration.
This is our opportunity. The excitement is here.
President Trump is going to get to work. 

So should we.
* * *
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The Inauguration Of Donald J. Trump As The 47th President

President Trump Gets To Work. So Should We.

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As Christians throughout the United States celebrate Christmas, tens of millions of their fellow believers face intense persecution for their beliefs and could be endangered if they choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Last year, at least 365 million Christians were persecuted for faith, including thousands who were killed and nearly 300,000 who were displaced, <a href="https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/persecution-trends/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to persecution watchdog Open Doors. Open Doors, which puts out a top fifty watchlist every year tracking persecution, said that violent attacks on Christians have only increased in recent years, especially throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. 
“Those things are rising because the church is rising, because the church is growing, because the church is having impact and influence in areas, and the gates of hell are trying to stamp that out,” Open Doors President Ryan Brown told The Daily Wire. 
While many Christians in the West celebrate the birth of Jesus at their churches and with their friends and family, there are many countries where doing so would be dangerous. 
Here are ten of the worst places for persecution around the world, <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Open Doors.
<h3>1. North Korea </h3>
The one non-Islamic country on the list, communist North Korea is notorious for its state enforced atheism and hatred of Christianity. Whole families can be sent to work camps if someone is found with a Bible in the Hermit Kingdom. 
According to Open Doors, there are around 400,000 Christians in the DPRK who regularly face heavy persecution. 
”Those in power see Christianity as being subversive and being a threat to their power. And in some cases they make an association because they see that as some kind of a tie to the West,” Brown told The Daily Wire. “In other cases it&#8217;s just this idea that anybody willing to lay down their life for something other than the state scares them.”
Brown said that many Christians who have successfully escaped North Korea will return to the country to “seek to live as Christ called them to live, to work and minister to their neighbors.”
<div id="attachment_818433" style="width: 980px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-818433" class="size-large wp-image-818433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/North-Korean-military-970x576.jpg" alt="North Korean military officers march during a welcoming ceremony, June 19, 2024, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Russian President Vladimir Putin is arriving to North Korea with a two-days visit. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)" width="970" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/North-Korean-military-970x576.jpg 970w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/North-Korean-military-300x178.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/North-Korean-military-768x456.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/North-Korean-military.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px" />Contributor/Getty Images</div>
<h3>2. Somalia </h3>
Known for its constant instability, Somalia is also a very dangerous country for the few hundreds of Christians estimated to live in the country. The predominant form of persecution there comes from Islamic radicals opposed to the growth of Christianity.
Somalia is the first Sub-Saharan country on the list, a region Brown said has been seeing increased violence. 
“There’s been a continued upsurge in violence throughout sub-Saharan Africa where there is a massive issue right now where a total of over 16.2 million Christians in [the region] that have been displaced,” he said. 
Brown urges Christians to join the “<a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/getinvolved/arise-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arise Africa</a>” campaign which seeks to bring awareness to the widespread persecution in Sub-Saharan Africa. He urged them to pray for the African church and find ways to support them with educational and material needs.
<h3>3. Libya </h3>
This North African neighbor to Egypt was long ruled by dictator Muammar Gaddafi until 2011. The vast majority of Libyans are Sunni Muslims who adhere to Sharia Law. Libya is also home to just 35,000 Christians which is less than 1% of the country’s population. 
According to the U.S. <a href="https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/libya/">Department of State</a>, &#8220;Muslims who converted to another religion faced intense social and economic pressure to renounce their faith and return to Islam.&#8221;
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<h3>4. Eritrea</h3>
Located on the western bank of the Red Sea, Eritrea borders Sudan, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. While Christians make up nearly half (47%) of Eritrea’s population, they face deep challenges as the dictatorial government doesn’t tolerate Christianity <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/eritrea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outside</a> of three recognized denominations. At least 1,000 Christians are currently estimated to be imprisoned there without having faced any formal charges.
<h3>5. Yemen</h3>
Christians are subject to intense persecution from Islamic radicals in Yemen, which is located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. In 2024, the Islamic Houthi rebels attacked numerous commercial ships and oil tankers passing through the Red Sea on their way to the Suez Canal, successfully disrupting a major international shipping lane.
