A majority of priests of the Church of England want the church to offer same-sex weddings and allow premarital and gay sex, according to a major survey.

The survey, conducted by the Times, found most Anglican priests think church teaching should be brought into line with public opinion on moral issues.

Most priests support a change to allow gay couples to get married in church, with 53.4 percent in favor and 36.5 percent opposed, revealed the survey, which assessed responses from 1,200 active Anglican priests.

The Church of England currently allows blessings for gay couples but only permits church weddings between a man and a woman.

A significant majority of the priests surveyed (62.6 percent) said the church should change its teaching on the immorality of premarital sex, with 21.6 percent accepting all fornication and 41 percent saying sex outside marriage is fine for people in “committed relationships.”

A little over a third of the priests (34.6 percent) said the church should not change its teaching on sex outside of marriage.

Similarly, 64.5 percent of priests said the church should end its opposition to gay sex and more than a quarter of those surveyed (27.3 percent) saying homosexuals should be allowed to have sex with whomever they want.

Another 37.2 percent of respondents said sex was fine between gay people in “committed” relationships such as civil partnerships or marriages but frowned upon casual gay sex.

Pope Francis has doubled down in his personal war on fossil fuels while condemning “extreme practices” such as fracking.

It is time world leaders to “listen to science and institute a rapid and equitable transition to end the era of fossil fuel,” the pontiff urges in his message for the Feast of Creation, to be celebrated on September 1.

It is “absurd to permit the continued exploration and expansion of fossil fuel infrastructures,” he insists. “Let us raise our voices to halt this injustice towards the poor and towards our children, who will bear the worst effects of climate change.”

“The unrestrained burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests are pushing temperatures higher and leading to massive droughts,” the pope declares, a product of “consumerist greed, fueled by selfish hearts.”

Moreover, he states, “predatory industries are depleting and polluting our freshwater sources through extreme practices such as fracking for oil and gas extraction, unchecked mega-mining projects, and intensive animal farming.”

As he has declared on other occasions, Francis insists that “richer nations have contracted an ‘ecological debt’ that must be paid” to poorer nations.

“Let us heed our call to stand with the victims of environmental and climate injustice, and to put an end to the senseless war against creation,” he exhorts.

Let us repent of our “ecological sins,” he urges, that “harm the world of nature and our fellow men and women.”

Read more at: www.breitbart.com

The planned relaunch of religiously-themed Barbie dolls in Argentina, dubbed “Barbie Virgin Mary” and “Jesus Ken,” has sparked outrage globally, especially among Catholic groups in Buenos Aires, the birthplace of Pope Francis.

This comes after the international success of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, prompted the creators, local artists Emiliano Pool Paolini and Marianela Perelli, to reissue their contentious collection.

As reported by Jam Press, the artists’ original “Barbie: The Plastic Religion” exhibit in 2014 received serious death threats for representing important religious figures, including Catholic saints and the Virgin Mary, as dolls.

Despite these threats, at least one toy shop in Argentina has allegedly agreed to stock some models of the revived collection, with the artists planning to showcase their dolls in an art show in December, according to the New York Post.

The previous exhibit, “Barbie, The Plastic Religion,” drew ire worldwide, according to USA Today. Priest Adrian Santarelli from St. Thomas More parish in Buenos Aires at the time questioned the appropriateness of the dolls, saying their representation of sacred images might damage a child’s understanding of the sacred.

It included Barbies depicted as Joan of Arc and Virgin of Guadalupe, among others, and Ken as Buddha and Moses. It notably avoided dolls representing Muslim figures due to Islamic prohibitions on such depictions.

In response to the controversy, the artists insist that the exhibit is purely artwork and not intended to cause offense. Paolini insists that the creations were “simply the union of the two most popular elements of history: the Barbie doll and religion.”

“Frankly, we don’t understand why we’re being attacked,” the New York Post quoted Paolini as saying. “Religion has always depicted virgins as the most beautiful women,” he added. “Today, the most beautiful woman is Barbie.”

The exhibit reportedly planned for December is expected to draw about 400 visitors, according to the organizers, with police presence to ensure security.

Read more at: www.christianpost.com

There’s an event recorded in the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, and his disciples asked him what the sign of the end of the age would be.

Jesus replied, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.”

At least one of those deceivers is turning out to be an AI called “ask_jesus.”

