Broward Court Clerk Brenda Forman, running for reelection, posts quote erroneously attributed to Hitler on her Facebook page

Brenda Forman, the Broward County clerk of courts, posted a quotation, purportedly from Adolf Hitler, on her Facebook page on July 21, 2020. She deleted it on July 21, after an outpouring of concern from people who condemned using anything from the Nazi leader. The quotation is a fake, and not actually from Hitler. Facebook places a warning on some versions of the image. (screen grab / Courtesy) ... Read More

COVID-19 won’t stop next week’s lobster miniseason in the Florida Keys

Instead of canceling the event altogether, they decided to close public boat ramps in the upper keys, such as in Islamorada and Key Largo, between July 24th and August 9th, the same way they did during the July 4th holiday. Commissioners said they hoped the closures would discourage what they called “day-trippers” from Miami-Dade and Broward counties from visiting the upper keys for the day. ... Read More

Coronavirus lawsuits slam bar closures and mask requirements

“At the same time as you are not allowing these businesses to open, you’re allowing Disney and Universal and all these other parks to open, and they have more people in a day than all these businesses put together,” Arreaza said. The state’s spike in COVID-19 cases took place when bars were not open, Arreaza said, arguing that bars are no more likely to spread the virus than any other business. ... Read More

Growing Young and Growing Old: The Legacies of John Lewis and J.I. Packer

The maturity of youth and the vibrancy of age both serve the true needs of our day. “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.” Prov. 20:29 Within a span of 24 hours, we learned of the deaths of two titanic figures—civil rights leader and United States Congressman John Lewis, and evangelical theologian J.I. Packer. Both were old—Lewis was 80 and Packer 93—but upon reflection, I couldn’t help but see each, in my own... Read More

Down with the PPP!

Shaming churches for taking PPP loans miss the purpose of the CARES Act. This past spring, Covid-19 came in like a wrecking ball. Not only did it cause a health crisis, but also a financial one. Along with the health crisis, where thousands were being infected and hundreds were dying, many feared for their own safety. In an attempt to flatten the curve, the Federal government chose to shut down the country for a couple of weeks, and many state governments extended the shutdown in their... Read More

‘We’re not there yet,’ DeSantis says as Florida reports 136 more people died from COVID-19

Still, Florida’s death rate was about in the middle compared to other states. Florida’s death rate per 100,000 people was 23.4, according to COVID Data Tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The death rate is much higher in New York City with 278.7 deaths for 100,000. California has had 19.4 deaths per 100,000, and Texas has had 13.8 deaths. ... Read More

From N.T. Wright to J.D. Greear: How J.I. Packer Shaped My Faith and Work

20 evangelical thought leaders on the theologian who inspired their seminary studies, sparked their love of Scripture, and took them out for spicy food. On July 17, J. I. Packer passed away at the age of 93. He was “one of the most famous and influential evangelical leaders of our time,” according to Leland Ryken, professor emeritus of English at Wheaton College and author of J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life. To mark the moment, we asked 20 Christian thought leaders to answer... Read More

Church Planting Leaders Fellowship

I can almost say for certain that, in our lifetime, there has never been a more appropriate time to think and talk about innovation in mission and church planting. I can almost say for certain that, in our lifetime, there has never been a more appropriate time to think and talk about innovation in mission and church planting. About a year ago when we were planning the theme and deciding speakers for the Church Planting Leadership Fellowship’s summer gathering, we had no idea this year... Read More

Texas Pastor Killed While Helping Stranded Driver

Southern Baptist leaders mourn the sudden death of the 38-year-old church planter. John Powell, a Houston-area church planter and former Southern Baptist Theological Seminary staff member, was killed in a highway accident over the weekend. He was helping a driver who had stopped in traffic. The Houston Chronicle reported that in Powell’s final sermon to his congregation, Emmanuel Baptist Church in New Caney, Texas, he “preached on Psalm 72 and prayed that ‘in the poor... Read More