According to Open Doors, only a small number of Christians live in Yemen. Like many other Islamic countries, people who convert to Christianity can face severe consequences, even from their families, for their decision.
<div id="attachment_692811" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-692811" class="size-large wp-image-692811" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/GettyImages-454468418-866x576.jpg" alt="SANAA, YEMEN - SEPTEMBER 1: Supporters of Yemen's Shiite Houthi group stage anti government protest at Taghyeer square in capital Sanaa, Yemen on September 1, 2014. Shiite Houthi group blocked several main roads across the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday in response to a call by their leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi to escalate action against the government of Prime Minister Mohamed Basindawa. (Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/GettyImages-454468418-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/GettyImages-454468418-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/GettyImages-454468418-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/GettyImages-454468418.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images</div>
<h3>6. Nigeria</h3>
While Nigeria is home to some very large churches, more Christians are killed in Nigeria than in any other country. In 2023, it was <a href="https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/13-christians-killed-day-average/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that over 4,100 Christians were killed in the African country, largely due to Islamic persecution. 
&#8220;There were more people killed in Nigeria last year than all other places in the globe combined, nearly about 80% of those that were martyred for their faith occurred in Nigeria,&#8221; Brown said of those killed for their Christian faith. “In many ways, Nigeria is kind of a concentrated reflection of what we are seeing throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Last year, over 150 Christians <a href="https://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/latest-news/nigeria-attacks-christmas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were</a> killed during Christmas Eve attacks by Islamic Fulani herdsmen.
<h3>7. Pakistan</h3>
Pakistan’s four million Christians also face intense persecution for their faith and are often openly prosecuted. According to <a href="https://www.opendoorsuk.org/countries-watch/pakistan/">Open Doors</a>, 1.8% of the population identify as Christian, but due to Pakistan&#8217;s strict blasphemy laws, very few can talk about their faith.
&#8220;Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws are often used to target minority groups, but Christians are disproportionately affected – in fact, roughly a quarter of all blasphemy accusations target Christians.&#8221;
Pakistani Christians also face &#8220;institutionalised discrimination&#8221; and are given &#8220;occupations that are deemed low, dirty and degrading – such as working as a sewer cleaner or on a brick kiln – are reserved for Christians by the authorities. Many are referred to as ‘chura’, a derogatory term meaning ‘filthy’.&#8221;
<h3>8. Sudan </h3>
Returning to Sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan’s two million Christians face intense persecution that has only been <a href="https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/sudan/?gad_source=1&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAqQP2Ook0kQ403zkIS6qUIF6Z_g99&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAsaS7BhDPARIsAAX5cSBeC5bPV1MmoZNdmwvLl0noggWgPui5AlY9oIlBWuEjblqyMu-YM7UaAqfVEALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exacerbated</a> by the civil unrest in the country as the National Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battle it out for control. Millions of people, including Christians, have been displaced due to the fighting.
Brown said that Christians will often be targeted and mistreated in refugee camps and not be given access to equal support and aid.
<h3>9. Iran</h3>
Iran’s government targets Christians in Iran with a number of oppressive laws, <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> making conversion to Christianity illegal.
“The government views conversion as an attempt by the West to undermine Islam and the Islamic government of Iran,” Open Doors reports. “This means that anyone who is discovered to be a member of a house church can be charged with a crime against national security, which can lead to long prison sentences.”
<div id="attachment_823711" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-823711" class="size-large wp-image-823711" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1037865852-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1037865852-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1037865852-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1037865852-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-1037865852.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Arnulf Stoffel/picture alliance via Getty Images</div>
<h3>10. Afghanistan</h3>
Only a few thousand Christians are estimated to be in Afghanistan, but they face intense cultural persecution from the Taliban, which has no tolerance for Christianity.
The next World Watch report from Open Doors comes out in January, and Brown urges Christians to try to remember their persecuted brethren through prayer and support on a more frequent basis. He said that much of the persecution is happening in places where the church is actually growing and active.
“Even in those places it seems most dark, and yes it is dark and yes there is evil, but that evil is there because there is a hope there, because there is a light there, because the church is present and the church is working,” he said.
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Liturgy In Church: Procession Of Ministers, Bearing Holy Cross to Altar, As Congregation Stands In Wonder. Christians Rejoice In Celebration Of Divine Mass. Hymns Praise God