According to The Independent, a Berlin-based tech collective has developed a chatbot resembling Jesus Christ, which already has thousands of followers seeking advice and guidance.

The chatbot, referred to as “AI Jesus,” has the appearance of a bearded white man with a radiant halo and utilizes artificial intelligence reportedly trained on the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.

Operating under the Twitch channel name “ask_jesus,” the live stream has amassed a following of over 36,000 devoted users. Viewers are encouraged to pose their questions to the “AI Jesus,” who responds with gestures and answers, providing advice on topics ranging from gaming to relationships.

The chatbot has the ability to remember previous interactions with the user which gives it a false sense of omniscience.

The ask_jesus AI was created by The Singularity Group, a team of self-described “driven and ambitious volunteer activists working on innovative projects to make a real difference in the world.”

A closer look at the “projects” page on the group’s website reveals their interest in “tech philanthropy.” The website also claims to be “using innovative technologies such as the PRPS & DUBI blockchain tokens alongside the Giving Works charity” towards “a universal basic income for all.”

That doesn’t sound suspicious at all.

Fans of the ask_jesus praise the ‘realism’ of “AI Jesus,” who offers moral and ethical advice. But its zen approach to the questions makes it sound far more like Deepak Chopra than Jesus Christ. Which, I guess, is the point.

For instance, one user asked it about gay marriage, and it gave them the noncommittal “all love is love” answer, staying politically correct at all times.

Read more at: www.westernjournal.com

About a fifth of the congregations in the second-largest Protestant church in the U.S. are splitting away over a schism about the inclusion of the LGBTQ agenda in Christianity.

That comes to about 6,000 communities in the United Methodist Church, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.

“I don’t think any of us want to see any of our churches leave,” said UMC Council of Bishops president Bishop Thomas Bickerton.

“We’re called to be the body of Christ, we’re called to be unified,” he added. “There’s never been a time when the church has not been without conflict, but there’s been a way we’ve worked through that.”

The mass exodus was the latest development in the years-long debate over LGBTQ inclusion in Methodist theology. Traditional Protestant teaching forbids gay relationships and marriages, but some members and churches are opposing the biblical teaching.

Many of the 6,000 congregations leaving are planning to join the Global Methodist Church, a new organization that will neither ordain or marry LGBTQ people.

Rev. Keith Boyette, the chairman of the council guiding the creation of the new denomination, said in March that many churches are frustrated with the actions of the UMC.

“Theologically conservative local churches and annual conferences want to be free of divisive and destructive debates and to have the freedom to move forward together,” said Boyette.

Read more at: www.theblaze.com

A Minneapolis church’s livestream Sunday caught the moment when one of its pastors led the congregation in the recitation of “The Sparkle Creed,” which proclaims belief in the “non-binary God whose pronouns are plural” and to Jesus Christ who “had two dads,” among other things.

What are the details?

Anna Helgen, one of the pastors at Edina Community Lutheran Church, asked those in the sanctuary to “confess our faith today in the words of The Sparkle Creed,” which is a radical variation of “The Apostles’ Creed.” Here’s what was recited:

I believe in the non-binary God whose pronouns are plural. I believe in Jesus Christ, their child, who wore a fabulous tunic and had two dads and saw everyone as a sibling child of God. I believe in the rainbow spirit, who shatters our image of one white light and refracts it into a rainbow of gorgeous diversity. I believe in the church of everyday saints, as numerous, creative, and resilient as patches on the AIDS quilt, whose feet are grounded in mud and whose eyes gaze at the stars in Wonder. I believe in the calling to each of us that love is love is love, so beloved, let us love. I believe, glorious God. Help my unbelief. Amen.

After “The Sparkle Creed,” Helgen led a congregational prayer to the God of “expansive and inclusive love” for “the summer solstice” and for “honey bee populations experiencing extreme loss,” as well as “climate justice,” Pride events, and “all LGBTQIA+ leaders.”

Read more at: www.theblaze.com

While a majority of Americans have a positive view of Jesus, most, including Christians, also have a negative opinion of celebrity Christian culture, celebrity pastors, Evangelicals, megachurches and famous worship bands, a new study from Barna Group shows.

And the situation is among a number of drivers inching the nation toward a post-Christian era.

The data for the study, conducted online from Dec. 13–22, 2022, via a consumer research panel, was based on a survey of 2,005 U.S. adults and teenagers called the Spiritually Open project. Gloo and He Gets Us partnered with Barna for the research.

