An Arizona church is suing the City of San Luis, charging officials with allegedly blocking its charitable food distribution to individuals and families in need. Conservative legal firm First Liberty Institute and law firm Snell and Wilmer L.L.P. filed a complaint and preliminary injunction in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona on behalf of Gethsemani Baptist Church.

Jeremy Dys, senior counsel for First Liberty, told CBN News the church is close to the U.S.-Mexico border and has long served people in need. "Here's a church that has, for the last 25 or 30 years, been present in that community and caring for its people by handing them food when they need it," Dys said, noting people all over the region have benefited from Gethsemani Baptist Church's efforts.

The attorney said the house of worship just recently found itself in the crosshairs over truck deliveries that reportedly violate city codes in the church's zoning district. According to First Liberty, the City of San Luis has "issued [two] fines and threatens criminal charges for parking transport trucks in the church’s parking lot." It's a shocking development, Dys said, after a previously friendly relationship between the city and church.

"The church has done what it has always done and so there's really been no change on the end of the church," Dys said. "They've just been simply trying to care for people in their community." The attorney said the election of a new mayor seemed to coincide with Gethsemani Baptist Church's newfound struggles — a battle that has caused the church to pause its longstanding food outreach.

"What changed, it seems, is the mayor ... was elected to office and very promptly kicked the church out of the city's warehouses," Dys said. "They had been using their warehouses for storage of food until they could move it to their property to hand it out." He said the battle seems to be based on the church's use of a semi-truck to deliver the food for outreaches. Dys said ordinances preclude the church from having the truck on the church's property, despite the outreach unfolding there since 1999 purportedly without major incident.

Dys also charged that Gethsemani Baptist Church is being "singled out" and ticketed while at least one other establishment is allowed to receive food deliveries in a similar manner. According to a press release, "the church and its pastor cannot afford the city’s heavy fines and fear that more citations could result in the pastor going to jail." 

Much of the political debate right now is centered on the growing chaos Americans are seeing on the southern border, with migrants illegally crossing the border at shocking rates. But with so much consternation focused on the social and political elements and failed legislative attempts at addressing the matter, Pentecostal preacher Tony Suarez is on a mission to turn the conversation back to the spiritual.

Suarez will host Revival on the Border in El Paso, Texas, from March 21-23, and McAllen, Texas, from March 27-29, offering nightly revival meetings that will conclude on Good Friday. "The ONLY answer to the issues plaguing our southern border is JESUS!" the preacher proclaims on his website. This important reminder is often lost in the emotional and cluttered conversation surrounding immigration, the 2024 election, and almost every other contentious issue under the sun.

"The last time we had immigration reform, Ronald Reagan was the president and I was in kindergarten," Suarez recently told CBN News. "But it's an issue that every election cycle is used for campaign fodder." He continued, "It doesn't matter if it's Republican or Democrat; they'll use this issue, and then once they're in office, they do absolutely nothing with the issue." Suarez said he has been working with Pastor Samuel Rodriguez at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference for years, but every time reform has seemed close, proposals "fall apart."

So, the pastor is seeking a spiritual answer to help turn the tide. "What I'm contending for is that the answer to everything from border security to the human issue is Jesus Christ," Suarez said. "And if Washington won't act, then the kingdom must act, and, so, that's why we're going to the border." Revival on the Border will start with three days of a tent revival, with Suarez also organizing a "prayer army" that will gather together.

The individuals who are part of that movement will be prayed over and then sent out to do something pretty incredible: hold prayer rallies in various cities along the U.S.-Mexico border, spiritually covering the area with invocations aimed at protecting people and America more generally. "They're going to drive the 1,254 miles of the southern border, because part of what we felt the Lord called us to do was to pray over the entire Southern border," he said. "They're going to go and pray [at] the six key points of entry into the United States, and we're going to have prayer rallies in those specific cities." Suarez is hoping the event has a massive impact for the kingdom. 

Actor Brett Varvel is on a mission to spread faith and hope through Hollywood. The "County Rescue" star recently joined CBN News to discuss his role as Andy, an EMT, in the new Great American Family series', a show that weaves together faith and drama to create a compelling show. "The thing that we explore in this show that's maybe different from other medical dramas is that we go into the interpersonal workings of this ensemble that we have on screen," Varvel said. "And we see real-life questions — What do you do when you're trying to discover your purpose in life? What do you do when things don't go your way? What do you do when tragedy strikes?" 

He said "County Rescue" mixes together faith, family, romance and so much more, showing what happens in the lives of EMTs who "put themselves in harm's way every single day" to save others' lives. The biggest differentiator, of course, is faith, something Varvel called a "key component to the show" (which is also currently streaming on Great American Pure Flix). Varvel also shared his own passion for performing and creating content in the faith and family-friendly TV and movie space.

"When I was 18 years old I had entered a short film that I made into a statewide arts competition in Indiana, where I'm from," he said. "It was just a proclamation of what Jesus has done in my life. I've been set free from my sin. I've been born again." And Varvel's film won first place in the state, which totally blew his mind. The actor was especially inspired when he heard the movie led a man to Christ. "My film was playing and I heard about a janitor who peeked his head in and ended up giving his life to Jesus after watching my film," he said. "And it was like, in that moment, I saw this new direction in life that God wanted me to go in, which was to take the talents and abilities that He's given me and to proclaim hope to people."

Ever since, Varvel has used his talents to create movies and TV shows, mixing his love for entertainment with his quest to share Jesus. "County Rescue" is just a continuation of that very mission. "What I've always grounded myself in is, I want to be about the truth found in God's word, the biblical promises that we see that are going to lead us to hope in life, an eternal life in Jesus," Varvel said. "And that's why I love the show like 'County Rescue.'" Hear the actor tell his story and recount his faith journey.

Matt Bennett, founder of Christian Union (CU), an organization with campus ministries at influential colleges across America, is on a mission to spread the Gospel to Ivy League students. Bennett's new CU Rise campaign is an eight-week effort from March 17 through May that aims to "disrupt" campus culture by introducing students to Jesus. The on-campus and online campaign will seek to evangelize students at Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford. An in-person, pre-campaign kick-off event just concluded at Cornell University, with reports of people coming to the Lord.

"We want as many as possible to hear the Gospel message," Bennett told CBN News. "Even for those who don't [believe], it's valuable for them to know the true Christian message." And the Christian Union head made a sobering statement that underscores the dire state of spiritual affairs and intense lostness at many of these colleges. "What's shocking is that, in this audience, you have fewer practicing Christians than you do, say ... in Mainland China or a lot of other places that we consider unreached," he said. "This is an unreached people group. And, so, it's important for these folks in and among themselves that they have the chance to know the Lord."

Bennett added, "But it's also important for the sake of the nation."

Bennett emphasized the importance of the campaign's message — "Jesus Disrupts" — reaching this population, especially considering the widespread confusion and lack of Christian knowledge that persists on these campuses — and the fact these universities churn out so many leaders. "These folks need to know the Lord," Bennett said. "A huge number [of influential leaders] go to the top 1% of schools in the country."

According to a press release announcing the effort, the campaign aims to "introduce students to how radical and different Jesus is, and how He can change them and give them purpose and hope in their own lives." Through online outreach, Bennett hopes to push students to learn more about Christianity — and even the faith-based histories of their own universities. These nudges toward truth will have a significant impact on individuals' lives.

Bestselling author Mitch Albom, known for blockbuster books like "Tuesdays with Morrie," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” and "The Stranger in the Lifeboat," was among those forced to flee from Haiti in the dead of night after the nation descended into sheer chaos. Albom was visiting Have Faith Haiti, an orphanage run by he and his wife, Janine, when Haiti's government collapsed and he was among the Americans trapped there with no way out. With violence flaring, Albom and a group of nine others were granted an emergency airlift Tuesday out of the beleaguered country.

The author, who is now safe and back in the U.S. after fleeing the nation Tuesday in the dead of night, recounted additional details during an interview Thursday with CBN News. Albom, who cares for 60 children and has 40 staff at the orphanage, is in touch with the orphans and staff all day via FaceTime and other technologies. He said the chaos unfolding in Haiti can be heard still during those calls.

"When we do our nightly devotions, you can hear all the gunfire in the background," he said. "It's such a juxtaposition. It doesn't make sense. You know they're singing these beautiful songs to God about being grateful for what they have ... but, out in the street, [there is] rapid fire machine gun kind of fire." Albom continued, "It's a shame that they have to live with this." While the author's fame and accolades are mostly tied to his books, his real passion is his work helping orphans in Haiti.

"[The orphanage] takes up the bulk of my existence," Albom said in a past interview. "I know most people know me as a writer, but my average week is consumed a lot more with operating the orphanage and I'm there every month, and it's the most important thing and most gratifying thing that I do." Albom said his life-changing work in Haiti began after the devastating 2010 earthquake, which killed 220,000-300,000 people and displaced 1.5 million others. At the time, the author accompanied a U.S. pastor to Haiti who needed to check on an orphanage he lost contact with during the tragedy. The author said he was immediately captivated by what he encountered in the earthquake-ravaged country.

"I was so taken with the kids, and their attitude, and their positivity, and their joy, despite the fact that they had nothing," Albom said. Recognizing the dire nature of the situation in Haiti after the earthquake, Albom started to go back and forth and bring people from Detroit who could help — plumbers, roofers, contractors, and others. They started working on the orphanage, installing toilets, showers and a kitchen, among other needs. But that was only the beginning, as Albom soon became more involved than he could have ever imagined. “I ended up taking over the operations … which I’ve now run for [nearly] 12 years,” he said. “I’m there every month.”

The head of an organization tasked with bringing "The Chosen" to one billion people across the globe has unveiled plans to bring season four of the hit show to prisons and churches, a bold move aimed at sparking Gospel conversations and healing. Stan Jantz, chief executive officer of the Come and See Foundation, recently told CBN News his nonprofit's mission is to "support 'The Chosen,'" implementing a vision to bring "the authentic Jesus" to one billion people. 

"We have three ... pillars, and one is to ensure that all seven seasons get made," Jantz said. "Number two is the translation piece — [to] translate every episode of every season into 600 languages, which is a huge task, never been done before that scale." He said the third effort is strategic partners with global ministries to take "The Chosen" to the "farthest places of the world." Jantz said he has been excited to see the amazing ways the show has impacted hearts and minds across the globe.

"We're excited about ... Bible engagement," he said, noting that many people are so intrigued by what they see in "The Chosen" that they open up their Bibles to read what's in Scripture. "YouVersion is finding a real uptick in their Bible engagement by showing 'The Chosen' on their apps." The show, Jantz said, has become a vehicle to point curious people to God's word.

Despite challenges delaying the streaming release of the latest season, Jantz said "The Chosen" season four will be making its way into prisons through Prison Fellowship and will also head to churches. "We're seeing that this is a tool that they're using to engage these inmates and then, as chaplains, take them through that discipleship journey," he said. "We're thrilled."

Churches can also find out how they can bring season four to their congregations free of charge. "One of our goals too is to keep this show free for all," Jantz said of any church or prison participating in this offer. "People can watch it and not have to pay for it."

Author and speaker Jennie Allen has witnessed some of the most powerful revival moments over the past year. She helped hundreds of young people get spontaneously baptized at Auburn University in Alabama last year — something she recently spoke about with CBN News during a conversation about her new book "Untangle Your Emotions: Naming What You Feel and Knowing What to Do About It."

"It was [a] pretty incredible night and we didn't plan it," she said, noting that she had a "sense of the Spirit...moving" after speaking. "I get off the stage and [a pastor] walked up to me and said ... 'This girl just texted me and said, 'I want to be baptized tonight.'"

Allen said she asked where they could go nearby to find a place to offer that baptism. At first, they considered a pool, but they wanted to "think bigger." "He said, 'There's a lake down the street, but it's like a half a mile away, a mile away,'" she recalled. "I said, 'Do you think they would come?' And he said, 'Well, we can try."

Allen got on the stage again as worship was going and asked the crowd if anyone wanted to be baptized. As dozens of hands went up, Allen told everyone they would head down to the lake to do the baptisms. And that moment sparked a massive response. "Everybody came," she said. "They picked up people on their way. There were 6,000 people on there and I mean, it was just wrapping the entire lake and it's a pretty big lake. It was wild."

Baptisms went on until midnight, with the young people sharing their passion for the Lord. "It was amazing," Allen said. "And hearing the kids ... every single kid said something different, but one of the things they said consistently was ... 'I want to be clean. I want to be clean.'" She continued, "I just think that's their longing." Allen also discussed "Untangle Your Emotions" and the complexities and mistakes people often make when it comes to processing and understanding emotions.

Fans of hit TV show "The Chosen" were likely surprised to see creator Dallas Jenkins release a Facebook video this weekend with a shocking title: "I’ve got bad news about Season 4’s release." That candid proclamation gave a clue into some of what could be expected from Jenkins' more than 16-minute "family chat" as he dubbed it — an honest conversation about why The Chosen season four was released in theaters, the monumental cost of producing the series, why streaming is delayed, and more overarching plans for the future.

“Our previous path wasn’t proving to be sustainable," Jenkins said of the crowdfunding model that launched "The Chosen" into meteoric success. Without going into detail, the famed director also indicated there are current legal challenges holding up the latest season's streaming release. Efrem Graham, host of CBN's "Studio 5," has been covering "The Chosen" since its inception, and explained the ins and outs of the information delivered in Jenkins' video.