Here Are The 10 Most Dangerous Countries For Christians To Celebrate Christmas

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It is a truth universally acknowledged (by all right-thinking people, anyway) that Christmas comes too early. First you have the people who hoist up their wreaths and garlands at the first sign of falling leaves—a practice which should, in my opinion, be punishable by immediate deportation. I don’t care if you’re a legal citizen. The spirit of Project 2025 surely demands that we send October hall-deckers back to whichever country their ancestors most recently arrived from. Boughs of holly, gay apparel, and so forth become permissible at exactly the moment when Santa Claus reaches Herald Square in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. This was decided at the Council of Chalcedon.
But even then, December 25 is surely a demoralizing choice of dates for the pinnacle of all jollities. The excitement ramps up to a maximum just as the days are starting to droop into their coldest and darkest. This is a bright consolation for the feeling that you are looking at the sun from an increasingly unflattering angle. But then Boxing Day hits like a hangover on December 26 when, in the words of an extraordinarily depressing and mawkish poem by civil rights leader Howard Thurman, “the star in the sky is gone” and “the kings and princes are home.”
Thurman somehow meant this to be inspiring, but it’s obviously a galactic let-down. Here you are, your yearly allotment of cheer utterly spent, and there now stretch before you two months of slush and darkness with nothing to punctuate the tedium but New Year’s resolutions and Valentine’s Day. So the only activities scheduled to leaven the winter doldrums in our modern system are setting homework assignments for yourself and grappling with the crushing fear that you might die alone. Nice going, everyone.
Our ancestors knew better. What if I told you December 25 could be not the punishing end, but the gleeful start of the festivities? “The Twelve Days of Christmas” isn’t just the wish-list of an eccentric and high-maintenance wifejak. It’s a picture of how the season ought to be. Instead of dutifully pledging to obsess over hydration come January, you could be cavorting merrily among a retinue of milkmaids and an assortment of waterfowl. Or at least you could leave your Christmas lights up without remorse.
All this and more can be ours if we simply ditch the secular falderal and refer back to the liturgical calendar. Christmas would then last until January 6—which is not the Solemnity of the Insurrection but the Feast of the Epiphany, commemorating the wise men’s visit to the manger. The kings and princes are not home come New Year’s, thanks very much, they are just getting started—as we should be. By some accounts the Christmas season extends all the way to “Candlemas” on February 2, which commemorates the presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple according to Jewish rite. That would make Christmas 40 days long, rivaling the 50 days of “Eastertide” to celebrate the resurrection.
But just as the exuberance of Easter is preceded by the 40 somber days of Lent, the 40 days of Christmas are preceded by days of preparation known as Advent. This is the key to understanding the rhythm of the whole liturgical calendar: it goes through successive periods of grief and joy, silence and music, death and resurrection. It takes the natural ebb and flow of the light throughout the year as raw material in a grand work of art, using the solar system itself to construct a symbolic picture of Jesus’ life. In Genesis, when God sets up the stars as “signs to mark the seasons,” the rhythm of the year becomes a language for conveying the order of creation. The Jewish calendar, pinned to the cycles of the moon, established the pattern. The Christian calendar, founded on the schedule of Jewish feasts that Christ observed, grows out of it.
The winter solstice, when the daylight becomes shortest, makes for a natural beginning to this yearly sequence. Unlike Easter, which took place firmly during the festival of Passover, Christmas isn’t identified with a specific date in the Bible. Many people now think Jesus was born sometime in the Spring. But the winter date was fixed already by the <a href="https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EMCO/SIM-00726.xml?language=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4th century A.D</a>. St. Augustine of Hippo loved to <a href="http://dec25th.info/Augustine's%20Sermon%20192.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preach</a> about the symbolic appropriateness of December 25th as an entry point for God into the world, precisely because of the dark and the cold: “He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase.” As the day wanes to its lowest ebb and the year rolls into its most brooding silence, the light of the world slips in and begins to grow.
This is deep and ancient magic. Every people and tribe has long since recognized that the earth wheels through a cycle of death and rebirth. Christians saw in their lord and savior the answer to a promise whispered through the very structure of creation, written in the very bones of the year. This is why it remains hilarious when detractors, as they have done since antiquity, accuse Christians of “appropriating” or imitating pagan rituals. The obvious answer to this is that yes, of course—in Christ we behold the fullness of a reality only dimly glimpsed in the nature worship of old. All the pageantry of myth and legend points at last to the greatest story ever told, and told again each year.
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-advent/id1513602173?i=1000678202687" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
Hence the season of Advent, a period of waiting and watching as the world grows dark. It covers the four weeks before Christmas, each one of which is dedicated to a different element of the story—the hope of the prophets, the peace of Bethlehem, the joy of the shepherds, the love of the angels. Shortly after <a href="https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3501.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">St. Martin of Tours</a> ripped his cloak and gave half to a beggar on a cold winter day, the season became associated in France with alms and fasting. Now most churches keep some form of the ritual. Creation itself holds its breath, and mankind awaits the adventus, the arrival, of a transforming light.
Not that you can’t play Christmas music in December. But you’ll get more out of the season if you spend part of it in contemplation, reading, and prayer. The world winds down this month in anticipation of a rebirth that comes just when creation feels most exhausted, its natural powers and energies spent. At that moment an all but invisible gap opens in the machinery of things, and there enters—unseen by the government sentries prowling the city streets, undreamt of in the palaces of emperors—the light and the lord of the world. At which point, the party’s on.
* * *
Spencer A. Klavan is host of the Young Heretics podcast and author, most recently, of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Light-Mind-World-Science-Illuminating/dp/1684515335" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science Through Faith</a>. The associate editor of the <a href="https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Claremont Review of Books</a>, he has written for many outlets, including The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, City Journal, Newsweek, The Federalist, The American Mind, and The Daily Wire. Follow him on X: <a href="https://x.com/SpencerKlavan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@SpencerKlavan</a>. You find his daily Advent posts on Substack at and read further theological reflections at <a href="https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New Jerusalem</a>, where he writes alongside his father, novelist Andrew Klavan.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.

Four lit candles for Advent

The Case For Advent-Maxxing

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A host of ceremonies will take place this weekend as part of the official reopening of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/france">France</a>’s legendary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/notre-dame-cathedral">Notre Dame Cathedral</a>, which was badly damaged in a 2019 fire.
It will begin on Saturday, December 7, with the Archbishop Laurent Ulrich knocking on the door of the Paris cathedral with his crosier [a Bishop staff] to return to life the building to worship where he will be joined by more than 1,500 guests, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2024/12/06/reopening-of-notre-dame-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-the-ceremony_6735412_30.html">LeMonde</a> reported.
It will be followed by a choir singing Psalm 23, 7-10. Ulrich will then re-awaken the cathedral’s thunderous organ with its nearly 8,000 pipes, that were covered at one point in the blaze, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/france-paris-notre-dame-trump-macron-religion-fire-e76aee3fdb9d391943e7955424d330cc">the Associated Press</a> reported. This will occur with a series of incantations as the Archbishop states the following, “Awaken, organ, sacred instrument: Sing the praise of God.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Notre Dame’s reopening will begin with an archbishop’s knock on the doors. Here’s what comes next <a href="https://t.co/SwWcRerDQp">https://t.co/SwWcRerDQp</a>
— The Associated Press (@AP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/1864973149185417301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
Four organists will operate the organ with its five keyboards of 56 notes, foot pedals for 30 notes, and 115 stops, the outlet noted.
Exactly what the organists will respond with is unknown, with one organist, Olivier Latry, telling the AP, “Since it’s improvisation, you really need to feel the moment.”
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“When I am there, I will know what I am going to do,” he added. “Before that, I simply have a few ideas but the ideas are not fully formed — because they will change depending on the atmosphere, the lighting, the people who’ll be down below, their reaction.”
And on Sunday, the first Catholic Mass to be held in the cathedral since the fire engulfed the building in April 2019 will take place with special rites to consecrate the main altar, the outlet noted. It follows the massive <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/notre-dame-cathedral-restoration-after-fire-finishes-macron-tour/">restoration process</a> that reportedly cost more than $700 million on the roughly <a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/notre-dame-cathedral-restoration/index.html">860-year-old</a> cathedral over the last few years.
President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> announced on Monday that he will travel to France to attend the re-opening ceremonies.
“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113586046394556777">post to Truth Social</a>.
“President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so,” he added. “It will be a very special day for all!”
French authorities <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/devastating-notre-dame-fire-was-probably-started-emily-zanotti">have said</a> they suspected the fire started due to a lit cigarette or a faulty electrical connection, but The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/world/europe/notre-dame-cathedral-reopening.html">noted</a> last month that an investigation continues and the cause “may never be determined.”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-visit-paris-for-notre-dame-re-opening" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump To Visit Paris For Notre Dame Re-Opening</a>

Notre Dame

Notre Dame Cathedral To Reopen With Host Of Ceremonies Following Catastrophic 2019 Fire

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Notre Dame Cathedral

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Pastor and Christian author Ray Ortlund deleted a social media post on Monday where he said that he would be voting for Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a>, claiming it was “misinterpreted” after conservative backlash.
Ortlund, the founder of Immanuel Church in Nashville, wrote on Threads, “Never Trump. This time Harris. Always Jesus.” The pastor has written numerous books on theology and Christian life and serves as the president of Renewal Ministries, which was started by his father, Ray Sr.
After conservative Christians raised concerns with Ortlund’s post, the pastor deleted it and <a href="https://www.threads.net/@rayortlund/post/DAhPIe6MW6h?hl=en">wrote</a> in a follow-up post, “I have deleted a post from earlier today because it was being misinterpreted. I should have foreseen it. My fault.”
Ortlund’s original post was praised by some, including “Never Trump” New York Times columnist David French, who replied to Ortlund, writing, “This is the way.” Conservatives, such as Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham, however, criticized the pastor for publicly backing Harris.
Basham, who recently released her New York Times-bestselling book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shepherds-Sale-Evangelical-Leaders-Leftist/dp/0063413442">Shepherds for Sale</a>,” said that Ortlund’s support for Harris “should not be surprising.” “Shepherds for Sale” reveals how some Evangelical leaders have been co-opted by the Left for political purposes.
“This should not be surprising if you’ve been paying attention. Especially given Ortlund’s participation with French’s hard-left funded political Bible study curriculum, the After Party,” Basham wrote.
“It’s understandable that some Christians feel they cannot back Trump. It is not understandable to back Harris. Don’t confuse Ortlund with principled third party voters or abstainers. This is indefensible,” she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This should not be surprising if you’ve been paying attention. Especially given Ortlund’s participation with French’s hard-left funded political Bible study curriculum, the After Party.
Learn more about this secular funded group designed to sway Christian vote here. 
(Anyone… <a href="https://t.co/9L5SnWSEv4">pic.twitter.com/9L5SnWSEv4</a>
&mdash; Megan Basham (@megbasham) <a href="https://twitter.com/megbasham/status/1840519088285614183?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Under his original Threads post, Ortlund was questioned by a social media user who wrote, &#8220;How can you vote for Harris/Walz as a believer? Do you think that killing babies is something Jesus would support? Put your personal views on the person aside and vote for the party that is going to support your morals and religious beliefs. I believe that any party that has ANY association with murdering children of GOD should be immediately out of the question.”
The pastor responded, &#8220;Abortion is a horrible evil. But the evils on the other side have risen to levels that jeopardize the foundational rule of law in our country. I am thinking long-term and voting for us to have a national renewal in the future.”
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<a href="https://t.co/UesnSj3aPx">pic.twitter.com/UesnSj3aPx</a>
&mdash; J. Chase Davis 🌲 (@jchasedavis) <a href="https://twitter.com/jchasedavis/status/1840506168168550522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When Ortlund was pressed to explain how he could vote for Harris, he <a href="https://www.threads.net/@rayortlund/post/DAhXOKYsYIq?hl=en">replied</a>, “I’m sorry. But answering your question could risk reversing my decision to delete.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
Immanuel Church did not respond to a Daily Wire request for comment from Pastor Ortlund.
Other influential Christian leaders have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-evangelicals-for-harris-are-nothing-more-than-wolves-in-sheeps-clothing">publicly voiced support</a> for the Democratic nominee in the 2024 election, and some have even joined a group named “<a href="https://www.evangelicalsforharris.com/">Evangelicals for Harris</a>,” which claims that Evangelicals “need to reaffirm who they are by voting for someone who better reflects Christian values.”

Cross on Top of a Church

Influential Pastor Deletes Post Endorsing Kamala After He’s Slammed By Conservatives

Influential Pastor Deletes Post Endorsing Kamala After He's Slammed By Conservatives