“When we asked Americans whether they have a positive or negative opinion of Jesus, seven in 10 (71%) say they view him positively. Of all U.S. teens and adults, 63 percent say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today,” Barna researchers said. “This is actually most common among millennials, of whom 70 percent say their commitment to Jesus is still important to them.”

For celebrity pastors, only 19% of Christians and people of other faiths had a positive view of those ministers, while just 17% of respondents overall said the same.

Famous people or celebrities who are Christian are also not seen positively. Only 26% of respondents overall in the survey and 30% of Christians approve.

Twenty-six percent of respondents in the study overall also had a positive view of famous or well-known worship bands. Among Christians, just 30% view these bands positively, along with 29% of people from other faiths and 12% of people who profess no faith at all.

Read more at: www.christianpost.com

A church in Fürth, Germany, hosted an experimental service in which artificial-intelligence-generated avatars delivered portions of the worship program, including a sermon. A theologian involved in the project described using AI to generate much of the material. Attendees reportedly offered mixed reactions, with some questioning whether the presentation could convey the personal and spiritual dimensions of worship. The event prompted discussion about the appropriate role of artificial intelligence in religious services.

Read more at pjmedia.com

The schism between LGBTQ-inclusive congregations and traditionalist churches continues ahead of the global denomination’s upcoming 2024 conference in Charlotte.

113 local churches in South Carolina will soon separate from the United Methodist Church (UMC), including seven in the Rock Hill area.

In a news release Tuesday, the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMCSC) confirmed the 2023 South Carolina Annual Conference voted overwhelmingly to approve the closure of the churches who voted to leave in a process described as “somber and respectful” by state church leaders. The closure doesn’t mean the churches are shuttered; rather, the local congregations are simply no longer within the United Methodist denomination.

“For those who are leaving us, we bless you and send you on your way. For those who are remaining, we pray that God gives us a new will to do what God has called us to do. May it become clear, may it become important, may it move from our heads to our hearts.,” said Bishop L. Jonathan Holston.

Tuesday’s vote is among the latest developments in an ongoing schism within the UMC. At the core of the split is disagreement over LGBTQ inclusion and ordination. While the denomination’s Book of Discipline has long held that same-sex marriages and ordaining openly gay clergy are not in line with UMC beliefs, a growing number of churches in recent years have defied that declaration and pushed for a shift to more LGBTQ-inclusive practices.

The churches leaving the UMC have expressed frustration with the more LGBTQ-inclusive congregations’ push. Some of those leaving have opted to join the more theologically-conservative Global Methodist Church that was formally launched in May 2022. Other churches have opted to become non-denominational or explore other options.

Read more at: www.wcnc.com

One of the most important themes running throughout the Hebrew Bible is that the God of Israel promises to send the Messiah to earth one day to redeem the Jewish people and rule Israel and the entire world.

Obviously, the world’s 2.6 billion Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and that He is coming back to earth in the “last days” of history.

Also obvious is that the vast majority of Jews worldwide – and here in Israel – do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

Yet here is a fact that is not obvious at all.

Nearly half of all Israeli Jews have given up believing that the Messiah is real and coming any time in the future.

When asked by researchers, “Do you believe the Messiah is coming?,” a shocking new survey finds that a mere 54.9% of Israeli Jews say “yes.”

Fully 45.1% say “no.”

No one said, “I don’t know.”

The survey of 1,200 Israeli Jews was designed by two Jewish professors in the United States.

For the record, neither believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

The survey was conducted last month in Hebrew by one of the top research and polling firms in Israel.

It was partially funded by ALL ISRAEL NEWS and the results are being published here for the first time. More results will be published over the next few days and will also be released at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Orlando, Florida, this week.

Consider a snapshot of Jews who still believe:

93.8% of Israelis who voted for right-wing Orthodox political parties still believe Messiah is coming one day.

But only 54.9% of those voting for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party agree – a number that precisely mirrors the overall view of the country.

An even sharper contrast can be found among those who voted for the opposition parties, including those led by Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz – only 22% of these voters believe that the Messiah is literally coming some day in the future.

Even more striking is that only 15% of Israelis who voted specifically for left-wing parties like Labor and Meretz believe the Messiah will ever literally come to earth.

Read more at: www.allisrael.com