While Graham assumed "something was going on" involving the streaming release of season four, he "did not realize the seriousness of it or the legal issues [and] financial issues" at play. The TV host did credit Jenkins' honesty — something that's often rare when it comes to the teams behind TV shows and movies. "Dallas has been very good about being forthcoming whenever possible about any questions," Graham said. "And anytime I've interviewed him, he'd always said, 'Ask me anything,' so I appreciate that from him."

And that candidness was on full display in Jenkins' video, with the director acknowledging some fans' frustrations over not being able to stream the latest season. Considering "The Chosen" has traditionally been free to stream relatively quickly, Jenkins explained the financial reasons his team chose a theatrical run. Many fans had become accustomed to the crowdfunding model and the simple release that didn't involve ticket sales or other financial or logistical barriers. A theater release has conplicated that reality.  

"This is the single biggest, successful crowdfunded project in media history," Graham said. "It started with a partnership between Dallas and Angel Studios; they helped them to raise funds, and then, as the series grew, roles shifted because they needed more support ... financially; they needed more support in terms of distribution." Today, Angel Studios, whom Jenkins described in the video as a former partner of "The Chosen," has gone on to crowdfund other films like "Sound of Freedom" and "Cabrini," adding a new model into the mix for faith and family-friendly projects.

Graham further explained some of the barriers Jenkins faces, including the need to use any incoming funds for the next season of the show; "The Chosen" has always had a seven-season run, leaving Jenkins and his team with the important task of ensuring monies are poured back into production after each new season. Listen for more.

A Texas college professor who said he was fired after university leaders reportedly found his teachings too "religious" has been reinstated to his position more than a year after being terminated. Dr. Johnson Varkey and his attorneys at First Liberty Institute recently announced Varkey has won his adjunct professorial job back at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas, after being fired in 2023 "for teaching standard principles about human biology and reproduction."

The announcement comes after a "favorable settlement" was reached with the Alamo Community College District; the school system voluntarily reinstated Varkey. "I was so excited," the professor told CBN News after the announcement. "And thank the Lord for that outcome." Varkey said he's grateful to First Liberty and to God for helping him get back his position. "I am excited to go back and teach," he said.

As CBN News previously reported, a biology professor for the past 20 years, Varkey consistently taught the same facts about the human reproductive system without any problems. But that changed last year when he received a notice of dismissal. "I was surprised and I was shocked, because, you know, never expected for such a letter from, or such an email from, the school because I've been teaching that for that school for the last 20 years and without any complaints," he said.

Varkey believes his lessons on human biology and sex being determined by chromosomes X and Y sparked complaints leading to his dismissal. But, after pushing back and filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that is still under review, he could return to the classroom as soon as this spring. The professor said he hopes his successful quest to fight for his job will inspire other Christians who might face similar issues and barriers. "I would say, don't quit, because there are people very supportive just like First Liberty," he said, urging people to be brave and take a stand. "Stand for the truth."

The brother-in-law of a Hamas hostage is speaking out about his relative's plight, imploring the international community to keep fighting for the hostages' safe return. Moshe Lavi said his brother-in-law, Omri Miran, 46, was taken captive from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists who invaded the country and slaughtered around 1,200 Israelis.

Omri is married to Lishay Miran and is father to daughters Roni, 2, and 9-month-old Alma. "He's an incredible father to my two nieces, Roni and Alma [and] amazing husband to my sister, Lishay," Lavi said, describing Miran as a man with a "gentle heart." "He's a family man." Months after the children's father was ripped from their lives, Lavi said the children not only scream and cry for their dad, but that the older child verbally recounts the "violence she witnessed on October 7th."

"How horrible it is that children at the age of 2 and 3 [are] hearing this?" he said. "She draws it in paintings. ... We take her to therapy, because we have to do that to ensure that she gets every support she [needs]." He continued, "[The kids] cry for him."

After losing touch with his sister and family in the middle of the night, Lavi, who lives in New York, later learned about the horrific situation his loved ones faced at the hands of Hamas. "My mom received a message that Lishay, my sister, survived, that the two babies survived, but that [Omri] was taken hostage," he said. "I'm grateful my parents were rescued and survived."

Hamas terrorists had barged into Omri's home, using a teenage boy from the kibbutz to lure them to open the door in a faux effort to save the 15-year-old boy's life. "Later on that day, Hamas murdered [the teen] and most of his family," Lavi said. "For hours, they were abused at their home, held at gunpoint, their house was ransacked, ravaged." That was just one of the many horrors to be inflicted on innocents that day, with some of the atrocities being live-streamed on Facebook.