Christianity in the news: June 2023

June 19, 2023 8:17 am

For today’s article, we will dive into three important news stories from this month related to American Christianity. Without further ado, let’s dive right into these three high-profile stories from June 2023.

1. Christian arrested for preaching in Pennsylvania

A few weeks ago, a Christian preacher was wrongfully arrested at gay pride event in Pennsylvania. The pastor was arrested while reading a Bible verse (1 Corinthians 14:33) while standing on public property outside the Pride event.

Fortunately, charges were dropped against the Christian preacher earlier this week. If you watch the video of this event, then you will see how the local police officer blatantly deprived this Christian man of his 1st Amendment rights.

Here is a five-minute video of this full encounter:

This story/video should concern Christians and free-speech advocates in America. As time goes on, don’t be surprised if Christians aren’t allowed to peacefully protest events contrary to God’s Word.

2. The 2023 Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) met in my hometown of New Orleans this past week for its annual Convention. As the largest Protestant Church body in America, the SBC made headlines for its vote to expel two Churches from the SBC–notably the California megachurch Saddleback Church with its founding pastor Rick Warren.

This vote was a significant victory for the Conservative faction of the SBC as it held fast to Biblical doctrine and Church discipline in the midst of an evermore progressive culture.

3. The Passing of Pat Robertson

On June 8th, long-time Conservative, evangelical Christian pastor Pat Robertson passed away at 93. Robertson was one of the most influential Christian pastors in America during the 20th century. His efforts led to the creation of numerous organizations–Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), the Christian Coalition of America, and more.

While controversial at times, Robertson played a huge role in cementing the Evangelical Christianity as a key bloc within the Republican party. Besides running for the Presidency in 1988, Robertson leveraged his influence to push the Republican party in a more socially conservative route during the 1980s and 1990s.

Whether you like him or not, Robertson was undoubtedly one of the most influential Christian pastors during the 20th century–up there with the likes of Billy Graham, Jerry Fallwell, and others.

If you’re curious, here’s a YouTube video of Pat Robertson’s 1988 presidential campaign announcement: