
Religious News From Around the Web February 7, 2022
- By WRN Editorial Staff --
- 07 Feb 2022 --
Blasphemy and Apostasy Punished; Winter Olympics — Thawing of China’s Treatment of Religious Minorities? China May Restrict Religious Expression Following Olympics; Streaming Online a Godsend for Churches and the Isolated; City Restricts Church Homeless Outreach
Blasphemy and Apostasy Punished
Winter Olympics — Thawing of China’s Treatment of Religious Minorities?
China May Restrict Religious Expression Following Olympics
Streaming Online a Godsend for Churches and the Isolated
A report on churches and technology during the pandemic found that by offering online services, churches were able to expand their reach, often connecting with people outside their community or reconnecting with former members who had moved away. Even small congregations that had once struggled to reach outside the walls of the church were able to expand their reach, according to “When Pastors Put on the ‘Tech Hat,” from the Tech in Churches research project, led by Heidi Campbell, professor of communication at Texas A&M University.
City Restricts Church Homeless Outreach
An Oregon church is suing the coastal city of Brookings, arguing that an ordinance — which limits the church to offering free meals just twice a week, violates its religious freedom. St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon filed the lawsuit against the city on Friday (Jan. 28) in Oregon’s U.S. District Court. “We’ve been serving our community here for decades and picking up the slack where the need exists and no one else is stepping in,” said the Rev. James Bernard Lindley, vicar of St. Timothy’s, in a statement from the diocese. “We have no intention of stopping now and we’re prepared to hold fast to our beliefs. We won’t abandon the people of Brookings who need our help, even when we’re being threatened.”