In Depth:  Christian Headlines.com

Communist authorities destroyed a 3,000-seat megachurch in November, using a large excavator to tear apart the building as mem-bers and citizens watched helplessly.

The huge building was located in the province of Anhui, which is situated in the eastern part of the country and has about 60 million residents. The congregation was part of China’s officially recognised network of churches. It was reported that communist officials lacked the proper legal paperwork to order the destruction.

A study from the Barna Group, reported in March, found that a majority of Protestant pastors believe school is a negative influence on a child’s spiritual development.

Asked to choose from a range of organisations and groupings including family and friends, schools ranked alongside a child’s friends and peers as being seen as primarily negative influences on children, with 61% of Protestant leaders holding to that view. In some cases, the perceived negative influence of a child’s school or friend group outweighed a perceived positive influence by double.

Nearly a year since allegations of misconduct first surfaced against Willow Creek’s lead pastor, Bill Hybels, an independent investigation confirmed in March that the allegations are credible.

The six-month investigation looked into the claims made against Hybels and into Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC) and the Willow Creek Association (WCA). There had been accusations of ‘a pattern of sexual harassment and misconduct, including suggestive remarks, invitations to his hotel rooms, prolonged hugs, and an unwanted kiss’. Initially denied, as more allegations surfaced an investigation was launched.

The United Methodist Church (UMC) voted in late February to tighten restrictions on the church’s stance on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy.

While the church’s bishops asked for a resolution that would have allowed local congregations, conferences and clergy to make their own choices about same-sex marriages and LGBTQ clergy roles, UMC delegates at the church’s General Conference rejected the proposal. Delegates voted instead for the ‘Traditional Plan’, which affirmed the church’s teachings against homosexuality.