Roundup: Sex abuse in the church, justice for Botham Jean, Ukraine meeting and more
Our end-of-the-week review of important and/or simply interesting headlines from the world of religion. Got a tip for this column? Email Editor-in-Chief Bobby Ross Jr. at [email protected].
From the editor
SEARCY, Ark. — “Sex Abuse and Churches of Christ: Moving Forward” was the topic of a two-part panel discussion at this week’s 96th annual Harding University Bible Lectureship.
The “Christian Chronicle Live” dialogue followed our front-page report from Uniontown, Pa., earlier this year on “A perpetrator in the pews.”
I moderated the sessions, which featured experts Christine Fox Parker of PorchSwing Ministries, Steve Black of the Ezekiel 33 Project and Chellie Ison of the Chronicle. Besides serving as our digital news editor, Ison — with her husband, Nathan — leads the Celebrate Recovery ministry at the Memorial Road Church of Christ in Oklahoma City.
• Listen to part one on responding to the needs of victims:
• Listen to part two on preventing sexual crimes from occurring:
Also during the lectureship, I was blessed to discuss the Chronicle during an alumni luncheon of the Harding School of Theology. I talked about “Ten stories for church leaders to read.”
From our pages
• ‘I love you as a person, and I don’t wish anything bad on you’: Botham Jean’s brother asked the judge for permission to hug Amber Guyger in the courtroom after sentencing. Chellie Ison reports.
• Botham Jean’s alma mater pauses to remember, pray after Amber Guyger’s murder conviction: “He left an impression on everybody here,” Harding President Bruce McLarty said at the lectureship, as I note in the story.
• Church members meet with Ukrainian president: Christians who help at-risk kids in Eastern Europe were part of a delegation on Ukraine’s National Adoption Day. Erik Tryggestad reports.
Recommended links
• Hug seen around the world: I offer my take on Brandt Jean’s forgiveness of his brother’s killer in this post for GetReligion.org.
• Church of Christ in Pennsylvania goes up in flames after lightning strike: The fire occurred this past weekend at the Coventry Hills Church of Christ in Pottstown, Pa.
• Nikki Haley speaks at Faulkner University benefit dinner: The former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations gave the keynote address at Faulkner, a Montgomery, Ala., university that is associated with Churches of Christ.
More religion news
• Was it right for the judge in the Amber Guyger case to talk religion and give her a Bible?: “Religious leaders differ on whether State District Judge Tammy Kemp should have given Amber Guyger her Bible in court following the sentencing as opposed to in private, but none doubted her intentions during the emotional trial,” the Dallas Morning News reports.
• False charges: Did journalists spot a crucial fact about Karen Pence’s Christian school?
• Campaign 2020 question: Do Christians see a difference between cussing and profanity?