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Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham’s new book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shepherds-Sale-Evangelical-Leaders-Leftist-ebook/dp/B0CRQGNLMY">Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda</a>” hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists on Wednesday after the book was released last week. 
“Shepherds for Sale” reached the #12 spot on the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/">New York Times</a> bestseller list and the #109 spot on the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/booklist/type/nonfiction/date/2024-08-07">USA Today</a> list among all books, competing with new releases such as Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation” and Erik Larson’s “The Demon of Unrest.” It’s the first time Basham has hit the bestseller lists.  
&#8220;Seeing &#8216;Shepherds for Sale&#8217; hit the New York Times bestseller list is incredibly encouraging,” Basham said. “Despite Big Eva and today&#8217;s establishment powerbrokers&#8217; efforts to dismiss the truth exposed in the book, Christians all over the country are waking up. There is a hunger for genuine biblical truth and newfound courage to resist conforming to the world&#8217;s gospel of leftism. Thank you to everyone who has backed this book and embraced this vital discussion.” 
The book, which hit the shelves at the end of July, “documents how progressive powerbrokers — from George Soros, to the founder of eBay, to former members of the Obama administration — set out to change the American church. Their goal: to co-opt evangelicals for political purposes.” Basham’s book quickly jumped to the #1 bestseller in the Christian Church Leadership category on Amazon. 
“Shepherds for Sale” also details how a megachurch pastor pushed fellow pastors to move their views on sexuality to the Left and how leftist talking points on climate change and “systemic racism” have crept into American churches. Following the book’s release, Basham urged evangelical leaders to “get serious about tracing the secular Left influences in any number of evangelical institutions.” 
Basham’s book caused a stir on social media after its release as some of the evangelical leaders exposed in “Shepherds for Sale” have pushed back against the Daily Wire reporter. One pastor, Gavin Ortlund, even released a podcast episode on Basham’s book after she highlighted some of his troubling comments on climate change in “Shepherds for Sale.” Despite some pastors’ efforts to discredit Basham’s work, many Christians have heaped praise on the book.
“When church leadership does not know who is behind an organization, they should not agree to sign their public statements or participate in their coalitions. Also, the time for politely ignoring what is going on has come to an end,” Basham said. “It is time to follow the model of J. Gresham Machen in the 1920s and begin to directly call out compromise, capitulation, and infiltration. As he has stated, liberalism is an altogether different religion than Christianity.”

Shepherds for Sale

Daily Wire Reporter Megan Basham Becomes Instant NYT Bestseller With ‘Shepherds For Sale’

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Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham&#8217;s latest book revealing the leftist influences on American Evangelicalism hit the shelves on Tuesday and quickly jumped into the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/new-releases/books/?ie=UTF8&amp;ref_=sv_b_3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top 10 bestsellers</a> in new book releases on Amazon. 
In “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shepherds-Sale-Evangelical-Leaders-Leftist-ebook/dp/B0CRQGNLMY">Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda</a>,” Basham “documents how progressive powerbrokers — from George Soros, to the founder of eBay, to former members of the Obama administration — set out to change the American church. Their goal: to co-opt evangelicals for political purposes.” 
The book also documents how a megachurch pastor pushed fellow pastors to move their views on sexuality to the Left and how leftist talking points on climate change and “systemic racism” have crept into American churches. “Shepherds for Sale” is the #1 bestseller in Christian Church Leadership on Amazon. 
“Shepherds for Sale” hits the shelves as controversy erupts in the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). Earlier this month, the board of the ERLC, which is the SBC’s lobbying arm, announced it was firing President Brent Leatherwood, who has faced criticism from conservatives within the SBC over his apparent friendly statements about Joe Biden and his advocacy for a red flag law in Tennessee. 
Hours after the announcement, however, the ERLC <a href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2024/july/brent-leatherwood-erlc-president-fired-trustees-biden.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backtracked</a> and said it was reinstating Leatherwood. Board Chair Kevin Smith, who took responsibility for firing Leatherwood, resigned after Leatherwood was reinstated. Basham said the controversy shows more proof of how the SBC is being influenced by legacy media, but she added that rank-and-file Southern Baptists are waking up to the political influences on their denomination. 
“The New York Times, CNN, the Atlantic, POLITICO, and many other secular media outlets, immediately howled about Leatherwood’s ouster. That tells you they understand how valuable he is to them in his position,” Basham said. “In the end, Leatherwood was reinstated, but there’s no question that this is not over because of the unhappiness of Southern Baptists with his leadership. They may not have media megaphones, but their demands for accountability cannot be held off forever.”
Basham urged evangelical leaders to “get serious about tracing the secular Left influences in any number of evangelical institutions.” 
“When we have leftwing billionaires like atheist George Soros or Buddhist Pierre Omidyar funding evangelical projects, (especially given their direct opposition to biblical ethics on issues like the sanctity of life and gender, sexuality, and marriage), we should ask why,” she said. 
“When church leadership does not know who is behind an organization, they should not agree to sign their public statements or participate in their coalitions. Also, the time for politely ignoring what is going on has come to an end,” Basham added. “It is time to follow the model of J. Gresham Machen in the 1920s and begin to directly call out compromise, capitulation, and infiltration. As he has stated, liberalism is an altogether different religion than Christianity.”

Daily Wire Reporter Megan Basham’s New Book, ‘Shepherds For Sale,’ Climbs Bestseller List After Release

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